Pakistan Press Freedom: HRCP and PFUJ warned that Pakistan’s Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026 will “institutionalise bureaucratic control” by requiring foreign outlets and local staff to get approvals and NOCs to report outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, with the BBC calling it a setback for independent coverage. Ethiopia Crackdown: Authorities detained Addis Standard editor Yonas Kedir for 24 hours and raided the outlet, continuing a pattern of harassment that includes prior license action and detentions of independent journalists. Albania Court Secrecy: Albania’s Special Court removed “security” media rules from its website after OSCE scrutiny and backlash, raising fresh concerns about restricted access to corruption proceedings. FCC Ownership Shake-Up: The FCC voted to repeal the 39% national TV ownership cap, replacing it with case-by-case review—prompting legal challenges and warnings that it could accelerate consolidation. Ad Tech Deal: Nielsen agreed to buy DoubleVerify for about $2.15B cash to expand digital measurement and verification. Media Industry Partnerships: UF’s journalism school and Saga Communications launched a seven-year sales and training partnership for WRUF-AM/FM, betting on local broadcast growth and student development. Global Pressure Points: Taliban detained a journalist in Badakhshan and an activist in Khost, while rights groups condemned Israel’s alleged deliberate killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil.