TV 2 Direkte is a Norwegian broadcast television station based in Bergen that began operations in September 1992, becoming the first commercial free-to-air TV channel in Norway. The same year it became a full active member of the European Broadcasting Union, the alliance of public service media organisations broadcasting within the EU. Since 2012, TV 2 has been under the ownership of Egmont Group, a Danish media company.
ATN Bangla is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite television channel that launched on 15 July 1997, making it Bangladesh’s first privately-owned television channel and the first to broadcast via satellite. Founded by Dr. Mahfuzur Rahman, the channel is owned by Multimedia Production Company and broadcasts from Dhaka’s Kawran Bazar neighborhood. ATN Bangla became the first Bengali-language television channel in the world to broadcast worldwide. The channel gained international recognition when it won the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting Award at the 32nd International Emmy Awards on 22 November 2004 for its documentary “Amrao Pari” (We Too Can), which was shot and directed by eighteen Bangladeshi teenagers and focused on the story of Abul Khaer, a 9-year-old boy who stopped a passenger train from approaching a disjointed rail track.
NewsVoice is a Swedish news website based in Stockholm, founded in 2011. The outlet describes itself as an independent news monitoring channel covering politics, economy, healthcare, science, technology, and culture. In April 2025, NewsVoice announced a partnership with China Daily (中國日報), an English-language newspaper published by the Information Office of China’s State Council, which is effectively the same institution as the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The agreement enabled content sharing and provided NewsVoice opportunities to publish in China Daily‘s online edition while reciprocating with the translation of China Daily articles into Swedish. In March 2025, NewsVoice also announced a partnership with TV BRICS (金磚國家電視), a Russia-based media network established in 2017 following the BRICS summit in Xiamen. NewsVoice has also taken part in meetings with representatives from the CCP-backed Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament (中國人民爭取和平與裁軍協會), arranged in Sweden by the Schiller Institute, a German-based political and economic think tank that has dialogued closely with China and voiced support for the regime and the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Island Sun is a privately owned daily newspaper based in the Solomon Islands that launched its first issue on October 6, 2006. Operating from its headquarters in Honiara, the newspaper provides coverage across politics, sports, trade, and economic affairs in the Pacific island nation. The publication’s editorial approach to China-related content has been notably positive in tone and framing — including straight and uncritical coverage affirming China’s position on Taiwan. At the same time, Island Sun ceased reporting on Taiwan-related developments in 2021, followed by the discontinuation of Hong Kong coverage in 2022. These editorial decisions occurred within the broader context of evolving China-Solomon Islands relations, including practical support such as the August 27, 2021, donation of computer equipment from the People’s Republic of China Embassy in Honiara during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Narodnaya Gazeta (Народная газета) is the state-run newspaper of the Republic of Tajikistan, published weekly in Russian. Founded in 1925 as Sovetsky Tajikistan (Советский Таджикистан), it adopted its current name following Tajikistan’s independence in 1991. The newspaper covers general news, government policy, foreign policy, economics, and national development initiatives. The outlet should not be confused with the Russian-language Narodnaya Gazeta based in Belarus, which has close ties with the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Российская газета) was established on November 11, 1990, by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR during the glasnost reforms, shortly before the Soviet Union’s dissolution. The newspaper serves as the official publication of the Russian Federation’s government, replacing Izvestia and Sovetskaya Rossiya after their privatization. Its role is legally mandated by Federal Law N 5-FZ from June 14, 1994, which designates it as the official venue for publishing federal laws, presidential decrees, and government acts. The publication has drawn international criticism, including controversy over its 2007 coverage of the Katyn massacre, where columnist Alexander Sabov questioned Soviet responsibility for the killings. In May 2024, the European Union suspended the newspaper’s broadcasting activities across the EU, citing its role in “supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine” and spreading propaganda. The Council of the European Union stated that Rossiyskaya Gazeta operates “under the permanent direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation” and plays an instrumental role in Russia’s information manipulation campaigns.
The Financial Express is an English-language daily newspaper established in 1993 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and describes itself as the “First Financial Daily in Bangladesh.” Owned by International Publications Limited, the publication was Bangladesh’s second-largest English-language newspaper as of 2021, focusing primarily on business and economic issues including international economic news. Founding editor AHM Moazzem Hossain, a Bangladeshi journalist, led the publication until his death in 2018, with the newspaper experiencing significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic when news editor Abdullah M Hasan and executive editor Shahiduzzaman Khan both died from the virus in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The publication has received recognition through the Japan-based Developing Asia Journalism Awards.
Magyar Nemzet was founded in August 1938 by Sándor Pethő as a conservative daily broadsheet newspaper. The paper survived World War II and communist rule, becoming Hungary’s leading conservative publication. Businessman Lajos Simicska purchased the paper in 2000 and used it to support Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party with favorable coverage funded by state advertising contracts. After Simicska’s public fallout with Orbán in 2015, the government cut state funding and the paper became critical of the regime. Simicska closed Magyar Nemzet in April 2018 after Fidesz’s election victory, citing financial problems. The government relaunched the brand in February 2019 as a pro-government publication under the state-aligned KESMA media conglomerate, completing Orbán’s capture of Hungary’s most prestigious conservative newspaper. The relaunched version features a dedicated section promoting Orbán’s policies and activities.
The Straits Times is Singapore’s flagship English-language daily newspaper, established on 15 July 1845 by Armenian businessman Catchick Moses. Originally titled The Straits Times and Singapore Journal of Commerce, it became a daily in 1858 and is regarded as Singapore’s newspaper of record with the country’s most extensive circulation. Under Editor-in-Chief Wong Wei Kong (黃偉光), the publication maintains 16 international bureaus providing comprehensive coverage of Asian and global news alongside local affairs. The Straits Times launched its website on 1 January 1994, becoming among the first newspapers worldwide to establish an online presence. The newspaper operates five main sections covering news, home affairs, sports, finance, and lifestyle content, while producing specialized educational editions for Singapore schools. Following a 2021 restructuring, it is now owned by SPH Media Trust.