DUBAI: The UAE’s telecoms regulator is in talks with Microsoft to lift a ban on Skype, local reports have said.
The video and audio calls app was banned earlier this year due to the restricted use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in the UAE.
It is reported that there are ongoing talks between Microsoft — which Skype is part of — and Emirati authorities to lift the ban.
“We have been working closely with the local authorities toward gaining a better understanding of the local requirements in an effort to get Skype unblocked. We are passionate about the benefits that Skype offers to our users around the world by facilitating communication and enabling collaboration,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Gulf News.
Local newspaper Al-Ittihad also reported that the telecommunications authority has stressed on the need to maintain strong ties with the tech giants, such as Microsoft.
“Microsoft has launched for the first time two data centers in the UAE that cover the entire Middle East,” Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director-General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Individual users and companies have been calling for a lift to the ban on Skype, which has 70 million users worldwide.
Several expatriates who use the free app to make calls to relatives and friends overseas have expressed frustration over the ban.
Microsoft in talks with UAE authorities over Skype ban
Microsoft in talks with UAE authorities over Skype ban
- The video and audio calls app was banned earlier this year due to the restricted use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
- It is reported that there are ongoing talks between Microsoft — which Skype is part of — and Emirati authorities to lift the ban
Google to invest $2 bn in data center in Malaysia
- Firm’s first data center in the country will support creatioin of an estimated 26,500 jobs
The government said the cash would support 26,500 jobs across various sectors in Malaysia, including health care, education, and finance, and comes days after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim targeted at least $107 billion in investments for the semiconductor industry.
Anwar said in April that he planned to build Southeast Asia’s largest integrated circuit design park, while offering incentives including tax breaks and subsidies to attract global tech companies and investors.
Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google and its parent firm Alphabet, said: “Google’s first data center and Google Cloud region is our largest planned investment so far in Malaysia — a place Google has been proud to call home for 13 years.
“This investment builds on our partnership with the Malaysian government to advance its ‘Cloud First Policy’, including best-in-class cybersecurity standards.”
Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the cash “will significantly advance” Malaysia’s digital ambitions outlined in a 2030 masterplan.
He added that the data center and cloud region “will empower our manufacturing and service-based industries to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies to move up the global value chain.”
Earlier this month Microsoft said it would spend $2.2 billion on AI and cloud computing in Malaysia, with boss Satya Nadella pledging to invest billions in Thailand and Indonesia during a tour of the region.
And Amazon said it would spend $9 billion in Singapore over the next four years to expand its cloud computing capabilities in the city.
The facility announced on Thursday will be located at a business park west of the capital Kuala Lumpur and will power Google’s popular digital services such as Search, Maps, and Workspace.
“When operational, Malaysia will join the 11 countries where Google has built and currently operates data centers to serve users around the world,” the statement said.
The Google Cloud region “will deliver high-performance and low-latency cloud infrastructure, analytics, and AI services to large enterprises, startups, and public sector organizations,” it added.
A key player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch.
Research by global consulting firm Kearney showed AI was poised to contribute $1 trillion to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product by 2030, with Malaysia predicted to see more than a tenth of that.
“Now that many of these American tech giants are diversifying their investment risks away from China, Malaysia with its traditional involvement in high-tech industry is in a good position to welcome the relocation of their operations,” said Oh Ei Sun, an analyst with the Pacific Research Center of Malaysia.
Saudi Press Agency honored at Arab Media Excellence Awards
DUBAI: The Saudi Press Agency was honored on Wednesday at the 8th Arab Media Excellence Awards in the Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Media section of the digital media category.
The agency’s winning entry was an investigative report titled “King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center works to deliver aid to Gaza Strip within three priorities: food, shelter, and health.”
Fahd Al-Aqran, the president of the SPA, accepted the trophy during an awards ceremony on the sidelines of the 54th session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers in Manama.
Organizers said they received more than 100 entries for this year’s awards across television, radio, newspaper and digital media, the SPA reported.
The awards were introduced in 2015 by the Council of Arab Information Ministers to encourage creativity, innovation and media excellence among government and accredited media institutions, Arab organizations, federations with observer status within the Arab League, and media personalities.
MBC Group to launch Arabic adaptation of ‘The Good Wife’
- ‘Moftaraq Toroq’ is produced by Charisma Group, will air on Sunday
- Show aims to ‘set a new standard for Egyptian long-form series,’ MBC says
DUBAI: MBC Group has announced the launch of Egyptian TV series “Moftaraq Toroq,” an Arabic-language adaptation of the legal drama “The Good Wife.”
Licensed by Paramount Global Content Distribution and produced by Charisma Group, the show is set to premiere on MBC’s streaming platform Shahid on Sunday.
Written by Sherif Badreddine and Wael Hamdy and directed by Ahmad Khaled Moussa and Mohamad Yehya, the drama stars Hend Sabri, Eyad Nassar, Majed Al-Masri, Joumana Murad and Noha Abdeen.
It aims to “set a new standard for Egyptian long-form series” and “marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Arab television,” said Tareq Al-Ibrahim, director of MBC1, MBC Drama and SVOD content at MBC.
“Moftaraq Toroq” tells the story of Amira, a wife and mother whose life takes a sudden turn when her husband gets caught up in a public scandal.
“In the landscape of Egyptian TV series, ‘Moftaraq Toroq’ stands as a departure from the conventional,” said Aiman Al-Ziyoud, CEO and president of Charisma Group.
“While audiences may be familiar with the trials of soapy series, mainly Turkish adaptations to Arabic, ‘Moftaraq Toroq’ introduces a novel genre altogether.”
MBC said the show had been adapted to reflect cultural nuances.
“It is incredible to see how the storyline and these characters in the adaptation have been transformed to fit into the local landscape and culture so effortlessly,” said Roxanne Pompa, vice president of international formats at Paramount Global Content Distribution.
“The Good Wife” is produced by CBS Studios in association with Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions. Charisma Group acquired the format rights for the adaptation from Paramount Global Content Distribution.
London’s Evening Standard to move to weekly print edition
- British freesheet said move is needed to secure title’s long-term future
LONDON: London’s Evening Standard newspaper on Wednesday announced plans to shift from its daily print edition to a weekly format.
The outlet said the decision was driven by several factors, including the introduction of Wi-Fi on the London Underground, fewer commuters due to the increase on the number of people working remotely, and changing reader habits.
“The substantial losses accruing from the current operations are not sustainable. Therefore, we plan to consult with our staff and external stakeholders to reshape the business, return to profitability and secure the long-term future of the No.1 news brand in London,” Paul Kanareck, the newspaper’s chair, told staff on Wednesday morning.
He said the company planned to launch “a brand new weekly newspaper later this year and consider options for retaining ES Magazine — the company’s weekly magazine — with reduced frequency.”
Kanareck emphasized a strategic shift toward enhancing the newspaper’s digital presence, which currently averages 12 million monthly visitors.
The Evening Standard, owned by Russian-British businessman and co-owner of The Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, has accumulated millions of pounds in debt over the past few years.
The memo also indicated that the plans and their impact on staff levels would be subject to consultation, raising concerns about potential job losses.
Founded in 1827, the Standard was bought by Lebedev in 2009 for just £1 ($0.80).
Since then, the London newspaper transitioned to a freesheet format, with average distribution dropping from nearly 900,000 copies 10 years ago to 270,000 today.
The new proposed weekly Evening Standard, Kanareck said, will feature “more in-depth analysis of the issues that matter to Londoners, and serve them in a new and relevant way by celebrating the best London has to offer.”
These changes, he said, will “reinforce the relationship between our 24/7 digital platforms and our weekly publication.”
Trump’s Arab-American supporters to launch committee, advert undermining Biden
- Arab News gets exclusive look at #YallaTrump2024 campaign
- Graphic video targets Biden’s support of Israel’s war on Gaza
Chicago, US: Arab Americans who support Donald Trump’s reelection have set up a new political action committee to strengthen public “understanding” of why he is a better choice than President Joe Biden, and will broadcast a video advertisement claiming the latter has betrayed the community, Arab News has learned exclusively.
The new body, named Arab Americans for a Better America or ABE-PAC, was formed this week following a series of meetings Trump supporters held with community leaders in several cities.
The first meeting was held in Troy, Michigan on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, featuring several speakers including Massad Boulos and his son Michael who is married to Trump’s daughter, Tiffany.
It was co-organized by Bishara Bahbah, the national chairperson of Arab Americans for Trump, an independent organization that is separate from the official Trump campaign. A keynote speaker at the meetings is Trump’s former director of National Intelligence, Richard Grenell.
“A new Republican Arab-American political action committee has been formed to support conservative causes and Trump’s reelection,” said Oubai Shahbandar who is coordinating the cross-country meetings between the former president’s supporters and Arab voters.
“It’s called ABE-PAC and we will announce it later this week with a hard-hitting, inaugural video ad that we will be distributing throughout the Arab-American community.”
The new advertisement slams Biden for his “broken promises” and includes an array of images that is meant to depict his support and funding of Israel’s military assault on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
It features Biden saying: “Who cares about the Arab population.” The two-minute video has graphic images of the carnage in Gaza including the recent bombing of a refugee camp in Rafah that killed many Palestinian women and children.
The advertisement also features references to the growing #AbandonBiden movement which has urged Arab and Muslim voters to reject the US president in key Democratic primary elections and “swing states” where he barely defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
Arab News was given an exclusive look at the campaign video which is built on the slogan #YallaTrump2024 and funded by Republican and conservative Arab Americans from across the US.
Biden and Trump, who won their party election primaries in July and August respectively, will likely face-off in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Voters have expressed skepticism about both candidates, with many Americans saying they are not enthusiastic about their choices.
An IPSOS survey in May revealed that the main issue landscape remains mixed, but any future developments in the war in Gaza are expected to push the needle one way or another.
