South Africa: The answer to xenophobia is a community
In the aftermath of the xenophobic violence that erupted in South Africa in May, the "reintegration" of displaced people into their communities became a buzz word, but with few concrete ideas how that could be achieved. Paarl, a town in the Western Cape Province's winelands, may have figured out a way.

AFRICA

African footprint at 29th Durban International Film Festival
Cinema in all its diversity will once again be celebrated at the 29th Durban International Film Festival which runs from 23 July to 3 August with an expressive concentration of 71 South African films, and a further 38 films from the African continent.

Concern over Botswana plan to register mobile phone subscribers
The Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) has announced that prepaid subscribers of mobile phones will be registered as of 15 September to curb, among other things, mobile phone crimes. The move has alarmed media watchdogs, however.

AFRICA

Zimbabwe: Newspapers grab new pricing opportunity to prevent collapse
[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's media houses have seized on a new dispensation allowing them to charge cover prices without engaging price control agents by imposing weekly increases on newspaper prices.

Government suspends independent radio station's broadcasts
Reporters Without Borders has condemned the government's decision on 8 July to suspend independent Radio Despertar's broadcasts for 180 days on the grounds that their current range, 400km, is much more than the 50km stipulated in its licence. The suspension comes just one month before an election campaign is due to begin on 5 August.

Your reputation online, Part 1: How damage is done
These days, it's almost a given that a prospective employer will scour the internet for information about you, so it's a good idea to think a little before you click "submit" on that fiery political blog entry you just wrote. There are ways to clean up after yourself, but they can be difficult.

AFRICA

Company of the Year Awards improves management practices in Kenya
[Carole Kimutai] In Kenya, there are managers working very hard, under very difficult circumstances to create goods and services, pay taxes and keep Kenyans in employment, yet their efforts go largely unrecognised. In fact, the only time that attention is paid to these companies is when things go wrong.

SUDAN: Darfurians find ways round trading challenges
The Western Sudanese region of Darfur was once an important contributor to the global economy. Cattle, gum arabic, tobacco and manufactured goods made their way into the markets of Khartoum, the Gulf States, and even Europe and North America. Since the Darfur conflict erupted 2003, many of these links have been broken.

CENTRAL AFRICA

Malawi's uranium project 2nd to tobacco exports
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi is set to start mining uranium this September at Kayelekera Uranium Mine in the northern district of Karonga which will become the second biggest forex earner in the country after tobacco. It is expected to contribute 20% of the country's total export income.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Economic recession in SA - premature and unnecessarily alarmist
SOUTH AFRICA: In assessing the current economic outlook in SA, BUSA (Business Unity South Africa) says that, while there are indisputable signs of a serious and rapid slowdown in economic and business activity in 2008, the overall growth outlook remains positive.

Al-Jazeera bureau chief fined for "disseminating false information"
On 11 July 2008, a Rabat court fined Al-Jazeera's Rabat bureau chief, Hassan Rachidi, 50,000 dirhams (approx. 4,500 euros) under Article 42 of the press law because the Qatar-based satellite TV station wrongly reported in June that people were killed in clashes between police and protesters in the southern port city of Sidi Ifni.