A recycled laptop's journey, Part 2: Doing the job right
Precious, rare earth and base metals -- such as indium, lithium, bismuth, ruthenium, platinum, nickel and gold -- are essential to producing PCs, and prices for them have been rising dramatically in recent years.

Going digital is a lifestyle choice
[Atul Gupta] ‘Digital lifestyle' is a term to which many people can relate. Its prevalence in society as a way to describe the mass appeal and acquisition of next generation multi-media, multi-functional equipment reinforces the ubiquitous quality of the technology itself.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabweans stockpiling as people fear the 'Kenya syndrome'
Post-election violence in Kenya is creating pre-election nervousness among Zimbabwe's voters ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections in March, and people are beginning to stockpile food in the event of any possible unrest.

Zim advertising awards go ahead despite lack of new campaigns
[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's Advertising Publicity Club is organising its annual competition for the advertising industry, despite a dearth of new campaigns due to an economic crisis that has stunted growth and limited new advertising campaigns in a once vibrant sector.

Arrive Alive campaign in Uganda drives the message home
The Arrive Alive road safety campaign in Uganda was initiated as a vehicle to emphasize safe driving practices and reduce the number of accidents on Uganda's roads over the festive season. The integrated media campaign included radio, press and outdoor.

Using offline marketing to grow your online business
[Michael Fleischner] Whether you are an Internet marketer or generalist, turning prospects into buyers is a top priority. Many marketers are continually testing the success of various media and integrated campaigns. One of the most frequently asked questions is the effectiveness of "off-line marketing" as it related to driving traffic and conversions on your website of landing page.

New members join MDDA board
The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) is a statutory development agency for promoting, supporting and ensuring media development and diversity, set up as a partnership between the South African Government and major print and broadcasting media companies, in terms of the MDDA Act No. 14 of 2002.

AFRICA

Econet cellphone lines on the SA market
Econet simcards have become the latest commodity not readily available in Zimbabwe but to flood markets in neighbouring countries.

UGANDA

Ugandans have new telecoms operator
[Walter Wafula] New telecommunications' player Warid Telecom, with roots in the United Arab Emirates officially started its operations in Uganda on January 9.

Kenya: It's the economy, stupid (not “tribalism”)
The wave of violence that engulfed Kenya after the presidential election has been widely described as tribal or ethnic in nature. But analysts in the east African country point to basic economics as the true cause of the unrest.

AFRICA

Don't impose food price controls, warns World Bank
Food prices have risen nearly 75% within a decade and will continue to do so, hurting the poor, warned the World Bank's annual Global Economic Prospects 2008, which suggested that governments ease control over food prices and provide targeted safety nets.

ZIMBABWE

Mugabe's nephew to get TV licence
The government is on the verge of granting President Robert Mugabe's nephew, Phillip Chiyangwa, an operating licence for the second terrestrial television network in Zimbabwe.