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 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 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 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 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 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 Flag Telecom expects that two of the damaged submarine cables will be repaired by Sunday, the company said in a bulletin on Thursday, 7 February. Repair crews had reached the site of the damage. "The FALCON Cable cut between Dubai (UAE) and Al Seeb (Oman) is due to …

BBC Monitoring Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic is observed between 1500 and 1700 gmt on 5 February to carry reports on the following political and security-related developments: Within its 1500 gmt newscast, the channel carries the following reports: - "An expanded conference on the implementation of development and reconstruction projects …