Asia

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has asked Yahoo! to take advantage of the 6 November 2007 Congress hearing to set the record straight on the company's collaboration with the Chinese authorities. Congress is investigating sworn statements Yahoo! made during a February 2006 Congress hearing regarding its role in cyberdissident Shi Tao's arrest and conviction on a charge of "illegally...

Reporters Without Borders calls on the government to redouble its efforts to obtain the release of Birendra Shah, a journalist who was kidnapped in the Bara region on 5 October. “The authorities and the leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) must do everything possible to ensure that Birendra Shah is rescued,” the organisation said. “The absence of any news about Shah is very...

Television channels ordered off the air after the airing of footage exposing The Narendra Modi government's involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots have resumed broadcasting. The Gujarat Government blacked out several TV channels on Thursday night after they beamed a sting operation done by Tehelka that accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi of fomenting the 2002 Gujarat riots. Ahmedabad District

Nearly 90 per cent of the journalists killed in the line of duty during President Gloria Arroyo's rule since 2001 were exposing corruption. The rest were killed for reporting on and criticising illegal gambling and the drug trade in their localities. These are among the findings of the annual report on the state of press freedom released by the Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) on

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed its shock at the news that two volunteer radio announcers for Radio Ukay in Digos City narrowly escaped death after having shots fired at them. According to IFJ affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Marlan Malnegro and Ruben Oliverio had just finished their morning program and were riding tandem on a...

New York, October 25, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of detained journalist Qi Chonghuai, who was beaten by police while in custody, according to his wife. Qi has been detained at the Tengzhou Detention Center in the eastern province of Shandong since June 25 when police took him from his home, his wife Jiao Xia told CPJ. He was initially held for using a...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is gravely concerned for the safety of Pakistani journalist Riaz Mengal who has been missing for 21 days. Before his disappearance, Mengal, who is based in Balochistan, had written articles for the newspaper Intikhab about trafficking of stolen cars. Local reports stated that Mengal received death threats because of his investigation for these...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is outraged at the continued detention of six journalists in Burma and is concerned for the safety of a photographer who has been missing since early October. IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said she is very concerned that journalists have been targeted in the latest crackdown on anti-government protests in Burma. Despite the UN General...

The ongoing violence in Sri Lanka is taking its toll on press freedom and freedom of expression. Journalists are directly in the line of fire; their safety and security have been compromised; some have even been forced to flee for their own safety. At the recent general meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay, the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) appealed to the government, the

Singapore's control mechanism over foreign media has once again come to light wth the recent incident involving Financial Times. The newspaper had to pay damages to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father Lee Kuan Yewas for defamation, and was also compelled to apologise from the Lee family. According to the prosecution, the article seemed to suggest that Lee Jr might have got his job due to