06/11/2023
03/11/2023
The Beatles - Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song (Short Film)
This is very moving...
...or maybe, I'm just very emotional these days.
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Now and Then's eventful journey to fruition took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologised John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project but it remained unfinished, partly because of the impossible technological challenges involved in working with the vocal John had recorded on tape in the 1970s. For years it looked like the song could never be completed. But in 2022 there was a stroke of serendipity. A software system developed by Peter Jackson and his team, used throughout the production of the documentary series Get Back, finally opened the way for the uncoupling of John’s vocal from his piano part. As a result, the original recording could be brought to life and worked on anew with contributions from all four Beatles. This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology. It marks the completion of the last recording that John, Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together and celebrates the legacy of the foremost and most influential band in popular music history. Video Director: Oliver Murray Producers: Jonathan Clyde and Sophie Hilton Original score: Paul Englishby Sound Designer: Alastair Sirkett Audio Restoration: Park Road Post Production Pre-order Now And Then: https://TheBeatles.lnk.to/NowAndThenYT
02/11/2023
Kidal, 2 Nov. 2013: 10 years
I was a freelance journalist for RFI, reporting for a few days in Algeria, when our colleagues were killed in Mali in 2013.
Now the date, 2 November, is International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
Here is my piece for RFI English:
Ten years ago, RFI reporters Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon were murdered in Mali
RFI reporters Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon were shot dead in northern Mali on 2 November 2013 after concluding an interview with a Tuareg leader. Ten years later, questions remain about what happened that day.
Issued on:
"On 2 November 2013, journalist Ghislaine Dupont and reporting technician Claude Verlon, reporting in the Kidal region of northern Mali, were kidnapped then cravenly murdered," France Médias Monde (FMM), which owns Radio France Internationale (RFI), recalls in a press release.
The investigation into what happened remains "particularly complex", the statement adds.
The families fear that justice will never be served, as only one member of the commando that kidnapped and murdered the the reporters is reported to be still alive.
Slow investigation
Four members of the commando unit have been identified, and RFI has filed a civil case and is involved in the legal proceedings.
Verlon's sister, Marie-Pierre Ritleng described the investigation as "moving forward, but slowly", and she told RFI that he fears that answers about the murders might remain hidden for a while longer.
Dupont's mother, Marie-Solange Poinsot, told RFI that she stills cries for her daughter "every day".
"I miss her a lot, she was the joy of my life," she said, expressing concern that she will not see justice prevail before her own death.
Poinsot, 93, still thinks that the French army is hiding important facts, probably to protect the military.
As many as ten French soldiers were present in Kidal on the day of murders, according to French official sources, but they were poorly equipped and barely able to ensure their own safety.
Previous reports appear to show a gap of at least 20 minutes between the raising of the alert by the special forces unit about the murders, and the reaction of regular troops, described by the army as "the only soldiers equipped to intervene".
Verlon's daughter, Apolline, wrote to both French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron asking for the truth to be brought to light so that the bereaved families can finally begin the process of mourning.
This year, she told RFI that she only wanted to know the truth to live in peace, and "to cease to imagine all the worst possible scenarios of what could have happened on that day in November 2013".
Training African journalists
At RFI's request, in December 2013 the United Nations proclaimed 2 November International day to end impunity for crimes against journalists.
RFI has also decided to honour Dupont and Verlon by training young journalists from the African continent.
A special ceremony was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to honour this years' trainee graduates.
"The Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon Scholarship was created to continue and pay tribute to the passion and expertise of the two reporters," FMM wrote in its statement, and "to transmit their knowledge and values to journalists and technicians, the very people who worked alongside them in the editorial staff of RFI or in the field".
01/11/2023
Latest from Gaza
1 November 2023
First wounded and foreigners escape war-torn Gaza through Rafah border crossing into Egypt
Ambulances transported wounded residents out of Gaza for urgent medical care in Egypt Wednesday, with hundreds of desperate foreign passport holders also starting to flee the territory wracked by three weeks of war with Israel.
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| AFP |
The evacuation of the first people to escape war-torn Gaza provided a rare glimmer of hope in an otherwise desolate humanitarian crisis.
A first group of civilian evacuees from Gaza crossed into Egypt under a Qatari-mediated deal on Wednesday while Israeli forces bombed the Palestinian enclave from land, sea and air as they a pressed their offensive against Hamas militants.
The evacuees, who had been trapped in Gaza since the start of the war more than three weeks ago, were driven in ambulances through the Rafah border crossing.
Reports from the Reuters news agency say they were undergoing security checks on the Egyptian side.
Reporters from the French news agency AFP also report seeing a column of 40 white ambulances streaming through the Rafah border crossing, as crowds of foreign and dual national families gathered nearby, hoping to leave the catastrophic conditions of Gaza behind them.
At least two children were seen in the ambulances, one with a large bandage wrapped around his stomach, as medics examined the wounded and transferred them to stretchers.
"We've faced many problems in Gaza, the least of which were the shortage of water and the power outage. There were bigger problems such as the bombardment. We were afraid. Many families were martyred," Jordanian citizen Saleh Hussein told AFP, adding she received word in the middle of the night that she was on the list for evacuation.
Suffering and humiliation
The Hamas-run health ministry estimates that 8,796 people have so far been killed in Israeli bombing.
Israel said 11 soldiers died in ground fighting in Gaza on Tuesday, taking to 326 the number of troops killed since 7 October.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "continue until victory" over Hamas, after the brutal 7 October attack sparked the latest conflict, the deadliest in decades of unrest between the two sides.
From Rafah, AFPTV images showed Wednesday whole families, struggling to carry their worldly possessions, rushing through the heavily fortified crossing towards Egypt.
The crossing was expected to admit at least 400 foreign passport holders from today and 90 of the most seriously wounded and sick.
A first group of mostly women and children arrived in Egypt, an official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as TV images showed parents with pushchairs and elderly people clambering off a bus.
"It's enough. We've endured enough humiliation," said Gaza resident Rafik al-Hilou, accompanying relatives including children aged one and four hoping to cross into Egypt.
"We lack the most basic human needs. No internet, no phones, no means of communication, not even water. For the past four days, we haven't been able to feed this child a piece of bread. What are you waiting for?"
Israeli officials said 70 aid trucks entered Gaza from Egypt Tuesday, one of the biggest ever daily flows, but far less than humanitarian groups say is needed.
Fearing supplies entering Gaza could be diverted to Hamas, or that aid shipments could conceal arms, Israeli security personnel carry out stringent inspections that have slowed the flow of aid to a trickle.
'No hope in Gaza'
The flaring humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been described by the United Nations and other aid agencies as "unprecedented".
A strike on Gaza's largest refugee camp, Jabalia, killed at least 47 people Tuesday, including a Hamas commander involved in the October attacks, according to Israel.
Hamas said seven hostages, including three foreign passport holders, had died in the bombing, a claim impossible to verify.
Israel also said its warplanes had hit a "vast" tunnel complex at the site, killing "many Hamas terrorists", including local battalion commander Ibrahim Biari.
Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza remained desperate, with food, fuel and medicine for the 2.4 million residents all running short, according to aid groups.
"There is no hope in the Gaza Strip," resident Amen al-Aqluk told AFP. "It is not safe anymore here. When the border opens, everybody will leave and emigrate. We encounter death everyday, 24 hours a day."
(with AFP and Reuters)
31/10/2023
Gaza - 31 October 2023: Catastrophic humanitarian situation, while the conflict spill over to Lebanon, Syria and beyond
Latest from RFI:
Current aid system for Gaza 'geared to fail,' UN warns, with risk of 'spillover' to Syria
The UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) warned Monday that the limited number of aid trucks entering Gaza were insufficient to meet the "unprecedented humanitarian needs" in the territory. Other agencies warned of the risk of a 'spillover' across the region.
"The handful of convoys being allowed through Rafah is nothing compared to the needs of over two million people trapped in Gaza," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council, referring to the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Israel has unleashed a massive bombing campaign on Hamas-run Gaza after gunmen stormed across the border on 7 October, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 230 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
The strikes have flattened thousands of buildings and, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, killed over 8,000 people, also mostly civilians.
According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies entered Gaza through Rafah on Sunday.
Prior to the war, some 500 trucks carrying aid and other goods entered Gaza every day.
"The system in place to allow aid into Gaza is geared to fail unless there is political will to make the flow of supplies meaningful, matching the unprecedented humanitarian needs," Lazzarini said, calling for the Security Council to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
Lazzarini said that 64 of his UNRWA colleagues had been killed in just over three weeks, "the highest number of UN aid workers killed in a conflict in such a short time."
He added that a UN worker named Samir, as well Samir's wife and eight children, had been killed just hours before the meeting.
"My UNRWA colleagues are the only glimmer of hope for the entire Gaza Strip... but they are running out of fuel, water, food and medicine and will soon be unable to operate," said the Swiss-Italian official.
"An entire population is being dehumanised," he warned.
'Children's lives'
UNICEF chief Catherine Russell told the council that her agency believes "the true cost of this latest escalation will be measured in children's lives, those lost to the violence and those forever changed by it."
The UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution last week calling for an immediate humanitarian truce, but the Security Council has thus far been unable to reach agreement on any text related to the war.
With permanent members Russia, China and the United States applying their vetoes to previous resolutions, the Security Council's 10 elected members have begun working on a new draft they hope will garner consensus.
"We have the means to get something done and yet we repeatedly and shamefully fail," said Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, whose country currently holds the Security Council's rotating chair.
"The eyes of the world are staring at us and will not move away from our distressing inability to act."
'Spillover to Syria'
The UN special envoy for Syria on Monday also warned that Syria was at its "most dangerous" point in a long time as violence surges and as "spillover" from the Israel-Hamas war starts to have an impact.
Syria has "seen growing instability and violence, exacerbated by the lack of a meaningful political process," Geir Pedersen told the Security Council.
"Today, I am sounding an alarm that the situation is now at its most dangerous for a long time."
"On top of the violence emanating from the Syrian conflict itself, the Syrian people now face a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation," Pederson added.
"Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun."
American and allied forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked with drones and rockets repeatedly this month.
Washington has blamed the spike in attacks on Iran-backed forces, and American warplanes have carried out strikes against sites in Syria that the Pentagon said were linked to Tehran.
Syria's "humanitarian emergency has only deepened," added Edem Wosornu, of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"This month, several areas across northern Syria experienced a serious escalation in hostilities.
"It is even more concerning as we approach the winter season, with an estimated 5.7 million people across the country in need of humanitarian support for critical shelter and household items."
Since last week, Lebanon has also been on the verge of being dragged into the conflict.
(with AFP)
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30/10/2023
About Kenya and Great Britain
As the King of England, Charles III is heading to Kenya, I'm writing a piece on what people expect in the country.
UPDATE - Here is the piece:
Kenyans demand reparations from Britain ahead of King Charles's visit
Here are also a few historical facts:
Entangled
ties and colonial crimes
Kenya
was colonised by Great Britain between 1901 and 1960.
British settlers came to Kenya for
its resources and agreeable climate, forcing indigenous farmers and herders
onto infertile land.
They also made many of them work on
European-owned farms and plantations.
Historians estimates that the
colonial rule created unprecedented ethnic conflict between various groups in a
"divide and conquer" campaign, with unfair labour practices,
structural racism, and forced resettlement.
Discontent grew progressively, and during the 1950s a sustained rebellion against colonial rule broke, especially the one from the “Mau Mau”, led by Kikuyus, who wished to chase the Europeans out of Africa.
The British launched a war against the Kikuyus, the largest group in the rebellion and in the country, opening detention camps for people suspected of being associated with the Mau Mau, including the elderly and children, and using extreme torture to find information.
Months after the rebellion kicked
off in 1952, then British prime minister Winston Churchill declared a state of emergency,
paving the way for a brutal repression.
Tens of thousands of people were
rounded up and detained without trial in camps where reports of executions,
torture and vicious beatings were common.
Over one million Kenyans were
forcibly removed from their homes between 1953 and 1960, and put into
camps.
The country has always has a special
significance for the British royal family: it is the country where the historic
reign of Queen Elizabeth II began, when she was visiting
the country and her father King George VI died in 1952.
Charles himself made three previous
official visits to Kenya, in 1971, 1978 and 1987, also visiting the country
privately.
In 2010, Charles' elder son Prince
William also proposed to his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton
while staying in Kenya.
29/10/2023
Latest developments in the Hamas-Israel war (AFP)
Jerusalem, Oct 29, 2023 (AFP) - Fighting in Gaza raged for a 23rd day Sunday after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Since the October 7 attack, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says more than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's relentless retaliatory bombardments, half of them children.
Here are five key developments from the past 24 hours:
- UN warns of 'civil order' collapse -
The UN warned Sunday that "civil order" was starting to collapse after thousands of people ransacked several of its warehouses and distribution centres in central and southern Gaza, taking wheat, flour and other basic items.
"This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege," said Thomas White, the Gaza head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Since the war began, only 84 aid trucks have entered Gaza, compared with a pre-war average of 500 trucks a day, UN figures show.
"The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meagre and inconsistent," White said.
- More troops enter Gaza -
The Israeli army said it had increased its troops inside Gaza overnight after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the war would be "long and difficult".
The army said it had struck "over 450 terror targets during the past day", hitting Hamas "command centres, observation posts, and anti-tank missile launch posts".
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had to be forced to the negotiating table over the hostages but said "the more firepower and the more we strike Hamas, the greater our chances are to bring it to a place where it will agree to a solution".
- Prisoner swap -
Hamas' Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar said Saturday the Palestinian militant group was ready for an "immediate" prisoner swap with Israel.
"We are ready to conduct an immediate prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails," he said in a statement.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group, there are some 5,200 Palestinians currently held in Israel jails, of which 559 are serving life sentences.
- Gaza connectivity 'being restored' -
Early on Sunday, there were signs of increased internet connectivity across Gaza some 36 hours after networks and phone access were cut as Israel intensified its bombardment, global network monitor Netblocks said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Real-time network data show that internet connectivity is being restored in the #Gaza Strip," it said.
Shortly after 4:00 am (0200 GMT), an AFP employee in Gaza City said he was able to use the internet and had managed to contact people in southern Gaza by phone.
- Regional consequences -
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Sunday that Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza "may force everyone" to act in the latest warning that the conflict could spread across the region.
"The crimes of the Zionist regime have crossed the red lines, and this may force everyone to take action," he wrote on X.
Gabor Maté about the recent events in Israel and Palestine
There are few men on Earth I respect more than this one:
Dr. Gabor Maté on Israel/Palestine- October 28, 2023
- October 28, 2023
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