8 nominees up for International Emmys for news

[August 22, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Television productions that took viewers inside a Somali pirate stronghold and a Taliban unit fighting in Afghanistan were among the nominees for International Emmy awards in the current affairs and news categories.

The eight nominees from six countries and the United Nations include "Unter Piraten" on Germany's Infonetwork GmbH in the current affairs category and Britain's "Sky News Live at Five: Inside the Taliban" in the news category.

Brazil had two nominations -- Discovery Networks Latin America's "The Assassination of Jean Charles Meneses" (current affairs), about the fatal shooting of a Brazilian immigrant mistaken for a suicide bomber in London, and TV Globo's "Jornal Nacional: War on Drugs" (news), about a November 2010 raid by security forces on a drug dealer's stronghold in Rio de Janeiro.

There were also first-time nominations for the United Nations in current affairs for UNTV's "21st Century: Cambodia -- A Quest for Justice" on the international tribunal trying perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror, and for Iceland in news for "RUV News: Volcano Eruption at Eyjafjallajokull" about the impact caused by the massive 2010 volcanic eruption.

The other nominees announced Thursday by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences were Japan's NHK for "Back from the Brink: Inside the Chilean Mine Disaster" (current affairs) and "TV Patrol: Manila Hostage Crisis" by the Philippines" ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. covering an August 2010 hostage drama in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed after their tour bus was hijacked by a disgruntled former police officer.

"The Academy is proud to be bringing these riveting shows to the global stage," said Bruce L. Paisner, the academy's president and CEO, in a statement accompanying a news release. "The 2011 nominees offer unique perspectives from all parts of the world on the events that have shaped the year and touched audiences."

The winners will be announced at a Sept. 28 ceremony at the Frederick P. Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.

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Online:

http://www.iemmys.tv/

[Associated Press; By CHARLES J. GANS]

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