A suicide car bomber attacked Al-Sabah, Iraq’s largest newspaper, on Aug. 27. The explosion killed two people and wounded 20 others, according to The New York Times. Al-Sabah is a national newspaper financed by the Iraq's Shiite-led government. Read the article in The New York Times.

In light of the release of two kidnapped Fox News journalists, Howard Kurtz, a media reporter for The Washington Post, wrote a column about the increasing risk of being a foreign correspondent. Steve Centanni of Fox and freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig were freed Aug. 27 after 13 days in captivity.  Read the article in The Washington Post.

For Lebanese and Israelis surrounded by violence, blogging is providing an outlet, especially for non-journalists who still want to voice opinions. Starting individual conversations can help combat stereotypes and ease the tension, bloggers said. Read the article in The Washington Post

A Netherlands-based media center is organizing a program to encourage women's participation in Iraqi news media. Sawtuha ("Her Voice") just launched a website, virtual bulletin board and daily radio program. Read more on the IJNet website.

Paul Salopek, a foreign correspondent for The Chicago Tribune, was charged by the Sudanese government with espionage and entering the country illegally. Salopek, who has won two Pulitzer Prizes, crossed the border from Chad into Darfur without a visa about three weeks ago. He was on assignment for National Geographic magazine. Read the New York Times article

The International Reporting Project and The Poynter Institute’s News University recently launched "International Reporting Basics: What You Need to Know Before You Go," a free online course to help reporters prepare for an assignment before they go abroad.  Click here for more information or to register.

The body of Mohammed Taha, a newspaper editor, was found on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. Taha, who ran the al-Wifaq newspaper, was reportedly taken from his home on Tuesday night by an unknown group of armed men and beheaded. Read the article on the BBC’s website.

Olaf Wiig, a freelance cameraman for Fox News who was recently kidnapped in Gaza, spoke to the BBC about the ordeal. Wiig was held in captivity with Fox correspondent Steve Centanni; the two were released Aug. 27. Read the BBC article.

Paul Salopek, an award-winning reporter for The Chicago Tribune who was jailed in Sudan while on assignment for National Geographic, was released September 9. Salopek, who was held for a month, had been charged with spying and illegal dissemination of information. He was also accused of entering Sudan from Chad without a visa. Read the RSF update.

China has put new restrictions on the distribution of foreign news, making the state-run New China News Agency gatekeeper for foreign news reports, photographs and graphics entering China. Other restrictive measures have included arresting journalists and screening and censoring websites. Read the article in The New York Times.

An Iraqi photographer and a journalist were killed September 13 by unidentified gunmen. Safa Isma’il Enad, a freelance photographer, was shot in Baghdad, and Hadi Anawi al-Joubouri, a journalist and representative of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, was killed about 125 miles northeast of Baghdad. Read the CPJ alert.

When Lynn Sherr, longtime ABC News correspondent for 20/20, started her journalism career, she repeatedly heard that newspapers "don't hire girls." Sherr recounts her career in her new book, Outside the Box: A Memoir.

Over the past 15 years, 580 journalists have been killed for their work, according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ compiled a database with narrative capsules detailing all journalist deaths since 1992. CPJ’s data show 71 percent of victims were targeted in direct retaliation for their reporting.  Visit CPJ's website to read the full report.

Shahla Lahiji, a publisher in Iran, has been awarded the inaugural Publishers' Freedom Prize by the International Publishers' Association. The award honors individuals or organizations worldwide that have made a notable contribution to the defense or promotion of the right to freedom of expression. According to IPA, Lahiji became the first female publisher in Iran when she founded her publishing house, Roshangaran, in 1983. She is also a writer and a translator. Read the IPA press release.

Linda Grant, a British journalist and author, won the 2006 Lettre Ulysses Award for the art of reportage. Grant, who will receive $50,000, wrote The People on the Street. A Writer’s View of Israel. Second and third prize awards went to Erik Orsenna of France and Juanita Leon of Colombia, respectively.  Read more on the Lettre Ulysses Award website.