Kazakhstan says to ban Russian presenter over Ukraine tirade

Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said comments made by Tigran Keosayan, Russian presenter, "poison the atmosphere of good neighbourly relations" between the two countries. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 28 April 2022
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Kazakhstan says to ban Russian presenter over Ukraine tirade

  • A statement distributed by Kazakhstan's foreign ministry late Wednesday said comments made by Tigran Keosayan, Russian presenter, "poison the atmosphere of good neighbourly relations"
  • Keosayan made the comments in a video on his YouTube channel

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan has admonished a pro-Kremlin television presenter after he unleashed a tirade against the ex-Soviet country over its perceived distancing from Moscow since Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Central Asia’s richest country, Kazakhstan shares a land border with Russia, has a significant ethnic Russian minority and was forced to call in troops from a Russia-led bloc to quell unprecedented unrest in January.
But the country of 19 million has stayed neutral on Ukraine and is toning down commemorations of a holiday marking Soviet victory over Nazi Germany that holds strong symbolic importance for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
A statement distributed by Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry late Wednesday said comments made by Tigran Keosayan, Russian presenter, film director and husband of Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, “poison the atmosphere of good neighborly relations” between the two countries.
“I believe he will be included in the list of persons undesirable for entry into Kazakhstan,” the statement quoted foreign ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov as saying.
Keosayan made the comments in a video on his YouTube channel, where he questioned responses to the invasion of Ukraine among former Soviet countries, including ally Kazakhstan.
“Kazakhs, brothers. What is with the non-gratitude?” asked Keosayan regarding news that Kazakhstan had ruled out holding an annual military parade on the May 9 holiday.
“Look at Ukraine carefully, think seriously,” he said.
“If you think you can continue to be such sly asses and there won’t be any consequences, you are mistaken,” Keosayan said before adding: “the train is leaving. You can still get aboard. In the last carriage.”
Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said the comments “play into the hands of the opponents of the strategic partnership” between Kazakhstan and Russia.
AFP was unable to reach the foreign ministry Thursday to confirm if Keosayan had already been blacklisted.
Keosayan’s intervention echoes comments by wife Margarita Simonyan, who questioned why Russia had “saved” Kazakhstan by agreeing to send what the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) described as “peacekeepers” during deadly nationwide political unrest in January.
Simonyan’s February 22 Facebook post was in response to Kazakh foreign minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi’s assertion that Kazakhstan was not considering following Moscow’s lead in recognizing the independence of two separatist-led entities in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow’s bloody invasion of Ukraine began two days later.


WPP Media’s MENA CEO on multinational group’s AI-centric approach

Updated 01 August 2025
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WPP Media’s MENA CEO on multinational group’s AI-centric approach

  • Amer El Hajj says rebrand from GroupM to WPP Media represents ‘fundamental shift’ into ‘fully integrated, AI-powered media company’
  • ‘We’re in the AI era where media is everywhere and in everything’

Multinational advertising network WPP’s media-investment business GroupM at the end of May announced its rebranding to WPP Media, signaling a new era for the network and its clients.

WPP Media manages more than $60 billion in annual media investment and works with more than 75 percent of the world’s leading advertisers in more than 80 markets, the company said.

Arab News spoke with Amer El Hajj, Middle East and North Africa CEO of WPP Media, to understand how the rebrand is being implemented and what its implications are for the group and its clients, particularly in the MENA region.

The rebrand represents “a fundamental shift from GroupM to WPP Media, reflecting our evolution into a fully integrated, AI-powered media company,” he said.

Along with a new visual identity, the key change “is deeper integration across our agencies through WPP Open, enabling seamless collaboration between media, data, production, and creative teams to deliver personalized solutions at scale,” he added.

GroupM comprised three agencies: Mindshare, Wavemaker, and Essence Mediacom. These agencies will now serve as “homes for dedicated client teams” representing a shift from “separate agency P&Ls (profit and loss statements) … to integrated client service teams that share technology, data, and operational functions while maintaining brand names and identities for client relationships,” El Hajj explained.

Commenting on the timing of the rebrand, he said: “GroupM was built for an era when media scale mattered most.

“Today’s reality is different — we’re in the AI era where media is everywhere and in everything.”

Clients, too, demand integrated capabilities covering media, production, and technology, and so, the rebrand aims to reflect this new landscape, “emphasizing our AI-driven approach” and integration with WPP’s “creative and technology ecosystem.”

Organizations in many industries are adopting AI at an accelerating pace and the advertising and media industry is no exception. One report found that in the US alone, 91 percent of advertising agencies are either currently using (61 percent) generative AI or exploring use cases (30 percent) for the technology.

For WPP Media, being “AI-driven” means embedding AI throughout its operations, El Hajj said.

These include tasks such as analyzing vast data sets for deeper consumer understanding, automating media buying for greater efficiency, personalizing creative content in large volumes, and predicting campaign performance, he said.

The role of AI in planning, buying and optimizing media campaigns enables “real-time bidding, audience prediction, and creative personalization at unprecedented scale,” he said.

Moreover, generative AI helps write advertising copy and even create multiple content variations, in addition to generating insights from complex data.

AI is undoubtedly a powerful tool, but ultimately, it remains just that: a tool.

“It’s not about replacing human creativity but amplifying it,” El Hajj said.

 “AI enhances rather than threatens human talent” by handling monotonous tasks that free up people for strategic thinking, relationship building, and creative problem-solving, he added.

The core tenet of the rebrand — widespread AI adoption — is made possible by WPP Open, the network’s AI-enabled marketing operating system that connects all capabilities through one platform.

The platform features real-time data and is available to employees of all agencies. This means that data about the performance of adverts can be used to optimize creative production of those ads in real time. Similarly, media targeting decisions by one agency can be made instantly based on creative insights from another agency within the company.

“This integration eliminates traditional silos, accelerates campaign development, and ensures all client touchpoints are coordinated and data-driven rather than operating independently,” El Hajj said.

The move comes at a time when clients in the MENA region are “increasingly sophisticated in AI adoption, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where Vision 2030 and digital transformation initiatives drive innovation.”

Contrary to what some believe, El Hajj said, “many regional clients are actually ahead of some global counterparts in embracing AI for customer experience and operational efficiency.”

In Saudi Arabia specifically, he said, the rebrand “positions us perfectly to capitalize on the Kingdom’s unprecedented AI investment landscape,” building on Saudi’s $100 billion AI initiative announced late last year.

When it comes to dealing with clients in the region, the group has a “globally powered, locally rooted” approach, as regional clients “want AI capabilities but implemented with deep understanding of local markets, languages, and cultural nuances,” he said.

The restructure is expected to affect 40 percent to 45 percent of GroupM’s workforce, which does not necessarily imply layoffs, but rather changes to team structures, according to media reports.

El Hajj said that the company is “heavily investing” in upskilling talent for “AI-powered marketing” while recruiting specialists in areas like data science and integrated commerce.

The company has developed internal training programs targeting different organizational levels. It also provides AI literacy sessions and hands-on training with WPP Open tools for all employees.

In the MENA region, WPP Media is creating region-specific modules that address “local market dynamics and cultural considerations” for employees at all seniority levels, he said.

El Hajj added: “The focus is on evolution, not revolution,” and the future belongs to those “who can leverage AI tools while bringing uniquely human skills like cultural intelligence and strategic creativity.”


The Guardian releases documentary on plight of Palestinian doctors in Israel amid Gaza war

Updated 31 July 2025
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The Guardian releases documentary on plight of Palestinian doctors in Israel amid Gaza war

  • The documentary follows Dr. Lina Qasem-Hassan, a Palestinian doctor living and working in Israel, as she upholds her medical oath to treat both Israelis and Palestinians
  • The physician said she is determined to use her oath to fight injustice against Palestinians

LONDON: The Guardian has released a new documentary exploring the complex reality faced by Palestinian doctors working in Israel, as they navigate systemic discrimination, deepening identity struggles, and mounting hostility amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Titled “The Oath: To Be a Palestinian Doctor in Israel’s Healthcare System,” the 22-minute documentary follows Dr. Lina Qasem-Hassan, a Palestinian doctor living and working in Israel, as she upholds her medical oath to treat both Israelis and Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

She highlighted that while Arab citizens comprise nearly a quarter of Israeli doctors, many face unequal treatment in access and opportunity. The physician said she is determined to use her oath to fight injustice.  

“Since 7 October, Palestinian staff in the Israeli healthcare system have faced persecution, slander and paralysis. Anti-Palestinian sentiment is surging, even among patients and colleagues,” Qasem-Hassan wrote in her op-ed in The Guardian.

She noted that Israeli policies in the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, forced displacement, and restriction of movement systematically restrict access to care, undermining the right to health for Palestinians both in Israel and the occupied territories.

This impact has been further exacerbated by the war on Gaza, where at least 1,581 health workers have been killed since Oct. 7. Only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional amid the widespread destruction of the healthcare system, according to UN figures, leaving patients without access to treatment amid severe shortages of medical supplies and staff.

The documentary recounts the death of Qasem-Hassan’s relative Marwan, a paramedic who was killed in an airstrike while transporting the wounded to hospital just hours after the war began. Weeks later, another strike on a refugee camp claimed the lives of 10 more members of her family.

“All this takes place under deafening silence from the Israeli healthcare establishment and many of my fellow physicians, who too often choose silence over basic ethics and morality,” said Qasem-Hassan.

As the chairwoman of Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, Qasem-Hassan detailed how her advocacy puts her at risk of suspension or persecution.

Earlier this year, patients submitted complaints against her for alleged pro‑Palestinian views. Yet, she refused to stay silent.

“Any expression of sympathy for victims — women, children, innocent civilians — is seen as support for terror,” she wrote.

“And still, I continue to fight. Because as long as we remain silent, our oath is hollowed out, and the right to health becomes a fantasy too far to reach.”

Torn between the decision to stay or leave Israel, Qasem-Hassan reflected: “But I go back to the question: if I leave, who will stay behind?”

For now, she remains committed to providing essential medical care to Palestinians and detainees in the West Bank and Gaza through Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, while also speaking out against the Gaza war both within Israel and on international platforms, as documented in the film.


French university rejects Gaza student over ‘hateful’ online posts

Updated 31 July 2025
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French university rejects Gaza student over ‘hateful’ online posts

  • The woman had been offered a place at the Sciences Po Lille university following a recommendation by the French consulate in Jerusalem

LILLE, France: A top French university said Wednesday it canceled the enrolment of a woman student from Gaza because of her social media posts that the country’s interior ministry called “hateful.”
Authorities did not release the content of the messages but screenshots shown on social media indicated the young woman had reposted messages calling for the death of Jewish people.
Israel is seeking to crush the Islamist militant movement Hamas through a devastating offensive in Gaza after the group launched deadly attacks on Israel in 2023.
The woman had been offered a place at the Sciences Po Lille university following a recommendation by the French consulate in Jerusalem, the establishment said.
Sciences Po Lille said that after consultations with the education ministry and regional authorities it “has decided to cancel this student’s planned registration at our establishment.”
Some of the posts “come into direct contradiction with the values upheld by Sciences Po Lille, which fights against all forms of racism, antisemitism and discrimination, as well as against any type of incitement to hatred, against any population whatsoever,” the university added in a post on X.
Accounts in the woman’s name have been closed.
Following the recommendation by French diplomats, the woman initially lived at the home of the university’s director while she waited for permanent lodgings, Sciences Po said.
French ministers have demanded an investigation into the case.
“A Gazan student making antisemitic remarks has no place in France,” said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who added that he had ordered an internal inquiry.
“The screening carried out by the relevant departments of the ministries concerned clearly did not work,” he added in a post on X.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he had demanded the closure of the “hateful” account and ordered local authorities to take legal action.
“Hamas propagandists have no place in our country,” Retailleau said on X.


Killing of Palestinian activist in West Bank sparks condemnation

Updated 30 July 2025
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Killing of Palestinian activist in West Bank sparks condemnation

  • Amnesty International condemns the killing as a “cold-blooded” act
  • French foreign ministry calls settler violence “acts of terrorism,” warns of increasing sanctions against Israeli government officials if attacks continue

LONDON: Rights groups and diplomats have condemned the killing of Palestinian activist and journalist Awda Al-Hathaleen, who contributed to the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” as calls grow for accountability over increasing settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

Al-Hathaleen was shot in the chest on Monday during a raid by Israel settlers in Umm Al-Khair village in the South Hebron Hills. One of the settlers involved in the attack was identified as Yinon Levi, who has been sanctioned by the UK and the EU, while US President Donald Trump rescinded restrictions at the beginning of his presidency this year.

In a statement on Wednesday, Amnesty International condemned the killing as a “cold-blooded” act and “a brutal reminder of the relentless violence faced by Palestinian communities.”

The organization’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, Erika Guevara Rosas, urged an independent international investigation into his death and growing settler violence in the territory.

Describing the situation in the West Bank as state impunity for Israeli settler violence, Rosas called out Israeli authorities for what she described as a “deliberate failure” to investigate settler attacks.

She said an international inquiry “must address the role of Israeli authorities” in fueling settler violence against Palestinians, pointing to the recurrent failure to ensure justice and protect Palestinians’ lives.

Israel authorities said Levi was arrested in relation to his alleged responsibility for the killing, but after a court hearing he was released to house arrest as investigations continue.

Amensty International’s Rosas said Al-Hathaleen, who had recently briefed UK politicians on threats to his life, “was entitled to protection. His killing is the cruel consequence of Israel’s sustained policy of forcibly expulsing Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, including Masafer Yatta,” Rosas added.

“Awda Al-Hathaleen’s killing is not the first, but it must be the last.”

Al-Hathaleen, a father of three and prominent human rights defender from the Masafer Yatta region, was a central voice in the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” which documented the ongoing displacement and harassment of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

His death comes during a sharp incease in settler-led assaults and Palestinian casualties in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. At least 1,009 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank since October 2023.

Rights groups have repeatedly said that Israeli settlers, often accompanied by the army, have escalated attacks and land seizures in recent months with little or no accountability.

Israeli human rights organization, Rabbis for Human Rights, called Al-Hathaleen’s murder “the outcome of decades of unchecked settler violence and a system that grants total impunity to those who carry it out.”

In a tribute, the organization said Al-Hathaleen “stood at the forefront of the struggle against home demolitions and settler violence.”

“He often welcomed delegations of rabbis, giving them tours of the village and sharing its history with deep generosity and courage. He was a longtime partner in our humanitarian aid work and worked closely with Rabbis for Human Rights for many years. His steadfast presence and leadership were a source of strength to all of us.”

The rights group vowed to “stand with the people of Umm al-Kheir as they resist a system that seeks to erase them - as they fight to stay on their land, to live, and to thrive.”

The French foreign ministry released a statement on Tuesday calling settler violence “acts of terrorism,” and warning of increasing sanctions against Israeli government officials if such attacks continue.

It condemned the rising settler attacks and urged Israeli authorities to “uphold their responsibilities and immediately punish the perpetrators of such violence, which is continuing with impunity, and protect Palestinian civilians.”

The ministry reiterated France’s stance against the expansion of illegal settlements “which is contrary to international law, as the International Court of Justice concluded in its advisory opinion of July 19, 2024.”

In February last year, France sanctioned extremist Israeli settlers guilty of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. There are 28 individuals who face an administrative ban on entering the country.


Norwegian aid chief slams Israel’s Gaza war as ‘destruction of a civilization’

Updated 31 July 2025
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Norwegian aid chief slams Israel’s Gaza war as ‘destruction of a civilization’

  • Jan Egelund says time is running out to avoid a ‘bibilical famine’
  • NGO chief warns aid drops and brief corridors are not enough

LONDON: Israel’s military operation in Gaza is no longer a war against militants but has become a “destruction of a civilization,” a top aid official said, warning that time is running out to prevent a “biblical famine” in the besieged enclave.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said Israel’s continued bombardment and restrictions on aid access have left Gaza’s civilian population, particularly women and children, to suffer the consequences of a conflict they had no part in.

“What I see is that, as a military conflict, it was all over a long time ago,” Egeland told anchor Bianna Golodryga. “This is not targeted anti-terrorist warfare, it’s the destruction of a civilization now.”

The veteran humanitarian said there are no justifications for the war on Gaza, which has killed more than 60,000 people and pushed the enclave’s population of 2.2 million to the brink of famine.

“Hamas has a million sins on their conscience … but those dying (and) bleeding have nothing to do with Hamas. These are women and children. They had nothing to do with Oct. 7,” he said, calling for an immediate ceasefire and an urgent and large-scale opening of Gaza’s border crossings to allow full access for aid groups.

Egeland’s remarks come amid growing international pressure on Israel to ease restrictions and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, as malnutrition-related deaths continue to rise. During a Saudi-French conference on Tuesday, UN experts confirmed that large areas of the enclave are now experiencing full-scale famine.

Israel has responded with efforts to increase aid deliveries including a temporary pause in military operations, partial openings of humanitarian corridors, and aid airdrops.

Egeland, however, said such efforts are not enough “to avert a biblical famine on our watch,” criticizing the air drops and temporary corridors for offering little relief to a starving population.

While he welcomed the shifting stances of US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other Western leaders who finally recognized the widespread starvation gripping the Palestinian territory, Egeland emphasized that the solution to avert the crisis ultimately rests with them.

“It is Israel and the Western powers that provide the arms to all of this that have to change this. They have the fingerprint all over this catastrophe really. We can change it. It’s still possible.”

Despite the mounting death toll and near-total collapse of humanitarian infrastructure, Egeland said the international community still has a chance to avert the worst — but only if it acts immediately and decisively.

“It has to be a massive ramp up. And time is running out,” he warned.

On Monday, in a meeting with Starmer, Trump acknowledged that there is “real starvation” in Gaza. The British prime minister announced the following day that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes significant steps to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza and meets other conditions.

Egeland said Western leaders were finally acknowledging warnings that aid agencies had been raising for months.

“These capitals have known so, because we told them for many months, I’m glad it’s — there is a wakeup call now. It is very late,” he said.

Addressing the humanitarian catastrophe, the NRC chief noted the collapse of the food and health sectors, saying that people were dying from preventable disease and lack of water and sanitation.

He said his NGO has been finding it impossible to provide the basic services of water, sanitation and shelter due to the total depletion of fuel and continued restrictions.

The organization, he noted, is “still denied access for our water and sanitation hygiene items, our food and our tents.”

The aid chief paid tribute to the resilience of his Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, describing them as “real heroes” who have endured repeated displacement, hunger, and profound personal loss while continuing their humanitarian work.

“If there is anyone I would give the Nobel Peace Prize to, I would give it to my colleagues on the ground, Palestinian, in Gaza, the single mothers who are also aid workers.

“But they’re really broken now, after all of these months of starvation, all of these months of having their homes destroyed.”