the Guardian
Amid fears of escalation in the Israel-Gaza conflict, consider this: war without end suits Netanyahu | Simon Tisdall
The Israeli prime minister has his own agenda to galvanise his coalition and strengthen himself, says foreign affairs specialist Simon Tisdall
 The danger of broader war in the Middle East is increasing, as Israel and Iran are getting drawn toward more conflict, and even into direct conflict. The worst danger is that Netanyahu may want that result.
the Guardian
Food aid failing to reach Gaza residents despite ‘catastrophic’ hunger crisis
People vent their frustration on social media as many given just beans and biscuits to eat, and donated food is found for sale in markets
 Food aid failing to reach Gaza residents despite "catastrophic" hunger crisis.
[2/2] … apartheid practiced arbitrary imprisonment of dissidents. None of that is new. What is new is the great increase in number of victims.
[1/2]
the Guardian
UN report condemns Israeli treatment of Palestinians in West Bank | First Thing
UN high commissioner for human rights says there is ‘rapid deterioration’ of rights in West Bank. Plus, how instant noodles took over the world
 UN high commissioner for human rights says there is "rapid deterioration" of respect for Palestinians' human rights in West Bank. Israeli suppression forces have jailed thousands, venting hatred at them physically in the process. Most of them were not charged with any crime; Israel practices arbitrary imprisonment of Palestinians, much as South Africa under …
the Guardian
Michigan supreme court rules that Trump will stay on state ballot
Ex-president can participate in state primary despite accusations of insurrection stemming from the January 6 Capitol attack
 Michigan's supreme court ruled that the insurrectionist can stay on the Republican primary ballot, on the grounds that the 14th amendment prohibition on his running for office does not apply to primary elections. I can see a kind of logic in this, but it is fairer to resolve such issues early so that a party can make sure to choose a candidate who will be eligible for the office.
the Guardian
French parliament backs proposal to ban vapes
National assembly votes unanimously for move to outlaw single-use e-cigarettes, or ‘puffs’
 France is on the way to banning disposable vapes. I support this measure. For a given intensity of use, vaping nicotine may be less dangerous than smoking tobacco, but it seems to spread addiction among masses of people.
the Guardian
More than 870 Australian federal public servants acted corruptly over six years, investigation finds
The public service commission has created a new team to investigate serious misconduct allegations
 Australia has stepped up the investigation of accusations of corruption against federal functionaries. Bravo, Australia!
[2/2] … input to the system includes a list of houses in which some inhabitant is suspected of being a HAMAS fighter. That is a recipe for blowing up lots of houses, in which probably no HAMAS fighter is in residence during the bombardment, and killing tens or hundreds of thousands of relatives or bystanders.
[1/2]
the Guardian
‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza
Concerns over data-driven ‘factory’ that significantly increases the number of targets for strikes in the Palestinian territory
 The Israeli army is using a computer system to choose which houses to bomb in Gaza. The opacity provided by the magic word "AI" provides plenty of opportunity to paint the system as trying to avoid collateral damage, while tuning it so that such efforts are cursory and predictably inadequate. We could equally well describe it as accepting a considerable risk of killing civilians. The …
the Guardian
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels to hit record high
Projected rate of warming has not improved in past two years, analysis shows
 Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels reached record levels again in 2023, as experts warned that the projected rate of warming had not improved over the past two years.