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We have a go in a preproduction version of the electric Macan to get an idea of its range potential. PORSCHE Porsche invited us to get behind the wheel of the upcoming Macan EV, the electric SUV that will be the brand's second modern EV entry. There's not a lot we can say about how it rides and drives because Porsche stressed that these were prototype vehicles that did not have final suspension, steering, or brake tuning. This early drive was more of a range demonstration, although our calculated result isn't comparable with our range test of other EVs for reasons we'll explain. The preproduction cars we drove were still slathered in a veneer of camouflage. But it was pretty minimalist, without shape-distorting protrusions that would add aerodynamic drag, so we can see what the Macan EV really looks like. The rounded shape, in combination with the dark finish, makes the new Macan EV look smaller than it actually is. In reality, its wheelbase is markedly longer (though no official specs have been released). This is to make room for the approximately 100-kWh underfloor battery that provides around 90 kilowatt-hours of usable energy. The other thing that jumps out is that what typically counts as headlights on a Porsche are actually the Macan EV's daytime running lights. The headlights are set vertically, just below in the front fascia. Porsche also can't hide the tires and wheels, which are Pirelli Scorpion MS Elect all-seasons, sized 235/55R-20 (front) and 285/45R-20 (rear) on the base model. The so-called "top" model (Porsche isn't sharing trim names yet) wears Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires consisting of 255/40R-22s up front and 295/35R-22s in back. Both have designs with five small triangular openings, but the base wheels are unashamedly smooth, while the 22s have a slightly more protuberant topography that allows for a machined surface reminiscent of Fuchs-style wheels. Porsche has been far more forthcoming about mechanical details pertaining to the EV drive system. Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors power all-wheel-drive Macan EVs (the announced rear-drive variant is uncertain for the U.S. market), and unlike the Taycan sedan with its rear two-speed transmission, both ends are driven through a single-speed direct-drive gearbox. The base power and torque outputs have not been revealed, but Porsche has confirmed maximum output for the top model at 603 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers may change, however, because Porsche is adopting a new United Nations–developed EV-power determination standard. We also know the Macan EV will have an 800-volt electrical architecture, like the Taycan. It'll be able to draw electricity at a peak rate of 270 kilowatts and ultimately refill its battery from 10 to 80 percent in just 22 minutes—at a suitably equipped DC fast-charge station, of course. Likewise, the 800-volt architecture gives it significant regenerative-braking capacity that maxes out at 240 kilowatts, which amounts to 0.44 g of deceleration without involving the brake pads and rotors. But this level of deceleration is never expressed in a one-pedal driving mode, as Porsche's position has not budged from its Taycan stance: All brake activation will be done via the brake pedal, and the computer will decide whether the driver's wish is carried out via the regenerative or friction brakes. The driver's only lift-throttle choice is between a coasting/sailing mode and a light regen setting that merely mimics the familiar feeling of a gas-powered car's engine braking. For our range run, Porsche tried to accommodate our needs by cooking up an out-and-back course that started at the eastern edge of the Los Angeles Basin and ran out into the desert. We could run at any speed, so we chose 75 mph, as we always do in our official testing. But our range tests are never as simple as that because we time our runs when traffic is free-flowing. That's comparatively easy to accomplish near our Ann Arbor, Michigan, headquarters but devilishly difficult in Southern California. There's also not much in the way of hills in Michigan, but escaping the L.A. Basin always requires climbing some grade or other, no matter which direction you head. At least every uphill would become a downhill in the out-and-back format we ran, but the topography didn't match our usual process. In the end, traffic hobbled our average speed, which sagged to 63 mph, though we did run at 75 mph for three-quarters of the drive. After covering 251.6 miles, our base-model Macan had 30 miles and 11 percent battery remaining, which does at least match our usual goal of running down to approximately 10 percent and then doing a regression. When we did that for our driving scenario, the result was 280 miles for a base Macan EV, but there are plenty of asterisks attached to that: prototype vehicle, low average speed due to traffic, and long grades. It's hard to say what this means for an eventual EPA-range rating for the Macan EV because the Taycan notoriously outperformed what turned out to be very conservative EPA figures. Porsche seems more willing to tell it like it is this time so that Macan buyers aren't scared off by low EPA numbers. But it's still in Porsche's DNA to err on the side of caution (we tend to beat the company's quoted 60-mph and quarter-mile times). In the end, this was a decent showing for the Macan EV, and the traffic we encountered makes it a realistic result for future owners leaving town from a big city such as L.A. We drove more than halfway to San Francisco, Las Vegas, or Phoenix, suggesting those trips would be one-stop affairs, just like they are in gasoline-powered cars. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a46354653/2024-porsche-macan-ev-range-preview/

Norwegian striker will resume recovery in Abu Dhabi Defender Manuel Akanji also ruled out until February Erling Haaland is likely to miss at least three more games. Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images Pep Guardiola has revealed Erling Haaland has endured a setback in his recovery from a foot injury. ­Manchester City’s manager said the striker was unable to train this week and would not play before the end of the month. Haaland, City’s top scorer with 19 goals in 22 appearances this ­season, made his most recent appearance in the 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on 6 ­December. He has missed eight games and is in line to sit out at least three more. “He had a little bit of a problem with his feet and the doctors decided to stop for a week and restart in Abu Dhabi,” the manager said, looking ahead to the winter break. ­“Hopefully at the end of this month he will be ready. It was a little bit more than we expected in the beginning with the bone. Every injury, you can do what you want but it is a question of time. At the end of this month, maybe he will be ready to come back.” After Saturday’s trip to Newcastle for the late kick-off City will fly to Abu Dhabi for warm weather training before travelling to Tottenham in the FA Cup fourth round on 26 January and hosting Burnley in the Premier League on the final day of the month. City have won seven and drawn one of their recent eight games without Haaland. Manuel Akanji, who took a knock in Sunday’s 5-0 win over ­Huddersfield, is also unavailable until next month. “He will be out for a few weeks,” Guardiola said. “It’s not a big blow but until the end of the month. I don’t know if he will be ready for Spurs or Burnley. Now we are lucky that we don’t have games in the next 10 days after Newcastle but we will see after Abu Dhabi in good weather how we feel.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/12/manchester-citys-erling-haaland-out-until-end-of-january-after-foot-setback

Peter Lee: ‘On a sunny weekend, there can be crowds on the street.’ Photograph: Mark Chilvers/The Guardian My CCTV has picked up all sorts of funny images of people posing on my steps When I first saw the house on my walk to work, I immediately fell in love. It’s a 19th-century, three-storey property on the corner of a quiet residential street in Notting Hill, west London. Its brick walls were painted baby pink, and I knew I had to have it. Back then, in the 70s, I was managing the fashion designer Ossie Clark, and it was an exciting time to be in west London. Notting Hill has always been very colourful. One day, I spoke to the gentleman I saw coming out of the house. “I’d love to buy your house,” I told him, but he said it wasn’t for sale. Months later, I saw him again and he said he had put the house on the market. I rushed to the estate agent and gave them a cheque for 10% of the asking price. They wouldn’t accept it because they said the property was being advertised in the Sunday paper. So I had to wait until Monday morning, and when I went in again, they said their phone had not stopped ringing with people wanting to buy it, but I had got in first with the full deposit. I was ecstatic. I didn’t move in until a year later, in 1979, as it needed a lot of work. I’ve kept the walls pink, improving on the appearance with various additions. It’s only in recent years, with the rise of social media and everyone having cameras on their phones, that I’ve noticed lots of people taking photographs outside the house. On a sunny weekend, there can be crowds on the street. I don’t get why they’re doing it really, but I suppose it is a beautiful house. Back in 2019, Accidentally Wes Anderson, an account on Instagram that posts photographs of buildings with the director’s aesthetic, posted a picture of my house, and it got about 46,000 likes. It also featured in a book by the same people. After that, I really did feel like my home was famous. Every day people photograph my house, and photograph themselves in all kinds of poses outside. I have CCTV cameras set up for security reasons, which are clearly visible, and they have picked up all sorts of funny images of people posing on my steps. If they stand outside my door, they’re going to be caught on camera, but I think most of them like being on camera anyway. There have been people from all over the world, from tourists to dancers and models. I remember one lady who must have been there for half a day taking pictures of herself on my doorstep; she had set up her camera in the street and would run back to grab it if a car came. Last year, after a few girls had photos taken while dancing on my doorstep, I found that the tiles of the steps had been damaged. I want to replace them with original-looking tiles, but that might cost £2,000. That was obviously frustrating, but really I find it all quite amusing. Usually the visitors are very polite, and if I bump into anyone photographing outside they say, “Sorry, we just like the look of your house.” But there have been some instances where people have been rude, not even apologising when they were blocking my front door. Another time, I noticed a camera crew outside filming someone – I assumed she must have been famous. They hadn’t asked my permission to be there, so I thought I’d go and take a photograph. One of the crew came over and said, “Excuse me, do you mind?” And I said, “Do you mind? This is my house!” They were filming Binky from Made in Chelsea. I didn’t know her name at the time – my granddaughter recognised her after I posted the photo on Facebook. There are some photographers who come quite regularly, and we’re on friendly terms – I’ll often say, “Hi,” and have a chat with them. One professional always brings his clients to pose on my doorstep. There’s also a teacher at a ballet school nearby who brings students to have their end-of-year photographs taken with my house in the background. I feel a sense of pride that it’s my home. The whole street has become a po[CENSORED]r spot for photoshoots, as there are lots of coloured houses and it’s very picturesque. Some neighbours get annoyed, but it doesn’t bother me. My favourite part of the house is the inside, anyway. As told to Naomi Larsson Piñeda https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/12/experience-my-house-is-insta-famous

Llandrindod Wells, Powys: This one crawled up a lakeside bank with its looping gait, only to be dispatched by a herring gull The leech: there’s even a word, hirudinophobia, for that shuddery psychological dislike of these miniature vampires. Photograph: Larry Doherty/Alamy Who loves a leech? Not me, for sure. Neither the black (in reality a speckled olive-green) horse leeches that undulate, swift and purposeful, across the muddy bottoms of ponds, nor the paler fish leeches that plague the carp that rise out of the green depths of Llandrindod Lake. Here, a water bailiff transfers the carp to his keep-net and with a flick of his fingernail rids them of their unwanted parasites. There’s even a word, hirudinophobia, for that shuddery psychological dislike of these miniature vampires, about which the Book of Proverbs had this to say: “The horse leach hath two daughters, crying, ‘give, give’. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, it is Enough!” A medicinal leech sucks several times its own weight in blood before it falls off, returns bloated to its muddy home and does not need to feed again for weeks. They’re surprisingly common, present year-round, yet seldom seen. The first one I saw, when I was 12, was in Cheshire’s Dunham Park Lake. I looked down, appalled, into murky water at this dark, flat thing, a toothed mouth at both ends, speeding purposefully across the bed of the lake. The way leeches move is so sinister. Years later, travelling by dugout canoe up the Rejang river in Sarawak, Malaysia, to the headhunters’ village of Long Singut, our guide took us into a shop to buy women’s tights – “Best thing to keep the leeches out,” he explained. Other travellers told tall tales of limbs rendered invisible under a waving curtain of leeches, of socks filled with blood, of leeches dropping like rain out of the trees on to any bare flesh. I didn’t get bitten once. This Llandrindod leech was a different matter. It crawled up the bank with that looping gait and headed into the grass. A silvermew, or herring gull (Larus argentatus), inland from Storm Gerrit, was doing its worm-dance, luring them to the surface. Worms galore popped out of the ground. The leech latched on to a particularly juicy specimen, and commenced to suck. The bird cocked its head, seized both leech and worm, and wheeled away in strident delight. The moral: if you’re anywhere near leeches, take a herring gull along with you. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/13/country-diary-leeches-are-sinister-insatiable-and-more-common-than-youd-think

US acting as ‘arsonist and firefighter’, experts say, by urging Middle East de-escalation but backing Israel’s Gaza war. An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to conduct air attacks against Houthi targets in Yemen, in this photograph released by the UK Ministry of Defence on January 12 [UK MOD/Handout via Reuters] By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours Published On 12 Jan 2024 For months, top United States officials have repeatedly said that President Joe Biden does not want to see Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip escalate into a wider conflict in the Middle East. That was the central message US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed this week as he made his fourth visit to the region since the war began. His trip came in the shadow of Israeli attacks in Lebanon and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on vessels in the Red Sea. “The Red Sea — we want to avoid escalation there,” Blinken said in Cairo on Thursday, when asked about his efforts to prevent the conflict from spiralling. But only hours later, the US confirmed it had collaborated with the United Kingdom to launch “strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels”, in coordination with a handful of other countries. Experts and rights advocates warn that the attacks clash with the Biden administration’s stated goals of de-escalation and fail to address the root cause of the soaring tensions in the region: Israel’s military assault on Gaza. “It does run contrary to what the administration has been saying, but it was also inevitable,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker advocacy group in Washington, DC. “Everybody watching this situation knew that it was a matter of time before the war in Gaza spilled out across the region. And we’re seeing that not only in the Red Sea, but we’re also seeing it in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq,” he told Al Jazeera. “Without that ceasefire in Gaza, it’s hard to see how this gets better. And I think the simmering pot is now boiling over, and it’s just going to get worse and worse as time goes on. It’s really a very dangerous moment.” Red Sea attacks On Friday, a senior US official told the Reuters news agency that more than 150 munitions had been used to hit nearly 30 locations linked to the Houthi armed group in Yemen. The Iran-aligned Houthis control large swaths of Yemen including the western coast overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which leads to the Red Sea. The group began firing missiles at Israel and attacking commercial ships shortly after the war on Gaza began in October. The group has said it is targeting Israel-linked vessels as part of an effort to pressure the Israeli government to end its Gaza bombardment and allow more humanitarian aid deliveries into the coastal Palestinian enclave. The attacks in the Red Sea — a key commercial thoroughfare through which about 12 percent of global trade transits — led shipping companies to suspend operations in the area and drew condemnation from the US and its allies. In mid-December, Washington launched a multinational force aimed at defending “freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea, and at the end of the month, US forces sank three Houthi boats, killing 10 fighters. During a news conference from Egypt’s capital on Thursday, Blinken condemned the Houthis and noted that the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution a day earlier urging the group to end its attacks. “We have a number of countries that have made clear that, if it doesn’t stop, there’ll have to be consequences, and unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped. But we want to make sure that it does, and we’re prepared to do that,” the top US diplomat said. Brian Finucane, a senior US programme adviser at the International Crisis Group think tank, said it was widely expected that the US would launch attacks against the Houthis in Yemen amid the escalating Red Sea confrontations. But Finucane — who previously worked at the US State Department, advising on the use of military force — told Al Jazeera that the Yemen strikes show that the Biden administration “has adopted a posture of self-deception and a self-defeating policy”. “On the one hand, they repeat in this mantra-like fashion their desire to avoid a wider regional war. On the other hand, we already have that wider regional war and the underlying cause … is the conflict in Gaza, which the US is fuelling through unconditional military support [for Israel],” he said. ‘Arsonist and firefighter’ Biden, who confirmed the strikes on Thursday, said his administration was sending “a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes”. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary,” the US president said in a statement, which did not mention the Israeli war in Gaza. Earlier this month, a senior administration official also rejected the Houthis’ claim that their attacks in the Red Sea are tied to Gaza, calling that rationale “illegitimate”. The war in Gaza has killed more than 23,700 Palestinians since October 7, prompting widespread international outcry and raising questions about the risk of genocide. According to Finucane, the US’s failure to “acknowledge reality” — that the Gaza war lies at the heart of current regional tensions — “will make it very difficult to craft effective policy”. And while the US said its overnight Yemen strikes were “intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis’ capabilities”, Finucane questioned whether they would really stem the Red Sea attacks. The Houthis in Yemen have already withstood years of bombings in a war led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The group is currently in talks with Riyadh over a lasting ceasefire. “I think it’s really important to recognise that the US is simultaneously playing the role of arsonist and firefighter in the Middle East,” Finucane said. “It is pouring fuel on the fire in Gaza, while at the same time trying to tamp down the flare-ups elsewhere in the region — flare-ups that endanger US service members.” Gaza ceasefire key Shireen Al-Adeimi, a Yemeni American assistant professor at Michigan State University, said she was disheartened but not surprised to see the Biden administration launch attacks on Yemen. “It’s not surprising because we’ve seen evidence over and over again [that] US policy in the Middle East, and Yemen more specifically, has been one that is reactive, one that leads with violence,” she told Al Jazeera. “Air strikes seem to be the go-to for whichever administration has been in power [over] the past couple of decades.” She added that, if the Biden administration really wanted to de-escalate regional tensions, it would be pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza. “Their words don’t align with their actions.” The Biden administration has provided Israel with military and diplomatic support since the Gaza war began, without drawing “red lines” for how those resources can be used. It has also blocked UN resolutions urging a ceasefire and rejected a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank in Washington, DC, also told Al Jazeera in a television interview on Thursday that the Yemen attacks highlight a failure on the part of the US and UK to push Israel to end its war in Gaza. “The question that has to be asked is, ‘Why is it that the British and American governments prefer to escalate and go to war essentially in order to prevent the Houthis from attacking ships, rather than actually [taking] the path of a ceasefire in Gaza?'” he said. A ceasefire, Parsi explained, would end the killings of Palestinians, help secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza, and stem attacks on US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria, which have also escalated since early October. “The strategy of the Biden administration has been to try to achieve de-escalation by escalating,” he said. “And it doesn’t seem to work in the long run, clearly, because the Houthis are likely not going to back off.” That was echoed by El-Tayyab, who told Al Jazeera that “more war has not, and has never been, the answer”. “They should try to end the war in Gaza for its own sake because there’s a massive humanitarian crisis,” he said, noting the mass displacement of Palestinians and warnings of famine in Gaza. “But a ceasefire in Gaza would also have a knock-on effect of really ratcheting down escalation and violence in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, in Lebanon, [to] secure all peoples in the region — Arabs and Israelis — and secure American interests abroad.” El-Tayyab added, “Really, the only way out of this mess is diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/12/dangerous-us-attacks-on-yemens-houthis-belie-push-for-de-escalation

Alienated by Republicans, some Arab American advocates in Iowa say they will not vote for President Joe Biden either. Palestinian American professor Deema Totah stands outside her house in Iowa City, Iowa [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] By Ali Harb Published On 13 Jan 2024 Save articles to read later and create your own reading list. Des Moines, Iowa – National media, political pundits and United States presidential hopefuls all converged on the state capital of Des Moines this week, as it played host to the final Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses. But just miles down the road from where Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis traded barbs on Wednesday night, local businessman Mohamed Ali was unfazed. “Honestly, we don’t care about them,” Ali told Al Jazeera, blowing smoke from his hookah pipe in a packed cafe outside Des Moines. “With all the debates, they all fight and compete over who supports Israel more.” While indifferent towards the race for the Republican nomination, the 46-year-old Palestinian American father of three said one thing was certain: He would not back Democratic President Joe Biden for a second term in November. Israel’s war in Gaza had been a turning point for Ali, who previously supported Biden in 2020. Dressed in a white button-up shirt with a light blue blazer over it, he alternated between anger and stoicism — voicing rage over Biden’s support of Israel and apathy towards the 2024 elections. “The Arab and the Muslim community, they are not voting for Biden. I did not talk to a single person who said he’s going to vote for Biden,” Ali told Al Jazeera, as Arabic pop music blared in the background of the cafe. He added that even the prospect of Donald Trump’s return to the White House was not enough to spur Arab Americans to vote Democrat in the presidential race. Des Moines-area businessman Mohamed Ali says it is too late for President Joe Biden to win the votes of Arab Americans in Iowa [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Ali was born in Lebanon to Palestinian refugee parents. He studied in Tunisia before moving to New York and ending up in Iowa — the rural, sparsely po[CENSORED]ted state where the first Republican primary contest will take place on Monday. But Ali, like many Arab and Muslim Americans, has found himself disillusioned with mainstream US politics as the war in Gaza unfolds. Biden has articulated “unwavering” support for Israel, and his rivals in the Republican field have all tried to outdo each other with their advocacy for the US ally. All the while, international outcry has mounted over the rising death toll in Gaza, where an Israeli military campaign has killed over 23,700 Palestinians. Israel itself faced genocide accusations this week before the International Court of Justice. So in Iowa, as the election approaches, many Arab Americans feel stuck between Biden and a hard place. For now, many are spending their energy on local activism for Gaza. Ali himself has organised several Palestine solidarity protests, drawing hundreds of people in Des Moines. ‘Litmus test’ Although overwhelmingly white, Iowa is home to sizable Arab and Muslim communities: One grassroots project estimated Iowa’s Arab American po[CENSORED]tion to include upwards of 17,700 people, in a state of 3.2 million. One of the nation’s oldest mosques is in the eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids, an area that elected its first Arab American state legislator in 2022. South of Cedar Rapids, in the college town of Iowa City, there is also a growing Sudanese American community. In Des Moines, meanwhile, there are clusters of Arab and Muslim Americans from the Middle East, South Asia and Bosnia. While US Arabs and Muslims are no monolith, more than a dozen activists interviewed by Al Jazeera echoed the same sentiment: They feel alienated by Republicans, but they will not vote for Biden. Ending the war in Gaza is now the central issue for many of Iowa’s politically active Arab Americans. They have organised protests, met with representatives and pushed ceasefire resolutions at the local level to make their voices heard. “I find it very difficult to stomach anybody who can’t call for a ceasefire at this point, no matter what party they’re in,” said Maria Reveiz, a Lebanese American yoga instructor who owns a jazz club in Des Moines. “I’ve left the Democratic Party. I have no affiliation. Palestine from here on out is my litmus test for anybody to get my support ever again.” That sense of disenfranchisement among Arab and Muslim Americans in Iowa has been amplified by a lack of outreach from campaigns during this year’s presidential race. While Democrats made headlines in 2020 for organising caucuses in Iowa mosques, Republican candidates have not reached out specifically to Arab and Muslim Americans, adding to those communities’ lack of concern with Monday’s race. Reveiz, a curly-haired mother of three, campaigned for Bernie Sanders during the 2020 Democratic caucuses, but she has since covered a sticker of a mittened Sanders on her laptop with a Palestinian flag. Sanders has not called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. When she spoke to Al Jazeera, Reveiz’s house looked like a shrine for Palestine: a keffiyeh above the fireplace, a painting by a Palestinian artist on the wall, a scarf with the colours of the Palestinian flag on a shelf. Reveiz herself wore a pendant that said “Palestine” in Arabic around her neck. Even a Buddha statue in the corner of her living room was draped with a Palestinian flag. Reveiz had visited Gaza several times in the past years with an aid group to lead yoga classes designed to help address trauma. Israeli shelling has since killed one of her friends in the Palestinian territory. “Ahmad Ismail,” Reveiz said, whispering his name but stopping short of crying. “Wonderful human.” With Israel restricting access to food, medicine and water in Gaza, Ismail had been on his roof collecting rainwater when he was hit by shelling in Deir el-Balah. Reveiz said she has now contacted the offices of her representatives in Congress so often that staffers recognise her. She has also written to the White House demanding a ceasefire. But she has not heard any positive responses to her requests. “It’s futile,” Reveiz told Al Jazeera. Sami Scheetz stands outside the Iowa state capitol in Des Moines [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Iowa City resolution About two hours east of Des Moines, ceasefire activists in Iowa City turned their attention to their city council to advance their cause. On January 2, the Iowa City city council adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire in a 4-3 vote. Although municipalities have little power over foreign policy, Deema Totah, a Palestinian American professor at the University of Iowa, said the measure was important. “We need some sort of mechanism for democracy, for our voices to be heard. And in this large country, this mechanism is through local government,” Totah told Al Jazeera. “Local government has the ability to amplify these voices, has the ability to be on the right side of history, has the ability to put on the record that there were citizens against this — that this wasn’t the view of the United States to fund the military campaign that Israel is engaging in. “We want future history books to say that this was a unilateral decision by a government whose people did not agree with them.” Tarweeh Osman, a Sudanese American community organiser who advocated for the resolution, said she felt recognised after the measure passed. Still, she said, as an Arab American, she feels “unheard” and “alienated” by both Biden and the Republican presidential candidates vying for victory in Iowa. She noted that politicians’ staunch support for Israel is translating into efforts to crack down on pro-Palestinian advocacy in the US. By way of example, she pointed to DeSantis, one of the Republican hopefuls competing in this year’s Iowa caucuses: As governor of Florida, he ordered a ban on a Palestinian rights student group at state universities. “It’s terrifying that we’re seeing legitimate political dissent that’s protected by the First Amendment being systematically delegitimised by our political representatives to appease pro-Israel interest groups,” Osman told Al Jazeera. But she added that another four years of Biden could also prove detrimental for Palestinian rights supporters, given the president’s unconditional backing of Israel. For her part, Totah said she feels “erased and discarded” by rhetoric that dehumanises Palestinians from both major parties. In October, Biden questioned the war’s Palestinian death toll, dismissing the killing of civilians as the “price of waging a war”. “I have voted Democrat in the past. But this year, I cannot vote for Biden. And I’m looking at third-party candidates right now,” Totah told Al Jazeera. Ceasefire calls Sami Scheetz, a Democrat who represents neighbouring Cedar Rapids in the Iowa State Legislature, spoke in favour of the Iowa City ceasefire resolution when it was being debated earlier this month. Scheetz said his election as the state House’s first Arab American member in 2022 reflects the “strength and diversity” of the community. While he has not faced direct discrimination, Scheetz added that advocating for the rights of Arabs and Palestinians “during the war in Gaza has come at a political cost”. Across the country, politicians critical of Israeli policies have faced pushback by pro-Israel groups. For example, the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC is preparing to spend more than $100m in the next election to defeat progressives calling for a ceasefire in Congress, according to several US media reports. But Scheetz said his advocacy was fuelled by the “alarming reality” on the ground in Gaza. “It’s essential to stand against injustice and prioritise human rights, even when faced with these consequences,” Scheetz told Al Jazeera. “This catastrophic devastation unequivocally demands an immediate reassessment of the current strategy, as the relentless military campaign is not only devoid of justice but also stands as a formidable obstacle to any prospect of lasting peace in the region.” Scheetz’s Republican colleagues in the Iowa State House are preparing a resolution that fails to mention Palestinians and instead backs Israel’s “right to act decisively and unilaterally in self-defense” through its military actions in Gaza. But the state’s Democratic Party has also strained relations with Palestinian rights advocates. Last year, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart condemned a Democratic student group for issuing a statement that read in part, “May every Palestinian live long and free, from the river to the sea“. Newman Abuissa, the Arab American Caucus chair for the Iowa Democratic Party, has pushed back against Hart and called on her to apologise. Abuissa told Al Jazeera that Arab Americans are trying to make themselves heard within the party, stressing that there is a gap between the Democratic leadership and the majority of voters who back a ceasefire in Gaza. Asked about Arab Americans’ interest in the Republican caucuses, he said, “We have been busy working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the last three months.” The Mother Mosque of America is one of the oldest standing mosques in the US [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] A landmark mosque North of Iowa City, Cedar Rapids has a site steeped in symbolism for Muslim Americans: one of the country’s oldest mosques. The Mother Mosque of America was built in 1934 by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants. Situated in a residential neighbourhood, its white building would blend with the snow-blanketed lawns that surround it, if not for its bright green dome and awning. When Al Jazeera visited the mosque this week, Ahmed Abdoney — a US Air Force veteran — was there looking at photos of his family attending early congregations. One photo features Abdoney when he was about 10 years old. He said his maternal grandfather was one of the founders of the mosque. His father, meanwhile, arrived at New York’s Ellis Island in the 1930s and moved westward, working as a travelling merchant until he settled in Ohio, then moved to Iowa. Abdoney said the Arab community in Cedar Rapids grew over the years, but people there are private, not as visible as Arab communities in other parts of the country. “They have been very successful in small businesses, having jobs,” Abdoney said. “They help each other out. They’re always there for each other.” Ahmed Abdoney points to a photo of himself as a child inside the Iowa Islamic Heritage Mother Mosque of America [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Imam Taha Tawil said the mosque shows the long history of Islam in the US, adding there are plans to expand the building to include a visitors’ centre. Tawil stressed that the mosque is an apolitical space. Still, in 2016, he made national headlines when he invited Trump to visit the mosque after the then-candidate proposed banning Muslims from entering the US. The imam said the invitation still stands, but he does not think the former president will take him up on it, given that he did not respond to the original one eight years ago. “The American way is to sit down and argue and try to convince me to vote for you — not attack us then ask us to vote for you,” Tawil told Al Jazeera. Trump ignited further controversy during his term as president by moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a move that was seen as rejecting Palestinians’ internationally recognised claims to the holy city. But despite Arab and Muslim Americans’ tense history with Trump, some in the community are not entirely ruling out backing the former president, who appears set to win Iowa and run away with the Republican nomination. “If, by some miracle, Trump comes up with something that really shows he changed his views on Palestine, and we think he has some positive ideas, then he could be a choice for us,” said Ali, the Palestinian American businessman. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/13/republican-caucuses-iowas-arabs-and-muslims-are-more-concerned-with-gaza

Music title: Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello - Señorita Signer: hawn Mendes, Camila Cabello Release date: 2019/06/21 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: Halo Time: Paramount Plus Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 2min - 25sec. Trailer:

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Ireland coach to succeed Warren Gatland for 2025 tour Farrell Jr already odds-on to become Lions captain Andy Farrell appointed head coach for British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia – video It has been obvious for months that Andy Farrell would lead the British & Irish Lions’ 2025 tour to Australia, which made his coronation in central London a mostly ceremonial affair. The only bigger certainty was that the new boss would have to field multiple questions about his son Owen’s next move, specifically whether a potential switch to France’s Top 14 might reduce the fly-half’s chances of selection. The current answer is no, despite Owen’s recent decision to step aside from playing Test rugby for England. Farrell senior made clear that all players resident overseas would be eligible for the tour, a precedent having been set by, among others, the Paris-based Finn Russell in 2021. As the 48-year-old bluntly put it: “We’ll consider everyone in regards to whether they will make a difference to the Lions touring party. That’s all that matters.” Form, he was equally quick to stress, counted for more than a player’s geographical whereabouts or what coloured jersey he was wearing. He was also adamant his son would be treated just like anybody else, regardless of where he might be playing his club rugby next season. “Selection, as far as that’s concerned, is the same as everyone else. It’s no different.” In this case, however, it is not quite that simple. It already looks certain that players involved in the French league playoffs will miss the early part of the Lions tour, which starts with a warm-up game against Ireland in Dublin on Friday 20 June. Balanced against that is the likelihood the Lions will need at least one experienced 10, with Scotland’s Russell currently the only nailed-on starting fly-half across the four home unions. Nor, at this distance, is there a clear-cut tour captain in the Alun Wyn Jones mould, which is why some bookmaking sites are listing Farrell Jr as their shortest-priced bet to be skipper, ahead of England’s Maro Itoje, Ireland’s James Ryan and Wales’s Jac Morgan. That all depends, of course, on Farrell declaring himself available to tour, with even his father insisting he does not yet know his son’s future plans. “It’s his choice,” reiterated the Ireland coach, when asked if he would support Owen moving abroad. “Of course. There are no promises, it’s a short career. You want to do things that float your boat and make your family happy. It’s all about the memories you create, not just for yourself but for others as well. For some the thought of devoting yourself to one club is extra, extra special. Owen has that at Saracens but if things do change – and I don’t know whether they will or not – it’ll be for the right reasons.” Having been involved in two previous Lions expeditions in 2013 and 2017 as a defence coach, there is absolutely no doubt Farrell Sr will be up for this particular challenge – “I love everything above the format” – regardless of how many family members are on the plane. In theory, he has massive shoes to fill in succession to the long-serving Warren Gatland. In practice, as a seasoned winner in both codes, he was born for this high-profile overlord role. Only the language surrounding the most coveted job in northern hemisphere rugby has altered slightly. In 2013 Farrell was filmed on video exhorting his players to enter “the hurt arena” as the Test series against the Wallabies reached its climax. Just over a decade on and even he had to chuckle at being called a “cultural architect” by the Lions’ chief executive, Ben Calveley, because of his proven ability to bind squads together. “I wouldn’t describe myself like that,” he replied immediately, flashing that familiar flat-nosed Wigan smile. “There won’t be any film star roles from me, just being myself and making sure the team comes first.” What he definitely does represent, though, is a serious threat to Australia. As a former rugby league legend, Farrell is hugely respected down under and it will fascinating to see who the Wallabies pick to confront him. Even if it is his Irish coaching predecessor Joe Schmidt – “‘He wouldn’t tell me if he had been approached, so there’s no point me asking him” – Farrell has an uncanny knack of rising to the big occasion. His eventual coaching team – Paul O’Connell, Gregor Townsend, Felix Jones and possibly even Ronan O’Gara will all be contenders – will not contain any lightweights either. It is also an important tour for the Lions after the Covid disruption, empty stadiums and grim-faced fare of the last South Africa series. Happily, it is already inked into the tour agreement that Wallabies players must be available for the warm-up games, with discussions also ongoing about possible tweaks to the traditional Lions tour roster after New Zealand in 2029. A project entitled Beyond 25 will examine various options and Calveley emphasised “there is nothing set in stone for the future”. Lions tours may be anachronistic in some respects but they continue to be lucrative cash cows. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/jan/11/andy-farrell-head-coach-british-irish-lions-australia-rugby-union

The compact SUV's higher trims now have built-in Google apps, while the interior gets new materials and the $39,965 Platinum model adds a ritzier exterior look. The Nissan Rogue is receiving a refresh for the 2024 model year, including a new look for the front and rear. There's also new technology, including built-in Google apps for the infotainment system in the higher trim levels. Nissan says the 2024 Rogue will go on sale early next year, and prices range from $29,685 up to $41,465. UPDATE 1/11/23: Pricing is out for the 2024 Rogue, and it starts at $29,685 for the base front-wheel-drive S model. The S and SV are up $410 compared with last year, while the SL and Platinum's prices rise by $1110. All-wheel drive remains a $1500 option across the board. A Platinum AWD model with all the extras tops $43,000. As Nissan's bestselling model, the Rogue plays an important role, so it's no surprise the compact SUV is already receiving another update. The current generation has only been around since the 2021 model year, and it already received a new engine for 2022, and now the 2024 Rogue benefits from a refresh that includes a new look and new technology features within. The front and rear ends are both restyled, with the grille getting a new design and the taillights also receiving a tweak. The SV's 18-inch wheel design is new, while the top Platinum trim level (pictured here) receives a new 19-inch wheel along with gloss-black fender trim and a slightly ritzier-looking body kit. Nissan will also offer three new colors: Everest White Pearl, Deep Ocean Blue Pearl, and Baja Storm. Inside, Nissan says there are different materials and finishes for the dashboard, door panels, seats, and center console. The Platinum is also now available with a brown leather upholstery choice. The S and SV trim levels still have an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but the larger 12.3-inch screen in the SL and Platinum adds built-in Google apps such as Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Assistant. The SL also adds a wireless charging pad and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. The smaller screen is compatible with Apple CarPlay on a wired connection, while the larger screen in SL and Platinum offers wireless smartphone mirroring. There are no changes to the 2024 Rogue's powertrain, as it still comes standard with a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-three with a variable compression ratio that produces 201 horsepower. Front-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission are standard, while all-wheel drive is optional. We tested a 2022 Rogue and found that this engine delivers on the acceleration front, improving the 60 mph time compared with the old 2.5-liter inline-four, but fell short in terms of real-world fuel economy. Pricing is up somewhat from before, but the base S still ducks in just under $30,000, at $29,685. The SV starts at $31,375, the SL starts at $36,535, and the loaded Platinum is $39,965. Those prices are all for the front-wheel-drive configuration, and AWD adds $1500. The updated model will start arriving at U.S. dealerships in early 2024. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a45546959/2024-nissan-rogue-revealed/

Experts say social media behind increased use of products unsuitable for young people’s skin Dermatologists say the trend has left children ‘obsessed with ageing’. Photograph: Anastasiia Krivenok/Getty Images Leading dermatologists have said children as young as 10 are putting pressure on their parents to buy them expensive, anti-ageing skincare products, which experts say could damage their sensitive skin. Dermatologists expressed concern that the trend, largely driven by girls seeing products on social media, had left children “obsessed with ageing”. Experts recommend a simple skincare routine at a young age, such as cleaning twice a day and using a light moisturiser, as well as sunscreen if UV rays are high. Dr Emma Wedgeworth, of the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group, said she had experience of the trend both professionally and personally as the mother of a 12-year-old girl. “It is something I see all the time [at work] and as a mother it is … something I am battling with as well. I have an interest in adolescent skin conditions and see a lot of teens brought in by their parents who are using expensive and extensive skincare routines,” Wedgeworth said. “They are spending a huge amount of time on their skincare routine before and after school … I think, as with anything, it is about moderation.” Dr Anjali Mahto, a consultant dermatologist at Self London, said she was seeing the trend more frequently in her clinics. She said: “Most have been heavily influenced by social media (TikTok in particular) and influencers who are showing their in-depth routines, most often accompanied by luxury skincare brands. There is often an unhealthy focus on anti-ageing too, despite their young age. There is also a degree of keeping up with their friends, as well as frequently chopping and changing their skincare to fix their acne, when what they really need is medical intervention. “I do have concerns about them using ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin A (retinoids) and exfoliating acids like AHAs and BHAs. They’re not necessary on young skin and I think the psychological aspect of starting an ‘anti-ageing’ routine this young is detrimental. Unfortunately I am seeing more teens in my clinic who are obsessed with ageing. It’s concerning and it’s undoubtedly been fuelled by social media.” Comments recently surfaced on TikTok about 10- to 12-year-old girls reportedly begging their parents for expensive skincare and makeup at chain beauty stores, such as Sephora and Ulta. Older customers have noticed girls buying products, questioning whether they are suitable for their skin. They have also complained of the younger customers being disrespectful and destroying tester products in the stores. One TikToker said she believed “this need to want to grow up younger” stems from social media. Others complained about influencers who promote “get ready with me” videos and makeup routines, raising concerns about how this could be influencing younger demographics. Wedgeworth said the trend put too much emphasis on image at a formative age. She said young people did not “need that much in terms of skincare”. “It’s great to look after your skin but not to the point where you are using different products,” she said. “The vast majority you will not need and some could even be detrimental. Some skin will be sensitive, and some young people are even using retinol [a form of vitamin A added to skin treatments that has anti-ageing effects], which can be damaging for sensitive skin.” Wedgeworth said interest among young girls was largely driven by social media. “The consumer power [of young people] is increasing and they are becoming more knowledgeable because they are exposed to things through social media,” she said, adding that some platforms were “not well policed”. One woman, Jill Cotton, said her daughters, aged 12 and nine, were particularly interested in skincare products for Christmas. “My eldest daughter and her friends are very into having an aesthetic look for their rooms,” she said. “A lot of what attracts them to skincare is the fun packaging the creams come in – and how it will look on their shelves. “However, while the packaging is attractive to children, the prices are very firmly in the affluent adult category – with many products costing way more than I would spend on my skincare.” https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/11/uk-parents-urged-not-to-buy-children-anti-ageing-skin-products

Animal welfare campaigners hail decision as ‘historic victory’ after years of pressure at home and abroad Members of animal activist groups hold up banners at the national assembly in Seoul to mark the passage of the law banning the production and sale of dog meat. Photograph: Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA South Korea’s parliament has voted to ban the production and sale of dog meat, in a decision campaigners hailed as a “historic victory” for animal welfare. The country’s national assembly voted overwhelmingly to ban the breeding, butchery, distribution and sale of dogs for their meat on Tuesday, after years of pressure at home and abroad. While the law does not criminalise consumption, the measures will effectively bring an end to eating the animals, a practice some say stretches back centuries. The ban, which passed with 208 votes in support and two abstentions, will be enforced in 2027 after a three-year grace period. Violators will face up to three years in prison or a maximum fine of 30m won (£17,900). The law includes compensation packages to help businesses move out of the industry, media reports said. Eating dog meat – which is often served as part of a stew to make it more tender – was once seen as a way to stave off fatigue during hot summers. Consumption has slumped dramatically in recent decades, particularly among younger South Koreans who consider dogs as family pets. In a survey released this week by the Seoul-based thinktank Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education, more than 94% of respondents said they had not eaten dog meat in the past year, while 93% said they would not eat it in the future. Despite the sharp decline in consumption, about 1,150 farms continue to breed dogs for meat, while 1,600 restaurants sell dog meat dishes in South Korea, according to the agriculture ministry. Campaigners have long targeted the industry as cruel, with dogs electrocuted or hanged when slaughtered for their meat. Traders, who in November threatened to unleash 2 million dogs near the presidential office in Seoul to protest against the anticipated ban, say they have made the slaughtering process more humane. “This is history in the making,” said JungAh Chae, the executive director of Humane Society International/Korea. “I never thought I would see in my lifetime a ban on the cruel dog meat industry in South Korea, but this historic win for animals is testament to the passion and determination of our animal protection movement. “We reached a tipping point where most Korean citizens reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books, and today our policymakers have acted decisively to make that a reality. While my heart breaks for all the millions of dogs for whom this change has come too late, I am overjoyed that South Korea can now close this miserable chapter in our history and embrace a dog-friendly future.” The movement to make selling dog meat illegal has gathered momentum under the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, an animal lover who has adopted several dogs and cats with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, who has also criticised the industry. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/south-korea-votes-to-ban-production-and-sale-of-dog-meat

Human Rights Watch also says Israel’s war on Gaza has included ‘acts of collective punishment that amount to war crimes’. At least 23,469 Palestinians have been killed and 59,604 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7 [AFP] 11 Jan 2024 Save articles to read later and create your own reading list. The killing of civilians in Gaza is at a scale unprecedented in recent history, monitoring groups have said, as Israel continues to pound the besieged coastal enclave more than three months into the war. Britain-based charity Oxfam said on Thursday that the daily death toll of Palestinians in Israel’s war on Gaza surpasses that of any other major conflict in the 21st century, while survivors remain at high risk due to hunger, diseases and cold, as well as ongoing Israeli bombardments. “Israel’s military is killing Palestinians at an average rate of 250 people a day, which massively exceeds the daily death toll of any other major conflict of recent years,” Oxfam said in a statement. For comparison, the charity provided a list of average deaths per day in other conflicts since the turn of the century: 96.5 in Syria, 51.6 in Sudan, 50.8 in Iraq, 43.9 in Ukraine, 23.8 in Afghanistan, and 15.8 in Yemen. Oxfam said the crisis is further compounded by Israel’s restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, where only 10 percent of weekly food aid that is needed gets in. This poses a serious risk of starvation for those who survive the relentless bombardment, it said. Also on Thursday, United States-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its World Report 2024, which said civilians in Gaza have been “targeted, attacked, abused, and killed over the past year at a scale unprecedented in the recent history of Israel and Palestine”. ‘War crimes’ At least 23,469 Palestinians have been killed and 59,604 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. In the most recent 24-hour reporting period, Israeli forces carried out 10 mass killings in the Gaza Strip, causing 112 deaths and 194 injuries, the ministry added. About 7,000 people remain missing under the rubble and are presumed dead. “The heinous crimes carried out by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups since October 7 are the abhorrent legacy of decades-long impunity for unlawful attacks and Israel’s systematic repression of Palestinians,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at HRW. “How many more civilians must suffer or be killed as a result of war crimes before countries supplying weapons pull the plug and otherwise take action to end these atrocities?” he asked. This comes as South Africa on Thursday presented its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing the country of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected as “hypocrisy and lies”. In its report, HRW noted that Israel’s war on Gaza has included “acts of collective punishment that amount to war crimes and include the use of starvation as a method of warfare”, including cutting off essential services such as water and electricity and blocking the entry of most critical humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, HRW said during the first eight months of 2023, incidents of settler violence against Palestinians and their property reached the highest daily average since the United Nations started recording this data in 2006. At least 3,291 Palestinians were held in administrative detention without charge or trial, according to Israel Prison Service figures. “Israeli authorities’ repression of Palestinians, undertaken as part of a policy to maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians, amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution,” HRW said. ‘Gaza is different from space’ Experts in mapping damage during wartime have also found that the war in Gaza now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. According to an analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by the CUNY Graduate Center and Oregon State University, the war has killed more civilians than the US-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against ISIL (ISIS). The offensive has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II, researchers found, according to a report by The Associated Press. Israel’s offensive has likely either damaged or destroyed more than two-thirds of all structures in northern Gaza and a quarter of buildings in the southern area of Khan Younis, according to satellite data collected by the research group. That includes tens of thousands of homes as well as schools, hospitals, mosques and stores. UN monitors have said that about 70 percent of school buildings across Gaza have been damaged. “Gaza is now a different colour from space. It’s a different texture,” said Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center, who has worked to map destruction across several war zones. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/11/gaza-daily-deaths-exceed-all-other-major-conflicts-in-21st-century-oxfam

Some 63 percent of Taiwan’s people identify as Taiwanese even as Beijing claims the island, but it might not affect Saturday’s vote. Taiwanese say defining where they are from should not be controversial [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP] Taipei, Taiwan Taiwan’s more than 19 million eligible voters will cast their ballots on Saturday for the island’s next leaders and lawmakers amid domestic economic challenges and China’s continued threats against the self-ruled island. There are three candidates in the running for the top job: William Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s current vice president who represents the ruling Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-ih of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT); and ex-Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the newer Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). Many in Taiwan face skyrocketing housing prices and stagnating wages, but beyond the economic issues that are key to elections everywhere, people on the island must also contend with a more existential question – that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants to take control of the island, by force if necessary. In the run-up to the polls, it has sent military aircraft and balloons around the island while its officials have urged voters to make the “right choice”. Brian Hioe, founding editor of Taiwan-focused magazine New Bloom, notes that while not the only factor, “the largest issue in Taiwanese presidential elections traditionally is the decision between independence and unification”. Protesters in Taiwan dress up to depict authoritarian China, which has tried to influence the outcome of Saturday’s election with military threats, diplomatic pressure, fake news and financial inducements [Ng Han Guan/AP Photo] Beijing insists Taiwan is part of China, but in recent years, the people of Taiwan, many of whom have grown up in one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies and known nothing else, have become increasingly assertive about their own sense of identity. According to National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center, 62.8 percent of people identified as Taiwanese as of June 2023, while 30.5 percent said they were both Taiwanese and Chinese, and only 2.5 percent identified as Chinese. ‘Our identity is being eradicated’ Aurora Chang, now 24, long questioned her identity and sense of belonging because “I knew that I was Taiwanese but also felt that I wasn’t solely just Taiwanese – but didn’t know what the other things were”. At the end of her first year as an undergraduate, however, she came to a decision. “Being Taiwanese was really a conscious choice that I made,” she told Al Jazeera, referring to her epiphany. “I wanted to connect more to my roots and to understand what it meant and to feel my connection with the land and my family and my history,” she said. “Our identity is actively being eradicated by a power much larger and much more international influence than us,” she added. According to Taiwan’s Central Election Commission, more than 30 percent of voters are aged between 20 and 39. Hioe, who is also a non-resident fellow at the University of Nottingham’s Taiwan studies programme, notes that “identity concerns are certainly part of what sets Taiwanese young people apart from other Asian youths – in that most youth do not face an existential threat to their national identity”. Chen Yi An, a 27-year-old medical worker from Taipei, is also proud to call herself Taiwanese. “Taiwan is the place I grew up, the land that raised me. I am Taiwanese,” she said, adding that the way she defines where is from “should not be controversial”. But not all young Taiwanese are so rooted in their sense of identity, and some do see themselves as Chinese. Ting-yi Zheng, a 27-year-old student from Tainan, Taiwan’s historical city, has lived in China for seven years and is currently studying for a doctoral degree in Beijing. China has increased political, military and economic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016. She cannot run for a third term [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP] He told Al Jazeera he had no plan to return home to vote. Last time around he backed KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu, but now he worries about the state of Taipei’s ties with Beijing and the effect on the island’s economy. China has raised political, economic and military pressure on Taiwan ever since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016, despite her early offer of talks. Zheng says he does not want the island to go to war with Beijing. “I hope the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can be peacefully unified,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that both peoples needed to know each other more. Liz Li, now 27, says she learned at school that Taiwan was an “independent country” but says she came to have doubts after doing more of her own reading. “The older you get, the more news and history you see, and you will think to yourself: Are we really a country?” Li said, referring to the international community’s understanding of Taiwan’s state as “a country but not a country”. Whatever her thoughts on identity, however, it will not be what motivates her decision at the ballot box. Values to live by Li dreams of buying her own home on the island, but prices are so high she is thinking of working overseas – getting a job as a UX designer in Japan or the United States – so she can earn and save enough money to make it a reality. She thinks that as Taiwan grapples with economic issues such as affordable housing, it needs new ideas and an alternative to the two parties – the DPP and KMT – that have dominated politics since democratisation. Li plans to vote for the TPP’s Ko for the sake of “who will give us a better and more stable life.” Ko has attracted support from many similarly disillusioned young people who are attracted by his outsider status, and for whom economic issues are more of a concern than the rumbling from across the Taiwan Strait. “The thing about China is that it is an existing problem for us,” she said, explaining that she did not think it was an issue where ordinary people could have much impact, unlike the economy. Chiaoning Su, associate professor in the Department of Communication, Journalism and Public Relations at Oakland University in the US, told Al Jazeera that Taiwanese identity was “a process of knowing who we are not”, which was “being defined by our way of life, value, democracy [and] freedom of speech” and the contrast with the authoritarian government in Beijing. For Chang, those values, including “gender equality” and “views on queer rights” with the island the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, underpin her identity and make her proud of being Taiwanese. They are also why she plans to vote for Lai, a man Beijing has labelled a “separatist”. Lai said earlier this week, he wanted to maintain Taiwan’s status quo as de facto independent. “Being somebody who believes in the maintenance of Taiwanese independence, there is a very clear choice here,” Chang said. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/12/a-country-but-not-a-country-taiwan-prepares-to-vote-in-chinas-shadow

Music title: Daddy Yankee - Dura (Video Oficial) Signer: Daddy Yankee Release date: 2018 - Jan - 19 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: Abigail Time: Universal Pictures Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 2min - 46sec. Trailer: