No platform won’t work
Barring the far-right BNP from the BBC’s Question Time would only undermine democracy, says Salil Tripathi
(more…)
British broadcasters defy Afghan media blackout
British broadcasters have not changed their plans for covering the Afghan election after the country’s government ordered media organisations not to report on any violence during the polls. The BBC said it would proceed with its plans for covering the presidential election, which takes place today. Sky and ITN, which produces news for ITV and Channel 4, also indicated that they would continue as planned. Read more here
Aung San Suu Kyi to appeal
Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers have told the BBC’s Burmese Service they plan to appeal after she was found guilty on Tuesday of breaking the terms of her house arrest that condemnation from nations including the UK, France and the US. A key group of Burma’s South East Asian neighbours has issued a rare statement condemning the conviction. In the past the Asean group has been criticised for not taking a tougher stance on Burma’s human rights record. Read more here
Thai correspondents face jail after “undermining monarcy”
For the first time in its five-decade history, the whole board of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) has been accused of committing lèse majesté, a crime with a maximum jail sentence of 15 years. The board, includes three British nationals including the BBC’s Bangkok correspondent Jonathan Head, and three American nationals, including two working for Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. Read more here