This is an update on an earlier story about Tunisian websites that are currently blocked in Tunis. Please see the list below of additional sites. Once again it is not a complete list but it is a significant one from a Tunisian blogger on the APC WSIS blog.

APC members meeting in Bulgaria in October elected their new executive board until 2007. For the first time, the APC chair is a woman and more than half of the eight member-board are women. This is good news for an organisation where traditionally governance has been a male-dominated arena. Continuing another positive advance established in the previous board where each region APC works in was represented, in the new board, once again representatives come from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and now North America.

From demoing cantennas (low-cost antennas made out of used cans), to community wireless training programmes, highlighting gender issues, to joining a citizens’ summit, the Association for Progressive Communications is chalking out plans for its participation in the second World Summit on Information Society at Tunis in mid-November 2005.

The Third World Institute (ITeM) organised the debate panel “WSIS within the context of global ICT governance processes”, during the third meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Preparatory Committee (19-30 September, Geneva, Switzerland). The purpose of this panel was to present and debate from the outcomes of ITeM’s project “WSIS Papers”. This project intends to contribute to involve different actors of Southern countries in debates, negotiation and policy definitions within the WSIS process, thus providing visibility to the perspectives and specific needs of the developing world.

During the Tunis World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) — the UN-sponsored conference about information and communication — ITeM will organise an event titled "Framing WSIS in global governance processes: Linkages and follow-up". It will be held on November 17, 2005 from 10:45 to 12:45 at the Room Mehdia (Kram Exhibition Hall).

APC member Fantsuam Foundation remains a lone player in rural wireless internet service in northern Nigeria. Represented by Ochuko Onoberhie, the Fantsuam Foundation was one of the new trainers at the IDRC-APC South African Wireless Workshop, held in mid-September 2005. Fantsuam was also identified as a strategic partner for the next round of trainers for the West African version of this workshop. Through these various capacity building events, Fantsuam is working to act as a sub-regional resource centre for wireless training.