25 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost
The author of the article which caused the resignation of the US commander of military operations in Afghanistan claims that members of General Stanley McChrystal’s inner-circle tried to pressure him into censoring specific statements made by the General. The journalist’s profile piece, The Runaway General, contains quotes from McChrystal which criticises both US President, Barack Obama and US Vice-President, Joe Biden. Writer Michael Hastings told the US Today programme that he never considered changing the article.
25 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost
A Tirana court has ordered Albania’s Top Channel TV to pay €400,000 compensation to Ylli Pango, the former Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sport after broadcasting hidden camera footage of him, asking a female job applicant to remove her clothes. Investigative programme, Fiks-Tarif, had sent undercover reporters to investigate allegations that, whilst in office, Pango was offering employment in return for sexual favours. When giving judgement, the court said they found in favour of Pango because the recordings had been obtained illegally.
24 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
The Lahore High Court has ordered that several websites, including Google, Yahoo, Amazon and YouTube should be blocked by the government. The move came after the court found that the sites carried and promoted “blasphemous” material .
Earlier this year, Pakistan blocked Facebook in protest against the “Let’s Draw Mohammed Day” group that appeared on the social networking site.
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22 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost
The Nepalese government has banned a social studies textbook after complaints from Muslim groups. The book has been criticised for including factual inaccuracies and an “erroneous interpretation” of Islam: one particular illustration is alleged to portray a feminised image of the prophet Mohammed. This marks the first time religious outcry has caused the banning of a book in Nepal, where Hinduism was removed from its position at the state religion in 2006.
