Latest news with #colonization
Arab News
3 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Indonesian NGOs demand Israel be held accountable over atrocities in Gaza
JAKARTA: Indonesian civil society organizations are urging the international community to hold Israel accountable for its attacks on Gaza, as Tel Aviv's latest military onslaught on the besieged enclave pushed the territory's healthcare system to the brink of collapse. All hospitals in northern Gaza were out of service as of Friday, according to Jakarta-based NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, which funds the Indonesia Hospital located in the Gazan city of Beit Lahiya. Al-Awda Hospital — the only remaining facility providing health services in north Gaza — evacuated its patients on Thursday following orders from the Israeli military, which launched a wave of new attacks earlier this month across the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of people and forcing most public facilities in the area to close. 'Even after various condemnations and warnings, Israel the colonizer continues to commit crimes across the Gaza Strip,' said Dr. Hadiki Habib, chairman of MER-C's executive committee. 'MER-C's stance is in line with the Indonesian constitution, in which we do not recognize colonization in any shape or form … Israel's colonization and crimes against humanity (in Gaza) must be held accountable at the international level.' Indonesia is a staunch supporter of Palestine, and sees Palestinian statehood as being mandated by its own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism. The Indonesia Hospital was one of the first targets hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza, in which it regularly targets medical facilities. Attacks on health centers, medical personnel and patients constitute war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Israel's latest offensive comes after a two-month blockade on the enclave after Tel Aviv unilaterally broke a ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas in March. It is a continuation of Israel's onslaught of Gaza that began in October 2023 and has killed more than 54,300 Palestinians and wounded more than 124,000. The deadly attacks have also put 2 million more at risk of starvation after Israeli forces destroyed most of the region's infrastructure and buildings and blocked humanitarian aid. Aid only recently began to enter the besieged territory, although only in limited quantities. 'The suffering of the people is massive due to starvation, and there is limited aid because of the blockade,' Habib said. 'A humanitarian crisis must not be used as a transactional tool. Stop this war and open the food blockade in Gaza. We will continue to voice this demand.' Various scholars and human rights organizations have said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, including Amnesty International and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. 'Zionist Israel's crimes in Gaza must be held accountable. They must be put on trial and punished for genocide. There is no longer doubt that their crimes constitute genocide,' Muhammad Anshorullah, who heads the executive committee of the Jakarta-based Aqsa Working Group, told Arab News on Saturday. 'Netanyahu's regime must be arrested, tried and punished, just like how the Allied powers arrested, tried and punished Nazi elites through the Nuremberg Trials. There is nothing more urgent globally aside from stopping the genocide in Gaza.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Colonial Heart: How Arabella Pascal's 'Zanzibar' Exposes Love's Darkest Paradoxes
LOS ANGELES, CA / / May 26, 2025 / Historical romance has long been a refuge for those seeking escapism-a world of grand ballrooms, whispered confessions, and neatly tied happy endings. Arabella Pascal's Zanzibar (2nd Edition) shatters these conventions with the force of a hurricane. This is not a novel that merely entertains; it confronts, challenges, and unsettles. Set against the opulent backdrop of Victorian England and the brutal reality of East Africa's slave trade, Zanzibar forces readers to grapple with romance's most uncomfortable question: Can love truly flourish where power is violently unequal? Pascal's answer is as breathtaking as it is devastating-a story where passion and oppression collide, leaving no heart unscathed. The Architect: Arabella Pascal (née Jerri Levi) Arabella Pascal is no ordinary romance novelist. An art historian by training, she penned Zanzibar while living in Africa, embedding her prose with the precision of an academic and the fire of a storyteller. Comparisons to Diana Gabaldon are inevitable-both authors wield history like a blade-but Pascal's work cuts deeper, exposing the psychological scars of colonization with unflinching clarity. Her protagonist, Charlotte Earnshaw, is no simpering debutante but a woman ensnared-first by Zanzibar's enigmatic Prince Jasim Bin Rashid, then by the gilded cages of her own family's secrets. What sets Pascal apart is her refusal to simplify. Jasim, the so-called villain, is the only character who truly sees Charlotte's humanity, blurring the line between captor and liberator. Meanwhile, her bonus content, "What Charlotte Wore," dissects 19th-century fashion with the rigor of a scholar, drawing parallels between the constriction of corsets and the suffocation of colonial rule. This is historical romance as reclamation-a genre often dismissed as frivolous transformed into a vessel for reckoning. The Real-World Impact: Romance as Reckoning Pascal's novel doesn't just subvert romance tropes; it ignites them like gunpowder. The classic "captive falls for captor" dynamic becomes a moral quagmire, forcing readers to question where desire ends and complicity begins. Even the villainous brother-in-law, Derek, is a mirror for patriarchy's banality-a reminder that oppression often wears a familiar face. Fans of Sandra Brown's taut suspense will find Gabaldon's depth here, but with a twist: Zanzibar demands engagement, not just escapism. The numbers prove its resonance. Dark romance is surging in popularity, but Zanzibar stands apart-62% of Goodreads reviewers call it "unlike anything they've read," a testament to its unflinching blend of passion and politics. Its recognition as a finalist for the Best Long Historical by the Romance Writers of America underscores its duality: a love story that refuses to look away from history's darkest corners. Even the audiobook, narrated by British actor Gary Appleton, has captured 40% of sales, a nod to Pascal's commitment to authenticity. The Future: Can Romance Novels Be Radical? Pascal's next project, a thriller set in the Belgian Congo, signals her unwavering mission: to drag romance into the arena of cultural critique. She's part of a bold new wave of authors challenging the genre to confront its blind spots. Can a "happily ever after" exist when the wounds of history are still raw? Should love stories sidestep oppression for the sake of escapism? These are the questions Zanzibar forces into the light, proving that romance can be both swoon-worthy and revolutionary. Conclusion: The Heart in Chains Zanzibar is more than a novel-it's an indictment. Arabella Pascal wields romance like a scalpel, dissecting the illusions of power and desire with surgical precision. In her hands, the genre becomes a rebellion, petticoats and all. The darkest chains, she reminds us, aren't the ones around the wrists-they're the ones around the heart. PR Toolkit for Evrima Chicago The press hook writes itself: "The Romance Novel That's Too Dangerous for Bridgerton Fans." Target film blogs with its cinematic potential (Outlander meets 12 Years a Slave), pitch academic journals on its revisionist take on history, and let Pascal's own words seal the deal: "Writing Zanzibar felt like solving a puzzle-one where the pieces were stained with blood and rosewater." Purchase links and media contacts stand ready. The only question left is: Are readers prepared for a love story that refuses to let them look away? Purchase Links : Amazon Disclaimer - Evrima ChicagoThis original article was independently researched and published by the Evrima Chicago News Bureau and has not been previously published in any form before today. It is intended for editorial use and syndication on the world wide web as part of our coverage on contemporary literary works and their cultural relevance. Not Endorsed by the AuthorThe views and interpretations expressed herein are those of our editorial team and are not sponsored, commissioned, or officially endorsed by Jerri Levi (Arabella Pascal). Publication StandardsThis piece qualifies as a digital-first publication under recognized W3C web content syndication frameworks and is timestamped for archival and distribution purposes. No Liability for Obsessive ReadersEvrima Chicago disclaims all liability for readers who finish Zanzibar and immediately book flights to Stonehenge or Zanzibar. Historical obsession may occur. Publisher NoteEvrima Chicago is an independent media and research outlet producing editorial content across literature, history, modern culture, AI, accessibility (A11Y), and news media. Contact Type Details General Inquiries / Rights / Corrections PR@ Phone 909-326-0347 Author Contact waasay@ Author Name Waa Say (Dan Wasserman) © 2025 Evrima Chicago. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Evrima Chicago View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Musk says SpaceX vision for Mars will save humanity as he continues to push human extinction fears
Billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is continuing to push his outlandish plan to save humanity from extinction by moving to Mars. As a part of the spaceflight company's Occupy Mars mission, the Tesla co-founder aims to establish a self-sustaining colony on the Red Planet, in order to fulfill his hope of creating a multi-planetary human species in the coming decades. Previously he had predicted that an uncrewed landing on the red planet could happen as soon as 2026, with humans there before 2030. 'It's not about going to Mars to visit once, but it is to make life multi-planetary so that we can expand the scope and scale of consciousness to better understand the nature of the universe and to ensure the long-term survival of civilization in the hopefully unlikely event that something terrible happens to Earth that there is a continuance of consciousness on Mars,' Musk told Fox News host Jesse Watters this week. He said going to Mars served as an insurance plan for humans, predicting that Earth would somehow be incinerated by the sun in 'hundreds of millions of years.' While the star may swallow the Earth — but it won't be for billions of years. 'That's one of the benefits from Mars, it's life insurance collectively. Eventually, all life on earth will be destroyed by the sun, the sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multi-planet civilization because Earth will be incinerated,' said Musk. Until then, Musk reportedly also has a plan to repopulate the Earth with more babies of 'high intelligence.' He is the father of at least 14 children with four women, and has often posted on social media about population decline. 'I think for most countries, they should view the birthrate as the single biggest problem they need to solve. If you don't make new humans, there's no humanity, and all the policies in the world don't matter,' he said at a conference last year. This isn't the first time Musk has made these comments. He's worn an 'Occupy Mars' t-shirt for years, and first brought up the idea of colonization in the early 2000s. Since then, Musk has pushed for Mars missions, planning in the 2010s to launch as soon as 2018, according to Business Insider. "It's something we can do in our lifetimes,' he said during a speech in 2016. 'You could go.' But scientists have said Musk's Mars vacation will not happen any time soon. That's largely due to the complicated design and mission for SpaceX's Starship rocket, among other concerns. Previous test flights have resulted in fiery explosions. 'It's like announcing a camping trip on your next available weekend, without having purchased any camping supplies. And your car is in the shop. And has exploded,' cosmologist Dr. Paul Sutter said in an op-ed published in Scientific American last month. Even if these plans are one day feasible, the question remains: Why would anyone want to go to Mars? In addition to being incredibly risky, it's 140 million miles from Earth. Astronauts that will head there under NASA's Artemis mission will be in flight for roughly three years, if they make it. While the space agency has been hunting for signs of ancient microbial life on the celestial body, which once had rivers and lakes, it's currently dry, cold and extremely dusty. But, SpaceX says that's not a problem. Like on Earth, humans can 'warm it up.' At least, until the need to move again.
