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What Africa's women want

The Golden Caliphate: Dream and Reality

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+ India's tweeting PM

Whatever happened to Project New Russia?

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Editorial

Welcome to the latest edition of Monitor.

In today’s world of declining analyst numbers and proliferation of sources, many organizations are tempted to think that machine translation, data collection and decision support analytics alone are the future. At BBC Monitoring we too are constantly searching for new tools and ways of handling the ever expanding source mix. Above all, though, we value human insight: our staff and what they know.

A year ago one of the many jihadist outfits fighting in Syria proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate named Islamic State. Today, it is the most feared of jihadist groups, with loyal affiliates as far as Chechnya and Nigeria, and constantly recruiting young people from Europe. In our cover story jihadist media expert Mina al-Lami explains the group’s influence on young Muslims through the symbolism it uses in propaganda.

Ahead of this month’s Brics summit our analysts explore the social media success of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, look into the debate surrounding Russia’s space industry reforms and question the motives behind China’s e-commerce investments.

BBC Monitoring’s observation and analysis of social media helped us be amongst the first to report the events which came to be known as the flight MH17 disaster. One year on, we look into the origins of the rebel narrative in eastern Ukraine.

This is just a sample of the insight and knowledge we can provide at BBC Monitoring. And to bring this closer to our users, this month we are launching a new service, Ask the Expert. It allows subscribers to learn the context and make connections by tapping into the insight we gain from constantly watching the world’s media. This is what machines and data analytics alone cannot provide, but our experts can.

To learn more about this service, please contact the enquiries team left.

Lucio Mesquita

Who We Are

BBC Monitoring provides news and information from media sources around the world. Our round-the-clock monitoring of TV, radio, press, internet and news agencies is provided to the BBC and a range of customers – commercial clients, including media organisations, foreign governments, NGOs and universities, and the UK government.

BBC Monitoring is part of the BBC World Service Group. It employs 370 staff and a network of contributors based in Reading, near London, and offices in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the former Soviet Union.

What We Do

We bring you words as spoken in the media around the world, as well as the "why" and the "how". Our purpose is to help customers understand the ever changing environment in which they do business.

Contact Us

BBC Monitoring Caversham Park Reading RG4 8TZ United Kingdom +44 118 948 6338 [email protected]

BBC © 2015 All rights reserved. No publication or distribution of the whole or any part of this magazine is permitted without the written consent of BBC Monitoring.

Lucio Mesquita Director, BBC Monitoring

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22 From Afro-chic to Nollywood: Africa’s female role models

Nel Hodge surveys messages in women’s magazines popular on the continent.

26 Media Bites

Middle East media analyst Muhammad Shukri reviews the Ramadan TV season.

Nooshin Khavarzamin reports on Iran’s latest attempt at “cultural resistance”.

13 News From Elsewhere

Blog editor Cassandra Cavallaro picks extraordinary reports from the world media.

16 Is Russia losing the space race?

Aleksandr Panin in Moscow asks whether the bid to bring the space industry and science under central control could cost Russia the edge in manned launches.

20 China’s boost to online shopping

Our Hong Kong contributor Jeff Li says the Chinese authorities are pinning hope on e-commerce as the economy shows signs of slowing down.

4 Caliphate dreaming

Jihadist media analyst Mina al-Lami asks whether the Islamic State’s narrative casts an ugly shadow on the golden age revered by Muslim scholars.

8 Photo call or selfie?

Vikas Pandey in Delhi explains the Indian PM Narendra Modi’s obsession with social media.

10 Calling time on New Russia project

Have Western sanctions dashed the plan to restore an imperial Russia construct? Natasha Matyukhina in Kiev and Olga Bugorkova in Moscow track the changing narrative behind the war in eastern Ukraine.

Featured Stories

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Dubious allure of the “golden caliphate”


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A year ago, in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Jihadist militant group that calls itself Islamic State (IS) declared a so-called Muslim caliphate on the territories it controlled in Iraq and Syria. Jihadist media analyst Mina al-Lami questions the symbols used by the group to attract young people.

IS launched its official magazine Dabiq within days of declaring an Islamic caliphate on the territory it seized in Syria in Iraq.

IS made its caliphate declaration on the first day of Ramadan, 29 June 2014. It clearly sought to exploit the symbolism of the month to make its move dramatic and legitimate.

To mark the declaration, IS released the first edition of its glossy English-language magazine Dabiq, pronouncing the “return of the caliphate”. It tried to model itself on the caliphates of early Islam in an effort to appeal to Muslims’ romantic notions of a bygone power.

By declaring a caliphate, no matter how illegitimate and deviant, IS successfully capitalized on the symbolism, pride, romanticism and nostalgia for the caliphate drilled into the minds of Muslims since their youth.

The militant group’s aim was further bolstered when it managed to take swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, crucial to its caliphate call.


The big bold letters on the front cover of the Islamic State’s flagship Dabiq magazine pronounce “The return of Khilafah”. The magazine launched on 5 July 2014, shortly after the declaration of a new “Islamic caliphate” in Syria and Iraq.

The second coming of the “golden caliphate” has been the group’s central narrative in a bid to coax young people around the world to join its mission. IS says its sole purpose is to bring back the golden age of Islam.

Those raised as Muslims will be familiar with the glorious portrait of the Islamic caliphate of 632-1258 from Islamic literature.

Stories, scholarly articles and even the school curriculum speak favourably of the "great Islamic conquests" that allowed Muslim rule and religion to extend far beyond Arabia to include the Middle East, North Africa, large parts of Asia, and Spain.

In his first ever public appearance shortly after the caliphate declaration, IS leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi urged Muslims across the world to migrate to IS territories. “Hold your heads up high, for today you have a caliphate that will restore your dignity, power, rights, and leadership,” he said.

Soon, he promised, “Muslims will walk everywhere like masters”.

Islamic State’s timing was significant because Ramadan is considered to be a month of jihad, conquests and victories in Islamic literature.

Islamic writing is full of references to the many important conquests that started in Ramadan and battles won during the month.

It was in Ramadan that the first battle of Islam, Badr, was won, Mecca was “opened”, and Spain’s province of Andalusia was captured.

And this is the reason modern jihadist groups gear up their propaganda and their operations during Ramadan.

Islamic State is no different.


Dreams of glory: IS attracts young people with the promise to bring back the “golden age of Islam”.

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By declaring a caliphate, no matter how illegitimate and deviant, IS successfully capitalized on the symbolism, pride, romanticism and nostalgia for the caliphate drilled into the minds of Muslims since their youth

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Illusion of legitimacyMore symbolism can be found in the group’s decision to declare Al-Baghdadi as caliph.

Islamic history says that a rightful caliph can seek the allegiance of all Muslims around the world.

The group deliberately uses the title “khalifah”, or caliph, to describe their leader Al-Baghdadi in all publications and social media posts.

Al-Baghdadi and the IS propaganda machine have tried hard to sell their purpose to emulate the successes of early Muslim leaders.

The term caliph gives Al-Baghdadi a veneer of legitimacy, at least in the minds of the group’s followers. It evokes the rule of the first four caliphs, who took the realm of Islam far and wide after Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632. The era was marked by scientific and cultural prosperity and Muslims at that time made important contributions to mankind.

But what Islamic literature brushes over is the ugly side of the caliphate. It doesn’t mention, or seeks to justify, the violence and violations that were committed to allow Muslim domination. These included conversions under duress and the taking of slaves as war booty. Non-Muslims who refused to convert had to pay tax (jizya) and were considered second-class citizens (Dhimmis).

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A recent IS video posted to Twitter shows footage of gold coins the “caliphate” appears to have minted.

Life under the caliphate is harsh, as revealed by footage smuggled by the BBC from the captured city of Mosul in Iraq.

Mina Al-Lami is a Middle East media analyst at BBC Monitoring. She specializes in jihadist media and narratives.

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Another term used in literature is "fituhat" (conquests) to describe the Muslim invasion and occupation of lands and people through "jihad". The "great Islamic conquests" of the caliphate are described as something that liberated people and brought them prosperity.

Today’s Muslim scholars–even those involved in counter extremism – continue to praise the caliphates of the golden age and their “conquests” as a model of Islamic rule.

One could argue that, with the benefit of hindsight, the words “invasion” and “occupation” would be more appropriate, if they are to deter young Muslims from rushing to be part of the jihadist “caliphate”.

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Several towns in Syria and Iraq have been destroyed in the fight between IS and government troops.

It was in Ramadan that the first battle of Islam, Badr, was won, Mecca was “opened”, and Spain’s province of Andalusia was captured

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A diffident Modi at his first Brics summit in 2014: the PM has turned social media celebrity since.

The social diplomacy of Narendra Modi

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As the Brics summit begins in Moscow, Vikas Pandey wonders what the Indian PM will be tweeting this time.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has seen an equal measure of success and controversy in his first year of international diplomacy.

Far from confident when addressing his first Brics summit in July 2014, Modi has since become a diplomatic celebrity.

Pundits say the Brics, involving Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is likely to consolidate its gains from last year when it meets this July.

It will see Modi addressing the world from Russia, the host of the summit.

A look at his performance on social media in the past year shows a confident leader, but one who is also prone to gaffes.

With 12.5 million followers, Modi is among the top five world leaders on Twitter, alongside Barack Obama and Pope Francis.

Looking back at his "social year", it appears that Modi prefers social media over TV, print interviews or press conferences.

Analysts say he did not have good relations with the media during his long tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat state, and his social media strategy reflects that.

When opposition parties criticised his government's land acquisition bill, he used Twitter to hit back.

Twitter 'bromance'On foreign policy matters, the PM appears to have a good vibe with world leaders on Twitter.

He congratulated British PM David Cameron on the Conservative election victory, tagged US President Barack Obama and held "Twitter conversations" with Australian PM Tony Abbot and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.

During his visit to Japan, Modi used Twitter to highlight his close friendship with Abe. The CNBC called it "Twitter bromance".

And he chose Twitter to thank Obama for writing his short profile in Time magazine.

Modi and his team carefully select which language to tweet in, often depending on his travel itinerary.

He tweeted in Japanese during his visit to Tokyo, used French when in Paris and wrote in Mandarin while travelling in China.

And it's no secret that he loves selfies. He even convinced Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to pose for one.

'Social' PMBack home, Modi reaches out to millions almost every day.

He uses Twitter to greet people on festivals, exchanges messages with celebrities and even with his cabinet colleagues.

Dr Zafar says Modi and his team keep his social media accounts ticking 24/7 allowing people to stay connected with the PM.

"This is in stark contrast with previous PM Manmohan Singh who was known for speaking less frequently. So there was an appetite and Modi appears to have filled that gap," he says.

But too much social media presence has its own risks.

Speaking at an event in Seoul, Modi recently said Indians chose to migrate because they were not happy with their own country.

And the past year also saw what many described as "Modi memes".

His visit to the Terracotta Army museum in Xian sparked humour on Twitter, but he did not respond to the memes.

"That is something Modi lacks, he needs to respond to humour. That could be his challenge for the next year," Dr Zafar adds.

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The jury is out on the impact of Modi's global Twitter outreach, but most pundits agree that he has certainly made a mark on "social media diplomacy".

Dr Athar Zafar of the Indian Council of World Affairs, a Delhi-based think tank, says "it's too soon to judge Modi's overall foreign policy".

"His Twitter exchanges with world leaders have certainly established that the Indian PM is modern and social media-savvy. Twitter is great as a soft diplomatic tool but real deals are made at the talking table," he says.

Vikas Pandey covers the Asian media from our Delhi office.

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One year after the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines plane, fighting in Eastern Ukraine shows no sign of abating. Natasha Matyukhina in Kiev and Olga Bugorkova in Moscow review a project at the heart of the rebels’ strategy.


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The red-and-blue flag of Novorossiya flies at pro-Russian rallies in rebel-held Donetsk in 2014 – but the idea has been “frozen”, according to rebel leaders.

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Pro-Russian fighters appear to have dropped the idea of forming a confederation of states in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics said the plan, known as the Novorossiya project, had been "frozen temporarily".

Novorossiya – literally "New Russia" – was part of the Russian Empire that included the present-day Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Odessa, Kherson and Mykolayiv as well as other areas to the north of the Black Sea.

The term was revived by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 and used by separatist leaders to suggest that rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine and adjacent Ukrainian regions were, in fact, Russian.

All 298 passengers died when the MH17 flight was shot down in rebel-held eastern Ukraine last year.

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So what’s behind the suspension of the project?

Former Ukrainian MP Oleh Tsaryov, described in the Russian media as a "Novorossiya leader", confirmed that the activities of the "united Novorossiya parliament" had also been "temporarily frozen".

He added that the parliament’s website had stopped functioning because it ran counter to the Minsk cease-fire agreements signed by Russia, Ukraine, and the leaders of France and Germany in February.

"They do not envisage the existence of such an entity as Novorossiya," he said.

However, the leaders of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk republics said the project was suspended because "it has no active supporters in Ukraine's [other] eastern regions", especially in Kharkiv and Odessa.

Commentators in Ukraine conclude that Russia has lost interest because Novorossiya has "shrunk" to the size of the rebel republics in Ukraine's east.

Ukrainian defence expert Mykola Sunhurovskyy says that "Putin failed to score a quick victory in Ukraine's eastern and southern regions" and that explains Moscow’s waning interest in the project.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, however, sees the "failure" of the project as his biggest achievement.

Many, including Poroshenko, say that Russia's initial plan was to destabilize Ukraine's eastern and southern regions and unite them into a pro-Russian quasi-state.

Russia used the idea to persuade the West to turn a blind eye to the annexation of Crimea

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Geopolitics at playOther observers, however, see different reasons behind the “temporary freeze” on the project.

Some Russian commentators contend that Moscow, believed to be behind the concept, appears to be backing off amid growing Western pressure. Others suggest that the project was never meant to be implemented but was contrived as a lever in negotiations with Ukraine and the West.

Moscow is aware that it has reached a level of tension with the West it cannot afford, the liberal pundit Andrey Piontkovskiy says.

"In order to maintain this level of tension, the Kremlin would have to escalate the crisis further, which would mean more casualties among Russian soldiers and more sanctions," he told the Moscow Times daily.

Andrey Kolesnikov, a senior associate at the Carnegie Moscow Centre think tank, believes that "Putin realizes that the project has reached the limit of its effectiveness".

Another view is that project Novorossiya was never meant to be implemented as it was nothing but a bargaining chip in a geopolitical game.

Pro-Kremlin presenter Sergey Dorenko of radio Govorit Moskva describes Novorossiya as a "smokescreen for Crimea", explaining that Russia used the idea as leverage to persuade the West to turn a blind eye to the annexation of Crimea.

He believes it has worked. "Kerry was here, and he never even uttered the word Crimea," he said.

Natasha Matyukhina runs the Ukraine monitoring team in Kiev and Olga Bugorkova covers the Russian media in our Moscow office.

All Ukrainian troops involved in battling the Russia-backed insurgents in the east have an active presence on social networks. Senior monitoring journalist Vitaliy Shevchenko reveals the most popular social media accounts understood be to be run by Ukrainian troops.

Azov

The Azov volunteer regiment is by far the most active Ukrainian military unit on social media. Its main account on VKontakte, Russia’s Twitter-like service, has more than 81,000 followers.

It posts updates and dramatic footage of fighting.

Azov is also present on Facebook (49,000 followers) and Twitter (30,000 followers).

Donbas

The Donbas-Ukraine battalion has 70,000 followers on Facebook, where it posts news updates, profiles of fighters, reports about donations it receives, etc.

It should not be confused with Donbas, a National Guard special-purpose battalion, which is also active on Facebook, where it has 11,000 followers.

AydarAydar, another prominent volunteer battalion, has 38,000 followers on Facebook. It posts its own news updates as well as reports published by other media, and shares profiles of fallen fighters.

Right Sector

The Right Sector rose to prominence during the protests that ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, and is now active on the front line under the DUK Right Sector umbrella.

It has a plethora of accounts on various social media platforms like VKontakte (28,000 followers) and Facebook (15,000).

Dnipro-1

Dnipro-1 is a volunteer regiment originally set up by the local police directorate in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk. Its fighters are now present in Donetsk Region.

The regiment has 17,000 followers on Facebook. It runs two channels on YouTube: one for general footage from the front line, video clips featuring the regiment's fighters, shared TV news reports etc, and one exclusively for drone footage.

Guide to Ukrainian fighters online

Vitaliy Shevchenko has worked in BBC Monitoring offices in Kiev and Caversham. He writes extensively on the Ukraine crisis for BBC Monitoring and BBC News.


Volunteer military groups are still actively fighting rebel troops despite a ceasefire

negotiated in February.

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The News from Elsewhere blog is a partnership between the BBC News Magazine and BBC Monitoring. It aims to provide readers with an insight into life in other countries through their media, using short posts to illustrate the differences between cultures.

It also highlights unusual stories being reported around the globe, spots trends in social media, examines the use of propaganda by governments and others, and attempts to see events through the eyes of foreign reporters.

The blog is based on contributions from BBC Monitoring journalists around the world, which are curated by our multimedia producer Cassandra Cavallaro. In addition to BBC Monitoring she has worked in a number of BBC newsrooms, bringing stories to a variety of UK and global audiences.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs/news_from_elsewhere

Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

News From Elsewhere


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Iraq: Mass wedding held for Shia militia fightersA mass wedding has been held for Shia militia fighters who are supporting the Iraqi government's battle against Islamic State (IS) militants.

Iraq's youth and sports ministry organised the festivities for 250 couples in the capital, Baghdad, the privately-owned Shafaq News website reports. After a minute's silence to remember those killed while fighting IS, a banner was raised in the venue showing a fighter running towards his bride, accompanied by the slogan "towards happiness". The newlyweds are also in line for some wedding gifts – each couple will be given a television, bedroom furniture and a fridge, according to ministry official Akram Na'im. He says the bash was sponsored by several local and foreign companies, including Iraq's national airline.

The restored tram will operate at weekends until the end of August. The militias have played a key role in recapturing land from Islamic State in recent months.


Japan: Wartime tram restored for Hiroshima anniversaryOne of the few remaining trams which survived the Hiroshima bomb has been restored to mark the 70th anniversary of the attack.

The vehicle has been repainted in its original colours – blue and grey – and carries video testimonies from survivors, The Asahi Shimbun news website reports. It's one of the Hiroshima Electric Railway Company's Model 650 trams, considered inspirational symbols of the city because they were back up and running only three days after the bombing. The restored car – number 653 – is one of only three "A-bomb trams" in operation today, the report says. It was badly damaged at the time but later resumed service, running until 2006.

Many local people gathered to see the tram begin its new route, including an 85-year-old survivor of the attack. Sachiko Masuno worked as a driver and conductor towards the end of World War Two, and tells the paper it's "very moving" to see the tram in its original colours. "It is a very precious peacetime treasure," she says.

An estimated 140,000 people died when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city on 6 August 1945. Almost 90% of the company's trams were destroyed or damaged. The restored tram's route will pass in front of the iconic Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the only building left standing near to where the bomb hit.

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The men are members of the Popular Mobilisation Units, an umbrella group for Shia militias fighting alongside Iraq's security forces. The grooms were decked out in their camouflage uniforms, a point of pride for several who spoke to Shafaq News. One groom describes getting married in his fatigues as "beautiful", because it emphasises his dedication to fighting IS.

The militias have played a key role in security operations against the radical Islamist group, most notably in the battle to recapture Tikrit in March. But they have also been accused of human rights abuses, which the militias deny.

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Foreign runners will be allowed to take part in the first half-marathon on North Korea's highest peak, it's reported.

The authorities in Pyongyang have approved foreign participation in the August race around Mount Paektu, an active volcano and one of the country's most sacred sites, The Korea Times reports. But the nature of North Korea's strictly controlled tourism industry means runners will first have to take part in several days of organised activities, including two days in the capital city. The race comes on the penultimate day of the five-day trip.

The half-marathon trip is being organised by Koryo Tours, a travel company based in China. "We decided to make Mount Paektu a new itinerary as people often ask to see more of the countryside," company founder Simon Cockerell tells the website. "This is a remote area and a beautiful place to run in."

Mount Paektu holds a special place in North Korea's national identity. The country's founder, Kim Il-sung, is said to have fought the Japanese from its slopes, and it's the reputed birthplace of former leader Kim Jong-il, although historians say he was really born in Russia. In April, state media claimed that current leader Kim Jong-un had climbed to the top of the 2,744m (9,003ft) peak.

Brazil: TV network punished over atheism remarksA Brazilian television network has agreed to broadcast a video on religious freedom 72 times as punishment for an on-air outburst by one of its presenters.

The Rede Bandeirantes network will show the video until November after host Jose Luiz Datena suggested atheists were more likely to commit crimes, the Forum magazine website reports. During a 2010 edition of the Urgent Brazil programme, Mr Datena told viewers that the recent shooting of a young man was indicative of an "absence of God". "A guy that's atheist, in my humble opinion, has no limits, and that's why we see these crimes happening," he said, repeating the views later in the programme.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is said to have scaled the mountain in April. Mr Datena also ran a poll during the programme asking how many viewers believe in God.


North Korea: Mount Paektu race open to foreign runners

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Federal prosecutors subsequently took action against the network over Mr Datena's comments. Brazil's constitution guarantees religious freedom, and the country outlaws speech that promotes religious intolerance. Anyone broadcasting such views can face a fine or prison sentence. Several readers commenting on the Forum story say that religion itself has caused war and suffering, so atheists shouldn't be blamed for violence. Others lament the fact that Brazilian television gives people with such views a platform to express their opinions. But one person is more understanding, saying: "Datena is a human being just like any of us. The programme is live and therefore he went too far."

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Could Russia lose its lead in commercial space launches?

After a spate of failed takeoffs and corruption scandals, our Moscow team’s Aleksandr Panin asks whether Russia is able to keep its supremacy in space.

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President Vladimir Putin seeks to bring space research and engineering under central control.

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Russia’s space industry is undergoing reforms, the thrust of which is to pull administration back towards central government. Meanwhile, US space services are becoming increasingly the domain of private operators, with a slimmed down NASA concentrating on science and exploration.

These completely opposite approaches could result in privately-owned Western firms having more reliable and cheaper means of space delivery to offer after 2022, the year Russia hopes to launch its new Angara heavy rocket from its freshly built Vostochnyy Cosmodrome facility.

Russia has enjoyed a monopoly on manned space launches since the US retired the space shuttle in 2011, but this could change as private US operators introduce new launchers and capsules.

Earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin submitted a bill to the State Duma parliament, which if passed will permit a merger of Russian space agency Roskosmos with the United Rocket and Space Corporation (URSC) into one state-run entity.

Russian Angara is manufactured using conventional methods, which costs more than the conveyorised assembly of Falcon 9.

Russia’s unmanned Proton-M rocket exploded on take-off in 2013.

The bill has already passed its first reading.

The move would combine space strategy, currently represented by the agency, with the industrial complex, already melded out of more than 70 production companies and design bureaus in 2013 with the birth of the URSC.

But, while the reaction of industry experts to URSC's formation was mostly positive because it created an effect of scale, the idea of combining all areas of space research, planning and production into one state-controlled entity is deemed ineffective in the long run because of excess bureaucracy and lack of competition.

Space industry expert Andrey Ionin told the Russian monthly Business Journal that "mechanisms of inner competition and enforcement of innovation are not just important; this is a question of life and death for the national space industry. Otherwise, the industry will soon reach a dead end brought down by high costs and outdated technology”.

Creation of the unified URSC in 2013 did not prevent an accident the same year with the Proton-M rocket, which crashed seconds after lift-off at Baikonur because of a mis-installed sensor. Less than a year later another incident resulted in a Proton rocket failing to reach orbit. The latest failure occurred in April, when a Progress re-supply ship bound for the International Space Station was lost and resulted in a temporary suspension of launches. The launch of the manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-17M with the crew of the next mission to the International Space Station (ISS), originally scheduled in May, has been rescheduled twice already.

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Private US operators leap aheadNASA has been through its own reforms, which resulted in the agency concentrating on strategy while the launches are increasingly becoming the province of private endeavours.

Leading the field is the privately-owned company SpaceX, whose Falcon 9 launcher was certified as a "Category 2" vehicle, which means it is able to launch "medium risk" missions, including Earth observation satellites and interplanetary probes, the Science Times website says.

In a speech on 4 June, US Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said that last year's announcement that both SpaceX and Boeing had been selected to develop America's new manned space capsule means that it is very likely that US manned launches would resume "before the decade's end", thus ending the reliance on Russia.

The new Angara launcher, which is to lift off from the Vostochnyy Cosmodrome, is currently being built in Russia's Far East.

The launch pad for the Angara won't be ready until 2021 and launches may not start until a year later, Roskosmos head Igor Komarov told the RIA Novosti news agency on 5 June.

A second pad for the heavy-class Angara 5B won't be available for some years, he continued.

With multi-million dollar contracts at stake, including commercial launches of geostationary satellites, government contracts, and manned and supply launches to the International Space Station, projected timelines show that US commercial launchers should come on line years before Russia's Angara project even reaches the launch pad.

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Russia has enjoyed a monopoly on space launches since 2011.

Aleksandr Panin recently joined BBC Monitoring, having previously worked on the Moscow Times business desk.

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Combining all areas of space research, planning and production into one state-controlled entity is deemed ineffective in the long run because of excess bureaucracy and lack of competition

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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is expected to start a new era in commercial space exploration.

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Jeff Li asks why China is investing more to improve its internet services despite being one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world.

China hopes its broadband investment strategy will create more successful online retailers like the e-commerce giant Alibaba.

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Can the e-commerce market help China inject fresh impetus into its economy?

The country’s leadership seems to believe in the idea.

China clocked an average growth rate of 10% a year for the three decades up to 2010.

But the bullish run is over. In 2014, the economy slowed down to 7.4%. The forecast for 2015 is 6.8% and 6.3% for 2016.

The dismal forecast has worried many in China, including policy makers. But the story is different with the online market.

China e-commerce market is already one of the fastest growing in the world. Official data suggests that it posted the figure of $2.1 trillion in 2014.

But a major chunk, $1.6 trillion, came from business-to-business transactions, China E-Commerce Research Centre reported.

That leaves space for online retail to grow further. China’s retail giant Alibaba is one the “most-valued” internet firms in the world.

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But Chinese leaders appear to believe that more firms like Alibaba can give some fillip to the economy.

And that explains why China's cabinet in May announced a new round of investment of $182bn to improve the country's internet infrastructure.

Despite having the largest internet user base in the world, many Chinese users have endured slow and expensive internet services.

The government has expressed confidence that its plan for more cables and powerful servers will ultimately improve internet service across the country.

The plan comes amid other initiatives announced earlier this year to encourage traditional industries to rely more on the internet in their operations, and for manufacturers to shift their production to focus on advanced and sophisticated equipment.

The US-based tech company Akamai said in its quarterly report at the end of 2014 that China ranked only 82nd out of 199 countries/regions around the world for internet speed.

Research firm PointTopic also reported that Chinese users were spending on average 13.5% of their monthly income on access fees, whereas in countries such as the US and the UK, users were spending less than 3%.

Studies have also shown that traditional companies are reluctant to take their business online due to such high costs.

While there are suggestions that the country's strict censorship is to blame for such poor performance, commentators are pointing to the monopoly of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the internet service market.

Currently, both landline and mobile internet markets in China are dominated by three companies – China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom – all of which are government-controlled.

While there are secondary service providers, they operate only by renting bandwidth from one of these three giants.

Pundits say this situation needs to change.

"Take Hong Kong as an example: there are five major telecom companies for a market of seven million people," a commentary on Hong Kong broadcaster Phoenix TV's website said.

Taobao, part of the Alibaba group, is China largest consumer-to-consumer online shopping platform, but costly internet services have deterred more traditional businesses from going online.

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Jeff Li is BBC Monitoring’s contributor in Hong Kong, covering China’s mainland and Internet sources.

BBC Monitoring publishes regular media guides to a range of countries.

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Who are African women's role models?

Nel Hodge looks at women's aspirations across the continent as reflected in their magazines.

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African Union leaders have promised to boost gender equality.


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Iran’s hijab dilemma

Are Iran’s hardliners softening their stance on the hijab, asks Iran media analyst Ahmad Taghizadeh

Women’s dress code in Iran draws headlines around the world – especially when it gets stricter or when defiance is punished.

Very rarely will a conservative cleric take a stand against the hijab. But pro-establishment cleric Mohammad Reza Za'eri has done exactly that.

"I am against the compulsory hijab and I believe that one of our mistakes in the social sector after the revolution was to enforce hijab," he said in an interview with the conservative Alef website.

Endorsed by the late Ayatollah Khomeyni, measures were taken after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to make the hijab mandatory in government-run institutions. Then it became mandatory in all public places in 1984, with non-compliance punishable by imprisonment and fines.

Many women, however, defy the rules by exposing their hair. Recent surveys show that the practice of wearing the authorized kind of hijab (completely covering the hair) has fallen sharply. This has led most hardline critics to accuse President Rouhani’s government of failing to enforce the "divine rules".

Leaders lining up at the African Union summit last month stressed their commitment to female empowerment. But glossy women's magazines across the continent have been putting out empowerment messages for some time.

Successful women are always profiled as role models. The magazines tackle serious topics such as migration and child brides but they are also full of glamour, recipes and relationship advice.

New Africa Woman and its French edition Femme Africaine celebrate African women’s “diverse aspirations”.

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What's trending?

High-quality pan-African glossies portray the modern African woman as strong and proud of her heritage. New African Woman and its French edition Femme Africaine say they "offer intelligent, meaningful and inspirational features and news in areas that embrace and celebrate the African woman's diverse accomplishments and aspirations".

With 164,000 likes on Facebook, the English edition kept a running commentary on Angelina Jolie's African Union speech about violence against women.

Like its competitors, AfroElle, Glam Africa and many others, the magazine mixes high-fashion glamour with features on powerful African women.

"Afro-Chic" and "Africa Rising" are commonly-used terms. The magazines, often printed in Europe, are as popular with the African diaspora as they are on the continent. Rich lists and power lists are popular but features also address tragedies like the Chibok girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria.

Ahmad Taghizadeh is a member of our Media Analysis team, specialising in Iran.


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Nel Hodge covers world news and pan-African issues in our UK hub.

Crowded marketHere is a guide to five of Africa's leading women's magazines.

Senegal: ACTU'ELLE

Senegal's thriving magazine scene counts the high-quality Actu'elle magazine as one of its best. It is produced in Paris and last month carried a feature about the deaths of African migrants in the Mediterranean. "They take this long perilous journey in search of Eldorado, but it is disenchantment for most," the article says.

May's edition also profiles women's groups working to inspire other women in urban and rural areas. An article on abortion says 50% of illegal abortions are carried out by women who have been raped. It calls for harsher sentences for those found guilty of raping minors.

Ads for beauty products, shoes and handbags, resemble high-end Western magazines like Vogue. The style editor's advice on what to wear is that: "This summer will be white". (There are only two seasons in Senegal – the rainy season and the dry season).

There is also advice on how to gain weight. It says eat more, exercise and avoid getting stressed.

Nigeria: GENEVIEVE

In West Africa, gossip about Nigerian "Nollywood" celebrities is popular in magazines. There are magazines on women in finance, women's health as well as religious magazines.

In this crowded sector, Genevieve is one of the leading women's titles. It was launched in 2003 to inspire "wholesomeness in all women and the men in their lives". The latest edition discusses the "Becoming Financially Fearless" workshop the magazine hosted.

Djibouti: MARWO

The Kenyan Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o is a hot favourite in African magazines. Djibouti's Marwo magazine profiled her in its April edition, before she became the face of the Lancome beauty range. The same edition had a special focus on the youth in Djibouti. Articles talked about the new generation of wealthy young heirs, how young people spend their leisure time and what dreams they have for the future.

Marwo is also distributed in Belgium and Canada and one interviewee told the magazine that the diaspora had a responsibility to contribute to the development of Africa. A young woman said she dreams of getting into politics "to help develop our young country".

An inspirational story tells of a successful entrepreneur who started off as a cleaner at the US embassy. The magazine said: "She embodies the new Djibouti that is modern and global."

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Successful women are profiled as role models

South and East Africa: TRUE LOVE and MOVE!

South Africa's weekly Move! targets ordinary women and competes successfully with international titles like Cosmopolitan and Homes and Gardens. It is one of the biggest-selling women's weeklies in the country. "We strive to educate and empower young black women while entertaining them at the same time," the magazine says.

Stories include scandals about local personalities, tips for successful living and religious advice. "I must get this copy," one reader said on Move!'s Facebook page in mid-June.

True Love, the iconic South African title, launched an East African edition in Nairobi in 2010, amid talk in Kenya that it was trying to promote South African lifestyles which may be beyond the means of many Kenyans. The edition has embraced a Kenyan outlook and has created a cosy relationship with readers.

It runs a book club where editors can meet readers who want to review books. It uses ordinary people rather than models on its covers and says it is "especially tailored to fit the dynamic lifestyles both contemporary career women and homemakers experience".

The June 2015 issue of True Love East Africa interviews famous TV couple Lulu Hassan and Rashid Abdalla. Their love story is told with intimate revelations about their relationship. It leaves women readers hoping to find similarly supportive men. G

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The answer depends on where you are in the region, writes Middle East media analyst Muhammad Shukri.

It is traditional during Ramadan for Arab TV channels to broadcast topical TV dramas.

Egyptian, Syrian as well as Lebanese productions have been the most popular.

This year entertainment has trumped politics.

In Egypt, most soap operas have had a strong political flavour in the past four years, reflecting the upheaval that followed the 25 January 2011 revolution.

However, relative stability under President Abd-al-Fattah al-Sisi has dulled viewers’ appetite for politics.

Ramadan shows: less politics, more entertainment

Lebanese soap Ahmad and Christina, left, and Egyptian show Ustaz are popular among Arab viewers.

In Lebanon, love and betrayal are among the themes covered by soaps. But some focus on social problems.

One example is Ahmad and Christina, which tells the story of a Christian girl who falls in love with a Muslim man. The series highlights the challenges and difficulties they face from religious conservatives and their own families.

Some broadcasters are using humour to tackle the issues of war and loss. In Syria, the comedy series Dunya shows resourceful citizens coping with internal displacement.

And in two of its episodes, the long-running Saudi comedy series Selfie satirises Islamic State in a story about a man who joins IS in a desperate search for his missing son.

What topics are featured this year in Ramadan soap operas across the Arab world?

Muhammad Shukri is part of our Media Analysis team, specialising in the MENA region.

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The Foolish Philosophers targets Western politicians, celebrities and diaspora figures.

Iranian comedy seeks “cultural resistance”

The Foolish Philosophers, described in the state media as "anti-US and anti-Zionist", has sparked excitement in Iranian conservative media outlets.

Its characters are based on well-known Western politicians, jihadists, media tycoons and Hollywood actors.

The film's relatively unknown director, Sa'id Chari, has previously criticized what he called anti-Islam movies made in the West.

And his film appears to be a channel through which he wants to lampoon his Western counterparts.

"I am hoping that this will be the first of many such films so that today's generation are not deceived by the glamour of Hollywood and do not believe in their propaganda against countries and prophets," he said.

The film's story, as shared by the director, begins with events following the 9/11 attacks and ends with the emergence of the jihadist group, Islamic State.

Apart from mocking the West, the film also aims to make fun of prominent Iranian foreign-based dissidents and artists.

But the main theme very much revolves around Western leaders. The story focuses on former US President George Bush's “decision to attack Iran” along with Iraq and Afghanistan. However, Bush's character later gives up the idea to focus on "soft warfare" against Tehran – a terminology often used by the Iranian establishment for its own propaganda campaign against West.

The movie production is set to end soon and it will be screened during Tehran's Resistance International Film Festival in October 2015, dedicated to promotion of "cultural resistance" against the West.

Filming has started for a comedy Iran’s conservatives describe as a response to Hollywood’s "anti-Iran, anti-Islam" agenda. Our Iran media expert Nooshin Khavarzamin unpicks the script and

the motives behind it.

Nooshin Khavarzamin joined our UK base a year ago, having previously worked in our Delhi Office. She specialises in the media and politics of her home country Iran.

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BBC © 2015 All rights reserved. No publication or distribution of the whole or any part of this magazine is permitted without the written consent of BBC Monitoring.

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BBC Monitoring observes, understands and explains media throughout the world, providing deep insight and enabling organisations to make better, more informed decisions. Our teams monitor and analyse developments in areas including geopolitics, terrorism and other security-related issues and our clients include governments, NGOs and major corporations worldwide.

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