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Amazon Partners With Music Streaming Service Anghami
Prime subscribers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will automatically get a free six-month subscription to Anghami Plus.
Amazon’s Prime subscription service offers an excellent value proposition because it includes not only free shipping but also access to a huge library of songs, among other things. Unfortunately for music lovers in the MENA region, the Amazon Prime music library includes mostly songs from English-speaking countries. But that’s about to change soon because Amazon has partnered with Anghami, the first legal music streaming platform and digital distribution company in the Arab world.
As a result of the new partnership, Prime subscribers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will automatically get a free six-month subscription to Anghami Plus, a premium subscription service that offers an unlimited access to Anghami’s large content catalog and unlocks extra features such as the ability to play songs offline, display lyrics, and enjoy music in high quality.
“This collaboration with Anghami is a perfect example of how we work together with leading local brands to innovate on members’ behalf, offering them the best experience possible,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa. “We’re excited to see Prime members in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE enjoy Anghami Plus and all it has to offer, alongside other shopping, savings and entertainment benefits already included in their membership”.
The partnership with Amazon is guaranteed to help Anghami realize its global ambitions and compete with other music streaming services, most notably Spotify and Deezer.
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Several months ago, Anghami entered into a merger agreement with publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Vistas Media Acquisition Company Inc. The goal is to list Anghami on the New York NASDAQ exchange, giving it access to global growth capital.
Currently, Anghami provides its users access to more than 57 million Arabic and international songs, as well as podcasts and live radio. Amazon Prime subscribers who decide to keep using Anghami can get an additional 50% discount for the next six months.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.