“In Greek legends, the Amazons were feared and formidable women warriors who lived on the edge of the known world. Hercules had to obtain the magic girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyte in one of his 12 labours, and Achilles killed another queen, Penthesilea, only to fall in love with her as her beautiful face emerged from her helmet. These horseback-riding, bow-wielding nomads, who fought and hunted just like men, have long been shrouded in myth, but archaeologists are discovering increasing evidence that they really did exist. Excavations of graves within a bronze age necropolis in Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan revealed that women had been buried with weapons such as razor-sharp arrowheads, a bronze dagger and a mace, as well as jewellery … Archaeologists have concluded that they could have been Amazon women who lived 4,000 years ago. These fearsome women were famed for their male-free society and their prowess on the battlefield, particularly with a bow and arrow. Historian Bettany Hughes told the Observer: ‘It shows that there’s truth behind the myths and legends of ancient Greece.’ She said this evidence was all the more significant when linked to earlier finds. In 2019, the remains of four female warriors buried with arrowheads and spears were found in Russia and, in 2017, Armenian archaeologists unearthed the remains of a woman who appeared to have died from battle injuries, as an arrowhead was buried in her leg. In the early 1990s, the remains of a woman buried with a dagger were found near the Kazakhstan border.” (Dalya Alberge/The Guardian)
“One year after the start of the war in Sudan, children are dying of hunger and sick people are not buying medicine so that they can afford food as the population slips towards famine. In mid-April last year, a rivalry between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamad Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo broke into open conflict. Since then, the fighting and significant destruction, paired with much lower agricultural production, have sent food prices soaring and made it extremely hard to find enough to eat. ‘Civilians are dying in silence,’ said Mukhtar Atif, a spokesperson for the ‘emergency response rooms’ (ERRs), a volunteer network helping civilians across the country. Atif’s network provides a single meal a day to about 45,000 people out of about 70 community kitchens in Khartoum North, one of the three cities of the national capital region. The ERRs are a lifeline for thousands across Sudan, but their access is limited at times and they rely on donations, most of which come via mobile banking apps, impossible to use since a near-total communication outage began in February. Without it, hundreds of kitchens were forced to close, and the queues got even longer at the few still functioning, people standing for hours for little more than a pot of fuul, a traditional dish of stewed fava beans.” (Virginia Pietromarchi/Al Jazeera)
“On February 3, at the Gare de Lyon in Paris, a Malian citizen wounded three people by attacking them with a knife and a hammer. The man, who had legally entered Europe through Italy, regularly posted TikTok videos in which he declared his hatred of France, cast as a former colonial power that had plundered his country and reduced it to poverty. More importantly, in the videos he pledged allegiance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he described as a reliable and selfless partner for Mali and all of Africa. The attack highlighted how successful the Kremlin’s intense lobbying in Africa has been, particularly in the Sahel region. Europe has yet to come to terms with this reality, but Russia has undeniably established a strong foothold on the continent. For at least 10 years, President Putin has tried by any available means to make inroads into Africa and to dislodge historically entrenched colonial powers. Through social media and troll farms, Russia has fanned the flames of anti-French resentment in the Sahel. In Mali, surveys show that some 84 percent of the population has a positive opinion of Russia. Conversely, anti-French propaganda has been in full swing since France’s intervention against jihadism (2014-2022) got bogged down, with Paris frequently depicted as an occupying power. Russia has played a key role in promoting this narrative, notably through its French-language RT channel. This propaganda attributes the failure of Operation Barkhane to hypocritical pro-Muslim leanings by Paris. Malians are told that France, despite being severely affected by Islamist terrorism on its own soil, wants to encourage jihadism in Africa. Moscow also promotes itself as an advocate for traditional social and family values, allegedly opposed to those of Western democracies. Meanwhile, an ever-increasing number of abuses by local armed forces and their Russian auxiliaries are reported in the Sahel, including executions, disappearances of civilians, looting and torture.” (Chris Millon/CISReportsOnline)
“The Kremlin’s security services were aware of an ISIS threat days before a deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, Russian intelligence documents obtained by a UK-based investigative organization suggest. According to the London-based Dossier Center, the documents showed ethnic Tajiks radicalized by ISIS-K – the Central Asian offshoot of the terror group ISIS – could have been involved. At least 143 people were killed last Friday in the deadliest attack on Russia in decades, when assailants stormed Crocus City Hall with guns and incendiary devices, just before a concert was to be held. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack with statements, photos, and a propaganda video filmed by the attackers. The Dossier Center is a Russian investigation group backed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an exiled former Russian oil tycoon turned Kremlin critic. It has previously unearthed details about Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime, often using documents and leaks from inside the Russian government. ‘A few days before the terrorist attack, members of the Security Council received a warning that Tajik citizens could be used in terrorist attacks on Russian territory,’ said the group’s latest report, released on Sunday, referring to the Russian security agency. ‘Even before the attack on Crocus City Hall, a source close to the intelligence services told the Dossier Center about this,’ it added. The Kremlin hasn’t responded to CNN’s request for a comment on the Dossier Center report.” (Matthew Chance and Chris Lau/CNN)
“Washington continues to provide Israel with roughly $3.8 billion annually in addition to other arms deals and security benefits. (Some of the other top recipients of U.S. aid, such as Egypt and Jordan, receive large amounts in exchange for maintaining normalized relations with Israel). Israel and its supporters are hugely influential in Washington, commanding attention on both sides of the political aisle through different forms of direct and indirect lobbying and influence. What exactly the United States gets in return for this unidirectional relationship remains unclear. Proponents claim that unfaltering support is critical for the advancement of U.S. interests in the Middle East. Sen. Lindsey Graham, for example, once referred to Israel as the ‘eyes and ears of America’ in the region. While intelligence-sharing may have some strategic value, the past five months of war in Gaza have made clear the numerous negative effects of the relationship, namely how Washington’s emphatic embrace of Israel has undermined its strategic position in the Middle East while damaging its global image. The war has starkly highlighted the underlying failures of U.S. Middle East policy. It’s past time for a fundamental reevaluation of the U.S.-Israel relationship.” (Jon Hoffman/FP)
“During a recent visit to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, I found myself getting a quick crash course in diplomat-ese. I had asked a group of officials for their view on the potential threat China poses to Taiwan. In response, one cautiously explained that Japan does not call China a ‘threat,’ and implored me not to suggest as much. Japan’s official assessment, the official said, is that China poses a ‘strategic challenge.’ ‘If we say we regard China as a threat, that will impede diplomatic efforts,’ the official explained through a translator. ‘That’s why we do not have such a harsh evaluation on China.’ The U.S. and Japan are set to announce the biggest expansion of their defense ties in decades at a summit in Washington next month. For the White House, Tokyo is an increasingly critical ally as it builds what Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, recently described to me as a ‘lattice’ approach to counter China’s behavior in Asia. And Japan has followed in the U.S. footsteps to implement controls on advanced technology and to ‘derisk’ and diversify its supply chains away from China. But there also appear to be limits on how far Japan is willing to cooperate with U.S. efforts to contain Beijing, one of its most critical trade partners, including on key issues like financial flows and semiconductors. ‘We don’t have any intentions to have any economic blockade,’ Maki Kobayashi, a spokeswoman for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told me.” (Morgan Chalfant/semafor)
“Donald Trump, who opened up the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City two years after Springsteen’s song was released, presents himself as belonging to a higher class than New Jersey wise guys—but he knows all about debt and desperation. That gambling den was shuttered in 2014, a familiar pattern with the real estate magnate’s projects. Trump’s financial history is often described, euphemistically, as checkered. The Atlantic City casino is only one of many failed enterprises Trump has tried his hand at (including Trump University, Trump Steak, Trump Vodka, and Trump: The Game). He’s resorted to bankruptcy for his businesses four times (including twice for the Atlantic City casino, in 1992 and 2009). Despite having debts that no honest man can pay, Trump has remained a favorite with lenders, maintaining opaque and troubling relationships with institutions like Deutsche Bank. Although superficially a bad loan risk, Trump remained attractive to lenders for most of his business career because his brand (Trump the dealmaker) had enough cachet that one could plausibly believe one of his endeavors would pay off. And in fact, Trump did ultimately hit pay dirt by winning the presidency in 2016. Since then, he’s been the favored child of money managers for another reason: Having a once and possibly future president in your pocket opens up all sorts of leverage possibilities. Imagine if you could call the standard-bearer of one of America’s two big political parties anytime for a ‘little favor.’ Now gearing up for his third presidential run, Trump finds himself again in financial trouble—this time due to repeated losses in the courtroom. Trump’s money troubles have dire implications not just for him and the Republican Party (with the RNC foolishly agreeing to help with their candidate’s legal costs) but also for American democracy. Trump’s financial predicament could be a boon to the Democrats—but only if they are willing to spell out what it means for a politician to be so deeply in hock to plutocrats.” (Jeet Heer/The Nation)
“In a dilapidated warehouse in Rafah, Soha Abu Diab is living with her three young daughters and more than 20 other family members. They have no running water, no fuel and are surrounded by running sewage and waste piling up. Like the rest of Gaza’s residents, they fear the air they breathe is heavy with pollutants and that the water carries disease. Beyond the city streets lie razed orchards and olive groves, and farmland destroyed by bombs and bulldozers. ‘This life is not life,’ says Abu Diab, who was displaced from Gaza City. ‘There is pollution everywhere – in the air, in the water we bathe in, in the water we drink, in the food we eat, in the area around us.’ For her family and thousands of others, the human cost of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, launched after the Hamas attack on 7 October, is being compounded by an environmental crisis. The full extent of the damage in Gaza has not yet been documented, but analysis of satellite imagery provided to the Guardian shows the destruction of about 38-48% of tree cover and farmland. Olive groves and farms have been reduced to packed earth; soil and groundwater have been contaminated by munitions and toxins; the sea is choked with sewage and waste; the air polluted by smoke and particulate matter. Researchers and environmental organisations say the destruction will have enormous effects on Gaza’s ecosystems and biodiversity. The scale and potential long-term impact of the damage have led to calls for it to be regarded as ‘ecocide’ and investigated as a possible war crime.” ( Kaamil Ahmed, Damien Gayle and Aseel Mousa/The Guardian)
“Chris Christie’s extended flirtation with No Labels should be a wake-up call — for President Joe Biden. Christie seriously considered whether to run for president as an independent, according to people who spoke to him, and was being actively courted by No Labels. The group shared extensive polling and modeling data with the former New Jersey governor to make their pitch and even presented Christie with a list of potential Democratic running mates to fill out a unity ticket. For his part, the former New Jersey governor commissioned polling of his own and drafted a potential budget, as first reported by The Washington Post. That Christie decided not to run is a result of No Labels’ well-documented shortcomings, the structural challenges for any independent presidential candidate and the legacy-defining consequences of being the person who enabled Donald Trump to reclaim the White House. That Christie considered a third-party bid at all is in part an indictment of Biden. It has been well over two months since Christie dropped out of the Republican presidential primary. How has Biden not called Christie, whom he’s known since the former governor was in student government as a University of Delaware undergraduate, to ask for his support? Or, if he thought that too soon or too direct, he could at least have asked Christie to get together. But that ask has not been made.” (Jonathan Martin/Politico)
“What does ‘going country’ mean to Beyoncé — musically speaking? That’s a mystery that really had to wait until this week to be solved. We’d already picked up a good idea of what country means to her culturally, in her few public statements in advance of ‘Act II: Cowboy Carter,’ amplified in the one trillion thinkpieces published during the last two months, many of which really did help spur a vital conversation about Black exclusion and reclamation in one of America’s most important indigenous artforms. But now ‘Cowboy Carter’ is in front of us as a real piece of music, not just a conversation piece. So what does what might already be the most talked-about album of the 21st century actually sound like? It sounds pretty magnificent, if a short answer is required. But if it’s genre we all really want to get into, ‘Cowboy Carter’ sounds kinda country, and kinda not — in a way that feels wholly country. Because what is modern country music if not a cornucopia that’s a long way past being defined by a single sound?” (Chris Willman/Variety)
“I started reading El Diego: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Footballer, ghostwritten by Marcela Mora y Araujo, on the basis of a recommendation by an editor I have liked working with. He said reading it was the most fun he’d had with a book. I came to El Diego with basically no knowledge of Maradona or even of soccer. I would have said I hated soccer actually. I hate the buzzing noise the crowds make on the TV. But from the very first page I found Maradona’s voice so addictive and original that reading El Diego felt like falling in love. Maradona’s skirmish with the Pope goes the way of much else in the book. Because of his extraordinary talents and global fame, Maradona is invited to the Vatican with his family. The Pope gives each of them a rosary to say, and he tells Maradona that he has been given a special one. Maradona checks with his mother and discovers that they have the same rosary. He goes back to confront the Pope and is outraged when the Pope pats him on the back and carries on walking. ‘Total lack of respect!’ Maradona fumes. ‘It’s why I’ve got angry with so many people: because they are two-faced, because they say one thing here and then another thing there, because they’d stab you in the back, because they lie. If I were to talk about all the people I’ve fallen out with over the years, I’d need one of those encyclopedias, there would be volumes.’ Whether it be FIFA, money-hungry managers, angry fans, the Mafia, drug tests, or the tabloids, Maradona never takes anything lying down.” (Rachel Connolley/The Paris Review)