13 January 2015
SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that it plans to launch a dedicated satellite for governmental use in partnership with the Luxembourg Government in late 2017. A Luxembourg-based company jointly held by SES and the Luxembourg Government is planned to own and operate the new spacecraft.
The Luxembourg Government and SES would each invest EUR 50 million into the new company, which, at the same time, would receive a EUR 125 million bank loan from a consortium of Luxembourg banks to finance the satellite’s procurement and launch. This investment has been foreseen within SES’s existing capital expenditure projections. The spacecraft would be positioned in the European arc, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. The capacity of the new satellite would satisfy Luxembourg’s requirements for satellite communications in military frequencies. Capacity would also be made available to governmental and institutional customers for defence and governmental applications. The multi-mission satellite will use dedicated military frequencies (known as X-band and military Ka-band), providing high-powered and fully steerable spot beams to support multiple operations.
“This new, ambitious public-private partnership demonstrates the importance of Luxembourg in the international space sector and the close and successful ties between SES and Luxembourg. SES fully acknowledges the importance of the Luxembourg Government’s participation in this future enterprise,” said Karim Michel Sabbagh, President and CEO of SES. “As a commercial satellite operator, SES is ideally positioned to deliver its know-how to this new venture, serving a large range of future governmental and institutional customers, creating significant entrepreneurial value and return for these customers and for the Grand-Duchy.”
“Emerging from the national space sector, this project is not only an important contribution of Luxembourg to European defence, but it further supports the government’s economic diversification policy in a key technology sector”, said Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister of Economy.
(Source: SES Press release)
8 January 2015
The European Audiovisual Observatory, the Council of Europe’s audiovisual information clearing house, is now under the Presidency of Montenegro for 2015. Montenegro takes over from Italy which held the Presidency of the Strasbourg-based Observatory in 2014.
Montenegro is represented within the Observatory’s Executive Council by Jadranka Vojvodic, Deputy Director of the Agency for Electronic Media, the Montenegrin Regulatory Authority. Vojvodic stated that Montenegro, as a recent member of the Observatory (the country joined in 2012), was “proud to be Presiding the first year of the Observatory’s 3 Year Action Plan 2015 – 2018.” She added that her organisation would be hosting a public media conference with the Observatory in Montenegro in June of 2015. The theme will be announced soon.
Susanne Nikoltchev, the Observatory’s Executive Director, paid tribute to a “very lively” Italian Presidency for 2014 and looked forward to “constructive cooperation on new initiatives” with the Montenegrin Presidency.
The European Audiovisual Observatory covers the audiovisual industries of its 40 member states as well as producing pan-European statistics and legal analysis. It has a rotating Presidency which changes annually and lasts from January to December.
7 January 2015
AIB and its Members are horrified by the appalling attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the French weekly satirical magazine, in Paris on 7 January 2015.
“Today’s dreadful attack by gunmen on staff at Charlie Hebdo will not stifle the press in France, nor in any other country,” says Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “Everyone at AIB and its global membership offers their sympathy to the families of those killed and injured in the attack, and support for colleagues at the magazine.”
Despite the outrageous and distressing attack, AIB’s support for freedom of expression and for the media remains total.
#JeSuisCharlie #IAmCharlie
6 January 2015
Nastoyashchee Vremya, a new Russian-language television program, launched yesterday in Latvia, expanding its reach to audiences in five countries bordering Russia. The show is a joint production of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America.
“The aim of the program is to provide audiences in countries neighboring Russia with an alternative point of view on current events in their countries, in their region, and in the world,” said Nenad Pejic, RFE/RL editor in chief and co-CEO. “It is committed to providing professional, intelligent journalism, and is guided by the belief in the power of good journalism to promote peace and democracy,” he said.
The 30-minute program, a dynamic mix of live news coverage, interviews, original features, and political satire, will air nightly at 11:00pm on Latvia’s private Russian-language channel, TV5. In a press release announcing the program, Baiba Zuzena, the head of TV5’s parent company MTG TV Latvia, explained, “The broadcast of ‘Nastoyashchee Vremya’ on TV5 is not an attempt to convince someone of something, but an opportunity we present to our viewers. Everyone can decide for himself or herself what information to believe, but it’s important that Latvians hear every side and be aware of every point of view.”
Nastoyashchee Vremya, or Current Time began airing in October 2014 and is now carried by TV channels and internet portals in Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine, in addition to Latvia.
On January 1, Latvia assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first six months of 2015, during which it has pledged actively to promote media freedom, the EU’s Eastern Partnership program, and democratic institutions.
5 January 2015
MediaCorp launches two news portals for Malay and Tamil news
& current affairs consumers. MediaCorp Berita and MediaCorp Seithi go live on 5th January
2015. Each online portal will cater to their respective Malay and Tamil-speaking news
consumers to follow all major developments within and outside Singapore as well as key events
of interest to the communities.
The user experience will be further enhanced with the introduction of an application in March
2015 that will optimize the website content for mobile and tablets. The free app for Android and
IOS devices will make it an even more enriching experience for users with drop-down options
that will bring you straight to the desired page at a tap.
At both portals, consumers have a wide range of information to browse, read, watch or listen to.
Breaking news video clips will be uploaded as they happen, including contributions from
witnesses. Financial and business news and sports are some of the categories on offer. For the
Berita website, updates from the Malay literary and artistic world will be found in the
Lifestyle/Literary segments. Movie and entertainment news seekers can catch trailers and
reviews on famed Bollywood and Kollywood screenings at Seithi.
Digital journalists working on the two portals are well supported by established editorial teams in
the MediaCorp Editorial Division which produces content for all the MediaCorp TV, radio, print
and digital platforms. The Malay News and Current Affairs department produces content for TV
on Suria, for radio on Warna and Ria, while the Tamil News and Current Affairs department
produces programmes for TV on Vasantham and for radio on Oli. With this linkage, both
websites also have the unrivalled access to insightful stories filed by the wide network of
regional Channel NewsAsia and TODAY correspondents.
Each website will upload current affairs programmes that have been aired on Suria and
Vasantham, and users can tap to link up to any of the MediaCorp Radio stations to catch up
with breaking news as it is aired.
Supervising Editor for Malay News and Current Affairs, Mr Ibrahim Hassan, says, “This new
platform will definitely be a great addition to viewers and listeners who have been following our
news and current affairs programmes. They can now catch these programmes and enhanced
content conveniently from one portal.”
Supervising Editor for Tamil News and Current Affairs, Mr R. Nadarasan, adds, “With this
launch into a new digital stage, we are giving today’s busy consumers more choices and
flexibility to be informed and entertained at their preferred times, or when they are on the move.”
The websites can be accessed by mobile and desktops at the following urls:
Malay: http://berita.mediacorp.sg/
Tamil: http://seithi.mediacorp.sg/
29 December 2014
The Association for International Broadcasting today condemned the detention of Baku-based staff of RFE/RL and a raid on the broadcaster’s bureau in the Azerbaijani capital.
Police detain RFE/RL staff in Baku, Azerbaijan
The raid on RFE/RL’s bureau took place on 26 December, seizing documents, computers, memory sticks and other items. The office was then sealed, preventing staff from accessing the bureau. The following day the first of a series of raids on homes of RFE/RL employees in Baku began, with a number of staff – including the bureau’s cleaner – detained. No charges have been brought against any of the RFE/RL staff.
“It appears that Azerbaijan is continuing a comprehensive campaign against the freedom of expression and the press,” said Simon Spanswick, chief executive of AIB. “This latest act follows the detention in February and most recently in December of Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who contributes to RFE/RL and other media outlets. The raid on RFE/RL’s bureau in Baku and the detention of many of the station’s staff – including the office cleaner – shows a total disregard for media freedom in the country. AIB calls on the authorities to cease this campaign of intimidation and allow free reporting in Azerbaijan.”
The raids and detention of RFE/RL staff comes as the broadcaster is under investigation as a “foreign-funded entity”. The offices of a range of non-governmental organisations including the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) and the Media Rights Institute were raided and sealed in August 2014.
International radio stations – including the BBC, Radio Azadliq (the Azeri-language service of RFE/RL), and Voice of America – were taken off the air in Azerbaijan in 2008. International stations have broadcast on satellite or via the Internet since then.
The raids come soon after Azerbaijan’s six-month presidency of the Council of Europe ended in November. The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation.
“Azerbaijan has sought to position itself as an important player both regionally and in the global arena,” commented Spanswick. “These latest moves are against international broadcasters and non-governmental organisations that are seeking to assist in the development of Azerbaijan. The raids demonstrate that the country is retreating from the international stage, rather than taking its place on it. It is time to once again move forward. The country can demonstrate this through ceasing the harassment of journalists and NGOs. Instead, the country should uphold the ideals of the Council of Europe.”
AIB will be raising the matter with the Azerbaijan Ambassador in London and with the authorities in Baku.
