(3 articles) The BBC and the Decline of British Soft Power | Slovenia has suffered its worst-ever floods. Damage could top 500 million euros, its leader says | Leading as a First-Time, First-Generation Manager

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You Might Like � � � You Might Like � � � � � � � � � Don't like ads? Go ad-free with TradeBriefs Premium The BBC and the Decline of British Soft Power    During a civil war, sometimes the most reliable news comes from very far away. As Sudan became a conflict zone last April, the BBC World Service launched an emergency “pop-up” news outlet to keep local listeners informed about the deteriorating situation in the country, providing bulletins in Arabic from London, Amman, and Cairo. The global news channel deployed old and new technologies side by side: shortwave radio, the medium of choice for international broadcasters since the 1920s, was combined with feeds on digital and social media channels. The aim, according to the director of the World Service, was to bring “clear, independent information and advice at a time of critical need.” Such language, perhaps unconsciously, built on a conceit that dates to the eve of World War II: that the BBC altruistically and impartially presents its global audience with truthful, trustworthy news. Indeed, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described the World Service in 1999 as “perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world this century.” The World Service currently broadcasts in more than 40 languages, reaching an estimated 365 million people each week through radio and digital outlets. It is operated by the United Kingdom’s biggest public service broadcaster. The BBC is, in theory at least, independent from day-to-day government intervention, protected by a royal charter that makes it responsible to the British Parliament rather than to government ministers or officials. It is funded mainly by a television license fee, which everyone in the United Kingdom who watches BBC programs, broadcast or online, is legally obligated to pay. Today, the BBC claims that an unprecedented number of people around the world consume its news, with some estimates placing its global audience upward of 500 million. The World Service brings in the lion’s share of this audience and can claim with some justification to be one of the ways the United Kingdom still maintains an outsized role in the lives of people around the world. And yet, despite its obvious importance at a time of rising international tensions, the World Service has recently found itself in financial peril. In September 2022, the BBC announced a major retrenchment at the World Service, with the projected loss of almost 400 jobs and the winding down of broadcast radio services (digital offerings would continue) in a range of Asian languages. In January, the World Service ended its Arabic-language broadcasts, which had been in operation for 85 years. Seen in this light, the creation of a pop-up service for Sudan seems less a mark of the World Service’s strength and more a recognition of the damage caused by recent cuts.  Continued here Slovenia has suffered its worst-ever floods. Damage could top 500 million euros, its leader says    A flooded area is seen in Ravne na Koroskem, some 60 km (38 miles) northeast of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in parts of Slovenia, blocking roads and bridges, flooding buildings and forcing evacuations on Friday. Slovenia’s environmental agency, ARSO, raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in northern, northwestern and central parts of the country. (AP Photo/Gregor Ravnjak) A flooded area is seen in Ravne na Koroskem, some 60 km (38 miles) northeast of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in parts of Slovenia, blocking roads and bridges, flooding buildings and forcing evacuations on Friday. Slovenia’s environmental agency, ARSO, raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in northern, northwestern and central parts of the country. (AP Photo/Gregor Ravnjak) A flooded area is seen in Ravne na Koroskem, some 60 km (38 miles) northeast of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in parts of Slovenia, blocking roads and bridges, flooding buildings and forcing evacuations on Friday. Slovenia’s environmental agency, ARSO, raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in northern, northwestern and central parts of the country. (AP Photo/Gregor Ravnjak) Continued here You Might Like � � � � � � � � � Leading as a First-Time, First-Generation Manager    While there’s extensive research on the glass ceiling and how to break it, there’s less talk about its close relative, the “concrete wall” — a set of obstacles that keep BIPOC professionals, especially women, from securing high-level positions. So, what happens when you finally chip away at the wall and move into a managerial position for the first time? What should you do if you’re the first person in your family to navigate this new opportunity? One of the many lessons Black parents instill in their children is that in order to succeed, we have to be “twice as good” as our peers: twice as smart, twice as talented. This advice is ingrained in everything from literature to pop culture. Now, there’s data to back it up: Despite being among the most educated and productive, Black workers and other workers from marginalized communities are overrepresented in low-wage, entry-level jobs and underrepresented in senior leadership and executive roles. Continued here

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