nation's politics you already know seventy accused unnamed countries of funneling money to opposition parties opposition m.p. and musician bobby wine has been urging the u.s. to suspend military aid to uganda he was charged with treason after stones were thrown at a presidential convoy last month the head of the us media joint c.b.s. that's les moonves is stepping down immediately after new allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault came to light the new yorker magazine reported the latest accusations is one of hollywood's most powerful executives acknowledges relationships with three of the women but he says they were all consensual those are your headlines the news continues after the listening post i'm back in about thirty minutes with thirty minutes of world news see that. in indonesia palm oil is a billion dollar business want to win east investigates the price the countries paying. to feed the world. on al-jazeera.

a court has sentenced to turn once for reuters to. work out. a strike to. one point archie i say. hello i'm barbara sarah and you're the listening post here are some of the stories we're covering this week the sentencing of to reuters journalists and the failed promise of media reform there there's a voice from inside the house the white house and it's speaking through the pages of the new york times the magic and mystery of the british royal family and the role of the media in spinning the fairy tale plus putin the renascence man or at least that's russian state t.v. season police in myanmar admitted there had been a set up the burmese military said the massacre that was reported did indeed happen

and yet after eight months in prison to reuters journalists while on and who have been sentenced by a burma's judge at the seven years in jail their crime obtaining secrets that documents as they research the killing and mass burial of ten range of men in two thousand and seventy the story of the ethnic violence against minority range of muslims in myanmar has been in the headlines for over a year now international media had access into the country severely restricted and much of the local media have taken the government and military side over the treatment of the range up amid stories of military orchestrated violence recently confirmed in the united nations report that. rylan sentencing of the reuters reporter has captured the tension inside and outside me and are they listening posts meenakshi ravi now on the case of waldo and shah saw and the very high price journalists in myanmar pay if they report unfavorably on them in the tree.

outside a courtroom in yangon myanmar on the morning of the third of september journalists awaited news on the sentencing of two burmese reporters one and. the detained down seven years imprisonment and just as he had done so many times in the eight months before that the two men came out to declare their innocence and get in touch. and were hauled into a police car to be driven away to. do it as is asia editor kevin connolly he was inside the courtroom when the judge issued the sentence against his colleagues we had been prepared intellectually prepared when there was possible. that the judge would rule as it did. but nothing can prepare you for

confronting. injustice as it happens the very hard for the families of warmth for the young family as we've been following this case from the beginning that we already know that there will be and that it is actually but that it is it is not very good but the early in this moment but it is not surprised us because we've been through this. a long. long and child would have rested in december last year a blues policeman admitted in court that the man had been entrapped and they had been researching a story about the mass killing and burial of tender hinge a man in myanmar is northern rock kind of state the police offered them a key secret state documents that would corroborate their findings the documents would in fact not secret the situation was a setup and the reporters were arrested and charged under the official secrets act

a law that has been on the books since one thousand twenty three when myanmar was called burma and was a colony of great britain these two voices journalists were one of the few journalists that were actually doing investigative work into the situation in rakhine state they were sentenced under a colonial era law at the official secrets act but other repressive laws are extensively used as well. peaceful assembly act the penal code has a whole raft of repressive laws these two genovese reach their freedom and their their lives to expose regional site exposed the highest crime that was quite committed by the various military and this is the biggest threat for them for the military but they will never tolerate this. government has a unique structure unlike any government anywhere else in two thousand and sixteen entente suchi the political activist who had been kept under house arrest for fifteen years due. when the military dictatorship took up the post of state

councilor akin to a prime ministership it was a momentous event i'm a historic day for the better people and around the world men must transition from military to civilian government was heralded as the start of an era of democracy for the country. but the reality was never quite so simple twenty five percent of parliamentary seats are reserved for the burmese military and as mandated by the constitution three key ministries of home affairs defense and border affairs are headed by serving members of the military for instance and she and her emily d. party being in government has effectively meant working alongside and often in subservience to her former captors of his a anxiety che and her government are limited in their powers because the military are still very much in control the military control the police and much of the judiciary so i think cities government cannot stop the police arresting journalists

or other human rights activists however they do have the power to stop prosecutions going forward and also under presidential amnesties they can release political prisoners but more importantly they have the power to repel these repressive laws that are being used but we've seen none of those actions by by the government in terms of and they're going into the. money that is but the problem is about radio you know not done yet where we are very disappointed about it so media freedom is not there are these countries. look putting in local burmese outlets on the violence against to injure people has been poor it isn't just intimidation censorship or lack of access that has affected the coverage many burmese have grown up hearing political and social rhetoric against it. calling them vermin illegals and a threat to the buddhist majority. a lot of this language has been reproduced in the

country's media over the years. and yet when it has come to the case of while on and chaucer journalists in myanmar have largely shown solidarity this case has set on winding precedent and they can see the danger that faces them on if you look at this media the majority of them the tool of the propaganda machine of the military and they have bred so many hatred and misinformation about the range of minorities but this to me generally when they were arrested media asked to speak out but they are not doing this to generally expose the crime of the military but actually this media focusing on the press freedom. whether media in myanmar choose to report on it or not the role of the country's military in the killings and forcing out of revenge of muslims has been documented in international reporting the un team said as do most of the military's scorched earth tactics have led to

ten thousand deaths a conservative and most damningly in a recent report published by the united nations human rights council. the report states that the burmese commander in chief climbed and his deputies bear quote greatest responsibility for the ethnic cleansing of range of people. the government declined our request for a statement on one woman and child case in a press conference however a spokesperson said the sentencing of the journalists was the clearest indication of an independent and a functioning judiciary. there had been hopes that aung san suu kyi would use one of the few powers she does hold to grant a pardon to the reporters. that didn't happen i mean a media landscape already intimidated and controlled by the state there's now a chill more intense than it has been in the past few years whatever happens now nothing. for the eight months while on trial so i have been

separated from their families deprived of their freedom and on the able to work as a journalist. but it is important now. that the injustice of this conviction but the prison sentence be overturned it does send a very chilling message to the media and whether they are released and amnesty nato or not my very strong message given about reporting on issues connected to the military issues relating to range and the situation in rakhine state unfortunately the verdict if anything provides support to those. in the security forces who sought to cover up evidence of a real crime those who participated in the maps killing persons the ten year prison terms the two men who exposed the killing were sentenced to seven years as an injustice by any standard and they can't be allowed to stand.

for discussing other media stories that are on our radar today with one of our producers that. there's been a lot of concern over a new social media law that's been approved by the egyptian president of the. why the concern barbara this new law gives egypt supremes counsel for media regulation the power to monitor any social media account website or blog with more than five thousand photos which effectively means a personal choice of page can be regulated in the same way as a media outlet no think that pages or websites that publish fake news or inciting material will be suspended or blogs and of course that's a clause that can be interpreted very widely indeed a mistake international says it gives the state new total control over print online and broadcast media and i spoke with egyptian jon this about the law. this new media law is nothing short of social political

a six year for egyptian citizens it seeks to not only limit and suppress any journalistic. means of expression but it does so for citizen journalists more so than anything else you may not even think of yourself as a citizen journalist but you will be equally a respite if the government deems what you say to be inaccurate fake news or the worst case of all scenarios a threat to national security is so tight that this law specifically targets so-called fake news online and that's a big issue for the egyptian government isn't president thea's blamed fake news for spreading k. off and instability in egypt and july remove from terrorism loss of hope and feelings of frustration or these were in a ground network and that one objective only one objective and that if to move people to destroy that country of course accusing jonathan activists of spreading

false rumors in egypt is not new but it is ironic because if the government that is often accused by critics of spreading fake knew even if the information i'm heading for told me that coupled with on the north in egypt have the effect of shutting down any difficulty that isn't government approved most every media law whether it be the recent recent media law just confirm or the cyber crimes law which preceded it or the terrorism law which preceded it by several years seek to do one thing and that is maximize and amplify government line and doctrine via a variety of media whether it be television radio newspapers digital or otherwise while at the very same time suffocating discourse that is alter it. and as i don't believe this new media law is just the latest measure in what has been months of tightening restrictions on media in egypt and of course numerous

german activists and academics continue to be arrested and jailed one of al-jazeera this journalist mahmoud a sane has been imprisoned in egypt for more than fix hundred twenty days now without trial that's right without trial and without charge and the network does continue to call for his release take a look at another story now the new york times took what it called a rare step in the past week by publishing a pretty explosive anonymous opinion op ed piece there it is tell us why it's so explosive when barbara it's highly unusual for a newspaper to publish an anonymous and in this case the piece was written by a senior white house official who says there are members of the administration working to quote frustrate parts of parts of trying its agenda and his worst intonations in the time the touched the night to the thing that the rights of identity had to be protected and that publishing the piece anonymously was the only

way to deliver an important perspective to that read of the entire process was reportedly conducted through the secretive to the even the tongues news department had no idea that the piece was about to be published and president trump and its supporters have long said that there are two forces in america working to undermine his presidency one of the news media the other is the so-called deep state so you can imagine their reaction to this article trump questions on twitter whether the guts list white house official even exists and if so said that the failing new york times should turn them over to the government tarik thank you. the royal wedding that took place in london four months ago played like a scene from a fairy tale and the media lapped it up events like these play a part in the british royal family's ongoing effort to rebrand itself like prince william's wedding to kate middleton back in two thousand and eleven the televised of prince harry and meghan markle have helped buckingham palace repair its public

image which was badly damaged following the death of princess diana in one thousand nine hundred seven but what about the role played by the intermediaries journalists in this royal rebrand well the pomp and pageantry might mean little more than ratings and clicks for international media but britain's forces state is supposed to hold the country's elite to account and they don't come much more elite of privilege than the house of windsor funded by the taxpayer but is the royal reporting british audiences usually get long on deference and short on scrutiny the listening posts than you're touring now on the relationship between media and monarchy in the united kingdom. on the nineteenth of may the british royal family delivered the kind of global

media spectacle but only it seems capable of was one that featured in news cycles continents how excited whenever anything counterpoint. and it's really trial have with viewing figures in the hundreds of millions it's little wonder that the world's media were out in force as a journalist covering it you felt that you were covering an iconic moment in royal history well that that is some dress a.j. and i'm still sort of just absorbing that some of those prime positions that were taken by the b.b.c. a.b.c. and we do have a price you will sponsor some of the other american networks were costing in the region all six figures every day that tells you that the networks clearly thought they were going to get a return for their money you know this is bigger than any reality t.v. show you the machine and this is real money even at the guardian who. you know a republican. they can't help but coverage because they worry that they will be the

only newspaper without any coverage that's hugely attention on there and the same time you don't get it in journalism you don't get people clearly and exactly how much the wedding costs and why we're still funding it oh i think the problem if you will for people who don't like to talk about numbers. if questioning the cost of royal events can feel a touch with the british journalists that's not the case for their audiences according to a u.k. opinion poll taken days before the wedding the majority of britons opposed any public money being spent on. the royal family says it paid for the private time specs of the ceremony. they won't specify whether that money came from their private wealth estimated at more than a billion dollars or from the annual sovereign grant they received from the government one hundred five million dollars this year. however we do know that the bill for security report to be as much as forty million dollars was picked up by

taxpayers britain's media covering a row of austerity but usually quick to query public spending when it involves royalty they can seem sure is the court should more questions have been asked about the cost of security maybe but there is a tendency to avoid what we call sour grapes once it became clear that parliament did not vote in an extra five million pounds to pay for the wedding i think the broadcasters accepted that the funding a wealth of the royal family isn't from the needs much more attention so what we've seen in britain in recent years is advice stop the contrast of inequality so we've seen a huge rise in the number of people using food banks education is a massive cuts. in the same period is finances increasing booking and palast and be awarded i think it was over three hundred million man evasions so it's about making those connections to the politics that

are going on in my britain. over the centuries the british monarchy has lost many of its formal powers but the sovereign and the heirs to the throne do still inherit such an unique privileges tax on the profits from their states is voluntary and doesn't have to be disclosed then there are the queen's weekly confidential meetings with the prime minister which allow her to air her views on government policy. the queen and prince charles also receive all memoranda from the cabinet and have the right to veto new laws that affect them and as a guardian freedom of information request revealed prince charles lobbies ministers in private meetings and letter. are you still writing to a minister that like. any other involving prostitution or violence i think that is like that however jury in the guardian's investigation the government passed a law granting the queen and prince charles an absolute exemption from the freedom of information act making it even harder for journalists to scrutinize the monarchy

instead britain's royal correspondents tend to cover the fluffiest side of royalty i think probably we can get a little preoccupied with the flippant for example if you want a royal engagement you know you're job is to relay what's going on it may well be a visit to the teenage cancer trust or an aids related charity for prince harry's work and you know you often finding that your top line in the story is well make a stepped out of a space again there is an issue here about taking members of the royal family and holding them directly to account as you might with a politician or a business person or whatever should i be shouting a question of course as a journalist the answer is yes i should tradition protocol d.n.a. with the royal family determines the by and large we don't we're timid feeble lot no doubt about that we ought to be bold. if the commercial value of oil news

explains how it gets reported by britain's privately owned outlets that still leaves the public broadcaster the british broadcasting corporation the b.b.c.'s constitution the royal charter says its primary mission is to provide impartial news but when it comes to royalty critics say the b.b.c.'s coverage for seriously short the b.b.c. constantly talk about balance when it comes to everything else that politics economics climate change that track but when it comes to our family simply isn't there a thoughtful leader the sensible girl and the mischievous redhead doing things with that unaffected style which has become the. feels safe in many ways. for the royals every single time there's a royal birth they will be outside the hospital waiting to fill in time. this news coming in to us that there could be an announcement soon. public

have to end its coverage without any place and i mean this is batman's motorbike which was altogether too much for william to keep by kill himself to resist the b.b.c. seems to have completely accepted that the state broadcaster should be deferential . we put this criticism to the b.b.c. the press office replied that the b.b.c. applies to impartiality to all of our output including our coverage of the u.k. monarchy there's a saying about the british press that they're either at your throat or at your feet and in the nineteen eighties and nineties the relationship between media and monarchy was more hostile headlines like these were common as britain's tabloids ruthlessly exploited while private lives. but the death of princess diana in one thousand nine hundred seven marked a turning point newspaper accused of hounding diana to. promise to keep a more respectful distance. as for the royal household its response to the crisis

was seen as cold hearted faced with a dramatic drop in popularity buckingham palace began its rebranding with a little help from the professionals we can see in the royal household and is a set of individuals particularly in their world communications office who have previously worked very small to corporations who have particular particular knowledge about how to package royal news in particular ways that will work for the news cycle to remake the british monarchy more much and as more cosmopolitan as more multicultural and using the tools that those young girls offer them i think the younger generation will really understand that if they show themselves be a bit more down to earth by working in the army for a bit or by going to win if they play the game then the media will play along with them. the success of the monarchy is modernization is undeniable it's those covering them who seem stuck in the park in eight hundred sixty seven want to

editor of the economist wrote above all things are royalty has to be reverenced and if you begin to poke about it you cannot reference it we must not let in daylight upon magic poking about is the job of germany. for some british journalists the magic of the world maybe still cost spell if you got a little way there is no question we got away. and finally russia as a state owned c a one t.v. channel launched a new show this past week called moscow kremlin putin in the first episode an hour long affair the shows that famously pro kremlin host of letting their silly off aired footage of president putin trekking up a hillside cruising on a boat and speaking with schoolkids he even had the president's press secretary to meet three of peskov on so. it for an interview about putin's love for children and

the secrets to his quote beautiful physique rossiya why that hasn't explained the rationale for this show it probably isn't a coincidence that it comes at a time of protests over the raising of age limits for pensioners recent polls in russia have also shown putin's numbers slipping and in need of a well leaving you with some clips from the premier of moscow kremlin putin and we'll see you next time here at the listening post. british if you would you. need to do. that of course it was a. very. good so but i was this is a school. near the school it's crazy program. to put it into who you can produce really because you just before. but i'm biased because of all known as compared.

to most on the. blower to have a pretty skinny i'm the kind they use to as more than a skeleton yet literally coming to talk. the words for using in the q i mean to. quote. could go and get to the question again your. number was you know what if they're losing in my it's a. the occupied west bank city of hebron is on the front line of the arab israeli conflict you don't really care after all well about palestinians you don't like it i don't like it but you just don't care about but one man is standing up to israeli pressure to sell his house for an unimaginable figure the people of hugo who is the man that showed up at the government of al-jazeera world tells the story of the house the symbol of resistance to continuing occupation the hundred million dollar home how. was your

life. sweden faces a political deadlock after an election that saw no clear winner between center left and center right blocs a rise in support for the far right. again on peter told me this is al jazeera live from our headquarters here in doha also coming up save the children warning that hunger is being used as a weapon of war with a child dying every minute in conflict zones this year. the cambodian opposition leader kim sacar is accused of treason is released from prison but he's not really a free man. sudan's president dissolves his government and picks

a new prime minister in hopes of fixing the country's struggling economy. sweden is facing a period of lengthy political wrangling after an election which ended in stalemate though with big gains for the far right the center left bloc led by the prime minister stephan lawson came out was just over forty percent of the vote he's rejected calls for his resignation and says he'll hold talks with political opponents about forming a coalition government the center right alliance led by the moderates say it's they who are being given the mandate to lead the country they want virtually the same share as the leftist outgoing government bloc the far right anti immigration n.t.e.u. sweden democrats led by you me or colson gain support seeing their vote rising to seventeen percent talks to form a new government begin on monday but all parties have so far refused to work with

the sweden democrats is the obvious we can. well defacto of course i'm disappointed that's a party with nazi roots gang sign wants ground it's a party that in this election has had representatives that wanted journalists died which has glorified hitler and humiliated victims of the holocaust this weekend democrats could never offer a change or improvements in society the only thing they could offer is widening the gap in society and growing hatred jonah hole now from stockholm the center left social democrats have been the biggest party in every swedish election for a century true again this time but not by far and it's a relief it's been their worst result over i think i think it's fine the problem now is how can we make it. how can we be governed with this since it's really hard to see.