Latest news with #Gaza-Israel
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to Editor: hospital, Winston Peters and job satisfaction
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including the new hospital, Winston Peters and getting people into jobs they love. I sympathise but turn your eyes to the north While I certainly sympathise with Dr Mac Gardner's frustration at the current government's total lack of progress on the new Dunedin hospital build (ODT 28.5.25), I do take issue with his suggestion that all the previous government contributed is a 'field of piles'. I would invite Dr Gardner to stand on the footpath adjacent to said piles and gaze northward. There he will see the finishing touches being put on the new hospital inpatient building - a testament to Labour's commitment, and always planned as stage 1 of the overall hospital campus development. The 'field of piles' on the other had, is both a factual and metaphorical testament to 18 months of the current government's complete (and costly) inaction. Max Reid Mornington Exhibit leadership Our Foreign Minister Winston Peters has, in his capacity as deputy prime minister, just days to exhibit leadership and convince his coalition colleagues to take a stronger and principled approach to the Gaza-Israel war. Having signed the 23-nation letter condemning the refusal of Israel to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza while over 14,000 babies and children face imminent death from starvation, New Zealand must continue to step forward and apply boycotts, sanctions and divest from Israeli companies. The genocide in Gaza is being televised. We are all witnesses. Our government must not continue to contract out of humanity and speak with a muffled voice. Gina Browne Caversham What to do Re Gaza, I have come to realise that I no longer know what to do with my outrage. Pete Hodgson Dunedin Extraordinary amounts Re the Otago Daily Times article on Winston Peters (21.5.25). I was disappointed that Mike Houlahan's piece failed to address Winston Peters' association with fringe groups and the anti-vaccination movement. Furthermore, there was no mention of his adoption of a divisive, Trumpian-style of politics. It seems Mr Peters is highly skilled at adapting his political stance to maintain relevance and garner votes. On a lighter note, I couldn't help but notice the similarity in colour between apple juice, reportedly his preferred drink on long flights, and whisky. Ann James Abbotsford Application pending In relation to Winston Peters' recent difference of opinion with an individual in Wellington, you quote employment law specialist Jennifer Mills asserting that a sacking offence had occurred. As a former union delegate for 20 years I would suggest that she remember the saying that ''it is better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.'' She has done the employer no favours by prejudging the situation, thus making it impossible for that employer to conduct the unbiased investigation to which the employee is absolutely entitled. As advocate for him I would challenge any claim from the company that it was not influenced by her unsolicited comments and this would permanently taint its case should it choose to act on her advice. I feel an application to the Employment Tribunal coming on. Barry Salter Invercargill Life in the Soviet republic of New Zealand A sanction is the penalty for disobeying a law or rule. When we hear that word, we naturally think about the sanctions that are placed on Russia right now. Well, Russia, and New Zealanders on a government benefit. The obligations of a job seeker is that you are expected to work at least 30 hours a week, but say yes to any job of any number of hours anyway. You have to go to job interviews for jobs that Winz told you to go to, seminars about how to get a job and then update Winz as reasonably as they require, about your progress. You may also be told to do volunteer work or work experience. You also must make sure you do not neglect to care for your children while you are working or volunteering. You must meet all of these obligations, despite the 5.1% unemployment rate which is now up at the Covid 2020 levels. But if you do decide to not meet these obligations, we will put half of your money to make ends meet on to a payment card. The card will likely show anyone who sees it, your name, and the title of being someone who has been sanctioned. You know, like Russia. When you see someone with one of these cards, don't look directly at them, they're clearly the bottom of society's barrel. Alternatively, we could treat everyone like valued human beings and pursue opportunities to not only help people into a job but a job they love and are passionate about. Vickie Cross Mosgiel Train please Would you please do one good deed for us Southeners? We need our train service reinstated. It is so missed, and so much more comfortable for us of a good age. And will clear the crowded roads, which is a real bonus. Pauline Watts Forbury Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
Memri
3 days ago
- Politics
- Memri
Palestinian Journalist: Arab Countries Should Impose Sanctions On Hamas Leaders Abroad To End The Gaza War
In an article published May 26, 2025 on the Saudi news website Elaph, Palestinian journalist Hamid Karman, who resides in Amman, Jordan, called on Arab countries to impose sanctions on Hamas leaders abroad, as a move that will lead to a shift in the equation of the confrontation and an end to the Gaza-Israel war. Expressing harsh criticism of the Hamas leaders abroad and describing them as living in luxury hotels in Doha, Istanbul and Teheran and accumulating money while Gazans bear the burden of the war on their own, Karman wrote that these leaders are impervious to the cries for a realistic solution. There is an urgent need, he stated, to bring Arab pressure to bear on Hamas by means of sanctions – which he said should include restricting the movement of its senior officials and cutting off its funding and its access to fundraising – so as to compel the organization to change direction and bring an end to the war. He contended that such a step would not only help to end the fighting and suffering in Gaza, but would also advance solutions to additional regional crises, such as disarming the Palestinian organizations in Lebanon, and would prevent Hamas from obstructing Arab and international plans aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution for stability in the Middle East. Hamid Karman (Source: The following is the translation of Karman's May 26, 2025 article on Elaph: "It is known that the equation of the war in Gaza relies on the continued [existence] of its two sides – the Israeli right led by Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, and the Palestinian right, as represented by the Hamas movement – and there will be no end to the war without one of them surrendering... "The war will not end as long as the Hamas leaders abroad enjoy all their creature comforts in luxury hotels in Doha, Istanbul, and Teheran, accumulate money that they distribute amongst themselves, and give TV interviews, making demagogic declarations that show the movement's bankruptcy in the face of the suffering of the unarmed Palestinian people... "The senior Hamas officials close their ears to the clamor of the many voices calling for adopting a realistic [approach] to deal with the consequences of the struggle, by finding a political formula to impose a solution that will contribute to stopping the plans of the right-wing Israeli government. This is because the price being paid by the Palestinians, in its children and in its infrastructure, is greater than any amount that the movement may gain from holding the Israeli hostages. The truth is that Hamas has no more options, or room for political maneuvering... "At present, the vacuum in the [Hamas] military leadership in Gaza, following a series of killings carried out by Israel, will lead to a freeze in Hamas's positions in negotiations. This necessitates sanctions by Arab [countries] on the leaders of the movement abroad so that things will move forward. These sanctions [must] include preventing, and restricting, their [the Hamas leaders'] movements among Arab countries or through their airspace and their airports, and [must] hobble the movement's efforts to acquire funding by [imposing] an embargo, cutting off [its] financial support networks, and stopping the fundraising on which it relies by means of straw companies... "There is a pressing need to tighten the political and financial noose on the Hamas leaders abroad. This will not only bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, or to the tragedy of its inhabitants, who have had enough of the conflict and long for an end to the 18 months and more of violence and scarcity – it will also will also lead to a solution to the crises that we see on the horizon for several Middle Eastern countries, and in particular the matter of the weapons of the factions in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. In this context, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has shown unprecedented responsiveness to Lebanon's official demands in order to conclude this complicated issue. This necessitates bringing swift pressure to bear on Hamas and on the factions that support it, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Osbat Al-Ansar [operating out of the Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon] so that they will surrender their weapons, without armed confrontation with the Lebanese Armed Forces. This will allow Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and his government led by [Prime Minister] Nawaf Salam to lay the foundations of the nation state with one regime, one law, and one weapon [i.e. held by only one body], as a prelude to actually tackling the issue of disarming Hizbullah. "The move [to impose] Arab sanctions is crucial to framing [our] relationship with Hamas the militia – which after October 7 has deluded itself that it can impose its equations on the region and change the international balance of power. Hamas is also betting on the overthrow of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu by the Israeli street, and thus will not hesitate to drag out [the negotiations] in the expectation that circumstances will turn in its favor as the de facto government in Gaza. This means that it will continue to be a stumbling block for the emerging Arab and international plans to reach a comprehensive solution that will lead to the stability of the Middle East...[1]"
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump again suggests Harvard is teaching students ‘2+2= 4' and says Ivy league school getting its ‘a** kicked'
Trump has once again suggested that Harvard University is teaching its students 'remedial math' including that '2+2 = 4' in his latest attack on the world-renowned institution. The president suggested that the recent escalation of his beef with the school had been because 'they want to show how smart they are," but claimed that it was 'getting their a** kicked.' The comment is in reference to the school's new introductory math course designed to 'rectify a lack of foundational algebra skills among students.' Trump has previously used the scheme to question the intelligence of the student body. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the president doubled down on the comments: 'Harvard has to behave themselves, Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect,' he said. 'And all they're doing is getting in deeper and deeper and deeper.' 'I'm looking out for the country, and for Harvard! I want Harvard to do well. I want Harvard to be great again… probably. How can it be great? When you have Harvard announce two weeks ago that they're going to teach remedial mathematics.' 'They're going to teach low-grade mathematics, like 2+2 is 4. How did these people get into Harvard if they can't do basic mathematics? How did they do it?' 'They're bragging about teaching them basic mathematics, where did these people come from? So we have to look at the list.' The order was an escalation in Trump's battle with Harvard, where he has pulled $3 billion in funding, ordered multiple investigations and threatened to take away the school's tax exempt status. Trump has been clashing with Harvard for several months now, after the university's refused to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and expel pro-Palestinian protestors. Retaliations have included pulling $3 billion of funding, as well as threatening to remove its tax exempt status. The Trump administration also recently moved to block foreign students from enrolment there, with Harvard announcing it would be suing the White House in response. 'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' the lawsuit read. 'Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.' Despite the ongoing battles, Trump claimed on Wednesday that he wished the institution no harm. 'Harvard has to understand, the last thing I want to do is hurt them. They're hurting themselves, they're fighting,' he said. The president then claimed that Columbia University, in New York, which has been the site of multiple student protests over the Gaza-Israel war, had been 'very antisemitic and lots of other things,' but added that they were 'working things out.' 'But Harvard wants to fight, they want to show how smart they are and they're getting their a** kicked,' he said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
U2's Bono speaks out against Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli 'far-right fundamentalists'
U2's Bono has spoken out against Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli 'far-right fundamentalists' at the 2025 Ivor Novello Awards last night. U2 became the first Irish act to receive the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, the highest honour that the organisation bestows. The band took to the stage to accept the honour, with frontman Bono calling for peace in the Gaza-Israel conflict. 'I used to introduce this next song by saying it was not a rebel song. It was because believing in the possibilities of peace was then, and is now, a rebellious act; and some would say a ridiculous one,' said Bono – referring to the U2 song 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', their 1983 track about the 1972 massacre in which the British army shot at unarmed protestors during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, killing 14 people. 'To believe peace was attainable between your country and ours, between our country and itself was a ridiculous idea because peace creates possibilities in the most intractable situations and lord knows there's a few of them out there right now,' he added. He then said: 'Hamas, release the hostages, stop the war. Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred texts,' before adding: 'All of you, protect our aid workers – they are the best of us." He concluded by saying: "God, you must be so tired of us, children of Abraham, in the rubble of our certainties. Children in the rubble of our revenge. God forgive us.' The comments mark the first time the human rights activist has spoken out in public against the Israeli prime minister since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023. Bono's speech also comes at a time when Western leaders have been criticising Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli authorities over the renewed offensive in Gaza.
Euronews
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Bono speaks out against Hamas and Benjamin Netanyahu for first time
U2's Bono has spoken out against Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli 'far-right fundamentalists' at the 2025 Ivor Novello Awards last night. U2 became the first Irish act to receive the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, the highest honour that the organisation bestows. The band took to the stage to accept the honour, with frontman Bono calling for peace in the Gaza-Israel conflict. 'I used to introduce this next song by saying it was not a rebel song. It was because believing in the possibilities of peace was then, and is now, a rebellious act; and some would say a ridiculous one,' said Bono – referring to the U2 song 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', their 1983 track about the 1972 massacre in which the British army shot at unarmed protestors during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, killing 14 people. 'To believe peace was attainable between your country and ours, between our country and itself was a ridiculous idea because peace creates possibilities in the most intractable situations and lord knows there's a few of them out there right now,' he added. He then said: 'Hamas, release the hostages, stop the war. Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred texts,' before adding: 'All of you, protect our aid workers – they are the best of us." He concluded by saying: "God, you must be so tired of us, children of Abraham, in the rubble of our certainties. Children in the rubble of our revenge. God forgive us.' The comments mark the first time the human rights activist has spoken out in public against the Israeli prime minister since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023. Bono's speech also comes at a time when Western leaders have been criticising Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli authorities over the renewed offensive in Gaza.
