#THEMALDIVES: Bill Would Restrict Media Coverage Of Elections

[world politics news]

The Maldives parliament has opened debate on an amendment to the country’s General Elections Act proposed in mid-February by a lawmaker with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party, which would allow only journalists working for media outlets registered with the government and approved by the Election Commission to report from voting and vote-counting sites on election days, according to multiple news reports and Ahmed Naif, secretary-general of the Maldives Journalists Association.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TURKEY: Media Groups Concerned Over "Disinformation" Legislation

[world politics news]

A years-old piece of draft legislation that seeks to criminalize the spread of disinformation is moving toward a vote in the Turkish parliament. The bill is being met with deep concern by media rights groups across the country.

If passed, the so-called "disinformation" law put forward by ruling majority parliamentarians would carry a sentence of up to three years in prison for the spread of fake new or disinformation as defined by government officials.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#PAKISTAN: Cybercrime Law May Stifle Media Dissent, Say Critics

[world politics news]

Pakistan's new social media-related cybercrime ordinance has drawn ire from civil society activists who say the "draconian" legislation is likely to be used against government critics.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's government recently passed a cybercrime ordinance that prescribes a punishment up to five years in jail for posting "fake news" about government officials, the military and judiciary on social media.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Civil Liberties Groups Outraged Over Police Threats To Arrest Reporters

[world politics news]

Civil liberties and legal rights groups are expressing outrage after Ottawa Police threatened members of the media with arrest for reporting on the ongoing crackdown of peaceful protesters calling for an end to COVID-19 mandates. 

On Friday, the official Ottawa Police Twitter account warned that media attending the protest zone would be “subject to arrest.” 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Crackdown On Free Press Intensifies

[world politics news]

Life as an independent journalist in Hong Kong, long hard, is becoming impossible. On December 29th Stand News, the territory’s leading pro-democracy news outlet, was forced to shut after hundreds of police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested seven people. 

The current and former editors were charged with conspiracy to publish seditious content and denied bail. 

Fearing for their reporters’ safety, two other news sites, Citizen News and Mad Dog Daily, halted operations on January 4th.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SOUTHKOREA: Debate Continues On "Fake News" Bill

[world politics news]

Lawmakers Monday continued to debate the timing of a final vote on a bill on penalizing the press for “fake news,” with fierce opposition from those outside the ruling party likely pushing the date back.

In face of fierce protest from the media and opposition People Power Party lawmakers, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was debating within its members whether to walk back from its plan to push the bill through the National Assembly within this month’s provisional session.

The bill has faced severe criticism, with opinions divided even within the ruling party. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: Parliament Moves To Approve Media Reform Bill

[world politics news]

The lower house of Poland’s parliament voted 228-216 to narrowly pass a media reform legislation on Wednesday that the US Department of State fears will “significantly weaken the media environment the Polish people have worked so long to build.”

The bill aims to prevent non-European owners from having controlling stakes in Poland-based media companies as part of an effort to nationalize the media.

Effectively, this would force US-based Discovery Inc. to sell its controlling stake in TVN24 network—a flagship evening news program that has a large viewership base and is known to be critical of the current Polish government.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Gov't Pressure Closes Pro-Democracy Newspaper

[world politics news]

At 2 a.m. on Jun 24 in Hong Kong's Mongkok neighborhood, newspaper vendors received the second batch of Apple Daily from the printer.

The first batch of 800 copies had sold out immediately. The second print run was increased to 10,000 copies.

As the copies arrived, journalists and civilians rushed to take pictures of the last edition of the most outspoken pro-democracy paper in Hong Kong, which has been printed for 26 years.

Authorities, who are closely aligned with the mainland Communist Chinese government, have used different means of stopping the truth-seeking newspaper from operating, including charging editors and executives with violating the draconian Beijing-inspired National Security Law, which clamps down on Free speech in the city-state, and by freezing the assets of the paper and three connecting companies.

Many see this as an end to press freedom and local culture that Hongkongers have enjoyed under its "one state, two systems" rule, originally put in place by the British when they left the city to mainland communist China in 1997. That plan now seems dead after several such crackdowns.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Police Arrested Top Executives Of Newspaper Critical Of Government

[world politics news]

Hong Kong’s national security police have arrested two executives and three news staff of Apple Daily, the only pro-democracy newspaper in the city, for foreign collusion, and raided its office.

Media say over 500 police officers swarmed the building during the arrests.

CEO Cheung Kim-hung, COO Royston Chow, Chief Editor Ryan Law, Associate Publisher Chan Pui-man and Platform Director of Apple Daily Digital Cheung Chi-wai were taken by police officers early on Thursday morning. 

They are accused of breaking Article 29 of the Beijing-imposed national security law, which prohibits “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” Police say they wrote op-eds and stories encouraging foreign sanctions on China.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRELAND: New Law Allows Press To Name Murdered Children

[world politics news]

A law to allow the media identify murdered children has passed all stages in the Seanad and will now go to the President for early signature.

The legislation will also allow parents to publicly remember their child, while allowing for the identification of the person accused of their child’s murder or manslaughter.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she was aware of the profound impact of the ruling on parents, some of whom were left unable to publicly remember their deceased children’s names or legacies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Police Questioning Of Conservative Commentator Raises Free Speech Issues

[world politics news] 

Conservative commentator Darren Grimes has been asked to attend a police station to be interviewed, after he was accused of a public order offense of "stirring up racial hatred."

He published an interview on his podcast on July 2 in which his interviewee, the historian David Starkey, said slavery was not genocide because there are "so many damn blacks."

The charges against him have caused a serious backlash among those seeking to protect freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the UK. Home Secretary Priti Patel has signalled her support for Darren Grimes, saying "it's important the law protects freedom of speech."

The Home Secretary said the right was a "general principle" which should not be violated.

Starkey has lost his job and a book deal since the comments were broadcast.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Founder Of Paper Critical Of Gov't Arrested, Sends Shockwaves Thru Media

[world politics news]

Hong Kong’s arrest of local media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying sparked a round of international condemnation, with Washington, Brussels and others calling the move the latest example of the government’s use of a new national security law to silence political dissents.

The paper's Twitter feed reported that police rifled through news materials in the newsroom in an attempt to intimidate reporters.

The rapid responses to the move against Apple Daily founder Lai and others linked to the newspaper, which is known for its criticism of Beijing and the Hong Kong government, included US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s charge that the arrest was proof that the Chinese government has “eviscerated” Hong Kong’s freedoms.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Gov't Dismisses Concerns Over New Security Law

[world politics news]

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has said other countries "have no place" interfering in the territory, as she robustly defended a controversial national security law planned by China.

The law would ban treason, secession, sedition and subversion. Critics say it would limit the city's freedoms. Many fear it would be the end of the "One Nation, Two Systems" arrangement made between the city-state and the Communist Chinese mainland in 1997 when it was handed back by the British.

But in her weekly press conference, Ms Lam said it was a "responsible" move to protect the law-abiding majority.

She denied that the law would curtail the rights of Hong Kongers.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CHINA: People's Congress To Consider Law To Ban Dissent In Hong Kong

[world politics news]

Pro-democracy activists say they fear "the end of Hong Kong", after China announced plans for a new security law.

The US said the move could be "highly destabilising" and undermine China's obligations on Hong Kong's autonomy.

China's National People's Congress will on Friday debate the law, aimed at banning "sedition and subversion," which many fear will be broadly defined as any type of dissent against the Communist Party in mainland China.

Supporters say it is needed to tackle the violence in political protests that erupted last year, broadly disrupting normal life for many.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Gov't Considers Requiring Licences For Media

[world politics news]

Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has stated that news websites, along with social media companies, could be forced to obtain government licenses to operate in Canada.

The minister, who has been tasked with updating Canada’s broadcasting laws using the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, stated that internet news sites will be “asked” to obtain a government-approved license, but later clarified that government wouldn't infringe on freedom of the press by regulating content.

[FULL STORY HERE AND HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#BRAZIL: Pres. Bolsonaro Threatens Journalist With Jail After Online Paper Publishes Leaks

[world politics news]

Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has threatened a U.S. journalist with jail for publishing damaging leaks about the country’s historic Car Wash anti-corruption investigation.

Bolsonaro made the threat against Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald even as he acknowledged that a new measure by his government to facilitate the expulsion of foreigners from Brazil could not apply to the U.S. citizen because he has a Brazilian husband and children.

His threats have been condemned by Brazil's leading journalist organization as potentially stifling freedom of the press in the country

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SINGAPORE: Law Gives Gov't Sole Discretion To Define, Ban, "Fake News"

[world politics news]

Singapore's Parliament has voted 72 to 9, with three abstentions, to pass the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill.

Heated debate focused primarily on the definition of what constituted as false or true, with critics such as the Asia Internet Coalition saying the legislation gave the government "full discretion" and this level of "overreach" poses as a significant risk to freedom of expression in Singapore.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Trudeau Government Plans List Of "Reliable" News Media Outlets

[world politics news]

The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to release what they call an “A-list of newspapers and websites" deemed reliable under a multi-million dollar subsidy program. This list will reportedly be determined by federal agencies.

Senator Raynell Andreychuk of Saskatchewn pointed out that “Selection committees appointed by the government [means] we’re intruding on the freedom of the press.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EGYPT: TV Host Gets 1-Year Prison Sentence For Interviewing Homosexual Man

[world politics news]

An Egyptian court has sentenced TV host Mohamed El-Gheity to one year in prison, one year probation, and EGP 3000 fine in a lawsuit that charged him with promoting debauchery and homosexuality through an interview with a homosexual man on his TV talk show on the privately owned LTC Channel in September 2017.

The lawsuit accused El-Gheity of violating "fundamental religious and legal constants" by hosting a homosexual man on screen and discussing issues that were "inappropriate for public broadcast." The suit accused El-Gheity of insinuating during the interview that there were financial gains and advantages to attain as a result of practicing homosexuality.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#PALESTINIANAUTHORITY: Hamas Blamed For Attack On Media Headquarters In Gaza

[world politics news]

Armed men raided the headquarters of Palestinian Authority media in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Friday, station staff said, causing damage to equipment. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident, though the staff and a PA official said they held Hamas responsible.

The organization is funded by the West Bank-based Palestinian government, which has a longstanding dispute with the Islamist Hamas movement, and the building houses offices for Palestine TV and the Voice of Palestine radio station.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.