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Middle East Eye
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
The four ICC judges sanctioned by the US for Palestine and Afghanistan work
The US State Department announced sanctions on Thursday against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), targeting them over investigations involving the United States and its ally Israel. The move follows the designation of ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan in February, under an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump shortly after he was reinaugurated. The governments of the Netherlands, Belgium and Slovenia have been among the first to denounce the sanctions as an attempt to obstruct the work of the court. The sanctioned judges are: ICC Second Vice-President Reine Alapini-Gansou (Benin), Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru) and Beti Hohler (Slovenia). Alapini-Gansou and Hohler were targeted for their role as Pre-Trial judges in issuing arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The charges involve alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The Pre-Trial chamber that issued the warrants also included French Judge Nicolas Guillou, who was not subject to US sanctions. Judges Bossa and Ibanez Carranza were sanctioned for their participation in a 2020 ICC appeals chamber decision that allowed an investigation into crimes committed in Afghanistan since 2003. The scope of that investigation included the Taliban, Afghan National Security Forces, and US military and CIA personnel. These sanctions were imposed despite a 2021 decision by the ICC prosecutor to deprioritise investigations involving US nationals. The ICC has a total of 18 judges who serve in different chambers, including the Pre-Trial, Trial and Appeals chambers. Judges are nominated by state parties to the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding treaty, and then elected by the Assembly of States Parties, the court's governing body. Judges must demonstrate high moral character, impartiality and integrity, meeting the qualifications required in their home countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices. Once elected, ICC judges serve a non-renewable nine-year term. Below are the profiles of the four judges sanctioned by the Trump administration on 5 June 2025. Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda) Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa is a Ugandan jurist currently serving as a judge on the Appeals Chamber of the ICC, to which she was elected in 2017 and sworn in in March 2018. She has participated in appellate proceedings before the ICC concerning several landmark cases, including The Prosecutor v Bosco Ntaganda and The Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen. According to her official profile, Judge Bossa joined the ICC after an extensive judicial career spanning national, regional and international legal bodies. She previously served on the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (2012-2018), the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (2014-2018), and Uganda's Court of Appeal (2013-2018). Earlier, she held judicial roles at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (2003-2013), the East African Court of Justice (2001-2006), and the High Court of Uganda (1997-2013). Before her judicial appointments, Bossa practised law privately between 1988 and 1997, and lectured at Uganda's Law Development Centre from 1980 to 1997. During that period, she was actively involved in human rights work, often representing disadvantaged women in court. She also played a central role in establishing and leading several NGOs focused on legal advocacy and support for individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Her professional commitments extended to legal institutions at both national and international levels. She was vice chairperson of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (1993-1999), led the Legal Aid Clinics at the Law Development Centre (1999-2001), and served as president of the Uganda Law Society (1993-1995). She also chaired the Uganda Law Council (1998-2003) and the National Steering Committee on Community Service (1997-2000). Judge Bossa is affiliated with several professional organisations, including the International Association of Women Judges and the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights. She is also an honorary member of the International Commission of Jurists. Judge Bossa holds a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University, a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from Uganda's Law Development Centre and a Master of Laws in public international law from the University of London. Judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru) Judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, a Peruvian jurist, has served on the Appeals Chamber of the ICC since March 2018. Elected by the Assembly of States Parties in December 2017, she is the first Peruvian to hold a judgeship at the ICC. From 2021 to 2024, she served as first vice-president of the court, contributing to its administrative leadership alongside her judicial responsibilities. Prior to joining the ICC, Judge Ibanez Carranza held senior prosecutorial roles within Peru's national justice system, according to her official ICC profile. She served as a senior national prosecutor in the country's specialised system for addressing terrorism, grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity. In this capacity, she also acted as the coordinator of 17 prosecutorial offices responsible for such cases. During her tenure as a public prosecutor in her home country, Judge Ibanez Carranza implemented a range of victim-centred measures aimed at supporting reparations processes. These included efforts to search for missing persons, recover and identify remains from mass graves, and facilitate the return of those remains to victims' families. She also played a role in organising public ceremonies in which the Peruvian state issued official apologies and took part in operations to rescue children abducted by armed groups. Her work extended beyond the national context, as she was appointed on multiple occasions to represent Peru before international bodies. These included the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), among others. Judge Ibanez Carranza holds a doctorate and a master's degree in criminal law from Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and degrees in law and political science from Universidad Nacional de Trujillo. She also spent over 20 years as a university lecturer, teaching criminal law, criminal procedure and human rights law. Judge Ibanez Carranza has participated in appellate proceedings for landmark cases, including The Prosecutor v. Bosco Ntaganda and The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen. Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou (Benin) Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, from Benin, is the second vice-president of the ICC and a member of Pre-Trial Chamber I. She was a member of the Pre-Trial Chamber that issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March. On 13 November, a court in Moscow ordered her arrest in absentia over what the court said was an 'illegal' arrest warrant issued for Putin. Alapini-Gansou began her term as an ICC judge on 11 March 2018. Before joining the ICC, Alapini-Gansou served as chair of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Africa's primary human rights body (2009-2012), and as special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in Africa (2005-2009 and 2012-2017). In 2011, she was appointed as a judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the world's oldest international court. Alapini-Gansou has served as a Pre-Trial judge in numerous cases, including those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Bolivia and Belarus. Her educational background includes a joint postgraduate degree (DEA) from the Universities of Maastricht (Netherlands), Lome (Togo) and Bhutan and a university degree in common law from the Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 (France). She also has a master's in business law and judicial careers from the National University of Benin. Judge Beti Hohler (Slovenia) Judge Beti Hohler, from Slovenia, is a member of Pre-Trial Chamber I. She was appointed to the chamber in October, following a sudden request for leave by her predecessor, Romanian Judge Iulia Motoc, on health grounds. Hohler is also a member of Trial Chamber V at the ICC, currently presiding over The Prosecutor v Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona case. She began her term as an ICC judge on 11 March 2024. Prior to this, she served as a trial lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor at the ICC. Before joining the ICC in 2015, Hohler was an adviser for the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo. In February 2015, she wrote a legal and policy briefing commenting on Palestine's accession to the ICC. In her analysis, Hohler explained the legal consequences of Palestine's membership, how Israel may challenge the court and the extent of the court's jurisdiction over Israelis and non-Palestinians. She concluded that 'with Palestine's accession to the statute, the legal framework has changed and the parties to the conflict would be wise to accept and respect that'. Hohler began her career in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where she served at the Court of Appeals before working as a senior associate at a law firm. She regularly trains judges and advocates. Hohler is also co-founder of the Institute for International Legal and Advocacy Training in The Hague. According to her official profile, Hohler is the recipient of several awards, including the 2012 EU Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal, awarded for her service in the Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo. She holds a Master of Laws from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and another one in international and European law from the University of Amsterdam.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
See Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme' in theaters, rent 'The Prosecutor,' stream 'Captain America: Brave New World,' plus more movies to watch this weekend
Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers! I'm Brett Arnold, a longtime writer and editor at Yahoo and film critic at my 'Siskel & Ebert' tribute podcast, Roger & Me, and welcome to Trust Me, I Watch Everything. I'm here to recommend what you should see in movie theaters, rent from the comfort of your couch or queue up from a streaming service you may already subscribe to. I watch it all so you don't have to. This week, there are two great options in limited release theatrically, The Phoenician Scheme and Tornado. There's also a super-fun rental in The Prosecutor, a moving one-man show on Apple TV+ Bono: Stories of Surrender and the box-office smash Captain America: Brave New World makes its way to Disney+. That's not all — there's something for everyone so keep reading for the full weekly what to watch guide. What to watch in theaters Movies newly available to rent or buy Movies debuting on streaming services you may already have Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Wes Anderson and his trademark aesthetic are back just two years after the profoundly moving and deeply personal Asteroid City. This time, the writer/director is delivering perhaps the silliest movie he has ever made, or at least the goofiest one in a long while, and I mean that as a compliment. In fact, the movie is as sincere and emotional as anything he's ever made! Benicio Del Toro is sublime as 'Zsa-Zsa' Korda, an industrialist and arms dealer who, after surviving his sixth assassination attempt, finally realizes he needs to appoint an heir to his fortune. He has nine sons he doesn't pay attention to, but he also has an estranged child (played by Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton in a wonderfully deadpan performance) and decides that she's the one to take on his business dealings, which amount to the very specific and titular scheme. This has to be the first Anderson movie to feature a fighter jet sequence and it's every bit as delightful as that sounds. The joys here, and some of the film's biggest laughs, come from not only the eccentric characters and beautiful compositions we've come to expect from Anderson, but also from the surprising things you don't expect to see in a movie like this. I didn't know I needed to see a man violently (and bloodily!) explode in Wes Anderson's signature style, but I absolutely did, and I likely haven't laughed harder at anything this year. The cast features a ton of A-listers and Anderson regulars like Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch, with the standout supporting player Michael Cera, who fits perfectly into Anderson's overall aesthetic. Fans are in for a hilarious treat! 🍿 What critics are saying: They're mostly on board here, with Rolling Stone's David Fear calling it one of his best films and William Bibbiani at the Wrap praising its leading man, saying "Del Toro hasn't had a role this juicy in ages, and he's captivating at all times." The BBC's Nicholas Barber, however, says "it feels as if Anderson and his team were enjoying it more than audiences ever will." 👀 How to watch: The Phoenician Scheme is currently playing in limited release and expands wide next week. Get tickets ➕ Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: Tornado is just your average Scottish samurai-western ... wait, what?! Clearly inspired by Japanese cinema (with a side of Quentin Tarantino), Scottish filmmaker John Maclean returns with Tornado, a decade after his 2015 indie debut, Slow West, with Michael Fassbender. Actress Kōki stars as Tornado, a Japanese puppeteer's daughter who gets caught up with criminals when their traveling circus show crosses paths with an infamous gang of criminals, led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). It's as riveting as it is efficient, running a brisk 85-minutes and wastes no time setting up the stakes. The story is familiar but imbued with enough specific quirks and eye-catching style that it feels entirely unique. 🍿 What critics are saying: Critics largely agree that it's worth a look. IndieWire's Josh Slater-Williams dug it and praised the performance of Takehiro Hira, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on Shōgun while Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian praised the distinctive "film-making language." On the other side of things, David Jenkins at Little White Lies says that ultimately "we're left with a film which leaves only a superficial impression and little sense of purpose." 👀 How to watch: Tornado is now playing in limited release theatrically. Get tickets 🤔 If those aren't for you... : A legacy sequel that's basically just another remake as the plot is the exact same one we've seen twice now, in the original 1984 and the 2010 flick, not to mention the other sequels and the massively popular Netflix spinoff series Cobra Kai. It attempts to unite the two main entries in a very perfunctory way and the movie is so briskly-paced that there's no real time spent setting up stakes, yet somehow it still finds time for strange subplots. It's a shame the movie is such a mess because the new karate kid Ben Wang is great and the fights themselves are entertaining, but the inclusion of both Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio feels forced. Kids, however, will likely be entertained, but nothing here touches the original, which is a classic for a reason. — Get tickets. :The filmmakers behind A24's hit horror film Talk to Me are back with another unsettling genre flick about a foster mother with a terrifying secret. The Philippou brothers again prove their ability to craft genuinely shocking moments, but this is pretty familiar stuff. — Get tickets. : A gripping ripped-from-the-headlines spy drama about a Syrian refugee pursuing the regime's fugitive leaders. It's quite good! — Get tickets. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Hong Kong action star and martial arts legend Donnie Yen stars in this super-fun hybrid of an action movie and a courtroom thriller. Yes, Donnie Yen is a lawyer and yes, he kicks people's butts as well. He also directed the movie — a triple threat! The inspired silliness here is pitched in exactly the right key, the fight scenes are impressively choreographed and shot innovatively and the wrongly-accused man plot goes down smooth. Imagine watching a serious, earnest courtroom drama like A Few Good Men, and then imagine if that movie stopped every other scene to feature an insane action sequence that was relevant to the plot. It's a riot and has plenty to say about what justice actually means. 🍿 What critics are saying: They dig it! Indiewire's David Ehrlich says its "perhaps best enjoyed as the meta story of an action star who refuses to be aged out of his metier" and Richard Kuipers at Variety similarly praised the "top notch" action prowess of its 61-year-old star. 👀 How to watch: The Prosecutor is now available to rent or buy on digital and on-demand. Rent or buy 🤔 If that's not for you... :Kerry Washington and Omar Sy star in this action flick from veteran of the genre Joe Carnahan. An estranged couple with a bounty on their heads must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them. — Rent or buy. : Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter star in this adaptation of the book of the same name. Muriel and her husband, Lee, begin a new life together after he returns home from the Korean War. Their newfound stability gets upended by the arrival of Lee's charismatic brother, a gambler with a secret past. It features great performances but is a little too restrained to have much impact. Rent or buy. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: As someone who knows very little about U2, I wasn't looking forward to this self-indulgent-sounding one-man show from Bono, the band's frontman, but I walked away from it impressed by the filmmaking, the music and by Bono's skills as an orator and his vulnerability. Andrew Dominik's film is a movie version of Bono's Stories of Surrender, a filmed version of shows that took place at the Beacon Theater in New York City. It's a very striking-looking production, making a meal out of what could have easily been a lazy "point the camera at the stage and shoot" job,and I found myself moved by Bono's stories about his lack of a meaningful relationship with his father as well as tales of the band and their years of activism. And the songs sound great! As a firm non-U2 fan I enjoyed this, but I feel safer saying that fans of the man and the band will love this, and more casual observers will likely get something out of it. 🍿 What critics are saying: Reviews skew positive with the Wrap's Steve Pond calling it it "bombastic" and "extravagant" in a good way and the Hollywood Reporter praising its "arresting cinematic quality." 👀 How to watch: Bono: Stories of Surrender is now streaming on Apple TV+. Stream 'Bono: Stories of Surrender' 🤔 If that's not for you... : What if the hit HBO show Succession was a feature-length broad comedy that allowed no time for any real character development and instead stuck with archetypes about billionaires ruining the world via AI? It would be pretty annoying it turns out! I found this to be insufferable, but you may not; it's a new original movie from Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession. Starts streaming Saturday night on HBO Max. : A Korean animated movie set in the year 2050 in Seoul, following an astronaut with dreams of exploring Mars who must leave the love of his life when chosen for an expedition. Now streaming on Netflix. My not-quite-a-recommendation: Why you should maybe still watch it: Marvel's latest Captain America was the highest-grossing movie of 2025 until A Minecraft Movie dethroned it faster than you can say 'chicken jockey' and then Sinners' success pushed it to number three. In the film, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, sporting the superhero's suit and shield) finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red. Ford turning into Red Hulk was the centerpiece of the film's marketing campaign, which is a real shame considering the movie treats it as a late reveal and most of the audience is likely already aware that's what's happening. That means that for most of the movie, it's just Ford taking pills to stop from Hulking out, which isn't very exciting to watch. It's also a bizarre artifact in terms of how it fits into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe — not only is it a stealth sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk, but it also requires you to have watched the Disney+ series The Falcon & Winter Soldier to fully grasp who some of the key characters are. The final product is poorly assembled and visually muddled, but fans of the MCU who missed it in theaters and want to stay up-to-date ahead of Thunderbolts* now have their chance to see it "for free." 🍿 What critics are saying: Reviews were not kind, with Mashable's Kristy Puchko labeling it a "wasted opportunity" and Wendy Ide at the Guardian dubbing it "a humorless drag of a picture." Even a somewhat positive review from USA Today's Brian Truitt includes this reprimand: "Captain America deserves better." 👀 How to watch: Captain America: Brave New World is now streaming on Disney+. Stream 'Brave New World' 🤔 If that's not for you... :Based on the beloved series of kids books from the author of Captain Underpants, it's about a police officer and his dog becoming a hybrid dog man after an accident, which sounds like R-rated body horror flick but is actually cute and made for children. Now streaming on Peacock. That's all for this week — we'll see you next Friday at the movies!
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
See Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme' in theaters, rent 'The Prosecutor,' stream 'Captain America: Brave New World,' plus more movies to watch this weekend
We independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals. Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers! I'm Brett Arnold, a longtime writer and editor at Yahoo and film critic at my 'Siskel & Ebert' tribute podcast, Roger & Me, and welcome to Trust Me, I Watch Everything. I'm here to recommend what you should see in movie theaters, rent from the comfort of your couch or queue up from a streaming service you may already subscribe to. I watch it all so you don't have to. This week, there are two great options in limited release theatrically, The Phoenician Scheme and Tornado. There's also a super-fun rental in The Prosecutor, a moving one-man show on Apple TV+ Bono: Stories of Surrender and the box-office smash Captain America: Brave New World makes its way to Disney+. That's not all — there's something for everyone so keep reading for the full weekly what to watch guide. What to watch in theaters Movies newly available to rent or buy Movies debuting on streaming services you may already have Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Wes Anderson and his trademark aesthetic are back just two years after the profoundly moving and deeply personal Asteroid City. This time, the writer/director is delivering perhaps the silliest movie he has ever made, or at least the goofiest one in a long while, and I mean that as a compliment. In fact, the movie is as sincere and emotional as anything he's ever made! Benicio Del Toro is sublime as 'Zsa-Zsa' Korda, an industrialist and arms dealer who, after surviving his sixth assassination attempt, finally realizes he needs to appoint an heir to his fortune. He has nine sons he doesn't pay attention to, but he also has an estranged child (played by Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton in a wonderfully deadpan performance) and decides that she's the one to take on his business dealings, which amount to the very specific and titular scheme. This has to be the first Anderson movie to feature a fighter jet sequence and it's every bit as delightful as that sounds. The joys here, and some of the film's biggest laughs, come from not only the eccentric characters and beautiful compositions we've come to expect from Anderson, but also from the surprising things you don't expect to see in a movie like this. I didn't know I needed to see a man violently (and bloodily!) explode in Wes Anderson's signature style, but I absolutely did, and I likely haven't laughed harder at anything this year. The cast features a ton of A-listers and Anderson regulars like Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch, with the standout supporting player Michael Cera, who fits perfectly into Anderson's overall aesthetic. Fans are in for a hilarious treat! 🍿 What critics are saying: They're mostly on board here, with Rolling Stone's David Fear calling it one of his best films and William Bibbiani at the Wrap praising its leading man, saying "Del Toro hasn't had a role this juicy in ages, and he's captivating at all times." The BBC's Nicholas Barber, however, says "it feels as if Anderson and his team were enjoying it more than audiences ever will." 👀 How to watch: The Phoenician Scheme is currently playing in limited release and expands wide next week. Get tickets ➕ Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: Tornado is just your average Scottish samurai-western ... wait, what?! Clearly inspired by Japanese cinema (with a side of Quentin Tarantino), Scottish filmmaker John Maclean returns with Tornado, a decade after his 2015 indie debut, Slow West, with Michael Fassbender. Actress Kōki stars as Tornado, a Japanese puppeteer's daughter who gets caught up with criminals when their traveling circus show crosses paths with an infamous gang of criminals, led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). It's as riveting as it is efficient, running a brisk 85-minutes and wastes no time setting up the stakes. The story is familiar but imbued with enough specific quirks and eye-catching style that it feels entirely unique. 🍿 What critics are saying: Critics largely agree that it's worth a look. IndieWire's Josh Slater-Williams dug it and praised the performance of Takehiro Hira, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on Shōgun while Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian praised the distinctive "film-making language." On the other side of things, David Jenkins at Little White Lies says that ultimately "we're left with a film which leaves only a superficial impression and little sense of purpose." 👀 How to watch: Tornado is now playing in limited release theatrically. Get tickets 🤔 If those aren't for you... : A legacy sequel that's basically just another remake as the plot is the exact same one we've seen twice now, in the original 1984 and the 2010 flick, not to mention the other sequels and the massively popular Netflix spinoff series Cobra Kai. It attempts to unite the two main entries in a very perfunctory way and the movie is so briskly-paced that there's no real time spent setting up stakes, yet somehow it still finds time for strange subplots. It's a shame the movie is such a mess because the new karate kid Ben Wang is great and the fights themselves are entertaining, but the inclusion of both Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio feels forced. Kids, however, will likely be entertained, but nothing here touches the original, which is a classic for a reason. — Get tickets. :The filmmakers behind A24's hit horror film Talk to Me are back with another unsettling genre flick about a foster mother with a terrifying secret. The Philippou brothers again prove their ability to craft genuinely shocking moments, but this is pretty familiar stuff. — Get tickets. : A gripping ripped-from-the-headlines spy drama about a Syrian refugee pursuing the regime's fugitive leaders. It's quite good! — Get tickets. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Hong Kong action star and martial arts legend Donnie Yen stars in this super-fun hybrid of an action movie and a courtroom thriller. Yes, Donnie Yen is a lawyer and yes, he kicks people's butts as well. He also directed the movie — a triple threat! The inspired silliness here is pitched in exactly the right key, the fight scenes are impressively choreographed and shot innovatively and the wrongly-accused man plot goes down smooth. Imagine watching a serious, earnest courtroom drama like A Few Good Men, and then imagine if that movie stopped every other scene to feature an insane action sequence that was relevant to the plot. It's a riot and has plenty to say about what justice actually means. 🍿 What critics are saying: They dig it! Indiewire's David Ehrlich says its "perhaps best enjoyed as the meta story of an action star who refuses to be aged out of his metier" and Richard Kuipers at Variety similarly praised the "top notch" action prowess of its 61-year-old star. 👀 How to watch: The Prosecutor is now available to rent or buy on digital and on-demand. Rent or buy 🤔 If that's not for you... :Kerry Washington and Omar Sy star in this action flick from veteran of the genre Joe Carnahan. An estranged couple with a bounty on their heads must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them. — Rent or buy. : Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter star in this adaptation of the book of the same name. Muriel and her husband, Lee, begin a new life together after he returns home from the Korean War. Their newfound stability gets upended by the arrival of Lee's charismatic brother, a gambler with a secret past. It features great performances but is a little too restrained to have much impact. Rent or buy. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: As someone who knows very little about U2, I wasn't looking forward to this self-indulgent-sounding one-man show from Bono, the band's frontman, but I walked away from it impressed by the filmmaking, the music and by Bono's skills as an orator and his vulnerability. Andrew Dominik's film is a movie version of Bono's Stories of Surrender, a filmed version of shows that took place at the Beacon Theater in New York City. It's a very striking-looking production, making a meal out of what could have easily been a lazy "point the camera at the stage and shoot" job,and I found myself moved by Bono's stories about his lack of a meaningful relationship with his father as well as tales of the band and their years of activism. And the songs sound great! As a firm non-U2 fan I enjoyed this, but I feel safer saying that fans of the man and the band will love this, and more casual observers will likely get something out of it. 🍿 What critics are saying: Reviews skew positive with the Wrap's Steve Pond calling it it "bombastic" and "extravagant" in a good way and the Hollywood Reporter praising its "arresting cinematic quality." 👀 How to watch: Bono: Stories of Surrender is now streaming on Apple TV+. Stream 'Bono: Stories of Surrender' 🤔 If that's not for you... : What if the hit HBO show Succession was a feature-length broad comedy that allowed no time for any real character development and instead stuck with archetypes about billionaires ruining the world via AI? It would be pretty annoying it turns out! I found this to be insufferable, but you may not; it's a new original movie from Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession. Starts streaming Saturday night on HBO Max. : A Korean animated movie set in the year 2050 in Seoul, following an astronaut with dreams of exploring Mars who must leave the love of his life when chosen for an expedition. Now streaming on Netflix. My not-quite-a-recommendation: Why you should maybe still watch it: Marvel's latest Captain America was the highest-grossing movie of 2025 until A Minecraft Movie dethroned it faster than you can say 'chicken jockey' and then Sinners' success pushed it to number three. In the film, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, sporting the superhero's suit and shield) finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red. Ford turning into Red Hulk was the centerpiece of the film's marketing campaign, which is a real shame considering the movie treats it as a late reveal and most of the audience is likely already aware that's what's happening. That means that for most of the movie, it's just Ford taking pills to stop from Hulking out, which isn't very exciting to watch. It's also a bizarre artifact in terms of how it fits into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe — not only is it a stealth sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk, but it also requires you to have watched the Disney+ series The Falcon & Winter Soldier to fully grasp who some of the key characters are. The final product is poorly assembled and visually muddled, but fans of the MCU who missed it in theaters and want to stay up-to-date ahead of Thunderbolts* now have their chance to see it "for free." 🍿 What critics are saying: Reviews were not kind, with Mashable's Kristy Puchko labeling it a "wasted opportunity" and Wendy Ide at the Guardian dubbing it "a humorless drag of a picture." Even a somewhat positive review from USA Today's Brian Truitt includes this reprimand: "Captain America deserves better." 👀 How to watch: Captain America: Brave New World is now streaming on Disney+. Stream 'Brave New World' 🤔 If that's not for you... :Based on the beloved series of kids books from the author of Captain Underpants, it's about a police officer and his dog becoming a hybrid dog man after an accident, which sounds like R-rated body horror flick but is actually cute and made for children. Now streaming on Peacock. That's all for this week — we'll see you next Friday at the movies!
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Cruelty returns to haunt me in the dead of night
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is."
France 24
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Ukraine in the spotlight at Cannes Film Festival
This year's Cannes film festival is giving geopolitics a starring role, most notably, the ongoing war in Ukraine. Three documentaries were screened on the day of the opening ceremony, as well as Sergei Loznitsa's latest film 'The Prosecutor' being part of the official selection. FRANCE 24's Jennifer Ben Brahim looks at how the world of cinema is tackling this three-year conflict. Video by: Jennifer BEN BRAHIM
