BBC Monitoring Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 24 October Reporters Without Borders is astonished by a criminal court's decision on 21 October to convict Saleh Al-Amm, the editor of the online newspaper Al-Saheefa (www.alsaheefa.net), Fareed Al-Shayeb, one of his reporters, and Muath Al-Mesri, …

BBC Monitoring Text of report in English by Egyptian news agency MENA Cairo, 22 October: Renowned Egyptian journalist Makram Muhammad Ahmad asserted his full rejection to journalists' imprisonment in publication cases. During a meeting Monday [22 October] with MENA editors, Ahmad, who intends to run for the chairmanship of the …

BBC Monitoring Excerpt from report by Iranian newspaper Mardom-Salari website on 18 October The vice-president of the Majlis cultural committee, in referring to the meeting of the committee on Tuesday, which was attended by the minister of culture and a representative from a pilgrimage organization, said: "Some MPs asked the …

BBC Monitoring Text of article by Peshraw Ahmed entitled; "Money is good servant but a corrupt master"; published by independent Iraqi Kurdish newspaper Hawlati on 17 October Perhaps what has lost most of its value and weight in this country is writing. We mean, by writing, the critiques and perspectives …

BBC Monitoring Text of unattributed editorial from the ?rubric' column headlined: An unchangeable conviction published by Iranian newspaper E'temad-e Melli on 18 October Another characteristic must be added to the many different ones which the ninth government already possesses; this being that unlike the previous government which was never placed …

BBC Monitoring Al-Ra'y satellite channel, reportedly broadcasting from Syria and owned by Iraqi politician Mish'an al-Juburi, owner of the Iraqi Al-Zawraa satellite channel which had stopped transmission, has been observed to post a test card on Nilesat with the following coordinates: Frequency - 10911 MHz; Polarization - vertical; symbol rate …

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 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 Azeri, Iranian leaders discuss developing ties at Caspian summit Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Trend Baku, 16 October: "The interests and security of Azerbaijan and Iran are interrelated," Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad said at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Tehran on Tuesday …

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 …