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/ 9 December 2003
In remote schools in rural Africa, students and even most teachers have never even seen a computer, let alone used one. Now an online library system and several other information technology initiatives will soon make education not only more affordable, but also much more accessible.
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/ 9 December 2003
The draft plan of action to be presented to heads of state at WSIS sets ambitious targets for nations in order to promote the spread and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Once the action plan is adopted by the summit, it will enjoin states to promote the use, availability and affordability of ICTs among sections of society that currently do not use them.
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/ 9 December 2003
Millions of rands are spent on DNA- testing technology to boost local forensic capacity, but widespread botch-ups render impotent what should be one of South Africa’s most powerful crime-fighting tools. Despite being crucial for evidence in sexual offence cases, this branch of forensics is grossly misunderstood.
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/ 9 December 2003
Bolivia. You land at 4 000m above sea level, so it is not just the scenery that takes the breath away. Surrounding the country’s international airport are the poverty stricken shanty towns of the world’s highest capital city, La Paz. Personal popularity will allow Bolivia’s active president a window of opportunity to reinvent his government’s relationship with its people.
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/ 9 December 2003
With WSIS starting on Wednesday, the issue of funding for the Digital
Solidarity Fund remains one of the unresolved issues from the Summit’s Draft
Declaration of Principles.
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/ 9 December 2003
Viacom is reportedly set to offload listed video-rental chain Blockbuster as the United States video market takes a knock. The media group has been looking for a way out of Blockbuster. The chain faces the threat of obsolescence as new technology such as video-on-demand becomes more widely used and the retail price of DVDs continues to fall.
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/ 9 December 2003
Free State, after a shaky start where they lost two wickets for five runs, held out to draw their cricket tour match against the injury-plagued West Indies at Goodyear Park on Monday. When play was called off during the third session, Free State had moved to 97 for two, having recovered from a jittery 16 for two.
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/ 9 December 2003
Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo has been ruled out of Chelsea’s final Champions League group game against Besiktas on Tuesday, leaving the Premiership leaders with just two recognised strikers in the squad. Crespo strained a calf muscle after coming as a substitute in the 1-1 Premiership draw with Leeds on Saturday.
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/ 9 December 2003
South Africa’s most capped and prolific player, Gary Kirsten, will miss the first Castle Lager/MTN test against West Indies at the Wanderers this weekend. Kirsten and his wife, Deborah, are expecting their first child this week, and the 36-year-old left-hander will be at his wife’s side for the birth.
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/ 9 December 2003
Students and teachers at a French-speaking digital campus in the Senegalese capital Dakar follow courses on-line, download text books which would cost too much to buy and enjoy access to a wealth of internet data.
Their experience will be important input at a groundbreaking global summit on bridging the digital divide, the World Summit on the Information Society, which opens in Geneva on Wednesday with the aim of reducing the digital gap between rich and poor.