World News Thread

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Weird that the cheering video doesn't appear in the preview. Worth clicking through!

[N.E. Brigand]

Here's a description I've never seen before: "evangelical samba crooner."

[N.E. Brigand]

When I work late, I sometimes listen to music via a website called Radio Garden, from which you can choose from thousands of radio stations around the world. Lately I've been listening to a pop station in the South African city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). It's summer there and I've noticed they're very concerned about running short of water. Adding to the unpleasantness, there's also an electricity shortage, so they've resorted to what they call "load shedding," or what in the U.S. is called a rolling blackout. People there are really mad today because yesterday the government-owned utility Eskom was approved to raise rates by 18% next year: the public will be paying more for less, it seems. What caught my attention just now was the morning show radio hosts urging listeners to be especially careful on what's apparently a misty morning when they come to intersections, because in many locations the traffic lights aren't working due to the blackouts.

[N.E. Brigand]

Surprising news: New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has resigned.

[Túrin Turambar]

On the opinion polls, Labour will struggle to win the election coming up in October, so her resignation hasn't been entirely unexpected by commentators in NZ, although it's unclear if a different leader will do any better. It may simply be the usual challenges faced by a government coming to the end of its second term. Still, most people (me included) did expect her to stay and fight the election.

NZ opinion polls.jpg (90.91 KiB) Viewed 1948 times

[Frelga]

Russia-affiliated journalist paid for Quran burning in Sweden

Swedish journalist Chang Frick, affiliated with Russian propagandist channel RT, paid for Danish far-right activist Rasmus Paludan to publicly burn the Quran near the Turkish embassy in Sweden.

The protest that took place on Saturday caused backlash in Turkey and led to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Sweden shouldn’t expect Ankara’s support for its NATO membership bid. Swedish media suggest that Moscow was behind the Quran burning, using Frick, who has worked as a freelancer for RT and its subsidiary Ruptly.

[N.E. Brigand]

"Iran jails couple in viral dancing video":

Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, had been arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the capital's Azadi Tower.

Haghighi did not wear a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic's strict rules for women, while women are also not allowed to dance in public in Iran, let alone with a man.

A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as bans on using the Internet and leaving Iran, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

The couple, who already had a following in Tehran as popular Instagram bloggers, were convicted of "encouraging corruption and public prostitution" as well as "gathering with the intention of disrupting national security", it added.

[Frelga]

In France, a proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years resulted in a series of massive strikes. The striking workers cut power to the rich and gave free energy to low-income households.

[RoseMorninStar]

Louis Mandrin (the French Robin Hood) movement?

[Frelga]

The video said Robin de Bois, which my rudimentary French knowledge tells me means Robin of the Woods. I don't know if that's how Robin Hood is commonly rendered in French.

Meanwhile Iowa and Ohio are introducing bills that would allow 14-17 year olds to work in mines and slaughterhouses, and exempts these employers from liability if these kids get injured or killed. All to avoid providing living wage and safe working conditions. The French would be dragging out guillotines by now.

[RoseMorninStar]

Robin de Bois would be a literal interpretation of Robin Hood, but Louis Mandrin was a real person.

We can't get those kids into the sweatshops and mines early enough, can we? To exempt employers from liability would encourage employers to give them very dangerous work. Good grief. The same should apply to the person who proposed such a thing.

Meanwhile, Montana has proposed a bill which would prohibit the teaching of scientific theories in public schools. I wonder how Montana students would pass an SAT.

[Sunsilver]

Rose, as a retired science teacher: HEAD:DESK

Well, the Toronto mayor's office has once again been rocked by scandal. Mayor John Tory has resigned, after confessing to having an affair with a female staff member. This comes as a great surprise to most people, who saw Tory as someone stable and sensible after Rob Ford's tumultuous and scandal-ridden time in office:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2626937

[Frelga]

I don't know what this means in the context of Irish politics, but the lede is compelling.

'I don't own them': Mick Wallace clarifies wine bar controversy

Ireland South MEP Mick Wallace has confirmed he does not own three wine bars even though he always felt he did.

[RoseMorninStar]

He kinda looks like he belongs in Rohan. Maybe he sorta owns something there. /cheek

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is quite disturbing.

[Túrin Turambar]

From the U.K., Labour leader Keir Starmer has barred former leader Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate in the next election. His stated reason has been the party's failings on anti-Semitism under Corbyn's leadership, although this also shows a clear rift between Labour's current leadership and its MPs who hold far-left positions, particularly on foreign policy. Corbyn may stand as an independent. This has naturally led to a lot of debate among Labour's supporters - see competing opinion columns in The Guardian supporting and criticising Starmer's decision.

This might turn out to be significant for progressive politics in the English-speaking world in the longer run, just as Corbyn's victory as Labour leader was. We'll see.

[Impenitent]

This is quite disturbing.

Understatement.

[Frelga]

Why am I seeing so many memes about the UK tomatoes?

[RoseMorninStar]

Evidently there has been a huge shortage of Tomatoes. Some blame Brexit. I believe there is a shortage due to bad weather in Spain where many of the tomatoes are grown and what tomatoes they have are staying in Europe. But that's just what I've gathered based on what I've seen from my UK friends.

[Alatar]

Its a combination of both. Bad harvest means the usual tomato supply is low, and Brexit has made it impractical to import from other locations because they would go off in the time it takes to get through customs