Internet

31.08.2004 A network of Internet kiosks promises to give farmers in Philippines access
to information from agriculture-specific websites. Over the next one year,
the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture will set up cybercafes in
farming villages as part of a government plan to modernise the country’s
agriculture.

27.08.2004 The Indian government may de-licence Wi-Fi services as part of its broadband policy, allowing people to use the Internet on laptops outside offices and homes without connecting to a phone.

24.08.2004 The South African government has launched the country’s first ICT portal specifically for women. The WICT portal aims to encourage the participation of women in the ICT sector and give an update on issues concerning them.

24.08.2004 India’s Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited is expanding its Internet and broadband business to more than 100 cities at tariffs comparable to dial-up accounts. The company also plans to strengthen its cybercafes and launch Wi-Fi enabled services.

20.08.2004 IT experts are more skeptical of electronic-voting than the public, says a survey conducted at a US institute. More than 80 per cent of the people who answered the survey believe that e-voting is as reliable as the traditional paper ballot.

18.08.2004 An international media watchdog has condemned efforts by the Maldives government to combat political dissidence by cutting off the south Asian nation's Internet links last week -- the latest in a series of measures to block freedom of information on the island.

17.08.2004 An international media watchdog has condemned efforts by the Maldives government to combat political dissidence by cutting off the south Asian nation's Internet links last week -- the latest in a series of measures to block freedom of information on the island.

17.08.2004 The Netherlands Forum on Agricultural Research for Development has launched its website that contains news, reports and information on crop research.

17.08.2004 Researchers of Eldis have created a daily blog for highlighting the latest ICT for development resources from websites and mailing lists. The issues covered range from open access to local content.

16.08.2004 In part addressing one the major global concerns of the biotech industry, Biocon India, a leading biotech company, has started publishing its clinical trials data on its website.

07.08.2004 Macedonia has one of Europe's lowest rates of Internet use, followed only by Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Surveys have found that only 3 per cent of Macedonians are online, and those who are only use the web for an average of nine hours per month. In Western European countries, by contrast, 85 per cent of the population is logged on for as many as 24 hours a day.

07.08.2004 Macedonia has one of Europe's lowest rates of Internet use, followed only by Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Surveys have found that only 3 per cent of Macedonians are online, and those who are only use the web for an average of nine hours per month. In Western European countries, by contrast, 85 per cent of the population is logged on for as many as 24 hours a day.

05.08.2004 UNESCO has announced the release of the French version of its community knowledge management software, eNRICH. This multi-purpose tool aims to help communities find information and knowledge resources on the Internet, voice issues and create their own content. Ready-to-use, eNRICH reduces the challenges faced by communities in using ICTs.

03.08.2004 On behalf of the BiH Council of Ministers, the Minister of traffic and communications of BiH officially took over from UNDP three basic documents for the information society development in BiH. Endorsement by the Council of Ministers is expected in October this year. The Policy, Strategy and Action Plan for the information society development in BiH provide a vision, policy directions and concrete steps to be taken by BiH in the period between 2005 and 2010, to enable more efficient implementation of information and communication technologies in education, electronic business, government, health, legislation reform, as well as in development of infrastructure and industry.

03.08.2004 On behalf of the BiH Council of Ministers, the Minister of traffic and communications of BiH officially took over from UNDP three basic documents for the information society development in BiH. Endorsement by the Council of Ministers is expected in October this year. The Policy, Strategy and Action Plan for the information society development in BiH provide a vision, policy directions and concrete steps to be taken by BiH in the period between 2005 and 2010, to enable more efficient implementation of information and communication technologies in education, electronic business, government, health, legislation reform, as well as in development of infrastructure and industry.

02.08.2004 Community Technology Centers, an initiative started in a New York neighbourhood in 1983 to provide learning opportunities through computers, has grown into a network that is helping bridge the digital divide.