2005-2014

13 June 2007

Nepal: Editor receives death threat after exposing sex trade

(FNJ/IFEX) - Ambika Bhandari, editor of the "Samyentra Weekly", published in Biratchowk in Morang, a district in eastern Nepal, was threatened with death by Bikram Bhujel, owner of the "Don't Cross Me" restaurant on 11 June 2007. Bhandari was threatened regarding news published in the paper that same day. According to Shiva Bahadur Karki, president of FNJ's Morang chapter, Bhujel entered Bhandari...

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13 June 2007

Algeria: Blogger charged with criminal defamation for criticising official

(HRinfo/IFEX) - The Algerian government must drop the defamation charge against blogger "Abd el Salam Baroudy", administrator of the "Bilad Telmesan" blog ( http://bilad-13.maktoobblog.com ), for criticizing an official in an article published in February 2007. Baroudy is scheduled to face the Telmesan First Degree Court on 11 June 2007. In his article, Baroudy criticized the chair of Religious...

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13 June 2007

Reporters need a shield; US Congress should act to protect free flow of information

In recent years, more than 40 journalists have been questioned in federal criminal and civil court proceedings about their confidential sources, notes and stories. In too many cases the journalist was the first stop for the lawyer seeking information. The practice threatens to turn reporters into de facto investigators for the court, required to reveal sources of information they obtained only by...

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13 June 2007

Blair's attack provokes anger among newspaper editors and broadcasters

Tony Blair's attack on the media and call for a tougher regulatory system for newspapers and broadcasters sparked a heated debate last night among editors and other key figures within the industry. The Prime Minister singled out The Independent for criticism when he devoted his last speech on domestic issues before he stands down on 27 June to the media, which he described as a "feral beast, just...

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13 June 2007

Colombia: Reporter receives death threats

BOGOTA, Colombia, June 12 A reporter in Colombia for the Miami-based newspaper El Nuevo Herald has received death threats, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday. Gonzalo Guillen is being threatened by Colombian right-wing paramilitary groups, according to phone calls received by El Nuevo Herald warning of a plot to kill the journalist. "The office reiterates that the work of journalists ... is...

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13 June 2007

Vivid Memories of Daniel Pearl Case

Five years after he led the investigation that nabbed the suspected terrorists behind the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, Randall Bennett is still haunted by the case. "It's the most memorable case I've worked on and the most intense, but is also the one biggest personal tragedy to me, because we didn't get Danny back," said Bennett, 55, a special agent with the...

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13 June 2007

Pakistan: Journalist apologises to apex court

ISLAMABAD, June 12: The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned a journalist and warned him for publishing a news item suggesting initiation of references by the government against four senior judges who were part of the 13-member larger bench hearing the petition of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and warned him to be careful in future. In its order, the Supreme Court said: “Muhammad Saleh...

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13 June 2007

Watchdog savages Google over privacy

The internet’s key players are “appalling” at protecting their users’ privacy – most pose a “substantial threat” to your confidentiality and not one is ‘privacy-friendly.’ After six months examining the policies and insider stories at over 20 Web portals, Privacy International added that only three – Wikipedia, eBay and the BBC - are ‘privacy aware.’ However the trio, like all the firms...

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13 June 2007

New Jersey justices say reporter waived Shield Law right

HACKENSACK, N.J. - The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that news reporters waive their right to exercise the Shield Law - which protects confidential sources and information - when they share information with law enforcement investigating cases. The court unanimously ruled that Andrew Glazer, a former Bergen County Record reporter, gave up his protection by talking to detectives from the...

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13 June 2007

US judge rules FBI did not use excessive force against Puerto Rican journalists

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A U.S. District Court judge ruled Wednesday that FBI agents did not use excessive force on Puerto Rican journalists who covered a raid last year on properties owned by an independence activist. U.S. District Court Judge Jose Fuste said in his ruling that courts have previously found that law enforcement officers ''may reasonably use force against members of a crowd...

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