Reluare joi, 16 mai 2002

News Corp. Rejects Move By Vivendi

Date: 17 May 2002

By Suzanne Kapner

Suzanne Kapner

News Corp rejects decision by Vivendi Universal to abandon planned acquisition of Stream, Italian pay television company jointly owned by News Corp and Telecom Italia; Vivendi's chief executive Jean-Marie Messier is under pressure to reduce company's debt of 31.3 billion euros ($28.6 billion); Vivendi spokesman refuses to discuss reports in French press that Edgar Bronfman Jr, Vivendi board member, approached French financier Vincent Bollore about jointly making hostile bid for Vivendi (M)

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Transcript of Gephardt's News Conference

Date: 16 May 2002

Following is a transcript of a news conference today by the House Democratic Leader, Representative Richard A. Gephardt, in Washington. as distributed by his office:.

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CBS News Criticized for Showing Part of Video of Slain Reporter

Date: 16 May 2002

By Felicity Barringer

Felicity Barringer

Cable news program Fox News Live echoes State and Justice Dept in expressing dismay at CBS News decision to use about 15 seconds of kidnappers' images of Daniel Pearl, alive and in captivity; CBS News says excerpt, taken from Islamic militant group's recruitment video, was meant to illustrate report on way videotaped execution of Pearl, Wall Street Journal reporter, was being used to draw new converts; CBS News does not broadcast recruitment video's scenes of Pearl's beheading, but Pearl's family objects to showing of any portion of video, holding it sensationalizes tragedy (M)

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Togliatti Journal; Gathering News in This New Russia Can Be Fatal

Date: 16 May 2002

By Sabrina Tavernise

Sabrina Tavernise

Russia has become deeply perilous place to be journalist in 10 years since end of Communism; since 1995 four journalists have been killed in Togliatti, known as Russian capital of cars and crime, where contract killings occur as often as once a week; in contrast to well-publicized tussles between Kremlin and independent television network NTV, killings of journalists happen mostly far from public eye, in provincial towns like Togliatti, where new bandit class is enforcing form of censorship more brutal than that of Soviet days; as result, few journalists think muckraking is worth risk anymore; photo of Valery Ivanov, reporter shot to death in Togliatti after writing series of articles on local crime group there; photo; map (M)

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Berlin Journal; Never Say Dye: The Chancellor Could Sue You

Date: 17 May 2002

By Edmund L. Andrews

Edmund Andrews

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's lawyers seek permanent injunction that would effectively prohibit any news organization from even suggesting that his hair has been dyed, tinted or touched up in any way; Schroder's hair stylist Udo Walz confirms that Shroder does not color his hair; hair story originated as light news feature, but Schroder's response was to go to court to seek injunction; his hair fixation has generated at least as much bad publicity as it has suppressed, making him look vain and prickly, if not self-obsessed; he faces tough challenger for re-election, Edmund Stoiber; photos (M)

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Police Are Led to Body Said to Be Pearl's

Date: 17 May 2002

By Felicity Barringer

Felicity Barringer

Pakistani police official says three new suspects in murder of Daniel Pearl, Wall Street Journal reporter, have led police to grave at western edge of Karachi where they say he is buried; if remains are identified as those of Pearl, and if they are admitted as evidence, they could help shore up case against four men now on trial in Hyderabad; witnesses say they saw one defendant, Ahmed Omar Sheikh, meet with Pearl before his kidnapping; others say they heard Sheikh admit to abduction; defense attorney for four suggests that videotape showing execution of Pearl, which FBI agents presented in court, was faked (M)

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Party Organ In Cuba Prints Speech By Carter

Date: 17 May 2002

By David Gonzalez

David Gonzalez

Newspaper of Cuba's Communist Party, in highly unusual gesture of openness, publishes uncensored text of former Pres Jimmy Carter's speech in which he bluntly criticized Cuba's government for denying basic freedoms and endorsed referendum to improve rights; referendum campaign itself has been subjected to news blackout in state-run media, even after supporters garnered more than 10,000 signatures on petitions; newspaper Granma devotes five pages to Carter's speech and to his detailed responses to audience members who denounced referendum campaign, known as Project Varela, as foreign creation; Granma does not act on Carter's suggestion that it also print demands of project: for electoral law reform, amnesty for political prisoners, freedom of expression and right to own small businesses (M)

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Pakistani Police Unearth a Body Thought to Be Slain Reporter's

Date: 17 May 2002

By Howard W. French

Howard French

Pakistani authorities said today that they had unearthed the remains of a man believed to be Daniel Pearl.

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HBO-Showtime Team Using Experienced Reporter to Cover Tyson Bout

Date: 17 May 2002

By Richard Sandomir

Richard Sandomir

Richard Sandomir TV Sports column discusses announcement by HBO and Showtime that Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight media coverage will feature veteran reporter Jim Gray (M)

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National Briefing | Midwest: Missouri: Proposed Ban On Photos In Barns

Date: 16 May 2002

By Jo Napolitano (NYT)

Jo NYT

Missouri State Repr Ken Legan is sponsoring legislation that would impose $1,000 fine and year in jail on photographers who take pictures of animals in barns or breeding and research centers without owners' permission; law is aimed at undercover reporters and others who take photographs or make videotapes to be used in derogatory manner (S)

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