Morocco to build new airport in Casablanca
Morocco is planning to build a new civilian airport in the North-western Atlantic port of Casablanca as part of a massive national logistics expansion programme, the Arab country's Transport Minister has said.
Abdul Samad Qayuh said the new airport would cost nearly 28 billion Moroccan dirhams ($3 billion) and would be linked by a new road network and high-speed trains which are being developed for the 2030 World Cup games.
Qayuh, quoted by Sabah Akadir and other local publications, said the project is also intended to cope with planned expansion of the national airlines.
'The plans include new long-distance destinations and doubling the airline's fleet to more than 100 aircraft at the end of this decade,' he said.
He also said the plan includes expansion of the airports in Rabat and other cities to brace for the 2030 games.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@lseg.com)
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Khaleej Times
14 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Jordan fans hope to travel to North America to support their team at 2026 World Cup
Euphoric Jordanian expats in the UAE are hoping to take the long flight to North America following their team's historic Fifa World Cup qualification. Jordan last week became the first Arab team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup which will be played in the US, Canada and Mexico. Twelve years after their heartbreaking defeat to a star-studded Uruguay team in the inter-continental playoffs which denied them a chance to play in the 2014 World Cup, Jordan's greatest footballing dream has finally come true. 'As a Jordanian and as an Arab seeing our national team qualify for the World Cup is a moment of indescribable pride,' said Sharjah resident Osama Alrefaee. 'I was surrounded by friends and family, and as soon as the final whistle blew, we burst into cheers, hugs, and happy tears.' Alrefaee says it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to cheer for his team in North America next year. 'If I have the chance, I'll be there waving the Jordanian flag with pride. Supporting the team in person on such a global stage would be a dream come true,' he said. Passion for football Abu Dhabi resident Hiba Al Mubarak knows what it's like to be in a World Cup, having attended a few matches in Qatar 2022. But now supporting Jordan from the stands next year in North America will be the greatest moment of her life. 'Every Jordanian is so proud that we have become the first Arab team to qualify for the next World Cup. I am sure the whole country would want to be at the World Cup next year,' she said. 'But going to a World Cup is very expensive, not every family can afford it. I was in Qatar for a few matches in 2022. It's not easy.' Having said that, Hiba admitted that some of her compatriots could be inspired by what a lot of Argentinian fans did at the Qatar World Cup. 'I met a few Argentinian fans and I was truly amazed by their passion for the game. A lot of them said they took loans and some of them even sold their personal belongings to be able to travel to Qatar,' she said. 'They are so passionate about football. For them, it's more than a game. And as a Jordanian, I know that our people are also very passionate about football. So, you never know, a few of them can do the same to watch the World Cup in North America next year.' Only Jordan Until the 2022 World Cup, Dubai resident Hamza Raqqad had only supported one team, England. 'I have always supported them because my mother is English. But my father is Jordanian,' said Hamza who watched Jordan's decisive win over Oman in the qualifier last week at a Jordanian café in Dubai. Now next year, Hamza will support only Jordan even if they are drawn in the same group with England. 'There will be no England next year for me. Only Jordan,' he said. 'I was raised in Jordan and it's difficult not to be emotional now. When they put the national flags of the qualified teams on the Fifa website, I saw the Jordanian flag and it filled me with so much pride.' Unlike the other Jordanian expats, Fahed Zoumot's perspective was different. The 40-year-old Dubai resident was a former international cager, having played for the Jordanian national basketball team. 'I know the responsibility you have on your shoulders when you wear the national team jersey and the sacrifices it takes to give your best in every match and every training session for your country,' said Zoumot who admired the dazzling skills of Brazilian football icons Romario and Ronaldinho. 'Basketball is popular in Jordan, but football is massive. So what this team has done is just incredible because it was such a tough qualifying campaign. To be able to enjoy this moment is so special now, especially after that 2013 heartbreak against Uruguay,' he said. Yasser Abdalrahman was at the stadium in Amman when Uruguay broke Jordanian hearts in 2013 by beating them 5-0 in the playoff. 'I was at the stadium and almost in tears after our team lost. It was heartbreaking. So now after all the years of hurt, I cannot express my joy of seeing my team reach the World Cup,' said Yasser, an influencer who socializes with Ali Alwan and Yazan Al Naimat, two of the stars of the team that made history. 'I know a lot of the players, they are my friends. So I am hoping that I can travel next year to the US and cheer them on.'
Broadcast Pro
2 days ago
- Broadcast Pro
Fuelling a new era in sports broadcasting
Global media tech giant NEP Group recently unveiled its first large-scale IP-based OB trucks for the Middle East. Speaking exclusively to Vijaya Cherian, senior executives highlight how these agile machines, powered by NEP's broadcast platform, are set to revolutionise the region's content production industry. A veteran in live production, NEP has powered the broadcast infrastructure for some of the world's most iconic events, including the Olympics, the World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL). With more than 150 OB vehicles supporting sports, entertainment, news and other major productions and events in the Americas, Europe and Australia, NEP boasts the largest OB fleet in the industry. This February, the group unveiled its first large-scale OB vehicle in the Middle East. The ME-01 OB truck made its debut at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov, the first UFC event ever held in Saudi Arabia. 'Our use of the new ME01 OB unit for UFC Saudi Arabia elevated our production capabilities, delivering the same top-tier innovation and engineering we've come to expect from NEP worldwide. Now that level of excellence is accessible locally in one of the fastest-growing production markets in the world,' says Greg Louw, Director of Technical Operations for the UFC. ME-01 went on to support the production of the Saudi Cup and Power Slap 11 championships in Riyadh, as well as the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four event in Abu Dhabi. ME-01's launch was bolstered by the unveiling of ME-02, NEP's second state-of-the-art IP unit for the region, at CABSAT 2025. Although the trucks are designed for the Middle East, their manufacture is the result of extensive collaboration between NEP's teams in Australia, Europe and the Middle East. 'For NEP, these trucks are truly a labour of love. Our CTOs from three continents contributed years of operational insights to elevate ME-01 and ME-02 into hallmarks of NEP's next-generation OB fleet,' explains Marc Segar, Chief Technology Officer for NEP Australia, New Zealand and Japan, who led the project. 'It's this spirit of collaboration that makes these OBs truly amazing.' For Louw, NEP's expansion into the region marks a pivotal moment in content production. 'The Middle East is solidifying its status as a premier destination for global media projects. With two fully IP-based broadcast facilities now operating here, powered by NEP's TFC platform, it's a true game-changer for the region's production community.' Fabrication began in March 2024 when NEP acquired two purpose-built OB coaches from Tomassini Style in Perugia, Italy. 'The trucks underwent complete redesign to meet the needs of the Middle East market,' explains Segar. 'Environmental adaptations were made too – the air conditioning systems were upgraded to withstand the region's scorching summers. Within six months, the trucks were transported to the Middle East and were ready for commissioning. Each truck is 13.9m long and can be extended up to 16.4m when fully deployed. Comprising over 70sqm of operational space, the trucks can accommodate up to 30 production staff across six specialised zones: production gallery, replay, middle bench, audio, shading and engineering.' 'Purpose-built for live sports, entertainment and other largescale events,' notes Jean-Claude Rahme, CTO for NEP in the Middle East and Asia, 'the trucks are mirror images of each other in technical architecture. They are designed for consistency in operations and scalability based on the needs of a production. They represent the region's first fully IP-native broadcast facilities.' Both OB trucks use SMPTE ST 2110 broadcast facilities, with no baseband cabling except for the tailboard edges. Key hardware has been provided by Grass Valley, Cisco, Arkona, Manifold Technologies, EVS and Lawo. Features include 30 LDX-150 camera chains, seven EVS XT-VIA servers, multi-format support, a Grass Valley K-frame with Kayenne panel, LAWO audio consoles and an RTS intercom system. Notably, ME-01 and ME-02 are format- and frame rate-agnostic. TFC at the helm Beyond being fitted with advanced equipment, the twin units are powered by NEP's TFC (Total Facility Control) broadcast orchestration platform, which enables the seamless integration of hardware and software from multiple vendors into one interface, simplifying control, automating tasks and standardising workflows. 'TFC has been instrumental in simplifying the complexity of SMPTE ST 2110 and bringing the familiarity of baseband workflows into the IP domain,' says Segar. 'It's a powerful unifying platform that allows broadcasters to harness the full potential of IP without sacrificing usability or control.' Interestingly, TFC's creation was not a planned operational strategy. Rather, it was born out of necessity to solve the day-to-day operational challenges faced by the company's engineering team. In 2018, NEP's engineering team in Australia began working with SMPTE ST 2110. As early adopters of IP-based production, they faced two major challenges. While IP offered powerful flexibility, there was a clear gap in the number of broadcast engineers with deep IP expertise. Secondly, there was an absence of a comprehensive control system to facilitate the transition effectively. To address these issues, a dedicated team of NEP engineers began developing software that would make IP workflows as intuitive and manageable as traditional baseband systems, and enable engineers who were familiar with baseband to work confidently in an SMPTE ST 2110 environment without needing to become IP specialists. 'The early generation of the ST 2110 hardware had glitches,' says Segar. 'Our engineers started writing their own code to solve the issues and streamline workflows. This gradually grew into a full-fledged control platform. Today TFC powers all of NEP's operations globally, from OBs to connected production facilities.' NEP first deployed TFC as a managed service for Sky's F1 coverage for the 2019 season; soon it became the standard platform across NEP broadcast facilities and OBs globally. Over the next six years, TFC's capabilities grew and it emerged as the ideal solution to the challenges of deploying SMPTE ST 2110. TFC's flexibility is its USP. Technology-agnostic, it enables broadcasters to transition from baseband to IP at their own pace by supporting hybrid environments. The platform doesn't require any system upgrades and simply adapts to existing infrastructure. This seamless integration with minimal disruption delivers multiple benefits – from cost efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint due to minimal hardware waste, to enabling content producers to focus on creative output rather than technical system integration. TFC is also vendor-agnostic, allowing broadcasters to bring together a wide range of technologies within an IP-based broadcast environment. A web-based platform, it provides a simple touchscreen interface that enables operators, whether in an OB truck or a fixed facility, to easily manage and orchestrate all connected devices and systems, regardless of manufacturer. The platform is widely used across the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and is now available in the Middle East with the launch of the ME01 and ME-02 OBs. To date, TFC has been used in over one million productions globally, including the Paris Olympics, the World Cup, the Super Bowl, the Masters, the PGA Tour and Eurovision. Building a stronger presence Since the launch of ME-01 and ME-02, four other NEP trucks have been deployed in the region, three of them 4K/HDR capable. Additionally, NEP's pool of internationally deployed flypacks is available for regional broadcasters and producers. Last month, NEP provided the full range of media services for the Arab League Summit held in Baghdad. As NEP's first production in Iraq, it included the supply of OB trucks and speciality cameras. 'Broadcasters, rights holders and streamers continue to expand and enhance their projects in the Middle East, reaching new audiences with amazing live sports and entertainment content. And we're meeting them right here, supporting their productions with NEP's global ecosystem of media services and solutions,' says Mohammad Hammoud, Chief Commercial Officer for NEP Middle East and Asia. Much like its OB fleet, NEP's TFC platform has expanded its reach globally too. The software was initially only available on productions where NEP served as the media services provider, supporting events that had the group's OB units, centralised production facilities, cameras and other infrastructure. Other broadcasters, drawn by its advantages, soon began approaching NEP to integrate TFC into their own workflows. In response to growing demand, NEP announced at the 2025 NAB Show that TFC would now be available industrywide as a licensed software service. Despite TFC's ability to simplify complex broadcast systems, the search for qualified professionals remains a critical challenge. 'Finding staff with deep IP experience isn't unique to NEP or this region. It is a global and industry-wide issue,' remarks Segar. 'We have a very successful engineer apprentice programme at our global headquarters in Pittsburgh. We have set up a training academy in India and also run an internship programme in Singapore to create a talent pipeline for the industry.' NEP's significant investment in the Middle East is a testament to the region's growing significance on the global media map. With the use of new tech such as TFC, ME-01 and ME-02 in local productions, the region's media sector is poised to enter a new era of production.
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Middle East Eye
How Turkey and Qatar are playing an outsized role in Trump's new Middle East
Turkey and Qatar are making themselves crucial to US President Donald Trump's reshaping of the Middle East. Look no further than in Syria, where Qatari gas and cash, along with Turkish military might, are helping war-ravaged Syria back on its feet while Trump tries to fulfil his promise to pull the plug on western interventionists and 'nation builders'. The two countries' rising stock is not going unnoticed among Arab officials. 'Trump has too much on his plate; China, Iran talks, the war in Ukraine. He doesn't want to intervene. In Syria, he has these two local allies who don't mind getting involved in the nitty-gritty details of Syria's reconstruction. He is going to lean on them,' one senior Arab official told Middle East Eye. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are paying the salaries of Syrian government employees. In March, Qatar began supplying gas to Syria via Jordan. Meanwhile, Turkey's government is in talks with Damascus on a defence pact amid Israeli air strikes in Syria. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters That Turkey and Qatar are the regional powers most active in Syria should not come as a surprise. Turkey shares a long border with Syria and was the last true backer of rebels who fought to oust Bashar al-Assad after most Gulf monarchies gave up on their cause. Qatar was the exception. It was the sole Gulf state to recognise and host Syria's opposition. Conversely, the UAE made a big bet on rehabilitating Assad. MEE revealed that the UAE was negotiating a grand bargain to lift US sanctions on Assad in return for reducing Iran's influence. The talks continued up until the last minute. Assad was toppled in an offensive led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, whose commander, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is Syria's new president. The biggest deal Turkey and Qatar have made in Syria so far was in May. US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack assumes Syria envoy post Read More » Along with the US, they signed a $7bn energy agreement that envisions the three countries building four gas power plants in Syria and one solar plant to boost the war-ravaged country's meagre energy supplies. Qatar's UCC construction and energy company, owned by the prominent al-Khayyat family, is set to lead the project. Speaking in Damascus at the signing ceremony, US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack took the opportunity to praise the 'alignment of these amazing countries". 'A young and prosperous Qatar, one of the most incredible and ancient civilisations in Syria; [and] one of the most dominant empires that ever existed in the Ottoman Empire and the succession of Türkiye.' Barrack framed Syria as the poster child for Trump's vision of a Middle East, where the US was empowering local countries to redress the wrong of Sykes-Picot, the agreement that colonial Britain and France used to divide Syria during WWI. 'That mistake cost generations. We will not make it again,' he wrote on X. 'Need to address the PKK' If there is any doubt about whose voice the US will give the most credence to in Syria, look to Ankara, where Barrack also serves as Trump's ambassador to Turkey. 'The Trump administration understands the Turks have a vital national security interest in Syria. He respects that in a way others in Washington haven't,' Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to Syria, told MEE. 'The US has to work with the Turks otherwise, there will be another war' - Bassam Barabandi, former Syrian diplomat and opposition activist During the Biden administration, Syria was a sore point in US-Turkey ties. US troops first entered Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State militant (IS) group. They partnered with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey views the SDF as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK has waged a decades-long guerrilla war in southern Turkey and is labelled a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union. 'You can't have a stable Syria without addressing the PKK. The US has to work with the Turks, otherwise there will be another war,' Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat and opposition activist, told MEE. During his first term in office, Trump tried to withdraw US troops from Syria. His own officials hamstrung him, and his former defence secretary, Jim Mattis, resigned over a partial troop withdrawal. Although US troops were ostensibly in Syria to fight IS, they came to be seen as a force denying territory to Iran. With Tehran's ally Assad gone, that rationale no longer exists. Trump himself says Turkey has 'taken over Syria', alluding to its close ties to Sharaa. He appears to sense this as his chance to withdraw troops, despite pleas from Israel and the SDF to keep them there. Barrack told Turkish media in June that the US planned to downsize from eight bases to one in northeastern Syria. How Trump's allies view Turkey and Qatar Turkey and Qatar have long been seen as close partners. In a sense, they complement each other. Turkey has the second largest army in Nato, but is cash poor. Qatar is one of the world's top exporters of Liquefied Natural Gas, but has just 300,000 nationals. Turkey has a military base in Qatar. Doha made tens of billions of dollars in investments in Turkey during its inflation crisis, providing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with an economic lifeline. The two countries' alignment was solidified during the 2011 Arab Spring, when they backed popular protests against rulers like Assad in Syria and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Saudi Arabia and the UAE accused them of supporting political Islamists who Abu Dhabi and Riyadh feared would unsettle their monarchies. The rift got nasty in 2017, when a Saudi-led blockade was imposed on Qatar. That Trump should welcome Qatar and Turkish investment in Syria now shows how rapidly the region has reorganised itself. In 2017, he gave a White House speech throwing his weight behind the blockade. Until recently, Trump's Middle East director at the National Security Council was Eric Trager, who has been critical of Qatar. 'You certainly have those in the administration, not the Witkoffs or Barracks, who still believe in a Muslim Brotherhood boogyman. This is deep-seated. So it's interesting to see Trump's really close cohort move beyond this,' Natasha Hall, a Syria expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, )said, referring to US Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Both of Trump's close advisors enjoy good relations with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE's hotspot troubles The Arab Spring descended into a slew of conflicts, of which Syria was just one. After the Nato-led removal of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Turkey backed a government in Tripoli while Saudi Arabia and the UAE threw their support behind a rogue general and one-time CIA asset, Khalifa Haftar. The UAE also backed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the general who overthrew the democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, whom Erdogan backed. Turkey and Qatar's growing clout in the Middle East vis-a-vis Syria contrasts with mounting troubles for the UAE in some of these hotspots. UAE lobbying Trump administration to reject Arab League Gaza plan, officials say Read More » Ties between Egypt and the UAE are becoming seriously frayed, although both sides are trying to downplay it, Arab officials tell MEE. Sisi's economy is in crisis, but he has failed to push through the reforms that the UAE, his top backer, wants. The Emiratis have lobbied against Cairo in Washington, MEE revealed. The UAE's ambassador to the US publicly backed a plan floated by Trump to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza - a thought that unnerves Egyptian generals. Libya remains divided. Haftar's bid to conquer Tripoli failed in 2020. His son and likely successor, Saddam, has even courted Turkey and Qatar as their power rises. He visited Doha and Ankara this year. The parliament in Eastern Libya controlled by him is weighing whether to agree to a contentious maritime deal that Turkey favours. As Turkey and Qatar sign energy deals in Damascus under US auspices, the UAE is bogged down in a brutal civil war in Sudan. There it is backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against the Sudanese army, which is backed by Turkey, Egypt and Iran. Litmus test Syria is going to be a test case as the first post-Arab Spring country to be rebuilt after the 2021 al-Ula agreement, in which the Gulf states agreed to put their differences behind them and mend fences. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have patched up ties, but the Qataris and Emiratis still have a chilly relationship. The same goes for the Turks. 'Syria's greatest benefit is that Assad was ousted after al-Ula,' a Syria analyst in the UAE told MEE, speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump announced in Saudi Arabia that he was lifting all US sanctions on Syria, and he credited both Erdogan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with convincing him to do so. 'The Saudis have been just as instrumental as the Turks and Qataris, if not more, in convincing Trump to drop sanctions on Syria. They want a stable Syria in order to focus on their own economic development at home,' Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, told MEE. 'The new Saudi looks for interest, not emotion or ideology,' Barabandi told MEE. 'They are with Turkey and Qatar on Syria. The US's goal is to facilitate the flow of GCC money into Syria. That's it.' Even the UAE is stepping in and trying to gain influence. In May, state-owned Dubai Ports World signed a pledge to invest $800m to modernise the port of Tartus. The analyst in the UAE said Sharaa's government welcomed the UAE's investment in Tartus because it needed a country that was seen as agreeable to Russia, which still has a military base there. France's CMA CGM shipping inked a 30-year deal to operate Latakia port in Syria. 'Sharaa couldn't have Turkey or a European state come in. Russia would have complained about that. The UAE is a friend of Russia,' the analyst said. The UAE's Al Habtoor group, a massive conglomerate that spans real estate to the automotive industry, is set to send a delegation to Syria this week. Ford said that Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia all have a convergence of interests in Syria to ensure its transition is stable, and Iran, Assad's old patron, stays out. 'I'm not saying Abu Dhabi is comfortable with a conservative Islamist in power, but they all want to see Sharaa reduce Iran's influence,' he said. No nation-building The UAE, which has the closest ties to Israel among Gulf states, also brokered secret talks between Syria and Israel, Reuters reported in May. Israel pummelled Syria after Assad's removal and has sent troops to occupy a swath of the southeast, south of Damascus. MEE previously reported that the US lobbied Turkey and Israel into deconfliction talks. 'I think the Emiratis, and other Gulf states' number one concern is that there not be an outbreak of violence between the Turks and Israelis in Syria or the Iranians and Israelis,' Ford said. Syria after Assad: Sharaa's delicate balancing act with Israel Read More » He said while Turkey and Qatar have stepped up in Syria, it's a leap to say the US is recognising it as a sphere of their influence. 'That is too nineteenth century,' he said. 'The Trump people don't object to Turkey and Qatar getting involved in Syria. But they don't object to the Saudis and Emiratis getting involved either. Ultimately, the goal is for commerce between Israel and Syria.' Still, regional officials say Sharaa's ascent to power has bolstered Turkey and Qatar's power in the Levant. 'Sharaa will take Emirati money, but he won't trust them with security,' the Arab official told MEE. 'The UAE is on their back foot.' However, the real change is that Syria is not talking about elections. 'Sharaa has gone out of his way to prove that he won't be part of any political Islamist movement beyond Syria's borders,' the UAE-based analyst said. 'And he isn't mentioning democracy.'
