What Else Is News
You mean there's other stuff going on in the world?
Flooding Ravages Spain’s Valencia Region
The Valencia region of Spain is trying to recover more than two weeks after sudden and severe flooding. More than 220 people died, roughly 100,000 cars were destroyed, and hundreds of roads were washed away.
Many people in the region fault the local government for not acting sooner when flooding began. According to BBC News: “Valencia's under-fire leader Carlos Mazón has conceded mistakes were made on the day that floods overwhelmed his region but said it was down to two government agencies that people were not given enough warning….He has been widely criticized for spending much of the afternoon having lunch with a journalist rather than focusing on Valencia's response to the rapidly developing crisis.”
Israelis Attacked in Amsterdam; Mayor Retracts Statement About Attack
In early November, a group of men in Amsterdam taunted and attacked Israeli fans following a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local team Ajax. Nearly 70 people have since been arrested. Some of the victims were run over with scooters; others were chased down and then kicked and beaten. About five people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Eyewitnesses said that the assailants shouted things like, “Jewish, Jewish, IDF!” and “Free Palestine!”
The day before the incidents, fans traveling to Amsterdam to see the Israeli team received threatening messages, according to the Jerusalem Post. The next day, “Group chats had called for a ‘Jew-hunt,’ and people were attacked for their nationality as well as for enjoying the nightlife,” the paper reported.
Immediately after the incidents, Fenke Halsema, the Mayor of Amsterdam, referred to the attacks on Israeli fans as a “pogrom.” The word typically refers to physical attacks against Jewish people, although it can also be used to describe incidents against other groups.
Halsema later said she regretted using the word pogrom. According to Euronews, Halema explained, “In The Hague, the word pogrom is mainly used to discriminate against Moroccan Amsterdammers, Muslims. I didn't mean it that way. And I didn't want it that way.”
Amsterdam police did say that the actions were “antisemitic by character.”
A 4-Year Cruise
For as little as $40,000 a year, you could cure your post-election blues and sail the seas until 2028.
“Tour La Vie” was announced before the recent U.S. elections; however, the cruise line Villa Vie Residences sees this as an opportune time to court Americans who are unhappy with the election results and/or concerned about what will happen during Donald Trump’s second term.
“Onboard, we may have differing political views, but our community comes together through our passion for exploring the world in a very real way that goes far beyond politics,” CEO Mikael Petterson told CNBC. Villa Vie Residences bills itself as “the world’s first residential cruise ship.”
Guests who choose the four-year cruise option will visit 425 ports across seven continents. The cruise ship has all of the usual amenities, including a business center so you can work remotely. The ship also offers complimentary alcoholic beverages in case you need a little extra help forgetting about the election.
Do You See What They See?
So are there really UFOs/UAPs in the sky? “We do have some anomalous objects,” said Jon T. Kosloski, director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), during testimony before the United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
Kosloski quickly added that, while the AARO is certain that not every unidentified object is “a bird, balloon or drone…it is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has not discovered any verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity or technology."
Between May 1, 2023 and June 1, 2024, the AARO looked at 757 reports of unidentified objects. Of those reports, 21 have been given no explanation by the government.
This article in Space presents more on the hearings and the history of the AARO. And this article in Outkick delves into the 757 reported incidents.
Is BRICS Looking to Undo U.S. Prominence?
While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine captures Americans’ attention, another Russian-led endeavor should also garner more scrutiny. BRICS, the intergovernmental organization founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, kicked off in 2009 with a summit in Russia. Since then, BRICS has added Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Emirates to the organization.
An alternative to the G7, the intergovernmental organization of which the United States is a part, BRICS is said to now represent more than 33% of global GDP. The G7 represents 29% of global GDP.
Experts say that one of the goals of BRICS is to weaken the dollar in the global marketplace. Equally important, BRICS leaders seek to dilute Western influence across the globe. “The movement toward global ‘de-Westernization’ is accelerating,” warned Jacques Sapir, a French economist and an expert on the Russian economy, in an interview with Kitco News.
According to Sapir, a few key takeaways from the most recent BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, should raise Western eyebrows. These include:
The implementation of a BRICS zone that includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, which would enhance the organization’s reach in Asia.
The creation of a system in which member countries make payments in their local currencies. This would put far less importance on the U.S. dollar and, according to Russian President Vladimir, could strengthen the economies of BRICS members.
Sapir said, “The export loss for ‘non-BRICS’ and Western countries will amount to 5-7% of volume for Western countries. While this figure isn't very significant, the proportion could vary greatly by country and have destabilizing consequences for some.”
You, Too Could Be an Artist
What do you do with a banana, some duct tape and an empty wall? You tape the banana to the wall and put it on the auction block. If you’re really lucky, your piece goes for $6.2 million.
The starting bid for “Comedian,” the art installation by Maurizio Cattelan, was $800,000, which in itself seems absurd. From there, the bidding at Sotheby’s in New York just kept climbing. Finally, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur put in the winning bid.
Cattelan has created this installation before, but it has never fetched such a high sum. Perhaps Sotheby’s creative description of “Comedian” enhanced its value: “Passionately debated, rhapsodically venerated, and hotly contested."
“Comedian’s” new owner seems to have bought into the hype. “This is not just an artwork,” Justin Sun reportedly told Sotheby’s. “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history."
Rumor has it that Sun ate the banana soon after the purchase.