Blame for Hamas and little sympathy for Gazans
Some Israelis are trying to show concern for the suffering people in Gaza, according to interviews with residents in right-wing and liberal strongholds of southern Israel and across the country.
While Israelis are aware of the devastation inflicted on the enclave, many in the country ask why they should show mercy when they say Palestinians there showed no mercy on October 7.
They accuse Hamas of waging war and penetrating into residential areas of Gaza, endangering civilians. The pain from the attack on October 7 – the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust – remains unbearable and is increasingly overshadowed by anger.
Mainstream Israeli media also pays little attention to the suffering of civilians in Gaza and often broadcasts funerals and profiles of fallen soldiers.
diplomatic: Israeli Defense Minister Yov Galante visited Washington yesterday to meet with senior US officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed new dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s allocation of ammunition for the Gaza war.
Bank of the West: An influential Israeli official said in a recorded speech at a private event that the government was acting covertly to consolidate control of the occupied areas. Israeli troops tied a wounded Palestinian to a military vehicle on Saturday in an incident that was caught on video and went viral, sparking outrage and a pledge by the Israeli military to investigate.
Gunman kills at least six in Russian republic
Gunmen have killed at least six police officers and a priest in two cities in Russia’s southern republic of Dagestan, local officials said. According to the state news agency, more than a dozen police officers were injured. Officials said the attacks on a synagogue, at least two churches and a police post appeared to be coordinated.
The Russian state news agency quoted local law enforcement officials as saying that more than a dozen police officers were injured. The shootings took place in the capital, Makhachkala, and the Azerbaijani border city of Derbent. The Russia Investigative Committee, the equivalent of the FBI, said it had opened a terrorism investigation.
area: Dagestan is a predominantly Muslim republic but is also home to a Jewish population and has experienced severe violence for at least three decades. Ethnic and religious tensions there have worsened since the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas.
EU and China agree to try to avoid trade war
China and the European Union said they would sit down and try to resolve an escalating dispute over proposed tariffs. Billions of dollars in trade are at stake.
The apparent de-escalation came after the European Union proposed imposing tariffs of up to 38% on electric vehicles from China, and after China threatened to impose tariffs on pork imports from Europe.
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Cross-dressing is becoming mainstream in the Philippines, which is both one of the largest Christian countries and one of the most gay-friendly in Asia. But legal protections for gays and lesbians in the Philippines remain sparse, and same-sex unions are not permitted, so for many artists, drag goes deeper than sequins and spectacle.
“Drag is more than just entertainment,” one performer said. “The very fact that a man wears women’s clothing in public is a form of rebellion.”
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A successful Thai tearjerker
The movie “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” unexpectedly became popular throughout Southeast Asia. People posted the tearful video on social media after watching it.
The film explores the tensions that arise in a family leading up to the death of a head of household, as well as the ongoing gender bias. An aimless young man who cares for his dying grandmother, initially hoping to inherit her house, gradually learns more about the complex web of characters that make up his Thai-Chinese family.
A 27-year-old financial advisor in Singapore uploaded a video on TikTok of himself choking after watching the video, with the caption “Run over and hug my grandma now!!”
