Mauritius reverses ban on social media

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 02 November 2024
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Mauritius reverses ban on social media

PORT LUIS, Mauritius: Mauritius on Saturday reversed its decision to block social media until its election that had been prompted by a wire-tapping scandal.
The ban on social media had been in place for 24 hours, with users on the Indian Ocean island unable to access Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
It was due to last until November 11 — the day after the general election.
The ban was prompted by the release of secret recordings of phone calls by politicians, journalists, members of civil society and even foreign diplomats that began to emerge online last month.
The office of Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth had said that “the national security and integrity of our republic and our international partners may have been compromised” by the leaks.
But in a statement on Saturday, the Information and Communications Authority said the ban had been lifted after “consultation with competent authorities.”
There had been uproar from opposition parties and local media groups, who rely heavily on social media.
The leaked recordings were released by an account called Missie Moustass (Mr Moustache), primarily on TikTok.
There have been attempts to block the account but it quickly resurfaced elsewhere and has been releasing recordings almost daily.
Among those causing the greatest shock was that of the police commissioner apparently asking a forensic doctor to alter a report into a person who died after being beaten in police custody. A judicial investigation into the death was launched following the leak.
Private calls featuring British High Commissioner Charlotte Pierre also appear to have been leaked.
Jugnauth is seeking re-election as head of the Militant Socialist Movement.
He inherited the premiership on the death of his father in 2017 and secured a victory for his coalition in polls two years later.


American prisoner found in Syria is not journalist Austin Tice

Updated 13 min 37 sec ago
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American prisoner found in Syria is not journalist Austin Tice

WASHINGTON: The American prisoner reportedly found in Az-Zyabeyeh district south of Damascus was not journalist Austin Tice, AlArabiya reported on Thursday.

There have been conflicting reports earlier on whether Tice has been found, with Syria TV citing sources the individual found in the Damascus countryside was not the missing journalist.

AlArabiya later reported that the individual was named Travis Timmerman, who illegally traveled into Syria from Lebanon seven months ago and has been held in captivity since.

A video posted on social media meanwhile showed Timmerman telling the interviewer that he went to Syria on a ‘religious pilgrimage.’

 

 

“The American who was found in Syria is not Austin Tice. He told me his name is Travis. He refused to give a last name. He said he was a “pilgrim” and that he crossed into Syria by foot before he was detained. He was held in prison for seven months and said he was well treated,” journalist Matt Bradley posted on X.

“When I asked him about the religious beliefs that compelled him to cross the mountains from Lebanon into Syria, he told me he had “been reading the scripture a lot” lately but others interrupted before he could elaborate.”

 

 

President Joe Biden said Sunday that the US government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive and that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar Assad’s ouster from power in Damascus.

“We think we can get him back,” Biden told reporters at the White House, while acknowledging that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. “Assad should be held accountable.”

Biden said officials must still identify exactly where Tice is after his disappearance in August 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus.

“We’ve remained committed to returning him to his family,” he said.

Tice, who is from Houston and whose work had been published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and other outlets.

A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since. Syria has publicly denied that it was holding him.

The United States has no new evidence that Tice is alive, but continues to operate under the assumption he is alive, according to a US official. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US will continue to work to identify where he is and to try to bring him home.

His mother, Debra, said at a news conference Friday in Washington that the family had information from a “significant source,” whom she did not identify, establishing that her son was alive.

“He is being cared for and he is well — we do know that,” she said.

The Tice family met this past week with officials at the State Department and the White House.

“To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we’re waiting for Austin,” Debra Tice said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media Sunday. “We know that when he comes out, he’s going to be fairly dazed & he’s going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!”


NEOM Media, Hakawati Entertainment sign deal to make 9 feature films

Updated 10 December 2024
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NEOM Media, Hakawati Entertainment sign deal to make 9 feature films

  • Partnership ‘an important milestone’ for Saudi media industry, NEOM executive says
  • Agreement will also include initiatives to support development of local talent

RIYADH: NEOM Media and Hakawati Entertainment have announced a strategic partnership to produce up to nine feature films and establish a production services division in NEOM, further accelerating the growth of Saudi Arabia’s film industry.

The partnership with Hakawati, a leading Saudi-based film, TV and literary management company, will localize screen production activities across future NEOM productions, according to a statement.

By using NEOM Media’s infrastructure, including high-end soundstages, diverse shooting locations and extensive production support, the collaboration will enable high-quality content creation, it said.

Two of the nine films are set to go into production in the first half of next year and further projects are under review.

Hakawati plans to establish an operational presence within NEOM’s media hub by creating a production services division designed to meet the needs of international, regional and local productions. This will be supported by Hollywood-level talent and significant financial investments.

The partnership will also help the sector’s evolution into a creative industries hub, while streamlining project execution and elevating filmmaking standards.

Michael Lynch, sector head of entertainment, culture and media at NEOM, said: “This partnership with Hakawati marks an important milestone in our shared commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia’s media industry … (and) reinforces our position as a center for innovation and growth, reflecting the industry’s confidence in our vision.

“Together, we are poised to unlock significant opportunities, drive the Kingdom’s creative ambitions forward and establish a world-class media ecosystem.”

Hakawati CEO Osama Al-Khurayji said: “While film and television production remain at the heart of our business, this partnership goes beyond content creation. Together with NEOM, we are committed to building a sustainable, world-class filmmaking ecosystem that will not only support our industry’s expansion but also contribute to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious vision of becoming a global leader in entertainment and media.”

The partnership will also focus on developing Saudi talent through multidisciplinary programs and workshops that provide intensive training, shadowing opportunities and job placements for the local and international media markets.

A Hakawati community will be established at NEOM in early 2025, in collaboration with NEOM Media’s industry learning department, to support talent development.

Also, a working group will identify and implement at least three new training programs by the end of 2025, ensuring ongoing opportunities for Saudi creatives.


Saudi Journalists Association, Dar Al-Yaum launch media training initiative

Updated 10 December 2024
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Saudi Journalists Association, Dar Al-Yaum launch media training initiative

  • Program will provide education for 100 journalism graduates, industry professionals
  • Subjects will include AI, metaverse journalism, virtual reality

RIYADH: The Saudi Journalists Association and Dar Al-Yaum for Media, supported by the Al-Waleed Al-Mubarak Charitable Foundation, have signed an agreement with the University of Missouri to nurture talent in the field of digital media.

The project — titled the Journalists and Media Professionals Skills and Competencies Development Program — will provide 70 seats for recent journalism graduates and 30 for employees of media institutions.

Dar Al-Yaum for Media Chairman Al-Waleed Al-Mubarak said the program was the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia and would cover new digital media formats like metaverse journalism, augmented and virtual reality technology and artificial intelligence.

“We believe it is our duty to support aspiring Saudi journalists and media professionals and help them open broader horizons in their careers,” Al-Mubarak said.

The initiative would contribute to achieving the goals of Vision 2030, he said.

SJA Chairman Adhwan Al-Ahmari thanked Dar Al-Yaum for hosting the initiative and said that while Saudi journalism was capable of keeping up with global developments, there was a need to educate its workforce by applying new technologies ethically and professionally.

He said the initiative aligned with Vision 2030, which aims to enhance the digital economy and build a knowledge-based society founded on innovation, and would aid the development of the media in the Eastern region and solidify the Kingdom’s position as a global center for digital media.


104 journalists killed in 2024, over half in Gaza: press group

Updated 10 December 2024
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104 journalists killed in 2024, over half in Gaza: press group

  • “Since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, at least 138 Palestinian journalists have been killed,” the federation said
  • After the Middle East, the second most dangerous region for journalists was Asia with 20 killed, including six in Pakistan, five in Bangladesh and three in India

BRUSSELS, Belgium: This year has been “particularly deadly” for journalists with 104 killed worldwide, over half of them being in Gaza, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Tuesday.
The toll for 2024 is down on the 129 deaths in 2023 but still makes it “one of the worst years” on record, IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger told AFP.
According to the figures collated by the press group 55 Palestinian media workers were killed in 2024 in the face of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
“Since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, at least 138 Palestinian journalists have been killed,” the federation said.
Bellanger condemned the “massacre that is happening before the eyes of the world.”
He said that “many journalists were targeted” in Gaza deliberately, while others had found themselves “in the wrong place, at the wrong time” in the fighting.
After the Middle East, the second most dangerous region for journalists was Asia with 20 killed, including six in Pakistan, five in Bangladesh and three in India.
In Europe, the war in Ukraine continued to claim journalist victims with four killed in 2024.
Meanwhile, the IFJ said that across the globe 520 journalists were in prison — a sharp uptick on the 427 being held behind bars last year.
China topped the list as the worst jailer of reporters with 135 being detained, including in Hong Kong, where the authorities have been criticized by Western nations for imposing national security laws quashing dissent and other freedoms.
The IFJ’s count for the number of journalists killed is typically far higher than that of Reporters Without Borders, due to different counting methods.
In 2023 Reporters Without Borders said 54 journalists and two collaborators were killed in the course of their work. The NGO will publish its own figure for 2024 later this week.

 


MBC Studios, Telfaz11 announce multi-project partnership

Updated 09 December 2024
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MBC Studios, Telfaz11 announce multi-project partnership

  • Collaboration announced at Red Sea International Film Festival 

DUBAI: MBC Studios and Saudi studio Telfaz11 have teamed up to develop and produce several projects spotlighting the Kingdom’s talent.

The partnership, which was announced on Sunday at the Red Sea International Film Festival, aims to nurture Saudi talent, drive creativity, and contribute to the growth of the region’s film and television industries.

Telfaz11 is a homegrown creative and media studio that has been behind successful Saudi projects like “Sattar,” which became the highest-grossing Saudi movie in the first three months of its release, and “Mandoob,” which beat “Wonka” from Warner Bros. on its opening weekend in Saudi Arabia last year.

Wael Abu Mansour, head of Telfaz11 Studios, said: “Collaborating with MBC Studios allows us to expand on this success, combining our creative vision with their expertise to deliver even more compelling content.

“Together, we aim to elevate Saudi storytelling and create a dynamic slate of films and series that entertain, inspire, and resonate with audiences across the region.”

Hana Al-Omair, the Saudi director behind award-winning short film “Swan Song,” the Kingdom’s first original Netflix series “Whispers,” and creative director at MBC Studios, said that the partnership with Telfaz11 allowed MBC Studios to not only tap “into a treasure trove of authentic Saudi stories but also set yet another new benchmark for excellence in regional content creation.”

She added: “It is now more important than ever to tell our own stories.”

The companies did not share details of upcoming projects.