19 Apr 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
Ten of the nominees running for president in Egypt have been disqualified due to “legal irregularities”. Muslim Brotherhood candidate Khairat el-Shater and former Vice President Omar Suleiman are among those who have been barred from the election. A spokesman for el-Shater’s campaign called it a “political decision”. The head of Egypt’s executive election committee Hatem Bagato said Suleiman and el-Shater were disqualified because they have unresolved pardons for time in prison.
19 Apr 2012 | Index Index, minipost
Four citizen journalists have been killed in Syria, despite the recent ceasefire. Ahmed Abdallah Fakhriyeh, Samir Shalab Al-Sham Abu Mohamed, Alaa Al-Din Hassan Al-Douri and Khaled Mahmoud Kabbisho were killed in the last week. Fakhriyeh was shot dead on his way to film the arrival of Syrian army in a the village of Dmeir on 14 April. On the same day Al-Sham, who worked for the Syrian News Network, died shortly after a mortar round hit the building he was filming in on Tuesday. On 17 April, activist Kabbisho was summarily executed after being questioned in the North West of the country. It is reported his head was crushed by a tank. Leading rights activist Al-Douri was hit by a bullet at a roadblock to the North-West of Hama. His body was handed over to his family on Tuesday (17 April), and is believed to show signs of torture.
19 Apr 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
A popular Iranian singer has been sentenced to a year in prison after releasing pro-opposition songs online. During the protests that occurred in the wake of the disputed 2009 presidential elections, Arya Aramnejad angered officials by uploading songs about the Ashura protests, when government security forces opened fire on demonstrators during a Shia holy day. Later, Aramnejad released another song condemning the government crackdowns. Aramnejad was arrested in February 2010, according to a friend, the singer has been convicted of acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the regime.
19 Apr 2012 | Leveson Inquiry
Rupert and James Murdoch are set to give evidence at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards next week.
Two days have been set aside for Rupert Murdoch’s long-awaited appearance, as the Inquiry moves into its third module, looking at the relationship between press and politicians.
The media mogul is likely to be quizzed about his closeness to the British political establishment when he appears on Wednesday and Thursday.
Rupert Murdoch closed News International title the News of the World last July in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that engulfed the tabloid.
His son James, set to appear on Tuesday, resigned as chairman of BSkyB, whose parent company News Corporation was founded by his father. He also stood down as chairman of the newspaper publisher, News International, earlier this year.
Evgeny Lebedev of the Independent and Evening Standard, and Telegraph Media Group chairman Aidan Barclay, will both appear on Monday.
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