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Morocco Sets Roadmap for Media during Coronavirus Crisis

A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
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Morocco Sets Roadmap for Media during Coronavirus Crisis

A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)

Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) has urged audio-visual operators to avoid naming people who have been infected with coronavirus. It said disrespecting their personal space and information and degrading them shall be avoided.

It also recommended that radio and television be keen to continue hosting cultural and entertainment programs, in addition to the exceptional programs assigned for the coronavirus crisis.

The HACA issued a statement indicating that it approved on Friday a report on the aspects and characteristics of the media efforts in line with the national mobilization to face the coronavirus pandemic.

It said Moroccan TV and radio services have changed their programs' schedule and altered their shows’ content to accommodate the requirements of the health emergency.

The report, which was circulated at all audio-visual operators in the country, provided also a number of proposals, aimed at enhancing vigilance efforts at the level of media support for various aspects and repercussions of this crisis.

Among the major proposals presented by the HACA are “to avoid disclosing the identity of persons suspected of being infected with the new COVID-19 and ensure that their dignity is preserved and their private life is protected.”

It also urged audio-visual operators to “avoid linking specific cities and neighborhoods to the increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus.”

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Business

Qatar Posts $549 Mln First-quarter Budget Surplus

Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File
Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File
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Qatar Posts $549 Mln First-quarter Budget Surplus

Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File
Qatari flag flutters in Doha - AAWSAT/File

Qatar, the world's second-largest LNG exporter, achieved a budget surplus of 2 billion riyals ($548.9 million) in the first quarter of 2024, which was used to reduce public debt, the finance ministry said on Sunday.

The state's total revenue for the period amounted to 53.4 billion riyals, down 22.1% from a year earlier, the ministry said, Reuters reported.

Qatar also recorded total public spending of 51.4 billion riyals in the quarter, up 5% year on year, the ministry added.

Business

Saudi Staffing Company SMASCO Announces Final IPO Price at 7.50 Riyals Per Share

Saudi Staffing Company SMASCO Announces Final IPO Price at 7.50 Riyals Per Share
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Saudi Staffing Company SMASCO Announces Final IPO Price at 7.50 Riyals Per Share

Saudi Staffing Company SMASCO Announces Final IPO Price at 7.50 Riyals Per Share

Saudi Arabian staffing company SMASCO announced its final IPO price at 7.50 riyals per share via the Saudi Exchange on Sunday.
The company aims to raise as much as 900 million riyals ($240 million) in its initial public offering on Riyadh's main bourse, it said earlier this month.
SMASCO plans to offer 120 million shares representing a 30% stake. Reuters reported.
The individual investors subscription process will begin next Sunday and end next Monday, the statement said, with 10% of total shares available to individual investors.

There have been a number of IPOs across the Gulf this year with Saudi flour mills company Modern Mills, UAE supermarket franchisee Spinneys, and Kuwait's BIG Holding coming to the market, among others.
The growth of IPOs in the region comes as part of broad plans to deepen capital markets, grow the private sector and attract investment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varieties

Comet Fragment Lights up Sky over Spain, Portugal 'Like a Movie'

FILE PHOTO: A section of the Tarantula Nebula, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud. REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Hubble | October 21, 2014
FILE PHOTO: A section of the Tarantula Nebula, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud. REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Hubble | October 21, 2014
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Comet Fragment Lights up Sky over Spain, Portugal 'Like a Movie'

FILE PHOTO: A section of the Tarantula Nebula, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud. REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Hubble | October 21, 2014
FILE PHOTO: A section of the Tarantula Nebula, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud. REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Hubble | October 21, 2014

A bright comet fragment lit up the skies over parts of Spain and Portugal late on Saturday, according to the European Space Agency (ESA), with one Lisbon resident saying the dazzling display "felt like a movie".

On Sunday morning, the ESA shared on X a video captured by its "fireball camera" of what it described as a "stunning meteor" over the skies of the western Spanish city of Caceres, near the Portuguese border.

But it later said it appeared to be a "small piece of a comet" and not a meteor, estimating it flew over Spain and Portugal at a speed of 45 km (28 miles) per second before burning up over the Atlantic, Reuters reported.

"The likelihood of any meteorites being found is very low," the ESA said.

In both countries, videos shot in several cities and towns went viral on social media, showing the object crossing the night sky at high speed and illuminating it in bright tones of blue and green.

The Spanish Calar Alto astronomical observatory also said a preliminary analysis by Andalusia's Institute of Astrophysics revealed the object had a "cometary origin".

During a concert in the Portuguese city of Barcelos, the object was filmed streaking across the sky as the singer performed. Another video showed the skies of Porto, Portugal's second biggest city, turning bright for a few seconds.

Many contacted emergency services to report what happened. A spokesperson for the Spanish Emergency service 112, in Madrid, told Europa Press news agency it had received several calls.

Lisbon resident Bernardo Taborda, 31, told Reuters he was walking around the city with friends when the sky suddenly turned bright green: "It almost looked like daylight ... we all looked back and saw it."

"It felt like a movie, we all looked at each other and we were stunned," Taborda said. "It was amazing."

 

 

 

 

 

World

Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Suffers 'Hard Landing,' State TV Says

In this photo released on Monday, March 20, 2023, by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi gives a televised new year message to the nation at the presidency office in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
In this photo released on Monday, March 20, 2023, by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi gives a televised new year message to the nation at the presidency office in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
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Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Suffers 'Hard Landing,' State TV Says

In this photo released on Monday, March 20, 2023, by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi gives a televised new year message to the nation at the presidency office in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
In this photo released on Monday, March 20, 2023, by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi gives a televised new year message to the nation at the presidency office in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, without immediately elaborating.

Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said the incident happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Traveling with Raisi were Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and other officials, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. One local government official used the word “crash” to describe the incident, but he acknowledged to an Iranian newspaper that he had yet to reach the site himself, The AP reported.

Rescuers were attempting to reach the site, state TV said, but had been hampered by poor weather conditions. There had been heavy rain and fog reported with some wind. IRNA called the area a "forest."

Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River.

World

Senior Republican Close to Trump Criticizes Biden's Arms Holdup in Speech to Israeli Parliament

US President Joe Biden looks on as he speaks to the media, before departing the White House for Florida, in Washington, US, January 30, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden looks on as he speaks to the media, before departing the White House for Florida, in Washington, US, January 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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Senior Republican Close to Trump Criticizes Biden's Arms Holdup in Speech to Israeli Parliament

US President Joe Biden looks on as he speaks to the media, before departing the White House for Florida, in Washington, US, January 30, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden looks on as he speaks to the media, before departing the White House for Florida, in Washington, US, January 30, 2024. (Reuters)

Elise Stefanik, a House Republican leader seen as a candidate to be Donald Trump's running mate, delivered a speech before Israel's parliament on Sunday in which she criticized President Joe Biden's approach to the war in Gaza.

Stefanik, the fourth highest-ranked Republican in the House of Representatives, is the latest of several US politicians from both sides of the aisle to visit Israel since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack ignited the war in Gaza. But it's rare for such visitors to address Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset.

Speaking at a session dedicated to combatting antisemitism worldwide, Stefanik vowed to help with “crushing antisemitism at home and providing Israel what it needs when it needs it, without conditions.”

She was referring to Biden's decision to hold up the delivery of some 3,500 bombs of up to 2,000 pounds each, and his refusal to provide offensive weapons for a long-promised Israeli invasion of the southern city of Rafah. The administration fears such an operation would plunge Gaza into an even more severe humanitarian catastrophe.

“There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel that was duly passed by the Congress, and there was no excuse to ease sanctions on Iran,” she said, The AP reported.

Stefanik, a representative from upstate New York and a strong supporter of Trump, is believed to be on the short list of his possible running mates.

In December, she grilled university presidents at a five-hour congressional hearing about antisemitism on campus. Two of the university presidents, from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, resigned soon after.

“Total victory is not just physical self-defense, but ideological self-defense,” Stefanik said during the session, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's frequent claim that Israel must achieve “total victory” in the war against Hamas.

World

Congolese Army Says it Has Foiled a Coup

Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi.(File/Reuters)
Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi.(File/Reuters)
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Congolese Army Says it Has Foiled a Coup

Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi.(File/Reuters)
Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi.(File/Reuters)

Congo's army says it has “foiled a coup” early Sunday morning and arrested the perpetrators, including several foreigners, following a shootout between armed men in military uniform and guards of a close ally of Congo's president that left three people dead in the capital, Kinshasa.

At first, local media identified the armed men as Congolese soldiers but then reported they were linked to self-exiled opposition leader Christian Malanga who later posted a video on Facebook threatening President Felix Tshisekedi.

Tshisekedi was reelected as president in December in a chaotic vote amid calls for a revote from the opposition over what they said was a lack of transparency. The Central African country has witnessed similar trends of disputed elections in the past.

Congolese army spokesperson Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge said on state television Sunday that the attempted coup d’état was “nipped in the bud by Congolese defense and security forces (and) the situation is under control.” He did not give further details.

This also came amid a crisis gripping Tshisekedi's ruling party over an election for the parliament’s leadership which was supposed to be held Saturday but got postponed, The AP reported.

Clashes were reported Sunday between men in military uniform and guards of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo, at his residence in Kinshasa, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the presidential palace and where some embassies are also located.

Kamerhe’s guards stopped the armed men, Michel Moto Muhima, the politician's spokesperson said on the X social media platform, adding that two police officers and one of the attackers were killed in the shootout that started around 4:30 a.m.

Footage, seemingly from the area, showed military trucks and heavily armed men parading deserted streets in the neighborhood as the army said the situation has been brought under control.

Meanwhile, the self-exiled Malanga appeared in the live-streamed video surrounded by several people in military uniform and said: “Felix you’re out, we are coming for you.”

On his website, the opposition leader's group — the United Congolese Party (UCP) — is described as “a grassroots platform that unifies the Congolese Diaspora around the world opposing the current Congolese dictatorship.”

Tshisekedi hasn't so far addressed the public about Sunday's events.

On Friday, he met with parliamentarians and leaders of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition in an attempt to resolve the crisis seizing his party, which dominates the national assembly. He said he would not “hesitate to dissolve the National Assembly and send everyone to new elections if these bad practices persist.”

The United States Embassy in Congo issued a security alert Sunday, urging caution after "reports of gunfire.”

World

2 Dead, 5 Missing after Boat Collision on Danube in Hungary

The pack of riders cross the Chain Bridge over River Danube during the fourth stage of the 45th Tour de Hongrie, a cycling race over 167 km between Budapest and Etyek, Hungary, 11 May 2024. EPA/ZOLTAN MATHE HUNGARY OUT
The pack of riders cross the Chain Bridge over River Danube during the fourth stage of the 45th Tour de Hongrie, a cycling race over 167 km between Budapest and Etyek, Hungary, 11 May 2024. EPA/ZOLTAN MATHE HUNGARY OUT
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2 Dead, 5 Missing after Boat Collision on Danube in Hungary

The pack of riders cross the Chain Bridge over River Danube during the fourth stage of the 45th Tour de Hongrie, a cycling race over 167 km between Budapest and Etyek, Hungary, 11 May 2024. EPA/ZOLTAN MATHE HUNGARY OUT
The pack of riders cross the Chain Bridge over River Danube during the fourth stage of the 45th Tour de Hongrie, a cycling race over 167 km between Budapest and Etyek, Hungary, 11 May 2024. EPA/ZOLTAN MATHE HUNGARY OUT

Two people were killed and five others were missing after a suspected collision involving a small motor boat and a cruise ship on the Danube River north of Budapest late on Saturday, Hungarian police said.

The body of an adult man was found near the site, while that of a woman was recovered further downstream and disaster response units were still searching for the five missing people, police said on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Budapest police, Soma Csecsi, said eight adults were aboard the small motor boat at the time of the suspected collision. The accident was reported on Saturday night after police talked to a man found with a bleeding head wound near the main road by the river near Veroce, 55 km (34 miles) north of Budapest.
"Police talked to the man and from his initial communication they drew the conclusion that he was probably the victim of some kind of boat accident," Csecsi said.
The body of a man was recovered south of Veroce, while a woman's body was found further downstream near a bridge on the northern outskirts of Budapest, where police also recovered the damaged motor boat, he said.
"At the time of the accident a cruise ship was located in the area, which was stopped at the town of Komarom where police have determined that the ship is damaged on one side," he said.
Hungarian state media carried images of a moored 109-metre-long cruise ship identified as Swiss-based Heidelberg. It was not immediately clear how many people were on board or their nationalities.
Police have launched a criminal investigation against an unknown perpetrator to determine the cause of the accident. The goal of the investigation is to find whether anyone is criminally liable, Csecsi said.

The Danube at Veroce is roughly 1,500 feet (460 meters) wide and is in the center of an area called the Danube Bend where the river makes a sweeping, nearly 90-degree turn to the south. The area is a popular recreational and boating destination and is on a route often used by cruise boats between Budapest and the Austrian capital, Vienna, some 140 miles (230 kilometers) upriver.
The deadly accident comes five years after at least 27 people were killed in Budapest when a river cruise boat collided with a smaller tourist vessel, sinking it in seconds.

Varieties

Saudi Arabia: NCW Launches Cave Exploration Program in Northern Border Area

According to Qurban, researchers from NCW have uncovered in the Kingdom's caves some of the world's rarest bat species alongside the remains of extinct animals. SPA
According to Qurban, researchers from NCW have uncovered in the Kingdom's caves some of the world's rarest bat species alongside the remains of extinct animals. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: NCW Launches Cave Exploration Program in Northern Border Area

According to Qurban, researchers from NCW have uncovered in the Kingdom's caves some of the world's rarest bat species alongside the remains of extinct animals. SPA
According to Qurban, researchers from NCW have uncovered in the Kingdom's caves some of the world's rarest bat species alongside the remains of extinct animals. SPA

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) is embarking on a groundbreaking exploration program focused on caves in the Northern Borders, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Sunday.
Launched in 2022, the program is part of a larger endeavor dedicated to monitoring all ecosystems and biodiversity across the Kingdom's diverse terrestrial and marine landscapes, it said.
The program aims to achieve three key goals: international recognition by placing these caves on the global map for biodiversity and natural heritage, historical preservation by recognizing them as natural museums that offer insights into past environments, and wildlife conservation by protecting these unique ecosystems.
"The exploration of these caves holds immense historical and environmental value for the Kingdom," said NCW CEO Dr. Mohammed Qurban. "These caves act as a natural museum, showcasing the evolution of biodiversity throughout the region's history, and providing insights into past environmental and climate changes on the Arabian Peninsula."
These efforts build upon NCW's earlier discoveries of mummified cheetahs found in a cave in northern Saudi Arabia. Estimated to be over 4,000 years old, this find marked the first documented evidence of this species in the Kingdom.
"Based on this discovery, NCW is creating a program to reintroduce hunting cheetahs, allowing them to once again play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance," Qurban said.
According to Qurban, researchers from NCW have uncovered in the Kingdom's caves some of the world's rarest bat species alongside the remains of extinct animals. Classification and age determination of these remains are ongoing, paving the way for potential reintroduction efforts.
"The ultimate goal is to reintroduce these extinct species or their closest genetic relatives, allowing them to reclaim their ecological roles," Qurban said.
With 1,826 documented caves across Saudi Arabia, NCW's program sheds light on the Kingdom's natural heritage while promoting conservation and the potential return of lost species.

Arab World

Jordan Demands Investigation of 'War Crimes' in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Jordan Demands Investigation of 'War Crimes' in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Sunday that the kingdom demanded an international investigation into what it said were many war crimes committed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

In remarks made during a press conference with the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Safadi said those responsible for documented crimes should be brought to justice.

An Israeli airstrike killed 20 people in central Gaza, mostly women and children, and fighting raged across the north on Sunday as Israel's leaders aired divisions over who should govern Gaza after the war, now in its eighth month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from his own War Cabinet, with his main political rival, Benny Gantz, threatening to leave the government if a plan is not formulated by June 8 that includes an international administration for postwar Gaza.

The war has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Around 80% of the population of 2.3 million Palestinians have been displaced within the territory, often multiple times.

Arab World

Britain's Cameron: Violence in Darfur May be Crime Against Humanity

Internally displaced women wait in a queue to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Internally displaced women wait in a queue to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Britain's Cameron: Violence in Darfur May be Crime Against Humanity

Internally displaced women wait in a queue to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Internally displaced women wait in a queue to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

British foreign minister David Cameron said on Sunday violence in the Darfur region of Sudan may be a crime against humanity.

"I am deeply concerned by highly credible reports that some of the violence in Darfur is ethnically motivated," Cameron said in a statement published on the government website.

"The ongoing pattern of violence in Darfur, including apparent systematic attacks against civilians, may amount to crimes against humanity."

The UN human rights chief said on Friday he was "horrified" by escalating violence near Sudan's al-Fashir and held discussions with commanders from both sides of the conflict, warning of a humanitarian disaster if the city is attacked.

Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in al-Fashir without basic supplies amid fears that nearby fighting will turn into an all-out battle for the city, the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the western Darfur region.

Its capture would be a major boost for the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as regional and international powers try to push the sides to negotiate an end to a 13-month war.