A discussion list arising from the journal of the same name. The list is for anyone "interested in developing critical insights on class composition, struggles and resistance in South Africa in the broader context of globalized capitalism.". "...it is by no means confined to experts on South Africa; it rather aims to locate the contents of 'Debate' in the broader worldwide confrontation against neo-liberalism." To subscribe send an email to [email protected]
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On 19 September 2002, Sina Sebetha, an Edenvale traffic officer in Gauteng province, threatened "Sunday Times" journalist Sabelo Ndlangisa. She told the journalist she would make him "vanish if he did not leave her alone."

The international human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has called on the Eritrean authorities to immediately release a number of political dissidents and journalists who have been in detention for a year.

The worst victims of Robert Mugabe's land seizures are not the few thousand white farming families being evicted from their farms. Those suffering the most are the hundreds of thousands of black farm workers who are losing their jobs, being thrown out of their homes, often violently, and who will make up an enormous new landless class, reports The Guardian.

Panos sees the need to have an independent account by journalists and development experts who can reflect the range of perspectives among user communities, the rural poor, government officers, development workers, policy makers, and other stakeholders, as to what 'ICTs for development' means in their societies. These views need to frame the debate around ICTs-enabled development discourses. Panos has been commissioning independent journalists for a decade to write Panos Briefings to encourage and support informed debate on various development issues. As part of the Briefings series, Panos plans to commission journalists and development experts from the South to visit telecentres in their regions.

In a landmark decision that has sweeping implications for Third World development, engineering multinational Acres International of Oakville, Ontario has been convicted by the Lesotho High Court in southern Africa on two counts of bribing a local official to secure contracts on a multibillion dollar dam scheme. Earlier this year, the recipient of the bribes, Lesotho's Masupha Sole, was also convicted.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) in collaboration with several partners is in the process of establishing an Internet information portal on HIV/AIDS for Southern Africa. The portal will provide a unique knowledge resource to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among institutions and individuals in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa.

The Media Resource and Advocacy Centre (MRAC), Lagos Nigeria, announces the final in its series of regional strategic communications training course aimed at equipping NGO activists with skills in health promotion, advocacy and general publicity for development programs and projects. The course will take place between 25-26 May, 2003 in Kaduna, Nigeria.

Tawanda Majoni a reporter with Zimbabwe's new and fourth daily paper, The Daily Mirror recited to MISA-Zimbabwe in an interview on Sunday 14 September, the story of his arrest on Thursday 12 September and how he suffered in police cells. Majoni is a former police officer and he left the force after studying for a Diploma in Journalism. He was arrested for allegedly writing a false story about the health status of the Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri.

A raid by 10 policemen on a publishing house in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Monday 9 September was on Thursday condemned by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), which described it as "worrying" for press freedom in the West African country.

This working paper, Communication for Social Change: An Integrated Model for Measuring the Process and Its Outcomes, takes a big step forward in refining the practice of communication for social change. It is part of a larger strategy to spread communication for social-change thinking and ways of working broadly: to poor communities that have never thought about communication as a tool they can control for improving their lives; within aid and donor organisations that are more comfortable being in control than in sharing control; or within academic institutions that are preparing the next generation of professional communicators.

The government of Sudan should end its
recent crackdown on the press, Human Rights Watch has said in a letter to
the Sudanese president. In the past week, the government's National Press Council (NPC) has
confiscated entire daily editions of three newspapers.

The World Summit was covered by a number of independent online media portals and initiatives. Take a look at this brief - and by no means exhaustive - list.

Personally, I'd love to get a huge pipe out to the Internet. The true Internet junkie can never have enough bandwidth. But... is it really worth it? Tracey Burrows takes a look at the hype and the facts surrounding Telkom's recent introduction of this service to a few South Africa users. The reader comments are worth browsing.

ITWeb - Government will prioritise three key areas in its drive to develop Information and communication technology in SA. This was decided at the high-powered Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development in the Western Cape at the weekend.

With 5 more days to the deadline for nominations, we are urging eligible organizations to apply/nominate for this year's APC Africa Hafkin Communications Prize for 2002 ' People-Centred Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy in Africa'. The APC Africa 'Hafkin' Prize recognises outstanding initiatives using information and communications technology (ICTs) for development.

Agence France Presse (AFP) foreign correspondent, Griffin Shea's application for a renewal of his work permit has been turned down by the Zimbabwe government, MISA-Zimbabwe has established.

A Togolese opposition leader and a journalist could be sentenced to four years imprisonment each for "defamation" following the publication of articles saying that President Gnassingbe Eyadema is one of the world's richest men.

If you would like to participate in the online discussion: African Women and NEPAD, please send email to FEMNET at [email protected] indicating your interest in this discussion.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has expressed deep concern about the climate for independent journalism in Niger, following the recent arrests of two journalists and a presidential decree restricting the media.