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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia's decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Roula Dakheelallah was named the winner of the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award at the Red Sea International Film Festival on Thursday. The award — and the glitzy festival itself — is a sign of Saudi Arabia's commitment to shaping a new film industry. “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” Dakheelallah, who still works a 9-5 job, told The Associated Press before the awards ceremony. “I used to work in voluntary films and help my friends in the field, but this is my first big role in a film.” The reopening of cinemas in 2018 marked a cultural turning point for Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy that had instituted the ban 35 years before, under the influence of ultraconservative religious authorities. It has since invested heavily in a native film industry by building theaters and launching programs to support local filmmakers through grants and training. The Red Sea International Film Festival was launched just a year later, part of an attempt to expand Saudi influence into films, gaming, sports and other cultural fields. Activists have decried the investments as whitewashing the kingdom’s human rights record as it tightly controls speech and remains one of the world’s top executioners. With FIFA awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia this week, Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi activist with the London-based rights group ALQST, said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “has really managed to create this bubble where people only see entertainment and they don’t see the reality on the ground.” These efforts are part of Vision 2030, an ambitious reform plan unveiled in 2016 to ease the economy's dependence on oil. As part of it, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 movie screens — by this past April, across 22 cities, it already had 66 cinemas showing movies from the local film industry, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood. (The Red Sea International Film Festival attracts a host of talent from the latter industries, with Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas also picking up awards Thursday.) The country's General Entertainment Authority last month opened Al Hisn Studios on the outskirts of Riyadh. As one of the largest such production hubs in the Middle East, it not only includes several film studios but also a production village with workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing and fashion tailoring. “These facilities, when they exist, will stimulate filmmakers,” said Saudi actor Mohammed Elshehri. “Today, no writer or director has an excuse to imagine and say, ‘I cannot implement my imagination.’” The facilities are one part of the equation — the content itself is another. One of the major players in transforming Saudi filmmaking has been Telfaz11, a media company founded in 2011 that began as a YouTube channel and quickly became a trailblazer. Producing high-quality digital content such as short films, comedy sketches and series, Telfaz11 offered fresh perspectives on Saudi and regional issues. In 2020, Telfaz11 signed a partnership with Netflix to produce original content for the streaming giant. The result has been movies that demonstrate an evolution on the storytelling level, tackling topics that were once off-limits and sensitive to the public like secret nightlife in “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”) and changing social norms in “Naga.” “I think we tell our stories in a very simple way, and that’s what reaches the world,” Elshehri says of the changing shift. “When you tell your story in a natural way without any affectation, it will reach every person.” But the films were not without their critics, drawing mixed reaction. Social media discoursed ranged from pleasure that Saudi film were tackling such topics to anger over how the films reflected conservative society. As Hana Al-Omair, a Saudi writer and director, points out, there are still many stories left untold. “We certainly have a long time ahead of us before we can tell the Saudi narrative as it should be,” she said, acknowledging that there are still barriers and rampant censorship. “The Goat Life,” a Malayalam-language movie about an Indian man forced to work without pay in Saudi Arabia, is not available on Netflix's platform in the country. Movies that explore political topics or LGBTQ+ stories are essentially out of the question. Even “My Driver and I,” featured at the Red Sea festival alongside 11 other Saudi feature-length films, was initially too controversial. It centers on a Sudanese man in Jeddah, living away from his own daughter, who feels responsible for the girl he drives as her parents are absent. It was initially blocked from being made because of the relationship between the girl and the driver, filmmaker Ahd Kamel has said, even though it's not a romantic relationship. Now in 2024, the film is a success story — a symbol of the Saudi film industry's evolution as well as the growing role of women like Kamel behind the camera and Dakheelallah in front of it. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change and it is moving at a wonderful speed. In my opinion, we do not need to rush,” Dakheelallah said. “We need to guide the truth of the artistic movement that is happening in Saudi Arabia.”None
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NEW YORK (AP) — If anybody knows Deion Sanders' mind, it might be Travis Hunter. And the two-way Colorado star says Coach Prime is indeed staying put with the Buffaloes. “I got a lot of insight. He ain’t going nowhere. He’s going to be right where he's at right now,” Hunter said Friday in Manhattan, where he's a heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. In his second season at the school, Sanders coached No. 20 Colorado to a 9-3 record this year and its first bowl bid since 2020. Hunter, Sanders and the Buffaloes will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Sanders' success and popularity in Boulder has led to speculation the flashy and outspoken former NFL star might seek or accept a coaching job elsewhere this offseason. Sanders, however, has dismissed such talk himself. Hunter followed Sanders from Jackson State, an HBCU that plays in the lower level FCS, to the Rocky Mountains and has already racked up a staggering string of individual accolades this week, including The Associated Press player of the year. The junior wide receiver and cornerback plans to enter the 2025 NFL draft and is expected to be a top-five pick — perhaps even No. 1 overall. But he backed up assertions from Sanders and his son, star Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, that both will play in the Alamo Bowl rather than skip the game to prepare for the draft and prevent any possible injury. “It's definitely important because, you know, I started this thing with Coach Prime and Shedeur and most of the coaches on the coaching staff, so I want to finish it off right,” Hunter said. "I didn't give them a full season my first year (because of injury), so I'm going to go ahead and end this thing off right. It's going to be our last game together, so I'm going to go out there and dominate and show the loyalty that I have for him. “Definitely looking forward to it. I'm just excited to go out there and play football one more time before the offseason.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballANC CONFIRMS ZUMA'S EXPULSION
Asteroid nearly hits Earth in Siberia, with a 2nd massive asteroid passing this week
The King is scheduled to attend the show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday. Presenters Amanda Holden and Alan Carr led the stars arriving at the 2024 Royal Variety Performance, hours after the Queen pulled out due to lingering symptoms from a chest infection. The King is scheduled to attend the show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday which will see Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish present a musical number from their new show The Devil Wears Prada – based on the 2006 Oscar-nominated film. Cast members Vanessa Williams, who plays Miranda Priestly, and Matt Henry, who stars as art director Nigel, were among those posing on the red carpet ahead of the performance which showcases an original score by Sir Elton. The variety show will also see debuts from British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor with her hit track Murder On The Dancefloor while Eurovision winner Nemo is also featured on the bill. Also posing on the carpet were US magicians and comedy duo Penn and Teller, whose performance marks their 50th anniversary. Comedy will come from Ted Lasso star Ellie Taylor, writer and comic Scott Bennett, Scottish comedian Larry Dean and political comic Matt Forde – who posed on the red carpet with a crutch after undergoing surgery for cancer on his spine. Among the arrivals was TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, who will make an appearance in this year’s show with her Change And Check Choir led by Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow. The choir, made up of women from across the UK who detected their breast cancer through Kelly’s campaign, will perform Love Is All Around, which is being re-released to raise awareness of breast cancer early detection. It comes hours after Camilla insisted the “show must go on” after pulling out of attending the performance on Friday evening as doctors advised that she should prioritise rest. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following a recent chest infection, the Queen continues to experience some lingering post-viral symptoms, as a result of which doctors have advised that, after a busy week of engagements, Her Majesty should prioritise sufficient rest. “With great regret, she has therefore withdrawn from attendance at tonight’s Royal Variety Performance. His Majesty will attend as planned.” A royal source said the Queen was “naturally disappointed to miss the evening’s entertainments and sends her sincere apologies to all those involved, but is a great believer that ‘the show must go on'”. “She hopes to be back to full strength and regular public duties very soon,” the source added. The Royal Variety Performance will air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in December. Money raised from the show will go to help people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance, with the Royal Variety Charity launching an initiative to help those with mental health issues this year.Adam Pemble, AP journalist whose compassionate lens brought stories to life, dies at 52
SpaceX Preparing to Sell Stock at Interplanetary ValuationGraham Capital Wealth Management LLC Invests $230,000 in NVIDIA Co. (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Donald Trump vows Republican push to scrap daylight saving time
There would be no second chances this time. Lando Norris has been prone to in-race lapses of judgement and concentration in 2024 but here, with a 26-year hoodoo solely in his hands, the Bristolian gave his beloved McLaren a long-awaited F1 constructors’ championship at the season-finale. Norris, pole-sitter and the quickest man all weekend, kept it clean and avoided trouble – where his teammate Oscar Piastri did not – to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and seal the teams’ title for the papaya. Ferrari did their best, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both on the podium, but ultimately a 14-point advantage was enough. The last time McLaren sealed the constructors’ championship, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard were the drivers in the 1998 MP4/13 cockpit. Both were present here in Abu Dhabi as one of F1’s biggest teams ended their long wait in the MCL38. As for Lewis Hamilton , in his 246 th and final race for Mercedes, a trademark charge through the field. Starting in 16 th , the seven-time world champion ended the greatest driver-team partnership in F1 history with a fourth-place finish, passing George Russell on the last lap. He parked his car on the home straight at the end, waved to the crowd and said his goodbyes. Ferrari, and all the glamour that goes with it, awaits Hamilton as he heads into his 40s. Russell finished fourth and Max Verstappen in sixth, as he dropped back after a penalty for clattering into Piastri’s rear-left wheel a matter of seconds into the race. Piastri recovered for 10 th , but no matter. His teammate had secured the crowning moment. “It feels incredible, not for myself but for the whole team,” he said. “It’s been a long journey and to end the season like this is perfect. “To win a constructors’ [title] after 26 years is pretty special. Zak has already said we’re going to get pretty hammered tonight!” It ended in ideal fashion after a start which was far from it. The Yas Marina Circuit, with its short home straight, is not prone to drama at turn one on lights out. But this year, as McLaren simply needed a clean get-away for both their drivers, a Verstappen-shaped curveball threw open the race for the title. The Dutchman surged down the inside and clipped Piastri, who spun and dropped down to last. Fortunately, his McLaren was not irrevocably damaged but the usually mild-mannered Australian sharply gave his verdict over team radio. “Yep, move of a world champion that one.” Verstappen was duly given a 10-second time penalty, though Piastri himself received the same judgement from the stewards after crashing with the rear of Franco Colapinto, giving the Williams a puncture. Mercifully for Zak Brown’s team, and their fans watching back at the McLaren technology centre in Woking, Norris was unimpacted by the first-lap shenanigans and led, comfortably, through the first phase of the 58-lap race. The Brit pitted on lap 26. Would the mechanics hold their nerve? You bet they would. A two-second pit-stop meant Norris rejoined the race still in P1 and, with the quickest racepace on the track, the Brit just had to keep it error-free to hand McLaren their prized silverware. No ignoring yellow flags like last week in Qatar. No flirting with the wall like in Singapore. Norris was assured, composed and by a margin of eight seconds took the chequered flag for his fifth win in Formula 1. Cue jubilation from the orange-clad personnel on the pit-wall. For a team in no man’s land at the start of the season, it has been a superb turnaround from team principal Andrea Stella – formerly of Ferrari – and his engineers. Norris’ goal now, with a sense of longing about what might have been this year, will be an individual title pursuit more complete and cool-headed than last year’s topsy-turvy campaign. He even referenced it on the team radio straight after the race. “So proud of you all, you deserve this, thank you so much,” he said. “This is our year. Next year is going to be mine too.”
ANC CONFIRMS ZUMA'S EXPULSIONSeoul : South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said on Sunday, December 8, that it would be a “blatant violation of the Constitution” should the Prime Minister and ruling party jointly exercise presidential power. Woo’s remarks came just hours after Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon vowed to minimise the chaos through an orderly early departure of the President, Yonhap news agency reported. “The transfer of presidential power comes from the people, and such a process should abide by the Constitution and the principle of popular sovereignty,” Woo said in an emergency press conference at the National Assembly, denouncing the joint press briefing as being “arrogant.” “Impeachment is the sole legal process to suspend the president’s duty, and the Constitution specifies the process in the event the President cannot carry out his role,” Woo said. He noted how a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over imposing martial law was scrapped Saturday. All but three ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote, resulting in a lack of quorum. The Assembly Speaker said he had expressed his thoughts on the issue in phone talks with the Prime Minister and rejected Han’s request for a meeting. The Assembly Speaker also proposed talks between the ruling party and the main opposition to discuss the immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s power and resolve the chaos sparked by Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law last week. South Korean Interior Minister Lee Sang-min quit his position on Sunday, amid political turmoil sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law declaration last week. Lee, one of Yoon’s closest aides, announced his resignation in a statement a day after the main opposition party proposed an impeachment motion against Lee, with the vote scheduled for Tuesday, reports Yonhap news agency. In a parliamentary committee session following the lifting of martial law, Lee appeared to defend Yoon, saying the president carried out martial law while abiding by the constitutional process and law. In February last year, Lee was suspended from his job after the main opposition-controlled National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against him for the crowd crush in the 2022 Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district, which killed 159 people. In July last year, the Constitutional Court unanimously rejected the motion, immediately reinstating him as minister.Pete Davidson: I’m Done Being ‘Loser Who Just Dates People’
AI Visual Inspection System Market Forecasted for Strong Growth from 2024 to 2032
Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global electronic broker, has introduced significant enhancements to its web-based Advisor Portal , bringing advanced trading and portfolio management tools to financial advisors worldwide. These updates streamline client account management and trading by integrating powerful features from the company’s flagship desktop platform into its web-based offering. The latest enhancements include tools like Portfolio View, Allocation, Rebalance, and Tax Loss Harvesting, all designed to help advisors optimize client portfolios efficiently. Additionally, US-based advisors can now access the AI Commentary Generator, a cutting-edge generative AI tool that simplifies the creation of custom portfolio performance reports and market commentary. “Our web-based Advisor Portal is now more powerful than ever, offering advisors the same robust trading and portfolio management experience they’ve come to expect from our desktop platform,” said Steve Sanders, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Product Development . “With tools like the AI-powered Commentary Generator, we’re empowering advisors to save time, deliver value, and focus on what matters most: their clients.” Advisor Portal gives financial advisors web-based access to Interactive Brokers’ technology and other resources at no charge, including: PortfolioAnalyst® , a client relationship management (CRM) dashboard, activity statements, QuickTrade, Investors’ Marketplace and more. The latest enhancements bring industry-leading trading tools from its Trader Workstation desktop platform to the web-based portal: Introducing the AI Commentary Generator US-based financial advisors can easily create custom portfolio performance reports and market commentary using the AI Commentary Generator, a new generative AI-enabled tool available through the Advisor Portal. The AI Commentary Generator is integrated with PortfolioAnalyst reporting and is designed to help – not replace – advisors with client portfolio performance reporting, market updates and ticker-specific news. By combing through dozens of sources and citing them for the advisor’s convenience, the AI Commentary Generator conducts research in seconds that would otherwise take hours to complete. The AI Commentary Generator provides four sections of content: Interactive Brokers’ free portfolio management offering, PortfolioAnalyst, offers a unified and holistic view of client accounts plus an extensive selection of reporting and analytics content. It enables advisors to consolidate their clients’ finances from over 15,000 financial institutions, assess client portfolios and simplify investment decision-making. “We’re excited about our clients’ early response to the AI Commentary Generator in the US and look forward to rolling it out to advisors worldwide,” said Sanders. “Interactive Brokers is always looking for new ways to apply innovation and automation to help advisors everywhere be more efficient and more engaged with their clients.”