The press plays an important role in shaping and guiding public opinion and thus controls the convictions of people and their reactions to events. Voltaire once said: "Press works on the demolition of the old world so that it can establish a new one". We have seen leaders who understood the seriousness of the press, and history records for us the saying of a former president of Venezuela: "I would not be afraid if the gate of hell was opened in my face, but I shudder from the pen scratch of a journalist". - Wednesday 27 February 2008

Delegates from around Africa Wednesday began a three-day colloquium, seeking to break a pervasive wall of silence on endless acts of violence committed every day against women and children in their countries. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop”, has been given less than a month to pay up to three months’ arrears on his neverland ranch property. The singer is to cough up 24,525,906.61 dollars before March 19, or his property including everything on it will be auctioned off. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

A reduced power supply to South African mines could lead to sharp production losses and thousands of job cuts at Gold Fields, Africa’s second largest gold producer, the company said on Monday. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

Niger Republic has joined Nigeria and Algeria as co-sponsors of the US$10 billion Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline Project, conceived in 2002 following a series of bilateral agreements between Algeria and Nigeria. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

ACCRA - 27 March, 2007, IMANI is proud to announce the release of the 2008 International Property Rights Index (IPRI), which measures 115 countries on the significance of both physical and intellectual property rights and their protection for economic well-being. Forty-one organizations from six continents, including IMANI, partnered with Property Rights Alliance in Washington, DC and its Hernando de Soto Fellowship program to disseminate the report. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

Zimbabwe police force has been given a shoot to kill green light in the event of riots breaking out before, during and after March 29 polls. Police commissioner-general Augustine Chihuri revealed these shocking details Tuesday in Harare. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

The US announced Tuesday it would take "necessary steps" against those responsible for the lack of progress in the attempt to resolve Kenya’s post-poll violence which is being mid-wived by a team of eminent persons led by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. - Wednesday 27 February 2008

The governments of Ghana and Norway Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on technical cooperation to assist Ghana with the tr a nsfer of human and technological resources, to fully tap and derive the maximum b enefit from the oil discovery. - Tuesday 26 February 2008

Algeria will represent Africa at the men’s World Olympic qualifiers in May, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has said. This comes at a time when the Algerian women’s team has qualified for the Olympic Games slated for August in Beijing, China. - Tuesday 26 February 2008