PARIS, Aug 10: Broadcasts of a Lebanese television channel linked to the Hezbollah militia group have been stopped to Asia and Latin America, France Telecom said on Wednesday.

The French group said distribution of the Al Manar channel via its Globecast satellite subsidiary had ceased to Asia last week and to South America at the beginning of July.

The halt to transmissions follows a decision by French authorities last December to ban the station from broadcasting across Europe using the Paris-based Eutelsat company claiming it was inciting racial hatred.

Jewish groups, notably the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, hailed the Eutelsat decision but accused France Telecom of helping the Lebanese channel by continuing broadcasts to Asia, via Globecast’s dealings with Asiasat, and to Latin America through the Spanish satellite provider Hispasat.

The Spanish government announced in June that it was ending Al Manar broadcasts on Hispasat because the channel’s licence was not in order.

—AFP