New building opened at Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu
TIMBUKTU: South African President Kgalema Motlanthe has described the new building at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali as a celebration of African co-operation and friendship.

AFRICA

2010 clock strikes 500 days to kick-off
[Michael Appel] The world is watching in anticipation as stadiums go up, roads and highways are built or upgraded, and a country once faced with overwhelming odds draws closer to hosting the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet, writes Michael Appel.

AFRICA

Six tips to create powerful news events
[Chima Nwankwo] It is amazing the kind of money people and organisations spend on hosting events and then turn around to complain that they have not received the return on investment and exposure they had hoped the corporate affairs manager would give them.

AFRICA

World Festival of the Black Arts launches at the UN
[Leslie Pariseau] The launch of the World Festival of Black Arts (FESMAN) on 22 January 2009 at the United Nations headquarters provided a glimpse of what promises to be the revival of rich tradition and cultural celebration across the African continent.

AFRICA

14th Global Mobile Awards finalists announced
LONDON: The GSMA announced the finalists for the 14th Annual Global Mobile Awards late last week, as well as the competitors for the EMEA leg of the annual Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition. The overall winners will be announced and recognised during the GSMA's annual gala dinner at the National Palace in Barcelona on Tuesday, 17 February.


Nokia reports 20% decline in profit
Nokia, has recorded a nearly 20% decline in profit for the last quarter of 2008. The company has also projected that sales of mobile phone devices will decrease significantly during the current year.

Brand experience - the true test
[Phillip van Staden] PR practitioners are often required to work in line with our communication partners - be they advertising agencies or other marketing services partners. They all have a mantra or some kind of uniquely positioned approach. So is it up to us to fit in with the philosophies and doctrines of our communication partners?

Sudan: Lack of opportunities forces children into work
KADUGLI: Every evening, the market in Kadugli, state capital of Southern Kordofan, bustles with activity as women set up their tea shops. Abdi, barely 10 years old, is in one, rinsing glasses. "It is my first day here," he told IRIN, doing a job that will last late into the night.

Chad: Banging pots and pans to end charcoal ban
N'DJAMENA: On 23 January in some Chadian cities day broke with the sound of citizens banging together pots and pans. Prohibited by the authorities from demonstrating in the streets, Chadians banged their utensils from inside their homes to protest the government's ban on charcoal.

East African Community members can negotiate trade as a bloc
[Rose Kamau] NAIROBI, KENYA: East African Community (EAC) member states can now negotiate as a bloc in all matters relating to regional and multinational trade following the enactment of the East African Trade Negotiations Act, 2008.