Rights group condemns Egypt's media law as 'extortion'

Rights group condemns Egypt's media law as 'extortion' CAIRO â€" An international press freedom group says new regulations ...

Rights group condemns Egypt's media law as 'extortion'

CAIRO â€" An international press freedom group says new regulations in Egypt amount to "extortion" and aim to silence the country's last remaining independent media.

Reporters Without Borders said Monday that the new law, which went into effect last month, requires online newspapers to deposit large sums to secure permits. It says websites would need more than $30,000 to register, and would pay up to five times that amount for non-compliance.

The group's Sophie Anmuth says the "law is tantamount to extortion because journalists now have to pay if they want to work."

The government has already blocked hundreds of websites, including those of several independent media outlets, as part of a sweeping crackdown on dissent. All major media outlets in Egypt support the government.

More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago Nation NBC, Facebook, FOX pull Trump immigration ad deemed racist 36 minutes ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago Nation NBC, Facebook, FOX pull Trump immigration ad deemed racist 36 minutes ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago Nation NBC, Facebook, FOX pull Trump immigration ad deemed racist 36 minutes ago East Metro Driver charged in alleged 'road rage' incident with Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins 10:08am Local Wisconsin girl, 10, charged with killing baby in day care 45 minutes ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago Nation NBC, Facebook, FOX pull Trump immigration ad deemed racist 36 minutes ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago Nation NBC, Facebook, FOX pull Trump immigration ad deemed racist 36 minutes ago More from Star Tribu ne Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago More from Star Tribune Politics Minnesota Election Guide: Where major candidates stand November 2 Gophers Fleck fires defensive coordinator Smith after Illinois scores 55 points 5:31am Local Driver who hit Scouts on Wis. road was 'huffing,' officials say 2 minutes ago More from Star Tribune More From World

World 1 minute ago

Eritrea hopes UN will lift sanctions

Eritrea is hoping that the U.N. Security Council will soon lift sanctions it imposed against the East African nation in 2009 following its thaw in relations with Ethiopia and other neighboring countries in recent months. World 6 minutes ago

Migrant caravan pushes on toward Mexico's capital

Thousands of exhausted migrants from the Central American caravan trudged along highways Monday toward Mexico City, where officials prepared a sports stadium to accommodate them as they try to reach the U.S. border still hundreds of miles away. World 11 minutes ago

Separatists kidnap 79 pupils in Cameroon's restive northwest

Armed separatists kidnapped at least 79 students and three staff members from a Presbyterian school in a troubled English-speaking region of Cameroon late Sunday, the governor said Monday. World 16 minutes ago

Argentine ex-boxer chokes to death in food-eating contest

A former boxer has choked to death during a televised croissant eating contest in Argentina. World 31 minutes ago

Search on for survivors of 2 collapsed buildings in France

Two buildings collapsed into a pile of rubble and beams Monday in the French city of Marseille, where authorities spoke of a race against time to find people possibly trapped in the ruins.

Source: Google News Egypt | Netizen 24 Egypt