30 Mar 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
A Statutory Instrument that would have reformed costs in English libel cases was stalled at committee stage tonight after several Labour MPs voted against their party whip to bock a reduction of lawyers’ success fees from a 100 per cent mark-up to 10 per cent. Chris Mullin, Peter Kilfoyle, Tom Watson and Jim Sheridan, and Conservative Julie Kirkbride acted against the move. Watson and Kilfoyle have both taken advantage of Conditional Fee Agreements in past court cases. Other Conservative MPs abstained from the vote.
The proposal will now go to a full parliamentary vote.
[Note: post updated to 12.05 a.m. to clarify Julie Kirkbride is a Conservative party MP]
30 Mar 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Two journalists have been arrested by military officials in The Gambia while on an editorial assignment at a tourist site. Media Foundation for West Africa revealed that Sanna Camara and Saikou Jammeh of the Banjul-based Daily News were detained by the Tourism Security Unit last week. Authorities questioned them for two hours for taking photographs without authorisation. They were both later released after signing an agreement not to write any negative stories about their visit. Last year, Reporters Without Borders, said that attacks on press freedoms in Gambia are the worst in West Africa.
30 Mar 2010 | Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The Ethiopian government has been accused of blocking the website of US broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) as a row over press intimidation continues to escalate in the Horn of Africa. Residents of the capital Addis Ababa have been unable to access the site since early on Sunday, reports Reuters. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s administration has yet to comment on the development. Earlier this month, the government accused the VOA radio service of broadcasting propaganda and revealed that it was testing its ability to jam transmissions. Meles even compared the station to Radio Mille Collines, whose broadcasts were blamed for sparking the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
30 Mar 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
PBK Daily reports that the government is planning to launch a “national search engine” which would aim at satisfying “state-orientated” needs such as “facilitating access to safe information” and “filtering websites which feature banned content”. It has been suggested that the move may be designed to topple the growing power of Google in Russia. Although Google controls only 22% of the market, its share has been growing rapidly against its nearest competitor, Yadex. Yadex is increasingly coming under government control. Russian authorities have recently stepped-up efforts to tighten their control of internet use. From 1 Aoril, anyone who registers a .ru domain will need to provide legal proof of their identity.
