BBC Monitoring Following is a report on Egyptian media coverage of US-Iranian talks on Iraq on 29 May 07 TV     Egyptian Channel 1 TV     Channel 1 TV focused on the current meetings between the Egyptian side and the Palestinian factions in Cairo and the latest development in the Palestinian territories …

BBC Monitoring Iraqi Kurdistan Region is to launch an independent satellite TV station exclusively for arts and commercial advertisements, the pro-Kurdistan Democratic Party website Peyamner reported on 26 May.     The report said that independent commercial channel VIN would be launched soon in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, for business and arts. The …

BBC Monitoring The much-awaited launch of the former Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, deputy secretary-general's media organization became a reality with the recent launch of Sbay website Nawshirwan Mustafa, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's deputy in the PUK for over two decades, is the architect of a new media organization, Wisha, …

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 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 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 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 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. …