Lebanese media minister George Kordahi stirs controversy yet again by defending Houthis

Lebanese information minister George Kordahi. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 27 October 2021
Follow

Lebanese media minister George Kordahi stirs controversy yet again by defending Houthis

DUBAI: The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned Wednesday the comments made by the Lebanese Minister of Information on the situation in Yemen, saying it reflects limited knowledge and shallow understanding.

A day earlier, Lebanon’s information minister George Kordahi triggered a social media frenzy when a video of him referring to the Houthis as defending themselves emerged online. 

 

 

When the TV host of Barlamanasha3b asked him about his position on what is happening in Yemen, Kordahi said ‘they’ [referring to Houthis] are defending themselves’.
He questioned in an exclamatory tone, ‘Them! Are they attacking anyone?’.
“In my opinion, this Yemeni war is absurd and should stop,” he said.

During his appearance on the media platform Barlamanasha3b [People’s Parliament]'s broadcast, carried out on Aug. 5, Kordahi also wished for a ‘temporary military coup’ to emanate and restructure Lebanon's political life. “I wish that a military coup happens in Lebanon, yet a temporary military coup that comes to organize and reorganize the political life in Lebanon,” Kordahi was heard telling the TV host in the short video.
An independent online media platform, Megaphone posted on Twitter the two-and-a-half-minute video that has so far been viewed by nearly 6000 users.

At the time, Kordahi had not yet been named as information minister in Prime Minister Najib Mikati's cabinet that was formed during September.
When the host opposed him by saying ‘there is nothing called temporary military coup’, Kordahi maintained saying: “Yes there is a temporary military coup for at least five years [in my opinion] then they reappoint the political regime.”

Meanwhile, a cohost asked him about the nonstop drone attacks carried out by Houthis against Saudi civilians and properties, he replied saying: “Yes but you could also see them as people … and see the damages that are being inflicted upon them while being bombarded at their homes, properties, villages, squares, funerals and weddings by warplanes … it is about time this war comes to an end.”
Kordahi reiterated his opinion that ‘it is an absurd war’.
The Lebanese minister said: “We cannot compare between the efforts of Hezbollah in liberation and liberating Lebanese lands and the efforts of Houthis who are defending themselves against foreign aggression.”
According to the video, the cohost asked Kordahi if he considers the Saudis and Emiratis a ‘foreign aggression’.
“What?” he replied hesitantly as he moved his head forward before the cohost rephrased his question asking ‘do you consider Saudis and Emiratis as foreign aggression against Yemen?’
“Aggression, for sure there is aggression. Not because it is Saudi or Emirati but yes there has been aggression for the past five or six years or for how long!” said Kordahi before the female host corrected him saying its ‘eight years’.
“Eight years [of aggression] continuously against those people! Enough! What couldn’t be achieved within two or three years, you won’t achieve it within eight years. So this has become an absurd war that’s my opinion,” he concluded.

 


Citing a Saudi source, MTV news posted on its twitter handle that the source said they were facing a severe diplomatic crisis because of Kordahi's offensive statements on Arab countries regardless of the timing of the interview, but it indicated his intentions’.
Beirut-based Washington Post correspondent Sarah Dadouch tweeted that the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon just retweeted several stories citing Saudi sources saying, “We are in front of a sharp diplomatic crisis because of the comments of Media Minister George Kordahi”
Meanwhile, Emirati Twitter user Hassan Sajwani tweeted “Lebanese Prime Minister: George Qardahi's words do not represent the government's official position on the Yemeni issue. - Al Arabiya TV”
A former television presenter, Kordahi has stirred controversy in the past given his questionable opinions on matters ranging from Syrian President Bashar Assad to his views on harassment in the workplace.
A well-known and highly popular among a large segment of the Lebanese population, the 71-year-old media figure rose to fame when he hosted the pan-Arab version of “Who Wants to be Millionaire?” for several years.
Arab News published earlier that his controversial political opinions might not have mattered then, but they sure do matter now that he is a member of Lebanon’s cabinet.


US court rejects Tiktok request to temporarily halt pending US ban

Updated 14 December 2024
Follow

US court rejects Tiktok request to temporarily halt pending US ban

  • TikTok and ByteDance on Monday filed the emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, asking for more time to make its case to the US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON: A US appeals court on Friday rejected an emergency bid by TikTok to temporarily block a law that would require its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the short-video app by Jan. 19 or face a ban.
TikTok and ByteDance on Monday filed the emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, asking for more time to make its case to the US Supreme Court.
The companies warned that without court action the law will “shut down TikTok — one of the nation’s most popular speech platforms — for its more than 170 million domestic monthly users.”


Dubai Lynx announces 2025 jury president lineup

Updated 13 December 2024
Follow

Dubai Lynx announces 2025 jury president lineup

  • Festival to evolve beyond annual event, host year-round sessions
  • Award categories updated to better reflect ‘current state of play’Award categories updated to better reflect ‘current state of play’

DUBAI: Dubai Lynx, a prominent creative festival and awards program organized by Cannes Lions, has announced the jury presidents for the 2025 awards.

They will gather in Dubai early next year, along with the jury panelists, to judge the entries. The deadline for entries is Jan. 23 and winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on April 9.

Jury presidents “play a pivotal role” in upholding the festival’s values of creativity and innovation “bringing their unparalleled expertise and unique perspectives to the judging process,” said Dubai Lynx chairman Philip Thomas.

They come from creative and advertising agencies in different markets including the UK, US, India, Australia and Germany.

The jury presidents for the 2025 edition include Chris Beresford-Hill, global chief creative officer of BBDO; Ryan McManus, chief creative officer of VML UK; Chioma Aduba, president of Droga5 New York; Mayuri Nikumbh, head of design at Conran Design Mumbai, India; Mihnea Gheorghiu, global chief creative officer of LePub; and Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer of The Up&Up Group, South Africa.

The others are Matt Murphy, global chief creative officer of 72andSunny; Aisha Blackwell, head of production services, Serviceplan MAKE Germany; Roberta Raduan, managing director, Klick Health, Latin America; Fiona Johnston, CEO of media, client and commercial at dentsu Australia; and Vanessa Ho Nikolovski, chief client and growth officer for Asia Pacific at Weber Shandwick.

The festival recently announced changes to its structure “designed to support the evolution of the industry across the Middle East and North Africa,” said Kamille Marchant, director of Dubai Lynx.

One change is the introduction of a mandatory requirement to provide cultural context when submitting an entry.

“This is something that we’ve seen play an increasingly important role in the jury rooms,” Marchant told Arab News.

“The question is designed to help the jury understand the cultural nuances, but also how the brand connects with this particular cultural insight and why it’s relevant at that particular moment in time,” she explained.

Additionally, instead of hosting one event a year, the festival will feature a year-round program offering “more intimate, focused, and high-impact experiences that cater to our community’s needs year-round,” Marchant said.

Based on roundtable discussions at Dubai Lynx 2024, the festival team has identified key areas that will inform the topics of upcoming meetups, C-suite roundtables, brand breakfasts and talent and training programs hosted by the festival.

“Our audience is looking for more than just a standalone event; they want opportunities to engage, learn, and celebrate throughout the year,” Marchant said.

The 2025 Dubai Lynx awards will also see changes to some categories such as the evolution of the Digital Lynx category to the Digital Craft Lynx.

This change is meant to celebrate “technological artistry” and reflects “the rapid shifts in the digital landscape, where groundbreaking ideas are infused with high-level craft to create impactful and immersive experiences across a growing range of digital platforms,” Marchant explained.

Other changes include an update to the Audio & Radio category to reflect the expansion of audio work beyond radio.

There will also be tweaks to the PR Lynx category to accurately reflect the current PR industry “not only in amplifying brand and campaign messages, but also in managing perceptions and connecting brands with culture,” she added.

Dubai Lynx has also introduced a Use of Humor sub-category in the Culture & Context category in response to feedback from the industry “who wanted us to create space for work that uses humor to engage audiences to be championed,” Marchant said.

“Over the past couple of years there has been a shift in (the) tone of the work that has been winning — with a lot more irreverence and playfulness — so the timing felt right to create a category where this kind of work can compete,” she added.

Lastly, new sub-categories have been added to the Social & Influencer category to “recognize the increasingly significant role creators play in shaping and amplifying brand messages,” Marchant said.

The changes to the awards are a result of industry collaboration. Dubai Lynx has an awards research and development team that speaks to experts across industries and countries to gather their input on “the current state of play while also previewing the future direction of the industry,” she added.

 


StarzPlay partners with Falcon Films to bring over 50 exclusive titles to the platform

Updated 12 December 2024
Follow

StarzPlay partners with Falcon Films to bring over 50 exclusive titles to the platform

  • New content will be added in 2025
  • Lineup includes ‘Weekend in Taipei,’ ‘The Surfer,’ ‘Oh, Canada’ 

DUBAI: Streaming company StarzPlay has partnered with independent movie distributor and producer Falcon Films to bring the latter’s library of films to the platform.

The partnership will see StarzPlay add more than 50 exclusive titles from Falcon Films’ roster throughout 2025. The titles will be available in all 22 Middle East markets in which StarzPlay is available.

StarzPlay CEO Maaz Sheikh said: “With this strategic partnership, Falcon Films’ movies — including blockbuster hits and upcoming releases — will join our library, reinforcing StarzPlay’s status as the go-to platform for premium content in the region.

“With over 3 million subscribers across 22 countries, and through collaborations like this, we are expanding our portfolio of exclusive offerings, while simultaneously strengthening the local entertainment system to meet the evolving demands of our audience.”

The lineup includes films like “Weekend in Taipei,” “The Surfer,” “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere, and “Monster Summer,” with Mel Gibson.


Media watchdogs call on new Syrian authorities to safeguard journalists

Updated 12 December 2024
Follow

Media watchdogs call on new Syrian authorities to safeguard journalists

  • Syria ranks 179 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index
  • Demands for perpetrators to face justice over deaths, detention of media workers

DUBAI: Media watchdogs have called on Syria’s new leaders to ensure the safety of all journalists in the country, and bring to justice those responsible for killing, imprisoning, and harassing media workers during Bashar Assad’s regime.

“While we wait for the missing to return and the imprisoned to be released, we call on the new authorities to hold the perpetrators to account for the crimes of killing, abducting, or jailing reporters,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

CPJ is also urging the new government to allow journalists and media workers access to information and locations without the fear or risk of being detained or questioned.

Syria is among the most dangerous countries for journalists ranking in 179th place out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.

Since 2011, more than 181 journalists have been killed — 161 by regime forces and 17 by Russian airstrikes — in addition to multiple others tortured and imprisoned by the Syrian regime and its supporters, according to RSF data.

Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East desk, said: “We demand that Bashar Assad be prosecuted for his crimes. Justice, long overdue, must finally be served for all victims of his abuses.”

He added that RSF is also aware of crimes against journalists committed by the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, which has taken control in Syria, and called on the Islamist group to “hold their responsible members accountable, and to release all journalists still detained in the country, including those they have taken hostage.”

Dagher added: “Syria’s future leaders, whoever they may be, must ensure the safety of journalists and allow a free press to flourish.”

CPJ’s Global Impunity Index, which calculates the percentage of unsolved journalist murders in each country relative to its population, has seen Syria make the list for the last 11 years, including as the top offender in 2023.

Since the Assad regime’s collapse, HTS has been releasing prisoners, with RSF confirming the release of two journalists: Syria Media Monitor’s Hanin Gebran, who was detained in June 2024, and blogger Tal Al-Mallouhi, who was detained in 2009.


Award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab says ‘chapter of Assad has finished’

Updated 12 December 2024
Follow

Award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab says ‘chapter of Assad has finished’

DUBAI: Waad Al-Kateab, activist and award-winning Syrian director of the film, “For Sama,” has spoken out since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The past couple of days have been so emotional for me and so many other Syrians,” Al-Kateab said in an Instagram post.

She continued: “We carry a pain bigger than this world, and because of our trauma, we don’t know how to celebrate, and we cannot believe that tomorrow might really hold something better.

“Today, there’s a huge joy but it doesn’t feel real.”

Her film, “For Sama,” won several awards at the BAFTA and British Independent Film Awards and was nominated at multiple prestigious international film festivals including the Oscars.

The film documents her family life in Aleppo over five years, including her marriage and the birth of her first child, Sama, who the film is named after.

“The greatest heartbreak of my life is that I can’t take my daughters to live in or even visit the place where they should belong to; the place where they should grow up,” Al-Kateab said.

“For Sama” was a “promise to myself and my daughters that I will never forget Aleppo.”

In 2016, Al-Kateab and her husband fled to the UK.

She said: “Before we left, we said goodbye to everything. We left our hearts and moved forward, terrified that we might not even make it out.”

The collapse of Assad’s regime is a monumental event for many Syrians living abroad.

Al-Kateab has been disconnected from her family in Syria because contacting them could put them at risk, but now she looks forward to visiting her home country, she told The Times.

She said: “This was the first time I called my auntie (and) uncle. I managed to talk to my cousins, who were five or six years old when I left, and now they are teenagers.

“We are waiting to get British citizenship — without the British passport I won’t be able to travel for that.”

Looking forward, Al-Kateab added: “The chapter of Assad has finished and I don’t want anything for his system or mentality or rules to be taken with us to the next chapter.”

She called for foreign powers to leave Syria saying: “I really hope to see the minimizing of outside intervention.”

Al-Kateab also appealed to the international community to implement a no-fly zone to protect civilians.

“Everyone who has different fears agrees that the biggest risk and the threat is coming from the sky — the Syrian and Russian airstrike attacks. And for that, the international community needs to prioritize protecting civilians from such attacks,” she said on Instagram.

Al-Kateab’s other work includes “We Dare to Dream” and “Death Without Mercy”.