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☆ Battling Russia, Ukrainian Leaders Also Fight High Expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As much of the world pays close attention to the slow progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, its leaders are trying to tamp down expectations, saying that the fight to expel the Russian invaders was inevitably going to be a hard, bloody slog, not a lightning advance. “We would definitely like to make bigger steps,” he said, according to a transcript provided by the BBC, but he insisted that he remained confident and suggested that expectations of rapid success were unrealistic. Allies may try to pressure Ukraine, but “with all due respect, nothing will depend on that opinion,” Mr. Zelensky told the BBC’s Yalda Hakim. Ukraine’s forces are also trying to advance around the Russian-held city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk. At the same time, Russian forces have attempted to go on the offensive elsewhere in Donetsk and the Luhansk region, potentially diverting Ukrainian resources.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, ” Mr, Zelensky, Yalda Hakim, “ Organizations: BBC Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Bakhmut, Luhansk

☆ How Modi went from being banned to embraced by the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was once shunned by the United States. But in the nine years since that ban was lifted, Modi has been progressively embraced by the White House – now more than ever. Modi will also lead celebrations for the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, illustrating the influence of India’s soft power. US President Joe Biden meets with Modi during the Quad leaders summit at Kantei Palace in Tokyo, on May 24, 2022. Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for photographs at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on December 6, 2021.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Joe Biden, Evan Vucci, Biden, Delhi’s, Modi’s, Daniel S, Markey, ” Markey, ”, “, Anthony Albanese, James Marape, Volodymyr Zelensky, aren’t, Saeed Khan, “ Modi, –, John Sifton, Sushant Singh, ’, Tanvi Madan, Vladimir Putin, Narayan, Madan, Vinay Kwatra, ” Madan Organizations: CNN, Indian, White, International, United Nations, Biden, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, United States Institute of Peace, Washington, Australian, Australia's, Admiralty House, Getty, Rights Watch, Amnesty International, BBC, Policy Research, Brookings Institution, Kremlin, Russia, Bloomberg, Indian Air Force, India’s Locations: United States, Washington, New York, Tokyo, India, South Asia, China, Sydney, Papua New Guinea, Japan, AFP, Asia, Gujarat, New Delhi, Delhi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Hyderabad

☆ Lionel Messi and MLS club Inter Miami are discussing possible signing, per reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( David Close | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi is in discussions to join Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, according to reports by the BBC and The Athletic. There has been speculation around Messi’s next move since he announced his departure from French side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). CNN has reached out to Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, Messi’s representative and David Beckham – who is part of Inter Miami’s ownership team – but had not received a reply by the time of publication. There had been previous speculation Messi would move to Saudi Arabia, where he has business ties. Before his two-season stint with PSG, Messi spent 17 trophy-laden years at FC Barcelona.

Persons: Lionel Messi, Messi’s, Germain, Guillem Balague, David Beckham –, Messi, Jorge Messi Organizations: CNN, Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, BBC, The, Paris Saint, PSG, Sunday, Inter, FC Barcelona, Argentina Locations: Saudi Arabian, Al, Hilal, Saudi Arabia, Barcelona

☆ Andrew Tate claims he’s a force for good. Others say he spreads a ‘misogynistic rape culture’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Emory Andrew Tate III is a 36-year-old professional fighter-turned media personality from Chicago who has racked up billions of views online for his rants about male dominance, female submission and wealth. In the years since, he has become a divisive online content creator with the self-proclaimed “misogynist” suspended from all major social media platforms. ‘Daily diet of misogyny’Tate has been accused of pedaling hateful views online and making his controversial lifestyle appealing to young and vulnerable audiences. Introduce the topic by saying you have read about Andrew Tate and ask if they have heard of him,” she suggested. According to Drummond, schools are being proactive in starting conversations that allow adolescent males to explore issues surrounding Tate and his ideology.

Persons: Andrew Tate, Lucy Williamson, Tate, “, ”, Williamson, I’ve, I’m, ” Tate, Jayne Butler, Tristan, Emory Andrew Tate, “ misogynist ”, Elon Musk, Vadim Ghirda, Greta Thunberg, ’ Tate, Hope, Georgie Laming, Tate’s misogynist, ” Laming, Alicia Drummond, ” Drummond, Drummond, Laming, Tommy Robinson, YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson, Alex Jones, “ Tate, Andreea Alexandru, can’t Organizations: London CNN, Wales, American, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Media, Elon, AP Tate, Romania’s, CNN, Tate, Management Agency, Hate Locations: Romania, England, British, Chicago, Bucharest, Britain, United States, Australia, “

☆ Size of Jurassic sea giant found, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The findings from the Late Jurassic period, though fragmentary, suggest the pliosaur was about twice the size of a killer whale — and move lead study author David Martill closer to redemption. However, he cautioned that an increase in length corresponds with an “exponential increase in volume … placing a biological limit on the upper size pliosaurs could reach.” Smith wasn’t involved in the study. Pliosaurs were “a group of large carnivorous marine reptiles characterized by massive heads, short necks and streamlined tear-shaped bodies,” according to Britannica. Benton wasn’t involved in the study. “Here is a marine reptile as large as a sperm whale, and there’s nothing like it around today.”

☆ The British Coronation: A TV Spectacle, Now for the Digital Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alan Cowell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Some members of the British hierarchy wished to keep cameras out of the inner sanctum of Westminster Abbey, where the queen was crowned. “The world would have been a happier place if television had never been discovered,” the Most Rev. Geoffrey F. Fisher, then the archbishop of Canterbury, who presided over the queen’s coronation, was quoted as saying. Where his mother’s crowning bathed the monarchy in uncontested splendor, Charles’s challenge is to focus a much more diffuse spotlight. While Elizabeth’s coronation required only around 20 cameras, Charles’s crowning is set to be broadcast on the BBC’s hi-definition iPlayer streaming service, alongside television coverage.

☆ BBC Chairman Resigns Over Offer to Facilitate Loan to Boris Johnson
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A screen inside the BBC’s headquarters broadcasts a statement by Richard Sharp. Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERSLONDON—The chairman of the BBC, Richard Sharp , quit Friday after an investigation concluded he breached the U.K. government code for public appointments by failing to declare that he offered to facilitate a loan to former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson while applying for the job at the publicly funded broadcaster. The decision by Mr. Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker, to step down is the latest scandal to wash over the British Broadcasting Corp., which has been buffeted by a series of missteps that critics say has dented its image as an independent, impartial broadcaster and raised questions over whether it has bowed to pressure from the ruling Conservative government.

☆ NPR stops using Twitter after receiving ‘government funded media’ label
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —NPR on Wednesday said that it is suspending its use of Twitter after clashing with the social media company over a controversial new “state-affiliated media” label applied to its accounts. The move was quickly rebuked by NPR, which is publicly funded by listeners. Twitter has also faced backlash over applying a similar “government funded media” label to the BBC, which is also primarily funded by the public. Twitter has faced an exodus of advertisers, who have been concerned about increased hate speech on the platform and massive cuts to the company’s workforce. In the meantime, Musk has taken on the uphill battle of encouraging users to pay $8 per month for the platform’s subscription service.

☆ Twitter brands BBC a ‘government funded media’ organization
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The label has not been given to the BBC’s other accounts, including BBC News (World) and BBC Breaking News. Twitter has not given a definition for what it considers “government funded media” to constitute. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.”The BBC received the label after a similar one was given to America’s National Public Radio (NPR). Twitter initially designated the US broadcaster as “state-affiliated media,” putting it on a par with Russian propaganda network RT and China’s Xinhua News Agency. Twitter defines state-affiliated media outlets as outlets “where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.”

☆ Indian journalists warn of new assault on press freedom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Editors Guild of India, a nonprofit organization representing more than 200 journalists, said in a statement on Friday that it was “deeply disturbed” by the new rules, saying they had “deeply adverse implications” for press freedom in India. If these companies failed to take down the offending content, Chandrasekhar said, they would lose the automatic legal protection they currently enjoy against complaints about third-party content on their platforms. “The dangers of misinformation, the impact of patently false information in a democracy like ours, is never to be underestimated,” Chandrasekhar said. Concern has been brewing in recent months over the Indian government’s increasingly restrictive stance towards the media. In February, Indian tax authorities searched the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai, accusing the British broadcaster of tax evasion.

☆ BBC Reinstates Sports Presenter Gary Lineker After Dispute Over Political Tweets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gary Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid sports broadcaster and a former soccer star. LONDON—The British Broadcasting Corp. on Monday struck a deal with its top sports presenter that will allow him back on air, days after it ignited a staff rebellion by suspending him for tweeting about politics. After a tumultuous weekend that saw the broadcaster dramatically cut back its sports coverage, BBC Director-General Tim Davie said the company would allow Gary Lineker back on air and promised to carry out an independent review of the company’s social-media guidelines, which he said had gray areas.

☆ Britain’s Colin Kaepernick Moment: BBC Sparks Its Own Culture War Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( David Luhnow | Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BBC commentator Gary Lineker was suspended over tweeting about politics. LONDON—The British Broadcasting Corp. now finds itself caught in a drama of its own making: By suspending a top sports broadcaster over tweeting about politics, it has inadvertently forced itself into the center of a U.S. style culture war. On Sunday, the state-funded broadcaster for the second day had to limit the availability of its sports programming after dozens of staff and leading sports announcers walked off in protest at the suspension of retired footballer Gary Lineker, one of England’s most popular sports figures and the BBC’s highest-paid broadcaster.

☆ BBC engulfed in an impartiality storm of its own making
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“There is a long-established precedent in the BBC that if you’re an entertainment presenter or you’re a football presenter, then you are not bound by those same rules” on impartiality, former director-general Greg Dyke told BBC Radio 4 over the weekend. BBC Director General Tim Davie has made protecting impartiality one of his major priorities. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesMore problematic still is that the same thorny questions about impartiality extend to the BBC’s leadership. “It’s a mess, isn’t it?” former BBC executive Peter Salmon told the cooperation’s flagship political presenter Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. “He’s got views, he’s got passions … it may be that Gary has outgrown the job, and his role in the BBC.”

☆ India, world’s largest democracy, leads global list of internet shutdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Of 187 internet shutdowns recorded worldwide, 84 took place in India, according to the report published Tuesday by Access Now, a New York based advocacy group that tracks internet freedom. India has the world’s second largest digital population, following China, with more than 800 million internet users. Pradeep Guar/Mint/Getty ImagesIn recent years, the government has repeatedly justified blocking internet access on the grounds of preserving public safety amid widespread fears of mob violence. Rest of the worldLast year saw more internet shutdowns worldwide than ever before, Access Now said, prompting the group to raise fears of “digital authoritarianism” as governments continue the trend. Apart from India, other countries that saw internet shutdowns last year include Ukraine, Iran and Myanmar.

Some staff members were asked to remain at the offices overnight on Tuesday, the BBC said. But the offices are now open for people to enter and leave as needed. A special investigation team appointed by India’s Supreme Court in 2012 found no evidence to suggest he was to blame. India’s main opposition Congress party described the ongoing tax searches at the BBC offices as a “brazen attack” on India’s free press. The raids raised fears of censorship in India, with several media organizations issuing statements condemning the government’s actions.

[1/5] Police officers stand outside a building having BBC offices, where income tax officials are conducting a search, in New Delhi, India, February 14, 2023. The government last month dismissed the documentary, "India: The Modi Question", as propaganda and blocked its streaming and sharing on social media. The BBC has stood by its reporting for the documentary and said it was cooperating with Indian tax officials. The tax survey relates to transfer pricing rules and alleged diversion of profits. India's Income Tax Department has so far declined to comment on the reason for the search.

BBC News reported on television that people had not been allowed to enter or leave the offices. The raids come after the Indian government said it used “emergency powers” to block the documentary from airing in the country, adding that both YouTube and Twitter complied with the order. A BBC spokesperson told CNN that the organization was “fully cooperating” with authorities. The two-part documentary “India: The Modi Question” criticized the then-chief minister of the western state of Gujarat in 2002 when riots broke out between the state’s majority Hindus and minority Muslims. But the riots remain one of the darkest chapters in India’s post-independence history, with some victims still awaiting justice.

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter faces censorship allegations in India free speech battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk is facing allegations of being complicit with state censorship after Twitter appeared to take sides with India’s government in a turbulent free speech fight over a documentary critical of the country’s prime minister. Musk’s brief answer was in contrast to the sometimes-detailed, personalized responses he has given to other people who complain to him about Twitter. Within India, Twitter said it complied 5.6% of the time. “The BBC has not asked Twitter to remove any content relating to the documentary,” the British broadcaster said in a statement. “The IT Rules are being exploited, handing authorities license to pressure platforms to censor content in ‘emergency’ cases,” he said in a Twitter thread.

☆ Florian Ledoux: The icy patience of an Arctic photographer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The polar bear was just a faraway speck in a frozen white expanse. “It’s the price we pay to get unique images,” recounts award-winning French photographer and filmmaker Florian Ledoux. Florian LedouxThe months when the sun just starts to poke through create the perfect palette for a photographer, Ledoux says. Yet these are the days Ledoux lives for. Disney, Netflix or the likes will request a specific shot of a polar bear, such as a successful hunt or a mating scene.

Persons: speck, ”, Florian Ledoux, Florian Ledoux Ledoux, Ledoux, “ That’s, hasn’t, Florian, Florian Ledoux “ Organizations: CNN, Disney, Nature, Netflix, Oceanographic Magazine Locations: Tromsø, Norway, Longyearbyen, Svalbard

☆ Fact Check-Altered BBC graphic circulates purporting to show soaring wealth of Ukrainian political figures since Russian invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image purporting to show a BBC graphic detailing the wealth of Ukrainian political figures, including the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is altered. The original graphic published online via the BBC’s Ukrainian website showed how the war has impacted the wealth of Ukrainian billionaire businessmen. Examples of the altered graphic can be viewed (here) and (here). The graphic was altered to make it appear that the BBC published a visual showing rapid increases in wealth accumulated by Ukrainian politicians. Instead, the BBC published a graphic detailing the monetary losses incurred by Ukrainian billionaires since the Russian invasion.

☆ Jeremy Clarkson: UK lawmakers call on Sun newspaper to sanction columnist over 'violent misogynistic' language
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Jeremy Clarkson tweeted that he was 'horrified' at the hurt his article caused. “This sort of language has no place in our country, and it is unacceptable that it was allowed to be published in a mainstream newspaper,” it reads. This was the highest circulation of any UK national newspaper at the time. “In light of Jeremy Clarkson’s tweet he has asked us to take last week’s column down,” the page now reads. Meghan recalled how she was stressed by UK newspaper the Mail on Sunday publishing a private letter she had written to her father, Thomas Markle.

“I haven’t seen sunlight in what seems like a long time,” Li told CNN, a week after the protests broke out. In recent years, Beijing has extended its crackdown on dissent to the foreign platform, detaining and jailing Chinese Twitter users who criticized the government. TwitterLi received thousands of submissions a day – and up to dozens per second at the height of the protests. Journalists, observers and activists monitored his feed closely, and some of his posts were aired on televisions across the world. And then they went to our house at midnight to harass my parents,” Li said.

☆ Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is finally earning as much as her male co-star
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is finally earning as much as her male co-star, after two decades in the movie industry. In an interview with the BBC, the actress and activist revealed that she never had “pay parity” in all the years she worked in Bollywood. Chopra Jonas was among the women to feature in the UK broadcaster’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world, published Tuesday. The BBC posted a short video clip on its website from a wide-ranging interview with the Indian star, due to be broadcast next year. In the clip, Chopra Jonas said: “I’ve never had pay parity in Bollywood.

☆ White House says 'everyone has the right to peacefully protest' after China Covid demonstrations intensify
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday issued a statement in support of peaceful protesters in China after demonstrations against the country's zero-Covid policy intensified this weekend. “We’ve long said everyone has the right to peacefully protest, in the United States and around the world,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement. “Zero COVID is not a policy we are pursuing here," the spokesperson said. The Chinese government argues its pandemic strategy has saved lives and is necessary to protect the fragile health care system from being overwhelmed. The latest deaths bring China’s official toll to more than 5,000, compared with more than 1 million in the United States.

Asked about the protests on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the Chinese government was adjusting its Covid measures based on the realities on the ground. “We believe that with the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the support of the Chinese people, our fight against Covid-19 will be successful,” he said at a regular news briefing. Zhao also addressed the detention of BBC journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested Sunday while covering the protests in Shanghai. The Communist Party “has a lot of experience accumulated over the years in dissipating social unrest,” she said. Most of the people who protested appeared to be from the Han ethnic group that dominates China.

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