'Boycott Zara': Canadians join protests after critics link fashion giant's ads to Israel-Hamas war

Protesters demonstrated at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and Bayshore Shopping Centre in Ottawa on Friday.


Chris Stoodley
·Lifestyle and News Editor
Sat, December 16, 2023

Canadians protested at some Zara locations, including at least two in Ontario, joining recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the fashion chain's other locations in the world.

Videos on social media have circulated of demonstrators arriving at Zara storefronts at both Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Ottawa's Bayshore Shopping Centre on Friday evening.

Protesters held Palestinian flags and signs demanding the end of the siege on Gaza at the Ottawa location, as they chanted "free, free Palestine." In Toronto, demonstrators brought numerous white bundles and fliers showing what resembled bloody handprints.

The demonstrations follow protests in other parts of the world against the Spanish fashion giant, including one protest that forced a location in Glasgow, Scotland to close on Wednesday followed by another demonstration on Saturday at the same location where three people were arrested. Other protests were reportedly seen in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as Hannover, Germany and Melbourne, Australia, according to Hyperallergic.

The protests come after Zara faced criticism for a recent ad campaign, called "The Jacket," which many people said resembled photos of corpses in white shrouds in Gaza. The campaign, which Zara said was conceived in July and photographed in September, before the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October, featured statues wrapped in white. It also showcased mannequin with missing limbs.

"Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created," Zara shared in a statement on Instagram, noting it "regrets that misunderstanding."

Following the backlash, Zara pulled the campaign, where images from the campaign had been pulled from retailer's website and social media channels by Tuesday morning.

On Zara's Instagram post with its statement, users demanded people boycott the brand, with many people saying the brand should've shared a longer apology.

"This apology is giving 'I'm sorry you felt this way' vibes," one person wrote.

"That's it? Really? LOL, bye bye, Zara, forever," another added.

"Cancelled. Period," someone chimed in.

"The problem is, Zara, you really don't understand — we will not be back. Like ever," one person commented.

Israel faces new calls for truce after killing of hostages raises alarm about its conduct in Gaza

The Canadian Press
Sun, December 17, 2023 


DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel's government faced calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European allies and from protesters at home on Sunday after a series of shootings, including of three hostages who waved a white flag, added to mounting concerns about its conduct in the 10-week-old war in Gaza.

The protesters urge the government to renew hostage negotiations with Gaza's Hamas rulers, whom it has vowed to destroy. Israel could also face pressure to scale back major combat operations when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Monday. Washington is expressing growing unease with civilian casualties even while as it provides vital military and diplomatic support.

The war has flattened large parts of northern Gaza, killed thousands of civilians and driven most of the population to the southern part of the besieged territory, where many are in crowded shelters and tent camps. Some 1.9 million Palestinians — nearly 85% of Gaza’s population — have fled their homes.

They survive off a trickle of humanitarian aid. Israel said that starting Sunday, U.N. aid trucks would be able to enter Gaza from a second location, Kerem Shalom, in Israel.

Dozens of desperate Palestinians surrounded aid trucks after they drove in through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, forcing some to stop before climbing aboard, pulling down boxes and carrying them off. Other trucks appeared to be guarded by masked people carrying sticks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “will continue to fight until the end,” with the goal of eliminating Hamas, which triggered the war with its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and captured scores of hostages.

Netanyahu vowed to bring back the estimated 129 hostages still in captivity. Anger over the mistaken killing of hostages is likely to increase pressure on him to renew Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over swapping more of the remaining captives for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

Gaza, meanwhile, saw telecom services gradually resume after a four-day communications blackout, the longest of several outages during the war. Aid groups say they complicate rescue efforts and make it more difficult to monitor the toll on civilians.

CALLS FOR A NEW CEASE-FIRE

In Israel on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for an “immediate truce” aimed at releasing more hostages, getting larger amounts of aid into Gaza and moving toward “the beginning of a political solution.”

France’s Foreign Ministry earlier said an employee was killed in an Israeli strike on a home in Rafah on Wednesday. It condemned the strike, which it said killed several civilians, and demanded clarification from Israeli authorities.

The foreign ministers of the U.K. and Germany, meanwhile, called for a “sustainable” cease-fire, saying too many civilians had been killed.

“Israel will not win this war if its operations destroy the prospect of peaceful co-existence with Palestinians,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote in the U.K.’s Sunday Times.

The U.S. defense secretary is set to travel to Israel to continue discussions on a timetable for ending the war’s most intense phase. Israeli and U.S. officials have spoken of a transition to more targeted strikes aimed at killing Hamas leaders and rescuing hostages, without saying when it would occur.

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and that in exchange it will demand the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants.

Hamas released over 100 of more than 240 hostages captured on Oct. 7 in exchange for the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners during a brief cease-fire in November. Nearly all freed on both sides were women and minors. Israel has rescued one hostage.

The Israeli military said Sunday it had discovered a large tunnel in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous attack preparations by Hamas.

SHOOTINGS DRAW SCRUTINY

Military officials said Saturday that the three hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops had tried to signal that they posed no harm. It was Israel's first such acknowledgement of harming hostages in the war.

The hostages, all in their 20s, were killed Friday in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops are engaged in fierce fighting with Hamas. An Israeli military official said the shootings were against the army's rules of engagement and were being investigated at the highest level.

Israel says it makes every effort to avoid harming civilians and accuses Hamas of using them as human shields. But Palestinians and rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of recklessly endangering civilians and firing on those who do not threaten them, both in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, which has seen a surge of violence since the war began.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace, saying “unarmed civilians are being bombed and shot at, and this has even happened inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists but families, children and sick people with disabilities, nuns.” He spoke after the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said two Christian women at a church compound in Gaza were killed by Israeli sniper fire.

A British lawmaker, Layla Moran, said several family members were among hundreds sheltering in the compound. “This is a church. It’s a week before Christmas. This is Advent. This is an important time in the Christian family’s religious calendar. And there is a sniper killing women and firing at children,” she asserted.

In Gaza, Palestinians on several occasions have said Israeli soldiers opened fire at fleeing civilians.

The offensive has killed more than 18,700 Palestinians, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said Thursday in its last update before the communications blackout. It has said that thousands more casualties are buried under the rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but has said that most of those killed were women and children.

On Sunday, five people were killed and many injured after a reported Israeli airstrike hit near a U.N.-run school in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis where displaced Palestinians were sheltering. A cameraman with The Associated Press counted five bodies delivered to a hospital.

The plight of Palestinian civilians has gotten little attention inside Israel, where many are still deeply traumatized by the Oct. 7 attack and where support for the war remains strong.

Israel's military says 121 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza offensive. It says it has killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

___

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Wafaa Shurafa And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press

Experts worried Israel could flood Gaza tunnels

Gaël BRANCHEREAU
Fri, December 15, 2023 

In a photo taken under Israeli army supervision, a soldier stands in what the Israeli army says is a tunnel dug by Hamas militants inside the Al-Shifa hospital complex (Ahikam SERI)


Israel has reportedly started to test a plan to flood Hamas's sprawling tunnel network, but experts say it is a dangerous option that poses huge risks to Gaza's besieged civilians.

The military is determined to destroy the tunnels after Hamas's October 7 attack in southern Israel, and army chief Herzi Halevi has suggested pumping water into them is "a good idea".

AFP takes a look at Hamas's tunnel network and Israel's bid to destroy it.


- 'Gaza metro' -

Dubbed "the Gaza metro" by the Israeli military, there were 1,300 tunnels over 500 kilometres (310 miles) in Gaza at the start of the war in October, according to a study from US military academy West Point.

The maze of tunnels was initially used to bypass Israel's devastating blockade on the Gaza Strip after Hamas came to power in 2007, allowing the smuggling of people, goods and weaponry in and out of Egypt.

It extended the network after the 2014 Israel-Hamas war and uses them to emerge across Gaza to launch rocket attacks on Israel.

- Since October 7 -

Since entering Gaza in October, the Israeli military has found that the tunnel network is "even more extensive and deeper than they expected," Raphael Cohen, military expert for the US-based Rand Corporation, told AFP.

The Israeli army has found more than 800 tunnel shafts, 500 of which have been destroyed, it said in December.

It claimed the shafts were in civilian areas of the densely-populated territory, including schools, mosques and playgrounds.

In November the Israeli army sparked outcry when it stormed the Al-Shifa hospital, claiming to have found a 55-metre tunnel in its basement.

Israel shared footage which it said proved hostages had been held there, which Hamas denied.

- Hostages -

Israel estimates that 250 people were taken as hostages into Gaza in the October 7 attack, which Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Its retaliatory offensive has left much of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 18,700 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Several of the 105 hostages freed during a week-long truce that ended on December 1 described being held captive in the tunnels.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday that the bodies of two hostages were found in the "underground infrastructure" in Gaza.

- Destroying the tunnels -

The Israeli army has not said exactly how it plans to destroy or block the tunnels in the small coastal territory.

But Israeli media reports that the army is leaning towards flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean.

There have been successful tests, public broadcaster Channel 11 reported Thursday.

But Rand's Cohen told AFP there are always "second-order consequences" with such tactics.

"There's no good way of destroying a tunnel without affecting the infrastructure above ground," he said.

Hamas doubts Israel's ability to destroy the tunnels.

"Those tunnels were built by well-trained and educated engineers, and they have considered any kind of attacks that may happen including bombing and water," senior Lebanon-based Hamas official Osama Hamdan told a press conference on Thursday.

- Eco-hazard -

The narrow Gaza Strip is only between six and 12 kilometres (about 3.7 to 7.5 miles) wide and the territory's water tables were already facing a huge problem from becoming too salty, worsened by rising sea levels.

That adds to a chronically faulty wastewater system and the "uncontrolled used of pesticides and herbicides in intensive agricultural zones," said Eilon Adar, from the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Combined, these factors have "had very serious consequences on Gaza's water quality," Adar told AFP.

gab/lcm/rsc/er

Israel is testing out flooding the Hamas tunnels. Here’s what it could look like scaled up

Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN
Fri, December 15, 2023 


Seven weeks into Israel’s ground operation in Gaza, one of the key challenges facing the Israeli military is the labyrinth of Hamas tunnels that it says spans the entirety of the Strip.

In an effort to destroy the underground network, Israel has begun flooding some of Gaza’s tunnels with seawater, a US official told CNN on Tuesday, adding that the Israelis are “carefully testing out” the method “on a limited basis.”

If successful, flooding could be ramped up to degrade the tunnel network on a larger scale.

The method, however, is difficult and controversial. Even if implemented with sufficient amounts of water at high enough pressure, it may prove only partially successful. It also risks contaminating freshwater supplies and damaging whatever infrastructure remains on the surface.

For the Israeli government, it also risks killing hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, many of whom are believed to be underground.

The Israelis are unsure whether the method will work, the American official said, but they assured the US that they are being careful to only test it in tunnels where they do not believe hostages are being held.

CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.

A spokesperson for Hamas on Thursday said the group had built its tunnels to withstand possible attempts to pump water into them.

“The tunnels were built by well-trained and educated engineers who considered all possible attacks from the occupation, including pumping water,” Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan told a news conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The tunnels however have also acted as an economic lifeline for Gaza’s residents, transporting people, goods and sometimes even American fast food amid a 17-year blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.

An Israeli soldier stands in an underground tunnel in Gaza City on November 22. 

- Victor R. Caivano/AP

A tool of warfare

Tunnels have historically been used as a tool of warfare. They were used by the French in the interwar period, by al Qaeda in the mountains of Afghanistan and by the Viet Cong in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Hamas’ tunnels are unique, however. They are “very innovative in their depth, in their sophistication, in their mining, in their trapping,” said Danny Orbach, a military historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The subterranean structure is allegedly built under most of the Gaza Strip – a densely populated territory that is home to more than 2 million people – and by some accounts reaches a couple of hundred feet underground.

Hamas’ tunnels can be large enough to fit adult fighters, weaponry, goods and even cars, according to experts and footage released by the group. Some are reinforced with thick cement walls or are separated by metal doors, and not all of them are connected, experts say.

The scale of the Israeli military’s tests is unclear: how much water and how much pressure it is using to flood the tunnels it or even which tunnels it is targeting.

For the operation to succeed, the pressure with which the water is pumped into the tunnels would have to be high enough to destroy not only the cement walls, but also the thick, metal doors separating some of them.

At the very least, Orbach says, the flooding operation could force Hamas militants to move within the tunnels, which would aid Israeli intelligence in identifying militants and possibly hostages.
There will likely be complications

The method of shutting down tunnels by flooding them isn’t new for Israel or Gaza.

In an effort to shut some of the tunnels allegedly built by Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border, the IDF in 2018 flooded them with cement, which ended up spilling out onto the surface in the southern Lebanese village above the structure.

Similarly, Egypt in 2013 began flooding tunnels running underneath its shared border with Gaza, using seawater, sewage water and cement to halt what it said was the smuggling of weapons by Islamist insurgents from the Strip into its Sinai Peninsula.

The water that flooded the tunnels rose to the surface, destroying crops, contaminating fresh water supplies and risking the spread of disease, Palestinian factions in Gaza later said.

In 2021, Hamas claimed to have built 500 kilometers (311 miles) of tunnels under Gaza. To put that in perspective, the Gaza Strip is just 41 kilometers long and up to 12 kilometers wide. CNN is unable to verify Hamas’ claims.

The Israeli military said this month that it destroyed at least 500 tunnel shafts in Gaza and located more than 800 around the Palestinian enclave. The IDF said last week that many of the tunnel shafts “were located in civilian areas” and inside civilian structures.

But the flooding process could have a devastating impact on the territory, depending on how it’s done.

Flooding tunnels underneath populated areas risks damaging the infrastructure that remains intact in the territory. It also risks contaminating the source of its freshwater, experts said.

Israeli soldiers stand near the opening to a tunnel in Gaza City on November 22.

 - Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

“I see one problem with seawater (flooding) for example,” Orbach said. “Gaza is a very sandy topography. That means that seawater can leak down and destroy the aquifers, the drinking water.”

The territory’s only freshwater resource, the Coastal Aquifer, is already being increasingly depleted by over-extraction and contaminated by sewage and seawater infiltration, according to Amnesty International.

The war has significantly curtailed access to drinking water, with aid agencies warning that Palestinians are being forced to drink dirty or salty water to quench their thirst, increasing risks of waterborne diseases.

If the entire network of tunnels is flooded, buildings on top of them could also collapse, Orbach said, adding that the damage could be extensive because so many of them are under civilian infrastructure.

The goal of the flooding, however, may not be to completely destroy the tunnels at this time, some experts said.

“Because the tunnels are so extensive and because so many of them are dug under infrastructure, buildings and schools and what not, there is a desire to incapacitate them in the moment, even if it doesn’t fully destroy them,” said Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The Israelis could work with a post-war governing body in Gaza about completely dismantling the tunnel network, he added.

“I imagine there is a consideration of how much seawater is necessary to make a tunnel unusable, as opposed to putting people’s lives at risk,” Levitt said, referring to the hostages believed to still be underground in Gaza.

“I think people have a vision of flooding the tunnels as pumping so much water in that the entire tunnel is without oxygen and just filled with water,” he said, “and I imagine that is not the case.”
Hostages may be in the tunnels

The most pressing concern for most Israelis today is the dozens of hostages still in Gaza, with many believed to be held underground.

The Israeli government is under intense public pressure to retrieve the hostages alive.

Leaked audio recordings of a meeting between freed hostages and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month revealed anger at the prospect of flooding the tunnels.

A freed female abductee whose husband remains in captivity is heard on one recording as saying: “And you are talking about washing the tunnels with sea water? You are shelling the route of tunnels in the exact area where they are,” referring to heavy bombardment above of the tunnels.

“You put politics above the return of the kidnapped,” the woman adds. Israel believes there are 132 hostages still in Gaza – of whom 112 are thought to be alive, while 20 are believed to be dead, the prime minister’s office told CNN Friday.

Some of the hostages released by Hamas in October spoke about the tunnel system, describing the structure as a spiderweb.

Adina Moshe, who was dragged from her safe room in Israel and taken to Gaza on October 7th, was forced into tunnels five stories underground, according to her nephew Eyal Nouri.

“The bottom line is that Hamas invested tremendous time and money in this infrastructure, which is not for the benefit of the people in the Gaza Strip,” Levitt said, adding that from Israel’s perspective, it remains one of the most important military-critical infrastructure targets. “So, by one means or another, one can certainly expect that Israelis are going to be looking to disable the Hamas tunnel system.”

CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali, Joshua Berlinger, Natasha Bertrand and Donald Judd contributed to this report.

Israel finds large tunnel adjacent to Gaza border, raising new questions about prewar intelligence

Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARIEL SCHALIT and JULIA FRANKEL
Updated Sun, December 17, 2023 

BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military said Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants' deadly Oct. 7 assault.

The entryway to the tunnel is just a few hundred meters from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base.

The military said that it stretches for more than four kilometers (2½ miles), links up with a sprawling tunnel network across Gaza and is wide enough for cars to pass through. The army said Sunday that the tunnel facilitated the transit of vehicles, militants and supplies in preparation for the Oct. 7 attack.

That day, militants used a rocket-propelled grenade to break past the portion of wall close to the Erez crossing and stormed the base, killing at least three soldiers and kidnapping some back to Gaza, the army said. It was one of several places along the border wall where militants easily blew past Israel's security defenses, entered Israeli territory and killed around 1,200 people and took about 240 others hostage.

The unprecedented attack triggered a devastating war that has raged for more than 10 weeks and claimed more than 18,000 lives in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel says the destruction of Hamas' tunnel network is a major objective and that much of the underground network runs beneath schools, hospitals and residential areas.

Israel's military, intelligence and political officials have come under heavy criticism for failing to detect the attack ahead of time.

Maj. Nir Dinar, a military spokesperson, said that Israeli security services didn't know about the tunnel before Oct. 7 because Israel's border defenses only detected tunnels meant to enter Israel.

“As far as I know, this tunnel doesn’t cross from Gaza into Israel and stops within 400 meters from the border, which means the indicators won’t indicate that a tunnel is being built,” Dinar said. He added that the entrance, a circular cement opening leading to a cavernous passageway, was located under a garage, hiding it from Israeli drones and satellite images.

While the military was aware that Hamas had an extensive tunnel network, Dinar said they didn't think the militants would be able to carry out their plans for a large-scale attack.

“It’s no surprise that this was the Hamas strategy all along,” Dinar said. "The surprise is that they have succeeded and the size of this tunnel … was really shocking.”

The Erez crossing, a fortress-like facility that processed the movement of Palestinians into Israel for work, medical care and transit to neighboring Jordan, held great symbolic value for Hamas. The massive crossing was protected by security cameras and military patrols and the adjacent military base. The crossing suffered heavy damage on Oct. 7 and hasn't reopened.

The army said its special “Yahalom” unit, which specializes in tunnel warfare, has worked to excavate the tunnel since it was first detected. They say they've found weapons inside.

"At this point, this is the biggest tunnel in Gaza," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman, told reporters in a tour of the tunnel's entrance on Friday.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Hagari said troops had discovered at least two other “city-sized” tunnels of similar in scope, which they are still mapping.

“This was a flagship project that was waiting, finished and ready,” Hagari told a news conference. He noted that tunnel was in use during the war and that Israeli soldiers had killed Hamas militants inside the tunnel.

The army also showed reporters soldiers' barracks at the nearby base that it said were set ablaze by the militants. They looked like the ashes of a furnace, with blackened walls and smelted bunks. The military announced Friday that it had recovered in Gaza the bodies of two soldiers who were working at the base on Oct. 7.

Dinar, who visited the tunnel Friday, said it was twice the height and three times the width of other tunnels found in Gaza. He said it is equipped with ventilation and electricity and dives 50 meters underground in some points. He said it was clear that millions of dollars as well as a great deal of fuel and workforce had been needed to build and sustain the tunnel.

Hagari said the military planned to destroy the tunnel and continue to “hunt" militants hiding in others.

“We will hunt them even if we need to go down to the tunnels,” Hagari said. “We also need to do it with attention to the rescue of our hostages and the understanding that maybe some of them are in the tunnels.”

Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel

Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Israeli soldiers exit a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, speaks to the media in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Israeli soldiers exit a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza to retaliate for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

 (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

There's a 'Wave of Death' in Every Human Brain. Scientists Are Scrambling to Stop It.

Tim Newcomb
Thu, December 14, 2023 a

Working to Stave Off Brain’s ‘Wave of Death'Ioannis Tsotras - Getty Images

Researchers studying the brain’s final moments have gained new insight into the “wave of death” that occurs before a brain’s activity fully flatlines.


When neural activity stops, it doesn’t stop abruptly, but over time.


The team hopes to find ways to keep the brain functioning even when the heart and lungs fail.

The brain doesn’t shut off like a light switch, even as death approaches. While other bodily organs—namely the heart and lungs—have sudden stops, the brain flickers on through active neurons in a “wave of death” until it reaches a state of electrical silence.

Brain researchers in Paris have been working to better understand these cascading changes that occur when a brain is deprived of oxygen, as well as what they mean for our conceptualization of death. The results, published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, show where this wave originates and just how we can potentially stave it off.

Stephane Charpier, head of the research team at the Paris Brain Institute and study author, said in a statement that her team now knows “that a flat EEG does not necessarily mean the definitive cessation of brain functions.” This means that there could be hope for our ability to keep an oxygen-starved brain working even longer than expected.

When the brain stops receiving oxygen, the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stores that act as fuel for the cells quickly get sucked away. Then, it all becomes a bit chaotic. Electrical balances go out of whack and huge amounts of chemicals are released. “Neural circuits seem to shut down at first,” Severine Mahon, another author on the paper, said in a statement, “then we see a surge in brain activity—specifically an increase in gamma and beta waves. These waves are usually associated with a conscious experience. In this context, they may be involved in near-death experiences reported by people who have survived cardiorespiratory arrest.”

Once the process starts, the neuron activity trends downward until the brain is completely electrically silent. But that isn’t the end, because it's now time for the “wave of death,” which totally alters the function and structure of the brain. “This critical event, called anoxic depolarization, induces neuronal death throughout the cortex,” Antoine Carton-Leclercq, first author on the study, said in a statement. “Like a swan song, it is the true marker of transition toward the cessation of all brain activity.”

And now we know where it’s coming from. The team found (while studying rats) that the wave originates in a part of the brain called the neocortex—a region that makes up a large percentage of your brain, which can be divided into six layers. The “wave of death” seems to originate in layer five, deep in the tissue of the neocortex. “We have observed this same dynamic under different experimental conditions,” Mahon said, “and believe it could exist in humans.”

Why does this phenomenon come from so deep in the brain? The team believes that this “wave of death” starts in layer five because the neurons in that layer have exceptionally high oxygen requirements. But it seems like restoring oxygen flow can reverse at least some of these effects. When the team reoxygenated the rats’ brains, the cells replenished their ATP reserves and restored synaptic activity.

And that means there’s hope that the wave can be stopped. Carton-Leclercq said that researchers already knew that brain function could be protected if a patient was resuscitated fast enough. But—while it may take time to figure out exactly how to stop this wave—knowing where it comes from could eventually be helpful in preserving function even more effectively.

“This new study advances our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying changes in brain activity as death approaches,” Charpier said in a statement. “It is now established that, from a physiological point of view, death is a process that takes its time... and that it is currently impossible to dissociate it rigorously from life.”

“We now need to establish the exact conditions under which these functions can be restored,” Charpier continues, “and develop neuroprotective drugs to support resuscitation in the event of heart and lung failure.”

GM says goodbye to a popular model after 57 years

GM is laying off hundreds of workers at two of its plants.

Ian Krietzberg

THE STREET
Dec 15, 2023 

General Motors (GM) - Get Free Report, according to documents filed with the state of Michigan, will lay off just over 1,300 workers at two of its Michigan plants early next year.

The larger round of layoffs — 945 workers at GM's Orion Assembly plant, which produces Chevrolet Bolts — won't begin until Jan. 1. The company, however, scheduled the final date of production at the plant for the week of Dec. 18.

GM said in October that it plans to convert the Orion plant to electric vehicle production in 2025. The company had initially planned to bring the electrified version of the plant online in 2024, but pushed the date back to protect profit margins.


Here's the full story behind electric vehicle adoption


GM said at the time that Orion employees will be "offered other opportunities in Michigan."

The automaker will additionally lay off a further 369 workers at its Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping plant due to the company's decision to end the production of the Chevrolet Camaro, which is produced at the Lansing plant.

The layoffs at the plant will begin Jan. 2.

The company said in a statement that it "anticipates having job opportunities for all impacted team members per the provisions of the UAW-GM National Agreement.”

The decision to end the production of the Camaro, Brad Franz, director of Chevrolet car and crossover marketing, told the Detroit News, was the result of an evaluation of the company's "portfolio offerings for progress toward our EV future and sales demand."

"We’re not announcing an immediate successor at this time. But performance remains an important part of Chevrolet’s DNA," he said.

GM's self-driving unit Cruise also announced in an internal memo obtained by CNBC on Dec. 14 that it is laying off 900 employees, or 24% of its workforce.

The staffing reduction comes in the wake of safety concerns that resulted in Cruise temporarily shuttering its operations.

“GM supports the difficult employment decisions made by Cruise as it reflects their more deliberate path forward, with safety as the north star," the company said in a statement.

Shares of GM closed the previous session up more than 6% at a price of $36.25.

General Motors slashing workforce at two Michigan plants

Stepheny Price, Chris Pandolfo
Thu, December 14, 2023 

General Motors will lay off a total of 1,314 employees at two factories in Michigan in connection with ending production of vehicles, according to the Detroit Free Press.

GM filed a WARN notice posted on Thursday that said the Orion Assembly plant's expected layoff date will take place on January 1, cutting 945 jobs.

In a second WARN notice, the automaker said it will cut 369 jobs at Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping as GM ends production of the Camaro muscle car built there. The cuts will happen in phases that begin January 1 and end in March, according to the notice.

Those cuts are related to GM's October announcement that it was delaying production of two all-electric pickups at the plant by a full year and transferring nearly 1,000 workers to other GM facilities in Michigan.

GM’S CRUISE CUTTING 24% OF WORKFORCE, FIRES 9 EXECS AMID ROBOTAXI SAFETY PROBE

General Motors stated that it would offer employees affected by the cuts jobs elsewhere in the company.

General Motors' self-driving vehicle unit, Cruise, announced the layoffs on Thursday morning amid an ongoing safety investigation into its robotaxis, impacting nearly one in four employees.

The announcement came shortly after GM let go of nine Cruise executives amid the safety probe, including Chief Operating Officer Gil West, FOX Business confirmed.

This all comes as GM announced on Wednesday that it was making several changes to its product development team and promoting executives to lead the next phase of the company's growth strategy.

"We are committed to full transparency and are focused on rebuilding trust and operating with the highest standards when it comes to safety, integrity, and accountability," the memo said. "As a result, we believe that new leadership is necessary to achieve these goals."

The automaker stated that it would offer employees affected by the cuts jobs elsewhere in the company.

General Motors laying off 1,300+ workers in Michigan

Amber Ainsworth
Fri, December 15, 2023


LAKE ORION, Mich. (FOX 2) - More than 1,300 General Motors employees in Michigan will be out of work indefinitely to start the new year.

In Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) notices filed with the state, the automaker said it would be laying off workers at its Orion Assembly in Lake Orion and Lansing Grand River Assembly and Stamping.

In Lake Orion, 945 employees will be laid off, while 369 are being laid off in Lansing.

GM's first WARN notice for Orion Assembly was filed in October, and included more than 900 workers. Additional layoffs, which bring the number of impacted employees to 945, were noted in a WARN notice filed last week.

The layoffs will be in phases beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

These layoffs come after the company said it would be delaying electric pickup truck production at Orion Assembly. GM said in October that it would start making electric Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups in late 2025.



Lansing GM assembly plant to see layoffs as Camaro production comes to end

Dan Basso and Jamie L. LaReau, Lansing State Journal
Updated Fri, December 15, 2023 

General Motors Co. employees work the line Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing.

LANSING — More than 350 Lansing autoworkers will be laid off beginning Jan. 1, General Motors announced Thursday, and city officials are urging the company to find new products to build in mid-Michigan.

The the company issued a Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice that it intends to cut 369 jobs at Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping as GM ends production of the Camaro muscle car built there. The cuts will happen in phases that begin Jan. 1 and end in March, according to the WARN notice.

“I am deeply disappointed to hear about this decision by GM to layoff so many Lansing autoworkers," Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a prepared statement. "I look forward to hearing what GM has planned for LGR’s future and fully expect these jobs to return when GM replaces the Camaro line with a new product."

According to General Motors, LGR Assembly has 1,405 workers overall. The plant builds the Camaro, as well as the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 models.

GM announced earlier this year that it was ending Camaro production at the plant with the 2024 model year.

“As we prepare to say goodbye to the current generation Camaro, it is difficult to overstate our gratitude to every Camaro customer, Camaro assembly line employee and race fan,” Global Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell said at the time. “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.”

Leaders of Lansing's UAW Local 652, which represents workers at the plant, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Schor said the LGR factory's location means it is well-positioned to aid GM's move toward an electric vehicle future.

"It is the perfect location, close to the new Ultium battery plant, for transitioning to electric vehicle production and I am hopeful that we can look to the future of this plant and these incredible autoworkers," Schor said. "I plan to meet with GM as soon as possible to talk about this announcement and any potential future plans."

The Ultium plant represents a $2.6 billion investment in Delta Township. The plant is a joint venture between General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. It could begin producing electric vehicle batteries by the end of 2024.

General Motors' announcement said it will lay off a total of 1,314 employees at two factories. GM also filed a WARN notice Thursday that said it will cut 945 jobs starting Jan. 1 at its Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township.

Those cuts are related to GM's October announcement that it was delaying production of two all-electric pickups at the plant by a full year, which will idle the factory at the end of this year. The company will transfer about 1,000 workers to other GM facilities in the state.

GM had planned to start production on the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV next year at Orion, but GM said it will "retime the conversion" of Orion Assembly plant to EV truck production and restart the plant in late 2025 instead.

The automaker says it will offer affected employees jobs elsewhere in the company.

The planned cuts come on the heels of a more than month-long strike that affected Lansing's auto plants.

That's All, Folks: Chevy Camaro Production Officially Ends

Caleb Jacobs
Fri, December 15, 2023

That's All, Folks: Chevy Camaro Production Officially Ends photo


Endings are hard, even when you know they're coming. Such is the case with the Chevy Camaro as the sixth-generation driver's car has exited production. It's unclear what's next for the iconic nameplate, but all signs point to something drastically different from the Camaro we've known for more than half a century.

GM Authority wrote earlier this week that December 14 would be the Camaro's final day, and a General Motors spokesperson allegedly confirmed that to American Cars and Racing. I reached out myself and a GM rep told me the same, providing the following statement:

"Camaro is a passion product. It has developed a fan base across the world and has brought people into Chevrolet dealerships for generations. The sixth generation specifically represented athleticism and composure—exuding confidence on the road and dominance on the track."


There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the Camaro, as you'd expect with a performance model whose history spans nearly 60 years. The thing is, not much of the hype came from GM. Sure, the automotive giant released a few special editions, but the car kinda went out with a whimper instead of a bang. At least we got that ZL1 Garage 56 tribute.

While Chevy has made clear that there's no immediate successor lined up for the sixth-gen, "this is not the end of Camaro’s story." You can bet that whatever is next will be electrified, though it's unclear if the Bowtie brand will make it a hybrid or fully battery-powered. It's people's worst fear that it will be something with four doors, though the Dodge Charger was successfully revived as a sedan in 2006. Maybe GM could do it in a similar way that doesn't depart too far from the Camaro's ethos.

Sales of the Camaro spiked 110% through the second quarter of 2023 as people clamored to get one while they could. The decision was already made to move on from the sixth-gen after nine years, however, so the surge came too late. It's a shame as the Camaro has been consistently praised by critics for its performance and driving feel; customers just preferred the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.

We'll stay tuned in to see what's next for the Camaro, but in the meantime, we'll be reminiscing. Maybe they'll make a modern Catfish design? On second thought, nah. Better not.

It seems like end of road for iconic American car as Chevy Camaro production stops

Patrick Hilsman
Fri, December 15, 2023 

According to multiple industry sources and trade reports, General Motors has stopped production of its iconic Chevrolet Camaro this week. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI


Dec. 15 (UPI) -- According to multiple industry sources and trade reports, General Motors has stopped production of its Chevrolet Camaro this week.

GM Authority, citing an unnamed source, reported that Dec. 14 was the last day of production. Road and Track reports that a GM representative confirmed the end of production.

The earliest version of the Camaro was produced in 1966, with multiple generations following. Camaros are known as "pony" cars, which are sporty commercial models.

The current sixth generation of Camaros was introduced in 2016.

The end of Camaro production comes as General Motors, Chevrolet's parent company, revealed plans to lay off 1,314 workers from two Michigan factories in a notice to Michigan's Labor Department

General Motors ended the production of the Chevrolet Camaro this week, according to multiple media outlets. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI

"Camaro is a passion product. It has developed a fan base around the world and has brought people into Chevrolet dealerships for generations," a GM spokesperson told The Drive.

The end of the Camaro line, for at least the time being, was announced in March, with the company saying at the time that production would cease in January.

A Chevrolet Camaro is parked on a side street in central Beijing in 2018. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

"After nine strong model years in the market, with hundreds of thousands sold, the sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro will retire at the conclusion of the model year 2024. The final sixth generation will come off the assembly line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan in January 2024," Chevrolet said in a press release in March.

The company also suggested that further Camaro models would appear on the market at an undetermined time.

A customized 1969 Chevy Camaro built by Bradley Gray is displayed during the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas in 2019. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI

"While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro's story," Global Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell said.

OTTAWA

OC Transpo union says more riders than ever skipping fare

CBC
Fri, December 15, 2023 

The head of the union representing most OC Transpo employees says fare evasion is on the rise, but transit officials aren't tracking the problem. (Francis Ferland/CBC - image credit)


OC Transpo doesn't know how much money it's losing to transit scofflaws, even as the union representing many of its employees warns that more and more passengers are skipping out on paying their fares.

Clint Crabtree, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, said fare evasion has always been an issue at OC Transpo — but it seems to be getting worse.

"I think it's more today than it ever has been," Crabtree said. "That's the feedback that I'm getting from my members, is that they're seeing fare evasion all the time, every day, and they're seeing it more and more and more."

There is nobody out there policing it, so why pay? - Clint Crabtree, ATU Local 279

He said there are too few fare inspectors to make a dent in the problem, and OC Transpo is losing out on desperately needed revenue as a result.

"It ends up being a free-for-all for anyone who wants to take public transit," he said. "There is nobody out there policing it, so why pay?"

He said OC Transpo needs to take the issue more seriously, and suggested that hiring more inspectors might go a long way. At the very least, he said, OC Transpo should do something to keep track of the scale of the problem.

Transit services general manager Renée Amilcar said it's tough to pin down how many people are dodging fare. She said the previous system relied on a button that bus drivers could push, but they were pushing it so much that it "killed the system."

Amilcar believes there were many false alarms, including from people with valid passes who used the rear doors.

"So now we have to find something else, something more sustainable," she said.

Amilcar said OC Transpo has been working closely with the union to devise an action plan on fare evasion, which will target problem routes that drivers identify. She plans to present it to council's transit commission in February.

Clint Crabtree is president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, which represents many OC Transpo employees including bus and train operators.

 (Mathieu Theriault/CBC)

Driver morale at 'all-time low'

OC Transpo drivers aren't supposed to confront fare delinquents, but Crabtree said it can be hard to resist.

"These are operators, but they still are taxpayers of the city as well, and you see people coming on the bus and not paying. It's frustrating to the operator, and some of them do say things," he said.

That can lead to conflict, and he said his members regularly face verbal abuse. It's just one of the travails of working at OC Transpo, according to Crabtree, who said morale is now "at an all-time low."

"I've just seen it go lower and lower and lower," he said.

He blamed unrealistic scheduling as a major factor, saying drivers are regularly confronted by unhappy customers frustrated at buses that don't arrive on time, if at all.

OC Transpo users can now use credit cards and mobile wallets to pay adult fares at all LRT gates and on all of Ottawa's buses. Bus riders can tap their cards and phones on red pay stations like these, shown on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.  OC Transpo shows introduced these new pay stations in September. More and more passengers are getting a free ride, the head of the union representing drivers says.

 (Melanie Campeau/CBC)

Crabtree links low morale to OC Transpo's difficulties with recruiting and retaining drivers.

"I have seen a record number of resignations and retirements in the last year, with half of the resignations coming from long-service employees. The other half of the resignations are coming from brand new recruits," he said.

"We're seeing them drive for a month or two and then resign, so you've wasted all this time and money on training them."

Crabtree said he's been meeting on a weekly basis with Amilcar and has the impression that management is taking the issue seriously.

"We're working very closely on the scheduling," Amilcar told reporters. "I know that we have concerns. I know that we can improve the way we work with our employees but we will need to find, as I said, the best balance to deliver the service and build the morale."

Musk's Stalling Leads Mexico to Second-Guess Massive Tesla Factory


Amy Stillman
Fri, December 15, 2023 




(Bloomberg) -- There’s a great big void in the northern Mexico desert where Elon Musk said early this year Tesla Inc. would build its next massive car plant. Locals who were ebullient only months ago now are tempering expectations.

Construction of the Nuevo Leon factory, which had been slated to make Tesla’s cheaper next-generation vehicles, is delayed due to Musk’s misgivings about the global economy. Other problems, including permitting delays and a dearth of infrastructure, also have plagued the process.


Mexico has sought to allay concerns that the plant might be canceled. This week, the state government approved $153 million in incentives for basic infrastructure such as roads and water treatment, as well as a reduction in payroll tax. Days earlier, the nation’s environmental regulator granted Tesla a land-use permit.

Even so, Tesla will require several more local and federal permits, including from the Energy Regulatory Commission, to build and operate the Nuevo Leon factory, and additional infrastructure must be developed.

When Tesla settled on the Nuevo Leon site only nine months ago, politicians and executives hailed it as a paragon of nearshoring — the idea that international companies will set up much more of their production in Mexico to be closer to the US. The company’s investment in the country is expected to reach $10 billion over multiple phases.

Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia envisioned Tesla shipping the first vehicles from its Mexico facility as soon as next year. Now, it’s unclear whether the plant will open even in 2025. The factory site is an empty stretch of cactus-ridden land along the highway, and the only indication Tesla is coming is a welcome sign from a local realtor peeking through a barbed-wire fence.

Musk said in October that while he still plans to build the plant, the chief executive officer was reluctant to move forward at “full tilt” because of high interest rates. In a more recent interview, Musk said that Tesla will produce its next-generation entry-level vehicle at its Texas factory first, since the Mexico facility won’t be ready in time. The battery-sourcing strategy for Tesla’s Mexico factory remains unclear.

The facility could be up and running by late 2025 or early 2026, reckons Scott Chen, the CEO of Yinlun TDI LLC, the California-based subsidiary of the Chinese manufacturer. His company feeds components including heating and cooling parts to Tesla’s Austin plant, which assembles Model Y sport utility vehicles and the new Cybertruck.

Chen expects to supply Tesla’s Nuevo Leon plant once it’s operational, and Yinlun plans to almost double its number of employees in Mexico by opening a second plant. Iit could even open a third.

The executive is still hopeful that Tesla will provide an economic jolt. “I’ve heard that they could be slowing down a little bit,” he said. “But right now we’re pretty busy supporting Austin.”

For the promise of nearshoring to be fully realized, Mexico also will have to overcome internal divisions. Much of the US investment headed to Mexico is likely destined for the northern part of the country, which is already relatively wealthier. That’s created tension, with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO, jabbing at local leaders who aren’t helping him funnel more money to the south.

Before Tesla announced its intent to build in Nuevo Leon, AMLO questioned the state’s ability to supply companies with water. The EV maker went ahead with its site selection, but requested that Nuevo Leon improve the availability of electricity, water and transportation before starting construction.

The issues are “a shame, because Nuevo Leon was known as the entity for nearshoring,” says Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base. “There have also been many announcements that haven’t materialized and that is beginning to disappoint.”

Antonio Lopez Vasquez, a Nuevo Leon resident, worries that AMLO could make it difficult for the state to receive funding for infrastructure and other necessities. Yet he ultimately sees Tesla’s arrival as positive, “in terms of the new companies or industries that are establishing themselves in the state.”

Another resident, Laura Cantu, is hopeful the Tesla plant will be a boon for the local economy. She points to the example of Kia Corp., which opened a plant in the municipality of Pesqueria in Nuevo Leon in 2016.

“When a big company like that comes, they bring with them all of their suppliers, and they come with a lot of impetus to grow and install industries here, it’s very beneficial,” Cantu said.

--With assistance from Juan Pablo Spinetto.

 Bloomberg Businessweek

Mexico's Nuevo Leon state gives Tesla $153 million in incentives for factory

Reuters
Thu, December 14, 2023 

Aerial view of the city, in Monterrey

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's northern state of Nuevo Leon approved $153 million in incentives for Tesla as the carmaker prepares to build a factory, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.

The incentives, worth 2.627 billion pesos ($152.86 million) and approved by a state economic development council, include a reduction in Tesla's payroll tax.

The automaker in March announced plans for a new factory in Nuevo Leon without providing a timeline for construction.

The state government on Thursday said the total amount of the incentives equals about 3.37% of Tesla's total investment in the state.

The incentives are intended to create basic infrastructure and new roads to boost development in the area where the factory will be built west of the state capital Monterrey.

The Nuevo Leon government has estimated it will cost more than $5 billion but Tesla has yet to share a price tag.

Earlier this week, the state government said that Tesla has received land-use permits for the factory from Mexico's federal environment ministry, totaling 261 hectares (645 acres).

($1 = 17.1858 Mexican pesos)

(Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Anthony Esposito)