POLICE yesterday arrested the editor of the Standard, Davison Maruziva, on allegations of publishing statements deemed prejudicial to the state and contempt of court after publishing an opinion article by MDC leader Arthur Mutambara lambasting a ruling of the High Court last month on the delayed release of the March 29 presidential election results.

The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) expressed its concerns today, Friday, 9 May 2008, about the "bizarre" situation that has been happening at the SABC this past week, saying that "[t]he top level disciplinary issues and staff departures are likely to have a highly disruptive effect on the conduct of the broadcaster's operations".

Zimbabwean police arrested a top newspaper editor today and released a photographer jailed since Monday, according to local journalists and news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists remains concerned about the well-being of a leading media lawyer following reports of his hospitalization after his arrest on Wednesday.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf left the country more than a fortnight ago to attend a commissioning ceremony of the Africa Commission in Denmark and then move on to the US to undergo medical checkup, amongst a long itinerary of activities.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) strongly condemns today's arrest of Director of Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) Mowlid Haji Abdi by the police of Puntland Regional State in northeastern Somalia.

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the government's obsessive hounding of journalists after the arrests of a Reuters photographer and the editor of one of the few remaining independent Harare-based publications in the past four days brought the number of journalists detained since the 29 March general elections to 12.

THE SABC board, battling to manage a fallout that saw the suspension of two executives, is likely to come under more pressure, with Parliament expected to discuss a motion of no confidence against it later this month.

The editor of the weekly independent newspaper, The Standard, was arrested Thursday for publishing an article deemed to be prejudicial to the State and faces contempt of court charges.

On 6 May 2008, the press secretary to State House, Sheka Tarawally, threatened "New Vision", an independent Freetown-based newspaper, with legal action if the newspaper failed to retract three articles it published accusing President Ernest Bai Koroma of being wasteful.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today protested a decision by authorities in Equatorial Guinea to refuse to issue visas to Spanish journalists from major media institutions who wanted to cover the May 4 elections in the country. Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa where Spanish is the official language.

Security forces in the semiautonomous Somali territory of Puntland arrested the director-general of Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), an independent broadcaster based in the northern port city of Bossaso.

Endurance and commitment, they say, are the linchpins for success. That though may not be so unless it is tempered with professionalism dedicated to achieving goals that meet the needs and aspirations of an institution, a people, and a nation.

ON Tuesday Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings' website (www.newsnet.co.zw) carried a small story that the Minister of Information and Publicity Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu had toured ZBH Pockets Hill and at the end of the tour gave an address to the ZBH board.

This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the National Forum for Human Rights Thursday organized a two-day consultative conference to commemorate the 2000 May 8 disaster that led to the death of human rights activists in Freetown.

While still considering the various concerns and objections raised by the ongoing trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in The Hague, including its impact on the current political and justice situation in Liberia and Sierra Leone as well, British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC as it is commonly known, gave us a shocker on Friday.

The Western Cape is preparing to promote itself as the destination of choice during this year's Tourism Indaba to be held in Durban from Saturday.

The managing direc-tor of New Nigerian Newspapers Ltd, Mr. Ndanusa Alao, has been directed to proceed on retirement from public service by the end of July, this year.

Former Chronicle and New Ziana Midlands bureau chief Takesure Matarise has died. He was 49.

BLOEMFONTEIN, are you there? Yes! Cape Town? We're here! Nelspruit ...?"

The Standard Editor Mr Davison Maruziva was yesterday arrested over two articles published by the weekly newspaper deemed to be prejudicial to the State and were in contempt of court.

It's been a while since I have written a roundup for Pambazuka News and after browsing through the last couple of months I notice there has been an absence of news on what is happening at grassroots level in Africa and the Diaspora so I have focused on activist blogs or blogs posting on local community issues.

With CEO Dali Mpofu and director of news Snuki Zikalala suspended, newly-appointed acting CEO Gabriel Mampone has been tasked to lead the cleaning up of the SABC backyard, amid reports that Amrit Manga, the head of TV news and current affairs, has been appointed to lead the news department for now.

The Minister of Information in the Office of the Prime Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, has lashed out at a report by Reporters Without Boarders (RSF), a Paris-based watchdog, saying they lack objectivity.

One of the country's top lawyers, Harrison Nkomo, was arrested by police on Wednesday for allegedly insulting Robert Mugabe.