Police in India have arrested the co-founder of a fact-checking website who has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Mohammed Zubair of Alt News has been accused of insulting religious beliefs on Twitter, a network of media organisations said. Opposition leaders and activists have condemned the arrest. They said it was a clear attempt by the Hindu-nationalist government to clamp down on those who expose hate speech. Mr Zubair recently highlighted comments of a spokesperson of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad during a television debate. His tweet was widely shared and … Continue reading Indian police arrests Mohammed Zubair over tweets

A Yemeni journalist was killed in a car explosion in Aden late on Wednesday, police said, in the latest incident of violence in Yemen’s southern port city. Initial investigations indicated that an explosive device had been planted on the car driven by Saber al-Haidari, according to a police statement published by the southern armed forces in Aden. The statement did not specify which media outlet Haidari, 40, worked for. Firefighters doused the charred wreckage of the car on a main street in Aden, which has seen an increase in violence in recent months. A car bombing in March killed a … Continue reading Yemeni journalist killed in car blast in Aden

A French journalist working in Ukraine has been killed near the battle-hit city of Severodonetsk in the east. Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, 32, was covering an evacuation operation for broadcaster BFMTV when he died. Officials say he suffered a fatal wound to the neck after shrapnel pierced the armoured vehicle he was travelling in. His colleague Maxime Brandstaetter was also injured, report say. It was Mr Leclerc-Imhoff’s second trip to Ukraine to cover the war. He had been working for BFMTV for six years. Paying tribute to him online, BFMTV wrote: “This tragic event reminds us of the dangers faced by all … Continue reading Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, French BFMTV journalist killed in Ukraine

Al Jazeera journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh has been shot dead while reporting on a raid by Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The Qatar-based news channel said Abu Aqleh, 51, was shot “deliberately” and “in cold blood” by Israeli troops. Another reporter was shot and wounded. The Israeli military denied that its forces targeted journalists. It was looking into “the possibility” that they “were hit by Palestinian gunmen” during an exchange of fire. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid described Abu Aqleh’s death as “sad” and said it had offered to carry out a joint investigation … Continue reading Al Jazeera reporter killed during Israeli raid in West Bank

President Biden has named Karine Jean-Pierre as his new top spokesperson – the first time a black, or openly gay, person has held the role. Ms Jean-Pierre, 44, has served as the administration’s principal deputy press secretary since Mr Biden was elected. She will replace outgoing press secretary Jen Psaki, 43, in the top role at the end of next week. Press secretaries conduct daily news briefings with White House reporters, meaning the role can be high profile. Ms Psaki is taking up a job at the left-leaning MSNBC cable news outlet. On Twitter, she called her successor a “remarkable … Continue reading White House names first black press secretary

The trial begins in Germany on Monday of a Gambian man accused of being part of a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.Baba Hydara holds a poster of his late father Deyda Hydara The suspect, identified by media as Bai Lowe, is accused of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder, including the 2004 killing of AFP correspondent Deyda Hydara. Lowe was arrested in Hanover in March 2021 and will appear in court in the nearby town of Celle.Ex Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh The trial is “the first to prosecute human rights … Continue reading Gambian man to face trial in Germany over AFP reporter murder

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has married his long-term partner at a high-security prison in London. Mr Assange, 50, married Stella Moris on Wednesday in Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since 2019. The couple were granted permission to marry last year, and the ceremony was attended by four guests as well as two official witnesses and two guards. Mr Assange is in prison while US authorities seek to extradite him to face trial on espionage charges. He is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. He denies any wrongdoing. Earlier … Continue reading Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gets married in prison

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo claims the network owes him more than $125 million for wrongfully firing him last year. In a demand for arbitration filed on Wednesday, Cuomo says he never lied to the network about advising his brother, ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, about his sexual harassment scandal and kept executives informed of his actions. CNN’s decision to terminate him was “nothing more than an apparent rush to judgment and caving to uninformed public and internal pressure that was based on speculation and assumption rather than facts and evidence,” Chris Cuomo said.Chris Cuomo Cuomo also pointed the finger … Continue reading Chris Cuomo seeks $125 million from CNN over firing

A British journalist working for the Fox News Channel in the US has been injured while reporting on the war in Ukraine, the network says. Fox confirmed on air that Benjamin Hall – listed as its US state department correspondent – is in hospital after an incident outside of the capital Kyiv. Afternoon news anchor John Roberts added teams on the ground were still gathering details of the incident. Mr Hall is said to have been news gathering at the time. In a memo circulated to Fox employees on Monday, CEO Suzanne Scott said there was “a minimum level of … Continue reading British Fox News journalist injured in Ukraine

A US journalist working in Ukraine has been shot dead in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv, police say. Brent Renaud, 50, was a journalist and filmmaker who was working in the region for Time. Kyiv’s police chief Andriy Nebytov said he had been targeted by Russian soldiers. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital. It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine. One of the injured journalists, Juan Arredondo, told an Italian reporter he had been with Renaud when they came under fire. “We were across one of the first … Continue reading US journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud killed in Ukraine

BBC News journalists in Russia have resumed their broadcasts, days after putting their work on hold after the introduction of a strict new media law. The law threatens anyone deemed to have spread “fake” news about Russia’s armed forces with up to 15 years in jail. Numerous other Western news media also suspended their operations. On Tuesday, the New York Times said it was pulling its staff out of the country. The BBC has decided to resume work after “careful deliberation”, it said. A statement said: “We have considered the implications of the new legislation alongside the urgent need to … Continue reading Ukraine war: BBC News journalists resume broadcasts from Russia

Chamuditha Samarawickrama Armed men stormed the home of a high-profile Sri Lankan television journalist critical of the government Monday, police said, sparking condemnation by local media rights groups. Chamuditha Samarawickrama, who had criticised the powerful ruling Rajapaksa family and their allies in recent broadcasts, including on YouTube, was shaken but unhurt after the pre-dawn raid, police said. “They carried weapons to intimidate the guard and gained access to the housing compound,” a police official said adding that forensic experts had been called in to launch an investigation. “There were at least three armed men and they travelled in a white … Continue reading Gunmen attack high-profile Sri Lanka TV journalist