RFE/RL Condemns Taliban Move to Further Silence Independent Media

1 December 2022

RFE/RL Condemns Taliban Move to Further Silence Independent Media

The Taliban has removed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) award-winning programming from AM and FM radio transmission networks in Afghanistan.

“Azadi is a lifeline for tens of millions of Afghans, making the Taliban’s decision all the more tragic,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly, speaking on 1 December. “RFE/RL will not change our editorial line to accommodate Taliban demands in order to stay on the air. We know from experience that our audiences make great efforts to find us. The truth cannot be completely suppressed.”

For decades, RFE/RL’s Afghan Service, known locally as Azadi, has been a staple of everyday life in Afghanistan, commonly heard in public settings, from marketplaces to taxis. In a recent survey commissioned by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, half of Afghan adults surveyed use Azadi content weekly. Despite significant pressure from the Taliban, RFE/RL continues to provide bold coverage of stories suppressed by state media. Azadi has given a platform for the most vulnerable — women and girls, victims of violent extremism, the LGBTQI+ community, and youth — to share their experiences. Azadi has also informed Afghans about public health, provided school lessons for girls, exposed corruption, and helped the powerless find community and hope.

In contrast to official Taliban claims, Afghans have again and again expressed their appreciation and gratitude to RFE/RL for providing a vital public service. RFE/RL will continue broadcasts from outside the country, and will expand options to reach its dedicated audience through other platforms.

RFE/RL’s Afghan Service is one of the most popular and trusted media outlets in Afghanistan, providing uncensored news in the Dari and Pashto languages. Following the Taliban takeover, RFE/RL closed its Kabul bureau, yet Azadi continues to cover events ignored by state media. In partnership with Learn Afghanistan, Azadi has also used innovative and accessible platforms to provide lessons for girls in grades 7-12 now barred from attending school. RFE/RL’s Afghan Service has a growing digital presence to reach younger audiences, with millions of video and page views on its websites, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and RFE/RL journalists have paid the ultimate price for their commitment to a free press. In 2018, three Radio Azadi journalists — Maharram Durrani, Abadullah Hananzai, and Sabawoon Kakar — were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. In 2020, Mohammad Ilyas Dayee was killed in a targeted bomb attack.

MBC GROUP expands anime partnerships to add titles to Shahid

1 December 2022

MBC GROUP expands anime partnerships to add titles to Shahid

Group has secured rights to various series, including TV Tokyo’s “Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War,” the 52-episode Japanese anime television series based on the “Bleach” manga series by Tite Kubo

MBC GROUP – the largest and leading media company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – has announced the expansion of its partnerships with key anime studios and production houses in Japan and beyond to bring more anime content to its streaming platform, Shahid.

At present, Shahid boasts hundreds of anime titles on its platform, including “Bleach”, “One Piece” “Attack on Titan”, “Tokyo Ghoul”, “Initial D”, “Gin Tama”, “Hunter x Hunter”, “Legend of the Galactic Heroes”, “Belle”, as well as the Japanese–Saudi Arabian animated action fantasy film, “The Journey”.

Building on these partnerships, MBC GROUP has secured exclusive rights in MENA to TV Tokyo’s “Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War,” the 52-episode Japanese anime television series based on the “Bleach” manga series by Tite Kubo, and a direct sequel to the “Bleach” anime series. The title returns following an eight-year hiatus, is streaming on Shahid at the same time as Japan and the United States.

The entire box set of previously aired series’ of “Bleach” is also available on Shahid for streaming.

MBC GROUP has additionally extended a partnership with TOEI Animation to add more episodes of the renowned show, “ONE PIECE”, one of anime’s longest-running programmes, based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga series of the same name.

Following the success of the anime adaptation of “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai” on Shahid, MBC GROUP has also expanded on its partnership with its production company, Aniplex. The expansion will see the addition of more than 200 hours of Aniplex content on Shahid, including “Fate/Stay Night”, “Sword Art Online”, and “Gurren Lagann”.

Tareq Al-Ibrahim, Director of Content for SVOD at Shahid, commented: “Anime is extremely popular in the Middle East region – particularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – so needless to say, we are incredibly excited to be making new additions to our ever-expanding anime catalogue on Shahid, bringing new and hit titles that audiences will love exploring.”

All titles mentioned above will be available on Shahid before the end of 2022.

Often aimed at adults, Anime refers to the wide range of Japanese animation that reflects multiple genres and features a distinctly recognisable visual aesthetic and storytelling approach.

Shahid is the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform by MBC GROUP.

[Source: MBC press release]

NHK WORLD Monthly Focus for December

28 November 2022

NHK WORLD Monthly Focus for December

NHK WORLD – Monthly focus for December

Danjuro: A Kabuki Star for Three Centuries December 31 Sat. 0:10/6:10/12:10/18:10 (UTC) Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo in November of 2022 assumed the name Ichikawa Danjuro XIII in an important career milestone. The first performer to go by the name was active 300 years ago and established many of the traditions that we associate with kabuki, one of which is the passing of actors’ names down the generations. Join us as we take a look at a special performance to mark the name change and some of the highlights of Ichikawa’s repertoire.
The Sustainable Feast December 28 Wed. 0:30/5:30/10:30/15:30/21:30 (UTC) There is a delicious new trend in food. Around the world, sustainability is on the menu, focusing on local ingredients and less waste. From the campus of America’s influential Culinary Institute to the restaurant of an innovative Japanese chef, see how we are transforming the way we eat!
Great Race Reuniting to Run: Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji Jan 1 Sun. 0:10/6:10/12:10/18:10 (UTC) Mt. Fuji’s Ultra-Trail race was back on track in April of 2022 after a two-year pandemic hiatus, attracting runners. The 100-mile path that runs through the ever-changing scenery of the World Heritage site is one of Japan’s longest trail-race courses. It takes even the strongest contestant at least 20 hours of continuous running to complete. Join us to witness the drama of runners pushing their limits in the beautiful setting of Mt. Fuji.
Medical Frontiers Mondays 14:30/20:30 Tuesdays 3:30/9:30 Thursdays 19:00 (UTC) Prevention to cure! The groundbreaking world of Japanese medical technology and healthcare. From food and exercise to the latest treatments.

Deutsche Welle: Broadcasting Council protests against actions taken by Iranian authorities

28 November 2022

Deutsche Welle: Broadcasting Council protests against actions taken by Iranian authorities

At its meeting on 25 November, the DW Broadcasting Council discussed coverage of the war of aggression against Ukraine, improvement of DW programming accessibility and threats against journalists from DW’s Persian service.

In late October, the DW Persian service, along with other media and public figures in Europe, were placed on a list by the Iranian regime of supposed supporters of terrorism. In so doing, the regime is providing itself a flimsy legitimation of the action it is taking against critical voices outside of Iran.

The threats and attempts to intimidate employees of the DW Persian service have been going on for years. DW employees and their relatives have repeatedly been interrogated when entering or leaving the country for family visits. This is why employees actively working in the editorial service haven’t been back to Iran for some time. The threats are unmistakable. If the critical coverage were to continue, there could be no guarantees for the well-being of the relatives of DW employees located in Iran.

Since the protests began, Iran has been increasing the pressure on journalists living abroad. Agents working for the regime have contacted people in Iran who follow a DW employee on Instagram. The people were told both on the phone and during interrogations to unfollow the account if they want to avoid reprisals against themselves and against their relatives. Our employee was referred to as an enemy of the state during some of the interrogations. Enemies of the state receive the death penalty in Iran.

The Broadcasting Council condemned the actions taken by Iranian authorities. “We protest against this treatment of journalists,” says Prelate Karl Jüsten, chairman of the Broadcasting Council. “We very strongly condemn these blatant threats and attempts at intimidation as a reaction to our coverage of the peaceful protests. We would like to thank the DW Persian service. Despite these threats, the journalists are doing amazing work and showing the world what is happening in Iran.”

DW launches English language vodcast Global Eyes

26 November 2022

DW launches English language vodcast Global Eyes

‘Will the war in Ukraine make your Chapatis cheaper?’ – DW vodcast looks at security policy issues from the Western and Asian perspective

Global Eyes, the latest English-language DW vodcast, is launching on November 26. Two hosts get to the bottom of global security policy issues. With their guests, they explore how these issues affect people’s daily lives.

The creators of Global Eyes are dedicated to the idea that security policy and geopolitics are important for everyone, everywhere. The two hosts examine the very real effects security policy issues have on every individual person – from food prices to health, all the way to armed conflicts.

The vodcast not only deals with security policy issues from a western point of view, but also opens Asian perspectives. Global Eyes offers a broad range of information, expertise and personal stories from their guests, who come predominantly from the global South.

Getting out of the ivory tower

“The Global Eyes vodcast aims to draw the discussions about security policy issues out of government buildings, think tanks and academic institutions,” said Nadja Scholz, Acting Managing Director of Programming. “The hosts break down complex, global subject matters into comprehensible facts while exploring connections with their guests that are often forgotten.”

Host Isha Bhatia, from DW Programs for Asia, wants to prove with the vodcast that young people are interested in more than just TikTok and Instagram. Her goal is to discuss serious, complex topics so that they are interesting and do not sound like intellectual lectures. “From the G7 to the G20, from BRICS to OPEC, from Quad to SCO. What do these groups really mean? What implications do their decisions have? Global Eyes endeavors to answer these questions,” says Bhatia.

Host Kate Brady, from DW’s Analysis and Reports department: “It is easy to get bogged down in details when you are dealing with complicated security policy issues. We want to change that and, with support by experts, decipher how the big global topics affect our daily lives.”

Controversial core questions to guide the debate

Each episode is centered on a provocative question that connects a security policy issue and the lives of users. The first episode examines the how the war in Ukraine and the Western sanctions on Russia are affecting the lives of people in India. The opening question is “Will the war in Ukraine make your Chapatis cheaper?”

Energy expert Nandikesh Sivalingam, from Bangalore and foreign policy expert Seema Sirohi, from Washington, help answer that question. By the end of the episode, it’s not only Kate Brady and Isha Bhatia who will better understand the question, but also the listeners.

They are already planning further questions such as “Will the conflict in Taiwan create IT jobs in India?” or “What does India’s G20 presidency have to do with antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains?”

Video and Audio, YouTube and Spotify

The format was developed by editors working together with Digital Format Development at DW. The English-language vodcast is produced by DW and will appear monthly as both an audio and video production. The first season consists of ten episodes with a run time of between 40 and 45 minutes. The video versions will appear on a monthly basis on YouTube and Facebook with the audio versions on all major podcast platforms including Spotify and iTunes as well as on the India-based platform Jiosaavn.

Global Eyes will premiere on November 26 on the DW News YouTube channel, on the DW Asia Facebook account and on various podcast platforms.

Global Eyes website:

https://www.dw.com/en/global-eyes-security-policy-and-what-it-means-for-you/program-63538048

YouTube:

https://youtu.be/xBSSGjUeEmM

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/global-eyes-security-policy-and-what-it-means-for-you/id1653609075

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/22RwqvNOHRaV48cfxcZj9L?si=7a8b7687d3124c73

[Source: DW press release]

Guests on France 24’s ‘Talking Europe’

25 November 2022

Guests on France 24’s ‘Talking Europe’

On Saturday 26 November at 1:15 pm Paris time Armen Georgian’s guests on France 24’s ‘Talking Europe’ are:

Péter SZIJJÁRTÓ, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

and

Paolo BORCHIA, Member of European Parliament (Italy – Identity and Democracy Group)

and

Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Member of European Parliament (Spain – Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)

[Source: France 24 press release]