Avoidance in conflict

Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed Mahmoud Abbas after the Palestinian president accused Israel of committing “50 Holocausts”. Scholz said on Twitter that he was "disgusted by the outrageous remarks” made by Abbas in Berlin on Tuesday. Abbas had refused to condemn the deadly attack by Palestinian militants on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Instead, Abbas said he could point to “50 Holocausts” by Israel since 1947. Scholz was widely criticised for not challenging Abbas’ comments immediately at the press conference and merely grimacing at the remark. Germany's chancellor had earlier rejected Abbas' comment that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is “apartheid". "For us Germans, in particular, any relativisation of the singularity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable," he later wrote on Twitter . "I condemn any attempt to deny the crimes of the Holocaust.” Berlin has long argued the term "Holocaust" should only be used to … [Read more...] about Germany’s Scholz slams Abbas’ ’50 Holocausts’ remark

V ibes has become a ubiquitous word in the past half decade, one many people now reach for when describing the distinct emotion given off by a place, or a thing. It is the prevailing shorthand for a cultural atmosphere, mood, and zeitgeist. Vibe talk has also entered politics. In this magazine in 2021, Derek Thompson invited readers to think of politics as a “ vibes war .” This spring, again in these pages, David A. Graham argued that John Fetterman won the Democratic Senate primary for Pennsylvania less on policy than “ on vibes .” And Rolling Stone pronounced that Fetterman was “neither centrist nor a progressive. He’s a vibe.” To the political commentator Will Stancil , “‘vibes’ is the idea that politics is rooted in and governed by mass psychology, which makes political behavior intrinsically difficult (and sometimes impossible) to model as a series of quantifiable inputs and predictable outputs, the approach favored by econometrically-inclined disciplines.” In … [Read more...] about The Origin of Vibes

BANGKOK: Arson attacks and explosions hit more than a dozen locations in Thailand's restive deep south on Wednesday, injuring seven people, authorities said. Officials said most of the targeted sites were convenience stores in petrol stations, all located in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. A low-level conflict has rumbled in Thailand's southernmost provinces since 2004, killing more than 7,000 people as militants in the Muslim-majority region battle for greater autonomy from the state. Seven people were slightly injured in the incidents, a statement from the military said, while police said they were gathering CCTV footage and other evidence. Authorities said the immediate motive for the wave of attacks was still unclear. Militants usually target symbols of the Thai state and its security forces. The coronavirus pandemic brought a lull in southern clashes between rebels and the military, but a six-day gun battle in October last year killed six people. The … [Read more...] about Multiple blasts, arson attacks hit restive Thai south

Facebook users in Iraq are exploiting the platform's lack of Arabic and Kurdish-language moderation policies in order to purchase guns online, according to a report. The study by the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has found that the sale of weapons in Iraq is "rife" in Facebook comment sections. Social media giants have long been accused of failing to effectively moderate harmful and dangerous content, particularly in regions such as the Middle East. Meta — the parent company of Facebook — has fewer resources to tackle content in various languages and dialects than in English. The lack of moderation in Arabic and Kurdish has created an open gun market on Facebook in Iraq, said Moustafa Ayad, the ISD Executive Director for Africa, Middle East & Asia. "It was relatively easy to find weapons for sale on comments sections of very large Facebook pages, pages with over 2 million followers," Ayad told Euronews. According to his research, some of the … [Read more...] about Why the sale of guns on Facebook in Iraq is so ‘rife’

A woman who suffered a broken jaw when she was thrown off a fun fair ride has received a five-figure sum in damages. Jade Harrison, 24, spent four days in the hospital and had metal plates inserted in her face after she was flung from the Airmaxx 360 at Hull Fair in 2019. She has needed thousands of pounds worth of dental treatment and psychological support since the tragedy. The nursery nurse says she feels like she can finally put it behind her as her legal case has come to an end. She told Hull Live : “I’m a different person now to that one that got on that ride back in 2019. Jade Harrison was flung from a ride in 2019 ( Image: Stacy Jarvis) “Back then I had no fears and I was up for anything really, but now I am averse to anything that has an element of risk. That’s ok, I’ve adapted to that as I need to feel safe, but it limits what you can do with family and friends. “Simple fun things like jumping off the rocks into the sea on holiday. "I just … [Read more...] about Woman flung from fun fair ride wins payout and is now scared of doing ‘simple things’

Published 3 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Tory leadership The Green Party is calling for the UK's big five energy suppliers to be nationalised and for prices to be returned to October 2021 levels. This would cut average household costs by more than £2,000 a year, it says. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP want energy prices to be frozen, but the Greens argue the current level is already unaffordable. Former Labour PM Gordon Brown has suggested some firms should be brought into temporary public ownership. The average energy bill - set by the regulator Ofgem - is expected to increase from £1,971 a year to £3,582 in October, and to £4,266 in January 2023. Tory rivals dismiss plan to freeze energy costs Not just hardest up that need bill help - Starmer How high will my energy bill go? Green Party of … [Read more...] about Nationalise big five energy firms to cut bills, say Greens

By Noor Nanji Published 15 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The UK is expected to take delivery of a shipment of gas all the way from Australia next week, as the pressure on European energy supplies grows. The liquid natural gas (LNG) is due to arrive on 22 August, according to commodities analysts Kpler. Australia doesn't usually sell gas this far afield, but European countries have been seeking alternatives to Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine. The UK stopped importing gas from Russia in April. While the UK bought only a small fraction of its gas from Russia before the conflict began, the country is connected to the European gas network. Continental Europe is much more reliant on Russian gas, and deliveries via the Nordstream pipeline have already been curtailed. Moscow has been accused of using gas as a political weapon and there … [Read more...] about UK to receive shipment of Australian gas next week

By Michael Race Published 26 July comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Russia-Ukraine war European Union members have agreed to cut gas use in case Russia halts supplies but some countries will have exemptions to avoid rationing. EU members, locked in talks since the idea was suggested last week, have now agreed to voluntarily reduce 15% of gas use between August and March. "This was not a Mission Impossible!", tweeted the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency. However, the deal was watered down after previously not having exemptions. The EU has said its aim from the deal is to make savings and store gas ahead of winter, warning that Russia is "continuously using energy supplies as a weapon". The voluntary agreement would become mandatory if supplies reach crisis levels. … [Read more...] about EU allows get-out clause in Russian gas cut deal

Published 29 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing It is the "absolute nightmare" that keeps Glasgow food manufacturer Jason Stevenson awake at night. His firm PK Foods has been supplying Indian snacks to the retail and restaurant trade since 1997. But Mr Stevenson said the last year had been the toughest of his career. UK inflation has gone into double digits for the first time since 1982 and the Bank of England warned it could peak at more than 13% this year. As a result virtually everything needed to run Mr Stevenson's business has soared in price with the war in Ukraine, Brexit and the Covid pandemic to blame. Contending with the cost of some raw materials jumping by up to 70% means for PK Foods, "it is about survival, it is not about profit any more". How much are prices rising for you? Why price rises are worse for some people than … [Read more...] about UK inflation: The pakora firm facing a nightmare