he Iranian authorities have shut down the Tehran offices of al-Jazeera, accusing the broadcaster of inflaming ethnic riots in the south of the country. al-Jazeera has appealed to the government to reverse its decision. "al-Jazeera assures its audience that it will continue to cover Iranian affairs objectively, comprehensively and in a balanced way, and calls on the relevant Iranian authorities to reconsider the decision to suspend its bureau�s activities," the broadcaster said.

The Arabic news network was first to report the unrest in Iran�s south-west Khuzestan province near the Iraq border. The unrest was also discussed on al-Jazeera�s talkshows, prompting a government investigation into its coverage.... more