In the course of the past 6 weeks there has been considerable interest in the publication Making Waves - Stories of Participatory Communication for Social Change, written by Alfonso Gumucio Dagron and produced by The Rockefeller Foundation In this issue the focus is on some of the stories and experiences that are told in Making Waves. Next week in The Drum Beat, there will be an emphasis on the strategic lessons and principles drawn from these experiences.

Angolan government troops have retaken the rebel-held town of Mavinga in the southern province of Cuando Cubango a state-run newspaper reported on Monday. "Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) recaptured Mavinga on 1 May, having caused various losses to Jonas Savimbi's terrorist forces," 'Jornal de Angola' said, quoting an unnamed military source. The report added that the government has also recaptured the nearby airport, vital for supplying UNITA and for the export of raw materials.

Scores of journalists from around the world who gathered on Thursday in Windhoek, Namibia, to celebrate World Press Freedom Day have been prevented from reporting on anything other than a seminar they are attending. "This is an example of how little has changed in the region since the Declaration of Windoek in 1991," Rob Jamison of the independent 'Malawi Chronicle' told IRIN.

April 2001 briefing from Bretton Woods Project on the World Bank's new Development Gateway internet plan. It argues that the Gateway will appear neutral and comprehensive but will privilege powerful, not marginalised voices and will prevent proper coverage of important cross-cutting topics such as gender and climate change. People wishing to preserve pluralistic, diverse web sources on development topics should contest the Gateway.

MediaChannel.org - news, reports, resources and opinion. Featuring content from over 660 media-issues groups worldwide.

In a major report released today, Freedom House
finds that Internet freedom exceeds levels of press freedom in most countries, including some closed societies governed by censorious regimes.

As journalists in the West African sub-region continue to face intimidation and harassment, in the discharge of their lawful and constitutional duties, the Media Foundation for West Africa, uses the opportunity of this World Press Freedom Day to salute their courage and fearlessness.

Tunisia: Telecoms updates; South Africa: World Wide Wireless; South Africa: Telecommunications Regulations Draw Fire. South Africa: Country Launches First Internet Sports Betting Site. South Africa: Virgin's Move Could Be Good News for Consumers.

Biotechnology background papers and events.

The current wave of urban violence received prominent coverage in the electronic media as well as in the private press although interpretations varied significantly in both these media. The state media has been careful to present the war veterans activities as legitimate forms of labour arbitration while the private press has chronicled allegations of threats, intimidations and attacks levelled against the war veterans in their arbitrations. However, the labour reports were supplanted by reports of Minister and MP Border Gezi’s death as the week closed. Television news coverage allocated 31 minutes and 35 seconds to Gezi’s death out of the 2 hours 33 minutes of bulletins from Saturday to Sunday night. That is 20 percent of its news airtime was allocated to the Gezi’s death.

The 8th issue of the Newsletter of the African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network.

In July 2001, the Global Development Network will become an independent organization outside of the World Bank. Presently, the GDN is hiring for a couple of positions to staff the new Secretariat, to be located here in Washington, DC, beginning on July 1, 2001. For more details, visit the website.

The International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), USA; Essential Drugs and Medicines
Policy Department (EDM) of the World health Organization (WHO) and INRUD Zimbabwe announce a training course on Promoting Rational Drug Use, to be held on August 26 - 8 September, 2001 at Victoria falls in Zimbabwe, one of the natural wonders of the world. The course fee of US$3,000 covers tuition, course materials and shared accommodation in a four-star hotel. Applications and fees are due not later than 20 July, 2001.

26 August - 8 September, 2001 Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), USA; Essential Drugs and Medicines
Policy Department (EDM) of the World health Organization (WHO) and INRUD Zimbabwe announce a training course on Promoting Rational Drug Use, to be held on August 26 - 8 September, 2001 at Victoria falls in Zimbabwe, one of the natural wonders of the world.

Somalia: Africa's newest market is tiny and awaits a full peace. For the optimist, Somalia is nearer to being busy reborn than busy dying. In
these circumstances it's hardly surprising it has been one of Africa's last countries to get connected. Abdi Mohammud describes the currently tiny size of the market, the fierce competition for it and the prospects for future growth.

Women in politics in Botswana are unhappy with the way the media in this country covers them. They say they have experienced that their issues do not always receive supportive and positive coverage.

The Sustainable Development Communications Network
is launching a new initiative to develop training materials for civil society Web managers.

The WorldSpace Corporation today launched the world's largest digital audio broadcast system, inaugurating a first-of-its-kind satellite radio service that will transmit a wide array of multilingual radio programming across the entire African continent.

The email and web network from THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE partnership. Covering communication for development activities.

International Center and Liberia Institute of Journalism. Reporting on Human Rights, Democracy & Development. Vol.1 No.17, 27 April, 2001.