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Media independence safeguarded in EU law

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Media independence safeguarded in EU law

The European Parliament approved a new EU regulation for the protection of journalists and media from political and economic interventions, with 464 votes in favor, 92 against, and 65 abstentions. This regulation mandates member states to ensure media independence and prohibits any forms of intervention in editorial decisions. It includes measures against pressuring journalists to disclose sources, establishes rules for the use of surveillance software by authorities, sets criteria for the editorial independence and funding of public media, requires transparency regarding media ownership, ensures fair distribution of state advertising, and protects media freedom from arbitrary actions by major online platforms.

Woman arrested in north scandal handed public sector job

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Woman arrested in north scandal handed public sector job

Meray Durust, who was arrested in connection with a fake diploma scandal, has started working in a new public sector role despite the ongoing case against her. She was previously arrested and accused of obtaining a false degree from the Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University, and was sacked from her position as director of the north’s ‘labour ministry’. However, she has now returned to her former position as a civil servant in the Morphou District Governor’s office. This decision has been criticized by Kudret Ozersay, a former negotiator for the Cyprus problem, who believes that individuals under police investigation should be removed from public duty.

Art during exile and displacement

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Art during exile and displacement

The ASSEMBLE programme is presenting a new exhibition titled “Belonging” in Nicosia, focusing on exile and displacement. It will be held at the Goethe-Institut from March 22-24, featuring artworks and dialogues about the rights of artists affected by forced migration and the role of culture in refugee support. The exhibition includes five selected artworks from an original virtual exhibition and a new piece by a Cypriot artist, curated by Shirin Zeraaty. Participating artists are Myriam Dalal, Alia Gargum, Oleksandra Lytvyn, Amak Mahmoodian, Zariq Rosita Hanif, and Efi Savvides. There will be a day of curatorial tours and an event for artists to converse.

Author reveals bogus miracle cures at monastery

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Author reveals bogus miracle cures at monastery

The Ayios Avakoum monastery in Fterikoudes has been implicated in a scandal involving a miracles’ racket and other deceptive practices, attracting attention from both the public and authorities. Revelations about the monastery’s activities, including allegations of sexual misconduct and financial exploitation by two monks, have prompted an investigation and an ecclesiastical court hearing. Residents and visitors have reported being extorted for money and property under the guise of religious donations. The situation has been exacerbated by social media influencers promoting the monastery’s supposed miracles, leading to large, profitable events. Efforts to address these issues with the police and church authorities have met with limited success.

Berlin Film Festival jury questions move to uninvite far right

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Berlin Film Festival jury questions move to uninvite far right

The Berlin Film Festival’s jury members criticized the decision to withdraw invitations to hard-right politicians from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The politicians were initially invited to the opening ceremony but had their invites withdrawn after it was revealed that they had discussed deportations of ethnic minorities at a secret meeting. The jury members, including German director Christian Petzold and Italian actor Jasmine Trinca, argued that the decision hindered open discussion and that cinema has the power to change people’s perspectives. The AfD party criticized the decision, claiming that it marginalized and stigmatized democratically elected representatives. The jury members also faced questions about current affairs, including Russia’s missile attacks, but tried to steer the conversation back to cinema.

Samsung FB fan page more popular than Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Coca-Cola

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Samsung FB fan page more popular than Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Coca-Cola

Samsung commands a 24% share in the worldwide smartphone market and has the most popular Facebook fan page in the world with almost 160 million fans. Facebook is the digital channel with the most influence on purchasing decisions. Samsung has almost 38 million more followers on Facebook than Cristiano Ronaldo, the most-followed person on Instagram and Facebook. Global brands dominate the list of most popular fan pages on Facebook.

What was it like to fall in love 50 years ago?

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What was it like to fall in love 50 years ago?

The Talk to Me About Love workshop is an experiential event that focuses on expressing love through creative means. It is scheduled to take place at the Nefeles Art Therapy Centre in Nicosia on February 13, combining storytelling and visual arts. The workshop is led by actress Natalia Panagiotou and art therapist Lenia Georgiou. It is open to adults of all ages, with a special invitation extended to seniors and younger generations to promote intergenerational interaction. The event is organized by the Nefeles Art Therapy Centre, Yasemin Collective, and Entws twn Technwn, and costs €15 to attend. The workshop will be conducted in Greek, and registration is required via a form on the Facebook event page. The contact number provided for more information is 96-586535.

Alphabet, Meta ad sales in Q4 unlikely to reflect gen AI investments

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Alphabet, Meta ad sales in Q4 unlikely to reflect gen AI investments

– Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) are expected to report muted impact from generative artificial intelligence on their advertising business in their fourth-quarter results.
– Alphabet has introduced AI tools to help advertisers target audiences more cost-effectively and distribute marketing budgets across Google’s ad network.
– Meta is using generative AI to create variations of ad campaigns.
– Bernstein analysts consider generative AI to be in the “hype cycle” but recognize investors are looking for incremental use cases and revenue streams.
– The digital advertising core business is expected to have been resilient for the quarter ended December 31.
– Microsoft (MSFT.O) is anticipated to benefit early from the generative AI race, with increased demand for its cloud services.
– Alphabet’s stock surged 58% last year, Meta’s stock nearly tripled, and the S&P 500 index gained roughly a quarter, partly due to an AI-fueled tech rally.
– Political advertising is expected to be a catalyst for Meta and Google, with spending on political advertising in the U.S. predicted to jump 30% in 2024 from 2020.
– Alphabet is expected to report an 11.8% growth in fourth-quarter advertising revenue to billion.
– Google introduced the AI chatbot Bard and a search generative experience (SGE) that generates written responses to some search queries.
– SGE could contribute between .6 million and 3 million in incremental search advertising revenue by 2025.
– Meta’s AI tools for advertisers have shown potential time savings for users.
– Meta is expected to report .1 billion in fourth-quarter revenue.
– Meta’s AI tools that find potential customers and test ad performance are earning billion on an annualized basis.
– Meta could generate .7 billion in ad revenue in 2025 if it introduces paid ads within AI assistants on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
– Snap (SNAP.N) partnered with Microsoft to place sponsored product links in its chatbot, which could earn Snap 4 million in 2024, growing to 6 million in 2025.
– Amazon.com (AMZN.O) is introducing ads on its Prime Video service and developing Amazon Bedrock, a service for creating applications with AI models.
– Amazon’s Prime Video ads could increase its ad revenue growth by 5% to 10%.
– Amazon is set to report its results the same week as the article’s publication.

"It reminded me of the match with APOEL"

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"It reminded me of the match with APOEL"

The content of the text is a statement made by the coach of Apollon, Pablo Machin, after a draw with Pafos. The coach mentioned that they played very well and deserved to win. He also stated that they were superior in the first half and defended well in the second half. However, after missing a penalty, they did not react properly and ended up drawing the match. The coach compared the match to a previous game against APOEL where they also lost in the last minutes. He also mentioned that they made changes in the second half to refresh the players and assess the condition of those returning from injury. The coach further commented that Bruno Santos needs more time and they failed to exploit the spaces left by Pafos, making it difficult for them to defend in the ball recovery phase and resulting in conceding a goal.

Reckdal: "We chased them from behind… They deserved to win"

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Reckdal: "We chased them from behind... They deserved to win"

The coach of Omonia, Chetil Rekdal, stated that they deserved to win the match against AEK. He mentioned that AEK was better in the first half and they faced pressure. Omonia had a good start and took the lead, but AEK scored in injury time for a 1-1 draw. Rekdal also acknowledged that AEK deserved to win and that they have work to do. He commented on their second consecutive derby defeat and mentioned the need to find the best position for each player and play like they did against Pafos. He also mentioned the need to change the system due to limited options.