Country profile: Bahrain

Bahrain - whose name means "two seas" - was once viewed by the ancient Sumerians as an island paradise to which the wise and the brave were taken to enjoy eternal life.

It was one of the first states in the Gulf to discover oil and to build a refinery; as such, it benefited from oil wealth before most of its neighbours.


But Bahrain never reached the levels of production enjoyed by Kuwait or Saudi Arabia and has been forced to diversify its economy.

AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: The al-Khalifah family has ruled since 1783; Bahrain is now a constitutional monarchy with an elected legislative assembly; majority Shiites are demanding more power from Sunni-led government
Economy: Bahrain is a banking and financial services centre; its small and reasonably prosperous economy is less dependent on oil than most Gulf states
International: Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet


The country has been headed since 1783 by the al-Khalifah family, members of the Bani Utbah tribe, who expelled the Persians. From 1861, when a treaty was signed with Britain, until independence in 1971, Bahrain was virtually a British protectorate.

The king is the supreme authority and members of the Sunni Muslim ruling family hold the main political and military posts. There are long-running tensions between Bahrain's Sunnis and the Shia Muslim majority. On occasion, these have spilled over into civil unrest.

In 2001 Bahrainis strongly backed proposals put by the emir - now the king - to turn the country into a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament and an independent judiciary.

Elections were duly held in 2002 for a 40-member parliament, the Council of Deputies. It was the first such poll in nearly 30 years. The new body included a dozen Shia MPs.


The country has enjoyed increasing freedom of expression, and monitors say the human rights situation has improved. However, opposition groups and campaigners continue to press for political reforms, including greater powers for the elected assembly.

Bahrain - a chain of around 30 islands - is a haven for tourists from the region, who take advantage of its relaxed social environment. A close ally of the US, it is home to the American navy's Fifth Fleet.


Full name: Kingdom of Bahrain
Population: 753,000 (UN, 2007)
Capital: Manama
Area: 717 sq km (277 sq miles)
Major language: Arabic
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 74 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Bahraini dinar = 1,000 fils
Main exports: Petroleum and petroleum products, aluminium
GNI per capita: US $14,370 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .bh
International dialling code: +973



King: Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah

Sheikh Hamad's title changed to king when Bahrain switched from being an emirate to a monarchy in February 2002.

He had been crown prince since 1964, when, on the death of his father Sheikh Isa in March 1999, he became emir.

Born in 1950, he was educated at a public school in Cambridge, England, and went on to study at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England, and at the US Army Command and Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

In 1968, he founded and became commander-in-chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF). He served as minister of defence from 1971 to 1988.


Bahrain is keen to promote itself as a regional media hub; the London-based pan-Arab satellite broadcaster MBC chose it as the base for its MBC-2 channel.

Most radio and TV stations are state-run. The country's first private radio station - Sawt al-Ghad - launched in 2005, but the authorities shut it down in 2006, alleging irregularities.

A press law guarantees the right of journalists to operate independently and to publish information. But they are liable to jail terms for offences which include insulting the king, and self-censorship is practised.

The press
Akhbar al-Khaleej - private,daily
Al-Ayam - private, daily
Al-Wasat - private, daily
Bahrain Tribune - English-language
Gulf Daily News - English-language

Television
Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) - state-run; operates five terrestrial TV networks
Radio
Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) - state-run; operates General Programme in Arabic, Second Programme featuring cultural and local programmes, Holy Koran Programme, Sports Service, English-language Radio Bahrain
Voice FM - private, for Indian listeners

News agency
Bahrain News Agency (BNA) - English-language pages

Country profile: Algeria

Algeria, a gateway between Africa and Europe, has been battered by violence over the past half-century.

More than a million Algerians were killed in the fight for independence from France in 1962, and the country has recently emerged from a brutal internal conflict that followed scrapped elections in 1992.



The Sahara desert covers more than four-fifths of the land. Oil and gas reserves were discovered here in the 1950s, but most Algerians live along the northern coast. The country supplies large amounts of natural gas to Europe and energy exports are the backbone of the economy.
AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: President Bouteflika led his country out of the civil war that broke out when Islamists were denied an election victory; rebel activity surged again at the end of 2006
Economy: Algeria is a key oil and gas supplier
International: Tension persists between Algeria and Morocco over the Western Sahara, where nomadic Saharans are seeking self-determination


Algeria was originally inhabited by Berbers until the Arabs conquered North Africa in the 7th century. Staying mainly in the mountainous regions, the Berbers resisted the spreading Arab influence, managing to preserve much of their language and culture. They make up some 30% of the population.

Part of the Turkish Ottoman empire from the 16th century, Algeria was conquered by the French in 1830 and was given the status of a "departement". The struggle for independence began in 1954 headed by the National Liberation Front, which came to power on independence in 1962.

In the 1990s Algerian politics was dominated by the struggle involving the military and Islamist militants. In 1992 a general election won by an Islamist party was annulled, heralding a bloody civil war in which more than 150,000 people were slaughtered.

An amnesty in 1999 led many rebels to lay down their arms.

Although political violence in Algeria has declined since the 1990s, the country has been shaken by by a campaign of bombings carried out by a group calling itself Al-Qaeda in the Land of Islamic Maghreb (AQLIM).

Although experts doubt that the group has direct operational links with Osama Bin-Laden, its methods - which include suicide bombings - and its choice of targets, such as foreign workers and the UN headquarters in Algiers, are thought to be inspired by Al-Qaeda. North African governments fear that local Islamist groups in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia may be linking up under the umbrella of the new movement.

In 2001 the government agreed to a series of demands by the minority Berbers, including official recognition of their language, after months of unrest involving Berber youths demanding greater cultural and political recognition.


Full name: The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Population: 33.9 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Algiers
Area: 2.4 million sq km (919,595 sq miles)
Major languages: Arabic, French, Berber
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 dinar = 100 centimes
Main exports: Oil, gas
GNI per capita: US $2,730 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .dz
International dialling code: +213


President: Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Abdelaziz Bouteflika secured a landslide election victory in April 2004. He promised to seek "true national reconciliation" during his second term. The military - traditionally a key player in Algerian politics - pledged neutrality during the poll.

On first taking office in 1999 he promised to restore national harmony and to end years of bloodshed.

He released thousands of Muslim militants and won backing for a civil concord in 1999 which offered an amnesty to armed militants.

Many of the rebels accepted and the violence declined. Voters backed a second amnesty for the remaining militants, laid out in the president's "charter for peace and reconciliation", in a 2005 referendum.

Algeria under President Bouteflika has won praise from the West for backing the US-led "war on terror". At home, many credit him with the return of security. But some campaigners say abuses by the security forces go on and rights group Amnesty International says allegations about the torture of detainees continue to be reported.

Mr Bouteflika says he wants to tackle Algeria's economic ills, including high unemployment and a dependency on energy exports.

A veteran of the war for independence from France, Mr Bouteflika was Algeria's foreign minister for 16 years until 1979. He went into self-imposed exile for several years in the 1980s to escape corruption charges that were later dropped.

Power is concentrated in the presidency, with parliament considered as a rubber-stamping body.



Algeria's television and radio stations are state-controlled, but there is a lively private press which often criticises the authorities.

There is no direct censorship, but laws set out prison terms and fines for insulting or defaming the president, MPs, judges and the army.

Media rights bodies have accused the government of using the laws to control the private press.

Algerian dailies mark the anniversary of the introduction of the defamation laws by suspending publication in a protest known as a "day without newspapers".

Satellite TV is popular; stations based in France target viewers in Algeria and European channels are widely-watched.

Algeria can be a dangerous environment for media workers; 57 journalists were murdered between 1993-97. Most of the killings were blamed on armed Islamist groups.

Most internet users rely on dial-up connections and cybercafes for access. Access is not restricted, but users and ISPs can face prosecution over material deemed to be offensive or harmful to public order.

The press:
El Khabar - private, Arabic daily; website has pages in Arabic, French and English
Ech Chourouk - private, Arabic daily
Le Quotidien d'Oran - private, French-language daily
El Moudjahid - state-run, French-language daily
Ech Chaab - state-run, Arabic daily
El Watan - private, French language daily
Le Soir d'Algeria - private, French-language daily
Liberte - private, French-language
La Tribune - private, French-language
Algerian Press Portal - press directory

Television:
Enterprise Nationale de Television (ENTV) - state-run
BRTV - Berber station, via satellite from France

Radio:
Algerian Radio - operated by state-run Radio-Television Algerienne, runs national Arabic, Berber and French networks and several local stations

News agencies:
Algerian Press Service (APS) - state-run
Agence Algerienne d'Information (AAI) - private

Country profile: Sri Lanka

Nestling off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has beguiled travellers for centuries with its palm-fringed beaches, diverse landscapes and historical monuments.

But for nearly two decades, the island was scarred by a bitter civil war arising out of ethnic tensions. A ceasefire was signed in 2002, but it was undermined by regular clashes between government troops and Tamil rebels, and in January 2008 it expired.


Known as "Serendip" to Arab geographers, the island fell under Portuguese and Dutch influence and finally came under British rule when it was called Ceylon. NATION AT WAR
Army and Tamil separatists are engaged in conflict involving air raids, roadside blasts, suicide bombings, land and sea battles
More than 50,000 killed
1983 - start of war
2002 - ceasefire is signed but violence escalates in 2006



There is a long-established Tamil minority in the north and east. The British also brought in Tamil labourers to work the coffee and tea plantations in the central highlands, making the island a major tea producer.

But the majority Buddhist Sinhalese community resented what they saw as favouritism towards the mainly-Hindu Tamils under British administration.

The growth of a more assertive Sinhala nationalism after independence fanned the flames of ethnic division until civil war erupted in the 1980s between Tamils pressing for self-rule and the government.

Most of the fighting took place in the north. But the conflict also penetrated the heart of Sri Lankan society with Tamil Tiger rebels carrying out devastating suicide bombings in Colombo in the 1990s.

The violence killed more than 60,000 people, damaged the economy and harmed tourism in one of South Asia's potentially prosperous societies.

A ceasefire and a political agreement reached between the government and rebels in late 2002 raised hopes for a lasting settlement. But Norwegian-brokered peace talks have stalled and monitors reported open violations of the truce by the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.

Escalating violence between the two sides in 2006 killed hundreds of people and raised fears of a return to all-out war. In January 2008, the government said it was withdrawing from the 2002 ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire expired a fortnight later.

Sri Lanka suffered its worst disaster in late 2004 when giant waves generated by an undersea earthquake off Indonesia swept ashore, killing more than 30,000 people and devasting swathes of the coast.


Full name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Population: 19.3 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative)
Largest city: Colombo
Area: 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles)
Major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English
Major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: Sri Lankan rupee
Main exports: Clothing and textiles, tea, gems, rubber, coconuts
GNI per capita: US $1,160 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .lk
International dialling code: +94



President: Mahinda Rajapakse

Mahinda Rajapakse, prime minister at the time of his election, won the November 2005 presidential poll by a narrow margin. His main rival was the opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Mr Rajapakse was backed by Marxist and Buddhist parties in the government. He also benefited from an extremely low turnout by Tamils in the north and east.

But he inherited a troubled economy and a faltering peace process. During campaigning he promised to take a hard line in any peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels and said he would seek direct talks with the group's leader.

He says the solution to the conflict lies in a unitary state.

Mr Rajapakse, a Buddhist lawyer, became prime minister in 2004, heading a heavily-polarised parliament.

He served under Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga, president since 1994. She had backed economic liberalisation while in office but government rifts slowed the pace of change.


Her coalition was also divided over the Tamil peace process. The former president pursued a twin-track approach during the civil war, trying to offer the Tamil rebels some form of autonomy while seeking the upper hand on the battlefield.

However, she accused the government of making too many concessions to the rebels and tensions over the peace process led to a bitter power struggle with the then prime minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, in 2003.

The Sri Lankan president can appoint and dismiss the prime minister, and can dissolve parliament.



Media outlets are divided along linguistic and ethnic lines, with state-run and private operators offering services in the main languages.

Many of the main broadcasters and publications are state-owned, including two major TV stations, radio networks operated by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), and newspapers in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

There are more than a dozen private radio stations, and eight privately-run TV stations. Sri Lanka's privately-owned press and broadcasters often engage in political debate, and criticise government policies.

In 2002, against the background of the peace process, the government allowed Tamil Tiger rebels to begin FM broadcasts of their Voice of Tigers radio station in the north. Broadcasts had previously operated on a clandestine basis. The station was targeted in a bombing raid by the Sri Lankan air force in late 2007.

Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders says the press come under pressure from the authorities, while the Tamil Tigers "allow no dissident voices" in the areas they control.

The internet is a growing medium for news; many papers have online editions. There were 428,000 internet users by August 2007 according to world telecoms body, the ITU.

Press
Daily News - state-owned, English-language daily
The Island - private, English-language daily
Daily Mirror - private, English-language daily
Dinamina - state-owned, Sinhala daily
Lankadeepa - private, Sinhala daily
Lakbima - private, Sinhala daily
Uthayan - private, Tamil daily
Virakesari - private, Tamil daily

Television
Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) - state-owned, operates two channels: Rupavahini and Channel Eye
Independent Television Network (ITN) - state-run, Sri Lanka's first TV station
Sirasa TV - private, Sinhala
MTV (Maharaj TV) - private, English-language
TNL - private, English-language
ART TV - private
ETV - private
Swarnavahini - private, Sinhala
Shakthi TV - private, Tamil

Radio
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) - state-owned, operates domestic services in Sinhala, Tamil and English, including widely-listened-to Commercial Service
TNL Rocks - private, English-language
Sun FM - private, English-language
Yes FM - private, English-language
Sirasa FM - private, Sinhala
Shree FM - private, Sinhala
Sooriyan FM - private, Tamil
Shakthi FM - private, Tamil

News agencies
Lankapuvath - state-owned
TamilNet - Tamil news service

Country profile: Pakistan

The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practiced.

The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.



Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.

The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma and the west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.

War with India over the disputed northern territory of Kashmir came shortly after independence - the two countries fought again in 1965.

The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.

Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability.

Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a civilian government that had lost a great deal of public support.

The coup leader, General Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's fortunes, but faced economic challenges as well as an increasing polarisation between Islamist militancy and the modernising secular wing of Pakistani politics.

At parliamentary elections in February 2008, President Musharraf's supporters were defeated by the opposition Pakistan People's Party and Muslim League. The president appointed People's Party nominee Yusuf Raza Gillani prime minister on 25 March.

Pakistan's place on the world stage shifted after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. It dropped its support for the Taleban regime in Afghanistan and was propelled into the frontline in the fight against terrorism, becoming a key ally of Washington.

Pakistani forces say they have arrested hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban-linked militants in the rugged, restive tribal regions along the Pakistani-Afghan border. Tens of thousands of troops are deployed in the area, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security forces and suspected militants.

Tensions with India over Kashmir remain and have fuelled fears of a regional arms race. However, an ongoing peace process has brought the two nuclear-armed powers back from the brink of renewed conflict.



Full name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Population: 163.9 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Islamabad
Largest city: Karachi
Area: 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq miles), excluding Pakistani-administered Kashmir (83,716 sq km/32,323 sq miles)
Major languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 65 years (men), 66 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Pakistani Rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Textile products, rice, cotton, leather goods
GNI per capita: US $690 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .pk
International dialling code: +92




President: Pervez Musharraf

Prime Minister: Yusuf Raza Gillani

General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 which was widely condemned and which led to Pakistan's suspension from the Commonwealth until 2004.

But he shook off his pariah status and gained foreign acceptance after he backed the US-led campaign against terror following the attacks on America on 11 September 2001.

The president has waged a campaign against Islamic extremists, banning several groups. But his stance against militancy has not been well received in some quarters; the general has survived a number of assassination attempts.

In 2002 General Musharraf awarded himself another five years as president, together with the power to dismiss an elected parliament. The handover from military to civilian rule came with parliamentary elections in November 2002, and the appointment of a civilian prime minister.

He held onto his military role, reneging on a promise to give up his army post and to become a civilian president.

In October 2007 he won the support of most parliamentarians in controversial presidential elections. However, the Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the winner could not be formally announced before it had ruled on whether General Musharraf was eligible to stand.

In early November, the general pre-empted the Supreme Court's ruling on his eligibility by imposing emergency rule and dismissing judges opposed to his candidacy, a move that received widespread condemnation in the international community.

The new Supreme Court confirmed President Musharraf's right to stand, clearing the way for him to become a civilian leader. He quit his army post soon afterwards and in mid-December lifted the state of emergency.

Parliamentary elections were scheduled to take place on 8 January 2008, but were postponed until 18 February on account of the unrest caused by the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

The party which backed Mr Musharraf conceded defeat in the polls.

President Musharraf was born in Delhi in 1943 and his family emigrated to Pakistan after the partition of the Indian sub-continent.

His military career began in 1964 and included spells of training in the UK. He became head of military operations when Ms Bhutto was prime minister, and then head of the army in 1998.




President Pervez Musharraf's rule ushered in increased freedom for the print media and a liberalisation of broadcasting policies.

However, media rules were tightened in 2007 in the midst of an opposition campaign against the president. The legislation gave the broadcasting regulator more power to shut down TV stations.

Months later, under emergency rule, broadcasts of private TV stations via cable were disrupted.

The expansion of private radio and television stations brought to an end more than five decades of the state's virtual monopoly of broadcasting. Journalists protested against media curbs in 2007


Television is the dominant medium, and licences for more than 40 private satellite TV stations have been awarded, bringing increasing competition for the state-run Pakistan Television Corporation. But there are no private, terrestrial TV stations.

Many Pakistanis watch international satellite TV channels, via a dish or an often-unlicensed cable TV operator.

Indian channels such as Zee TV and STAR TV are popular with those who can receive them. The channels circumvent censorship in Pakistan that is far more restrictive than in India.

Around 100 licences have been issued for private FM radio stations, although not all of them have been taken up. Pakistan's media regulator has estimated that the country can support more than 800 private radio stations. Private stations are not allowed to broadcast news.

There are regular reports of private FM stations operating illegally, particularly in the tribal areas of North-West Frontier Province. Some of the stations have been accused of fanning sectarian divisions.

Pakistan and India regularly engage in a war of words via their respective media, occasionally banning broadcasts from the other country.

The government uses a range of legal and constitutional powers to curb press freedom. The shutting down of private TV news channels accompanied the declaration of a state of emergency in late 2007, and the law on blasphemy has been used against journalists.

Nevertheless, Pakistan's print media are among the most outspoken in South Asia.

The Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan estimated in March 2007 that there were between three and five million internet users. The authorities filter some websites. A small but growing number of bloggers write about political topics.

The press
Daily Jang - Karachi-based, Urdu-language; largest-circulation daily
Dawn - Karachi-based, largest-circulation English-language daily
The Nation - Lahore-based, English-language daily
The Frontier Post - Peshawar-based, English-language
The News - English-language daily, published by Jang group
Daily Ausaf - Islamabad-based, Urdu-language
Daily Times - English-language, publishes in Lahore and Karachi
Pakistan Observer - Islamabad-based daily
Business Recorder - financial daily
Pakistan and Gulf Economist - business weekly
The Friday Times - Lahore-based weekly, English-language

Television
Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd - state TV, operates PTV 1, PTV National, PTV Bolan, PTV World
ATV - semi-private, terrestrial network
Geo TV - leading private satellite broadcaster, owned by Jang publishing group; based in Dubai; services include Urdu-language Geo News
Dawn News - private satellite broadcaster, owned by Herald group; first English-language news channel
Aaj TV - private satellite broadcaster, owned by Business Recorder group
Indus TV - private, via satellite; services include Indus Vision, Indus News and entertainment channels
ARY Digital - private, via satellite; services include news channel ARY One World and entertainment channels

Radio
Radio Pakistan - state-run, operates 25 stations nationwide, an external service and the entertainment-based FM 101 network, aimed at younger listeners
Azad Kashmir Radio - state-run
Mast FM 103 - private, music-based
FM 100 - private, music-based

News agency
Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) - state-funded

Country profile: Nepal

With its ancient culture and the Himalayas as a backdrop, landlocked Nepal has long been the destination of choice for travellers in search of adventure.

One of the world's poorest countries, it is striving to overcome the legacy of deadly 10-year Maoist rebellion.


Nepal has been under the sway of an hereditary monarchy or ruling family for most of its known history, largely isolated from the rest of the world. AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: Parliament reinstated in May 2006 after uprising against king; Maoists entered transitional government in January 2007; Nepal declared a republic in 2008
Economy: Civil strife wrecked the economy and Nepal is dependent on aid; tourism is a key foreign exchange earner



A brief experiment with multi-party politics in 1959 ended with King Mahendra suspending parliament and taking sole charge.

Democratic politics was introduced in 1991 after popular protests, but it was extremely factionalised with frequent changes of government. The current monarch twice assumed executive powers - in 2002 and 2005.

Meanwhile, Maoist rebels intent on setting up a communist republic waged a decade-long campaign against the constitutional monarchy.

The rebellion left more than 12,000 people dead. The UN said 100,000 people were displaced. Its envoy said the use of torture by government forces and rebels was routine.

When King Gyanendra's direct rule ended in April 2006 the rebels entered talks on how to end the civil war. A landmark peace deal was agreed in November and in early 2007 the Maoists joined an interim government.

The Maoists withdrew from the government in September, demanding abolition of the monarchy. Parliament agreed to this condition in December, and the rebels rejoined the government. The monarchy was abolished in 2008.

Nepal has been at odds with neighbouring Bhutan over the repatriation of thousands of refugees living in camps in Nepal. The refugees - Bhutanese of Nepalese descent - fled violence in their homeland in the early 1990s.

With the world's highest mountain, Everest, and spectacular scenery and wildlife, the country has great potential as a tourist destination.

It also boasts a distinctive Hindu and Buddhist culture. But its environmental challenges include deforestation, encroachment on animal habitats and vehicle pollution in the capital, Kathmandu.

Most of the population depend on agriculture, and around 40% of Nepalis are estimated to live in poverty.

Foreign aid is vital to the economy and Nepal is also dependent on trade with neighbouring India.


Population: 28.2 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Kathmandu
Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles)
Major language: Nepali
Major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 64 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
GNI per capita: US $290 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .np
International dialling code: +977


Prime minister: Girija Prasad Koirala (resigned)

Mr Koirala stepped down from the premiership in June 2008, after a political crisis erupted over who should be the next head of state.

Maoist ministers had quit the interim government several days earlier, accusing Mr Koirala of being unfit for office and clinging to his post despite the poor showing of his party, the Nepali Congress, in April's parliamentary elections.

The political instability in Nepal had been exacerbated by constitutional changes pushed through in December 2007 that did not clarify how power was to be divided between the president and prime minister after the monarchy was abolished and the country became a republic.

This meant that after the departure of the former king, Nepal was left without a head of state.

Mr Koirala was a veteran of Nepali politics. He first became prime minister in 1991 and went on to serve another four terms of office in that role.


Nepal's long-running civil conflict, and the efforts to suppress it, had a profound impact on the media.

Rights groups say attacks on media workers were perpetrated by both sides during the 10-year Maoist rebellion.

More recently, media freedom body Reporters Without Borders has raised concerns about communal violence in the south, which it says has forced some reporters to flee. In spite of the 2006 peace deal, Maoists "blow hot and cold" towards the media, it says.

Private TV and radio stations have flourished. The government operates radio and TV services and publishes a Nepali-language daily and an English-language newspaper.

There is a small film industry, nicknamed "Kollywood". But Indian films are staple fare in cinemas.

BBC World Service broadcasts on FM in Kathmandu.

The Press
The Kathmandu Post - private, English-language daily
The Rising Nepal - semi-official English-language daily
Gorkhapatra - semi-official daily, Nepal's oldest newspaper
Kantipur - daily, one of the first private newspapers
Annapurna Post - daily
The Himalayan Times - English-language
The Nepali Times - English-language weekly

Television
Nepal Television Corporation (NTV) - state-run, operates NTV and NTV Metro channels
Kantipur TV - private
Image Channel TV - private
Channel Nepal - private
Avenues TV - private

Radio
Radio Nepal - state-run, operates national and regional services
Hits FM - commercial, music-based
HBC 94 FM - operated by Himalayan Broadcasting Company
Radio Sagarmatha - FM, public, community station
Kantipur FM - commercial
Image FM - commercial

News agency/internet
National News Agency (RSS) - state-run
nepalnews.com - private, online news

Country profile: The Maldives

The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent.

None of the coral islands measures more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming.


With its abundant sealife and sandy beaches, The Maldives is portrayed by travel companies as a tropical paradise.

The economy revolves around tourism, and scores of islands have been developed for the top end of the tourist market.


Aside from the island capital Male, outsiders are only permitted onto inhabited islands for brief visits, thereby limiting their impact on traditional Muslim communities.


Many Maldivians live in poverty. However, the country has developed its infrastructure and industries, including the fisheries sector, and has boosted health care, education and literacy.

The Maldives was hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Homes and resorts were devastated by the waves, precipitating a major rebuilding programme.

There is a fear that as sea levels rise, island countries such as the Maldives, and some Pacific territories, will simply be swamped and disappear.




Full name: Republic of Maldives
Population: 306,000 (UN, 2007)
Capital: Male
Area: 298 sq km (115 sq miles)
Major language: Divehi
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 69 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 rufiyaa = 100 laari
Main exports: Fish, clothing
GNI per capita: US $2,390 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .mv
International dialling code: +960



President: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

President Gayoom is Asia's longest-serving leader. He was re-elected for a record sixth five-year term in 2003, having first taken office in 1978.

The Maldives has been relatively stable under his rule, despite attempted coups in the 1980s. He was saved from a would-be assassin wielding a kitchen knife by 15-year-old boy scout Mohamed Jaisham in January 2008.


The country aims to hold its first multi-party elections by the end of 2008. Parliament voted to introduce a multi-party democracy in 2005; previously, political parties had been banned, although there had been no official ban on political activity.

In 2006 President Gayoom presented a "roadmap" for the democratic reforms, which he said were meant to enhance, among other things, human rights, independence of the judiciary and multi-party politics.

President Gayoom had come under growing pressure, with human rights groups accusing him of running an autocratic state and unprecedented anti-government violence flaring in the streets.

Maldivian presidents are chosen in a yes-no referendum; voters are presented with a single candidate chosen by the Majlis, or parliament.


Under the current system, the president has great influence and appoints members of the cabinet and the judiciary. The president also appoints eight of the 50 Majlis members.


Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was born in Male in 1937 and was educated in Sri Lanka and Egypt. He served as transport minister under President Ibrahim Nasir.



The government operates Voice of Maldives radio and Television Maldives. The country's first private radio station opened in 2007 and a handful of private TV stations have been licensed.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders describes radio licence charges as exorbitant. Minivan Radio, an opposition station, operates via the internet.

Divehi-language dailies tend to include some English-language pages. They concentrate on local and regional stories.

Broadcasters and newspapers carry criticism of the state, but officials have powers to close media outlets. Self-regulation means that little official action is taken against journalists.

The press
Haveeru Daily Online
Aafathis News
Miadhu News
Minivan Daily

Television
Television Maldives (TVM) - state-owned, operates two channels

Radio
Voice of Maldives - state-owned
Radio Eke - state-owned
Capital Radio 95.6 - private, carries some BBC World Service programmes
HFM 92.6 - private
DhiFM 95.2 - private

Internet
Minivan News - private

Country profile: India

The world's largest democracy and second most populous country has emerged as a major power after a period of foreign rule and several decades during which its economy was virtually closed.


A nuclear weapons state, it carried out tests in the 1970s and again in the 1990s in defiance of world opinion. However, India is still tackling huge social, economic and environmental problems.




The vast and diverse Indian sub-continent - from the mountainous Afghan frontier to the jungles of Burma - was under foreign rule from the early 1800s until the demise of the British Raj in 1947.
AT-A-GLANCE
Economy: Fast-growing economy; large, skilled workforce but widespread poverty
Politics: 380m people voted in 2004 election; winning Congress party led by Sonia Gandhi
International: Ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir region; nuclear weapons state; world's most prolific film industry - Bollywood



But the subsequent partition of the sub-continent sowed the seeds for future conflict. There have been three wars between India and its arch-rival Pakistan since 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

A peace process, which started in 2004, has stayed on track despite tension over Kashmir and several high-profile bombings, such as the attack on Mumbai's train network in July 2006 which police blamed on Pakistani militants and a banned Indian group.

Communal, caste and regional tensions continue to haunt Indian politics, sometimes threatening its long-standing democratic and secular ethos.


In 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down by her Sikh bodyguards after ordering troops to flush out Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.


And in 1992, widespread Hindu-Muslim violence erupted after Hindu extremists demolished the Babri mosque at Ayodhya.


Independent India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, dreamed of a socialist society and created a vast public infrastructure, much of which became a burden on the state.


From the late 1980s India began to open up to the outside world, encouraging economic reform and foreign investment. It is now courted by the world's leading economic and political powers, including its one-time foe China.


The country has a burgeoning urban middle class and has made great strides in fields such as information technology. Its large, skilled workforce makes it a popular choice for international companies seeking to outsource work.

Nuclear tests carried out by India in May 1998 and similar tests by Pakistan just weeks later provoked international condemnation and concern over the stability of the region.

The US quickly imposed sanctions on India, but more recently the two countries have improved their ties, and even agreed to share nuclear technology.

India launches its own satellites and plans to send a spacecraft to the moon. It also boasts a massive cinema industry, the products of which are among the most widely-watched films in the world.

But the vast mass of the rural population remains illiterate and impoverished.

Their lives continue to be dominated by the ancient Hindu caste system, which assigns each person a fixed place in the social hierarchy.



Full name: Republic of India
Population: 1.1 billion (UN, 2007)
Capital: New Delhi
Most-populated city: Mumbai (Bombay)
Area: 3.1 million sq km (1.2 million sq miles), excluding Indian-administered Kashmir (100,569 sq km/38,830 sq miles)
Major languages: Hindi, English and at least 16 other official languages
Major religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 66 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Indian Rupee = 100 paise
Main exports: Agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewellery, software services and technology, engineering goods, chemicals, leather products
GNI per capita: US $720 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .in
International dialling code: +91



President: Pratibha Patil

Pratibha Patil became India's first female president in July 2007, after being voted into office by members of state assemblies and the national parliament.

Mrs Patil, the candidate of the ruling Congress Party, was previously the little-known governor of the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan. She drew criticism during the campaign over scandals involving family members, and over controversial remarks.

Supporters hailed her election as a victory for women, but critics wondered how much influence she would have.

India has had several women in powerful positions - most notably Indira Gandhi, one of the world's first female prime ministers in 1966 - but activists complain that women still face widespread discrimination.

Mrs Patil succeeds APJ Abdul Kalam, a scientist and the architect of the country's missile programme.


Indian presidents have few actual powers, but they can decide which party or individual should form the central government after general elections.


Prime minister: Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh became prime minister in May 2004 after the Congress Party's unexpected success in general elections.

The party's president, Sonia Gandhi, the widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, shocked her supporters by declining the top post, apparently to protect the party from damaging attacks over her Italian origin.
PM Singh took office after Sonia Gandhi turned down the job

Mr Singh said his priorities were to reduce poverty and to plough on with economic reforms. He stated a desire for friendly relations with India's neighbours, especially Pakistan.

During his first year in office he held together a coalition which included communist allies and ministers accused of corruption. He continued to pursue market-friendly economic policies and oversaw the introduction of nuclear non-proliferation legislation.


But his promised "New Deal" for rural India - an attempt to raise the poorest citizens out of poverty - has still to bear fruit.


Mr Singh made his reputation as a finance minister in the early 1990s, under the Narasimha Rao government, when he was the driving force behind economic liberalisation.


When the Congress Party was voted out of office, Mr Singh became opposition leader in the upper house.

A Sikh born in West Punjab, Mr Singh is a former International Monetary Fund official and governor of India's Central Bank. He was educated at Oxford and Cambridge.





Broadcasting in India has flourished since state TV's monopoly was broken in 1992. The array of channels is still growing.
Billion-dollar film industry produces hundreds of movies each year

Privately-owned cable and satellite stations command large audiences. Star Plus - run by the global media giant News Corporation - is one of the most popular. Its version of the game show "Who Wants to be a Millionnaire?" proved to be one of the channel's biggest draws.


News broadcasts are also popular, often outperforming entertainment shows. Many 24-hour news channels are up and running and more are planned.

Doordarshan, the public TV service, operates 21 services including its flagship DD1 channel, which reaches some 400 million viewers.

Two multichannel, direct-to-home (DTH) TV operations - the Zee Group's subscription-based Dish TV and a free-to-air offering from Doordarshan - are recent arrivals on the satellite scene. A third DTH venture, Tata-Sky, launched in August 2006.

India's cable TV market is one of the world's largest, with more than 60 million subscribers.

Private radio is a relative newcomer. Since they were sanctioned in 2000, music-based FM stations have proliferated in the cities and hundreds more licences are up for grabs. But only public All India Radio (AIR) can broadcast news.

India's press is lively. Driven by a growing middle class, newspaper circulation has risen and new titles compete with established dailies.


India and neighbouring Pakistan sometimes engage in a war of words via their respective media, occasionally banning relays of broadcasts from the other country.

Internet use has soared; around 42 million Indians were online by 2007 (Internetworldstats.com).


The press
Deccan Herald - Bangalore-based daily
The Hindu - Madras-based daily
The Hindustan Times - New Delhi-based daily
The Pioneer - New Delhi-based daily
The Indian Express - New Delhi-based daily
The Statesman - Calcutta-based daily
The Times of India - Mumbai-based daily
The Asian Age - New Delhi-based daily
India Today - New Delhi-based news magazine
Outlook - New Delhi-based news magazine

Television
Doordarshan Television - public TV; operates some 21 national, regional or local services
Zee TV - satellite, cable TV services operated by Zee Group
STAR TV - operates satellite, cable TV services including STAR News, owned by News Corporation
Sony Entertainment TV - commercial channel
Aaj Tak - 24-hour news
New Delhi TV (NDTV) - operates NDTV-India and NDTV 24x7 news channels
Sun Network - commercial multi-channel broadcaster

Radio
All India Radio - public, operates domestic and external networks
Radio Mirchi - commercial network, stations in Mumbai, Delhi and other cities, mainly music, operated by The Times Group
Radio City - commercial, FM stations in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities, owned by News Corporation
Red FM - commercial, operated by India Today Group

News agency
Press Trust of India - non-profit, owned by newspaper titles

Country profile: Bhutan

Bhutan is a tiny, remote and impoverished kingdom nestling in the Himalayas between its powerful neighbours, India and China.

Almost completely cut off for centuries, it has tried to let in some aspects of the outside world while fiercely guarding its ancient traditions.


The Bhutanese name for Bhutan, Druk Yul, means "Land of the Thunder Dragon" and it only began to open up to outsiders in the 1970s.

The Wangchuk hereditary monarchy has wielded power since 1907. But Bhutan became a two-party parliamentary democracy after elections in March 2008. This gave a landslide victory to the pro-monarchy Bhutan Harmony Party of former prime minister Jigme Thinley. The opposition People's Democratic Party also supports the monarchy.


Bhutan's ancient Buddhist culture and breathtaking scenery make it a natural tourist attraction.

Tourism is restricted; visitors must travel as part of a pre-arranged package or guided tour. Backpackers and independent travellers are discouraged.


King Wangchuk has gone to great lengths to preserve the indigenous Buddhist culture of the majority Drukpa, who have a common culture with the Tibetans and other Himalayan peoples.

National dress is compulsory - the knee-length wrap-around "gho" for men and the ankle-length dress known as the "kira" for women.

But by the 1990s, attempts to stress the majority Buddhist culture and the lack of any political representation had led to deep resentment among the ethnic Nepali community in the south.

Violence erupted and tens of thousands of Nepali speakers fled to refugee camps in Nepal.

Some 100,000 refugees live in UN-supervised camps in Nepal. Out of this refugee population have sprung a number insurgent groups - the Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist), the Bhutan Tiger Force and the United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan.

The Bhutanese security forces believe they are behind a wave of bombings that has rocked the kingdom in the run-up to the 2008 parliamentary elections.

The leaders of Nepal and Bhutan had promised to try and repatriate the refugees before the elections. However, progress on this front has been negligeable, with only a small trickle of refugees leaving the camps back for Bhutan.

India does not allow the refugees onto its territory which lies between Bhutan and Nepal, and although the US and some other countries have agreed to accept tens of thousands of the refugees, some refugee leaders say that the only acceptable path is complete repatriation to Bhutan.


Full name: Kingdom of Bhutan
Population: 658,000 (UN, 2007)
Capital and largest city: Thimphu
Area: 38,364 sq km (14,812 sq miles)
Major language: Dzongkha (official)
Major religions: Buddhism (official), Hinduism
Life expectancy: 64 years (men), 67 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 ngultrum = 100 chetrum
Main exports: Electricity, timber, cement, agricultural products, handicrafts
GNI per capita: US $870 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .bt
International dialing code: +975


Head of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck succeeded his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, in December 2006 after the former monarch announced his abdication. A formal coronation has yet to take place.

The new king, who was 26 at the time, promised to build on his father's efforts to transform the country into a parliamentary democracy. His predecessor gave up some of his absolute powers in 1998 and ruled in conjunction with the government, an assembly and a royal advisory council.

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck studied in the US and at Oxford University, where he completed an MA in politics.

His father came to the throne in 1972 at the age of 17, assuming the title of "Druk Gyalpo" or Dragon King.

Partly educated in Britain, and having travelled abroad, the king continued the policy of limited modernisation adopted by his father. He sought to lift the "Gross National Happiness" of Bhutan by preserving its traditions and environment.

He was seen as maintaining a simple lifestyle - preferring to work in a small log cabin above the capital rather than in the fortress-like palace used by his four wives, all of whom are sisters.

Prime Minister: Jigme Thinley

Jigme Thinley became Bhutan's first elected prime minister following the country's first polls in March 2008.

He is the leader of the Bhutan Harmony Party, which won most votes in the parliamentary election.

The election was intended to mark the completion of the country's peaceful transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The move to democratic rule was ordered by the state's popular royal house, the Wangchuks.

Mr Thinley has served as prime minister on two previous occasions, although the post has hitherto rotated among members of the council of ministers.

He can be expected to wield more power and serve as long as he retains the confidence of parliament and the king.

Born in 1952, he was foreign minister between 1998 and 2003 and later served as home affairs minister.


Television did not arrive in Bhutan until 1999. For years, the country pursued a policy of isolation, fearing that outside influences would undermine its monarchy and culture.

State-run Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) launched a TV service as part of celebrations surrounding King Jigme Singye Wangchuk's silver jubilee.

Radio broadcasting began in 1973 and the internet arrived in 1999.

Media freedom is restricted. Reporters Without Borders says the monarchy "makes few allowances for pluralist news".

There are no private broadcasters, but cable TV thrives, with rival services offering dozens of Indian and international channels.

The press
Kuensel - autonomous weekly
The Bhutan Times - private weekly

Television
Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) - state-owned

Radio
Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) - state-owned

Country profile: Afghanistan

Landlocked and mountainous, Afghanistan has suffered from such chronic instability and conflict during its modern history that its economy and infrastructure are in ruins, and many of its people are refugees.

Since the fall of the Taleban administration in 2001, adherents of the hardline Islamic movement have re-grouped. It is now a resurgent force, particularly in the south and east. A fledgling democratic government faces the challenges of extending its authority beyond the capital and of forging national unity.



Its strategic position sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent along the ancient "Silk Route" means that Afghanistan has long been fought over - despite its rugged and forbidding terrain.

It was at the centre of the so-called "Great Game" in the 19th century when Imperial Russia and the British Empire in India vied for influence. AT A GLANCE
Nato leads the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), a peacekeeping body
Attacks by the Taleban continue, particularly in the south
Incumbent leader Hamid Karzai won presidential elections in October 2004
Parliament was inaugurated in December 2005



And it became a key Cold War battleground after thousands of Soviet troops intervened in 1979 to prop up a pro-communist regime, leading to a major confrontation that drew in the US and Afghanistan's neighbours.

But the outside world eventually lost interest after the withdrawal of Soviet forces, while the country's protracted civil war dragged on.

The emergence of the Taleban - originally a group of Islamic scholars - brought at least a measure of stability after nearly two decades of conflict.

But their extreme version of Islam attracted widespread criticism.

The Taleban - drawn from the Pashtun majority - were opposed by an alliance of factions drawn mainly from Afghanistan's minority communities and based in the north.

In control of about 90% of Afghanistan until late 2001, the Taleban were recognised as the legitimate government by only three countries.

They were at loggerheads with the international community over the presence on their soil of Osama bin Laden, accused by the US of masterminding the bombing of their embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001.

After the Taleban's refusal to hand over bin Laden, the US initiated aerial attacks in October, paving the way for opposition groups to drive them from power.

Infighting between local commanders over power and territory became a feature of the post-Taleban period. The authorities in Kabul have been able to exert little control beyond the capital and militant violence has continued.

Afghanistan's drugs industry makes up around 60% of the economy. The trade has boomed since the fall of the Taleban and the country supplies 93% of the world's opium, the raw ingredient of heroin.

International bodies and governments say the drugs trade is helping to fuel the Taleban insurgency, which is estimated to receive up to US$100m a year from the trade.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has called on Afghanistan to target the major traffickers and corrupt government officials, who it says operate with impunity in the country.


Full name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Population: 27.1 million (UN, 2007)
Capital and largest city: Kabul
Area: 652,225 sq km (251,773 sq miles)
Major languages: Pashto, Dari (Persian)
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 44 years (men), 44 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Afghani = 100 puls
Main exports: Fruit and nuts, carpets, wool, opium
GNI per capita: n/a
Internet domain: .af
International dialling code: +93


President: Hamid Karzai

Hamid Karzai, who headed the provisional administration set up when the Taleban were driven from power, won a five-year term in Afghanistan's first direct presidential elections in October 2004.

He gained 55.4% of the vote. Officials said voting irregularities were not enough to affect the outcome of the poll.

The president faces the challenges of forging national unity, disarming regional militias and tackling drug production.

Mr Karzai, a Pashtun leader, is an effective player on the world stage and enjoys strong backing from the US. In 2002 he persuaded international donors to pledge $4bn to help rebuild his country.

Born in the southern Afghan town of Kandahar in 1957, Hamid Karzai studied in India and France. Exiled in Pakistan for much of the Soviet occupation and during Taleban rule, he was chosen as post-Taleban Afghanistan's interim leader in late 2001.

Afghanistan's constitution, which was adopted in 2004 by an assembly of tribal representatives, envisages a powerful presidency and defines Afghanistan as an Islamic republic, where men and women enjoy equal status before the law.

Parliamentary and provincial elections were held in September 2005 and a new Afghan parliament held its inaugural session in December.



The growth of private television stations has been a significant feature of the post-Taleban Afghan media scene. Media outlets have flourished in the post-Taleban years


There are five large private TV networks and more than 40 radio stations. They command large audiences and some of them rival the state broadcaster.

An Australian-Afghan media group, Moby Capital Partners, operates some of the leading private broadcasters including Tolo TV and Arman FM.

Much of the TV output consists of imported Indian music shows and serials, and programmes modelled on Western formats. The channels are very popular in urban centres, especially among the under 30s.

However, media laws prohibit material that is deemed to run counter to Islamic law and some private stations have drawn the ire of conservative religious elements. Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders says media regulatory bodies are "under the government's thumb".

Relays of foreign radio stations or stations funded from overseas are on the air in Kabul, including the BBC, Radio France Internationale, Deutsche Welle and US-funded broadcasts from Radio Free Afghanistan, which uses the name Azadi Radio, and the Voice of America, which brands its Dari and Pashto broadcasts as Radio Ashna ("Friend").

BBC World Service is also available on FM and mediumwave (AM) in other parts of Afghanistan.

Internet access is scarce and computer literacy and ownership rates are minuscule.

Afghanistan's media were seriously restricted under Taleban rule. Radio Afghanistan was renamed Radio Voice of Shariah and reflected the Islamic fundamentalist values of the Taleban. TV was seen as a source of moral corruption and was banned.

The press
Hewad ("Homeland") - government-sponsored daily
Anis ("Companion") - government-sponsored daily
Kabul Times - state-run daily, English-language pages
The Daily Afghanistan - private
Daily Outlook - private, English-language
Kabul Weekly - private, English-language pages
Payam-e Mojahed ("Voice of Mojahed") - Northern Alliance weekly

Radio
Radio Afghanistan - run by state broadcaster National Radio-TV Afghanistan (NRTA)
Radio Killid - private FM station, in Kabul and Herat
Arman FM - private FM network, in Kabul and other cities
Azad Afghan Radio - private, Kandahar

Television
National Television Afghanistan - run by state broadcaster (NRTA)
Tolo TV - leading private network, Kabul-based, provincial relays
Lemar TV - private, Pashto-language sister station of Tolo TV
Aina TV - private, based in northern city of Sheberghan
Ariana TV - private, Kabul-based, provincial relays
Afghan TV - private, Kabul
Balkh Province TV - local station, Mazar-e-Sharif
Herat Province TV - local station, Herat

News agencies
Bakhtar News Agency - state-run
Pajhwok Afghan News - private
Afghan Islamic Press - private, based in Peshawar, Pakistan

Country profile: Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries, with its people crammed into a delta of rivers that empties into the Bay of Bengal.


Poverty is deep and widespread; almost half of the population live on less than one dollar a day. However, Bangladesh has reduced population growth and improved health and education.


The major employer is agriculture, but it is unable to meet the demand for jobs. Thus many Bangladeshis - in common with citizens from other countries in the region - seek work abroad, sometimes illegally. The country is trying to diversify its economy, with industrial development a priority. Overseas investors have pumped money into manufacturing and the energy sector.


Onshore and offshore gas reserves hold out some chance of future prosperity. There has been a debate about whether the reserves should be kept for domestic use or exported. Some international energy companies are involved in the gas sector.

Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh came into being only in 1971, when the two parts of Pakistan split after a bitter civil war which drew in neighbouring India.


Bangladesh spent 15 years under military rule and, although democracy was restored in 1990, the political scene remains volatile.


Analysts say the antagonism between the Awami League, which governed until July 2001, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party reflects personal animosity between their leaders rather than substantial ideological differences.


Political tensions have spilled over into violence; hundreds of people have been killed in recent years. Attacks have targeted opposition rallies and public gatherings. Senior opposition figures have also been targeted.

Concern has grown about religious extremism in the traditionally moderate and tolerant country, which found apparent form in a string of bomb attacks in August 2005. The government, which long denied that it had a problem with militants, has outlawed two fringe Islamic organisations.

Bangladesh has been criticised for its human rights record, with particular concern about assaults on women and allegations that police use torture against those in custody.


The low-lying country is vulnerable to flooding and cyclones and it stands to be badly affected by predicted rises in sea levels.


Full name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Population: 158.6 million (UN, 2007)
Capital and largest city: Dhaka
Area: 143,998 sq km (55,598 sq miles)
Major language: Bengali
Major religions: Islam, Hinduism
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 65 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 taka = 100 paisa
Main exports: Garments, fish, jute goods, leather products
GNI per capita: US $470 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .bd
International dialling code: +880


President: Iajuddin Ahmed

Head of interim government: Fakhruddin Ahmed

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, a former head of the central bank, took over as head of the interim government in January 2007.

The caretaker administration has the responsibility of preparing the country for elections, which it has said will take place at the end of 2008.

It has the backing of the military, but Dr Ahmed said it is his administration which is in charge.

The interim government has promised to clean up corruption before the elections, and has set up fast-track courts to prosecute dozens of high profile political figures.

It has also tried to exclude the country's two leading women from politics arguing that the presence of the two party leaders was stopping it from carrying out constitutional reforms.

Widespread violence between supporters of the two women led to the cancellation of January's general election and the imposition of a state of emergency.

The caretaker authority replaced Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia at the end of her five-year mandate in October 2006.

Bangladesh introduced the caretaker system in 1991 after military president Hossain Mohammad Ershad was toppled through a people's uprising led jointly by Khaleda and Sheikh Hasina, who now heads the main opposition party, the Awami League.

The system, designed to prevent ruling parties from rigging polls, is considered to have worked generally well in three elections.

Leading women in politics

Politics has been dominated by arch-enemies Begum Khaleda Zia, the chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League.

Politics has remained virtually frozen under the state of emergency imposed in January. But several small parties have emerged, aiming to offer a third force in the country's traditionally confrontational politics. Some analysts say no other party or alliance is strong enough to defeat Awami League or BNP in the coming polls if the two women remain at the helm.

Khaleda was prime minister between 1991 and 1996 and again from 2001 to October 2006, when she handed over power to a caretaker administration ahead of elections.

Hasina was prime minister from 1996 to 2001.

The hostility between the women stems in part from differences over who played a greater role in the country's independence struggle - Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, or Khaleda's husband, General Ziaur Rahman.

After independence from Pakistan in 1971, Mujib was named father of the nation in the country's 1972 constitution.

But when Khaleda assumed power in 1991 her party pushed the idea that her husband was an equally key player in the independence struggle.

Khaleda's government amended the constitution in 2004 to delete the reference that Mujib was the father of the nation.

Khaleda and Hasina sank their differences when military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad was in power from 1982 to 1990. The two cooperated in the movement to oust Ershad.

But their alliance ended with Ershad's departure and they have been uncompromising rivals ever since on a range of issues.

Hasina accuses Khaleda's BNP and its Islamic allies with links to outlawed Islamist groups blamed for a series of bomb attacks in 2007.

Khaleda says Hasina's statements amount to treason.

Hasina escaped an assassination attempt in August 2004 when grenades exploded at a rally she was addressing. Twenty-three people were killed in the attack, which the Awami League said could be linked to parties in the ruling coalition.


The main broadcasters - Radio Bangladesh and Bangladesh Television (BTV) - are state-owned and favourable to the government. Little coverage is given to the political opposition, except in the run-up to general elections when a caretaker government takes control.

TV dominates media usage, especially in the cities. BTV is the sole terrestrial TV channel. Popular satellite and cable channels include ATN, Channel i, NTV, RTV, Channel One, BanglaVision and Boishakhi. The advent of these private broadcasters has had little impact in rural areas.

Foreign, especially Indian, TV stations have gained large audiences in Dhaka and other cities.

State-run radio covers almost the entire country. BBC World Service programmes in English and Bengali are broadcast on 100 MHz FM in Dhaka.

Bangladeshi newspapers are diverse, outspoken and privately-owned. The print media are privately owned and there is a strong tradition of owner-editorship. English-language titles appeal mainly to an educated urban readership.

The constitution guarantees press freedom, but journalists are subject to regular harassment from the police and political activists. The government exercises a degree of control through the placement of official advertising.

Media rights organisation Reporters Without Borders has accused the army of targeting journalists, who it says face arrest, maltreatment and censorship.

There were 450,000 internet users in Bangladesh by September 2007 - 0.3% of the population (ITU figure).

The press

The Daily Star - English-language
The Bangladesh Observer - English-language daily
New Age - English-language daily
The New Nation - English-language daily
Holiday - English-language weekly
Daily Prothom Alo - Bengali daily
Dainik Ittefaq - Bengali daily
Dainik Jugantor - Bengali daily

Television
Bangladesh Television (BTV) - government-run
ATN Bangla - private, via satellite and cable
Channel i - private, via satellite and cable
NTV - private, via satellite and cable
RTV - private, via satellite
Ekushey TV - private, via satellite

Radio
Betar-Radio Bangladesh - government-run, operates networks A, B and C from Dhaka and local services
Radio Today FM - in Dhaka and surrounding area
Radio Furti FM - in Dhaka and surrounding area
Radio Metrowave - Dhaka, music and news aimed at younger listeners

News agencies/internet
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) - official, English-language pages
bdnews24 - private

Regions and territories: Greenland

Greenland is the world's largest island. Formerly a province of Denmark, it gained the status of an autonomous Danish dependent territory with limited self-government as well as its own parliament in 1979.

Denmark is in charge of foreign affairs and defence policy and contributes two thirds of its budget revenue, the rest coming mainly from fishing. Denmark is also Greenland's main trading partner.

Overview
Overview
Facts
Leaders
Media


The climate in Greenland is extremely harsh. More than 80% of the island is covered by an ice cap which is 4km thick in places.

Many of the Eskimo (Inuit) people survive by hunting and fishing and are struggling as fish stocks become depleted. The island's population is only 57,000. Inhabitants face severe social problems, notably unemployment, alcoholism and HIV/Aids.

Recent environmental studies have raised fears that global warming is causing Greenland's ice cover to melt increasingly fast and that this could have serious implications for future sea levels and ocean currents unless the process is rapidly halted and then reversed.

US plans for a national missile defence system have highlighted the strategic importance of Greenland. The Americans have expressed interest in using their Cold War radar base at Thule in the north of the island as part of this defence system.

Dozens of Inuit families were forced off their lands in 1953 to allow expansion at the base. Many Greenlanders would like to see it closed down. Others see economic reasons for keeping it.

A substantial proportion of Greenland's population favours independence. However, the former colonial power, Denmark, has the final say on the matter.

Facts
Overview
Facts
Leaders
Media

Territory: Greenland
Status: Self-governing part of Denmark
Population: 56,600 (Statistics Greenland, 2007)
Capital and largest town: Nuuk (Godthab)
Area: 2.17m sq km (840,000 sq miles)
Major languages: Greenlandic, Danish
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 65 years (men), 72 years (women)
Monetary unit: 1 Danish krone = 100 ore
Main exports: Fish, fish products, hides and skins
GNI per capita: n/a
Internet domain: .gl
International dialling code: +299

Leaders
Overview
Facts
Leaders
Media

Queen: Margrethe II of Denmark

Prime minister: Hans Enoksen

Hans Enoksen continues as prime minister in a coalition government following general elections in November 2005.

His social democratic Siumut party won 10 seats in the 31-seat Greenland parliament and has reached a coalition agreement with the pro-independence left-wing Inuit Brotherhood which has seven seats and the centre-right Atassut party which has six.

The last elections in December 2002 in which Siumut also won 10 seats were followed by three years of fractious government involving a series of coalitions, the most recent of which ended in wrangling over alleged misuse of funds by two ministers.

The 2005 elections were called early when budget negotiations collapsed.

Media
Overview
Facts
Leaders
Media

There are no daily newspapers in Greenland. Kalaallit Nunaata Radio - the Greenland Broadcasting Company - provides radio and TV services to the whole of the island. Programmes are in Greenlandic and Danish. Danish public radio is also available.

The press
Atuagagdliutit/Gronlandsposten - published twice weekly
Sermitsiaq - weekly

Television and radio
Kalaallit Nunaata Radio (KNR) - public broadcaster

Country profile: Czech Republic

Part of Czechoslovakia until the "velvet divorce" in January 1993, the Czech Republic has a rich cultural heritage.

With strong traditions in folk music and theatre, it was also the birthplace of classical composers such as Dvorak and writers such as Kafka and Jaroslav Hasek.


Today, tourists flock to savour Czech architectural treasures which include some of the finest Baroque, Art Nouveau and Cubist buildings on the continent. The hot springs of Karlovy Vary and other spas are an attraction to many.

The country joined the EU in May 2004, a development almost impossible to imagine just 16 years before.

Communist rule had lasted since the late 1940s. The "Prague Spring" of 1968, when Prime Minister Alexander Dubcek tried to bring in liberal reforms, was crushed by Soviet tanks.

In 1989, as the curtain was coming down on communism in the Kremlin, the dissident playwright Vaclav Havel spearheaded the country's velvet revolution and became the first president of post-communist Czechoslovakia.

An era ended in February 2003 when his presidency finished. It had been interrupted for only a few months at the time of the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Mr Havel saw the ghost of former Soviet military influence exorcised in 1999 when the republic was granted full membership of Nato. He left office having led it to the threshold of the EU. His old rival and successor as president, Vaclav Klaus, oversaw accession to the union.



Full name: Czech Republic
Population: 10.2 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Prague
Area: 78,866 sq km (30,450 sq miles)
Major language: Czech
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 73 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 halers
Main exports: Manufactured goods, machinery, cars and transport equipment, beer
GNI per capita: US $10,710 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .cz
International dialling code: +420


President: Vaclav Klaus

Vaclav Klaus of the conservative Civic Democratic Party succeeded Vaclav Havel, with whom he had many clashes in previous years, in the largely ceremonial role of president in February 2003.

Parliament narrowly re-elected him in February 2008.

He was the architect of Czech post-communist economic reforms, serving as finance minister in the first post-communist government and prime minister between 1992 and 1997 before financial scandals contributed to the fall of his government.

Although he has a reputation as a eurosceptic, on taking office as president he said EU integration would be a top priority.

Prime minister: Mirek Topolanek


Mirek Topolanek's proposed three-party, centre-right coalition narrowly won a vote of confidence in parliament in January 2007. It was his second attempt at forming an administration.

Parliament had been deadlocked since inconclusive elections in June 2006. Leftist and centre-right blocs in the lower house each control 100 seats. Because of this, the prime minister faced a tough task in cobbling together a government.

The coalition is made up of the prime minister's centre-right Civic Democrats, the centrist Christian Democrats and the Green Party.

Analysts say the government will have a tough time trying to pursue its ambitious reform programme, which includes tax cuts and a reduction in welfare spending. The prime minister has said early elections may be needed.

Mirek Topolanek, a 50-year-old engineer and former businessman, was appointed as prime minister in August 2006.

After weeks of negotiating with other parties in parliament, he ended up trying to go it alone with a minority government comprised solely of his Civic Democrat party. But his rightist government failed to win a confidence vote and resigned in October.


Private media in the Czech Republic mushroomed in the 1990s, and private radio and TV stations provide stiff competition for public broadcasters. Press freedom is protected by a charter of basic rights.

Public broadcaster Ceska Televize (CT) operates two TV networks and a 24-hour news channel. Public radio, Cesky Rozhlas (CRo), operates three national networks as well as local services.

Two major private TV channels broadcast nationally and there are scores of private radio stations.

The country is pressing ahead with the digitisation of TV broadcasting; there are plans to switch off analogue signals by 2012.

BBC World Service is available on FM in many cities and towns.

The press
Lidove Noviny - Prague-based national daily, former dissident publication
Mlada Fronta Dnes - Prague-based national daily
Pravo - Prague-based national daily
Blesk - Prague-based tabloid daily
The Prague Post - English-language

Television
Czech TV - public, operates mainstream channel CT1 and cultural channel CT2
CT 24 - public TV news channel
TV Nova - private
Prima - private

Radio
Czech Radio - public broadcaster; operates national and regional networks
Radio Prague - Czech Radio's external service; programmes in a number of languages including English
Frekvence 1 - private, national
Radio Impuls - private, national
Evropa 2 - private, national

News agency
CTK - English-language pages

Country profile: Bosnia-Hercegovina

Bosnia-Hercegovina is recovering from a devastating three-year war which accompanied the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

The 1992-1995 conflict centred on whether Bosnia should stay in the Yugoslav Federation, or whether it should become independent.


It is now an independent state, but under international administration. Its three main ethnic groups are Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Croats and Serbs. The war left Bosnia's infrastructure and economy in tatters. Around two million people - about half the population - were displaced.

International administration, backed at first by Nato forces and later by a smaller European Union-led peacekeeping force, has helped the country consolidate stability.

But early in 2007 the International Crisis Group, a think tank, warned: "Bosnia remains unready for unguided ownership of its own future - ethnic nationalism remains too strong."

The 1995 Dayton peace accord, which ended the Bosnian war, set up two separate entities; a Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina, and the Bosnian Serb Republic, or Republika Srpska, each with its own president, government, parliament, police and other bodies.

Overarching these entities is a central Bosnian government and rotating presidency. In addition there exists the district of Brcko which is a self-governing administrative unit, established as a neutral area placed under joint Serb, Croat and Bosniak authority.

Dayton also established the Office of the High Representative. The Office's representative is the state's ultimate authority, responsible for implementation of Dayton and with the power to ''compel the entity governments to comply with the terms of the peace agreement and the state constitution''.

Critics of Dayton said the two entities came too close to being states in their own right and that the arrangement reinforced separatism and nationalism at the expense of integration. Negotiations to amend the existing constitution, established by Dayton, in order to centralise functions and transform the country into a non-ethnic parliamentary democracy, are ongoing.

Underlining how far the country had progressed since Dayton, EU foreign ministers gave the go-ahead in late 2005 for talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the start of Bosnia's long journey towards possible EU membership.

The prospect of talks with the EU is likely to increase still further pressure for the capture of two key Bosnian Serb war crimes suspects, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Although some of those wanted by The Hague's war crimes tribunal have been captured, the fact that these two key figures remain at large has given rise to international condemnation.


Full name: Bosnia and Hercegovina
Population: 4 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Sarajevo
Area: 51,129 sq km (19,741 sq miles)
Major languages: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 convertible marka = 100 convertible pfenniga
Main exports: Wood and paper, metal products
GNI per capita: US $2,440 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .ba
International dialling code: +387


President: The presidency rotates every eight months between a Serb, a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and a Croat.

The responsibilities of the presidency lie largely in international affairs.

Prime minister: Nikola Spiric

Nikola Spiric, a Bosnian Serb, was first asked to form a government in January 2007 after the parties which gained the most votes in general elections in October agreed on a coalition.

He resigned in November 2007 in protest at efforts by the High Representative and EU Special Representative, Miroslav Lajcak, to introduce reforms supported by the EU. Mr Spiric said in his resignation speech that Bosnia has been run for too long by foreigners.

However, in December 2007 he secured the approval of Bosnia's parliament to return as prime minister, promising to work on reforms that would bring Bosnia closer to membership of Nato and the European Union.



The war in Bosnia-Hercegovina turned most media into propaganda tools in the hands of authorities, armies and factions. Since the 1995 Dayton Peace Accord efforts have been made - with limited success - to develop media which bridge inter-entity boundaries.

The most influential broadcasters in Bosnia are the public radio and TV stations operated by the Bosniak-Croat and Serb entities. The Office of the High Representative (OHR), the leading international civilian agency in Bosnia, is overseeing the development of a national public broadcasting service.

The OHR and other international organisations have encouraged the development of media which support a civic rather than a nationalist approach.

The media are partially free, but outlets and journalists come under pressure from state bodies and political party structures in both the Bosniak-Croat and Serb entities.

More than 200 commercial radio and TV stations are on the air, but their development has been hampered by a weak advertising market.

The press
Oslobodjenje - Sarajevo, daily
Dnevni Avaz - Sarajevo, daily
Nezavisne Novine - Banja Luka, daily
Glas Srpske - Banja Luka, Bosnian Serb government daily
Dnevni List - Mostar, daily
Dani - Sarajevo, weekly
Slobodna Bosna - Sarajevo, weekly
Reporter - Banja Luka, weekly

Television
Radio and TV of Bosnia and Hercegovina - state-wide public broadcaster, operates BHTV1
Federation TV (FTV) - public TV service of Bosnian Muslim-Croat entity, operates two networks
Serb Republic Radio-TV (RTRS) - operates public TV service of Bosnian Serb entity
Mreza Plus - commercial, near-national coverage
Open Broadcast Network (OBN) - commercial, near-national coverage
TV Pink BH - offshoot of Serbia-based commercial network

Radio
Radio and TV of Bosnia and Hercegovina - state-wide public broadcaster, operates BH Radio 1
Radio FBiH - public radio service of Bosniak-Croat entity
Serb Republic Radio-TV (RTRS) - operates public radio service of Bosnian Serb entity
Bosnian Croat Mostar Radio
Bosanska Radio Mreza (BORAM) - private network
BM Radio - private, Zenica-based
Radio Stari Grad - private, Sarajevo-based

News agencies
Federation News Agency (Fena) - state-run, Sarajevo-based, English-language pages
SRNA - official Bosnian Serb agency
Onasa - private, English-language pages

Country profile: Finland

Around two-thirds of Finland is covered in forest and about a tenth by water. In the far north, the sun does not set for around 10 weeks during the 'White Nights' of summer, while in winter it does not rise above the horizon for nearly eight weeks.

This wild northern landscape inspired Finland's greatest composer Jean Sibelius. His work came to symbolise the country's struggle for independence in the early 20th century after centuries under the domination of its neighbours.


Hundreds of years of Swedish rule were followed by a further century of Russian control. The country displays distinctive elements of past Scandinavian and Russian links in its style and culture.

Independence in 1917 failed to stem the demands of Finland's giant eastern neighbour. World War II saw fierce fighting along Finland's eastern border.

Finnish troops mounted a vigorous response to Soviet forces and stalled their advance, but the country was eventually forced to cede 10% of its territory and make extensive war reparation payments to the Soviets.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s allowed Finland to step out of the Cold War shadow. It applied for membership of the EU soon after its friendship treaty with the Soviet Union became void in 1991, becoming a full member in 1995.

Finland is the only Nordic EU member to use the euro as the national currency.

The country spends heavily on education, training and research - investment which pays dividends by delivering one of the best-educated and trained workforces in the world.

This has been a key factor in the development of a modern, competitive economy in which a cutting-edge telecommunications sector has been added to the traditional timber and metals industries.


Full name: Republic of Finland
Population: 5.3 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Helsinki
Area: 338,145 sq km (130,559 sq miles)
Major languages: Finnish, Swedish
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 82 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
Main exports: Machinery and electronics, paper and paper products, chemicals
GNI per capita: US $37,460 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .fi
International dialling code: +358


President: Tarja Halonen

Tarja Halonen became Finland's first woman president in 2000 and was re-elected in January 2006.

She comes from the centre-left of the country's politics.

The role of the president is focused mainly on foreign policy.

Prime minister: Matti Vanhanen


Matti Vanhanen took over as prime minister in June 2003 after his predecessor, Anneli Jaatteenmaki, resigned amid an election campaign scandal.

He belongs to the Centre Party, which won the March 2007 parliamentary elections by a razor-thin margin and governs in a centre-right coalition with the conservative National Coalition Party, the Greens and the Swedish People's Party.

Mr Vanhanen has made tackling unemployment one of his priorities and his government has succeeded in reducing the jobless rate. It has also cut taxes. The prime minister says he wants to boost benefits for the sick and the elderly.

Mr Vanhanen, a former journalist, was defence minister before becoming prime minister at the age of 47. He has been described as having a reserved, austere manner.

He was a candidate in the presidential election in January 2006 but was knocked out of the race when he came third in the first round.



Finland's broadcasting sector is very dynamic and the country is digitising its transmission network. Analogue terrestrial TV broadcasts were switched off in September 2007.

Public YLE, funded by licence fees, operates radio and TV networks. New stations have emerged in a market once dominated by YLE and the established private broadcaster MTV. Pay-TV channels are provided by pan-Nordic operator Canal+.

Finnish law gives every citizen the right to publish printed material, and guarantees the right of reply. Newspapers are privately owned and reflect a range of political views.

The press
Helsingin Sanomat - Helsinki daily, English-language pages
Ilta-Sanomat - Helsinki, evening daily
Hufvudstadsbladet - Helsinki, Swedish-language daily
Kauppalehti - Helsinki, business daily
Taloussanomat - Helsinki, business daily
Aamulehti - Tampere, daily
Turun Sanomat - Turku, daily
Demari - Helsinki, organ of Social Democratic Party
Kansan Uutiset - Helsinki, organ of Left Alliance
Iltalehti - Helsinki, evening daily
Helsinki Times - English-language

Television
Yleisradio Oy (YLE) - public, operates several channels in Finnish and Swedish
MTV3 - private
Nelonen (Channel 4) - private

Radio
Yleisradio Oy (YLE) - public, operates several channels in Finnish, Swedish and Sa'mi (Lappish) and external service Radio Finland
The Voice - private
Classic Radio - private
Radio Nova - national, private
NRJ - private

News agency
Finnish News Agency - Suomen Tietotoimisto (STT) - in Finnish, Swedish and English