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☆ A Re-established West Bank Settlement Symbolizes Hardened Israeli Views
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Steven Erlanger | Sergey Ponomarev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For an Israeli settlement that has become such a resounding symbol of religious and right-wing politics in the West Bank, Homesh is not much to look at. They live part time here amid the ruins and rubbish of a hilltop settlement ripped down in 2005 by the Israeli army and police. It is one of four West Bank settlements dismantled when Israel pulled all of its troops and settlements out of Gaza. The decision to dismantle them is now being challenged by the more religious and right-wing ministers in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. They are agitating to settle more land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and even remove Palestinians from Gaza to resettle there.

Persons: Homesh, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: West Bank Locations: Bank, Israel, Gaza, Washington

☆ 'Ruthless' landlords who crammed 22 men into a 2-bedroom apartment raking in more than $10,000 a month plead guilty after fire death
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The landlords of a London flat that suffered a fire have pleaded guilty to criminal charges. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe landlords of an overcrowded London apartment that suffered a fire have pleaded guilty to criminal charges. In the overcrowded apartment, students, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable people were sleeping in bunk beds and on the floor, without heating or use of the washing machine, and sharing a single toilet. AdvertisementAnthony Iles, chair of the Tarling West Tenants and Residents Association, told the Guardian, that the couple were "ruthless landlords."

Persons: Mizanur Rahman, —, Sofina Begum, Aminur Rahman, Begum, Rahman, Anthony Iles, Brent Council, Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand Organizations: Service, Guardian, Residents Association Locations: London, Bangladesh, Wembley

☆ Ukraine needs more air defenses to protect grain exports, Zelenskyy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This picture taken on September 20, 2023 shows trains with Ukrainian grain stored in wagons covered with white tarpaulin on the second and third tracks in Dorohusk station at the Polish-Ukrainian border. Ukraine needs more air defenses to protect its grain export routes as well as regions bordering Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, as he addressed an international summit on food security in Kyiv. "There is a deficit of air defense - that is no secret," Zelenskyy told the Grain from Ukraine summit, which was attended by senior officials from European countries, including Swiss President Alain Berset and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. Zelenskyy was speaking after Russia attacked Ukraine with 75 drones overnight, the biggest drone assault of the war. "There are certain air defense systems... we are asking for them," Zelenskyy said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Alain Berset, Ingrida Simonyte, Ursula von der Leyen, We've Organizations: Lithuanian, Russia, UN Locations: Dorohusk, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Odesa, Ukraine's

Volunteers cook lentil soup to warm up displaced people drenched by rain. "Lentil soup used to be an ordinary dish that no one cared about, but for us now it's better than lamb meat. We are thankful that the lentil soup is now available to us, thanks to these volunteers," said displaced woman Mounira al-Masry. "Lentil soup is a traditional dish for Palestinians," he said. Because of this, volunteers started to think about serving lentil soup, the winter dish that can warm people."

Persons: Khan Younis, Younis Abd al, Bassam, Taghreed Jaber, Jaber, haven't, Mounira, Hussein Abu Ramadan, Estelle Shirbon, William Maclean Organizations: Volunteers, Nasser Hospital, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Rafah, Khan, Beit Hanoun

☆ Aid trickles in to Nepal villages struck by earthquake as survivors salvage belongings from rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Damaged houses lie in ruins, in the aftermath of an earthquake at Pipaldanda village of Jajarkot district on November 4, 2023. The U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake occurred at a depth of 11 miles (18 kilometers). Nepal's National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center confirmed that the epicenter was in Jajarkot, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of the capital, Kathmandu. Friday night's quake was also felt in India's capital, New Delhi, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 killed around 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures.

Persons: Balkumar Sharma, BALKUMAR SHARMA, —, Harish Chandra Sharma, Nirmala Sharma, Mina Bika, Rekha Sharma Organizations: AFP, Getty Images, Geological Survey, Earthquake Monitoring, Research Center, Authorities, Emergency Locations: Pipaldanda, Jajarkot, Nepal, Nepal's, U.S, Kathmandu, Surkhet, India's, New Delhi, Earthquakes

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages as outcry grows over Gaza crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

People injured in Israeli attacks on Al-Maghazi refugee camp are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 5. CNNDozens were killed and many more injured in a blast at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip late Saturday night, according to an official at a nearby hospital. Video taken at the Al-Aqsa Martyr's hospital showed multiple bodies laid out under white tarpaulin and those of five children. A dense area: The Al-Maghazi refugee camp is located in the central part of the coastal enclave south of Wadi Gaza. The IDF has repeatedly called for civilians in Gaza to move south of Wadi Gaza as it has intensified its air and ground assault on Gaza City and Northern Gaza.

Persons: Khalil Al, Balah, Dr, Daqran, Jamal Al Aloul, ”, Samah Shaqoura Organizations: Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, CNN, Al, Aqsa Martyr’s, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, IDF Locations: Al, Aqsa, Deir Al, Balah, Gaza, Israeli, Wadi Gaza, Gaza City, Northern Gaza

CHIURI, Nepal, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Sobbing relatives of victims from Nepal's worst earthquake in eight years cremated their loved ones on Sunday as rescuers looked for people who could still be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. The quake had a magnitude 6.4, Nepal's National Seismological Centre said, while the U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 5.6. Since Friday's quake, thousands of buildings in Jajarkot and neighbouring Rukum West district have collapsed or developed cracks making them uninhabitable. "I am shocked to lose almost all my family members," said the 41-year-old, who farms millet and corn. In Khalanga, the capital of Jajarkot district, survivors slept in the streets near damaged houses, wrapped in blankets to beat the cold.

Persons: Baljit Mahar, Mahar, Navesh, Kuber Kadayat, Shanta Bahadur B.K, B.K, Navesh Chitrakar, Yubaraj Sharma, Gopal Sharma, William Mallard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Reuters, Seismological Centre, U.S . Geological, REUTERS, Nepal Police, Thomson Locations: CHIURI, Nepal, Chiuri, Jajarkot, U.S, Rukum West, Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, Jajarkot district

☆ A new improvised anti-drone protection system appears at Russian military airfield
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russians are not only using car tires to protect their aircraft from Ukrainian "kamikaze" drones. A Telegram channel recently posted images of what's described as an anti-drone structure at a Russian airfield. According to Ukrainian sources, the tires are being used as a sort of makeshift protection from attacks carried out with kamikaze drones. A rough translation of the first part FighterBomber's post reads as follows:"This solution was urgently developed, and literally in a couple of days it was installed at one airfield to protect aircraft from drones. How the system works is not clear: maybe the net is used to repel hostile drones that would get caught up in the wires.

Persons: what's, Engels, Sukhoi Su Organizations: Telegram, Service, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Sukhoi, Ukraine

☆ My miserable, euphoric, muddy escape from Burning Man
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Social media was having a field day turning Burning Man into the epicenter of schadenfreude and misinformation, the few people who managed to connect to the internet reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe reality of Burning Man was not quite so dire. 2023 was my first year at Burning Man. I'd wanted to go to Burning Man for years. Even before the floods, there was an uncomfortable tension to Burning Man.

Persons: Joy, I'd, JULIE JAMMOT, Betty, preemptively, There's, they'd, Twitter, Zeynep Tufekci, Tufekci, I've, Ansel, we'd, Rob Price Organizations: FEMA, National Guard, Social, Getty, New York Times, Rock City, YouTube Locations: Nevada, San Francisco, Silicon, playa, AFP, Somme, Northern Nevada, Rock, American, Ansel Adams, Trail

☆ Ukrainian mortar squads say they meet fierce Russian resistance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman sits next to mortar shells inside a dugout at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 4, 2023. It's a routine they repeat frequently as Ukraine's army tries to battle through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified trenches in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. "The Russians resist fiercely there (on the front line), they are trying to get back their positions," the mortar squad's commander, who uses the call-sign Hrai, told Reuters. Our soldiers are in their (former Russian) positions, prepared by them (the Russians). The mortar position is part of a maze of trenches and dugouts with wooden walls and underground living quarters.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Hrai, Timothy Heritage, Tom Balmforth Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, tarpaulin, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv

New Delhi CNN —The bulldozers and government officials arrived just before dawn, tearing down the row of shanties as its bewildered residents watched inconsolably nearby. CNN has reached out to the New Delhi and federal governments but is yet to receive a response. Rhea Mogul/CNN“I can’t explain how distraught everyone was as they bulldozed the homes,” Savita said. The demolitions are being done with extreme cruelty.”Savita helps her children with homework at a temporary home in Delhi. Modi sees India as a confident and modern superpower, a voice for the voiceless seizing the 21st century.

Persons: ”, Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Rhea Mogul, Narendra Modi, Harsh Mander, Jayanti Devi, Savita, ” Savita, “, ” Mander, Modi, ” Modi, …, ’, ” Devi Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, ”, British, CNN, Policy Research, Survey, India, ASI, CNN Homeless, Workers, Indian National Congress, Commonwealth Games, Global, “ Locations: New Delhi, “, Devi, Pragati, Rhea, India, Delhi, Mander, Ukraine, United States

☆ 'Slum' landlord stuffed 40 tenants into a 4-bed house, making $450,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A landlord in London was found to be renting out a four-bed house to 40 tenants. Brent Council released a statement saying that "slum" landlord Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand made £360,000, approximately $457,000, from the tenants at the property in Wembley, northwest London. Valand was previously found guilty of housing offenses at another property in January 2022, when officers discovered he made £1,400 a month from uncontracted tenants. The property had numerous issues, including fire safety violations, waste buildups, unhygienic conditions, and "disrepairs," per the council. Rogue London landlords were fined £8.6 million, or nearly $11 million, in the first three months of 2023, the Evening Standard reported.

Persons: Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand, Brent, Valand, Muhammed Butt Organizations: Service, Brent Council, Housing, Evening Locations: London, Wall, Silicon, Wembley, Rogue, Hounslow

Archaeologists excavate the hull of a wooden ship, an ancient Roman flat-hulled riverine vessel at the ancient city of Viminacium, near Kostolac, Serbia, August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic/File PhotoKOSTOLAC, Serbia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Serbia are painstakingly brushing sand and soil off the ancient woodwork of a Roman ship discovered by miners in a vast opencast coal quarry. "We may assume that this ship is Roman, but we are unsure of its exact age," he told Reuters at the dusty site hanging precariously above a vast open coal pit. The intention is to put the latest discovery on display with thousands of artefacts unearthed from Viminacium near the town of Kostolac, 70 km (45 miles) east of Belgrade. Mladen Jovicic, who is part of the team working on the newly-discovered ship, said moving its 13-metre hull without breaking it would be tough.

Persons: Zorana, Viminacium, Miomir Korac, Mladen Jovicic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Viminacium, Kostolac, Serbia, Roman, Moesia Superior, Belgrade

☆ Darfur refugees in Chad scramble for shelter as rainy season starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Eltayeb Siddig | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Sudanese people who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, sit at their makeshift shelter during a rainstorm at a refugee camp in Ourang on the outskirts of Adre, Chad July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraADRE, Chad, July 31 (Reuters) - Thousands of refugees fleeing Darfur to neighbouring Chad to escape fighting and ethnically targeted attacks in Sudan's western region are struggling to secure basic shelter and supplies as heavy rains and winds batter makeshift camps. The United Nations estimates over 300,000 fled from Darfur to Chad since April 15 when fighting between the army andparamilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in the capital of Khartoum. A recent attack on the west Darfur town on Sirba killed more than 200 and made thousands more flee, according to the Darfur Bar Association. Those who fled Darfur reported shortages of food, electricity, and water supply amid violence in residential areas.

Persons: ADRE, Chad's Ourang, Mohamed Ibrahim, Eltayeb Siddig, Nafisa Eltahir, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Darfur Bar Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Darfur, Ourang, Adre, Chad, Sudan's, Khartoum, Islam, Chad's, Cairo

Multiple sea drone attack carried out on Russian assets in Crimea and the Black Sea have grabbed recent headlines, with dramatic videos posted online. These sea drones are targeting the Russians in the Black Sea. “The speed of these drones exceeds any sea craft in the Black Sea region at the moment.”The speed and difficulties in detection may go some way to explaining how the drones that attacked the bridge traveled undetected in the dark across the Black Sea to the bridge. Especially since the Admiral Makarov was newly installed as the Black Sea flagship after the Moskva was famously sunk by Ukrainian forces in April 2022. Russia claimed it was responding to an area it says was housing sea drones.

Persons: Makarov, Putin, ”, menacingly, Admiral Makarov, “ Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Boston Whaler, CNN, “, UNESCO, Heritage Locations: Ukraine, Boston, Crimean, Russia, Crimea, Kerch, Crimea’s Sevastopol, Sevastopol, Moskva, Russian

☆ Rain Keeps Coming at Wimbledon, but the Court Crews Have It Covered
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( David Waldstein | Jane Stockdale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Similar to coastal warning pennants, it is a signal system — from 1 to 8 — issued from Wimbledon’s own crack meteorology department, for the tarpaulin crews to standby or rush into action. A “2” means the chair umpire has the discretion to halt the match. On Saturday, when the first rain drops fell on an already rain-soaked Wimbledon, the signal clicked to “4” from “3.”Instantly, Richard “Winston” Sedgwick, standing on the last row of Court No. 3, where he could see across to the digital beacon on Centre Court, used a simple hand signal to relay the information to the crews, which rushed to action. So, we have to work really hard and really fast.”

Persons: —, ”, Richard “ Winston ” Sedgwick, ” Sedgwick Organizations: Court, Wimbledon Locations: “

☆ Slump in global cashew demand pushes Ivory Coast industry to verge of collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ange Aboa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Global demand for cashew nuts, eaten as snacks or used for cooking and desserts, has tumbled since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by multiple factors, including consumer inflation and increased production. "No one wants to buy cashew, even if I ask for 150 CFA francs per kilogram ($0.24) instead of the farmgate price of 315 CFA francs. Dembele lost 20 million CFA francs ($33,000) during the 2022 season after buying nuts he could not resell to wholesale processors. Output rose from 400,000 tonnes in 2011 to 1 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected at the same level in 2023. In Bouake, the heart of the country's cashew processing industry, work has come to a near standstill as employers struggle to pay salaries.

Persons: Ange Aboa, Dembele, Ibrahim Coulibaly, Ivory Coast, Ganesh, Rajaraman, It's, Alessandra Prentice, Bate Felix, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Ivory, Farmers, Global, CFA, Factories, Thomson Locations: Katiola, Ivory Coast, Korhogo, Bouake, Dakar

CNN —Western Myanmar is being battered by strong winds and heavy rain after Cyclone Mocha made landfall on the Bay of Bengal coastline Sunday. Local residents check the damages after Cyclone Mocha's crashed ashore in Kyauktaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 14, 2023. Two children stand under a roadside shelter to protect from rain before Cyclone Mocha hits in Sittwe, Rakhine State, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. APTropical Cyclone Mocha has intensified to the equivalent of a category 5 Atlantic hurricane. Most live in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides.

Since forming in the Bay of Bengal early Thursday, tropical Cyclone Mocha has intensified to a high-end Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, with sustained winds of 240kph (150mph). Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms depending on ocean basin and intensity), feed off ocean heat. They need temperatures of at least around 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit) to form, and the warmer the ocean, the more moisture they can take up. The waters in the Bay of Bengal are currently around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit), about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average for May. Climate-change fueled sea-level rise adds to the risks, worsening storm surges from tropical cyclones and allowing them to travel further inland.

☆ Dow said it was recycling our shoes. We found them in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +19 min

While the sample was small, the fact that none of these shoes made it to a Singapore recycling facility underscores weaknesses in the system. Dow said these builds will use the 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of recycled shoe material that have been produced through the Singapore recycling project so far. Reuters had dropped those shoes into a Dow recycling bin at a Singapore community center in September, three months earlier. Recycling flopsThis is not the first novel recycling scheme launched by Dow that hasn’t lived up to its billing. In its Jan. 18 statement, Dow said the shoe recycling partners are “energized by the common vision of sport championing a greener and more sustainable Singapore.” Dow did not comment on the Journal of Consumer Psychology study.

☆ Banksy's 'Valentine's day mascara' mural freezer removed by council
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Hannah Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Valentine?s day mascara @banksy/via REUTERSMARGATE, England, Feb 14 (Reuters) - British street artist Banksy confirmed a new mural showing a 1950s housewife with a swollen eye apparently pushing a man into an abandoned chest freezer was his work early on Valentine's Day, just hours before the appliance was removed. The artwork, which Banksy titled 'Valentine's day mascara' on his website, appeared in the seaside town of Margate, east England, on Sunday night. Artist Pete Brown was painting the scene when the genuine freezer -- which formed an integral part of the mural -- was removed on Tuesday morning. "The fridge freezer is now in storage and will be returned once it has been made safe to the public," the council said. "I always thought maybe someone might put a mural on the wall, but I was never expecting a Banksy," he said.

☆ Amid rows of bodies, Turks check for relatives one by one after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANTAKYA/KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Turks stepped over hundreds of bodies in stadiums and parking lots on Wednesday, carefully lifting blankets from their faces to try to identify dead relatives after a once-in-a-generation earthquake devastated the region. "My wife doesn't speak Turkish, and I can't see very well," said the husband, who did not give a name. One woman who could not find her sister yelled: "My God, look how we are, we will be thankful if we find dead bodies of our people." To the north in Kahramanmaras, near the earthquake epicentre, at least another 100 bodies were assembled on the floor of an athletics stadium, where residents sought to identify them. Along the red-padded wall and underneath rows of empty spectator seating, three smaller bodies were wrapped in sheets on child-sized stretchers.

☆ Pro-Putin operatives in Germany work to turn Berlin against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +17 min

Now the main Russian Cossack organisations are loyal to Putin, and they are fighting alongside Russia’s forces in Ukraine. He is regularly pictured on his and other social media pages at Cossack gatherings, often wearing Cossack military uniform. Felk has worked as a security guard and has run a logistics firm, according to posts on Felk’s OK social media account. Photos shared by Kharkovsky on social media show him and other participants standing in front of a Great Don Army flag. Eremenko confirmed to Reuters that he worked for Russian military intelligence, the GRU.

Small-scale copper miners are now challenging Big Copper for territorial control of rich deposits of the red metal. In Peru, artisanal mining permits have doubled to 80,000 since 2020, government records show. Peru's leftist administration presented a new framework for artisanal mining last week that declared artisanal mining is "as important" as big mining. "Where we have concessions we can't have (artisanal mining permits)," Rojas said. The number of valid artisanal mining permits in Tapairihua has fallen from 100 to 32 since May, according to government records.

☆ A picture and its story: Fire-bombing of a seaside English migrant centre
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nicholls was driving away from the centre when he heard the bang. He saw a man in a checked shirt sliding plastic canisters of flammable liquid, attached to lit fireworks, along the ground towards the facility. [1/7] A man throws an object out of a car window next to the Border Force centre after a firebomb attack in Dover, Britain, October 30, 2022. Seconds later, Nicholls heard two more bangs and saw smoke coming from a nearby petrol station. The police arrived on the scene at the same time and later covered the car and body with a tarpaulin.

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