MEB Journal Egyptian businessman Najib Sawarios told the publishing & consulting Oxford Business Group that he will be launching Egypt's first satellite news channel, OTV News. Sawarios, who on January 2006 launched the Egyptian satellite channel OTV, said the channel will present the news in the Egyptian dialect, rather than …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by web version of Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on 22 May     The kosher Internet has been launched. With a host of blocks against surfing prohibited sites, with a small white list of approved sites, and with an identified e-mail address that will enable identifying rogue ultra-orthodox …

Committee to Protect Journalists New York, May 25, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned that journalists have been prevented since Monday from entering a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon during clashes between Islamist militants and the Lebanese Army. The Lebanese Army restricted public access to the Nahr …

BBC Monitoring Norooz news website (http://norooznews.ir/) was officially launched on 23 May 2007, the 10th anniversary of Mohammad Khatami's surprise, landslide election as president.     Rooz electronic daily, based in London, carried an article on the launching of the new website on the same day. The Rooz article said: "On the …

BBC Monitoring Text of press release by UNESCO on 22 May     The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending freedom of the press has condemned the murder of two Iraqi news journalists who were ambushed and shot dead as they made their way home from work last week …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Omani newspaper Times of Oman website on 22 May     A new phase in the broadcasting history of Oman begins today. Hala 102.7 FM will be launched as the first privately-owned FM station in the Sultanate. Hala 102.7 FM will be officially inaugurated by His …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Sudanese independent newspaper Al-Ayyam on 22 May     All parliamentary reporters yesterday boycotted the statement presented to parliament by the Ministry of Justice in protest against the use of clause 130 against newspapers.     In a statement presented to the Speaker of parliament and the head …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Palestinian Ma'an News Agency website     Qalqilya - Ma'an: Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Qalqilya on Tuesday [22 May] and forcibly closed down a local radio station, confiscating the station's computers and sound mixers. No arrests have been reported. …

BBC Monitoring Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 21 May     Reporters Without Borders today condemned yesterday's [20 May] murder in Baghdad of Ali Khalil, of the daily Al-Zaman (Time) and the kidnapping on 9 May of the journalist Salam Duhi al-Sudani.     "Less than three …

BBC Monitoring Excerpt from report by Sudanese news agency Suna website     The Media and Communication Council of [ruling] National Congress Party has said it was determined to ensure freedom of press.     In a press statement in his office, the acting chairman of the council, Muhammad Hamud said the freedom of …