On 14 January 2002, Radio Afghanistan began its activities with test programmes for about six hours a day. A new media law issued by the Afghan interim administration says it will guarantee media freedom and also bring to an end the government monopoly over the media, including radio and television. Private radio and TV stations will be allowed to be set up for the first time in Afghanistan. According to the Minister for Information and Culture, the new media law places no restrictions on operators, provided they respect the common law and security. With the end of the state's monopoly on broadcasting, the next issues to be addressed are the need to establish an independent broadcasting authority, and develop a plan for the allocation of licences that results in an appropriate mix of public service and private stations.

In January 2002, the military government approved the introduction of private radio and television channels in the country. The recently established Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has been entrusted with the task to regulate the operation of all broadcast stations. Media organisations, human rights groups and NGOs in Pakistan have welcomed the move towards media liberalisation.

The Bangladesh Parliament has voted to grant autonomy to state-run Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Radio. The measures, passed in July 2001, would set up separate authorities for both media. The State Minister of Information rejected claims that the new media authorities to be made up mostly of government representatives, could curtail the freedom expected in autonomous organisations.

Radio Bangladesh has drawn up a 2- year plan that includes a gradual conversion from analogue to digital, the set-up of a nation-wide FM transmitter network and the installation of a first digital medium-wave transmitter for the Dhaka station.

Nepal's Supreme Court has annulled the government's decision to impose controls on the country's privately-run FM radio stations. The cabinet had passed a directive in 2001 preventing the stations from collecting and broadcasting news on their own.

The Thai government decided to abolish the state monopoly in broadcasting and to open the airwaves to private media. According to the new Strategic Plan, 40% of the frequencies should go to applicants in the public sector, another 40% should be set aside for commercial use while the remaining 20% should be reserved for non-profit organisations and communities.

The plan also suggests that 50% of all radio and TV transmissions should be devoted to education, culture and national stability.

The arrival of a "suitcase radio" offered by UNESCO made news on four radio stations in Timbuktu in September 2001. The unit comprises portable broadcast equipment which can also be used as a production unit. It has been set up in the Timbuktu community telecentre which includes an Internet link. The idea is to produce programmes in which the presenter browses the internet in response to listener's questions, describes in local languages the websites selected and discusses their contents with a local expert. In this way, the entire community has access to online information.

Nigerian public broadcaster, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), plans to set up 32 new digital FM stations across the country. The purpose is to bring information and education to the grassroots level and to promote Nigerian culture. "We must be proud of who we are," said FRCN Director General Eddie Iroh, "and the medium of radio is a very forceful, very effective, very powerful medium of promoting who we are."

A total of 37 journalists were killed world-wide as a direct result of their work in 2001, a sharp increase from 2000 when 24 were killed according to the New York- based Committee to Protect Journalists. The dramatic rise is mainly due to the war in Afghanistan where eight journalists were killed on duty. This was the highest death toll recorded for a single country since 1999, when 10 journalists were killed in Sierra Leone.

Most of the journalists who were killed last year, however, were not covering combat. They were murdered in reprisal for their reporting on official corruption and crime.