BBC Monitoring Doha Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel in Arabic at 1830 gmt on 13 October carries a new episode of its daily "Behind the news" talk show, moderated by anchorman Muhammad Kurayshan. Today's episode hosts Majdi al-Daqqaq, chief editor of the Egyptian Al-Hilal magazine and member of the Education Secretariat in …

BBC Monitoring The Iraqi Kurdish media scene has mushroomed in the past decade, largely thanks to the semi-autonomous status the region has enjoyed since 1991. Following the first Gulf War and the weakening of the Iraqi army, uprisings erupted in the northern Kurdish area against the then Iraqi government. This …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Social Desk headlined "Iran's first internet radio will start operation on 1 Azar" published by Iranian newspaper Iran website on 11 October The first internet radio station in the country, under the name of Iran Seda [Iran Voice], will launch on 1 Azar this …

BBC Monitoring Analysis by Dina Abu-Ghazalah and Muhammad Shukri of BBC Monitoring on 15 October Overview On 13 September, an Egyptian court handed down a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds (approx 3,607 US dollars) to four editors-in-chief of independent newspapers on charges of slandering state …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) website Press TV's correspondent in Kabul was arrested by US and Afghan security forces on Sunday [7 October] evening whilst on his way home from work. He was detained for 18 hours. According to ISNA, after his arrest, Faez …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi website on 1 October [Commentary by Madawi al-Rashid, "A writer and academic from the Arabian peninsula: absent links within the call to flog society"] It is very nice when a Saudi intellectual awakes and mounts the back of the steed …

IFEX COMMUNIQUÉ VOL 16 NO 41 | 9 OCTOBER 2007 The Internet has not yet become an effective tool for human rights in the Arab world, says a recent study by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo).   The 215-page study, "Electronic Media and Human Rights", is the first …

BBC Monitoring Excerpt from report by Muslim Brotherhood website Ikhwanonline on 8 October [Text of interview with editor-in-chief of Al-Dustur newspaper Ibrahim Isa, by Ahmad Ramadan of Ikhwanonline; in Cairo, date not given] [Ramadan] Don't you believe that the sentence issued against Al-Huwwari and then your referral to the state …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Egyptian news agency MENA Cairo, 7 October: Mustafa al-Bakri, the editor-in-chief of Al-Usbu newspaper, on Sunday [7 October] tendered his resignation from membership of the dialogue committee formed by the Press Syndicate to negotiate with state institutions on imprisonment sentences issued against …

BBC Monitoring By Saeed Barzin of BBC Monitoring on 7 October Iran's radio and television channels have on several occasions "censored" President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad's comments about the country's nuclear dossier, a pro-government website reported on 6 September. Rajanews.com said the state-controlled radio and television did not broadcast parts of the …