Russian journalist who escaped house arrest in Moscow arrives in Paris
'Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia's draconian laws of March 2022,' said the group's director, Thibaut Bruttin, during a press conference with Barabash at RSF's Paris headquarters. 'At one point, we thought she might be dead.'
Days after invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian authorities adopted legislation that outlawed any public expression about the war that went against the official government narrative.
Barabash, 63, condemned on Monday the lack of freedoms in Russia while detailing her escape.
'There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It's only war,' she said, decrying state censorship.
Barabash said the very concept of a 'Russian journalist' no longer made sense. 'Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.'
The Facebook posts that landed her in legal jeopardy were written between 2022 and 2023, lambasting Russia's actions in Ukraine.
'So you (expletive) bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries? All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?' one post read.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
4 hours ago
- Cision Canada
Statement by Minister MacDonald following meeting with representatives from the Government of Saskatchewan and canola industry leaders
OTTAWA, ON, /CNW/ - The Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food issued the following statement after meeting with representatives from the Government of Saskatchewan and leaders from the Canadian canola sector: "Today, along with my colleagues the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development), and the Honourable Kody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, I had the opportunity to meet with Premier Scott Moe, Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison, Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding and key canola industry stakeholders and exporters to discuss the challenges faced by the canola sector, including the recent preliminary anti-dumping duty imposed by China on imports of canola seed from Canada. "Earlier this month, China announced a preliminary anti-dumping duty on imports of canola seed from Canada of 75.8%, which entered into force on August 14, 2025. This was in addition to existing trade measures resulting from China's anti-discrimination investigation, including the 100% tariffs on Canadian canola oil and meal. Our hard-working producers provide world-class canola products to Canadians and international trading partners and the Government of Canada is profoundly disappointed with China's announcement. "At today's meeting, we agreed on the importance of working together to ensure fair market access for the canola industry and engaging in constructive dialogue with Chinese officials to address each other's respective trade concerns. Our discussion also touched on support options for producers, including the government's suite of business risk management (BRM) programs and how Canada is developing a comprehensive industrial strategy to help businesses develop new export opportunities in international markets. "Canola is one of our most valuable agricultural exports and an important driver of the Canadian economy. We are steadfast in our commitment to defend and diversify Canadian trade and we will stand shoulder to shoulder in our support for Canada's hard-working canola producers, workers and exporters." Quick facts Canola is Canada's second-largest acreage crop, with over 21 million acres produced annually. Canola seed production in Canada generated $12.9 billion in farm cash receipts in 2024, making it the most valuable principal field crop. China is the largest export market for Canadian canola seed, representing 67% of total canola seed exports and totaling 5.9 million tonnes in 2024, worth approximately $4 billion. Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
Man killed in daytime shooting at Toronto shopping mall
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook A man is dead after being injured in a daytime shooting at a Toronto shopping mall Thursday, police say. Toronto police said in a post on X that at 1:51 p.m. Aug. 21, it received calls for someone being shot at the Scarborough Town Centre. When officers arrived, they found a person with injures. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He was pronounced dead at the scene. No suspect information has been released, and police said there is a heavy presence in the area. An investigation is underway. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fact File: Most older immigrants don't get OAS upon arrival, contrary to online claim
Attacks on immigrants to Canada continue to proliferate online, with the latest volley coming from a false claim that immigrants aged 65 and up receive a partial old age security (OAS) pension immediately upon arrival in Canada — and that it comes from the pension of citizens. In fact, while there are some exceptions, in order to qualify for OAS the recipient must be a Canadian citizen or legal resident who lived in Canada for at least 10 years. THE CLAIM 'Canadians will be sacrificing part of their Old Age Pensions to allow elderly immigrants to receive a partial old age pension upon arrival!' reads an Aug. 16 post to the X platform, formerly Twitter. Multiple users reposted the claim to Facebook. On X, the post received around 9,700 likes and around half a million views, according to the platform's metrics. THE FACTS The X post refers to Canada's old age security pension, which is a monthly payment for seniors over the age of 65. Unlike the Canada Pension Plan, recipients don't need to pay into OAS because it's funded by general tax revenues. You can receive OAS while working and you don't need a work history to qualify. To qualify for OAS, recipients living in Canada must be 65 or older and a Canadian citizen or legal resident who has lived in Canada for at least 10 years since the age of 18. Those living outside of Canada need to meet the same age and residence requirements, but need to have lived in Canada for at least 20 years since the age of 18. This means an immigrant coming to Canada would need to meet citizenship requirements and live in Canada for at least 10 years before receiving OAS. However, there are some exceptions that could allow an immigrant to get OAS payments before the 10-year residency requirement. SOCIAL SECURITY AGREEMENTS Canada has a social security agreement with more than 50 countries, which allows countries to co-ordinate their pension programs if someone lived and worked in both. An immigrant could qualify for OAS if they lived in one of the countries Canada has an agreement with or if they contributed to the social security system of one of those countries. For example, an Indian living in Canada who does not qualify for an OAS pension based on their years of residency in Canada could still qualify for benefits earlier. Because Canada and India have a social security agreement, Canada 'may consider periods of contribution' to India's Employees' Pension Scheme to help meet the OAS eligibility requirements. The monthly payment amount still depends on how long that person lived in Canada after age 18. People who lived in Canada for at least 40 years qualify for the full pension. Those who lived in Canada for less than 40 years receive a partial payment, which is calculated by the number of years in Canada divided by 40. For example, someone who lived in Canada for 16 years would qualify for 16/40ths of the full OAS pension, or 40 per cent. A 2019 Statistics Canada study using 2016 census data looked at the income of low-income senior immigrants. According to the study, senior immigrants who came to Canada within 10 years of the 2016 census 'received little income from public pension sources,' including the OAS. Those seniors mostly relied on private pension or employment sources, Statistics Canada said. SPONSORED IMMIGRANTS The Statistics Canada study noted sponsored immigrants were the group with the 'largest dependence on public pension benefits.' Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their parents and grandparents to become permanent residents in Canada. The sponsors commit to financially supporting their parents or grandparents for 20 years (or 10 years in Quebec). In October, OAS rule changes agreed upon in 2014 will come into force, limiting the social security benefits sponsored immigrants are eligible for. OAS recipients can get extra benefits like the guaranteed income supplement if they meet low income requirements. Under the previous rules, sponsored parents and grandparents became eligible for these extra OAS benefits after 10 years, despite the sponsorship agreement being 20 years. The new rules mean they can't get those extra OAS benefits for their entire sponsorship agreement, 'regardless of how many years they have resided in Canada.' Sponsored immigrants still qualify for OAS payments after 10 years. CLAWBACKS There is no evidence the government takes OAS pension amounts from citizens' monthly cheques to give to immigrants. The pension amount received depends on the length of time lived in Canada after the age of 18. However, the government can claw back payments. Because OAS is taxable income, recipients might have to pay all or part of it back if they meet a certain income threshold. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
