NEW YORK CITY, November 1 – When the film “A Private War” about war journalist Marie Colvin who lost an eye covering Sri Lanka, may she rest is peace, was screened near Lincoln Center on November 1 Inner City Press went to cover it. Her passion came through, depicted by Rosamund Pike, from capturing the scene of selfies with Gaddafi's corpse in Libya to the end game in Homs, complete with a final word of caution from Anderson Cooper of CNN. The audience Q&A was cut short on the second question, which chided the director for showing Colvin in a fancy bra and a PG bathtub sex scene with Stanley Tucci. Afterward Inner City Press launched a Periscope livestream out on Broadway, getting the thoughts of CNN's longtime correspondent Richard Roth. Then, more newsy, CPJ's Deputy Robert Mahoney, who in full disclosure not only ignored Inner City Press' first ouster from the UN in 2016 - after conferring with his compadre Louis Charbonneau who lobbied the UN to oust the Press then got it censored - but also in 2018. On this, Mahoney said CPJ had not been able to determine why Inner City Press was physically ousted in 2018 and has been banned 120 days and counting. Periscope video here.
He said he was not aware that Guterres tried to get Inner City Press ousted the day before from Park East Synogogue, even though CPJ entirely went along with Guterres' UNdisclosured banned list being used to exclude Inner City Press from a CPJ event about Myanmar in September.
One might ask: if a press freedom group cannot even defend a critical journalist in Manhattan from being roughed up and targeted by the UN to which CPJ is accredited, can they be trusted? Now that the question has been raised, on Broadway, we shall see. Go see the film “A Private War” -- Marie Colvin was a hero. Rest in Peace. When the International Monetary Fund held its biweekly embargoed media briefing on November 1, Inner City Press asked four questions, including, "On Saudi Arabia, what is the IMF's estimate of the impact of l'affaire Khashoggi on the country's economy, as well as of the US' call for a (sequenced) cessation of hostilities in its war on Yemen?" IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice, after reading out this "question from Matthew Lee," emphasized that the IMF doesn't do politics. He said, however, that the IMF is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen and stands ready to re-engage although there are no operations there now due to the conflict. On Khashoggi's murder he said it is too early to estimate how much it will impact confidence in the Kingdom - it already has - and, in what others may take as news, he answered that the impact for now is modest. (Inner City Press also asked about the "coup" in Sri Lanka which Rice said the IMF is monitoring and remaining in contact with its counterparts on a technical level - but that's another story.) The Saudi kingdom is still dodging about the death of Jamal Khashoggi. And Czech President Miloš Zeman, who's clung at a personal adviser to Ye Jianming, controlled of UN bribery indictee Patrick Ho through the China Energy Fund Committee, has now said, “I love journalists, that’s why I may organize a special banquet for them this evening at the Saudi embassy.” It's this Zeman who's played a role in Guterres having China Energy Fund Committee still accredited UN ECOSOC, while Guterres has had Inner City Press banned since July 3. On May 17, Inner City Press' reporting that day, as before, included the non-response since November 2017 of the UN Mission the the Czech Republic, which holds the presidency of the UN ECOSOC to which CEFC continues to hold consultative status, while CEFC's Ye Jianming was and remains an adviser to Czech President Zeman. Even as the Mission in New York refused to answer, on for example 28 November 2017 and 6 February 2018, Inner City Press' reporting has been picked up in the Czech Republic, on 12 January 2018 here, then on 28 May 2018 here. On June 4, a belated response from the Czech Mission to the UN, published by Inner City Press in full below along with the Press' follow up questions on June 4, still not answered as of 4 pm on June 5. Inner City Press is also informed that Marie Chatardova has reached out with the same answer to the Czech Press Agency; some say she is under consideration by Zeman to become the country's foreign minister and that this Press question unresponded to by the Czech Mission since November could be a problem. Suddenly on June 5, Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric read out an answer (he rushed off the podium so follow up question have not yet been possible). Video here. Then on June 22 and July 3 Guterres' Security roughed up Inner City Press and have banned it since, while blathering about freedom of the press. Afterbelatedly and conflicted statements about Khashoggi from Guterres, who earlier this year took a $930 million check from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now as speech by Turkey's Erdogan, which over-promised (the "naked truth") and under-delivered, with its presumption that the King is not involved. It is noted that Erdogan has a record 73 journalists in jail, without due process like Guterres' dis-accreditation and banned from the UN list. Others compromising connections are being revealed. Guterres' Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake announced a partnership with MBS' Misk Foundation, as recently as September 26, 2018 (after school bus bombing) - and it remains in place... (The IMF's Lagarde, we note, canceled on Davos in the Desert.) At the October 10 Press-less UN noon briefing at which Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric by choice had only two questioners, one retired, Dujarric said Guterres had not spoken to the Crown Prince he took the money from. Now as some banks pull out of Davos in the Desert, notably two French banks both with operations in the United States are still planning to go: Societe Generale CEO Frédéric Oudéa and
BNP Paribas Chairman Jean Lemierre; also a French arms manufacturer Thales CEO Patrice Caine. We'll have more on this. On October 15, with Inner City Press still unable to attend and ask, included on Guterres "banned" list along with political activists, thankfully the Khashoggi question was asked, by Richard Roth: "Now that he's home, is the Secretary-General planning to meet or has he met with the Saudi UN Ambassador? What is the Secretary-General's comment regarding President Trump's remark this morning that the Saudi King said that there were rogue killers, rogue actors who were responsible? And it might be nice if the Secretary-General stopped after his Security Council appearance tomorrow morning considering some of the events that have happened while he was gone. Just a suggestion. Thank you.
Spokesman Dujarric: I’m always happy to take the suggestions on board. You know, I think the Secretary-General was very clear in the comments he made, I think, to some of your colleagues in Indonesia, is that he thinks it's very important for the truth to come out. Our understanding is that, obviously, the Turks… Turkish authorities are investigating. I think we, like everybody else, would like to know what happened to Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi. And as the Secretary-General said, as we've said from here, we've had… there have been contacts between the UN and the Saudi authorities." At what level? As InnerCity Press showed, Guterres seemingly slept inon October 15. It was his chief of staff who presented in the Fifth Budget Committee. And this?
One might ask: if a press freedom group cannot even defend a critical journalist in Manhattan from being roughed up and targeted by the UN to which CPJ is accredited, can they be trusted? Now that the question has been raised, on Broadway, we shall see. Go see the film “A Private War” -- Marie Colvin was a hero. Rest in Peace. When the International Monetary Fund held its biweekly embargoed media briefing on November 1, Inner City Press asked four questions, including, "On Saudi Arabia, what is the IMF's estimate of the impact of l'affaire Khashoggi on the country's economy, as well as of the US' call for a (sequenced) cessation of hostilities in its war on Yemen?" IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice, after reading out this "question from Matthew Lee," emphasized that the IMF doesn't do politics. He said, however, that the IMF is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen and stands ready to re-engage although there are no operations there now due to the conflict. On Khashoggi's murder he said it is too early to estimate how much it will impact confidence in the Kingdom - it already has - and, in what others may take as news, he answered that the impact for now is modest. (Inner City Press also asked about the "coup" in Sri Lanka which Rice said the IMF is monitoring and remaining in contact with its counterparts on a technical level - but that's another story.) The Saudi kingdom is still dodging about the death of Jamal Khashoggi. And Czech President Miloš Zeman, who's clung at a personal adviser to Ye Jianming, controlled of UN bribery indictee Patrick Ho through the China Energy Fund Committee, has now said, “I love journalists, that’s why I may organize a special banquet for them this evening at the Saudi embassy.” It's this Zeman who's played a role in Guterres having China Energy Fund Committee still accredited UN ECOSOC, while Guterres has had Inner City Press banned since July 3. On May 17, Inner City Press' reporting that day, as before, included the non-response since November 2017 of the UN Mission the the Czech Republic, which holds the presidency of the UN ECOSOC to which CEFC continues to hold consultative status, while CEFC's Ye Jianming was and remains an adviser to Czech President Zeman. Even as the Mission in New York refused to answer, on for example 28 November 2017 and 6 February 2018, Inner City Press' reporting has been picked up in the Czech Republic, on 12 January 2018 here, then on 28 May 2018 here. On June 4, a belated response from the Czech Mission to the UN, published by Inner City Press in full below along with the Press' follow up questions on June 4, still not answered as of 4 pm on June 5. Inner City Press is also informed that Marie Chatardova has reached out with the same answer to the Czech Press Agency; some say she is under consideration by Zeman to become the country's foreign minister and that this Press question unresponded to by the Czech Mission since November could be a problem. Suddenly on June 5, Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric read out an answer (he rushed off the podium so follow up question have not yet been possible). Video here. Then on June 22 and July 3 Guterres' Security roughed up Inner City Press and have banned it since, while blathering about freedom of the press. Afterbelatedly and conflicted statements about Khashoggi from Guterres, who earlier this year took a $930 million check from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now as speech by Turkey's Erdogan, which over-promised (the "naked truth") and under-delivered, with its presumption that the King is not involved. It is noted that Erdogan has a record 73 journalists in jail, without due process like Guterres' dis-accreditation and banned from the UN list. Others compromising connections are being revealed. Guterres' Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake announced a partnership with MBS' Misk Foundation, as recently as September 26, 2018 (after school bus bombing) - and it remains in place... (The IMF's Lagarde, we note, canceled on Davos in the Desert.) At the October 10 Press-less UN noon briefing at which Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric by choice had only two questioners, one retired, Dujarric said Guterres had not spoken to the Crown Prince he took the money from. Now as some banks pull out of Davos in the Desert, notably two French banks both with operations in the United States are still planning to go: Societe Generale CEO Frédéric Oudéa and
BNP Paribas Chairman Jean Lemierre; also a French arms manufacturer Thales CEO Patrice Caine. We'll have more on this. On October 15, with Inner City Press still unable to attend and ask, included on Guterres "banned" list along with political activists, thankfully the Khashoggi question was asked, by Richard Roth: "Now that he's home, is the Secretary-General planning to meet or has he met with the Saudi UN Ambassador? What is the Secretary-General's comment regarding President Trump's remark this morning that the Saudi King said that there were rogue killers, rogue actors who were responsible? And it might be nice if the Secretary-General stopped after his Security Council appearance tomorrow morning considering some of the events that have happened while he was gone. Just a suggestion. Thank you.
Spokesman Dujarric: I’m always happy to take the suggestions on board. You know, I think the Secretary-General was very clear in the comments he made, I think, to some of your colleagues in Indonesia, is that he thinks it's very important for the truth to come out. Our understanding is that, obviously, the Turks… Turkish authorities are investigating. I think we, like everybody else, would like to know what happened to Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi. And as the Secretary-General said, as we've said from here, we've had… there have been contacts between the UN and the Saudi authorities." At what level? As InnerCity Press showed, Guterres seemingly slept inon October 15. It was his chief of staff who presented in the Fifth Budget Committee. And this?
