Submitted by Bob Burton on
In a plea bargain, the first Guantanamo Bay prisoner convicted on terrorism charges by the U.S. government's military commission, David Hicks, agreed to a 12 month ban on speaking to the media. After five years at Guantanamo Bay, Hicks will serve a further nine months in a prison in his home state of South Australia. The gag condition -- which would be illegal for a U.S.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
A former corporate PR executive has been sentenced to 15 months of periodic detention, after being convicted for insider trading in shares of a company she advised. Between July 2003 and December 2004, Margot McKay, the founder of Margot McKay and Associates, provided PR consultancy advice to the gambling machine company Aristocrat Leisure.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Israel's official MySpace page was launched in January under the direction of officials from the Foreign Ministry," reports Gregory Levey.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The European Commission has backed the introduction of a voluntary register for lobbyists seeking to influence European Union officials. "All these groups or bodies are invited to register publicly whom they represent and what their objectives are. They are invited to declare funding sources and major clients," the commission stated.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"All the surveys we have done shows that the biggest hasbara," or public diplomacy, "problem that Israel has is with males from the age of 18 - 35," said David Saranga, Israel's media and public affairs point person at its New York consulate. "In order to change their perception of Israel as only a land of conflict, we want to present to them an Israel that interests them," he added. So the "beer 'n' babes magazine Maxim" is sending photographers to Israel, for a photo shoot of attractive Israeli women.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
In February the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) hired BKSH & Associates, Burson-Marsteller and the polling company Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, to promote the need for "free, open and transparent elections in Pakistan in 2007." The contract, which runs to June 2007, could be worth as much as $250,000.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The food company Chiquita Brands International, Inc. has pleaded guilty to funding a Colombian paramilitary group designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. According to U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors, the company's Colombian subsidiary, Banadex, paid approximately $1.7 million to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) between 1997 and 2004.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Overseas political groups are increasingly seeking to raise their legitimacy and sell their agendas in their home countries through communications outreach to US politicians, media, think tanks, and other influential audiences," writes PR Week.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
In documents filed with the International Court of Arbitration in New York, the state-owned Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor is accusing the Russian telecom company Altimo of having "bribed journalists, whipped up nationalism and distorted the truth in an attempt to gain control of a mobile network in Ukraine which is jointly owned by the two companies," reports Michael Harrison.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The Washington Times reports on the U.S.
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