31 May 2012 | Americas, Index Index, minipost
Critical TV and radio stations in Ecuador have been closed down, after authorities stormed the offices and seized equipment. Authorities of the Police and the Telecommunications Superintendence (SUPERTEL) in the North East of Ecuador closed TV station Lidervisión and Radio Líder. They arrived at Lidervisión headquarters with a warrant from SUPERTEL, and proceeded to search the office, breaking and confiscating broadcasting equipment. The radio and TV stations’ owner, Edison Chávez, says the stations were closed after falling behind on concession fees. But the he owner of the radio and TV frequencies has claimed that the closures were politically motivated.
31 May 2012 | Americas, Index Index, minipost
Colombian rebel group Farc has freed a French reporter, just over one month after they took him hostage. Roméo Langlois was kidnapped during a fire fight between the rebels and Colombia’s military forces on on 28 April, and has been held captive since. Langlois, a reporter for France24, had accompanied soldiers who were on a mission to destroy Farc cannabis farms whilst making a documentary on drug trafficking in the country. The journalist claimed his release was used as propaganda, but said he was treated well during his 33-day captivity.
31 May 2012 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
A local TV correspondent has been murdered in Pakistan, while another has had his house attacked. Abdul Qadir Hajizai, a correspondent for a Balochi-language TV channel WASH TV, was shot by men on motorcycles on 27 May as he headed home from work. The journalist later died in hospital. Separatist group Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) have taken responsibility for the murder, claiming Hajizai was a government informer reporting against them. In a separate attack, armed men also shot at the home of Irshad Akhtar, president of Turbat Press Club. He and his family were unhurt.
31 May 2012 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
China’s film censors have erased 13 minutes of footage from the new Men in Black film to remove the appearance of Chinese villains. Beijing’s censors have removed a scene showing an alien disguised as a Chinese restaurant worker, along with the appearance of a Chinese cashier girl who uses her long alien tongue to attack Will Smith’s character, Agent J. The final cut taken from the film involved Smith erasing the memories of a group of Chinese onlookers. One of the country’s newspapers speculated that the last scene had been removed as a statement on “internet censorship to maintain social stability”.
