17 October 2017
Education For Employment (EFE), the leading organization linking unemployed youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to tangible job opportunities, and MBC Hope, the CSR branch of the largest private media company in the Middle East, MBC GROUP, has launched #FirstJob – an awareness and action campaign that seeks to boost youth employment in the MENA region by changing how youth and employers view a first job. Major corporate entities such as EFE partner Citi Foundation have collaborated in the campaign. The campaign uses narrative storytelling and social media to enable inspiring individuals to share with unemployed youth the story of how they secured their first job and used it as a springboard to success, supporting EFE’s commitment to helping unemployed youth enter and thrive in the world of work. Since 2010, youth unemployment rates in the Arab have become the highest of any region at over 27%, with the percentage continuing to rise.
Andrew Baird, President & CEO of Education For Employment – Global (EFE-Global) said: “We’re pleased to launch our first regional campaign in partnership with MBC GROUP, and with long-standing EFE partners like Citi Foundation at our side. Through the #FirstJob campaign, we are engaging some of the region’s top business leaders, as well as young professionals early in their career, to share inspiring stories of their pathway to professional success. We believe that this is an innovative way to encourage youth to proactively seek job opportunities while motivating employers to hire first-time job seekers. The campaign also seeks to inspire more companies and foundations to invest in youth employment initiatives.”
Mazen Hayek MBC Group’s Official Spokesman, Group Director of Commercial, PR & CSR said: “Unemployment has become a pressing issue in the Arab world. According to Union of Arab Banks research, the number of unemployed workers in the Middle East has risen to 120 million. To address this challenge, we must invest heavily to increase economic growth rates and build knowledge economies, which will create millions of job opportunities annually. We must also educate the youth and equip them with theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as prepare them to enter the marketplace. This asserts the importance of #FirstJob and its role in educating the youth and utilizing their capabilities in their first job, which will in turn foster their competitive-edge in the future.”
Commenting on the launch, Karim Seifeddine, Head of Public Affairs, Citi, Middle East and Africa from Citibank said: “Citi is honored to be partnering with Education for Employment in the #FirstJob campaign to support young people in the region to develop sustainable economic futures and help reduce youth unemployment. At Citi Foundation, we continue to support programs that catalyze economic growth and provide our youth with economic opportunities to thrive and promote continued progress through entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and leadership development.
Dima Najim, EFE’s Managing Director – UAE noted that: “The #FirstJob campaign was launched in celebration of EFE’s tenth anniversary. Since the first youth graduated EFE programs a decade ago, over 50,000 unemployed youth across the MENA region have been connected to the world of work with support from EFE. This impact is made possible by the support of over 2,300 EFE partners, such as MBC Hope and Citi Foundation.”
- To hire EFE alumni, partner to support their work, or enroll in an EFE training program, please visit www.efe.org
(Source: MBC press release)
13 October 2017
Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) has acquired NOORSAT, one of the leading satellite service providers in the Middle East, from Bahrain’s Orbit Holding Group.
Established in 2004, NOORSAT is the premier distributor of Eutelsat capacity in the Middle East, serving blue-chip customers and providing services for over 300 TV channels almost exclusively from Eutelsat’s market-leading Middle East and North Africa neighbourhoods at 7/8° West and 25.5° East.
The acquisition of NOORSAT fits with Eutelsat’s broader strategy of streamlining distribution within selected core video neighbourhoods where it can create value. It will allow Eutelsat to strengthen the long term commercial development of its market-leading video positions in the Arabic world and increase its direct access to end-customers, facilitating stimulation of High Definition TV take-up and the upselling of incremental video services.
Michel Azibert, Eutelsat Chief Commercial and Development Officer, said: “NOORSAT’s capabilities and market knowledge will further consolidate our longstanding position in the dynamic Middle East video market. By integrating NOORSAT’s service platform and teams we are underlining our commitment to serving customers in one of the key markets within in our global footprint.”
Eutelsat has acquired 100% of NOORSAT for a consideration of US$75 million, debt free and cash free. The acquisition will add upwards of US$15 million to Eutelsat’s consolidated revenues on an annualised basis after the elimination of the capacity leased by Eutelsat from NOORSAT. Its slightly dilutive impact on Eutelsat’s EBITDA margin will be absorbed within the current margin objectives.
(Source: Eutelsat press release)
2 October 2017
BBC News today began a major expansion in India, launching news services in four Indian languages – Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi and Telugu – and relaunching a nightly TV news bulletin in Hindi, BBC Duniya, to be broadcast on India News.
The new services are available online and on social media, with a Telugu TV bulletin, BBC Prapancham, also starting tonight. This will be broadcast on Eenadu TV Andhra Pradesh and Eenadu TV Telangana.
This forms part of a significant BBC investment in India, including an expanded news bureau in Delhi with 2 new TV studios. The Delhi bureau is now the BBC’s largest outside the UK. It will become a video, TV and digital content production hub for the whole of South Asia.
This follows a huge talent drive in India, with the BBC recruiting more than 150 new journalistic staff from across the country.
Director General of the BBC, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, is in India for the launch of the services. Speaking from Delhi, where he was officially opening the BBC Bureau, he said:
“I’m delighted to be in India to mark such a significant milestone for the BBC. For decades, audiences in India have trusted the BBC to bring them impartial, independent news, and today millions more have the chance to access the BBC in their own languages.
“We know the BBC is already held in great regard and affection across India, and we want to bring BBC News to new audiences, particularly the next generation of news consumers. We’ve recruited amazingly talented new journalists from across India, and it’s been an honour to meet many of them today.
“I’m also pleased the BBC is working with new TV partners in India News and Eenadu TV.”
K.Bapineedu, CEO of Eenadu TV Network, said:
“The BBC has established its brand name as a credible news channel across the globe. The initiative from the BBC to produce international stories with a global perspective, in the Telugu language and to be broadcast on the ETV Network , will add value to our existing endeavour of reaching the Telugu audience with the highest reach and authenticity.”
Kartikeya Sharma, Founder and Promoter of iTV Network, the owner and operator of India News, said:
“The BBC is known for its well-researched and unbiased content, which will now reach our viewers in a language and format they can easily comprehend. India News is acknowledged as a channel that captures the pulse of the nation and promotes a brand of direct and responsible news coverage. With the coming together of the two, our viewers can look forward to getting a global perspective on stories of international significance from networks they can trust.”
BBC News already broadcasts to 28m people in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil and Urdu, as well as English.
The investment in India comes as part of the BBC World Service’s biggest expansion since the 1940s, made possible by £291m investment from the UK Government. The BBC has already launched news in Pidgin, Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya and Korean, with services in Yoruba, Igbo and Serbian to follow.
BBC Duniya is broadcast Monday-Friday at 1800 IST on India News. BBC Prapancham is broadcast Monday-Friday at 2230 IST on Eenadu TV Andhra Pradesh and Eenadu TV Telangana. Both bulletins will be fast-paced programmes giving audiences original journalism and a global perspective on the international and national stories of the day.
TV news bulletins in Marathi will be broadcast later this year, with Gujarati following next year.
Downloadable English language learning modules will also be available via our sites.
News in the four languages is also available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
The new websites are available as follows:
https://www.bbc.com/marathi
https://www.bbc.com/telugu
https://www.bbc.com/punjabi
https://www.bbc.com/gujarati
(Source: BBC press release)
1 October 2017
Arab Satellite Communications Organization – Arabsat – holds its 9th annual Satellite TV Broadcast Forum on the 3rd and 4th October 2017 in Rotana Resort, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman, under the patronage of His Excellency the Omani Minister of Information.
The Forum is attended by Arab and international media figures as well as owners and officials in the satellite television broadcasting industry and distinguished delegates from the Arab League and the Omani government.
Arabsat organises this forum annually to establish close contact with its customers, updating them on the latest trends and identifying their needs. During the Forum there will be a number of sessions focusing on TV HD satellite Broadcasting Technologies and related subjects.
Khalid bin Ahmed Balkheyour, President & CEO of Arabsat, thanked the Government of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman represented by the Ministry of Information for the kind patronage and support received by Arabsat from the Omani Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications.
Balkhyour added that Arabsat will also showcase the latest satellite TV broadcasting technologies offered by the 6th generation satellites to its customers.
(Source: Arabsat press release)
29 September 2017
Alhurra Television is debuting an original documentary, Laughter in the Time of Terrorism, which tells the story of Arab satirists who are using humor to fight one of the most dangerous organizations in the world, ISIS. The two-part documentary highlights comedic Arab hosts who view ISIS’s ideology and barbarism through the lens of sarcasm and jest to expose the lies of the brutal organization.
The documentary centers on how these satirists challenge the barbarism of the Islamic State and highlight its hypocrisy. It examines how freedom of speech is constantly under threat from those espousing radical ideologies who seek to silence others with threat of retaliation. It also emphasizes the bravery of the satirists who effectively diminish the influence of terror groups like ISIS by artfully exposing the contradictions between their ideology and methods. These comedians are committed to their mission, which they persist in pursuing despite the inherent dangers of provoking ISIS, an organization that has massacred entire communities because they hold different beliefs.
Through interviews with the hosts of some of the most incisive satirical news programs across the Middle East and North Africa, Laughter in the Time of Terrorism documents the satirists’ experiences with intimidation efforts. Although they constantly receive death threats from the terror group ISIS and other radical militias, none of the comedians have any reservations about continuing their work. Lebanese, Palestinian, Libyan, Tunisian, and Moroccan humorists explain how they believe that making people laugh at ISIS will help to cast their fears away and is worth the known risks.
“In the recent years, several important programs have been using satire to challenge the influence of ISIS, diminish the prevalence of sectarianism, and condemn political corruption in the MENA region. We wanted to document the resilience of these satirists and examine the challenges they faced as a result of lampooning the extremist ideology of ISIS with biting humor,” stated MBN President Alberto Fernandez. MBN manages and oversees Alhurra Television. “Laughter in the Time of Terrorism exhibits how important freedom of expression is in fighting the extremist ideology of ISIS. This is a theme that Alhurra is committed to exploring, expanding the knowledge and perspective of our viewers.”
Laughter in the Time of Terrorism will air on Alhurra Television on September 30th at 20:00 (GMT).
(Source: Alhurra press release)
