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Asghar Farhadi Condemns Politicians and Media for Focus on ‘Difference’ and ‘Hate’: ‘Why Do You Think a Mother in Afghanistan Is Different Than Your Mom?’
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has criticised politicians and the media for emphasising cultural “differences” rather than shared humanity, arguing this fuels hatred and division. Speaking at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where he is receiving an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award and a career retrospective, Farhadi said he was asked how his films had achieved rare…
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Ed Miliband lashes out at Israel for pushing ahead with controversial West Bank settlement project
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband criticised Israel for proceeding with a contentious settlement project in the occupied West Bank, describing the move as damaging to prospects for peace. The dispute matters because settlement expansion is widely seen as making a future Palestinian state harder to establish and worsening already strained international relations. The project concerns development…
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Christian Zionists take on anti-Israel ‘propaganda’ from biblical heartland
A Christian Zionist organisation called The Israel Guys, formerly known as HaYovel, has opened a large new visitors centre in the West Bank settlement of Har Bracha in Samaria. The group’s chief executive, Joshua Waller, is encouraging Christians to visit Israel and the West Bank themselves rather than rely on what he describes as anti-Israel…
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EA’s Saudi takeover wouldn’t have happened if the company’s culture “had any semblance of a moral backbone”, say staff fearing layoffs and ownership meddling
Employees at Electronic Arts are voicing fears over layoffs and creative interference following the completion of the company’s leveraged buyout by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, which has taken EA private. According to a Game Developer report based on interviews with anonymous staff, workers feel EA’s culture lacks the moral…
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West Ham condemn ‘divisive’ chant about Israel’s Solomon
West Ham United have issued a statement condemning an “offensive and divisive” chant containing an “anti-Palestine message” that was aimed at their new winger Manor Solomon during the club’s opening Championship match of the season. The chant was sung by a section of away supporters during the 2-2 draw at Burnley last Sunday, prompting the…
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Sales of trainers dive as cost of living pressures hit JD Sports performance
JD Sports has cut its full-year profit forecast after cost-of-living pressures, worsened by the US war on Iran, hit sales of trainers and other footwear, particularly in the United States. The retailer’s shares fell 12% on the news, dropping to their lowest level since July, as investors reacted to signs that inflation is making shoppers…
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Morning news brief
Gulf countries react to protracted Iran war, U.S. debt tops $40 trillion, U.S. oil companies sign first deals with Venezuela.
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Miliband and Israel clash over controversial West Bank settlement project
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and the Israeli government began a war of words over a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
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How The Who overcame internal strife and a drummer behaving like a ‘Saudi prince’ to make their most poignant album. “Roger punched me once, and I’m sure I asked for it”
A feature revisits the turbulent making of The Who’s 1973 album Quadrophenia, focusing on the band’s fractious relationship as they toured to promote Pete Townshend’s ambitious concept record. The piece recalls a chaotic gig at Newcastle’s Odeon Cinema on Bonfire Night 1973, where technical failures with backing tapes and audiences struggling to follow the album’s…
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Trump announces ‘the most crushing economic operation ever taken’ against any country that does business with Iran
Donald Trump has announced what he described as “the most crushing economic operation ever taken” against any country that continues to do business with Iran, signalling a major escalation in Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Tehran. The declaration underscores the US administration’s determination to isolate Iran economically, with the threat extending beyond Iran itself to…