During the Tout un matin program at ICI Première, La Presse President Pierre-Elliott Levasseur acknowledged that agreements had already been reached between Facebook and several Canadian media outlets, including the Toronto Star and even Le Devoir, but that was the case there is still a long way to go.

Bill C-18 is a win for us because it will force Google and Meta [la maison-mère de Facebook, NDLR] He stressed that they had to negotiate the “fair market value” of the journalistic content published on their networks.

La Presse had been trying to reach an agreement with the two digital giants for years, Mr Levasseur recalled. Vain.

It is Google and Facebook who are currently deciding who are the winners and who are the losers. They are the ones who unilaterally decided that they would make an agreement with Le Devoir, with the CN2i group or with the Toronto Star, but we at La Presse were talking to certain players at the time, all of a sudden , they decided that they would Ending discussions without any explanation, he added.

This also applies to many weeklies across the country: there is no agreement. Google and Facebook decide whether or not a news agency makes an agreement.

“Before the threat of Bill C-18, there was no deal in Canada. »

– A quote from Pierre-Elliott Levasseur, President of La Presse

However, according to Mr Levasseur, the content of the agreements already concluded between GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft) and the media is confidential.

Content will be blocked within a few months

On Thursday, after announcing passage of Bill C-18, Meta announced that the company would carry out its threat and block Canadian media content on its platform.

After the adoption of a bill, a period of six months is provided for the entry into force.

When asked about the timeline — an initial statement merely suggesting that Meta would block content — the Mark Zuckerberg-led company said the process would stretch over a period of several months.

In the wake of Facebook’s backlash, Canadian Culture Minister Pablo Rodriguez tweeted that Facebook was fully aware that it had no legal obligation at the moment. Following royal approval of Bill C-18, the government will begin a regulatory and enforcement process.

An impact on our democracy

What if Meta actually blocked news media content from here? We’ll live with that, said Pierre-Elliott Levasseur.

But the problem, he says, is that 30% of Canadians get news through Facebook; They consult credible media, but are also confronted with dubious sources or even outright fake news.

Pierre-Elliott Levasseur, President of La Presse. (archive photo)

Photo: The Canadian Press / Paul Chiasson

When Facebook announces that credible media outlets will no longer produce information from professional journalists, it opens the floodgates to dubious sources and misinformation. To me that is completely irresponsible. […] “It’s not about the impact on La Presse, it’s an impact on our democracy, an attack on our democracy,” Mr Levasseur continued.

And I think the only reason they’re doing this is to avoid similar regulations in the United States, in Europe, or anywhere else, he pointed out.

Meta would therefore take Canadians hostage in hopes of intimidating the European and American governments.

Ultimately, the president of La Presse hopes that Meta negotiates in good faith; They did it in Australia… I don’t think Meta is questioning the value of our information; I think it’s a broader tactic.

Quebecor President and Chief Executive Officer Pierre Karl Péladeau said in a press release that the launch of C-18 is a major milestone for the news media, which has been fighting for several years to get internet giants to pay their fair share.

Mr. Péladeau also called on the web giants to immediately enter into good faith negotiations so that the news media can continue to provide reliable, quality content to Canadians.

It’s unfortunate, even despicable, that Meta is using its market dominance to block access to local media information, thereby holding subscribers hostage in Canada, he added, while raising the barricades.

A snub to the Canadian state

Alain Saulnier, a journalist and former head of information at Radio Canada, also doesn’t like Meta’s decision.

In an interview with Midi Info, Mr Saulnier concluded that the threat to block the content was merely a snub to the Canadian state, which was unacceptable.

“It’s a way of showing that we are stronger than the state, stronger than the law, stronger than government,” Mr Saulnier said again.

For years, Alain Saulnier has castigated those who call him “digital barbarians”.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Etienne Côté-Paluck

In the latter case, Meta’s position could be confused with a negotiating stance. Eventually, he recalled, the social network in Australia did the same when it passed legislation similar to C-18. Negotiations then took place between the company and Canberra.

However, if an agreement is never reached with Ottawa and Meta actually blocks Canadian media content, Alain Saulnier believes it would have a huge impact on democracy here, as well as the quality of information people have access to.

“We know very well that people under 35 get their messages mainly through social networks,” he recalled. How then can this part of the population get the most comprehensive possible overview of the news when the main source of information blocks the professional media?

This whole situation, Mr Saulnier reiterated, is due to the fact that states, including Canada, have practiced a laissez-faire policy towards digital platforms. Is it still possible to deal with these digital giants that, according to Alain Saulnier, refuse any regulation?

Maybe, maybe it’s not too late. Perhaps states should come together to take on the digital giants. It’s not too late, but we have to act, he says.

The status quo was no longer tenable

At the Quebec Journalists’ Association (FPJQ), we warmly welcome the introduction of C-18. The status quo is no longer tenable, says the organization’s president, Michael Nguyen.

In fifteen years, social networks have slowly but surely become a must.

According to him, Facebook has taken up space without really knowing how much.

The journalist and president of the professional association of journalists of Quebec, Michaël Nguyen (archive)

Photo: Radio Canada

In fact, today a large part of the Canadian population gets their information on Facebook by reading the publications of the local media.

At some point they will have to pay back their share. It is worth remembering that the digital giants monopolize around 80% of advertising revenue; It is an amount leaving Canada and not coming back, Mr Nguyen said.

In contrast, the traditional media model is to use funds raised from advertising to fund newsrooms; Now that’s no longer possible because Facebook has become a giant more powerful than states, so much so that they believe they have the legitimacy to dictate how the state should run the country, the president said of the FPJQ.

Has the media dug their own grave by turning to social networks to publish their content? Just say “Yes, in a way”; I draw a parallel with photographers who are offered a “job” by being told, “Hey, it’s going to pay off in exposure, so we’re not going to pay you.” The media saw it as a way to sell their content to show and gain visibility, Mr Nguyen recalled.

However, over time it is no longer a question of visibility, but a question of income. Because Facebook has monopolized all the advertising revenue that makes it possible to create information. We’re in a situation where we’re, yes, a little stuck. The media is in crisis, it’s nothing new, but the problem is that Facebook’s model is one of emotions.

“Democracy is fragile”

All of this makes it possible to draw a parallel with a healthy democracy, Mr Nguyen continued. We need to be informed because what else are we basing our vote on? To the speakers who say anything and everything? Journalists conduct fact-checking, which he says is essential.

In this equation, Facebook is a must. Should we tell ourselves that it’s not a bad thing that a large part of the population is no longer looking for information? These people will still vote! It depends on who screams the loudest, who evokes the most emotion… [Celui-là] will have the greatest visibility and will eventually be seen by everyone. And what does not cause a dispute, the algorithm will forget, denounced the President of the FPJQ.

Something has to be done because we have seen that democracy is fragile […] That’s why C-18 is essential.

The mystery surrounding Julian Sands’ disappearance takes a new turn. Late Saturday night, US police reported that a group of civilian climbers found human remains around 10am while climbing Mount Baldy, the same one where the 65-year-old British actor disappeared without a trace last January.

According to authorities, the area is close to the Baldy Bowl Trail, which the interpreter walked along and did not return from for more than five months. “Civilian climbers contacted the sheriff’s office [la ciudad de] Fontana following the discovery of human remains in an open-air area of ​​Mount Baldy,” said the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which owns the city of Fontana, which is northeast of the city of Los Angeles, California.

According to the statement, seen by CNN and USA Today, investigators will have a definitive and complete identification of the remains next week.

More information

Mount Baldy, and in particular the trail called the Baldy Bowl Trail, has always been Sands’ search area, as after his loss, investigators were able to recover certain signals from his cellphone that took him there. All traces of the Brit disappeared by the afternoon of January 13, although it was not until the 19th of the same month that police announced that he was one of two hikers lost in the area on those days. “Sometime that day he went for a walk, and when he didn’t come back, his family reported him missing,” Gloria Huerta, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, told the AP agency at the time.

At that time the search for Sands was started, but at that very moment, in January, it had to be stopped due to the bad weather in California, where last year there was a harder and more extreme winter than usual with snowfalls of all kinds. They had seen each other in 40 years. In that time, there have been up to eight rescue operations spanning more than 500 hours to find Sands. In fact, a week ago, on Saturday, June 17, more than 80 volunteer search and rescue workers, police officers, two helicopters and drone crews resumed the task but were unsuccessful at the time. It wasn’t easy either, as it was rainy at the beginning of the year and the onset of summer continues to mean temperatures are milder than usual for the state for this time of year, so much so that in remote areas like this this is not the case in winter.” Many of the areas include steep terrain and ravines with more than three meters of ice and snow remaining on them,” the authorities said in their statement last week. In fact, the family released a statement shortly thereafter: “We continue to carry Julian in our hearts and fondly remember him as a fabulous father, husband, explorer, lover of the outdoors and the arts, and an original and collaborative actor.”

Julian Sands, born 65 years ago in Otley (a small town north of Leeds in the heart of England), has lived for years with his wife, the American writer and journalist Evgenia Citkowitz (a descendant of the famous and Guinness millionaire), whom he married in 1990 and with whom he has two daughters; In addition, he has an older son, Henry, who was born in the mid-1980s from a previous marriage. Sands has always had a passion for the mountains and that is why California was a paradise for him as mountain walks and hiking are a pleasure for thousands of Angelenos and Californians.

The actor, known for his roles in A Room With a View (1985), Warlock (1989) and Leaving Las Vegas (1995), as well as series such as 24 and Smallville (where he played Superman’s father) is not known in the mountain. In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian in 2020, he already told that he went into a trance in the mountains three decades ago and feared for his life: “In the early nineties, in the Andes, when we were trapped in a terrible 20,000ft storm with three others,” he said. “We were all very bad. Some people close to us died; we were very lucky.”

The “anti-terrorist operational regime” has been established in Moscow and its region while Russia is being rocked by an uprising by the paramilitary group Wagner, the National Counter-Terrorism Committee said on Saturday.

• Also read: Two Russian regions on high alert over Wagner group uprising

• Also read: Wagner boss claims his troops shot down a Russian military helicopter

• Also read: Offensive in Russia: “We’ll keep going, we’ll do it to the end,” swears the Wagner boss

“In order to prevent possible attacks, an anti-terrorist operational regime has been established in Moscow, in the Moscow region,” as well as in the Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, the committee said in a press release published on its website. without further information.

In particular, this measure strengthens the powers of the security services and allows them to restrict freedom of movement.

It also provides for the introduction of ID and vehicle checks on the streets and authorizes a temporary cessation of communications services if necessary.

“All mass events […] are canceled for this reason, ”said the mayor of the Russian capital Sergey Sobyanin.

“All municipal services are functioning normally, traffic in the city is not disrupted,” he assured, thanking residents for their “understanding” and “calm.”

Warren Buffett’s charitable giving tops $50 billion as famed investor makes HUGE donation to Gates Foundation and pledges to four other organizations

• Buffett has given more than $50 billion to charities since his lifetime commitment in 2006
• The legendary investor’s recent gift of 10.45 million Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was valued at $3.5 billion

By Alice Wright

Published: 06:56, 25 June 2023 | Updated at 6:56 AM, June 25, 2023

Legendary investor Warren Buffett this week donated an additional $3.5 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and gave millions more to four foundations linked to his family.

That brings the total amount the Oracle of Omaha has donated to charities, most notably the Gates Foundation, since 2006 to more than $50 billion.

The donations were made by handing over millions of shares in his investment company, Berkshire Hathaway.

The recent gift of 10.45 million Class B shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was valued at $3.5 billion.

Four other foundations associated with the Buffett family also received more than 3.2 million additional shares, bringing this year’s repeat of its annual charitable stock distribution to a total of 13.69 million shares, the company said in a press release.

Legendary investor Warren Buffet has donated more than $50 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four foundations associated with his family

Buffett has been a trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since 2006

Berkshire said 1.05 million shares were donated to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which supports work in reproductive health and is named after Buffett’s late wife.

The Sherwood Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations in Nebraska, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which focuses on alleviating hunger, alleviating conflict, and improving public safety, and the NoVo Foundation, which focuses on charitable causes for girls and women focused, received a total of 2.2 million.

Buffett confirmed that despite the huge donation, he will donate most of his wealth to charity after his death.

“Nothing out of the ordinary has happened in Berkshire; “A very long road, simple and generally sound decisions, the American tailwind and compounding effects have produced my current wealth,” he wrote in the press release.

“My will provides that more than 99% of my estate goes to charity.”

Buffett has served as a trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since 2006 and has helped shape the foundation’s vision and ambitious strategies to address some of the world’s most pressing crises.

‘The influence of [Warren’s] The incredible generosity is difficult to quantify, said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Even harder to quantify is how his values ​​have permeated the foundation’s culture.”

Buffett confirmed that despite the huge donation, he will donate most of his wealth to charity after his death

Melinda Gates arrives at an official dinner as part of the New Global Financial Pact Summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 22, 2023

Buffett has helped shape the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s vision and ambitious strategies to address some of the world’s most pressing crises

Bill Gates was married to Melinda French Gates for 27 years, but the couple shockingly announced they split two years ago, allegedly over his infidelity and his connection to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Melinda Gates later said in an interview that she warned Gates that Epstein was “evil personified,” but her then-husband met him anyway.

In recent years, Gates has tried to downplay his ties to Epstein, saying it was “a huge mistake to spend time with him.”

Settlements in the Bakhmut area, near which Ukrainian troops began offensive operations on June 24, 2023, according to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar. Map: Deepstate Live

24.06.2023 – 20:16 • Latest news Ukraine

Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said that on June 24, Ukrainian troops simultaneously launched a multi-directional offensive in the east of the country while fighting continued in the south. All settlements named as the direction of the offensive are in the area of ​​the city of Bakhmut.

“Today the Eastern Group of Armed Forces simultaneously launched an offensive in several directions, in the directions of Orikhovo-Vasilivka, Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, Yahidne, Klishchiyivka, Kurdiumivka. There is progress in all directions,” Maliar wrote.

She added that the Russians tried to advance in the sectors of Kupyansk (Kharkiv Oblast), Lyman and Mariinka (Donetsk Oblast), but failed to advance. Meanwhile, Russian forces conducted air and artillery strikes in the Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk directions in Donetsk.

On the evening of June 23, unofficial Ukrainian sources reported that Ukrainian troops retook several streets in Bakhmut.

Regarding the situation in the south, where the Ukrainian counter-offensive began earlier this month, Maliar wrote:

“Fierce fighting continues in all areas of the offensive. The enemy is on the defensive and is making every effort to stop our offensive. At the same time, the enemy is suffering significant losses in personnel, weapons and equipment.”

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Keywords: Bakhmut, Ukraine counteroffensive 2023