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Belarus

Backlash From Teddy Bear Incident: Belarus Recalls Diplomats From Sweden, Asks Swedes To Leave

REUTERS, THE LOCAL (Sweden)

Worldcrunch

Belarus announced on Wednesday it was pulling all of its remaining embassy staff from Sweden and gave Swedish authorities until August 30 to withdraw their own diplomats from Minsk. The move worsened a disupte about a pro-democracy teddy bear drop over Belarussian territory in July that embarassed authorities and further strained relations with the European Union.

Reuters reports that Belarus had already expelled Swedish ambassador Stefan Eriksson on August 3 after the teddy bear incident, in which a Swedish public relations firm parachuted 800 toy bears into the country with messages urging authorities to respect human rights.

In retaliation for Eriksson's expulsion, two Belarussian diplomats were expelled and a new ambassador to Sweden was refused entry after the previous one left his post several weeks before, according to the Local. The Belarussian foreign ministry accused Sweden of worsening the dispute with these decisions, which prompted Wednesday's announcement.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994. His harsh policies towards the opposition have strained relations with the West and the European Union, according to Reuters.

Swedish Foreign Minister reacted to Wednesday's announcement on Twitter.

Lukashenko is now throwing all Swedish diplomats out of Belarus. His fear of human rights reaching new heights.

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) August 8, 2012

We remain strongly committed to the freedom of Belarus and all its citizens. They deserve the freedoms and the rights of the rest of Europe.

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) August 8, 2012

Last week Stefan Eriksson was expelled for meeting with Belarussian opposition groups, according to the Local.

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Society

Influencer Union? The Next Labor Rights Battle May Be For Social Media Creators

With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor.

​photograph of a smartphone on a selfie stick

Smartphone on a selfie stick

Steve Gale/Unsplash
David Craig and Stuart Cunningham

Hollywood writers and actors recently proved that they could go toe-to-toe with powerful media conglomerates. After going on strike in the summer of 2023, they secured better pay, more transparency from streaming services and safeguards from having their work exploited or replaced by artificial intelligence.

But the future of entertainment extends well beyond Hollywood. Social media creators – otherwise known as influencers, YouTubers, TikTokers, vloggers and live streamers – entertain and inform a vast portion of the planet.

✉️ You can receive our Bon Vivant selection of fresh reads on international culture, food & travel directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

For the past decade, we’ve mapped the contours and dimensions of the global social media entertainment industry. Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, these creators struggle to be seen as entertainers worthy of basic labor protections.

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