Brazil judge, Musk standoff intensifies as Starlink assets frozen

Brasília (AFP) – A standoff between a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and Elon Musk intensified Thursday as the billionaire's Starlink company said its assets had been frozen in the country amid a feud over the fate of his social media platform X.


Issued on: 30/08/2024 - 

Brazil Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered Elon Musk to name a new legal representative in the country or face X being shut down there © EVARISTO SA / AFP/File

The episode began Wednesday when Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes threatened to suspend X, formerly known as Twitter, unless Musk named a new legal representative for the company in Brazil within 24 hours.

Then on Thursday, Musk's satellite internet operator, Starlink, said it had received an order from Moraes that "freezes Starlink's finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions" in the country.

Starlink, which operates in Brazil, particularly in the Amazon, alleged that the order "is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied --unconstitutionally -- against X."

The company said on X it intended "to address the matter legally."

Moraes, who also presides over Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal, has spearheaded a battle against disinformation in South America's largest nation, clashing with Musk along the way.

Several of the X accounts he ordered suspended belonged to supporters of Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who tried to discredit the voting system in the 2022 election, which he lost.

Moraes's Wednesday decision escalated the months-long feud.

Already in April, Moraes ordered an investigation of Musk, accusing him of reactivating some of the banned accounts.

Musk and other critics accuse Moraes of stifling free speech.

In the order made public Wednesday, Moraes told Musk "to appoint the company's new legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours."

"In the event of non-compliance with the order, the decision provides for the suspension of the social network's activities in Brazil," it said.

Following the order, the hashtag "O Twitter morreu" ("Twitter is dead") went viral in Brazil, and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva posted a message on the platform with the addresses of his other social media accounts.

Musk responded to the order by accusing Moraes of having "repeatedly broken the laws he has sworn to uphold."

He also posted a sarcastic message and doctored photo depicting Moraes as "Voldemort and a Sith Lord," an allusion to the villains of the Harry Potter and Star Wars sagas.

Musk shut X's business operations in Brazil earlier this month, claiming Moraes had threatened the company's previous legal representative with arrest to force compliance with "censorship orders."

Brazilian users have meanwhile continued to be able to access the social media site.

Musk is also the subject of a separate judicial investigation into an alleged scheme where public money was used to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro and those close to him.

© 2024 AFP

Brazil may soon shut down Musk's X after deadline expires

There has been a public feud for months between a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and X’s owner Elon Musk over content moderation on the social media platform. Now X may be suspended as it failed to meet a court deadline.

Brazil is one of X's largest, most coveted markets

Image: Andre M. Chang/ZUMA Press Wire/picture alliance



Brazil on Thursday appeared set to suspend the services of the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, after the company did not name its legal representative for the South American country by 8:07 p.m. local time (2307 GMT) as ordered by the Brazilian Supreme Court.

Brazilian law requires all internet companies to have a legal representative in the country.

This ensures someone can be notified of legal decisions and is qualified to take any requisite action.

But earlier this month, X removed its legal representative from Brazil on the grounds that Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes had threatened her with arrest.

The judge had given X time until Thursday evening to appoint a new representative, or face a shutdown until his order is met.

Does Elon Musk want to make X the new TikTok   12:36

What's the issue between Brazil and X?

The social media site's billionaire owner Elon Musk responded to the judge's order with insults, including calling de Moraes a "tyrant" and "a dictator."

In a post on X, Musk complained that Moraes "is an outright criminal of the worst kind, masquerading as a judge."

At issue in the intensifying dispute is whether Moraes can order X to block certain accounts accused of spreading lies and distortions, a request Musk has denounced as censorship.

Most of the accounts ordered blocked are run by backers of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, some of which deny he lost his 2022 reelection bid.

Musk challenged that decision and said he would reactivate accounts on X, accusing Moraes of stifling free speech.

The announcement prompted Moraes to open an inquiry into the billionaire in early April over the dissemination of fake news. Moraes also launched a separate investigation into the billionaire for alleged obstruction.

Brazil freezes Starlink's finances

On Thursday, Starlink, Musk's satellite internet operator, said it had received an order from Moraes that "freezes Starlink's finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions" in Brazil.

The company alleged that the order "is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied — unconstitutionally — against X."

Starlink said it intended "to address the matter legally."

Meanwhile, after the deadline for the naming of a legal representative expired, X released a statement saying it expects its service to be shutdown in Brazil.

"Unlike other social media and technology platforms, we will not comply in secret with illegal orders," it said. "To our users in Brazil and around the world, X remains committed to protecting your freedom of speech."

X, formerly known as Twitter, is widely used in Brazil. The platform is an important means of communication for politicians in particular.

sri/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)

How Middle East authoritarians benefit from Gaza conflict

Cathrin Schaer

DW

August 28, 2024

The Gaza conflict has allowed authoritarian leaders in the region to polish their images, defend Arab honor, and use protests against Israel to push foreign NGOs out of the country and crack down on their opposition.

Over the weekend Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel and Israel's military launched around 100 jets to strike at targets in Lebanon

Image: Kawnat Haju/AFP/Getty Images

Over the weekend, after a significant exchange of missiles between Israel and the Hezbollah group, Egyptian leader Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi spoke to a top US general, warning of the danger of any further escalation of the Gaza conflict.

The international community needs to "exert all efforts and intensify pressures to defuse tension and stop the state of escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region," el-Sissi said, according to a statement published by his office after a visit from the US General Charles Quinton Brown a few hours after the Israeli military and the armed wing of Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, traded fire.

Alongside Americans and Qataris, Egyptians are part of the team of mediators trying to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza, where an Israeli military campaign has been ongoing since the October 7 attacks by the Gaza-based Hamas militant group.

Such statesmanlike words help el-Sissi polish his image, says Hossam el-Hamalawy, an Egyptian researcher and activist now living in Germany who writes a regular newsletter on Egyptian politics. "And the war in Gaza basically has helped consolidate his regime even further," el-Hamalawy told DW.

During almost 11 months of the Gaza conflict, the idea that Egypt — the Middle East's most populous country, with around 111 million people — is "too big to fail" has become more compelling.

Fighting has meant important income earners for Egypt, like tourism and shipping through the Suez Canal, have been throttled. This has worsened a crippling economic crisis in Egypt widely considered to be the result of years of financial mismanagement by el-Sissi.

"So the Europeans, Americans, the International Monetary Fund and other international powers are basically all rushing to bail [Egypt] out," el-Hamalawy argues, referring to various recent loans and investment deals worth over $50 billion that have helped prevent the collapse of the Egyptian pound.

"Sissi goes to the West and says that 'I'm fighting terrorism, I'm essential for regional stability.' But at the same time he's cracking down on internal dissent," el-Hamalawy continues. "He's simply a hypocrite. Among those arrested recently was Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist, and because of his cartoons, he's now being held on terror charges — as are most of the other Egyptian journalists and media workers behind bars."

El-Sissi "seems to be hoping that popular anger will be focused on Israel and, to a lesser extent, the US for backing its actions in Gaza," agreed researchers from UK-based think-tank, Chatham House, in a recent article.

How to profit in a crisis

Egypt's authoritarian ruler is not the only leader in the region hoping for this.

Over the last two years, governments in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco "have deftly managed to tap the veins of several global crises — including wars, migration and rising populism in Europe — to revive their faltering rule," Alia Brahimi and Karim Mezran, both senior fellows at the Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in a July post for the organization.

The researchers mostly looked at the impacts of the war in Ukraine and the rise of far-right parties in Europe that have prioritized migration policies over human rights by funding governments who say they can police migration. But the Gaza conflict has also had an effect.

It has allowed Algeria to use its temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council, to "showcase its Arab nationalist credentials, as well as its historic and principled anti-colonial position," Brahimi and Mezran said. At the same time, penalties against Algerian pro-democracy activists are getting tougher and human rights organizations are being banned in the country, they added.

During the regional crisis, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has managed to use the idea that Egypt is 'too big to fail' to his country's advantage

Image: Amr Nabil/AP Photo/picture alliance

Gaza as a "distraction"

In Tunisia, activists say their increasingly authoritarian head of state, Kais Saied, has been using a pro-Palestinian stance to "distract" locals from the country's economic crisis and a crackdown on the Tunisian opposition.

Gaza is a constant in the president's speeches and on social media, Tunisian writer Tharwa Boulifi stated in a March op-ed for The New Arab. "Since October, activists protesting for the release of political prisoners have become irrelevant to local media, which predominantly focuses on pro-Palestine protests," she recounted.

A draft law, presented last October, that could potentially see civil society and non-governmental organizations in Tunisia suspended as "foreign agents," is also being sold by politicians as a reaction to the Gaza conflict. The law explicitly forbids any Tunisian body from a relationship with the Israeli state. But at the same time, activists point out, it establishes conditions where the Tunisian government could shut down human rights organizations by simply accessing foreign funding.

Difficult balancing act

Despite the gains some authoritarians may have seen as a result of the Gaza conflict, it is also often pointed out the issue can be a double-edged sword. The Palestinian cause is close to the hearts of the majority of the Middle East's ordinary citizens, even if they don't live in democracies.

For some countries, this is now resulting in a difficult balancing act. There have been plenty of accusations from citizens that, despite paying lip service to the Palestinian cause, most Arab leaders have not done enough to bring about a cease-fire.

Israel-Hamas conflict: Civilians 'paying the price'  02:25

Marc Lynch, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, doesn't believe things can go on this way.

Arab leaders "are among the world's most experienced practitioners of realpolitik, and they have a record of ignoring their people's preferences," he wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine in April. "They often dress up even the most nakedly cynical and self-interested moves as serving the interests of Palestinians or defending Arab honor."

But they may soon find that drawbacks of conflict in Gaza outweigh any advantages, Lynch argues.

"Staying in power … means not only preventing obviously regime-threatening mass protests but also being attentive to potential sources of discontent," Lynch wrote. "With almost every Arab country outside the Gulf suffering extreme economic problems, and accordingly exercising maximum repression, regimes have to be even more careful in responding to issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Germany: Bureaucracy blocks Ukrainian and Syrian doctors

Elizabeth Schumacher

DW

AUGUST 29, 2024

Thousands of doctors have come to Germany as refugees from Ukraine and Syria. However, there are no signs that the licensing process is becoming faster or easier despite the dearth of doctors in the country.

More than 1,600 doctos have reportedly arrived in Germany from Ukraine, but the vast majority remain unable to practice.

Image: Robin Jopp

Germany is facing a shortage of 50,000 doctors over the next few years, according to federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

There are currently some 1.2 million Ukrainian and 972,000 Syrian refugees living in Germany, making them the two biggest groups of asylum seekers in the country. Many of them are highly qualified physicians. So why are so few able to practice medicine, even after being here for years?

Expensive, time-consuming hurdles

Oleksii Ukrainskyi, a 45-year-old anesthesiologist from Odesa, had his medical degree recognized in Germany in 2016, but he has since seen that the procedure has become much more difficult for refugees coming from Ukraine to Germany today.

According to research done by the national daily Die Welt, over 1,600 doctors have arrived since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and only 187 have been fully licensed to practice medicine.

In response to the influx, Ukrainskyi began leading free webinars and running a Telegram channel with 3,000 members seeking advice on the often confusing, overlong process.

"Back then I just had to get my diploma translated," Ukrainiskyi said. "Now they have to present these huge documents detailing every aspect of their education. And even if your university isn't in the middle of a war zone right now and you can get the documents, it can take six months and cost thousands of euros for the translation. For people who have had their homes destroyed, who have nothing, maybe one suitcase — this can be an insurmountable hurdle."

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has sounded the alarm over a dramatic shortage of doctors

Image: Metodi Popow/IMAGO

Sixteen different sets of rules

Even once your documents are translated and you have passed a German language exam, however, it's hardly smooth sailing into a practice or a hospital. The next part of the process is getting your education declared equivalent to a German medical degree. Due to differing requirements for the number of theoretical exams and the amount of practical experience in different countries, most foreign doctors must make up the difference by completing practical internships, taking exams, or both.

Health policy is a matter for the 16 federal states in Germany. Each of them has a different set of standards a foreign doctor must meet.

"Most of the people, I'd say some 80%, in my Telegram channel are women between the ages of 35 and 45 with children. Their husbands had to stay behind in Ukraine because they are of draft age," Ukrainskyi said. "They have to somehow arrange for childcare while they prepare for exams. Or take, for example, older doctors. A 50-year-old dermatologist who has been practicing for 20 years, but whose medical school days are long behind him may not very easily pass an exam in internal medicine meant for 22-year-old students in Germany."

"The process takes so long, many months or even years, and in the meantime, you can work as a nurse if you're lucky, in the supermarket or a pizzeria if you're not," the anesthesiologist said.

Political row breaks out in Germany over Ukrainian refugees 02:32

Germany's main doctor's union seeks less bureaucracy

The Marburger Bund, Germany's largest doctor's union, is just as critical of the system for licensing foreign doctors. The process is inexorably slow, they say, partly because there is a single office for assessing foreign medical qualifications and it is painfully underfunded and understaffed. The Assessment Body for Healthcare Professions (GTG) in Bonn needs "more staff, less bureaucracy, more digitalization of procedures" and more standardization across Germany's 16 states, according to Marburger Bund spokesman Hans-Jörg Freese.

Even after doctors endure long waits to even get an appointment for an exam, Freese added, "a professional license is often only issued to them for two years. Long delays in a [second] application process can lead to these doctors becoming employed after two years and living off of unemployment, even if their employer is desperate to keep them."

Calls for a single, unified process

Nibras Soubh, a cardiologist from Syria who know works at the University of Göttigen hospital, had a similar experience. Like the Marburger Bund, he has called for one unified process across all of Germany.

Foreign doctors "must apply for medical licensure through local authorities in each state, each with its own regulations. These can vary significantly across Germany, from the required documents and types of translation and legalization needed to the available licensing pathways and exam structures," Soubh said.

Soubh came to Germany in 2016 at a time when hundreds of thousands of Syrians came to Germany fleeing the civil war in their home country. According to Daniel Terzenbach, the Federal Commissioner for the Integration of Refugees into the Labor Market, 70% of them have found jobs here.

Nibras Soubh is one of them. He is a member of the SyGAAD (Syrian Society for Doctors and Pharmacists in Germany), who carried out a survey in northern Germany last year that found 30% of applicants wait at least a year to have their degree recognized.
Syrian doctors face anti-immigration backlash

Syrian doctors are also facing pressure to get licensed as calls for more deportations reach a fever pitch. Following a deadly knife attack in the city of Solingen by a Syrian asylum seeker earlier this month, some conservative politicians have called to stop accepting Syrian refugees altogether. Moderate and right-wing politicians have been increasingly vocal about what they see as the need to deport rejected asylum seekers to Syria, which is currently not possible.

Should Germany change its migration policy?  26:04

Although, as German media reports have noted, there are more doctors entering the work force every year, it is not enough to keep up with demographic changes. Moreover, a huge number of doctors have begun to work part-time. According to a report by public broadcaster ZDF, in 2023 only 85% of general practitioners work full-time. In 2009, that number was 98%.

"Working full time means a doctor is usually working 50 or 60 hours a week," the Marburger Bund told public broadcaster ZDF. Only doctors who reduce their contracts to 70% of full-time may end up with the usual 40-hour work week.

Doctors are also not evenly distributed across Germany. Urban areas have a glut of specialists, whereas rural Germans may have to travel long distances and endure long waits just to see a general practitioner.

Therefore, it is "beyond unacceptable," as Freese of the Marburger Bund put it, "to put unnecessary hurdles in the way of internationally-educated doctors."

Edited by Rina Goldenberg

Danish court rejects India extradition request in arms case

India wants Niels Holck to stand trial on gun smuggling charges but a Danish court has said New Delhi cannot guarantee his safety. India claims he is a terrorist who supplied West Bengali rebels with guns.

Niels Holck is wanted by India over weapons smuggling case dating back to 1995

Image: MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP

The Hillerod District Court in Denmark on Thursday rejected an Indian extradition request in the trial of Danish citizen Niels Holck.

Indian authorities allege the 62-year-old is a terrorist who supplied West Bengali rebels with arms to fight government troops in 1995.

The court, which was solely ruling on whether to extradite, and not over guilt or innocence in the case, said that to deliver Holck would violate Denmark's extradition act due to a risk that he would be subjected to treatment in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The guarantees India has provided are not valid," said defense lawyer Jonas Christoffersen.

Prosecutors now have three days to appeal the decision.

Only one to escape capture

Holck has previously admitted to parachuting four tons of weapons to West Bengalis whom he said needed them to defend against local communist authorities.

Holck was the only passenger to escape from a Russian cargo plane delivering the arms from Bulgaria when it was intercepted by the Indian air force.

Six other European nationals were captured, tried, jailed and later released. New Delhi claims Holck, who was known by his alias Kim Davy at the time, was the plan's mastermind. Holck managed to escape to Nepal and then Denmark in 1996.

India desperately wants Holck to stand trial, promising to build a new detention facility for him alone and allowing Danish police to accompany as observers. The court, however, said that his safety could not be guaranteed despite New Delhi's promises.

Holck was arrested in 2010, when Danish officials struck a deal with India over extradition — including guarantees that he would not be put to death and that he would be able to serve any sentence handed down in a Danish rather than an Indian jail.

The decision was overturned by a Danish district court in 2011, over fear of mistreatment. The ruling was upheld by an appeals court later that year.

India again requested Holck's extradition in 2016.

The case has strained Danish-Indian relations for years.

Defense hopes accused can get on with his life

Holck's lawyer Jonas Christoffersen said he was "very satisfied with the decision" but expects the prosecution to appeal yet again.

Still, he voiced confidence that the Danish court system would protect Holck after three separate rulings in his favor.

"We would be very surprised to say the least, if the High Court would reach another conclusion this time," said Christoffersen.

"Now," the defense lawyer continued, "he's hopeful that it will come to a close and that once it has gone through the Danish legal system, it will be clear that he will never be extradited to India."

"He is going on with his life, but he cannot travel. He has his life in Denmark but it's a burden on him," Christoffersen said of Holck. "He's been called a terrorist without any factual merit for 28 years."

India: Hema report reveals sex harrasment in 'Mollywood'

"Showbiz is not just patriarchal, it's also feudal in character."

Murali Krishnan in Palakkad, Kerala

DW

AUGUST 29, 2024

The movie industry in India's southern state of Kerala faces a major upheaval after a damning report uncovered sexual harassment and exploitation of female professionals.

Mollywood is the multi-million dollar Malayalam-language film industry based in the southern Indian state of KeralaI

mage: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto/picture alliance

This article includes accounts of rape and sexual assault

Mollywood, the Malayalam-language film industry based in the southern Indian state of Kerala, is under intense scrutiny amid a deepening sexual abuse scandal involving some of its top movie stars and industry leaders.

A landmark report into issues faced by women in Mollywood, which was made public last week, revealed that "sexual harassment of women is rampant," putting the spotlight on the movie industry's darker side.

The report uncovered that women in the film industry face numerous issues including sexual demands, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, lack of safety in the workplace, insufficient basic facilities and wage disparities.

The Hema report states that control of the film industry is wielded by a cabal of male producers, directors and actors

Image: Money Sharma/EPA/dpa/picture alliance

Since the so-called Hema Committee report was made public, numerous women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against male actors and filmmakers.

The Kerala police have registered at least 17 cases involving prominent figures in the film industry so far.

"Actors are coming out to name and shame their abusers. They are showing courage and recounting their ordeals. Further disclosures are expected," a senior police officer told DW on condition of anonymity.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) was dissolved after its entire executive committee stepped down in light of the report's findings. A new governing body is expected to be elected within two months.

Local media widely reported that noted Mollywood director Ranjith resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, a non-profit that promotes Malayalam cinema, following allegations of inappropriate behavior by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra.

Ranjith said he would challenge the accusations against him.

Industry grappling with fallout

The Hema Committee, led by retired Kerala High Court judge K Hema, was established in 2017 after an actress was raped in a moving car while returning home from work, sparking outrage within the film community.

Though the committee's findings were released in 2019, multiple legal challenges prevented them from being made public until now.

Sexual harassment scandals shock Bollywood  01:16

The Hema report unambiguously states that control of the film industry is wielded by a cabal of male producers, directors, and actors.

"This is how sexual harassment in showbiz is normalized and this is how a predatory atmosphere becomes the way things are," said actor Swara Bhaskar in a statement. "Showbiz is not just patriarchal, it's also feudal in character."

"Successful actors, directors and producers are elevated to the status of demi-gods and anything they do goes," she added.

Actor Minu Kurian, who is also known as Minu Muneer, and whose statement was recorded by the police on Wednesday, told DW that she was confident that justice would be served.

"Many artists have had a bad experience. Those who are not 'cooperating' with powerful industry members have been cast away," Kurian told DW.

She filed complaints against seven individuals including a top Mollywood actor and Edavela Babu, a former AMMA general secretary.

"They did not give me membership of AMMA because I stood my ground," Kurian added.

"I just hope the industry is cleansed after this raft of allegations by various actors," said Kurian. "There must be respect and safe spaces for women otherwise what is the point?"

Edavela Babu denied the allegations against him.

"I have no enemies and will answer to the authorities," Babu told DW. "There is no basis to these allegations."

Making Mollywood safer for women

Although most Mollywood stalwarts have stayed silent over the damning revelations of the Hema report, some have expressed their concern over the overall issue of sexual harassment and abuse.

Leading actor Prithviraj Sukumaran said there were lapses on part of the influential AMMA in addressing women actors' complaints, and called for a serious probe into the issues raised.

"It is important to punish those who have committed sexual abuse. My responsibility does not end with just ensuring that my movie location is safe, it is important that the entire industry is safe for people," Sukumaran told a press conference this week.

#MeToo in Bollywood  12:35

This isn't the first instance of an Indian film industry facing scrutiny. In 2018, Bollywood, the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai, was rocked by a sexual abuse scandal.

Sexual harassment accusations by Tanushree Dutta, an actor and former Miss India, against Bollywood legend Nana Patekar turned the spotlight on the issue of male dominance and exploitation of women in the Indian film industry.

A year earlier, following the 2017 rape incident, 18 women — including actors, directors, producers, and technicians — formed the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to create a professional space for women in the male-dominated film industry seeking justice.

A WCC's petition led to the setting up of the Hema Committee by the Kerala government.

"This report urges the government and the industry to address sexual harassment. I hope it empowers women, creates awareness, and establishes safer places for them," said Vidhu Vincent, a filmmaker and former member of the WCC.

"I hope the findings brings significant changes to the film industry and improved accountability."

Beena Paul, a film editor and founding member of the WCC, said that there are issues that need to be addressed urgently to make the industry a safer environment for women.

"This is a decades old industry and changes are needed for a proper level playing field," Paul told DW.

Edited by: Keith Walker

TAYLOR SWIFT INC.

CIA: Plot sought to kill 'huge number' at Swift Vienna show

Superstar Taylor Swift canceled her concerts in Vienna after US intelligence uncovered a plot to attack "tens of thousands" of fans at the venue, according to the CIA's deputy director.

Taylor Swift was supposed to play three concerts in Vienna in August as part of her record-breaking Eras Tour

Image: Kate Green/Getty Images


The suspects alleged to have planned a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital of Vienna earlier this month wanted to "kill a huge number," CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said.

The CIA official also confirmed that US intelligence provided Austrian authorities with information to thwart the attack, which allegedly had links to the "Islamic State" terror group.

"They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," Cohen said at an intelligence and national security summit held in Washington.

Three individuals were subsequently arrested over the alleged scheme.

"The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do," Cohen said.

Taylor Swift cancellations 'prevented terror attack'  02:27

What do we know about the alleged plot?

US superstar Taylor Swift was due to play three concerts in Vienna in August as part of her record-breaking Eras Tour, but they were canceled at short notice after authorities arrested two young men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack.

According to investigators, a 19-year-old man who allegedly pledged allegiance to the "Islamic State" planned to use explosives and knives to attack fans of the US star waiting outside the stadium.

More than 60,000 people would have been inside the stadium during the sold-out concerts had the events not been canceled, and tens of thousands more without tickets would have been expected to gather nearby to celebrate.

A third suspect was later arrested in Vienna in connection with the plot. The suspects, who have been remanded in custody, are being investigated on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organization and a criminal organization.

What did Taylor Swift say about the canceled shows?

Swift broke her silence about the cancellations last week following the conclusion of her London shows, which were scheduled to be the next stop after Vienna.

"Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating," she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. "The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows."

Swift thanked authorities, saying that that "thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives." Her Eras Tour is now on hiatus until the fall.

dh/nm (AP, dpa)

TAYLOR SWIFT INC.

Swifties harness their power for Kamala Harris


By AFP
August 28, 2024

Taylor Swift, shown here performing in Lisbon in May 2024, has legions of loyal fans who have begun harnessing their power to campaign for Kamala Harris - Copyright AFP/File Jim WATSON, Odd ANDERSEN
Maggy DONALDSON

Taylor Swift has yet to weigh in on the US presidential race, but some of her superfans are already stumping for Kamala Harris.

As of Wednesday midday “Swifties for Kamala” had raised more than $140,000 in favor of the Democratic White House hopeful.

They held an inaugural fundraising call the evening prior that was joined by some 27,000 viewers, launching the effort aimed at “turning our swiftie power into political power,” as the group’s political director put it during the meeting.

Stars like Carole King along with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand appeared in the virtual meeting.

“I am a swiftie, and Taylor and I are actually friends,” King, the legendary singer-songwriter behind hits including “I Feel The Earth Move” and “You’ve Got A Friend” said on the call.

“I’ve been a political activist for years. I’ve been a volunteer, I’ve been a door knocker, even as a famous person,” King continued.

“I’m telling you all this because if any of you are thinking of volunteering to be door knockers or phone callers, but you’re a little nervous about what you might say, please believe me: there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Swifties For Kamala began as a social media initiative founded by social media user and swiftie Emerald Medrano in the hours after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

The effort blossomed across platforms, and with accounts that currently have more than 72,000 subscribers on X, and nearly 50,000 on Instagram.

Swift herself is not personally affiliated with the group.

“We’re a coalition of Taylor Swift fans committed to protecting the United States of America’s historical democracy by working together to help progressive candidates in local and national elections, including Vice President Kamala Harris for our country’s next president,” reads the group’s mission statement on their website.

The group has a policy platform section on their website urging the protection of LGBTQIA+ rights and reproductive freedom, as well as support for new immigrants and taking climate change seriously.

They also list “a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas” as a priority.

Along with collecting donations they’re encouraging swifties to register to vote, and selling merchandise including shirts that say “In My Voting Era.”


– ‘Swifties are the leaders’ –


A global megastar with hundreds of millions of social media followers and a wildly loyal — and chronically online — fan base, Swift can move any needle with the tiniest of efforts.

The right and the left have long wanted to count the “Blank Space” singer as their own — but for years Swift stayed conspicuously out of politics, including in 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidency.

Speculation abounded that the superstar was a closet Republican, until 2018, when she broke both her silence and the internet by endorsing the Democratic opponent of far-right politician Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee.

Blackburn won anyway, but it ushered in a new chapter for Swift: she later explained handlers had urged her against wading into politics, telling her it could damage her career — particularly in the country music industry, which despite its complexities is often associated with conservatism.

Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and has conveyed pro-LGBTQ+ messages through her songs and music videos.

She also condemned the Supreme Court’s reversal of the federal right to abortion, and has encouraged droves of her fans to register to vote.

But Swift’s massive popularity has also meant she’s a regular target for political misinformation and right-wing conspiracy theories, often fueled by AI and amplified by the likes of Donald Trump.

Nabbing a Swift endorsement for Harris isn’t the goal of her organizing fans, they say.

“We are not waiting on Taylor to show her support for Kamala Harris. We are doing this outside of her, using the platform of swifties as a way to get people involved in the election,” Rohan Reagan, among the group’s social media managers, told Cosmopolitan recently.

Democratic Senator Ed Markey, who also joined the kickoff call, told swifties that “I am in awe of the community you have created online to share not just your love for Taylor Swift, but your commitment to building a better world.”

“This is the time, this is the place,” he continued. “The swifties are the leaders for us to win this election.”

E-car trailblazer, biologist win German environment prize

An electric car battery engineer who developed a system to slash charging times was announced as a winner of the German environmental prize. A moor and peatland researcher shares the 2024 accolade.

Speidel, seen here, developed a system that has slashed the amount of time it takes to charge vehicles, the DBU said

Image: picture alliance/dpa

The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) on Thursday announced engineer Thomas Speidel, who developed a quick-charge electric vehicle battery system, as one of its winners.

Foundation judges also declared moor researcher Franziska Tanneberger — a driving force in the revitalization of moors — his co-winner of the German Environmental Prize, with the pair sharing €500,000 (about $555,000) in prize money.
What makes the battery system important?

As managing director of Ads-Tec Energy, the engineer developed an innovative battery system for fast charging.

Speidel has described his charging system as being "like a Swiss Army knife of the energy transition."

The idea is that cars can be charged in just minutes, even on low-powered grids from very compact stations.

The new battery technology could help to promote the rapid, comprehensive expansion of the currently still manageable charging infrastructure, explained Speidel.

He said the battery-buffered fast chargers can be installed flexibly on roads, at company buildings, and in residential areas without garages or wall boxes.

DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde declared the engineer a "trailblazer for climate-friendly electromobility."
How moorlands can better stem climate change

Tannberger is committed to preserving wet moors, said Bonde. He added that Tannberger had helped place the importance of moor protection and "rewetting" in national and international political decision-making processes.

Moors store greenhouse gases, acting as carbon sinks, so they also play a role in limiting climate change.

Biologist Franziska Tanneberger (left) German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke

Image: picture alliance/dpa

Rewetting involves returning a degraded peatland to its original waterlogged conditions, which ultimately aids the peatland's restoration.

Tannberger is committed to preserving wet moorland areas and develops "use perspectives together with farmers, even in rubber boots," said Bonde.

"For her, moor protection and moor use are not a contradiction," Bonde added

The German Environmental Prize recognizes outstanding achievements in environmental, climate, and biodiversity protection. The award will be presented by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the western city of Mainz on October 27th.

'Tradwives': Where well-dressed wives and far-right meet?

Anna Chaika

DW

The "traditional wife" trend celebrates orthodox gender roles. But does this thriving movement on TikTok and Instagram also serve the far-right political agenda?

Presenting their own glamorous version of the traditional 1950s housewife is earning influencers millions of followers on social mediaI

mage: Dodenhoff/akg images/picture alliance

Nara Smith sports a sequined red evening dress as she carefully prepares a kimchi dinner for her three children and husband. The 23-year-old's hair is perfectly styled, her makeup flawless — just as it always is in her social media videos on TikTok or Instagram.

Similarly glamorous outfits are worn when Smith is crafting homemade versions of everything from Coca-Cola to granola and Nutella.

An American blogger of South African and German descent, Smith is part of the growing "tradwife" trend — short for traditional wife — on TikTok where traditional gender roles are promoted, with a lot of cooking and childcare content. She already has more than 9 million followers on the platform who watch her daily.




But the tradwife trend isn't just about glamor, as it includes a range of lifestyles.

Hannah Neilman, 34, is a TikTok influencer known under the social media name "Ballerina Farm" who showcases her farm life in Utah where she keeps house, milks cows, grows vegetables and raises eight children with her husband. With nearly 10 million followers, the former ballerina, model and blogger embodies a new online movement promoting 1950s-style domestic bliss.

Tradwife: Historically rooted or imagined ideal?

The "traditional wife" movement began gaining popularity on social media about six years ago. Some say it has ties to an anti-feminist, misogynistic forum on social media site Reddit called "Red Pill." In the film "The Matrix," taking the red pill means being awakened to the truth — in this case, a metaphor embraced by men who feel their manhood has been repressed and who yearn for conventional gender roles.

But the notion of the tradwife goes right back to the 1950s ideal of the nuclear family. Today this idea is a nostalgic, class-based fantasy, says Lisa Wade, associate professor of sociology and faculty member in the gender and sexuality studies program at New Orleans' Tulane University.

In earlier US history, most families operated as small businesses in which the husband and wife both contributed to the household's economic viability, Wade explained.

"The ideal of a breadwinner husband and homemaker wife emerged in the 1950s but quickly fell apart," she told DW. "By the 1970s, the dual-earner family model became dominant due to economic necessity, as it was increasingly difficult to sustain a family on a single income."

The researcher believes that the tradwife trend "cherry picks history by focusing on a brief period when middle class and wealthy white men could afford to have stay-at-home wives." But this ignores the economic realities of most families today, says Wade.

The dream of the mid-century stay-at-home housewife is being revived, despite most women having to workImage: akg-images/picture-alliance

The retrograde tradwife trend draws as many fans as it does haters. Some admire these bloggers' femininity and their choice to focus on their families. Others argue that these women portray outdated gender roles and are effectively making themselves prisoners in their own homes.

Other critics say that the lifestyle depicted is unrealistic and unattainable for most. Being a tradwife influencer on social media is itself a full-time job for those who are successful enough to monetize their output.

Where well-dressed wives and far-right politics meet

Some also question whether the promotion of this kind of domestic idyll is part of a culture war that serves certain political ends.

According to sociologist Viktoria Rösch, tradwives are part of a broader discussion about gender roles and how we want to live as a society. Even if they don't see themselves as political, their portrayal of a specific gender order makes them a useful tool for far-right groups, Rösch adds. Tradwives tend to blame modern feminism for the struggles women face today, such as balancing career and family. This reinforces far-right ideas about the family and gender roles, Rösch tells DW.

Germany's far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), typically known for its conservative stance on family and gender issues, has seen a rise in support among women. The anti-immigrant, Euroskeptic party, labeled "suspected far-right extremist" in Germany, currently leads opinion polls in several states in the country's east.

Support for the AfD is driven primarily by men. Nevertheless 15% of women in Germany in the 30 to 44 age group support the AfD, a 2024 poll by the German broadcasting company RTL found.

The AfD has used imagery in their campaigns that reflects ideas also promoted — even if unconsciously — by tradwives. For instance, an AfD Instagram post compares "modern feminists" to "traditional women" through the use of negative stereotypes such as attractiveness, career choices and values.

Kamala Harris: Another version of womanhood

As the US presidential election approaches, this tradwife trend stands in sharp contrast to the candidacy of Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.

Harris, who is the US' first female Vice President, represents another vision of womanhood that is career oriented. Harris has no children of her own but has helped raise her two stepchildren.

JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, has made controversial comments suggesting that women should prioritize raising children over pursuing careers. Harris' candidacy challenges precisely these traditional expectations, Wade points out.

This contrast makes the election a key moment in determining what the next generation of women really want — including the freedom to choose the life they want to lead.

https://p.dw.com/p/4k0pu

Climate change fuelled deadly Typhoon Gaemi: study

Bangkok (AFP) – Climate change turbocharged the winds and rain of Typhoon Gaemi, which killed dozens of people across the Philippines, Taiwan and China earlier this year, a group of scientists said Thursday.


Issued on: 29/08/2024 

-

Rescue workers evacuate flood-affected residents in China's Hunan province following heavy rains caused by Typhoon Gaemi © STR / AFP

Gaemi skirted the Philippines in July, triggering floods and landslides that killed at least 40 people, before making landfall in Taiwan and China.

In China, the weather system caused torrential downpours that killed 50 people and prompted authorities to evacuate 300,000.

World Weather Attribution (WWA), a network of scientists who have pioneered peer-reviewed methods for assessing the role of climate change in extreme events, looked at three regions worst affected by the typhoon: the northern Philippines, Taiwan and China's Hunan province.

It found the system's wind speeds were seven percent more intense due to man-made climate change, and its rainfall was 14 percent heavier in Taiwan and nine percent heavier in Hunan.

Manila residents walk amid debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi, which led to at least 40 deaths in the country © Jam Sta Rosa / AFP

The study could not draw definitive conclusions about the role of climate change on the rainfall in the Philippines, because of the region's complex monsoon rain patterns.

Still, they found the warm seas that helped form and fuel Typhoon Gaemi "would have been virtually impossible" in a world that had not warmed to the current 1.2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

And the group's modelling found this warming has already increased the number of similarly strong storms by 30 percent -- up from around five a year to six or seven.

"This study confirms what we've expected –- hotter seas and atmospheres are giving rise to more powerful, longer-lived and deadlier typhoons," said Ralf Toumi, director of the Grantham Institute-Climate Change and the Environment, at Imperial College London.

Teasing out the impact of climate change on tropical cyclones is complicated, but scientists are focusing more work on these weather systems.

Streets in Taiwan's Kaohsiung are flooded after Typhoon Gaemi hit the island in July

© Johnson LIU / AFP

WWA's method involves assessing how unusual an extreme event is, then modelling the likelihood of a similar event and its intensity in two scenarios: today's world, and one without current levels of warming.

The scientists used that method and a new approach developed by Imperial College London that is tailored specifically to tropical storms.

It uses computer modelling to overcome the relative lack of historical data on tropical cyclones.

While the Asia-Pacific region has long dealt with typhoons, the scientists warned that their work highlighted "gaps in typhoon preparedness and the massive impacts caused by Gaemi."

They called for better urban flood management and targeted warnings that offer more information on the likely impacts of a storm.

The study was released as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall in Japan, which issued its highest level warning for wind and storm surges.

© 2024 AFP

Bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.uk/newsround/24879162

What's the difference between hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons?

Aug 31, 2023 ... Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific. Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Zurich.comwww.zurich.com/knowledge/topics/windstorms/hurricanes-typhoons-and-tropical-cyclones-whats-the-difference

What's the difference between a hurricane, cyclone and typhoon?

Apr 25, 2024 ... In the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific oceans, the term 'hurricane' is used, whereas in the Northwest Pacific Ocean they are called ' ...

Nationalgeographic.orgeducation.nationalgeographic.org/resource/hurricanes-cyclones-and-typhoons-explained/

Hurricanes, Cyclones, and Typhoons Explained

Oct 19, 2023 ... Called hurricanes when they develop over the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific, these rotating storms are known ..