Media must empower citizensThe media play a pivotal role during election time - it has the power to sway citizens into voting for a specific candidate. Plenty of effort should be made to ensure journalists are well-trained and experienced enough to remain objective in coverage during the build-up to electoral proceedings. As the 2011 national elections draw near for Uganda, media have been reminded by the Independent Media Council of Uganda that the basic principles of journalism of accuracy, fairness and balance, during this time, are of extreme importance. Many countries in Africa experience a period of insecurity during the build-up to elections that, in worst case scenarios, can lead to violence and turmoil. It is the duty of the media to encourage healthy debate by distributing relevant knowledge so that voters are able to make informed decisions in choosing great leaders for a prosperous future. Here's to fair and peaceful elections for Uganda, come February 2011. Cheers, Sindy Peters, Africa editor
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Special focus on media freedom
NEW YORK: Zimbabwean police should withdraw an arrest warrant issued last week against exiled editor Wilf Mbanga concerning a 2008 story about the murder of an election official, the Committee to Protect Journalists said yesterday, 11 November 2010. Read more >>NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists has expressed its alarm by an increasing climate of hostility for Spanish journalists in Morocco, highlighted by official measures to prevent Spanish journalists from covering clashes in the Western Sahara. CPJ has called on authorities to allow journalists to do their work unimpeded. Read more >>MOGADISHU: The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) yesterday, 11 November 2010, protested against the Puntland administration's suspension of independent broadcast journalists in Bossasso, Bari region. Mayor of Bossasso city, Mohamud Farah Beldaje announced at a press conference that he suspended journalists Ahmed Muse Ali and Ahmed Mohamud Mohamed who work for Universal TV and Horn Cable TV respectively. Read more >>NEW YORK: The Committee to Protect Journalists has welcomed the presidential pardon and release of radio journalist Abdifatah Jama who was imprisoned in August 2010 for airing an interview with an Islamist rebel leader in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. CPJ had repeatedly called for his release. Read more >>Marketing
A new initaitive called Brand Engineers launched in Johannesburg, South Africa today, 11 November 2010, that aims to deliver brand consistency across Africa for marketers requiring print, signage and branding collateral. The initiative is being headed by ex-Draftfcb Cape Town MD, Brian Stockdale. Read more >>[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL), which has enjoyed sole operation as a fixed telephone service provider, is now in for stiff competition with the second fixed telephone operator, Access Communication, rolling out its operations. In order to outdo its competitor, MTL impressed at the just ended technology fair in Blantyre that was organised by the Malawi Confederation Chamber of Commerce (MCCCI). Read more >> Branding
[Dumisani Ndlela] Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe has unveiled its new brand and has pledged to splurge a substantial amount of money on a three-month marketing and advertising campaign that kicks off this month. Read more >> Tourvest Inbound Operations (TIO), an inbound tourism wholesaler in sub-Saharan Africa, has announced a revamp of its corporate identity including a new name, Tourvest Destination Management, and a new logo. Read more >>CSI
JOHANNESBURG: Edcon's flagship CSI programme, the annual Jet Community Awards, honoured seven community-based organisations for their contributions to community upliftment at a ceremony at the Edcon Retail Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday, 10 November 2010. Read more >>Digital
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Information is the new capital and currency of the world, Nishant Shah, of the India-based Digital Natives with a Cause, told Bizcommunity.com yesterday, 10 November 2010, as the three-day workshop on digital and internet technologies that brought together young delegates from nine African countries ended in Johannesburg, South Africa. Read more >> [Staff reporter] Facebook, rumoured for some time to be planning its own email service, may finally be on the verge of doing so in a move that would send a shot across the bow of Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. TechCrunch, a leading Silicon Valley technology blog, reported on Friday (12 November 2010) that the social network plans to announce a web-based email service complete with @facebook.com addresses at an event in San Francisco on Monday. Read more >> [Alistair Fairweather] Love it or hate it, Big Brother remains one of the biggest television success stories ever in Africa. The fifth season - Big Brother Africa (BBA) Allstars - drew millions of viewers across the continent, keeping them glued to their seats from July to October this year. Read more >> [Loy Okezie] Worldwide, Facebook has grown to become one of the most popular websites ever, due to its social networking tools and utilities, audience reach and its relevance to brands, celebrities and organisations. Over the past three years, Facebook has grown exponentially in Nigeria from less than 40,000 Nigerians on the network to over 2 million active members. Read more >> Exhibitions
DUBAI, ABUJA: Al Fajer Information and Services, a Dubai-based exhibition organiser, has announced the details on Autoparts Nigeria 2010 and Plast Pack Nigeria 2010, two international trade fairs to be held from 25-27 November 2010 at the Abuja International Conference Centre in Nigeria. Read more >>Media
[Walter Wafula] Journalists and media houses in Uganda have been urged to provide crucial information that can empower voters to make appropriate decisions as the country nears its 2011 elections. Kintu Musoke, the chairman of the Independent Media Council of Uganda, made the call following his observation of coverage of none-issues by some media after the presidential nominations that took place earlier this month. Read more >> Entries for the 2011 Siemens Africa Profile Awards are now open for work published in print, online or broadcast media. The closing date is 31 April 2011. The awards ceremony will be held at the Hyatt Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. The event aims to honour journalists who excel in the fields of science and technology reporting. Read more >>[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), previously operating as Radio One and Radio Two before merging with Malawi Television in July this year, has taken a second step in its merger process by appointing its management team. Read more >> Mobile
The third annual AfricaCom Awards was held in the Grand Ballroom at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa as part of the AfricaCom conference and exhibition. UNICEF's goodwill ambassador and coach of Bafana Bafana, South Africa's national football team, Pitso Mosimane did the official welcoming address. Read more >>JOHANNESBURG, SAN DIEGO: Qualcomm Services Labs, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated and MultiChoice have announced an agreement for DStv Mobile, a subsidiary of MultiChoice, to use the Magic Link service, which enables the delivery of multimedia in the correct format to numerous device types through its URL shortening service. Read more >>ENGLEWOOD, JOHANNESBURG: The MTN Group has signed a commercial agreement with Western Union, provider of global payment services, to introduce international mobile remittance services in the 21 countries where MTN operates. The service will allow MTN subscribers to perform Western Union Money Transfer transactions using their MTN MobileMoney accounts. Read more >>[Carole Kimutai] Safaricom has posted a KSh47.1 billion profit in the first half of its financial year that ended on 30 September 2010. The mobile operator continues to enjoy the lions share of the market with 17.71 million subscribers out of a total of 21.78 million. Read more >> Newspapers
As part of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers' (WAN-IFRA) Young Reader Development Working Group, young reader development experts gathered in Paris, France late last month to report on their programmes and exchange ideas. One of the projects discussed is based in Kenya, where young people in a Somali refugee camp created a newspaper that reports on conditions in the camp. Read more >>Online Media
A24 Media has designed, developed and is currently hosting a new continental-based web portal that aims to serve as a meeting place for Africans to have a voice and engage in dialogue and debate towards developing new ideas and paradigms on issues of humanitarian intervention in Africa. Read more >>AFRICA Panos London bulletin service closesPanos London has announced that its weekday news bulletin service will close on 19 November 2010. The decision was made due to a shortage of funds to maintain the service. An online survey will be distributed to subscribers to inform efforts to develop and achieve funding for a new service. Public Relations
DAKAR: The African Press Organisation has signed contracts with VENRO, the umbrella organisation of development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Germany, and with the Common Fund for Commodities, a 106-member state international financial institution based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The contracts encompass the distribution of press releases and media advisories in Africa. Read more >>Radio
[Dumisani Ndlela] The Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS) has criticised government for failing to license independent broadcasters in the country, describing recent changes to the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) Act as saddening. Read more >> Research
CAPE TOWN: The number of active mobile subscriptions in Africa crossed the half-a-billion mark in the third quarter of 2010 to reach 506 million at the end of September, according to research by Informa Telecoms & Media. Africa accounted for 10% of the world's mobile subscriptions and was one of the world's fastest-growing regions with the subscription numbers increasing 18% over the year. Read more >>Retail
[Dumisani Ndlela] Lagers and sparkling beverages consumption surged during the six months to 30 September 2010, pushing total beverages volumes for the half-year period to a level not seen since 2005. Lagers volumes reached levels last seen in 1999. Read more >> Kenya plans to launch Africa's first climate exchange platform, according to the finance ministry. The platform, set to be similar to a commodity exchange, would be the first of its kind on the continent, allowing all African countries to sell their carbon credits. Read more >>Africa's second largest food retailer, Pick n Pay, announced its second foray into Africa in two weeks. In line with its blazing African expansion plan, the group last week said it bought 24% of Zimbabwe operation TM Supermarkets, bringing its total shareholding to 49% - a deal worth about US$13 million. Read more >>Retailer Pick n Pay on Monday (8 November 2010) announced that it had signed a franchise territorial agreement with retail franchising group Retail Masters in Mozambique to further extend its African footprint. Read more >>LONDON, UK: According to PwC, the data explosion leaves companies exposed to new legal risks. Read more >>[Jack Adams] While Google has escaped a fine for collecting personal data - including email addresses and passwords - being used in UK public Wi-Fi spots, the issue has been damaging to user's confidence in the brand. Read more >> AUSTIN, US: Continuing to innovate in the 3D television space, ESPN Research + Analytics unveiled today one of the most in-depth studies on 3D TV to date. Compiling results from more than 1000 testing sessions and 2700 lab hours, ESPN has concluded that fans are comfortable with the medium and even enjoy it more than programming in HD. Read more >> More International news...
Out Of Home
Alliance Media Botswana, Botswana's largest outdoor advertising company, is proud to be involved in an initiative in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Botswana. Orange Botswana, a leading cellular provider, is bringing the R&B singer, Eve, to Gaborone for a concert on 27 November. All proceeds will go to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Read more >>
SOUTH AFRICA Fiddle East - Day of the Dead MoreSOUTH AFRICA Top-10 MVP videos launch MoreSOUTH AFRICA Jet community awards MoreAngus MacArthur, GM of the company Alcohol Breathalysers, one of South Africa's leading suppliers of affordable re-usable breathalyser equipment for individuals, businesses and industry suggests that parents may want to encourage the use of breathalysers for young people celebrating the end of year festivities too rashly. Read more >>[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Toyota has re-shuffled its pack of Yaris models, chopped the prices, increased the model line-up, made some equipment changes and then slapped a strange decal on the doors and renamed it as the equally strange Zen. Read more >> More Motoring news...
South African Airways has selected two award-winning Fleur du Cap wines for its Business Class in-flight service, the Unfiltered Chardonnay and the Bergkelder Selection flagship Merlot. Read more >> More Travel news...
[Zeenat Ebrahim] Described as the most unexpected comedy ever conceived The Switch gives us a break from the usual fly-by-night romances that build castles in the sky and have no basis in reality. Read more >> [Daphne Cooper] Christopher Hitchens, in his excellent article in Vanity Fair, argues that men are funny because they have to be. It is humour that gives men the edge in attracting women. Women don't have to be funny and so they don't make good comedians. He writes that "it is a tragedy that the two things that men prize most - women and humour - should be so antithetical." Read more >> [Daphne Cooper] I am a huge fan of FTHK, the theatre company that works in the field of visual theatre with the aim of integrating the deaf into the performing arts. I have seen their previous productions and been blown away. Womb Tide is even better, if that is possible! Read more >> Joburg Art Fair founders, Artlogic and Sanlam Investment Management have joined forces to stage the first FoodWineDesign Fair in Johannesburg, which will be held from 26 to 28 November, 2010. Read more >> More BizLounge news...
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- Grow your sales Forward Vision - Johannesburg - Fourways, 15 November
- Johannesburg Press Club Annual General Meeting - Johannesburg, 19 November
- Sappi Thinkahead awards Brand Design Council - Johannesburg, 23 November
- The strategic value of business analysis Faculty Training Institute - Durban, 24 November
- Ikwezi Mohair festival Imbizo Events Group - Jansenville, 25 November
- African medical waste conference TG CORPORATE - Johannesburg, 1 December
- West Rand Christmas toy fair RICHIES MODEL CARS - Ridgevale primary school, 4 December
- Bid to win workshop nFold (Pty) Ltd - Johannesburg, 7 December
- Workplace Diversity Forum 2011 The Conference Hub - Johannesburg, 27 January
- Human resources metrics workshop Melrose Advanced Professional Training - Johannesburg, 14 February
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