President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Western social media platforms of ignoring Russian authorities’ requests to delete illegal content, but stressed the country had no plans to block their work. The Russian government has in recent months been clamping down on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for hosting content supporting jailed Kremlin critic […]
media
Turkish reporters demand protection after violent arrest
Dozens of reporters in Istanbul and Ankara rallied on Tuesday demanding protection from the police following the violent arrest of an AFP photographer during a banned Istanbul Pride event. Award-winning photographer Bulent Kilic filed a “violent arrest” complaint against police officers who pinned him to the ground with their legs against his neck and back […]
Hong Kong police arrest top writer from shuttered Apple Daily
Hong Kong police arrested the lead opinion writer of Apple Daily on national security grounds as he tried to fly out of the city, local media reported, days after the pro-democracy newspaper was forced to shut down. Apple Daily, an unapologetic backer of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, put out its last edition on Thursday after […]
Serbian journalists threatened over reporting of Srebrenica
Three Serbian journalists faced threats and a smear campaign in pro-government media after they reported on issues related to the Srebrenica massacre, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Wednesday. Belgrade still refuses to acknowledge the 1995 slaughter of 8,000 Bosnian men and boys — considered Europe’s worst act of bloodshed since World War II — as […]
Hong Kong pro-democracy paper Apple Daily confirms closure
Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily announced Wednesday it was printing its final edition after authorities froze its assets using a sweeping new national security law, silencing the city’s most China critical media outlet. The decision is the latest blow to Hong Kong’s freedoms and will deepen unease over whether the international finance centre can […]
Iran says US websites seizure unhelpful for nuclear talks
Tehran warned Wednesday that Washington’s seizure of 33 websites run by Iran-linked media was “not constructive” for ongoing talks on bringing the United States back into a landmark nuclear deal. The US Justice Department said it had seized 33 Iranian government-controlled media websites, as well as three of the Iraqi group Kataeb Hezbollah, which it […]
US seizes Iranian state news websites
US Justice Department said Wednesday it had seized 33 Iranian government-controlled media websites, as well as three of the Iraqi group Kataeb Hezbollah, which it said were hosted on US-owned domains in violation of sanctions. Visitors to leading Iranian media sites like Press TV and Al-Alam, the country’s main English language and Arabic language broadcasters, […]
Hong Kong leader says press must not ‘subvert’ government
Media outlets in Hong Kong must not “subvert” the government, the city’s leader said Tuesday, rejecting US criticism of recent action against a pro-democracy newspaper under a powerful new security law. Hong Kong has long hosted a vibrant international and local media scene but press freedoms have slipped dramatically in recent years. Last week, authorities […]
EU launches antitrust probe against Google over online ads
The EU launched a wide-ranging antitrust probe against Google Tuesday over concerns that it is forcing out rivals in the lucrative online advertising market. The investigation will “assess whether Google has violated EU competition rules by favouring its own online display advertising technology services”, a statement said. The probe narrows in on an important slice […]
Hong Kong pro-democracy media executives denied bail under security law
Two executives from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily appeared in court on Saturday on charges of collusion and were denied bail after authorities deployed a sweeping security law to target the newspaper, a scathing critic of Beijing. Chief editor Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung are accused of colluding with foreign forces to undermine China’s […]