UK court sides with Icelandic firm over artist’s spoof corruption apology

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Judge considering complaint by fishing firm Samherji rules artist Odee unlikely to be able to defend work as parody

The property rights of Iceland’s largest fishing company prevail over the right to artistic expression of an artist who spoofed the firm’s website to draw attention to a high-profile corruption scandal, London’s high court has ruled.

For his 2023 work We’re Sorry, the Icelandic artist Oddur Eysteinn Friðriksson, who goes by the moniker Odee, copied the corporate identity of Samherji, a major supplier to Britain’s fish and chips industry, and uploaded on to the spoof website a statement titled “Samherji Apologizes, Pledges Restitution and Cooperation with Authorities”.

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Banana-phobe Swedish minister’s staff insisted on ‘no traces in the room’

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Colleagues speak up in Paulina Brandberg’s support after leaked emails reveal efforts to spare her from the fruit

A Swedish government minister’s fear of bananas has become a national talking point after emails revealed that such is the strength of her aversion that aides try to clear rooms of the fruit before she enters.

Paulina Brandberg, the minister for gender equality and work life, has previously spoken out about her issue with bananas, describing it as “the world’s weirdest phobia”.

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Hezbollah’s war with Israel cost Lebanon at least $8 billion — World Bank – The Times of Israel

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  1. Hezbollah’s war with Israel cost Lebanon at least $8 billion — World Bank  The Times of Israel
  2. New World Bank Report Assesses Impact of Conflict on Lebanon’s Economy and Key Sectors  World Bank Group
  3. Israel-Hezbollah conflict cost Lebanon $8.5 billion, World Bank says  Reuters
  4. What Can the Lebanese Government Do to Stop War Crimes?  Human Rights Watch
  5. World Bank says war in Lebanon has caused billions in losses  Yahoo! Voices
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Hamas official says group is ready for ‘immediate’ ceasefire – report – The Jerusalem Post

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  1. Hamas official says group is ready for 'immediate' ceasefire - report  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Hamas ready for Gaza ceasefire 'immediately' - but claims Israel has put forward no 'serious proposals' in months  Sky News
  3. Claims Hamas called for end to war after Trump’s election are misleading  VERIFYThis.com
  4. Jake Sullivan: 'Israel not delaying deal - Hamas is'  Arutz Sheva
  5. Israel, US Say Hamas Blocking Hostage Deal  AllSides
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Almost half of Valencia’s flood victims were aged over 70, figures show

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Police reveal ages and genders of the 216 people who died in Valencia, along with eight other victims elsewhere in Spain

Almost half of the 216 people known to have died in the catastrophic floods that hit the eastern Spanish region of Valencia at the end of October were 70 or above, according to a police analysis.

Figures from the data integration centre set up after the disaster show that 131 of the victims were male, 85 were female and 104 were aged over 70, including 15 aged over 90.

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Gulag History Museum in Moscow temporarily closed ‘for safety reasons’

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Kremlin critics fear move is part of Russia’s efforts to whitewash Soviet past and shut independent cultural institutions

Moscow’s award-winning Gulag History Museum announced its surprise closure on Thursday, a move critics attribute to the Kremlin’s efforts to whitewash Russia’s Soviet past.

The closure was officially put down to alleged violations of fire safety regulations but comes amid an intense campaign by Russian officials against independent civil society and those who question the state’s interpretation of history.

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French military systems in Sudan may break UN arms embargo, says Amnesty

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Group says it has identified the Galix defence system on armoured vehicles imported from the UAE and calls for government to investigate

France must investigate the use of its military systems by Sudan’s paramilitary forces, which could be in breach of an arms embargo, Amnesty International has said.

The group said it had identified the French-made Galix defence system being used in Sudan on armoured vehicles manufactured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – considered a key supplier of weapons to the Rapid Support Force (RSF).

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Investigators Assess if Netanyahu’s Aides Forged Oct. 7 Phone Records – The New York Times

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  1. Investigators Assess if Netanyahu’s Aides Forged Oct. 7 Phone Records  The New York Times
  2. Gag order lifted: PM’s chief of staff suspected of forgery, illegally altering records  The Times of Israel
  3. Netanyahu's Chief of Staff Suspected of Altering PM's Call Logs From Morning of Oct. 7 Attack  Haaretz
  4. ‘Nonsense and disgrace’: Ex-Shin Bet Deputy Director slams PMO over classified leak  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Shin Bet vs. Netanyahu  Tablet Magazine
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New Zealand: Maori MPs disrupt parliament with haka – DW (English)

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  1. New Zealand: Maori MPs disrupt parliament with haka  DW (English)
  2. New Zealand Parliament Suspended as Maori Lawmakers Perform Haka to Protest Bill  The New York Times
  3. Maori protesters march on New Zealand capital over contentious bill  NBC News
  4. New Zealand MPs disrupt parliament with haka to protest Indigenous treaty bill  Reuters
  5. New Zealanders are marching, performing haka to protest divisive bill  The Washington Post
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