Headlines from the region

Headlines from the region

Meditel Morocco inks Rotana Media deal

Reuters reported on Monday that Moroccan mobile operator Medi Telecom (Meditel) on Friday signed a deal with Saudi Arabian broadcaster Rotana Media as part of a drive to attract more young subscribers with online entertainment content.

Rotana, part of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding company, controls 85% of the music market among the Arab world’s more than 300 million population and has 60% of its film distribution and production market, according to the article.

The partnership deal with Meditel includes all Rotana content, Rotana Digital Media Chairman Youssef Mugharbil told journalists, whilst the firm plans to strike similar deals with firms in the region and beyond if the venture proves successful.

Algeria convicts Moroccans of terrorism

A lawyer for two Moroccan nationals on trial in Algeria says they have been convicted on terror-related charges.Attorney Leila Hadjersi says Echebba Abdelghani and Legrine Salaheddine were sentenced Sunday to five years in prison and each handed a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars (€1,000).

Both had pleaded innocent to charges of “defense of terrorism.” The two were arrested in August 2008 while traveling to Algeria’s Kabylie region, where al-Qaeda’s North African branch is active. The prosecution said the two confessed to plans to join the al-Qaeda group.

The Welsh like Tunisia

According to the “Walesonline.co.uk” website, Tunisia is among the best destinations preferred by Welsh tourists along with Egypt, Turkey as well as Greece and Spain.

The website reported that “Cardiff Airport said that between May and October the bulk of its one million passengers were expected to travel to Balkan nations Bulgaria and Greece, as well as Spain, Cyprus and Monastir in Tunisia”.

Gaddafi leaves as AU chooses new leader

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, delivered a rambling rebuke of fellow African heads of state Sunday after they chose to replace him as chairman of the African Union and failed to endorse his push for the creation of a United States of Africa.

“I do not believe we can achieve something concrete in the coming future,” said Colonel Qaddafi, before introducing President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi as his successor at the African Union’s annual summit meeting, held in Addis Ababa. “The political elite of our continent lacks political awareness and political determination. The world is changing into 7 or 10 countries, and we are not even aware of it.”

ACE leads cover for Lebanon crash

ACE Global Markets leads the hull and liability coverage of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff last Monday, market sources said.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashed in stormy weather shortly after takeoff from Beirut International Airport. All 90 people on board were believed to have died in the accident, reports said.

BM