Breaking stories and in‑depth analysis: up‑to‑the‑minute global news on politics, business, technology, culture, and more—24/7, all in one place.
Hezbollah has released a video of mountain tunnels, showing underground tunnels and an array of missile launchers, hinting at full preparations for war with Israel.
Analysts say Hezbollah has gradually demonstrated its military prowess in 10 months of cross-border clashes with Israel, including a video released on Friday that is said to show Underground missile installations are shown.
Gaza ceasefire talks ended in Doha, declaration continues
Since the start of the Gaza war after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the Lebanese Shiite movement, which is armed and financed by Iran, has exchanged fire almost daily with Israeli forces as a show of support for its ally Hamas. Have rocket and drone attacks been carried out?
Kleine Zeitung online “Austria’s largest cities more sealed than expected”, 13. 8., and “Carinthia is way ahead with asphalt deserts”, 15. 8.
There is now a “ranking” of the best sealing professionals. Carinthia is in the top group (we have to be good at something). For years, people have been criticizing the fact that too much concrete is being used. The fact that this is true is not denied – only in this case, no one seems to want a place on the podium. This would certainly fit into the positive narrative of the “business location”. A lot of business needs a lot of commercial space.
But the devil is in the details: we not only concrete over too much, what is not yet dead is being made dead. More than forty “down-to-earth” citizens of St. Veit have had an extensive soil test carried out in the town. The result of the court-appointed expert: In some locations, the green spaces in the St. Veit area have concentrations of the elements arsenic, lead, chromium, nickel and zinc that are classified as high compared to background pollution. In a direct comparison, the testing laboratory found that the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in the sample results are consistently higher than the official results published. The reaction of the state authority to this: No problem, that’s normal.
Against this background, one inevitably asks oneself why contaminated soil should be protected. And why should one not be allowed to seal soil that is already “normally” heavily contaminated? In any case, the latest decision by the state governor fits into the picture: in future, garbage – or more precisely “substitute raw materials” – can also be mixed into cement. “Zombie cement” for “zombie soil” – that fits.
Peter Baumgartner, St. Veit
More readers’ letters on the topic
Bleak prospects
The development of nature and environmental protection is currently determined exclusively by economic interests. The so-called “Green Deal” has been and continues to be torpedoed, with farmers being incited with lies and half-truths. In Carinthia, large areas of valuable land are sealed every day for senseless road projects, buildings, parking lots and the like. State Councilor Gruber is in no way fulfilling his obligation as the person responsible for soil protection; on the contrary, land claims are already being made by businesses along the Koralmbahn.
Another grim chapter is the state of the forests in Carinthia, which are poor in many areas. Decades of incorrect management (monocultures, etc.) and the overexploitation of the forest ecosystem, excessive road construction, alpine villages (chalets), wind turbines, supply and disposal lines are causing lasting damage to the forest. Ski slopes and artificial snowmaking are additional burdens.
It is regrettable that the politicians responsible have not learned anything from the past. In addition to the so-called rezoning legacy of the past, the rezoning of the present is added as future legacy! Bleak prospects!
Viktor Lang, Villach
Useless statistics
Statistics form the basis for a professional interpretation with experts, from which usable suggestions and conclusions can be drawn and implemented. This was neglected here; conclusions were drawn that were wrong and only led to headlines. Greenpeace and WWF compared the soil sealing in Villach (221 m2/capita) with Vienna (79 m2/capita); if Hong Kong or New York had been included, the figure would have been less than 20. So a totally dubious comparison that says nothing about the real unnecessary soil sealing. The only thing that can be deduced from this is that less soil sealing is required with higher buildings (skyscrapers).
The authors could have saved themselves this press release, it is useless. Greenpeace and WWF would be better advised to think about proposals for reducing soil sealing in the future and to propose measures that the population can discuss. Suggestions would include: building upwards instead of outwards, requiring underground parking for all large buildings, and only allowing grocery stores to have underground parking and parks above them (as seen at the Karawanks Autobahn exit and the Bled exit). Many constructive approaches could be developed, but simply criticizing and denouncing is not enough.
Fritz Schabkar, Völkermarkt
Many times, people do everything possible to improve their beauty and physical appearance, even putting their health at risk and without considering the possible consequences.
In the video, the woman is seen putting a clip on her nose to avoid bad odor while applying the mask. Photo: Instagram – @deborapeixoto.ofc
Débora Peixoto, a Brazilian influencer with more than 600,000 followers on Instagram, has sparked a huge controversy in recent days after posting a video in which she applies a face mask allegedly made from her own fecal matter. The recording, which has reached more than 400,000 views and 1,000 comments, shows Peixoto taking the substance out of her fridge and applying it to her face.
According to the video, this decision was motivated by research conducted by Harvard University, which led him to experiment with this unusual practice and which could be a real way to prevent aging.
“The craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life, putting my farts on my face (…)”, she said, assuring that the mask had worked to improve the condition of her skin, preventing it from peeling. Although the influencer claims that the treatment has given her positive results, the reaction of Internet users has not been entirely favorable.
There are different reactions to this post, most of them questioning this decision. Among the most notable comments are phrases like “This is why aliens don’t talk to us”, “this is crazy, don’t do it for love”, and “no man would kiss her after this”.
While some followers have expressed curiosity about the practice, others have criticized it, arguing that it is unhealthy and irresponsible to promote this type of behavior, especially on a platform with as much visibility as Instagram.
2024-08-19 01:23:25
#Fecal #matter #mask
GERMANY has issued a European-level arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diving instructor over his alleged involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea. German investigators believe the perpetrator, named as Volodymyr Z., was part of a team that in September 2022 planted an explosive device on the pipeline carrying natural gas from Russia to Germany.
German law does not allow the publication of suspects’ last names, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly denied that his country was behind the sabotage. It has disrupted Russian gas exports to the European Union and hurt Moscow’s energy revenues.
As reported by the Guardian, Thursday (15/8), Volodymyr Z was last known to be living in Poland, according to reports from the newspapers Suddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit and the public broadcaster ARD, which cited unnamed sources.
The Polish prosecutor’s office confirmed that it had received a German arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man suspected of the Nord Stream attacks named “Volodymyr Z.”
It said it received the warrant in June, but the suspect left for Ukraine last month. It also said authorities failed to prevent him from leaving because the information had not yet reached the country’s border guards.
German investigations have identified another man and woman alongside Volodymyr Z who are also Ukrainian diving instructors. However, no arrest warrants have been issued for them at this time.
Also read: Before Leaving for Ukraine, Jokowi Goes Through Important Agenda in Elmau
Several explosions on September 26, 2022 damaged two gas pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and 2. The explosions occurred near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Four leaks were discovered shortly afterward.
Russian natural gas was previously supplied to Germany via the 63 billion cubic meter per year Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The similarly sized Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not yet operational.
The route was built to divert Russian gas exports to the EU from the Ukrainian pipeline network, on which they had previously relied heavily.
Also read: President Jokowi Begins Visit to Ukraine
Russia’s gas sales to the EU were by far the country’s most profitable until the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ensuing political strife wiped out the trade.
Russia and Western countries have accused each other of being behind the Nord Stream blast. Each side denies involvement and no one has claimed responsibility.
Authorities in several countries are investigating the case. But Denmark and Sweden have dropped their investigations without coming to any conclusions.
Also read: Ukraine claims control of part of Kursk region in Russia
In January 2023, Germany raided a ship it said was likely used to transport explosives and told the UN it believed trained divers could have attached the device to a pipe about 70 to 80 metres (230 to 260 feet) deep.
In March last year, The New York Times reported that US officials had seen intelligence indicating a pro-Ukrainian group was responsible for carrying out the blast without Zelensky’s knowledge.
It remains unclear whether the finding that Ukrainians were behind the attacks on the pipelines will have a negative impact on Germany’s support for Ukraine.
“The level of resources, money, military hardware that is being funnelled from Germany, from Poland to Ukraine is enormous,” says Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane in Berlin.
“The German government is currently saying that this development will have no impact on their relations with Kyiv. But it is clear that this is a very serious matter,” he concluded. (I-2)
#Germany #Pursues #Ukrainians #Sabotaged #Russian #Pipeline