Russia targets the main airport in Ukraine’s key Black Sea port of Odesa, a city so far relatively unscathed in the war.
Month: April 2022
Iraqi police seize more than 6 million Captagon amphetamine pills
Syria is the Middle East’s main producer of the drug Captagon and Saudi Arabia is the main consumer market.
Mariupol civilians leave besieged Azovstal steelworks
Despite an order from Vladimir Putin to completely seal off the area, 20 civilians escape Azovstal.
Twitter staff complained about ‘transphobe’ Elon Musk – media
The social media company will still “fight for inclusion and diversity” after Musk’s buyout, aggrieved staff were assured
In an “emergency meeting” on Friday, employees of Twitter reportedly complained to CEO Parag Agrawal and diversity officer Dalana Brand that new owner Elon Musk is allegedly an “open homophobe and transphobe,” and feared for their futures in the company. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s acquisition of Twitter has already led to some high-stress meetings in the firm’s Silicon Valley offices.
The “impromptu” meeting was reported on Saturday by Insider, which claimed to have obtained leaked audio of proceedings. According to the news site, Agrawal fielded questions from staff concerned that they could lose their jobs amid rumors that Musk is planning on slashing executive pay.
While unable to reassure everyone that they would keep their positions, Agrawal – who Inside said looked “tired and annoyed” – said that “for the people who are here, it will be worth it to be here.”
Read more
Some of the staff fretted that their company may no longer be known for its left-wing corporate culture.
“What should we tell the LGTBQ community at recruiting conferences we’re lined up to attend when they ask us why they should come work at Twitter when we just sold ourselves to an open homophobe and transphobe?” one reportedly asked Chief People and Diversity Officer Dalana Brand.
Brand, who was appointed to her position back in February, said that while she “cannot speak to Elon’s personal feelings on these things,” she would ensure that “we’ll continue to fight for inclusion and diversity for all of our teams. Full stop.”
Musk, a prolific Twitter user, does not have a history of anti-LGBT remarks, but has criticized Twitter’s management for censoring the Babylon Bee, a satirical outlet that was suspended from the platform for referring to Biden administration official Rachel Levine (who is transgender) as “man of the year.” Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon said earlier this month that Musk reached out to him after the ban and mused that “he might need to buy Twitter.”
Musk has also criticized Twitter management for censoring an incriminating story about President Joe Biden and his family’s overseas business dealings before the 2020 election, and has accused the site’s legal counsel, Vijaya Gadde, of harboring “left wing bias.”
Gadde – who oversaw the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story and is said to have ordered the banning of former US President Donald Trump from the platform – reportedly broke down crying during an earlier meeting of Twitter’s top executives. During the meeting, Gadde allegedly wept “as she expressed concerns about how the company could change” under Musk’s ownership, Politico reported.
The Tesla tycoon purchased Twitter on Monday for the sum of $44 billion, vowing to take it private and return the platform to its roots as “the free speech wing of the free speech party.” While a strident critic of censorship in all forms, Musk has since said that he will run Twitter in accordance with relevant laws.
‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero’s family file $400m suit against gov’t
Paul Rusesabagina is serving 25 years in prison in Rwanda on terrorism charges which his supporters say are a sham.
Indian director Rajamouli scores a global hit with new film RRR
SS Rajamouli talks to Al Jazeera about his new smash hit movie, his inspirations, and the rise of south Indian cinema.
How much is climate change to blame for heatwaves in South Asia?
Hundreds of millions in India and Pakistan struggle to stay cool in record-breaking temperatures.
Dnipro residents mobilise to support their fellow citizens and the war effort
Volunteers in the town of Dnipro, Ukraine, have transformed an apartment into a storage centre to house supplies that are sent to support their fellow citizens and the war effort. A report by Karim Yahiaoui and Mohamed Farhat.
Ukrainian commander inside Mariupol steel plant says evacuations of civilians have begun
Post Content
Italian football ‘super agent’ Mino Raiola passes away
The 54-year-old Raiola represented star players including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba.