World
Wider Middle East war could have serious implications for EU — analyst
Though many countries still believe a diplomatic solution to end the conflict is achievable, so far, diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have failed to bring about concrete results.
The increasingly worsening crisis in the Middle East has Europe and the world further polarised, experts warn, and a wider regional war could have massive implications for the EU and the continent at large.
Prof Luigi Narbone, a former EU ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, believes the bloc’s member states are paying the price for being too divided over the matter.
The warning comes as G7 leaders called for de-escalation and a decrease in tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border in a conference call on Wednesday, where they discussed the fighting and worsening crisis.
“We should not underestimate that, especially in the southern parts of the world, the perception is that Europe has adopted double standards,” said Narbone.
“On the one hand, (there’s) the condemnation against Russia’s (President Vladimir) Putin; on the other, an ambivalent attitude toward Israel and the Middle East conflict.”
This double standard is very damaging to the EU’s credibility and the defence of fundamental values, Narbone said.
“The lack of stability in the region could affect the role of Russia in Syria and have repercussions on the economy. Sorting out the crisis is crucial for Europe, and it’s directly linked to migration flows with people fleeing war-hit areas in the region,” the former EU ambassador stressed.
The Italian government, which holds the presidency of the G7, would like the United Nations Security Council to consider strengthening the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s mission mandate and extending its powers and responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the UNIFIL has said it will remain in place despite the latest developments.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the UN mission said that any crossing into Lebanon violates Lebanese sovereignty.
Though many countries still believe a diplomatic solution to end the conflict is achievable, so far, diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have failed to bring about concrete results.
Israel launched a ground incursion into Lebanon on Tuesday. Its forces have since then clashed with Hezbollah militants in a narrow strip along the border, and the IDF has launched several deadly airstrikes to bolster the campaign.
A series of attacks before the incursion killed some of the group’s key members, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Authorities in Lebanon say about 1.2 million people have been displaced and over 1,300 killed so far, according to health officials.
World
Scholz confirms 5 dead at Magdeburg Christmas market attack
A 50-year-old man was arrested at the scene of the attack in Magdeburg on Friday evening, but as of Saturday, the reason behind his actions remained unclear.
At least five people, including a toddler, have been killed and dozens injured after a car ploughed into a crowd at a busy outdoor Christmas market in Magdeburg, a city in eastern Germany.
Authorities are describing the incident as a “deliberate attack.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser are at the scene of the attack in Magdeburg. Faeser has confirmed that federal police are actively supporting the investigation into the tragedy.
World
SZA Finally Releases Long-Delayed ‘Lana’ Album, Featuring Kendrick Lamar, Lil Yachty and Benny Blanco
SZA‘s long-awaited the deluxe edition of her Grammy-winning 2022 album “SOS,” which is titled “Lana,” has finally arrived. The album has been through a long series of false alarms — it seemed imminent back in February, when she released the song “Saturn” — and bears artwork similar to the insect-and-forest imagery featured during her tours last summer, but it’s finally here. Variety‘s full review of the album will appear this weekend.
The album features Kendrick Lamar on the track “30 for 30” (SZA appears on two songs on his recent “GNX” album) and production from Lil Yachty and Benny Blanco on one song each. Her collaborators on the other songs are largely “SOS” producers and writers like Michael Uzowuru, ThankGod4Cody, Rob Bisel, Carter Lang and others.
She previewed the album with a video for the song “Drive,” featuring Ben Stiller, on Thursday night. “Lana”‘s full tracklist appears below:
1 No More Hiding – produced by Michael Uzowuru
2 What Do I Do – produced by Benny Blanco, Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody
3 30 for 30 feat. Kendrick Lamar – produced by J White
4 Diamond Boy (DTM) – produced by Carter, Scum, Solomonophonic, Declan and Michael Uzowuru
5 BMF – produced by Carter Lang, Blake Slatkin, Omer Fedi
6 Scorsese Baby Daddy – produced by Michael Uzowuru and Tyler Johnson
7 Love Me 4 Me – produced by Rob Bisel, Carter Lang and Nick Lee
8 Chill Baby – produced by Lil Yachty, Sad Pony, Cade, Calvin Dickinson, iseeyou and Julian Fried
9 My Turn – produced by ThankGod4Cody, Rob Bisel
10 Crybaby – produced by ThankGod4Cody, Carter Lang and Declan
11 Kitchen – produced by ThankGod4Cody
12 Get Behind Me (interlude) – produced by Michael Uzowuru
13 Drive – produced by ThankGod4Cody and Billy Lemon
14 Another Life – produced by Michael Uzowuru and Dylan Wiggins
15 Saturn – produced by Carter Lang, Rob Bisel, Solomonophonic and Monsune
SZA’s forthcoming stadium tour with Kendrick Lamar presents a prime opportunity to release new material — she’s been touring behind “SOS” since it was released two years ago.
The latest round of teasers began a week ago, on the two-year anniversary of “SOS,” with a short video trailer that included a snippet of one of the album’s tracks. The video depicts SZA in a nature setting, pulling down her baggy camo pants to pee by a creek. She looks directly into the camera before taking a tissue out of her pocket to wipe herself up as the words “Lana” appear across the screen. She lyrics to the song go, “You know we got a real history/That’s the reason I can’t choose me/You know that dick been good to me/You make it hard for me to choose me.”
While SZA has been talking about a deluxe edition of “SOS” since that album’s release, she explained the album and its to Variety in August of last year: “[‘Lana’] is outtakes [from ‘SOS’] and new stuff, too — I added a couple of songs. It’s like a whole new project. It’s called ‘Lana’ — my name but, it’s the first tattoo that I ever got, when I was 13. It was 10 bucks a letter and I only had 40, so that that became my nickname for no reason. ‘Lana’ is really just the B-side of SOS.”
The album seemed imminent in February when she released “Saturn,” but just a few weeks later, SZA became frustrated by fans leaking songs and posted that she would be “starting ‘Lana’ from scratch” because “y’all leaked three songs from the deluxe.” She continued, “At this point, y’all can keep the throwaways and leaks. I’ll be starting ‘Lana’ from scratch. Do not ask me about it again,” adding a few minutes later, “I’ll round up the leaks y’all already got and u can have those. Seems like a fair deal. ENJOY.” That tweet was deleted shortly afterward. In a subsequent series of tweets, she said the deluxe edition of SOS will now feature “the leaks and outtakes” and “Lana” will be its own album. “Lana deserves more time and music no one’s ever heard before,” she wrote. However, she seems to have reverted to her previous plan.
World
Malaysia agrees to resume 'no find, no fee' hunt for flight MH370, 10 years after plane disappeared
Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a U.S. company to renew the hunt for flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday.
Loke said Cabinet ministers gave the nod at their meeting last week for Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to continue the seabed search operation at a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean next year.
MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES RENEWED PUSH TO FIND MH370 DECADE AFTER DISAPPEARANCE: ‘SEARCH MUST GO ON’
“The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible,” he said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.
An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues, although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing.
Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered, Loke said. He said his ministry will finalize negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025. The firm has indicated that January-April is the best period for the search, he said.
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“This decision reflects the government’s commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers,” he added.
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett earlier this year reportedly said the the company had improved its technology since 2018. He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyze data and narrow the search area to the most likely site.
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