World Briefing | Europe: Russia: Terror Fears Vs. Free Speech
Date: 21 December 2001
By Michael Wines (NYT)
Michael NYT
Lower house of Russian parliament overwhelmingly endorses amendments that would bar news media and compute networks from 'popularizing or justifying terrorism and extremism' (S)
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Media Moguls Over Munich
Date: 21 December 2001
By Edmund L. Andrews
Edmund Andrews
News Corp's Rupert Murdoch and Liberty Media's John C Malone attempt to gain partial or complete control over Munich-based Kirch Group, which owns significant portion of all commercial German television programming and is in difficult financial position; photos (M)
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3,241 Breakfasts Down, None to Go
Date: 21 December 2001
By Richard L. Berke
Richard Berke
Godfrey Sperling Jr, columnist for Christian Science Monitor, presides at breakfast at St Regis Hotel in Washington at which Sen Tom Daschle answers questions from some 60 newspaper reporters, the 3,241st such gathering for journalists and newsmakers that Sperling has assembled since 1966, and the last; recalls remarks at breakfasts past that made big news; photo (M)
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3 Photographers in Tora Bora Are Detained by Afghan Fighters
Date: 21 December 2001
By Barry Bearak
Barry Bearak
Three photojounalists--David Guttenfelder of Associated Press and Tyler Hicks and Joao Silva of New York Times--are detained by Afghan tribal fighters at behest of American special forces because they had taken pictures of American troops; memory cards for digital cameras are confiscated (M)
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Saudis Assail 'Media Blitz' Against Them In the West
Date: 21 December 2001
By Douglas Jehl
Douglas Jehl
Saudi Arabian defense minister Prince Sultan and ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan denounce what they call unfair and biased Western news coverage; they say media portrays Saudi Arabia as teaching hatred of non-Muslims in its schools and of being supportive of Osama bin Laden; Prince Bandar, in interview on CNBC, says Saudis condemn Sept 11 attacks and consider bin Laden and his followers evil, but Western media refuse to convey this in their coverage (M)
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U.S. Expatriate Is Seen Facing Capital Charge
Date: 22 December 2001
By Neil A. Lewis and Katharine Q. Seelye
Neil Lewis
Pres Bush makes direct link between John Walker, American captured in Afghanistan, and terrorist group Al Qaeda, and administration officials say he will probably face at last one charge that carries death penalty; Walker is expected to be returned to US soon; Bush says he has not ruled out charge of treason; lawyer hired by Walker's family, James Brosnahan, has said there have been no discussions with government about plea negotiations; videotape of interview with Walker shown on CNN appears to have erased any sympathy some in government had expressd earlier for him as possibly misguided naif; officials say when Walker is returned to US he will land in Virginia; this would allow prosecutors to try him in home state of Johnny Spann, CIA officer killed in prison uprising in Afghanistan where Walker was captured (M)
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UNIVISION ACQUIRES RIGHTS FROM TWO PROGRAMMERS
Date: 21 December 2001
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Univision Communications, largest US Spanish-language television broadcaster, acquires exclusive US broadcast rights to programs from Grupo Televisa and Venevision (S)
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DANAHER IS PAYING $325 MILLION FOR MARCONI BUSINESS
Date: 21 December 2001
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Danaher Corp agrees to buy Marconi PLC's Commerce Systems division for $325 million to expand sales of environmental-testing products and services (S)
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AMERICAN HOME AND ELAN TO WORK JOINTLY ON SLEEP DRUGS
Date: 21 December 2001
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
American Home Products Corp and Elan Corp agree to work together to sell treatments for sleep problems, including American Home's drug Sonata (S)
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