SOUTH AFRICA

FIFA World Cup: 2.2m tickets sold, 500 000 still available

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The 2010 FIFA World Cup is slowly but surely edging closer to a full stadium syndrome, with 2.2 million tickets sold so far. The remaining 500 000 tickets will go on sale on 15 April 2010 during the last ticket sale phase, which includes over-the-counter sales at designated FIFA ticketing centres nationwide, the organisers announced today, Friday, 9 April. Read more >>

AFRICA

New WFA president appointed

BRUSSELS: Chris Burggraeve, chief marketing officer, A-B InBev, has been appointed president of the World Federation of Advertisers. He succeeds Bernhard Glock, former VP, global head of media, Procter & Gamble and current president and CEO, Media Leadership Company. Read more >>

AFRICA

Loeries: 5% discount for early bird entrants

The early bird deadline for entries into The 2010 Loerie Awards is 16 April 2010. Entries before this date will receive a 5% discount. The Loeries is open to work conceived and produced anywhere in Africa and the Middle East, including island states off the African coast like the Seychelles or Mauritius. This year, international crafts can be entered if the person nominated for the craft is from the eligible region. For more info, go to the Bizcommunity Loeries special section or www.theloerieawards.co.za.

AFRICA

Initiative launched to support education in developing world

Madonna, earlier this week, joined the Earth Institute, Ericsson and Millennium Promise to announce a new global education initiative aimed at supporting access to primary and secondary education for children worldwide, with an emphasis on girls' secondary schooling. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Facebook investigates SA market - from a distance

[Herman Manson] If you look closely, you will notice a pair of eyes and a nose peeking over the wall at the South African market. It belongs to Facebook, which recently signed with Habari Media to represent it locally. Trevor Johnson, head of strategy and planning, Facebook EMEA, says this is in line with the group's strategy for emerging markets, whereby it signs with knowledgeable local partners rather than investing directly into a country. Read more >>

AFRICA

Google Earth aids in SA fossil discovery

The discovery of the new hominid fossil yesterday, 9 April 2010, in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa is partly thanks to Google Earth. This is according to Michael Jones, chief technology advocate at Google. Professor Lee Berger from Witswatersrand University in Johannesburg used Google Earth to map known caves and fossil deposits and to locate new fossil deposits by learning to identify what cave sites looked like in satellite images. With the help of the navigation facility and high-resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth, Professor Berger went on to find almost 500 previously unidentified caves and fossil sites, says Jones.

AFRICA

CBC-African Business Awards call for entries

The third CBC-African Business Awards, to be held in London on 21 June 2010 is open for entries. The event is organised by IC Publications, publishers of African Business magazine, and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC). The closing date for entries is 30 April 2010. Read more >>

AFRICA

All the CNN Multichoice African Journalist 2010 finalists

Joel Kibazo, chair of the independent judging panel in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2010 Awards, has announced the finalists. The competition, now in its 15th year, received entries from 975 journalists from 40 countries throughout Africa, including French and Portuguese speaking Africa. Read more >>

AFRICA

World press body condemns Honduras journalist murders

In a letter to Honduras President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) expressed serious concern at "the alarming increase in violence against journalists in Honduras since the presidential coup of June 2009," and called on the government to end impunity for the perpetrators. Read more >>

AFRICA

WEF conducts future of newspapers survey

The World Editors Forum and McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, are jointly conducting the Newsroom Barometer survey which will examine attitudes about newsroom strategies, new business models, leadership, and the future of news in the digital era. The survey aims to provide a picture of how editors foresee the future of their jobs and the future of journalism. Read more >>

AFRICA

Quark acquires hyperpublishing technology

DENVER: Quark announced earlier this week that it has acquired the assets and technology of GLUON, a New Jersey-based software company that develops tools for the corporate and publishing industries. The acquisition includes GLUON's HyperPublishing System suite of products which Quark plans to integrate into its software. Read more >>

AFRICA

Nigeria overtakes US in Opera Mini usage

OSLO, NORWAY: According to Opera's State of the Mobile Web Report, Opera Mini generates almost US$1.25 billion per year for mobile operators in the top 10 countries for Opera Mini usage alone. Nigeria is continuing up the top 10 list of countries for Opera Mini usage overtaking the US in February 2010. The US generates more than US$146 per user per year, according to the report. Read more >>

AFRICA

Nielsen reveals 2009 ad spend report

AMSTERDAM: According to Nielsen's Global AdView Pulse, advertising spend worldwide was hard hit in 2009 down 1.6% compared to 2008. The report covers advertising across 27 markets in Asia, North America, Europe and Africa. Read more >>

AFRICA

CNBC Africa comments on GFC cancelled contract

CNBC Africa recently released a statement regrdaing the cancelling of an agreement between the business channel and the Gauteng Film Commission: “CNBC Africa produced a series of programmes called “Business Spotlight” with sponsorship and associated advertising via the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC). This agreement has now ended. The editorial control of all programmes rested with CNBC Africa at all times.”