It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, August 03, 2023
DANGER EV FIRES
Hyundai and Kia Recall Nearly 92,000 Vehicles and Tell Owners to Park Them Outside Due to Fire Risk
By The Associated Press August 3, 2023 A line of 2022 Santa Fe SUV's sit outside a Hyundai dealership in Littleton, Colo.
(David Zalubowski/AP Photo)
DETROIT—Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.
The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.
The recalls cover certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles. Affected Kias include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.
The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.
Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.
Dealers will inspect and replace the oil pump controller if necessary. Hyundai owners will be notified by letter on Sept. 25. Kia will notify owners starting Sept. 28.
Mexican official says US refuses to cooperate on GM corn studies
“Their science is the Word of God. That is not science, that is ideology,”
Mexico has repeatedly called on the US to work together on scientific studies amid a conflict over the Latin American country’s plans to limit the use of GM corn. Mexico buys about US$5 billion (RM22.8 billion) worth of corn from its trade partner annually, most of which is GM yellow corn used for livestock feed. — AFP pic
Thursday, 03 Aug 2023
MEXICO CITY, Aug 3 — The United States has denied a request by Mexico to jointly conduct scientific research on the health impact of genetically-modified corn, a Mexican government official said, a sign the two sides could be inching closer to a formal trade dispute.
Mexico has repeatedly called on the US to work together on scientific studies amid a conflict over the Latin American country’s plans to limit the use of GM corn. Mexico buys about US$5 billion (RM22.8 billion) worth of corn from its trade partner annually, most of which is GM yellow corn used for livestock feed.
The US, however, denied this request and made it clear it will not participate in new scientific studies with Mexico, Mexican Deputy Agriculture Minister Victor Suarez said in an interview with Reuters.
The two countries discussed Mexico’s request, including during a visit by US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, but the US will not oblige, Suarez said.
“They did not want to establish a period in which the two parties agree to carry out impact studies on animal health and human health,” Suarez said at his office on Wednesday.
“Their science is the Word of God. That is not science, that is ideology,” he added. When asked to comment on what Suarez said, the US Department of Agriculture referred Reuters to previous remarks by Vilsack stating that the US “fundamentally disagrees” with Mexico’s position on biotechnology. Mexico wants to ban GM corn for human consumption in the food staple tortilla, which is mostly made of white corn, and eventually replace GM yellow corn used for livestock feed, arguing that biotech corn harms native varieties and may have adverse health effects. The US has argued that Mexico’s plan is not based on science and will hurt US farmers.
In June, Washington requested a new round of trade dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which are underway. If the two sides cannot resolve the conflict within 75 days, which falls on Aug. 16, the US can request a dispute settlement panel to decide the case. Canada also joined the consultations.
Suarez said the US does not have the evidence to support its argument in a panel, but that Mexico would be ready.
“If they establish the panel, we will defend ourselves. And if we defend ourselves, we think we are going to win,” Suarez said, adding that Mexico’s policy has no commercial impact on the United States.
Suarez estimated that between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of foreign corn purchases could be substituted by domestic production by the end of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s mandate in 2024.
The government is buying 1.5 million metric tons of white corn from producers in Sinaloa state at 6,965 pesos per ton ($409) after the country saw major unrest in the sector prompted by a drop in international grains prices. The state government will also buy half a million metric tons at that price.
Suarez said the price is based on a calculation of production costs and seeks to revalue the Mexican white grain and separate it from the “commodity” price of yellow corn on the Chicago grains exchange.
“This breaks the price link with Chicago,” Suarez said, adding that the program would soon expand to other states. — Reuters
Palestine top diplomat slams Biden's 'weak' response to Israeli atrocities
Riad Malki criticises Biden's administration for its vague stance on Jewish settlements, Israeli military raids, and ongoing abuses by the Israeli occupation.
AA
Malki says the Biden administration has been mealy-mouthed about the expansion of Jewish settlements, the escalation of Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank. / Photo: AA
The Palestinian foreign minister has attacked the Biden administration as weak and passive in the Middle East, as violence between Israel and the Palestinians surges to its highest levels in nearly two decades.
“I'm frustrated,” Riad Malki told members of the Foreign Press Association, an organisation representing international media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories. “It seemed that (Biden) wanted to change all policies Trump has taken, but not when it comes to Palestine.”
Pressured by Israel's far-right government and running out of money, the Palestinian Authority is confronting what analysts say could be its greatest threat to its existence.
Malki said the Biden administration has been mealy-mouthed about the expansion of Jewish settlements, the escalation of Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank that have killed a growing number of Palestinians and the daily abuses of the open-ended Israeli occupation.
He also lashed out at Biden's failure to to reverse several measures taken by the Trump administration that Palestinians saw as undermining their quest for statehood.
“We have a weak (US) administration when it comes to Palestine,” he said.
“We re-engaged with the administration hoping that they would have the strength and the courage to move forward,” Malki said. “They did not.”
Malki acknowledged he had no hope for long-stalled peace talks to resume under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s far-right coalition, which includes hardline Jewish settler leaders openly hostile to the Palestinians.
Involving China
In the absence of American attempts to play peacemaker in the region, the Palestinians have considered involving China as an alternative diplomatic power on the world stage, he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing earlier this summer to discuss the pursuit of a two-state solution to the conflict.
“If peace talks happen in the future, which I doubt, why not include China?” Malki said. “China is giving signals they want to help.”
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is pushing for the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, dispatching his national security adviser to the kingdom last week for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The opening of diplomatic relations between Israel and other Gulf Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in 2020 enraged Palestinian leaders and put them on the defensive politically.
Malki expressed hope that Saudi Arabia wouldn't follow suit in brokering a deal that would boost Israel’s standing in unprecedented ways.
“I hope that the Saudis ... will not yield to any kind of pressure or intimidation coming from the Biden administration," he said.
Israelis are protesting for democracy but Palestinians say occupation ignored
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is being rocked by a wave of mass protests calling for the country’s democracy to be upheld. But the pro-democracy movement lacks any clear message of opposition to Israel’s open-ended military rule over millions of Palestinians.
This contradiction reflects a widely held belief among Jewish Israelis that the conflict with the Palestinians is both intractable and somehow separate from Israel’s internal strife.
Critics of the protest movement, including Palestinians, say this is a significant blind spot and that such selective advocacy of democratic ideals shows how disconnected Israelis are from the harsh reality of those living under Israel’s occupation.
“It’s so ironic that they’re talking and protesting for democracy while at the same time it’s been a dictatorship for Palestinians for 75 years,” said Diana Buttu, a Palestinian commentator. “They’re afraid that their own privileges and rights are going to somehow be affected, but they won’t make the connection” with the occupation.
The protesters are demonstrating against the drive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to weaken the judiciary by limiting judicial oversight on official decision-making and legislation.
The protest movement says its limited message against the judicial overhaul is holding together one of the largest and most sustained protest movements Israel has ever seen, bringing tens of thousands of people to the streets for the last 30 weeks.
Netanyahu’s government, made up of ultranationalist and ultra-religious parties with close ties to the West Bank settler movement, says the overhaul will restore power to elected lawmakers and rein in what it says is an overly interventionist judicial system.
Critics see the legislative push, especially because it’s driven by far-right and conservative religious parties, as an assault on Israel’s democratic fundamentals and its weak system of checks and balances. They say it will open the door to serious infringements on personal liberties and the rights of women, the LGBTQ+ community and minorities that will set Israel on a path toward autocracy.
The protesters come from a wide swath of Israeli society. They chant “democracy or rebellion!” carry signs reading “Israel will remain a democracy,” and have unfurled a giant copy of the country’s declaration of independence, which serves as an unofficial bill of rights, at various events.
But largely missing from the raucous protests is any meaningful reference to Israel’s 56-year occupation of lands the Palestinians seek for their future state. A small contingent of activists waving Palestinian flags have taken part, but remain mostly on the fringe.
In some cases, they have even been ostracized by organizers who feared that mentioning the occupation would somehow undercut the protest movement. Israel’s Palestinian citizens, who make up a fifth of the population, have sat out the protests in part because the demonstrations are ignoring the occupation.
“The protest is against the reduction of the democratic space for Jews. Most Jews in Israel don’t have a problem with Israel enforcing an apartheid regime in the West Bank,” said Dror Etkes, a veteran anti-occupation activist.
Despite his concerns, Etkes has made a point of participating in the protests. He sees the absence of occupation-related themes as a strategy meant to unite disparate groups against a more imminent threat. He said that if the government has its way, “people like me won’t be able to protest” against the occupation.
The Associated Press contacted several protest leaders who either declined to comment or did not respond to questions about the contradictions.
Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek for their hoped-for independent state, in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and, along with Egypt, enforces a blockade on the territory. More than 700,000 settlers now live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Palestinians in the West Bank live under limited autonomous self-rule, but Israel controls major parts of their lives, including movement and travel, construction permits in certain areas and significant parts of the economy. Israel’s military also frequently targets Palestinian areas in what it says is a bid to thwart militancy.
A two-tier legal system is also in place in the West Bank, where large parts of Israeli law apply to Jewish settlers and Palestinians are subject to Israeli military law. Palestinians cannot vote in Israeli elections. Their own leadership, established as part of interim peace agreements in the 1990s, has repeatedly delayed Palestinian elections.
While Palestinians in east Jerusalem hold Israeli residency and have access to certain social benefits, they face widespread discrimination. They can apply for citizenship but many choose not to, either on ideological grounds or because the process is too bureaucratic.
Those contrasting realities have prompted rights groups to say an apartheid system has taken root. Israel vehemently denies such claims. It says the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be determined through negotiations, which are long moribund.
After years of deadly conflict with the Palestinians, many Jewish Israelis see the occupation as the inevitable by-product of a hopeless security situation. Others accuse the Palestinians of rejecting generous peace offers — a claim the Palestinians reject.
That frame of mind has prevented many Israeli demonstrators from grasping the contradiction in their struggle, said Amichai Cohen, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
But he and others say the occupation is seeping into the protests, presenting a potential opening for an awakening. For one, the main backers of the legal overhaul are firebrand West Bank settlers who seek to expand and solidify Israel’s domination over the Palestinian territories in part by weakening the court’s oversight over its moves.
The protests have also coincided with a spike in Israeli-Palestinian fighting, during which radical settlers have attacked Palestinian towns, most notably Hawara, setting cars and homes ablaze with a paltry response from Israeli security forces. The prominent protest chant “Where were you in Hawara?” emerged as a cry against perceived police brutality against protesters.
Avner Gvaryahu, who heads Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group of former soldiers, is a constant presence at the protests.
He has watched in frustration as military reservists have refused to continue serving to protest what they say is the disintegration of Israel’s democracy, but kept silent over the occupation.
Still, the reservist protest has shattered a taboo against military refusal, a tool he said might be used in the future by soldiers against the occupation.
“The mainstream is waking up,” he said.
Palestinians remain skeptical.
Shawan Jabarin, head of the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, said he considers the protests an internal Israeli struggle to maintain a status quo that has only cemented the occupation.
“What democracy are you speaking about?’” he said. “Democracy doesn’t go in the same time with occupation.”
Almost 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents in the U.S. are dads
A stay-at-home dad in Falmouth, Maine, walks with his children, ages 5 and 9, after they were dropped off by the school bus. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
How we did this
The share of parents in the United States who are not employed for pay has been fairly stable over the last five years. In 2021, 18% of parents didn’t work for pay, which was unchanged from 2016, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. The share who are stay-at-home parents differs between men and women: 26% of mothers and 7% of fathers.
Over the past 30 years, the share of stay-at-home parents has fluctuated, rising during periods of higher unemployment.
How stay-at-home dads and moms compare
Between 1989 and 2021, the share of mothers who were not employed for pay decreased slightly, from 28% to 26%. Over the same span, the share of fathers who were not working increased from 4% to 7%.
Due to these diverging trends, dads now represent 18% of stay-at-home parents, up from 11% in 1989.
The reasons mothers and fathers give for not working for pay differ significantly. In 2021, the vast majority of stay-at-home moms (79%) said they took care of the home or family. About one-in-ten (9%) said they were at home because they were ill or disabled, and smaller shares said they didn’t work because they were students, unable to find work or retired.
Stay-at-home dads cite more varied reasons for not working for pay. In 2021, 23% stayed home to care for the home or family. That is up from only 4% in 1989 but still well below the share of stay-at-home moms who said the same.
About one-third of stay-at-home dads (34%) were not working due to illness or disability, down from 56% in 1989. Some 13% were retired, 13% said they could not find work and 8% were going to school.
How stay-at-home dads are different from dads who work
Stay-at-home dads differ demographically from dads who work for pay.
Education: Stay-at-home dads are less likely than dads working for pay to have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. Some 22% of stay-at-home dads have this level of education, compared with 42% of dads who work for pay.
Poverty: The families of stay-at-home dads tend to be less economically well-off than the families of dads who work for pay. Some 40% of stay-at-home dads live in poverty, compared with 5% of dads who work for pay.
Age: Stay-at-home dads tend to be older than dads working for pay. Some 46% of stay-at-home dads are age 45 or older, compared with 35% of dads working for pay.
Race and ethnicity: Stay-at-home dads are a more racially and ethnically diverse group than working dads. Half of dads who don’t work for pay are non-Hispanic White. This compares with 60% of dads working for pay. Non-Hispanic Black fathers are a larger share of stay-at-home dads (18%) than they are of working dads (9%). Hispanic fathers are 21% of both stay-at-home and working fathers, and non-Hispanic Asian fathers are 7% of stay-at-home fathers and 8% of working fathers.
Marriage: Some 68% of stay-at-home dads are married, as are 85% of dads who work for pay.
In addition, stay-at-home dads who are taking care of the home or family differ in some ways from those who stay home for other reasons.
Education: 27% of dads who stay home to care for family have a four-year college degree, while 21% of dads who stay home for other reasons do.
Age: A third of dads staying home to take care of family are age 45 or older, compared with half of those who are home for other reasons.
Marriage: 73%of dads who stay home to care for family are married, as are 66% of dads who are home for other reasons.
Note: This is an update of a post originally published Sept. 24, 2018, written by former Senior Researcher Gretchen Livingston.
Canadian province Alberta cancels bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games
PublishedShare
IMAGE SOURCE,WALTER SOMERS / 500PX
Image caption,
A bid was being considered with Calgary and Edmonton, as well as the Tsuut'ina Nation and Enoch Cree Nation.
By Thomas Mackintosh
BBC News
The government of Alberta has pulled its support for a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games due to rising costs.
A joint bid was being considered by the Canadian province, centred around the cities of Edmonton and Calgary.
Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow said the bill was estimated at C$2.7bn (£1.5bn; $2bn) - a burden "too high for the province to bear".
Last month Australia pulled out of hosting the 2026 games in Victoria due to budget blowouts.
The initial plan was to host the games over 11 days in August 2030 with competitions and events spread between Calgary and Edmonton, as well as the Tsuut'ina Nation and Enoch Cree Nation.
In a statement Mr Schow suggested the "corporate sponsorship model" and "limited broadcast revenues" would have put 93% of costs on taxpayers.
He insisted the authorities wanted to be transparent about funding and demonstrating a return on investment.
"That is why we have made the decision not to continue pursuing the bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games."
Alberta's provincial government said it had committed up to C$2m (£1.2m) to explore the feasibility of hosting the Games - and the city of Edmonton another C$1m (£590,000), according to Reuters.
Commonwealth Sport Canada had been expected to complete a feasibility study this month ahead of a formal bid.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek's office told Canada's national public broadcaster CBC the bid was finished without support from the province.
"The provincial government's decision to withdraw from Alberta's 2030 Commonwealth Games bid process effectively terminates the bid and the City of Calgary's participation," the statement said.
The Commonwealth Games are a multi-sport tournament that take place every four years and have only ever been cancelled during World War Two.
To be eligible to participate in the games, competitors must be from one of the Commonwealth's 56 members. Most of the countries in the Commonwealth were once part of the British Empire.
Earlier this year, Hamilton, Ontario, which hosted the inaugural Games in 1930, suspended its bid after the group behind the push failed to secure government commitments.
On 18 July, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the 2026 event was supposed to be a massive boost for the regional cities hosting it, at a cost of A$2.6bn (£1.4bn; $1.8bn).
But he told reporters the cost of staging the 12-day games had ballooned to more than A$6bn.
"I've made a lot of difficult calls, a lot of very difficult decisions in this job. This is not one of them," Mr Andrews said.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) called Victoria's decision "hugely disappointing" and added it was "committed to finding a solution".
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014, and government figures suggest the total cost was around £543m ($691m).
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he would support a bid for the capital to host in 2026, but said any final decision would need to be made by the government.
Discriminatory Policies Trigger Religious Violence in India
Bands of angry Hindu and Muslim young men in the streets, violent attacks, looting, arson. This is a chilling vision of the breakdown in rule of law in India.
This is what happened in Haryana state when Hindu groups planned a parade. The violence that broke out on July 31 was apparently triggered after a member of a group affiliated to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is accused of murdering two Muslim men, issued a video encouraging people to join the parade. Muslims, believing that he was part of the gathering, targeted the procession. Hindu groups retaliated.
Incidents like this are the unfortunate and obvious outcome of the BJP government’s Hindu majoritarian politics, including the adoption of laws and policies that systematically discriminate against minorities and stigmatize critics of the government. The continued vilification of Muslims has resulted in an increase in hate crimes.
“We hope and trust that the state authorities, including police agencies, will ensure there is no hate speech against any community, no damage is caused to any property, and wherever required adequate police or paramilitary forces will be deployed,” the Supreme Court said after hearing petitions over planned protests by BJP affiliated groups – Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal – in response to the violence in Haryana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting Indian democracy abroad, but at home it is a different story. His claims cannot be considered credible while he continues to implement discriminatory policies.
Hasbro selling eOne to Lionsgate in deal worth around £393m
3 August 2023, 16:14
LONDON, UK – JANUARY 13TH 2017: The Hasbro logo on the packaging of one of their board games, on 13th January 2017. Picture: PA
The deal has been made just four years after Hasbro bought eOne for £3.15 billion.
Hasbro is selling its eOne television and movie business to Lionsgate in a deal worth around 500 million US dollars (£393 million), after having paid 4 billion dollars (£3.15 billion) for the company four years ago.
Hasbro said the agreement with Lionsgate includes 375 million dollars (£295 million) in cash and the assumption of production financing loans.
The acquisition will give Lionsgate access to eOne’s library of almost 6,500 titles, including Grey’s Anatomy, Yellowjackets and The Woman King. Lionsgate will also receive film development rights to Hasbro’s Monopoly, based on the popular board game
The deal allows the company to continue to scale its operations in the UK and Canada, where it has recently launched production partnerships with BBC Studios, Channel Four, the CBC, Rogers’ CityTV and Bell Media.
Hasbro purchased Entertainment One in 2019 in an all-cash deal valued at about 4 billion dollars. At the time, Hasbro was interested in eOne’s pre-school brands, which included Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. Hasbro will still have access to Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, as it will keep ownership of the family brands division.
While Hasbro had high hopes for the deal, in November it announced that it was looking to sell the part of eOne’s television and film business not directly supporting its branded entertainment strategy.
The boards of Hasbro and Lionsgate have approved the transaction, which is targeted to close by the end of the year.
Hasbro will retain access to Peppa Pig (eOne/Astley Baker Davies)
Hasbro said it will use proceeds from the deal to retire a minimum of 400 million dollars (£314 million) of floating rate debt by year’s end.
The toy company also reported its financial results for the second quarter on Thursday. Hasbro lost 235 million dollars (£185 million), or 1.69 dollars per share, in the period, reversing a profit a year earlier.
Earnings, adjusted for asset impairment costs and amortisation costs, came to 49 cents per share. That was below the 58 cents per share analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected.
Revenue for the company fell 10% to 1.21 billion dollars (£950 million), beating Wall Street’s estimate of 1.11 billion dollars (£870 million).
A year ago, Hasbro reported an adjusted profit of 1.15 dollars per share on revenue of 1.34 billion dollars (£1.05 billion).
Shares of Hasbro rose more than 2% in morning trading.
