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CNN —The Nobel Foundation has U-turned on a controversial decision to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize award ceremony after facing widespread criticism. Ukraine had condemned the decision to invite the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors, who had been left out of Stockholm’s Nobel Prize awards ceremony last year because of the war in Ukraine. We, therefore, choose to repeat last year’s exception to regular practice – that is, to not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm,” the foundation said. The Nobel Banquet takes place annually in Stockholm on December 10, where five out of six Nobel Prizes are awarded. Athletes from Russia and Belarus have also been banned from competing in numerous sporting events, and diplomats are regularly excluded from summits.

Persons: ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Nobel Foundation Locations: Russia, Belarus, Iran, Ukraine, Sweden, Stockholm, Oslo, Norway, Moscow, Minsk

☆ Ukrainian strikes reportedly hit bases in Russia housing supersonic warplanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Ivana Kottasová Tim Lister Svitlana Vlasova Mariya Knight Gianluca Mezzofiore Eve Brennan Olga Voitovych Sarah El Sirgany | Ivana Kottasová | Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Ukrainian forces appear to have stepped up their efforts to weaken Russian air superiority in the war by attacking bases that house supersonic warplanes deep inside Russian territory. Over the weekend, Russia’s defense ministry said another Ukrainian drone hit the Soltsy military airfield in the Novgorod region, also hundreds of kilometers north of Ukraine. The Shaykovka military air base operates Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range bombers that have been used by Russia to strike targets in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion last year. Degrading moraleThe attack on Monday was the second strike against a Russian air base housing powerful hardware in just three days. Ukrainian media reported that attacks on Russian bases over the past few days have destroyed several aircraft including two bombers, citing unnamed Ukrainian defense intelligence officials.

Persons: Shaykovka, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Tupolev, YURI KADOBNOV, Baza –, –, ” Mash, Vladislav Shapsha, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Tupolev, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Main Directorate of Intelligence, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Getty, Russian Telegram, Russia’s Defense, Planet Labs, for, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukrainian, Novgorod, Ukraine, Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Russia’s Kaluga, AFP, Russian, Kirov, Soltsy, Washington

CNN —Six people died after a boat carrying migrants sank in the English Channel, authorities say. The English Channel is one of the world’s busiest waterways and crossing on small boats is extremely dangerous. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – whose governing Conservatives have been struggling in the polls – made stopping boats making the perilous crossing across the English Channel one of his top priorities. Pascal Rossignol/ReutersBut 755 migrants were detected crossing the channel to the UK Thursday, government figures showed. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a tweet that her “thoughts are with the victims” of the migrant boat that capsized.

Persons: Franck Dhersin, ”, Rishi Sunak –, Pascal Rossignol, Elisabeth Borne, Herve Berville, Suella Braverman Organizations: CNN, Channel, Local, Twitter, Conservatives, Reuters, Paris, French, French Navy, Border Force Locations: Calais, Dover

CNN —The Eiffel Tower was evacuated for several hours Saturday over a bomb threat, according to CNN affiliate France BFMTV. The three floors of the tower, as well as the courtyard, were evacuated while authorities assessed the threat, BFMTV reported. A large security perimeter was quickly established, and traffic was diverted, according to BFMTV, who added that a team of deminers were also bought on-site to assess the threat. “It’s a usual procedure in this kind of situation, which is rare nevertheless,” a spokesperson for SETE, the operating company for the Eiffel Tower, said, according to BFMTV. In 2019 the monument was evacuated and closed after a man was spotted climbing up the side.

Persons: BFMTV, ” Organizations: CNN, France BFMTV, Eiffel Locations: SETE, Paris

☆ Armenia-Azerbaijan: 'Reasonable' to believe genocide being committed, former ICC chief prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has said there is “reasonable basis to believe that genocide is being committed against Armenians” in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been battling over the region for decades. On Monday, UN experts urged Azerbaijan to lift a blockade on the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. An Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entry of the Lachin corridor, the Armenian-populated breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's only land link with Armenia, on July 30. “It is essential to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals during this critical time,” they added.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Luis Moreno Ocampo, Ocampo, KAren Minasyan, Vahe, Josep Borrell, “, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Karabak Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, UN Security, Deputy, European Union, EU Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Netherlands, UNHCR, Azerbaijani

CNN —A Niger general, Abdourahamane Tiani, appeared on state television as the country’s new leader following a military coup that sparked international condemnation. Tiani said in the broadcast that Wednesday’s coup was motivated by both the desire to “preserve our homeland” in a context of a “deteriorating security situation,” and poor economic and social governance. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that the coup was “deeply dangerous for Niger and the whole region,” and called for Bazoum’s release. However, a senior official loyal to Bazoum has suggested there is discord among coup leaders. The aide spoke on condition of not being identified because of the security situation.

Persons: Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, “, Mohamed Bazoum’s, Abdourahamane, ” Bazoum, Mahamadou Issoufou, insurgencies, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, –, Catherine Colonna, Bazoum, ”, they’ve, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Bazoum “, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Mahamat, General Antonio Guterres, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, ” Abdramane Organizations: CNN, African, AFP, Télé, Getty, Nigerien, Union, Bazoum, National Council for, ECOWAS, United Nations, African Union Commission, RIA Novosti, UN Locations: Niger, France, Télé Sahel, Sahel, AFP, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Papua New Guinea, Niamey

CNN —Jane Birkin, the British singer and actress who found fame in France, has died aged 76, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported Sunday, citing its sources. She was the inspiration for the famous Birkin bag by French luxury house Hermes. Gainsbourg went on to write “Je t’aime… moi non plus” for Birkin and the song became an international hit that same year. She also managed to carve out a prolific career in the world of music, releasing several records in the French language. Dumas was true to his word and the Birkin bag was introduced in 1984.

Persons: CNN — Jane Birkin, BFMTV, Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg, Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Lou Doillon, Jane, Charlotte, Doillon, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Serge, Kate Barry, John Barry, Jean, Luc Godard, Agnes Varda, Bertrand Tavernier, Steve Wood, Cesar, Jacques Doillon, Kate, Christiane Amanpour, Louis Dumas, Hermes, Mason Rothschild, Kelly, Grace Kelly – Birkin, Amanpour, “, Dumas Organizations: CNN, Paris, CNN’s, Air, British Vogue Locations: British, France, Paris, French, London, Air France, Dumas

London CNN —London’s Metropolitan Police said Monday it was assessing whether there was evidence that a BBC presenter accused of sexual misconduct has committed a criminal offense. The UK broadcaster suspended “a male member of staff” at the weekend after The Sun newspaper reported Friday that a woman had accused an unnamed BBC presenter of paying her teenage child for sexually explicit photographs. In a statement, the Met said detectives from its Specialist Crime Command met virtually with representatives from the BBC on Monday morning. It is a criminal offense in the UK to take or obtain sexually explicit photographs of anyone under the age of 18. The BBC has not yet named the presenter in question.

Persons: “, ”, ” DCMS Organizations: London CNN — London’s Metropolitan Police, Sun, Met, Command, BBC, CNN, United Kingdom’s Department of Culture , Media, Sport, Twitter

CNN —Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has signed some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, the speaker of parliament said, defying international pressure. The bill includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality’ which includes sex with a minor, having sex while HIV positive and incest. The bill criminalizes sex education for the gay community and makes it illegal not to expose what it calls perpetrators of aggravated homosexuality to the police. Uganda’s longtime president has already faced extensive criticism from Western governments, including the US, over the law. “The civil society in Uganda together with the LGBTQI community are prepared to take this to the courts and challenge the law.

Paris/London CNN —The European Parliament on Tuesday banned TikTok from staff devices over cybersecurity concerns, meaning the Chinese video-sharing app is now barred in all three of the EU’s main institutions. The parliament also “strongly recommended” that its members and staff remove TikTok from their personal devices. “We appreciate that some governments have wisely chosen not to implement such bans due to a lack of evidence that there is any such need.”Last week, the European Commission announced it was banning TikTok from official devices, citing cybersecurity concerns. On Monday, the White House directed federal agencies to remove TikTok from all government-issued devices within 30 days, with few exceptions. Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson, called the ban “little more than political theater.”“The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments,” Oberwetter said in a statement.

Washington/London CNN —The European Commission has banned TikTok from official devices because of concerns about cybersecurity, a move sharply criticized by the company in its latest run-in with Western governments over how it handles user data. Commission staff have until March 15 to delete the short-form video app, owned by China’s ByteDance, from work devices and any personal devices that use Commission apps and services. Based in Brussels, the European Commission is the executive arm of the European Union, responsible for proposing and enforcing legislation and implementing the EU budget. “This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the Commission,” the Commission said in a statement Thursday. Previously, TikTok has disclosed to European users that China-based employees may access EU users’ data.

☆ UK train strikes will disrupt return to work this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Britain’s largest transport union, RMT, said workers will strike on January 3, 4, 6 and 7. The rail strikes will make city centers “ghost towns” for another week, Nicholls said. “The sector has struggled to recover from Covid and these protracted rail strikes since May have made that bounce back much tougher,” she added. According to PwC, the average British worker’s pay in 2023 is expected to fall back to 2006 levels once inflation is taken into account. In a statement, Network Rail said that the RMT strike was “unnecessary and deeply damaging” to the railway and the economy.

☆ European Union threatens sanctions over Twitter's ban of journalists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Elon Musk’s decision to suddenly ban prominent tech journalists from Twitter is fanning a fierce backlash in Europe. Germany warned of the impact on press freedom, while a senior EU official said Twitter must comply with the bloc’s rules or face possible sanctions. “The EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. European leaders previously said they were watching how Musk’s takeover of Twitter would affect the platform. Thierry Breton, a top EU official, warned Musk in late November that the social media platform must take significant steps to comply with the bloc’s content moderation laws.

CNN —Ukraine’s foreign minister has accused Russia of being behind a series of more than a dozen letters containing explosives or animal parts that were sent to Ukrainian diplomats around the world. “This campaign is aimed at sowing fear,” Dmytro Kuleba told CNN’s Matthew Chance in an exclusive interview in Kyiv on Friday. CNN was shown an image of one of the letters containing what officials said was the eyeball of a pig inside a padded envelope. ‘Who benefits?’Kuleba earlier urged foreign governments to guarantee maximum protection of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Nikolenko also stated that the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States received a letter with a photocopy of a critical article about Ukraine.

☆ UK police arrest journalists covering a climate protest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN Business —UK police arrested and detained three journalists covering a climate protest earlier this week, raising concerns that the country’s press freedoms are under threat. “It was absolutely terrifying being in a cell with a pad for a bed in one corner and a metal toilet in the other. Lynch told LBC on Wednesday that police arrested her on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.” She was eventually released with no further action. The incident came just a day after documentary filmmaker Rich Felgate and photographer Tom Bowles, also covering Just Stop Oil protests, were arrested by Hertfordshire police on a bridge. The concerns add to fears that new policing laws will restrict Britons’ right to protest more generally.

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