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LONDON: Journalists in the UK rallied Wednesday in central London in solidarity with colleagues in Gaza, in the wake of two Israeli military strikes earlier this week that killed five journalists.
Members of Britain’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) gathered outside the Downing Street office and residence of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, delivering a letter demanding accountability and stepped up UK action to protect media workers.
Attendees then held a vigil, reading aloud the names of more than 200 journalists that press watchdogs have counted as killed in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and subsequent Israeli military response.
Monday’s strikes in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis killed at least 20 people, including the five reporters who worked for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and Reuters, among other outlets.

The Israeli military said Tuesday its forces were targeting a camera operated by Hamas in the assault, which has triggered a wave of international condemnation.
It is the latest military action by Israel that has killed journalists, leading to accusations that they are being deliberately targeted.
The NUJ announced earlier this week that its members would join sister unions around the world in what it called “48 hours of solidarity action in support of journalists working in Gaza,” which started Tuesday.
“We’re here to show solidarity, and to show that we are horrified as fellow journalists about what’s happening,” said Deborah Hobson, a freelance journalist and NUJ member who helped organize the vigil and letter delivered to Starmer.
She called his center-left government’s response to the latest killings of journalists, as well as prior incidents, “extremely poor.”
“There’s nothing that says that the UK is horrified,” Hobson said.
“We have a prime minister who’s a human rights lawyer,” she added, referring to Starmer’s career prior to entering politics.
“We expect better from a Labor government in any case, because of its historical reputation in terms of justice, equality.”

The UK government has in recent months suspended arms export licenses to Israel for use in Gaza, suspended free trade talks with Israel and sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers in protest at Israel’s conduct of the war.
Last week, it was one of 27 countries to call on Israel to allow “immediate independent foreign media access” into Gaza.
Mike Holderness, a writer and editor, said he had turned out “to honor and remember our colleagues, as well as demanding the strongest measures of protection” for journalists still working in Gaza and elsewhere.
“The vigil is to honor the memory of those who’ve given their lives to trying to report the truth.”

DUBAI: Dubai has announced a $1 million award for short films generated entirely by artificial intelligence in collaboration with Google’s Gemini as part of the 1 Billion Followers Summit.

The winning short film will take home the grand prize, while the top 10 competing films will be screened during the fourth edition of the summit, set to take place in Dubai from Jan. 9 to 11, 2026.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UAE Media Government Office, which organizes the event, said the contest aims to highlight the potential of AI in filmmaking, with creativity, realism, and storytelling among the core judging criteria.

Submitted entries must be fully generated using AI tools, and will be evaluated on the quality of storytelling, creative use of AI, technical execution, and the film’s ability to deliver a humanitarian message.

Further details about the competition will be announced next month, the office added.

“The Summit aims to support and encourage the production of purposeful films using diverse AI tools, raise awareness of the humanitarian messages such films should convey, and enhance creative capabilities, aesthetic vision, and advanced skills in integrating AI into film production,” the office said in a statement.

Organizers added that competition will focus on short films, given their powerful ability to deliver impactful messages to audiences.

UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al-Gergawi said the summit is part of the country’s efforts to help drive the “content economy.”

He added: “The content economy is an economic power with limitless horizons. Today, the UAE is not only keeping pace with its developments but is also leading and charting new directions within that economy.”

As part of this, the UAE also allocated $13.6 million to fund creative projects by content creators. It will provide grants for projects with global cultural and economic impact and back joint ventures to establish companies led by content creators or creative tech developers. 

An additional $13.6 million has been dedicated to help startups and content creators pitch their ideas to top investors and companies, who will sponsor and invest in the most promising proposals.

Held under the theme “Content for Good,” the summit brings together top content creators, leading tech firms, industry experts, and entrepreneurs to foster global networking and empower creators with a supportive environment to scale and thrive internationally. The upcoming edition will feature 400 speakers with a combined following of over 3 billion followers.