Radio Türküm channel operating in New York will broadcast programs in the Azerbaijani language to cover different themes every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00-13:00.

The American Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune newspapers will unite their foreign correspondents nets in one, the AFP informs. The program on expenses decrease carried out by anti-crisis management of the editions reasoned the decision. We should remind that in December, 2008 the publishing house Tribune owning the both newspapers announced bankrupt.

The American New York Times and Washington Post newspapers announce on new measures directed to decrease expenses, the AFP informs. The Times Co. owning the New York Times and Boston Globe intends to cut wages of those editions down by 6% meanwhile to prolong their vacations up to ten days. The wages will be cut down at least till the end of 2009. Besides that, 100 employees will be sacked from the New York Times newspaper.

The Russian government has spent $10 mln on the services of American and European PR agencies for the last two and half months, The New Times magazine writes.
In particular, the edition notes, the interests of the Russian government were represented by the Ketchum, the Washington Group and the Gplus Europe companies. Russia applied for the first time for the services of these companies during preparation to the G8 Summit held in 2006 in St. Petersburg having paid $2 mln.

The new www.vesti.az portal has been launched today in the media space of Azerbaijan.

Correspondents of the “Ganun va hagigat” (law and truth) newspaper are detained in Azerbaijan, the “Novosti-Azerbaijan” informs referring to the Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan.

“Investigative and search actions are continued to detect the murder of Elmar Huseinov. The process has never stopped for a second”, Arif Babayev, the chief to the PR branch of the National Security Ministry said to the APA.

A monitoring group of the Press Council (PC) holds meetings with mass media leaders within the limits of the project “Observance of the norms and laws of professional ethics in the press” realized with the financial help of the US embassy to Azerbaijan. During the last month the group met the editors of the “Bizim yol”, “Kaspy”, “Movge”, “Palitra”, “Azerbaijan”, “Adalyat”, “Halg Jabhasi”, “Iki sahil”, “Baki habar”, “Khurriyat” and other newspapers.

The “Reporters without borders” Organization published on 12 March its annual list of “the Internet enemies” which included 12 countries: Burma (Myanmar), Vietnam, Egypt, Iran, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Syria, Tunis, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zeydi, who threw his boots at the 43rd president of the USA, George Bush, was found guilty of the attack on a foreign state's leader and sentenced by the court to 3 years in custody; www.lenta.ru informs referring to the AFP. In his last plea he refused to plead guilty.

Chief editors of two newspapers are detained in Baku for extortion, the IA Regnum informed on 11 March. A criminal case was initiated under the blackmail Article against chief editor of the “Dovlat ganunlari” (state laws) newspaper, Nazim Guliyev and his colleague from the “Respublika ganunlari” (republican laws) newspaper, Zamanat Azimov.

The Associated Press agency informs it has sued artist Shepard Feiry in the Manhattan court accused by them of illegal use of Barack Obama’s photo.
Feiry painted Obama’s portrait in 2008 using the photo made by the AP request in 2006.

Any changes to the Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic can be adopted only at the will of Azerbaijani people, www.day.az informs referring to US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ann Dersy stated to journalists on Thursday.

A three-storey building from light metal constructions will be built for the "ATV International". The channel will start functioning only after that. The new building is planned to be constructed in 2-3 months, as Natig Ibrahimov, the vice-president of the TV and Radio Company “Azad Azerbaijan” said to www.mediaforum.az.

Journalists held a picket in front of the city court building in Alma-Ata, the “Interfax” informs. Reporters of various Kazakh editions protested against the resolution on imposing a penalty of 30 mln tenge ($ 200 thousand) on the “Tasdzargan” newspaper in favor of MP, Romin Madinov. The MP felt offended being named a “large land-owner” in one of the opposition newspaper's articles. He demanded to repay the damage caused to his honor and dignity.