WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
A year after a union committed to one of the biggest strikes last year, that same group has told video game makers: GAME OVER.
On July 26, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, acting under the authority delegated by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, and with the unanimous advice and counsel of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, called a strike of the Interactive Media Agreement. The vote to strike came after more than a year and a half of negotiations without a deal.
The convenience bargaining group with whom SAG-AFTRA is negotiating includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.
Any game looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on to the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement. These agreements offer critical A.I. protections for members.
Negotiations began in October 2022 and on Sept. 24, 2023, SAG-AFTRA members approved a video game strike authorization with a 98.32% yes vote. Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language.
“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live – and work – with, we will be here, ready to negotiate,” stated SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.
“The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies. Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that,” said Crabtree-Ireland.
“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation. We refuse this paradigm – we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts, which provide A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve.” said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 7-30-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 369
- Total Dead: 459
- Total Wounded: 1546
- Shootings Per Day: 1.74
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of July 30: 212
MIDDLE EAST
HEZBOLLAH ATTACK CONDEMNED
Secretary-General António Guterres and other United Nations officials have condemned the July 27 rocket attack on a football field in the Golan Heights that killed at least 12 civilians, mainly children and teenagers. Urging restraint, they also warned against escalating violence in the region.
The UN chief condemned the killing of 12 civilians, mainly children and teenagers in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan and conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to all those injured.
“Civilians, and children in particular, should not continue to bear the burden of the horrific violence plaguing the region,” said a note issued by Mr. Guterres’s Spokesperson.
It went on to say that the Secretary-General calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and reiterates once again his consistent call on all concerned to avoid any further escalation.
“The exchanges of fire across the Blue Line must cease immediately. All parties must comply with their obligations under international law,” said the note, adding that parties must urgently recommit to the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities.
Adopted by the Security Council in 2006, resolution 1701 aimed at ending the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the establishment of demilitarized zone.
Also reacting to the “abhorrent rocket attack”, the UN’s top Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland warned on X (fka Twitter), “The world and the region cannot afford another open conflict. I urge all to exercise maximum restraint. The launching of rockets across the Blue Line must cease immediately.”
In a joint statement released, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), also condemned the attack.
“We deplore the death of civilians – young children and teenagers – in Majdal Shams. Civilians must be protected at all times, said, respectively, envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro.
The two officials urged the parties to exercise maximum restraint and put a stop to the ongoing intensified exchanges of fire, fearing “it could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief.”
ASIA
TYPHOON WREAKS HAVOC IN PHILIPPINES
Over 1.5 million people have been affected in the Philippines, where a state of calamity was declared this week in Metro Manila and nearby areas, as Super Typhoon Gaemi swept through the island nation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) has reported.
An oil tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel also sank in rough seas off the capital, in the Manila Bay.
Now downgraded to a typhoon, Gaemi (locally called Carina) combined with effects of southwest monsoons to bring intense rains and winds to western Luzon Island, home to over half of the Filipino population.
Close to 400,000 people were affected by the rains and floods on Wednesday alone, including about 198,000 who sought refuge in evacuation centers. At least 13 people have been killed, with reports that two more may have perished.
In addition, La Mesa Dam, located near Metro Manila capital region, reached its spilling level, OCHA said in a flash update issued late on July 25.
Water levels in the Dam have since returned to normal levels and the storm exited the Philippine area, OCHA added. There have also been some improvements in the weather, but rains are forecast to continue into the weekend.
Aside from the human impact, an oil tanker carrying 1.4 million liters (about 400,000 gallons) of industrial fuel sank in the Manila Bay amidst the strong waves and winds.
The Philippine Coast Guard rescued 16 of the 17 crew from the ship but containing the oil spill is complicated by strong winds and sea conditions.
The spill is said to have stretched out over several kilometers and could reach the shores of capital Manila, according to media reports. The ship, Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova has reportedly not broken up.
There are fears that that the spill could severely impact the marine environment as well as the livelihoods of fisher communities that depend on the seas.
OCHA further reported that the Government of the Philippines is taking the lead in coordinating response and early recovery efforts.
Authorities have distributed more than 360,000 family food packets and are clearing roads damaged by rains and landslides.
Humanitarian agencies, such as the Philippine Red Cross mobilized first aid stations and ambulances across Manila, Pasig and Bataan. It also distributed hot meals and provided psychosocial support.
Detailed assessments are ongoing, and priority needs identified thus far include hygiene kits and cleaning kits, logistics, prophylaxis for the prevention of waterborne diseases, food items, and potable water.
