News

New York, September 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores Lithuanian security agents’ seizure of all 15,000 copies of the semimonthly Laisvas Laikrastis (Free Newspaper), which was due out today with a story about alleged political corruption. Government agents, who said the story contained classified information, also briefly detained Editor Aurimas Drizius on Thursday. About 10...

Teheran (AsiaNews) –Iran could include suspension of its nuclear program in negotiations with the West, former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said yesterday in Washington. Khatami is on a visit to the United States at the invitation of the Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation of the Episcopal Church. The visit of the ex-Iranian president, which will include stops in New York, Chicago...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - An increasing number of television viewers are producing their own shows, and the TV industry is frantically trying to figure out how to combine broadcasts, Internet movies and home videos into one package. Internet video sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video have surged in popularity over the last 12 months, with YouTube now serving 100 million videos a day, and...

New York, September 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Sri Lankan authorities to fulfill their duty to protect the staff of the pro-Tamil Jaffna newspaper Uthayan, which was threatened and coerced on Thursday. The incident was the latest in a series of attacks and acts of intimidation against the newspaper. E. Saravanapavan, Uthayan’s managing director, said two men, one...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's government on Friday defended its decision to close the Baghdad bureau of Al Arabiya television for "sectarian" reporting, despite criticism from media bodies which called the ban an assault on press freedom. "If al Qaeda wanted reporters to work for it, it could do no better than the reporters for Arabiya," Yasseen Majeed, media advisor to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al...

Communications Minister Senator Helen Coonan says her media reform package has good prospects of becoming law and will be introduced to the Senate soon. Senator Coonan said she plans to begin introducing the legislation shortly to have the package of reforms considered by the end of the year. The changes would remove limits that prevent TV companies owning newspapers in the same market and loosen...

OTTAWA, Sept 8 (Reuters) - One of Canada's top television reporters has been suspended from her job for praising the country's increasingly troubled military mission in Afghanistan, La Presse newspaper reported on Friday. Christine St-Pierre, a veteran Ottawa correspondent for French-language public broadcaster Radio-Canada, wrote an open letter to Canada's 2,300 troops telling them to ignore...

A group of 51 newspaper publishers in Japan including The Japan Times said Thursday it will establish a new company this month that will create a Web site containing news and regional information. Press Net Japan Co. will be headquartered in Tokyo. The Web site is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year. The site will carry domestic and overseas news, information on tourism and local...

The Sunday Times becomes Britain's first £2 paper this weekend and the Times is also raising its cover price, as News International looks to recoup its investment in new freesheet the London Paper. Meanwhile, the Telegraph Group - which is about to move into new premises with an integrated digital newsroom - is also raising the cost of its titles. The Sunday Telegraph increases by 20p to £1.80...

Jakarta - In Indonesia, newspaper readers who are tired of daily politics and endless domestic problems sometimes skip the headlines that makes them frown and turn to the classified advertisements. It is both shocking and amusing. 'Would you like a second honeymoon? Call me, Rosita, a sweet and aggressive woman, sexy, bra size 36C, able to cure premature ejaculation, great service, 250 thousand...