Documents published on US embassy’s website prompt claims of attempt to export Maga propaganda to UK

The US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.

Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of fostering a “national conversation” about “shared civilizational values” underpinning US-UK ties. Priority will go to applicants aiming to celebrate “freedom of speech” and “limited government”.

It comes after senior Trump officials voiced sharp criticism of British authorities and repeated misinformation on a range of fronts including abortion and digital regulation, and allied with European far-right movements in attacks on hate speech and immigration policies.

Ivory Coast on Friday celebrated the return of a sacred drum looted by French troops in 1916. The homecoming parade through the streets of Abidjan took place on the country’s independence day holiday. The drum then continued on to the village of Adjame, where it was made.

Uganda’s Parliament passed a motion on Thursday supporting President Museveni's decision to deploy soldiers to the Gaza Strip.

Newly released hostages in Nigeria spoke to the media on Friday, describing their ordeal during months of captivity.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/69320472

Counter-disinformation group says social media channels connected to Pravda network helped amplify message

Accounts with links to the Russian military promoting far-right messages reached more than 500,000 people in the early days of the Ceuta migration crisis, according to an analysis done by 411, a counter-disinformation group.

Russia-linked social media accounts frequently spread destabilising narratives in Europe, often promoting far-right talking points about immigration.

But 411 and other experts suggest the scale and coordination of the disinformation that followed the Ceuta crisis is significant. Groups spreading disinformation are more organised and powerful than they were several years ago.

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Euronews condemns Belarus’ obscure and unilateral decision to designate Euronews’ digital news coverage as “extremist,” a measure which exposes Euronews’ huge audience in Belarus to legal penalties for “storing or distributing” Euronews’ pan-European content.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/46390565

We’ve had it 😬

Why. The hell. Is this even being considered, let alone put into practice? This could cause the next pandemic ffs

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a joint security agreement in Mecca on Friday, agreeing to treat an attack on any one of them as an attack against all three.

While the pact creates a framework for broader strategic cooperation, it builds on a mutual defence principle. A statement released by the Pakistan Foreign Office confirmed the scope of the treaty,

"The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all."

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/10589288

Serhiy Tsyhipa is turning 65 on 10 August, his fifth birthday in Russian captivity. The Ukrainian journalist, writer and civic activist from Nova Kakhovka (Kherson oblast) has already paid a heavy price for speaking out against Russia’s invasion and occupation of his homeland. Publicity is needed to ensure that he does not serve Russia’s reprisal 13-year sentence to the end. Olena Tsyhipa has issued a plea for people to join her in a flashmob for her husband’s birthday. She asks that they take a selfie, or make a videoed message, holding a placard reading “65 years – 5 years stolen’ under the hashtag #FreeSergiyTsyhipa. Even if Serhiy does not receive the greetings in the Russian prison colony where he is held, they will help to draw attention to his imprisonment.

A collection of poems written by Serhiy Tsyhipa in Russian captivity was published in June under the title “Alphabet of Captivity”. In presenting the book, Olena stated: “My husband has managed to retain what is most valuable: his inner freedom of thought and power of the word. The book is an important reminder of the fate of Ukrainian civilians whom the Kremlin is illegally holding in its prison camps. It is a call to not be silent, but to remember and act.”

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Tsyhipa disappeared on 12 March 2022 as he was heading to Tavriysk to take medicine to his mother-in-law. Oleh Baturin, a fellow journalist, who was abducted a day later, but released after eight days, was able to confirm that Tsyhipa was held by the Russians, with that almost the only information that Serhiy’s family had for the first eight months. It was the only direct information, since a video which appeared on the Internet in the middle of April essentially confirmed fears that Tsyhipa had been subjected to torture.

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Farmers bordering Kenya's Amboseli National Park have denied using cyanide after 15 elephants died from suspected poisoning. Wildlife authorities say preliminary tests detected cyanide, but investigations are continuing to determine its source and concentration.