News

Karachi, 21 Dec. (AKI/Syed Saleem Shahzad) - A Pakistani district and session court in the southern port city of Karachi on Thursday framed charges of defamation against the editor in chief of The Star newspaper, Kamal Majidullah, chief correspondent Syed Saleem Shahzad and crime reporter Ralph D. Cruzon, under the highly controversial Pakistani Criminal Defamation Law. Majidullah, Shahzad and...

New York, December 21, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores the killing of Philippines radio broadcaster Andres Acosta, which police believe may be linked to his work. He was stabbed to death Wednesday in the town of Batac, 240 miles (390 kilometers) north of Manila. "We join our colleagues in the Philippines in mourning the death of Andres Acosta, and calling for justice," said CPJ...

Unidentified gunmen made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the editor and publisher of the Kangla Pao evening newspaper, Paonam Labango at around 9:10 pm tonight in front of the Kangla Pao office at Keisampat. The gunmen, who were waiting for the editor to come out from his office fired a shot but fortunately the bullet missed him After opening fire, the unidentified gunmen escaped under...

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, December 20, 2006 - Violence in Iraq claimed the lives of 32 journalists in 2006, the deadliest year for the press in a single country that the Committee to Protect Journalists has ever recorded. In most cases, such as the killing of Atwar Bahjat, one of the best-known television reporters in the Arab world, insurgents specifically targeted journalists to be murdered, CPJ...

(IFJ/IFEX) - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has urged the Indian government to intervene in the proposal to corporatise a news service which informs millions throughout India. In a letter sent on December 20 to the Indian prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the IFJ stated its deep concern for the future of media diversity in India, after the proposal to sell a majority (60 per...

(CJFE/IFEX) - Toronto, December 20, 2006: It is the season to make lists - the best, the worst, the top newsmakers of 2006 - but at Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) our list is a more chilling one. In 2006, our list counts at least 82 journalists killed in the course of doing their work, in addition to dozens of media workers. Hence, 2006 has the terrible distinction of being the...

New York, December 20, 2006—Violence in Iraq claimed the lives of 32 journalists in 2006, the deadliest year for the press in a single country that the Committee to Protect Journalists has ever recorded. In most cases, such as the killing of Atwar Bahjat, one of the best-known television reporters in the Arab world, insurgents specifically targeted journalists to be murdered, CPJ found in a new...

(MISA/IFEX) - The 3 November 2006 edition of the "Government Gazette Extraordinary" indicates that the Government of Botswana plans to bring a bill to Parliament on intelligence and security services. According to the draft, "The bill is to establish a Directorate of Intelligence and Security, a Central Intelligence Committee, a National Intelligence Community and an Intelligence and Security...

(IPI/IFEX) - Vienna, 19 December 2006: In a report titled, "Media in Lebanon: Reporting on a Nation Divided," the International Press Institute (IPI) provides an assessment of the current challenges to press freedom in Lebanon. Commenting on the report, IPI Director Johann P. Fritz said "The Lebanese media offers diverse and wide-ranging opinion and analysis and enjoys a greater degree of press...

PANJIM, DEC 19—Sonia Faleiro of Tehelka newspaper has been honoured with the second prize print/online category by CNN channel for her story on farmers’ suicides in Vidarbha.. The award for the print/online category went to Rohit Vishwanath of Businessworld magazine from Mumbai for his story ‘Shop Floor Jobs Are Hot Once Again’ which dealt on how engineering graduates are now looking for shop...