SOMALI WORLD CUP REFEREE DENIED ENTRY TO UNITED STATES. (PHOTO).

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 Somali World Cup Referee Denied Entry to United States Award-winning Somali referee, Omar Artan, has been denied entry into the United States despite holding a valid visa, according to a senior official in Somalia’s sports ministry. Artan, who is set to become the first Somali referee to officiate at the FIFA World Cup finals, was stopped at Miami International Airport and subsequently returned to Istanbul, where he had been residing. The reason for the denial was not immediately disclosed. However, Somalia is among the countries affected by a travel ban introduced by the administration of Donald Trump. Reacting to the development, Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, described Artan as one of Africa’s most respected referees. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir told AFP on Monday. He added that preventing the referee fro...

DISNEY REACHES NEW DEAL WITH YOUTUBE TV AFTER TWO-WEEK BLACKOUT ENDS. (PHOTO).



 Disney reaches new deal with YouTube TV after two-week blackout ends

Disney and YouTube TV finalized a new carriage agreement Friday, restoring ABC, ESPN, and the rest of Disney’s channels to the livestreaming platform after a blackout that stretched for more than two weeks. Disney said its full lineup of networks and local stations had already begun returning to subscribers, while YouTube TV confirmed that customers would see channels reappear throughout the day. The platform apologized for the service disruption and thanked users for their patience during the negotiations.

The blackout began late on Oct. 30, when the previous licensing agreement expired without a replacement. The lapse immediately cut YouTube TV customers off from a wide range of Disney-owned programming, including major college football games, professional sports broadcasts, and popular entertainment shows. In addition to ESPN and ABC, channels such as NatGeo, FX, Freeform, SEC Network, and ACC Network were also removed, prompting frustration from subscribers as the outage stretched into its third week.

Disney Entertainment leaders Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, along with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, welcomed the deal, emphasizing that it restored access just in time for a busy weekend of sports. Negotiations had grown combative in recent weeks, with YouTube TV arguing that Disney demanded terms that would force higher prices on subscribers while limiting flexibility. The platform accused Disney of using the blackout as leverage and claimed the dispute also served Disney’s interest in promoting its own live TV streaming bundles.

Disney countered that YouTube TV had refused to pay reasonable rates for its wide slate of channels. Company executives accused Google of exploiting its size and influence in the marketplace and criticized YouTube TV for pulling Disney content even before the contract officially expired. Both sides publicly traded accusations throughout the impasse, including over the timing and impact of the blackout ahead of the November 4 elections.

When the agreement was finally reached, YouTube TV said it secured terms that preserved the value of its service and protected future subscription options. Disney executives said the new deal reflected the company’s commitment to delivering premium entertainment while adapting to changing viewer habits. The two-week outage added to a growing list of disputes across the streaming industry as platforms and content providers clash over escalating licensing fees, with consumers often caught in the middle.

This standoff was not the first between Disney and YouTube TV. A 2021 dispute caused a brief loss of Disney channels, though that outage lasted less than two days. YouTube TV has faced other programming losses as well; Univision, for example, has been absent from the platform since Sept. 30 following a separate contract breakdown. Univision’s parent company argued that the move deprived millions of Spanish-speaking viewers of essential news and entertainment programming.

YouTube TV’s base package costs $82.99 per month and includes channels from networks such as NBC, CBS, Fox, and PBS. The service previously stated it would offer a $20 credit if the dispute with Disney became prolonged, and subscribers were reportedly allowed to begin claiming that credit on Nov. 9. Disney, meanwhile, continues to expand its direct-to-consumer offerings, including its stand-alone ESPN streaming service, launched earlier this year at $29.99 per month, and bundled packages combining ESPN, Hulu, and Disney+.


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