BEIRUT: Pointing to a green screen as if presenting a weather forecast, Bilal Abdul Kareem analyzes the Turkish-Russian deal over Syria’s Idlib, broadcasting in his native English from inside the war-torn country’s last opposition stronghold.
The 47-year-old American is a long way from where he grew up near the Bronx, watching reruns of “Rocky” and eating at Italian restaurants.
Dressed in a charcoal suit jacket, the broad-shouldered and bearded Abdul Kareem stares into the camera and insists: “In this deal, this specific deal, nobody can say the rebels were not winners.”
For the past six years, he has reported from shrinking opposition territory in Syria’s north, filming the aftermath of airstrikes, interviewing hard-line fighters, even meeting Al-Qaeda members.
His contacts, including in Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), have granted him extensive access at a time when the risk of abduction makes much of Syria too dangerous for journalists from mainstream news outlets.
But it has also prompted allegations that Abdul Kareem is an extremist “propagandist” and would not have survived in the area had he been an impartial journalist — particularly given HTS’ history of harsh crackdowns against perceived foes.
Speaking to AFP from Idlib over Skype, WhatsApp, and Facebook, Abdul Kareem denied the claims and directed accusations of his own: He is suing the US government for allegedly trying to kill him in Syria.
As the case drags through US courts, the self-described “bald-headed black guy in the middle of Syria” has remained in Idlib despite fears of a looming regime offensive, continuing to file dispatches for his media upstart, On the Ground News.
Born Darrell Lamont Phelps, Abdul Kareem embraced Islam before moving to the Middle East in 2002. He married and had children in Egypt, but declined to disclose their location for security reasons.
He arrived in Syria in 2012 from Libya, curious about the fighters battling President Bashar Assad’s forces in a conflict which at that point was just a year old.
Working first with major broadcasters including CNN, he founded OGN in 2015 as editors started to express “doubts” about his political stances, he said.
The channel now publishes on YouTube, Twitter, and a Facebook page with more than 86,000 followers.
“I have a good working relationship with every group, which doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with everything they do or they agree with everything I do,” he said.
A normal day begins with dawn prayers at 4:30 a.m., followed by a routine search of his car for bombs. The rest is up to the news cycle.
He could find himself on a motorcycle zipping toward a frontline, lapel mic in hand but without protective gear, or sipping tea with hardcore fighters most Americans would consider unsavory.
“I remember I had these very, very in-depth conversations with different Al-Qaeda members about America, Americans and the democratic system,” Abdul Kareem said.
He offered unsuccessfully to facilitate a dialogue between Western powers and Idlib’s militants, whom he insisted don’t have “blood dripping from their fangs and want to eat American children.”
The US has designated Al-Qaeda and HTS “terrorist organizations.” Around 3 million people live in Idlib and surrounding rebel territory, including foreigners who have joined the war against the Assad regime. “There are quite a few Americans here. All fighters,” Abdul Kareem said. Asked about his future, he recalled escaping second city Aleppo as it fell to the regime in 2016. If the same fate awaits Idlib, he said, “I would be one of the last people to leave.” Abdul Kareem’s 16-year absence from the US has made him miss simple things: speaking English, sugary cereals. But he fears the 2016 election of President Donald Trump has changed the country too much.
“It sounds like America is not the same America that I grew up in,” he said. His remaining links are with his sister, and a lawsuit he filed last year against Trump and a coterie of US officials, accusing the government of attempting to kill him five times. Once was on a reporting trip. “My car was hit with a drone strike. The car flipped up into the air and landed on its side facing the opposite direction,” he said. Abdul Kareem is demanding the government stop targeting him, remove him from any so-called “kill list” and disclose the names of other citizens who may be on it. In the meantime, OGN’s cameras keep rolling.
“I’m not in America because being here in Syria doing the work that I’m doing and covering the things I’m covering, in my estimation, is the right thing to do,” Abdul Kareem said.
“People are dying by the droves, and if I can do something to help people see what the real realities are, then what business do I have going back to America right now?“
Live from Idlib, an American broadcasts from Syria’s last rebel zone
Live from Idlib, an American broadcasts from Syria’s last rebel zone
- Around 3 million people live in Idlib and surrounding rebel territory, including foreigners who have joined the war against the Assad regime
CBS agrees to hand over ‘60 Minutes’ Harris interview transcripts to FCC
- The Harris interview initially drew attention because CBS News showed Harris giving completely different responses to a question posed by correspondent Bill Whitaker in clips that were aired on “Face the Nation” on Oct. 6
CBS says it will turn over an unedited transcript of its October interview with Kamala Harris to the Federal Communications Commission, part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing fight with the network over how it handled a story about his opponent.
Trump sued CBS for $10 billion over the “60 Minutes” interview, claiming it was deceptively edited to make Harris look good. Published reports said CBS’ parent company, Paramount, has been talking to Trump’s lawyers about a settlement.
The network said Friday that it was compelled by Brendan Carr, Trump’s appointee as FCC chairman, to turn over the transcripts and camera feeds of the interview for a parallel investigation by the commission. “60 Minutes” has resisted releasing transcripts for this and all of its interviews, to avoid second-guessing of its editing process.
The case, particularly a potential settlement, is being closely watched by advocates for press freedom and by journalists within CBS, whose lawyers called Trump’s lawsuit “completely without merit” and promised to vigorously fight it after it was filed.
The Harris interview initially drew attention because CBS News showed Harris giving completely different responses to a question posed by correspondent Bill Whitaker in clips that were aired on “Face the Nation” on Oct. 6 and the next night on “60 Minutes.” The network said each clip came from a lengthy response by Harris to Whitaker’s question, but they were edited to fit time constraints on both broadcasts.
In his lawsuit, filed in Texas on Nov. 1, Trump charged it was deceptive editing designed to benefit Harris and constituted “partisan and unlawful acts of voter interference.”
Trump, who turned down a request to be interviewed by “60 Minutes” during the campaign, has continued his fight despite winning the election less than a week after the lawsuit was filed.
The network has not commented on talks about a potential settlement, reported by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Paramount executives are seeking Trump administration approval of a sale of the company to another entertainment firm, Skydance.
ABC News in December settled a defamation lawsuit by Trump over statements made by anchor George Stephanopoulos, agreeing to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library rather than engage in a public fight. Meta has reportedly paid $25 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the company over its decision to suspend his social media accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
Philippines arrests 100 suspects in online scam farm raid
MANILA: Philippine authorities arrested around 100 people on Friday in a raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila they said extorted victims.
The raid in the Makati financial district was part of a crackdown against online crime operators that often act under the guise of gaming firms.
Agents from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, or PAOCC, and the National Bureau of Investigation, armed with assault rifles, surrounded two offices of a lending agency and arrested the suspects as they worked side-by-side at computers.
The suspects, many of them young Filipinos, allegedly sought out victims via TikTok and other social media, offering collateral-free loans of up to 25,000 pesos ($428).
Borrowers were charged 35 percent weekly interest and those who fell behind on payments were harassed, humiliated and threatened with having their personal information spread online, PAOCC director Gilberto Cruz told reporters at the scene.
“Some of those they harassed developed mental problems, others fell into depression, and there have even been some suicide incidents that occurred because of the harassment perpetrated by these people,” Cruz said.
The suspects could be charged with fraud and other violations under the country’s cybercrime laws, he added. The raided company, Wewill Tech Corp., required victims to provide personal information and family photographs, which the scammers then used for threats, according to Cruz.
Some victims of similar scams have reported having coffins and funeral wreaths delivered to their homes, he said.
Authorities are checking the nationality of the owners, Cruz said, adding that they had arrested Chinese suspects running similar operations in the past.
The scam farm owners are suspected to be remnants of online gaming operators that were banned under orders of President Ferdinand Marcos last year, he said.
“Most of their keyboard workers are Filipino” and communicated with victims in the local language, Cruz told reporters.
“What is frightening here is it is Filipinos who are harassing and defrauding their fellow Filipinos,” he said.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has tagged Southeast Asia as “ground zero” of global scamming operations that the authorities say are run mainly by Chinese-origin crime organizations.
CNN International Commercial exec discusses launch of ad-supported streaming channels, says ‘trusted, verifiable and accurate reporting’ is now more important than ever
- CNN Fast features short-form videos covering a range of topics
- Dedicated kids’ channel to launch later in 2025
DUBAI: Late last year, Warner Bros. Discovery extended its partnership with Evision, the media and entertainment arm of e&.
The extended agreement provides users access to seven new channels including Fatafeat, Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, and Discovery Family.
It also includes two new free ad-supported streaming TV, or FAST, channels on Evision’s streaming platform, STARZ ON: CNN Fast, which is already available, and an upcoming kids’ FAST channel launching later in 2025.
“This partnership highlights a shared commitment to delivering diverse, high-quality content to audiences in the region,” Humphrey Black, vice-president of Distribution, CNN International Commercial, told Arab News.
CNN Fast features short-form videos covering international stories across major news events, business, entertainment, sport, tech, travel and the environment. It first launched in Europe in 2023, followed by Canada and New Zealand.
These countries are “where the main FAST channel platforms have been building audiences,” and now “these platforms are starting to get traction in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), and the growth of FAST channels will naturally follow,” Black said.
“With a younger population in the region who really engage with video content, it’s a natural fit, and this succinct format will keep viewers informed and engaged,” he added.
The second FAST channel is dedicated to kids’ content and will feature classics from Warner Bros. Discovery’s content library.
Explaining the reason behind a FAST channel dedicated to kids, Black said: “There is a high demand for children’s content across traditional TV channels, streaming platforms, as well as YouTube, where kids’ channels consistently dominate viewership globally.
“With that in mind, we want to reach and entertain kids through our most loved characters.”
Moreover, he added, cross-platform viewing continues to grow, meaning that viewers consume and access content across multiple devices.
Children in the MENA region own at least one device allowing Warner Bros. Discovery to “meet our young audiences wherever they are and engage with them across the various platforms and devices,” he added.
In recent years, streaming platforms that rose to popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased their subscription rates. In a full circle moment, some have even introduced ads on lower-priced subscription tiers reminiscent of the days of traditional TV.
This, along with the sheer number of platforms users might need to subscribe to, has given rise to FAST channels.
Black explained: “The first streamers focused on subscribers for their business models, but now we’re seeing ad-supported services coming back into favor as this offers customers the option to lower or replace subscription fees in return for consuming advertising, thus making the content available to an even wider group of potential customers.”
Between 2022 and 2023, in the US alone, the number of FAST channels increased by 81 percent, according to a whitepaper by Whip Media.
In the MENA region, several broadcasters introduced FAST channels last year including Indian media conglomerate Viacom18’s DesiPlay TV and DAZN Group’s Dazn Combat, both of which are available on STARZ ON.
Although FAST platforms generally tend to feature lifestyle or entertainment content, they are “increasingly featuring news channels in their propositions as these are seeing strong uptake amongst audiences,” said Black.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s launch of the two FAST channels is part of its strategy to continue digitizing its content and reaching people on the platforms they use most.
In addition to reporting news, CNN’s “brand promise” is to make its content “available on a device or platform of your choosing,” Black said.
He stressed the importance of “trusted, verifiable and accurate reporting” at a time of decreased regulation and increased instances of deep-fakes, AI-generated content and misinformation.
Black added: “A focus on video and innovative products in compelling formats and experiences is central to CNN’s digital transformation and reflects the way we are adapting production, distribution and monetization models in line with the changing nature of consumers’ media habits and consumption of news.”
Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle lawsuit from Trump after Jan. 6 suspension
WASHINGTON: Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against the company after it suspended his accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to three people familiar with the matter.
It’s the latest instance of a large corporation settling litigation with the president, who has threatened retribution on his critics and rivals, and comes as Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, have joined other large technology companies in trying to ingratiate themselves with the new Trump administration.
The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity Wednesday to discuss the agreement. Two people said that terms of the agreement include $22 million going to the nonprofit that will become Trump’s future presidential library and the balance going to legal fees and other litigants.
Zuckerberg visited Trump in November at his private Florida club as part of a series of technology, business and government officials to make a pilgrimage to Palm Beach to try to mend fences with the incoming president. At the dinner, Trump brought up the litigation and suggested they try to resolve it, kickstarting two months of negotiations between the parties, the people said.
Meta also made a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural committee and Zuckerberg was among several billionaires granted prime seating during Trump’s swearing-in last week in the Capitol Rotunda, along with Google’s Sundar Pichai, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who now owns the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Meta also announced that it was dropping fact-checking on its platform — a longtime priority of Trump and his allies.
Trump filed the suit months after leaving office, calling the action by the social media companies “illegal, shameful censorship of the American people.”
Twitter, Facebook and Google are all private companies, and users must agree to their terms of service to use their products. Under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, social media platforms are allowed to moderate their services by removing posts that, for instance, are obscene or violate the services’ own standards, so long as they are acting in “good faith.” The law also generally exempts Internet companies from liability for the material that users post.
But Trump and some other politicians have long argued that X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, have abused that protection and should lose their immunity — or at least have it curtailed.
The Meta settlement comes after ABC News agreed last month to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
The network also agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees to the law firm of Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito.
The settlement agreement describes ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution,” with the money earmarked for a non-profit organization that is being established in connection with the yet-to-be-built library.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the settlement.
OpenAI says Chinese firms try to copy US AI tech
- OpenAI’s statement came after Chinese startup DeepSeek sparked panic on Wall Street this week with its powerful new chatbot developed at a fraction of the cost of its US competitors
- It said rivals were using a process known as distillation in which developers creating smaller models learn from larger ones by copying their behavior and decision-making patterns
WASHINGTON: ChatGPT creator OpenAI on Wednesday said that Chinese companies are actively attempting to replicate its advanced AI models, prompting increased security measures and closer cooperation with US authorities.
OpenAI’s statement came after Chinese startup DeepSeek sparked panic on Wall Street this week with its powerful new chatbot developed at a fraction of the cost of its US competitors.
DeepSeek’s performance has sparked a wave of accusations that it has reverse engineered the capabilities of leading US technology, such as the AI powering ChatGPT.
OpenAI said rivals were using a process known as distillation in which developers creating smaller models learn from larger ones by copying their behavior and decision-making patterns, similar to a student learning from a teacher.
“We know (China) based companies — and others — are constantly trying to distill the models of leading US AI companies,” an OpenAI spokesperson told AFP, highlighting tensions over AI intellectual property protection between the United States and China.
We “believe as we go forward that it is critically important that we are working closely with the US government to best protect the most capable models from efforts by adversaries and competitors to take US technology.”
David Sacks, the new Trump administration’s AI czar, told Fox News there was “substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models.”
OpenAI said the process was against its terms of service and it would work at detecting and preventing further attempts.
The company led by Sam Altman is itself facing multiple accusations of intellectual property violations, primarily related to the use of copyrighted materials in training its generative AI models.
“Distillation will violate most terms of service, yet it’s ironic — or even hypocritical — that big tech is calling it out,” said Lutz Finger, senior visiting lecturer at Cornell University.
Copyrighted material “helped train ChatGPT, which now helps DeepSeek. Knowledge is free and hard to protect,” Finger added.
