Snapchat’s latest updates, features now available in Saudi Arabia

Snapchat’s latest updates, features now available in Saudi Arabia
Press conference showcased new functions in enterprise solutions, retail innovation, AR, and AI technologies.
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Updated 01 June 2023
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Snapchat’s latest updates, features now available in Saudi Arabia

Snapchat’s latest updates, features now available in Saudi Arabia
  • 22m active users in the Kingdom to benefit from range of improvements, including AR, AI offerings

RIYADH: Snapchat has unveiled innovative story features, including Communities, After Dark and Friendship Flashbacks, that enable users to more creatively document special moments.

To highlight improvements shown off at the annual Snap Partner Summit, the platform held a press conference in Riyadh on May 31.

The event showcased a variety of new functions and developments in enterprise solutions, retail innovation, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence technologies.

“In Saudi Arabia, Snapchat is a part of people’s lives, with over 22 million active users, including a remarkable 71 percent of parents. It’s heartwarming to witness the deep engagement of Snapchatters in Saudi, who open the app nearly 50 times per day, embracing its role as a daily companion,” said Abdulla Alhammadi, Snapchat regional business lead for the KSA market.

“Our augmented reality features, particularly the Lenses, have struck a chord with over 85 percent of KSA users, demonstrating their popularity and impact. Equally inspiring is the fact that almost 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s Monthly Active users are 25 or older, showcasing the diverse appeal of Snapchat across different generations.”

Users of Snapchat have several options for staying in touch with loved ones using the features: Communities, After Dark, and Friendship Flashbacks that let users capture memorable occasions in more interesting ways.

Friendship Flashbacks bring throwback memories from Snapchat Memories directly into conversations with friends, After Dark offers a dedicated story format for evening memories, and Communities allows students to share their perspectives with classmates.

A customized 3D Snap Map will make it simpler to find landmarks and popular destinations, and also provide new location-sharing capabilities.

Additionally, the Bitmoji design has been improved to offer avatars that not only look like Snapchatters, but also dress like them, with a greater selection of shoppable clothing and accessories.

Snapchat recognizes the power of its AR innovations and the camera in enabling storytelling and empowering content creators. And to further support creators, a Stories revenue sharing program has been introduced. Eligible creators with at least 50,000 followers, 25 million monthly Snap views, and a minimum of 10 Stories per month and at least 50,000 followers can now monetize their Stories through ads.

This program incentivizes creators and provides the community with more engaging content from their favorite creators.

Snapchat also aims to provide creators with more growth opportunities through new features such as Snap Map.

By tagging locations in Spotlight Snaps or saving Stories they love, creators can expand their reach and offer the community the chance to discover new talent. Moreover, dozens of new tools have been developed for creators, including the integration of Linktree, a leading link-in-bio platform, into their new Public Profiles.

Additionally, new Story updates will allow a broader audience to discover and appreciate creators’ creativity while maintaining Snapchat as the best platform for genuine friendships.

Snapchatters aged 18 and older can now post their own Public Story with a simple tap, and creators gain access to content performance insights and Story Replies.

Additionally, a new tool recommending Sounds to pair with Lenses will make Snaps even more expressive.

Snapchat also unveiled the AR Shopping Suite by ARES as part of its mission to revolutionize the shopping experience, AR Enterprise Services.

Innovative AR and AI technologies like Try-On and Fit Finder are integrated into customers’ own apps and websites by this package.

To bridge the gap between the virtual and real worlds in retail settings, Snapchat has unveiled AR Mirrors. This technology has already been adopted by companies like Nike and Coca-Cola.

Zainab Hawsawi, head of communications for Snap in Saudi Arabia, told Arab News: “AR is revolutionizing the way we live, and its impact is undeniable. In MENA, 85 percent of users engage with Lenses on a daily basis, emphasizing its integration into our daily lives. Looking ahead to 2025, we foresee an exciting shift where the majority of Gen Z and millennial social media users in Saudi Arabia and the UAE will actively embrace AR.

“Ipsos research reveals that shopping is the top motivator for consumers to utilize AR, and at Snapchat, we’re proud to introduce innovative AR solutions to the Saudi market. From Live Garment Transfer to AR Enterprise Services Shopping Suite and AR mirrors, we aim to enhance the shopping experience, making it more enjoyable and seamless for all.”


Spotify highlights rising talents by naming Zena Emad as September’s EQUAL Arabia Ambassador

Spotify highlights rising talents by naming Zena Emad as September’s EQUAL Arabia Ambassador
Updated 21 September 2023
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Spotify highlights rising talents by naming Zena Emad as September’s EQUAL Arabia Ambassador

Spotify highlights rising talents by naming Zena Emad as September’s EQUAL Arabia Ambassador
  • Digital music service celebrated the Saudi talent ahead of the Kingdom’s National Day

LONDON: Spotify announced Saudi songstress Zena Emad as its EQUAL Arabia Ambassador for September. 

As an extension of Spotify’s global Women in Music Program, EQUAL Arabia is devoted to elevating the narratives of Arab women artists by offering support on and beyond the platform.

“I can’t express how thrilled I am to join the Spotify family,” said Emad in a statement.

“I’m incredibly proud and amazed by the number of people who enjoy hearing my voice, and even more delighted that Spotify will be the platform connecting me to my fans and admirers.”

Emad was picked for the cover of the EQUAL Arabia playlist for the month of September, and her recent hit, “Habeetah,” can be found on the EQUAL Arabia playlist and the global EQUAL playlist.

She is also celebrated on Spotify’s billboard in Times Square, New York City, ahead of Saudi National Day.   

With songs like “Land of Heroes,” “Habeetah,” and “Ya Awali,” Emad has become a standout figure in the Saudi music scene, blending pop with global rhythms to gain a significant following.

“I also want to speak about the wonderful opportunity my beloved country has given me as a young Saudi woman with big ambitions, helping me fulfill my dreams and aspirations,” Emad added.

“I look forward to more support and anticipation from the audience, as the best is yet to come.”


BBC Cairo staff reaches agreement on wages and benefits after multiple strikes

BBC Cairo staff reaches agreement on wages and benefits after multiple strikes
Updated 21 September 2023
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BBC Cairo staff reaches agreement on wages and benefits after multiple strikes

BBC Cairo staff reaches agreement on wages and benefits after multiple strikes
  • Agreement has been reached over salaries, transportation allowance, and health insurance
  • BBC Cairo’s staff staged a series of strikes to protest discriminatory behavior by London management

LONDON: In a negotiation process, BBC’s London management has agreed to ensure higher salaries and essential benefits to its staff at the Cairo office.

The agreement was reached after a series of protests started in June 2023 against discriminatory behavior in BBC’s financial policies.

The head of the Egyptian Journalist Syndicate, Khaled El-Balshy, present in the negotiation process, confirmed to Ahram Online that “the new regulations would provide compensation increases ranging from 75 to 142 percent for entry-level positions, as well as equal transportation allowances for all employees and double allowances for night shift workers.”

Under the agreement, “each employee’s BBC-sponsored health insurance will be increased to cover an extra family member,” noted Khaled El-Balshy.

In addition, BBC management decided to reconsider its “volatile markets” policy to tackle economic recessions in nations where it operates.

According to the syndicate, the review will be finished by December 2023, but it will be implemented in BBC Cairo with immediate effect.

BBC News operates in 58 locations across 44 countries and adjusts salaries accordingly to account for inflation.

Egypt is in the grip of a financial crisis, with around one-third of its 109 million population living in destitution.

According to data from the state-run Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics, the annual inflation rate hit 36.8 percent in June, up from 33.7 percent in the last few months.

BBC Cairo staff began a gradual strike that started in June this year, followed by a three-day strike in July and a 10-day strike in August 2023.


French journalist arrested over document leaks of alleged France-Egypt spy operation

French journalist arrested over document leaks of alleged France-Egypt spy operation
Updated 21 September 2023
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French journalist arrested over document leaks of alleged France-Egypt spy operation

French journalist arrested over document leaks of alleged France-Egypt spy operation
  • Report found that French intelligence information had been hijacked by Egypt to target smugglers
  • Ariane Lavrilleux was released on Wednesday after public outcry

LONDON:  French journalist Ariane Lavrilleux was arrested and her home searched earlier this week for reporting on the alleged hijack of French intelligence information by Egypt two years ago, according to Disclose and Lavrilleux’s lawyer.

Investigative website Disclose published a series of articles authored by the Lavrilleux in November 2021 based on hundreds of secret documents.

It said they showed how information from a French counter-intelligence operation in Egypt intended to track jihadist militants, codenamed “Sirli,” was used by the Egyptian state for “a campaign of arbitrary killings” against smugglers operating along the Libyan border.

Lavrilleux, an investigative reporter working in the Middle East and based in Cairo, was released Wednesday evening after nearly two days in police custody.

Virginie Marquet, the lawyer for Lavrilleux and Disclose, condemned the arrest saying the published information is of public interest and “a new, unacceptable attack on the confidentiality of sources.”

Marquet said: “I am appalled and worried about the escalation in attacks on the freedom to inform and the coercive measures taken against the Disclose journalist. This search risks seriously undermining the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.”

Rights groups denounced the arrest and called for the investigation against her to be dropped, saying that questioning “reporters about their confidential sources places them under unwarranted pressure and could have a chilling effect on defense reporting.”

The initial Disclose articles said French forces were complicit in at least 19 bombings against smugglers between 2016 and 2018 in the region.

The documents showed there were warnings from officials within the French government, but the operation was not called into question, Disclose said.

Its publication prompted France’s armed forces minister to call for an investigation for “violation of national defense secrecy,” and a case was opened in July 2022 by the Paris prosecutor’s office that was then placed in the hands of France’s domestic intelligence agency, DGSI.

With AFP


Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox, News Corp

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox, News Corp
Updated 21 September 2023
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Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox, News Corp

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox, News Corp
  • His son, Lachlan Murdoch, to replace him

LONDON: Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as the chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp, ending a more than seven-decade career during which he created a media empire spanning from Australia to the United States.
His son, Lachlan Murdoch, will become the sole chairman of News Corp. and continue as the chair and CEO of Fox, the companies said on Thursday.
The news comes just months after Murdoch, 92, scrapped a plan that would have reunited his media empire by merging Fox and News Corp.
Murdoch, who has near-controlling stakes in both the companies, will be appointed chairman emeritus of both the companies.


Huawei to launch voice and video call app

Huawei to launch voice and video call app
Updated 21 September 2023
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Huawei to launch voice and video call app

Huawei to launch voice and video call app
  • GoChat Messenger will offer users free international calls, money transfers, other services

LONDON: Huawei Mobile Services announced on Thursday the addition of GoChat Messenger to the HUAWEI AppGallery, in collaboration with etisalat by e&.

GoChat Messenger is a free global voice and video calling app that offers a wide range of features, including free worldwide communication.

“The integration of GoChat Messenger, offered by etisalat by e&, into the Huawei Mobile Services’ ecosystem has been a remarkable achievement,” said William Hu, managing director of Huawei Consumer Business Group, Middle East and Africa Eco Development and Operation.

“This latest addition further enriches our array of products, catering to the escalating need for enhanced connectivity in the digital era.”

The GoChat Messenger, which officially debuted by the UAE telecom operator in 2022, is extended to both Huawei users and etisalat by e& customers.

The all-in-one app provides users with a wide range of services such as high-definition video call, secure money transfers, entertainment, news updates, and access to attractive deals and home services, as well as a new artificial intelligence feature called GoChat GPT.

In a statement, Huawei said that the collaboration with etisalat by e& is a testament to the growing popularity of Huawei devices in the Gulf region and Huawei’s commitment to providing its users with innovative solutions.