BBC Monitoring Text of report by London-based independent newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi website on 13 February Beirut Al-Manar Television in Arabic - Affiliated with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah - on 13 February 2008 has been observed to carry special programming following the announcement of the slaying of its "martyred leader" Imad Mughniyah. …

BBC Monitoring [Editorial: "The Muzzling of Satellite Television Channels and Incrimination of Their Employees"] The Arab media, namely satellite television channels, are threatened with losing the limited margin of freedom that they enjoyed in the past few years. This comes after a resolution passed by the Arab information ministers at …

BBC Monitoring The Iraqi Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) will launch a satellite TV channel, privately-owned weekly Awene reported on 12 February. Awene reported that the KIG had obtained permission from the Kurdistan Region Culture Ministry to launch a satellite TV channel and it had also sought cooperation from the prime …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by independent, non-governmental Palestinian Ma'an News Agency website Gaza, 12 February: Distribution of the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam in the Gaza Strip will be banned starting Tuesday by the order of a Hamas-affiliated court. The magistrate court affiliated to the Hamas-run de facto government …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV, on 12 February [Correspondent] The minister of information and culture has punished a journalist and two news editors for using Persian words in Balkh and Kabul provinces. The measure by the Information and Culture Ministry of Afghanistan has provoked reactions …

BBC Monitoring On 10 February 2008, a Hamas-affiliated court in Gaza banned the distribution and publication of Al-Ayyam newspaper, a major Palestinian daily, for publishing a cartoon seen as offensive to lawmakers affiliated to the movement. Al-Ayyam, printed in the West Bank, has close ties to the Fatah faction of …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by London-based independent newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi website on 8 February [Article by Chief Editor Abd-al-Bari Atwan: "Arab Coalition To Intimidate the Media"] The semi-independent Arab media's honeymoon is apparently about to end at a record speed and the same thing can be said about Arab …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by privately-owned Jordan Times website on 8 February Amman (JT): A group of senior media professionals will sharpen their skills as trainers and consultants at a special "training of trainers" course starting next week as part of USAID's Jordan Media Strengthening Programme. The …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat website on 9 January [Article by Ziyad Bin Abdallah Al-Daris: "This is London... Others are There!" - ellipses as published] This is London ... Others are There! Seventy years ago, the term "This is London" was heard from the Arabic service …

BBC Monitoring Internet access in Iran has been affected because of the damage caused to undersea cables providing internet services to the Middle East and India, Iranian press reports suggest. However, government officials have played down the impact and said they have been able to switch access routes and minimize …