Full coverage: Information & media

31.08.2004 Even as the number of phones rise in urban India, the growth in rural areas has fallen sharply in the last three years — lines added in 2003 are a third of 2002 and in 2004 they were half of 2003.

27.08.2004 Poverty and overpopulation are two of Mexico's biggest challenges. In Mexico, Population Media Center (PMC) is working with the Adolescent Orientation Center (CORA) of Mexico to produce a series of radio mini-serials mixed with talk shows in the five states of Mexico with the highest fertility rates. These programs have been developed by young people and are aimed at youth audiences.

26.08.2004 India’s first feminist publishing house Kali for Women gave birth to Zubaan and Women Unlimited last year. Zubaan is taking forward Kali’s mission in gender publishing. Kali’s co-founder Urvashi Butalia will be spearheading the activities at Zubaan. In an interview with Divya Chandel of OneWorld South Asia, the firebrand publisher speaks on the state of gender publishing in South Asia.

26.08.2004 As the world's most prestigious sporting event comes to a close this weekend, a global human rights group has warned China - the hosts of the next Olympics - to improve "its embarrassing record of continuing human rights abuses" before hosting the 2008 games.

26.08.2004 The Togolese parliament has softened the West African country's harsh press laws which previously imposed jail terms of up to five years on journalists found guilty of insulting the government of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, Africa's longest serving head of state.

26.08.2004 The Togolese parliament has softened the country's harsh press laws which previously imposed jail terms of up to five years on journalists found guilty of insulting the government. This is one of the measures aimed to meet EU conditions for resumption of aid.

26.08.2004 Ministarstvo odbrane Srbije i Crne Gore utvrdilo je da su vojne frekvencije i objekti iznajmljivani pojedinim medijskim kucama na osnovu ugovora, ali i bez bilo kakve dokumentacije, izjavio je juce ministar Prvoslav Davinic i najavio da ce dokumentaciju o tome proslediti Republickoj radiodifuznoj agenciji (RDA) Srbije.

25.08.2004 The banning of a private television channel in the northeast Indian state of Manipur combined with the federal government's accusation Tuesday that at least five nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the region have links with militants has triggered a controversy in this already volatile region.

25.08.2004 Reporter senza frontiere chiede l’immediata liberazione del giornalista italiano Enzo Baldoni, 56 anni, collaboratore del settimanale indipendente Diario. "Chiediamo ai rapitori di Enzo Baldoni di liberarlo immediatamente. Come tutti i giornalisti, deve essere trattato come un civile e non può essere certo essere considerato parte del conflitto. E’ inammissibile equiparare un giornalista alla politica del governo del suo paese e utilizzare la sua vita come un mezzo di pressione politica", ha dichiarato l’organizzazione internazionale per la difesa della libertà di stampa.

24.08.2004 After the Indian electronic media's overkill of the hanging of murderer and rapist Dhananjoy Chatterjee, which spurred a rash of play time hangings by children in his home state of West Bengal in eastern India, popular folk opera plans to exploit the story, prompting fears that it will further impact young minds.

23.08.2004 Il giornalista americano Micah Garen e il suo traduttore, Amir Doshe, rapiti il 14 agosto 2004 da un gruppo di combattenti iracheni a Nassirya (sud dell'Iraq), sono stati liberati il 22 agosto. Per contro, non ci sono notizie dei tre giornalisti dispersi, Christian Chesnot, di Radio France Internationale (RFI), Georges Malbrunot, del quotidiano francese Le Figaro, e Enzo Baldoni, del settimanale italiano Diario. "Queste sparizioni rinnovano i timori di rapimenti che in queste ultime settimane non hanno risparmiato i giornalisti che lavorano in Iraq e che evidenziano la mancanza di rispetto della neutralità dei reporter da parte dei diversi attori del conflitto", ha commentato Reporter senza frontiere.

20.08.2004 Mentre continuano i bombardamenti americani su Najaf e Falluja, i militari italiani sono sotto accusa per aver sparato a un’ambulanza e ucciso 4 persone. Il giornalista americano Micah Garen ha documentato i fatti e dopo aver trasmesso la notizia a vari media è stato rapito da una sedicente “brigata dei martiri” che minaccia la sua uccisione. Accuse di censura sui fatti arrivano dall’Associazione Articolo 21 che denuncia l’informazione non libera dall’Iraq. Intanto nuove accuse sulle torture cadono anche sul personale medico militare statunitense.

20.08.2004 Osservatorio sui Balcani presenta alcuni dei principali centri, media alternativi, case editrici che nella ex Jugoslavia si occupano di movimenti "alterglobal" e di tematiche della globalizzazione: tra questi, in Slovenia, Radio Student, il Centro Culturale Metelkova e la scuola lacaniana di teoria psicanalitica di Slavoj Zizek, il portale Kontrapunkt e la casa editrice Samizdat. Intanto, "Le Courrier des Balkans", una delle voci europee più autorevoli sulla penisola balcanica, rischia di chiudere perché nessuna istituzione, pur utilizzandolo, ritiene utile sostenerlo.

20.08.2004 Ecotrackers tuvo una presentación de cuatro horas en el Foro de las Américas para señalar el papel histórico que ahora tienen los migrantes y los viajeros en esta nueva etapa del desarrollo humano. En esta presentación propuse un nuevo concepto del desarrollo de la sociedad que difiere de la concepción eurocentrista, marxista y norteamericana, como un nuevo aporte al pensamiento latinoamericano. Escribe Maximiliano Moreno

17.08.2004 An international media watchdog has condemned efforts by the Maldives government to combat political dissidence by cutting off the south Asian nation's Internet links last week -- the latest in a series of measures to block freedom of information on the island.

16.08.2004 The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), an organization representing over 500,000 journalists worldwide, launched a global campaign Monday - including a protest march in India - urging Indonesia to refrain from jailing three journalists under the country's draconian defamation laws.

13.08.2004 Given the current media environment in Zimbabwe, free and fair elections in March 2005 are highly unlikely, a fact finding mission to Zimbabwe has said in a report released by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).

12.08.2004 A recent decision by the government of Mauritius to investigate the possibility of instituting sanctions against private radio stations has raised concern among media freedom groups.

11.08.2004 The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and Gender Links are launching a new award to recognise excellence in reporting on gender issues in the region. Open to journalists from countries belonging to the Southern Africa Development Community, including Seychelles, the Southern Africa Gender and Media Awards seek to reward stories that raise critical debate, show balance and challenge prevailing stereotypes.

11.08.2004 Panos and the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) are inviting journalists to apply for the 2004 "Reporting on the Information Society" awards, which recognise incisive reporting on the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on society.