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War: ‘We’ll Respond Accordingly’ Russia Reacts To EU’s Action Against Its Media

Published

2 years ago

July 27, 2022

Editor

Russia said it would take “similar measures of pressure” on Western media after an EU court upheld a broadcast ban on the Russian state media channel Russia Today.

The EU’s General Court on Wednesday dismissed an action taken by Russia Today France, the French version of the channel, which appealed the EU’s measures prohibiting the channel from broadcasting in the bloc.

Russia Today France brought forward four pleas, where it alleged infringement of the rights of defense, freedom of expression and information, the right to conduct a business, and the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality — according to a statement from the General Court.

The court dismissed the action “in its entirety,” notably ruling that “the nature and extent of the temporary prohibition” of the EU measures do not call freedom of expression into question.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quick to respond to the ruling, stressing that Russia will be taking “no soft stance” in return.

“The attack on freedom of speech and the media in European countries, including France, causes our concern and regret.

“Of course, we are taking and will take similar measures of pressure on the Western media that operate in our country,” Peskov said.

He expressed his hope that the broadcaster will be able to “find loopholes” allowing the resumption of “their much-needed broadcasting.”

In the judgment, the court stressed that the EU “cannot be criticized” for including a temporary ban on content broadcasting by media outlets funded by the Russian state “on the ground that those outlets would support the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine.”

Headline

Google To Offer AI-generated Answers In Search Results

Published

6 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Google has announced it would introduce AI-generated answers to online queries made by users in the United States, in one of the biggest updates to its search engine in 25 years.

“I’m excited to announce that we will begin launching this fully revamped experience, ‘AI overviews,’ to everyone in the US this week,” Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said at an event in California on Tuesday, May 14.

Google’s search results will feature an AI summary at the top of the page before the more typical unfurling of links.

The AI answers generated by Google’s Gemini technology will offer succinct summaries of what it found on the internet with links to the online sources that supplied the information.

“You can ask whatever’s on your mind or whatever you need to get done – from researching to planning to brainstorming – and Google will take care of the legwork,” said Google Search team boss Liz Reid.

The change comes as Google feels growing pressure from AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, and from the rumors that OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is building its own AI search tool.

Searches through AI chats have also appeared on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with users able to get information from the web without Google.

The change will soon spread to other countries, Pichai added, making it accessible to more than a billion people.

Headline

College Volleyball Player Killed In US Nightclub Shooting

Published

6 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Albany State University volleyball player Mariam Creighton has been tragically killed in a nightclub shooting in Atlanta.

Atlanta Police Department said on Tuesday, May 14, that the incident happened around 2:28 AM on Sunday, May 14, when officers responded to shots fired at the Elleven45 establishment.

Six people were shot, two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, Creighton and 20-year-old Nakyris Ridley.

The police department said in a statement;

“Preliminary investigation indicates the shooting occurred during a physical dispute at the location that escalated to gunfire.”

Creighton was a member of the ASU Golden Rams volleyball team, and was one semester from graduating from the HBCU with a biology degree.

Her family said she was at the club on Sunday celebrating her niece’s birthday. “It’s just senseless,” Creighton’s sister, Tiffany, said. “My sister was just out having a good time, and now our lives are just altered forever.”

Headline

Nigerian Burnt To Death In Bangkok Car Crash

Published

6 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

A 35-year-old Nigerian man identified as Daniel was burnt to death in a car accident in Bangkok, Thailand.

Bangkok’s Prawet Police Station, confirmed the identity of the Nigerian national in a statement on Tuesday, May 14, 2024,

Daniel, whose Thai wife came to confirm his identity with the police, died on Saturday, May 11, when his car crashed into a road median and caught fire.

This serious road accident occurred at 5:30 a.m. on a three-lane road near Soi Phatthanakan 53/1, Suan Luang Subdistrict and District, Bangkok.

When officials received the report and arrived at the scene, they found a gray Toyota Vios with Samut Prakan province license plates overturned and engulfed in flames, blocking the middle of the road.

The officers spent about 10 minutes spraying water to extinguish the fire, but the car was completely damaged by the flames.

At that time, rescuers had to use cutting and prying equipment to remove the driver’s body from the wreckage and send it to the Police Hospital for an autopsy. They found a document with a front-facing photo of a foreign man.

Eyewitnesses stated that they saw the car driving at high speed in the far right lane before losing control and crashing into the road median.

The car spun and hit a palm tree with such force that it flipped over and ended up on its roof in the middle of the road.

At that moment, good Samaritans tried to pry open the door to help the unconscious driver, but before they could pull him out, sparks ignited, and the car quickly caught fire.