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.”what is gamble on twitch 。

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gunmen opened fire early Sunday at a bar in southeast Mexico, killing six people and injuring at least five others, according to local media reports. The shooting took place in the coastal province of Tabasco, which is struggling with a recent increase in violence. Public Safety Secretary Omar García Harfuch said on X that the shooting happened in Villahermosa and that federal authorities are working with local officials to help solve the crime. No arrests were reported, and it wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the shooting. Videos posted on social media show people fleeing the bar while some survivors stayed with the victims as police arrived. Sunday’s attack was the latest violent incident to occur as a new president . Earlier this month, killing 10 people and injuring 13. The attack took place in the historic city center of Querétaro in a region that until recently had long been spared the violence seen in neighboring states like Guerrero. The Associated Press

The Ottawa Senators realize they can't continue to tread water much longer if they hope to end their seven-year playoff drought. With a nine-game road trip on the horizon, the Senators will try to take advantage of home ice while they can when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday evening. "It's a long season and there is a lot of hockey ahead of us," Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot said. "We're building something and playing some good hockey lately." The Senators have had four chances to win three in a row this season but have lost each time, most recently 4-2 against the visiting New York Islanders on Sunday. The score was tied 2-2 midway through the third period, but the Islanders capitalized on a tripping penalty to score a power-play goal and then sealed the win with an empty-netter. Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk, who has been the focus of recent trade rumors, said the Senators will win nine out of 10 times if they continue to play the way they did against the Islanders. "There is still so much hockey and runway left," Tkachuk said. "It's a crucial two points that we missed out on, but if we play like that, we're going to get rewarded." The Senators said similar things after losing to the Ducks 4-3 in a shootout on Dec. 1 in Anaheim. The score was tied 2-2 entering the third period of that matchup as well, but Ottawa came up on the wrong end again. "Plain and simple, we want to win hockey games, and when you don't, you're frustrated and not happy about it," Chabot said. "We're definitely heading in the right direction here. We know where we're at and won't be satisfied with losing games." Anaheim opened its four-game road trip with a 3-2 shootout loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Troy Terry scored both goals for the Ducks to increase his team-leading total to eight, but most eyes were on Anaheim defenseman Jacob Trouba, who was making his team debut following his sudden trade from the New York Rangers on Friday. Trouba delivered a team-leading five hits and led the Ducks in even-strength ice time at 21:30. "He's always hard to play against," Terry said. "You know he's this big, physical guy and he's good defensively. I thought he was up in the play a lot tonight offensively. It felt like a few times whenever I got space in the offensive zone, he was in a good spot for a pass or a chance to score. So, I thought he was great." John Gibson figures to get the start in goal after Lukas Dostal made 19 saves against Montreal. Gibson has had good success against the Senators in his career, owning a 4-2-2 record with a .945 save percentage and 1.61 goals-against average. Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said if the Ducks can get off to the kind of start they did against Montreal, they should succeed. "The first period was one of the best periods we've played," Cronin said. "It kind of resembled the way we've been playing when we're winning." --Field Level MediaMPs in renewed push to amend Constitution

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Liberal leader defamed expelled MP, to pay $300kSouth Korean writer Han Kang on Tuesday received the Nobel Prize in literature at a ceremony in Stockholm, days after expressing how deeply shocked she was over the ongoing political turmoil in her homeland following a short-lived declaration of martial law. The 54-year-old expressed gratitude to her Japanese readers in comments to Kyodo News after the ceremony for the award, for which the Swedish Academy chose Han in recognition of her "intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life." Han's appearance grabbed attention not only because she has become the first Asian woman Nobel laureate in literature, but also because the ceremony took place about a week after martial law was abruptly declared in South Korea by President Yoon Suk Yeol, though it was in effect for only six hours. "Like everybody else on that night, I was deeply shocked," Han said at a press conference held Friday, adding that the writing process for her 2014 novel "Human Acts" involved researching South Korea's previous martial law situation, which took place over 40 years ago. The book focuses on a 1980 incident that occurred in Gwangju, Han's hometown in the country's southwest, when hundreds of pro-democracy students and civilians were killed or wounded by the South Korean military under martial law. "For me to witness a similar situation unfold in real time before my eyes in 2024 was startling," she added. "But if there's one thing that is different, in the winter of 2024, unlike 1980, everybody got to witness it via live streaming." Although the current state of the world has made her wonder if there is any hope left, Han said, she has been thinking for the past few months about the promise of hoping for hope itself. Han's works have surged in popularity also in Sweden since the prize's announcement last month, with "The Vegetarian," "Human Acts," and "We Do Not Part" coming in first, third and sixth, respectively, on the weekly list of top sellers at Akademibokhandeln, a large bookstore chain in Stockholm.

XTNT Stock Touches 52-Week Low at $0.39 Amid Market ChallengesSuspect who is believed to have fired at Phoenix police outstanding, officials say

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nutanix, Inc. (“Nutanix”) (Nasdaq: NTNX), a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, today announced its intention to offer, subject to market conditions and other factors, $750 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2029 (the “notes”) in a private placement (the “offering”) to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Nutanix also expects to grant the initial purchasers of the notes an option to purchase up to an additional $112.5 million aggregate principal amount of the notes within a 13-day period from, and including, the initial issuance date of the notes. The notes will be unsecured senior obligations of Nutanix. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears. The notes will mature on December 15, 2029, unless earlier converted, redeemed, or repurchased. The notes will be convertible at the option of holders, subject to certain conditions and during certain periods. Upon conversion, the notes may be settled in cash, shares of Nutanix’s Class A common stock or a combination of cash and shares of Nutanix’s Class A common stock, at Nutanix’s election. The interest rate, initial conversion rate and other terms of the notes are to be determined at the time of the pricing of the offering. Nutanix intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to (i) repurchase a portion of its outstanding 0.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2027 (the “2027 notes”) concurrently with the pricing of the offering in separate and privately negotiated transactions with certain holders of its 2027 notes (the “concurrent note repurchases”) effected through one of the initial purchasers of the notes or its affiliate, acting as Nutanix’s agent, and (ii) repurchase up to $200.0 million of shares of Nutanix’s Class A common stock in privately negotiated transactions with institutional investors effected through one of the initial purchasers of the notes or its affiliate, acting as Nutanix’s agent, at a price per share equal to the last reported sale price of Nutanix’s Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of the pricing of the notes (the “Share Repurchase”). Any such Share Repurchase would not reduce the amount available for future repurchases under Nutanix’s existing share repurchase program. Nutanix intends to use the remaining net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures and potential acquisitions. From time to time, Nutanix evaluates potential acquisitions of businesses, technologies or products. Currently, however, Nutanix does not have any understandings or agreements with respect to any acquisitions. The terms of the concurrent note repurchases are anticipated to be individually negotiated with each holder of the 2027 notes participating in the concurrent note repurchases, and will depend on several factors, including the market price of Nutanix’s Class A common stock and the trading price of the 2027 notes at the time of each such concurrent note repurchase. Certain holders of any 2027 notes that Nutanix agrees to repurchase may have hedged their equity price risk with respect to such 2027 notes and may, concurrently with the pricing of the notes, unwind all or part of their hedge positions by buying Nutanix’s Class A common stock and/or entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions with respect to Nutanix’s Class A common stock. Any repurchase of the 2027 notes, and the potential related market activities by holders of the 2027 notes participating in the concurrent note repurchases, together with the repurchase by Nutanix of any of its Class A common stock concurrently with the pricing of the notes, could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of Nutanix’s Class A common stock, which may affect the trading price of the notes at that time and the initial conversion price of the notes. Nutanix cannot predict the magnitude of such market activity or the overall effect it will have on the price of the notes or its Class A common stock. No assurance can be given as to how much, if any, of the 2027 notes or the Class A common stock will be repurchased or the terms on which they will be repurchased. Neither the notes nor the shares of Nutanix’s Class A common stock potentially issuable upon conversion of the notes, if any, have been, or will be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements. This announcement is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation, or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale is unlawful. About Nutanix Nutanix is a global leader in cloud software, offering organizations a single platform for running applications and managing data, anywhere. With Nutanix, companies can reduce complexity and simplify operations, freeing them to focus on their business outcomes. Building on its legacy as the pioneer of hyperconverged infrastructure, Nutanix is trusted by companies worldwide to power hybrid multicloud environments consistently, simply, and cost-effectively. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding Nutanix’s financing plans, Nutanix’s ability to complete the offering, the timing and size of the offering, the concurrent note repurchases and the Share Repurchase, Nutanix’s intended use of the net proceeds of the offering. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, whether Nutanix will be able to consummate the offering, the final terms of the offering, the satisfaction of customary closing conditions with respect to the offering of the notes, prevailing market conditions, the anticipated use of the net proceeds of the offering of the notes, which could change as a result of market conditions or for other reasons, and the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the words “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by Nutanix’s management that, although believed to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain and subject to a number of risks. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or predicted by Nutanix’s forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to other risks detailed in Nutanix’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, and the risks discussed in Nutanix’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and Nutanix undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by applicable law. © 2024 Nutanix, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutanix, the Nutanix logo, and all Nutanix product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or unregistered trademarks of Nutanix, Inc. (“Nutanix”) in the United States and other countries. Other brand names or marks mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s). This press release is for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes a warranty or other binding commitment by Nutanix. Investor Contact: Richard Valera ir@nutanix.com Media Contact: Lia Bigano pr@nutanix.com

Health officials say Raw Farm milk suspected in possible bird flu caseChennai, Nov 24 (IANS): CPI(M) leader and MP from Madurai, Su Venkatesan, has urged the central government to postpone the Chartered Accountancy (CA) Foundation examinations, as the current schedule coincides with the Pongal festival, the most significant celebration in Tamil Nadu. In a statement on Sunday, Su Venkatesan criticised the decision to conduct the Business Law subject exam on Pongal Day (January 14) and the Quantitative Aptitude test on Farmers’ Day (January 16). He said that many students and their parents had expressed their concerns to him about this scheduling, which they consider disrespectful to Tamil culture and traditions. “The decision to hold the exam on Pongal day is an insult to Tamil culture,” the MP added. He further said, “The central government must take appropriate action and immediately revise the exam dates to honour Tamil traditions and the cultural significance of these festivals.” Su Venkatesan mentioned that he had previously raised the issue with the relevant authorities but no action was taken. He has now written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also oversees the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, requesting her immediate intervention to reschedule the exams. Additionally, he has addressed a letter to the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Ranjith Kumar Agarwal, urging a revision of the exam schedule to respect Tamil Nadu’s traditional festivals. The MP emphasised that festivals like Pongal are as important to Tamil people as Holi, Deepavali, and Durga Puja are to other regions of India. Pongal, also known as Thai Pongal, is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated across Tamil Nadu. It typically falls on January 14 or 15 during the Tamil month of Thai and is dedicated to the Sun God. The festival marks the start of Uttarayana, the sun’s six-month northward journey, as it enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn. The celebration spans three to four days, with Bhogi, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal observed consecutively. The festival derives its name from the ceremonial dish ‘Pongal’, made from freshly harvested rice boiled with milk and jaggery. Mattu Pongal is specifically dedicated to honouring cattle. On this day, cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in vibrant colours, and adorned with flower garlands. Traditional processions are also organised. The festival is marked by decorating homes with rice-powder kolam art, offering prayers, exchanging gifts, and spending time with family and friends to strengthen social bonds. Pongal is not only celebrated across Tamil Nadu and South India but is also a major festival for Tamil communities in Sri Lanka and the global Tamil diaspora.