17 July 2006
Walid Al Omary, the bureau chief of Al Jazeera Channel in Jerusalem, has been reportedly detained by Israeli authorities since Sunday 16 July. It follows a wave of problems for Al Jazeera news crews covering the major world news story of the conflict in southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Al Jazeera correspondent Ilyas Karram was detained shortly after the first wave of Hezbollah missiles hit Haifa, but subsequently released.
Al Jazeera says that no explanations for Mr Al Omarys detention have been given by the Israeli authorities and says that Al Jazeeras reporters are prevented from carrying out their work.
“Al Jazeera hereby expresses its utmost disapproval and strong denunciation of the Israeli authorities obstruction of its coverage of the conflict and reiterates its adherence to internationally recognized professional journalistic standards. Al Jazeera is covering the conflict showing the different opinions in the war, particularly the Lebanese and Israeli points-of-view, with accuracy, balance, and integrity.
“Al Jazeera demands the immediate release of its Bureau Chief Mr. Walid Al Omary so that he, along with the rest of his team, can continue their work without hindrance and obstruction.”
17 July 2006
As part of its upcoming ambitious fleet renewal and expansion program for the next 3 years, Satcom operator Arabsat has selected Arianespace for the launch of its recently ordered BADR-6 satellite in 2008.
Khalid Balkheyour, President & CEO, and Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, have signed yesterday in Paris the according launch contracts.
This is the 10th contract signed by Arianespace with customers from the Middle East.
BADR-6 (technically, Arabsat-4AR) will be launched by an Ariane 5 during the first half of 2008, from the Guiana Space Center, Europes Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
With this new order, satellites operator Arabsat, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has now entrusted Arianespace with the launch of as much as six spacecrafts.
“Our partnership with Arianespace is not new, it dates back to five successful launches and we are proud to renew it with BADR-6 and hopefully many more successful launches” stated Eng. Khalid Balkhyour, Arabsat President & CEO. “We were impressed by their customer-oriented approach and the high professional level they’ve demonstrated during the negotiation, and are looking forward to the success of this important launch campaign for us as part of our extensive fleet renewal plans over the very coming years” he added.
Arianespace is very proud and honoured to have once again been chosen by the leading operator Arabsat, said Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. We have maintained a preferred relationship with Arabsat since launching the Arabsat-1A satellite in 1985. Furthermore, being chosen for this new satellite launch right when Arabsat has announced an ambitious deployment plan is a clear recognition of the top quality and excellence offered by Arianespaces launch service and concluded “we consider it as a significant milestone, hopefully strengthening our cooperation in the close future”.
17 July 2006
Harris Corporation today announced that ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, the German commercial television conglomerate, is the first broadcaster in Europe to take delivery of the new Harris PlatinumT router. The sale, for the company’s Berlin facility, was made by Teracue AG, the distributor of Harris broadcast products in Germany.
“We are excited to be the first company in Europe to install the new Harris PlatinumT router, as it is the most superior, compact, large-sized router on the market today,” said Jiri Srb, head of broadcast technology of ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, which operates as a general contractor for all of ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s production needs. “With so many signals to manage in our facility, space efficiency was just as important as performance in our choice of routers. Harris PlatinumT has enabled us to get all our input/output (I/O) points into a 28-rack unit chassis – replacing an existing routing configuration that was housed in a 66-rack unit chassis.”
The high-capacity, small-footprint Harris PlatinumT routing switchers provide high-quality signal routing up to 256×256 in 15RU and 512×512 in 28RU and support a mix of any signal – video and audio, from analogue to HD
– all in the same frame. Built for maximum reliability in even the most harsh, 24/7 operation, Harris PlatinumT is ideal for network, local broadcaster, mobile production, cable, telco, military, government and corporate applications – any environment that requires routing of a large number of signals.
“The Harris PlatinumT router also was easy to integrate into our existing infrastructure,” Srb continued. “The construction of the router allows for easy access to all active devices, controllers and units. We can also hot-swap boards while the router is on air, which is a major advantage for an operation like ours.”
ProSiebenSat.1 Group has two main facilities: one in Berlin and the other in Munich. The Berlin facility houses the main studios for live recording of television programs and production, and is where news and TV programming is produced for the complete broadcast chain. Most content is created for entertainment channel Sat.1 and news channel N24. The Harris PlatinumT router serves as the backbone of the Berlin facility and is also used for live signals being routed to the Munich facility for playout.
“We are delighted that ProSiebenSat.1 has chosen our new Harris PlatinumT router for its broadcast facility in Berlin, as this purchase is a testament to the solid reputation our router technology enjoys across the industry,” said Dave Dougall, vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa sales for the Harris Broadcast Communications Division. “The Harris PlatinumT router is equipped to meet all the complex requirements of today’s large routing applications, delivering superior control and unprecedented reliability within a future-proofed architecture that is designed to incorporate additional features that do not exist on the market today.”
15 July 2006
Al Jazeera has restarted the process of opening a new bureau in Madrid, Spain. The opening of the bureau was initiated over two years ago by Al Jazeeras correspondent Tayseer Allouny but was interrupted following his arrest and imprisonment. From the jail near Madrid, Allouny has sent a letter urging Al Jazeera to proceed with the opening of the bureau in Spain, and efforts are currently underway to have a fully functional bureau open within the near future.
Al Jazeera has announced that Allouny will head the Madrid Bureau as planned, and an acting bureau chief will be appointed until Tayseer Allouny’s release.
When earlier this year, the Spanish Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Spain, despite the fact that he was acquitted over alleged links with Al Qaeda, the channel stated that it was considering an appeal to the Constitutional Court to help Allouny regain his freedom.
“Tayseer is recognized by the journalistic community as a distinguished correspondent known for his integrity and commitment to the profession and Al Jazeera will continue to fully support him and the efforts to appeal his case, said Wadah Khanfar, the Director General of the Al Jazeera Network.
15 July 2006
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has demanded the immediate release of a reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) arrested by authorities in Turkmenistan and held incommunicado since June 18.
BBG Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson said a resolution condemning the arrest of Ogulsapar Muradova and her three children received unanimous approval by the Board. “It is intolerable that our journalists in Turkmenistan have become targets of harassment and arrest,” Tomlinson said. “We will not be intimidated by this latest attempt to prevent the people of Turkmenistan to receive news of events in their own country and elsewhere and we will continue to find ways to get the truth out.”
RFE/RL Acting President Jeffrey N. Trimble asserted that, even as it continues its efforts to secure Mrs. Muradova’s freedom, RFE/RL will maintain the focus of its Turkmen language broadcasts: “Our journalists will continue to provide the credible news, analysis, and discussion of domestic and regional issues expected by our listeners. To do less would be a disservice to Mrs. Muradova and the people of Turkmenistan.”
The resolution also calls on the Turkmen government to “cease all interference with the right of journalists in Turkmenistan to gather and report information freely.”
In March of this year, two other Turkmenistan-based reporters for RFE/RL were arrested and later released after signing a statement they would stop their reporting activities. Since her arrest on unknown charges, Muradova has not been allowed to contact a lawyer or any other civilians. Muradova’s three adult children were also arrested but released after a 12 day detention.
