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Iranian Journalists' View on Coverage of Protests

People protest in Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. REUTERS.
People protest in Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. REUTERS.
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Iranian Journalists' View on Coverage of Protests

People protest in Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. REUTERS.
People protest in Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. REUTERS.

Iranian media outlets are one more time facing an uneasy test to evaluate their credibility and their readiness to cover internal crises.

One month ago, Iranian citizens started protesting against the high cost of living. During electoral campaigns, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned against altercations among officials through media platforms and social movements.

The war wasn’t restricted to authorities and social media. For its part, the media was a battlefield arena for official and unofficial media -- Iranian channels only reported a number of news from Iranian officials while Persian channels outside Iran showed a totally different coverage.

In this context, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper surveilled Iranian journalists about the Iranian media performance in covering the protests.

Iran Seeks Imposing Censorship on Foreign Media Outlets

Reza Moini, the head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 's Iran/Afghanistan desk, told Asharq Al-Awsat in a phone call that the coverage of the protests in Iran was influenced by "Iran's policy of internationalizing censorship", pointing out that authorities are trying through intimidation to publish Iranian internal news in foreign media.

“We are facing two realities. We don’t have free independent internal channels to report news. Some international channels that provide a Persian service represent a more independent source,” Moini stated.

Based on previous data published by RSF regarding this topic, Moini stated that there are attempts to seize these channels, noting that the Iranian regime is threatening journalists working with them and tempting others. “If I were to give an example about attempts to control foreign media, I would compare news published by Reuters and AFP,” he said. Moini pointed out that AFP has an office in Tehran and is being pressured.

According to Moini, any journalist who goes to Iran faces double pressures if he has a dual nationality, and if he has a single nationality then he would be fasced with files against the channel or newspaper he works for.

As for restrictions made on the Internet, he saw that the regime suffers from paradoxical positions towards the media. It gains money from the iIternet, but at the same time imposes restrictions on citizens’ freedoms.

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Britain, India Sign Free Trade Pact during Modi Visit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India pose for a photo - Reuters
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India pose for a photo - Reuters
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Britain, India Sign Free Trade Pact during Modi Visit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India pose for a photo - Reuters
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India pose for a photo - Reuters

Britain and India signed a free trade agreement on Thursday during a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sealing a deal to cut tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky and cars and allow more market access for businesses.

Talks on the trade pact were concluded in May after three years of stop-start negotiations, with both sides hastening efforts to clinch a deal in the shadow of tariff turmoil unleashed by US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.

The agreement between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies aims to increase bilateral trade by a further 25.5 billion pounds ($34 billion) by 2040.

It is Britain's biggest trade deal since it left the European Union in 2020 but its impact will be a fraction of the effect of leaving the orbit of its closest trading partner.

It is India's biggest strategic partnership with an advanced economy, and it could provide a template for a long-mooted deal with the EU and for talks with other regions.

Both sides hailed as historic a deal which will take effect following a ratification process, likely within a year, after which firms such as whisky distiller Diageo and carmakers including BMW, Nissan, Aston Martin and Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover could benefit from lower duties.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there would be huge benefits for both countries, making trade cheaper, quicker and easier.

"We've entered a new global era, and that is one that requires us to step up, not to stand aside... by building deeper partnerships and alliances," Starmer said in a statement next to Modi at his Chequers country residence.

Modi called the agreement "a blueprint for our shared prosperity," highlighting how Indian goods from textiles to jewelry and seafood would secure better market access.

The countries also agreed a partnership covering areas such as defence and climate, and aim to strengthen co-operation on tackling crime. Modi spent nearly three hours with Starmer before going to meet King Charles at his Sandringham Estate.

WHISKY AND CARS

Under the trade agreement, tariffs on Scotch whisky will drop to 75% from 150% immediately, and slide to 40% over the next decade. Tariffs on drinks such as brandy and rum will be cut to 110% initially and end up at 75%.

On cars, India will cut duties to 10% within five years from current levels of up to 110% under a quota system that will be gradually liberalised.

In return, Indian manufacturers will gain access to the British market for electric and hybrid vehicles, also under a quota system.

Under the deal, 99% of Indian exports to Britain will benefit from zero duties, including textiles, and Britain will have reductions on 90% of its tariff lines, with the average tariff UK firms face dropping to 3% from 15%.

But the projected boost to British economic output, of 4.8 billion pounds a year by 2040, is small compared to Britain's gross domestic product of 2.6 trillion pounds in 2024.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that UK exports and imports will be about 15% lower in the long run than if Britain had stayed in the EU.

Britain's Labour government, in power for a year, has launched a reset of ties with the EU to smooth trade friction and won some tariff relief from the United States.

"In an era of rising protectionism, today's announcement sends a powerful signal," said Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry.

The Confederation of Indian Industry called it a "strong foundation for deeper market access."

The deal will facilitate easier access for temporary business visitors although visas are not covered. The sides also agreed that workers will no longer have to make social security contributions in both India and Britain while on temporary postings to the other.

British firms will be able to access India's procurement market for projects in sectors such as clean energy, and the trade deal also covers services sectors such as insurance.

India did not manage to secure an exemption from Britain's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism - which could levy higher taxes on polluters from 2027 - as part of the deal.