BBC Monitoring Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 24 August Reporters Without Borders is worried about the state of health of journalists Adnan Hassanpour and Abdolvahed "Hiva" Botimar, who are under sentence of death and who began their 42nd day on hunger strike today. …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Palestinian Ma'an News Agency website Ramallah, 25 August: Dozens of Palestinian journalists and representatives of foreign and local news outlets on Saturday held a sit-in demonstration in the central West Bank city of Ramallah. The sit-in is intended to show solidarity with …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website Peshawar, 25 August: The Pakistani government has allowed Afghan print and electronic media organisations to set up offices in the neighbouring country. Salim Safi, head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Journalist Union Association, told Pajhwok Afghan News the …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 23 August [Presenter] The Libyan media has recently witnessed several transformations. Two independent newspapers have been launched for the first time in the history of Libya, in addition to a satellite channel that is not under the control of …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Jordan Times website on 24 August The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) announced on Thursday [23 August] that it will launch a private radio station in an effort to establish a dialogue with the capital's residents. The station will focus on GAM affairs …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Sudanese independent Al-Mashahir (Almshaheer) website on 23 August Security authorities yesterday confiscated copies of the Al-Ra'i al-Sha'b newspaper affiliated to the opposition Popular Congress led by Hassan al Turabi without giving any explanation. Editor in chief Yasin Umar al-Imam said the government was still …

BBC Monitoring In its 2200 gmt news bulletin's "Issue of the Night" programme, Al-Jazeera TV on 22 August discussed the independence of the press in the Arab Maghreb countries. The programme interviewed in the studio Tawfek Bouchrine, chief editor of the independent Moroccan newspaper Al-Massa, via satellite from Tripoli journalist …

Mideast Wire On August 22, the Palestinian-owned Al Quds Al Arabi daily carried the following report by Bassam Al-Badareen: "No one in Jordan knows the reason behind the sudden disease which affected the first private television channel in the history of the country. The channel was supposed to start airing …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV on 23 August [Presenter] The minister of information and culture has accused some independent media sources of exploiting freedom of speech. Abdol Karim Khoram has not named any specific media source, but said a number of them have used freedom …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post website on 22 August [Report by Herb Keinon: "Iranians send love and hate emails to Israel"] The "Dear Israel" emails steadily flowing into the foreign ministry since the inception of a Persian-language internet site last month range …