ASIA

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, UNESCO’s Partner Radio Begum in Afghanistan completed three years.The station was launched in 2021 by the Begum Organization for Women, created by Hamida Aman. It is the only Afghan radio station where all staff members are women, all content is related to women and the goal is to bring hope back to the women of Afghanistan.It airs in 19 Afghan provinces, including remote areas such as Badakhshan, Ghor and Nimruz. where media access, is lacking due to Taliban restrictions especially for women.According to Aman, the station, which has 30 employees, provides a platform for women to engage in dialogue and interaction, ensuring they do not feel isolated.Its primary focus is women’s education. Six hours a day are dedicated to educating female students in grades seventh to 12th in Persian and Pashto languages. Other content covers health, nutrition, parenting and women’s advice.Aman told The Asahi Shimbun: “Considering the current situation of Afghan women and the restrictions imposed by the authorities to limit their operational capacities—such as no interaction between women and men, forbidding women to attend governmental news conferences, forbidding women to travel alone and so on—one can say, ‘Begum is doing an amazing job.’”To mark International Women’s Day, the station launched Begum TV, an educational TV channel, targeting Afghan schoolgirls and students, deprived of education.Radio Begum also provides opportunities for female doctors to answer women’s questions in live programs.Aman hopes that Radio Begum will continue to be able to provide services even in the face of obstacles posed by the Taliban. […]

Tuesday afternoons, from 3:00pm PNG time, Sista Sounds on ABC Radio Australia takes you across the Pacific playing established and emerging female musical talent, representing the region’s diverse sounds and influences. The weekly show is hosted by Samoan-Australian music journalist Sosefina Fuamoli.
Sosefina Fuamoli
Fuamoli has twice won Best Live Music Journalist at the Australian National Live Music Awards and hosts of On the Record and Pacific Sundays already on ABC Radio Australia. Rick Howe will produce the new show.​Fuamoli and Howe hope listeners will learn about new music not only from their home island nations but also from neighbouring island countries.Fuamoli said:“It’s a really cool opportunity for me as a music fan to be able to discover more music from our beautiful island regions. But more importantly, as someone with the platform to do so, this show is going to be a haven for incredible women to have their moment. And have that moment in a way that is organic and real; not just a token spotlight week on female music that is gassed up once a year.” ​We’re really looking to create a space within our community to feature and preference talented female artists. Somewhere that audiences, fellow artists and anyone who is interested can discover new music and powerful female voices, all year round.” ABC Radio Australia manager Justine Kelly said:“I’m thrilled that in the same week as International Women’s Day, we’re able to launch Sista Sounds as a platform for Pacific women’s music to be amplified. Sose’s expertise in music journalism and passion for Pacific artists, combined with Rick’s extensive knowledge of Pacific music, will provide listeners with an exciting weekly discovery of emerging female talent from across the region.” Sista Sounds is broadcast on ABC Radio Australia every Tuesday at 3:00pm PNG time and repeated on Fridays at 5:00pm PNG time. You can also listen live via internet streaming, through 24-hour FM stations, or catch up with full episodes on ABC Pacific online. […]

The Taliban have banned girls from making phone calls to radio stations and television channels in Southeast Khost Province.According to AFJC, an official letter dated Saturday, February 24, signed by Abdul Rasheed Omari, the Taliban police chief in Khost province states: “Some private radio stations in Khost are promoting moral corruption, such as broadcasting school lessons or social programs involving many girls.” “Girls are engaging in illegal phone calls with the presenters of these programs during official and unofficial hours, leading to moral corruption in society and violating Islamic values.”The letter concludes with a warning to media officials that they will face summoning and prosecution if they allow girls to participate in phone calls to media outlets.Currently, there are 15 radios and three private TVs operating in Khost province, in addition to state radio and television stations.In another similar directive, Taliban authorities have also warned of barring female journalists and women at large from media platforms unless they comply with a dress code requiring that only their eyes be visible.AFJC said the warning was issued by Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, head of the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ministry, in a meeting with journalists in Kabul.The AFJC said in its statement that local media professionals in the country have dealt with stringent work conditions requiring them to strictly follow a set of media guidelines the Taliban introduced after reclaiming power in 2021.The Taliban have also prohibited teenage girls from receiving an education beyond the sixth grade, female aid workers are banned from working for nongovernmental humanitarian groups, including the United Nations, except in the health sector, and females are not allowed to visit public parks, gyms, and bathhouses.Due to the ban on schools for girls above the sixth grade, educational programs through media outlets have increased in across the country.AFJC has expressed serious concern over the impact of this ban on the freedom of the press and demands its immediate cancellation.Under the Afghanistan Media Law enacted by the previous government, which the Taliban government has recognized as still valid, individuals are guaranteed the right to freedom of expression, including the dissemination of information without government interference. However, there have been instances of Taliban officials intimidating and meddling in media operations.The Taliban have rejected criticism of their governance, saying it is aligned with the Islamic law of Sharia and Afghan culture. […]

According to an update by the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), the Taliban has allowed Radio Nasim to resume broadcasting in Daikundi province after a five-month suspension.It had remained shut since September 27, 2023, when members of the Daikundi Intelligence Department raided the station’s office, confiscating equipment and detaining its head, Sultan Ali Jawadi, and two journalists. Although the journalists were released later that day, the head of the radio station faced charges and was sentenced to one year imprisonment for “propaganda against the Taliban” and “spying for foreign and infidel countries.”Najiba Wahedi, the lawyer representing the owner of Nasim Radio, confirmed that the radio station resumed broadcasting overseen by a committee comprised of local authorities, including the head of information and culture, a representative from the provincial government, and an intelligence representative, oversaw the reopening.Wahedi stated: “We were required to nominate a new chief editor. Following the official introduction of the new editor and a commitment to abide by the Taliban’s media guidelines, the radio was granted permission to restart its operations.” Mustafa Saleh, the head of information and culture in Daikundi, has confirmed that the radio station’s door was unsealed and operations have resumed following directives from the Ministry of Information and Culture.The new chief editor has verbally agreed to comply with Sharia law and the Taliban’s media policy and will sign a formal agreement to this effect.AFJC has urged the Taliban to immediately and unconditionally release the imprisoned head of the station.Photo: AFJC […]

The Russian Ministry of Justice has added Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to its register of “undesirable” organizations, according to the Russian Ministry of Justice register, media reports, and a statement by RFE/RL.This is an escalation from its previous designation as a so-called “foreign agent,” and the designation bans it from operating in Russia. Anyone working for the organization now faces up to six years in prison and administrative fines. It also makes it a crime to distribute the outlet’s content.Since 2021, Russian authorities have labeled more than a dozen media organizations “undesirable.”The Russian Ministry of Justice added RFE/RL to its register of so-called “foreign agents” in 2017, making it the first media organization to be labeled as such, along with Voice of America.Authorities froze the bank accounts of the Russian branch of RFE/RL in May 2021 and a court declared it bankrupt in March 2023, following the broadcaster’s refusal to pay fines issued for noncompliance with the country’s foreign agent law.RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said the designation is the latest example of how the Russian government views truthful reporting as an existential threat.“Millions of Russians have relied on us for decades — including record-breaking audiences over the past few days since the death of Aleksei Navalny — and this attempt to stifle us will only make RFE/RL work harder to bring free and independent journalism to the Russian people,” Capus said in a statement.“Russian authorities’ drive to persecute Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty runs deep, but so does the outlet’s commitment to delivering unbiased information to the Russian people,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Russian authorities should immediately repeal their legislation on ‘undesirable’ organizations and stop banning any reporting that contradicts the government’s narrative.” […]

GMA Network’s AM radio station Super Radyo DZBB 594 kHz has launched a new lineup of news programs on “DZBB Primetime,” from 5 am to 10 am.Listeners can tune in to the early morning news program, Buena Manong Balita at 5 am. It Is hosted by Orly Trinidad and features daily news that plus on-the-ground reporting by a team of Super Radyo DZBB reporters.At 6 am, Melo del Prado Sa Super Radyo presented by Melo del Prado delivers the top stories of the day along with razor-sharp commentaries.Listeners don’t have to worry about missing the headlines, thanks to the multi-awarded Super Balita Sa Umaga, Nationwide at 7 am is presented by Melo del Prado and Joel Reyes Zobel.At 8 am Saksi sa Dobol B features news, discussions, interviews, and commentaries from anchors Joel Reyes Zobel and Rowena Salvacion.Completing the new DZBB Primetime is One on One: Walang Personalan at 9 am. Anchored by seasoned hosts Arnold Clavio and Connie Sison, the program is known for its casual and candid yet uncompromising news presentation.“The new DZBB Primetime line-up strengthens our commitment to keep our Kapuso listeners informed. With news always fast-developing, we have the responsibility to keep the information up to date,” says GMA First Vice President for Radio Operations Glenn F. Allona. “Our radio anchors’ commentaries provide facts and additional context for listeners. As a result, they don’t just hear or listen; they also understand.” […]