JEDDAH: Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) Chairman Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan has launched Asharq Al-Awsat’s English website (http://english.aawsat.com) from London.
The ceremony was attended by Editor in Chief Salman Aldossary, Deputy Editor in Chief Ali Ibrahim, Assistant Editors in Chief Aidroos Abdul Aziz and Zaid bin Kami, and the head of digital and online services, Audhwan Al-Ahmari.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah said the new website is a part of the efforts by SRMG to boost its electronic platforms with more languages to reach all categories of readers. It also comes within a series of measures to enhance the electronic arms and publications of the group, he said.
He stressed the importance of keeping up with the pace of development in the media industry, of which SRMG is one of the key investors.
Aldossary said the launching of the e-site, in its new look, comes within the newspaper’s plans to reach English readers, particularly the Western audience. The new website will primarily depend on photos, and will merge some sections and focus on issues of the Arab region in a manner that will reach Western and English readers in a fast and simple way, he said.
In addition to the site, the interface with smart phones has been updated and linked directly to social media accounts in an interactive manner, which will enable the reader to make prompt comments and interactions, he said. Aldossary said the new project comes within other projects the newspaper is planning to launch in the next months, which will include other languages like French, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu, in addition to the current site in the Persian language. The newspaper will also launch its first digital book by the end of this month, he said.
The editor in chief stressed the digital projects are targeting different categories of readers in the Arab world in particular, and the world in general, especially with the new digital revolution which necessitates continued updating of electronic products of the newspaper to make it a pioneer in the news industry.
Prince Badr later visited different sections of the newspaper and met with staff, and was also briefed by the editor in chief on the workflow of the paper from its head office in London.
Asharq Al-Awsat English website launched
Asharq Al-Awsat English website launched
Israel’s Supreme Court suspends govt move to shut army radio
- Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station.
In a ruling issued late Sunday, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said the suspension was partly because the government “did not provide a clear commitment not to take irreversible steps before the court reaches a final decision.”
He added that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported the suspension.
The cabinet last week approved the closure of Galei Tsahal, with the shutdown scheduled to take effect before March 1, 2026.
Founded in 1950, Galei Tsahal is widely known for its flagship news programs and has long been followed by both domestic and foreign correspondents.
A government audience survey ranks it as Israel’s third most listened-to radio station, with a market share of 17.7 percent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged ministers to back the closure, saying there had been repeated proposals over the years to remove the station from the military, abolish it or privatise it.
But Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser and is facing dismissal proceedings initiated by the premier, has warned that closing the station raised “concerns about possible political interference in public broadcasting.”
She added that it “poses questions regarding an infringement on freedom of expression and of the press.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Galei Tsahal broadcasts “political and divisive content” that does not align with military values.
He said soldiers, civilians and bereaved families had complained that the station did not represent them and undermined morale and the war effort.
Katz also argued that a military-run radio station serving the general public is an anomaly in democratic countries.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid had condemned the closure decision, calling it part of the government’s effort to suppress freedom of expression ahead of elections.
Israel is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2026, and Netanyahu has said he will seek another term as prime minister.
