Author: Oliver Grant
Ukrainian Forces Make Some Gains in North, South
Ukrainian forces in the north saw some gains in territory recaptured, including areas near Kharkiv, a senior Defense Department official said today. In the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Ukraine’s forces continue to press hard against the Russians, the official said. As an example, they inflicted damage on bridges used by the Russians. On Aug. 9, a series of explosions took place at an airbase in Russian-occupied territory. While the United States does not know what caused the explosions, the official said, what is clear is that they caused significant damage to Russian aircraft and munitions used to attack Ukraine. The [Read More…]
Netflix, Microsoft And The Rapidly Blurring Lines Between Media And Tech
The announcement this week that Netflix has selected Microsoft as their new advertising technology and business partner helped further blur the line between the media and technology businesses. It recalls the famous tagline for Certs mints. Is it a breath mint? Is it a candy mint? Why Netflix and Microsoft are two – two – two industries in one! It’s hardly new news that media and tech are symbiotic business partners. GoogleGOOG +0.5% announced its purchase of YouTube in 2006 and remains the largest platform for video watching in the world. Netflix has always defined itself as a tech company in which [Read More…]
I witnessed Orbán crack down on Hungary’s free press. Here’s my advice to journalists facing similar threats
When you come under attack as a journalist, don’t make yourself the center of the story This is a strange time to be a Hungarian journalist. Working in a small Central European country, we had not been used to getting international attention. In recent years, however, we have often been approached by journalists from developed democracies, including some working for prestigious American outlets, who asked for our advice. They wanted to know if we had any tips on how to handle the rising autocratic and anti-media tendencies in their own countries. They came to us after learning how Hungarian Prime [Read More…]
US announces sanctions against Kremlin-controlled media companies and bans Russia from using some American consulting services
WashingtonCNN — The US announced a slate of new sanctions against Russia on Sunday, cutting off Kremlin-controlled media outlets from American advertisers and prohibiting the country from using US-provided management and accounting consulting services, according to a senior administration official and a White House fact sheet. President Joe Biden and the leaders of the G-7 met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday to discuss further actions the US and its allies are taking to punish Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The announcement also included new export controls against the Russian industrial sector and roughly 2,600 visa restrictions on Russian and Belarusian officials, [Read More…]
Burger King taps new agencies after year of marketing tumult
Dive Brief: Restaurant Brands International (RBI) announced that Omnicom Media Group’s PHD will serve as media agency of record for Burger King U.S., Popeyes U.S. and Canada, and Tim Hortons U.S., per a press release. Chicago shop OKRP will serve as creative agency of record for Burger King U.S. OKRP seeks to help Burger King as it looks to drive relevancy and authenticity in culture and reclaim its status as an iconic brand while also achieving business objectives. On the media side, the partnership with PHD will allow RBI’s portfolio of brands to leverage scale and maximize purchasing power, while each [Read More…]
Ukraine war is economic catastrophe, warns World Bank
The war in Ukraine is “a catastrophe” for the world which will cut global economic growth, the president of the World Bank has told the BBC. “The war in Ukraine comes at a bad time for the world because inflation was already rising,” said David Malpass. He stressed his biggest concern is “about the pure human loss of lives” that is occurring. Thousands of civilians and soldiers are thought to have been killed by the fighting. Mr Malpass said the economic impact of the war stretches beyond Ukraine’s borders, and the rises in global energy prices in particular “hit the [Read More…]
World reacts to Russia’s attack on Ukraine
Russian media reported quoting President Putin had given approval to a ‘special military operation’ in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine has been swiftly condemned by several nations. The authorisation by Putin was made at the same time as the United Nations Security Council met late on Wednesday for its second emergency meeting this week to urge de-escalation and return to diplomatic talks. Russian media reported quoting Putin he had given approval to the operation in the Donbas region of Ukraine, where Moscow earlier recognised rebel-held territories in Luhansk and Donetsk and said they had [Read More…]
The 7 most important lines from Joe Biden’s news conference
President Joe Biden held a rare news conference Wednesday afternoon, using the platform to call on Americans to be patient in the fight against Covid-19 and defend his record of success despite middling poll numbers. Biden spoke – on and off – for 112 minutes. I pulled out the seven most important lines from what he said. They’re below. 1. “I didn’t overpromise. I have probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen.” Biden took umbrage at the suggestion that he had bitten off more than he could chew, legislatively speaking. And he took a page from his predecessor’s playbook by bragging [Read More…]
