Following the development, CNN International, the global arm of CNN, ABC and CBS News has announced that it will stop broadcasting in Russia.

Bloomberg News, the BBC and Canada’s CBC also said they were temporarily suspending the work of their journalists inside Russia.

This is coming after some Russian officials claimed that false information has been spread by enemies such as the United States and its Western European allies in an attempt to sow discord among the Russian people.

Bloomberg’s Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said he greatly regretted the suspension. But “the change to the criminal code, which seems designed to turn any independent reporter into a criminal purely by association, makes it impossible to continue any semblance of normal journalism inside the country,” he said. “We will not do that to our reporters.”

BBC Director General Tim Davie said the new legislation appeared to criminalise the process of independent journalism.

“It leaves us no other option than to temporarily suspend the work of all BBC News journalists and their support staff within the Russian Federation while we assess the full implications of this unwelcome development,” he said in a statement

He added that the BBC News Service in Russian would continue to operate from outside Russia. Jonathan Munro, an interim director of BBC News, said the corporation was not “pulling out” journalists from Moscow but assessing the new law’s effects

The Washington Post, Dow Jones and the Reuters news agency said they were evaluating the new media law and the situation

CBS News stated that it is no longer broadcasting from the country: ‘CBS News is not currently broadcasting from Russia as we monitor the circumstances for our team on the ground given the new media laws passed today.’

ABC News also announced suspension of its media operations in the country. ‘Because of the new censorship law passed in Russia today, some Western networks including ABC News are not broadcasting from the country tonight. We will continue to assess the situation and determine what this means for the safety of our teams on the ground,’ the network said.

Russia has termed its actions in Ukraine a ‘special operation.’ The new law came after foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the BBC of playing a ‘determined role in undermining the Russian stability and security.’

Interim BBC News Director Jonathan Munro tweeted: ‘It’s with a heavy heart that we have had to suspend @BBCNews operations in Russia until we assess impact of new laws which outlaw independent journalism. Thoughts with colleagues in Moscow whose voices cannot be silenced for long.’

Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor ‘limited’ access to bbcrussian.com and bbcnews.com on Friday.

Other foreign websites have also been blocked, including independent news website Meduza, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and the Russian-language website of the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Svoboda.

Deutsche Welle posted a letter to Russians on its German website saying it regretted the decision and urged readers to bypass the internet blockade.

Voice of America said in a statement that audiences in Russia deserved access to factual news content and it would continue to support tools that allow them to bypass any blocking efforts.

By ordering his forces into Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has sparked the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War, battering financial and commodity markets, sending the ruble into a tailspin and triggering an economic isolation never before visited on such a large economy.

Western governments and tech platforms have also banned the Russian news network RT, with the European Union accusing it of systematic disinformation over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Man expresses surprise at “audacity” of a female friend

Russian soldier breaks down in tears as he’s given tea after surrendering while Ukrainians call his mum on phone (video)

Flanked by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Vice President Mike Pence, Trump confirmed that an Iranian missile attack on US forces late Tuesday did not result in any American casualties and said Iran “appears to be standing down.”

Iran launched more than 20 missiles at two US-occupied Iraqi bases in response to Soleimani’s killing.

“I’m pleased to inform you, the American people should be extremely grateful and happy no Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime,” Trump said. He added that there was only minimal damage to the installations.

Following Trump’s speech, a host of right-wing media figures and pundits lauded the president for what they said was his de-escalation of the conflict with Iran. A “straight news” anchor on Fox suggested those who’ve criticized Trump’s escalation with Iran are “deranged.”

“There’s this sense that the president doesn’t get credit when something goes right,” Fox host Bret Baier said Wednesday. “You wonder whether Trump derangement syndrome factors in to some of the responses you hear here in Washington.”

But they seemed to ignore the fact that Trump’s own actions were what prompted tensions between the US and Iran to go from hot to boiling in a matter of days.

Trump’s decision to order Soleimani’s assassination was almost universally condemned after it was publicly announced.

Among the first to react was the United Kingdom, historically the United States’ closest ally.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said in a statement on Friday that conflict with Iran “is in none of our interests” and urged “all parties to de-escalate.”

Other UK leaders also criticized the US for not consulting it before carrying out the strike.

Tom Tugendhat, Raab’s Conservative Party colleague and the chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told the BBC that “the purpose of having allies is that we can surprise our enemies and not each other.”

He added that “it’s been a pattern, sadly, which has been a bit of a shame, that the US administration of late has not shared with us and that is a matter of concern.”

Mart Helme, the chairman of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party, took a swipe at Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin during a radio interview on Sunday, ridiculing her and her party.

“Now we see how one sales girl has become a prime minister, and how some other street activists and non-educated people have also joined the cabinet,” the 70-year-old Helme said of Marin, according to the BBC.

He also called Marin’s Social Democratic Party “red” and alleged that it was out to “liquidate” Finland with its policies.

At the age of 34, Marin, who has spoken out about growing up in a disadvantaged family and who worked as a sales assistant before going to a university, is the world’s youngest prime minister.

Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid called her Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinisto, on Monday to give a public apology on behalf of her country and its interior minister. She said she was “embarrassed” by Helme’s remarks.

Helme apologized much later, blaming the media for overplaying his comments. He said he had intended to “acknowledge that it is possible to work oneself up from a low social level also into top politics,” according to the BBC.

“If someone has misunderstood it… then indeed I want to say that I am offering my apology to the prime minister of Finland,” he added.

For her part, Marin responded on Twitter by saying she was “extremely proud of Finland.”

“Here a child from a poor family can get educated and achieve many things in their lives,” she wrote. “The cashier of the shop can become a prime minister.”

Helme is widely known in the Baltic country for political gaffes and sexist comments, including personal attacks on Kaljulaid. His most recent remarks led to the collapse of Estonia’s three-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Juri Ratas.

On Tuesday, members of the 101-seat Riigikogu voted 44-42 to remove Helme. However, the motion needed an absolute majority of 51 votes to pass.

A constitutional court in Karlsruhe ruled in favour of the unnamed man, who was sentenced to life in prison and later released in 2002.

The man, a crew member aboard the yacht Apollonia, fatally shot two people and severely injured a third. He has since fought to distance his family’s name from reports about the case, the BBC reported Wednesday.

His name still appears in online searches as part of an archived article in the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, according to reports.

The publication uploaded three reports about the case in 1999 with the man’s full name, the BBC said. He became aware of the articles in 2009 and asked that they are removed from the Internet, claiming they inhibited his “ability to develop his personality,” a court statement said, per the BBC.

The case was initially thrown out in 2012 by a federal court, which ruled that the man’s privacy did not outweigh the public interest or freedom of the press, Agence France-Presse (AFP) had reported.

The ruling could force publications to restrict access to online archives, reports said.

The concept of the “right to be forgotten” has gained traction in recent years, with tech companies being taken to court over online search results.

In 2014, a European Union court ruled that search engine companies have to comply with requests to remove results.

Google and other search engines have fought with the EU over its privacy rules. The continent’s top court ruled in September that the tech giant will not have to apply Europe’s “right to be forgotten” law globally.

Boniface Igbeneghu and Samuel Oladipo, were caught in a documentary on sexual harassment released by the BBC Africa Eye.

Taiwo Oloyede, principal assistant registrar, communication unit of UNILAG, said on Wednesday, October 9th that the panel is headed by Ayodele Atsenuwa, a professor and dean of the faculty of law. He also confirmed that the two lecturers have been suspended by the university.

The statement read: “The Panel will probe into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu of the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies, Faculty of Arts and Dr. Samuel Oladipo of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences as well as other related cases. As previously announced in the University’s Press Release dated Monday, October 7, 2019, Dr. Samuel Oladipo who was featured in the full version of the BBC broadcast, has been suspended from work with immediate effect and barred from the University academic areas until conclusion of the Panel’s assignment. Students and members of staff who have relevant information are encouraged to come forward. Their protection is assured. We firmly reassure all our students, staff, alumni, parents and guardians that this matter will be tackled with every sense of responsibility, and the seriousness it deserves. The whole process will be transparent and appropriate sanctions will be meted out to anyone found culpable.”

Igbeneghu, a senior lecturer, was caught on tape seeking sexual favours from a journalist who posed as a 17 year old student seeking his assistance in getting an admission in the University.

He said “I work for the University of Lagos; if you want any reaction, talk to the university. Contact the information unit and they will tell you the correct position. If I talk, I will be running foul of the varsity law. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on me to say beyond what I have said”.

Bisi said she was luckier than some of the victims because hers didn’t go far, but she noted it was an unpleasant experience.

She said “I cried because what this young women have experience is the story of many of us who passed through higher institution in this country. I was educated here in Nigeria and I too was a victim of sexual harassment during my university days. I was luckier than these victims. It didn’t go that far but it was extremely unpleasant and of course back in the days when all these things happened you can’t tell anyone because if you do even up till now people ask you to keep shut. You know people don’t talk about things like this. I was watching the documentary and there were three words that came to me, one is voice, it is time to speak up and speak out and for those who do we need to stand with them and stand by them and not silence them because the culture of silence has endured enough. Another word that came to me was accountability, we need to be accountable whether there are parents, guidance or teachers or leaders in any form through out the different section of society. We have to be accountable for the well being and health of the young people in our care, from when our children come to say mummy, uncle so so and so touched me and instead of asking further to find out what’s its all about, we should act. There has to be accountability and the third thing that came to mind was justice, justice for victim or I choose to call them survivors and so those of us who have worked in the women’s whether at international level or Africa or national air in Nigeria, we know that we have many law and policies in place that are supposed to guard against things such as this but this law sometimes means very little because there is inadequate political”.

Hessa bint Salman, the only daughter of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and a half-sister of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, received a 10-month suspended sentence from the Paris court and was ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 euros ($11,064). The court found her guilty of sequestration and theft of the plumber’s telephone, as well as complicity in violence.

The princess left France shortly after the September 2016 incident.

Her bodyguard, Rani Saida, was convicted on charges of violence, sequestration and theft. He received an eight-month suspended sentence and a 5,000-euro ($5,532) fine.

Prosecutors alleged that Princess Hessa called plumber Ashrad Eid to her apartment to fix a damaged sink. The craftsman said he took photos of the bathroom he needed for work, but the princess believed he was trying to photograph her when she saw her reflection captured in the mirror. Eid alleged the princess furiously ordered her bodyguard to bind him and forced him to kiss the princess’ feet, as well as break Eid’s phone.

The plumber said he was not allowed to leave for several hours. At one point, he claimed the princess yelled, “Kill him, the dog. He doesn’t deserve to live.”

After the trial, Princess Hassa’s French lawyer, Emmanuel Moyne, called the plumber’s allegations “fanciful” and promised they would launch an appeal. Saida said he heard Princess Hassa cry for help and rushed in to find her and Eid tugging at the phone.

“I seized (him) and overpowered him, I didn’t know what he was after,” said the bodyguard, and suggested the plumber might want to sell the images, according to the BBC. Photographing the princess is illegal under Saudi law.

Eid’s attorney, Georges Karouni, saluted his client’s “courage” in bringing the case and said the verdict was proof of “everyone equal before the law.”

The 680 were initially arrested at several food-processing plants in Mississippi for allegedly not having proper documentation to be in the US.

Confirming the release of 300 immigrants, ICE spokesman Bryan Cox told the BBC that those who were not released will be moved to an ICE detention facility and held there.

He said “The 300 released are released from custody, they were placed into proceedings before the federal immigration courts and will have their day in court at a later date.”

The woman was apprehended as she made attempts to ditch her disguise and Mexico City police quickly discounted her claim that she targeted the victims in a crime of passion, the BBC reported.

Alon Azulay, who is aged 41, and Benjamin Yeshurun Sutchi, aged 44, were shot Wednesday as they were having lunch at the restaurant in the luxury Plaza Artz mall, according to the BBC which identified them as alleged Israeli underworld figures.

The gunfire sent other diners diving for cover.

Mexico City police chief Jesus Orta said the woman told police Wednesday that “she had a sentimental relationship with one of the victims, who she met on social media, and that the attack was due to infidelity,” The Associated Press reported.

However, Ulises Lara, a spokesman for prosecutors in Mexico City, was quoted by the BBC as telling reporters Thursday that the incident “lead us to link the events to a settling of scores between criminal groups.”

Sutchi was a well-known Israeli crime boss who was imprisoned for years in Israel until February, according to the Times of Israel.

Israeli police reportedly suspect an Israeli criminal organization was behind the hit, according to the paper.

The suspected killer was identified by the paper as Esperanza Gutierrez Rojano, age 33.

Police suspect she carried out the killing with the aid of three accomplices.