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☆ Europe condemns Elon Musk suspending journalists from Twitter, warns of 'red lines'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Musk reinstated the suspended journalists early Saturday after a Twitter poll, but he had already drawn rebukes from the European Union and United Nations. “The EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. officials have also estimated they will add more than 100 full-time staff by 2024 to enforce the Digital Services Act and other new rules on digital competition. “The Digital Services Act is unprepared for this kind of problem, because it’s not designed for that,” said Downing, speaking of Thursday’s suspensions of tech journalists. “There was never a conception that journalists would be banned from Twitter, because that’s not what Twitter does,” he added.

☆ American college student who went missing in France reunited with family
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

An American college student who was reported missing during a study abroad trip in France has been reunited with his mother and is heading back to the United States, authorities said Saturday. DeLand had gone missing last month but made contact with his parents on Friday morning from Spain. They said at the time that they had last heard from DeLand on Nov. 27 via WhatsApp, a text message and calling app. The 22-year-old went to class on Nov. 28, his family had said. The following day, he left his host family’s home and boarded a train for Valence, France, packing a small bag that held his cellphone, food, wallet and a change of clothes.

☆ 4 people in critical condition after crush at London concert
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Eight people have been injured, with four in critical condition, after a suspected crush during a concert in London on Thursday night. Other footage appeared to show people who made it inside the venue running and pushing their way from the front entrance toward the concert hall. A large number of people were attempting to force entry during a performance by Nigerian Afrobeats singer-songwriter Asake. Met Police Gold Commander Ade Adelekan described the incident as “extremely upsetting.”The concert was cancelled just ten minutes after Asake appeared to perform. Police said they would also investigate how officers treated the crowd, which was predominantly made up of Black British attendees.

She said “the double standard was obvious” with the way that Catherine, Princess of Wales, had been treated by sections of the British media compared to Meghan, particularly during their pregnancies. “British media is disproportionately white, and that shapes the way stories are framed,” he said. In the third episode, footage shows Meghan and Harry attending a memorial service for Stephen Lawrence, a Black teenager killed in an attack by white youths in London in 1993. Instead, Harry refers to “unconscious bias” within the royal family, which Meghan helped to educate him on. Princess Michael of Kent attends a Christmas lunch for the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 20, 2017, wearing a "blackamoor" brooch.

☆ Charity suspends work over 'safety concerns' after founder's racist incident with Prince William's godmother
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON — A British charity led by a Black woman who says she was repeatedly pressed for information about her nationality by Prince William’s godmother, has suspended some its operations over safety concerns, it said Saturday. Sistah Space, which provides support to domestic violence victims of African and Caribbean heritage in London, made the announcement in a post on Instagram stories. “Unfortunately recent events meant that we were forced to temporarily cease many of our operations to ensure the safety of our service users and our teams,” it said. It added that the charity was “overwhelmed by the amount of support and encouragement and looks forward to fully reinstating as soon as safely possible.”NBC News has approached Sistah Space for further comment. “My team, family and I have been put under immense pressure and received some horrific abuse via social media,” the statement said.

☆ 'Significant storm' to batter west with high winds and heavy snow forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A "significant winter storm" will dump heavy snow and make travel dangerous as it makes its way across the west of the country over the weekend, forecasters warned early Saturday. “High winds, heavy snow and heavy precipitation will reach the Pacific Northwest today, then impact California,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin. More than 5 feet of snow is expected in the Sierra Nevada, resulting in “extremely dangerous travel, especially across mountain passes,” it added. “A winter storm with gale force winds, high intensity snowfall and feet of new snow accumulation may result in widespread avalanche activity in the mountains,” the Forest Service Sierra Avalanche Center said Friday. Elsewhere 1-3 feet of snow are expected across mountain ranges of the west coast, the NWS said.

☆ 'Bloody parcels' containing animal eyes mailed to Ukrainian embassies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Bloody parcels containing the eyes of animals and explosives have been sent to several Ukrainian embassies and consuls across Europe, officials said late Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement on Facebook that embassies in Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy had received packages containing the disembodied eyes of animals. Consulates in Naples, Italy, Krakow, Poland, and the Czech city of Brno had also been targeted, he said. Letter bombs were mailed to six addresses in Spain earlier this week, including the Ukrainian Embassy and the U.S. Embassy, as well as to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, causing security to be tightened. Farther south, the Ukrainian consul in Naples, Maksym Kovalenko, told the AP that his office received two letters containing fish eyes at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

☆ Thieves try to steal Banksy mural from scorched wall in Ukrainian town
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A group of thieves were thwarted after they attempted to steal a mural by the renowned street artist Banksy on the outskirts of Kyiv, a Ukrainian official said Friday. He said the thieves “were detained at the scene,” and the image was “undamaged” and under the protection of law enforcement officers. A vocal anti-war activist, Banksy has also painted murals in Gaza and the West Bank. His work, normally sprayed on the sides of buildings, has been threatened by thieves before. In June, eight were convicted in Paris over the 2019 theft of a Banksy mural at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris which commemorated the victims of a 2015 terror attack at the venue.

☆ Kim Jong Un reveals daughter at North Korea ballistic missile test
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A new ballistic missile with the range to hit all of the United States is a hard thing to upstage. But North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did just that with a surprise guest at the test-launch: his little-known daughter. Kim revealed his daughter to the world for the first time Saturday in images showing the pair hand-in-hand at the missile launch site, an unexpected appearance that raises the prospect of a fourth generation of Kims taking leadership of the secretive state — and its growing nuclear arsenal. North Korean state media said Saturday that Kim had observed the launch of the state’s new type of intercontinental ballistic missile with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, other officials, and his “beloved daughter” the previous day. Kim said the launch of the nuclear-capable Hwasong-17 missile proved he has a reliable weapon to contain U.S-led military threats, and the U.S. responded by flying supersonic bombers in a show of force.

☆ Kim Jong Un reveals his daughter to the world at latest ballistic missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Experts say images of Kim and his daughter are for elite consumption, and could symbolise Kim priming his daughter to be the next supreme leader STR / AFP - Getty ImagesA new ballistic missile with the range to hit all of the United States is a hard thing to upstage. But North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did just that with a surprise guest at the test-launch: his little-known daughter. North Korean state media said that Kim had observed the launch of the state's new type of intercontinental ballistic missile with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, other officials, and his "beloved daughter" on Friday. It was the latest escalation in months of provocations from Pyongyang, but attention was suddenly focused on the daughter whose existence had never been publicly confirmed before. It is the first confirmed public appearance of a child of the North Korean leader, whose personal life remains shrouded in mystery.

☆ Traces of explosives found at Nord Stream pipelines, confirming 'gross sabotage,' Sweden says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Investigators found traces of explosives at the site of the damaged Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic sea, confirming that the pipelines had been subject to “gross sabotage,” the Swedish Security Service said Friday. The statement did not expand on how the explosives might have got there and said an investigation was ongoing. The Swedish statement confirmed preliminary findings by Swedish and Danish authorities in October that “powerful explosions” had caused damage to the Nord Stream pipelines, referring to ruptures in the pipeline in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone. Underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines, which carry natural gases from Russia to Germany under the Baltic sea, in late September. Russia and Norway are the two major European exporters of natural gas, upon whom the rest of Europe has long been dependent.

☆ Should rich countries pay climate 'reparations'? What the COP27 debate means
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

More than 1,700 people, including more than 500 children, were killed in the extreme flooding and 33 million more displaced. Pakistan’s environmental footprint — how much carbon it has put into the atmosphere in recent decades — is significantly less than other countries. And at an individual level, the environmental footprint of most Pakistanis is much smaller than people in countries like the United States. Wealthy nations increasingly are being called upon to pay up, with $75.8 million being pledged in “loss and damage” payments at COP27 so far. At the previous climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, wealthy nations rejected proposals for a specific loss and damage fund, although countries agreed to start a “dialogue” on the issue.

They poured onto the streets of Kherson early Saturday, hugging police officers and waving the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag to celebrate the city's second day of liberation. In a separate message on Friday, the documentary filmmaker said he was in downtown Kherson when a vehicle carrying Ukrainian soldiers swept by that afternoon. Residents celebrate after Russian forces evacuated Kherson, Ukraine on Friday. Elsewhere, Russian state news agency Tass quoted Aleksandr Fomin, an official in Kherson’s Kremlin-appointed administration on Saturday as saying that Henichesk, a city on the Azov Sea some 125 miles southeast of Kherson city, would serve as the region’s “temporary capital” after the withdrawal. But it did not “change the underlying factors that will eventually mean Russian or Ukrainian success,” he added.

GIZA, Egypt — A century after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb made headlines around the world, in the sweltering desert heat just outside Cairo, a small team is still making new finds in ancient Egypt. A century after the tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered, archaeologists continue to unlock ancient Egypt's mysteries. TODAYThe remains of King Tutankhamun's closest generals and advisers were also at the site, which sits about 20 miles south of the North African nation's capital, he said. A 3,000-year-old coffin is opened in a burial chamber at the Saqqara in Giza site near Cairo. King Tutankhamun's death mask, found resting on his mummified shoulders.

☆ Da Silva wins Brazil presidential election, ends Bolsonaro era for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated his bitter rival, President Jair Bolsonaro, to secure his second term as Brazil's leader Sunday after a tightly fought race in the world’s fourth-largest democracy. Pre-election polls had given da Silva, a former metalworker and union leader known universally as “Lula,” a commanding lead. Da Silva, who served as Brazil’s president from 2003-2010, is credited with building an extensive social welfare program during his tenure that helped lift tens of millions into the middle class. Da Silva was himself convicted on corruption and money laundering charges, leading to a 19-month imprisonment that left him sidelined in the 2018 presidential election against rival Bolsonaro. Da Silva promised during his campaign to help Brazil’s most vulnerable communities, crack down on illegal deforestation and set up a new Indigenous peoples’ ministry.

☆ Climate protesters campaign by throwing food at art, but does that work?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

From cake smeared over the “Mona Lisa" to soup splashed over “Sunflowers,” recent climate protests at art galleries have grabbed international headlines but also raise questions about the effectiveness of these high-profile guerrilla tactics. But he said that war in Ukraine, the cost of living and energy crises had added urgency to the protests. While politicians have taken note of the protests, they have tended to criticize the way they have been carried out. Attacking defenseless works of art is not the right way,” Gunay Uslu, the Dutch culture and media minister tweeted Thursday. “What we’ve seen from Extinction Rebellion and other climate activist groups is that they’re very prepared to go to prison,” he said.

☆ Mystery as former Chinese leader is escorted out of Communist Party Congress in front of world media
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Janis.Jpg | Janis Mackey Frayer | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING — Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was led out of the country's Communist Party Congress Saturday in a moment of unexpected drama during an otherwise highly choreographed event. The “Two Safeguards” assure Xi’s “core” status within the party and the party’s centralised authority over China. It is widely expected that Xi Jinping will hold onto his status as general secretary and head of China’s armed forces. “With Xi Jinping being so prominent, and the party so omnipresent, whenever something goes wrong in China the party will be blamed, and Xi Jinping will be blamed,” he said. In his closing remarks, president Xi said that the Chinese Communist Party, now in its 100th year, was still in its prime.

☆ 7 Chinese nationals charged in alleged plot to repatriate U.S. resident
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Federal authorities have charged seven Chinese nationals over an alleged long-running harassment campaign to try and intimidate a U.S. resident into returning to China. “The United States will firmly counter such outrageous violations of national sovereignty and prosecute individuals who act as illegal agents of foreign states,” he added. Surveillance footage showed Guanyang An, left, and Weidong Yuan visited the victim's residence and took photographs of it, according to the indictment. “That same government sent agents to the United States to harass, threaten, and forcibly return them to the People’s Republic of China,” he added. In 2020, federal prosecutors arrested five people accused of trying to coerce Chinese citizens to go home.

☆ U.K.'s new finance chief warns of 'difficult decisions ahead' amid political and market turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — The U.K.'s new finance minister warned of “difficult decisions ahead” on Saturday, the morning after he had replaced his predecessor who was only 38 days into the job. Warning of “difficult decisions ahead” Hunt told British broadcaster Sky News: “Some taxes will not be cut as quickly as people would want, some taxes will go up.” (Sky News is owned by Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.) Kwarteng became the second shortest-serving chancellor of the exchequer, as the British finance minister is known. Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss at a news conference on Friday. Truss is Britain’s third prime minister in six years.

Share this -Link copiedThe full order of service for the funeral at Westminster Abbey The funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II is underway at Westminster Abbey. Police officers patrol outside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, ahead of the state funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaves Westminster Hall for her funeral service in Westminster Abbey. Around 2,300 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle and 1,000 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. Share this -Link copiedBuckingham Palace releases previously unseen portrait of queen Queen Elizabeth II, photographed at Windsor Castle in May 2022.

☆ Queen Elizabeth II funeral live updates: Britain, world say farewell to iconic monarch
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Patrick Smith | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +20 min

“Today I respectfully join leaders from Britain, Ireland & the international community at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as she is laid to rest,” O’Neill tweeted. “Passengers can use their tickets on Tube and bus services instead,” the Heathrow Airport announced ahead of the queen’s funeral. Around 2,300 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle and 1,000 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. Share this -Link copiedBuckingham Palace releases previously unseen portrait of queen Queen Elizabeth II, photographed at Windsor Castle in May 2022. Ranald Mackechnie / PA This previously unseen photo of Queen Elizabeth II was released late Sunday by Buckingham Palace.

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