MEDIA-PAKISTAN: Pondering Risks Covering Conflict, Crime, Corruption

The main issue before the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) meeting over the weekend in the central Punjab city of Faisalabad is the threat faced by journalists in this conflict-ridden South Asian country.

Q&A: Sacked for Writing Against the Egypt Regime

For years, Abdelhalim Kandil has been one of Egypt's most high-profile opposition journalists, known for writing hard-hitting articles critical of the ruling regime of President Hosni Mubarak.

SIERRA LEONE: Radio Stations Banned for Inciting Violence

Sierra Leone's vice president, Samuel Sam-Sumana, on Mar. 13 ordered an indefinite ban on radio stations owned by the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) and its main rival, the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).

TRINIDAD: Media Slip-Up Draws Wrath of Regulators

Everyone concedes that the media got it wrong that day. But a decision by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) to launch a formal investigation is raising fears that the incident is being used to clamp down on press freedom here.

MEDIA-EAST TIMOR: Minister, Editor Wrangle On Over Expose

East Timor's justice minister says she will file a civil liability case against newspaper editor Jose Belo, if criminal defamation charges do not make it in court.

MEDIA-THAILAND: Police Target Websites Unflattering to Royalty

As if the country’s draconian lese-majeste laws are not harsh enough, Thailand’s thought police have another weapon, the computer crimes law, to curtail the space for free expression.

MEDIA-GHANA: Unusual Bedfellows Push for Change

There has been a clamour to tighten up oversight and regulation of Ghana’s broadcasters from unusual bedfellows - the state-sponsored National Media Commission (NMC) and the Ghana Journalists" Association (GJA). The bodies have, in separate initiatives, slammed attempts to "privatise" the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and have railed against the practices of commercial radio stations.

RIGHTS-TURKEY: Freedom of Expression Under Attack

As it aspires for full European Union membership, Turkey is still struggling with freedom of expression, raising questions whether it can ever join the EU or will simply remain a suspended bridge between East and West.

EGYPT: Solidarity With Gaza Brings Jail

Magdi Hussein, secretary-general of Egypt's suspended Socialist Labour Party, has been sentenced to two years in prison by a military tribunal. Hussein, along with two others, was charged with "infiltrating" into the Gaza Strip following Israel's recent campaign against the coastal enclave...

BOTSWANA: Media Laws Stir Dissent Within Ruling Party

There is growing dissent in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) over laws that enable the government to regulate the media. Member of parliament, Keletso Rakhudu, broke ranks with his party by publicly criticising the Media Practitioner’s Act as an "assault" on the "fundamentals" and "undermining" free and independent media. He claims a number of his colleagues shared his dismay but were fearful of speaking out.

CHINA: Cracks Appearing in the “Great Firewall”

While the Internet boom in China has given citizens new avenues for self-expression, the government's tight control and censorship of content has made it difficult for the web to act as a platform for any major political dissent.

PHILIPPINES: Media Has Key Role in Fighting Corruption

When administrative officer Bryan Baylon discovered irregularities in the state-run hospital that employed him he first tried resolving them by informing his supervisors and proposing measures to curb corrupt practices.

MIDEAST: News Coverage Throws Up Arab Rifts

Coverage of Israel's recent war on the Gaza Strip by regional news stations has reflected longstanding political divisions within the Arab world. Qatar-based Al- Jazeera's reporting drew a particularly angry response from Egypt.

RIGHTS: Cuba Passes U.N. Review with Flying Colours

The United Nations Human Rights Council report on the status of human rights in Cuba reflected solid support for Havana from an ample majority of countries, but also took note of objections raised by a smaller number of governments.

MEDIA: Climate of Fear Pervades Many Newsrooms

In Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, journalists are becoming increasingly vulnerable to physical violence as a result of their work, says a U.S.-based media watchdog in a new report released Tuesday.

MEDIA: U.N. Press Corps Protest Rented Offices

Every U.N. secretary-general since Norway's Trygve Lie back in 1946 believed in the concept of a free press - including rent-free offices to journalists covering the United Nations.

SRI LANKA: ‘Govt Targets Media Under Civil War Cover’

Sri Lanka's ruling establishment has become increasingly intolerant towards the island country's independent media, even as President Mahinda Rajapakse's government steps up its military offensive against separatist Tamil militants in the north.

COLOMBIA: One More Day’s Delay for Civilian Hostages

Alan Jara, the former governor of the central province of Meta, was released by Colombian guerrillas on Tuesday, instead of Monday as originally scheduled. Former regional lawmaker for the western province of Valle del Cauca, Sigifredo López, was scheduled to have been freed on Wednesday, but his handover has now been postponed until Thursday.

JAPAN: NHK World TV – New Kid on Broadcast Block

Determined to tell its own story to the world Japan on Monday launched its own 24-hour English-language TV news channel - NHK World TV.

THAILAND: Don Challenges Lese-Majeste Law – Risks Jail Term

In a country where the culture encourages people to bow, worship and even grovel before authority, Giles Ungpakorn has always been an exception.

MEDIA-BRAZIL: Free Speech and an Open Mic

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva "betrayed" community radio stations, said Magno Cruz, the head of Radio Conquista, speaking at a round table discussion at the International Laboratory for Free Media, held in the capital of the northeastern state of Maranhao.