X A V I ™
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Nick movie: Kalki
Time: Released
Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A
Duration of the movie: 153mins
Trailer: -
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London, United Kingdom – For Sophia Naqvi, a longtime Labour Party activist, the lightbulb moment came just days into the current Middle East crisis.
On October 11, four days after Hamas killed Israeli citizens and took many captive, Israel was responding with an aggressive campaign of air attacks and blockades. The Labour leader Keir Starmer gave an interview to the radio station LBC.
Keep reading
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UK Labour’s failure to call for a Gaza ceasefire is not surprising
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It is time the labour movement takes a stand for Palestine
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‘Completely alienated’: British Muslims on Labour, Tory stance on Gaza war
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With UK PM under pressure, is Labour on track for a landslide election win?
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In it, he said that Israel had the “right” to cut off power and water from Gaza.
Labour later denied that Starmer had intended to support Israel cutting off supplies to the territory, saying he was instead supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.
But for Naqvi, and many others, the damage was done.
“For me, that party didn’t represent me any more,” Naqvi told Al Jazeera.
“It’s a matter of principle. In the 21st century, how can you say it’s OK to shut down water, food, electricity? He’s talking like that and he’s supposed to be a human rights lawyer.”
Naqvi left the Labour Party.
This was not a decision she took lightly – she had been a member of Labour for a decade. In her local area of Newham, in East London, she had served as a women’s officer for the party.
Her father and grandfather were both involved with Labour, too. But it felt extremely clear.
“There comes a time when there are two paths. You can continue being on the wrong side, or you can leave.”
Twenty days after Starmer’s interview, as more Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, he said it was not the time to call for a ceasefire, but demanded a pause in the fighting to allow for aid to be sent into the besieged strip.
Next week, Starmer faces another major test as a second parliamentary motion calling for an immediate ceasefire will be held.
In Newham, 32 percent of residents are Muslim according to the latest census, making it one of the largest Muslim communities in the United Kingdom.
Its two Labour parliamentarians enjoy large majorities, and until recently, all 60 of its local council seats belonged to Labour.
Soon after leaving the party, Naqvi stood as an independent candidate in a local council by-election and won the seat.
“While I was knocking on doors to campaign, people said, ‘Labour? Go away.’ I said ‘I’m independent,’” she recalled. “I found that a lot of people had the same belief as I do about what’s happening in Gaza, and they wanted to be represented.”
The Hamas-led attack on October 7 killed 1,1139 people. Israel’s months-long assault on Gaza has killed at least 28,663 people and levelled much of the densely po[CENSORED]ted strip.
The Labour Party has traditionally enjoyed support from the UK’s Muslim communities, and constituencies with large Muslim po[CENSORED]tions are among the party’s safest seats.
But with Labour refusing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, there are signs that this could be changing.
A snapshot poll by Savanta in November showed that 41 percent of Muslim voters say they feel more negatively about Labour since the outbreak of the conflict.
A recent poll carried out by Survation for the London Muslim Network found that only 60 percent of Muslims who voted for Labour at the 2019 general election are willing to do so again at the election due this year.
The same poll found that 85 percent of British Muslims said the political position of parties on the Israel-Gaza war would influence their vote.
‘A lot of anger within the community’
It is not clear what impact this will have at the ballot box, given Labour’s dominant position in opinion polls overall.
“The Muslim community by and large nationally tends to stick with Labour and that’s also the case locally in Newham,” said Tahir Talati, an imam and volunteer with the Newham Muslim Forum.
“But there’s a lot of anger within the community. Labour’s stance, their duplicity, statements by Starmer. The party hasn’t understood that the strength of feeling on this issue isn’t temporary.”
Disappointment with Labour’s handling of the crisis in Gaza has exacerbated an existing trend.
In 2021, just a year into Starmer’s leadership, polling that followed a report into Islamophobia in the party found that 55 percent of British Muslims did not “trust the leadership of the Labour party to tackle Islamophobia effectively”.
For some Muslim voters, the party’s refusal to take a clear stance on Gaza – at once calling for humanitarian relief while simultaneously supporting Israel – compounds their sense of not being listened to.
“It feels like we don’t matter, like Labour thinks, ‘Oh the Muslims are going to vote for us whatever happens because they have nowhere else to go politically’, and so that’s an excuse not to listen to our voices,” said Ali Azhar, a cafe manager in Stratford, one of Newham’s main hubs.
He plans to abstain.
“I’ve always voted Labour, but to be honest, at this rate, I just won’t bother voting at all.”
While this trend is unlikely to keep Labour out of power, there is some nervousness among individual Labour legislators who represent constituencies with large Muslim po[CENSORED]tions.
A website called theMuslimVote.co.uk suggests which candidates to back in different areas. It says it is “focused on seats where the Muslim vote can influence the outcome” and will not back anyone “who voted against or abstained on the ceasefire vote”.
It lists a variety backers, including NGOs, community groups and Muslim-run businesses.
“It used to be the case that if you put a Labour symbol on a lamp-post, people would vote for it, but that’s changing,” said Naqvi. “Labour used to be a party for social justice, a working-class party, so we expect more from them than from the Conservatives.”
In Newham, Talati said that the two Labour members of Parliament have handled the issue very differently.
Stephen Timms has “been fantastic on this issue”, raising Gaza in parliament and communicating with his Muslim constituents.
By contrast, Lyn Brown, the other parliamentarian, has reportedly not responded to a request for a meeting by Muslim community organisations.
“If it was in our control and we had a credible independent candidate, the community would vote for them,” said Talati.
“But it would require a massive, organised local campaign which I don’t think anyone in Newham has the appetite for.”
What many Muslim voters appear to share is a sense that they are not being heard by the party they have long supported.
“Nobody likes the Tories but we are not going to be voting for Keir Starmer,” said Talati.
“We know that most likely he’s going to come into power – but he’s not going to come into power on the back of our votes.”
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Volvo is renaming two of its existing electric vehicles to differentiate them further from gas-powered models and to align them with upcoming EV nameplates.
In the change, the XC40 Recharge becomes the EX40 and the C40 Recharge becomes the EC40.
The "Recharge" badge is dropped from plug-in-hybrid models.
Volvo is getting its ducks in a row by renaming a few of its existing EVs to match the naming convention of upcoming electric-only models. For 2025, the XC40 Recharge will become the EX40, while the C40 Recharge will be renamed the EC40.
The new names should help differentiate the current crop of electric Volvos from their gasoline-powered counterparts; the gasoline-powered XC40, for instance, will continue with the same name. The new naming convention will put the electric Volvos in line with the upcoming EX30 and EX90 models, both of which are slated to arrive in the first half of this year.
The EX40 and EC40 won't look different than their predecessors, other than new badges. The EX40 remains a square-backed electric subcompact SUV, while the EC40 is its slope-roofed but otherwise similar sibling. Volvo is also introducing of a new performance software package for select markets. Car and Driver reached out to Volvo to ask if that includes North America, but a spokesperson for the company declined to confirm at this time.
The upgrade increases the peak power output by 33 horsepower for the dual-motor AWD variant and tweaks the accelerator pedal mapping to provide quicker responses. Switching the car to a new "Performance" drive mode unlocks the peak power of 435 horsepower, up from the previous 402 in the dual-motor configuration. While the software pack will be available as an optional upgrade for customers shopping for a new 2025 model, existing owners of 2024 models will also be able to purchase and download the upgrade via Volvo's app.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46867510/2025-volvo-ex40-ec40-revealed/
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Kareena Kapoor Khan was among the several celebrities who attended the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024. The actor was one of the best-dressed celebrities at the awards ceremony. She chose a golden Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla ensemble for the occasion, boasting impeccable craftsmanship and signature design elements from the couture label. Check out Kareena's photos below. (Instagram)Kareena, who won the award in the Best Actress category, posted pictures of her golden look on Instagram. She captioned the post, "Jaane Jaan forever [yellow heart emojis]." Sonam Kapoor's sister, Rhea Kapoor styled Kareena in the heavily-embellished ethnic outfit. (Instagram)The actor's dazzling look for the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards red carpet features a floor-grazing anarkali and an organza dupatta. According to Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla's Instagram account, the set features 1,10,000 mirrors hand embroidered by 100 master craftsmen. (Instagram)Kareena paired the anarkali gown with a matching mirror pauncha and an organza dupatta - which she draped on her arms. The stole added a minimal touch to the otherwise heavily embellished anarkali. Meanwhile, the simple mirror work added a definition. (Instagram)Kareena accessorised the gold ensemble with statement jewellery pieces. She chose an ornate gold choker necklace and a statement ring adorned with white beads. Lastly, she styled her tresses in a centre parting and soft waves on the ends to add a touch of elegance. (Instagram)
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ore than a fifth of migratory species under international protection are threatened with extinction, including nearly all nomadic fish, according to the first UN expert assessment.
From humpback whales to Dalmatian pelicans, each year, billions of animals journey with the seasons over oceans, on land and in the skies. But a new report by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has found that many migratory species are at risk of disappearing, threatened by human pollution, the spread of invasive species and the climate crisis.
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FC Porto stunned a drab Arsenal side with a wonderful last-minute winner from Galeno as the Portuguese side took a Champions League last-16 first-leg win to London.
After scoring 11 goals in their last two Premier League games, the Gunners had an off-night in Portugal and failed to register a shot on target for the first time in two years - and were left aghast as Galeno cut inside and hit a superb long-range effort past David Raya in the fourth minute of stoppage time.Galeno should have put Porto ahead in the first half when he missed two sitters from close range - first hitting the post then somehow putting an even better chance from the rebound wide.Arsenal's best chances came from set pieces as William Saliba, Gabriel and Kai Havertz put efforts from dead ball situations wide. But Galeno's dramatic winner means Mikel Arteta's side will have to come from behind to progress to the quarter-finals when the second leg comes around on March 12."We lacked threat, we lacked much more threat. More aggression [was needed], especially when we had the ball in the final third, especially in the back with more purpose to help them," Arteta said to TNT Sports after the game."We will tweak a few things to attack better especially because, to be fair, we haven't conceded much at all. But we can do better."
https://www.skysports.com/football/fc-porto-vs-arsenal/report/501461
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Dozens of archaeological sites in Afghanistan have been bulldozed to allow systematic looting, according to researchers at the University of Chicago.
They say their analysis of satellite photos provides the first definitive photographic evidence that looting patterns that began under the previous government have continued since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Ancient settlements dating back to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age - some earlier than 1000BC - are among those they say have been damaged.
Most of the sites identified are in northern Afghanistan's Balkh region, which more than two millennia ago was the heartland of Bactria.
It was one of the richest and most populous regions of ancient Afghanistan under the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th Century BC.
By 327BC, Alexander the Great had conquered the region and married a Bactrian woman named Roxana, after defeating the Achaemenid ruler.
Located on a major east-west Silk Route, the region's central city Bactra - later called Balkh - has been a centre of both the Zoroastrian faith and Buddhist learning. It later became an important Islamic city.
The researchers from the University of Chicago's Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation have identified more than 29,000 archaeological sites across Afghanistan, helped by satellite imagery and other tools.
But they spotted a new pattern in the Balkh region from 2018 onwards.
They say they have identified specks on the images that they are confident are bulldozers because of the way they appear and disappear over time, and the tracks they leave in their wake.
These freshly bulldozed areas then appear in later images, covered with pits dug by looters, Prof Gil Stein, the centre's director explained.
"Basically, the people were clearing out vast areas to make it easier to loot the site systematically," he told me.
[Weekly funniest things] TRY NOT TO LAUGH 😆 Best Funny Videos Compilation 😂😁😆 Memes PART 171
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