BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by privately-owned Jordan Times website on 3 February [Report by Hani Hazayimah: "Marine Cable Damage Reduces Internet Capacity"] Amman: Internet services in Jordan have been drastically slowed because of breaks in two intercontinental cables that link the majority of the Middle East and …

BBC Monitoring Text of press release by Paris-based media freedom organization Reporters Sans Frontieres on 1 February Information Minister Iyad [Bin-Amin] Madani announced a nationwide ban on all live broadcasts on Saudi public TV channels on 30 January, two days after angry viewers made unflattering comments about senior officials, including …

BBC Monitoring At 1400 gmt on 1 February, the Gaza-based, Hamas-run Al-Aqsa Satellite Television in Arabic broadcasts a special episode of its weekly "Pioneers of Tomorrow" children's programme that features the make-belief death of the show's main character, a large bee-like figure called Nahhul, who according to the show's host, …

BBC Monitoring Text of commentary by [Mrs] Jamileh Kadivar headlined "Women and the ceiling of tolerance of men of state" published by Iranian newspaper E'temad website on 31 January The monthly Women has been closed as well. Apparently, the series of closure of publications has no intention of stopping. The …

BBC Monitoring Excerpt from report by Palestinian Authority-owned newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadidah website on 26 January [Commentary by Hafiz al-Barghuthi: "Mass Media"] Over the past days, a failure of the PNA and government official media was noticeable in dealing with current events, particularly through the satellite channels. PNA media spokesmen were …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Dubai-based, Saudi private capital-funded pan-Arab news channel Al-Arabiya TV on 31 January [Announcer-read report] A fault in the undersea cable linking Europe and the Middle East, whose causes are unknown yet, have caused a wide disruption in the communications and Internet networks in the …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Egyptian opposition Wafd Party daily newspaper Al-Wafd on 29 January A task force dispatched by the Imbaba police station arrested yesterday, at dawn, Al-Jazeera Channel producer Huwayda Taha. It was her second arrest. Taha was arrested along with three crew members while shooting a …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post website on 29 January A new, state-authorized radio station catering to West Bank settlers could be established somewhere in Judea or Samaria as early as April unless a pending High Court petition torpedoes the move. The announcement …

BBC Monitoring The Al-Shuruq [sunrise] satellite channel, which has been on trial broadcasts since 1 December 2007, seems to have started airing regular programmes. BBC Monitoring observed the satellite channel to air various children programmes and cartoons in Arabic during the early hours of the day. At 0800 gmt the …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) website Tehran, 28 January: An informed source has said that the Press Supervision Board has revoked the licence of Zanan [Women] monthly. Speaking to ISNA on the session of the Press Supervision Board on Monday [28 January] the …