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 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 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 …

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 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 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 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 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 …