Pics of the day: July 19, 2024
Top Stories Tamfitronics
Top Stories Tamfitronics Pics of the day: July 19, 2024
Africanews focuses on the most striking images of the day’s news.
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Obasanjo congratulates Rwandan President, Kagame on re-election
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Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has described the re-election of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as an affirmation of trust and confidence reposed in him.
Obasanjo made this disclosure in a congratulatory message released by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, to newsmen on Friday.
In the congratulatory letter, the former Chairman of the African Union (AU) congratulated and rejoiced with the re-elected Rwandan President for securing the new mandate of the people to lead the country for another term.
The letter, signed by Obasanjo, reads: “I have just received the happy news of Your Excellency’s resounding victory in the Presidential election that was held in your country on July 15, 2024. Permit me to congratulate and rejoice with you on your securing the mandate of your people to lead the country for another term.
“Your Excellency’s re-election is, no doubt, an affirmation of the trust and confidence, which the generality of your countrymen repose in your ability to continue to steer the ship of State aright through your vision and leadership qualities, which, no doubt, will further strengthen the peace, security and prosperity of your country.
“While praying for Your Excellency’s continued good health to enable you consolidate and build upon the good results so far achieved, please accept, Mr. President and Dear Brother, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
Russia jails US reporter for 16 years
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Evan Gershkovich convicted of espionage in what Wall Street Journal calls ‘sham’ case
PUBLISHED : 19 Jul 2024 at 22:33
MOSCOW – A Russian court on Friday found the American reporter Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage and jailed him for 16 years, the state news agency RIA said, in a case that his employer, the Wall Street Journal, has called a sham.
Gershkovich, 32, has denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations against him were false. He went on trial last month in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Prosecutors alleged that Gershkovich had gathered secret information on the orders of the US Central Intelligence Agency about a company that manufactures tanks for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He is the first US journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War.
Espionage cases often take months to handle and the unusual speed at which his trial was held behind closed doors — Friday’s hearing was only the third in the trial — has stoked speculation that a long-discussed US-Russia prisoner exchange deal involving him and other Americans detained in Russia might be in the offing.
The Kremlin, when asked by Reuters on Friday about the possibility of such an exchange, declined to comment.
Help sought for ‘trusted’ news outlets
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Finding quality information on big platforms a struggle in clickbait era, says regulator
PUBLISHED : 19 Jul 2024 at 22:24
The government and civil society should collaborate to help trustworthy news agencies negotiate for greater prominence on digital platforms and mobile apps, says Pirongrong Ramasoota, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
She made the remarks as a panelist at the 2024 Global News Forum co-organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and Thai PBS.
In the age of social media, disinformation and clickbait seem to be dominating the news ecosystem, Ms Pirongrong said. Since platforms’ economic viability rides on algorithms driven by data, the quality and accuracy of news seems to matter less than users’ engagement and clicks, she added.
But with the growing trend of “platformisaton”, news agencies have no choice but to migrate online and be dictated by algorithms, Ms Pirongrong said.
Unlike in Europe and other Asian countries, Thais seem to be getting their news primarily from social media, especially third-party platforms.
Proper attribution to news agencies is not always very prominent, especially when it comes to global platforms with high bargaining power, she said. This is unfair and suggests a lack of transparency, Ms Pirongrong said.
“Since algorithmic relevance is not a regulatory issue, news agencies must collaborate with the public sector and civil society to ensure they get prominence, especially on digital platforms, mobile apps and connected TVs,” she added.
In Europe and Canada, there have been efforts by government regulators as well as political and civic groups to push for labelling and clear branding of trustworthy public service media on YouTube, she said.
Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing with Samsung for a prominent operator profile for public service broadcasters on its connected TVs.
In addition, moves have been made to pass laws to have legacy public service broadcasters pre-installed as mobile apps, Ms Pirongrong said.
A similar measure is needed for Thailand to help rebuild trust in the news ecosystem, she said.
The NBTC is now working on a social credit model whereby each licensed broadcaster would be rated on its content quality — starting with the news — so as to be eligible for a certification of trustworthiness.
This would be the basis for negotiations about the prominence of these news sources on online platforms in the future, she added.
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