BBC Monitoring Algerian newspapers today described the new parliament as lacking "credibility and legitimacy" as a result of the very low turnout, officially at 35.51 per cent of the registered voters, in the 17 May legislative elections.     Up to 18 million eligible voters from Algeria's 33 million people cast ballots …

BBC Monitoring Analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring on 18 May     Hamas and Fatah agreed on 12 May to halt "inflammatory media campaigns" in the print media and on radio and TV stations.     But the last week has seen the two sides step up their rhetoric and exchange of …

BBC Monitoring Analysis by Amani Soliman of BBC Monitoring on 17 May     Rusiya al-Yawm or Russia Today is a state-funded, Arabic-language satellite TV news channel which was launched on 4 May 2007. It is widely seen as the latest front in a Kremlin drive to restore its Soviet-era influence in …

BBC Monitoring The Bethlehem-based, independent Ma'an news agency in Arabic reported on 16 May at 2101 gmt: "The Hamas movement has stated that the attempt to depict the current events in Gaza as inter-Palestinian fighting between Fatah and Hamas is a mere attempt to mislead local and international public opinion." …

BBC Monitoring Excerpt from live phone interview on Channel 1 TV with Egyptian TV correspondent in Gaza City to comment on the siege of the building which houses media offices in Gaza, broadcast on 16 May     [Presenter] Shuhdi al-Kashif [Egyptian TV correspondent in Gaza] joins us now from inside the …

BBC Monitoring At 0328 gmt, Gaza Palestine Satellite Channel in Arabic interrupts its regular broadcasting to announce that Hamas militants are "at this time" storming the house of General Rashid Abu-Shibak, Palestinian Internal Security director, at Tall al-Hawa. The anchorman entitles the incident "a flagrant and clear breach of the …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on 15 May     The Foreign Ministry is launching an information campaign on the internet's largest shared-video website, YouTube. Thousands of anti-Israel films and reactions have been uploaded on that website, claiming that the IDF [Israel Defense Force] is slaughtering the Palestinian …

BBC Monitoring Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 15 May     Reporters Without Borders today voiced concern about the press freedom implications of a decision by the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced yesterday to prevent journalists from getting access to the scene of bomb attacks.     The …

BBC Monitoring Analysis by Amani Soliman of BBC Monitoring on 16 May     The "gap" between pan-Arab and Western media in reporting on key Middle East issues such as Iraq and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was closely scrutinized at a conference in London this week.     Arab and Western journalists working in media …

BBC Monitoring Text of commentary by Sadeq Zibakalam headlined "Who closed down Sharq newspaper" published by Iranian newspaper E'temad website on 15 August On the face of it, it seems like a meaningless question, as it is clear who closed down Sharq daily - the Press Supervision Committee - but …