Al Jazeera Launches English Broadcasts

Al Jazeera, known for its non-western perspective, launched on Wednesday an English language news channel available in more than 80 million homes. Broadcasting from the station`s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the opening programs focused on the third world and focused on life in Gaza and on the Islamic militia fighting for control of Somalia.

Ten years after its first Arabic-language broadcast, the English version has emerged and will be available with cable and satellite TV, mainly in the Middle East and Europe. However the channel hopes to capture viewers from CNN and the BBC as it plans on focusing on news for English speakers. Al-Jazeera English was eager to show its global reach, shuffling live broadcasts from correspondents in Darfur, Iran, Zimbabwe and Brazil.

The United States administration has criticised al-Jazeera`s coverage of Iraq and said its broadcasting of messages from Osama bin Laden is incitement to terrorism. Al-Jazeera says the bin Laden messages and Iraqi images are newsworthy. It has urged US officials to regard the channel as the ideal venue for addressing the Muslim world.

                                 

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