A government-appointed commission in Germany recommended on Monday that lawmakers legalize abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, a move that could push the country into a long-avoided debate on an issue that for decades has remained a legal gray zone.Except for exceptions for medical reasons or because of rape, abortions in Germany are technically illegal. But in practice, they are generally allowed in the first 12 weeks if a woman has received mandatory counseling and then waits at least three days to terminate the pregnancy.Abortion rights activists say Germany is increasingly out of sync with the rest of Europe,…
Author: newsintel365.com
Ushio Amagatsu, an accomplished dancer and choreographer who brought global prominence to Butoh, an elemental minimalist Japanese dance theater form that emerged in the wake of the devastation of war, died March 25 in Odawara, Japan. It was 74.The cause of his death, at a hospital, was heart failure, said Semimaru, a founding member of Mr. Amagatsu’s famous contemporary dance company, Sankai Juku.Butoh is an anglicized version of “buto”, derived from “ankoku buto”, which translates to “dance of darkness”. He draws inspiration from surrealist European art movements such as Dadaism.Butoh was pioneered by Kazuo Ohno and Tatsumi Hijikata in the…
Signs of unrest at Tesla multiplied Monday after the electric car company told employees it would lay off more than 10 percent of its workforce to cut costs and two senior executives resigned.The job cuts, which amount to about 14,000 people, come as the company faces increasing competition and declining sales. The management changes and layoffs are a reminder of the unpredictability of Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, at a critical time for the company.Mr. Musk has not outlined a plan to reverse a slump in auto sales and appears to be focusing on long-term ventures such as a self-driving…
Israel’s allies on Monday strongly urged it not to respond to Iran over the weekend missile and drone attack, calling instead for a de-escalation of the tensions that have gripped the Middle East.The Iranian airstrike – itself in retaliation for a strike that killed Iranian commanders in Syria – was the first time Tehran had launched open attacks against Israel from its own soil. As some far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government called for a strong response, the United States, the Group of 7 nations, the European Union and the UN secretary general were among those advising restraint.Mr.…
Former Vice President Al Gore was in New York over the weekend for a leadership training session convened by the Climate Reality Project, his nonprofit organization.On Saturday, in front of thousands of attendees, Mr. Gore highlighted growing climate risks but also spoke of progress. He blamed fossil fuel companies for increasing the production of plastics and promoting technology to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which he called “absolutely absurd”.Mr. Gore then explained in an interview why he was not surprised that major oil and gas companies backed out of their decarbonization commitments. And he said he believes former President…
Fishing guides in the Florida Keys began reporting unusual sightings to Ross Boucek last fall. Small baits, especially at night, were beginning to spin in tight circles in the water, seemingly in discomfort.As the months passed, more reports reached Dr. Boucek, a biologist with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a nonprofit conservation group. Larger fish – walleyes, snook – swam in spirals or upside down in the shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. So are stingrays and the occasional shark.Dr. Boucek invited scientists to government agencies and universities. They held meetings, took samples of the water…
Hundreds of survivors of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing have filed a lawsuit against Britain’s government intelligence agency MI5, their lawyers said.Three leading firms — Hudgell Solicitors, Slater & Gordon and Broudie Jackson Canter — said in a statement on Sunday that they represented more than 250 victims of the bombing and family members of the dead and filed a class action claim at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. , an independent judicial body that hears complaints against Britain’s intelligence services.”As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable or unwilling to provide further details or comment further at this…
When Iran agreed to a deal in 2015 that would have required it to hand over 97 percent of the uranium it could use to make nuclear bombs, Russia and China worked with the United States and Europe to get the deal done .The Russians even took Iran’s nuclear fuel, for a hefty fee, prompting celebrations that President Vladimir Putin could cooperate with the West on critical security issues and help contain a subversive regime in a volatile region.A lot has changed in the next nine years. China and Russia are now more aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” in…
To collect every last stem and ribbon, Mr. Patrikis is constantly on the phone negotiating with 15 distributors to get the best deals.”If you don’t know how to buy from the wholesalers, the wholesalers will buy you,” he said.Depending on the length of a stem, the size of the bloom and the nation of origin, a dozen New York roses can cost a customer anywhere from $10 from a street vendor to more than $120 from a high-end florist. Mr. Patrikis prefers the red Explorer variety of roses, which he said tend to have larger blooms and stay fresh longer…
Moments after Israel and its allies shot down a fleet of Iranian missiles and drones this weekend, many began to wonder what the latest exchange between Israel and Iran would mean for the war in the Gaza Strip.The Iranian attack was in retaliation for what was widely believed to be an Israeli strike this month on an embassy building in Damascus that killed seven Iranian officials, including three top commanders of Iran’s armed forces. But it happened in the context of the war in Gaza, where Israel is fighting Hamas, a militant group funded and armed by Iran.Israeli military analysts…