AFRICA

Repressive Media Law gnaws at Malawi

[Gregory Gondwe] Barely a week after finance Minister Ken Kandodo announced that Malawi's major donors are withholding more than US$400 million in aid in protest over government's repressive media laws and bad governance, a grouping of donors under the Common Approach to Budgetary Support (CABS) have also sent a warning shot over the same issue. Read more >>

AFRICA

Newspapers and journalists face threats and legal pressure

Reporters Without Borders is alarmed by the steadily worsening climate of harassment and intimidation that the Ethiopian authorities have imposed on the media, especially the private media. Read more >>

COTE D'IVOIRE

Cote d'Ivoire newspaper suspended, journalists threatened

The Laurent Gbagbo-controlled National Press Council (CNP) on 18 March 2011 suspended the pro-Ouattara daily Le Jour Plus, for publishing statements by top officials of the government of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognised president of Côte d' Ivoire. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)'s correspondent reported that Le Jour Plus has been banned from publishing for 26 days. Read more >>

AFRICA

Somali troops target TV journalists

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) strongly protests violent attacks against TV journalists in Las Anod town in northern Somalia by the Somali troops. Read more >>

AFRICA

Togo regulatory authority closes another radio station

Togolese authorities on 16 March 2011 closed down Radio Carré Jeunes, a community entertainment station, for an alleged "non-adherence to professional standards". Read more >>

AFRICA

Malawi launches first music magazine

[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi has launched its first ever a musical magazine this week called Nyimbo a local Chichewa language word meaning 'music' or 'a song'. Read more >>

AFRICA

RIM launches BlackBerry Protect in Open Beta in Europe, ME, Africa

WATERLOO, US: As well as in Europe and the middle East, Research In Motion (RIM) has launched BlackBerry Protect in Open Beta in 30 African countries. Read more >>

AFRICA

Fast pace of Africa's urbanisation challenge water supplies; sanitation

Rapid urbanisation over the last five decades is changing Africa's landscape and also generating formidable challenges for supplies of water and sanitation services says a new UN report released this week. Read more >>

UNITED STATES

Stevie Awards call for entries

FAIRFAX, US: The Stevie Awards today issued the call for entries for the Eighth Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition which last year attracted nominations from more than 40 nations. The awards will be presented in Abu Dhabi Read more >>

FRANCE

MIPDoc 2011: The world's largest digital library

PARIS, FRANCE: More than 800 participants are expected for the 13th edition of MIPDoc, the international documentary programming market, which will take place in the Carlton Hotel in Cannes on the weekend of 2-3 April, ahead of MIPTV 2011, and features a rich line-up of events. Read more >>

FRANCE

Register for FIPP's free paywall strategies webinar

FIPP is organising a free webinar on Thursday 31 March 2011 at 2pm (BST), focusing on paywall strategies. Peter Kirwan, author of The Media Briefing's Paywall Strategies Report, will guide attendees through this subject, looking at five paid content business models. Read more >>

UNITED KINGDOM

OTT TV viewers to outnumber IPTV viewers in 2013

LONDON, UK: According to recent research (www.informatm.com/internettraffic) from Informa Telecoms & Media, OTT-to-the-TV viewers will outnumber IPTV viewers by 2013. Informa forecasts that by 2015, 380 million people globally will view online video via connected devices such as TVs, games consoles or set-top boxes from the likes of Apple and Google. Read more >>

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Dubai Lynx entries up 52%

DUBAI, UAE: The Dubai Lynx Awards, one of the premier awards celebrating creative excellence in MENA's advertising and communications industry, has received a total of 2068 entries from 21 countries, an overall increase of 52% versus last year. Entries have been submitted in 12 categories, including the newly launched Design category. Read more >>

FRANCE

Arnie's baaack... Star-studded line-up for MIPTV 2011

PARIS, FRANCE: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joseph Fiennes, Eva Green, Jamie Campbell Bower, John Barrowman, Bill Pullman, Oliver Hirschbiegel, John Doman, Assumpta Serna, Shawn Doyle and Jon M. Chu are just some of the stars who will be attending MIPTV 2011, which runs 4-7 April in Cannes. Read more >>

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Coca-Cola Egypt: Dubai Lynx 2011 Advertiser of the Year Award

DUBAI, UAE: The Dubai Lynx Advertiser of the Year Award is presented to advertisers in the MENA region who have distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies. This year the winner is Coca-Cola Egypt. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Clio RS Gordini coming to SA

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] The 1000th Clio RS Gordini has rolled off the assembly line at Renault's Alpine plant in Dieppe and the good news is that Renault South Africa has confirmed that the car is coming to South Africa. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Tourism Destination Conference aims to elevate the Western Cape's global profile

More than 100 of the Western Cape tourism industry's decision makers are gearing up for the 2011 Cape Town and Western Cape Tourism Destination Conference. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Singita powers down for Earth Hour

Singita Game Reserves will once again 'power down' at each of its nine lodges across East and Southern Africa on Saturday 26 March from 8.30-9.30pm, as a symbolic gesture of its support for the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Earth Hour 2011, the world's largest global climate change initiative. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Starwood Hotels & Resorts to open 50 hotels in Europe, Africa and ME

BERLIN, GERMANY: With growth fuelled by demand for its luxury and design-led brands, Starwood is poised to open 12 hotels in the region this year. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Spellbinding Saltimbanco

[Ruth Cooper] The colourful, vibrant, bustling urban metropolis of Saltimbanco is home to a myriad of interesting and crazy inhabitants, including lumo pink-and-green-striped creatures, bicycle-riding daredevils, whirling skyscraper acrobats, juggling magicians and a feisty Boleadoras slapping duo. I was lucky enough to be introduced to them last night at the GrandWest Arena at Cirque du Soleil's longest running show, Saltimbanco. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Mind-blowing Mummenschanz

[Jordan Scott] My mind was blown, my imagination pulled to its limits and my cheeks hurt from smiling. This was not some huge musical or even a one-man comedy show, it was four people, with no music, no dialogue and only a few props. Everything that entertained was on their bodies, as costumes and masks, and they made those costumes come to life as one would never believe possible. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Splashy Fen in Drakensberg for Easter holiday

The 22nd Splashy Fen Music Festival will be held during the Easter long weekend, 21 to 25 April, 2011, in the southern Drakensberg, at a farm near Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal. More than 90 live music acts will be appearing on the two stages. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Rock The River Easter Festival

The creators of the Rock The River SA New Year's Eve festivals will be launching the Rock The River Easter Festival, which will be held from 22 to 24 April, 2011, at the Buffalo Drift Resort, Gouda, Western Cape. Read more >>