CHINA Published state secretsShi Tao was sentenced to 10 years in prison after "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities".His crime was to have e-mailed details of the Chinese government's plans to handle news coverage of the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 2004. Yahoo! provided crucial information in the case, linking the message and e-mail account with Shi 's computer. Reporters Without Borders accused Yahoo! of acting as a "police informant".IRANRevealed arrest of dissidentsKianoosh Sanjari was arrested on 7 October. The charges and his whereabouts are unknown. Mr Sanjari's blog gave information sympathetic to the Shia cleric Ayatollah Boroujerdi and his supporters. Up to the day of his arrest, he was providing details of the arrest of other dissidents and their detention at the notorious Evin prison.Amnesty says he is being held incommunicado and is at risk of being tortured.TUNISIA... http://news.independent.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 23:01:00 10-26-06 |
Nato confirms Afghan raid deaths |
Nato has confirmed that civilians were killed in an air strike it carried out in southern Afghanistan earlier this week. "We can confirm at least 12 deaths and we are working with the Afghan ministry of defence to conduct further investigations," a spokesman said. Locals say at least 60 people were killed in the bombing raid in Kandahar province late on Tuesday. The UN mission in Afghanistan says it is seriously concerned by the incident. Nato said that 48 Taleban fighters were killed in three raids by its forces. The Nato spokesman, Captain Andre Salloum, told AFP news agency: "As soon as the battle ended, troops on the ground were able to identify 12 civilians." Earlier, another Nato spokesman, Mark Laity, said: "We've got tight rules of engagement but sometimes things go wrong... President Karzai quite understandably and correctly wants us to show maximum care - that's what we do. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6089862.stm
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Editor - 22:50:00 10-26-06 |
U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Says NATO Presence Could Be Needed for Years, Calls for Patience |
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Thursday that NATO could be in for an extended stay in the central Asian nation and called on member nations to be patient. Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry urged the global community to devote more resources to the rebuilding of the country as it struggles to contain a resurgent Taliban militia. "We need perseverance," Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry told the Asia Pacific Summit in Vancouver. "We cannot win this in a year. We cannot win this in two years," he said via satellite from the U.S. Embassy in Vienna. The conservative Canadian government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been calling on NATO to shoulder more of the burden of fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2610012
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Editor - 22:32:00 10-26-06 |
Moderate Earthquake Rattles Peru's Southern Coast; No Injuries or Damage Reported |
A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 rattled Peru's southern coast Thursday, sending residents of one city scurrying into the streets but apparently causing no damage or injuries. The quake struck at 6:54 p.m. inn the Pacific Ocean, 94 miles southeast of Lima, almost the same location where a powerful magnitude-6.7 quake hit six days earlier, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. Apartment buildings and commercial towers shook in Lima for several seconds, but no damage was reported. The earthquake caused the most alarm in Ica, a coastal city 165 miles to the southeast, where local radio reports said panicked residents rushed from their homes into streets and parks. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2609995
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Editor - 22:28:00 10-26-06 |
AP's Curley: Government's 'Overt Effort To Stifle a Free Press' |
Associated Press president and CEO Tom Curley today used some of the strongest possible language to condemn the U.S. government's holding of an AP photographer in Iraq without charges. Bilal Hussein has been in U.S. custody for about six months in Iraq for what Pentagon officials assert is closeness to Iraqi insurgents. "We are left to conclude that this is not an issue of a threat to American security," Curley told mediabistro.com in an email. "It is an overt effort to stifle a free press." Last week Pentagon officials refused a request for information from a journalists' organization on why Hussein is being held. Military officials have in the past cited what they called "strong ties" to insurgents. He was taken into custody April 12, according to the AP. The military said he was in the company of insurgents. Hussein has shot photos of often violent events in Iraq, sometimes from the insurgents' side of a scene as action was happening. After a review of his photos, the ... http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/newspapers/aps_curley_governments_overt_effort_to_stifle_a_free_press_46238.asp
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Editor - 21:06:00 10-26-06 |
Panel: As Government Secrecy Increases, Journalists Need to Make the Case for Better Access |
In the five years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there has been an enormous shift toward government secrecy, and the news media needs to begin pushing back more forcefully, a journalism advocate said Thursday. Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said journalists must to do a better job of explaining to the public and decision makers the significance of increased limits on information. If they don't, the future could hold more subpoenas for reporters, with the public left in the dark about activities going on around them, she said. Since Sept. 11, the number of documents listed as classified has risen sharply, she said. "It's a very ugly situation," Dalglish said. Dalglish was one of four participants in a discussion on freedom of information held during a meeting of the Associated Press Managing Editors. ... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2609689
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Editor - 19:05:00 10-26-06 |
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