Friday, April 12, 2024
In the twenty odd years since my last visit things have changed beyond recognition here in Dhangethi.
I walk through the island thinking, contemplating on the inevitable CONFLICT prevalent not just here but on every inhabited island in the country our people have called home for a thousand years. READ FULL ARTICLE FROM NAIM IBRAHIM'S INSTAGRAM
The magic of Castle Hill: New Zealand's spectacular limestone landscape
Watch 4-minute video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LukMupcPg8M
Embark on an adventure to Castle Hill, also known as Kura Tawhiti, located in the heart of New Zealand's breathtaking Southern Alps. This video offers a look at the unique geological formations, and the spellbinding beauty that makes Castle Hill a must-visit destination. Just an hour’s drive from Christchurch, Castle Hill invites explorers, climbers, to discover its ancient limestone landscapes which have cultural significance. Dive into the story of Castle Hill, where nature and history intertwine in spectacular fashion.
How one Mexican beach town saved itself from ‘death by tourism’
...In March 2020, many people flocked to Puerto Escondido to wait out the COVID pandemic. The small town swelled with Mexicans escaping the density of Mexico City and people from all over the world fleeing strict COVID restrictions in their countries in favour of Mexico’s more lax approach – borders remained open for the duration of the pandemic, while business closures and lockdowns were relatively brief and inconsistently enforced – and the tranquil shores of Oaxaca.
This influx of temporary residents was a turning point for Puerto Escondido. Construction exploded: hotels, restaurants, bars, dubious dance clubs – the works. The economic dominance of the so-called “digital nomads” skyrocketed rental prices and the cost of living climbed.
Before long, the community was struggling to keep up in the face of unchecked tourism and development. READ FULL REPORT FROM ALJAZEERA
Parliamentary Elections: What it is and what it should be
With Parliamentary Elections approaching, here is a glance at the fundamental roles of an MP, and key things necessary to bear in mind for the legislative to function at its best. READ MORE FROM THE EDITION
Quotable quote
"I was new to the profession. I had never been to any school or academy for acting. If I had to learn anything about performing, I would have to be my own teacher, and use my own instinct and intelligence to figure out the 'whats' and 'whys' and 'hows' of the business.
For a creative desire to grow inside you, you do not always need a teacher. You must look deep inside yourself and draw out the passion for your chosen field. Teaching helps a little. But it ceases to be a guide after a certain stage, sometimes even becoming a hindrance. And finally you are as good or as bad as you can be. Talent goes hand in hand with presentability, which is the key word for the world to recognize you.
I knew I had that quality, for my mirror always told me, as it lit my reflection in it every time I looked into it, with a chorus of angelic voices, 'Wow, let the world see you!'
This is no boast, nor any pampering of my ego, both of which can be terribly disastrous and self-annihilating, but a confession of my own confidence. I looked forward to my audition in Poona. My moment had arrived. Destiny had clutched my hand, and I'd make sure that it never left it. I was about to set out to face a challenge."
-- Dev Anand, "Romancing with Life"
How to identify FAKE NEWS
Source: Gemini
Here are some tips to help you avoid fake news in the future:
Check the source: See if the news comes from a reputable news organization known for fact-checking.
Look for multiple sources: If you can only find the information on one site, especially an unfamiliar one, be skeptical.
Consider the story itself: Does it seem too good to be true, or outlandish?
Be wary of emotional appeals: Fake news often tries to trigger strong emotions like fear or outrage.
Don't be too hard on yourself – even savvy internet users get fooled sometimes. The important thing is to be critical and question what you read.
Suicide is on the rise for young Americans, with no clear answers
Warning: contains upsetting material.
Katherine and Tony Salas had no idea their son, Ben, was leading a double life.
"In one, he was planning his suicide," Tony says.
"And in the other life, he was shopping for engagement rings."
"I wish he would have given us the chance to help him," says Katherine, her voice breaking. READ MORE FROM BBC
Jeremy Paxman: Parkinson's 'makes you wish you hadn't been born'
Jeremy Paxman said Parkinson's "makes you wish you hadn't been born" as he delivered a list of recommendations about the disease to Downing Street.
The TV presenter, who was diagnosed in 2021, marked World Parkinson's Day by presenting a "Parky Charter" to No 10. READ MORE FROM BBC
Why are some countries decriminalising drugs?
Some say drug use should be a public health issue, not a criminal one. Is Decriminalisation the answer? READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
US economist Jeffrey Sachs says Israel has a murderous gang in government
Watch 1-minute video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPXuM9_SLP4
Israeli government says it will block Al Jazeera from broadcasting
The Israeli parliament has approved a law giving the government the power to ban broadcasts of TV channels including Al Jazeera, the Qatari-owned network.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would "act immediately" to close the network's local office.
The US expressed concern over the move.
With foreign journalists banned from entering Gaza, Al Jazeera staff based in the strip have been some of the only reporters able to cover the war on the ground.
The Knesset, Israel's parliament, approved the bill allowing foreign networks considered a threat to national security to be "temporarily" banned. READ MORE FROM BBC
The solidarity of shared trauma: De-exceptionalising Gaza
...When viewed through the psychiatric and psychoanalytic clinic, it’s clear that, for many, behind their solidarity with Palestinians today lies shared experiences of intergenerational suffering stemming from the legacy of ongoing American and European imperialism abroad and racism within. With social media allowing for an unprecedented level of worldwide proximity to an unfolding genocide after over four centuries of colonial violence has generated a compounding reservoir of trauma passed from generation to generation on every continent across the globe, the images and cries of devastation in Gaza evoke not just sympathy. They are triggering a profound sense of personal resonance. Many Pakistani, Iraqi, Afghan, Yemeni, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Myanma, Irish, Haitian, Rwandan, Somali, Black and Indigenous American, Filipino, Puerto Rican, South African, Colombian, etc. people are now, like my patient, experiencing planes above or cops on the streets as if they’re part of one big murderous machine that they too know very intimately. READ FULL ARTICLE FROM ALJAZEERA
“Even the seemingly most liberal & secular academic could suddenly start kowtowing the lines of far-right zealots.” - a Maldivian friend
Yuval Noah Harari on the war in the Middle East | Japanese TV interview (October 2023)
Watch the 35-minute video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQ2Hn9uyxg
Fareed: There's a silver lining in Arab states' response to the Israel-Hamas war
CNN's Fareed Zakaria discusses the history of the relationship Arab countries have had with Israel throughout the years and how a recent shift in Arab politics could be a silver lining in the region's foreign relations.
Fareed: Culture and class have replaced economics in politics
In numbers: How UK right-wing media's pro-Israel Gaza war coverage dehumanises Palestinians
...British mainstream media coverage of the war has shown a consistent and profound bias against Palestinians from the country’s major conservative-leaning newspapers, according to a study by The New Arab.
Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, The New Arab examined hundreds of headlines from The Times, The Telegraph, The Sun and the Daily Mail, four of the most widely read newspapers in the UK, which play a significant role in shaping public opinion. The Sun alone has approximately 30 million readers per month...READ FULL REPORT FROM THE NEW ARAB
'Don't call it Israel-Palestine': How language enables colonisation
...Tragically, dots and dashes played a key role in the illegal occupation of Palestine, but they can also contribute to its liberation. Language matters, and detail does. Here’s why. READ FULL REPORT FROM THE NEW ARAB
Malaysia on high alert after arrest of armed Israeli national
Kuala Lumpur does not have diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv and does not allow Israeli nationals to enter its territory. Israeli or Israel-bound ships are also barred from docking in Malaysian ports.
The 36-year-old suspect was detained earlier this week, and found with six pistols and 200 bullets, police said on Friday (29 March 2024), expressing concern to local media over the haul. READ FULL REPORT FROM ARAB NEWS
"My brain isn’t braining any more…" - a Maldivian friend
Richard Dawkins Joins Moral Panic On Religion
Watch 11-minute video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZSGID3HQE
Hala Gorani's memoir 'But You Don't Look Arab' is a journey of belonging
Journalist and former CNN anchor Hala Gorani tells NPR's Leila Fadel that she has a whole paragraph queued up to answer a seemingly simple question: Where are you from? Gorani's memoir, But You Don't Look Arab, unpacks her many roots across Istanbul, Syria, France and the U.S. — and grapples with how her identity and its impact on her work have been scrutinized for decades. In today's episode, she opens up about why she had to change her name and add a photo of herself to her passport to land a job in journalism, and why constant movement can offer an odd sort of comfort for her.
“A different perspective… that I wonder might be a good starting point…” - a Maldivian friend
Owen Jones: “You Shouldn’t Vote Labour”
Watch 18-minute video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f27cLEqmQe8
"It's okay to be angry about capitalism"
James O'Brien meets Bernie Sanders | LBC
Watch 38-minute interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxxQzV1In1U
Donald Trump media firm soars in stock market debut
Shares in Donald Trump's media company soared as the firm made its formal debut on the stock market.
Shares surged past $70 in early trade, giving the firm a market value of more than $9bn. They ended the day at about $58, still up more than 16%.
The long-awaited moment will inject more than $200m into Trump Media & Technology Group and hands the former president a stake worth more than $4bn.
Analysts say that is far more than the firm's performance warrants.
Trump Media's Truth Social, a Twitter-like service, brought in just $3.3m in revenue in the first nine months of last year and lost nearly $50m. READ MORE FROM BBC
Daniel Kahneman, renowned psychologist and Nobel prize winner, dies at 90
Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist who pioneered theories in behavioural economics that heavily influenced the discipline, and won him a Nobel prize, has died at age 90.
Kahneman, who wrote bestselling book Thinking, Fast and Slow, argued against the notion that people’s behaviour is rooted in a rational decision-making process – rather that it is often based on instinct. READ MORE FROM THE GUARDIAN
Before India election, Instagram boosts Modi AI images that violate rules
...the posts by the most prolific online advertiser of Modi’s AI images also show the challenges with enforcing AI-related rules on social media, amid fears of manipulated images being leveraged for propaganda among voters who might not fully understand the extent of alteration that photos and memes could have gone through.
Meta is aware of such use and before a crucial 2024 election year, it announced that starting January, political advertisements on Instagram and Facebook created using artificial intelligence (AI) will have to disclose the use or risk getting banned. READ FULL REPORT FROM ALJAZEERA
Why the fall of Myawaddy, Myanmar’s ‘gateway’ to Thailand, is so important
Anti-coup fighters say they’ve taken control of the eastern border town, sending the last soldiers scurrying to withdraw.
The town of Myawaddy has always assumed much greater importance than its small size would suggest.
Located on the eastern border of Myanmar and facing the Thai town of Mae Sot across the Moei River, it has been a focal point for many of the ethnic and pro-democracy groups who have struggled for decades against successive military administrations. READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
Singapore ‘tightens screws’ on Myanmar generals with arms trade crackdown
The UN says Russia, China and India continue to send weapons to Myanmar even as the Singapore route is blocked. READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
Japan, Philippines, US rebuke China over ‘dangerous’ South China Sea moves
The leaders of Japan, the Philippines and the United States have voiced “serious concern” over China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea.
Beijing has stepped up its activities in the strategic waterway in recent years, and tensions have risen, particularly with the Philippines, one of several Southeast Asian countries that claim the parts of the sea around their coasts. READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 778
As the war enters its 778th day, these are the main developments. READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
After a year of war in Sudan, what is the situation now?
Peacemaking efforts and attempts at ceasefire have all collapsed since fighting broke out in Khartoum last year.
It has been nearly one year since war broke out in Sudan, causing a devastating humanitarian crisis and bringing long-existing political and ethnic tensions into sharp focus.
The two warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have continued a longstanding struggle for power. Over the past year, violent clashes have killed nearly 16,000 people and displaced millions. READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
Remembering the Rwandan genocide 30 years on – how did it happen?
Local media, in particular, were crucial in aiding the mass killings while world media either ignored or underplayed them. READ MORE FROM ALJAZEERA
Hong Kong: why journalists should fear “Article 23”, a domestic sequel of Beijing-imposed National Security Law
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Press release | 14.03.24
Hong Kong’s authorities are rushing the adoption of the “Article 23 bill”, a domestic extension of the draconian National Security Law imposed by Beijing four years ago, which since has been massively used against journalists and press freedom defenders.
After going over 212 pages of the draft bill in less than a week, and convening extra meetings over the weekend to speed up discussions, Hong Kong’s lawmakers just finished yesterday examining the Safeguarding National Security Bill, also referred to as “Article 23 bill”, which was unveiled by the territory’s government on 8 March 2024. The first reading of the bill took place only nine days after a month-long “public consultation” which was widely seen as a sham. The law is expected to be passed without opposition in a legislature dominated by Beijing loyalists following an electoral overhaul in July 2023.
The text, which Chief Executive John Lee insists should pass “at full speed”, is widely based on the draconian National Security Law (NSL) imposed by Beijing in 2020, which carries a life in prison sentence and has been massively used against journalists and press freedom defenders since its adoption. The new law introduces new crime categories, namely “espionage”, “external interference”, and “theft of state secrets'', which in the mainland are instrumentalised against press freedom defenders. In the colonial era law, the charge of “sedition” carried a maximum 2 years in prison, but with the new law the same crime will carry a ten-year term.
“By transposing provisions imposed by Beijing into its domestic national security law, the Hong Kong government expects to restore the illusion of a territory governed by the rule of law while carrying on a repression campaign against independent voices, but no one should be fooled by this. We urge democracies to build up pressure on Chinese authorities so that full press freedom is restored in the territory,” said Cedric Alviani, RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau Director.
Like the National Security Law, the “Article 23 bill” is vaguely worded, paving the way to arbitrary application by judges, and may apply to acts committed outside Hong Kong’s borders. With this new text, possessing publications considered “seditious”, such as the independent newspaper Apple Daily, can become a crime punished by up to three years in jail. A suspect of a crime against national security can now be detained for 16 days without charges and can only access a lawyer after 48 hours. The simple fact of communicating with foreign organisations or diplomats could be considered as “foreign interference”, which carries a 14-year prison sentence.
The bill is named after Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, which specifies that the territory should adopt its own national security law, but whose enactment was dropped following massive protests in 2003. In 2020, after another series of wide-scale protests, China imposed on Hong Kong with its version of a National Security Law (NSL), that was used to prosecute a number of journalists and press freedom defenders including Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai.
Hong Kong ranks 140th out of 180 in RSF’s 2023 World Press Freedom Index, having plummeted from 18th place in the span of two decades. China itself ranks 179th out of 180 in the 2023 RSF World Press Freedom Index and is the world's largest jailer of journalists and press freedom defenders with at least 121 detained, including 12 in Hong Kong.
MALAYSIA: RSF and NGO coalition call on authorities to overturn conviction of UK journalist who reported on corruption
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Press release | 25.03.24
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and a coalition of journalists and NGOs have called on the Malaysian authorities to overturn the conviction in absentia of British investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, who was sentenced by a Malaysian court to two years in prison on a trumped-up charge of criminal defamation.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and a coalition of Malaysian journalists and NGOs led by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), in an open letter published on 24 March 2024, called for acquittal of British investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, who was sentenced on 7 February by the Magistrates’ Court of Kuala Terengganu, a city located on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula, to two years in prison for "defamation”.
The defamation case relates to a line in a investigative book published in 2018, in which Rewcastle Brown incorrectly said the wife of a local governor - it was actually his sister - had links to a businessman involved in a financial scandal. The journalist recognised her mistake and corrected it in a second edition. In February this year she learned she had been tried in absentia without being informed of the hearing and has since appealed the conviction. A case management hearing is expected on 7 May.
“It is unacceptable for a journalist to be tried without being given the opportunity to defend herself, and a two-year prison sentence for an error that she admitted and corrected is clearly disproportionate. We call on the Terengganu State High Court to correct this injustice by overturning Clare Rewcastle Brown’s conviction at her appeal trial,” said Cédric Alviani, RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau Director.
Rewcastle Brown, the editor-in-chief of online news site Sarawak Report, specialises in investigating corruption cases in Malaysia. Her book, The Inside Story of the 1MDB Exposé, addressed one of the biggest financial scandals in the country’s history, for which former president Najib Razak received a 12-year prison term, recently halved.
In early March, an RSF delegation met Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil as well as media organisations and journalists. During the mission, the delegation also held a workshop to introduce the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), an international standard that highlights best journalistic practices to restore public trust in the media.
Malaysia ranked 73rd out of 180 countries in the 2023 RSF World Press Freedom Index, the highest among ASEAN countries.
India’s political parties urged to adopt 10-point press freedom programme ahead of elections
In response to the sharp decline in press freedom in India, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on political parties fielding candidates in the general elections due to begin on 19 April to commit to a programme of ten concrete measures that will defend the right to reliable news and information and protect journalists.
The persecution of journalists and media has intensified dramatically in India since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014 and India is now ranked as low as 161st out of 180 countries in RSF's 2023 World Press Freedom Index.
At least 28 journalists have been killed since 2014 and nine are currently imprisoned. Terrorism laws are being misused to persecute media personnel. The police and tax agencies are constantly deployed to silence independent media. Journalists are routinely subjected to the scourge of disinformation campaigns, while access to India is restricted for foreign journalists.
In order to put the right to information on the agenda at these general elections, RSF has identified ten key measures that candidates are urged to adopt as a matter of urgency.
“It is unacceptable that the country portrayed as the world’s biggest democracy now lacks so many of the safeguards needed to sustain a free and diverse press. It is unacceptable that Indian journalists and foreign reporters are subjected to so much obstruction in their day-to-day work. There is an urgent need for political parties to affirm their commitment to safeguarding the public’s right to reliable, diverse and independent information, and to adopting measures to end the continuous erosion of press freedom seen in India during the past decade. We offer them ten key measures to include in their programmes," said Célia Mercier, Head of RSF’s South Asia Desk.
RSF asks India’s political parties to commit to press freedom by adopting the following ten key recommendations:
1) Immediately free the nine arbitrarily detained journalists, including five from the northern Jammu and Kashmir region
2) Overhaul the terrorism laws so that they can no longer be used to persecute journalists
The Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment Act 2019 (UAPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA) are often used against journalists.
3) End the censorship and surveillance of journalists
New legislation allows, or will allow, the censorship of publications, surveillance of journalists and violation of the confidentiality of their sources. This is the case with the Telecom Bill, 2023, the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. This legislation must be amended so that it cannot be used to obstruct journalists’ work.
4) Establish an independent commission of enquiry into cases of spying on journalists
At least 15 Indian journalists have been targeted by the NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware since 2021 with complete impunity.
5) Protect the confidentiality of journalists’ sources
The seizure of journalistic equipment must be limited to strictly defined exceptional circumstances and subject to the control of an independent judicial authority. This is essential in order to safeguard the confidentiality of journalists' sources, which are currently not protected because journalists’ equipment can be seized without restriction.
6) Safeguard pluralism by regulating media concentration
A small number of private-sector companies and conglomerates currently own India’s leading media outlets. Legislation must be introduced to end these monopolies and restrict cross-ownership in order to safeguard pluralism.
7) Adopt mechanisms for protecting journalists
A mechanism must be established for guaranteeing the physical and digital safety of journalists, especially those who say they are being threatened, as was the case with Nikhil Wagle, a freelance journalist who was recently attacked in the western state of Maharashtra, and Nesaprabhu, a News7 reporter who was attacked by a gang armed with knives and machetes in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in January. Measures must also be taken to combat the online harassment of journalists and media, which is now widespread.
8) Put a stop to arbitrary Internet shutdowns
India leads the world in arbitrary cuts to Internet access. In 2023, the authorities shut down the Internet for a total of 5,000 hours in the northeastern state of Manipur alone. These shutdowns, which violate international law, obstruct journalists’ work and encourage the spread of fake news and disinformation, especially during elections.
9) End the restrictions on access to certain parts of the country
In February, reporters were denied access to Haldwani, a locality in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Foreign journalists have to obtain special permits to visit 10 of India’s 36 states and territories. Jammu and Kashmir, in particular, is almost totally inaccessible for them.
10) Safeguard the foreign media’s right to cover India
India has stepped up reprisals against foreign journalists, above all by giving them shorter visas or denying them work permits. French journalist Vanessa Dougnac is a prime example of the difficulties for foreign reporters trying to cover India. After being based in India covering the country for more than 20 years, she was finally forced to leave in February.
NewsClick case in India: RSF and Guernica 37 Chambers call on the European Union to sanction Delhi police officers
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Press release | 27 March 2024
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Guernica 37 Chambers call on the European Union to sanction four high-ranking officers of the Delhi police, responsible - directly or indirectly - for exactions against dozens of journalists working or having collaborated with the independent media NewsClick.
The arbitrary raid by the Indian police against journalists working for the independent online media NewsClick must not go unaddressed. RSF and lawyers from Guernica 37 Chambers, which specializes in human rights and international criminal law, submitted the case to the European External Action Service (the European Union’s diplomatic service) with a request to refer it to Member States to adopt sanctions against four officials of the Delhi police's counter-terrorism unit, who are implicated in an unprecedented crackdown on journalists in the country.
On their orders, members of this Special Cell raided the homes of 46 journalists in the capital and surrounding towns in October 2023. All were journalists, contributors or former employees of NewsClick, an independent media founded in 2009. More than 480 electronic devices - including telephones and laptops - were seized. Two members of the media company - Human Resources Director Amit Chakravarty and NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha - were taken into custody and charged under the draconian UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) anti-terrorism law. They have since been detained in Delhi's Tihar prison.
RSF and Guernica 37 are calling for European Union sanctions against these police officers, under a scheme introduced in December 2020 to address serious human rights violations in third countries. These can range from a ban on entering the European Union to the freezing of assets on that territory and the prohibition of doing business with European entities.
"The actions of the Delhi Police Special Cell against journalists associated with NewsClick represent one of the most blatant attacks on press freedom in India. These raids, carried out on an unprecedented scale, with the deployment of 500 police officers, are an alarming step in an already worrying context of repression of journalists. These acts of terror require urgent action on the part of the European Union. This would be a strong act to alert the international community on the unacceptable repression of journalists, and a necessary warning to the Indian authorities in the run-up to the general elections," said Célia Mercier, from RSF's South Asia Desk.
Accused by this specialized police unit of receiving illegal Chinese funding, the NewsClick editorial team is mainly targeted for its investigative reporting. Several journalists targeted by the raids had investigated alleged fraud committed by the Adani conglomerate, whose chairman is considered close to current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other reporters appear to have been targeted for their coverage of farmers' protests between 2020 and 2021.
The Delhi Police Special Cell, under the direct control of the Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah, is regularly used to intimidate voices critical of the government - this was notably the case during the student protests of 2020 with several arrests of activists protesting against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) reform.
"The Delhi Police’s Special Cell seems to be one of the go-to bodies for the government of India to target critics, including journalists. Their speciality lies in the use of the UAPA to target dissidents. Both the UN and multiple foreign governments have warned the UAPA is ripe for misuse by authorities,” said Toby Cadman, Barrister and Founder of Guernica 37 Chambers.
Press freedom has been under constant attack in India since Narendra Modi came to power. In 2023, India fell a further 11 places in RSF's World Press Freedom Index to its worst ever position of 161st/180th, down from 133rd in 2016.
How the Chibok abductions continue to cast a long shadow over girls’ education in Nigeria
...While 57 girls managed to escape that night, some by jumping off moving vehicles, 219 were taken into captivity. Between 2016 and 2017, more than 100 of them were eventually freed but 82 are still missing, according to figures from Amnesty International. READ FULL REPORT FROM CNN
Umberto Eco’s Antilibrary: Why Unread Books Are More Valuable to Our Lives than Read Ones
“It is our knowledge — the things we are sure of — that makes the world go wrong and keeps us from seeing and learning,” Lincoln Steffens wrote in his beautiful 1925 essay. Piercingly true as this may be, we’ve known at least since Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave that “most people are not just comfortable in their ignorance, but hostile to anyone who points it out.”. Although science is driven by “thoroughly conscious ignorance” and the spiritual path paved with admonitions against the illusion of thorough understanding, we cling to our knowledge — our incomplete, imperfect, infinitesimal-in-absolute-terms knowledge — like we cling to life itself. READ MORE FROM THE MARGINALIAN
Six ‘implicitly optimistic’ novels make the International Booker prize shortlist
From books about disintegrating relationships and countries to a worker’s-eye view of Korea and a story of farmers in Brazil, the selected titles engage with current realities, say the judging panel. READ MORE FROM THE GUARDIAN
'Experience machines': The 1970s thought experiment that speaks to our times
...50 years ago, the philosopher Robert Nozick foresaw the themes of The Matrix – and much more about contemporary life – by proposing an intriguing thought experiment. In his 1974 book, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, he asked his readers: would you willingly plug your brain into a simulated "experience machine" if you could live out your deepest desires? Would it matter to you if it wasn't "real"? READ FULL REPORT FROM BBC
A billionaire helped bring ‘3-Body Problem’ to Netflix. His business partner ensured he never lived to see its premiere
...Lin, who was named as an executive producer in the opening credits of “3 Body Problem,” was poisoned and killed at age 39, according to Chinese authorities, months after Netflix announced its plans to produce the series in 2020.
The culprit was one of Lin’s own executives, a high-flying lawyer who helped Lin’s Yoozoo Games secure the rights to adapt the highly acclaimed trilogy.
After falling out with his boss, Xu Yao gifted Lin a bottle of what he said were probiotic pills, but which contained a cocktail of lethal toxins he bought off the dark web... READ FULL REPORT FROM CNN
What is the three-body problem? The chaotic, cosmic mathematics behind the Netflix TV show
In Netflix's 3 Body Problem – based on Liu Cixin's sci-fi novels – the drama is inspired by a real scientific conundrum in astronomy. Mathematician Kit Yates explains. READ MORE FROM BBC
UK Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs dies age 94
Physicist Peter Higgs, whose theory of an undetected particle in the universe changed science and was vindicated by a Nobel prize-winning discovery half a century later, has died aged 94, the University of Edinburgh said on Tuesday.
The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 at the CERN research centre near Geneva was widely hailed as the biggest advance in knowledge about the cosmos for over 30 years, and pointed physics towards ideas that were once science fiction.
“For me personally it is just the confirmation of something I did 48 years ago, and it is very satisfying to be proved right in some way,” the British scientist told Reuters at the time. READ MORE FROM CNN
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އެ އަނިޔާ ކުރި ކުދިންގެ މައިންބަފައިންނަށް އެނގޭނެ އެކުދިންގެ އަޚުލާގާއި އުޅުން.
ދެން ކުއްލިއަކަށް، އޭނަ އެކަހަލަ ކަމެއް ކޮށްފާނެކަމަށް ހިޔެއް ނުކުރަމޭ ބުނީމަ ގަބޫލެއް
ނުކުރާނަން. އެހެން ކުދިންނަށް ލައްކަ އަނިޔާއެއް ކުރީމަތާ، އެކުއްޖާފުޅަށް އެވަރު
ކޮށްލާނީ. އެކުދިންގެ މައިންބަފައިން އާންމުންގެ ތެރެއަށް ނުކުމެ މައާފަށް އެދެން ޖެހޭނެ.
އެކުދިންނަށް އަދަބު ލިބެން ޖެހޭނެ. ނަސޭހަތް ދީފަ ދޫކޮށްލާވަރަށް ވުރެ ކުޑަ ކަމެއް
ނޫން. އީމާންތެރިކަމެއް ނެތް އިރު، އަޚުލާގުގެ ކަންފުޅެއް ވެސް ނެތް.—Musal Mueen--
ހަދީސެއްގެ އަލީގައި: ދަރިން ވިހެއުމުން ބަންގި ގޮވުމަކީ ތަރުބިއްޔަތުގެ ބައެއް
ޢުބައިދުﷲ ބުނު އަބީ ރާފިޢު އެކަލޭގެފާނުގެ ބައްޕާފުޅުގެ ކިބައިން ރިވާކުރެއްވި ހަދީސެއްގައި ވެ އެވެ. "ޢަލީގެފާނުގެ ދަރިކަލުން ޙަސަނުގެފާނާއިގެން ފާޠިމަތުގެފާނު ރައްކައުވެވަޑައިގަތް ހިނދު ކީރިތި ރަސޫލާ ﷺ ނަމާދަށް ބަންގި ގޮވާ ފަދައިން ޙަސަނުގެފާނުގެ ކަންފަތްޕުޅު ކައިރީ ބަންގި ގޮވަނިކޮށް ތިމަންކަލޭގެފާނު ދެކެވަޑައިގަތީމެވެ." (އައްތިރުމިޛީ)
މި ލިޔުން ކިޔާލުމަށް ތިރީގައި މިވާ "މިހާރު" ނޫހުގެ ލިންކަށް ޒިޔާރަތް ކޮށްލާ:
މަސްތުވާތަކެތި ހިމެނޭ ވޭޕް ވިއްކާތީ އޮޕަރޭޝަނެއް ހިންގި، އިތުރު މައްސަލަތައް ބަލަނީ
މަސްތުވާތަކެތީގެ ބާވަތެއް ކަމަށްވާ ކެނަބިސް (މެރުއާނާ) ހިމެނޭ ވޭޕް ވިއްކާ މައްސަލަތަކެއް ތަހުގީގު ކުރަމުން އަންނަ ކަމަށް ފުލުހުން ބުނެފި އެވެ.
...ރާއްޖޭގައި ވޭޕް ބޭނުން ކުރުން ވަނީ ވަރަށް ބޮޑަށް އާންމުވެފަ އެވެ. ހާއްސަކޮށް ޒުވާނުންނާއި ކުޑަ ކުދިން ވޭޕް ބޭނުން ކުރާ ވަރު މިފަހަކަށް އައިސް ވަނީ ވަރަށް ބޮޑަށް އިތުރުވެފަ އެވެ.
މި ލިޔުން އިތުރަށް ކިޔާލުމަށް ތިރީގައި މިވާ "މިހާރު" ނޫހުގެ ލިންކަށް ޒިޔާރަތްކޮށްލާ:
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