Arabic Video News in English

Ihe battle for control of southern Iraq is continuing for a fifth day.

In one of the latest offensives, eight people died, including two women and a child, in an air raid.

Meanwhile a witness in Baghdad has told Al Jazeera he saw up to 40 Iraqi army and police surrendering their weapons to supporters of the Mahdi Army.

Its leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, is calling on Arab nations to support his fight against US forces in Iraq.

James Bays reports from Baghdad.

The latest violence in Iraq has put extreme pressure on a ceasefire by the Mahdi Army - a ceasefire that has been credited with reducing the violence, not just in Basra, but across the country.

The Mahdi Army announced that the ceasefire is still in place.

But for how long? Owen Fay reports.

British forces claim that the city of Basra in southern Iraq, is one of the ’success stories’ of the country.However, there has been a rise in violence against women.Al Jazeera’s Rosie Garthwaite reports.

This week on the Listening Post, Richard Gizbert analyses just what the coverage of the Basra pullout tells us about the evolution of the media’s attitude towards the war in Iraq. Also in this show, we explore the ethics of airing hostage videos on television. Different crises around the world have increasingly involved the taking of hostages and broadcasters are ever more faced with the dilemma of when to put a hostage video on air and when not to.

This week on the Listening Post, Richard Gizbert analyses just what the coverage of the Basra pullout tells us about the evolution of the media’s attitude towards the war in Iraq. Also in this show, we explore the ethics of airing hostage videos on television. Different crises around the world have increasingly involved the taking of hostages and broadcasters are ever more faced with the dilemma of when to put a hostage video on air and when not to.