‘Asharq Discovery’ Launches ‘Bassma’… Inspirational Journeys of Arab Women

Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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‘Asharq Discovery’ Launches ‘Bassma’… Inspirational Journeys of Arab Women

Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Asharq Discovery, the infotainment platform in collaboration with Warner Bros, has launched its new original show, "Bassma". The series highlights the inspirational stories of pioneering Arab women in a changing historic context and different societal vision.

"Bassma" sheds lights on new, unconventional aspects of lives full of achievements and challenges. Each episode unfolds the story of its guest, how they overcame barriers and the impact they had on the media, cultural, intellectual and societal landscape.

The series offers the audience the chance to explore the legendary realms lived by great figures, including actress Youssra, singer Samira Saeed, first Saudi female aerospace engineer Mishaal Ashemimry, accomplished lawyer Sofana Dahlan, motorsport athlete Dania Akeel and Saudi designer Razan Alazzouni.

The show, accessible free-to-view, is exclusively available on Asharq Discovery every Monday at 9 pm KSA.

Audiences across the region can tune in via satellite coverage on Arabsat and Nilesat, as well as through the video-on-demand service Asharq NOW and Asharq Discovery’s social media platforms.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.