Taala: Leather craft in Mali
Artist Ousmane Sarre learns the traditionally female-crafted Taala leatherwork to connect to his own art. Taala is a centuries-old form of patterned leather craft, usually created by women only across parts of Africa. But artist Ousmane Sarre wants to learn this trade himself to incorporate its originality into his own art. He returns to his village in Nioro du Sahel, Mali, and meticulously learns each step of the process from his grandmother and aunts in this authored film. Ousmane Sarre is a young artist and filmmaker from a family of traditional blacksmiths in Mali. Between painting and cinema, he develops his art with a special touch, expressing a philosophical dimension of traditional art. Adblock test (Why?)
Who is JD Vance, Trump’s pick for US vice president?
Donald Trump has chosen Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate as the former US president looks to return to the White House. Vance, 39, rose to national fame with the 2016 publication of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was published as Trump was first running for president. Vance was elected to the United States Senate in 2022 and has become one of the staunchest champions of the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, particularly on trade, foreign policy and immigration. But he is largely untested in national politics and is joining the Trump ticket at an extraordinary moment. An attempted assassination of Trump at a rally on Saturday has shaken the campaign, bringing new attention to the nation’s coarse political rhetoric, and reinforcing the importance of those who are one heartbeat away from the presidency. From rural Ohio to the Marine Corps Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, served in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq, and graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. From there, he joined a Silicon Valley investment firm before returning to Ohio to launch a non-profit that he said would aim to develop opioid addiction treatments that might be “scaled nationally”. Ultimately, Our Ohio Renewal failed at that mission and was shuttered. Vance with his wife Usha during the 2022 US midterm elections in Ohio [File: Gaelen Morse/Reuters] Bestselling author Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy earned him a reputation as someone who could help explain Trump’s appeal in middle America, and especially among the working-class, rural white voters who helped Trump win the presidency in 2016. The book detailed life in Appalachian communities that drifted from a Democratic Party many residents found disconnected from their daily travails. While the book was a bestseller, it was also criticised for sometimes oversimplifying rural life and ignoring the role of racism in modern politics. Trump critic-turned-stanch supporter During the early stages of Trump’s political career, Vance cast him as “a total fraud,” “a moral disaster” and “America’s Hitler”. But like many Republicans who sought relevance in the Trump era, Vance eventually shifted his tone. He said he was proved wrong by Trump’s performance in office and evolved into one of his most steadfast defenders. Vance was rewarded for his turnaround during his bid for an open Senate seat in 2022, during which he landed Trump’s coveted endorsement and rode it to victory in a crowded Republican primary and a general election hard fought by Democrats. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and has since become one of the staunchest champions of the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda. As a senator, Vance has shown some willingness to work across the aisle. He and Ohio’s senior Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, have teamed up on a number of issues important to the state, including fighting for funding for a $20bn chip facility Intel is building in central Ohio and introducing rail safety legislation in response to the fiery 2023 freight-train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Views on Israel-Palestine conflict Vance is a staunch supporter of Israel, offering an “America First with an Israel exception” worldview. “America is not good at micromanaging wars in the Middle East… I think that our attitude vis-a-vis the Israelis should be look, we’re not good at micromanaging Middle Eastern wars, the Israelis are our allies, let them prosecute this war the way they see fit,” he told the CNN network in an interview in May. Vance was among the first to blame the Biden administration for allegedly empowering Hamas to commit the October 7 attack. Hours after the attack, he said the “Americans must face a stark truth: our tax dollars funded this”, according to media reports. “Money is fungible, and many of the dollars we sent to Iran are being used to now kill innocent people. This must stop. Israel has every right to defend itself. I wish our friends well, but most of all I wish they weren’t fighting against weapons bought with our money,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Biden says ‘bulls-eye’ remark about Trump a mistake, defends mental fitness
United States President Joe Biden has said it was wrong to say Donald Trump should be put “in a bull’s-eye” but defended his portrayal of his Republican rival as a threat to democracy. In his first television interview since Trump narrowly survived an attempted assassination, Biden said the comments he made in a private call with donors were intended to put the focus on his challenger’s policies and character. “It was a mistake to use the word. I didn’t say ‘crosshairs’. I meant bulls-eye, focus on him, focus on what he is doing,” Biden said in an interview with NBC News’s Lester Holt on Monday. “Focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.” Asked if he had done any “soul searching” about his rhetoric since the attempt on Trump’s life, Biden said it was appropriate to highlight the dangers posed by Trump and denied using inflammatory language like his rival. “Look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?” Biden said. “Look, I have not engaged in that rhetoric. Now, my opponent has engaged in that rhetoric. He talks about, there’ll be a bloodbath if he loses.” Biden’s comments came after several prominent Republicans, including Trump’s vice-presidential running mate DJ Vance, accused the president and his allies of creating the conditions for violence through their rhetoric casting Trump as an existential threat to democracy. Biden, who has made the preservation of US democracy a key message of his re-election campaign, temporarily suspended television advertisements and an appearance in Texas following the attack, but will pick up his campaign with several events this week in the swing state of Nevada. Trump came within centimetres of death on Saturday after a gunman opened fire on a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, striking the former president in his right ear. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief, was killed and several others were injured in the attack. Authorities have yet to identify a motive for the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who was shot dead shortly after he opened fire. The assassination attempt has prompted widespread calls for a reset of the US’s acrimonious politics, with both Biden and Trump calling on Americans to put political divisions aside and come together. Biden on Sunday called on Americans to “lower the temperature in our politics,” while Trump said in a newspaper interview that he would rewrite his speech for the Republican National Committee to stress the need for unity. Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley on Monday continued the theme of unity at the opening of the RNC, telling supporters: “We must unite as a party, and we must unite as a nation.” Trump made his first public appearance since the attack at the RNC later on Monday, receiving a rapturous reception from supporters as he entered the Fiserv Forum stadium to the tune of “God Bless the USA.” While the effect of the attack on Trump on the race is not yet clear, some analysts have suggested that it is likely to bolster his standing in the polls, which already show Biden behind, both nationwide and in key battleground states. In his NBC News interview, Biden, 81, reiterated his determination to stay in the race despite concerns about his age and fitness, which came to the fore after his poor debate performance against Trump last month. In response to a question about whether he believed he had weathered calls for him to step down from within his own party, Biden said that 14 million Democratic voters had chosen him as their candidate. “I listen to them,” Biden said. Asked who he would listen to about the decision to stay in the race, Biden said himself. “The idea I am the old guy – I am, I’m old. But I’m only three years older than Trump, number one,” he said. “And number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good. I have gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three and a half years.” Adblock test (Why?)
At least four killed as fighting in DRC continues despite truce: Report
The US had announced a humanitarian truce between Kinshasa and the M23 rebel group on July 5. Two children and two teenagers have been killed in a bombardment in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), local sources have told AFP news agency. The United States announced a humanitarian truce on July 5 between Kinshasa and the M23 rebel group operating in eastern DRC. It was supposed to last until July 19, but fighting erupted on Friday. A spokesman for one of the armed groups backing the DRC forces said the fighting occurred 70km (43 miles) northwest of the North Kivu provincial capital, Goma. By Monday, the fighting had reached the town of Bweremana, around 15km (9.3 miles) west of Goma, where the deadly bombardment struck. The dead included two children from the same family, according to Innocent Mwitehofu Mumbara, a local civil society leader. The four victims were aged two, three, 16 and 18, Mumbara added. A mother and her four-year-old child were among the wounded, said Bweremana Police Commissioner Paulin Ilunga, claiming that the shell had “come from the hills where the M23 is”. Confirming the deaths of four people in the attack, a hospital source told AFP that five more had been admitted with serious injuries. The DRC has been facing political instability and armed violence since 1996, with an estimated six million people killed since the conflict began. Since the end of 2021, the M23, supported by units of the Rwandan army, had seized vast swathes of territory in North Kivu, going so far as to almost completely encircle Goma. According to a Human Rights Watch report, M23 allegedly executed scores of villagers and militia members between November 2022 and April 2023, burying them in mass graves in the village of Kishishe, North Kivu. The report says that M23 has committed unlawful killings, rape, and other war crimes since late 2022, exacerbating the dire humanitarian crisis in the country. A total 171 civilians were executed in the last 10 days of November alone, according to the UN Human Rights Office. At the end of June, the M23 and the Rwandan army seized several towns in Lubero territory, in the north of North Kivu, following the collapse of the Congolese army and its auxiliary militias. Nearly 50 soldiers were sentenced to death in the following days for “fleeing the enemy”. Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Israel keeps attacking UN school shelters in Gaza
NewsFeed Palestinians say at least 17 people have been killed in a new Israeli attack on a UN school shelter in Gaza. It’s the fifth bombing of a school packed with displaced people in only eight days. Published On 15 Jul 202415 Jul 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Florida judge dismisses Trump classified documents case
BREAKINGBREAKING, Trump faced 31 counts of willful retention of national defence information, each punishable by upto 10 years in prison. A Florida judge appointed by Donald Trump has dismissed the criminal case against the former president on charges of mishandling top secret documents, saying the way that Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed was improper. US District Judge Aileen Cannon granted the defence motion to dismiss the case on Monday, voiding a prosecution that at the time it was brought was seen as the most perilous of the multiple legal threats Trump faced. “Former President Trump’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment Based on the Unlawful Appointment and Funding of Special Counsel Jack Smith is GRANTED,” Cannon wrote in her order. “The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” the order added. Judge Cannon made her ruling after lawyers for 78-year-old Trump, argued for a partial stay of proceedings to allow for an assessment of a Supreme Court ruling that a former president has broad immunity from prosecution. Lawyers for Trump had argued that special counsel Jack Smith was illicitly appointed in violation of the Constitution’s Appointments Clause that his office was improperly funded by the Justice Department. Monday’s decision is a huge victory for Trump, who had been accused of endangering national security by holding onto top secret documents after leaving the White House. The ruling also comes as he prepares to be anointed as his party’s champion at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, for surviving an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. “This dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, from Milwaukee. In the Florida case, Trump was facing 31 counts of “wilful retention of national defence information,” each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The charges in the Florida case include violations of the Espionage Act, which criminalises the unauthorised possession of national defence information, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to investigators. [embedded content] Adblock test (Why?)
Key questions over Trump rally security after assassination attempt
NewsFeed Video showing bystanders informing police of an armed man on a roof near to where Donald Trump was on stage have raised more questions over security and how Thomas Matthew Crooks wasn’t stopped. Published On 15 Jul 202415 Jul 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Will there be an end to Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza?
Palestinians are describing the latest Israeli attack on Gaza as a ‘horrific massacre’. More than 90 Palestinians were killed and 300 injured on Saturday in al-Mawasi – an area in Gaza that Israel had designated as safe. Its fighter jets and drones unleashed a barrage of missiles and bombs, obliterating tents that sheltered thousands of displaced families. As the death toll rises and the humanitarian crisis deepens, there are serious questions about Israel’s military conduct and the protection of civilians. Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom Guests: Ibrahim Yaghi – Writer, poet and activist Tahani Mustafa – Senior Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group Triestino Mariniello – Professor of law at Liverpool John Moores University, and member of the legal team representing Gaza victims before the International Criminal Court Adblock test (Why?)
Malaysia is building malls like crazy – but shoppers aren’t coming
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia – Looking from behind his counter on a recent Saturday afternoon, computer shop owner Goh Sook Lam surveyed the empty corridors of 3 Damansara shopping mall. Two levels down, shouts rang out from a taekwondo event on the ground floor of the once-popular shopping centre located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. “You have a taekwondo competition downstairs, but who is coming up here?” Goh, 48, told Al Jazeera, standing beside longtime customer Rudi Sim, 48, his only spending patron so far for the day. “My regulars are my business. Walk-ins are less … Sometimes I can’t break even.” Goh’s experience is far from isolated in mall-crazy Malaysia, where numerous shopping centres are under construction even as many existing complexes struggle to attract crowds. Home to 33 million people, Malaysia had more than 1,000 shopping complexes at the end of 2023, including centres, arcades and hypermarkets, government data in March showed. As of 2022, nearly 40 percent of malls and retails centres counted by the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association – 727 in total – were located in the greater Kuala Lumpur area alone, according to data shared by the body. While many of the Southeast Asian nation’s prime malls enjoy high foot traffic and near-full occupancies, many tenants of less popular malls are finding it difficult to compete amid an explosion in retail space that even the COVID-19 pandemic failed to stymie. According to a report by the National Property Information Centre (NAPIC), Malaysia’s retail space reached 17.69 million square metres in 2023, up from 16.51 million in 2019. Despite this expansion, national occupancy rates for retail space were lower than before the pandemic, at 77.4 percent last year, according to the report. 3 Damansara is among some 1,000 shopping complexes in Malaysia [Patrick Lee/Al Jazeera] Even before COVID-19, occupancy rates had been in decline, falling from 81.4 percent in 2016 to 79.2 percent in 2019 and 75.4 percent in 2022, the lowest in nearly 20 years, according to the report. Some of the country’s newest malls have been unfazed by waning demand. The Exchange TRX Mall, which boasts 125,000 square metres (1.35 million square feet) of leasable space and a 10-acre (4-hectare) rooftop park, opened in November with 95 percent occupancy. Sitting below Malaysia’s second tallest building, Exchange 106, the mall’s many eateries and premium brand outlets have consistently drawn large crowds since opening. But not all malls have done as well. Even in the capital, where occupancies are among the country’s highest, some locations struggle to pull in much-needed footfall. Opening in early October, the first phase of Pavilion Damansara Heights was relatively empty on a recent weekend visit. Though its lower floors had dozens of customers, its upper levels had hardly any, with people seen passing by boarded-up lots announcing early 2024 openings. Outlets declined requests to comment on the state of business. Some businesses have embraced the challenge of finding ways to stay afloat in less popular malls such as Glo Damansara, which struggles to attract large crowds even on weekends. Attracted by the “affordable” rent, Veronica David, who runs a bakery-cafe with her husband, said her business has managed to grow despite the mall’s quiet location in the suburb of Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Focusing first on corporate clients, they expanded operations to include a lunch menu with more items on the way. “Tenancy (here) was initially low and we thought we were in a wrong location, but within a year we saw positive growth,” the 49-year-old told Al Jazeera. The couple chose the location as most of their clients are based in the area and Glo’s managers were also “extremely friendly” in meeting their needs. “We might not get this assistance from other malls since they can be more strict and rigid,” she said. Pavilion Damansara Heights opened in October [Patrick Lee/Al Jazeera] A restaurant owner at the Hartamas Shopping Centre, who declined to be named, said businesses would only go to malls that were properly built. “If the developer doesn’t do a good job, you don’t attract the right talent,” the man in his early 40s told Al Jazeera. Catering to residents of the upmarket Sri Hartamas area, he said the mall had both “extremely” bad and good days. As such, tenants like him, he said, have to be “very creative” in their marketing to pull in customers. Hartamas Shopping Centre, Glo Damansara, 3 Damansara and Pavilion Damansara Heights did not respond to requests for comment. Malaysia Shopping Malls Association president Phang Sau Lian said retailers need to work harder than ever to stand out in Malaysia’s “crowded” retail landscape. “Consumer trends are lightning fast, and malls must constantly adapt to stay relevant and competitive,” Phang told Al Jazeera, adding that the reasons for underperforming malls include “less than optimum” locations, inaccessibility and oversaturation. Phang said the most significant shift in consumer trends in recent years has been the emergence of food and beverage outlets as the “key driver” of mall traffic. “Their percentage of total leased space (has) soared to nearly 30 percent, compared to a single-digit share a decade ago,” she said, adding that the trend is likely to continue. Foo Gee Jen, an adviser with real estate consultancy CBRE-WTW, said consumers in Malaysia today are often seeking an “experience” beyond just shopping. “It’s no longer just about buying. All the shopping malls are trying to compete in terms of experience,” Foo told Al Jazeera, pointing to facilities such as TRX Mall’s public gardens and arts and culture centres at other complexes. “Ageing malls that have not been upgrading are not able to cope,” Foo said. “If anyone wants to build more malls, they should not be competing against existing ones, but complement (them), because it’s (the scene) very much saturated.” Pavilion Damansara Heights had relatively few shoppers on a recent weekend visit [Patrick Lee/Al Jazeera] The difficult environment has led some mall owners to adopt unorthodox approaches to staying in business. In a since-deleted TikTok video
Kenya police vow ‘transparent’ probe into dismembered female bodies
At least eight bodies have been found, but reports indicate there may be more as anger over the discovery grows. Police in Kenya have promised a “transparent” investigation into the discovery of eight mutilated female bodies that were found dumped in an abandoned quarry in Mukuru, a collection of slums south of the capital Nairobi. “The entire national police service and I understand the deep concern and distress the tragedy brings to the families, residents of Kware and fellow Kenyans,” acting Police Chief Douglas Kanja said in an address to journalists on Sunday. “We are committed to conducting transparent, thorough and swift investigations,” Kanja said, adding that transparency would extend to a post-mortem operation, and the media would be involved at all stages. The announcement came after Kenya’s acting inspector general of police said officers at the police station in Kware were transferred. Investigations on the bodies, which were found dumped inside plastic bags in a case that has rattled the nation, are expected to conclude within three weeks, according to the acting police chief. Police authorities said they were pursuing possible links to cults, serial killers or rogue medical practitioners as part of their investigation. President William Ruto is under increasing pressure to contain the nationwide crisis that has taken hold over widespread anti-government protests. Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome resigned on Friday amid the ongoing protests, which have left dozens of demonstrators killed. The announcement came a day after Ruto fired nearly his entire cabinet in an effort to respond to the demands of the protesters. Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), on Friday said it was investigating whether there was any police involvement in the case of the mutilated bodies, noting that the dumpsite was just 100 metres (328 feet) from the police post. The AFP news agency reported that in the absence of a police search on Sunday, volunteers were combing through the vast piles of rubbish in search of more victims. Locals reportedly tried to take a bag they had hauled out of the quarry to the police station, but were met with canisters of tear gas. Adblock test (Why?)