LOS ANGELES: Amazon said Friday it had appointed NBC’s entertainment president Jennifer Salke to head its movie and television studios following the resignation of Roy Price over allegations of sexual harassment.
Price quit in October after a producer for “The Man in the High Castle” — one of the studio’s highest-profile shows — said he had repeatedly propositioned her in 2015, making lewd suggestions during a taxi ride.
“I am both honored and emboldened by the opportunity to lead this extraordinary business,” the new head of Amazon Studios said in a statement, adding that moving on from NBC was “bittersweet.”
“It’s an exciting time to be a content creator, and I look forward to being on the front lines of an innovative business with storytelling at its heart,” she added.
Amazon said in a statement Salke had impressed executives through the “deep relationships she has nurtured” over a career that has also taken spells at 20th Century Fox and Aaron Spelling Productions.
“She’s built an impeccable reputation as a big leader who emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and teamwork,” Amazon added.
Price’s downfall came in the wake of dozens of sexual predation allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, sparked by investigations in The New York Times and The New Yorker.
The scandal touched off a deluge of accusations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media, forcing many industries to re-examine workplace policies.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office told AFP on Friday it was considering misconduct charges against actor and martial arts master Steven Seagal (“Under Siege“).
The former action star was accused by Portia de Rossi, the “Arrested Development” actress and wife of chat queen Ellen DeGeneres, in November of trying to expose himself to her during an audition.
Jenny McCarthy, who first accused Seagal in 1998, recently revisited her encounter with the actor when auditioning for his 1995 movie “Under Siege 2” when he allegedly asked her twice to lower her dress.
Prosecutors said Thursday they were also looking at three sexual assault cases forwarded by the LAPD against Weinstein, who faces parallel investigations in New York and London, but has repeatedly denied having non-consensual sex.
Harassment scandal-hit Amazon Studios to be led by woman
Harassment scandal-hit Amazon Studios to be led by woman
Benefits of AI economy must be equitably distributed, says UN tech envoy in Davos
- Amandeep Singh Gill seeks ‘global’ efforts to tackle digital divide
- ‘We need to have a more collaborative and respectful approach’
DAVOS:The power of artificial intelligence and quantum computing must be harnessed to benefit nations across the world, not only developed economies, said Amandeep Singh Gill, the UN’s envoy on technology, on Thursday.
Speaking during a panel titled “From High-Performance Computing to High- Performance Problem Solving,” Gill said that countries in Africa, for example, hold less than 0.5 percent of graphic processing units worldwide.
Also participating in the discussion were Georges-Olivier Reymond, co-founder and CEO of PASQAL; Ana Paula Assis, senior vice president and chair IBM EMEA and Growth Markets; and Paul Alivisatos, president of the University of Chicago.
“My challenge is to convince policymakers who have limited resources to invest in the digital divide, data and AI and quantum development as well,” explained the envoy.
“There is a backlash against the neo-colonial situation, where the tech is developed in just a few geographies, and the rest of the world is takers of this tech. You can call it the sovereignty backlash … we need to have a more collaborative and respectful approach,” he added.
When asked by panel moderator Azeem Azhar, CEO of Exponential View, about the risk of uncertainty in the field of quantum computing, Gill said he sees an opportunity more than a risk.
“We are at an early stage in terms of the science and technology of developing things so different technologies might be used. A degree of uncertainty and diversity is important,” he added.
But the envoy emphasized the need to have a unified global force that would ensure everyone can participate in this area of technology.
“When we look at the global majority, not everyone will be able to use quantum computing, the cryptographic effort has to be global, it can’t be isolated,” he said.
Gill said the world is shifting toward quantum infrastructure in order to reduce energy consumption. According to the envoy, today’s AI systems consume a great deal of energy.
The UN deemed 2025 as the “International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.” This initiative aims to celebrate quantum mechanics and educate people on its impacts on technology, culture, and understanding of the world.
Al Jazeera says the Palestinian Authority arrested one of its reporters
- The Qatar-based news network reported that its reporter Mohammed Al-Atrash was arrested from his home
The Al Jazeera news network says the Palestinian Authority arrested one of its reporters after preventing him from covering an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank.
The Qatar-based news network reported Thursday that its reporter, Mohammed Al-Atrash, was arrested from his home.
It said Palestinian security forces had earlier prevented him from reporting on a large Israeli military operation in Jenin, an epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent years. The Palestinian Authority launched its own crackdown on militants in the city late last year.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority.
Both Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority banned Al Jazeera last year. Israel accuses it of being a mouthpiece of Hamas over its coverage of the war in the Gaza Strip and says some of its reporters are also militants.
The pan-Arab broadcaster has rejected the allegations and accused both Israel and the Palestinian Authority of trying to silence critical coverage.
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security matters. It is unpopular among Palestinians, with critics portraying it as a corrupt and authoritarian ally of Israel.
South Sudan orders temporary ban on social media over violence in neighboring Sudan
- Many South Sudanese have been angered by footage from Sudan that purports to show killings by militia groups of South Sudanese in Gezira state
JUBA, South Sudan: South Sudanese authorities on Wednesday ordered telecoms to block access to social media for at least 30 days, citing concerns over the dissemination of graphic content relating to the ongoing violence against South Sudanese in neighboring Sudan.
The temporary ban, which could be extended to up to 90 days, will come into force at midnight Thursday, according to a directive from the National Communication Authority, NCA, to telecom companies stressing that the measure was necessary to protect the public.
“This directive may be lifted as soon as the situation is contained,” the NCA said. “The contents depicted violate our local laws and pose a significant threat to public safety and mental health.”
Many South Sudanese have been angered by footage from Sudan that purports to show killings by militia groups of South Sudanese in Gezira state. South Sudanese authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Jan. 17 after a night of retaliatory violence during which shops owned by Sudanese traders were looted.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, condemned “the brutal killings of South Sudanese nationals” in Sudan and urged restraint.
Civil war in Sudan has created a widening famine and the world’s largest displacement crisis. Fighting between forces loyal to rival military leaders exploded in the capital, Khartoum, in April 2023 and has since spread to other areas.
The conflict has been marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the UN and rights groups.
‘Controlling technology does not bridge the divide,’ says e& chief at WEF
- Hatem Dowidar said that while poorer nations may lack the expertise and resources to build AI infrastructure, governance and data sovereignty could unlock opportunities for decentralizing such technologies
- Brad Smith pointed to Microsoft’s $1 billion investment, in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42, in establishing a data center in Kenya as an indication of decentralization efforts
LONDON: Controlling key technologies such as artificial intelligence does little to bridge the divide between richer and poorer nations, hindering the potential to benefit all, according to Hatem Dowidar, group chief executive officer of e&.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Dowidar highlighted the need for a shift in mindset among regulators to “close the divide rather than widen it.”
He said that the challenge lay less in countries lacking the expertise or resources to build AI infrastructure and more in governance and data sovereignty issues, which often required external handling.
“We do have a couple of cases now where agreements have been done that allow for data to be handled securely,” he said. “In other markets, there are a few lighthouse cases that allows this to happen, and actually some of the hyperscalers — Microsoft and AWS — are working on creating these ring-fenced sovereign clouds that can serve countries from another country while really preserving that integrity and sovereignty.”
Dowidar explained that while many countries lacked access to AI know-how and connectivity, the energy-intensive process of training AI models presented perhaps a more significant barrier.
“So there is a possibility where you can have these central areas, where we can serve the countries that don’t have the massive energy needed to teach the models, but then we need to relax the AI data sovereignty issues,” he said.
Participating in the panel, “AI: Lifting All Boats,” Brad Smith, vice-chair and president of Microsoft, discussed his company’s push toward a decentralized approach to AI development. He pointed to Microsoft’s $1 billion investment, in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42, to establish a data center in Kenya as an example of such efforts.
“It is hard to spend a billion dollars to support 50 million people in Kenya alone, but we’re doing it,” he said. “But the real question is, can we grow that and can we reach Rwanda? We can, but only under one circumstance that you get Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda and Kenya and Ethiopia, that you get the East African Community to decide together that they will all use that data center.”
He called this type of development “a data zone, just like we have free trade zones that will get us halfway there.”
However, Smith emphasized that the private sector alone could not shoulder the burden of such investments. Local governments and international institutions were essential to “kickstart the demand” if regions such as East Africa were to bridge the divide and compete on the global stage.
The panelists also criticized the US for its protectionist approach, particularly the imposition of export controls on competitive nations such as China.
While acknowledging that American technology currently held a significant edge, they argued that these restrictive policies were fueling rival nations to “catch up in various ways, partly by driving them to develop more frugal and innovative models.”
Middle East’s mass events are new scale of nation-building, marketing chief tells WEF
- Sir Martin Sorrell said region is leveraging major events to reposition itself on global stage
LONDON: The Middle East has used large-scale events such as the World Expo and FIFA World Cup as transformative exercises in nation-building, Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman of digital advertising and marketing company S4Capital, told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
During a panel session called “Mass Events, Massive Gains?” Sorrell highlighted how countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE were leveraging major events to reposition themselves on the global stage.
“What’s really interesting about what's happening in the Middle East is we’re seeing nation branding on a scale that we’ve never seen before,” he said. “Because what’s happening in the Middle East is (that) the rulers of these countries are really thinking about not just (in terms of) sports positioning, (but) it goes much more (deeply), it’s about political, cultural, social positioning of the country.”
The region, particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, has heavily invested in hosting high-profile events to boost international appeal while providing citizens with a growing array of entertainment and cultural experiences.
Dubai hosted the World Expo in 2021, the first such event in the Middle East, while Qatar welcomed a cumulative 3.4 million attendees during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to official figures.
Saudi Arabia has also expanded its portfolio of global events, hosting major sports competitions such as Formula One in Jeddah, the 2024 WTA Tennis Finals in Riyadh, and the Dakar Rally since 2020. Looking ahead, the Kingdom is set to host marquee events including the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, the 2030 Riyadh Expo, and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
While these drive significant social and economic benefits, they also come with high costs. Sorrell emphasized the need for a more balanced approach to event planning in the future.
“There’s also an economic tension, because whilst it’s true that these events are very powerful, they’re also very costly,” he explained.
“So what’s happening is the events are going to have to be changed, in my view, in the longer term. One, they’re going to probably have less new facilities, and therefore (be) more economic. And they’re also going to have to be much more sustainable, and they’re also going to have to appeal to consumers, particularly Gen Z, who are different.”
On the same panel, H.H. Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, emphasized the broader social impact of such events, particularly in enhancing quality of life and fostering cultural connection.
“Culture is a very important part of social fabric. It is the thread that connects communities. It is the thing that formulates your self-identity, creates your values, and it’s the thing that really connects people and brings people together,” she said.
Dubai, she added, has aimed to deliver strategies that provide opportunities for cultural industries to thrive organically and create that social cohesion.
For Anna Marks, global chair at Deloitte, the key lies in understanding the human need for connection and experiences, particularly among younger generations like Gen Z, who place a high value on belonging and social cohesion.
“When you look at some of the research out there around what Millennials and Gen Zs want, when they want to spend their money, they make choices, and they actually are telling us they want to spend their money on experiences and not product,” she said. “And that’s a really interesting trend.”
“You need to really come together, not just sort of cooperate by not getting in each other’s way, but deeply collaborate, agreeing what the vision is, building the solution together and delivering that. And (then) you move that into partnership and the economic aspect.”
To avoid creating unused facilities, Marks suggested repurposing venues for other uses, such as retail or community spaces.
“I think we should be excited about this sector,” she added.
