Latest news with #PARA
ABC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
How playing the piano for strangers set in motion a new life for Baher Skaik
Five months after fleeing his home in Gaza, Baher Skaik sat behind a piano in Melbourne's Preston Markets, his proud family watching on. He was there to play for strangers, as part of the ABC iview series The Piano. What he couldn't have imagined was the life-changing experience ahead of him, thanks to the kindness of strangers and an unexpected visit from the Immigration Minister. "The piano isn't an instrument for me. It's a form of emotional release," he told host Amanda Keller at the time, describing the devastation they fled. "I had a good life with my family … and then when the war began, there was bombing every moment. "It's hard to describe the feeling when you are responsible for family and you see your daughters are suffering. They are crying all the time, screaming all the night. "We decided to leave quickly and we left our home with just our clothes." In the ruins of his office was his much-loved piano. "It's destroyed." A gift from a stranger Having made the difficult decision to leave their home in Gaza, Baher and his family travelled to Melbourne. Here they were supported by the Australian-Palestinian-led charity, Palestine Australia Relief and Action (PARA), as they settled into their new life. The ruins of Baher's private office in Gaza, where his piano was destroyed. ( Supplied ) It was through PARA that Baher learnt about The Piano, an ABC series unearthing and celebrating everyday Australians with a passion for the piano. Baher said he nearly let the opportunity pass, as he focused on finding work and supporting his family, but ultimately his heart told him to do it. "I don't usually play in public or to an audience [as] I'm normally quite shy," he said. But Baher's story struck a chord with the audience. "[One of the producers] told me that there was an anonymous donor who wanted to gift me a [new] piano. I know how expensive pianos are and it was very hard to accept that," he said. Within a few weeks, a shiny new piano arrived at the Skaik's family home in Melbourne. But there was an even greater surprise to come. Baher playing the piano at his home in Gaza / Baher with his new piano, gifted by an anonymous donor. Another unexpected surprise Three months after the series aired, Baher received a call from the team at PARA. They asked him to clear his calendar later that week. Minister for Immigration and Home Affairs Tony Burke was coming to visit. "The minister said he was happy to meet me and my family, and he expressed how my story had impacted him and how he wanted to show support by coming to meet us," Baher said. Baher played a song on the piano for the visitors before he was given news that would change his family's future. "[Minister Burke] said 'we were so moved to see you on the show and your story was such a wonderful story to see. We are so proud of you and your family for being here in Australia'," he said. "And he said that he [would like to] offer us permanent residency." Baher and his family were thrilled when Minister Tony Burke, and immigration officials, delivered news of their permanent residency. ( Supplied: Tony Burke ) Like many, Baher's goal in life had always been to find stability for his family. "[In Gaza], you would feel that no matter what you did, a time would come that would destroy everything," he said. "People need to know that what refugees really need is an opportunity to rebuild, and not every country will allow them that." While fear was a "constant" in Gaza, Baher said Australia offered safety and acceptance. "I had a feeling that this was going to be a positive experience in my life being here [in Australia] and I was right," he said. Mr Burke said the government had been making decisions on a case-by-case basis. "For Baher to so eloquently talk about his family's plight and his love of Australia sent an important message to everybody," he said. "His comments on … The Piano were as beautiful as they were generous and I'm glad Australia has been able to respond with the same level of kindness." For Baher, he just wants people to know that refugees don't only come with a painful story. Baher, his wife and their three daughters during a layover in Dubai, on their journey from Gaza to Australia. ( Supplied ) The Skaik family have made themselves at home in Melbourne where they are the first renters of a brand-new home. "My kids are in school; my wife works and she's happy," Baher said. "I'm also doing some graphic design freelance work with some clients and now I have a piano. "I don't need anything else."
Reuters
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Stephen Colbert's late-night show on CBS to end in May 2026
LOS ANGELES, July 17 (Reuters) - "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on CBS (PARA.O), opens new tab will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the network said on Thursday.
Business Insider
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Why Is Wall Street Turning Bearish on Paramount Stock Ahead of Earnings?
Wall Street analysts are turning highly bearish on Paramount Global's (PARA) stock trajectory ahead of its earnings due to a combination of weak financial performance, strategic uncertainty, and disappointing sector trends. On TipRanks, PARA stock has a Moderate Sell consensus rating based on two Buys, seven Holds, and six Sell ratings. Also, the average Paramount price target of $11.92 implies 6.5% downside potential from current levels. In July alone, three analysts reiterated their Sell rating on PARA stock, while two analysts reiterated their Hold ratings. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. According to the TipRanks Stock Forecast page, the company is expected to post adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.34 on revenue of $6.87 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2025. This represents a decline from PARA's Q2FY24 EPS figure of $0.54, while revenue is expected to remain similar at $6.81 billion. Analysts Have a Moderate Sell Rating on PARA Stock Notably, PARA stock has outperformed the broader index, gaining nearly 22% so far in 2025, while the S&P 500 (SPX) index has gained only 6.4%. Despite this strong performance, analysts remain uncertain about Paramount's growth prospects going forward. Let's briefly review a few of their perspectives. Loop Capital's Alan Gould has a Sell rating and a $10 price target on PARA, which implies 21.6% downside potential. Gould is highly skeptical about Paramount's long-pending merger with Skydance Media. He stated that the original forecast provided earlier is 'overly optimistic' and should no longer be considered because it is now a year old. Meanwhile, UBS analyst John Hodulik also maintains a Sell rating on PARA and has a $10 price target. He has adjusted Paramount's model estimates to reflect the disappointing box office performance of the latest Mission: Impossible release and consumers' shifting preferences from traditional TV to online streaming. At the same time, Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar has a Sell rating and a $12 price target on PARA stock, while Wells Fargo's Steven Cahall has a Hold rating and a $12 price target, implying 5.9% downside. Is Paramount Stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell? Overall, Paramount Global is facing several headwinds, including declining revenue and advertising dollars, diminishing profitability, and operational inefficiencies. While the ongoing lawsuit with President Donald Trump was settled last month with a $16 million fine, the merger with Skydance remains under review by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for final clearance.
Sharjah 24
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sharjah 24
SAF announces new writing fellowship about contemporary art
PARA explores what it means to be alongside of, to move towards, to stand against or to wander beyond. It speaks to the sense of adjacency and expansiveness inherent to art writing––at once close to a subject while also broadening its scope across intersecting cultural fields. Seeking to interrogate established approaches to art criticism, PARA foregrounds situated practices that attend to diverse forms of criticality. The programme offers material, communal and institutional support to five fellows, selected through an open call. Shortlisted candidates will have an opportunity to publish two pieces of art criticism; engage in biweekly online sessions led by established art writers and critics; attend a fully funded, week-long programme of visits and gatherings in Sharjah; and develop relationships with fellow writers, editors, publishers and academics, fostering collaborative and transnational networks. PARA will engage fellows in collective discussions informed by histories and specificities in the region that also contribute to ongoing conversations about art and criticism internationally. The programme aims to cultivate a vibrant community of practitioners where diverse voices can speak to one another to reimagine and invigorate art discourse.
Business Insider
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
'Nothing Burger': Paramount Stock (NASDAQ:PARA) Gains as Legal Experts Dismantle Anti-Bribery Notion
Recently, we noted that elements of the Senate—including Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren, who recently took aim at Boeing (BA) over the potential shutdown of its fatal crash cases —went after entertainment giant Paramount (PARA) over the possibility that a settlement with President Trump in the court case against him could possibly run afoul of anti-bribery laws. Legal experts took that notion apart earlier today, and Paramount shares recovered, up modestly in the closing minutes of Thursday's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: Federal defense attorney Ronald Chapman II led off his assessment of the recent Senatorial letter with a blunt statement: 'The allegations are baseless.' That by itself might tell you all you need to know, but Chapman was not out of blunt statements, and let them all fly in a giddy, dizzying display. Chapman pointed out that the anti-bribery statutes in question noted that it was, in fact, illegal to 'corruptly' give anything of value to public officials to influence an act. That 'corruptly' became the vital link, as Chapman noted 'A judge-approved settlement is the opposite of 'corruption.'' Chapman then referred to the case as a 'nothing burger,' and the Senators involved in writing the letter as engaging in '…hyperbolic outrage…' and '…irresponsible…activism….' Chapman's assertions were backed up by William A. Jacobson, professor at Cornell Law, who noted that the claim may have made for '…good politics, but it doesn't necessarily reflect good law.' Highway to the Vegas Zone In a surprising turn, Paramount—working with Advent Allen Entertainment—will be bringing a Top Gun-themed attraction to a parcel of undeveloped land by the Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower. The attraction is set to open in summer 2028, which is quite a bit after the latest film. But it will offer fighter jet simulations, and a bar with piano singalongs. The interesting part is that this is almost 20 years to the day after Paramount shuttered 'Star Trek: The Experience' in Las Vegas. Said experience ran from 1998 to 2008, and offered not only two rides—'The Klingon Experience' and 'The Borg Invasion 4-D'—but also a complete simulation of Quark's from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. One wonders what will be different about the Top Gun experience, or if this too is another potentially short-lived theme experience to be. Is Paramount Stock a Good Buy Right Now? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Sell consensus rating on PARA stock based on two Buys, seven Holds and six Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 0.84% rally in its share price over the past year, the average PARA price target of $11.92 per share implies 0.63% upside potential.
