India ranks 151st on World Press Freedom Index: Reporters Without Borders
New Delhi, May 16 (PTI): India's ranking on the World Press Freedom Index improved to 151 among the 180 countries surveyed by Reporters Without Borders this year from 159 the previous year.
Finland, Estonia and the Netherlands take up the top three positions in the index that sought responses from more than 5,000 persons from across the world to finalise the rankings.
"We have surveyed 5,000 respondents across the world. It comprises a diverse set including policymakers, journalists and other stakeholders," Thibaut Bruttin, assistant director general of Reporters Without Borders, said at a press conference in Delhi.
The organisation does not reveal the respondents' identity, he said and insisted that it was a diverse set representing different ideologies.
India has nearly 900 privately-owned TV channels, half of which are dedicated to news.
Around 1,40,000 publications are published in more than 20 languages, including some 20,000 daily newspapers with a combined circulation of more than 390 million copies, Reporters Without Borders said.
The US ranks 57th on the index, slipping two positions from the previous year's ranking.
Even in highly-ranked countries such as Australia (29th), Canada (21st) and Czechia (10th), media concentration is a cause for concern, Reporters Without Borders said.
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Record-holder swimmer drowns while practicing in pool in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: Record-holder swimmer K Chandrashekhar Rai Surikumeru (52), who was known for performing yoga and somersaults underwater, died of drowning in the Mangaluru City Corporation swimming pool on Sunday.
Rai, who was a native of Surikumeru near Kalladka in Bantwal taluk, lived in Kudroli, Mangaluru. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
He had been employed as a lifeguard at the swimming pool in Udupi under contract-basis and was working as manager of the MCC swimming pool for three years. He also worked as a lifeguard and swimming trainer.
On Sunday morning, Rai is said to have handed the security guard of the pool his mobile phone, saying he would practice for some time, but shortly after diving into the pool, he died of suffocation.
The post-mortem examination of his body was conducted at the District Wenlock Hospital and the funeral rites were held at his native place, Rai’s brother Radhakrishna Rai has said.
Rai, known for his skills in swimming, had entered the Worldwide Book of Records in 2023 by performing 28 front flip somersaults in a single stretch.
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