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New government must uphold press freedom, says press freedom collective
A coalition of trade unions, media advocacy groups, and journalist representative bodies have urged the newly-elected government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to uphold press freedom and challenge a culture of impunity for crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates, the Federation of Media Employees and Trade Unions (FMETU), the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), and the Free Media Movement (FMM), in stressing the historic importance of this transition and urging Dissanayake and the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) coalition to stand by their commitments in service of democracy, the media, and justice.
Following Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary and Presidntial elections in 2024, a coalition of 25 civil society organisations, unions, and media bodies, including the IFJ, FMETU, FMM, and SLWJA, called on the ruling NPP coalition and President Dissanayake to uphold press freedom and human rights in Sri Lanka through their terms in office.
The letter comes as Sri Lanka’s media community commemorates Black January, an annual remembrance of colleagues killed and disappeared between 2004 and 2010, with those responsible escaping with impunity in a vast majority of cases. Other attacks on the press, including harassment, abductions, intimidation, and assault continue to be met with inaction from authorities, if state forces are not directly responsible. In a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a lack of accountability for historic and current human rights violations was identified as a significant impediment to human rights in Sri Lanka.
In the NPP’s election manifesto, the coalition criticised what it described as a partisan mass-media, announcing its plans to safeguard the professional integrity of journalists. In its principles, the coalition committed to remove sections of the controversial 2024 Online Safety Act impacting freedom of expression, while reviewing existing media legislation with a focus on press freedom.
Securing over 70 per cent of seats in November’s parliamentary elections, the NPP campaign promised to deliver sweeping reforms, including the enactment of a new constitution and legal reform amid the ongoing impacts of the country’s worst financial crisis. The election marks a significant departure from Sri Lanka’s recent political history, which has been dominated by the Rajapaksa political dynasty.
In the joint letter, the 25 organisations called on the new government to:
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Reopen or initiate impartial and swift investigations to ensure accountability in cases of violence against the press under previous governments;
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Ensure that law enforcement agencies end the harassment and intimidation of journalists;
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Repeal the Online Safety Act;
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Repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act;
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Amend the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act;
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Amend the Personal Data Protection Act; and
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Establish an independent, self-regulatory media commission.
The FMETU said: “Journalists In Sri Lanka often practice self-censorship due to fear of reprisals. This can lead to underreporting of important stories and a lack of critical coverage of the Government.”
The SLWJA said: “After the current government assumed power, there was widespread hope for a new era of freedom of speech and expression in Sri Lanka. However, these hopes are rapidly diminishing. The SLWJA urges the government to honour its commitments to safeguard media freedom and ensure the protection of journalists. Immediate steps must be taken to repeal oppressive legislation and foster an environment where the fundamental right to freedom of expression is respected and upheld.”
The FMM said: “The Free Media Movement commends President Dissanayake and the National People’s Power for their stated commitment to fostering a free and independent press in Sri Lanka. At this critical juncture, we urge the president to translate these commitments into concrete actions by ensuring justice for crimes against journalists, repealing repressive laws like the Online Safety Act, the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act, and fostering an environment where journalists can work without fear of harassment or intimidation.”
The IFJ said: “The IFJ and its affiliates stand resolute in their defence of press freedom and accountability for Sri Lanka’s media. Justice for the families of colleagues killed, disappeared, or subject to other violence and attacks cannot be delayed any further, and the new Dissanayake government must ensure that it addresses the failings of its predecessors to combat impunity. At the same time, the NPP coalition must uphold democracy and commit to creating a media landscape free of laws affecting the fundamental freedoms of expression and the press.”
[IFJ]
Todd Murphy is firming to play his first home Test, after the SCG’s head curator declared the pitch’s green covering would be near-irrelevant come day one.
With administrators still on edge after last week’s two day debacle in Melbourne, an extremely green SCG surface raised eyebrows in Sydney on Thursday.
But chief curator Adam Lewis insisted on Friday that should not be a concern, and he was hopeful Sydney would extend into a fifth day.
“You want to see green tinge three days out,” Lewis said. “If you’re not seeing any live grass three days out, then that’s when it’s a worry, … I’m really comfortable with where we’re sitting.
“We had a little bit of sun this morning. They’re saying a bit more sun tomorrow. That will take the greenness out of the pitch. We’re really happy with the pitches at the moment. We’re looking good.”
Lewis admitted he felt for MCG counterpart Matt Page last week, but said he felt no external pressure to ensure the fifth Test in Sydney went the distance.
It’s estimated that Cricket Australia (CA) has lost in the vicinity of AUD15 million in profits this summer, with the opening Test in Perth also finishing inside two days.
Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joked at a function with teams on Thursday night that they had to ensure the game went to day three, in order to support the McGrath Foundation fundraiser.
One of the hardest grounds in the world to bowl on between 2014 and 2023, last year’s SCG Test was over in just two-and-a-half days.
Lewis said that his ground staff would go with 6mm of grass this year compared to 7mm last season, while also reducing its density. That in itself generally acts to flatten out the wicket and produce less movement, while also inviting the chance of spin late in the match.
“We just thought … we could thin our density out a little bit,” Lewis said. “That’s what we’ve done this year. We’ve practised that in the Shield matches and we’ve received very good marks.”
CA CEO Todd Greenberg said he too was confident the SCG Test would last the distance.
“I’ve had more phone calls and conversations about wickets and millimetres of grass than I thought I’d ever have,” Greenberg said. “But I’m hopeful and confident we will have a long and productive Test match here.”
All of which should spell good news for Murphy. Australia’s coaching staff had a prolonged conversation around the pitch on Friday morning, after leaving Murphy out and going with four quicks at the MCG.
Murphy then spent most of Friday’s training session bowling to Australia’s top order, while Alex Carey also had an extended run keeping to him.
With seven Tests to his name overseas, Murphy would be expected to come in for Jhye Richardson if he does play in Sydney.
England have promised to take the attack to Murphy, who played two Tests during the 2023 Ashes were he conceded 4.72 an over.
“Whoever plays, I think that’s the mantra of our team, is to try and put pressure on people,” opener Zak Crawley, said. “Todd’s a very good bowler, but I can envisage us trying to put some pressure on him, like we would all their bowlers.
That’s going to come with some risks, and if it’s turning it’s definitely going to be a threat. But I think we’ll try and put pressure on all their bowlers.”
The other question for Australia will be whether Cameron Green remains in the side, after Beau Webster was spotted fielding in the gully during slips training on Friday. Green has averaged 18.66 with the bat in this series. The SCG was the scene of Webster’s debut a year ago against India.
[Cricinfo]
Palestine was the deadliest place to work as a journalist in 2025, with the Middle East as a whole the most dangerous region for media professionals, according to a global journalist union.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the region accounted for 74 deaths last year – more than half of the 128 journalists and media workers killed – in a new report released on Wednesday.
The Middle East was followed by Africa with 18 deaths, Asia Pacific (15), the Americas (11) and Europe (10), according to the report. The vast majority of those killed were men, but the list included 10 women.
“128 journalists killed in a single year is not just a statistic; it is a global crisis. These deaths are a brutal reminder that journalists are being targeted with impunity, simply for doing their job,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said.
Palestinian journalists were the biggest cohort of victims: 56 Palestinian media professionals were killed in 2025. Yemen followed, with 13 deaths, Ukraine, with eight, and Sudan, with six, according to the IFJ.
The Paris-based media union cited Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif as the most “emblematic” of the 56 journalists murdered in Palestine last year covering Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on August 10 alongside several colleagues when Israeli forces struck a media tent outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital.
The attack also killed Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, Al Jazeera camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, freelance camera operator Momen Aliwa and freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi.
IFJ also cited an Israeli strike in early September on a Yemeni newspaper office as “one of the worst-ever attacks on a media office”. Thirteen journalists and media workers at the Houthi-affiliated “26 September” newspaper were killed, along with more than 20 other people.
Another nine deaths were ruled as accidents, while others – including two journalists in Syria and two in Iran – were “targeted and killed” because of their work, IFJ said.
While the Middle East was the deadliest region for the third year in a row in 2025, the Asia Pacific accounted for the largest number of journalists and media workers behind bars. Most cases in 2025 were in China and Hong Kong, which together accounted for 143 journalists, followed by 49 in Myanmar and 37 in Vietnam.
Europe was another detention hotspot last year, accounting for 149 imprisoned journalists. IFJ attributed the figure, up 40 percent from a year earlier, to “intensified repression in Azerbaijan and Russia”.
[Aljazeera]
United States President Donald Trump has said that he will delay the implementation of tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for one year, amid growing concerns over cost-of-living issues.
Trump signed an order on Wednesday night, during the New Year’s Eve holiday, pausing a planned 50 percent tariff on cabinets and vanities and a 30 percent tariff on upholstered furniture.
But the order maintained the 25 percent tariff he put in place for those products in September.
The US president had previously described the furniture tariffs as a step to “bolster American industry and protect national security”.
Polls indicate that rising prices and the cost of living are major concerns for people in the US as the country approaches its 2026 midterm elections, scheduled for November.
Voters hold President Trump’s policies, and tariffs in particular, at least partly responsible for their economic woes. A Politico poll released in December found that 30 percent of respondents cited tariffs as the primary reason prices were high, and 32 percent said that Trump bears “full responsibility” for the state of the economy.
A majority of respondents cited the cost of living as a top issue facing the country, while 32 percent cited the state of the economy. Democratic politicians have sought to hammer Trump and his Republican Party on affordability concerns, which Trump has waved away as a “hoax” perpetuated by his political rivals.
The Italian foreign ministry said on Thursday that the US had also agreed to slash proposed import duties on pasta products from 13 companies.
Previously, the Trump administration had threatened the pasta companies with additional tariffs of 92 percent, in addition to import taxes on European Union products.
Italy’s foreign ministry said that the US Commerce Department had agreed to bring that rate down to 2.26 percent for La Molisana and 13.98 percent for Garofalo, two Italian food companies the administration had accused of undercutting other pasta producers through unfairly low prices.
The other companies will face a rate of 9.09 percent.
“The recalculation of the duties is a sign that US authorities recognise our companies’ constructive willingness to cooperate,” the foreign ministry said.
[Aljazeera]
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