26 September 2014
• US President remarks shows support for Al Jazeera staff to be freed
• Australian PM also urges Egyptian leader to release jailed trio
• Al Jazeera marks UNGA with viral campaign for #FreeAJstaff
Doha- 26th September, 2014
World leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have highlighted the importance of press freedom, and called on Egypt to release the three jailed Al Jazeera staff.
The wrongful imprisonment of Baher Mohamed, Peter Greste and Mohammed Fahmy was raised by US President Obama in his first meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
According to the Deputy National Security advisor Ben Rhodes, Obama reminded the Egyptian leader of his duty to human rights, including the rights to free speech and the rights of the three jailed Al Jazeera journalists:
Rhodes said: “The president expressed his view that those journalists should be released.”
President Obama’s emphasis on releasing the men follows a similar meeting between Tony Abbott the Australian Prime Minister and Sisi for twenty minutes.
After the meeting Abbott said: “I think he (Sisi) will do his best to be helpful”.
At UNGA similar calls for Egypt to release the three journalists were made by the British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond who told Al Jazeera: “On the question of Al Jazeera journalists, I’ve raised this question personally with President Sisi. I raise it every time I see Foreign Minister Shoukry. The current situation is that the journalists have, as I understand it, appealed their convictions and that means this remains at the present time a judicial process. And we have to respect the separation of judicial and executive power. Once that judicial process is complete, if that sentence still stands, we would look to the executive to intervene and ensure they are released.”
In a campaign to increase even further awareness of the jailing of the Al Jazeera three, an advert was placed in the New York Times and Times Square New York to remind the Egyptian leader and other officials that the three men have been arrested, detained, charged and sentenced for just doing their job of honest, free and fair reporting.
Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were convicted in June of aiding terrorism and spreading false news that portrayed Egypt as being in a state of “civil war”. Greste and Fahmy received seven-year terms, while Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years, in a case that sparked international outrage.
Since their arrest in December 2013, Al Jazeera has received international support calling for their freedom from human rights organisations, news networks and various governments.
On social media the advert placed in the New York Times alone gave 800,000 impressions on Twitter in the first five hours.
Commenting on president Obama’s call for the release of the Al Jazeera three, an Al Jazeera spokesperson said:
“For nine months since the arrest of Baher Mohamed, Mohammed Fahmy and Peter Greste, world opinion has stated that these men are innocent and have committed no crime, yet nearly 300 days later they still languish behind bars. Al Jazeera welcomes the direct involvement of President Obama and Prime Minister Abbott by reminding the Egyptian authorities that it is their moral duty in the name of free speech and human rights that they release our colleagues who are innocent and renowned Journalists.”
Calls for the release of Al Jazeera staff have previously been made from the White House, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the European Union, the Australian Government and over 150 rights groups, including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute.
Over 200,000 people have signed petitions globally, including two petitions signed by 150,000 people presented to the Egyptian Vice Counsel in Sydney by Australia’s leading journalists.
Over 40 of the world’s top journalists have also signed a letter demanding the release of the journalists, and media outlets across the globe have staged their own protests, including BBC, CNN, ITN, Channel 4, Fairfax Australia, Toronto Star, VRT deredactie and Iran’s Shargh Daily.
High profile supporters include leading media personalities Larry King, Christiane Amanpour, Jon Snow, Piers Morgan, Stephen Fry, Ben Wedeman, Brian Stelter, Alex Thompson, as well as Naomi Klein, Reza Aslan, Mia Farrow and Bianca Jagger.
Similarly public calls of support for the release of the journalists has occurred throughout the social media campaign #FreeAJStaff, with over 137,000 people who have shared their support on Twitter, reaching 112 million people, and delivering over 2 billion impressions.
-Ends-
For more information email pressoffice@aljazeera.net
Follow on twitter & facebook
For more information on #FreeAJStaff
24 September 2014
Paris, 24 September 2014
For the first time, MIPCOM, the global entertainment content market, launches a conference event to support and discuss a key sector of the international television business ‐ the distribution of TV Channels around the world.
The aim of the programme is to create a central point of interaction for channels and platforms to meet, and to provide an educational forum specifically dedicated to showcasing new channels and carriage platforms (cable, satellite, IPTV, OTT).
Organised by Reed MIDEM, the 30th anniversary edition of MIPCOM will take place in Cannes, France, from 13-16 October 2014.
This one day programme will take place on Monday October 13th in a dedicated area and will include a series of business-oriented conferences and workshops. Mediamétrie/Eurodata will present data and comments on the growing channel distribution market and leading international platforms will unveil their strategies for the year to come. The ‘Driving the Quest for The Audience: Channel Distribution Strategies for Success’ conference session will showcase new channels with international appeal.
“With the increasing presence of multi-service operators and channels from around the world, carriage deals are a growing part of the market. Our ambition is to become the international business destination for the carriage ecosystem,” comments Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s TV Division.
“It is vitally important that channels and platforms understand each other’s businesses,” says Simon Spanswick, Chief Executive of the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB). “Neither sector can operate independently of each other. This new initiative at MIPCOM is, we believe, essential as the distribution market becomes more complicated as new platforms launch.
AIB is delighted to be part of this important concept that is designed to bring businesses together and start conversations that will turn into business deals.”
The first Global Channel Distribution day at MIPCOM will bring together the French Telco & Pay TV operator Orange, German Telco and IPTV operator Deutsche Telekom, Globecast, Al Jazeera’s global network, A+E networks, Scripps Networks International, EbonyLife TV and OTT service operator Magine.
About AIB
AIB, the Association for International Broadcasting, is the international industry association and global knowledge network for the international broadcasting industry – cross-media, cross-border, cross-cultural. It has grown into a unique centre of information about international broadcasting, covering television, radio, and emerging media platforms such as online and mobile.The AIB, established in 1993, is a not-for-profit organisation, with headquarters in the United Kingdom.
About MIPCOM
2014 marks the 30th anniversary of MIPCOM, the year’s most anticipated global market for entertainment content across all platforms. Each October, the industry’s major players from TV and film – converge in Cannes to create a new world of entertainment. MIPCOM turns every moment into an opportunity, transforming four days of meetings, screenings and conferences into deals, from blockbuster programming to ground-breaking partnerships. And MIPJunior – the leading showcase for kids programming which takes place the weekend before MIPCOM – unites the world’s most influential buyers, sellers, producers, digital players, publishers and licensing executives who present, discover and screen the very latest content. For the first time this year MIPJunior will be held at the Palm Beach, the Croisette’s glamorous landmark location.
Please visit www.mipcom.com
Media Contacts
For further information please contact
Roger Stone, AIB: +44 (0) 20 7993 2557
roger.stone@aib.org.uk
Jane GARTON, Entertainment Press Director: +33 1 79 71 94 39
jane.garton@reedmidem.com
Joanna KIRK, Press Manager: +33 1 79 71 95 82
joanna.kirk@reedmidem.com
Philippe LE GALL, Press Events Manager: +33 1 79 71 96 48
philippe.legall@reedmidem.com
Download the press release here
24 September 2014
SES S.A. announced today that is has become a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation.
At the 2014 CGI Annual Meeting, held in New York City, SES announced its Commitment to Action, in the form of the e-health platform SATMED.
SATMED is a satellite-enhanced, cloud-computing based Telemedicine platform that aims to improve the access to and simplify the use of e-health. SATMED will provide a range of e-health services at different levels: satellite connectivity for remote areas with no internet connectivity, e-health and m-health tools developed with the support of doctors, and tools developed by international communities for providing universal access to e-care, e-learning, e-health administration, and e-health financing. SATMED will also provide access to cloud services for secure data storage, exchange, and data backup.
SES is developing SATMED in close cooperation with several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), namely Friendship, German Doctors, Médecins Sans Frontières, Archemed, and Fondation Follerau Luxembourg. During a pilot phase, the complete system, incorporating satellite terminal equipment and software platform, will be deployed to partner organisations, including NGOs, hospitals, medical universities, and other health care providers that are active in resource-poor areas. Up to 15 satellite terminals will be installed in project locations in Bangladesh, Benin, Eritrea, Guinea, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone. Partner organisations will use SATMED to improve access to medical care, reinforce their medical training programmes, make health management more effective and quality assured, and/or upgrade their collection, management, and visualisation of data.
24 September 2014
Starting today, BlackBerry® 10 smartphones users around the world can access the latest news and thoughtful analysis on Middle Eastern affairs through a whole new and dedicated Al Arabiya News app which is available through BlackBerry® World™ storefront.
Al Arabiya News is the English language platform of Al Arabiya News Channel, the region’s leading 24 hour news channel based in Dubai.
The Al Arabiya News app works perfectly on the new BlackBerry® Passport, a new device purpose-built for productivity with a boundary breaking design that challenges the status quo. The new app will make the most of the unique features of the BlackBerry Passport, such as the large square touch screen which enables enhanced viewing of articles and videos.
“The new app will offer the most optimal content viewing experience and ensure our content becomes even more accessible and available for influential decision makers who need to conveniently access their news and analysis while on the go,” said Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya News.
“The new app, which is available through BlackBerry World, is an extension of our existing English website and users of the app will be able to benefit from all of our existing features and sections, such as our ‘View More’ video-on-demand service which enables users around the world to access Al Arabiya News Channel bulletins and flagship programs with full English subtitles and transcripts,” added Abbas.
“It’s great to welcome the Al Arabiya News App in BlackBerry World,” says Mike Al-Mefleh, Senior Director, Product Management and Services at BlackBerry. The apps make the most of the unique features of our newly launched BlackBerry Passport such as the large square touch screen and the new QWERTY touch-enabled keyboard.”
The BlackBerry Passport was launched earlier today at simultaneous events held at Dubai’s Armani Hotel as well as in Toronto and London.
Al Arabiya News can be accessed by visiting www.alarabiya.net/English and is available on BlackBerry World storefront. (Source: Al Arabiya press release)
24 September 2014
Eurosport.com’s updated application for Android phones and tablets sets an ambitious benchmark for all other sports apps. This next edition provides fast and intuitive access to the latest sports news and results. It also features responsive design for all devices.
Now available via Google Play Store, the updated app allows sports fans to access the complete real-time coverage of their favourite sports, to consult fixtures and results for all major events and to follow matches and races live.
Eurosport.com’s unrivalled depth of content and the new user-friendly interface make this the ultimate app for any sports fan on the move. The app is easier on the eye than the previous edition thanks responsive design, high definition imaging and the new navigation bar, giving access to all the major features. The sports offer is as broad as any sport fan can expect from the leading sports entertainment group with over 100 new stories and over 30 videos added each day. Over 40 live text commentaries per week, exclusive web chats with players, pundits and journalists and expert analysis, all underlining Eurosport’s editorial expertise, are also published.
True to Eurosport’s international status as the n°1 pan-European TV channel, the app is available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Polish, Russian and Chinese. There are two versions available in English, one for the UK market and an international version.
The next step in the digital strategy of the pan-European broadcaster’s online offer will be the launch of a new application for iPhone and iPad in the coming days via the App store. (Source: EUROSPORT press release)
23 September 2014
The Broadcasting Board of Governors announced today that it intends to hire respected journalist and media executive Andrew Lack as Chief Executive Officer of the federal agency that oversees the five networks and broadcasting operations of U.S. international media. Those networks include Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio and TV Martí, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
“Andy Lack has an unmatched record as a journalist and media executive, and he has successfully steered large organizations through changes in competitive media environments,” BBG Chair Jeff Shell said. “We are incredibly excited that Andy has decided to serve his country and lead the BBG as it fulfills its critical mission in this ever-changing and more complicated world.”
Once his appointment is finalized, Lack will serve as the first-ever CEO of U.S. international media. Creating the position of a CEO has been a key objective of the agency’s governing board and the Administration.
Lack’s selection follows an extensive search process launched in October 2013, when the Board formed a special committee on the creation of a CEO. Earlier this year, the agency engaged an executive search firm to identify candidates.
“Andy is a great leader, a great communicator, and a great journalist,” said Richard Stengel, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, who serves as the delegate to the Board for Secretary of State John Kerry. “He is the perfect person – and I really mean the perfect person – to be this organization’s first CEO in the 21st century. We are lucky to have him, and we at State look forward to working with him.”
Chairman of the Bloomberg Media Group for the past year, Lack joined Bloomberg in October 2008 as CEO of its Global Media Group. In this position, he was responsible for expanding television, radio, magazine, conference and digital businesses. Under his leadership, Bloomberg LP has enhanced the quality of its media properties, expanded internationally, and built out services to bring information to more people, in more places, on more platforms than ever before.
Prior to joining Bloomberg, Lack was Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, where he led the company’s roster of prominent international artists and vast catalog of recorded music from around the world. Before joining Sony Music Entertainment, he was president and chief operating officer of NBC, where he oversaw entertainment, news (including MSNBC and CNBC), NBC stations, sales and broadcast and network operations. He was responsible for expanding the Today show to three hours and creating the show’s street-side studio in New York’s Rockefeller Center.
From 1993 to 2001, Lack was president of NBC News, which he transformed into America’s most-watched news organization through NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, Today and Dateline NBC.
Before going to NBC, Lack spent much of his television career at CBS News. After joining in 1976, within a year, he became a prominent producer for 60 Minutes and subsequently, senior executive producer of CBS Reports. Lack’s broadcasts at CBS earned numerous honors, including 16 Emmy Awards and 4 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards.
Lack received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Fine Arts at Boston University, where he is currently a trustee.
He lives in Bronxville, NY with his wife, Betsy, and their two sons. (Source: BBG press release)
