Latest news with #BBCNewsArabic
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
BBC issues statement after correspondent ‘strip searched' by IDF
On Thursday, the BBC revealed that their Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani and two staff members, alongside freelance journalists, were held for seven hours while filming in southern Syria in early May. The broadcaster said Kilani and staff had described being "tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened" by Israeli soldiers. The journalists also had their electronics confiscated and "material was deleted". READ MORE: Neal Ascherson: Gazans paying the price for Israel's military failure The broadcaster said it had registered a complaint with the IDF but had not received a response. The statement reads: "On Friday 9 May whilst filming in Southern Syria, BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, along with two other BBC staff members and four freelance colleagues, were detained for seven hours and held at gunpoint by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). "The team have described how they were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened. "Their electronic devices were also taken from them and material was deleted." "The BBC strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable. "We have registered a complaint with the Israeli military but are yet to receive a response." The IDF has been contacted for comment.
The Independent
14-03-2025
- The Independent
Plea for billionaire's son suspected of murdering woman in 2008 to return to UK
The son of a billionaire suspected of murdering a Norwegian student 17 years ago has been asked to return to the UK as police issued a new photograph of him. Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was raped and murdered after a night out with friends to celebrate her end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub, Mayfair, central London, on March 14 2008. Farouk Abdulhak was identified as the main suspect but hours after her death he fled the country to Yemen via Egypt. The Metropolitan Police have appealed for Abdulhak to return to face charges and issued a more recent image of him. Ms Magnussen's father said in a statement published by the force on Friday: 'For 17 years, justice has been denied as Farouk Abdulhak remains a free man in Yemen.' Odd Petter Magnussen added: 'On March 8, International Women's Day, I was once again painfully reminded that my daughter, Martine Vik Magnussen was brutally raped and murdered in London in 2008. 'Violence against women and girls is a crisis that affects families worldwide and Martine's case is a stark reminder that justice delayed is justice denied. 'Martine's voice was silenced but we must not be silent for her.' Her body was found in the basement of a property on Great Portland Street, central London, on March 16 2008 and a post-mortem examination found she had died from compression to her neck. Abdulhak was friends with Ms Magnussen and had been at the nightclub on March 14. In 2023 he claimed the incident was a 'sex accident gone wrong'. In a text message to Nawal Al-Maghafi, BBC News Arabic special correspondent, Abdulhak said he 'could barely piece together what happened'. When the journalist asked him why, he replied: 'Cocaine.' Abdulhak told Ms Al-Maghafi 'trust me I'm legally (expletive)' and that this was due to 'leaving the country and the body was moved'. She asked him if he had thought about handing himself in, and he said lawyers had advised him not to as he would now 'serve the harshest sentence'. Abdulhak told her it was 'too late'. His father was the late billionaire Shaher Abdulhak, who was known as the king of sugar because the source of part of his fortune was the soft drinks industry. An anonymous family member told a Discovery+ documentary aired in 2022 that Abdulhak is leading an isolated life in Yemen. They said: 'Farouk's entire life is staying at home. There is no socialising. There is no going to public places. 'Nobody comes there. He doesn't really have any friends.' Ms Magnussen was studying at Regent's Business School and had just come top of her class when she died. A group of students were on the night out but Ms Magnussen vanished, and her body was found in the basement area of flats where Abdulhak lived. On Friday, Detective Inspector Jim Barry, leading the investigation from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'Despite Abdulhak's refusal to come to the UK, we are as committed today as we were in 2008 to get justice for Martine. 'We're releasing a more up-to-date image of Farouk Abdulhak and hope that someone can encourage him to do the right thing and hand himself in to UK police. 'My message is directly to Farouk Abdulhak. 'You have been running and hiding for 17 years. You participated in a BBC documentary, providing your explanation as to what happened. It is time to grow up and face your responsibilities to Martine and her family. 'Come to the UK now and explain all to a court and jury. Our pursuit of you will not stop.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Plea for billionaire's son suspected of murdering woman in 2008 to return to UK
The son of a billionaire suspected of murdering a Norwegian student 17 years ago has been asked to return to the UK as police issued a new photograph of him. Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was raped and murdered after a night out with friends to celebrate her end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub, Mayfair, central London, on March 14 2008. Farouk Abdulhak was identified as the main suspect but hours after her death he fled the country to Yemen via Egypt. The Metropolitan Police have appealed for Abdulhak to return to face charges and issued a more recent image of him. Ms Magnussen's father said in a statement published by the force on Friday: 'For 17 years, justice has been denied as Farouk Abdulhak remains a free man in Yemen.' Odd Petter Magnussen added: 'On March 8, International Women's Day, I was once again painfully reminded that my daughter, Martine Vik Magnussen was brutally raped and murdered in London in 2008. 'Violence against women and girls is a crisis that affects families worldwide and Martine's case is a stark reminder that justice delayed is justice denied. 'Martine's voice was silenced but we must not be silent for her.' Her body was found in the basement of a property on Great Portland Street, central London, on March 16 2008 and a post-mortem examination found she had died from compression to her neck. Abdulhak was friends with Ms Magnussen and had been at the nightclub on March 14. In 2023 he claimed the incident was a 'sex accident gone wrong'. In a text message to Nawal Al-Maghafi, BBC News Arabic special correspondent, Abdulhak said he 'could barely piece together what happened'. When the journalist asked him why, he replied: 'Cocaine.' Abdulhak told Ms Al-Maghafi 'trust me I'm legally (expletive)' and that this was due to 'leaving the country and the body was moved'. She asked him if he had thought about handing himself in, and he said lawyers had advised him not to as he would now 'serve the harshest sentence'. Abdulhak told her it was 'too late'. His father was the late billionaire Shaher Abdulhak, who was known as the king of sugar because the source of part of his fortune was the soft drinks industry. An anonymous family member told a Discovery+ documentary aired in 2022 that Abdulhak is leading an isolated life in Yemen. They said: 'Farouk's entire life is staying at home. There is no socialising. There is no going to public places. 'Nobody comes there. He doesn't really have any friends.' Ms Magnussen was studying at Regent's Business School and had just come top of her class when she died. A group of students were on the night out but Ms Magnussen vanished, and her body was found in the basement area of flats where Abdulhak lived. On Friday, Detective Inspector Jim Barry, leading the investigation from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'Despite Abdulhak's refusal to come to the UK, we are as committed today as we were in 2008 to get justice for Martine. 'We're releasing a more up-to-date image of Farouk Abdulhak and hope that someone can encourage him to do the right thing and hand himself in to UK police. 'My message is directly to Farouk Abdulhak. 'You have been running and hiding for 17 years. You participated in a BBC documentary, providing your explanation as to what happened. It is time to grow up and face your responsibilities to Martine and her family. 'Come to the UK now and explain all to a court and jury. Our pursuit of you will not stop.'
Al-Ahram Weekly
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Dars … keep learning!
BBC News Arabic has launched Dars (Arabic for Lesson), a new educational programme for children who cannot continue their education due to conflicts and wars. According to Fiona Crack, Deputy Global Director of BBC News, "a 2025 report by the UNICIF estimated that at least 30 million children were out of school in the Middle East and North Africa, many of whom are displaced due to conflict." Crack explained that Dars is an award-winning BBC World Service programme that supports education for children aged 11 to 16. It is designed for children whose access to education has been restricted by conflict and war across Central Asia. Since 2023, BBC News Afghanistan, broadcast in Pashto and Dari, has provided free education to millions of children in Afghanistan. Crack continued, "Dars is extending its reach to BBC News Arabic, providing a free education programme for children who have been cut off from education across the Middle East." She noted that in its first season, Dars will run for 12 episodes across 12 weeks, broadcasting on Sundays weekly on BBC News Arabic. "The programme is recorded in Cairo with local presenters, and English language lessons are presented from London by senior journalists from BBC News Arabic," Crack said. The programme sends messages of hope to the children, encouraging them to speak about their aspirations and future. For the first five weeks, it will address children's mental health, teaching them to understand and express their feelings. The messages are carefully curated by mental health specialists in the Arab region, where almost 700,000 children have lost access to education in Gaza and 17 million in Sudan. Sudan's education minister, Ahmed Khalifa, said 70 percent of Sudan's schools had been destroyed. He described the educational crisis there as a "fearful reality." Crack told Ahram Online that the BBC fully funds the production of all Dars Arabic programmes. She explained that the programme capitalizes on the expertise of BBC World Service and BBC Education teams to provide efficient, high-quality programming rooted in the BBC's public service values. Crack further indicated that audiences can watch Dars Arabic weekly on BBC News Arabic every Sunday at 07:30 CLT. The programme will be rerun at 12:05 CLT and throughout the week. Speaking to Ahram Online, Nancy El-Nakib, News Editor of Dars Arabi, said five experts from Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, and Yemen will present the programme. "We used the available material for broadcasting news at the BBC to offer the children an opportunity to stay in touch with education, applying the BBC's slogan' To educate, To inform, To entertain,'" El-Nakib added. She stressed that the children would receive learning materials and topics compatible with Arab culture. Furthermore, El-Nakib explained that Dars is presented in Modern Standard Arabic to ensure that all the audiences understand it with no language barriers that could prevent them from achieving the programme's educational goals. She also noted that the programme will not contain any violent, distressing, or inappropriate material. In addition, El-Nakib indicated that clips from the programme will be available to watch on BBC News Arabic digital platforms and YouTube. The programme will also be broadcast on BBC News Arabic's lifeline radio services in Gaza and Syria, available on medium wave and FM. "The programme is not premiering in any single country first. It rolls out across BBC News Arabic, which airs in all three countries and across North Africa and the Middle East simultaneously," Crack told Ahram Online. Similarly, "Emergency Education response," which began on 1 January, is another educational initiative that has benefited around 18,000 children. According to Sahar Al-Jobury, Chief UNRWA Representative Office in Cairo, the initiative offers intensive Arabic, English, Math, and Science curricula, shortening education to three months. Al-Jobury added that 95 percent of Gaza's schools had been destroyed, and 273 employees in education had been killed, including 166 teachers. "Olives Grandchildren" is another initiative launched in Cairo by Esraa Aly. Speaking to Ahram Online, Aly said the initiative relies on volunteers who teach classes to children from Gaza four days a week from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at an educational centre and serve them meals. Short link:
