Saudi Arabia Wins 6 Awards at 24th Arab Radio, TV Festival in Tunisia

The SBA achieved four radio and TV awards - SPA
The SBA achieved four radio and TV awards - SPA
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Saudi Arabia Wins 6 Awards at 24th Arab Radio, TV Festival in Tunisia

The SBA achieved four radio and TV awards - SPA
The SBA achieved four radio and TV awards - SPA

The 24th edition of the Arab Radio and Television Festival, held in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, has come to a close. The festival was organized by the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) in collaboration with the Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment and ArabSat, SPA reported.
President of ASBU and CEO of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Harthi awarded the winners of the 24th edition. The SBA achieved four radio and TV awards, including the second prize in the health programs category for the "Mental Health: Violence in Schools” program.
In the TV category, Saudi Arabia won three awards, including the second prize in the news category for talk shows, honoring the Saudi street program on its episode about Vision 2030. The first prize in the general documentary films and programs category went to "Heritage in the Maqam of Hijaz." Additionally, the Saudi social drama series ‘Al-Arbaji 2’ secured the second position in the social series category.
Furthermore, the SBA was awarded the second prize in the 2024 news exchange competition and the second prize in the 2024 program exchange competition. Meanwhile, the festival honored the judging panels for its radio and television competitions and distributed the exchange awards.
The festival also featured the TV and radio program market and the ASBU Exhibition, where member institutions, private TV and radio networks, and production companies showcased their latest media, artistic, and cultural productions.



Russian ‘Spy Whale’ in Norway Wasn’t Shot Dead, Likely Died of Infection

FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
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Russian ‘Spy Whale’ in Norway Wasn’t Shot Dead, Likely Died of Infection

FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)

A beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation that it was a Russian spy, was not shot to death as claimed by animal rights groups but died of a bacterial infection, Norwegian police said Friday.
A final autopsy by Norway's Veterinary Institute “concludes that the probable cause of death was bacterial infection -- possibly as a result of a wound in the mouth from a stuck stick,” Amund Preede Revheim, head of the North Sea and Environment section of the police in south-western Norway said.
“There have been no findings from the autopsy that indicate that the whale has been shot,” he stressed, adding that the autopsy had been “made difficult by the fact that many of the whale’s organs were very rotten.” As there was no indication of foul play, there was no reason to start a criminal investigation into its death, The Associated Press quoted Preede Revheim as saying.
The tame beluga, which was first spotted in 2019 not far from Russian waters with a harness reading “Equipment St. Petersburg,” had been nicknamed "Hvaldimir,” combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was found floating in a southern Norway bay on Aug. 31.
In September, animal advocate groups OneWhale and NOAH filed a police report saying that the animal’s wounds suggested it was intentionally killed.
They pointed at several wounds found on the animal’s skin, including what was interpreted as a bullet hole.
“Assessments made by the Veterinary Institute and the police’s forensic technicians are that these are not gunshot wounds. X-rays of the chest and head were carried out without any projectiles or other metal fragments being detected,” police said in a statement.
Earlier, police had described a stick about 35 centimeters (14 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) wide which was found wedged in the animal’s mouth, its stomach was empty and its organs had broken down, police said. No further details were given.
The 4.2-meter (14-foot) long and 1,225-kilogram (2,700-pound) whale was first spotted by fishermen not far from the Arctic town of Hammerfest.
Its harness, along with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera, led to media speculation that it was a “spy whale.” Experts say the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes. Media reports also have speculated that the whale might have been trained as a therapy animal.
There was no immediate reaction from OneWhale or NOAH.