The Arab League’s annual summit is taking place in Damascus. But some countries are boycotting the event, accusing Syria of meddling in Lebanese politics. Sir David is joined by Jihad Makdissi, a spokesman for the Syrian Embassy in London, who says the summit is about the Arab people and not Syria. Also in this part of the show, Sir David talks to David Frum, a US political analyst, about John McCain, the Republican candidate in the US elections.
Super Tuesday, the biggest day of presidential nominee voting in US history, has seen 24 states vote for Republican and Democratic candidates. Rob Reynolds, Al Jazeera’s senior Washington correspondent, looks at how the contest unfolded.
Al Jazeera’s Kimberley Halkett takes a closer look at where the results leave John McCain.
We discuss the results of Tuesday’s primaries where Hillary Clinton ended Barack Obama’s winning streak taking the states of Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island. The results also clear the way for republican candidate John McCain to secure his parties nomination.
In this week’s Listening Post, Richard Gizbert looks at constraints being imposed on satellite television in the Middle East and the new wave of television preachers gaining popularity across the region.
Beginning with satellite television, we question the code of conduct recently proposed by the Arab League and its potential threat to media freedom across the Middle East.
Can journalistic integrity be maintained outside of industry self-regulation, or will satellite channels like Al Jazeera be at risk of being silenced by governments afraid of criticism?
Focusing on the Middle East, the Listening Post’s feature piece looks at the fascinating rise in popularity of non-traditional Islamic television preachers.
This new generation of preachers is embracing alternative media and inspiring a younger, more modern audience than their more conventional contemporaries.
In Newsbytes this week, we take a look at the YouTube blackout blamed on Pakistan, violent protests in Serbia following the Kosovan declaration of independence, Malaysian newspaper censorship, the Iranian journalist on death row and US Republican front-runner John McCain’s battle with the New York Times.