War of the remote controls: new Arabic TV channel challenges Al Jazeera
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At 2 pm Paris time on Monday 11th June, the Arabic news channel Al Mayadeen will go live on a satellite network around the world. Its slogan: "Reality like it is". The channel's bosses and a dozen or so of its staff all used to work at Al Jazeera. Now they say their former employer's coverage of the Arab Spring was biased, and that it seeks to push the diplomatic agenda of its Qatari founders. But Al Mayadeen has its own political ties - with Damascus and Tehran.