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SOCIAL MEDIA

The challenges facing social media marketers — Retail Technology Innovation Hub

May 15, 2022 by Staff Reporter

In digital marketing, social media platforms pose a big challenge with their IP bans on multiple accounts. Find out how to face the challenge here.

With more businesses moving online and more clients preferring to shop online, digital marketing is a must for any brand that wants to grow and become successful.

With 3.6 billion people using social media platforms worldwide, it’s no wonder that social media marketing forms a critical part of an effective digital strategy. However, marketers face definite challenges when using social media platforms. One of these is the dreaded IP ban.

Nobody wants to get a notification from a social media platform informing you that your IP has been banned, but it’s a reality many digital marketers and agencies face.

In this article, we’ll be covering the following topics regarding the challenges of IP bans that plague digital marketers: 

●      Challenges facing digital marketers

●      The solution: social media proxies

●      The benefits of using social media proxies

Challenges facing digital marketing

The dreaded IP ban is one of the biggest challenges facing digital marketers looking to use social media platforms.

Most social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have limits on the number of accounts that can be created from the same IP address. The limit is usually five, as it’s supposed to allow the members in a single household to create and manage their accounts from the same IP address.

If more than five accounts are created or managed from the same IP address, it won’t be long until you receive a notification stating that your IP has been banned.

You can imagine that if you run a business that relies on your social media presence, then an IP ban is less than ideal and can have severe ramifications for your business.

Another way that accounts can receive an IP ban is when your chosen marketing agency is located in another state or country.

Suppose the platform sees actions happening on the account from multiple locations. In that case, they could suspect that the account has been hacked, and you’ll receive the notorious notification that your IP has been banned.

So, what do you do if you’re a digital marketer that has to handle dozens, if not hundreds, of different accounts?

The solution: social media proxies

Proxies have long been a way for users to protect themselves online as they add an extra layer of security and hide your IP address.

For this reason, they soon became critical for anyone who has to create and manage multiple social media accounts. They’ve come so far that specialised social media proxies are now available.

Instagram proxies

Instagram proxies are some of the most popular as Instagram is notorious for dealing out IP bans quickly and not reversing them.

These are residential proxies which means that the IP addresses included in this pool are all linked to real devices and ISPs, making them undetectable.

These are also virgin proxies, meaning that these IPs have never been used to create accounts on Instagram, so you don’t have to fear an IP ban as long as you remember to limit the accounts to four new accounts per IP.

YouTube proxies

YouTube proxies also fall under social media platforms, but they work differently than Instagram, Facebook, and other social media proxies.

Using a YouTube proxy still hides your IP address, but for a different reason than avoiding an IP ban. In this case, it allows the user to avoid any content restriction and watch all the videos available on YouTube, including videos blocked in their country.

Other proxies

Instagram and YouTube aren’t the only social media platforms with specialszed proxies. You can also get proxies for Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok proxies.

This means marketers can get proxies for all the different platforms, and rest assured that they can safely create and manage these accounts without an IP ban.

Benefits of using proxies

Aside from being able to manage multiple accounts on social media, these specialised proxies also provide other benefits. Here are some more benefits of using social media proxies:

●      Reducing the load time of social media platforms

●      Hide your IP address

●      Filter unwanted content or websites

●      Build your followers by creating a presence on the platform

●      Improve brand awareness

●      Lessens the risk of multiple accounts being banned

●      Can effectively scale marketing operations

Final thoughts

Digital marketing comes with its own set of challenges, and none are more frustrating than receiving an IP ban on social media accounts. Receiving this ban can have a detrimental effect on the business’s revenue, sales, and reputation.

As such, it’s critical for marketers and agencies to find a way they can manage multiple accounts without risking an IP ban. Although not a perfect solution, using social media proxies is the best way to manage multiple accounts across social media platforms.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube

TikTok, Cannes Partner for 2022 Film Festival

May 11, 2022 by Staff Reporter

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, heads will turn at a new May-December romance: TikTok, which is 6 years old, has hooked up with the venerable fest, now celebrating its 75th anniversary.

How is it that Cannes — which, in years past, notoriously banned social-media posting from its famous red-carpeted steps — is now welcoming TikTok as one of its elite sponsors? For the festival, the partnership is aimed at pulling Cannes forward into the 21st century, lending it a sheen of techno-hipness and ideally attracting younger film fans. For TikTok, which boasts more than 1 billion monthly users worldwide, pairing with the Cannes Film Festival is an effort to show filmmakers that the app is more than just a place for teenagers to lip-sync to the latest viral dance craze.

According to Cannes Film Festival head Thierry Frémaux, the TikTok collab is part of the fest’s desire to diversify its audience. “We’re looking forward to sharing the most exciting and inspiring moments from the festival and seeing the festival reimagined through the lens of TikTok creators and its community,” he says.

The 2022 Cannes Film Festival, set to run May 17-28, will provide TikTok users with exclusive livestreaming content from red carpets, as well as backstage moments and interviews with talent. It will all be presented through the official @festivaldecannes account on TikTok.

In addition, the partners created #TikTokShortFilm, a global competition inviting both established filmmakers and emerging creators to submit super-short original videos of between 30 seconds and three minutes. Winners in three categories, selected by a jury, will be awarded a cash prize and a trip to the Festival. The Grand Prix winner is receiving €10,000 ($10,500), and the winners for script and editing will get €5,000 ($5,250).

“The festival is a completely iconic event, and they’ve never had a digital platform partner,” says Rich Waterworth, general manager of TikTok Europe. “We’re really honored to be part of it. It’s a great moment for TikTok.”
Still, there would seem to be a disconnect between the worlds of auteur cinema and TikTok — owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance — where the maximum video length is 10 minutes (after only recently expanding from a max of three minutes).

Where does the Venn diagram intersect, exactly? Waterworth, a former YouTube marketing exec based out of London, argues that there is indeed a strong connection between the Cannes Film Festival and TikTok. Both are dedicated to providing platforms for authentic, creative expression by passionate storytellers, he says. And there’s a large film community already on TikTok, dubbed “#filmtok,” with cinema-related content on the app garnering more than 4 billion views to date.

“It was a very natural conversation” to partner with Cannes, says Waterworth. “It reinforces the commitment we’ve had to creativity, and to the creative industries on — and off — TikTok.”

Waterworth continues, “There’s a community of very talented filmmakers who are using TikTok as a canvas for storytelling.” He calls out two popular creators, @romanlolo and @americanbaron, who have gained followings for their original short-form films on the app.

TikTok has increasingly been working with movie studios and other film festivals on partnerships. The Cannes Film Festival deal, under which TikTok is paying for its sponsorship position, is an extension of that work, according to Waterworth. For example, TikTok teamed with Warner Bros. for the theatrical release of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” in France, featuring stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet on the red carpet. It also executed a global campaign with Sony Pictures for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

The Cannes-TikTok partnership will also feature a variety of challenges launching during the festival itself. Waterworth says those will be “broad-based,” tied to films premiering at the festival, as well as talent. TikTok also is developing augmented-reality effects for the festival that users will be able to incorporate in their own video clips.

“We’re constantly looking for new ways to stimulate that community on TikTok to be more creative,” says Waterworth.

While TikTok is the first digital-media app to sign on as a Cannes sponsor, the festival has long had promotional partnerships with luxury and lifestyle brands. For example, L’Oréal Paris returns for the 25th consecutive year as a premiere partner, alongside Air France, BMW, Chopard, France Télévisions, Kering and digital-media company Brut.

TikTok, aligning with the format of Cannes’ traditional awards, assembled a diverse and global jury to pick the honorees for the inaugural #TikTokShortFilm program. The international jury was led by Rithy Panh, whose films regularly play Cannes, Berlin and other top fests; alongside Basma Khalifa, the Sudanese multi-disciplinary creative; Camille Ducellier, the artist and filmmaker of “Bachi-Bouzouk”; Angele Diabang, the screenwriter and producer of “Un air de kora”; and Khaby Lame, the Senegalese-born TikToker who is one of the app’s most popular creators, with 137 million followers. The jury was largely assembled by Éric Garandeau, former president of the National Film Board (CNC) in France, who is now head of public affairs for TikTok in France.

TikTok execs, including Waterworth, will be in attendance at the festival and the app’s sponsorship will be promoted throughout the event. TikTok also is running a large-scale marketing campaign across France celebrating the partnership — as well as content related to movies and storytelling — which also will be shared on the app.

“There’s a direct line between the origin of moviemaking and TikTok,” Waterworth says. “The connective tissue is about two things: fandom and creativity…. It comes back to finding ways to stimulate the TikTok community to give them access to the greatest film minds and talent around the world.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube

What I Learned From Buying (Real) YouTube Views

April 30, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Introduction

I’d been buying YouTube views for years and intuitively understood the buying process. But I recently took the time to learn about the inner workings of YouTube marketers on how they were doing it, and I was amazed at what I found – it was not as automated as I had anticipated.

This article is a deep dive into the YouTube view buying process, providing an overview of what happens behind the scenes and why your video can sometimes take weeks to appear in YouTube’s search results.

It also includes a step-by-step guide on buying YouTube views, with details of the most common purchase methods and other things that I learned from buying YouTube views in the last years for my own YouTube channels.

The first thing that I learned after trying numerous YouTube view sellers or marketers was that not all views were real. And I am not talking about ANY views, but views that are sold as “real” but, once purchased, they clearly are not. They drop, they come from the weirdest traffic sources, or google support itself will message you saying they removed “fake” views. 

I’ve tried buying so-called “real” views before, and the experience wasn’t always pleasant. I’ve bought subscribers, and I’ve bought Likes. I thought buying views would be similar – I’d buy a bunch and expect them to do the trick and never have views. But it turns out that buying views is much more complex than that. Maybe because views counting is the main metric on YouTube, and the platform has a strong detection method on those? Could be.

Anyway, buying views was not just giving and taking – I needed to be much more careful. 

This was a much bigger shock than I expected. I had always heard that views were a commodity and that it was easy to buy YouTube views, so I didn’t think that a view could be fake. I didn’t even think about the possibility it could be if labeled and sold as “real”, until I ran into a situation where I was trying to buy views, and the views I received were clearly fake.

How can a view be fake? They are provided by automated bots or background programs that trick YouTube into thinking that the video has been viewed. However, YouTube’s algorithm is much more complex and intelligent. It may say that your video has gained thousands of views, but these views will not help you with ranking unless they are organic or natural. 

After doing some research, I learned that it was possible to buy real views, although most marketers sold fake views. I wanted to learn more about how they did it and how I could avoid falling into the same trap.

The following guidelines can help you and are the nectar of my years of research. Let’s go one by one based on my experience, so that you can avoid my mistakes in the future.

  • Check the vendor’s Customer Service.

Quick note: this does not necessarily mean that the views are real or fake, but I noticed that non-existent customer supports also often sell fake views.

So, the primary factor to check here is the response time of the Customer support. You must be dealing with a service which responds to your problems instantly. 

This is measured in seconds. Similarly, the best customer service will respond in a timely manner. You must deal with a service which answers your problems in-time, because buying YouTube views can get tricky at times. 

Suppose the customer service of the view sellers or marketers is prolonged or does not respond ASAP, then it is not a good sign, and the service must be avoided. But a great is not the only thing that you must check. 

  • See if You can Find Real Reviews

Reviews are the primary motivators for most buyers. Unfortunately, sellers tend to write fake reviews for themselves, which may misguide you into believing they are legit and provide excellent service. You must never read the reviews on their official sources from where you are buying views (basically, on their own website). This is because it is extremely likely the reviews are not legit, as it’s the website itself to have control over moderation of the reviews and their content. (not always the case but being careful doesn’t hurt).

Finally, find genuine reviews and look for other threads, articles and platforms where the service is discussed such as TrustPilot. Just write the name of the service along with the word ‘reviews’. 

Pro tip: Negative reviews are the best way to get a glance of a business. Find the bad reviews. If they are a considerable amount, then it’s a big red flag.

  • Read carefully the description

There is a difference between a product that simply has a short title such as “Real YouTube Views”, and one that takes the time to explain why they are real, where they come from, and what you can expect. 

Avoid services which don’t go into detail, as probably their reviews are not real but they include that word in their label, to have more sales and have them to be in line with YouTube’s Terms Of Service. (Which as a reminder, they do NOT allow fake engagement).

For instance, you can see an example of this from LenosTube (the seller I am using the most at this moment for real views); in of their real views products, they carefully explain how the views are sent and you can double-check the claims later in your YouTube studio.

Views are not the only online YouTube attention you can buy from YouTube marketing companies. I’ve purchased and received engagements like Comments, Subscribers, Watch time and Shares, that seem like they would have been much more helpful in improving my videos’ popularity. 

However, I’ve also discovered other ways to buy YouTube views that are even more impactful than just buying views on videos with a large audience. 

For example, I’ve found that you can buy more YouTube engagement than just views on videos with a large audience targeted, in comparison to niche specific videos. This can significantly impact your video’s popularity and help you gain more attention from people already interested in your topic. 

Lastly, there are some services with powerful social media presences. It is highly recommended that you buy ‘Shares’ from them. They will share your videos on their platforms, and people will rush towards your content if it is interesting enough. 

We talked about buying real views, but before we finish this, I want to give an extra advice – which is not related to buying views but still, to growing a channel – and which I learnt the hard way. 

My honest advice to you guys is that please don’t use clickbait. Don’t mislead your audience through wrong title, captions and of course, thumbnails. Furthermore, I am saying this because it can hurt your videos more than you can imagine. Because for two reasons, which I tell you now.

First reason, is that it brings you ‘dislikes’ which are like the ultimate rank killers on YouTube since the latest updates. And secondly, users will end up finding a video which is very different to what they expected and therefore, they will quit the video quickly and this will really hurt your watch time analytics.

Buying YouTube views is easy but buying ‘Real’ YouTube views is hard. I hope this text piece will help you find the right services for your YouTube needs. Happy YouTube Marketing!

 

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube

Bethany Mota Net Worth of a Young Professional during their Early Years

April 30, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Video blogger Bethany Mota is worth $7 million in the United States. Macbarbie07 is Mota’s YouTube channel, where she showcases her fashion purchases and provides tutorials on how to style your hair and make-up. In 2009, Bethany launched her YouTube channel, which now has 9.6 million subscribers.

In 2014, Mota released the single “Need You Right Now,” which peaked at #30 on the Danish top 40 (Tracklisting) chart. In 2013, she launched a line of clothing, accessories, and perfume at Aéropostale.

In 2014, Bethany and Derek Hough competed in “Dancing with the Stars,” where they came in fourth place. In 2017, Mota released the book “Make Your Mind Up: My Guide to Finding Your Own Style, Life, and Motivation!” She has also gone on “Motavatours” to meet her fans and has signed autographs. In 2017, Mota was included in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30: Art & Style” list.

Early life

A girl named Bethany Noel Mota was born on November 7th, 1996, to parents Tony and Tammy Mota in the state of California, United States of America. The majority of her education was completed at home rather than in a traditional school setting; however, she did go to a public school from third to sixth grade. She took acting and dancing classes in high school. Brittany, her older sister, grew up with them in California, where they both had a happy childhood.

Read more: Gerard Cunningham’s Net Worth: Football Player Early Life, Career and more Updates

Career

After creating her YouTube channel in 2009, Bethany Mota, like many other typical teenage girls, began posting haul videos in June of that year, which quickly made her an internet sensation. She was approached by a number of companies to feature their products as YouTube marketing became more popular.

She was dubbed the “passionate woman with an ambivalent personality” by Business Insider back in 2009. To further promote her YouTube channel and increase her fan base, she begins awarding prizes to those who promote her videos. Additionally, she has her own YouTube channel, where she posts videos about her interests.

After launching a fashion line at Aeropostale in December 2013, she collaborated with Forever 21 and J.C. Penney to launch a clothing and perfume collection. Profits and margins for the collection have risen significantly, according to Forbes in June 2014.

However, Need You Right Now, which she released with music producer Jim Tompkins on October 13, 2014, and which did not make the Billboard top 100, was included in the Danish top 40 lists.

Relationship

Dominic Sandoval is Bethany’s boyfriend. Her boyfriend, known online as D-Trix, is a professional dancer and a member of the Quest Crew, which won America’s Best Dance Crew competition. Since then, the two have been dating. Bethany posted a picture of the two of them writing on the occasion of their third anniversary.

bethany mota net worth

Net Worth

As a result of bullying, Bethany decided to start her own YouTube channel in 2009, which led to her becoming a successful video blogger. Bethany’s YouTube channel quickly grew in subscribers, and her popularity grew as well.

In the wake of this, she vowed to continue making videos and expressing her thoughts. As a result of this activity, Mota’s fortune has grown significantly, and she now has a global fan base, including her own, that aids in the promotion of her videos.

Soon after her initial success, Bethany received invitations to work with such companies as “Forever 21” and “JCPenney”. In 2013 Bethany created her own clothing line, and this had a huge impact on the growth of Mota’s net worth.

Read more: Giant Conglomerate Coca Cola’s Net Worth, Assets, Revenue, Bottle Controversy & Other Less Known Facts

Further along in her very varied career, she embarked on a tour called the “Motavatour”, across the US in January 2014, simply to meet and talk to fans, and in March of the same year hosted the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for Entertainment Tonight.

“Need You Right Now” was Bethany’s first solo single, and it was a big success, so there’s a good chance she’ll release more singles in the future. On top of all of that, Mota was a regular on hit reality shows like “Project Runway” and “Dancing with the Stars” in 2014, where she danced with pro-Derek Hough. Because of these appearances, Bethany’s wealth and fame have grown.

Bethany hasn’t been linked romantically yet, according to gossip about her private life. Mota recently became a brand ambassador for UNICEF Kid Power as a Kid Power Champion in her philanthropic endeavors.

 

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube

Amid ravaging war, Ukraine to purchase Zuzana Howitzers, MiG-29 fighters from Slovakia

April 11, 2022 by Staff Reporter

As the Russian troops are continuously bombarding significant regions of Ukraine, the embattled ex-Soviet state is now planning to purchase advanced weaponry from Slovakia. According to various media reports, the Slovak administration is dealing with the war-torn country on the supply of Zuzana self-propelled artillery and MiG-29 fighters. Notably, Zuzana Howitzers is an artillery system which is developed by the Slovan defence ministry. It has a 45-calibre gun and automatic loader for loading of both projectile and charge. “Bratislava and Kyiv are discussing the details of a contract for the sale of 16 155-mm Zuzana self-propelled artillery mounts,” Interfax reported citing Slovakian defence ministry officials.

While explaining the details of the lethal weapon, the officials stated that Zuzana can strike a target at a distance of up to 40 km. Besides, it has self-propelled artillery mounts that have an automatic reloading facility. The officials further noted the automated reloading facility increases the firing ability— “can fire at least five rounds of ammunition within a minute.” “The introduction of these sets into service will not be a big problem for Ukrainians, since a few years ago Ukraine purchased 26 152-mm DANA M2 self-propelled howitzers from the Czech Republic,” reported Slovak publication Niezalezna.

“The Zuzana sets themselves are simply a modernized version of the DANA artillery system, adapted, among other things, according to NATO standards. Other users of the Zuzana and DANA systems are, in particular, Georgia, Poland and the Czech Republic,” the publication added. It is worth mentioning that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on multiple occasions, demanded advanced weapons from NATO, the EU and the West. Though all of them claimed to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, Zelenskyy complained that the supply was not enough to deal with the Russian aggression. 

Russia confronting huge losses amidst ravaging war

Despite constraints on defence equipment, Moscow has lost an estimated 19,300 troops and more than 700 war tanks ever since the onset of the invasion, according to the data shared by Ukrainian Army’s General Staff on its social media account. Though the data was not independently verified by Republic Media Network, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has admitted to bearing a significant loss on the ground. Speaking to Sky News on Thursday, Peskov termed the Russian troops’ casualties “a huge tragedy.” “We have significant losses of troops. It’s a huge tragedy for us,” he said. Furthermore, the Kremlin spokesperson noted that he sees no possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin ending up in a war crime case.

Image: @Jaronad/Twitter/@Zelenskyy_official/Instagram/Pixabay

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA

New footage shows Russian tanks crossing Seversky Donets River; Watch

April 10, 2022 by Staff Reporter

As the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its 46th day with Russian armies wreaking havoc on Ukrainian territory, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing its tanks and trucks crossing the Seversky Donets River in Ukraine. The river flows south past Belgorod in Russia before entering Ukraine and passes to the east of Kharkiv– the country’s second-largest city. 

In the visuals accessed by Republic Media Network, Russian tanks and armoured vehicles can be seen crossing a pontoon bridge on the Seversky Donets River, suggesting that the Russian military offensive is far from over.  

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry had shared separate footage showing the Russian army destroying a column of Ukrainian armoured combat vehicles and air-defence units. The Russian defence department also shared visuals of a missile attack by an unmanned aircraft hitting a Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier.

Sharing the footage, the Russian Defence Ministry wrote, “The firing position of the Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier was located in a densely built industrial area, which was discovered by an unmanned aircraft and destroyed by a strike”.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces, continue to put up stiff resistance against the Russian troops.

Till now, Russia has lost 19,300 troops along with 722 war tanks since the onset of the invasion, as per data shared by the Ukrainian Army’s General Staff on its social media account.

Russia-Ukraine war: British PM meets Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in Kyiv

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Saturday, visited Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The British Prime Minister promised to assist Ukraine in the war by providing more weapons and anti-ship missiles to the Ukrainian military, lauding Zelenskyy’s invincible heroism and tough resilience. Johnson said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his monstrous aims are being thwarted.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has also claimed that Russia is unable to continue the production of modern weapons owing to its dependency on imported high technology. Due to a lack of foreign components, Russian shipyards have halted ship production, it said.

(Image: AP/Representative)

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA

Oppn celebrates Imran Khan’s ouster; New PM to be elected on April 11

April 9, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Pakistan Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif addressed the National Assembly as Imran Khan was ousted as PM after losing the no-trust vote by 174 votes in the National Assembly. Reports suggest that the Leader of the Opposition, Shehbaz Sharif, will be the next Prime Minister. In his address to the Assembly after Imran’s ouster, Shehbaz Sharif stated that Pakistan will ‘see a new morning, a new day’ today. 

Shehbaz Sharif said, “We cannot thank Allah enough for allowing us to see this new day. Today, Pakistan will see a new morning, a new day. Pakistan’s mothers, daughters, and the people’s prayers are answered today.”

Sharif lauded the members of the Opposition for their patience and particularly thanked former president Asif Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and several other party leaders their support. “Pakistan will be a Constitutional state again.”

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA

Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pearl Jam & More In Stand Up For Ukraine Rally: Watch

April 8, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Today, Global Citizen has organized a massive “Stand Up For Ukraine” social media rally, designed to raise awareness about Ukrainian refugees ahead of a pledge event tomorrow. A lot of big name celebrities are involved, including many music icons.

Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Celine Dion, and Ozzy Osbourne have all taken to Instagram to share messages about the crisis. Meanwhile, Bono and the Edge offered an acoustic rendition of “Walk On” — one of those All That You Can’t Leave Behind-era songs that’s become modulated into an anthem for any time of need or strife.

“The brave people of Ukraine are fighting for their freedom — and for ours — in the face of unspeakable violence and an unjust invasion,” U2 wrote in their post. “More than 4 million people, mostly women and children, have had to flee for their lives — a population nearly the size of Ireland. World leaders must stand up and stand by Ukranians now … those who are fighting and those who have fled … and stand with refugees everywhere who have been forced from their homes and their lands.” Watch their performance and the other artists’ messages below.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA

Man impersonated agent, claimed ties to Pakistani intel

April 7, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Washington, Apr 8 (AP) One of two men accused of impersonating federal agents and giving actual Secret Service agents gifts and free apartments in Washington has claimed to have ties to Pakistani intelligence and had visas showing travel to Pakistan and Iran, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The men, Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 35, were arrested Wednesday. The FBI raided a luxury apartment building in Southeast Washington, where the men were staying and had been offering free apartments and other gifts to US Secret Service agents and officers.

During a court appearance Thursday, Assistant US Attorney Joshua Rothstein said Ali had told witnesses that he was affiliated with the Inter-Services Intelligence agency in Pakistan and that he had multiple visas from Pakistan and Iran in the months before prosecutors believe the men began impersonating US law enforcement officials.

Rothstein said the US has not yet been able to verify the veracity of Ali’s claims to the witnesses.

Prosecutors believe the men were trying to “ingratiate themselves” and “integrate” with US federal agents and people who worked in the US defence community, Rothstein said.

The FBI searched five residences at the building on Wednesday and three vehicles. They found body armour, gas masks, zip ties, handcuffs, equipment to break through doors, drones, radios and police training manuals, Rothstein said.

The two men also had surveillance equipment and a high-power telescope, he said. The FBI found evidence that they may have been creating surveillance devices and also found a binder with information on all the residents in the luxury apartment building, which is home to law enforcement officers, defence officials and congressional staffers.

Prosecutors say the men had also set up surveillance in the building and had been telling residents there that they could access any of their cellphones at any time. The residents also told investigators they believed the men had access to their personal information.

The FBI also found several firearms – including handguns and ammunition – and disassembled rifle pieces and sniper scopes, Rothstein said.

Prosecutors allege Taherzadeh and Ali had falsely claimed to work for the Department of Homeland Security and work on a special task force investigating gangs and violence connected to the Jan 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Taherzadeh is accused of providing Secret Service officers and agents with rent-free apartments – including a penthouse worth over USD40,000 a year – along with iPhones, surveillance systems, a drone, a television, a generator, a gun case and other policing tools, according to court documents.

In one instance, Taherzadeh offered to purchase a $2,000 assault rifle for a Secret Service agent who is assigned to protect the first lady, prosecutors said.

The plot unravelled when the US Postal Inspection Service began investigating an assault involving a mail carrier at the apartment building and the men identified themselves as being part of a phony Homeland Security unit they called the US Special Police Investigation Unit.

Investigators believe Ali had taken multiple trips to the Middle East and had three visas showing he had been to Pakistan and two Iranian visas, Rothstein said. US travel records also showed he had travelled to Istanbul, Turkey and Doha in Qatar, he said.

Prosecutors allege one of the men also tried to destroy evidence once he learned he was being investigated. After Taherzadeh found out the FBI was starting to investigate him, he took steps to delete posts on social media and admitted that he had deleted the posts that would’ve been evidence in the case against him, Rothstein said.

A lawyer for Taherzadeh and Ali argued that both men should not be detained. But Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey ordered both men held until a detention hearing can be held on Friday afternoon.

Rothstein said the case was being presented to a grand jury and he expected both men to face federal conspiracy charges. (AP) RAX RAX

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA

‘Star Wars’ Star Daisy Ridley Returns To Social Media After 6 Year Break!

April 6, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Actress Daisy Ridley has finally returned from her six-year hiatus!

The 29-year-old British actress quit social media in 2016 after she received a harsh response from fans for a post she made expressing support for victims of gun violence.

Daisy Ridley Returns To Instagram: ‘Return Of The Jedi’

The “Star Wars” actress who played Rey in the sequel trilogy, shared a photo of herself sipping tea in a fluffy white robe for her first post.

“Coming out of social media hibernation refreshed, recharged, and ready for what I’m calling my ‘Year of Yes’. (And that’s the tea.),” she wrote. “picture courtesy of my <3 glam @lipstickkelly and @dayaruci”

The official “Star Wars” Twitter account poked fun at her glasses, writing, “Those would make piloting a speeder most difficult.”

Joonas Suotamo, who took over the role of Chewbacca from the late Peter Mayhew, wrote, “I need some of those goggles to pilot the Falcon. 😂😎”

MEGA

“Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr. commented, “Welcome back. Take your breaks when you need em! x”

Many more fans celebrated Daisy Ridley’s return to Instagram.

“OMG!!! This is really happening?! Soo good to have you back Daisy! We missed you!!! ❤️” one fan wrote.

“Daisy on social media. Nature is healing,” another commented.

“Return of the Jedi,” another joked.

Daisy Ridley Is ‘Trying To Remember How To Use This App’

On Tuesday, the “Murder on the Orient Express” actress posted a few different parody art poses.

“Trying to remember how to use this app,” she wrote. “Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t have Insta during quarantine, or else I would have posted these. Oh, well, still posting them.”

Joonas Suotamo commented, “Welcome back! ❤️”

Leslie Odom Jr. wrote, “Yes. All year long.”

“Daisy Ridley is a work of art all by herself,” another fan wrote. Another said it “deserves to be in a gallery.”

“This is the correct way to use the app,” said another. Another called her the “Queen of Edits.”

Daisy Ridley Once Said She Was Giving Up Social Media For Good

Daisy Ridley at the Bafta Film Awards Red Carpet 2022MEGA

A year after she quit social media, the “Chaos Walking” actress told Glamour that social media wasn’t good for her and she wanted to protect her privacy. “It’s not good for me, personally,” she explained. “I’m just not equipped for it. I’m super sensitive — not too sensitive, but I really feel things.”

“I have to come first, because if I am not healthy — I was struggling with anxiety last year — if I’m not mentally healthy, or I’m depleted from sharing so much, I won’t have anything left for when people approach me,” she added.

Daisy Ridley at the Bafta Film Awards Red Carpet 2022MEGA

She also told Buzzfeed’s news morning show AM to DM in 2019 that she was never getting back on social media, saying, “I honestly think now with social media and stuff, it’s great to have freedom of expression, but I do feel like people think opinions have so much weight.”

“I don’t really think bad vibes should have the sun shone on them,” she added. “Like, I don’t want to read your thing.”

It’s not really clear why Daisy Ridley decided to get back on social media but her fans are happy to see her there regardless!

Daisy Ridley Teases Possible ‘Star Wars’ Return On BAFTA Red Carpet

“I’ll always be Rey.” – Daisy Ridley 💛 pic.twitter.com/m6dTfZiqGa

— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) March 13, 2022

Although the franchise has shifted its focus to many Disney+ live-action series that took place before the events of the sequel trilogy – like “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” it’s possible that Rey will make her return one day.

Daisy, who had previously said “never say never” when hinting at a possible return to the franchise, was seen sporting a new pixie cut and a ruffled black dress on the BAFTA red carpet last month when she was asked about a possible return to the franchise.

Daisy Ridley as ReyInstagram / daisyridley

A reporter said, “Do tell me. Do you miss being Rey? Are you going to make a return to ‘Star Wars’?”

“I’ll always be Rey,” Ridley replied with a smirk before jokingly adding, “Soundbite!”

So will Daisy Ridley ever reprise her role as Rey? Fans can’t wait to find out!


Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA

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