Behind Putin's Back, Serbia Armed Russia's Biggest Enemy with $900 Million in Missiles? Moscow Fumes
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Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Shock media closure deals new blow to press freedom in Balkans
Nearly 14 years after presenting the first newscast of Al Jazeera Balkans , Sasa Delic, like his 250 colleagues, learned of the channel's closure in a shock announcement. The Bosnian journalist inaugurated the new network on November 11, 2011, telling viewers: "You are watching the first news channel in the region," and promising them "accurate, verified and impartial" information. But on July 10, management suddenly announced the Qatari-based channel's regional branch was closing, the latest in a wave of closures and downsizing to hit the Balkans' strained media industry. "I had no idea," Delic, 47, told AFP. "It was sudden, but you have to adapt. It's the owner's decision." Two days later, his colleague Dalija Hasanbegovic gave the channel's farewell sign-off: "That was the final Al Jazeera Balkans newscast. "We always tried to be the voice of those who didn't have one, an island of truth." - 'Silencing the last voices' - Claiming more than 22 million viewers, "AJB" broadcast across most of the Balkans, with studios in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Zagreb. "We never adhered to anyone's political agenda," said Delic, who added he fears the closure will hurt strained media freedoms in the region. "A beacon of free journalism in the Balkans goes dark," said philosopher and journalist Dragan Bursac in his final column published on the Al Jazeera Balkans website. Al Jazeera Balkans' executive director and one of its founders, Edhem Foco, told AFP the closure was a consequence of a "strategy shift" at the parent channel, which is investing in developing its online platform Al Jazeera 360. The loss will be felt mostly at the broadcaster's Sarajevo hub, where nearly 200 employees worked, according to Foco. "It is a warning: independent journalism in the region is increasingly under threat," said the SafeJournalists Network (SJN), a coalition of journalist associations and unions in the Balkans. For Maja Sever, director of the European Federation of Journalists, "we are witnessing the silencing of the last voices that embodied professional and quality journalism". The network's shuttering comes after the United States cut funding to a slew of foreign-based media outlets, part of President Donald Trump's budget cuts -- including to news outlets he deems hostile to his agenda. Voice of America's Serbian office closed in March after 82 years, and the future of the regional newsrooms of Radio Free Europe remains unclear. Many other independent outlets that relied on US government funding have also closed or are struggling around the world. "The damage is very significant, profound," Sever said. - Independent media disappearing - Balkan countries rate poorly in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, created by watchdog group Reporters Without Borders . Out of 180 countries, Bosnia ranks 86th and Serbia 96th. The report also noted that Serbian media "bear the brunt of attempts by the authorities to quell" large-scale anti-government protests that have rocked the country for months. At least 28 media professionals had been assaulted by police or supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic since February, it said. Independent media in the Balkans are increasingly rare, and some, like the N1 channel, are not distributed by public or government-affiliated cable operators. As these outlets shrink, many journalists will leave the profession, Sever warned. "Those who ask questions are leaving, those who think independently are leaving. Who, then, will ask a question to a prime minister or a president at a press conference? Algorithms? Artificial intelligence?" she said.
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First Post
15 hours ago
- First Post
Gaza, Ukraine and beyond: Is Trump's bid to be a global peacemaker falling apart?
The United States cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks this week plunges one of President Donald Trump's pushes to solve global conflicts into new uncertainty. read more The United States' decision to withdraw from Gaza ceasefire negotiations this week has cast fresh doubt over President Donald Trump's attempts to resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts. The faltering of talks aimed at ending the 21-month war between Israel and Hamas marks another setback for Trump whose efforts to broker international peace agreements have stalled across multiple fronts. Though back in office for only six months, the Republican president has sought to position himself as a global peacemaker. Some of his aims, such as ending the Ukraine war before taking office, have yet to materialise. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Trump has cited humanitarian motives for his diplomatic pursuits, he has also been vocal about his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Several allies have nominated him for the honour. Ceasefire efforts in Gaza: No major progress Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced Thursday that the U.S. was recalling its negotiating team from Qatar. Talks there had failed to yield a breakthrough. Witkoff accused Hamas of not engaging in 'good faith', though he did not elaborate. Despite a visit to Washington earlier this month by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the negotiations have produced little progress. Witkoff said the U.S. would now 'consider alternative options to bring the hostages home', but officials declined to provide further details. Asked about the issue on Friday, Trump told reporters that Hamas was uninterested in a deal and added, 'I think what's going to happen is they're going to be hunted down.' Ukraine war: Stalemate persists Trump previously vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of assuming office, but the war continues with no sign of resolution. Despite increasing criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has not supported a bipartisan U.S. sanctions bill. Instead, he gave Russia 50 days to accept a peace plan, delaying punitive measures. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This delay has allowed Moscow to intensify its military offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated his willingness to hold direct talks with Putin, but Russia has rejected the offer. Lower-level negotiations held in Istanbul on Wednesday ended without progress. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from four regions it annexed in 2022 and abandon its NATO ambitions, terms Kyiv and its Western backers have rejected. Iran conflict: Ceasefire but no nuclear deal The US and Israel recently carried out joint strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, leading to a fragile ceasefire. However, Washington has not yet reached any agreement with Tehran over its nuclear programme. An Iranian diplomat said this week that Tehran is open to talks with the US but only if steps are taken to rebuild trust. Meanwhile, Iran is also exploring a separate negotiation path with Britain, France and Germany—three parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from during his previous term. Foreign ministers from the four countries met Friday in Istanbul, warning that sanctions could be reinstated if there is no movement on a new deal by August. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Progress on some fronts Despite the setbacks, Trump has managed to broker certain regional agreements. In June, the US facilitated a peace accord between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, ending years of tension. The agreement includes commitments to cease hostilities, respect each other's sovereignty and grant US access to critical minerals. In May, the Trump administration claimed to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan following cross-border strikes. However, India denied any international interference. Earlier in July, US special envoy Tom Barrack announced a limited ceasefire between Israel and Syria following Israeli intervention in the latter's internal conflict. While the ceasefire was hailed as a success, the episode disrupted efforts to normalise relations between the two nations. With inputs from agencies
India.com
15 hours ago
- India.com
World War 3 imminent? Experts say nuclear attack against Russia may take place from..., not US, Ukraine
Representational Image Russia-Ukraine war: Barely a month after the Israel-Iran war raised fears of a global, another major conflict threatens to trigger World War 3 as reports in the Russian state media claim that NATO countries led by the United States are allegedly preparing to launch a large scale nuclear attack on Russia. What do the reports say? Russia media reports, citing experts and analysts close to the Kremlin, claim that NATO is preparing for a major conflict with Russia, amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the US-led Western powers due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Experts believe that such a conflict could potentially trigger World War 3 as Russia's allies like China would step in military, resulting in a global conflict. Its believed these reports are designed to prepare the Russian citizens for a major war with NATO, including a nuclear conflict. Why Russia-Ukraine war could trigger World War 3? Reports circulating in government-affiliated news outlets, including Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP), have warned of an impending nuclear war with NATO, claiming that the West, including the US, Britain, and their European allies, could launch a large-scale war on Russia by the end of the current decade. Russian experts believe that war is part of larger strategy to balkanize Russia, which would inevitably trigger a third world war as Moscow's allies would join the battle. Notably, General Christopher Donahue, commanding general of the US Army Europe and Africa, has publicly talked about attacking Russia's Kaliningrad region, which is surrounded by NATO countries, and stands isolated from the rest of Russia. Moscow issued a stern response, stating that it would take any and all measures to to protect Kaliningrad, including deploying nuclear weapons. Where would the attack be launched from? According to Russian experts, NATO could use Finland, which recently joined the alliance, as a launchpad for attacking Russia, even as Moscow's SVR intelligence service has accused the US-led military grouping of converting Moldova into into a military base, which could lead to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russian forces in Eastern Europe. Russian Military commentator Zimovsky warned that any attack on St. Petersburg or Kaliningrad would lead to a wider war, while former President Dmitry Medvedev asserted that a World War 3 situation has already arisen due to the US and Europe meddling in the Russia-Ukraine war.
