COMMUNICATIONS-MEXICO: Community Radio Stations Up Against the Wall

''Storming the airwaves'' is the slogan of Radio Neza, a community radio station that operates in the outskirts of the Mexican capital, without a permit and at risk of being closed down like the other 83 non-profit stations in the country.

POLITICS-MALAWI: Allegations of Media Bias Plague Election Campaign

Accusations of political bias are piling up against Malawi's state broadcaster in the run-up to general elections scheduled for May 18. In the latest salvo to be fired, a group of religious leaders has asked the courts to ensure equal air time for all political parties.

COMMUNICATION: Egyptian Poor Find Virtual Wealth

In a small, unadorned room young Egyptians complete homework assignments on PCs and browse the Internet oblivious of the incessant din of car horns, scratchy music and calls to prayer from a nearby mosque.

POLITICS-IRAN: Propaganda, the Media Mob, and Retreating Reformists

Last month's elections, in which Conservatives declared a resounding victory and reformist politicians failed to pull off a nationwide boycott of the polls, remind some Iranians of propaganda's power.

MEDIA-PORTUGAL: The New Voices of Immigrant Communities

A number of newspapers and magazines catering to immigrant communities in Portugal and published in Russian, Portuguese and Mandarin have relatively wide circulations and provide an important link to "home" for their readers.

MEDIA: ‘Le Plus Ca Change’ – NY Times Hit for WMD Gullibility

If Walter Lippman, perhaps the most influential U.S. press critic and foreign-policy columnist of the 20th century, were alive today, chances are he would shake his head knowingly and mutter something like, "La plus ca change, la plus c'est la meme chose''. (''The more things change, the more they remain the same''.)

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Independent Daily Adds Retrenchments to Its List of Woes

The chances of Zimbabwe's only privately-owned daily newspaper ever reappearing on newsstands appeared bleaker this week, when its management announced massive retrenchments.

COMMUNICATIONS-CUBA: Tighter Internet Access Still Just a Threat

More than a month has gone by since the Cuban government announced tighter access to the internet, but the measure has not yet been implemented, and may never be, according to a source close to the government.

CORRUPTION-NIGERIA: Scam Artists Find Themselves in the Cross Hairs

"Our point is this," says Shamsudeen Usman, Deputy Governor of Nigeria's Central Bank: "You may not be able to catch all of them, but Nigeria must begin to catch a few and make a typical example of those that you catch. That is the way you can remove the incentive for other people to join them."

TECHNOLOGY: Can Security Birds Catch Computer Worm?

No less an authority than the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched the vital-sounding National Cyber Alert System to fight the problem, in late January.

MIDEAST: Palestinian Media Caught in Internal Crossfire

The editing room of Al Quds educational TV is still riddled with bullet holes. The poor Palestinian broadcaster has little money to replace the equipment damaged in an attack by three armed men earlier this month.

MEDIA-ZAMBIA: Government Accused of Stalling on Information Bill

Media organisations in Zambia are staging a five-day campaign this week to lobby for the proposed Freedom of Information Bill to be brought before the current session of parliament.

COMMUNICATIONS: Tunisia Pledges Openness for Second WSIS

The government of Tunisia has assured that all civil society organisations will be allowed to participate in the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, to take place in Tunis next year, the follow-up to last December's meet in Geneva.

MEDIA-LIBERIA: Community Radio Gets a New Lease on Life

When former Liberian President Charles Taylor took up Nigeria's offer of exile last year, he left behind a country where the flow of information had slowed to a trickle - particularly in rural areas.

MEDIA-PAKISTAN: State Draws Fire Over Journalist’s Detention

The government has drawn fire over its secret detention and prosecution of a Pakistani journalist accused of helping French reporters make a fake film about terrorist training camps.

JOURNALISM-MOROCCO: ‘After Tomorrow’ Seeks Press Freedom Today

Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, newly released from prison and as determined as ever, is set to publish a new magazine, 'Apres Demain' (After Tomorrow). He was convicted last year on charges of "insulting the person" of King Mohammad VI.

RIGHTS-BANGLADESH: Fear Mixes with Anger after Journalist’s Death

On Jan. 15 this year, in broad daylight less than 50 yards from the press club in the south-western divisional city of Khulna, Bangladesh, a powerful bomb killed Manik Saha, a journalist known for his courage and professional integrity, horribly mutilating his remains.

TECHNOLOGY: There’s Life after Microsoft – Free Software Advocates

Vicente Ruiz, a Spanish advocate of the use of free software, feigned displeasure as he sat down to help a journalist working at the World Social Forum (WSF) in January. ''Aghh, Windows!'' he quipped.

POLITICS-U.S.: Bush Pushes Plan to Permit Internet Surveillance

The Bush administration is pushing to ratify an international convention that civil libertarians say would pose serious threats to privacy rights at home and abroad.

MEDIA-MIDEAST: TV, Internet Spur Change but Losses Stalk Newsroom

Satellite television and the Internet have spurred Middle East media operations to become more critical and investigative but financial losses could catch up with some of the pioneers of this change, say regional media experts.

HEALTH: Tune In to AIDS Fight, UN Tells World Media

The media has a key role to play in the fight against the spread of HIV, the deadly virus that causes AIDS, said U. N. chief Kofi Annan on Thursday, urging the industry's senior officials to do more to fulfil that role.