ALBANIA: Addressing the Image Problem

Albania is stepping up efforts to show the world that its past of obscure communism, poverty-driven migration and a collapsing economy have been definitely put behind.

TRADE-EU: Deals with Africa a ‘PR Disaster’

Trade talks between the European Union and African countries have been a public relations "disaster" for the Brussels bureaucracy, a high-ranking official confessed Feb. 26.

MEDIA-FIJI: Activists Condemn Expulsion of Aussie Publisher

Media organisations and civil society groups in Fiji have condemned the deportation overnight of an expatriate newspaper publisher by Fiji’s interim government.

Q&A: "Before We Single Out the Media… What About Politicians?"

The messenger may not have been killed, exactly, but (s)he has had a rough time of it over the past few days in Kenya.

GREECE: Seen From the Far Right, Media Is Garbage

"Who are you with?" an excited fellow around 20 years old asked a journalist standing by, looking at riot police surrounding the main University of Athens building in downtown Athens.

LATIN AMERICA: Gender Stereotypes Still Firmly Entrenched, Despite Progress

Constructing gender equality in Latin American societies remains an apparently arduous task. The issue is still confined to the ivory towers of academia, far away from the media, and is seldom included in the debates that really capture people’s attention.

US: Overstretched Forces Concern Officers

The U.S. military is "severely strained" by two large-scale occupations in the Middle East, other troop deployments, and problems recruiting, according to a new survey of military officers published by Foreign Policy magazine and the centrist think-tank Centre for a New American Strategy.

RIGHTS-US: Journalist on Death Row

Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist and black activist who exposed corruption in the Philadelphia police department, is among the best known of America's 3,500 death row inmates. For years, lawyers have been fighting to overturn his 1982 murder conviction. They argue that Abu-Jamal was condemned due to his skin colour and undue influence from the powerful Fraternal Order of Police.

MEDIA-INDIA: Community Radio Stifled With Red Tape

Aspiring community radio operators from various parts of the country are complaining of long delays, frustration and bureaucratic red tape in obtaining licenses to run radio stations.

CUBA: Student Denies Arrest, Says Criticism Was ‘Within the System’

A Cuban university student who made headlines around the world when a videotape of him questioning aspects of the country’s socialist system was posted on the Internet defended his right Tuesday to express constructive criticism from within the system and said that contrary to rumour, he was never arrested for speaking out.

SLOVAKIA: Media Bill Threatens EU Treaty

Slovakia's opposition is endangering approval of the EU Treaty through its protest against a media bill that it claims will endanger freedom of speech in Slovakia.

ECONOMY: Poll Finds Wide Perception of Unfairness

An average of nearly two out of three people in 34 countries around the world believe that the benefits and burdens resulting from changes in their nation's economy over the last few years are not being distributed fairly, according to a new multinational survey released Thursday by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

MEDIA-ARGENTINA: Transvestites Find a Voice

With the support of one of Argentina’s leading public universities, a group of transvestites have launched a magazine aimed at reaffirming their identity and giving them a voice, as they tend to be ignored or given stereotypical coverage by the mainstream press.

MEDIA-SRI LANKA: New Media – First With Reports On Intensifying War

Information is at a premium in Sri Lanka, especially authentic, unadulterated news, fast and quick.

MEDIA: Report Slams Culture of Impunity

For journalists across the world, last year was the deadliest in more than a decade, according to the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which monitors violations of press freedom.

KENYA: The Media Is Not Innocent

The media was partly blamed for the Rwandan genocide 14 years ago which left nearly one million people dead in 100 days. "Kill the Inkotanyi [cockroaches]!" a local radio station urged its listeners at the time.

MEDIA-MALAYSIA: Call To Boycott Newspapers For Biased Reporting

Fed up with what they see as biased and distorted reporting, a group of concerned Malaysians has launched a campaign urging the public to boycott newspapers ahead of a general election widely expected in March.

Q&A: "There Is Such a Thing as Technology Overkill"

Millions of votes will be counted by computers this U.S. election season, and it seems that the chasm between security gurus who argue that the existing systems are fatally flawed and the manufacturers who claim that e-voting is both efficient and airtight has never been wider.

POLITICS: Security Council Loses Credibility Over Iran, Israel

The 15-member U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is set to lose its credibility once again as it prepares to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran while failing to pass any strictures on Israel for its continued heavy-handed repression of Palestinians in Gaza.

KENYA: Media’s Role in the Election Fallout

As Kenya’s tenth parliament met for the first time last week, the violence that rocked the country after the announcement of Mwai Kibaki as the presidential winner in the Dec. 2007 elections had largely died down. But the country is bracing for more violence and turmoil.

Q&A: “We Are Haunted By a War Begun Under False Pretences”

Eight key players in the George W. Bush administration, including the president himself, made at least 935 false statements in the run-up to and aftermath of the invasion of Iraq in 2003.