Observer’s reporter and head of Provincial Desk, Demba Sambou, has been arrested by the National Intelligence Agency officers at Bansang, while attending a presentation ceremony at the Bansang Hospital. In a telephone interview with our reporter, Mr Sambou said an NIA officer from Bansang found him at the Bansang Hospital and picked him up for interrogation at the NIA office.

This UNESCO initiative aims to gauge the current state of knowledge among those involved in open and distance learning (ODL) in developing countries in order to determine the best way to support efforts in that area.

Zimbabwe's trade unions have called for a three-day general strike against President Robert Mugabe's government while Africa's two most powerful leaders appeared to make little headway in resolving the country's pressing political and economic crisis.

A People Daily editor, Mr Mukalo wa Kwayera, has been arrested by police. Kwayera was arrested minutes after appearing in court where he and a former People editor, Mr Vitalis Musebe, are facing charges of publishing information from the Armed Forces.

On Monday 11 March 2002, the libel case pursued by businessman Nyimpinhe Chissano, son of Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, against journalist Marcelo Mosse and the now defunct newssheet "Metical", was postponed. This is the fifth time that the case has been postponed.

A recent survey of street children Kigali, Rwanda, has shown that just over half the boys and over three-quarters of the girls interviewed reported having had sex, while a full 35 percent of those under 10 were found to be sexually active.

About 6,000 girls a day undergo genital mutilation, often willingly, and up to 115 million African women have already had it, US-based development agency World Vision have said.

The government of Zimbabwe should immediately and unconditionally release more than 1400 people, most of them polling agents and civil society election observers, who were arrested nationwide, mostly on Monday 11 March, and detained in police custody following last weekend's presidential election, says Amnesty International.

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The Carr Center's Fellows Program brings together a diverse group of human rights practitioners, scholars and activists to conduct research on human rights policy, contribute to the Center's programs, and participate in broader dialogue with students, faculty and researchers in the Harvard community. At the Center, fellows will have an opportunity to advance their own professional development by completing works in progress, bridging into new fields or disciplines, or pausing for reflection or consolidation in a practitioner career. Fellows are expected to devote some portion of their time to collaborative endeavors, as arranged by the Fellows Program Director. Fellows are also expected to complete a significant publication or research project during their period of residence.

There is considerable disagreement over HIV/AIDS education - including what to teach, at what age, in what setting, by whom, and to what end. Political pressures often keep sex education - and thus HIV/AIDS education - out of the classroom. Sensitivities about sexuality and young people's behavior often obstruct AIDS education even where there is a strong national commitment to address the AIDS crisis.

A broad coalition of Sudanese civil society groups and indigenous nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) this week called on the United Nations Security Council to create "safe havens" in southern Sudan in order to protect civilians from what it called a government "scorched earth policy".

A programme to curb the spread of Aids among the youth in schools has been launched in Kenya. It involves establishing clubs in primary and secondary schools to create awareness and sensitise the youth about HIV/Aids. The programme is supported by the Child Welfare Society of Kenya and Save the Children, Canada.

An Aids Orphans Trust Fund is to be established by the Makana Municipality. The trust wll be established to gather financial resources from private, corporate and international donors and channel support to established, functional organisations providing effective services to Aids orphans.

Bill Gates has given a huge financial boost for Gauteng's fight against HIV/Aids. GPGAA would support NGOs in a number of their ongoing initiatives, including preventing mother-to-child infection, testing, support and counselling.

The Community Education Computer Society (a computer training NGO established in 1985) will be conducting the ICDL course from the 18 March 2002 for 6 weeks for those who are computer literate.