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 Internet access in Iran has been affected because of the damage caused to undersea cables providing internet services to the Middle East and India, Iranian press reports suggest. However, government officials have played down the impact and said they have been able to switch access routes and minimize …

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 …

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 Text of report in English by Saudi newspaper Saudi Gazette website on 5 February [Unattributed report from Riyadh: "New TV Channel to Cover Shoura Discussions Live"] Saudi TV will soon have a fifth channel, Iyad Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information revealed. The channel will have "serious" …

BBC Monitoring By Saeed Barzin of BBC Monitoring on 5 February Iran's military Revolution Guards are showing increasing interest in the coming parliamentary Majlis elections and getting involved in the campaign process, press reports indicate. Military commanders, political commissars, as well as the rank-and-file officers of the Islamic Revolution Guards …

BBC Monitoring The European Parliament (EP) convened as scheduled on 17 January and passed a resolution criticizing the human rights situation in Egypt. From the start, Cairo's reaction was sharp, including the cancellation of political talks with senior EU officials and criticism of "the situation of minorities in Europe". Egyptian …