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He was the founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy, anti-Beijing newspaper that was forced to shut down in 2021. The trial, which began in December 2023, is the most high-profile prosecution of a Hong Kong media figure since the city was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997. Like all national security trials in Hong Kong, Lai’s trial does not have a jury and is presided over by three judges picked from a national security committee that is approved by Hong Kong’s leader. “Jimmy Lai is a key instigator of anti-China activities, and his collusion with external forces to disrupt Hong Kong and incite division is well-known,” China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said in a statement last week. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Hong Kong at 135 out of 180 places in its annual press freedom ranking.

Persons: Jimmy Lai, hasn’t, Hong Kong’s, Joshua Wong, “, Donald Trump, Lai, Keir Starmer, Xi Jinping, “ We’re, Jimmy Lai’s, ” Starmer, Xi, Daniel Suen, ’, Chiu Mei, “ Lai, ”, Chris Lau, CNN Lai, Trump Lai, Mike Pence, Trump, you’re, ” Lai, Hong, Anthony Kwan, John Lee, Lee, Trump’s, Hugh Hewitt, I’ll Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Apple, White, Apple Daily, Getty, Hong, CNN, “, ” Prosecutors, Kowloon Law, Trump, Beijing, Hong Kong . Police, ” Police, HK, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, China, Britain, British, Brazil, AFP, Beijing, Kowloon, Washington, “ Hong Kong, China , Hong Kong, Hong

☆ LGBTQ Afghans say they face abuse in detention as Taliban crackdown intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“He grabbed me from behind, tore my clothes apart and raped me,” Sohrab – whose name has been changed for security reasons – told CNN in October. Transgender and gender non-conforming people are being “consistently” targeted at Taliban checkpoints due to their choice of clothing, human rights groups said. “I will never forget when the Taliban came to our house,” Samiar Nazari, a 22-year-old transgender man, told CNN. Other human rights groups have documented instances of extrajudicial detention, conducted out of the public eye. With little sign that the Taliban will improve their record on human rights, many in the country feel abandoned by the international community.

Persons: Sohrab, “, ” Sohrab –, –, ” Sohrab, Wakil Kohsar, Roshaniya, ”, Neela Ghoshal, Artemis Akbary, Ghoshal, ” Samiar, ” Nazari, Akbary, Abdul, ” Abdul, David Osborn, Osborn, It’s, Sano –, Sano, ” Sano, He’s, Rosemary DiCarlo, DiCarlo, Yuki Iwamura, UNAMA Organizations: CNN, “, Taliban, Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghan LGBT Organization, Getty, ” CNN, US Department of State, Facebook, Afghan, UK’s, Information Resilience, Afghan Witness, ”, UN, Political, Peacebuilding, United Nations Locations: Afghanistan, Czech Republic, Pul, Kabul, AFP, –, ‘ Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Herat, Afghanistan’s, Jalalabad, Qatar

☆ Georgia's election forces voters to choose between a future with Russia or Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party at the party's final campaign rally in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Despite its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric, Georgian Dream insists it still wants Georgia to join the EU and its election posters feature the party's logo along with the symbol of the EU. People walk past campaign posters of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 22, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili attends the final campaign rally of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili, staunchly critical of the ruling party, addressed crowds of supporters last weekend, telling them that the vote would "demonstrate people's will for freedom, independence, and a European future."

Persons: Giorgi Arjevanidze, There's, Bidzina Ivanishvili, —, oligarch Bidzina, Salome Zurabishvili's, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Salome Zurabishvili Organizations: Afp, Getty, Center for, NATO, European Union, EU, Western, Russia, Party, Institute for, Kremlin Locations: Georgian, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Moscow, Washington, Europe, Western Ukraine, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia, European

☆ Press freedom group warns a Trump victory could embolden attacks on journalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Brian Stelter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Next month’s presidential election could make America’s hostile media climate even worse for journalists. That’s the takeaway from a new Committee to Protect Journalists report about the state of press freedom in the US. The Committee to Protect Journalists has historically called attention to journalists being arrested and killed in repressive regimes. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, assaults on journalists in the US have soared by more than 50% in 2024 compared to last year. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the “corrosive political environment” has intensified safety concerns for journalists – forcing newsrooms to conduct safety assessments, evaluate online threats, and hire extra security.

Persons: ”, Katherine Jacobsen, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Jacobsen, Donald Trump –, Biden, “, ” Jacobsen, Trump, newsrooms, we’ve, ” Bruce Shapiro, Jodie Ginsberg, Kamala Harris Organizations: New, New York CNN, Protect Journalists, “ Media, Capitol, The Washington Post, Trump, US Press, Comcast, Dart Center for Journalism, Columbia University, Democratic party’s Locations: New York, United States

Though government officials criticized the paper’s reporting, that year it was rated among the city’s most credible news outlets by Hong Kong residents, according to a survey by researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. We are targeting national security offenses,” Steve Li, chief superintendent of the national security police, said at the time. Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, a local press group, said dozens of Hong Kong journalists had been targeted by a “systemic” online and offline harassment and intimidation campaign that was the largest in scale the group had ever seen. There have also been rising reports of non-local journalists being denied work visas or entry to Hong Kong, an international media hub. Hong Kong ranked 135th out of 180 countries and territories in Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index, compared with 70th in 2018.

Persons: Chung Pui, Patrick Lam, Hong, ”, Chung, Lam, Edmond So, Hong Kong’s, Steve Li, “, ” Chung, shirk, Selina Cheng, John Lee, Aleksandra Bielakowska Organizations: European Union, Hong, Stand, China Morning Post, Reuters, Chinese University of Hong, police, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Hong Kong, China’s Foreign Ministry Locations: Hong Kong, U.S, British, Asia, Beijing, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Taiwan

☆ Selina Cheng: Hong Kong journalist says she was fired by WSJ after taking top post at union under attack by Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Wall Street Journal reporter in Hong Kong said she was fired after being elected to lead a press union that has come under attack by Beijing amid a national security crackdown. Selina Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on June 22, said in a statement posted Wednesday on X that she had been terminated from her job covering China’s car sector earlier in the day. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019, a charge the association has denied. But critics have increasingly bemoaned the territory’s shrinking press freedoms since Beijing imposed a national security on Hong Kong after the 2019 protests. “The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” he said.

Persons: Selina Cheng, ” Cheng, “, ”, Hong Kong’s, Cheng, Gordon Fairclough, Emma Tucker, Evan Gershkovich Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Hong, CNN, The, CIA Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Singapore, Russia

A Ukrainian reporter who revealed that a state news agency tried to bar interviews with opposition politicians said he received a draft notification the next day. Ukraine’s domestic spy agency spied on staff members of an investigative news outlet through peepholes in their hotel rooms. Journalists and groups monitoring press freedoms are raising alarms over what they say are increasing restrictions and pressures on the media in Ukraine under the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky that go well beyond the country’s wartime needs. “It’s really disturbing,” said Oksana Romanyuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information, a nonprofit that monitors media freedoms. That is particularly true, she said, in a war where Ukraine is “fighting for democracy against the values of dictatorship embodied by Russia.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Oksana Romanyuk Organizations: of Mass Locations: Ukrainian, peepholes, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Modi's strongman rule raises questions about India's 'democratic decline' as he seeks a third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, center, during a campaign rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA decade into power, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to secure a rare third term, with the general elections now underway. Opposition 'witch hunt'Ahead of the elections, India's main opposition — the National Congress party — accused the Modi government of freezing its bank accounts. "This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a fiery attack. "During Manmohan Singh's time, India was also growing very fast," he added, referring to the economic reforms under the former prime minister in the 1990s.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India's, Modi, Prakash Singh, Asim Ali, Ali, Milan, Modi's, —, Rahul Gandhi, Chietigj Bajpaee, Arvind Kejriwal, consecrating, Ronojoy Sen, Neelanjan Sircar, Manmohan Singh's, Sircar Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, India's, East, CNBC, Dem, Freedom House, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Newsweek, Bharatiya Janata Party, National Congress, South Asia, Chatham House, Aam Aadmi Party, Modi's BJP, BJP, Institute of South Asian Studies, Centre for Policy Research Locations: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, East Asia, New Delhi, Sweden, U.S, Milan Vaishnav, South Asia, Gujarat, Ali, Delhi, Lok, Ayodhya, Ayodhya —, BJP

☆ One of the largest FTX creditors is trying to recoup millions for victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Bruch is one of the largest individual FTX creditors and has been tapped by the US Department of Justice to serve as one of nine on the FTX Creditors’ Committee, where he is working to recoup the funds lost by customers. DOJ-appointed creditor committees ordinarily consist of people and companies who hold the seven largest unsecured claims against the debtor (in this case, FTX), according to the agency. Before the Bell spoke with Bruch about Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, MyPrize and the future of crypto. I feel for all of the creditors and am doing everything I can to help recoup what was taken from us. I’ve worked at some of the largest crypto trading desks in the world and then also started trading my own book of capital and grew to become one of the largest individual crypto traders.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Zach Bruch, Bruch, MyPrize, Bell, Sam Bankman Fried, —, ”, Sam Bankman Fried’s, Bitcoin, I’ve, Elisabeth Buchwald, Jerome Powell wasn’t, ” Powell, Powell, Christopher Waller, Evan Gershkovich, Evan Gershkovich’s, Radina Gigova, Anna Chernova, Antonina Favorskaya, Alexey Navalny, Favorskaya, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, US Department of Justice, ’, DOJ, Arrington Capital, Department of Justice, Federal, Commerce Department, San Francisco Fed, ” Fed, CNN, Wall Street Locations: New York, Russia, Yekaterinburg

☆ Russia is rounding up more journalists a year after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Radina Gigova | Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Six journalists working for independent media outlets in Russia were arrested in a span of just a few hours this week on the eve of the anniversary of American reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention in the city of Yekaterinburg. The journalists include Antonina Favorskaya, who covered the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Thursday. On Friday, Gershkovich marked the grim milestone of one year in Russian detention. Shortly after his arrest, the Wall Street Journal reporter was charged with espionage — an accusation vehemently denied by Gershkovich, his employer and the US government. APThe six journalists, including Favorskaya, were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday, RSF said.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich’s, Antonina Favorskaya, Alexey Navalny, Favorskaya, Gershkovich, Navalny, Alexey Navalny's, RSF, “, ”, Jeanne Cavelier, “ RSF, ” Cavelier, ” RSF, Alexandra Astakhova, Anastasia Musayeva Organizations: London CNN —, Wall Street, US Federal Bureau of, TASS Locations: Russia, Yekaterinburg, Russian, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Central Asia

☆ Opinion: Watch carefully what Putin does next
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Literally and figuratively, Putin was telling Russians — who would soon vote in a presidential election — that he was the man to protect them. Once in office, attack after attack gave him the pretext to dismantle democracy brick by brick. Once in office, attack after attack gave him the pretext to dismantle democracy brick by brick. Patrushev, incidentally, now heads the national security council, and as I recently wrote, is a possible successor to Putin. The terrorist attack was a glaring failure by the president and his regime.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Putin, —, ”, Yeltsin, Nikolai Patrushev, Alexander Litvinenko, Denis Sinyakov, Moscow’s, beholden, Oleg Nikishin, Crocus Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Crocus City Hall, ISIS, Putin, FSB, European Court, Human Rights, Kremlin, Chechen, Getty Locations: Crocus, Moscow, Ukraine, Washington, Chechnya, Russian, Ryazan, AFP, Russia, Beslan, ”

The woman is Lutfiye Zudiyeva, a Crimean Tatar, and she shared video of the moment on her social media accounts. It’s inevitable.”Arrests like hers, as well as large mass raids, especially, but not exclusively, in areas predominantly inhabited by Crimean Tatar communities, have been common since 2014. “The situation is only getting worse,” said human rights lawyer Emil Kurbedinov, himself a Crimean Tatar. AFP/Getty ImagesThe major concern now is that Crimea is a template for the other four Ukrainian regions now fully or partially occupied by Russia. Propaganda effortWhen it comes to Crimea, Russia has tried to hide its oppression under a veil of public investment, and patriotism.

Persons: “, ”, Russia’s, ” Zudiyeva, Joseph Stalin, Emil Kurbedinov, Daniel van Moll, NurPhoto, Kurbedinov, Ukraine –, Viktor Yanukovich’s, ” —, Baz Ratner, Yanukovich –, Sergey Aksyonov, Sean Gallup, ” Kurbedinov, Krzysztof Janowski, ” Janowski, Vladimir Putin, Irina Volk, Zaporizhzhia –, Volk, didn’t Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Tatars, Soviet Union, Fleet, Reuters, Research, Russia, Crimean, Getty, UN, Ukrainian, Moscow Locations: Crimean, Ukrainian, Crimea, Crimean Tatar, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars, Russia, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Russian, Soviet, Moscow, Kyiv, Russian Republic of Crimea, AFP, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Avdiivka, Kerch, “

☆ Julian Assange makes last-ditch attempt in UK court to avoid extradition to the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange attends a seminar at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation in Stockholm on August 14, 2010. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange and his bodyguards are seen after a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2010. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange’s, Priti Patel, Assange, Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Chelsea Manning, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Assange’s, Edward Fitzgerald, ”, “, ” Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Assange “, ” Mark Summers, Stella, Julia Hall, Rebecca Vincent, ” Vincent, Nick Vamos, “ It’s, Vamos Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, European, of Human Rights, Ecuadorian, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, British, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Army, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, Eastern, of, Department, US, UK’s, Media, Foreign Press Association, Amnesty, International Campaigns, US Espionage, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service Locations: United States, British, Belmarsh, Queensland, Australia, Westminster, London, Afghanistan, AFP, Stockholm, Iraq, Geneva, Switzerland, Sweden, Ecuador, Austin , Texas, Ecuadorian, United Nations, United Kingdom, Quito, Southwark, America, of Virginia, Guantanamo, Australian, Europe, UK’s

☆ Greece legalizes same-sex marriage in a first for an Orthodox Christian country
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Athens, Greece CNN —The Greek parliament on Thursday passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, in a landmark victory for human rights in Greece and making it the first majority Orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality for all. Now, same-sex parents can both be recognized as legal parents to their children. A recent poll carried out by Metron Analysis showed that although 62% of respondents said they were in favor of same-sex marriage, 69% were against same-sex parenthood. The same-sex marriage bill has drawn the wrath of the influential Greek Orthodox Church to which more than 80% of the population belong. All three voted against the same-sex marriage law, and the legislation could still push some angry voters to the right ahead of European elections in June.

Persons: Greece CNN —, Andrea Gilbert, “, ”, Katerina Trimmi, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Sergio Berezovski, Mitsotakis, Alexis Rafailides, Stefanos, ” Kasselakis, Tyler McBeth, Kasselakis, Elias …, ” Stelios Pandazopoulos, Angelo, – Organizations: Greece CNN, Athens Pride, CNN, Greek National Commission of Human Rights, Rainbow, Computer, EU, Metron, New Democracy Locations: Athens, Greece, surrogates, Thursdau, ”, Syriza, American, Karditsa

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Tucker Carlson reportedly leaves Russia; Kyiv silent on ex-Fox News host's interview request after criticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"As soon as it [the interview] is prepared, it will be released," he told reporters, according to TASS news agency. He also claimed that no one had "bothered" to interview the Russian president. Announcing his interview with Putin, Carlson said "we are not here because we love Vladimir Putin. Russia's media landscape is tightly-controlled by the Kremlin and is consistently careful to orchestrate favorable coverage (and to omit any criticism) of Russia's leadership. It's also rare for Western media outlets to be granted an audience with Putin and many foreign journalists have been expelled from Russia.

Persons: Peskov, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Brice Mahamat Idriss Deby, Carlson, Putin, Alexander NEMENOV, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Mister Carlson, couldn't, It's, Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Kremlin's, Sputnik, Kremlin, Commission, Kyiv, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russian, United States, St, Basil's, Russia's, Kremlin United Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Russia

☆ Serbia's Parliament Convenes as Opposition Protests Vote Result
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

On Dec. 17, President Aleksandar Vucic's populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) secured nearly 47% of the votes in the parliamentary election and the opposition alliance Serbia Against Violence (SPN) almost 24%. At the opening session, opposition lawmakers blew whistles and waved banners reading "Election fraud" and "You stole elections", trading insults with their SNS counterparts. Radomir Lazovic, an opposition lawmaker, said plainclothed police and the parliament's security detail had stepped up checks at the parliament building to intimidate the opposition. Since the election, the SPN, other opposition parties and civil society groups have staged protests to demand a rerun of the vote. Serbia's opposition and rights watchdogs accuse Vucic and the SNS of stifling media freedoms, violence against opponents, corruption, and ties with organised crime.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic's, Radomir Lazovic, Marinika, Vucic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Ros Russell Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, European Union Locations: Serbia

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Filoli estate on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Woodside, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. Biden held a solo news conference after four hours of talks with Xi on the outskirts of San Francisco. At the end of the news conference, he was asked whether he still held the view that Xi was a dictator, something he said in June. When Biden made a similar dictator reference in June, China called the remarks absurd and a provocation. Xi told Biden that the negative views of the Communist Party in the United States were unfair, a U.S. official told reporters after the meeting.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Xi, He's, Mao Zedong, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Stephen Coates Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, National People's Congress, Communist Party, U.S, Thomson Locations: Filoli, Asia, Woodside , California, U.S, Rights WOODSIDE , California, Beijing, San Francisco, United States, San Francisco ., Tibet, Hong Kong, China, Wednesday's

☆ Israel, Gaza and What We Get Wrong - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

We’ve reached a searing milestone: In just five weeks of war, half of 1 percent of Gaza’s population has been killed. The second myth is that Palestinians can be put off indefinitely, strung along by Israel, the United States and other countries. I’m all for surgical strikes against Hamas and I would be delighted if Israel managed to end extremism in Gaza. It also means renouncing what Netanyahu called “mighty vengeance” that transforms entire neighborhoods of Gaza into rubble, with bodies buried underneath. If you weep only for Israeli children, or only for Palestinian children, you have a problem that goes beyond your tear ducts.

Persons: —, We’ve, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Isaac Herzog, Israel, Roy Grow, Mohammed Alshannat, ”, Netanyahu, don’t Organizations: Hamas, Health Ministry, United Nations, Bank, Carleton College Locations: Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Western Sahara, Xinjiang, Israel, United States, Palestinian, Palestine, Saudi Arabia

☆ Biden Calls Xi a Dictator After Carefully Planned Summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Biden held a solo news conference after four hours of talks with Xi on the outskirts of San Francisco. At the end of the news conference, he was asked whether he still held the view that Xi was a dictator, something he said in June. Xi is considered the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, after a decade of consolidating power in policy-making and the military, and stifling media freedoms. When Biden made a similar dictator reference in June, China called the remarks absurd and a provocation. Xi told Biden that the negative views of the Communist Party in the United States were unfair, a U.S. official told reporters after the meeting.

Persons: Trevor Hunnicutt, Jeff Mason WOODSIDE, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, He's, Mao Zedong, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Stephen Coates Organizations: National People's Congress, Economic Cooperation, Communist Party, U.S Locations: Jeff Mason WOODSIDE , California, Beijing, San Francisco, United States, Asia, San Francisco ., Tibet, Hong Kong, China, Wednesday's

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s highest court on Wednesday upheld a controversial media law that mandates prison terms for people deemed to be spreading “disinformation,” rejecting the main opposition party’s request for its annulment. It was approved in parliament a year ago with the votes of legislators from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist allies, heightening concerns over media freedoms and free speech in the country. The main opposition party had petitioned the Constitutional Court seeking its annulment, arguing that the law would be used to further silence government critics by cracking down on social media and independent reporting. Freedom of expression and media freedoms have declined dramatically in Turkey over the years. Currently, 19 journalists or media sector workers are behind bars, according to the Journalists’ Union of Turkey.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s, Tolga Sardan, Erdogan Organizations: —, Anadolu Agency, Borders, Journalists ’ Union of Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Journalists ’ Union of Turkey

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Thirty-four journalists have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas, an international media freedom group said Wednesday, accusing both sides of committing possible war crimes. It’s the third such complaint to be filed by the group since 2018 alleging war crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Israel says it makes every effort to avoid killing civilians and accuses Hamas of putting them at risk by operating in residential areas. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesAnother media freedom organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Wednesday that it was investigating reports of journalists “killed, injured, detained or missing” in the war, including in Lebanon. It said its preliminary death toll was at least 31 journalists and media workers.

Persons: ” Christophe Deloire, “, “ CPJ, ”, Sherif Mansour, Karim Khan, Israel, Israel isn’t, Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah, Al Jazeera, Samy Magdy Organizations: Hamas, Criminal, ICC, Protect Journalists, Reuters, AFP, Associated Press Locations: HAGUE, Netherlands, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, France, Gaza ”, Lebanon, New York, East, North Africa, Rafah, Palestine, Al, Lebanese, Cairo, israel

☆ Serbia's Vucic dissolves parliament, sets snap vote for Dec 17
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The parliamentary election will coincide with local votes in 65 municipalities, including the capital Belgrade. Experts say the vote and an absence of a working parliament, will allow Vucic to buy time and delay decisions over ties with independent and predominantly Albanian Kosovo, which Serbia still sees as its southern province. Opposition parties and rights groups accuse Vucic, the SNS and its allies of autocracy, oppressing media freedoms, election fraud, violence against political opponents, corruption and ties with organised crime. After signing the decree, Vucic said it was important for Serbia to "preserve peace, stability, and internal cohesion and (to) show democracy". "This campaign is an opportunity to present different ideas, programs, policies ... , but which must never threaten vital interests of Serbia," he said.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Ursula von der Leyen, Stata, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Cawthorne, Alison Williams Organizations: EU, Russia, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbian, Kosovo, Belgrade, Albanian Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine ally Poland is moving to the political center. And that's bad news for Russia's Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It has taken in more than a million refugees from its close ally Ukraine since the start of the war, with many more millions passing through it. Its relations with Ukraine have soured in recent months, partly because of a dispute over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on local farmers. Tian also expects the result to "reposition Poland as a staunch supporter of Ukraine" and for Tusk to push for EU accession for Ukraine. "The big thing to bear in mind when looking at Poland and Ukraine is they have an overarching strategic common interest [challenging Russian aggression], and this supersedes everything. So it will be difficult to restore relations to how they were in the first 18 months of the war, regardless of what Poland does."

Persons: Donald Tusk, Donald Tusk —, —, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Tusk, Tian, Aleks Szczerbiak, Szczerbiak Organizations: Civic, Getty, EU, Justice, CNBC, NATO, World Trade Organization, Law, Nurphoto, European, Economist Intelligence Unit, University of Sussex, Confederation, Soviet, Russia Locations: Warsaw, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Russia, China, India, Poland, Warsaw's, Krakow, Central Europe, Hungary, Slovakia, Berlin

Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), speaks after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. A late Ipsos exit poll published early on Monday gave PiS 36.6% of the vote, which would translate into 198 lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. RECORD TURNOUTThe late exit poll had been delayed, and some commentators linked this to a record turnout of nearly 73%, the highest since the fall of communism in 1989. Tusk, 66, was jubilant following the announcement of the first exit poll results on Sunday. This is the end of the PiS government," he told party members.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Kacper, Tusk, Donald Tusk's, Cezary Tomczyk, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, Joachim Brudzinski, Brudzinski, Wladysław Kosiniak, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Lidia Kelly, Alan Charlish, Shri Navaratnam, Gareth Jones Organizations: Civic Coalition, REUTERS, EU WARSAW, European Union, Law, Justice, European, EU, TVN, Polish Peasants's Party, Local, Democracy, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Brussels, Europe, Wrocław, Gdansk, Melbourne

Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), speaks after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. The incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party has repeatedly clashed with the European Union over the rule of law, media freedom, migration and LGBT rights since it swept to power in 2015. An Ipsos exit poll published early on Monday gave PiS 36.6% of the vote, which would translate into 198 lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house of parliament. On Monday, Duda urged patience until the full election results were known. However, with the far-right Confederation seen winning just 6.4%, below expectations, according to the exit poll, PiS will struggle to forge a new government.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Kacper, Donald Tusk's, Tusk, Lee Hardman, Andrzej Duda, Duda, PiS, Wladyslaw Kosiniak, Kamysz, beholden, Iga Frackiewicz, Lidia Kelly, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Civic Coalition, REUTERS, EU, Justice, European Union, European, Polish Peasants ' Party, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Brussels, Europe, Polish, Wrocław, Gdansk, Melbourne

Search resuls for: "Media Freedom"

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