Tuesday, March 19

International

Ukraine and Pro-Russian Separatists are Going to Exchange Prisoners
International, News

Ukraine and Pro-Russian Separatists are Going to Exchange Prisoners

The authorities in Ukraine and the pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country have made agreements about a significant prison exchange. This is expected to take place on Sunday, confirms Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski.   The Ukrainian authorities were supposed to transfer 87 prisoners to the Donetsk and Lugansk rebel republics. The rebels, in turn, send 55 people back, according to a spokeswoman for the separatists in Donetsk. She gave no info about the identity of the prisoners. According to Russian media, the exchange takes place at the front. Ukraine also exchanged dozens of prisoners with Russia earlier this year. Kiev then sent MH17 suspect Vladimir Tsemach, among others, to the neighbouring country. The new exchange follows the first meeting between Presiden...
Navy of China, Russia and Iran are going to Practice Together
International, News

Navy of China, Russia and Iran are going to Practice Together

Navy of China, Russia and Iran are going to Practice Together. China, Russia and Iran will start joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman on Friday. The Chinese Ministry of Defense announced this on Thursday.   The testing lasts until Monday. Beijing is sending the Xining to the exercise, a ship aimed at destroying guided missiles.   According to the ministry, the exercise is "not necessarily linked to the regional situation". The joint test comes in a period of rising tensions between the US and Iran. The Gulf of Oman is a water between the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. China calls the exercise a "normal military exchange" in line with international laws.
An appeal against Bosnian Serbian General Mladic Launched in March
International, News

An appeal against Bosnian Serbian General Mladic Launched in March

An appeal against Bosnian Serbian General Mladic Launched in March. The appeal against Ratko Mladic, the general who commanded the Bosnian Serb army during the genocide around Srebrenica in the 1990s, starts at 17 but next year.   He then has to appear again before the UN Tribunal in The Hague. Mladic, also known as the Butcher of Bosnia, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the end of 2017 for his role in the Balkan war. He appealed against that. Around 100,000 people died during the war between 1992 and 1995. Mladic is held jointly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims in the Srebrenica enclave. The former general, together with the political leader of Serbs Radovan Karadzic and former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, was one of the most critical pawns durin...
Chilean Feminist Protest Song “An Attacker on Your Path” Conquering the World
International, News

Chilean Feminist Protest Song “An Attacker on Your Path” Conquering the World

A protest song that was first sung by a Chilean feminist action group is slowly on its way to becoming an international anthem against sexual abuse. In recent days it has also been heard in European and American cities.   "Un violator en tu Camino" ("an assailant in your path") is the title of the protest song that was first heard in an action of the feminist group Las Tesis. The text denounces impunity for violence against women. The song also indicates that the blame for rape does not lie with the woman, nor with the clothes she chose or the place where she was. Here is inserted content from a social media network that wants to write or read cookies. You have not permitted for this. Click here to allow this The action group released the song and a corresponding dance on Novembe...
Russia Warns Google to Delete Videos about Government Protests
International, News, Russia, Technology

Russia Warns Google to Delete Videos about Government Protests

Russia Warns Google to Delete Videos about Government Protests. The Russian state communication watchdog has sent a warning to Google because videos were advertised on video platform YouTube of "illegal mass events".   It is about videos of demonstrations against Putin. Tens of thousands of Russians came to protest on Saturday. Protesters wore signs with inscriptions like "give us the right to vote", waved Russian flags and chanted slogans as "away with the tsar," referring to President Putin. Videos of the demonstrations were also shared on YouTube, where live streams attracted thousands of visitors. They were also sent to other users via push messages. The tech giant must stop that now. Moscow regards this as a hostile interference in its sovereign affairs and threatens to take...
Rutte: Disappointing Statements By Malaysian Prime Minister
Europe, International, News

Rutte: Disappointing Statements By Malaysian Prime Minister

Rutte: Disappointing statements by Malaysian Prime Minister about MH17 Research. The statements by the Malaysian Prime Minister about the findings of the investigation team into the perpetrators of MH17 are, according to Prime Minister Rutte, 'disappointing' and 'confusing'.   "I can imagine that the next of kin are of course very disappointed and that it also causes confusion," Rutte said in Brussels. The Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad called the conclusions of the JIT, that there is a clear link with Russia, "hear of it". "We are very unhappy because from the start it has become a political matter how to accuse Russia of misconduct," he said. Previous questions for clarification The Malaysian Foreign Ministry also responded critically to the findings of the JIT: "T...
Trump Announces A Meeting With Xi At The G20 Summit In Japan
International, News, US

Trump Announces A Meeting With Xi At The G20 Summit In Japan

Trump announces a meeting with Xi at the G20 summit in Japan. US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet later this month in the margins of the G20 summit in Japan.   Trump has declared this on Twitter. The US president said he made the appointment in a telephone conversation with Xi. Chinese state media confirmed shortly after Trump's tweets that Xi had consented to the meeting. The Chinese leader affirms that dialogue is the only way to resolve trade tensions. According to Xi, it is essential to listen to each other's concerns. "We also hope that the United States will treat Chinese companies fairly." With this, he refers to the situation concerning telecom and tech company Huawei, which has been banned by the US. Trade Delegations Before Trump a...
‘Snapchat Talks To Record Labels About The Use Of Music In Messages’
International, News, Technology

‘Snapchat Talks To Record Labels About The Use Of Music In Messages’

'Snapchat Talks to record Labels about the use of Music in Messages'. Snapchat is currently negotiating with large record labels to get permission to include more music in messages, according to reports on Friday based on sources.   Although Snapchat owner Snap already owns the rights of some music,  the catalogue remains small compared to competitors such as Instagram and TikTok. According to the news, the company would like to change that. Snap would be discussing the possibility of making their music catalogues available,  to Snapchat users with the three major music groups Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music. The conversations would be at an early stage.
Trump Buys Many More Facebook Ads Than Democratic Rivals
International, News, Technology, US

Trump Buys Many More Facebook Ads Than Democratic Rivals

Trump Buys many more Facebook ads than Democratic Rivals. US President Donald Trump is spending a lot more money on Facebook ads for his re-election campaign than the Democratic competitors on their campaigns.   Research shows that Trump has spent about 5 million dollars on Facebook ads this year so far. The Democratic candidate who has spent the most on Facebook ads is Elizabeth Warren (1.5 million dollars). Joe Biden, the former US vice president who wants to take part in the presidential election in 2020,  has spent more than 1 million dollars on Facebook ads since the announcement of his participation a month ago. That's more than Trump spent on it in the last month. Trump spent more money on Facebook ads until the end of March than all Democratic candidates put together. ...
Google Street View Cars Will Measure Air Quality In Amsterdam
International, News, Technology

Google Street View Cars Will Measure Air Quality In Amsterdam

Google Street View cars will Measure air quality in Amsterdam. Google and the municipality of Amsterdam are working together on Project Air View to measure air quality in the city.   That happens with Google Street View cars. Google cars will measure air quality at street level from mid-May 2019 up to and including mid-2020. Street View cars are equipped with air sensors by scientists from Utrecht University. They measure the amounts of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine dust and black carbon in the air. The university works collectively with the municipality of Amsterdam and Google to lead the analysis and to validate the data. The consequences of the research must provide insight into quality. According to Google, information about air pollution can help improve the situat...