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Reuters
Study finds Netflix leads on women directors, lags with Latin, Asian roles
Netflix Inc outpaced competitors in hiring women to direct feature films but Latin-American and Asian actors were underrepresented in leading TV roles, according to a study commissioned by the streaming service and released on Friday. Netflix, the world's largest streaming service, asked researchers at the University of Southern California to assess the prevalence of multiple groups among actors in its English-language programming and creators working behind the scenes. "The report makes clear that while Netflix has made advances in representation year-over-year, we still have a long way to go," Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said in a blog post.
8m ago
Reuters
Risk of human spread of H5N8 bird flu deemed low - WHO
The risk of human-to-human spread of the H5N8 strain of bird flu appears low after it was identified for the first time worldwide in farm workers in Russia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. A separate bird flu strain, H1N1, that spread rapidly worldwide among humans led the WHO to declare an influenza pandemic in 2009-2010. Russia registered the first case of a strain of bird flu virus named influenza A(H5N8) being passed to humans from birds and has reported the matter to the WHO, Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Saturday.
10m ago
Reuters
Pandemic forces Berlin Film Festival to go online
The Berlinale, one of the world's most open and public film festivals, begins on Monday in a decidedly low-key, private fashion, being streamed to a select audience of journalists and industry professionals rather than playing to packed cinemas. The organisers of the Berlinale, or Berlin Film Festival, now in its 71st year, have always prided themselves on running screenings that are open to an enthusiastic public, unlike Venice and Cannes, its main rivals in the festival calendar. "It's a huge blow," said Scott Roxborough, Hollywood Reporter's Europe bureau chief and a Berlinale veteran.
11m ago
The Wrap
Woody Allen Is Too ‘Radioactive’ for a US Studio to Work With Him Again
Woody Allen’s “Rifkin Festival” has been making the rounds in European theaters since premiering at Spain’s San Sebastián Film Festival last September, but has no U.S. distribution plans lined up — and according to several insiders, none is going to touch any Allen film with a 10-foot pole given the cloud hanging over the Oscar-winning filmmaker. “There is no chance any studio is going to work with him,” one producer who spoke anonymously told TheWrap. “No legit company is going to touch him — he is going to have to work with European financiers for the rest of his life.” “Why get in business with people who are just radioactive?” Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University, said — adding that other men who have been accused of wrongdoing in the #MeToo era will find similar challenges in mainstream Hollywood going forward. “It’s going to be very difficult for Woody and Brett Ratner and James Franco — people like this, right or wrong, innocent or guilty — to get the support of a major company.” Also Read: Why Woody Allen Wasn't Charged: a Timeline of Dylan Farrow's Accusations A second producer agreed, saying there was “no f—ing way” a major U.S. distributor was going to want to work with Allen, especially in light of HBO’s damning docuseries “Allen v. Farrow” that explores his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow’s accusations of molestation when she was 7. (Allen, who was never charged after two criminal investigations, has repeatedly denied her accusations.) Reps for Allen’s most recent collaborators — Amazon Studios, Sony Pictures Classics and MGM — all failed to respond to repeated requests for comment for this story. A spokesperson for MPI Media Group, which teamed with U.K.-based home-entertainment company Signature Entertainment to release Allen’s previous film, the Elle Fanning-Timothée Chalamet comedy “A Rainy Day in New York,” was famously returned to him in 2019 after Amazon canceled a reported $80 million multi-project deal after Dylan Farrow’s accusations resurfaced in the #MeToo era. The film sat idle for a year before the U.K.-based home-entertainment firm Signature Entertainment picked it up and teamed with MPI Media Group for a U.S. release last October. According to IndieWire, the film grossed grossed $2,744, with an average of $457 per theater, on its opening weekend in just six theaters (none in L.A. or New York, where cinemas remained closed due to the pandemic). A spokesperson for MPI did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Also Read: HBO Max to Keep 6 Woody Allen Movies to 'Allow Viewers to Make Their Own Informed Decisions' “A Rainy Day in New York” (Signature Entertainment) But even without the pandemic, insiders say that any mainstream American distributor or major streamer will steer clear of Allen for the foreseeable future. “If you are Amazon or Netflix, you are hyper aware of the optics,” Galloway said. “You want to prevent a scandal before it reaches you. You don’t want to be in position to defend free speech and you want to deflect the problem before it gets there, so they probably won’t work with him in the future.” Allen could also face a challenge in lining up talent — especially since stars who had been eager to add an Allen film to their résumé more recently have expressed their regrets about working with him. Chalamet and “Rainy Day” co-stars Selena Gomez and Rebecca Hall donated their salaries to Time’s Up and other organizations. “Rifkin’s Festival” leaned heavily on Spanish and French actors, including Elena Anaya, Louis Garrel, Sergi Lopez and Christoph Waltz — with Gina Gershon, Richard Kind and longtime collaborator Wallace Shawn among the few Americans in the cast. “There’s no chance a major studio will work with him because they’ll never get actresses to work with him — it will #MeToo the studio out of business,” the first producer said. “It’s not worth it. Right now, with ‘cancel culture,’ no one is going to stick their necks out.” Since the #MeToo movement took off in 2017, people aren’t just being held accountable for criminal behavior, Galloway said, noting that Allen was not charged even after two criminal investigations. “That is no longer the standard — the standard is, is this person guilty of exploiting women, whether criminal or not?” he said. “If so, we don’t want to be in business with him.” One insider who has previously distributed an Allen film added: “We’re in cancel culture and no one wants to take a chance. I don’t think anyone will touch it. Woody Allen is technically innocent, he hasn’t done anything wrong, but we’re in a world now where you’re guilty until proven innocent.” Also Read: Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn Slam HBO's 'Allen v. Farrow' as 'Hatchet Job Riddled With Falsehoods' Wallace Shawn in “Rifkin’s Festival” (Mediapro) All the major studios and streaming services are also part of publicly traded companies — making them more averse to the potential for bad publicity that could lead to a shareholder rebellion far more costly than the few million dollars an Allen film would make at the box office. “It’s much easier to just say no from the get-go than explain your reasoning afterwards,” Galloway said. “The corporate world has no room for optical mistakes.” The second producer noted the marketing challenges for any new Woody Allen film. “There’s no way to monetize that kind of film — you can’t publicize it,” the producer said. Allen’s films aren’t exactly cash cows either. According to The Numbers, his films since 2008’s “Vicky Christina Barcelona” have grossed $165.8 million at the domestic box office. His biggest recent commercial hit was 2011’s “Midnight in Paris,” which earned $56.8 million for Sony Pictures Classics, while 2017’s Kate Winslet-Justin Timberlake period drama “Wonder Wheel” topped out at $1.4 million for Amazon Studios. Allen’s films have typically performed better overseas, and the production budgets typically come in under $25 million. “Look at the downward trend of Woody’s box office — you are taking a huge reputational risk and going out on a limb when you don’t have to, in exchange for a tiny profit or big loss,” Galloway said. The only viable option for Allen to get his films in U.S. theaters from now on will be smaller shops who might actually benefit from the bad press of releasing an off-limits filmmaker. “They are not going to get any significant U.S. distribution, but will some rinky-dink operation benefit from the publicity? Perhaps,” Galloway said. The first producer added: “Smaller distribution camps could make a few bucks… but the money that they would make is probably not worth the aggravation.” Read original story Woody Allen Is Too ‘Radioactive’ for a US Studio to Work With Him Again At TheWrap
11m ago
Reuters
More than 300 abandoned cats rescued from two Bangkok houses
More than 300 cats left in cages in two houses in Bangkok have been rescued after neighbours alerted animal activists that their owner had abandoned them. The cats were thought to have been strays the owner had given shelter to. A neighbour had sometimes fed the cats, a volunteer involved in the rescue said.
13m ago
Malay Mail
Masidi: Sebatik rep who quit party and pledge support for GRS free to do so
KOTA KINABALU, Feb 26 — Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia deputy president Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun today said Sebatik assemblyman Hassan A Gani Pg Amir who left Parti Warisan Sabah to support...
16m ago
Associated Press
France to face All Blacks in opener of 2023 Rugby World Cup
New Zealand and France will square off in a blockbuster opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, organizers announced Friday. The nations have combined to deliver some of the most storied matches in the tournament's history, including the 1987 and 2011 finals, both won by the All Blacks. Host France and three-time champion New Zealand will kick off the 10th edition on Sept. 8, 2023 at Paris' Stade de France.
17m ago
Reuters
Grandmaster Aronian says he is leaving Armenia, will represent U.S.
Chess grandmaster Levon Aronian said on Friday he was leaving Armenia and would represent the United States, citing what he said was Armenian officials' indifference to chess as one of the reasons. "The past year has been very difficult for all of us with a pandemic, a war and in my case there was personal adversity and the state's absolute indifference towards Armenian chess," he wrote, referring to six weeks of fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces over the Nagorno-Karabkah enclave. Smbat Lputian, deputy head of the Armenian Chess Federation, said he regretted Aronian's decision.
24m ago
Reuters
In independence threat, Scotland's ex-first minister attacks government
Scotland's former first minister Alex Salmond accused the nation's government on Friday of acting illegally in dealing with a case against him in a row that threatens to damage the Scottish independence movement. The feud between Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon, has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, pitting the former friends against each other in a sparring match that could eventually put pressure on her to resign. Sturgeon has denied his accusations.
25m ago
Yahoo News Singapore
Pritam Singh asks for updates on Keppel O&M and FAS corruption probes
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh has asked the government to give an update into two separate corruption probes into Keppel Offshore and Marine, and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and two local football clubs.
30m ago
AFP News
India exits recession with 0.4 percent quarterly growth
India's economy grew 0.4 percent year-on-year in the final quarter of 2020, official data showed Friday, ending its first recession since independence as easing coronavirus restrictions sparked a modest recovery.
30m ago
Malay Mail
Health D-G: Only 4 in 1 million may have Covid-19 vaccine side effects
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said only four in a million may get side effects after getting vaccinated for Covid-19. He said the Ministry of Health...
36m ago
AFP News
UN rights chief hails US shift from Trump migration policies
The UN rights chief on Friday celebrated the shift in the United States under President Joe Biden away from a range of immigration policies introduced under his predecessor Donald Trump.
36m ago
Reuters
Barca boss Koeman calls on others to help Messi
Ronald Koeman called on Barcelona's players to step up and reduce the club's reliance on Lionel Messi for goals ahead of Saturday's La Liga trip to Sevilla. Messi, 33, has scored 18 times in the league this season with Antoine Griezmann the next highest scorer on six, and once again scored the opening two goals in Wednesday's league victory over Elche.
37m ago
CoinDesk
Chinese Companies That Have Nothing to Do With Crypto Are Pivoting to Mining
While these moves seem opportunistic at first glance, some of the companies are well-positioned to get involved in bitcoin mining.
42m ago
Reuters
Milan v Man Utd lights up Europa League last 16 draw
Seven-time European champions AC Milan have been drawn to play Manchester United in what is the standout tie in next month's Europa League round of 16. Ajax Amsterdam, the four-time European champions, will take on Swiss club Young Boys, while Arsenal face Greek side Olympiakos and Tottenham Hotspur, the third English club to reach the last 16, will tackle Dinamo Zagreb.
45m ago
Yahoo Canada Style
Save $170 on this top-rated HP laptop from Best Buy Canada - plus more of this week's top deals
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47m ago
Reuters
Canada approves AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine
The vaccine was approved under Canada's interim order system, which allows for accelerated approvals similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorizations. It was not immediately clear if the approval covered both AstraZeneca's own application and a second application by Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc and Serum Institute of India to import doses made in India. Canada approved vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna in December, but did not follow the British drug regulator's lead in approving AstraZeneca's vaccine based on trial data published in November.
48m ago
AFP News
Spain's tainted former king settles tax debts
Spain's former king Juan Carlos, who moved to the UAE last year under a cloud of scandal, has settled a debt of nearly 4.4 million euros ($5.3 million) with the Spanish tax authorities to try to avoid an embarrassing lawsuit.
50m ago
Reuters Videos
UK top court says IS schoolgirl can't return
The UK’s top court has unanimously ruled that a British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State should not be allowed to return.The Supreme Court said on Friday (February 26) Shamima Begum cannot come back to Britain to challenge the government taking away her citizenship because she poses a security risk.She left London in 2015 when she was 15 years old and went to Syria via Turkey with two school friends, where she married an IS fighter. Since that time she gave birth to three children, all of them died.Now aged 21, Begum is being held in a detention camp in Syria.President of the UK Supreme Court Robert Reed said on Friday "The right to a fair hearing does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public".It was stated that Begum can still pursue her appeal against the revoking of her citizenship, but she cannot do that in Britain.This decision overturns a ruling made by the Court of Appeal last year saying she could only have a fair appeal if she were allowed back to the UK.The case has provoked heated debate in Britain, pitting those who say she gave up her right to citizenship by traveling to join IS against those, including Human Rights groups who argue she should not be left stateless but rather face trial in Britain.
51m ago

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