Prince Harry tells UK court press has blood on its hands

Update Prince Harry tells UK court press has blood on its hands
Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walks outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London on June 6, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 06 June 2023
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Prince Harry tells UK court press has blood on its hands

Prince Harry tells UK court press has blood on its hands
  • Prince Harry and more than 100 others are suing Mirror Group Newspapers, over allegations of widespread wrongdoing between 1991 and 2011

LONDON: Prince Harry said the press had blood on its hands as he gave evidence against a tabloid publisher whose titles he accuses of phone-hacking and other unlawful activities, becoming the first senior royal in a witness box in more than a century.

Harry, the fifth-in-line to the throne, briefly smiled as he passed the phalanx of waiting photographers and camera crews when he arrived at the modern Rolls Building in central London, ahead of the very rare court appearance by a royal.

He and more than 100 others are suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, over allegations of widespread wrongdoing between 1991 and 2011.

The younger son of King Charles III entered the witness box to face hours of cross-examination from Andrew Green, MGN’s lawyer, over 33 newspaper articles Harry said were based on information which had been unlawfully gathered.

Green began by personally apologizing to Harry on his client’s behalf over one instance in which it admitted unlawful information gathering.

“It should never have happened and it will not happen again,” he said, adding if the court agreed MGN had committed wrongdoing on other occasions “you will be entitled to, and you will receive a more extensive apology.”

In questioning, Harry was asked about a passage in his written witness statement in which he referred to “appalling” behavior by the British press. “How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?” he wrote.

Asked by Green if he was suggesting MGN journalists who wrote the articles at the center of his lawsuit had blood on their hands, Harry replied: “Some of the editors and journalists that are responsible for causing a lot of pain, upset and in some cases — perhaps inadvertently — death.”

The prince is the first senior British royal to give evidence for 130 years. He was speaking from the same witness box in Court 15 where singer Ed Sheeran and French actress Eva Green have both recently appeared in separate and unrelated cases.

The MGN trial began last month, with lawyers for Harry and the other claimants seeking to prove that unlawful information gathering was carried out with the knowledge and approval of senior editors and executives.

Harry is one of four test cases, and his specific allegations form the focus of the first three days of this week.

However, he did not appear on Monday, having only left the United States, where he now lives with his American wife Meghan, the previous evening as it was his daughter Lilibet’s birthday on Sunday. The judge, Timothy Fancourt, said he was surprised at his absence.

Looking serious and speaking firmly but quietly, Harry said thousands if not millions of stories had been written about him, as Green pressed him on whether he had specifically read the MGN articles in question.

Harry agreed that he and his lawyers had chosen the most intrusive articles and those which had caused the most distress for his complaint.

Asked if he remembered reading the first story he had complained about, an article about his mother visiting him for his 12th birthday, Harry said: “I was a child, I was at school, these articles were incredibly invasive. Every time one of these articles were written it had an effect.”

On Monday, Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne said his late mother Princess Diana, had also been a victim of hacking, and the prince referred to this in his witness statement, laying the blame at the Daily Mirror’s former editor Piers Morgan.

He said the thought of Piers Morgan and his “band of journalists earwigging” into my mother’s messages “makes me feel physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr. Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behavior.”

Morgan, now a high-profile broadcaster who works for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has always denied any involvement in, or knowledge of phone-hacking or other illegal activity.

MGN, now owned by Reach, has previously admitted its titles were involved in phone-hacking, settling more than 600 claims, but Green has said there was no evidence that Harry had ever been a victim.

The publisher also argues that some of the personal information involved had come from senior royal aides, including from one of his father’s former top officials.


Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week

Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week
Updated 56 min 33 sec ago
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Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week

Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week
  • Trade Ministry likely to impose strict regulations
  • Social media platforms are threatening offline markets, ministry said

JAKARTA: Indonesia may issue on Tuesday a regulation on the use of social media to sell goods in the country, President Joko Widodo said, a move intended to quell threats to offline markets in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
Ministers have repeatedly said that e-commerce sellers using predatory pricing on social media platforms are threatening offline markets in Indonesia, with some officials specifically citing the video platform TikTok as an example.
“We just...decided on the use of social media for e-commerce. Tomorrow it will perhaps come out,” Widodo, who is commonly known as Jokowi, said in a streamed video address on Monday.
“What the people are expecting is that the advancement of technology can create new economic potential, not kill existing economies.”
Jokowi did not mention any specific companies or offer further details on the regulation, which is being formulated by the trade ministry.
Current trade regulations do not specifically cover direct transactions on social media.
Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga said earlier this month that “social media and social commerce cannot be combined,” vowing to ban the mix of the two and citing TikTok’s “live” features which allow people to sell goods.
A TikTok Indonesia spokesperson declined to comment. TikTok is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance.
The company said that its app had 325 million Southeast Asian users that were active every month, of whom 125 million were in Indonesia. The company has said that there were 2 million small businesses on TikTok Shop in Indonesia.


Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day

Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day
Updated 23 September 2023
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Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day

Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day
  • Their environmental-themed campaign includes limited-edition Bitmoji merchandise and an augmented reality experience
  • Snapchat users can also design a tote bag and share it for a chance to influence the next Garnier tote design, which will be available at Panda stores

DUBAI: Cosmetics company Garnier is teaming up with Snapchat for new campaign, “Shop Greener Because Saudi Deserves Green,” to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 93rd National Day on Sept. 23 and encourage people in the Kingdom to choose sustainable beauty products.

The campaign, which runs until Sept. 27, features two exclusive experiences for Snapchat users: limited-edition Bitmoji merchandise that can be unlocked by scanning a QR code on Snapchat, and an immersive augmented reality lens featuring a customizable tote bag.

According to a Snapchat report titled Augmentality Shift, 77 percent of consumers surveyed in the Kingdom agreed that they feel closer to brands or products that offer AR experiences.

“We take pride in collaborating with Garnier Green to help reduce environmental impact through the power of AR, and to raise awareness and catalyze change on environmental issues that can have an even bigger influence to champion real change,” said Mariam Koumaiha, brand strategist at Snap Inc. for the Middle East and North Africa region.

As part of the campaign, Snapchat users are invited to design a tote bag and share it for a chance to influence the next Garnier tote design, which will be available at Panda stores.

Users will also receive a complimentary tote bag with the purchase of any Garnier product, and receive a cashback of SR5 ($1.33) when they return with the reusable tote and buy Garnier products worth at least SR50.

“Garnier’s unwavering commitment to a greener and more sustainable Saudi Arabia has been our driving force for years,” said Ahmed Wagih, general manager of Garnier Middle East’s Consumer Product division.

“As we celebrate Saudi Arabia’s heritage, we also celebrate our shared responsibility towards a greener future.”

Snapchat said it has a monthly addressable audience of 22 million users in Saudi Arabia and reaches 90 percent of people in the country between the ages of 13 and 34.


Advanced Media to launch Arabic edition of CINE digital filmmaking workshops in Riyadh

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Photo/Shutterstock
Updated 22 September 2023
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Advanced Media to launch Arabic edition of CINE digital filmmaking workshops in Riyadh

Photo/Shutterstock
  • The event on Oct. 6-7 aims to give industry professionals, content creators and enthusiasts a chance to learn about the latest industry trends in digital cinema

LONDON: Advanced Media, a company that distributes video, photographic, broadcast and cinema equipment, will host an Arabic version of its biannual digital cinema community event, CINE, in Riyadh next month.

Titled CINESeason, the event on Oct. 6 and 7 aims to give industry professionals, content creators and enthusiasts a chance to learn about the latest industry trends in digital cinema. Organizers said the comprehensive program will teach participants about various aspects of cinematic filmmaking, including video acquisition, lighting for film and TV drama, shooting in high-resolution formats, workflow, and the post-production process.

Workshops will be led by leading industry experts in the region, they added, including cinematographer Fouad Aoun, editor Mostafa Salah, and renowned Egyptian director of photography Ayman Abou El-Makarem.

As the entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia has opened up in recent years as part of the Vision 2030 plan to develop and diversify the national economy, the country has emerged as a rapidly expanding market for filmmaking and content creation, which is driving demand for professional equipment and skilled operators.

Established in 2020 by UAE-based Advanced Media, CINESeason provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers in the Kingdom to gain hands-on experience with the latest equipment, and network with fellow professionals.

 

 


Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission

Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission
Updated 22 September 2023
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Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission

Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission
  • IIFMA said shortlist was not representative of Iran’s creative body of work
  • Iran selected Reza Mirkarimi’s “The Night Guardian” as country submission to the 96th Academy Awards

LONDON: Dissident Iranian filmmakers have protested the country’s official Oscars entry for 2024 and called on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider an alternative film to represent Iran.

The Iranian government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation has selected Reza Mirkarimi’s “The Night Guardian” as Iran’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.

However, the Iranian Independent Filmmaker Association has opposed the decision, arguing that Farabi maintains close ties with the Islamic Republic’s government and that “Iranian cinema’s representative at the Oscars” should not be announced by the state-controlled entity.

In a statement, the IIFMA accused the government of leveraging Farabi to put “terrifying pressure on Iranian artists” and that the Oscars entry shortlist is not reflective of the creative body of work this year by Iranian filmmakers.

It added that Farabi also excluded several Iranian films that were critically acclaimed internationally this year from consideration as Iran’s Oscars entry.

The IIFMA pointed out that Farabi admitted to working with Iranian intelligence agencies to choose the films for the shortlist, adding that the organization has been banned from several film festivals, such as Berlin and Cannes, because of its close ties to the regime.

The IIFMA was formed on the eve of the Berlin Film Festival last February, in the wake of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, to represent filmmakers who are not affiliated with the Iranian government.

AMPAS has not yet commented on the IIFMA’s protest or on the calls for an alternative Oscars entry for Iran.

However, the academy has a history of supporting filmmakers working in repressive environments.

In 2021, exiled Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi wrote to it suggesting the creation of a special entry in the category representing exiled artists.


Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM

Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM
Updated 22 September 2023
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Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM

Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM
  • Tawfiq Omrane could face one year in prison if convicted

TUNIS: Tunisia’s public prosecutor on Friday released the cartoonist Tawfiq Omrane, after he was detained for hours over drawings mocking the prime minister, fueling concern among free speech advocates.
Omrane is well known for publishing satirical cartoons featuring President Kais Saied, who seized almost all powers two years ago after he shut down Tunisia’s elected parliament in a move that the opposition described as a coup.
“They interrogated me on suspicion of insulting the prime minister. They showed a drawing that they considered offensive,” Omrane told Diwan FM Tunisian radio.
Omrane pledged that he would continue his satirical drawings.
“The police interrogated him (Omrane) for hours without the presence of lawyers on suspicion of insulting through social networks ... over cartoons mocking the prime minister,” his lawyer, Anas Kadoussi, told Reuters. Kadoussi said the cartoonist could face one year in prison if convicted.
Interior Ministry officials declined to comment immediately.
Ahmed Hachani is the prime minister, appointed last month to replace Najla Bouden.
Many Tunisians see free speech as a principal reform won after the 2011 revolution that toppled dictatorial President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Activists, journalists and politicians have warned this freedom is under threat.
“Omrane’s arrest reinforces authorities’ efforts to suppress critical voices of the president,” said Amira Mohamed, a senior official at the country’s Journalists’ Syndicate.
Kais Saied strongly criticized state TV in a speech this week, including the arrangement of headlines in a bulletin, in a move that the Journalists Syndicate said was “blatant interference.”
Saied rejects accusations of targeting freedoms and has said he will never be a dictator.
Police have detained more than 20 political figures this year, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda party, accusing some of plotting against state security.