Paul Verhoeven has been named to serve as president of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
The Dutch director was nominated for an Oscar with his 1973 film "Turkish Delight" and a Golden Globe for 1977's "Soldier of Orange."
After moving to Hollywood, Verhoeven made blockbusters such as "RoboCop," ''Total Recall' and "Basic Instinct."
The 78-year-old returned to moviemaking this year after a lengthy break with "Elle," starring Isabelle Huppert.
The Berlinale – the first of the year's major European film festivals – runs from Feb. 9 to Feb. 18.
The festival didn't specify Friday who else will serve on the 2017 jury. This year's jury was led by Meryl Streep.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More