Former Israeli government adviser Daniel Levy argues Israel will continue to thwart attempts to solidify the ceasefire in Gaza.
As long as Israel keeps moving the goalposts, former Israeli government adviser Daniel Levy argues, there’s no way to reach phase two of the ceasefire in Gaza, which Israel itself signed.
Levy, president of the US/Mideast Project, tells host Steve Clemons that the biggest question is whether the United States, which is the guarantor of the agreement, will allow Israel to scuttle it.
Stuart Pearce says he feels “absolutely brilliant” after recovering from a heart scare during a plane flight.
The 62-year-old former England international and Nottingham Forest defender was travelling on a flight from Las Vegas to the UK when he fell ill.
The flight was diverted to St. Johns, Canada, where it made an emergency landing and Pearce was taken to hospital.
“I’m in good form, absolutely brilliant”, Pearce, who was released from hospital on Sunday, told TalkSport.
“On the flight I had chest pains and the crew on Virgin were brilliant, they took care of me fantastically and then said, ‘ Look, we’re not going to take the chance travelling across the Atlantic, we’re going to drop you off’.
” My heart rate was racing. From the time I was monitored on the aeroplane and for the few days in hospital, my resting heart rate was anything above 155 beats per minute.
“I had a virus that attached itself to my heart that just needed clearing, rebooting and going through the process.
” When I get home I obviously will have some medical checks and go and see my GP, but I feel terrific now. “
Pearce felt chest pains several hours into the flight back home from watching the Rugby League Super League game between Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves.
Air crew monitored him and were in contact with a doctor on the ground, with a decision taken to land the plane in Canada.
There was applause from supporters of both clubs after three minutes during Nottingham Forest’s win over Manchester City at the weekend – the number he wore during his career for both clubs.
Forest posted” Psycho “on X, referencing his nickname, alongside a love heart.
Pearce added:” The Forest game against Man City was very, very humbling, I saw that and the bits and pieces that come out from that.
“Thank you for your two messages and everybody else that sent messages of support, it is very, very humbling”.
Pearce is hoping to return to the UK soon and said: “The insurers are just looking to organise flights at the moment.
Dr Alexander van Tulleken sought to separate facts from fiction on BBC Morning Live today amidst a flood of questions about knee pain. The 46-year-old said that while it’s easy to assume that sore legs are always a sign of ageing or strenuous activity, there’s actually a common culprit that ‘ stands out more than any other’.
Speaking to the show’s presenters, he explained that such a cause is osteoarthritis—a condition that gives rise to stiffness, swelling, tenderness, and joint pain. arthritis/” rel=”nofollow” target=”_self”>NHS figures suggest it is the most common type of arthritis in the UK, affecting millions of people.
“If you have got new pain in both knees, you should definitely talk to your GP because there are lots of causes of knee pain and they can be treated in different ways”, Dr Xand said. “But there is one cause that sort of stands out more than any other, it affects millions of people in the UK, and that is osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a condition that gives rise to stiffness, swelling, tenderness, and joint pain (Getty Images)
” We used to call that, some people still call it ‘ wear and tear arthritis’, but that is one of the myths I really want to bust today. We mustn’t think of our knees as getting worn out. “
While age can influence osteoarthritis, other risk factors include obesity, a family history of the condition, previous joint injuries, and even poor dietary choices. The condition can also cause creaking noises in the joints and instability when moving around.
However, Dr Xand stressed that sufferers should not think of themselves like ‘ old cars’, adding that the ‘ worst thing ‘ you can do is to keep resting for too long. Instead, he recommends incorporating exercise into your daily routine, as this can help to strengthen your knees over time.
Biking, swimming, dancing, walking, or anything else that makes you happy while keeping you active should help. The NHS also offers a range of at-home exercise tutorials for individuals with mobility issues, though it is worth consulting a GP before trying them.
Besides this, Dr Xand added that maintaining a healthy diet and cutting out smoking can make a difference if weight is a significant contributing factor”. It’s very, very hard to lose weight, so here’s how I think about it instead, “he said.
” Sleep, stress, alcohol, smoking – all those things will make a big difference to your knees. So, think about tackling those. Improve your diet rather than think about weight loss because if you eat a broader range of fruit and vegetables and whole grains and whole foods, and cut down on the ultra-processed food, you can still eat delicious stuff.
Dr Xand urged viewers suffering from knee pain to maintain a healthy diet (BBC Morning Live)
“You can still have all those things, but it will reduce the inflammation and irritation in your knees”.
NHS guidance adds: “Osteoarthritis is a long-term condition and cannot be cured, but it doesn’t necessarily get any worse over time and it can sometimes gradually improve. A number of treatments are also available to reduce the symptoms.
” If your symptoms are more severe, you may need additional treatments such as painkillers and a structured exercise plan with a physiotherapist.
“In a small number of cases, where these treatments haven’t helped or the damage to the joints is particularly severe, surgery may be done to repair, strengthen or replace a damaged joint”.
Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities are rolling out an electronic coupon scheme in recognition of the dire economic conditions under sanctions, but they are also hiking taxes across the board to cover budget deficits.
As the busy shopping and travel season of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, approaches, the government of centrist President Masoud Pezeshkian has revived the coupons scheme for at least a few more months, this time online.
The first use of coupons in Iran dates back to World War II when the country faced dire economic conditions and famine under British and Soviet occupation, which ended in 1946 after five years.
But coupons are mostly remembered for their widespread use in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. Neighbouring Iraq invaded Iran with support from global and regional powers to counter the new theocratic Iranian establishment, and an eight-year war squeezed the population.
The coupons
Starting this week, low-income and middle-class Iranians are being given up to 5 million rials (just over $5) per person that can be used to buy limited quantities of food like red meat, chicken, eggs, milk, cooking oil, rice and sugar at government prices. About 60 million people are eligible to use the credit.
Pasta, seen here in a supermarket in Tehran, is among the items offered through electronic coupons]Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
People can buy only 11 items from a list of select suppliers and shops across the country, and the credit purchases are separate from monthly government cash handouts that currently amount to about $4.85 per person.
The goal is to marginally alleviate short-term pressure on families who have been watching their purchasing power dwindle for years as a result of local mismanagement and all-encompassing Western sanctions.
The government of late President Ebrahim Raisi, which was in office from 2021 to 2024, implemented electronic coupons schemes twice, in 2023 and 2024, for short periods to ease pressure as well.
His immediate predecessor, President Hassan Rouhani, also publicly considered resorting to coupons in the aftermath of the 2018 withdrawal of the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and imposed harsh sanctions on the country.
On the other hand, taxing everything
The Pezeshkian administration, which lost two key members to a political dispute with hardliners last week, has been trying to cut costs and increase revenues to grapple with a budget crunch.
The government’s approved budget for the Iranian calendar year 1404, which starts on March 21, shows considerably increased taxes and costs of services – in many cases much higher than Iran’s current 35 percent inflation rate.
Successive Iranian governments have been pushed to find new revenue sources, including through tax increases, to decrease the country’s dependency on oil revenues, which have been hit by the “maximum pressure” tactics by the US.
The Pezeshkian government said this month that it pays for 73 percent of its current expenses, excluding infrastructure expenditures, using tax revenues.
According to a February report by Iran’s Parliament Research Center, total government tax revenues are expected to go up 53 percent in the fiscal year 1404 compared with the previous year, the highest jump in a decade.
The budget foresees a 73 percent surge in total government earnings from corporate income tax , compared with the year before and a 68 percent increase in income from personal income taxes.
The research arm of the parliament foresees a 36 percent rise compared with the previous year in wealth and property taxes.
Taxes on imports are to go up 85 percent as well with a significant part of the increase linked with government revenues from imports of new or used foreign vehicles after a years-long ban was lifted in 2022.
Iranian men look over supermarket shelves in Tehran as the prices of goods increase]File: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
During the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, restaurants and hotels need to pay for permits to be able to operate while making sure no one publicly breaks their fast by eating, drinking or smoking, something that is considered a crime under Iran’s Islamic laws.
Taxes are increasing months after Iran raised the age of retirement for men by two years to 62 and increased the years of service required to receive full pensions for men to 35 from 30. That was aimed at reducing alarming pension fund deficits that have threatened financial sustainability and exerted more pressure on the government.
Amid another currency freefall and a lingering energy crisis, the embattled government has also been accused by hardline lawmakers of intentionally devaluing the national currency to make short-term gains.
Making services more expensive
Along with boosted taxes, the 1404 budget makes a long list of government services offered to Iranian and foreign nationals much more costly while ramping up financial penalties for offences.
Fees to issue national IDs and passports are up, and it will be more costly to register vehicles and motorcycles. Several fees linked with universities and technical and vocational exams are expected to rise.
Especially with Nowruz prompting millions of Iranians to travel this month, authorities are expecting much higher revenues from traffic fines because they will be hiked by up to 30 percent until early April.
Many major traffic offences had already seen their penalties tripled about eight months ago with several others, including dangerous or drunk driving, expected to be hiked another 50 percent next year.
Authorities plan on charging Iranians more for trying to leave the country too with departure levies up by about 30 percent. Repeated departures would incur more costs.
Iranian women shop at a flower market in Tehran before Nowruz on March 17, 2024]Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
The state continues to impose financial penalties on and open criminal cases against people who are deemed to have violated mandatory hijab laws. Vehicles can be fined and impounded for weeks if they are repeatedly reported for hijab offences.
The Iranian government plans to make services offered to millions of migrants and refugees across the country more expensive as well, including costs of issuing or renewing travel and work permits.
Tehran Municipality announced last month that costs of services offered to foreign nationals will be 54 percent higher in the next Iranian year.
These price rises will mostly impact migrants and refugees from neighbouring Afghanistan, whose numbers in Iran swelled in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover of the country after the US withdrew in 2021.
You’ll know Dylan Mulvaney’s comforting voice. Like an old friend, the question softly asked at the start of her Tiktoks: “Is now a good time? Okay, good”.
Since her Tiktok transition series ‘ Days of Girlhood, ‘ she’s been on red carpets, podcasts, and fashion shows. From the outside, it’s a dream ascension to stardom. But in Mulvaney’s debut book, Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, she explores all the highs and lows of transitioning while being in the public eye.
Written over two timelines, the book is presented as journal entries, from her first 365 days of girlhood, and considered essays in the aftermath of the backlash of her brand collaboration with Bud Light – that she terms ‘ Beergate’. Written with her trademark light-approach and tenderness, this book will be a life-line to so many looking for hope, trans joy, and a sense of community.
Written with her trademark light-approach and tenderness, Paper Doll will be a life-line to so many looking for hope and joy (Instagram)
Mulvaney grants the reader access to her most private thoughts, from her battles with depression to doing ayahuasca, a plant-based psychedelic, after Mikayla Nogueira’s influencer-packed wedding.
Her Tiktoks are often-comedic and light-hearted videos, while addressing the material issues that face the trans community. She writes candidly of her experience of facial feminisation surgery (which she abbreviates throughout to FFS), which many fans will remember from her iconic ‘ face reveal ‘ video.
Another tender moment is recounted as she is given guidance from a friend on underwear to help with tucking. She describes this woman as her ‘ fairy tuck mother. ‘
But the response has not always been positive, with trolls taking to her comment section to leave hateful messages. In terms of backlash, Mulvaney says it’s “funny how something with such pure intentions can be turned into something controversial so quickly”.
Trans memoirs are incredibly important, particularly in the political and medical landscape we live in, where lives are debated and discussed in an abstract way, removing all the humanity from the joy of trans lives.
Often-comedic and light-hearted, Mulvaney addresses the material issues that face the trans community. (Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
As a book critic, I often spend time considering whether a book is important, serious, or even the bare minimum metric of whether it is actually any good. I ask myself, does a book need to be impenetrable to be a serious book?
The answer? No. Sometimes the books are dense to keep the reader out, and what’s the point of that? Mulvaney’s Paper Doll is the answer to that. In no way could the writing be described as stuffy or inaccessible, and it’s all the more joyous, beautiful, and heart-wrenching for it.
Reading Paper Dolls is like talking to an old friend, telling you all the gossip, all their heartaches and fears. It’s a lifeline too, to those in the early stages of transition, who are about to enter the lives they are meant to live.
One issue Mulvaney felt in the early stages of her transition was a desire for community, so if this is a topic resonating with you, I want to share other suggestions of memoirs that might bring you comfort, hope, inspiration:
Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques
A Trans Man Walks Into A Bar by Harry Nicholas
Please Miss: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Penis by Grace Lavery
While not a memoir, Shon Faye’s non-fiction manifesto The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice is worth exploring too. This book is a revolutionary examination of what it means to be trans in Britain.
Al-Shabab gunmen have stormed and laid siege to a hotel in central Somalia as government officials and tribal elders met to discuss action against the outfit.
The armed group claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on the Cairo Hotel in the town of Beledweyne in a statement. Several people are reported to have been killed.
The gunmen detonated a car bomb before storming into the building firing. An intense battle with Somali security forces was triggered, and a siege was ongoing in the early afternoon.
Varying claims
Ali Suleiman, a shopkeeper who witnessed the attack, told the Reuters news agency that he heard “a huge blast followed by gunfire. Then another blast was heard”. The witness said part of the hotel was reduced to rubble.
Al-Shabab said in a statement that it had killed more than 10 people in the attack. However, reports on the death toll varied.
Quoting Dahir Amin Jesow, a federal lawmaker from Beledweyne, Reuters reported that at least four people had been killed. The Associated Press news agency, quoting a resident in the area, reported that six people have been killed, including “two well-known traditional elders”.
Born of anarchy
Born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy after a 1991 civil war, al-Shabab, which has ties to al-Qaeda, has been waging war against the Somali government for more than 16 years.
The armed group frequently carries out attacks targeting government officials and military personnel in the country as it tries to topple the government to establish its own strict interpretation of Islamic law although civilians are also at risk.
