WASHINGTON: The chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), the publisher of Arab News, on Wednesday inaugurated the media group’s new Washington headquarters at the historic National Press Building.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud was given a tour of the facilities, which will provide support for the editorial and administrative activities across the group’s various businesses.
He was accompanied by Dr. Ghassan Al-Shibl, CEO and managing director of SRMG; Ghassan Charbel, editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper; Faisal J. Abbas, editor in chief of Arab News; and Yasser Al-Ghaslan, SRMG’s Washington office director.
Prince Badr met with a team of journalists and was briefed about the plans of the group and its publications. The office is set to become home to Arab News’ planned Washington bureau, which will complement its existing operations in Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East, London and Asia.
The launch of the SRMG office was held during the visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, as part of a multi-city tour of the US.
Arab News owner SRMG inaugurates office in Washington’s National Press Building
Arab News owner SRMG inaugurates office in Washington’s National Press Building
BBC slammed for ‘shameful’ cut to ‘free Palestine’ comment at BAFTA Awards
- Broadcaster removes from broadcast part of filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.’s acceptance speech at the British Academy Film Awards
- Amnesty UK praises filmmaker for speaking up for those ‘facing and fleeing from persecution and mass atrocities’
LONDON: The BBC was accused on Monday of a “shameful” decision after it cut part of an acceptance speech at the previous night’s British Academy Film Awards in which a filmmaker uttered the phrase “free Palestine.”
British-Nigerian director and co-writer Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother, co-writer Wale Davies were collecting the award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer for their film “My Father’s Shadow” when the former made the comment.
The BBC chose not to include the final part of his speech when it broadcast the BAFTAs ceremony later in the evening. However, the corporation did broadcast an inadvertent racist slur shouted by a person with Tourette syndrome while Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award.
Akinola thanked industry figures and family for their support as he accepted the award, before dedicating it to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children.”
In the final part of his speech, cut by the BBC, he said: “To the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution and those experiencing genocide, you matter and your stories matter more than ever.
“Your dreams are an act of resistance. To those watching at home, archive your loved ones, archive your stories yesterday, today and forever. For Nigeria, for London, Congo, Sudan, free Palestine. Thank you.”
The BBC, which broadcast the ceremony with a two-hour time delay, said the cut was made for timing reasons.
A spokesperson told Deadline: “The live event is three hours, and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night, and all edits were made to ensure the program was delivered to time. All winners’ speeches will be available to watch via BAFTA’s YouTube Channel.”
Human rights campaign group Amnesty UK described the decision by the BBC to cut part of the speech as “shameful.”
It added: “Thank you Akinola Davies Jr. for using your platform to speak out for the rights of migrants and people facing and fleeing from persecution and mass atrocities, from the Congo to Sudan to Palestine.”
In June last year, the BBC was at the center of a row after it broadcast a Glastonbury Festival performance by the duo Bob Vylan, during which the lead singer chanted “death to the IDF” in protest against the Israeli Defense Forces’ assault on Gaza.
