ABU DHABI: Khalid Omar Al-Midfa, chairman of Sharjah Media City, or Shams, has told the Global Media Conference that the free zone authority is acting as a launch pad to encourage young entrepreneurs in the media and creativity business.
Al-Midfa said that he looked forward to “opening new avenues of partnership with different media organizations in this field.”
“We do have a lot of initiatives in our work, and every year there is an update,” he told Arab News.
“This is actually the whole purpose for us as being a launching pad for companies, for startups, for entrepreneurs to start their journey in the media and creativity business.”
Al-Midfa said that he hopes to expand Shams’ partnerships “not only within the Emirates, within the Gulf, but also on an international level.”
Shams was established in 2017 as a free zone authority and multi-use media city in Al-Messaned, Sharjah. Its primary objective is to bolster licensed companies by offering training courses and innovative solutions.
Al-Midfa said that although Shams operates independently, it seeks alignment with the UAE national digital media strategy.
He highlighted cultural initiatives to disseminate Sharjah’s message globally, while also empowering young entrepreneurs.
“This message (is) propagated via clever intellectuals working in the media sector and having the plans, having the knowledge, having the required infrastructure for them to talk to the world at large,” Al-Midfa said.
“This actually constitutes a small part of soft power. And we believe that by empowering these young entrepreneurs, these companies, we are propagating this message of Sharjah and of the whole of UAE.”
Sharjah Media City chairman highlights Shams’ role as catalyst for next-gen leaders
https://arab.news/zcyjp
Sharjah Media City chairman highlights Shams’ role as catalyst for next-gen leaders
- Al-Midfa said that he looked forward to “opening new avenues of partnership with different media organizations in this field.”
- “We do have a lot of initiatives in our work, and every year there is an update,” he told Arab News
BBC Gaza documentary delay prompts withdrawal threats from doctors, whistleblowers
- BBC faces mounting pressure over decision to shelve film despite legal clearance and widespread support
LONDON: Doctors and whistleblowers who featured in a BBC documentary on Gaza have threatened to withdraw their consent after the broadcaster delayed airing the film, citing an internal review.
The documentary, “Gaza: Medics Under Fire,” was scheduled to be broadcast in February but remains on hold as the BBC investigates a separate program, “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which was earlier pulled from the BBC’s iPlayer after revelations that its young narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
According to a report by The Guardian, although “Gaza: Medics Under Fire” was cleared for broadcast and approved by the BBC’s legal and editorial compliance teams, the broadcaster has reportedly requested further changes and stated the film will not be aired until the ongoing internal review concludes.
The BBC, however, has not indicated when the review is expected to be completed.
While other broadcasters have expressed interest in airing the film, the BBC has so far blocked those efforts, according to the production company.
The delay has sparked backlash from cultural figures including Susan Sarandon, Gary Lineker, Harriet Walter and Miriam Margolyes, who signed an open letter to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, accusing the corporation of “political suppression.”
“This is not editorial caution. It’s political suppression,” the letter stated. “No news organisation should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling. This important film should be seen by the public, and its contributors’ bravery honoured.”
More than 600 people endorsed the letter, including prominent UK actors Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson.
Meanwhile, Basement Films, which produced the documentary, has released additional footage from other doctors in Gaza through its social media channels.
“We have many offers from broadcasters and platforms across the world so that the searing testimonies of Gazan medics and of surviving family members can be heard, in some cases eight months after we spoke to them … We are still urging BBC News to do the right thing,” the company said in a statement.
The situation has also stirred internal concern at the BBC, particularly after the corporation’s chair, Samir Shah, described the editorial failings of “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” as a “dagger to the heart” of the BBC’s reputation for trust and impartiality.
A BBC spokesperson told The Guardian: “We understand the importance of telling these stories and know that the current process is difficult for those involved.”
Council for Arab-British Understanding welcomes Lammy’s comments on Israeli bombardment
- Caabu praised the UK’s decision to suspend trade talks with Israel and impose sanctions on illegal settlers and entities
- However, it said more needs to be done to end the war on Gaza
LONDON: The Council for Arab-British Understanding has welcomed UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s description of Israel’s continued assault on Gaza as “unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive.”
It also praised the UK’s decision to suspend trade talks with Israel and impose sanctions on illegal settlers and entities.
However, it said the measures “almost certainly go nowhere near far enough to stop Israeli actions,” and called for further action to be taken.
Israel’s two-month aid blockade on Gaza has sparked global outcry. The UN warned this week that it could lead to 14,000 babies dying of starvation.
The council said the UK should introduce a complete arms embargo against Israel.
“The government’s legal duty is to act to prevent genocide, as Tom Fletcher, the UN aid chief, pointed out at the UN Security Council. To do so, it needs to place a full arms embargo on Israel, including F35 components, put a ban on all trade with illegal settlements and place economic sanctions on Israel for its continued breaches of international humanitarian law.”
The council also condemned statements made by Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel who said the UK should support Israel’s aid distribution plan for Gaza and refrained from condemning what it called “the Israeli blockade and the genocidal comments from Israeli ministers.”
It said Israel’s plan “violates global humanitarian principles including providing aid on the basis of need. In her time as shadow foreign secretary, she has yet once in the House of Commons to criticize Israel nor to offer any sympathy to Palestinian civilians being bombed and starved.”
Asharq crowned ‘Telly Media Company of the Year’ globally for second year running
- Network bagged 160 awards across various categories, including 25 gold, 76 silver and 59 bronze.
Riyadh: Asharq Network has won the “Telly Company of the Year” award for the second consecutive year.
The accolade recognizes the network’s efforts in producing impactful, high-quality content. In total, Asharq Network received 160 awards across various categories, including 25 gold, 76 silver and 59 bronze.
The network stood out among 13,000 record-breaking entries from five continents. Its winning work includes content from across all Asharq Network brands, including Asharq News, Asharq Business with Bloomberg, Asharq Documentary, Asharq Discovery.
“We are deeply honored to receive the Telly Company of the Year award for the second consecutive year. This achievement reflects the hard work, creativity and passion of our entire team, who continue to push the boundaries in creativity and media,” said Nabeel Alkhatib, general manager of Asharq News.
“This recognition reinforces our commitment to providing our audience with the most insightful and engaging content, tailored to the evolving needs of the Arabic-speaking world.”
Mohammed Alyousei, general manager of Asharq Discovery and Asharq Documentary, said: “Receiving this honor is a profound affirmation of our team’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. This global recognition motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of storytelling, ensuring that we deliver narratives that resonate and make a meaningful impact.”
Asharq Network’s storytelling and production quality were recognized across multiple categories. Asharq News and Asharq Business standout wins included coverage of the “US Elections Campaign,” the immersive VR Story on the “Destruction of Gaza,” the “Year-Ender 2024 Promo,” and the innovative “Business Image Promo — Connect the Dots.”
Asharq Documentary’s powerful “Faces” series was honored alongside compelling promos for the original documentaries “Under the Rubble,” “Beyond Sednaya,” “Moataz Aziza,” “Amazing Mercy of Tents” and “Dooms Day.” Meanwhile, Asharq Discovery’s gripping “Dark Minds” series and the dynamic “Shark Week” idents captured the judges’ attention, showcasing the network’s creative versatility and commitment to impactful content.
Steven Cheak, director of creative and branding services at Asharq Network, said: “Winning at the Telly Awards once again is a monumental achievement for our young and passionate team. Competing among such esteemed global brands only motivates us to continue elevating the standard of content creation. This year’s win underscores the brilliance of teams working well together, embracing technology, to achieve content that engage and resonate with our audiences. It’s truly inspiring to see our work being acknowledged globally, and this recognition fuels our passion to continue innovating, creating and telling stories that matter.”
The Telly Awards, established in 1979, are one of the most respected global awards programs, celebrating the best in video and television content. The awards cover a diverse range of categories, from traditional television commercials to cutting-edge digital media.
UAE launches Arabic language AI model as Gulf race gathers pace
- Falcon Arabic, developed by Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to capture the full linguistic diversity of the Arab world
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates launched a new Arabic language artificial intelligence (AI) model on Wednesday as the regional race to develop AI technologies accelerates in the Gulf.
Falcon Arabic, developed by Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to capture the full linguistic diversity of the Arab world through a “high-quality native (non-translated) Arabic dataset,” a statement said.
It also matches the performance of models up to 10 times its size, it said.
“Today, AI leadership is not about scale for the sake of scale. It is about making powerful tools useful, usable, and universal,” Faisal Al Bannai, ATRC secretary general said in the statement.
ATRC also launched Falcon H1, which it said outperforms competitors from Meta and Alibaba by reducing the computing power and technical expertise traditionally required to run advanced systems.
The UAE has been spending billions of dollars in a push to become a global AI player, looking to leverage its strong relations with the United States to secure access to technology.
US President Donald Trump said during a visit last week that an AI agreement with the UAE creates a path for it to access some of the advanced AI semiconductors from US firms, a major win for the Gulf country.
AI was a central theme during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia as well, which is pitching itself as a prospective hub for AI activity outside the US.
The kingdom launched a new company earlier this month to develop and manage AI technologies and infrastructure, which is also aiming to offer one of the world’s most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models, according to a statement.
Google’s unleashes ‘AI Mode’ in the next phase of its journey to change search
- Google is also feeding its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5, into its search algorithms and will soon begin testing other AI features
CALIFORNIA: Google on Tuesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence technology to accelerate a year-long makeover of its search engine that is changing the way people get information and curtailing the flow of Internet traffic to websites.
The next phase outlined at Google’s annual developers conference includes releasing a new “AI mode” option in the United States. The feature makes interacting with Google’s search engine more like having a conversation with an expert capable of answering questions on just about any topic imaginable.
AI mode is being offered to all comers in the US just two-and-a-half-months after the company began testing with a limited Labs division audience.
Google is also feeding its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5, into its search algorithms and will soon begin testing other AI features, such as the ability to automatically buy concert tickets and conduct searches through live video feeds.
In another example of Google’s all-in approach to AI, the company revealed it is planning to leverage the technology to re-enter the smart glasses market with a new pair of Android XR-powered spectacles. The preview of the forthcoming device, which includes a hands-free camera and a voice-powered AI assistant, comes 13 years after the debut of “Google Glass,” a product that the company scrapped after a public backlash over privacy concerns.
Google didn’t say when its Android XR glasses will be available or how much they will cost, but disclosed they will be designed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The glasses will compete against a similar product already on the market from Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Ray-Ban.
AI’s big role in Google search
The expansion builds upon a transformation that Google began a year ago with the introduction of conversational summaries called “AI overviews” that have been increasingly appearing at the top of its results page and eclipsing its traditional rankings of web links.
About 1.5 billion people now regularly engage with “AI overviews,” according to Google, and most users are now entering longer and more complex queries.
“What all this progress means is that we are in a new phase of the AI platform shift, where decades of research are now becoming reality for people all over the world,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said before a packed crowd in an amphitheater near the company’s Mountain View, California, headquarters.
AI ripples across the Internet
Although Pichai and other Google executives predicted AI overviews would trigger more searches and ultimately more clicks to other sites, it hasn’t worked out that way so far, according to the findings of search optimization firm BrightEdge.
Clickthrough rates from Google’s search results have declined by nearly 30 percent during the past year, according to BrightEdge’s recently released study, which attributed the decrease to people becoming increasingly satisfied with AI overviews.
The decision to make AI mode broadly available after a relatively short test period reflects Google’s confidence that the technology won’t habitually spew misinformation that tarnishes its brand’s reputation, and acknowledges the growing competition from other AI-powered search options from the likes of ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Will AI undercut or empower Google?
The rapid rise of AI alternatives emerged as a recurring theme in legal proceedings that could force Google to dismantle parts of its Internet empire after a federal judge last year declared its search engine to be an illegal monopoly.
In testimony during a trial earlier this month, longtime Apple executive Eddy Cue said Google searches done through the iPhone maker’s Safari browser have been declining because more people are leaning on AI-powered alternatives.
And Google has cited the upheaval being caused by AI’s rise as one of the main reasons that it should only be required to make relatively minor changes to the way it operates its search engine because technology already is changing the competitive landscape.
But Google’s reliance on more AI so far appears to be enabling its search engine to maintain its mantle as the Internet’s main gateway — a position that’s main reason its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., boasts a market value of $2 trillion.
During the year ending in March, Google received 136 billion monthly visits, 34 times more than ChatGPT’s average of 4 billion monthly visits, according to data compiled by onelittleweb.com.
Even Google’s own AI mode acknowledged that the company’s search engine seems unlikely to be significantly hurt by the shift to AI technology when a reporter from The Associated Press asked whether its introduction would make the company even more powerful.
“Yes, it is highly likely that Google’s AI mode will make Google more powerful, particularly in the realm of information access and online influence,” the AI mode responded. The feature also warns that web publishers should be concerned about AI mode reducing the traffic they get from search results.
Even more AI waiting in the wings
Google’s upcoming tests in its Labs division foreshadow the next wave of AI technology likely to be made available to the masses.
Besides using its Project Mariner technology to test the ability of an AI agent to buy tickets and book restaurant reservations, Google will also experiment with searches done through live video and an opt-in option to give its AI technology access to people’s Gmail and other Google apps so it can learn more about a user’s tastes and habits. Other features on this summer’s test list include a “Deep Search” option that will use AI to dig even deeper into complex topics and another tool that will produce graphical presentations of sports and finance data.
Google is also introducing its equivalent of a VIP pass to all its AI technology with an “Ultra” subscription package that will cost $250 per month and include 30 terabytes of storage, too. That’s a big step beyond Google’s previous top-of-the-line package, which is now called “AI “Pro,” that costs $20 per month and includes two terabytes of storage.
