They proved that the West values swift shipping at reasonable prices much more than the lives of Palestinian children. This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis have seized the ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after threatening to seize all vessels owned by Israeli companies. [Houthi Media Center via AP] The British and American air strikes on Yemen since January 12, launched with support from Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands among others, demonstrate yet again how most Western nations value their money and profit much more than human life. Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, the first livestreamed genocide in history, has claimed more than 27,000 Palestinian lives, many of them children, since October 7. Most of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble and over a million people have been displaced due to relentless and seemingly indiscriminate Israeli bombardment. The near-total siege on the Strip, meanwhile, brought survivors to the brink of starvation and forced doctors to perform amputations without anaesthetics using unsterile tools. In the face of this undeniable humanitarian catastrophe, Western governments took no meaningful action. In fact, both US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak repeatedly made it clear that they will continue to unconditionally support Israel’s onslaught on Gaza and efforts to “eradicate Hamas” whatever the human cost may be for the Palestinians. In the end, it was not the killing and maiming of tens of thousands of civilians, but a number of non-fatal attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters on commercial ships passing through the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait that sprung Western nations into action. Clearly, the dollars and pounds lost to the rapid rise in shipping costs caused by the attacks proved more valuable to the leaders of “the free world” than rivers of Middle Eastern blood. The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which leads into the Red Sea and up to the Suez Canal, is one of the most crucial waterways for international trade. It is estimated that 12 percent of all global trade, including most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Gulf, passes through the Strait, amounting to $1 trillion of commerce per year. Located east of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel relies on this trade route for most of its goods. The Houthis say it was this dependency that prompted them to start intercepting Israel-bound and Israeli-owned ships passing through Bab al-Mandeb. They said they will stop the attacks if Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, or at least allows sufficient humanitarian aid in. The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, conducted in ways reminiscent of Hollywood action movies, have so far led to no loss of life among the civilian crews of targeted ships, but inflicted significant economic damage on Israel and its backers. It is estimated that since the start of Houthi attacks, Israel’s main port in Eilat saw an 85 percent drop in activity. These attacks also caused some major shipping companies, including British Petroleum and Shell, to entirely suspend their operations in the Red Sea. The suspensions led to severe delays in goods deliveries as well as unprecedented increases in shipping costs. According to the latest available figures, typical shipping prices are 329 percent more expensive today than before the beginning of the disruption in this key shipping route in November. The attacks also increased the po[CENSORED]rity of Houthis both in Yemen and across the region, and led to the rebranding of the Iran-backed armed group as an honourable and noteworthy resistance force against Western imperial aggression. Western nations could have, of course, avoided all this and saved many, many Palestinian lives, by simply compelling Israel to put a stop to its genocide in Gaza and end its occupation of Palestinian territories. Rather than upsetting Israel by telling it to stop killing Palestinians, however, the leaders of the West decided to embark on yet another bombing campaign against one of the poorest countries in the world. With this move they showed not only that they do not care about mass murder when it is committed by one of their allies, but also that they value profit margins of Western commercial giants much more than Middle Eastern lives. Of course, none of this is in any way surprising, or out of the ordinary. After all, in capitalism, human life – be it Palestinian, Yemeni, American or British – is just another commodity. Western governments function in a ruthless economic system where dystopian concepts like “value of a statistical life (VSL)” are normalised. VSL aims to calculate the amount of money that a society would realistically be willing to pay to save a human life. It assigns humans a monetary worth that goes on to inform government policy. If a certain lifesaving measure is deemed more expensive than the VSL of those it would save, then the policy is not implemented. For example, in 1975, the US Department of Transportation rejected a regulation to install safety bars at the rear of all trucks, which would have reduced the number of fatalities in collisions, because it deemed the cost of implementing the policy would exceed the VSL of those that would be saved as a result of it. If the US government is willing to allow American civilians going about their lives in the United States to die preventable deaths at the altar of capitalism, it is not surprising that it scrambled together an entire task force to protect commercial ships from an anti-West resistance group in the Red Sea. Furthermore, while it is very rare for Western governments to take meaningful action – military or otherwise – to save human lives, and especially non-Western lives, it is very much part of their routine to wage war for economic gain. The 2003 Iraq war, for example, is largely accepted to be a war fought for “big oil”. The war killed more than a million Iraqis, and caused unprecedented instability that birthed further conflict and misery, but provided companies like the BP with profits of many billions. Late last month, explaining his decision to attack Yemen alongside the US, Britain’s Sunak claimed “We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged. Inaction is also a choice”. The hypocrisy in this sentence is staggering. The British prime minister only acknowledged that inaction is indeed “also a choice” when Houthi fighters decided that they would take action, and hit the capitalist West where it hurts – in its wallet – to try and put an end to Israel’s relentless attacks on the Palestinians. He has been very much content with inaction for four long months as Israel killed, injured, displaced and starved more than two million human beings in Gaza with complete impunity. In fact, he is still very much content with taking no action, other than a few empty statements and sending a little aid, to save Palestinian lives. The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have not been able to put an end to genocide, or deliver a lifeline to the Palestinians suffocating in Gaza. Nevertheless, they managed to expose the West’s priorities, and its seemingly inherent inability to recognise and respect the value of life, and especially that of the Palestinians. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/2/7/houthis-couldnt-stop-genocide-but-exposed-the-wests-moral-bankruptcy

The Conservative MP is best known for the financial chaos he unleashed during 38 days as chancellor of the exchequer. Kwasi Kwarteng, former UK chancellor of the exchequer, at an interview in London, UK, on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 [Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images] This week, controversial UK Conservative Member of Parliament Kwasi Kwarteng announced his decision to step down from politics and will not be standing at the next general election which has to take place by January 28, 2025, but could be held this year. Kwarteng, 48, has served as the member of Parliament for Spelthorne, Surrey, since 2010 and has also held senior cabinet positions in government. He is likely to be best remembered for the financial chaos he unleashed during his 38 days as chancellor of the exchequer in 2022. “Yesterday I informed my Association Chair of my decision …” he wrote on X. “It has been an honour to serve the residents of Spelthorne since 2010, and I shall continue to do so for the remainder of my time in Parliament.” His post sparked a mixture of taunts and criticism from commentators and left-wing legislators, among them satirical congratulations for having managed to “wreck the economy” of a country in less than three weeks. Who is Kwasi Kwarteng? Kwarteng’s election to Parliament as a Conservative member for Spelthorne in the 2010 UK general election coincided with his party’s return to power after 13 years of Labour rule. As then-Conservative Party leader David Cameron became prime minister in a Conservative-led coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, the London-born Kwarteng was just about to turn 35 and his future looked bright. But other than having been born to highly accomplished immigrant parents from Ghana – his father was an economist and his mother a barrister – Kwarteng arrived in the House of Commons at Westminster with a CV typical of many Conservative politicians. Indeed, like many of those who have taken high positions in a Conservative government before him, he was educated at the elite private school, Eton College, which he attended on a scholarship, and then at the University of Cambridge. A year as a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University followed, and then a return to Cambridge where he completed a PhD in economic history in 2000. Ten years later, and following spells as a financial analyst in the City of London and as a columnist for the right-wing newspaper, The Telegraph, Kwarteng, who has been married to solicitor Harriet Edwards since 2019, was elected to one of the oldest legislatures in the world. Why was his time as chancellor so short and controversial? By the time he was picked to be chancellor by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss in September 2022, Kwarteng, the first Black Briton to occupy this lofty office of state, had cut his teeth in other ministerial roles. Under the previous prime minister, Boris Johnson, he was secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy. However, his time at the helm of the nation’s finances took a disastrous turn when the free-market champion presented a mini-budget to Parliament, which included 45 billion pounds ($56.85bn) of unfunded tax cuts for the rich, sending the financial markets into a meltdown. Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary University London, recalled that Kwarteng’s plans “crashed the pound, put pension funds under pressure and sent interest rates shooting up, costing anyone with a mortgage far more than before and shredding the Conservatives’ reputation for economic competence”. As a result, Truss, who had been part of the 2010 Conservative Party intake, sacked her chancellor just 38 days after first appointing him. Kwarteng’s replacement as chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, reversed most of his predecessor’s mini-budget, but the damage to Truss’s reputation also proved politically fatal. The crisis prompted her to fall on her sword after just 44 days in office, making Truss the shortest-serving prime minister and Kwarteng one of the shortest-serving chancellors in British political history. Kwasi Kwarteng, then chancellor of exchequer, departs 11 Downing Street to present the UK’s fiscal plans in Parliament, in London, UK, on Friday, September 23, 2022. What he announced ultimately sent the financial markets into freefall and resulted in his sacking [Chris J Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images] How have people reacted to his decision to step down as an MP? Kwarteng, likely aware that his announcement on X would prompt many Britons to robustly remind him of his inglorious past as head of the UK Treasury, opted to disable the reply function on his post. But that did not stop the pile-on elsewhere, with opposition politicians quick to recall Kwarteng’s time as chancellor in 2022. Jess Phillips, a member of Parliament from the opposition Labour Party, was scathing. “Kwasi Kwarteng made everyone’s mortgages rise, his tenure as chancellor a dangerous embarrassment,” she wrote on X. Other Britons on social media were equally mocking, including author Otto English who posted on X: “Kwasi Kwarteng leaves a remarkable legacy. And I have every faith that his achievement will live on for decades to come. After all, not many people can claim to have wrecked the economy of a major economy in under three weeks.” Is Kwarteng the only Conservative MP to announce he is quitting at the next election? Far from it. Kwarteng, who, despite it all, remains widely admired for his high intellect, is just one of more than 50 Conservative parliamentarians who have decided to bail out at the next UK general election. According to Professor Bale, recent opinion polls indicating that the opposition Labour Party will electorally wipe out the Conservatives, have made many of the party’s sitting legislators all too aware of “which way the wind appears to be blowing”. “Many of them prefer to jump before they’re pushed by their voters – it’s easier on the ego and means they get a head-start in the post-Westminster job market, which is never as big as many assume,” said Bale. He added, “Opposition in the UK political system is a pretty thankless task – you’ve virtually zero influence on policy and, until you look like winning again, even those journalists who used to take you out for lunch all the time lose interest in anything you have to say.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/7/who-is-kwasi-kwarteng-and-why-is-he-stepping-down-from-british-politics

Nick movie: ANGEL OF DEATH Time: Hollywood Hub Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 90Mins Trailer:

Music title: Malu Trevejo - Luna Llena (Official Video) Signer: Malu Trevejo Release date: 2017/09/22 Official YouTube link:

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Please man, don't lie. Please don't lie You didn't even screenshoots what the players said about changing the map You just screenshoots med what you wanted, I did not screenshoots the players' words because this is not worth reporting and you make report for what? for 70 ammo you lose? are you serious about that?! You looks serious from your name lol, Btw, I changed the map from zm_farra to zm_foda because players said that More than 7 players not 2 or 3 like u said.

I changed the map because more than one player asked me to do so I changed it in the first few minutes I didn't change it because I don't like zm_farra I mean I didn't change the map according to my own desire, I changed it because the players wanted to The players said "pls change map to foda, deko2 or foda_v2 Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of their speech Because this is not really worth reporting against me. More than 5 players wanted to change the map so I did! Idk where's the mistake?

Yes! @FaLcO?

Voted

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Mercedes-Benz's electric van justifies its high price with class-leading range and a high-quality cabin while illustrating why EVs are well suited for the delivery sector. Mercedes-Benz's march toward electrification contains multitudes. On one end of the spectrum we have the EQS SUV, an egglike craft adorned with ambient lighting and wall-to-wall screens full of crisply rendered graphics. And all the way over on the other side is the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. The electric variant of the long-running Sprinter commercial van eschews the EQS SUV's fripperies, but its quiet, smooth, and responsive operation—not to mention this latest version's much-improved range and efficiency—demonstrates why electric vans will proliferate in the coming decade. Mercedes launched the Europe-market electric Sprinter in December 2019, but its meager range barely eclipsed 100 miles under the right conditions, making it a difficult proposition for North America. This second-generation eSprinter, however, is ready to go the distance in the U.S., starting with a single configuration—a high-roof body with a 170.0-inch wheelbase and a 280.4-inch overall length. Packing a 113.0-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, the eSprinter should have a range of 273 miles on the optimistic European WLTP test cycle, with an impressive 329-mile estimate on the WLTP city-specific cycle. Stateside measures tend to be far lower, but we believe it should get around 230 miles of EPA range. On our drive, the eSprinter's dashboard readout displayed 181 miles of range at the start. A two-hour, 69-mile drive loop that included hilly terrain and highway driving dropped that to 129 miles, with a claimed efficiency of 2.0 miles per kWh, which would align with our top-tier guesswork. Given the van's size and heft (curb weight is a C/D-estimated 6900 pounds), 200-plus miles seems adequate for the eSprinter's intended function of local deliveries. A standard heat pump helps mitigate cold-weather efficiency issues, and Eco and Maximum Range drive settings improve range by limiting power, although we can't imagine many drivers will want to downgrade to the latter's lethargic 107-hp output cap. When it's time to recharge, the eSprinter handles up to 115 kW on a DC fast-charger, with the battery going from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 42 minutes. The maximum Level 2 charging speed is 9.6 kW. The eSprinter's rear-mounted electric motor comes in two differing outputs. The 134-hp version costs $3430 less than the high-output variant (the one we drove), which produces 201 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The immediate acceleration that we've experienced in many EVs wasn't present, although highway merges weren't too much of a challenge. The van remained adequately responsive above 55 mph, but you'll want to stick to the right lane given the 75-mph limiter. The accelerator has a fair amount of resistance, so moving forward with purpose requires a deliberate, assertive pedal prod—a reminder to the driver that juice isn't infinite. This predictable response eliminated any surprising acceleration surges, crucial when piloting something of this stature through narrow spaces. The eSprinter offers multiple levels of regenerative braking, including an automatic setting that uses sensors to predict the amount of regeneration required based on the traffic ahead—similar to the feature in the EQS. The system also serves as a coach, displaying a small icon on the dash when it wants you to lift off the accelerator to activate regen. While this automatic mode doesn't suffer from the alarming phantom pedal movement that we've experienced in Mercedes's consumer EVs, we preferred handling the regen duties on our own. The strongest setting doesn't allow for full one-pedal driving, but it provides consistent, predictable deceleration down to a crawl. What surprised us most was the large van's road manners. The vehicles we drove carried 440 pounds of stuff, far under the 2624-pound maximum capacity, but still a better barometer than driving it totally unladen. The eSprinter shrugged off big bumps with ease, adeptly absorbing most impacts and minimizing rear-axle hop. On curvier, 55-mph mountain roads, the eSprinter's handling impressed, with little body roll and fairly precise steering that inspired enough confidence to keep up with more nimble traffic. Inside, the eSprinter is nearly identical to its combustion-powered counterpart. The leather armrests are well cushioned, and the seats are comfortable and supportive but also extremely upright—the cargo-area partition wall prevents any sort of reclining. The upscale-looking black central binnacle sports a high-quality display running the latest Mercedes infotainment system, which includes the "Hey Mercedes" voice assistant. There are practical storage cubbies throughout, while a flat floor helps the cabin feel (sort of) spacious, and an optional rear-camera mirror vastly improves rear visibility. The eSprinter enters a growing segment, where it faces off against the Rivian EDV, the Ford E-Transit, and the Ram ProMaster EV. A starting price of $74,181 puts the eSprinter far above the Ford and the Ram, yet it still undercuts the Rivian. But, according to Mercedes's estimates, the eSprinter outdoes the field in terms of range. While the Benz's payload and gross vehicle weight rating are on par with the Rivian's, the cheaper Ford and Ram both boast payload capacities over 3000 pounds, with the E-Transit topping the chart at up to 3880 pounds. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a46628568/2024-mercedes-benz-esprinter-van-drive/

Phil Foden celebrates after completing his hat-trick. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters It had been billed as Erling Haaland’s grand comeback to the Manchester City starting XI. Perhaps there could be a shootout with Ivan Toney, the Brentford striker, who is also ­re-establishing himself after rather longer on the sidelines in the wake of his betting ban. For a while, there was the ­glimmer that Neal Maupay could upstage them both when he gave Brentford a shock lead midway through a first half made memorable by the ­defiance of Mark Flekken in the home goal. But by the end, it was all about another attacker whose talent can seem utterly irresistible on nights like these. The Premier League title is back in City’s hands after Liverpool’s defeat at Arsenal on Sunday – right where they like it. Phil Foden had the ball at his feet in front of goal, even his head at one point, and that is exactly where he likes it. Foden does not score many with his head but he did so here to put City 2-1 up. He had got the equaliser – chest, bounce and finish – while he saved the best for the hat-trick, an explosion on to Haaland’s lay-off, each touch perfect, giving nobody close to him inside the area the ­slightest sniff. City are on an ominous roll, ­winning all seven matches since their victorious return from the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Pep Guardiola said recently that he can feel the desire of his players to win and keep on winning. ­Brentford had done the double over City last season but nobody in the red and white stripes could stop Foden. Will anybody be able to do likewise with his team? The question pounds with increasing force. Brentford’s Mark Flekken denies Erling Haaland, who was making his first start since December. Photograph: Nigel Keene/ProSports/Shutterstock The thing with City is that ­resistance can seem futile. Few have resisted as gamely as Flekken did ­during an extraordinary first half ­display, the statistics showing he made eight saves, the majority of them crackers. He even got the assist for Maupay’s goal. By full-time, though, he was a footnote. Maupay’s goal was a bolt for the sky blues, stunning in its surprise value because at that stage, Flekken’s goal was under siege. Everything changed – briefly – when he launched a long ball forward, although maybe the real assist ought to have been ­credited to Toney. He set a screen against Nathan Aké, basketball-style, which allowed Flekken’s clearance to keep on ­running to Maupay, who rolled past Ederson. Maupay seems to take a ­disproportionate delight in winding up opponents. He would clash with Rúben Dias on a defensive corner, earn a yellow card for a late crunch into Rodri and have lengthy exchange of views with Guardiola in the ­closing stages, after seemingly saying ­something to incense Kyle Walker. Nobody can say that Maupay is not on fire in front of goal. He has now scored in five consecutive games. Maybe he should stick to that. Guardiola had been delighted to give Haaland his first start since a foot fracture in early December. For the first time since the opening game of the league season, the City manager had Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in at the outset. It is all part of the ­narrative that has the club ready to bolt for the finish line. Brentford’s poor results have been well-documented – it is now seven defeats in eight, although they have deserved more with their ­performances – and Flekken was called upon to deny Julián Álvarez twice and Walker inside the first 15 minutes. Those in front of him put their bodies on the line, one block from Ethan Pinnock to thwart ­Haaland on seven minutes especially vital. Flekken saved one-on-one against Haaland after a loose Vitaly Janelt backpass and he did well to keep out a Josko Gvardiol blast, while City had other near-misses in the first half, including when a goalbound ­Bernardo Silva shot hit Mads ­Roerslev to fly wide. Brentford threatened before the interval when Ederson clawed away Sergio Reguilón’s cross-cum-shot and Dias needed to make an ­important intervention to block from Janelt with Ederson off his line. Foden, though, finally restored parity in stoppage time after Pinnock’s poor headed clearance from a De Bruyne cross. Against this City, it can feel ­relentless, inevitable and they went in front on 53 minutes; after all of Brentford’s hard work at the back, it was another soft concession. Nobody closed down De Bruyne and nobody tracked Foden’s run. The cross was lovely. Foden strained his neck muscles to generate the power and accuracy. Brentford refused to stop believing. They created the chances to equalise. Christian Nørgaard was denied by a big Dias block and Toney put too much on a side-on volley when well placed. Foden would kill them off. “Only Phil will decide his limits,” Guardiola said. “How he moves in small spaces, his impact, you have the feeling he can score. It’s difficult to find both the movement and after being like a knife.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/05/brentford-manchester-city-premier-league-match-report

Two months after Rhik Samadder ended his phone detox, he realises some of its lessons actually stuck with him Sign up to our free coaching newsletter to help you spend less time on your phone Constant connectivity is a new expectation, exhausting to meet. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian In the final update in Rhik’s journey to break his phone addiction, he manages a breakthrough. And a big one. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?” I ask Almond one day. She is leafing through bags of Thai basil, like record store vinyl. “I already am. That’s what this is,” she says patiently, giving my hand a squeeze. Oh, right, I say. OK. Yes, good. Two months after my last diary entry, something weird has occurred. Having written the experiment off as a waste of time, it seems to be bearing perverse fruit. I’m currently on my phone for 90 minutes a day. Five of those are spent on Instagram. I no longer feel addicted. My diminished online life is partly due to no longer having to scan the savannah for a mate. But that can’t be the whole story. All the experts I spoke to gave reassuringly similar advice. Strangely, the most impactful tech conversation was in a wifi-less cafe, with a Buddhist. Sthiramanas is a meditation teacher from the London Buddhist Centre, where he runs Upgrade Your Mind, a six-week course on mindful screen use. “It’s a fundamental human weakness to look outside for satisfaction,” he says. Sthiramanas doesn’t just mean endless scrolling. Running to a silent retreat – or a digital detox cabin in the woods – is also an escape from day-to-day life. Their lessons often don’t survive the journey home. “If we want our lives to be happier and more creative, we have to experience them as they are, and change things from there. “What’s the desire underneath the desire to check your phone?” he continued. “If you’re addicted to dating apps, is it the desire to feel attractive? If you’re a news junkie, do you want to feel in control? Or in contact with something bigger than yourself? If you’re constantly texting friends, do you just want to be loved?” Ouch. When did these Buddhists choose violence? Since that chat, I see friendship as a mostly offline activity. Something we do with our bodies. My gang are good for this – arranging day trips to the seaside, dancing, cooking for each other. Laughing in the same space is nourishing. Sounds Waltons-esque, but it’s better than Meta. I do still often text friends through the day, but when not, I enjoy missing them. Maybe I’ve gone weird. Can I enjoy being in my actual, ‘boring’ life, without the fantasy of escape? Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian Constant connectivity is a new expectation, exhausting to meet. My worst fear about turning my phone off has been missing a call from my mother, should she have a fall. But underneath my reluctance, I realize, is an anxiety of control. And one day we must all relinquish that. “You could get a landline for emergencies, and only give the number to loved ones,” suggests Sthiramanas. It’s a good idea. Another slow burn has been the increase in time spent reading. I think it’s also the reason I no longer lose whole days on Instagram. Opening any social media apps now, they strike me as … silly. Maybe concentration really is a muscle – that hungers to lift heavier things as you build it. Of course, plenty of people enjoy both. This isn’t to say all social media content is shallow and pointless! (Even though I do think that!) Can I enjoy being in my actual, “boring” life, without the fantasy of escape? This has been the crucial question for me. I tidy my flat more, because I’m seeing it more. I’ve kept up my 10,000 steps. I still like filling up those fitness tracking circles, but am less obsessive. I can feel the effect in my body. I sometimes leave my phone at home. It’s a mental reset to feel the air, to not be somewhere else. And I’m much happier than I was. For any capitalism fans, I must note that my freelance income has risen, and I’m more productive. I don’t find it helpful to vilify tech companies so much, and no longer personify my phone. The shiny, infinite-content machine is not a muse, cold lover or nemesis. It’s a tool. More than anything else, it’s a barometer of my discontent. When I notice that weight in my hand, the pull toward distraction and escape, I try to diagnose what’s really going on with me. Am I worried about something? Am I lonely? What would be a better way to meet my needs? If I’m simply bored, I’m learning to trust there’s a creativity hidden in that place. Who could have foreseen this? The smartphone as canary in the coal mine, signposting what is most important to me: to not sleepwalk through these days. Thief of my life? No one gets to steal my life. Unfortunately, I am now addicted to sugar. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/05/phone-screentime-detox-reflection

Study finds ‘unprovoked’ attacks were more common for surfers than swimmers Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast A great white shark. The majority of attacks are ‘test bites’ from sharks mistaking people for their preferred prey, researchers compiling the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File said. Photograph: Brad Leue/Alamy Australia is home to a disproportionate number of deadly shark attacks, with isolated areas carrying a greater risk of fatalities, international research has found. The 10 fatal attacks globally in 2023 doubled the five in the previous year, with four of last year’s deaths occurring in Australia. Surfers were slightly more prevalent in the data than people swimming or wading, experiencing 42% of the 69 “unprovoked” bites around the world, 22% of which were in Australia. Spearfishing was the most common activity in 22 attacks which were left out of the study after being considered “provoked”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The study focused on bites occurring in a shark’s natural habitat without human provocation, the most useful for studying shark behaviour according to researchers compiling the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. Florida Museum of Natural History shark research director Gavin Naylor said the number of bites was consistent with long-term trends. “Though the number of fatalities is a bit unnerving this year,” he said. Three fatalities occurred in 2023 off South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, a remote area with a high po[CENSORED]tion of white sharks and the seals they feed on. “Seals are really agile, so the only ones that get caught are the ones that are goofing off and flopping around on the surface ... and that’s kind of what a surfer looks like,” Naylor said. A bull shark also killed a teenage girl in Western Australia’s Swan River. The four fatal attacks in Australian waters in 2023 remained below the decade’s peak of six deaths in 2020. While po[CENSORED]tion density was linked to shark attacks by bringing increased interactions between people and sharks, swimming or surfing in more po[CENSORED]ted areas reduced the likelihood of fatalities when attacks occurred. Australia’s beach safety was “second to none” at po[CENSORED]r patrolled beaches, but remote and regional beaches were dangerous due to their isolation, according to Florida Program for Shark Research doctoral student Joe Miguez. “This is because when an attack happens and there is beach safety, you can get a tourniquet on sooner and save the person’s life,” he said. Sydneysider Lauren O’Neill survived being bitten by what is believed to be a bull shark while swimming near a jetty in the city’s densely po[CENSORED]ted eastern suburbs in January, the first recorded attack in Sydney Harbour for over a decade. She thanked her “heroic and very kind neighbours” for the critical assistance they quickly provided. The attack prompted debate over anti-shark measures amid concerns warmer waters are attracting more bull sharks to the harbour, but is not included in the report focusing on 2023 bites. The United States had two confirmed shark attack fatalities, while four other peopled died in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia. The majority of attacks were “test bites” from sharks mistaking people for their preferred prey, the researchers said. While sharks typically swim away following such bites, unusual incidents had occurred among tiger, bull and white sharks repeatedly biting their victims, and some were so large a single bite proved fatal. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/global-shark-bite-deaths-doubled-in-2023-with-australia-high-on-the-list

An unfolding political crisis is also threatening Pakistan’s economic recovery [File: Fareed Khan/AP Photo] Pakistani voters head to the polls on Thursday amid a deep-seated economic crisis. Inflation is hovering at 30 percent, close to 40 percent of people live below the poverty line, and the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio has climbed to 72 percent. Pakistan’s new government will have to contend with these and an ageing public infrastructure. “We have power outages every day for two hours,” says Muhammad Waqas, a janitor from Islamabad. “In the summer, when it’s hot, you sit idly and suffer.” As with other state-owned firms, the inability of successive governments to invest in Pakistan’s National Transmission and Despatch Company has left it prone to failure. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and energy supply challenges dampened Pakistan’s growth prospects and constrained efforts to diversify its export base away from low-value-added products – such as cotton and rice – to higher-value goods. In late 2022, meanwhile, monsoon floods displaced eight million people and cost the country $30bn in damage. The loss of cotton crops ravaged the country’s textile industry, a key source of exports. In all likelihood, Pakistan’s growth rate fell into negative territory in 2023. Pakistan, which imports much of its food and fuel, consistently records large trade deficits. Owing in part to elevated commodity prices, foreign exchange reserves dwindled to less than one month of imports last May, leading to shortages of vital goods. The following month, Islamabad narrowly avoided default after it secured a $3bn loan from the IMF – its 23rd fund programme since 1958. However, the lending package came with strict conditions and unpo[CENSORED]r reforms. As part of the deal, the government agreed to impose new taxes on its faltering power sector. It also agreed to lower utility subsidies, which led to sharp hikes in electricity prices, hitting poorer households particularly hard. Inflation, which reached nearly 30 percent in December, has been climbing since the start of last year after Pakistan’s central bank agreed to liberalise its exchange rate as part of a pre-existing IMF programme. Once exchange controls were dropped, the value of the currency fell sharply. The Pakistani rupee was Asia’s worst-performing currency in 2023, depreciating by roughly 20 percent against the US dollar. “We think the rupee will continue trending down slightly,” said Krisjanis Krustins, a director at Fitch Ratings. “This will lower Pakistan’s current account deficit as goods from abroad will become more expensive, compressing import levels.” According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the country posted a balance of payments surplus of $397m last December. Krustins told Al Jazeera, “Pakistan’s goods imports fell by 27 percent in the last calendar year. As for exports, they continue to be held back by limited human capital and poor infrastructure. So, corrections in the trade account have had a depressing impact on the economy.” Recent job losses have lifted the official unemployment rate to a record high of 8.5 percent, pitching an additional 8.4 to 9.1 million people into poverty. ‘Structural issues’ Separately, Pakistan has long suffered from “structural issues”, says Tariq Banuri, professor of economics at the University of Utah. “For starters, Pakistan’s growth rate is not high enough to absorb its rapidly expanding po[CENSORED]tion. It’s also one of the world’s worst performers on tax collection. Agricultural landowners are exempt from income tax, and there’s no capital gains tax on real estate.” Successive governments have stopped short of imposing robust tax legislation for fear of upsetting powerful business interests, Banuri said. “But that may change this year because of the debt situation,” he added. Islamabad’s failure to boost tax revenues and modernise state-owned enterprises has generated persistent fiscal deficits and a large debt burden. In absolute terms, external debt reached $125.7bn last year. Looking ahead, Pakistan faces $24.6bn in external debt repayments by the end of June, the bulk of which is owed to China. China is Pakistan’s largest bilateral creditor, and Beijing agreed to roll over $2.4bn in loans last year. Many economists expect the incoming government to try and secure longer-term financing from the IMF – its current deal expires in April. Given the cutbacks to public spending last year, “further fiscal consolidation is unlikely”, says Yousuf Farooq, director of research at Chase Securities. “The Fund is going to try and eke out further conditions, but probably from wealthier sections of society.” “Assuming the new government can get another IMF loan, it will struggle to repay unless it imposes new taxes on agriculture and real estate. If it can also roll over short-term contracts with longer repayment schedules, I’m hopeful that debt will fall in the near term,” he said. In the meantime, foreign investment continues to be hamstrung by security concerns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, Islamabad has accused its neighbour of harbouring fighters carrying out attacks on its soil. Political crisis An unfolding political crisis is also threatening Pakistan’s economic recovery. Today, Islamabad’s fragile democracy is overseen by a caretaker government following Imran Khan’s dismissal as prime minister in April 2022. The legitimacy of the February 8 elections has been questioned as Khan is absent from the ballot sheet. He is in jail on corruption charges. And while he is disqualified from running, Khan’s approval rating stands at 57 percent, higher than any other politician. As things stand, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) – is favourite to win. Sharif’s PMLN has assumed power four times in the past three decades, under either himself or his brother Shehbaz Sharif. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court further weakened Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) campaign by banning the use of a cricket bat as its symbol – a serious setback in a country where millions of illiterate voters identify candidates by their party logos. For Banuri, the economics professor, “People are right to criticise Pakistan’s political system, which is dynastic and extractive. But for all that, I remain an optimist. I think the worst of the economic crisis is behind us.” “While I always hope tomorrow will be better than today, I do not think the main political parties will offer meaningful change. They seem to be far more concerned with getting into power,” he added. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/2/6/in-pakistan-old-hopefuls-jostle-to-turn-around-struggling-economy

As the war enters its 713th day, these are the main developments. Ukrainian soldiers preparing to fire a BM-21 grad multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops in the Donetsk region [Alina Smutko/Reuters] Here is the situation on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. Fighting Four people were killed and at least one injured after Russia shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, local officials said. France summoned Alexey Meshkov, the Russian ambassador to France, after two French aid workers were killed in Russian artillery fire near Kherson last Thursday. Three more French citizens were also injured in the attack that Paris described as an act of “barbarism”. Russia’s FSB security service said three Russian citizens had been detained on suspicion of attempting to assassinate a high-ranking Crimean official with a car bomb. The FSB claimed Ukraine’s security service was behind the attempted attack and said the three had been charged with “terrorist” offences. It did not name the official who was allegedly the target. Politics and diplomacy The Kremlin warned Western countries that any attempt to use frozen Russian assets as collateral to raise funds for Ukraine would be illegal and lead to a Russian legal challenge. The United States and its allies banned transactions with Russia’s central bank and the Ministry of Finance, after President Vladimir Putin began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, freezing an estimated $300bn of sovereign Russian assets. The presidential bid of antiwar candidate Boris Nadezhdin is hanging in the balance. Nadezhdin said Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) had informed him that 15 percent of the signatures he submitted to access the electoral race were invalid. The CEC could now block his bid to enter the election. Lawmakers from Hungary’s ruling party boycotted an emergency parliament session in which a vote on Sweden’s bid to join NATO was on the agenda. Hungary is the only member of the 31-member security alliance not to have backed Sweden’s bid. The US said it was disappointed at the move. Weapons Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch defence minister, said The Netherlands would deliver six more F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, taking the total number pledged to 24. “Ukraine’s aerial superiority is essential for countering Russian aggression,” Ollongren said. Georgia said it seized a clandestine shipment of explosives bound for the Russian city of Voronezh from the Ukrainian port of Odesa. It said the explosives, hidden in a cargo of car batteries, arrived in Georgia in a Ukrainian-owned minivan and were to be transported to Voronezh, about 180km (110 miles) from the Ukrainian frontier. It did not say what for. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/6/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-713

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