Journalists in Afghanistan say that they have been beaten, detained and flogged by the Taliban when attempting to cover protests. Photos circulating online show two journalists from Etilaatroz newspaper with welts and bruises after their arrest in the capital Kabul. One of them, Taqi Daryabi, told the BBC he had been taken to a district police station where he was kicked and beaten. On Wednesday, the BBC’s team were also prevented from filming. Mr Daryabi, alongside Etilaatroz’s photographer Nematullah Naqdi, had been covering a women’s protest in Kabul on Wednesday. Afterwards, they were taken to a police station, where they say … Continue reading Afghanistan: Journalists tell of beatings by Taliban

Mississippi police have issued an arrest warrant for an Ohio man accused of accosting NBC News’ Shaquille Brewster on live television.Shaquille Brewster, Dagley Benjamin Eugene Dagley will be charged with two counts of simple assault, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of violating an emergency curfew, according to a statement from Gulfport police on Tuesday.  Given Dagley’s criminal record, authorities say that he could also be in violation of his probation out of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, for allegedly traveling without authorization. The public was able to help identify the suspect after Gulfport police shared a press release requesting … Continue reading Man faces arrest for on-air attack of MSNBC reporter

Men claiming to speak for Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel have released a video threatening to murder a prominent female news anchor over what they deem to be unfair coverage. The warning was made by a man who said it was on behalf of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG). He complained that Milenio Television was favouring so-called self-defence groups organized to resist the CJNG. In the video, journalist Azucena Uresti is threatened directly. “I will make you eat your words even if they accuse me of femicide,” the masked speaker, who is surrounded by six heavily … Continue reading Mexican drug cartel threatens to kill TV reporter

US news network CNN has sacked three employees for going into an office without having been vaccinated against Covid-19, US media say. It is one of the first examples of a US firm firing staff for breaching a company vaccination mandate. It is legal in the US for firms to require employees to be vaccinated. Many large firms – including Facebook and Google – say they will require employees to be vaccinated when offices fully re-open in the months ahead. CNN chief Jeff Zucker mentioned the dismissal in a company memo sent on Thursday and seen by several US media outlets. Vaccination … Continue reading CNN fires unvaccinated employees for going to office

A public inquiry into the assassination of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has found the state responsible for her death. The report said the state had failed to recognize risks to the reporter’s life and take reasonable steps to avoid them. Caruana Galizia died in a car bomb attack near her home in October 2017. An investigation led to PM Joseph Muscat’s resignation in 2019 after his close associates were implicated. However, he has denied corruption allegations. Called a “one-woman Wikileaks”, Caruana Galizia uncovered networks of corruption in the country and abroad. Aged 53 when she died, she spent 30 … Continue reading Malta responsible for journalist death – inquiry

Tunisian police has stormed Al Jazeera’s bureau in the capital Tunis, expelling all the staff, after President Kais Saied late on Sunday ousted the government in a move his foes called a coup. At least 20 plain-clothed police officers entered the office on Monday, Al Jazeera journalists in Tunis reported, saying the officers did not have warrants for the raid. “We did not receive any prior notice of the eviction of our office by the security forces,” Lotfi Hajji, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Tunisia, said. Security forces involved in the raid said they were carrying out instructions from the … Continue reading Tunisia police storm Al Jazeera office in Tunis

Pizza for Italy, Dracula for Romania, and Chernobyl for Ukraine. These were the pictures and captions used by a South Korean broadcaster to depict nations at the Olympics opening ceremony. MBC since apologised for offending viewers, after complaints the visuals were “offensive” and “ridiculous”. The channel said it wanted to make it easier for viewers to understand the entering countries quickly. However, in a statement posted to Twitter, MBC said the decision showed a lack of consideration for the countries concerned, adding that it was an “inexcusable mistake”. It added it would start a probe into how the images and … Continue reading No You Are Not Sorry: South Korea TV sorry for using pizza to depict Italy at the Tokyo Olympics

A Casablanca court on Monday convicted prominent journalist and activist Omar Radi on charges of espionage and sexual assault and sentenced him to six years in prison.Journalist and activist Omar Radi. His colleague, Imad Stitou, was convicted of “participation in rape” and sentenced to 12 months in prison, with six months suspended. Radi, an investigative journalist jailed since his arrest in July 2020, has denied any wrongdoing. Rights groups say the charges against Radi were politically motivated, and his case has raised concerns about media freedoms in Morocco. Radi was the subject of an Amnesty International report in June 2020 … Continue reading Moroccan journalist convicted of spying, sex assault

Kurt Westergaard, a Danish cartoonist whose caricature of the Prophet Muhammad outraged many Muslims worldwide, has died at the age of 86. His family said he died after a long illness, the Berlingske newspaper reported on Sunday. Westergaard was a cartoonist for the conservative Jyllands-Posten newspaper from the early 1980s. He became world famous in 2005 for his controversial depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in the newspaper. Westergaard’s cartoon, which showed a turban bomb, was one of 12 published by the newspaper to make a point about self-censorship and criticism of Islam. Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are widely regarded … Continue reading Kurt Westergaard, Danish cartoonist behind Muhammad cartoon, dies at 86

Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan, an Afghan commander said.Danish Siddiqui, poses for a photo in Kabul Afghan special forces had been fighting to retake the main market area of Spin Boldak when Siddiqui and a senior Afghan officer were killed in what they described as Taliban crossfire, the official told Reuters. Siddiqui had been embedded as a journalist since earlier this week with Afghan special forces based in the southern province of Kandahar and had been reporting on fighting between … Continue reading Reuters journalist killed covering clash between Afghan forces and the Taliban

Dutch crime journalist Peter R. de Vries has died after being shot in Amsterdam on July 6 2021, he was 64 years old. Renowned for his dedication to unsolved crimes and support to the families of crime victims, he investigated more than 500 murder files and played a pivotal role in solving several cold cases. Peter added the R. (short for Rudolf, his second name) to his name to distinguish himself. In a radio interview, he once said that his name was otherwise quite ordinary. He started his career as a 20-year-old trainee at De Telegraaf, the largest Dutch daily … Continue reading Update: Dutch reporter Peter R de Vries dies after shooting

Scuffles have broken out in Georgia’s parliament over demands for the prime minister’s resignation due to the death of a cameraman who was attacked while covering an anti-pride event. Lekso Lashkarava suffered severe facial injuries during the attack in Tbilisi on 5 July but was discharged from hospital. He was found dead on Sunday. Protesters have demanded the resignation of Irakli Garibashvili. They accuse the prime minister of allowing violence against the media. Fighting broke out when opposition members brought in the director of a TV station who wanted to know why police had failed to stop far right militants attacking … Continue reading Update: Fight breaks out in Georgia parliament over cameraman death