Journalists who are interested in investigating tax avoidance, corruption, money laundering and asset recovery can apply for this course in London.

The Tax Justice Network and the Centre of Investigative Journalism are offering a training workshop “Introduction to Illicit Finance, Financial Secrecy and Asset Recovery.” The course will take place on April 8 — 11 at City University London.

The course is bringing together journalists primarily from the developing world where corruption, tax havens and harmful tax practices often stall development and entrench poverty.

Experience in financial reporting is an advantage but not a prerequisite.

The bursary for journalists from the developing countries will cover visa fees, travel, accommodation and daily allowance. Applicants will be selected based on their track record in investigative journalism.

The course fee for journalists from UK and Europe is GBP650.

The deadline is Jan. 30.

For more information, click here: http://www.tcij.org/courses/course-calendar/introduction-illicit-finance-financial-secrecy-and-asset-recovery

Journalists from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan can apply for a scholarship to study at Polish universities.

The Lane Kirkland Scholarships includes two semesters of study at Polish universities and a two- to four-week professional internship in public and private institutions.

The program is aimed at young leaders with master’s of art degrees determined to be actively involved in the development of democracy, economy and civil society in their countries and the region.

Knowledge of Polish or English and at least two years of professional experience are required.

The deadline is March 1.

For more information click here: http://www.kirkland.edu.pl/en/program-announcement-2014

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Tajik authorities to release opposition leader Zayd Saidov from prison «pending an independent review of the case.» 

A court convicted Saidov of charges ranging from bigamy and rape to fraud and bribery on December 25 and sentenced him to 26 years in prison.

Charges against Saidov first surfaced after he declared in April 2013 that he planned to form a political party that would focus on economic reforms.

Saidov said at that time that he did not intend to run for president in the election that was held in November.

In a statement issued on February 7, Steve Swerdlow of the New York-based rights watchdog said, «Saidov’s conviction starkly illustrates that the Tajik government will neither accept criticism nor the role of opposition parties in a democratic society.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-hrw-saidov/25257063.html

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Three independent bloggers in Kazakhstan have been sentenced to 10 days in jail on minor hooliganism charges. 

Rinat Kibraev, Nurali Aitelenov, and Dmitry Shchyolokov were not allowed to attend a meeting between Almaty Mayor Akhmetzhan Esimov and selected Kazakh bloggers on February 5.

Police said that the three were not on the guest list.

They were also prevented from filming the restaurant where Esimov was holding the meeting.

The independent bloggers then unfolded posters saying «Esimov! Come Out!» and «Esimov Talks To Tamed Bloggers Only!»

Police detained the bloggers at the scene.

RFE/RL correspondent Madi Bekmaghambet, who was filming the incident, was also detained but later released.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-bloggers-jailed-/25255095.html

A weeklong event on all things social media will be held in Bangalore, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lagos, Milan, New York and Tokyo.

Social Media Week (SMW) features free events surrounding the latest trends and topics in social and mobile media.

Each year, SMW attracts more than 60,000 attendees across thousands of individually organized events, with half a million connecting to the conference online and through mobile.

SMW takes place Feb. 17-21.

For more information, click here: http://socialmediaweek.org/

Journalists, organizations or institutions that promote press freedom worldwide can be nominated for a US$25,000 award.

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize will recognize a significant contribution to press freedom, especially in high-risk areas.

Member states, international/regional organizations or professional/non-governmental organizations working in the field of journalism and freedom of expression can nominate up to three candidates.

The recipient will be recognized during World Press Freedom Day held May 3.

Nominations must be in English or French and include a brief biography or history of the nominee.

The deadline is Feb. 15.

For more information, click here: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/resources/news-and-in-focus-articles/all-news/news/unesco_is_seeking_nominations_for_unescoguillermo_cano_world_press_freedom_prize_2014/#.Uu9dXT1_vPP

Full-time college students ages 18 and older can compete.

ELS, in cooperation with the United Nations Academic Impact, is seeking entries for its Academic Impact Student Essay Contest.

Essays of 2,000 words or less should discuss the ideas of global citizenship and understanding and the role that multilingual­ ability can play in fostering them. The essay should reflect author’s academic, cultural, and national context.

Essays must be in an official language of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish) that is not the entrant’s first language or language of instruction in his or her primary or secondary education.

The winners will be invited to New York to participate in a series of events June 25-29. These events will include a Global Youth Forum at the U.N. Headquarters, preceded by a preparatory students’ conference.

Airfare, room and board, sightseeing and recreation will also be provided and arranged by ELS.

The deadline is Feb. 21.

For more information, click here: http://www.els.edu/en/ManyLanguagesOneWorld

Journalists and other professionals interested in social media can participate in this free five-week course.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, through its Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) program, is offering “Social Media for Journalists: The Basics.” The course will be held Feb. 3 — March 2.

Students will learn about the best journalistic uses of professional Facebook and Twitter accounts, where to find sources and story ideas on social media, how to verify information, ethical considerations, how to cultivate an audience and a brand, develop a content strategy, and measure success on social media.

The course will be divided into five weekly modules, each with a different instructor and topic.

The instructors are:

• Ryan Thornburg, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Sharif Durhams, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Craig Silverman, Spundge and Poynter’s Regret the Error
• Daniel Victor, The New York Times
• Amanda Zamora, ProPublica

The course includes videos, tutorials, reading materials, exercises and quizzes. Students can take the course at the time of their choice, but each weekly module will have deadlines for submitting quizzes and participating in the forums.

The certificate’s cost is US$30 and will be issued to students who actively participate in the course and comply with most of the requirements.

For more information, click here: https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/en/blog/00-14933-%E2%80%9Csocial-media-journalists%E2%80%9D-knight-center%E2%80%99s-next-massive-online-course-sign-now

Photographers around the world can compete in this contest.

The Photo Group of Villena and the family of the late photographer Helie Salas are seeking entries for the Helie Memorial competition. The theme is «Women and Art.»

Each participant may enter up to four photographs. The images should be submitted on a CD, in JPEG digital format and with the resolution of 300dpi.

The first-place winner will receive EUR2,000 (US$2,710), the second place, EUR1,000 (US$1,360) and the third place, EUR500 (US$680).

The deadline is Feb. 3.

For more information, click here: http://heliememorial.com/concurso-1/english-version/