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How Spain’s older generation are becoming the new high achievers

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How Spain’s older generation are becoming the new high achievers

Luís Martín left faculty at 14 to search out work as his household struggled by means of the determined years after the Spanish civil warfare.

A lifetime later, he returned to the classroom on the age of 87 to go the bachillerato or Spanish Baccalaureate, an examination that almost all kids full when they’re 18.

His achievement was matched by Carlos San Juan who took on the may of the highly effective banking foyer.

On the age of 79, he began a profitable marketing campaign to drive lenders to make banking extra accessible to a era which digitalisation handed by.

Each are a part of the rising silver era in Spain who are usually not content material to achieve for his or her slippers however are an more and more lively a part of this ageing society.

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Demographic specialists say that because the inhabitants ages, extra aged individuals are retiring who’re pc and social media savvy.

Spain has the sixth highest life expectancy on the earth, after Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Switzerland and Singapore, based on figures from the World Inhabitants Assessment printed this yr.

Spaniards dwell on common to 83.6, with girls reaching 86 and males dwelling to 80.9.

Greater than 20% of the 47 million inhabitants is now aged over 65, based on new figures from the Spanish Nationwide Statistics Institute printed on Wednesday.

As soon as a rustic of enormous households, it is a development which has been on the rise since 1975 when households began to have fewer kids as more and more, girls went to work.

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Not letting age get in the best way

Martín handed his bachillerato after deciding to begin finding out to assist him regain his reminiscence. It labored spectacularly.

“I used to be dropping my reminiscence and the docs stated I ought to strive finding out as it might assist me bear in mind issues. I all the time wished to review however couldn’t as a result of occasions had been very arduous after I was younger after the civil warfare,” he advised Euronews.

Martin studied on the Basque Distant Studying Institute in Bilbao in northern Spain the place his academics described the previous boat maker as a mannequin scholar.

“I’m fairly happy with what I’ve achieved however in the intervening time I’m not enthusiastic about college,” he stated.

Carlos San Juan, in the meantime, has not let his age get in the best way of taking over the nation’s greatest banks.

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The straw that broke the camel’s again was when financial institution employees flatly refused to come back out and assist him at a cashpoint as a result of he didn’t have an appointment.

The 79-year-old retired urologist had struggled with the ATM and financial institution apps for some time but it surely appeared like his personal financial institution was not occupied with serving to.

Not content material to surrender, he began a marketing campaign referred to as ‘I am aged, not an fool’, which struck a chord.

At first it was household and mates who supported his trigger close to his residence in Valencia however then by February, 650,000 folks had signed his petition.

Inside a month, Spain’s three important banking associations signed a protocol promising extra assist for aged folks to take care of digitalisation.

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Financial institution branches “will increase their counter service opening hours” and “older folks can be prioritised”, stated the settlement signed by the Spanish Banking Affiliation (AEB), one of many signatories.

ATMs, banking apps and net pages can be tailored with a simplified interface and language, the AEB stated.

“Maybe it was luck however folks signed the petition and the federal government responded. Then all of the banks have voluntarily agreed to assist folks,” San Juan advised Euronews.

“What’s essential now’s the federal government modifications to make this compulsory with a brand new legislation,” he stated, not content material to surrender the marketing campaign.

“There are numerous individuals who can’t take care of the web and they will be handled correctly. After we grow old we neglect issues.”

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New era of tech-friendly pensioners

San Juan believes that the achievements of older individuals are an indication of how Spanish society is altering.

“We’ve got to assume that Spain is without doubt one of the nations with the very best expectations on the earth so sooner or later we’re going to change (as a society). Digitalisation is essential however many individuals can’t be taught this from at some point to the following,” he stated.

Diego Ramiro, the director of the Institute of Financial system, Geography and Demography for the Spanish Nationwide Analysis Council, a authorities physique, stated an rising era of retirees can be digitally-savvy.

“One of many issues that the Spanish society has gone by means of is a radical change in instructional composition so that there’s a divide between those that are expert in utilizing computer systems and infographics and those that are usually not,” he advised Euronews.

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“These folks (who can use computer systems) are beginning to retire now. They’re utilizing the web to speak with their households by WhatsApp and electronic mail however they aren’t utilizing issues that require ID very a lot.”

Ramiro stated Spain’s authorities and banks had been concentrating on this new tech-friendly era of pensioners.

“The Spanish administration and banks are transferring to a extra ID or digital communication with the residents, the era which is retiring now who learnt the talents to make use of these techniques.”

A report from the Spanish Nationwide Institute for Statistics stated that the share of people that used the web amongst these aged 65-74 in Spain and Portugal was 73.3% in 2021 in comparison with 5.1% in 2006.

However whereas Luís Martín benefited from attending a distance studying faculty, these instructional institutions are nonetheless a rarity in Spain.

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“Within the UK and different central European nations there was a community of Universities of the Third Age however they aren’t that widespread in Spain which is able to affect how the rising aged adapt to the digital age. In Spain, you do not have that sort of assets for aged folks,” stated Ramiro.

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Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings

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Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings

The woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 can proceed anonymously (“at least for now”) in her lawsuit against the rappers, a judge ruled Thursday.

New York Judge Analisa Torres also condemned the legal team representing Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) for the “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks [on accuser’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee],” according to a court order obtained by Variety. “Since Carter’s attorney first appeared in this case seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer [Buzbee].”

Judge Torres continues, calling the complaints “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client [Jay-Z].”

Jane Doe, who filed her original lawsuit against Combs in October, and re-filed it with Carter’s name in early December, will remain anonymous at this early stage of the litigation. She could still be required by the court to reveal her identity.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Carter, recently asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman’s lawsuit. He cited a report from NBC News that revealed the accuser had admitted to some “inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in her allegations. His team has also issued public statements referring to Buzbee as a “1-800 lawyer” who is “in the pursuit of money and fame.”

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Judge Torres denied Carter’s request to dismiss the case. Representatives for Carter did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

In the last few weeks, Buzbee issued his own lawsuit against Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Carter, claiming they are using “shadowy operatives” to bribe his former clients into filing “frivolous” complaints against him. Carter has also sued Buzbee for defamation.

Jane Doe, who alleges she was 13 when Combs and Carter raped her in 2000, says she encountered the pair at an afterparty for the MTV Music Video Awards.

Carter responded to the allegation almost immediately. “You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Carter wrote in a letter addressing Buzbee. “I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”

Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September. He will remain there until his trial is scheduled to begin in May.

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China unveils world's largest amphibious warship

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China unveils world's largest amphibious warship

China has launched the first of its new line of amphibious assault ships and its biggest warship yet, strengthening what is already the world’s largest navy.

The Sichuan, a type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony on Friday. 

With a full load displacement of 40,000 tons, the warship ranks among the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a dual-island superstructure and full-length flight deck, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.

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A launching ceremony is held to unveil China’s first Type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, on December 27, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

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China Bugle, an news outlet associated with the PLAN’s news media center, reported the ship will play a key role in transforming and developing the Chinese navy and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas. 

The Sichuan is capable of launching fighter jets and unmanned drones from an electromagnetic catapult. It is designed to carry ground troops in landing craft with air support. 

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China Launches First Type 076 Amphibious Assault Ship

Named after southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the independently-developed new vessel was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony. (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

The ship also features “arrester technology” that Chinese researchers boast will allow fighter jets to land on its deck, similar to an aircraft carrier.

China launched its first amphibious assault ship, a type 075 class warship called the Hainan, in 2019.

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Launch ceremony for the Sichuan

Chinese military officials celebrate at the launch ceremony for the Sichuan.  (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

The PLANmi has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its homemade aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago.

The Sichuan will now undergo additional tests at sea. 

China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel.

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The U.S. Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed in strategic locations globally, including in the Asia-Pacific.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’

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Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’

Many people in Gaza lack adequate shelter and are malnourished after more than a year of Israeli attacks and blockades.

A Palestinian healthcare worker has died due to “extreme” weather conditions, according to a statement by the enclave’s Ministry of Health, as severe cold compounds the hardship faced by people displaced by Israel’s relentless attacks.

The body of Al-Hakim Ahmed al-Zaharneh, who worked at the European Gaza Hospital, was found inside his tent in al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the ministry said on Friday.

“This incident comes in light of the difficult humanitarian conditions that displaced citizens are experiencing, as the suffering of Gaza residents increases due to low temperatures and the lack of heating means in tents,” the ministry said.

The ministry said earlier that four Palestinian babies have died in tents in recent days amid the cold weather and widespread malnutrition.

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Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that the number of casualties in vulnerable groups is increasing due to worsening weather conditions.

“For 14 months now, people here have been lacking basic necessities to help them survive these difficult conditions – even in summer,” he said.

“Now in winter, the temperature has dropped very low, [and] people in tent camps feel the cold as being [colder] than the actual levels.”

He said that mothers often lack the strength or ability to breastfeed as they are malnourished and unwell.

“The conditions are worse for vulnerable groups like babies and, in the absence of [humanitarian aid], it is natural that deaths will happen.”

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The vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since war broke out with the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, with many people living in tents that offer little protection from the cold, rain and flooding.

The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as Israeli attacks and blockades severely curtail access to food, water, medicine and other supplies.

A leading United States government organisation monitoring food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the US asked for its retraction, US officials told The Associated Press.

The move follows public criticism of the report from the US ambassador to Israel.

The report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) had warned that a “famine scenario” was unfolding in northern Gaza where Israel launched a renewed offensive in early October.

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Meanwhile, on Friday, the director of Gaza’s Health Ministry told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few remaining medical facilities in north Gaza, and forced the 350 people there to evacuate, including all the patients and staff. He said contact with the hospital had been lost.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 45,436 Palestinians and wounded 108,038 since October 7, 2023, according to figures released on Friday by Gaza’s Health Ministry.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.

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