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☆ Six dead in New Zealand hostel fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Fire and emergency crews work at the scene of a fire at the Loafers Lodge, in Wellington, New Zealand May 16, 2023. REUTERS/Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - A fire at a hostel in New Zealand killed at least six people on Tuesday and officials said they believe the toll could rise with 11 people still missing. The blaze broke out on the top floor of Loafers Lodge in the Wellington neighbourhood of Newtown just after midnight, police said. "It was just scary, it was really scary, but I knew I had to jump out the window or just burn inside the building," he told state-owned Radio New Zealand. Investigations into what caused the fire are under way, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ).

☆ Meta must 'unplug the hate machine,' civil society groups say in open letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Tekendra Parmar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta faces a $1.6 billion lawsuit for allegedly failing to moderate hate speech in Ethiopia. The suit was brought by the family of a professor who was killed after Facebook posts targeted him. Insider's reporting also revealed that one of those trusted partners warned Meta about posts targeting Meareg Amare, a Tigrayan chemistry professor, in the fall of 2021. A spokesperson for Meta did not dispute the trusted partner's account, which was similar to complaints raised by five other trusted partners interviewed by Insider. The Facebook posts targeting Professor Amare falsely accused him of funneling funds and equipment to the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which was fighting a civil war against Ethiopian federal forces and allied groups.

☆ Mario Gabelli ranks these old media stocks among the best trades he’s ever made. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A simple focus on what is now a well-known phenomenon helped Mario Gabelli execute what he calls some of the best trades in his decades-long career. One of those companies, Chris-Craft, was eventually bought by News Corp. for $5.5 billion in the early 2000s. It was an investment on which Gabelli said he made at least 10 times his original stake. The other money-making trade, on the now defunct Lin Broadcasting, was one Gabelli said he made a "significant amount of money" on. "It basically became EBITDA minus capex, and that notion has gotten pretty far along in the last 40 years," he said.

☆ Eliminated Slater handed wildcard to continue on WSL Championship Tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 11-times world champion will be able to surf and earn ranking points at the remaining events in 2023 and for the first half of the 2024 tour, the WSL said. "Slater's ranking points will also give him the opportunity to compete for provisional qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the WSL said. Slater was knocked out by Australian Liam O'Brien early in the Margaret River Pro last week, which left him below the mid-season cut line. Some surfing media criticised the wildcard decision, saying it was motivated by commercial considerations and made a mockery of the WSL's ranking system. France's Johanne Defay was also awarded a wildcard to continue on the Women's Championship Tour after falling well outside the mid-season cut.

☆ Kenyan cult leader told followers to starve themselves ahead of world's end, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The deaths amount to one of the worst cult-related tragedies in recent history and the toll is expected to rise further, with the Kenyan Red Cross saying more than 300 people have been reported as missing. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14, held alongside 14 other cult members. At the morgue at Malindi hospital, dozens of people were seeking news of relatives they feared were among the dead. The Red Cross has donated a refrigerated container on a truck to help preserve some of the corpses as the morgue is now too full. Two emaciated women were found alive early on Wednesday and were being evacuated to Malindi's hospital, according to Red Cross staff in Malindi.

☆ Slain Japanese journalist's last Myanmar images shared after 15 years missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaApril 26 (Reuters) - The family of a Japanese journalist killed while reporting on Myanmar's 2007 "Saffron Revolution" released his last pictures on Wednesday, sharing footage from a recently obtained video camera missing since his fatal shooting 15 years ago. Myanmar security forces arrested thousands of people during the monk-led demonstrations in what was one of the biggest uprisings in decades against military rule. Aye Chan Naing, DVB's co-founder, declined to say how the organisation obtained Nagai's camera, to ensure the safety of those involved. Widely seen footage smuggled out of Myanmar in 2007 showed a soldier aiming a rifle near Nagai, who falls backwards on the road. "We would like for the truth to be clarified and to be made known, that is how we feel," Ogawa added.

"Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and our customers," Poulos said in a statement. Shares of Fox Corp closed up slightly at $34 per share, but were down 1% in after-hours trading after the settlement amount was disclosed. Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch told Wall Street analysts in February that the company had about $4 billion cash on hand. [1/5] Dominion CEO John Poulos and lawyers speak to the media after Dominion Voting Systems and Fox settled a defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million, avoiding trial, over Fox's coverage of debunked election-rigging claims, in Delaware Superior Court, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. April 18, 2023. Fox Corp reported nearly $14 billion in annual revenue last year.

☆ This is what Rupert Murdoch reportedly said in email to ex-wife announcing he was divorcing her
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Grace Kay | Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rupert Murdoch broke off his marriage with Jerry Hall in an email, Vanity Fair reported. The Mail+ reported in last July that Hall was "heartbroken" after Murdoch informed her their marriage was over. Hall was waiting for Murdoch to join her in the UK for the summer when she received the email from Murdoch, per Vanity Fair. Both publications said that Hall told friends at the time that she was surprised by the news. The two were legally divorced about two months after Murdoch sent the email, Vanity Fair said.

☆ Rupert Murdoch reportedly spent a night on a gurney in a hospital parking lot after he broke his back falling on son Lachlan's yacht
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rupert Murdoch reportedly broke his back after he fell while aboard his son Lachlan's yacht in 2018. A new report from Vanity Fair detailed previously unreported health scares experienced by the 91-year-old media mogul. The yacht, which was sailing near Guadeloupe, reportedly docked at the nearest island to take Murdoch to the hospital, per Vanity Fair. Sources close to the family said he was in critical condition, and "kept almost dying," according to Vanity Fair. According to the report, Murdoch later tore an Achilles tendon after tripping over a box in March 2019, leaving him wheelchair-bound.

☆ Inside Disney it's 'Revenge of the Creatives' and 'Shields Up!' against outside foes as returned CEO Bob Iger is taking no prisoners
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Since returning as Disney CEO, Bob Iger has vanquished foes and dumped many of predecessor Bob Chapek's hires. But it's a supercharged Bob Iger who is really taking command. "If I'm inside Bob's head coming back, after the downfall of Bob Chapek, this is all about taking no prisoners," said Will Schutte, a high-level executive coach. Disney World is scheduled to host a major conference on gay rights in September, according to the Miami Herald. Even if he wants to be the Bob Iger of old he can't be.

☆ Rupert Murdoch's engagement to former model and conservative radio host is called off just two weeks after he announced it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rupert Murdoch is no longer engaged to former model and conservative radio host Ann Lesley Smith. Murdoch, who owns Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, has been married four times in the past. Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul whose portfolio includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post, is no longer engaged to Ann Lesley Smith. Murdoch and Smith, a 66-year-old former model and conservative radio talk show host, had announced their plans to wed just two weeks ago. I'm happy," Murdoch told the New York Post about their engagement last month.

☆ Australia risks losing pole position in critical minerals race
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Grattan Institute, a think tank, estimates the critical minerals industry could add more than $400 billion to the economy by 2050, a bigger contribution than the coal industry, Australia's no.2 export, today. They want rapid action in light of new competition from the U.S., Canada and the European Union, which have laid out critical minerals strategies including billions of dollars in incentives. King said on Wednesday a critical minerals strategy would be released "soon". However the government has not said when it would deliver its national battery strategy. "The elements for an effective critical minerals strategy are in place.

☆ New Zealand security chiefs increasingly concerned about foreign interference
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - New Zealand intelligence agencies are growing more concerned about both foreign interference and malicious cyber activity ahead of elections in October, the country’s intelligence chiefs said on Monday. “It's fair to say that concern about foreign interference as well as malicious cyber activity is growing,” Andrew Hampton, director general of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), told media after testifying at parliament. Security services are working with the election authority to improve cybersecurity and procedures and will also brief political parties on security and foreign interference threats. Both the GCSB and Security Intelligence Service chiefs were speaking before the intelligence committee that includes the country’s Prime Minister as part of their annual review. “Foreign interference should not be tolerated,” McKee said.

☆ Shou Zi Chew: Who is the TikTok CEO testifying before Congress?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinMarch 23 (Reuters) - TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew has mostly kept a low profile since taking the job in 2021 but on Thursday he is testifying before U.S. lawmakers, many of them suspicious of the popular Chinese-owned social media app. Chew previously worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and investment firm DST, which was an early backer of ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok. TikTok pointedly said in a letter to lawmakers last year that Chew was not from China and that the company is independent of ByteDance. Chew, who is married and has two children, raised his public profile last year by creating his own TikTok account, @shou.time. Chew has told media that TikTok does not threaten U.S. interests.

☆ Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - US Open - Mens Final - New York, U.S. - September 10, 2017 - Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News Channel stands before Rafael Nadal of Spain plays against Kevin Anderson of South Africa. REUTERS/Mike Segar/March 20 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) Chairman Rupert Murdoch is engaged to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, his spokesperson confirmed on Monday, which will mark the fifth marriage for the 92-year-old media mogul. Murdoch and Smith, 66, first met in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, and he called her two weeks later, Murdoch told the News Corp-owned NY Post, which broke the news of the engagement. Smith is a widow whose late husband was Chester Smith, a country singer, radio and TV executive. On March 17 in New York, Murdoch presented Smith with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, according to the Post.

☆ Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the storm had dissipated, rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded roads. Lieutenant Colonel Dickens Kamisa, who participated in the search, said local authorities identified about eight areas where dead bodies should be buried and were using sniffer dogs to find trapped Malawians. Chifundo Chilimba, a local resident, told Reuters he could not find his family members as the depth of the mud was too deep. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was providing food assistance by distributing partially pre-cooked food called corn-soya blend to displaced people. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ Rupert Murdoch appears to confirm that Kimberly Guilfoyle left Fox News due to 'inappropriate' behavior, after reports claimed she faced a sexual harassment accusation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An email from Rupert Murdoch said Kimberly Guilfoyle was fired from Fox due to "inappropriate behavior." In 2020 reports emerged suggesting she had faced a sexual harassment accusation from a female assistant. The reports said that Fox had been in the midst of a year-long investigation into the allegation when she left. Kimberly Guilfoyle during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 31, 2022. Representatives for Fox News and Kimberly Guilfoyle were not immediately reachable for requests for comment from Insider.

☆ Cheddar News has seen so many exits that managers have asked staffers to delay scheduled vacations, while promising that reinforcements are on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Cheddar News has lost more than 10 newsroom staffers since the start of 2023, sources told Insider. As of March, Cheddar appears to have plans to hire at least five news-related roles, according to Altice's jobs portal. a former Cheddar producer said. The two executives are said to have denied speculation that Altice has any plans to combine Cheddar and News 12. Sources previously told Insider that, throughout 2022, the Cheddar newsroom had contracted by roughly a third.

☆ Player revolts plunge Women's World Cup buildup into turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Canada's women's team have vowed to boycott a pre-World Cup camp next month over equal pay and support, while Le Graet faced allegations of harassment. A government ministry audit concluded the 81-year-old Le Graet did not have the "necessary legitimacy" for the position. Canada are the reigning Olympic women's champions, while France topped their group in World Cup qualifying. Forward Janine Beckie, who was in Qatar for last year's men's World Cup as part of Canada's broadcast crew, saw the "disgusting" discrepancy between the two programmes. (This story has been corrected to change the World Cup start date in paragraph 6)Reporting by Lori Ewing Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pacific islands tap Taiwan ally Nauru for next top diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The top Pacific islands diplomatic post will pass to Taiwan ally Nauru next year, the 18-member regional bloc agreed Friday, as it resolved to face climate change and superpower rivalry as a united "family". The Pacific Islands Forum, meeting in Fiji, also said it would hold more talks with Japanese scientists and the International Atomic Energy Agency over Japan's plan to release treated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Some Pacific islands fear the water release could contaminate fish stocks but Tokyo has said it does not pose a risk, and the meeting agreed that "science and data" should guide political decisions on the issue. Nauru has diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not China, and Waqa has previously clashed with Chinese diplomats. The leaders agreed to consider establishing a special envoy's office in the United States, which has pledged to triple aid to the region.

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The foreperson of a Georgia grand jury that investigated former U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state told media on Tuesday that the panel recommended multiple criminal indictments. The foreperson of the recently concluded Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury, Emily Kohrs, did not discuss specific charges that the grand jury in interviews with outlets including CNN and the New York Times. The special grand jury did not have the authority to issue indictments. Willis opened the special grand jury investigation shortly after Trump's January 2021 phone call to a state official asking him to "find" more votes to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory. Trump called Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and claimed falsely that the election results were fraudulent.

☆ Some Russian units have suffered up to 80% losses in the east, Ukraine claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some Russian units in the east have had 80% casualties, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said. This includes NATO intelligence that says Russia is losing 2,000 men for every 100 yards it gains. Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Thursday that up to 80% of personnel had been incapacitated in some Russian army units, including units of the Wagner paramilitary group. But other reports, accounts by Russian soldiers, as well as Western intelligence updates have all pointed to high losses within Russia's army, particularly in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Friday that up to 200,000 Russian soldiers had likely been killed since the invasion started in February 2022.

☆ Cyclone Gabrielle death toll rises to five as recovery starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand stepped up recovery efforts on Thursday after Cyclone Gabrielle left at least five people dead and displaced 9,000 in the country's most damaging storm in decades. Gabrielle, which hit New Zealand on Sunday before making its way down the east coast of the North Island, cut off entire towns, washed away farms, bridges and livestock, and inundated homes, stranding people on rooftops. Parts of New Zealand's North Island, where about 75% of the country's 5 million residents live, are enduring their second major storm in as many weeks. Meteorological service MetService said Cyclone Gabrielle is now east of the country and continuing to track away from the North Island. The region was hardest hit during Cyclone Bola in 1988, which caused millions of dollars in damage and left seven people dead.

☆ Cyclone Gabrielle causes havoc in New Zealand, firefighter missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - A New Zealand firefighter is missing after a house slid down a hill in a beachside town near Auckland, as Cyclone Gabrielle pounds the country causing flooding, landslides and huge waves. Gabrielle, had been sitting 100 km (62 miles) northeast of Auckland over some small islands and is now moving southwest. The cyclone has brought heavy rain, flooding and gale force winds across the North Island and forced the evacuation of many beach settlements. States of emergency are in place in Auckland and seven other regions. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain, Malta sign deal covering defence, migration
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VALLETTA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Britain and its former Mediterranean colony Malta signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement on Friday covering areas including security and defence, migration, education, health and trade. The agreement was signed during a short visit to the island by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who met Foreign Minister Ian Borg. Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964 and the two countries have traditionally enjoyed a close friendship. Britain and Malta have worked together on migration. Malta is on the main migration route across the Mediterranean from Libya to Europe, with many migrants then attempting to carry on to the UK.

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