Britannia Radio

January 21, 2011

The Wire

Guardian Jerusalem blog contradicts itself Fri. 21 Jan. 2011 @ 10.31 - Editorial framing of 'View from Jerusalem with Harriet Sherwood' story implies preference to highlight news reflecting badly on Israel. Middle East correspondent Harriet Sherwood's introduction to her latest blog entry informs readers that it is about 'Three recent thought-provoking surveys on very different subjects'. She herself says: 'I think the most interesting (and the most detailed - it's worth looking at the raw data) is the poll of East Jerusalem.' This report, which was covered widely in the Israeli press a week ago, found that more East Jerusalem Arabs would prefer to live under Israeli rule than fall under the sovereignty of a Palestinian state. However, the headline of the piece is, 'Sex survey shows 'tolerant attitude' to rape by acquaintance' and is illustrated by a photo of former president of Israel Moshe Katzav, recently convicted of rape and sexual assault, being escorted by the police. Read more >>

The Wire

Ken Livingstone criticised for paid Press TV work Thurs. 20 Jan. 2011 @ 12.15 - UPDATED: Fri. 21 Jan. 2011 @ 12.45 - BBC London News leads with Ken Livingstone's work for Press TV, highlighting the Iranian station's state backing and questioning the London mayoral candidate's paid position at the television channel. Last night's 6.30pm and 10.25pm editions of BBC London News featured Ken Livingstone's paid employment as a presenter for Press TV as its main headline. Livingstone, who is the Labour Party's candidate for the 2012 London mayoral elections, has presented several book review shows from Press TV's London office, including three since becoming Labour's official candidate. The bulletin begins: 'Labour's candidate for mayor is criticised for taking money to appear on a TV channel funded by Iran.' BBC London News' political editor, Tim Donovan, goes on to call Press TV a 'barely disguised mouthpiece for it [Iran]', and the programme reiterates a number of times that Press TV is a channel 'funded by the Iranian government'. On criticism of Livingstone: 'Critics say that he shouldn't be in the pay of a television station funded by a government that denies the holocaust.' Read more>>

The Wire

Hezbollah 'mock coup' not reported Thurs. 20 Jan. 2011 @ 11.31 - Simulated coup of Beirut by militants ignored by British media. Yesterday, the Lebanese media led with the news that Hezbollah had staged a mock coup in Beirut, a week after its bloc withdrew from the Lebanese cabinet, forcing the collapse of the government. The Lebanese Naharnet reported that: 'Schools shut down in several Beirut neighbourhoods Tuesday for fear of violence following early morning street gatherings by Opposition supporters.' Israel's Haaretz reported: 'Hezbollah supporters wearing black and clutching hand-held radios quietly gathered around Beirut, according to reports, an innocuous yet threatening display by the country's most powerful armed force.' Read more>>

The Wire

Christians in the Middle East: Arab summit rejects 'foreign intervention' into persecution Wed. 19 Jan. 2011 @ 13.15 - Arab summit in Cairo endorses Egyptian proposal to counter Western calls for protection of Christians. The Arab Economic Summit opened today in Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt. According to the Egyptian Al Masry Al Youm, one of the key topics for discussion is the criticism by Western countries of the treatment of Christians in the Middle East, following several high profile attacks in Egypt and Iraq: 'Leaders participating in the Arab Economic Summit issued a statement rejecting foreign interference on the issue of minority rights in the Arab World... The statement said that Arab leaders reject attempts by foreign powers to intervene in Arab domestic affairs.' Al Masry Al Youm earlier reported that the proposed resolution would condemn 'Western interference in domestic Arab affairs under the pretext of protecting Christians', and noted that Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossam Zaki argued that criticism 'would only serve to aggravate sectarian tensions in the Middle East.' Read more>>