Huawei to launch voice and video call app

The GoChat Messenger was officially debuted by etisalat by e& in 2022. (Supplied)
The GoChat Messenger was officially debuted by etisalat by e& in 2022. (Supplied)
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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.


Californian council meeting goes viral online after residents defend Hamas

Californian council meeting goes viral online after residents defend Hamas
Updated 01 December 2023
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Californian council meeting goes viral online after residents defend Hamas

Californian council meeting goes viral online after residents defend Hamas
  • Speakers express support for militant group as Oakland council members vote for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Israel-Hamas war

LONDON: A recent city council meeting in Oakland, California went viral online after speakers defended militant group Hamas.

And following debate, council members voted for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

In a clip shared online, one person attending the meeting said: “Calling Hamas a terrorist organization is ridiculous, racist, and plays into genocidal propaganda that is flooding our media and that we should be doing everything possible to combat.”

 

Another speaker referred to the group as a “resistance organization that is fighting for the liberation of Palestinian people in their land.”

Tye Gregory of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area later told The Jewish News of Northern California that the meeting had been the “most antisemitic room I have ever been in.”

British journalist Piers Morgan shared the video on X and accused the commenters of being “brazen terrorist sympathizers.”

During the city council meeting, lawmakers unanimously approved a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the conflict, the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies to the Strip, and respect for international law.

They also called for a resolution that protected the security of all innocent civilians.


Over 1,000 artists, including Olivia Colman, accuse art institutions of censoring support for Palestine

Over 1,000 artists, including Olivia Colman, accuse art institutions of censoring support for Palestine
Updated 01 December 2023
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Over 1,000 artists, including Olivia Colman, accuse art institutions of censoring support for Palestine

Over 1,000 artists, including Olivia Colman, accuse art institutions of censoring support for Palestine

LONDON: More than 1,300 artists, including Academy Award winner Olivia Colman and BAFTA winners Aimee Lou Wood and Siobhan McSweeney, signed an open letter on Thursday accusing cultural institutions across Western countries of “repressing, silencing and stigmatizing Palestinian voices and perspectives.” 

This includes “targeting and threatening the livelihoods of artists and arts workers who express solidarity with Palestinians, as well as cancelling performances, screenings, talks, exhibitions and book launches,” they said in the letter.

“Despite this pressure, artists in their thousands are following their conscience and continuing to speak out. Freedom of expression, as enshrined in the Human Rights Act and the European Convention of Human Rights, is the backbone of our creative lives, and fundamental to democracy.”

The letter cites several examples of censorship such as Lisson Gallery’s so-called postponement of a London exhibition by Ai Weiwei, Folkwang Museum’s last-minute cancellation of Anais Duplan’s Afrofuturism exhibition, as well as Saarland Museum’s cancellation of Candida Brietz’s solo exhibition in Germany. 

In addition, Hollywood producers announced their decision to remove actress Melissa Barrero from “Scream VII.”

In every instance, the organization stated that the reason for the cancellation was the artists’ support for Palestine, which is unrelated to their professional work.

Last month, the publicly funded Arnolfini, an international arts center and gallery in Bristol, decided not to hold film and spoken word poetry events organized by the Bristol Palestine Film Festival, due to claims the events might “stray into political activity.” 

The events have since been moved to other venues in the city. 

Letter signatory Hassan Abulrazzak, whose play “And Here I Am” is based on the life of a Palestinian actor, was canceled in Paris in October. 

He said: “This censorship is as frustrating as it is wrongheaded. Now is the time to listen to Palestinians, to understand what their lives are like.”

Film directors Emma Seligman, Hany Abu-Assad and Ken Loach, among many others, urged arts organizations to join calls for a permanent ceasefire and to “stand up for artists and workers who voice their support for Palestinian rights.” 

They accused arts organizations of a “disturbing double standard,” saying that “expressions of solidarity readily offered to other peoples facing brutal oppression have not been extended to Palestinians.” 

The letter calls on the arts and culture sector to publicly demand a permanent ceasefire, promote and amplify the voices of Palestinian artists, writers, and thinkers, stand up for artists and workers who voice their support for Palestinian rights and refuse collaborations with institutions or bodies that are complicit in severe human rights violations.

Award-winning composer Jocelyn Pook, Robert del Naja, David Sylvian and many others said they “stand in solidarity with those facing threats and intimidation in the workplace.”

They went on to warn that “many artists are refusing to work with institutions that fail to meet (these) basic obligations” to uphold freedom of expression and anti-discrimination when it comes to speech on Palestine. 

Two thousand poets announced a boycott of the Poetry Foundation in the US after its magazine refused to publish a book review it had commissioned. 

Artforum magazine is also facing significant backlash as artists and writers from around the world express their refusal to collaborate with the publication. 

Additionally, its editorial team has stepped down in protest following the dismissal of editor David Velasco, who had published a letter signed by 8,000 artists that called for a ceasefire and for “Palestinian liberation.”

Last Friday, UN experts said in a statement: “People have the right to express solidarity with victims of grave human rights violations and demand justice, whether from one side or the other or both.”

They added: “Some artists have been deprogrammed and censored for calling for peace, others have lost their jobs, and some artists have been silenced or side-lined by their own cultural organizations and artistic communities.”


‘Now, we can engage with our customers throughout the day,’ says OSN Group CEO on new Anghami-OSN+ deal

‘Now, we can engage with our customers throughout the day,’ says OSN Group CEO on new Anghami-OSN+ deal
Updated 01 December 2023
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‘Now, we can engage with our customers throughout the day,’ says OSN Group CEO on new Anghami-OSN+ deal

‘Now, we can engage with our customers throughout the day,’ says OSN Group CEO on new Anghami-OSN+ deal
  • New company will be powered by an integrated technology platform

DUBAI: Last month, OSN Group announced an investment of $50 million in local audio streaming app Anghami, which will see its streaming service OSN+ and Anghami merge to form one entity.

The deal, currently subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2024, combining over 120 million Anghami registered users and more than 2.5 million OSN+ paying subscribers.

“The move helps us scale very quickly,” Joe Kawkabani, CEO of OSN Group, told Arab News.

The new company will be powered by an integrated technology platform on the back end, which will “allow us to be more agile in terms of serving our customers and giving them a superior technological experience,” he said.

OSN is, however, taking its time to decide what the front end will look like. Both brands have different strengths; OSN+ is well known for premium video content, particularly in the Gulf, while Anghami is well known in West Africa and Levant, Kawkabani added.

“We want to leverage the strength of both brands and take our time to see what our customers want and make decisions accordingly,” he said.

This means that the companies have not yet decided whether they will merge both apps into one or introduce content from either platform on the other or some combination of the two.

Part of the uncertainty is intentional, Kawkabani said. “We have massive scale and great content, so we have all the right ingredients to go effectively wherever we want from here.”

He added: “I like to create strategic moves that give us the flexibility, and honestly at that point, we have to just listen to what the customer wants.”

The deal also “gives us an opportunity, through the combination of music and video, to engage our customers throughout the day,” he said.

The time and method of consuming audio and video formats can vary vastly, with audiences listening to music and podcasts while commuting, for example, and tuning into video formats like TV shows and movies at the end of the day, he explained.

“Now, we can engage with our customers throughout the day, and that will help us build a very robust foundation for our business,” he added.

And that is what ultimately matters to OSN. As Kawkabani put it: “We care a lot about engaged and happy customers.”

Approximately 37 percent of OSN’s customers in the Gulf are purely cord-cutters, while 23 percent are primarily traditional TV viewers and the remaining 40 percent are hybrid viewers, meaning that they consume content on streaming platforms as well as linear TV channels, Kawkabani explained.

The company has made several investments to cater to these various segments, such as launching an upgraded version of the OSNtv box this June, which provides both live TV and streaming channels through one device.

Western content performs extremely well in the Middle East, said Kawkabani. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” for example, broke the 2023 record for advanced ticket sales in Saudi Arabia.

OSN has capitalized well on this success, building exclusive partnerships with international studios such as HBO, NBC Universal, and Paramount.

When it comes to original content, the streamer wants to do more but is focused on quality over quantity, and that takes “time and patience” to build the kind of slate that can sit comfortably with other premium shows in its library, said Kawkabani.

Its first original feature film, “Yellow Bus,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year where it was one of the 26 titles featured in TIFF’s Discovery program.

Kawkabani was reluctant to name a number when it came to upcoming originals “because managing volume on a streaming service is different than managing volume on a linear service,” with the former allowing streamers to produce based on audience feedback and the latter requiring broadcasters to account for the number of hours they need to fill.

He said: “There is no fixed percentage we’re working towards, but we’re going to keep on increasing year on year, quarter over quarter as we find new projects.”

Although global companies like Netflix produce hundreds of originals every year — with several local partnerships now in effect in the Middle East — Kawkabani remains unfazed.

“What they do doesn’t dictate what we do,” he said.

“We don’t try to emulate or follow the footsteps of others. We believe that from a local perspective, we have a better vantage point. We are from the region,” he added.

Bringing together its array of Western as well as regional content — such as Turkish shows dubbed in Arabic that are popular among audiences — with its local background, Kawkabani views OSN as a “gateway” for international companies in the region.

He also believes there is an opportunity in the Middle East for “premium local stories” and that is where “OSN can play a role in producing and broadcasting.”

The need for a “strong local streamer” is critical, especially as the number of streaming services increases, he said.

“Being a successful streamer and offering content worthy of subscriptions — or their (consumers’) time and engagement — is very hard, so we feel that we need to be one of the top two or three apps that customers use frequently and repeatedly,” he concluded.


Anger at former French PM over ‘financial domination’ comment many consider antisemitic

Anger at former French PM over ‘financial domination’ comment many consider antisemitic
Updated 30 November 2023
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Anger at former French PM over ‘financial domination’ comment many consider antisemitic

Anger at former French PM over ‘financial domination’ comment many consider antisemitic
  • Dominique de Villepin faces a backlash after a TV interview in which he claimed American actors and other public figures were under pressure to avoid criticizing Israel
  • The head of an organization for French Jews describes comments as ‘insidiously antisemitic rhetoric’ that suggests Jews are ‘puppet masters of the media and artists’

LONDON: A former prime minister of France faced an angry backlash on Wednesday after comments that many people interpreted as a veiled, antisemitic criticism of Jewish control of the arts, culture and the media.

During a TV interview, Dominique de Villepin talked about the alleged pressure on American actors and other public figures to avoid criticizing Israel during the Gaza war.

“You can see in the background how substantial the domination of finance is on the realms of media, art and music,” he told TMC television. “They can’t say what they think simply because their contracts are immediately ended. Unfortunately, we see this as well in France.”

Some commentators described his comments as dangerous and reminiscent of bigoted beliefs in the 19th and early 20th centuries about Jewish power within French society.

These beliefs resulted in events such as the Dreyfus affair from 1894 to 1906, in which a Jewish military officer was wrongly convicted of treason, the rise of right-wing political parties with antisemitic views in the 1930s, and the French state’s deportation of 76,000 Jews to Nazi death camps during the Second World War.

“The antisemitism that was so long hidden is being unleashed,” said Jacques Attali, a prominent intellectual and former presidential adviser.

Yonathan Arfi, the head of Crif, an organization for French Jews, said: “Dominique de Villepin did not make a gaffe. He revealed himself in spite of himself.

“His words reveal insidiously antisemitic rhetoric which is aimed, without naming them, at Jews as the party of international finance and the puppet masters of the media and artists.”

Eric Ciotti, the leader of de Villepin’s former party, The Republicans, also criticized him and expressed shock about “conspiracy theory remarks that remind us of dark times” in French history.

While serving as foreign minister, de Villepin spearheaded France’s decision not to participate in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

He has said that it is not antisemitic to criticize the suppression of free speech by the financially powerful, and that his criticism of the Israeli government and its policies, and the country’s assault on Gaza, is not the result of any form of hatred of or prejudice against the Jewish people.

French politicians and media figures on the extreme left of French politics have voiced support for de Villepin, saying that his comments about financial influence were misinterpreted, and that in other comments about the Middle East he was simply reflecting France’s long-standing impartial stance on Israel and Arab nations.

However, the controversy has brought renewed attention to long-running social issues in French society, where there has been a prevailing wave of antisemitism of late.

French police have recorded hundreds of antisemitic attacks in the past month alone. Studies have found that 75 percent of the Jewish population in France claimed to have personal experience of offensive treatment, and 50 percent admitted to concealing their Jewish identity in public.


CIA official posts and deletes pro-Palestine image on Facebook

CIA official posts and deletes pro-Palestine image on Facebook
Updated 30 November 2023
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CIA official posts and deletes pro-Palestine image on Facebook

CIA official posts and deletes pro-Palestine image on Facebook

DUBAI: A senior CIA official posted a pro-Palestine image, showing a man waving a Palestinian flag on Facebook, last month amid tensions within US President Joe Biden’s administration.

The unusual political statement made by the CIA’s associate deputy director for analysis has sparked controversy, with her eventually deleting the post.

A separate Facebook post shows the official with a sticker reading “Free Palestine,” but a person familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that the photo was posted several years ago.

“The officer is a career analyst with extensive background in all aspects of the Middle East and this post (of the Palestinian flag) was not intended to express a position on the conflict,” the person said.

Four former intelligence officials said they were surprised that a senior CIA official would express her supposed political views on Facebook.

“The public posting of an obviously controversial political statement by a senior analytic manager in the middle of a crisis shows glaringly poor judgment,” said one former intelligence official.

Some members of the intelligence community were concerned that the post expressed a bias that could undermine the analysis directorate, the official added.

The pro-Palestine images and unrelated posts from the past year and a half have been deleted from the CIA official’s page, according to the Financial Times.

The CIA has since sent out an internal email reminding employees against posting political messages on social media, which aims to serve as “a reminder of existing policy,” a US official told NBC News.

“CIA officers are committed to analytic objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an agency. CIA officers may have personal views, but this does not lessen their — or CIA’s — commitment to unbiased analysis,” a CIA spokesperson said in a statement.