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Protests in Spain will spread if European officials fail to address mass tourism's negative effect on the lives of residents, UNESCO's Peter Debrine told "Squawk Box Asia" on Monday. He cited the banning of large cruise ships in Venice, Italy, in 2021 as an example. "Cruise ships are no longer going through the Grand Canal." Cruise ships now dock farther from Venice, which helps the structural and environmental integrity of the city. But travelers also play a role in curbing mass tourism, said Debrine.

Persons: UNESCO's Peter Debrine, Debrine, it's Organizations: Adriatic, Port Authority, Council, CNBC, Barcelona Locations: Spain, Venice, Italy, Barcelona, Debrine, Amsterdam

☆ Village on Ukraine's doorstep set to become NATO's biggest European airbase as Putin vows to go 'to the end' in the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nicolae Crețu, the commander of the air base, told the outlet that the expanded facility would require "maintenance hangars, fuel stores, ammunition, equipment, aviation technical materials, simulators, feeding facilities, accommodation." Advertisement"Our objective here in Romania is to enhance our integration into NATO Air Power by honing and deepening our cooperation with the Royal Air Force and the Romanian Air Force", he added. Romanian air force F-16 fighter planes. AdvertisementNevertheless, Putin this week reiterated his threats to the West, vowing to go "to the end" in the war with Ukraine. Defeat in Ukraine, Putin said, would mean "the end of the 1,000-year history of the Russian state.

Persons: —, Nicolae Crețu, Rami Lindström, Andreea Alexandru, Charlie Tagg, Dorin Popescu, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Andrey Klimov, Vladimir Putin, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Putin Organizations: Service, NATO, Euro News Romania, Business, BBC, Finnish Air Force, Royal Air Force, NATO Air Power, Romanian Air Force, AP, Federation, Committee, Foreign Affairs, Getty Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Europe, Romania, Romanian, Norway, Andreea Alexandru US, Bucharest, Russian, Russia, Finland, Sweden

☆ Milan said it would ban ice cream on the streets after midnight. After a fierce backlash, it backed down.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Milan has reversed a proposal to ban late-night sales of ice cream after a fierce public backlash. Late-night ice cream is a traditional treat for many Milanese. AdvertisementThe Italian city of Milan has U-turned on a controversial proposal to ban the sale of ice cream after midnight, according to multiple reports. It's not the first time Milan has tried to bring an ice cream ban into law. AdvertisementIn 2013, city officials tried and failed to ban late-night ice cream, local paper Corriere della Sera reported at the time.

Persons: Milan, —, Marco Granelli, Marco Barbieri, Sera, Alessia Cappello Organizations: Milanese, Service, Sky, Sky News, Guardian Locations: Milan, Porta Venezia, Venice

☆ Italy launched a new digital nomad visa—find out if you qualify and where to apply
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Italy is one of the many countries in Europe now offering digital nomad visas. If you're a digital nomad or a remote worker looking for your next home away from home, consider Italy. The country's new digital nomad visa went into effect his month, according to Euronews. The visa is good for one year and can be renewed Armando Oliveira | Istock | Getty ImagesTo take advantage of Italy's new digital nomad visa, remote workers must have an annual income of at least three times the minimum level required for exemption from participating in healthcare costs. Italy also requires applicants to have health insurance for the duration of their stay, suitable accommodations, and proof that they have been digital nomads or remote workers in another place for at least six months.

Persons: Armando Oliveira Organizations: Istock Locations: Italy, Europe, Italian

☆ Italy launched its long-awaited 'digital nomad visa' — here's who qualifies and how to apply
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It just got much simpler for remote workers to move to Italy. Non-EU or Swiss citizens can now apply for a digital nomad visa that lasts for one year. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . The Italian government defines digital nomads as non-European Union or Swiss citizens who are highly skilled, Euronews said. And while the digital nomad visa is only good for one year, it can be renewed — and your family can be included.

Persons: —, it's, Euronews, they've, you've Organizations: EU, Service, European Union Locations: Italy, Swiss, Europe

☆ Gen Z's Dream of Becoming Influencers Is Getting Harder Thanks to AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Clem De Pressigny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Advancements in AI tech have given birth to an industry of AI influencers, and major companies are beginning to show interest in their far more cost-effective approach to marketing. AdvertisementMiquela's success didn't spark a virtual-influencer revolution, but that was largely because of cost — human influencers were still cheaper. She sees AI influencers being used to provide a deep level of information, support, and guidance on brands and products. Do AI influencers really stand a chance at building trust with an audience? A study in the European Journal of Marketing found that consumers were just as likely to follow an AI influencer as a human influencer but that they didn't trust the AI influencer as much.

Persons: Zers, Gen Z, influencers, wannabes, — they're, Nikita Baklanov, Julia Broome, Baklanov, Broome, she'd, it's, Miquela Sousa, Lil Miquela, Instagram Miquela, Calvin Klein, Imma, HypeAuditor, Euronews, who's, Jenny Dearing, Dearing, ChatGPT, chatbot, Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Haidt Organizations: Stanford, UGC, Prada, Companies, Meta, Instagram, AIs, Oxford, Advertising, Air, European, Marketing, Air Canada, Google, Alpha Locations: strategize, TikTok, Antarctica, Air Canada

☆ An agency created an AI model who earns up to $11,000 a month because it was tired of influencers 'who have egos'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A modeling agency created AI-generated Aitana López after encountering issues booking real models. AdvertisementA Spanish modeling agency said it's created the country's first AI influencer, who can earn up to €10,000, or $11,000, a month as a model. Euronews reported the news, based on an interview with Rubeñ Cruz, founder of the Barcelona-based modeling agency The Clueless, which created the influencer. The AI-generated woman, Aitana López, is a pink-haired 25-year-old. The agency created the images using Photoshop.

Persons: —, it's, influencer, Euronews, Rubeñ Cruz, Aitana, Cruz, Marta Biino, Emily Pellegrini, Fanvue, Will Monange, Biino Organizations: Service Locations: Barcelona, Instagram

☆ The Ukrainian draft dodgers who don't want to go to war against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukrainian men cannot leave the country under martial law and face being drafted into war service. He told Insider he's desperate to leave Ukraine to escape being drafted and had already attempted one escape. Bohdan's unit suffered significant casualties while stationed near Svatove and the Serebryansky forest, he told Insider, and he was one of the few who survived without injuries. "Young men at a checkpoint near the border told me not to bother trying," Artem told Insider. 80,000 Ukrainian men have crossed over to PolandA Ukrainian soldier who lost her leg in the fighting near Kherson.

Persons: —, Artem, Bohdan, didn't, he's, — it's, hasn't, Ukrainska, Anna Michalska, Odesa, Borysov, Costa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mytkalyk, Bolhan, Euronews Organizations: Service, National Guard of, AP, Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainska Pravda, The New York Times, Armed Forces, Poland's Border Guard, Polish Border Guard, Kyiv Post, Business, New York Times, The, Kyiv Independent, Times, Getty, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, National Guard of Ukraine, Svatove, Bohdan, Romania, Belgium, Hungary, Montenegro, Moldova, Poland, Ukrainian, Kherson, Verkhovna, Ukraine's, Polish, Marbella, Costa del Sol, London, Russia, Warsaw

☆ Lookout Viagra, there's a new ED treatment in town and it comes from banana spider venom
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The treatment comes from the venom of the Brazilian banana spider. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhen a human gets bit by the venomous Brazilian banana spider (Phoneutria nigriventer), their initial symptoms — rash, sweating, nausea — may sound normal for a spider bite. The treatment uses a synthetic form of the Brazilian banana spider's venom in a gel that users can apply directly to their genitalia. AdvertisementAdvertisementBiologist removes a banana spider from a container to remove its venom. DOUGLAS MAGNO/Contributor/Getty ImagesThe Brazilian banana spider, not to be confused with the harmless banana spider in the US, is found around the jungles of South America.

Persons: —, it's, Carolina Nunes, EuroNews, DOUGLAS MAGNO, Nunes Organizations: Service, South America, Engineering Locations: Brazil, South

☆ TV presenter under fire for 'racist' comments, suggesting that bloodsucking bedbugs of Paris are linked to immigrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A right-wing TV host in France linked the Paris' bedbug outbreak to immigrants. A government minister called Praud's comments on CNews, likened to Fox News, as "hate speech." AdvertisementAdvertisementA right-wing pundit in France is under investigation by Arcom, the country's audiovisual regulator, for making "racist" comments about the current bedbug infestation in Paris, The Times reports. Pascal Praud, a TV host on right-wing channel CNews, asked Nicolas Roux de Bezieux, the founder of a pest control firm, whether immigrants had caused the onslaught of bedbugs. David Belliard, Paris' Deputy Mayor, called the comments "stupid and racist," and added that CNews' views could be summarized in the clip.

Persons: Pascal Praud, —, Arcom, Nicolas Roux de Bezieux, Praud, Roux de Bezieux, Le, Emmanuel Macron's, Bérangère Couillard, David Belliard, Euronews, CNews, Eric Zemmour, Louis, Ferdinand Céline Organizations: Fox News, Service, Times, Charles, Rugby, Agence France, AP, France Insoumise, Gender Equality Locations: France, Paris, Gaulle

☆ Video appears to show a Russian tank hitting a mine and running out of control before sinking into water
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new video appears to show a Russian tank hitting a mine, catching on fire, and sinking into water. AdvertisementAdvertisementA new video shared on Telegram appears to show a Russian tank hit a mine, catch fire, and crash into a body of water. Insider reporter Alia Shoaib previously wrote that US-supplied remote anti-armor mines fired in shells were being used to destroy Russian tanks. The incident reportedly occurred during battles to liberate the settlement of Novoprokopivka.In the video, a Russian tank is seen driving over a mine. On September 27, Euronews reported that a Kremlin-affiliated military blogger had claimed that Ukrainian forces had reached the northern outskirts of Novoprokopivka.

Persons: —, Alia Shoaib, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Euronews Organizations: Service, Fighters, Armed Forces, Euromaidan Press, Institute, Group of Forces, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Robotyne, Novoprokopivka, Verbove, Russia, Zaporizhia

☆ Fake naked pictures of young girls created with AI spark fury in a small Spanish town
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A small town in southern Spain has been rocked by fake naked pictures created by an AP app. AI-generated naked images of local girls have been circulating in Almendralejo, Extremadura. The photos were processed by an AI application that created new, fake images showing the girls naked, per the report. AdvertisementAdvertisementMore than 20 girls aged 11 to 17 have been identified as victims in the town, in the western Spanish region of Extremadura. María Blanco Rayo, the mother of a 14-year-old, told BBC News the images were having a significant impact on some of the girls.

Persons: El País, Euronews, Miriam Al Adib, They'd, María Blanco Rayo, Al Adib Organizations: Service, BBC Locations: Spain, Almendralejo, Extremadura, Wall, Silicon, Spanish

☆ Years in the making, Venice approves a tax on daytrippers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Poonam Binayak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Venice's city council on Tuesday approved a long-awaited regulation to tax day visitors 5 euros ($5.38) to visit the city. Overnight travelers are exempt, though they're subject to a separate tourist tax implemented in 2011. Why is Venice taxing day visitors? The new tax is an attempt to "protect the city from mass tourism," Luigi Brugnaro, Venice's mayor, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The city of Venice currently fines visitors who eat or drink on the ground, sit on monuments and bridges, or swim in its canals, according to the city's website.

Persons: Luigi Brugnaro, overtourism, Tatyana Tsukanova, Tsukanova, Miguel Medina Organizations: EHL Hospitality Business School, Venice, Afp, Getty Locations: Venice's, Venice, Belgium, Lausanne, Switzerland, Bhutan

☆ Media and entertainment companies are finding more investment from the Middle East, but it can come with controversy. Here are 11 of the most notable deals.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider broke down 11 top media companies with Middle Eastern backing or partnerships. Middle Eastern investment has poured into US media and entertainment, and US media companies have been eager recipients. Here's a rundown of 11 key Western media and entertainment companies, listed alphabetically, that have licensing and investment partnerships with Middle Eastern entities. Jimmy Finkelstein's news startup The Messenger has Middle Eastern funding via its acquisition of IMI-backed startup Grid, which is now shuttered. The North Road, Peter Chernin and Providence Equity's production roll-up, took a $150 million investment in January from the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar's main investment vehicle, to support its expansion.

Persons: Peter Chernin, Jeff Zucker, Uber, Jamal Khashoggi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, —, hasn't, Mohammed bin Salman, SRMG, Abu, Abu Dhabi's, Jimmy Finkelstein's, BeIn, Stone, Ian Orefice, WBD Organizations: Providence, North, IMI, ex, CNN, Public Investment Fund, Blackstone, Washington Post, Saudi Crown, Saudi, Guardian, Media, Bloomberg Media, Saudi Research, Media Group, Media Investments, CNN Business, Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Sky News Arabia, Business, Independent, SRMG, Miramax, BeIn, Paramount, Qatar Investment Authority, Penske Media Corporation, Billboard, Variety, Penske, Vox Media, New York, Billboard Arabia, RedBird Capital, Mideast, MBC Group, MBC, Fortress Investment Group, Investment, Warner Bros Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, West, Saudi, Abu Dhabi, ViacomCBS, SRMG

☆ Italian mayors are still hoping that an Elon v. Zuck fight could boost their towns' profiles, despite the Meta CEO getting tired of Musk's shenanigans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The mayor of Pompeii is keen to host a bout, and Florence's mayor suggested "a clash of ideas" instead. Plans for a fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg appear to be scuppered after the Meta CEO grew tired of the other billionaire's shenanigans. But the mayors of Italian towns and cities are still vying to host a potential bout between the pair, Euronews reported. Despite this, there have been at least seven proposals from other Italian cities, including Pompeii and Verona, to host a potential fight, according to Euronews. xenotar/Getty Images"Pompeii is the best site to host the worldwide challenge between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg," the city's mayor, Carime Lo Sapio, told Euronews.

Persons: Musk, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Elon, Carime Lo Sapio, Euronews, I've, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Meta Organizations: Elon, Telegraph Locations: Pompeii, Verona, Taormina, Sicily, xenotar, Italian, Calabria, Rome, Florence

☆ Fact Check-Rioting in Sweden occurred during Eritrean festival, not children's fair
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An August riot near the Swedish capital Stockholm took place during an Eritrean cultural festival and not a children’s fair, as suggested by a post on social media. The post (seen here and viewed more than 500,000 times) includes a video and a caption, reading: "Riots yesterday at a children's fair in Sweden." According to local media, protesters marched towards the festival area, got through the police cordons, threw rubbish at the festival participants and set tents and vehicles ablaze. The festival celebrating Eritrean cultural heritage is an annual event that has been taking place since the 1990s, local media says (here). The video shows clashes of supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime during a festival in Stockholm, not a children’s fair.

Persons: Asa Nilsson Soderstrom, Isaak, Read Organizations: Expressen, YouTube, Eritrean, watchdogs, World Press, SVT, Amnesty International, Statistics Sweden, Reuters Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, Eritrea, Syria, Turkmenistan, Iran, Vietnam, China, North Korea, Swedish, Eritrean

☆ French media giant AFP is suing Twitter over payments for news distribution. Elon Musk almost immediately called the lawsuit 'bizarre.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Agence France-Presse is taking legal action against Twitter related to payment for sharing news. Twitter, now known as X, is facing another lawsuit — this time from the world's oldest news agency, Agence France-Press. AFP said in a Wednesday press release that it has taken legal action after X's "clear refusal" to discuss payment for distributing news content. The dispute relates to a French copyright law called "neighboring rights" which was enacted in 2019. "This is bizarre," Elon Musk said of AFP's legal action in an X post.

Persons: Elon, X, Euronews, Elon Musk, Meta Organizations: Agence France, Twitter, Elon Musk's, Google, Press, AFP, French Competition Authority, Agency Locations: Paris, AFP, Canada

☆ A billionaire wants to use a cargo plane to fly an orca to freedom after 53 years in captivity. Here's how it could work.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A $20 million plan to release a killer whale named Tokitae from captivity is firming up. The orca has been kept in a small enclosure in the Miami Seaquarium since her capture 53 years ago. The billionaire-backed plan would see the killer whale loaded on a plane and flown across the US. The killer whale has been living in the world's smallest orca tank, which measures 80 feet by 35 feet. She's the second oldest orca living in captivity.

Persons: I've, let's, Jim Irsay, Pat McAfee, Toki, Euronews, Miami Seaquarium, Orcas, Tokitae Organizations: Miami, Service, Indianapolis Colts, Dolphin Company, The Times, Seattle Airport, Times, Miami Herald, Tribune, Getty Locations: Wall, Silicon, Seattle, London, Miami, San Juan, Tokitae, Penn Cove , Washington, Lummi, Pacific

☆ I make 6 figures working 20-hour weeks as a freelance writer. Here's what my typical day looks like hour by hour.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Zulie Rane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Zulie Rane is a freelance writer who earns six figures a year while working around 20 hours a week. At the end of this article, you should have a solid idea of what it's like to be a freelance writer. 7:00 - 8:00 a.m: Start the day (for real this time)I start a day in the life of a freelance writer with an alarm. After all, it's not just a day in the life of a freelance writer — it's a day in the life of a freelance writer and her two cats. Hopefully this snapshot of my Mondays gives you a good idea of what it's like to be a freelance writer.

Persons: Zulie Rane, —, Astrid, dislodging, it's, Sally, — it's, Slack, I've, I'm, you've, there's, Here's Organizations: Service, Twitter Locations: Boston, Salem, Euronews, Spain

☆ Middle Eastern investors are pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment — here are the 9 most active players and their key leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Investors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

Persons: Jamal Khashoggi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, —, WME, Jimmy Finkelstein's, Abu Dhabi's, It's, Yasir Al, Rumayyan, Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, Sam Barnett, Peter Smith —, Christina Wayne, SRMG, Mohammed bin Salman, Alrashid, Johnny Depp, Jeanne du Barry, Sharon Stone, Bruno Mars, Luca Guadanigno, Vince McMahon's, Turki Al, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Dayel, Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al, Mahmoud, Peter Chernin, Nasser Al, Germain, BeIN, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad, Khalifa Al, Vincent, Asghar Farhadi's Oscar, Nart Bouran, JAF, Jeff Zucker, Graydon Carter's, it's, Semafor, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mansour, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber Organizations: United, Sovereign, Saudi, Washington Post, Saudi Crown, Endeavor, UFC, IMI, Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Public Investment Fund, Saudi Aramco, Newcastle United, English football, PGA, MBC, Shahid, Netflix, Vice Media, Variety, MBC Group's, Antenna Group, Cineflex Studios, NBCUniversal International, Amazon, AMC, Saudi Research, Media, Publicly, Red Sea, Cannes, Penske Media Corporation, Bloomberg Media, Vince McMahon's WWE, country's General Entertainment Authority, Development, Cultural Development Fund, George Washington University, American University . Qatar Qatar Investment, Qatar Investment Authority, Providence, BeIN Media, Paris Saint, Miramax, Paramount, Doha Film, Doha Film Institute, H.E, Hollywood Reporter, United Arab Emirates Abu, Investment Authority, UAE, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Hollywood, Dubai Studio, Dubai Media City, National Geographic, BBC News, International Media Investments International Media Investments, National, CNN, Sky News Arabia, Reuters, JAF Communications, Grid, RedBird Capital Partners, Punchbowl News, New York Times, Manchester City, The, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Saudi, East, North Africa, Al Arabiya, Netherlands, Greece, Dubai, Jeddah, SRMG, Riyadh, Doha, Europe, Americas, ViacomCBS, Qatari, Thani, Abu Dhabi

☆ Mispronouncing the word 'Bruschetta' could soon cost thousands of euros in Italy, where politicians want to pass a law to penalize 'Anglomania'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Italy's government is hell-bent on passing a law that would penalize the use of non-Italian words. The proposed law would fine people who they believe are bastardizing the language. The proposed law seeks to stop "Anglomania," which "demeans and mortifies," Italian language and culture, according to the bill's text—and could even penalize Italians who mispronounce words like "Bruschetta." Pronouncing the word Bruschetta as "bru-shetta" and not "bru-sketta," for example, could cost Italians financially under the proposed law, according to CNN. Meloni's party is in support of the bill, which will be opened for parliamentary debate soon.

☆ Saudi money is flowing to US media and entertainment, from Live Nation to LIV Golf, 5 years after Jamal Khashoggi's murder: 'The ice has thawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment. Insider identified some key people connecting Middle East investors with American companies. Saudi Arabia is trying to pitch itself to the world as a cultural and economic reformer and spur tourism. Vince McMahon's WWE has a long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a major live WWE event there slated for May. Vince McMahon's WWE was one of the first US companies to create unique events in Saudi Arabia.

☆ 9 Middle Eastern funds and investors pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Governments and investors in the Middle East are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

☆ Leaders of more than 30 news organizations demand Russia release WSJ reporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The leaders of more than 30 news organizations around the world signed a letter Thursday to the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, demanding the release of imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The letter was signed by the leaders of the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC, TIME, Euronews, Bloomberg News, Sky News, The New Yorker, and The Economist, among many others. “Gershkovich’s unwarranted and unjust arrest is a significant escalation in your government’s anti-press actions,” the letter said. Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, the first time a US journalist has been detained on accusations by Moscow of spying since the Cold War. “This is an incredibly disturbing development,” Latour said in a memo to staff obtained by CNN.

☆ Hundreds of cars confiscated from drunk drivers to be supplied to Ukraine's military and hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Latvia is sending cars that have been confiscated from drunk drivers to Ukraine. Latvia said it would provide two dozen seized vehicles to Ukraine each week. The government tasked the transport of the seized cars to the Agendum group — a Latvian NGO that delivers vehicles to Ukraine — who will donate them to the Ukrainian military and hospitals. "It's actually very scary when you realize how many cars are driving around with drunk drivers," Reinis Poznaks, founder of the NGO Twitter Convoy in association with Agendum, told Reuters in an interview. Last month, the Latvian parliament passed a law allowing the transfer of state-owned vehicles — usually sold or recycled — to Ukraine, according to Euronews.

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