Latest news with #Matryoshka
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 12 August 2025
24 hours in pictures, 12 August 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. An elephant at the Hanoi Zoo in Hanoi, Vietnam, 12 August 2025. World Elephant Day is observed annually on 12 August. Picture: EPA/LUONG THAI LINH Fans enjoy the concert of the Swedish punk band Refused at the 31st Sziget (Island) Festival on Shipyard Island, Budapest, Hungary, 11 August 2025 (issued 12 August 2025). Picture: EPA/Tamas Vasvari A resident stands with his belongings after members of an eviction company assisted the sheriff to evict them from an apartment building in Ekurhuleni on August 12, 2025. A squad of men working with the sheriff moved and cleared the houses, hauling out furniture, mattresses, and personal belongings. Police said they were acting on a June court order to evict people from the complex, which was reportedly home to 450 families, and that some residents had blocked roads to the area to prevent the eviction. Some residents interviewed told local television they had not been issued with an eviction order and had been paying rent, some of them for years. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP) South Africa batsman Dewald Brevis celebrates scoring his century during the second Twenty20 international cricket match between Australia and South Africa in Darwin on August 12, 2025. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) Traditional Russian wooden Matryoshka dolls depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and US President Donald Trump (R) on display for sale at a souvenir market in Moscow, Russia, 11 August 2025. Picture: EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV Moroccan horsemen ride during a performance to celebrate the annual Moussem festival in El Jadida on August 11, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP) Members of the Rahjanstani Hindu Troupe perform during the 59th edition of the International Festival of Carthage at the Roman Theater of Carthage in Tunis, Tunisia, 11 August 2025. The festival runs from 19 July to 21 August 2025. Picture: EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA People swim at the Bras Marie safe bathing site on the river Seine in Paris on August 12, 2025. France continues to suffocate with 14 departments in the southwest and southeast on red alert for heatwave on August 12, 2025, an exceptional heat wave, even for the month of August, which is prompting authorities to increase precautionary measures. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) Migrants try to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France on August 12, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP) Eldorado residents gather outside Eldorado Park Police Station to voice their anger against the alleged assault of a four-year-old daughter at her home in Johannesburg, 12 August 2025. The suspect who is the chlid's father will appear for a bail hearing application at Protea Magistrates court. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation Andrew Oberholzer, 2nd from left, Hollard Group Chief Marketing Officer Hazel Chimhandamba, centre, and National Manager at CANSA Lorraine Govender, pose with a cheque for R1m, alongside Tebatso Rakoma, left, and Kgahliso Moreroa, right, 12 August 2025, during the handover of funds raised at last year's Hollard Daredevil Speedo Run. This annual awareness campaign, and fundraiser, invites men to run 5km wearing nothing but a purple Speedo – sparking conversations, challenging stigmas and encouraging early detection through testing. This year's run will take place on 31 October. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen A worker cleans a statue of Buddha inside the newly built Techo International Airport in Kandal province on August 11, 2025. (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP) Cyclist Manuel Turone of Argentina competes in the men's BMX freestyle category during the II ASU 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Luque, Paraguay, 11 August 2025. Picture: EPA/Juan Pablo Pino PICTURES: Strongman challenge at Randridge Mall
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First Post
2 days ago
- Business
- First Post
US Tariffs: Why is Trump going soft on China but playing hardball with India?
US President Donald Trump has extended a tariff truce with China while imposing steep duties on India over its Russian oil imports. The US continues to negotiate with Beijing to avoid economic disruption, yet New Delhi faces a combined 50 per cent tariff burden — a starkly different trade approach towards the two major partners read more Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matryoshka depicting China's President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at a souvenir shop in St Petersburg, Russia, November 21, 2024. File Image/AP United States President Donald Trump has adopted sharply different approaches toward two of its largest trading partners — maintaining an extended tariff truce with China while imposing steep trade penalties on India. Trump signed an executive order on Monday granting a further 90-day extension to the existing tariff pause between Washington and Beijing. The previous suspension was due to expire just after midnight on August 12. Without action, tariffs on Chinese imports could have risen from the current 30 per cent to as high as 145 per cent, with China prepared to respond by raising its own duties on American goods from 10 per cent to 125 per cent. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump announced the extension on his Truth Social platform, stating that 'all other elements of the Agreement will remain the same.' China's Ministry of Commerce confirmed the move, also declaring that it would suspend certain restrictions against American companies previously placed on an export control list and the 'unreliable entities' list. Some companies will see these restrictions lifted entirely, while others will have a further 90-day relief period. The extension gives both countries additional time to address long-standing trade disputes. US officials have described the talks as aimed at tackling 'trade imbalances' and 'unfair trade practices,' while also seeking greater access for American exporters and addressing national security concerns linked to technology and critical materials. China's embassy in Washington stated that 'win-win cooperation between China and the United States is the right path; suppression and containment will lead nowhere.' Beijing also urged Washington to lift 'unreasonable' restrictions, particularly in the semiconductor sector, and work together to ensure stability in global supply chains. What's at stake for US-China Analysts warned that the threatened tariff rates (Washington threatened 145 per cent on Chinese goods, Beijing countered 125 per cent on US exports) would have effectively ended trade between the two economies, triggering severe global market disruption. In May, both sides agreed during talks in Geneva to roll back those rates in order to stabilisde markets and resume negotiations. That agreement also included US pledges to ease export restrictions on items such as advanced computer chip technology and ethane, an important input in petrochemical production. China, in turn, committed to easing access for US firms to rare earth minerals and magnets, which are critical for industries ranging from electric vehicles to aerospace. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, called the extension 'critical' for allowing time to reach a trade agreement that could 'improve their market access in China and provide the certainty needed for companies to make medium- and long-term plans.' He also noted the importance of agreements on issues such as fentanyl, telling AP, 'Securing an agreement on fentanyl that leads to a reduction in US tariffs and a rollback of China's retaliatory measures is acutely needed to restart US agriculture and energy exports.' Why Trump has gone soft on China The US approach toward China has been influenced by Beijing's control over rare earth minerals and components vital to modern manufacturing. In April, China imposed licensing restrictions on exports of rare earth elements and magnets to the US, prompting strong reactions from American industries, particularly automotive suppliers, which rely heavily on these imports. US firms quickly pressed the administration to find a resolution to prevent domestic production slowdowns. According to Claire Reade, senior counsel at Arnold & Porter and former assistant US trade representative for China affairs, 'The US has realised it does not have the upper hand.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The rare earth issue puts into spotlight Beijing's capacity to retaliate in ways that could disrupt US manufacturing and technology sectors, making negotiation a more attractive option for Washington. Ali Wyne, a specialist in US–China relations at the International Crisis Group, assessed that 'by overestimating the ability of steep tariffs to induce economic concessions from China, the Trump administration has not only underscored the limits of unilateral US leverage, but also given Beijing grounds for believing that it can indefinitely enjoy the upper hand in subsequent talks with Washington by threatening to curtail rare earth exports.' Trump plays hardball with New Delhi While the White House has sought compromises with China, it has taken a much harder line against India, particularly over New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. Trump has confirmed that the US has imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods, combined with an additional 25 per cent levy on purchases of Russian oil, amounting to a 50 per cent total tariff burden. Speaking from the White House, Trump said the measure had delivered a 'big blow' to Moscow's economy. 'Doesn't help when the President of the United States tells their largest or second-largest oil buyer that we're putting a 50 per cent tariff on you if you buy oil from Russia. That was a big blow,' he remarked, adding, 'No one else would have been so tough, and I haven't stopped there.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump also argued that his tariff strategy has yielded diplomatic gains, claiming it contributed to resolving conflicts in several regions. 'The tariffs have helped, gives us not only the money, but it gives us great power over enemies. We solved five wars — Pakistan and India. Azerbaijan and Armenia — it was raging for 37 years, and the two leaders got up and they said, we never thought this would be solved. Russia tried to solve it. They all tried to solve it. It was a very tough situation, but we got it done,' he said. Why the contrasting strategy China remains a central player in US supply chains and a top-tier trade partner. The US trade deficit with China stood at $262 billion last year, the largest with any single country, making continued engagement a necessity for both economic and political reasons. India, by contrast, has been seen by Trump's team as both a competitor in certain sectors and a less indispensable trade partner. Long-standing tensions over H-1B visa policies and outsourcing have already strained relations. The administration has also taken issue with India's role in refining and exporting Russian oil, which reaches markets including Europe — an area where Washington has sought to maintain unity against Moscow following its actions in Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Analysts point out that Trump's policy agenda seems to be anchored in ending the war in Ukraine and reshoring jobs to the US. In this framework, India becomes a target for pressure, while China, despite being a strategic rival, is approached with more caution. What next for Trump, China Despite the extensions and temporary agreements, major points of contention between Washington and Beijing remain unsettled. US concerns include inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China, extensive subsidies to Chinese industries, and state-led policies that, according to American officials, give Chinese firms unfair advantages in global markets. Jeff Moon, former US diplomat and trade official, warned that while limited agreements — such as increased Chinese purchases of American soybeans or cooperation on countering fentanyl — are possible, 'the trade war will continue grinding ahead for years into the future.' Regarding a possible truce in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump stated, 'Well, we're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
Newsweek
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Recognizing a Palestinian State Is Important but No Substitute for Ending the Atrocities in Gaza
On Monday, a plastic water bottle washed up on a beach in Gaza, half filled with red lentils. Nestled among the pulses was a handwritten note which read: "Forgive us, dear brothers. This is all we are able to do." The bottle likely originated in Egypt, where scores of families have poured dried foods into empty containers and launched them into the Mediterranean, in a bid to symbolically pierce Israel's monthslong blockade of vital aid into Gaza. The simplicity of the gesture—a small quantity of grain dispatched in the most rudimentary of vessels—draws a contrast with the technologically dominant Israeli state, a U.S.-backed nuclear power deploying the most advanced weaponry against a weak and captive population, nearly half of whom are children. Moreover, the sender's expression of both solidarity and helplessness captures well the mood of an outraged regional and global public, reckoning with its powerlessness in the face of the accumulating moral depravity in Gaza. Displaced Palestinians at the Nuseirat refugee camp haul food parcels and other items they managed to get from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip on July... Displaced Palestinians at the Nuseirat refugee camp haul food parcels and other items they managed to get from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. More EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images The injustice in Gaza has taken on the shape of Matryoshka dolls. In the context of an unprecedented military campaign widely accepted as amounting to genocide, itself nested within a brutalizing and unlawful 75-year occupation, encased within a larger ideology of racial superiority, Israel has now systematically weaponized hunger against 2.2 million civilians. In July, 63 people died from Israel's enforced starvation. Alongside, more than 1,000 men, women, and children have been shot dead by Israeli forces while seeking food at the few remaining aid sites. Fresh out of reasoned arguments, Israeli leaders are left invoking Hamas' attack on October 7 as justification for their own crimes. On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar insisted that Israel was not to blame for what he would only concede were "tough conditions" in Gaza. "Who is responsible for this war?" he put to a roomful of journalists. "Hamas. Hamas initiated the war with its October 7th massacre. Hamas is responsible for the war's continuation." Similarly, when the Likud official Michael Kleiner was pressed about Israel's bombardment and blockade, he said, "My complaint is against people in Europe who don't support us and don't put their finger on the real party to blame, the one who started the war. [Without] October 7th, not one single baby in Gaza would have been harmed." But this position is morally and legally indefensible. In international law, as in the just war traditions of almost all civilizations, there is a clear separation between the legality of going to war in the first place (jus ad bellum), and the legality of how a war is conducted once it starts (jus in bello). Even if Israel's long occupation is bracketed and it is accepted that Hamas began the war on October 7, that reality should have no bearing whatsoever on how Israel can prosecute its response. The purpose of jus in bello, or international humanitarian law, is to limit the suffering in war, no matter who started it. Moreover, summoning the horrors of October 7 only brings into sharper focus the scale of Israel's atrocities. It is precisely because October 7 was so terrible that what Israel has wrought in Gaza is intolerable. The murder of 1,200 people, including 36 children, in a surprise attack by a terrorist group was an abominable crime. By extension, the slaughter of 60,000 people, including at least 14,000 children, and the imposition of manmade famine, in a pre-meditated campaign by a US-allied democracy, is many more times as criminal. After 21 months of medieval destruction in Gaza, and after the worst-case scenario of famine has already been realized, the international community is finally groping for a response. The European Commission has proposed to partially suspend Israel from its flagship research funding initiative. Brazil has withdrawn from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. For G7 states like Britain and France, the central line of effort is promising to officially recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. in September. Acknowledging Palestinian self-determination is an overdue and essential symbolic step. However, it is unclear how the lightening rod of Palestinian statehood will end the daily massacres in Gaza or reverse the ongoing famine, particularly as Israel remains both defiant and cosseted by the U.S. Alone, the recognition of Palestinian sovereignty will surely represent cold comfort to the mothers rendered bystanders as their infants waste from hunger, to the famished civilians who will be shot by Israeli snipers while queuing for food, or to the children who will be murdered, maimed, or orphaned by Israeli bombs in the coming hours, days, and weeks. The celebrated Lebanese composer and playwright Ziad Rahbani, son of the iconic singer Fairuz, died suddenly on July 26. Among his most famous lines, from the play Bennesba Libukra Chou, is the urgent question: "They say tomorrow will be better. But what about today?" Dr. Alia Brahimi is a non-resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs and the author of Jihad and Just War in the War on Terror (Oxford University Press). The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
News18
23-06-2025
- Science
- News18
Are We Living Inside A Black Hole? NASA's Webb Telescope May Have Spotted The Evidence
Last Updated: NASA's Webb Telescope found early galaxies rotating in the same direction, reigniting theories that our universe may exist within a black hole. Further study is under way What if everything you've ever known – stars, galaxies, even your morning coffee – exists inside a cosmic Matryoshka doll? A mind-bending new discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has scientists revisiting one of the most radical ideas in physics: that our entire universe may be tucked inside a giant black hole. Is Our Universe Inside A Black Hole? A recent discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is challenging long-held assumptions about the origins of the cosmos. The telescope has observed hundreds of ancient galaxies, some dating back merely 300 million years after the Big Bang, and found that a significant number appear to be rotating in the same direction. Roughly 60% of these early galaxies rotate clockwise, an alignment that defies the expectation of random motion in a universe born from a chaotic explosion. Such uniformity has led researchers to propose that a hidden structure or force may have been present at the universe's inception, potentially reshaping our understanding of cosmology. This unexpected consistency in rotation patterns brings into question key aspects of the Big Bang theory, which posits that galaxies should have developed with random orientations as matter dispersed haphazardly. Instead, the data suggest an organising influence, possibly the rotation of an enormous black hole encompassing our universe. The idea that our universe could reside within a black hole is not new, but the JWST's findings have breathed new life into the theory. These early galaxies, spotted in a region known as Pandora's Cluster, may have played a role in a major cosmic transformation. Cosmic Fog And Ionised Gas During the universe's first billion years, it was enveloped in a dense fog of neutral hydrogen gas. Today, that fog has cleared, with the gas now ionised; meaning its electrons have been stripped away. Some researchers argue that this transition supports a bold theory: that our entire universe could be the interior of a colossal black hole, one nested within a larger universe. In such a scenario, a black hole could serve not just as a gravitational trap, but as a bridge to a completely separate cosmos. Why is this once-speculative theory gaining serious attention now? Groundbreaking observations by the James Webb Space Telescope have revived interest by revealing patterns of galactic rotation that suggest a hidden organising force. If such a rotational influence existed from the very beginning, it may have stemmed from the spin of a supermassive black hole encompassing the universe itself. This idea could potentially resolve enduring puzzles in cosmology, such as the nature of space-time, the universe's unusually flat geometry, and the precise tuning of the conditions required for its formation. Still, not all scientists are convinced. Some suggest the findings could result from observational bias or technical limitations, such as redshift or the Doppler effect, rather than an actual pattern. The JWST team itself has emphasised that the results are preliminary and more detailed observations are required. Researchers are now working to determine whether this directional rotation can be observed in galaxies elsewhere. Should similar patterns be found, it could signal that our universe's beginnings were shaped not by chance, but by a deeper, hidden order. First Published:
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pro-Kremlin bots announce "execution" of Moldovan president on social media within smear campaign
Matryoshka, a pro-Kremlin bot network, has launched a campaign on Twitter and BlueSky against Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Source: The Insider, a Russian news outlet, as reported by European Pravda Details: Since 16 April, bots have been posting fake graffiti depicting Sandu's "execution" – by hanging, shooting or electric chair – and promising to "end" her on 1 June. It was not clear from the numerous posts what exactly was supposed to happen on that day. On 30 May, the website of the Fund for Combating Repression, founded by the late Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, published a fake investigation about Sandu's alleged involvement in the trafficking of Ukrainian children, supposedly to the West and for paedophile networks. The fake story claimed that Sandu, through the mediation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wife, was supposedly organising the sale of Ukrainian refugee children. The authors cited an anonymous Polish activist and an article from the website A disinformation researcher and founder of the X-account Bot Blocker (antibot4navalny) noticed the fake campaign. They compared its scale to the information operation carried out by the Storm-1516 group before the 2025 Bundestag elections, in which more than a hundred pseudo-news sites took part. Analysts have no direct evidence that Storm-1516 is behind the attack on Sandu, but they note similarities in the tools used: fake sources, "witnesses", disinformation via English-language resources, the use of AI, and the Fund for Combating Repression platform. According to The Insider, the fund has no legal status, and its head, Mira Terada, is linked to other pro-Kremlin structures. Background: Earlier, AFP, citing data collected by antibot4navalny, reported on the Matryoshka bot network, which spreads anti-Ukrainian propaganda on social media: they not only spread disinformation, like other pro-Kremlin bots, but also directly contacted Western journalists asking them to verify some of these fakes. French services believed that Russia was behind the operation. Recently, the administration of the President of Moldova had to refute a fake news story about expensive clothes from Sandu's wardrobe that was spread on Telegram channels. Also in Moldova, unknown individuals sent out a mass mailing purportedly on behalf of the tax service, urging recipients to support President Sandu's party and donate 2% of their income tax to it. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
