Nov 13 2023
Six In The Morning Monday 13 November 2023
Heavy fighting in northern Gaza as concern grows over babies at key hospital
What’s been happening?
- Concerns are growing about the situation in Gaza’s largest hospital Al Shifa, where doctors warn more than 30 premature babies could die without fuel to power incubators
- The Israeli military says Hamas rejected fuel it offered to support the babies, denying claims by staff that they would be attacked if they collected it
- The head of the Hamas-run ministry of health has told the BBC that more than 100 corpses were piled up in the courtyard at Al Shifa, with no fuel to power the mortuaries
BP and Spotify bought carbon credits at risk of link to forced Uyghur labour in China
Credits sourced from carbon project that was centred on biomass power plant in Xinjiang, investigation finds
BP and Spotify were among companies who bought carbon credits at risk of being implicated in potential Uyghur forced labour, an investigation has found.
The credits were sourced from the Bachu carbon project, which was developed by South Pole, the world’s largest carbon consultancy. The project focussed on a biomass power plant in Xinjiang, China, which said it would lower global carbon emissions by using waste cotton stalks from nearby fields to generate electricity.
West Bank: Israeli violence increases against Palestinians
Amid Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, human rights groups have documented an alarming increase in settler violence and forced displacement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The last few weeks have been extremely difficult, said Halima Khalil Abu Eid.
The mother of two little girls lives in Khirbet Susiya, a village in the South Hebron Hills in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A month ago, while the family was asleep, Israeli settlers raided her family’s home, beat her husband and threatened them with an ultimatum.
“You have to leave the place. If you don’t leave, we will shoot you. And you must destroy your home,” said Abu Eid, relating the warning she received that night.
Nations negotiate terms of global plastic pollution treaty in Kenya
The latest negotiations towards a global treaty to combat plastic pollution opened in Nairobi on Monday, with tensions expected as nations tussle over what should be included in the pact.
Some 175 countries agreed last year to conclude by 2024 a UN treaty to address the plastic blighting oceans, floating in the atmosphere, and infiltrating the bodies of animals and humans.
While there is broad consensus a treaty is needed, there are very different opinions about what should be in it.
As the talks formally opened, Peru’s Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velasquez, chair of the forum’s intergovernmental negotiating committee, warned that plastic pollution posed “a direct threat to our environment, human health, and the delicate balance of our planet.”
Thirty years on, ghostly ‘Kitaro’ statues lifting town’s fortunes
By SHOTARO WATANABE/ Staff Writer
A road lined with 177 bronze statues of Shigeru Mizuki’s manga characters has drawn millions of visitors since it was set up to revitalize this city 30 years ago.
The Mizuki Shigeru Road features ghost figures from works by the manga artist (1922-2015), who grew up in this city and whose tales feature “yokai” (monsters) and the supernatural.
“This place here is themed on the coexistence of humans, nature, and ghosts who inhabit nature,” former city official Tomonori Kurome, 74, said. “The 30th anniversary is a good opportunity for going back to that starting point and propagating that way of thinking.”
Kurome recalled how the idea for the tourist attraction developed 32 years ago.
UK’s Braverman sacked following pro-Palestinian protests comments
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who drew anger for accusing police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters.
The government said on Monday that Braverman has left her job as part of a cabinet shuffle ahead of a general election expected next year.
Following her dismissal, Braverman said “it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary”.
“I will have more to say in due course,” she added.
Nov 12 2023
29 Bells for The Edmund Fitzgerald
When the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America’s Great Lakes. On November 10th, we mark the 48th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald taking her 29 crew members with her to the bottom of Lake Superior during one of the worst of the legendary November storms. She remains the largest ship ever to have sunk there.
The memorial at the Split Rock Lighthouse beacon, located along the Lake Superior shore near Beaver Bay, MN will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 10 — a Friday this year — with the ceremony set to begin at 4:30 p.m. For those who want to watch online, video will be streamed on the Minnesota Historical Society’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
The names of the lost Fitzgerald crew will be read as a bell rings 29 times. After that, lighthouse staff will ring the bell once more — a 30th time — to remember all lost mariners.
Then the Split Rock lighthouse beacon will be lit, shining out over the cold, dark waters of Lake Superior.
The year following the tragedy, Gordon Lightfoot came out with the song that became part of Great Lakes folklore by commemorating the maritime tragedy. Sadly, this is the first anniversary with Lightfoot, who died earlier this year. The song has become do endeared to many people on both sides of the lake that it’s almost an unwritten tradition to play the song on or around the anniversary.
The day after Lightfoot’s death, the Mariner’s Church in Detroit rang the bell it’s normal 29 times plus one to honor Lightfoot.
Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin on the afternoon of Sunday, November 9, 1975 under the command of Captain Ernest M. McSorley. It was en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite. A second freighter under the command of Captain Jesse B. “Bernie” Cooper, Arthur M. Anderson, destined for Gary, Indiana out of Two Harbors, Minnesota, joined up with Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, being the faster ship, took the lead while Anderson trailed not far behind. The weather forecast was not unusual for November and called for a storm to pass over eastern Lake Superior and small craft warnings.
Crossing Lake Superior at about 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), the boats encountered a massive winter storm, reporting winds in excess of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) with gusts up to 86.9 knots (160.9 km/h; 100.0 mph) and waves as high as 35 feet (11 m). Visibility was poor due to heavy snow. The Weather Bureau upgraded the forecast to gale warnings. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay to approach the locks.When the storm became intense, the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie were closed.
Late in the afternoon of Monday, November 10, sustained winds of 50 knots were observed across eastern Lake Superior. Anderson was struck by a 75-knot (139 km/h; 86 mph) hurricane-force gust. At 3:30 pm, Captain McSorley radioed the Anderson to report that she was taking on water and had top-side damage including that the Fitzgerald was suffering a list, and had lost two vent covers and some railings. Two of the Fitzgerald’s six bilge pumps were running continuously to discharge shipped water.
At about 3:50 pm, McSorley called the Anderson to report that his radar was not working and he asked the Anderson to keep them in sight while he checked his ship down so that the Anderson could close the gap between them. Fitzgerald was ahead of Anderson at the time, effectively blind; therefore, she slowed to come within 10 miles (16 km) range so she could receive radar guidance from the other ship. For a time the Anderson directed the Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. McSorley contacted the U.S. Coast Guard station in Grand Marais, Michigan after 4:00 pm and then hailed any ships in the Whitefish Point area to inquire if the Whitefish Point light and navigational radio beacon were operational. Captain Cedric Woodard of the Avafors answered that both the light and radio direction beacon were out at that moment. Around 5:30 pm, Woodward called the Fitzgerald again to report that the Whitefish point light was back on but not the radio beacon. When McSorley replied to the Avafors, he commented, “We’re in a big sea. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
The last communication from the doomed ship came at approximately 7:10 pm, when Anderson notified Fitzgerald of an upbound ship and asked how it was doing. McSorley reported, “We are holding our own.” A few minutes later, it apparently sank; no distress signal was received. Ten minutes later Anderson could neither raise Fitzgerald by radio, nor detect it on radar. At 8:32 pm, Anderson was finally able to convince the U. S. Coast Guard that the Fitzgerald had gone missing. Up until that time, the Coast Guard was looking for a 16 foot outboard lost in the area. The United States Coast Guard finally took Captain Cooper of the Anderson seriously shortly after 8:30 pm. The Coast Guard then asked the Anderson to turn around and look for survivors.
The Edmund Fitzgerald now lies under 530 feet of water, broken in two sections. On July 4, 1995, the ship’s bell was recovered from the wreck, and a replica, engraved with the names of the crew members who perished in this tragedy, was left in its place. The original bell is on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point in Michigan.
Nov 12 2023
Six In The Morning Sunday 12 November 2023
Gaza’s main hospital uncontactable as second hospital says it is out of fuel
Jews on French march say last month has left them anxious and scared
Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris
Tens of thousands of people have marched through central Paris in a demonstration against antisemitism. A massive crowd filled the Invalides esplanade then headed across the Left Bank towards the Senate building.
Many were Jews; but many non-Jews were there too, answering the call for a big display of support for France’s “Republican” values, and the notion that no-one should be singled out because of their religion or ethnic type.
Jews on the march said the last month had left them feeling anxious and scared. Many in their day-to-day lives have taken steps to avoid being identifiable as Jews, for fear of verbal or physical abuse.
Witness says Gazans were told to evacuate north before UN office attack
Our Gaza reporter Rushdi Abualouf has been in contact with someone who was at the UN office in Gaza City that was attacked overnight.
The compound is about 250m (820ft) from Al-Shifa hospital and hundreds of civilians who had fled fighting around the Al-Shati refugee camp had been taking refuge there.
Rushdi’s contact told him an explosion hit the compound – wounding several people – and there were about 40 Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles nearby.
The Israeli army had dropped leaflets telling people the area was in the middle of a military operation area, the contact added. Officers also gave civilians water and told them they should leave.
The contact said the Israeli military told civilians they should go north if they couldn’t evacuate south.
Countries meet in Kenya to thrash out global plastic pollution treaty
Delegates in Nairobi for talks in what experts say could be most important multilateral treaty since Paris accord
Government delegations will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, to hammer out details of what could be the first global treaty to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.
A key focus for the discussions on Monday will be whether targets to restrict plastic production should be decided unilaterally or whether states should choose their own targets; this is, say environmentalists, the “centre of gravity” for the treaty’s ambition.
At the last round of negotiations in Paris in May run by the international negotiating committee (INC) the US, Saudi Arabia, India and China favoured a “Paris-style” agreement where states would have the freedom to determine their own commitments, while others, including Africa and many developing countries, preferred strong global commitments.
Forgotten in KyivSupport Slides for Ukraine in Wake of Middle East War
Weeks after the terrorist attack in Israel pulled the world’s attention away from Kyiv’s plight, the situation in Ukraine is bleak. It appears that Washington is slowly turning its back on the country, and it is unlikely the Europeans can make up for that possible shortfall.
By Markus Becker, Marina Kormbaki und Severin Weiland
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to great lengths to show his delight at receiving his distinguished visitor from Brussels, rushing to the train station to welcome European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Arms outstretched, kisses on the left and right cheeks. Von der Leyen, wearing a yellow and blue ribbon on her lapel, gave a short speech. “This train is a legend,” she said, describing the transportation that has brought the European Union leader to Kyiv six times since the start of Russia’s war of aggression – more trips than those taken by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock combined.
Last weekend’s visit was important for Ukraine, which finds itself in an increasingly difficult position. There has been little progress on the front, and only a massive increase in Western military aid could help. But it doesn’t appear that such aid will be forthcoming, particularly with new war in the Middle East taking much of the West’s attention away from Ukraine. Indeed, it is even possible the United States will start reducing its support, and the European Union wouldn’t likely be able to make up for that shortfall.
Activist rabbi helps West Bank farmers facing Israeli settler violence
Stooping under the weight of his body armour but uncowed by the threat of violence, Rabbi Arik Ascherman guards an olive grove in the occupied West Bank, protecting Palestinian farmers from rising Israeli settler violence.
“There is no excuse, there is no explanation, no justification for what Hamas did” in its October 7 attacks on southern Israel, said the 64-year-old, a veteran activist with the Rabbis for Human Rights group.
“But the average Israeli today is not prepared or willing to distinguish between Palestinian terrorists and terrorised Palestinians,” he added, alluding to reports of a rise in settler attacks since October 7.
“It’s an all-out war between two peoples,” said Ascherman outside the village of Taybeh, as farmers whacked olives weeping with oil onto pinstripe tarpaulins skirting the tree trunks.
“Nobody at this point is willing to help Palestinians, out of our pain and our anger.”
Stadium unrest clouds several weekend Bundesliga games
Police say at least 11 people were injured after a firecracker was thrown from the Hoffenheim fan block. Meanwhile, police were investigating suspects for breaching the peace and bodily harm at a Bochum-Cologne match.
Stadium unrest before or during matches overshadowed three German Bundesliga football games over the weekend.
Several people were injured by a firecracker at a Bundesliga match in Augsburg in Germany’s southeastern state of Bavaria on Saturday.
Augsburg’s match against Hoffenheim ended in a 1-1 draw.
The firework was thrown from the Hoffenheim fan block. Police said that at least 11 people were hurt in the loud explosion.
Augsburg managing director Michael Ströll said that one person suffered blast trauma.
“One perpetrator is visible on video images,” he said.
Thousands of Greenland’s glaciers are rapidly shrinking. Before-and-after photos reveal decades of change
Nov 11 2023
Six In The Morning Saturday 11 November 2023
Surgeon says Gaza’s main hospital has lost power and is under constant fire
Israel denies targeting Al-Shifa hospital
Paul Adams
Reporting from Jerusalem
The Israeli military says it is not targeting Al-Shifa hospital and that it is keeping corridors open for people who want to leave.
In a statement this afternoon, Col Moshe Tetro from Cogat (a branch of the Israeli military) said “there is no shooting at the hospital and there is no siege.”
Israeli forces have virtually surrounded Al-Shifa hospital, but Col Tetro added that the east side remained open for people who want to leave.
“Additionally, we can coordinate anyone who wants to leave the hospital safely,” he added.
Israel is trying to persuade as many people as possible to leave the hospital and its grounds. Reports suggest that a significant number of the civilians who have been sheltering there for weeks have now left.
Earlier, the Israeli military described the situation at another, much smaller hospital: Rantisi. It said all but a handful of staff and patients had evacuated.
This is clearly what it hopes will eventually happen at Al-Shifa, too.
- Three other major hospitals in the Gaza Strip are also now on the front line of Israel’s ground invasion
- A charity says Israeli tanks are closing in on Al-Quds hospital, while the IDF says the Rantisi hospital has been almost fully evacuated
- Israel began striking Gaza after the Hamas attacks on 7 October, which saw 1,200 people killed and more than 200 taken hostage
- The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since – of whom more than 4,500 were children
Ex-Nato chief proposes Ukraine joins without Russian-occupied territories
Former secretary general says partial membership would warn Russia it cannot stop Ukraine joining the alliance
A former Nato secretary general has put forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but stripped of the territories occupied by Russia.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen has long worked alongside Andriy Yermak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, particularly ahead of the last Nato summit in Vilnius this year that ended with no invitation for Ukraine to join.
The two men are again broadly discussing Ukraine’s place in a new European security architecture, including practical questions around the extent of Ukraine’s Nato membership.
Iceland declares emergency fearing volcanic eruption
Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, which is home to the Fagradalsfjall volcano, has seen 800 tremors in a matter of hours. Authorities now fear that an eruption is imminent.
Iceland’s authorities have declared a state of emergency after a series of tremors which experts believe heralds an imminent volcanic eruption.
According to Iceland’s Met Office, the seismic activity was concentrated in the southwestern Reykjanes Peninsula. However, it has since moved south toward Grindavík. The nature of the activity there suggests an eruption could take place in the days, it further added.
“Earthquakes can become larger than those that have occurred and this series of events could lead to an eruption,” the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement late Friday.
Colombia detains 4 in kidnapping of footballer’s father
Police in Colombia have detained four people suspected in the kidnapping of the father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz, who was held hostage for nearly two weeks by members of the ELN guerilla group, officials said Saturday.
Luis Manuel Diaz was freed Thursday. He had been abducted by armed men on motorcycles at a gas station in the town of Barrancas near the Venezuelan border.
The ELN, which is in peace negotiations with the government and is party to a six-month ceasefire that took effect in August, described the kidnapping by one of its units as a “mistake.”
“We have detained four people allegedly responsible for the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz,” the National Police of Colombia said in a statement on social media platform X.
The suspects were captured in the northern department of La Guajira, where the kidnapping took place, police said. They had two firearms on them.
Lawyers detail horrific final days of rising Takarazuka star
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 11, 2023 at 16:57 JST
Lawyers outlined the final days of a budding entertainer of the famed all-female Takarazuka Revue who took her own life in late September after sacrificing sleep to perfect her art and enduring daily verbal abuse from the older members.
The 25-year-old member of the Cosmos Troupe was found dead in the grounds of her apartment complex in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, on Sept. 30. Police suspect she jumped from the building.
In addition to working almost six straight weeks without a single day off prior to her death, the exhausted woman endured repeated insults and other power harassment from senior members of the troupe, according to lawyers for the bereaved family.
Detained, missing or under investigation: Business leaders in China face an ‘aggressive’ crackdown
Business leaders in China are under immense pressure, as the country’s leader Xi Jinping intensifies a regulatory crackdown on companies and strengthens its control of the economy.
This year, more than a dozen top executives from sectors including technology, finance and real estate have gone missing, faced detention or been subjected to corruption probes.
Even international consulting firms have been caught up in the sweep. They face rising risks, including the possibility of police raids and detentions of staff, in the world’s second largest economy.
Nov 10 2023
Six In The Morning Friday 10 November 2023
Firing outside Gaza hospitals, with patients and staff trapped inside
IDF confirms forces operating around Al-Shifa hospital
We’ve continuing to receive information about the situation at or near various Gazan hospitals – including the enclave’s largest, Al-Shifa.
Videos circulating on social media show what appears to be the aftermath of a missile or mortar striking the courtyard at Al-Shifa.
The Hamas government reported 13 deaths at Al-Shifa, while a doctor at the hospital said he knows of one fatality but can not confirm any others.
Now a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Colonel Peter Lerner, has confirmed to BBC Newshour that its troops are there, saying:
We have been trying to encourage people taking refuge in the hospitals to evacuate.”
News outlets deny claims they had prior knowledge of Hamas attack on Israel
Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times and CNN say suggestions are untrue, outrageous and reckless
Four of the world’s biggest news organisations have vigorously denied any prior knowledge of Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel on 7 October, saying such a suggestion was untrue, outrageous and reckless.
The suggestion appeared in an article by HonestReporting, which describes itself as an organisation devoted to fighting media disinformation about Israel and Zionism. It was taken up by two senior Israeli politicians, who said any journalists with prior knowledge of the assault should be treated as terrorists.
The Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times and CNN issued robust statements in response to questions about Palestinian photographers in Gaza who documented Hamas’s cross-border raid in which at least 1,400 people were killed.
Poland: Opposition parties sign deal for possible coalition
The coalition, led by Donald Tusk, will have to wait a couple of weeks for a vote in the lower house of parliament. The group of parties has put forward several plans, such as overturning the near-total ban on abortion.
The alliance of pro-EU parties that, combined, outperformed Poland’s ruling right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS) in last month’s election signed an agreement on Friday, paving the way for a coalition government.
The opposition parties will still have to wait for their chance to put forward their coalition proposal for a vote in the Polish Parliament after President Andrzej Duda gave PiS Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki the first shot.
While PiS won the most votes, its time in power has alienated it from possible parliamentary allies, meaning its attempt to form a government is expected to fail.
‘War against residents of Gaza’: Seen as collateral damage, ‘vast majority nothing to do with Hamas’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that “far too many” Palestinians have died and suffered as Israel wages a relentless war against the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. He urged Israel to minimize harm to civilians and maximize humanitarian assistance that reaches them. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Blinken said recent Israeli moves to improve dire conditions in Gaza as its military pushes deeper into the strip — including pauses in military operations to allow Palestinians to move from northern to southern Gaza and the creation of a second safe corridor — are positive but they are not nearly enough
Teachers bristle at crowdfunding request to cover baseball parades
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 10, 2023 at 18:16 JST
A government request for help with a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of Nov. 23 parades for Kansai region champion professional baseball teams is not a big hit with local educators.
“This could amount to coercing teachers into making donations,” one educator grumbled.
Some raised concerns about the document issued by the Osaka prefectural government regarding the parades honoring the Central League champion Hanshin Tigers and the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes.
It is being organized by an executive committee made up of prefectural and city governments and economic organizations.
This megacity is the latest to shut down as pollution chokes swathes of South Asia
Lahore has become the latest megacity to shut down as pollution chokes swathes of South Asia, where nearly 50 million people have been breathing toxic air for nearly a week.Pakistan’s second most populous city – of more than 13 million people – has shut schools and closed public parks, malls and offices after the air quality index (AQI) this week spiked to more than 400, according to IQAir. That number is considered “hazardous” by the Swiss air tracking company.Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have imposed an “environmental and health emergency” in three cities – Gujranwala and Hafizabad in addition to Lahore – until the situation improves, its chief minister Mohsin Naqvi said this week. The three cities combined account for more than 15 million people.
Nov 09 2023
Six In The Morning Thursday 9 November 2023
Israel to begin daily four-hour military pauses in Gaza, White House says
Images show Palestinians of all ages fleeing northern Gaza
As we’ve been reporting, thousands of Palestinians are evacuating northern Gaza to the south in a bid to flee the most targeted parts of the enclave. Most are leaving on foot, carrying whatever belongings they can.
This is the fifth consecutive day that Israel – which has been telling Gazans to move for weeks – has permitted movement along the Salah al-Din main road that runs the length of Gaza.
Summary
- There has been fighting between Israel and Hamas close to the Al Quds hospital in Gaza City
- Our correspondent in the Gaza Strip reports “a real gun battle” in the area
- Israel began striking Gaza after the Hamas attacks on 7 October, which saw 1,400 people killed and more than 200 taken hostage
- More than 10,800 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including more than 4,400 children
Nine Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank daytime raid
Several others injured in Jenin city and refugee camp, as IDF says it is conducting counter-terrorism raids
Nine Palestinians have been killed and at least 14 others were injured by the Israel Defence Forces during an hours-long daytime raid on Jenin city and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
In the latest escalation in violence on the West Bank, occurring against the background of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the IDF said an aircraft hit an armed squad of men in the flashpoint city.
Local sources named one of the dead as Ayham al-Amer, an officer in the Palestinian security services.
Myanmar at risk of breaking apart, junta-backed leader says
Ethnic armed groups claim to have taken control of military outposts and blocked trade routes to China. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry has warned its citizens to avoid the north of Myanmar.
Myanmar is at risk of breaking apart if the junta fails at putting down armed groups, the country’s acting president Myint Swe said.
Fighting has raged for almost two weeks across the northeastern Shan state, near Myanmar’s border with China.
“If the government does not effectively manage the incidents happening in the border region, the country will be split into various parts,” Myint Swe said.
“It is necessary to carefully control this issue. As now is an important time for the State, the entire people need to support Tatmadaw (the military),” he stressed.
Spanish PM Sanchez reaches deal with Catalan separatist party to remain in power
Spain’s prime minister has clinched agreement with Catalan separatists, officials said on Thursday, in a deal that will enable him to remain in power but that has raised tensions and sparked protests in the country.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez‘s Socialists finished second in the July 23 parliamentary elections and he has until November 27 to cobble together a working coalition, or face fresh elections.
Sanchez needs the support of Catalan independence parties, and has accepted their demands to offer amnesty to all those being pursued for their role in a failed secession attempt in 2017.
He has proposed a highly controversial bill that would grant amnesty.
In response, conservative opposition parties and members of Spain‘s judiciary have stepped up criticism, with some accusing Sanchez of corruption and abandoning the rule of law.
Classroom avatar creating constructive conflict at small Japanese schools
By Kai Nishino
What would happen if a student avatar joined a classroom one day and tried to break the mold of everyday discussions or deliberately opposed the consensus reached and pushed by the classroom leader?
That is what is happening at some small schools in Japan where an avatar app is creating constructive conflict by playing the role of devil’s advocate in discussions to deliver improved learning outcomes by challenging the status quo.
The “Virtual Transfer Student” app created in a collaborative effort among academics “can change the atmosphere of classrooms, where it is difficult to express diverse opinions and stimulate discussion,” said Keita Kobayashi, an assistant professor of educational technology at the University of Fukui, the main developer of the software.
Luis Díaz’s father released by Colombian guerilla group
The father of Liverpool soccer star Luis Díaz, who was kidnapped by a Colombian guerrilla group last month, was released on Thursday and handed over to representatives of the Catholic Church in Valledupar, Colombia, according to Colombia’s Episcopal Conference.
“We thank God for the release of Mr. Luis Díaz!” the conference posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“With him already are Mons. Francisco Ceballos, bishop of Riohacha, and Mons. Héctor Henao, delegate for Church-State relations, who formed the humanitarian commission in charge of facilitating his release.”
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