You're reading my last editorial column for the year, and what a year it's been. Due to the global economic downturn many have had to work twice as hard this year and turning this final corner in December means that we've made it intact. There are too many unemployed people at this point in time all over the continent, but here's hoping 2010 will bear plenty of fruit to go around.
Crisis or no crisis Africans kept their eyes glued to their TV sets with Bizcommunity Africa's top three Most Read Articles featuring Big Brother Africa 4, followed in fourth place by the Face of Africa 2009 search. Reality TV has definitely still got Africa hooked.
In 2010 Africa will host the 19th FIFA World Cup. This alone means plenty of opportunities for the continent to shine in the year ahead. Even Zimbabwe seems to be making a recovery, albeit slowly.
A major troubling issue Africa still needs to address is press freedom as journalists are continually harassed across the continent, sometimes to violent extremes, year-on-year. Let us all strive in the new year for a more accommodating society that respects freedom of speech and the right to information for all.
We will be sending out the first of our 2010 newsletters on 11 January 2010. Until then, to all our subscribers, clients, contributors, business partners and visitors to our sites, may you all have a restful, peaceful, safe and enjoyable year-end break.
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Festive Tribute 2009 page!
Sindy Peters, content manager
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Today's top stories
Marketing
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The official opening of this year's edition of the Africa Finance and Investment Forum (AFIF), organised by the Brussels-based EMRC, in cooperation with the Netherlands Development Finance Company FMO, will take place today, 14 December 2009.
Read more >>Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/0912/35579.gif)
2010 FIFA World Cup
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NEWSWATCH: Wavin' Flag by Somali-Canadian K'naan Warsame has been chosen as the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A remixed version of the song will be released in 150 countries next year in support of the event. Warsame has been touring Africa on the FIFA World Cup Trophy tour by Coca-Cola for the past two months.
Read more >>Digital
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PARIS: Facebook makes you despair? Social networking makes you want to end it all? You may be ready for online ritual suicide with the aid of a new website that helps you kill your virtual identity.
Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/0912/41932.jpg)
SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Thursday, 10 December 2009, unveiled a tool that lets scientists and defenders of the environment use the Internet to keep an eye on what is left of the Earth's forests.
Read more >>Mobile
[Moses Mudzwiti] Youths loyal to President Robert Mugabe threatened Zimbabwe's leading cellphone network, Econet Wireless, after intercepting "anti-Mugabe" SMSs.
Read more >> CAIRO: Egypt's financial regulator has approved the sale of the Egyptian telecom giant Mobinil to France Telecom's Orange, the official MENA agency has said.
Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/0912/41936.jpg)
Telkom Kenya announced yesterday, 13 December 2009, the activation of its instant roaming service available to its Orange GSM subscribers. The service, branded Orange Roaming, enables Orange subscribers to communicate in more than 200 destinations worldwide.
Read more >>Online Media
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SAN FRANCISCO: Privacy advocates slammed revamped Facebook privacy controls on Thursday, 10 December 2009, saying the change masks a move to get members to expose more information online.
Read more >>Production
Commercial filming and photography will be prohibited in some areas of the West Coast National Park due to a change in the permit process, the SA National Parks (SANParks) said on Thursday, 10 December 2009.
Read more >>Recruitment
LAGOS: A state-run Nigerian university has dismissed more than 1,000 workers, including senior teachers, over huge monthly salary bills and to save it from bankruptcy, the university announced on Wednesday, 9 December 2009.
Read more >>Retail
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LONDON, UK: Standard Bank has been awarded Best Trade Finance Bank in sub-Saharan Africa for the second successive year by
GTR Magazine in its annual readers' poll on the world's leading financial institutions.
Read more >>KIGALI: Africa has identified the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as the avenue for addressing the challenges of food security, but both the donors and African governments are yet to fulfill their commitments to CAADP, said Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the start of the two day high-level meeting on CAADP late last week.
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