Nobel Prize winner leads Cambridge protest over academics being forced out ‘in prime of our lives’

Noah Eastwood
Fri, 24 November 2023 

Didier Queloz, 57, faces having to retire in 10 years - Isabel Infantes/AFP via Getty Images

A Nobel Prize winner is leading a Cambridge revolt over a rule that forces academics to retire at 67 despite being in the “prime” of their lives.

Prof Didier Queloz was among 120 academics who wrote to Cambridge’s vice-chancellor on Nov 7 demanding a mandatory retirement rule be scrapped before the end of the 2024 Easter term.

The 57-year-old, who won the Nobel Prize in 2019 for the first discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star, faces forced retirement in 10 years under the university’s Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA) rule, which is set at 67.

The professors urged Prof Debbie Prentice to abolish the rule, saying it “discriminates” against senior academics who are at “the top of their game”.

The letter said the rule “punishes successful senior academics” and makes “no business sense” as it deprives Cambridge of world-leading professors who attract millions of pounds in grant funding.

As morally offensive as racism

“EJRA creates a brain drain of academic talent from Cambridge as senior academics are forced to leave Cambridge for posts elsewhere if they want to stay active in research,” the academics said.

“EJRA directly causes stress and poor mental health among its top academics as they face being made unemployed at age 67 and are rendered ineffective from age 63 when they are not allowed to apply for grants.”

It went on to say: “We who feel proud of Cambridge’s academic excellence also feel ashamed that it blatantly discriminates in terms of ageism as this is as morally offensive as racism, sexism, ableism, etc. As such it is a reputational risk for Cambridge.”

They demanded an end to the policy and the university’s scrutiny board has requested it be reviewed in 2024.

The university will now decide whether to have a vote on scrapping it altogether on Monday, the Telegraph understands.

Oxford and Cambridge are the only universities in Britain to operate an EJRA and have done so since 2011, when Britain’s default retirement age of 65 was abolished.

Oxford’s EJRA is set at 69 and was increased from 68 in October, following a policy review in October 2022.

Policy could be unlawful

Four Oxford professors, sacked aged 68, had launched a discrimination claim under the Equality Act a month previously, with judges ruling in their favour in March 2023.

It is understood that Cambridge terminates between 30 and 35 members of staff who have reached the age of 67 every September, preventing many of them from applying for research grants or taking on new doctoral students in the preceding years.

The late Lord Igor Judge, former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, warned earlier in 2023 that the policy was potentially unlawful and could result in “massive” reputational damage for the university.

Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge, was let go after he turned 67 in the most recent round of aged-based redundancies on Sept 30, despite still being in “full flow”.

“There are those of us whose work is our mission, our function in life, our purpose. To cut somebody off in their prime at 67 in simple cruelty,” he told the Telegraph, adding that the age “isn’t old nowadays”.

“I am determined to keep on working,” he said. “I must have produced a dozen research papers last year. I go to the gym occasionally, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink too much and I cycle a bit. I am still in full flow.”

He said that he had been moved onto a two-year contract and now only worked at Cambridge for one day a week. He retained a post at the University of Edinburgh and worked as a business consultant the rest of the time.

Cambridge’s rules allow for academics to take “flexible retirement” at 67 and carry on working at reduced hours. Under exceptional circumstances, it may delay retirement under EJRA for some staff for a limited time.

Prof Anderson said Cambridge had “hired a number of top mid-career people in their 50s who now find to their horror that a few years after joining the university they can no longer get research grants”.

He added: Cambridge is a significantly less attractive place to work than UCL or Manchester.”

Employment tribunal claims

When Cambridge introduced its EJRA policy in 2011 it said it would help the career progression of younger staff, promote innovation among the workforce and balance the distribution of posts between generations of academics, as well as help meet ethnic and gender diversity targets.

The policies have formed the basis of several employment tribunal claims.

In 2020, Prof Paul Ewart, former head of atomic and laser physics, won a £30,000 payout and was reinstated after he was dismissed by Oxford because of his age and his discrimination claim was upheld.

Lord Judge, the university’s former Commissary, who died in November, did not have the power to grant an application to review the rules brought by Prof Anderson in the summer, but said that the policy could result in wrongful dismissals.

“Beyond injustice to individuals, the reputational damage [of a court ruling against the EJRA] would indeed be massive,” he said.

A Cambridge spokesman said: “The university has established a review group to consider whether its employer-justified retirement age should remain, be abolished or be updated, and the University Council will shortly receive an update on its work.

“It is aware of the considerable interest that all staff, not just those who are approaching retirement, have on this matter and has been consulting widely.

“The review group is aiming to complete this work in time for the 2024 cohort of retirees to know where they stand and the council will be considering the feasibility of this timetable later this term.”

British astronaut’s prosthetic leg could poison ISS crew

Sarah Knapton
Fri, 24 November 2023

John McFall is assisting with tests to find out whether it is possible to send disabled astronauts into space - ESA/NOVESPACE

When former Paralympian John McFall was selected to be the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first disabled astronaut last November, he knew there would be testing times ahead.

But nobody could have guessed one stumbling block would be that his prosthetic leg might poison the air on board the International Space Station (ISS).

The leg is made from a mixture of carbon fibres, resin and high-density foam and so may give off toxic gas that could build up over time and prove dangerous to astronauts on board.

Experts at the ESA are testing the leg to make sure it complies with Nasa standards. In 2015, the crew of the ISS were forced to evacuate the US part of the satellite following a rise in ammonia levels.

“It’s stuff you don’t necessarily think of,” Mr McFall told The Telegraph. “The socket is carbon fibre and it’s got like a high-density foam on the inside. The carbon fibre socket is impregnated with a resin. The foam is made with polymers.

“Those materials will continue to give off gases to one degree or another and in an environment like the ISS where the air is constantly recycled, any significant amount of gases that are produced from a material will be amplified over a period of time because they’re not filtered out.”

It is one of a number of revelations that Mr McFall has helped ESA uncover as part of the feasibility project to find out whether it is possible to send disabled astronauts into space.

There are nearly 100 requirements that astronauts must pass to be able to fly, including moving safely around the ISS and SpaceX Crew Dragon module, being able to carry out emergency procedures and experiments, fitting into space suits and maintaining good health in orbit.

Ensuring that Mr McFall's prosthetic leg is safe and continues to fit correctly in microgravity is proving challenging - Tony Jolliffe/BBC

Although the team originally thought that wearing a prosthesis in space may not be necessary, tests have shown it is likely to prove crucial for maintaining good fitness, balance, and for being able to evacuate quickly in an emergency.

But making sure it is safe and continues to fit correctly in microgravity is proving challenging. Astronauts’ bodies change in space because of microgravity, meaning Mr McFall’s legs could shrink or expand, and his prosthetic no longer fit.

To determine what might happen in space, he is undergoing experiments in Cologne on tilt tables in which he is tipped at an angle with his head lower than his feet, to mimic the effect of fluid rising up the body in microgravity.

“Most of the evidence so far suggests that fluid shifts up to your centre up to your trunk, and actually you lose some volume from a fluid point of view and your lower limbs,” he said.

“But we just need to prove that because a reduction in stump volume is easier to manage by padding it out a little bit with some extra material, but with an increase in stump volume you would need to make a socket that actually gets bigger.

“The commonest question I get asked is ‘do you need legs in space?’ and for floating around, maybe not necessarily, but it is useful in stabilising yourself so that you free up your hands for experiments.

“But we’ve found out I would need to wear a prosthesis on orbit to undertake the exercise countermeasures to maintain bone density and muscle mass.”

Mr McFall, 43, who was born in Surrey and grew up in Somerset, had his right leg amputated when he was 19 after a motorbike accident. But after learning to run again, he became a professional athlete, winning bronze in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in the 100 metres T42 event.

Mr McFall (left) represented Great Britain at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, winning a bronze metal for the 100 metres T42 event - Andrew Wong/Getty Images

He also retrained as a doctor, working in the NHS for several years, and has recently completed his final exams specialising as an orthopaedic surgeon.

The astronaut feasibility study is due to end in 2025, when the ESA will present a case to European ministers, who will decide whether to fund a mission.

“It will be at that point when they make a decision about whether they want to support a flight for me or someone with an equivalent disability. Hopefully me,” he said.

“There are no red flags or no showstoppers at any level so far. I think a long duration mission to the space station is a fantastic opportunity for us to learn about someone with a physical disability living and working in space.

“Astronauts don’t get a lot of choice in when or where they fly but I would absolutely love to go to the Moon.”

The married father of three has recently moved his family to Germany to support his training. In fact, the only stumbling block to his spaceflight may come from something more mundane. He is missing being a doctor.

“I think the change of direction has been psychologically hard, rather than the astronaut training itself,” he said.

“I do miss the day-to-day hands-on of operating. I’m a very practical guy and this phase of the feasibility study is slightly less hands-on.”

Rape at sea: How a broken system is failing passengers and darkening the cruise industry

Sophia Ankel
Fri, November 24, 2023 

Cruise ship companies are failing sexual assault victims, lawsuits seen by Business Insider show.


Experts told BI this is not a new issue, and that victims don't get much support.


A lack of law enforcement and scarcity of trained staff are part of the problem, they said.

In the early hours of February 9, 2023, the party at the Horizon Bar on the rear deck of the MSC Meraviglia was dying down.

Two women, however, approached the bartender and asked for one more drink, according to a lawsuit seen by Business Insider.

At first, the bartender, identified in the documents only as Ryan, told them that the bar was already closed — he was no longer serving alcohol.

But after some debate, Ryan changed his mind and motioned for one of the women to come to another bar in a "staff-only area" of the ship so that he could give her the promised drink.

What the lawsuit describes next was fast and violent — and in keeping with a growing number of passengers who say they were sexually assaulted at sea.

The bar was empty and as the woman stepped inside Ryan "overpowered" her and started "aggressively kissing her," the lawsuit said.

In a panic, the unnamed woman tried to fight back, but Ryan "forcefully pushed her to the ground" and "aggressively forced his penis into her mouth," it added. He then ejaculated "in her mouth, in her hair, on her face, on her legs and onto her clothing."

MSC Cruises denied all the allegations in court, and the case was dismissed without prejudice in September.

A spokesperson for the company said in a statement to Business Insider: "The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of assault against a passenger or crew member.

"Though we are unable to comment on an individual case, we have an uncompromising code of conduct for crew members and do not tolerate inappropriate behavior. We offer support to victims, comply with all regional requirements to report incidents to the appropriate authorities, and assist fully with their investigations."

The woman's lawyers did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Guests on MSC Meraviglia gather by the pool as the sun sets and the ship prepares to take sail from Port Canaveral on Oct. 13, 2022.

 Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Sexual assault is rife on cruise ships

The case is one of 11 lawsuits reviewed by BI, which were filed between 2014 and 2023, and reveal the extent of sexual assault allegations on cruise ships.

While the lawsuits differ, they contain the same accusation: that cruise operators appear to be more interested in covering their tracks than protecting or helping victims.

Some also claimed the way their reports were handled indicated that security officials on cruise ships are often not trained sufficiently to deal with them.

Sexual assault has been the most reported crime aboard major cruise lines since at least 2015, according to data provided by the US Department of Transportation.

Between 2015 and 2022, there have been more than 450 reported allegations of sex crimes on cruise ships including on Carnival, MSC, and Disney Cruise Line, the data shows. Experts told BI that the number is likely much higher because victims are usually too scared or embarrassed to come forward.

Carnival, MSC, and Disney Cruise Line did not respond to requests for comment about the figures.

Cases are also difficult to track because there is no independent law enforcement that can investigate such crimes at sea.

While some of the victims are crew members, most of them are passengers, according to the data. A third of them are minors, a congressional report found in 2013.

In one incident from 2019, a woman on Carnival Valor alleges she was raped by one cruise ship employee in a cabin, while another crew member "watched and guarded" the door. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2021.

Another 2014 lawsuit claimed that a woman on MS Carnival Sensation was attacked by a group of male passengers who "forced their way into the stateroom, and physically and sexually attacked, assaulted and battered, and raped" her.

The woman and Carnival reached a confidential settlement agreement in 2021.
"They will do anything to keep victims quiet"

Ross Klein, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland who tracks cruise crimes on his website CruiseJunkie.com., told BI that companies want to cover up sexual assault allegations "as quickly as they can."

"They will do anything to keep victims quiet," he said. "They'll try to give freebies, they'll try to give a nicer cabin. They'll do what they can to make a person feel better."

The attempt to silence victims begins from the moment a report is made up until the courtroom — if victims even decide to take it that far, he added.

Cruise companies operating in and out of US ports are required to report crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), as per the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act that was passed in 2010.

But under the law, the only type of sex crime that needs to be reported by companies is rape, and cruise ship operators often have the liberty to define whether or not a report can be classified as such, Klein said.

"Of course, they are very likely, in filling out that form for the FBI, to be consulting with their legal managers to be sure what they put down corresponds with what people on shore want them to put down," Klein told BI.

"So whether or not a passenger believes they've been sexually assaulted is immaterial. The cruise line makes that determination for them," he added.

Crime scene tape marks off the area near the Princess Cruises Grand Princess as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland in California, on March 10, 2020.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In December 2018, a 21-year-old woman alleged she was raped by a crew member while traveling on the Carnival Miracle in the Caribbean Sea.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents seen by BI, was leaving a late-night comedy show when she was stopped by a crew member on top of a flight of stairs. She was then pulled into a nearby storage closet and raped, it said.

After telling a friend what happened, she went to report the crime. The 21-year-old was questioned by security and had to give a video statement in which she identified the alleged perpetrator.

She was taken to a medical facility where she was provided with a rape kit.

But while going for the examination she was "subjected to numerous episodes of humiliation," the lawsuit said, because she had to walk through "dozens of passengers who were waiting to disembark the ship."

"They were ogling her as she passed through them in just a T-shirt as she was not provided any fresh clothes to wear," the lawsuit claimed.

The woman's lawyer later also told BuzzFeed News that Carnival did not preserve the rape kit, which means it could not have been used as evidence during litigation.

The woman eventually followed up with Carnival staff to see if the employee had been fired or if any disciplinary action was taken, according to the lawsuit.

"They did not respond," it added.

The company also refused to provide her with access to any CCTV footage showing her with the assailant, any witness statements that were completed at Carnival's request, and her video statement, the lawsuit alleged.

Carnival told the Washington Post last year that the alleged assailant was fired from the cruise line but that he was never charged.

Carnival was the defendant in the lawsuit, and in July 2022, the Miami-based federal court returned more than $10.2 million in favor of the passenger.

In a statement to BI, a Carnival spokesperson said the company doesn't comment on individual cases, but added: "While we recognize that even one incident is too many, allegations of major crimes on cruise ships are extremely rare."

"In the unlikely event of a reported incident, our ships are equipped with security, medical staff, and facilities to handle and investigate alleged sexual assaults and provide immediate victim care services," they added.

Carnival Conquest docked in Key West, Florida.

Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Poorly trained staff are part of the problem, Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer who has represented more than 2,500 cruise ship clients over the last 25 years, told BI.

Many fail to collect critical evidence for victims of sexual assaults on cruise ships, making it harder to prove anything, he said.

While most of the perpetrators are other cruise passengers, a number of them are also crew members.

Walker told BI that many of these companies also don't vet their crew members. When he sues cruise ship companies and obtains the perpetrator's employment files, he often finds that there is virtually no pre-employment investigation before hiring crew members, Walker said.

"The truth is, cruise companies don't know much about the employees they hire," he told BI. "They often rely on third parties to do that for them."

Walker also said that he has been part of cases where a crew member of one cruise company was fired, only to be hired by another major company several months later.

"Most crew members are hard-working and honest individuals," he said. "But the cruise lines have not come up with an effective system to weed out the very few who are criminals."
"I don't know how they sleep at night, I really don't"

Jamie Barnett, from the organization International Cruise Victims (ICV), told BI that the behavior of cruise companies makes victims feel "lost and very isolated."

"The companies have virtually silenced every victim that comes forward, which is why we don't hear much about this problem," she added. "And it's not going away anytime soon."

"I don't know how they sleep at night, I really don't," she said.

Barnett credited Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal for being one of the only lawmakers in Congress who is pushing to bring about tougher restrictions, including establishing a hotline for people who report crimes while on a cruise and making it compulsory for cruise ships to notify the FBI within four hours of an alleged incident.

But passing these laws will take time, and victims are left mostly alone in the meantime, she added.

Cruise companies, she said, "will fight tooth and nail before they would roll over and not do what they needed to do, to keep the public from knowing."

Australia's clean energy plan muddles $10.6 billion takeover fight for Origin

Lewis Jackson
Thu, November 23, 2023 

A solar array, a linked collection of solar panels, can be seen in front of a residential apartment block in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood in Australia

New Brookfield Proposal For Origin Energy Could Delay Shareholder Vote - AFR

By Lewis Jackson

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The long-term value of hotly contested $10.6 billion takeover target Origin Energy has been muddied by a government plan to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy, announced just hours before a key shareholder vote.

The Australian government announced plans on Thursday to underwrite 32 gigawatts (GW) of new wind, solar and battery projects. Two energy experts told Reuters it could spur investment worth at least A$30 billion ($20 billion). The announcement contained no figures.

The plan to reshape the electricity market, where Origin is the second largest power producer, has scrambled the outlook for electricity prices, future investments, and existing plants.

It was released just before Origin announced a last-minute revised offer from Brookfield and EIG as it became clear investors would reject the consortium's earlier bid. Origin's board delayed the vote to Dec. 4 to consider the bid and the impact of the 32 GW scheme.

The uncertain outlook for Origin under the government's new policy has made some investors say it makes more sense than ever to sell to the suitors, but top shareholder AustralianSuper is adamant it wants to hold on.

More renewables will ultimately lower electricity prices, squeeze margins and shorten the life of Origin's existing coal and gas assets, said Max Vickerson, an equity analyst at Morgans.

"This move accelerates the destruction of value at the legacy assets owned by Origin and AGL," he said, referring to Origin's rival AGL Energy. "Cheaper wholesale prices are not a good thing on balance for Origin."

However, the potential for new investment via the government's scheme undercuts Brookfield's argument that Origin and Australia needed its deep pockets to decarbonise quickly, Vickerson said.

Brookfield has not commented publicly on the scheme, but a person close to the asset manager said the revenue guarantee for eligible projects would diminish the benefits of having a large customer base for a big power producer, like Origin.

Should others take up the government's underwriting offer, Origin could potentially save billions by letting others build new wind and solar farms and simply contracting power for its 4.2 million customers, said Tom Leske a director at Churchill Capital, which advises event-driven hedge funds.

"But ultimately there's so much variability about what the economic outcome is going to be," he said.

Pension giant AustralianSuper has argued Origin's stake in fast-growing British renewable energy company Octopus Energy, gas assets and millions of customers position the company well for the energy transition.

The government's new scheme only strengthens the fund's conviction about Origin, according to a person familiar with AustralianSuper's thinking.

However, Simon Mawhinney, chief investment officer at fund manager Allan Gray, which owns a roughly 3% stake in Origin, said the government's plan appears likely to push down returns.

More uncertainty only strengthens the case for taking the A$9.43 on offer today, he said.

"The price was fair given our perception of the risk and rewards before the announcement. This adds a lot of uncertainty."

"It's probably good for consumers and the environment and bad for everyone else," he said.

($1 = 1.5366 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Argentina's labor leaders warn of resistance to President-elect Milei's radical reforms

DANIEL POLITI
Updated Thu, November 23, 2023 


Presidential candidate of the Liberty Advances coalition Javier Milei greets supporters during a campaign rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.

 (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File) 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Right-wing populist Javier Milei has been president-elect just four days and already Argentina’s unions and social organizations are vowing pushback and even protests if he makes good on his promises to slash the size of the state and privatize companies.

Milei, who famously campaigned with a revving chainsaw to demonstrate what he would do to public spending, says radical measures are needed to get the South American country’s moribund economy back to life and reduce annual inflation of 140%.

The day after winning the election with a wider than expected margin, 56% to 44%, the libertarian said in a radio interview that "everything that can be in the hands of the private sector will be in the hands of the private sector.” He has said he wants to privatize state-owned media companies and state-run oil and gas firms, and has raised the possibility of privatizing water distribution and train service, as well as ending all public works.

Labor union leaders said Thursday they are paying close attention to what the libertarian president-elect says and what they are hearing is in opposition to their interests.

“We clearly have as a central idea for the country development, with production and the creation of jobs, and it seems that all (Milei's) affirmations about cuts in the economy, about privatizations and other things do not go down this path,” Héctor Dear, the secretary general of the powerful General Confederation of Labor umbrella organization, said following a meeting with labor leaders.

The most emphatic opposition so far to Milei’s privatization plans came from the head of the Airline Pilots Association, Pablo Biró, who said Wednesday that Milei “will have to literally kill us” to go through with his plan to change the ownership structure of state-owned airline Aerolineas Argentinas.

Most labor leaders, however, have emphasized a wait-and-see attitude, saying they’re on alert but recognize Argentines voted for Milei and will wait for him to implement policies.

“In the moment they move forward with reforms related to labor rights, both individual and collective, and when the labor organizations affected by these adjustments request it, the CGT will take a stance,” Dear said.

Some, however, made clear the resistance has already started.

“We cannot wait to see if this man succeeds,” Daniel Catalano, secretary general of the State Workers’ Association, said during the march by the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. “We expect absolutely nothing from Javier Milei.”

Catalano was one of the representatives of labor unions and social organizations who joined the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in their weekly march in downtown Buenos Aires Thursday.

The weekly event by the human rights group made up of mothers of children who disappeared during Argentina’s military dictatorship (1976-1983) took on a different tone Thursday as groups called on supporters to join the mothers to symbolically represent opposition to Milei’s government.

There’s also concern among human rights organizations about a potential setback in policies that allowed for the prosecution of perpetrators of crimes against humanity during the dictatorship.

Leaders of leftist social organizations also held a meeting Thursday to discuss their response to Milei’s policies and “a plan for struggle against austerity” that will involve street protests.

Milei has warned of inevitable pain ahead as a result of his policies, repeatedly saying that “there is no money,” noting “it’s likely we’ll have to endure six tough months, but they will be the foundation for Argentina’s takeoff.”

He has also recognized there’s likely to be protests as a response to his policies.

“The law will be applied, and I will not let myself be extorted,” he said.

Milei will “probably want to carry out the privatizations fairly quickly,” said Nicolás Saldías, senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean, who warned that “a lot of social protest” may very well be inevitable.

“A lot of labor unions are highly mobilized, this is a high stakes situation for them,” Sadias added, noting that “Milei is going to face a lot of resistance on the streets.”

Argentina has a long tradition of labor unions and powerful social organizations that block roads and carry out strikes to protest as a way to pressure the government to heed their demands, and respecting the right to protest has been a hallmark of most of the governments that have ruled the country over the past two decades.

In addition, due to a history of violent response to these protests that have included deaths, law enforcement is often hesitant to break them up.

—————

Associated Press writer Débora Rey contributed to this report.

Argentina's Milei says shutting central bank 'non-negotiable'
Reuters
Fri, November 24, 2023 

Argentina holds second round of presidential election



BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei said on Friday that the closure of the country's central bank, a signature campaign pledge, was a "non-negotiable matter", according to a statement from his office posted on social media platform X.

The comments, in response to what he called "false rumors", come as the outsider libertarian economist races to put together his team ahead of taking office on Dec. 10, with some signs that he is picking a more moderate Cabinet that expected.

Argentina's social security administration ANSES, a key institution given Milei's pledge to slash state spending and subsidies, will be lead by economist Osvaldo Giordano from the key central Cordoba region, the statement added.


That marks a shift from a previous plan that Milei would appoint a close ally to lead the administration.

Horacio Marin, a private energy sector executive, was also confirmed as the incoming chief of state oil company YPF.

Milei faces major hurdles to implement his more radical reform plans, which include dollarizing the economy, shutting the central bank and privatizing state companies like YPF, which will take time if they can be done at all.

His libertarian coalition has a limited number of seats in Congress and no provincial governors. Milei also has to juggle demands from the more mainstream conservative bloc, whose public backing was key to him winning the run-off election last week.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo and Adam Jourdan)

Argentina's economy chief frontrunner pitches Milei's 'shock' therapy to banks - sources

Fri, November 24, 2023

Central Bank President Caputo speaks during a news conference at the G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers in Buenos Aires

By Jorgelina do Rosario and Jorge Otaola

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine former central banker Luis Caputo, frontrunner to be the new economy minister, met local and international bank officials on Friday to lay out the economic plans of President-elect Javier Milei, three sources and a banking group said.

The meeting at the La Rural conference center in Buenos Aires comes as Milei, who has pledged "shock therapy" for the embattled economy, races to put together his economic team. Caputo has been tipped as a front-runner for the role.

In the meeting, however, Caputo declined to confirm that he would be the new economy minister, two of the sources said. Milei has not yet confirmed any appointment.

However, signs that libertarian outsider Milei is leaning towards a more orthodox economic team and policies have spurred markets this week, with bonds up almost 14% and equities over 40% since he won a run-off election last Sunday.

Caputo emphasized the idea of an abrupt economic adjustment, needed to tamp down inflation nearing 150%, head off a looming recession, undo an array of capital controls and rebuild net reserves seen at negative $10 billion.

"Our approach is fiscal and monetary shock from day one. The roadmap is orthodox and without crazy things," Caputo told the assembled bank representatives, according to a senior banking source who attended the meeting.

Caputo, former finance minister and central bank chief during ex-president Mauricio Macri's conservative government, is seen as a more orthodox pick for libertarian Milei's new administration, which takes office on Dec. 10.

The local ADEBA banking association confirmed the meeting.

"It was a meeting in which we exchanged opinions on the challenges of the economy and the way to address them," Javier Bolzico, president of ADEBA, told Reuters.

"The meeting was very positive, Caputo emphasized fiscal balance as the basis of the model and a comprehensive and market approach to the BCRA's remunerated liabilities. Caputo's vision gave us peace of mind and confidence."

Milei's team did not respond to a request for comment.

Macri's conservative PRO party backed Milei for the run-off vote and his allies are pushing to get positions in the Cabinet.

Caputo did not provide details on how Milei's government plans to address public spending nor what it aims to do with the central bank's huge pile of Leliq short-term notes, which Milei has targeted because they expand money supply of local pesos.

Caputo said Milei's government would lift currency controls rapidly, the first source and a second banking source briefed on the meeting said, but it would not happen immediately. He added no dollarization was planned in the short-term, as fiscal and monetary stabilization were need, the first source said.

"First you need a stabilization program," Caputo said, according to the first source present in the meeting.

Milei had made shutting the central bank and dollarizing the economy key planks of his campaign, but admitted these things will take time given the economic crisis. Earlier on Friday, though, he said shutting the central bank was "non-negotiable".

Caputo also told the bank representatives that addressing inflation forcefully was a top priority, though did not provide details on how the future government would tame prices.

The second bank source said Caputo had discussed the need to fully attack inflation and lower the Leliq pile, though did not have details on how this would be done.

"Given his knowledge of the market, he is one of those responsible for gauging the position of the banks before the new government," a third bank source who confirmed the meeting said.

(Reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario and Jorge Otaola; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Alistair Bell)


Trump tells Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei he plans to visit Buenos Aires

DANIEL POLITI
Thu, November 23, 2023 




FILE - Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally, Nov. 18, 2023, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Trump has long praised a particular type of foreign leader, men he describes as tough and strong, even if they're accused of chipping away at democracy. He's now celebrating Argentina's newly elected president, Javier Milei. 

(AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave, File)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has told Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei that he plans to travel to the South American country so the two can meet, Milei's office said Thursday.

The office did not give a date for when Trump intends to be in Buenos Aires. The inauguration of Milei, a right-wing populist who has expressed admiration for Trump, is scheduled for Dec. 10.

“The president-elect received a call last night from the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, who congratulated him and pointed out his triumph by a wide margin in last Sunday’s election had a great impact on a global scale,” a news release from Milei's office said.

A local journalist who was first to report the news, Luis Majul, wrote on X early Thursday that the lawmaker son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro, was the one who “facilitated” the contact between Milei and the GOP front-runner. “That’s right,” Milei posted in response.

Trump celebrated Milei’s victory with a social media post of his own on Tuesday.

“I am very proud of you. You will turn your country around and truly make Argentina great again,” Trump said in a video published on social media Tuesday.

Milei has often been compared to Trump, whom he praised in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this year. During the interview, Milei called on Trump to “continue with his fight against socialism, because he’s one of the few who fully understood that the battle is against socialism, that the battle is against the statists.”

His conversation with Trump on Wednesday took place a few hours after Milei spoke with President Joe Biden.

The White House said Biden congratulated Milei and spoke of “the strong relationship between the United States and Argentina on economic issues, on regional and multilateral cooperation, and on shared priorities, including advocating for the protection of human rights, addressing food insecurity and investing in clean energy.”

Destroying the Space Station Will Cost NASA $1 Billion

Victor Tangermann
Fri, November 24, 2023 


Totaled Recall

The International Space Station has been continuously hosting astronauts for 23 long years now — and its age is really starting to show, including in the form of cracks and leaks.

Now, NASA is discussing how best to dispose of the station in the early 2030s. And the price tag of the plan is staggering.

As Scientific American reports, the space agency estimates that it'll likely cost almost $1 billion to safely decommission the ISS, inducing it to harmlessly burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. That price is likely inflated due to the agency's refusal to use Russian vehicles, per the report, a complicating factor given the station's reliance on these craft.

The plan will also mark the end of decades of peaceful scientific cooperation in our planet's orbit, a symbol of international unity, especially when it comes to US-Russia relations.

"In terms of civilian cooperation, I think many would describe it as the biggest project ever embarked upon in human history," Mai’a Cross, a political scientist at Northeastern University, told SciAm.

ISS Inferno

Broadly speaking, there are two options to get the ISS out of orbit. Engineers could either simply have the station plummet uncontrollably towards the Earth's atmosphere — or they could orchestrate a more careful descent, using a special spacecraft to point it in the right direction.

In the case of the former, there's a risk of giant pieces of space station striking populated areas back on the ground.

"An uncontrolled reentry could significantly impact people on the ground, including fatalities, injuries and significant property damage," George Nield, president of the company Commercial Space Technologies, told SciAm.

Either way, scientists now have the task of minimizing the amount of debris that could fall on people down below, which is far easier said than done since the station orbits the entire planet every 90 minutes.

Ideally, it should stay pointed in the right direction as it's burning up in the atmosphere, which is made even harder by the uneven and unpredictable thickness of the Earth's protective layer.

As a result, NASA will have to develop and construct a custom-built vehicle that's powerful enough to deorbit and also accompany the station as it makes its descent.

Even with the help of Russia's Progress vehicles, it still would be a "challenge," Nield told SciAm, but given worsening US-Russia relations, even that option isn't on the table.

But if there's one certainty, it's that the ISS will go out with a bang, a bright inferno in the sky marking the bittersweet end to decades of international cooperation and scientific breakthroughs.


The International Space Station is celebrating its 25th year in orbit this week, but its time is running out. NASA says the station will need to be decommissioned by 2030, and the race is on to figure out what’s next.


'Sad to see it go': NASA planning to decommission, replace ISS by 2030

Esther Bower
Fri, November 24, 2023 

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - The International Space Station is celebrating its 25th year in orbit this week, but its time is running out.

NASA says the station will need to be decommissioned by 2030, and the race is on to figure out what’s next.

For 25 years, the floating lab has been a space for science and a home for hundreds of astronauts.

"I never would have imagined what it would accomplish, so certainly it will be sad to see it go," said Dr. Don Platt who runs the Spaceport Education Center at Florida Tech.

Decades ago, Platt helped build parts of the 356-foot-wide laboratory, and NASA is ready for something new by the next decade.

"We’re six years away from it right now. That time is going to go real fast. We should almost be bending metal to build those new parts right now," said Dr. Ken Kremer who’s a researcher and space journalist who says he supports the transition but is worried about the rapidly approaching deadline.

Kremer says he’s concerned the United States could lose its presence in space if there isn’t a plan in place to replace the ISS soon.

"If these commercial space stations don’t come online in 2030, it will be the end of our earth presence in low earth orbit," Kremer added.

Other space experts are optimistic that replacing the ISS will open even more doors for private companies.

"There’s so many companies that are poised to occupy this void for commercial space, just on the horizon," said Mark Marquette who’s the community liaison for the American Space Museum in Titusville.

Marquette says space is on the verge of an economic explosion, with space tourism and manufacturing moving off the earth and above our heads.

"There will be ones for science, pharmacies will put them up, factories," Marquette concluded.

NASA is estimating the de-orbit process to cost around $1 billion to bring the space station back to Earth. It will have to be broken apart into smaller segments before it falls and burns up in the atmosphere.

Madness score first number one studio album with latest release

Naomi Clarke, PA Entertainment Reporter
Fri, 24 November 2023

Madness have secured their first number one for a studio album with Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie.

Following its release last Friday, the record shot up the charts, knocking Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) down to number two after three consecutive weeks at the top spot, according to the Official Charts Company.

The ska and pop band have previously topped the charts with their greatest hits collections Complete Madness in 1982 and Divine Madness in 1992.

Madness reopen the doors of HMV’s flagship store in London (Official Charts/PA)

Their previous chart peak for a studio album was held by their 1979 debut One Step Beyond… and its 1980 follow-up Absolutely – which both went to number two.

In 2016, they released their last studio album, Can’t Touch Us Now, which reached fifth place in the charts.

As they reopened the doors of HMV’s flagship store on Oxford Street in London on Friday, Madness said: “Thank you so much to everyone who worked with us, our record company, our management, and especially you, the fans, for making us number one.”

Elsewhere, Canadian rapper Drake’s chart-topping album, For All the Dogs, has jumped up 21 places to number three following the release of its deluxe Scary Hours edition last week.

The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds former number one record has climbed from eighth last week up to fourth, while Dolly Parton has landed a fifth top 10 album as her new release, titled Rockstar, comes in at number five.

The collection of rock covers features collaborations with global superstars including Miley Cyrus, Sting and the two surviving Beatles – Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr.



Meanwhile, in the singles chart, US singer and rapper Jack Harlow holds on to the top spot with his hit Lovin On Me.

The track, which became the Louisville artist’s first UK chart-topper last week, remains the most-streamed song this week with six million streams, according to the Official Charts Company.

Viral hit Prada by Casso, Raye and D-Block Europe has returned to its former peak at number two while Canadian singer Tate McRae’s Greedy also rises back up to its previous peak of number three.

US singer Noah Kahan’s Stick Season has risen one place to number four and South African singer Tyla’s track Water has climbed three spots to fifth place.

Madness descends on Oxford Street as HMV store reopens

Chris Price
Fri, 24 November 2023 

Madness served customers at the HMV Oxford Street store as it reopened after a four-year hiatus - Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Madness descended on Oxford Street today as the historic HMV store reopened after a four-year absence, with the retailer’s boss saying it is a “great moment” in the chain’s recovery.

The band, whose hits include Our House and One Step Beyond, served customers as the entertainment chain returned to the shop it first opened in 1921.

Owner Doug Putman said he hopes the shop can have “crowds which will shut down the street” again, harking back to memorable visits including Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls and Sir Paul McCartney.

HMV shut the store in 2019 after the retail chain tumbled into administration and was forced to axe stores and jobs.

The retailer was rescued from insolvency by Canadian Doug Putman’s Sunrise Records business.

Long before they became a Thanksgiving staple, turkeys were revered by ancient Indigenous communities

Yoonji Han
Thu, November 23, 2023 


Turkeys have played vital spiritual roles in ancient Native American societies.


Archaeological discoveries suggest turkeys were revered for their feathers.


The giant birds didn't become a popular food source until the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1519.

According to legend, the Cherokee people began eating corn because of the turkey.

The myth goes that first man and woman on Earth grew corn as plants. When the woman spotted a turkey eating the golden kernels, she realized they were edible, marking the inception of corn as a vital food source for Indigenous communities.

Long before they were a Thanksgiving staple, turkeys have played significant roles in Native American culture. In Aztec mythology, Chalchiuhtotolin, "the jade turkey," was the god of disease and plague, while in Hopi lore, a turkey deity called the koyona katsina danced with other birds in nightly ceremonies or during the Mixed Dances of spring.

It wasn't until Spanish conquistadors exported turkeys to Europe after the 1519 conquest of Mexico that the birds became a popular food. Some of those turkeys may have famously wound up on the menu at the first Thanksgiving meal in the 17th century.

Costumed dancers wear dance bustles of Tewa sun god made of turkey feathers.

Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Reverence for turkeys

Archaeological evidence suggests Native Americans revered turkeys, treating them as important individuals to the household.

In 2012, archaeologists discovered a mass grave of more than 50 turkeys near a 1,000-year-old Native American village near Dove Creek, Colorado. The bodies had been carefully arranged within a circle of stones, indicating a ceremonial burial.

Researchers found many other arrangements of whole turkeys, along with other animals, in sites in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico — some sites dating back to 750 to the 1500s. The presence of young turkeys in these burials suggest they were linked to fertility rites and crop planting in the spring.

Turkeys' feathers have also long played a vital spiritual role in Native American culture, according to Mary Weahkee, an archaeologist and a member of the Santa Clara Pueblo and the Comanche Nation. The white or thunderhead-black feathers, which represent clouds and rain, were especially prized, Weahkee said.

The Wampanoag tribe in the east used the bird's feathers for cloaks, and the Tuscarora and Catawba in the south used plumage for headdresses.

Two Crow nation warriors wear decorated skins and feathered headdresses.Florilegius/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

An ancient blanket painstakingly made with 11,500 turkey feathers dating roughly back to the early 1200s CE also pointed to the cultural significance of turkeys, according to researchers.

"This reverence for turkeys and their feathers is still evident today in Pueblo dances and rituals. They are right up there with eagle feathers as being symbolically and culturally important," Bill Lipe, professor of anthropology at Washington State University, said.
Turkeys weren't originally used as a food source

Turkeys were one of the few domesticated animals in North America until Europeans arrived in the 1500s and 1600s, according to the researchers behind the turkey blanket.

Ancient Native Americans fed turkeys corn, which was a precious crop at the time, according to archaeologist R. Kyle Bocinsky. Just three adult turkeys would have eaten as much corn as one human in a year, Bocinsky said.

A young leader of the Awá tribe, an Indigenous tribe in Brazil, wears a turkey-feather headdress and other adornments.Scott Wallace/Getty Images

Archaeological evidence also suggests that turkeys were not used as a food source until around 1050, when other primary food sources for Indigenous societies like deer began to dwindle. Few turkey bones showed signs of butchering, and turkey remains seldom appeared in trash piles.

Although turkeys became a widespread food source shortly after, the bird never lost its spiritual significance. To this day, the turkey and its feathers carry symbolic value, following a centuries-long tradition among Native American communities.

Read the original article on Insider

‘Macho’ IDF chiefs ignored female surveillance soldiers who warned of Hamas attack

James Rothwell
Fri, 24 November 2023 

Spotters saw Hamas carrying out combat drills, training in hostage-taking and unusual activity by the fence - Hatem Ali/AP

Macho Israeli commanders ignored female “spotters” who raised the alarm that Hamas was plotting a major terror attack ahead of Oct 7, a leading Israeli newspaper has revealed.‌

According to Haaretz, sexist male officers ignored warnings from the young surveillance soldiers, whose mission is to closely watch camera footage to spot potential threats.

‌In a separate report, the Financial Times also found that low-ranking soldiers had seen evidence of Hamas training in hostage-taking and sent the warning up the chain of command. No action was taken, sources told the newspaper.

‌The spotters tried to warn their bosses that they had seen ample evidence of Hamas planning a huge attack, including combat drills, drone flights and suspicious activity near the border fence. They observed Hamas operatives learning how to shell tanks.

‌But the warnings were reportedly ignored, apparently because of sexist attitudes in the army towards the spotter units, which are overwhelmingly staffed by female soldiers.


‌“[They are] young women and young women commanders,” one spotter interviewed by Haaretz, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “There’s no doubt that if men had been sitting at those screens, things would look different.”

‌One female spotter said they noticed that Hamas seemed to be conducting briefings and placing Nukhba units – Hamas special forces – near the border in the buildup to the attack.

They passed on that information to senior commanders, but it was not clear whether any further action was taken.

‌“We reported that it was a briefing by senior [Hamas] officials who we could not recognise. But until today, it’s not clear what [the IDF] did with that information,” said the spotter.

‌The Haaretz report also alleges that, on the morning of the Oct 7 massacre, Israeli security chiefs had some indications that an attack was imminent but did not share them with the spotters.

‌A spotter who gave her name as Yaara said about three hours notice would have been enough time to warn them of the attack. Instead, they were caught unaware by the onslaught and many spotters were massacred at their posts.

‌“Nobody thought to tell us,” she said. “The IDF left us like sitting ducks on a range. The fighters at least had weapons and died as heroes. The spotters who had been abandoned by the army were simply slaughtered, without any opportunity to defend themselves.”

‌Haaretz said it had also interviewed spotters a year ago for a story about their role, and even then the female soldiers had raised concerns that their intelligence reports were not taken seriously by their superiors.

‌The Telegraph approached the IDF for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Gaza has become a moonscape in war. When the battles stop, many fear it will remain uninhabitable

ISABEL DEBRE
Thu, November 23, 2023 







 Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Israel's military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. When the war ends, any relief will quickly be overshadowed by the dread of displaced families for their future. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells.

Nearly 1 million Palestinians have fled the north, including its urban center, Gaza City, as ground combat intensified. When the war ends, any relief will quickly be overshadowed by dread as displaced families come to terms with the scale of the calamity and what it means for their future.

Where would they live? Who would eventually run Gaza and pick up the pieces?

“I want to go home even if I have to sleep on the rubble of my house,” said Yousef Hammash, an aid worker with the Norwegian Refugee Council who fled the ruins of the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya for southern Gaza. “But I don't see a future for my children here.”

The Israeli army’s use of powerful explosives in tightly packed residential areas — which Israel describes as the unavoidable outcome of Hamas using civilian sites as cover for its operations — has killed over 13,000 Palestinians and led to staggering destruction. Hamas denies the claim and accuses Israel of recklessly bombing civilians.

“When I left, I couldn’t tell which street or intersection I was passing,” said Mahmoud Jamal, a 31-year-old taxi driver who fled his northern hometown of Beit Hanoun this month. He described apartment buildings resembling open-air parking garages.

Israel’s bombardment has become one of the most intense air campaigns since World War II, said Emily Tripp, director of Airwars, a London-based conflict monitor. In the seven weeks since Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, Israel unleashed more munitions than the United States did in any given year of its bombing campaign against the Islamic State group — a barrage the U.N describes as the deadliest urban campaign since World War II.

In Israel’s grainy thermal footage of airstrikes targeting Hamas tunnels, fireballs obliterate everything in sight. Videos by Hamas’ military wing feature fighters with rocked-propelled grenades trekking through smoke-filled streets. Fortified bulldozers have cleared land for Israeli tanks.

“The north of Gaza has been turned into one big ghost town," said Mkhaimer Abusada, a political scientist at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City who fled to Egypt last week. “People have nothing to return to.”

About half of all buildings across northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to an analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University. With the U.N. estimating 1.7 million people are newly homeless, many wonder if Gaza will ever recover.

“You’ll end up having displaced people living in tents for a long time," said Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, a research group.

The war has knocked 27 of 35 hospitals across Gaza out of operation, according to the World Health Organization. The destruction of other critical infrastructure has consequences for years to come.

“Bakeries and grain mills have been destroyed, agriculture, water and sanitation facilities,” said Scott Paul, a senior humanitarian policy adviser for Oxfam America. “You need more than four walls and a ceiling for a place to be habitable, and in many cases people don’t even have that.”

Across the entire enclave, over 41,000 homes — 45% of Gaza’s total housing stock — are too destroyed to be lived in, according to the U.N.

“All I left at home was dead bodies and rubble,” said Mohammed al-Hadad, a 28-year-old party planner who fled Shati refugee camp along Gaza City's shoreline. Shati sustained nearly 14,000 incidents of war damage — varying from an airstrike crater to a collapsed building — over just 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles), the satellite data analysis shows.

Southern Gaza — where scarce food, water and fuel has spawned a humanitarian crisis — has been spared the heaviest firepower, according to the analysis.

But that’s changing. In the past two weeks, satellite data shows a spike in damage across the southern town of Khan Younis. Residents say the military has showered eastern parts of town with evacuation warnings.

Israel has urged those in southern Gaza to move again, toward a slice of territory called Muwasi along the coast. As of Thursday, Israel and Hamas were still working out the details of a four-day truce that would allow more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and facilitate an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages.

Displaced Palestinians said four days won't be enough.

“This is our nakba," said 32-year-old journalist Tareq Hajjaj, referring to the mass displacement of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation — an exodus Palestinians call the “nakba,” or “catastrophe.”

Although publicly Palestinians reject the idea of being transferred outside Gaza, some privately admit they cannot stay, even after the war ends.

“We will never return home,” said Hajjaj, who fled his home in Shijaiyah in eastern Gaza City. “Those who stay here will face the most horrific situation they could imagine.”

The 2014 Israel-Hamas war leveled Shijaiyah, turning the neighborhood into fields of inert gray rubble. The $5 billion reconstruction effort there and across Gaza remains unfinished to this day.

“This time the scale of destruction is exponentially higher,” said Giulia Marini, international advocacy officer at Palestinian rights group Al Mezan. “It will take decades for Gaza to go back to where it was before.”

It remains unclear who will take responsibility for that task. At the recent security summit in Bahrain, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi vowed Arab states would not “come and clean the mess after Israel.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the army to restore security, and American officials have pushed the seemingly unlikely scenario of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority taking over the strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, regarded by many Palestinians as weak, has dismissed that idea in the absence of Israeli efforts toward a two-state solution.

Despite the war's horrors, Yasser Elsheshtawy, a professor of architecture at Columbia University, hopes reconstruction could offer an opportunity to turn Gaza's ramshackle refugee camps and long deteriorating infrastructure into “something more habitable and equitable and humane," including public parks and a revitalized seafront.

But Palestinians say it's not only shattered infrastructure that requires rebuilding but a traumatized society.

“Gaza has become a very scary place,” Abusada said. "It will always be full of memories of death and destruction."