Headlines- "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic [Republic] of Iran," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on the X social media platform..
- The declaration of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was applauded by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which described it as "a critical and long-overdue reprieve for civilians who have endured weeks of unrelenting violence."
- The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been welcomed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who expressed optimism that it will lay the groundwork for long-term stability in the Middle East.
- As part of an earlier two-week ceasefire deal between Tehran and the United States to pause the conflict in the Middle East, Iran's Foreign Ministry praised the ceasefire reached by Israel and Lebanon.
- At midnight local time on Friday, gunfire broke out in the southern suburbs of Beirut as a ceasefire with Israel came into effect.
- The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health estimates that since March 2, Israeli forces have killed at least 2,196 civilians and injured another 7,185.
- The Lebanese government urges people not return back to their homes in southern Lebanon, despite Israel and Lebanon have reached a 10-day ceasefire.
- The United States is "very close" to a deal with Iran, President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House.
Tag: Freedom of Press
A Fixer Pays the Price for...
Russia Today’s 2017 documentary – “My Mother Sold Me” – depicted a young Cambodian woman selling her daughter’s virginity. The film went viral – but it wasn’t good news for Cambodian fixer, Rath Rott Mony, who worked for RT. Cambodian authorities labeled it fake news and jailed him for “incitement to discriminate.” Now, Mony’s family says the Russian government, which bankrolls RT, should be working to get him free
In Eritrea, Jailed Journalists Continue to...
In Eritrea, many journalists have been held for more than a decade and denied access to lawyers or family members. Despite positive changes in the region in 2018 as Ethiopia and Eritrea declared an end to a 20-year war, the country continues to hold the unenviable title of the worst country in Africa for jailed journalists
Ethiopia Cautiously Embraces New Era of...
Ethiopia’s historic strides toward democracy and openness have given journalists in the country hope for greater freedom to report the news
May 3: A Day to Reminder...
World Press Freedom day is celebrated on May 3 each year, but the realities faced by journalists in many parts of the world are increasingly hostile. A new report by an international media watchdog group says press freedoms deteriorated in 2019, fueled in part by increasing aggression toward journalists
Jailed Reuters Journalists Lose Final Appeal...
The journalists, who were awarded a Pulitzer Prize last week for their Rohingya exposé, were sentenced in September 2018 after a lengthy series of hearings and a trial. They were not present at Tuesday’s hearing in Naypyidaw
Authoritarian Leaders Fueled Hatred Toward Journalists...
The 2019 World Press Freedom Index report, conducted by Reporters Without Borders, said “authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media,” resulting in a “hatred of journalists” that has “degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear.”
Myanmar Supreme Court Agrees to Rule...
Rights groups and diplomats have condemned the sentencing of the the reporters, saying their convictions have dealt a blow to freedom of the press in the developing democracy
Turkmenistan Urged To Stop ‘Systematic Harassment’...
Ranked 178th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2018 World Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan is a “black hole from which little news and information emerge and where the few independent journalists risk severe persecution,” the Paris-based media watchdog said
Three Uyghur Journalists Among 33 Women...
Chimengul Awut, an editor at the Kashgar Publishing House in the XUAR’s Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture, is one of 14 people who worked at the company to be detained at a political “re-education camp” since last year
Chinese Newspapers Fold Amid Growing Censorship,...
Veteran Beijing journalist Li Xinde said many “market-oriented” papers are meeting the same fate, while papers under direct party or government control are subsidize by a system of compulsory subscriptions