News

The reopening of judicial proceedings against detained “New York Times” researcher Zhao Yan, whose release had been awaited since 17 March 2006, is an “aberration,” Reporters Without Borders has said, calling for him to be freed at once. Zhao’s lawyer, Mo Shaoping, said officials told him on 17 April that the proceedings had been reopened on 20 March 2006 on the basis of the same charges that were...

The Denver Post plans to reduce the size of its newsroom staff by about 8 percent, the newspaper told employees Tuesday. The Post has targeted a voluntary reduction of 25 positions out of around 300. "As of today, there are no plans for layoffs," said Post editor Gregory L. Moore. Unionized and management employees were informed of early-retirement and voluntary-separation packages, with payouts...

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 13 April 2006 at approximately 7:00 p.m. (local time), the editor of "Versiya" newspaper, Yaroslav Golyshkin, was assaulted by two unknown persons on the porch of his house in Pavlodar, northern Kazakhstan. The assailants approached the journalist and asked him if he could light their cigarettes, then subjected him to a severe beating. The men then left empty-handed, leaving...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has deplored threats by a ruling party MP and his supporters that forced the cancellation of a conference about press freedom and demanded a public apology from him. The conference, planned for 13 April 2006 in Debidwar (Comilla district, east of Dacca), was called off after threats from Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) MP Manjurul Ahsan Munshi, also head...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called for greater protection of journalists following eight media workers being injured in a bomb blast in Karachi. "News making can be a dangerous profession," said IFJ president Christopher Warren. "Which is why it is essential that media employers and the government ensure the protection of journalists while covering the news," said Warren...

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 11 April 2006 in Almaty, unknown individuals broke into the apartment of Ramazan Yesergepov, a journalist for "Alma-ata info" newspaper, in his absence. The intruders forced Yesergepov's entrance door open and stole some gold items from his house. The police arrived 45 minutes later, saying they did not have enough gasoline to get to Yesergepov's home faster. Yesergepov...

Press freedom and human rights in Burundi suffered a severe blow yesterday, when around thirty journalists and human rights monitors were held -- and some severely assaulted -- by police officers after a press conference in Kinindo, Bujumbura. The press conference had been called by the CNDD-FDD parliamentarian Mathias Basabose. The journalists faced no difficulties in gaining access to the...

The Chinese authorities, who last month unexpectedly dropped a state secrets case against a jailed researcher for The New York Times, have started an investigation period that could lead to reinstating the charges against him by early May, his lawyer said Monday. The possibility of resuming the case undercuts speculation that withdrawal of the case last month was intended as a prelude to releasing...

Dow Jones & Co. (DJ) will launch a new service in conjunction with the Relegence Corp. to offer users a variety of financial information. The New York-based publishing company, which publishes this and other newswires, said the service, called Dow Jones Total Coverage, will allow users to customize the type of information received and share the reports with clients and colleagues. Dow Jones Total...

Writers in Bangladesh have been threatened, imprisoned, attacked and killed for using their pens. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is the latest link in that episode. On November 29 of 2003, he was arrested at the Zia International Airport in Dhaka on his way to address a symposium of the Hebrew Writers Association in Tel Aviv on the role of media in establishing peace. The intelligence sources claim...