Warning shots fired as brawl erupts on Lebanese talkshow

The brawl was finally halted after Lebanese troops stepped in to calm the situation. (Twitter/File)
The brawl was finally halted after Lebanese troops stepped in to calm the situation. (Twitter/File)
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Updated 05 November 2022

Warning shots fired as brawl erupts on Lebanese talkshow

Warning shots fired as brawl erupts on Lebanese talkshow
  • MTV security staff clash with Free Patriotic Movement members after program host cuts live feed

BEIRUT: Supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement came to blows with other members of the audience during a live broadcast of “Sar El-Waet” (“It’s About Time”), a political talk show on Lebanese channel MTV, on Thursday evening.

The violence continued outside the studio and shots were fired. Some FPM supporters were injured during the fight before the army intervened to calm the situation.

Host Marcel Ghanem discusses political issues with invited guests on the weekly show, which takes place in front of an audience of activists and members of various parties, who can also ask questions.
This video grab shows a man firing his gun outside the TV studio.
Although many heated debates have taken place on the show over the years, this was the first time the arguments have escalated into fistfights and gunfire, all in the presence of MPs from the FPM and reformist parties, including Khatt Ahmar MP Waddah Al-Sadek.

MTV Lebanon, the full name of which is Murr Television, is known for its support of Lebanese Forces, the FPM’s political opponent.

“FPM supporters are no longer allowed among the audience of Sar El-Waet until further notice, while FPM-affiliated guests are welcome to express their positions,” the channel said later.

The live show was interrupted for 15 minutes after the fighting began. When the broadcast resumed, Ghanem demanded that those who were involved and removed from the studio return microphones that were stolen. He also said cameras were damaged and parts of the studio vandalized.

He said: “What happened inside the studio is unacceptable and inappropriate for an audience that was supposed to remain under control, although everyone was given the opportunity to express their opinion freely. We apologize for what happened on air and the security forces will take it from here.”

Al-Sadek told Arab News: “After President Michel Aoun’s unproductive six-year term, the FPM felt that it lost power. It no longer had a way to disrupt and provoke tension and everyone hated it. When FPM officials tried to continue accusing others of being corrupt, claiming they were the ones fighting corruption, I said the FPM should re-evaluate its experience in governance and apologize to people for its failure.

“The FPM supporters in the audience lost their nerve during the discussions. It all began when a supporter of the Marada movement agreed with what was said against the FPM. They started insulting him and throwing punches, so MTV’s security forced them out of the studio.

“It turned out that armed FPM supporters were waiting outside MTV’s headquarters and gunshots were fired. I had to pull my gun out to be able to leave the studio, escorted by members of the Internal Security Forces and the army.”

In messages posted on social media, FPM supporters said they had been ambushed by MTV. The channel accused the party’s supporters of coming prepared to cause trouble and that one of them, a woman, was caught on camera calling someone and asking them to come to the studio quickly.

The FPM issued a statement that said: “FPM student supporters were assaulted by members of the audience and MTV’s security, who dragged them outside, beat them up, and opened fire.” It called on the security services and the judiciary to take immediate action.

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora denounced the actions of the FPM supporters.

“Some political parties that have recently suffered loss and disappointment, especially after they failed to disrupt political and constitutional institutions, are trying to fabricate political tensions and sectarian strife,” he said.




This video grab shows a man firing his gun outside the tV studio.

He warned against the clashes spreading onto the streets, saying that this would have consequences the country cannot afford.

Lebanese Forces demanded that appropriate legal action be taken as soon as possible to hold those responsible for the violence accountable, warning that any delay would encourage the perpetrators to commit more such acts, threatening what little stability remains in Lebanon.

During his Friday sermon, a Hezbollah cleric in the Tire area accused MTV and the talk show of being “paid to provoke the public and create strife.”

The Lebanese Press Syndicate said the incident runs counter to the principle of preserving the sanctity of media institutions and warned of the repercussions of hate speech.

The Media for Freedom organization said the predominance of militia activity over over the values of dialogue is the result of incitement that motivates a partisan audience to take unacceptable action.

Meanwhile, the FPM and its political opponents remain locked in a fierce dispute over the presidential vacuum created when Aoun’s term ended on Oct. 31 without an agreement being reached on his replacement. The FPM has refused to hand over presidential powers to Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s caretaker government.

 


Fox News says Tucker Carlson breached his contract - Axios

Fox News says Tucker Carlson breached his contract - Axios
Updated 08 June 2023

Fox News says Tucker Carlson breached his contract - Axios

Fox News says Tucker Carlson breached his contract - Axios
  • Fox News accused Carlson of the violation in a letter to his legal team after he posted a clip of his new show on Twitter on Tuesday
  • Carlson was taken off the air by Fox last April following a damaging defamation lawsuit over false claims of election fraud

WASHINGTON: Fox News on Wednesday notified Tucker Carlson’s legal team that the former prime-time host violated his contract with the network when he launched his own Twitter show on Tuesday, Axios reported, citing a copy of a letter obtained by the news website.

Carlson released the first episode of his new show on Twitter on Tuesday, weeks after being taken off the air by Fox following a damaging defamation lawsuit over false claims of election fraud.
Fox News general counsel Bernard Gugar sent a letter to Carlson’s legal team saying Carlson “is in breach” of his contract agreement after he posted a clip of his new show on Twitter on Tuesday evening, according to Axios.
Carlson’s legal team could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters. His lawyer told Axios that any legal action by Fox would violate his First Amendment rights to free speech guaranteed by the US Constitution.
“Fox defends its very existence on freedom of speech grounds. Now they want to take Tucker Carlson’s right to speak freely away from him because he took to social media to share his thoughts on current events,” Carlson’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement cited by Axios.
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letter quoted by Axios refers to Carlson’s contract, and said its former prime time star was “prohibited from rendering services of any type whatsoever, whether ‘over the Internet via streaming or similar distribution, or other digital distribution whether now known or hereafter devised.’“


Google’s flagship Marketing Live event comes to Saudi Arabia for first time

Google’s flagship Marketing Live event comes to Saudi Arabia for first time
Updated 07 June 2023

Google’s flagship Marketing Live event comes to Saudi Arabia for first time

Google’s flagship Marketing Live event comes to Saudi Arabia for first time
  • Executives from the company’s regional and global operations told business and marketing experts from the region about its latest consumer insights, products and solutions

DUBAI: Google announced new consumer insights, products and solutions on Wednesday in Riyadh, as the company’s flagship global advertising and commerce event, Google Marketing Live, took place in Saudi Arabia for the first time.

Executives from Google’s regional and global operations joined business and marketing experts from the region at the event to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in the business world.

“We’re excited to host Google Marketing Live in Riyadh for the first time,” said Anthony Nakache, the managing director of Google MENA.

“Google’s presence here today is a testament to our commitment to supporting businesses in the Kingdom and their digital growth.”

The company showcased its latest advertising products and new features on Google Search and Maps, along with a range of AI features and products that will be available in Saudi Arabia. It said the innovations include an enhanced experience on PerformanceMax, Automatically Created Assets, and Merchant Center Next.

PerformanceMax, which allows advertisers to access all of their Google Ads inventory from a single campaign, will now use generative media models and large language learning models to generate “professional grade creatives” across YouTube, Display and Search with minimal information, the company said.

Automatically Created Assets will enable advertisers to generate and adapt their adverts in real time, so that they are more relevant to customers, it added.

In addition, Google said, businesses of all sizes can now manage online and offline product and business information through Merchant Center Next, which includes a simplified process for onboarding and product upload and management, together with improved ad integration and comprehensive reporting.

“AI has long been the cornerstone of Google’s products and services and we’re excited to announce new AI-powered features, such as AI in PerformanceMax and Automatically Created Assets, for businesses in Saudi Arabia to help drive better performance and reach more customers,” said Nakache.

Google Marketing Live is an annual event during which the company showcases its latest advertising and product offerings.


Chris Licht steps down as CNN chief following series of grave missteps

Chris Licht steps down as CNN chief following series of grave missteps
Updated 07 June 2023

Chris Licht steps down as CNN chief following series of grave missteps

Chris Licht steps down as CNN chief following series of grave missteps
  • The chief executive officer of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, informed CNN staff of Licht’s departure during the network’s daily editorial call
  • The departure of 51-year-old Licht came after The Atlantic recently published an extensive article headlined “Inside the Tremendous Meltdown at CNN”

LONDON: CNN chief Chris Licht on Wednesday announced that he would be leaving the network after a one-year tenure marked by serious programming missteps.
The chief executive officer of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, informed CNN staff of Licht’s departure during the network’s daily editorial call, according to CNN Business.
The departure of 51-year-old Licht, CNN’s chairman and CEO, came after The Atlantic recently published an extensive article headlined “Inside the Tremendous Meltdown at CNN,” highlighting the muddles and low ratings the company had experienced in the last year.
The most recent of his missteps, which attracted backlash, was the network’s town hall meeting with former US President Donald Trump, which the Financial Times described as “controversial.”
During the meeting, Trump’s supporters cheered as he insulted the event’s moderator Kaitlan Collins, who attempted to fact-check the ex-American leader. Although CNN journalists were angered, Licht said: “America was served very well by what we did.”
On Monday, Licht apologized to CNN employees, describing his experience as “tremendously humbling.”
But on Wednesday, Zaslav said: “For a number of reasons things didn’t work out and that’s unfortunate. It’s really unfortunate. And ultimately that’s on me. And I take full responsibility for that.”
Licht will leave his role within 48 hours, Puck News reported on Wednesday.


Three Middle Eastern brands make it onto YouTube’s global list of year’s top 10 adverts

Three Middle Eastern brands make it onto YouTube’s global list of year’s top 10 adverts
Updated 06 June 2023

Three Middle Eastern brands make it onto YouTube’s global list of year’s top 10 adverts

Three Middle Eastern brands make it onto YouTube’s global list of year’s top 10 adverts
  • Telecom Egypt, Orange Egypt and Qatar Airways earned places on the eighth annual YouTube Cannes Ads Leaderboard
  • Collectively, the commercials that earned places on this year’s list streamed in a total of 28 countries across five continents

DUBAI: Three brands from the Middle East appear on the eighth annual YouTube Cannes Ads Leaderboard, which was unveiled on Tuesday and features the top 10 most-watched adverts globally on the video-streaming platform over the past 12 months.

Collectively, the commercials that earned places on this year’s list streamed in a total of 28 countries across five continents.

Telecom Egypt’s “WE Summer Campaign,” featuring Akram Hosny, ranked second. Qatar Airways’ official FIFA World Cup song “C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N.S” featuring DJ Rodge and Cheb Khaled took fifth spot; and Orange Egypt’s “Crazy about Football” commercial was seventh.

“It’s great to see the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region’s diversity and creativity shine through on YouTube this year, which exemplifies the different formats on YouTube that allow brands to explore different styles and approaches to storytelling on the platform,” said Anthony Nakache, Google MENA’s managing director.

Mohammed Abutaleb, Telecom Egypt’s commercial vice-president, said that “agility is key to product success” in a “competitive technology marketplace.” The company is always ready to “test, adjust and reshape” its digital strategy, and “Google ad technology has been integral to our success on that front,” he added.

A spokesperson for Qatar Airways said: “YouTube is a great place for driving brand awareness and one of the key channels to communicate to a wide audience of football fans from around the world.”

Orange Egypt described YouTube as “one of the main platforms that help us increase top-of-mind awareness.”

The selection of the ads on the leaderboard was based on an algorithm that uses internal YouTube data to measure audience engagement and retention. Only one advert from each brand can appear, to “better reflect the broad range, quality and popularity of YouTube ads throughout the year,” according to YouTube.

Netflix took the top spot on the list with an advert featuring a prank in New York City to promote its “Addams Family” spin-off show, “Wednesday.” Apple’s “Introducing iPhone 14 Pro” was in third place, followed by the official trailer for the Max (formerly HBO Max) streaming show “The Last of Us.” The remaining brands that made the top 10 were Samsung, Bulgari, streaming service Peacock, and Burger King.

The ads on the list have cumulatively racked up 213.5 million views, 2.5 million likes and 70,000 comments.


Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production

Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production
Updated 06 June 2023

Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production

Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production
  • 3rd funding round offers financial backing to directors in Arab world, Africa

LONDON: Officials behind a fund offering grants to help toward the production of Arab and African films are inviting new applications for financial backing.

Red Sea Film Festival Foundation organizers announced on Tuesday the opening of a third round of Red Sea Fund support grants.

Running from June 6 until July 2, applications are being invited for flicks ready to go into production, with up to $500,000 per movie available for filmmakers.

Head of the fund, Emad Eskander, said: “We are truly impressed by the exceptional talent that aspiring and world-renowned filmmakers brought to the table in our second edition.”

The third round of funding will support projects from directors in Saudi Arabia, Africa, and throughout the Arab world, with the aim of helping launch a new generation of movie producers while supporting established filmmakers as they take their work from script to screen.

“It’s clear that the bar has been set high, but we have no doubt that the filmmakers are up for the challenge.

“Looking ahead to the third edition’s production cycle, we are confident that filmmakers will continue to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation,” Eskander added.

The Red Sea Fund has made a significant impact in the film world, supporting movies that have premiered and won awards at prestigious festivals such as Berlin and Cannes.