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Turkish journalists in clashes with bodyguards during Erdoğan’s U.S. visit
Turkish journalists Adem Arslan and Emre Uslu have accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s security detail of kicking, shoving and verbally abusing them on Thursday in an attempt to bar them from the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. think tank where the president was giving a speech. THE GUARDIAN

North Korea announces blocks on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube
North Korea has officially announced it is blocking Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and South Korean websites in a bid to further control access to outside information. THE GUARDIAN

In Somaliland, authorities order newspaper to close down
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Somaliland to reopen the daily Codka Shacabka (The Voice of the People). The attorney general’s office issued an order March 24 for the privately owned paper to immediately cease publication, according to human rights campaigners. CPJ

Blogger sentenced amid clampdown in Vietnam
In a mounting clampdown on dissent, Vietnam sentenced prominent blogger Nguyen Ngoc Gia on Wednesday to four years in prison on charges of disseminating “propaganda against the state,” according to news reports. CPJ

Burmese court decision to drop journalist murder case “totally unacceptable”
In a statement from the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, Myanmar’s incoming information minister Pe Myint said the court’s recommendations to close the case of Par Gyi, a freelance journalist killed in military custody in 2014, is “totally unacceptable.” IFEX

Afghanistan journalists’ worsening reporting perils
Afghan journalists have faced increasing intimidation and violence from both state and non-state figures in recent years, according to the Afghanistan Journalists Center. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Ugandan journalist continues reporting after being arrested on live TV
Amid widespread arrests of journalists in Uganda following the recent election, NBS correspondent Elijah Turyagumanawe was arrested on live television and continued to report on political affairs from inside a police station holding cell. YAHOO NEWS

Writer-in-exile Raza Rumi to speak on extremism in Pakistan
A leading public voice in Pakistan’s fight against extremism and human rights violations, policy analyst, journalist and author Raza Rumi is the newest writer in residence of Ithaca City of Asylum. He will give a talk on campus next week. CORNELL CHRONICLE