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Day: April 14, 2024
Iran’s air attack on Israel: Analysis – Google Search https://t.co/BO7JtW0l18 https://t.co/XkhHrpar8C
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) April 14, 2024
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ISLAMABAD — Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan has killed at least 33 people and injured 27 others in three days, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday.
Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, said Sunday that flash floods hit the capital, Kabul, and several other provinces across the country.
He added more than 600 houses were either partially or completely destroyed while around 200 livestock perished.
The flooding also damaged around 800 hectares of agricultural land, and more than 85 kilometers (53 miles) of roads, Saiq said.
Western Farah, Herat, southern Zabul and Kandahar are among the provinces that suffered the most damage, he added.
The weather department has warned that more rain is expected in the coming days in most of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
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A pivotal moment on Iran — but also on Gaza
TEL AVIV — Israel achieved a stunning, two-front success in rebuffing Iran’s unprecedented attack this weekend: Its aerial defense, especially the Arrow system targeting ballistic missiles, proved hugely effective, and an impressive array of allies joined in the fight.
The second, given the deep blow to Israel’s international standing over its prosecution of the war in Gaza, was perhaps the more surprising — and more meaningful in the long run. Not only did American and British planes join Israel in shooting down some 300 drones and missiles launched by Tehran, but the French assisted as well, and the operation received at least the tacit support of Jordan and Saudi Arabia and others in the region.
It was a startling illustration of the potential strategic alliance that President Joe Biden has been laboring in futility to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to engage with and invest in. Now, the pressure is squarely on Netanyahu and his coalition partners to do little or nothing in response.
By not retaliating, Israel could recover something of the moral high ground and global sympathy that existed in the days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre — sympathy that has been buried under the rubble of Gaza because of Netanyahu’s apparent indifference to the civilian death toll and broader humanitarian crisis. That repositioning could allow Israel much more maneuvering room to free its hostages and move toward the difficult Day After in Gaza while continuing its deterrence of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The stakes could hardly be higher, given the U.S. troops, bases and interests in the region; the vulnerability of Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf; the tensions stoked by the Gaza war; and Iran’s status as a nuclear threshold state, thanks largely to Netanyahu’s foolish goading of President Donald Trump to walk away from the 2015 deal that could have prevented it.
The Israeli leader has been trying to make Iran and the existential threat it presents to the Jewish state the center of attention for many years. Israel’s April 1 airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which killed 16 people, including leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, did just that. There is more than a suspicion among security and political experts here that Netanyahu wishes to prolong the tensions with Iran in order to deflect attention from the failures in the stalemated Gaza war.
At the same time, there is also a sense that the Iranians did not intend to cause much actual damage with their overnight assault, but were mainly trying to make a point about their capacity to throw Israel into a panicky high alert in hopes of deterring future assassinations of senior military figures.
The raid was all but telegraphed by Tehran, and intelligence agencies in Washington, Tel Aviv and even Berlin all knew what was coming. The Iranians took the extremely unusual step — even before the first projectile had reached Israel — of declaring via their embassy at the United Nations that, from their perspective, the matter was closed. And, notably, Hezbollah did not simultaneously barrage Israel with its own rocket arsenal, which would have scrambled Israel’s defenses and complicated the picture.
It is not impossible to contemplate, in the hall of mirrors that is the Middle East, the Iranians rooting for the Israelis to shoot down their own missiles.
Or, indeed, that Netanyahu was rooting for the attack so he could take credit for Israel surviving it virtually unscathed.
As it has been for months, the entire picture is clouded by the extraordinary level of cynicism about Netanyahu, internationally and inside Israel itself. Polls show most Israelis think he is mainly scheming and machinating to somehow stay in power. Even many longtime supporters say he is dragging out the Gaza war in order to avoid an accounting for the inexplicable failures of Oct. 7. Right on cue, Netanyahu declares every few days that while the war continues, talk of new elections must be put off.
The only way for Netanyahu to replenish Israel’s international credit – and to lend any rational aspect to the war – is to agree to proposals from allies both in the West and in the region to reestablish the Palestinian Authority’s rule in Gaza (which ended in a Hamas coup in 2007). Netanyahu refrains from this mainly for fear that it would lead the extreme right-wing parties in his coalition to bolt, and thus end his reign.
Since Israelis, like nature, abhor a vacuum, other ideas have arisen — mainly to agree to Hamas’ conditions for release of the remaining hostages, which are a ceasefire and pullout from Gaza. This is based on an emerging consensus among both experts and Israeli citizens that Netanyahu’s two stated war aims – removing Hamas and returning the hostages – were always at odds.
A fight to the finish could leave Hamas leaders using the hostages as human shields and lead to their deaths; it is clear that Hamas would never let go of this life-insurance policy without Israel ending the war. The government’s insistence that military pressure would move the needle contains the naively quaint implication that Hamas cares about the suffering of the Gazans.
Therefore, one plausible scenario would have Israel ending the war with Hamas badly degraded but still in power, Gaza horrendously battered, and the hostages returned.
“I am prepared to pay any price to return the hostages, including ending the war,” retired Gen. Amos Yaron, a former defense ministry leader, said on Sunday. “Entering Rafah will not return the hostages – it will return coffins. In any case, you cannot remove Hamas without putting something else in its place.”
Netanyahu, who for years was something of an enabler of Hamas, might actually hate this option less than working with the Palestinian Authority on an alternative future for Gaza. With any luck, this strategy would also enable the resumption of normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia, especially given the cooperation in the region during the Iran attack.
But such a ceasefire would likely be short-lived. Israel should institute a zero-tolerance policy going forward, and prepare for the inevitable sting by the Hamas scorpion. At the first provocation, it would resume the fight, this time without being hamstrung by the presence of its hostage human shields.
If all this feels like a defeat, then it is one that was suffered already on Oct. 7, when Hamas was able to not only kill 1,200 people but kidnap more than 200 others. Israel must own that and investigate it rigorously. And if it retains a survival instinct, it will defenestrate the execrable leadership that led to such disaster and now faces justified distrust.
The post A pivotal moment on Iran — but also on Gaza appeared first on The Forward.
Clive Mason – Formula 1
- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez were spotted at Coachella.
- They were seen in the VIP section waiting for Lana Del Ray’s performance.
- Earlier this week, the couple attended a White House state dinner.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was spotted alongside his fiancée Lauren Sachéz at the Coachella music festival this weekend, say reports.
Bezos wore a jean jacket over a white t-shirt and blue jeans, while Sánchez had donned a casual white halter top and light-colored jeans, reported People.
Bezos, 60, and Sanchez, 54, were photographed in the VIP section waiting for Lana Del Rey’s performance to begin.
The couple, pictured on their phones, were seen alongside businessman Corey Gamble, currently dating Kris Jenner. Other celebrities attending the festival included Kendall Jenner, Billie Eilish, Justin, and Hailey Bieber, according to Page Six.
This year’s Coachella includes headliners Lana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator, and Doja Cat. Gwen Stefani’s band No Doubt is also scheduled to take the stage more than 30 years after releasing their debut album.
Bezos and Sanchez were seen at last year’s Coachella dancing to rapper Bad Bunny’s performance. At the time, Bezos’s outfit (a long-sleeve light blue button-up shirt with butterflies on the front, a pair of tight skinny jeans, and white sneakers) was compared to the “Fast and Furious” franchise, as well as Jim Carrey character Ace Ventura.
Earlier this week, the couple attended the White House state dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and their wife, Yuko.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images
he president and first lady Jill Biden hosted over 200 guests on April 10 at the glitzy White House East Room event. Other A-listers, including actor Robert De Niro, producer Tiffany Chen, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon, were also in attendance.
At the event, Bezos sported a classic black tuxedo with a white shirt and a bow tie, while Sanchez wore a revealing $2,300 red Rasario dress.
The dress featuring an off-the-shoulder corset bodice with sheer lace at the abdomen attracted some criticism for being too revealing and breaking White House protocol.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Meredith Schneider
- Acai bowls have gained popularity over the years, but they can be pricey at smoothie shops.
- I tried five types of frozen acai from three grocery-store brands to find the best one.
- I made tasty smoothie bowls at home with all the packs, but one from Trader Joe’s stood out.
The US acai-bowl-shop industry brings in nearly $1 billion in revenue a year, and it’s not hard to see why.
The native Brazillian berries are considered a superfood, with antioxidants that can have positive effects on your skin, digestive system, and heart
Plus, in my opinion, there’s nothing better than a chilled smoothie bowl on a spring or summer morning.
The bowls are typically thicker than traditional smoothies and topped with things like fruit, yogurt, peanut butter, coconut, and granola. Store-bought acai bowls can eat away at my budget, so I recently started making them at home with frozen acai packs as my base.
In an attempt to find the best bang for my buck and the tastiest homemade smoothie bowl, I tried five varieties of frozen acai from three popular brands.
I used the same ingredients for all five bowls. 
I like to top my smoothie bowls with fresh fruit and granola.
Meredith Schneider
To keep things consistent, I blended one banana, one frozen acai pack, and a spoonful of honey-vanilla Greek yogurt for each smoothie bowl.
I then topped all five with fresh berries, banana slices, chia seeds, high-protein granola, and local organic honey.
I started with Sambazon’s unsweetened superfruit pack.
I liked that the Sambazon superfruit packs had no added sugar.
Meredith Schneider
Sambazon’s unsweetened superfruit packs only had 80 calories per serving and 0 grams of sugar.
I had a hard time tracking down the brand in stores, so I opted to order it online.
The Sambazon packs had the heftiest price tag. But it was only $6 for four servings, which is still better than buying a smoothie bowl.
Even though the acai wasn’t sweet, the smoothie bowl had a lovely flavor.
The fruit in the other ingredients and toppings balanced out the acai.
Meredith Schneider
Even though the plain acai was a little bitter, the finished smoothie bowl tasted well-balanced.
The texture, however, was a little runnier than I usually like — even though I used the same ratios as the other bowls.
I also tried the Sambazon original acai blend.
The original Sambazon packs have acai and guarana in them.
Meredith Schneider
If you want a natural boost in your smoothie bowl, Sambazon’s original acai packs also contain guarana, a caffeinated plant that grows in the Amazon.
Each serving has 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar, and the original packs were also $6 for four servings.
The smoothie bowl was much sweeter than my first Sambzaon experience. 
The Sambazon original acai packs were quite sweet.
Meredith Schneider
If you have a sweet tooth, Sambazon’s original blend is a great option.
The overall flavor was also much lighter than the pure unsweetened acai.
I was excited to try Trader Joe’s organic acai puree packets.
Trader Joe’s has its own frozen acai.
Meredith Schneider
Trader Joe’s frozen acai is unsweetened and organic.
Like the other unsweetened pack I tried, it had 80 calories and 0 grams of sugar.
The four-pack bag cost $4, making it the cheapest of the bunch.
I loved how thick the smoothie bowl was. 
Trader Joe’s acai is great if you like a lot of toppings.
Elizabeth Schneider
The bowl I made with Trader Joe’s acai tasted the freshest and brightest of all the varieties.
It also had the thickest consistency, which was great for supporting lots of toppings — plus the bowl stayed pretty for pictures for a longer time.
Pitaya Foods’ organic premium acai berry packs were also sugar-free. 
I found two varieties of acai packs from Pitaya Foods.
Meredith Schneider
Like Sambazon, Pitaya Foods had a few different frozen acai packs. I started with the brand’s premium acai berry.
Each 88-calorie serving has 0 grams of sugar.
I found the four-pack listed on the company’s website for $8, but I was able to snag the same bag at my local Walmart for $5.
There was an interesting texture to my smoothie bowl. 
Pitaya, or dragon fruit, is another popular base for smoothie bowls.
Meredith Schneider
The company’s namesake fruit, pitaya (also known as dragon fruit), is another popular base for smoothie bowls.
I thought the texture of the smoothie bowl I made more closely resembled a pitaya base than acai, but it was still thick and creamy.
Finally, I tried Pitaya Foods’ organic energy acai berry packs.
The Pitaya packs closely resembled the Sambazon acai I tried.
Meredith Schneider
Pitaya Foods’ guarana blend had 108 calories and 10 grams of sugar per serving.
The ingredients were just guarana and cane sugar, and a four-serving bag cost me $5.
I couldn’t find a difference between this and the other guarana blend. 
The sweet smoothie had a boost of caffeine.
Meredith Schneider
Pitaya Foods’ caffeinated acai packs tasted almost identical to Sambazon’s guarana blend.
But it was lighter in color compared to the other smoothie bowls I made.
Trader Joe’s frozen acai mimicked a shop-bought bowl best.
I’d buy Trader Joe’s frozen acai again.
Meredith Schneider
Trader Joe’s topped my favorites list for this taste test.
Although the nutritional value was on par with Sambazon’s unsweetened option, the price and convenience (I shop at Trader Joe’s a lot) brought it to No. 1.
But in the end, all five options were tasty — and economical compared to shop-bought smoothie bowls.
Read the original article on Business Insider
US tells Israel it won’t join counter-strike on Iran, urges caution https://t.co/zFwCRGE40F — POLITICO (@politico) April 14, 2024
The post @politico: RT @politico: US tells Israel it won’t join counter-strike on Iran, urges caution https://t.co/zFwCRGE40F first appeared on The FBI Reform – fbireform.org – The News And Times.
Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, has called a video meeting of G7 leaders to start at 1400 GMT on Sunday to discuss Iran’s attack on Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said.https://t.co/DN44mne2p7
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) April 14, 2024
The post @Jerusalem_Post: RT @Jerusalem_Post: Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, has called a video meeting of G7 leaders to start at 1400 GMT on… first appeared on October Surprise 2016.
“Jordanian jets downed dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading to Israel, two regional security sources say in a dramatic show of support from Amman” https://t.co/YfpdqfNPG6
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 14, 2024
The post @shashj: RT @shashj: “Jordanian jets downed dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading to Israel, two regional secur… first appeared on October Surprise 2016.
