SOUTH AFRICA

African politicians ban media to avoid criticism - Henry Maina

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The fundamental reason that many African governments ban and harass the media has more to do with personal connotations than other issues, Kenya's Henry Maina, director of Article 19 Eastern Africa, told delegates at the two-day Regulations and Rights media conference last week in Johannesburg. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Dario Milo and media law: is legal sky a limit for journalists?

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] There is some substantiated regulation of what the media can do and what it cannot do, but the balance must be struck between what the law has prescribed and freedom of expression, Prof Dario Milo, Wits University media law visiting professor and Webber & Wentzel partner, said last week in Johannesburg at the two-day Regulations and Rights media conference. Read more >>

MALAWI

Malawi: NPL challenges injunction to stop publication

[Gregory Gondwe] Nation Publications Limited (NPL), publishers of The Nation, Weekend Nation and Nation on Sunday are challenging a high court injunction that stopped circulation of its Saturday edition. Read more >>

AFRICA

Brand Inside and Y&R brands in new partnership

[Carole Kimutai] The Brand Inside from the UK and Young & Rubicam Brands have gone into a partnership that aims to help Kenyan companies bridge the gap between brand promise and customer experience. Read more >>

AFRICA

Loeries 2011 opens for entries, categories revised

The Loerie Awards launched its 2011 campaign, Tuesday 15 March 2011, entitled "Don't hate. Create", created by Draftfcb and supported by a mobisite and specially developed augmented reality apps, linking digital technology to the printed media, along with a revamp of its award categories. Read more >>

AFRICA

MBC rebrands amid suspicion

[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) a state-controlled television and radio broadcaster has since last Friday, 18 March 2011, rebranded its television and radio services. Read more >>

AFRICA

Where in the world is Wally?

[Dean Dicks] I asked a colleague the other day, "What is Foursquare?" and his answer was 16! Great sense of humour I said, that answer should make you our honouree mayor. Read more >>

SOUTHERN AFRICA

SEACOM expands access to five more countries

SEACOM's services are now accessible from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Suveer Ramdhani, SEACOM's head of product strategy, said: "This latest development is integral to the continued expansion of the SEACOM network in Africa and in particular to countries that have had limited access to broadband connectivity. We will continue to build relationships to meet our customers' growing need for resilient and seamless capacity. This is part of SEACOM's objective to build the African internet."

AFRICA

EAC journalists to acquire reporting skills on regional integration

[Walter Wafula] East African journalists have an opportunity to acquire reporting skills on matters of regional integration through a new training programme that starts on 10 April 2011. Read more >>

AFRICA

SABMiller plc invests in the future of African journalism

SABMiller has announced that in 2011 it will become a co-sponsor of the David Astor Journalism Awards Trust, the UK-based charity which aims to promote, strengthen and support independent journalism in Africa. Read more >>

NIGERIA

African fashion shows its roots

Traditional Sierra Leone prints worn by ex-slaves and Nigeria's colourful ankara cloth embellished with sequins and flowing European silk made a potent combination on the Lagos catwalk this weekend. Read more >>

AFRICA

March for women in the African Women's Decade

[Gwen Watkins] Internationally recognised as Women's History Month, March 2011 has seen South Africa benefit from top international and local speakers at women's events in Johannesburg. Read more >>

MALAWI

Journalists meet to integrate gender and population into climate issues

[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi's Journalists Association Against AIDS (JournAIDS) with support from Population Action International (PAI) is implementing a climate change advocacy project in Malawi with an aim of integrating gender and population into climate issues in the country. Read more >>

AFRICA

Angola at boiling point as govt cracks down on media, social unrest looms

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] All the symptoms of a dictatorship are found in this country of 18 million people: lack of freedom of expression, election rigging, state corruption, torture, crackdown on critical media, massive poverty, excessive abuse of power and violation of human rights, ruling party elite's self-enrichment, nepotism and arbitrary arrests, among others. Read more >>

EAST AFRICA

NMG dominates East African Business Council Awards

[Staff reporter] Business journalists from the Nation Media Group (NMG) scooped three of the four awards in the inaugural East African Business Council Awards held in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday night, 14 March 2011. Read more >>

AFRICA

Judging panel announced for 2011 Diageo Awards

LONDON: The panel of judges has been announced for the eighth Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards set to take place on 30 June 2011. The annual awards aims to encourage more prolific reporting of economic opportunities in Africa and to celebrate excellence in business journalism. Read more >>

AFRICA

Mobile banking opportunities in Africa

[Dr KF Lai] Mobile-savvy consumers want to do more for their phones and this presents opportunities for Africa's banks and their merchant partners. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE

Daily News back on the streets

Zimbabwe's latest independent newspaper, Daily News, hit the streets on Friday morning, bringing the number of daily newspapers in the country to four. Read more >>

AFRICA

NYT reporters free, at Turkish embassy in Libya

Four New York Times journalists detained in Libya have been released and handed over to Turkey's embassy in Tripoli, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday, Monday 21 March 2011. Read more >>

KENYA

Kenya: African Laughter launches service for media

[Carole Kimutai] African Laughter has launched an online news and information centre for the Kenyan media. The website is a press release news service for journalists and editors seeking extra news leads, or who want to stay abreast of the day's media events and releases. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE

The Zimbabwean launches freedom of speech campaign

JOHANNESBURG: Launching a new campaign conceptualised for The Zimbabwean newspaper, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg have erected billboards across South Africa depicting nine, harrowing real life stories of life in Zimbabwe. The campaign is entitled 'Give a voice to the voiceless'. Read more >>

AFRICA

US, China tussle over Africa: governments warned to exercise caution

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As African governments spread their wings to embrace China's no-strings-attached ideological and economic involvement in Africa at the expense of the US, experts urge the continent to guard against a 'simplistic shift' in allegiance from west to east, according to a Standard Bank Economic Strategy report released on Monday, 14 March 2011. Read more >>

NIGERIA

Maltina raises stake as Argungu Fishing Festival beckons

In line with its new brand proposition of "sharing happiness" Maltina, leading non-alcoholic malt brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc has promised all visitors more happiness in this year's edition of the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival billed to take place in Argungu, Kebbi State on 19 March 2011. Read more >>

AFRICA

Gabonese free-to-air, pay TV operator looks to Africa

TNT Africa is the brand name of Digital TV, a private Gabonese company that offers FTA and pay TV bouquets using a digital DTT platform. As in many African countries, the private sector is outpacing the Government in moving ahead with the digital transition. Sylvain Béletre from Balancing Act talked to Morgan Juteau, development manager at Digital TV about the ambitions of the company. Read more >>

FRANCE

MIPTV: Connected Creativity announces Ventures finalists

PARIS, FRANCE: CC Ventures, the new start-up competition for innovation in connected entertainment has announced the 11 finalists. They will pitch their projects to an expert jury during Connected Creativity at MIPTV, the new global forum uniting the world's dominant market forces and leading innovators in entertainment, mobile media and technology which runs from 4-7 April in Cannes. Read more >>

FRANCE

YouTube, Cannes Lions launch 'Good Work' to match creatives with non-profits

LONDON, UK: YouTube and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity have announced the launch of 'Good Work', a partnership designed to bring together the transformational power of creative minds, with the issues that need them most. Read more >>

UNITED KINGDOM

Revenues, mobile and tablet in focus at Digital Media Europe in London

LONDON, UK: Google One Pass, a payment system that enables publishers to set the terms for access to their digital content, will be examined at Digital Media Europe, a major new conference in London from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Read more >>

GERMANY

adidas launches its biggest-ever marketing campaign

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY: On 16 March 2011, adidas, international sporting goods manufacturer, unveiled its latest global brand campaign. This is the first time that the company has created a campaign leveraging the adidas Sport Performance, adidas Originals and adidas Sport Style sub-brands, aiming to ensure that it is the most diverse and all-encompassing glimpse into the brand ever. Read more >>

UNITED STATES

New study discovers link between social media popularity, stock prices

NEW YORK, US: A new study conducted by a researcher at Pace University, in association with Famecount.com, has looked at the link between social media popularity of key brands and their respective share prices - and identified a statistically significant correlation. Read more >>

UNITED STATES

Ivan Johnson on judge and being judged

NEW YORK, US / CAPE TOWN, SA: 140 BBDO (formerly Net#work BBDO Cape Town) ECD Ivan Johnson was recently in New York judging the Art Directors Club 90th annual awards advertising entries. As the only judge from South Africa on the multi-national jury panel, he answers a few questions on what really lurks behind the golden statue or the gilt-edged frame. Read more >>

FRANCE

International press groups condemn journalist arrests in Turkey

PARIS, FRANCE / DARMSTADT, GERMANY: The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), together with the World Editors Forum, have condemned the arrests of dozens of journalists in Turkey as a controversial investigation into the failed 2007 Ergenekon plot to overthrow the Turkish government intensifies. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

CNN leads audience reach: Europe, Africa, Middle East

JOHANNESBURG, SA / ATLANTA, US: According to an independent survey, CNN leads audience reach across Europe, Middle East and Africa in first-time release of multi-regional data. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Peugeot 308 gets GTi venom

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Good news for Peugeot fans is that the GTi badge (last seen on the 206 GTi) is back, this time stuck to the nicely-rounded derriere of a newly launched 308 GTi. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Upper East Side... with a 'touch of funk'

[Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel] WITH the abundance of five-star properties in Cape Town, it makes sense that the recently four-star graded Upper East Side Hotel positions itself rather with The Vineyard Hotel, The V&A Hotel and The Portswood than in the deluxe category. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Fit for the future: The 4th E-Tourism Africa Summit launched in Cape Town

The 4th Annual E Tourism Africa Summit was launched today, 16 March, in Cape Town at the quarterly Joint Association Membership Meeting (JAMM) of Cape Town Tourism, FEDHASA Cape, SAACI and SATSA Western Cape. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Bushmans Kloof - for a quiet walk on the wild side

[Chris Moerdyk: @chrismoerdyk] My interest in the Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat, in the stark Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape, was sparked by a combination of cynicism and curiosity. (Photographs: Rod Baker) Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Table Mountain announces 'Vote Thursdays'

The Table Mountain Bid Committee is calling on every South African to set aside 30 seconds every Thursday (aka 'Table Mountain Vote Thursdays') to vote for Table Mountain, the nation's only nominee in the New7Wonders of Nature contest. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Ethiopian Airlines to start new flights to China

Ethiopian to start new flights to Hangzhou, its fourth destination in China. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

ITB 2011: Part 2 - Key trends and learnings for Cape Town

[Mariette du Toit-Helmbold] Social media and new technology once again took centre stage at the world's largest trade show ITB in Berlin between 9 and 11 March 2011. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Long Beach, Mauritius - something for everyone

[Rod Baker] Biz.Travel spoke to Nicolas de Chalain, the general manager of the new Long Beach Resort in Mauritius recently, about the Sun Resort group's new 'jewel in the crown'. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Fleur du Cap award winners announced

The winners of the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards were announced earlier this past Sunday at a ceremony held at the Artscape Theatre, Cape Town. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Mr Cat and the Jackal spin us a yarn

[Ruth Cooper] BizLounge recently met up with Gertjie Besselsen and Jacques du Plessis, founding members of Mr Cat and the Jackal. With the recent unleashing of their second album "Sins and Sirens Songs" and a new video release imminent, we thought it best to gain a little more insight into this unique band. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town Festival begins today

The Cape Town Festival (CTF) begins at noon today, Friday, 18 March and ends on Human Rights Day, Monday, 21 March, 2011. It will be held at the Company's Garden between noon and 8pm daily. Today's celebrations will be for Magnificent Friday, an initiative to encourage support for our national sports teams. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

So Queer: Where are the cricket hunks?

[Siphosethu Stuurman] Coming from the rather uninspiring city of Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg with a head full of dreams, I've had to start off in very humbling fashion. I share a two-bedroomed flat in Midrand, where I had to sleep on the mattress for my first two weeks! This was definitely not how I imagined my post-university life, but considering I was just starting off I had no choice but to grin and bear it. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

Swashbuckling Mr Cat & The Jackal unleash Sins and Siren Songs

[Ruth Cooper] Mr Cat & The Jackal are not gonna be everybody's beverage of choice but, if you like your drinks strong and straight up with a twist of theatrical quirk, their new album Sins and Siren Songs should go down a treat. Since I received the album I have been drinking it down fairly rapidly and so far I'm loving it and happily hangover free. Read more >>