Ofcom said it noted new laws in Russia which “effectively criminalise any independent journalism that departs from the Russian state’s own news narrative”, particularly in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.

HANOI, April 8 (Reuters) – U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Vietnam next week, Senator Jeff Merkley told a news conference in Hanoi on Saturday, as part of Washington’s efforts to move diplomatic relations with Hanoi on to a higher level this year.

The court heard in the early hours of that morning Williamson’s phone was used to access YouTube videos including one called: ‘Spoon is used to remove man’s cyst’ by Dr Pimple Popper and another called ‘Large blackhead abstraction’.

The TV watchdog said RT’s licensee, ANO TV Novosti, is ‘not fit and proper’ to hold a licence amid 29 ongoing investigations into the ‘due impartiality of the news and current affairs coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’. 

The confidential agreement also stipulated that the accuser agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice ‘within 24 hours of the Execution Date,’ comply with a non-disparagement clause that bars her from criticizing Watson publicly, and forbid her from disclosing the amount of the settlement.

Ofcom said the decision to suspend the licence came amid ongoing investigations into RT’s news and current affairs coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson also having previously called for an Ofcom review.

The media watchdog went on: “We take seriously the importance, in our democratic society, of a broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and the audience’s right to receive information and ideas without undue interference.

The grand jury’s decision came about a year after the women first filed their suits, which have now been consolidated into one, accusing Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against their will during massage appointments. 

The network, which has been described as Vladimir Putin’s ‘personal propaganda tool’, was previously fined £200,000 for ‘serious and repeated’ breaches of impartiality rules over a string of 2018 broadcasts on the Salisbury poisonings and the Syrian war. 

A statement released by the regulator on Friday said: ‘We consider the volume and potentially serious nature of the issues raised within such a short period to be of great concern – especially given RT’s compliance history, which has seen the channel fined £200,000 for previous due impartiality breaches. 

Last year, Hardin called the claims against Watson ‘meritless’ and alleged they were made following a failed attempt to blackmail his client for $30,000.  He previously accused the plaintiffs of being motivated by financial gain, saying that massage therapist Ashley Solis originally sought a $100,000 settlement from his client. 

“By ignoring RT’s completely clean record of four consecutive years and stating purely political reasons tied directly to the situation in Ukraine and yet completely unassociated to RT’s operations, structure, management or editorial output, Ofcom has falsely judged RT to not be ‘fit and 5th grade math worksheets on volume proper’ and in doing so robbed the UK public of access to information.”

The grand jury considered criminal complaints from nine of Watson’s accusers before it decided not to move forward with charges last Friday. The complaints all involved allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault. 

In a press conference in April 2021, accuser Ashley Solis says she can no longer do her job as a massage therapist ‘without shaking during the session’ after Watson allegedly forced his erect penis into her hand during a session

The three-time Pro Bowler suddenly became a hot commodity on the NFL trade market last week when a grand jury declined to indict Watson on nine criminal complaints, after 22 women accused him of harassment and sexual assault in civil lawsuits last year

He is accused of forcing women to perform oral sex on him, disrobing and forcibly touching massage therapists and other women, among several allegations. He has denied these claims and, through his attorney, insisted that any sexual interaction with the women was entirely consensual. 

In a statement, she said: “Ofcom has shown the UK public, and the regulatory community internationally, that, despite a well-constructed facade of independence, it is nothing more than a tool of government, bending to its media-suppressing will.

Deshaun Watson (pictured) was suddenly a hot commodity on the NFL trade market after a Houston grand jury declined to press sexual assault and harassment charges against the embattled Texans quarterback last Friday  

Watson still faces civil lawsuits and he was questioned at his lawyer’s office for four hours last week before his meeting with Cleveland. And he also might face disciplinary action from the NFL under the personal conduct policy. 

Earlier this week, the QB-hungry Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns met with Watson, according to multiple reports, and he purportedly was set to visit with Atlanta on Wednesday before choosing a team. The Dolphins were supposedly interested in trading for him before the November deadline.