AFRO-NETS> The MEDIA BEAT - 17 - January 24, 2000

[Warren Feek <wfeek@coastnet.com>]

The MEDIA BEAT - 17 - January 24, 2000
--------------------------------------

Selected articles from news media coverage of communication, develop-
ment and change trends, programmes and policies. Articles compiled by 
The Communication Initiative:
http://www.comminit.com

This selection of news media articles and links can also be found 
with other current and past articles in their summarised, full and 
archived forms at: 
http://www.comminit.com/news.html 

This may be particularly useful for those articles that are periodi-
cally removed from their host server.

NB Because the length of some URL's means that they run to two lines, 
it may be necessary to copy and paste to the address bar on your 
browser.

********************************

A. COMMUNICATION TRENDS

1. Online Boom For China - China

BBC News Service - January 19, 2000 China's Internet population has 
increased by more than four times in the space of a year and each 
surfer spends an average of 17 hours online each week. The total num-
ber of users reached 8.9 million last December, up from 2.1 million 
in December 1998... 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_609000/609971.stm

2. Movement To Start Paper - Uganda

New Vision - January 15, 2000 The Movement secretariat will soon 
launch a two-edition newspaper in English and Luganda, called 'The 
Mugendo'. The paper's deputy editor-in-chief, Arthur Tuwangye, said 
the paper, to be launched on Liberation Day, January 26, would be 
published under an NGO called the Uganda Peace Foundation. 
http://www.africanews.org/media/stories/20000115/20000115_feat1.html

3. Centennial Cellular Purchases 70% Of All America - Dominican Re-
public

DR1 - January 18, 2000 Centennial Cellular announced the purchase of 
70% of the shares of All America Cables and Radio in the DR. News re-
ports say the shares were purchased for US$25 million. The remaining 
30% is owned by a group of Dominican investors head by Abraham Sel-
man. 
http://www.dr1.com/daily/news011800.shtml

4. Women And Human Rights Website Launched - South Africa

Saartjie - January 19, 2000 - by Ronda Naidu Women's Net together 
with the European Union Foundation for Human Rights (EUFHR), on 
Wednesday launched a Women and Human Rights website under Women's 
Net. "We are trying to make women aware of local and international 
conventions which protect their rights." 
http://www.saartjie.co.za/jan2000/website19.htm

5. Bringing Up Baby - India

Times of India - January 21, 2000 - by Ganesh Sovani India's first 
portal growingwell.com, dedicated to childcare and development, is 
available on the Internet from today. This website, launched by 
InCHES, a Santacruz-based NGO, provides information about the growth 
and assessment of a child, in addition to ethical and scientific in-
formation about commonly occurring childhood ailments. 
http://www.timesofindia.com/012100/21info3.htm

6. Central Radio Plans To Have FM Station - Papua New Guinea

The National - January 17, 2000 - by Timothy Kwara Plans are underway 
for Radio Central to have its own commercial FM broadcasting station 
to serve Motu speakers. If the plan becomes successful Radio Central 
will become the first provincial station to be commercialised. 
http://www.wr.com.au/national/000117a2.htm

7. Singapore Accelerates Telecomms Reform Plan - Singapore

BBC World News - January 21, 2000 Singapore is accelerating planned 
reforms to its telecommunications sector. All limits on direct and 
indirect foreign investment are being lifted immediately, and full 
market competition will be introduced from this April -- two years 
ahead of schedule. 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_613000/613697.stm

8. School Improvement - Niger

The Guardian - January 21, 2000 - by Akin Alofetekun, Minna Education 
Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Daja said government was set 
to "embark on the improvement of the schools," stressing that 12 sec-
ondary schools have been selected for special attention. 
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news2/nn774005.htm


*******************************

For DISCUSSION: Messages should not [repeat] not be a central compo-
nent of development communication strategies and programmes! 
http://www.comminit.com/

VOTE: Is it possible to measure the long-term impact of a communica-
tion intervention on a development issue?
http://www.comminit.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/piwcomm/bin/survey.cgi?id=0114100174419 

Voting so far: Yes - 59.3%
                 No - 28.1%
           not sure - 12.5%


CHECK OUT: ENTERTAINMENT

Soul City - South Africa:
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/programme_descriptions_may_15/sld066.htm

YATV - Asia:
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/pds_12-28-98/sld019.htm 

PARI - Bolivia:
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/programme_descriptions_may_15/sld056.htm

IDENTIFY YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS:
http://www.comminit.com/ 
Bottom of middle column

********************************

B. REPORTING DEVELOPMENT

9. Zambia Adopts New Initiatives To Fight Malaria - Zambia

Panafrican News Agency - January 12, 2000 - By Lewis Mwanangombe The 
Zambian government, with the financial support of donor nations, has 
adopted new initiatives meant to control the widespread resurgence of 
malarial parasites that are said to be increasingly more resistant to 
treatment using common drugs... 
http://www.africanews.org/PANA/science/20000112/feat4.html

10. Tanzania Acts Tough To Minimise Environmental Pollution - Tanzania

Panafrican News Agency - January 17, 2000 Tanzania plans to enact a 
comprehensive law to check environmental degradation, including ille-
gal waste dumping by industrialists. The law will force organisations 
to undertake Environmental Impact Assessments before their projects 
are sanctioned. 
http://www.africanews.org/environ/stories/20000117/20000117_feat7.html

11. Call For Equality - Ghana

Ghanaian Chronicle - January 14, 2000 - By Joyce Mensah-Nsefo A 
Presidential aspirant of the Convention Party, Mr. Johnny Hanson, has 
asked the world to join hands to reverse the growing trends of injus-
tice and inequality to ensure equality in the world. 
http://www.africanews.org/women/stories/20000114/20000114_feat1.html

12. Girls Schooling - Thailand

Bangkok Post - January 19, 2000 - by Anjira Assavanonda Girls and 
other groups of children excluded from the school system are to be 
targeted as the goal of education for the new century, a seminar was 
told. 
http://www.bangkokpost.net/190100/190100_News08.html

13. Poverty Alleviation - South Africa

Business Day - January 19, 2000 - by Nirode Bramdaw and Sapa The 
KwaZulu-Natal transport department is to launch an innovative poverty 
alleviation programme this month. The Lengthman road maintenance con-
tract system targets poverty-stricken rural areas and entails the em-
ployment of entire households, almost all of which are headed by 
women. 
http://www.bday.co.za/00/0119/news/n20.htm

14. More EU Support For Guyana - Guyana

CANA News - January 17, 2000 Guyana has benefited from a further 
European Commission installment under its Structural Adjustment Sup-
port Programme for the country. Guyana Information Services said the 
education and health sectors have benefited the most from previous 
grants. 
http://www.cananews.com/news.htm#More EU support for Guyana 

15. 'Indirect' Educational Assistance - Turkey

Turkish Daily News - January 19, 2000 - Inci Hukum The Turkish Educa-
tion Volunteers Association (TEGV) will indirectly provide educa-
tional support for children of earthquake victims and young people 
through settlements they plan to establish in Kocaeli and Bolu. 
http://www.turkishdailynews.com/FrTDN/latest/dom2.htm#d22

16. Publicity For Nature - Honduras

Honduras This Week - January 17, 2000 - by Maria Fiallos Ecosistemas, 
an environmental education project created by biologist Roger Cruz, 
recently moved to Santa Lucia, adding a touch of nature to this tour-
ist town. Cruz says that his main objective is to promote knowledge 
of the resources Honduran ecosystems produce. 
http://www.marrder.com/htw/special/environment/58.htm

17. IT Master Plan - Seychelles

Seychelles Online - January 18, 2000 The Minister for Education, Mr 
Danny Faure, yesterday announced that his ministry would soon launch 
its master plan for Information Technology (IT). He said that the 
move would go in tandem with perceived understanding of the vision by 
participants of an art exhibition being staged at the National Art 
Gallery. 
http://www.seychelles-online.com.sc/nation/allothers/miscelleneous_archive3.htm
#Education Ministry to launch IT master plan soon

18. Poverty Elimination Should Take Priority - Swaziland

The Swazi Observer - January 21, 2000 The forces of globalisation 
must be channeled into the elimination of poverty and achieve greater 
equity for countries in global markets said Prime Minister Dr. 
Sibusiso Dlamini. 
http://www.swaziobserver.sz/pages/business.html#anchor2277033

19. Third World Nations Told To Come Together - Nepal

Kathmandu Post - January 19, 2000 -by a Post Reporter To safeguard 
themselves from the global forces, Third World countries should de-
velop a regional cooperation to "collectively" meet challenges of the 
new world order... 
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/2000/jan/jan19/index.htm#7

20. Youth Praised - Vietnam

Nhan Dan - January 19, 2000 The Vietnam Youth Federation and the Ho 
Chi Minh Communist Youth Union were praised for their great and valu-
able contributions to supporting and strengthening the activities of 
the World Federation of Democratic Youth in Vietnam and to the Inter-
national Youth Movement during their conference. 
http://www.nhandan.org.vn/english/20000119/bai-news8.html


******

Produced through THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE partnership - The 
Rockefeller Foundation, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, BBC World Service, CIDA, 
Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, The Euro-
pean Union, Soul City, The Panos Institute, and UNAIDS.

Editor - Brooke Hayes 
mailto:ebhayes@coastnet.com

Communication Initiative Web Site: 
http://www.comminit.com 
Director: Warren Feek 
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.co 

--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to:  `owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.