Arab News Network is a minor Arab

Arab

Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

 news channel broadcast on satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....

 from London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

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ANN is owned by Rifaat al-Assad

Rifaat al-Assad

Rifaat al-Assad is the younger brother of the former President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and the uncle of the current President Bashar al-Assad, all of whom come from the minority Alawite Muslim sect. He was born in the village of Qardaha, near Lattakia in western Syria. He is perhaps best known...

, the former vice president of Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

, and uncle of the current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad

Bashar al-Assad

Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...

. The two are in sharp disagreement, with the Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

-based Rifaat al-Assad allegedly having claimed right of succession after Hafiz al-Assad, who had exiled him after he attempted to seize power. ANN was started in the late 1990s by Rifaat and his immediate family, as part of a media network designed to promote their political positions vis-à-vis the Syrian government and other Arabic countries, as Hafiz al-Assad's poor health began to raise the issue of succession. The channel states its goal to be a democratic

Democracy

Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

 reform in the framework of a Baathist Syria.

The station broadcast daily English news from November 2004 to March 2006, but since then has been broadcasting solely in Arabic. The desire to remove the programme reflected a change in management. Rifaat's son, Ribal al-Assad, is currently Director of the London Bureau. He decided to cancel the English programming due what he perceived to be the lack of an audience for it.

The channel has faced great financial issues. Major restructuring has been undertaken and technological updates have been acquired by the channel in order to improve its image.

ANN is currently broadcasting on Hotbird and Arabsat and aims to soon start broadcasts on Nilesat

Nilesat

Nilesat is an Egyptian company, and the name of a series of Egyptian communications satellites. It was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated ground control station and uplinking facilities...

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