Govt policies

The US Senate on Monday passed a bill to shield US journalists, authors, and publishers from "libel tourists" who file suit in countries where they expect to get the most favourable ruling.The popular legislation headed to the House of Representatives, which was expected to approve it and send the measure to US President Barack Obama to sign into law despite misgivings from key US allies, Agence...

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Court has been urged to disclose details about the decision to establish a new press court and to explain the mechanisms under which it will operate. Abd As-Satir Birkdar, spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Court, which announced the creation of the court on July 11, told Al-Mada newspaper that the court is being established in accordance with the Judicial Organization Law...

Silvio Berlusconi is sending out a message as he and his allies fall victim to a string of embarrassing phone call leaks: Stop listening. The Italian premier is pressing a bill to limit the use of investigative wiretaps that have been the source of numerous scandals, but there is fierce opposition to curbing official eavesdropping in one of the world's most wiretapped nations. Magistrates warn the

Hungary’s ruling party Fidesz on Monday announced a decision to delay a vote on a number of media bills which critics have warned constitute a throwback to state control in the former Soviet satellite state. Hungary’s parliament was due to vote on Monday on the proposed creation of a powerful Media Council – strongly criticised by opposition politicians and journalists – which would operate within...

The principle of press freedom has been enshrined in Guinea’s new constitution with the promulgation of two new laws by the country’s military leader, Gen Sékouba Konaté on June 22. The first decriminalises press offences while the other creates a new media regulatory body. The laws were published in the government gazette on June 28, according to Reporters sans Frontières (RSF). “The new laws...

Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen. From July 1 every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection, says a BBC report. Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015. In the UK the government has promised a minimum connection of at least 2Mbps to all homes by 2012 but...

Press freedom groups have expressed concern over the Romanian National Defence Strategy which has been adopted by the Romanian Supreme Defence Council (CSAT) and passed on to the Romanian Parliament. The President of Romania initiated a National Defence Strategy which contained, among other things, serious allegations against the media - which is described as a security threat and vulnerability...

A new Fijian media decree that formalizes repressive government control of the media could force the outspoken Fiji Times to close within three months, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Fiji Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum announced at a press conference Monday that the Media Industry Development Decree, drafted in April, is now in effect. The decree requires all media...

Lebanon is planning a repressive technology bill that would restrict press freedom and free expression, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The bill focuses largely on electronic business transactions, including security and contractual issues. The legislation is seen as important among officials and business people who cite a need for Lebanon to adopt generally accepted...

Iceland’s parliament, the Alpinghi, has unanimously approved a resolution known as the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI) that calls on the government to draft legislation in line with its recommendations for the protection of media, journalists and bloggers. Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) hailed this ambitious and positive initiative, adopted on June 15, and called on the government to do...