Major late-night TV shows in the US will broadcast reruns as members of the Writers Guild of America begin their first strike in 15 years.
About 11,500 writers stopped work on Tuesday after six weeks of negotiations with networks and streamers failed to meet their demands of higher pay, which they believe is threatened by streaming.
Workers are also demanding more writers for each show and shorter exclusive contracts.
Late-night shows went dark after the strike began, and many are scheduled to air reruns.
“Everyone, including myself, hope both sides reach a deal, but I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable,” Late Show host Stephen Colbert said during Monday's programme.
Other shows to air reruns this week include The Tonight Show, the Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show and Late Night.
Late-night shows were the first programmes affected during the WGA strike in 2007, airing reruns before largely improvising their way through new shows as the strike continued.
Conan O'Brien, then host of The Tonight Show on NBC, spun his wedding ring on his desk while the show was broadcast.
During the strike, member-affiliated writers are not allowed to write, negotiate or present future projects, among other rules listed by the WGA.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the bargaining representative for studios and production companies, said it offered “generous increases in compensation for writers and improvements in streaming residuals”.
Seth Meyers, host of NBC's Late Night and a member of the WGA, on Friday said his experience as a Saturday Night Live writer during the 2007 strike was “miserable”.
“And it would be a really miserable thing for people to have to go through, especially considering we're on the heels of that awful pandemic,” Meyers said before this year's strike was announced.
He said he hoped the two sides could come to an agreement, adding that he believes what the writers are asking for is “not unreasonable”.
Associated Press contributed to this report
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Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
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The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
