Youth media brand Vice to launch in the MENA region by October

The initial launch will be an Arabic website, with a mixture of video and written content

Qatar becomes media group Lagardere’s top shareholder

Qatar first invested in Lagardere in 2006

Unemployment, Trump hit optimism of young Arabs – survey

The Arab Youth Survey revealed rising pessimism but also a significant variance in outlook across the MENA region

Eight in 10 Americans unable to point out the Arab world on a map – survey

More than a fifth of respondents also believed Agrabah – a fictional city from Disney’s Aladdin – was a real place in the region

Dubai TV channel City7 shutting down – report

The English language television channel is owned by BinHendi Enterprises

Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper cuts jobs as part of restructuring

New owner IMI did not confirm the number of job losses

Staff at Saudi Prince Alwaleed’s Al Arab channel start receiving settlements

The news channel ceased operations earlier this year

Saudi princess ‘fired’ as editor in chief of Vogue Arabia – report

Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz was appointed to the role in July 2016

GCC media advertising down 22% in Q1

TBWA Worldwide noted a sizeable decrease in ad spend compared to 2016

Abu Dhabi Media relaunches Radio 1 and Radio 2

The two stations were previously operated by Gulf News Broadcasting

Vice Media launches in the Middle East with Dubai HQ

Vice will launch a website and digital channel this summer in the region

Kuwait pulls Beauty and the Beast from Cinemas

The country’s ministry of information has asked for additional cuts to the film

Dubai issues new regulations for marketing property abroad

No company is permitted to advertise about any property without first obtaining DLD’s permission

Businesses “not delivering” on advertised promises – Publicis.Sapient

Too many brands do not follow through on the claims and promises they make through advertising, says Nigel Vaz

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed’s Al Arab channel closes down

The channel has been unable to find a new base after it was shut down in Bahrain

Dubai-based PR agency Edelman DABO lays off staff

The agency said about 20 employees had been made redundant

Whatsapp new privacy features

WhatsApp, Facebook most popular social media platforms in UAE

The least popular platforms were found to be Snapchat and LinkedIn

Video streaming service Starz Play signs deal with Warner Bros

Starz Play users will have access to TV shows such as The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow

Revealed: Most-viewed LinkedIn profiles in the UAE

LinkedIn has over three million members in the UAE

Bahrain, Manama, Cityscape view of Bahrain World Trade Center and Bahrain Financial Harbor

Bahrain suspends online version of opposition-linked al-Wasat newspaper

The paper has been accused of publishing materials that threaten national unity

Lebanese newspaper As-Safir closes after 42 years

The newspaper suffered from falling revenues and Lebanon’s political and sectarian problems

Oman appeals court overturns ban on Azamn newspaper

The privately-owned newspaper covered a series of judicial corruption cases in 2014

Egypt confirms Al Jazeera producer was arrested for ‘provoking sedition’

Mahmoud Hussain, detained on Friday, is being held on charges of spreading false news

New advertising industry group launches in the Middle East

The Advertising Business Group aims to promote ethical, responsible advertising in the Middle East

UAE newspaper 7Days closes down

The company blamed the “challenging” media environment

Starz Play Arabia receives multi-million dollar funding

The investment will be used to finance its expansion and for further content acquisition

Abu Dhabi’s Image Nation, Chinese media firm create $300m film fund

The fund will invest in films and TV programmes from Hollywood, China and other countries

Sharjah Media Centre, Motivate Publishing sign MoU to distribute book, Monuments of Sharjah

Under the MoU, Motivate has exclusive rights for the distribution and marketing of the book in the UAE and GCC

Dubai introduces new rule for property advertisements

Real estate developers and agents are now required to get a permit for property advertisements

Dubai’s Emirates Airline unveils new Jennifer Aniston ad campaign

Emirates previously teamed up with the Friends star as part of a $20m campaign last year