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Why does Trump want Greenland and what do its people think?
US President-elect Donald Trump has repeated his intention to take control of Greenland, the Arctic territory controlled by Denmark.
Why is Trump talking about this - and why now?
Where is Greenland?
Greenland, the world's largest island, is located in the Arctic.
It is the world's most sparsely populated territory. About 56,000 people live there, mostly indigenous Inuit people.
About 80% of its territory is covered by ice, meaning most people live on the south-western coast around the capital, Nuuk.
An autonomous territory of Denmark, it is also home to Danish and US military bases.
The economy is mainly based on fishing. Large subsidies from the Danish government account for about a fifth of GDP.
In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland's natural resources, including mining for rare earth minerals, uranium and iron. These may become more accessible as global warming leads to some of the ice covering Greenland to melt.
What is Greenland's status?
Located geographically within North America, Greenland has been controlled by Denmark – nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away – for about 300 years.
The island was governed as a colony until the mid-20th Century. For much of this time, it remained isolated and poor.
In 1953, it was made part of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders became Danish citizens.
In 1979, a referendum on home rule gave Greenland control of most policies within the territory, with Denmark retaining control over foreign affairs and defence.
Why does Greenland matter to the US?
The US has long maintained a security interest in Greenland. After Nazi Germany occupied mainland Denmark during World War II, the US invaded Greenland, establishing military and radio stations across the territory.
After the war, US forces remained in Greenland. Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, has been operated by the US ever since.
In 1951, a defence agreement with Denmark granted the US a significant role in the defence of the territory, including the right to build and maintain military bases.
"If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest route for nuclear weapons would be via the North Pole and Greenland," said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College.
"That's why the Pituffik Space Base is immensely important in defending the US."
Trump is also likely interested in the mining potential across Greenland's vast landmass, Mr Jacobsen added.
"Today, of special interest are the rare earth minerals, which have not yet been mined but are in the southern part of Greenland. These are immensely important in all kinds of technologies, from cell phones to wind turbines."
Does the US want full control of Greenland?
Trump has claimed that control of Greenland is essential to US national and economic security.
Though the president-elect's rhetoric may seen unusual, for over a century a succession of US presidents have tried to gain control of Greenland.
"The US has tried a few times to push the Danes out of Greenland and take it over as part of the US, or at least to have full security tutelage of Greenland," said Lukas Wahden, the author of 66° North, a newsletter on Arctic security.
In 1867, after buying Alaska from Russia, US Secretary of State William H Seward led negotiations to buy Greenland from Denmark, but failed to reach any agreement.
In 1946, the US offered to pay $100m (equivalent to $1.2bn; £970m today) for the territory, judging that it was vital for national security, but the Danish government refused.
Trump also tried to buy Greenland during his first term. Both Denmark and the Greenlandic government rejected the 2019 proposal, saying: "Greenland is not for sale."
What do the people of Greenland think?
Kuno Fencker, a member of the Inatsisartut, the Greenlandic parliament, said on Wednesday that he didn't see Trump's comments as a threat.
Fencker, who supports Greenlandic independence, told the BBC that a sovereign Greenland could choose to co-operate with the US on defence.
But when Trump first raised the idea of buying Greenland in 2019, many locals told the BBC they were opposed to the proposal.
"This is a very dangerous idea," said Dines Mikaelsen, a tour operator who was born and raised in Tasiilaq, east Greenland.
"He's treating us like a good he can purchase," said Aleqa Hammond, Greenland's first female prime minister.
"He's not even talking to Greenland - he's talking to Denmark about buying Greenland."
【重温】扶霜|白纸革命:不能忘却的新疆,和一点思考
不是每一个维吾尔人都是恐怖分子,也不是每一个汉族人都是瞎子。既然我们有眼睛,就应该多看看新疆的遭遇。如果媒体被扼住了喉咙,至少各位能使用键盘;如果出版社不能发行,那就去听去看去记录,去发问,去发声。这场大火本应将新疆的遭遇烧给我们所有人看,所以我不愿它再次从我们的视线中消失。
从11月24日乌鲁木齐天山区吉祥苑小区燃起的这场大火,已经烧了五天五夜,中国各地民众手举白纸抗议不断,警力一再增援。但就如我设置的本文封面一样,“乌鲁木齐中路”,这块位于上海的路牌,在政府裁撤之后反而引来了更多的声援。是啊,他们连一块路牌都怕,从此后全中国的“乌鲁木齐”,或都将成为敏感词被重点监视(依然是开玩笑的,但万一呢?)
然而,我想请各位注意的是,因大火而不幸去世的遇难者中,流传最广是一位母亲和她四个孩子的照片,且来源为一条英文推特,非国内媒体报道。而对于这一家人背后的故事,我也是在今天才看到CNN记者对于这一家人的视频报道,如果说国内媒体依旧局限于新疆的“敏感性”而无法采编新闻,那么我们自己呢?除了为逝者默哀的声浪,为何我们不多问一句:他们是怎样的一家人?孩子的父亲在哪里?在乌鲁木齐当地是否还有亲属可为他们料理后事?
我们不能只看到新疆今年封控超过一百天这件事。
或者说,如果我们没能问出更多的问题,是否是我们这些汉族人还没能注意到,新疆,在7.5事件以来到底在遭受怎样的待遇?如果说这五天来白纸革命正在如火如荼,当初在乌鲁木齐的深夜走出小区的人们,他们的身影为何很快就被北京、上海、武汉、重庆等等给渐渐冲散?我们不光要继续追问被抓走的学生和勇敢的抗议者,我们更要问:“新疆的人们呢?”
因为我们在新疆议题上缺席太久了,我的朋友们。就如同端传媒报道香港的人们也站出来支持大陆,“政治风险更大了,但‘至少种下了希望’。”政治风险更大的不仅仅是香港,也包括新疆。如果说,新疆的非汉族人们去大陆其他省市要被问询出行目的,要被没收护照,不能自由出国,菜市场卖肉的,刀要用铁链拴在桌上……如果我们作为汉族人,到现在还不准备问问这一切的发生到底是为了什么,持续了多久,是否造成了问题的话,我们就真的是一点都不尊重自己,因为我们不尊重人,尊重新疆每一个活生生的人。
如有读者此时质问道,“你知道维吾尔人驾车冲向天安门,在昆明火车站捅人,还有当年的7.5的恐怖吗?当初死的怎么不是你啊?”我会回答说:“谢谢你,如果没有你的提问,这篇文章不会完整。”我们中国大陆人,若是有机会出国旅游,想必乘坐公共交通的时候心里多少都会咯噔一下:诶,我安检口呢?当我们疑虑着是否错过了安检口,跟随着人流哒一下交通卡,随即就能上车时,才能反应过来:哦,没有这种东西。
我不知道多少人在想到国外地铁不用安检的时候,会觉得方便且快速,又有多少人会在国内乘坐地铁时,打开水杯喝一口,打开小包看一眼,有时候拖着行李箱却要被迫搬运上传送台,心里多少有点埋怨。为什么,为什么我们如此习惯于被当作一个“潜在的犯罪分子”,然后将自己本应被保护得死紧的隐私大敞,去自证一个“不必要却非得要”的清白。而只是坐地铁也就罢了,新疆人连进出商场都要出示身份证,整一个地区,除了汉人,每个人从生下来起就要被当作一个“潜在的犯罪分子”,而这样的时光,他们过了十年多了。朋友们,我不知道是新疆的警察太过羸弱,还是新疆的法律和我们大陆不一样,抓捕犯罪嫌疑人,审判犯罪分子,明明就是警察和法律的事,却偏偏要用这么一个方法来折磨这么多人。是对警察的能力不自信吗?还是对法律的不信任呢?这五天来,我想大家对前者有目共睹,对后者,嗯,倒是可以理解。
但不是每一个维吾尔人都是恐怖分子,也不是每一个汉族人都是瞎子。既然我们有眼睛,就应该多看看新疆的遭遇。如果媒体被扼住了喉咙,至少各位能使用键盘;如果出版社不能发行,那就去听去看去记录,去发问,去发声。这场大火本应将新疆的遭遇烧给我们所有人看,所以我不愿它再次从我们的视线中消失。我知道,即使是真的为了这场大火而上街的人,心中多少也对疆独、新疆再教育营和新疆棉有着不同的看法,但是,如果说为了不承认是自己的错误,而将原因归咎于”部分居民自防自救能力差“的政府粉饰过一次太平,那为什么此前所有的”太平盛世“,就真如他们所说呢?
还有那些底层的声音。
相比起我们目前能够看到的抗议活动多发生在985211的校园和一二三线城市内,更多的大学专科院校和小城市小乡村,他们也同样受着“清零政策”之苦,例如那些听从复工复产种了粮食蔬果,到现在烂在地里也卖不出去的“他们”,例如面临着更为封闭和一言堂的行政系统的“他们”,同样遭受着抑郁之苦的“他们”,我该从哪里听到“他们”的声音?是抖音,是快手,还是小红书?这几天,我明显感觉能刷到的微博数量不如从前,社交媒体给我推荐的视频图片也都是一派岁月静好,至多是某些网友正在享受网络赌球的快感,使得我有一种错觉,可能某一时刻我已经戴上了Evelyn(《瞬息全宇宙》)的耳机,两手一按,在多个空间中来回撕扯我的脑子。
除此之外,国内的宣传口也明显开始拐弯,不仅是开始报道核酸企业日进斗金,同时开始国务院发文,大力惩治层层加码,核酸造假。我不知道有多少人会开始将“资本家”和这三年的苦难划上等号,也不知道有多少人又觉得既然官方发文了,那我们就有希望。在此我诚挚地奉劝各位:不要看中共说了什么,要看中共做了什么。
资本家可没这个能力指挥各地防疫,资本家也没这个能力给自己批营业执照。既然这个公司能在数次违法的情况下继续存在,显然不是资本家的能力大过天,而是“苍蝇不叮无缝的蛋”。有趣的是,大陆的官僚系统,可比作干掉的“丝瓜络”,处处是缝,一点儿不硬,吸了水多少有用,没了水就是垃圾。
In maps: Thousands of acres on fire in LA
Firefighters in Los Angeles are battling a number of blazes in city suburbs, as tens of thousands of residents are forced to flee.
The rapidly changing situation is compounded by Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions. Currently authorities say there is no possibility of bringing the fires under control.
The Palisades fire, which is closest to the coast and also the largest, has ripped through picturesque suburbs which are home to many Hollywood stars. More than 1,000 buildings have already been destroyed.
Here's how the fires have spread and are affecting the Los Angeles area.
An overview of the current fires
Four major fires are currently being tackled.
The Palisades fire was first reported at 10:30 (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, and grew in just 20 minutes from a blaze of 20 acres to more than 200 acres, then more than tenfold in a matter of a few more hours. At least 30,000 people have so far been ordered to leave their homes.
The Eaton fire grew to cover 1,000 acres within the first six hours of breaking out. It started in Altadena in the hills above Pasadena at around 18:30 local time on Tuesday.
The Hurst fire is located just north of San Fernando. It began burning on Tuesday at around 22:10 local time, growing to 500 acres, according to local officials. It has triggered evacuation orders in neighbouring Santa Clarita.
The latest of the four fires is the Woodley fire, currently 75 acres in size. It broke out at approximately 06:15 local time on Wednesday.
- Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
- Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
- 'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
- Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
- Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
- Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire
How did the Palisades fire spread?
The Palisades fire has so far burnt through more than 2,900 acres. The map above shows how rapidly the blaze spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. At just after 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had expanded approximately to its current size.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.
How does the Palisade fire compare in size with New York and London?
To give an idea of the size of the Palisades fire, we have superimposed it on to maps of New York and London.
As you can see, it is comparable in size with the central area of UK's capital, or with large areas of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
How the fires look from space
Another indication of the scale of the Palisades fire comes from Nasa's Earth Observatory.
The images captured on Tuesday show a huge plume of smoke emanating from California and drifting out to sea.
Effects of the Eaton fire
The Palisade fire is not the only one to have a devastating effect on neighbourhoods of Los Angeles.
The above images show the Jewish Temple in Pasadena before and during the Eaton fire.
The Jewish Temple and Centre's website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 familes.
Far-right group Blood and Honour has assets frozen by government
The neo-Nazi organisation Blood and Honour, which is linked to parts of the skinhead music scene, has become the first extreme right-wing group to have financial sanctions imposed by the UK government.
Treasury ministers said they had "reasonable grounds to suspect" Blood and Honour of being involved in "terrorist activities through promoting and encouraging terrorism, seeking to recruit people for that purpose and making funds available for the purposes of its terrorist activities".
The assets freeze - which was extended to all aliases or affiliate groups including Combat 18 and 28 Radio - means nobody in the UK can provide funding or financial services to those named organisations.
This is a different government response from proscription - in which the Home Office issues banning orders on extremist groups.
Blood and Honour was founded in 1987 by Ian Stuart Donaldson aka Ian Stuart. He was the lead singer for the skinhead rock band Skrewdriver.
He said he set up Blood and Honour, which takes its name from a slogan of the Hitler Youth, because he felt the National Front was not racist enough.
Blood and Honour promotes white power ideology through music and still holds regular festivals.
Combat 18 originally served as security for Blood and Honour and ended up controlling one of its factions. 28 Radio was an online radio station.
Donaldson said at one stage: "I'll die to keep this country pure and if it means bloodshed at the end of the day, then let it be."
He died in a car crash in September 1993 but Blood and Honour continued.
Over the last decade, six extreme right wing groups have been banned – or proscribed - by the Home Office as terrorist organisations, the first being National Action in December 2016. The list also includes Atomwaffen Division, Feuerkrieg Division, Sonnenkrieg Division, The Base and The Terrorgram collective.
But this action against Blood and Honour and its affiliates is led by the Treasury and seeks to limit the group by strictly limiting its financial capabilities.
Therefore, Blood and Honour has not been proscribed but is the first extreme-right wing organisation to face an asset freeze under the Treasury's sanctions regime.
Tory bid to force grooming gangs inquiry voted down
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer he risks fuelling accusations of "a cover up" by refusing to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
She also accused the PM of not wanting questions asked "of Labour politicians who may be complicit".
Sir Keir argued that several inquires had already been held into abuse carried out by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and that a new probe would only delay the action the victims wanted.
And he said he would "call out" anyone who prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.
The Conservatives have tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which calls for a national inquiry.
In the unlikely event the amendment is approved the bill, which includes measures aimed at protecting children and tougher rules around home-schooling, as well as changes to academies, would be scuppered.
Sir Keir said it was "shocking" Conservative MPs would try to block a bill aimed at helping vulnerable children by voting for the Tory amendment and accused Badenoch of "weak leadership".
Making her argument for a fresh inquiry, Badenoch said "no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture".
She noted that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted for seven years and concluded in 2022, had not had a specific focus on grooming gangs.
"We don't need to repeat the work that has already been done. Let's look at new areas."
She said a new inquiry could explore "if there was a racial and cultural motivation to some of these crimes".
Sir Keir said "reasonable people could agree or disagree" on whether there should be a fresh probe and acknowledged that there were mixed views among victims and survivors.
However, he accused Badenoch of only recently taking an interest in the subject and said she had failed to take action when she was in government.
"I can't recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry," he said.
CPS given file over Premier League footballer rape claims
The Metropolitan Police has passed a full evidence file about a Premier League footballer accused of rape to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision, the BBC has been told.
The CPS said it is carefully reviewing the file of evidence in relation to a man, while the Met said it is continuing to investigate following reports of alleged sexual offences between 2021 and 2023.
This follows on from a BBC News investigation which spoke to five women who accused the footballer of rape, sexual assault or controlling behaviour.
Despite four of those women reporting the man, who we are calling Player X, to the police, he has continued to play for his Premier League club.
One of the women, who we are calling Kira, first reported Player X to the police in August 2021 and is calling on the CPS to prioritise making a charging decision, due to the severe emotional toll the lengthy process has had on her.
She previously told the BBC the lack of action from the club and governing body the Football Association (FA) in response to the allegations, after she contacted their safeguarding teams, contributed to her attempting to take her own life.
"I didn't want to exist in a world where I'm constantly reminded that rape allegations can be ignored as long as you're talented enough," she said.
Another woman said they believe if Player X had been suspended by his club or the FA after the first allegation, she would not have gone on to be sexually assaulted.
The BBC investigation found seven out of 20 Premier League clubs have had players or bosses investigated by the police for sexual offences since 2020.
The FA and Premier League both say they take sexual misconduct very seriously.
Player X was first arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022 following a report from one woman. Shortly afterwards he was also arrested for an earlier allegation of rape from a second woman, who reported him to the police in August 2021.
He was questioned by police in February 2023 about allegations of sexual assault made by a third woman.
In November 2024 the footballer was further questioned by police about an allegation of rape from 2023 made by a fourth women.
Privacy rules regarding the identification of suspects means the BBC is not naming the footballer. The player has denied wrongdoing, the BBC understands.
A Metropolitan spokesperson police told the BBC on Wednesday: "A full file has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
"Those who have come forward to police continue to receive support from Met officers."
The player's club and the Premier League previously told the BBC they were unable to comment on an ongoing police investigation.
What was the FA's response?
After first going to the police in August 2021, Kira emailed the FA, Premier League and the club about her allegations the following month "in desperation", as she was worried about him continuing to play on such a big platform while he was being investigated.
The club told her it couldn't discuss her allegations for legal reasons. The Premier League directed her to the FA.
More than four months after contacting the FA about her allegations, it told her in emails that it could take "no further action" as the alleged behaviour did not breach its regulations.
It stated there was "no evidence" to suggest that Player X "poses a risk of harm to children or adults at risk". It sent her a PDF document that was titled "Football's Safeguarding Children policy" - which did not apply to her.
"They were hiding behind their lack of policies whilst knowing that the regulations they did have set up were meant to protect profits, not victims," says Kira.
In July 2024, Kira again approached the club, Premier League and FA - sending them evidence that she was a "vulnerable adult".
In an email, seen by the BBC, the club told her they had passed her correspondence onto the Premier League and the FA. The Premier League told her it was unable to discuss allegations currently under police investigation. And the FA, told her it couldn't share any details or updates regarding if any FA interventions have been taken.
"Further, we refer to our email…where we explained we are not the employer of the individual," it added.
Speaking about the response Kira told the BBC their correspondence has "reinforced a devastating message that I don't matter, that more women coming forward doesn't matter, and that even when I meet safeguarding requirements, it will never matter".
Another woman - Mia - said she believes if the FA and club had acted when they were first alerted to a rape allegation in 2021, she wouldn't have later gone to the house of Player X where she alleges he sexually assaulted her.
"If they had decided to take the first allegation seriously... if they had suspended him, I never would have been in that situation that I was in that day," she told the BBC.
"Their decision caused me to suffer," she said.
While the FA has detailed policies in place for players accused of betting on the game, there isn't anything similar for players accused of sexual or domestic violence that takes place beyond the football environment.
Some lawyers in the UK have noted the many legal difficulties facing football clubs when considering how to deal with a player facing allegations of sexual or domestic violence, without overarching rules in place.
A spokesperson for the FA said: "Our safeguarding policies and procedures allow us to support and protect children and adults at risk within a football-related environment."
"Regardless of where the incident took place, if the individual has a role within football, we always carry out a thorough safeguarding risk assessment and take the appropriate action if we believe there is a risk of harm to children. We are unable to comment on specific cases, but that does not mean that we haven't taken the required action or applied appropriate safeguards within our jurisdiction."
If you have information about this story or abuse within football that you would like to share please get in touch. Email hannah.price@bbc.co.uk.
And if you are affected by any of the issues in this story, contact BBC Action Line for details of advice and support.
What it's like inside LA's real life apocalypse movie
Los Angeles is no stranger to disaster, having weathered floods, earthquakes and riots.
But Tuesday brought one of most devastating days in the city's history.
The Pacific Palisades Fire started around 10:30 local time.
Stoked by ferocious winds, the fire quickly spread, soon engulfing more than 3,000 acres in that upscale community.
Soon the horizon was covered in thick black smoke. A thin patina of ash cloaked the cars in my neighborhood some 20 miles (32km) away.
That fire continues to burn out of control. And it was soon joined by three other fires – none of which have been stopped.
LAPD chief Jim McDonnell described this as "a tragic time in our history" and said the winds Tuesday night were like "something I've never seen before".
- Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
- Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
- 'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
- Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
- Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
- Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire
Harrowing television footage showed flames engulfing some of the multimillion dollar oceanside mansions in Pacific Palisades.
One resident who escaped likened the situation to a scene from a disaster movie.
The word "apocalyptic" - so often misused - is in my view entirely applicable.
Fires are burning out of control all around us, smoke covers the sky in all directions, and the emergency services are stretched to their very limit – running out of water and straining to respond to thousands of 911 calls.
Perhaps the most pitiful image was of elderly residents being evacuated from a convalescent home in the city of Altadena, where the Eaton fire currently spans more than 2,000 acres.
Frail and confused, they were rushed in wheelchairs to safety amid a flurry of burning embers in the depths of night.
Seasonal wildfires are nothing new here. But never in the 25 years that I have lived here in LA have I witnessed a situation so widespread, and so unpredictable.
Two lives have been lost, at least 1,000 buildings have been destroyed - along with many livelihoods - and the forecast suggests the worse is yet to come.
A city of 4 million people is now at the mercy of the weather.
It is - as one fire chief put it - a "widespread disaster", and a tragic day in the history of America's second largest city.
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'Patients are collapsing in the waiting room': A&E nurses speak out
The NHS is experiencing intense winter pressure, with critical incidents declared at a dozen hospitals across the UK by Wednesday.
Ahead of a special day of coverage, the BBC has spoken to nurses dealing with demand in A&Es.
"Patients are collapsing in the waiting room. It's just hectic," Lorraine, a nurse in Birmingham, told BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday.
"This is happening in A&E up and down the country, all areas," said Joanne, one nurse working in an emergency ward in Manchester. "A&E is in a desperate situation right now."
"The government need to take urgent action. We need help," she said.
- Do you work in the NHS? Get in touch at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Without identifying which hospital she worked in, she said there had been 58 patients having to wait in the corridors of her emergency ward on Tuesday night because of a lack of beds. This was happening on a daily basis, she said.
Lorraine, the nurse in Birmingham who works on night-shift, said elderly people and pensioners were among the worst-affected.
"There's women that are 90 that have been waiting for a bed for 24 hours," she said.
"We try our best but if there's no beds what can we really do? We just make the old lady as comfortable as she can, just make sure that she's okay. But there's no beds."
There's the "chaos" inside wards and then "you go outside, there's loads of ambulances and it's just so hectic".
She said she felt sorry for paramedics who due to the lack of space in hospitals are being forced to hold patients on board "for a long time".
"And then when we do get them in they need a bed and there isn't one. It is really bad."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited a hospital in London's south-east on Monday, revealing a new plan involving the private healthcare sector to help reduce waiting times for appointments.
But nurses like Lorraine say he needs to witness the reality of emergency wards currently.
"The prime minister should actually sit in the waiting room, see the abuse that we get, the poor old ladies and pensioners, the young people that are trying to kill themselves, people collapsing, people having cardiac arrests in the waiting room," she said.
"It's 2025- we shouldn't be seeing this."
On Wednesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was ashamed of the crisis of "patients languishing in hospital corridors" but says it's not looking like it getting better any time soon.
NHS bosses have said the hospital system is under strain due to the surge in flu cases, where about 5,000 are being reported every day.
Lorraine in Birmingham had just come off a night shift when she spoke to the BBC.
"The waiting time was over 14 hours and it's just horrendous," she said.
She said staff were having to work through breaks on 12-hour shifts.
The back-log in emergency care put extra pressure on specialist teams where patients are waiting for surgeries and other operations, she said.
"And then we get abuse as you go into the waiting room to call the patients in, there will be about 20 people there, they're literally attacking you saying: "Where's the doctor, where's my bloods, I need the results."
"And because they're sick, you have to kind of understand why they are a little bit angry."
Speaking about heading in for another shift on Tuesday night, Lorraine said:
"I'm actually dreading it cause it was the worst night ever last night. But I'm gonna try and get some sleep and go in positive. I'm just trying to help the people."
Mother 'not surprised' son killed on London bus
A 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a bus in south-east London loved music and cared about the people around him, his mother said in a tearful tribute.
Kelyan Bokassa died shortly after being attacked on a 472 double-decker bus on Woolwich Church Street at about 14:30 GMT on Tuesday.
He was also "kind" and was talented at drawing, his mother Mary Bokassa told the BBC.
No arrests have been made, but detectives say they are working "at pace" to find those responsible.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
Germany and France warn Trump over threat to take over Greenland
France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its "sovereign borders", after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland.
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was "critical" for national and economic security.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are".
Barrot said he did not believe the US was going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not let itself be intimidated.
Denmark, a long-time US ally, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.
Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Trump made the remarks at a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.
Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.
"But I can say this, we need them for economic security."
Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important for Washington.
Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".
"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters.
Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: "If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.
"Have we entered into an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? Then the answer is yes.
"So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine its future.
However, she stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.
Greenland, which is the largest island in the world but has a population of just 57,000, has wide-ranging autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.
It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.
Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, said most of the people he had spoken to were "shocked" by Trump's suggestion he could use military force to take control of the territory.
While a majority of people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed a partner who could provide public services, defence and an economic foundation, as Denmark did now.
"I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who is dreaming of the island becoming a colony for another outside power like the USA."
Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had sought to "downplay" any confrontation with Trump, "behind the scenes I sense the awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history".
The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a "personal day trip" to talk to people.
He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps.
Glass of milk a day cuts bowel cancer risk - study
A large UK study has found further evidence that people with more calcium in their diet - equivalent to a glass of milk a day - can help reduce their risk of bowel cancer.
The researchers analysed the diets of more than half a million women over 16 years and found dark leafy greens, bread and non-dairy milks containing calcium also had a protective effect.
They also found more evidence that consuming too much alcohol and processed meat has the opposite effect, increasing the risk of the disease.
Cancer charities say having a healthy, balanced diet, being a healthy weight and stopping smoking were the best ways to lower your risk of bowel cancer.
How big is the effect?
A recent review found dairy products "probably" decreased the risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer.
This study, from Oxford University and Cancer Research UK, suggests that is down to calcium, from dairy or non-dairy foods.
- an extra 300mg of calcium a day in the diet, or a large glass of milk, lowers your risk by 17%
"It highlights the potential protective role of dairy, largely due to calcium, in the development of bowel cancer," said lead researcher Dr Keren Papier, from Oxford.
Breakfast cereal, fruit, wholegrains, carbohydrates, fibre and vitamin C also showed they lowered the risk of the cancer, but only slightly.
It is already well-known that eating too much processed meat and red meat probably increases your risk of bowel cancer, as does alcohol.
This study provides more evidence of that link:
- drinking an additional large glass of wine a day, or 0.7oz (20g) of alcohol, increases your risk by 15%
- eating 1oz more red and processed meat a day, such as a slice of ham, increases your risk by 8%
Quantifying exactly what those percentages mean is tricky, because everyone's risk of bowel cancer is different depending on their lifestyle, diet, habits and genetics.
What does calcium do? What foods contain it?
Calcium is an important mineral for strengthening bones and keeping your teeth healthy, but there is growing evidence it also protects against some cancers.
There is lots of calcium in milk, yoghurt and cheese. Dairy products are one of the main sources of it in the UK diet (we love our cereals in the morning).
It is also present in other foods like soya and rice drinks, white bread, nuts, seeds and fruits like dried figs, curly kale and canned sardines, and it is also in lactose-free milk.
The study says calcium may protect against bowel cancer "because it is able to bind to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colon, lowering their potentially carcinogenic effects".
Why is bowel cancer so common?
There are about 44,000 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK, making it the fourth most common cancer.
Although most cases are in older people, rates of the cancer are rising among younger adults - but there is no clear reason why.
Experts say poor diet and obesity may be among the factors involved.
Symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- a change in your bowel habits, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation
- bleeding from your bottom or finding blood in your poo
- losing weight when you have not been trying to
- unexplained tiredness or breathlessness
Advice is to talk to your doctor if you notice any one of them.
What do other experts say?
This was an observational study, not a trial, so it cannot prove categorically that calcium or any other food product protects against cancer or makes it more likely.
However, the researchers say the study is "the largest on diet and bowel cancer to date", which gives them confidence they are on the right track. The findings are also in line with previous studies' conclusions.
More than 12,000 women in the study developed bowel cancer, and nearly 100 food products and nutrients in their diets were investigated to assess potential links.
Nutrition expert Prof Janet Cade, from the University of Leeds, said the paper "provides important evidence showing that overall diet can influence risk of colorectal cancer".
Prof Andrew Prentice, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, wonders whether, in the light of the study results, calcium supplements might be protective although he says "the jury is out on this".
The take-home message for Prof Tom Sanders, from King's College London, is that "drinking above the safe limits of alcohol intake (more than 14 units per week) increases [the] risk of colorectal cancer in women, but that drinking about half a pint of cows' milk a day is probably protective".
Dr Lisa Wilde, from charity Bowel Cancer UK, says someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer "every 12 minutes" and half of all bowel cancers could be prevented with healthier lifestyles.
"If you don't drink dairy milk there are other ways you can get calcium, for example from broccoli or tofu, and still reduce your bowel cancer risk," she says.
LA wildfire causes 'significant damage' at school made famous by Hollywood
A well-known high school in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has reportedly fallen victim to a wildfire raging in the US city.
Parts of Palisades Charter High School - which counts celebrities including Will.i.am and Forest Whitaker among its alumni and has itself been a Hollywood filming location - have caught fire, local media say. The extent of the damage is unclear.
As well as the Palisades Fire - which has quickly spread to cover nearly 3,000 acres - two nearby blazes ignited on Tuesday. Thousands of people have been evacuated.
The school's website says it has closed - and urged pupils and their families to avoid the area. The BBC has asked for further comment.
The school, which educates children aged 14-18, says its students come from a broad area of western Los Angeles. Its buildings are known as a location for films including Carrie, Teen Wolf and Freaky Friday.
Los Angeles is in a state of emergency, and an interactive map managed by fire officials confirms that the fast-moving fires have affected a swathe of land on which the school is located.
The map notes that the Palisades Fire - like the two other blazes - is totally uncontained. About 30,000 people have been told to leave their homes.
The new school term had yet to begin on Tuesday, although a small number of students and staff were on site, according to the LA Times. They were rapidly evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.
The newspaper said the school's sporting facilities had been damaged, but that the extent to which buildings had been impacted was unclear. Firefighters were on the scene, the newspaper added.
A reporter for the BBC's US partner, CBS News, confirmed that flames could be seen coming from the premises - but said it was not clear what was burning. An evacuee speaking at the scene described the fires as "armageddon".
The separate Palisades Charter Elementary School nearby has also reportedly been caught up in the blaze.
The wider Pacific Palisades neighbourhood is known as an upscale celebrity haunt. Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy is among those who have been forced to leave their homes - and others, including Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston, have reportedly had to do the same.
The other two fires are burning above Altadena, near the Eaton Canyon, and in the Sylmar suburb, where a mandatory evacuation has been ordered as flames spread rapidly.
More than 1,400 firefighters have been deployed to combat the "unprecedented" blazes, California Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier.
Fire ecologist Chad Hanson predicted "a rough night" for fire crews, with the most extreme conditions expected from 02:00-06:00 local time (10:00-14:00 GMT).
Mr Hanson said January was still considered to be wildfire season in this part of California, and that the biggest influence were the Santa Ana winds.
"These winds are unique to southern California," he said, explaining that they result in" extreme, sustained wind events with pretty dramatic gusts."
Additional reporting by Thomas Mackintosh
Are you having to evacuate due to the fires? If it is safe to do so, get in touch.
We Are Not Prepared for Fires Like This
Trump’s Threat to Take Over Greenland Bewilders the Island’s Population
We Are Not Prepared for Fires Like This
U.S. Withholds Funding for World Anti-Doping Agency
When Mark Zuckerberg Wins Over Trump, We Lose
Lola|在世间跳跃
只要在跳跃间,只要知道有这个出口,就永远不会感到失落。
2019 年年末开始的新冠大流行,至今已过去五年。当初中国在“清零政策”下,一切都停摆。我也不得不重新思考我的人生,假使如愿结束了这场人祸,我还会继续回到媒体广告业工作,恢复我原先的生活吗。答案是再也回不去了,被中断就是被中断了,没有什么可以恢复如初的。
而原先在媒体工作,虽擅长,但不停遭受内容审查,也使我感到厌倦了。我当初选择上新闻学院,努力学习,顺利进入社会,想要的并不是这种东西,并不是为了提心吊胆地书写每一个字。
于是在停摆时,我除了写作,还开始学日语,并想象另一种生活。
人就是这样的,当头脑中一种尖锐的想象开启,并具体落地之后,就会打开一千扇的门。来到东京的九个月,我的思想剧烈变化,我想过很多,由此放弃很多,而后再重拾一些,不断地增减,盈亏,变成了今天的我。
我有了很多思考的时间,思考自己的命运,过去和未来,思考自己和社会的关系,甚至思考短短两年内 AI 带来的一切,以及若干年以后,我将站在历史何处。
我发现自己只是满足于“想象”,并且为不间断的思考感到兴奋,我热衷于创造文字,无中生有,虽然我也试着画画和做东西——来到日本以后我开始做手工编织。但它们都是辅助的表达方式,我想要创造只能在脑海中被指认的,我已经被文学的罗网给网住了,或者说它带来了广阔天地,让我无法拒绝这种吸引。
以前学新闻理论的时候,老师告诉我们,“新闻”,这个词当它被说出来的时候,就已经客观上地远离了“事实”,“新闻文本”并不等同于“事实”,我们只能确保,让它无限接近于“事实”。
我觉得这像极了人生,像极了你和某种理想的关系。你无法确保自己实现了某个理想,因为当你抵达时,你会发现自己想要的并不是它。
有的人会就此放弃,然后甘愿选择社会所需要他们担任的位置,转动,转动,漫长数十年的时光。但有少数人,他们的人生和选择,会像“新闻”和“事实”那样,采取无限接近的办法。生命求索到这里,看起来好像还不是它,那就再往前走一点,往自己心里所设想的那条路前进,哪怕永远在路上,永远无法抵达,也会在求索中获得相应的平静。
这也很像哲学,哲学和宗教的区别就是,它并不存在“一”,让你能够定在这里,它寻找的“一”,永远在路上。此后的人生可能会让你有若干次的欣喜,但都不是实现目标、抵达终点,这条路上没有所谓的“成功“,而只是“接近了”,找到了一个似是而非的东西,但我们接受,我们触摸和学习它的纹理,以此辨别为何它不是我们要找的那一个。
我很早之前就学会了,要在世间不断地跳跃,才不会使自己陷入无聊的境地。我主要形容的是工作,是上班,如果上班这件事无可更改,就是这么回事,并不存在一个好的“上班”(虽然我们会用“工作”这个词对它进行一些装饰,让它稍微变得有意义,但大部分时候我们提起的都只有“上班”),那么我可以在它们之间跳跃,不停更换,像一只捕鱼技巧高超的渔猫。
但上班和上班之间,似乎也存在更想上的班,和更不想上的班,于是这种跳跃有了意义。也算是在不断接近只想要的那一个。只要在跳跃间,只要知道有这个出口,就永远不会感到失落。
2025 年 1 月 6 日
不讲女德FistsUnchained|中国农村外来媳妇发疯简史
2010年初,晋中盆地。
卜女士从榆次区的一间房屋内走出,消失在冬日灰蒙蒙的天色里。
彼时,她刚从大学里以立学硕士的身份毕业,却错过了博士考试:
因为她的身份证过期了。
接踵而至的精神崩溃,击垮了这个女孩。
她家人很快发现她失踪了,急忙报警,贴遍了寻人启事,却再也听不到她的消息。
作者:理饿
发表日期:2025.1.8
来源:微信公众号“不讲女德FistsUnchained”
主题归类:人口拐卖
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明。
十三年后,卜女士被寻亲志愿者找到。
她衣衫褴褛,眼神空洞:
身边是两个年幼的孩子。
如果不是张某的侄女主动联系寻亲志愿者,或许卜女士仍会被困在那个闭塞的小山村。
张某是和顺县青城镇石叠村的村民,被人称作:
一个老实巴交的庄稼汉。
据他所说,多年前一个冬夜,他在村头的桥洞下发现了瑟瑟发抖的卜女士,出于好心将其带回了家。
当地警方在通报中轻描淡写地定义这段关系为:
收留。
这倒显得一切合情合理,就像无数乡村怪诞故事的惯用说法,却不知它与拐卖、囚禁、性侵如何划上等号。
她究竟是如何出现在这里?说法不一。
一个叫郭某的老人声称,十多年前看见她在村子附近转悠。
后来的几天,张某把她领回家,再没人关心她是哪里人,也没人提出要给她办什么手续。
据说她常独自外出买零食,似乎:
行动自由。
只是这所谓的自由,在生了两个孩子之后,谁也不清楚是否还剩下那么一丁点。
张某家是一栋破旧的砖瓦房,院门终年敞开,仿佛昭示着主人的坦荡。
可张某的侄女在直播中理直气壮地质问网友,她(卜女士)也有清醒的时候,
她清醒的时候为什么不走?
言语间,充满了对婶婶的轻蔑和不屑。
而张某侄女口中的办过酒席,更像是一场无人见证的荒诞仪式。
医院的体检报告显示,卜女士的身体:
长期营养不良。
十三年,足以让一个呱呱坠地的婴儿成长为懵懂少年,也足以将一个意气风发的女硕士消磨成形容枯槁的妇人。
卜女士的精神世界,是否也如她的身体一般,在漫长的岁月中逐渐干涸?
两个孩子是黑户,在出生证明一栏赫然写着:
非婚生育。
他们无法像正常孩子一样入学读书,更无法享受医疗保障。
他们的身份,如同他们母亲的遭遇一样,充满了不确定性。
1
冬日的丰县,灰蒙蒙的天色下,低矮的平房里弥漫着柴火和煤炭的混杂气味。
时间指向2022年1月27日,一段视频在互联网上悄然出现。
昏暗的镜头中,一位中年女子神色呆滞,说话含糊不清:
她的脖颈被铁链禁锢。
她被锁在破败的屋子里,孩子们在角落里时不时探出脑袋。
官方通报最初叫她杨某侠,可后来又演变为了小花梅。
但这个名字看上去并不重要,因为在最初的官方通报中,她只是一个:
患有精神疾病的合法妻子。
后来才慢慢有人发现,结婚证上的照片与视频中那张不知在何时黯淡下去的脸全然不同。
董志民,那个房屋的男主人,也是一时间成为话题中心。
他被宣扬为:
英雄父亲。
理由很简单,他有八个孩子。
并且,他也得到了:
当地的一些政策照顾。
在此之前,董志民或许是个名不见经传的普通农民,直到那条黑暗潮湿的铁链暴露在灯光下,他的形象才被聚焦、放大,甚至变得荒诞。
欢口镇董集村坐落在苏北平原上,冰冷的风穿过光秃秃的树干,卷走田地里的最后一点温度。
这里的人习惯了朴素的生活:
却也习惯了闭嘴。
可当那段视频在网络上流传开来后,沉默与置若罔闻变得异常刺眼。
自发的网友们像轰鸣的洪流般涌入,翻阅零散的线索,试图找出小花梅的来历。
人们看照片、查口音,在断断续续的信息中推测她的过去。
他们希望为她拼出一个完整而真实的身份。
在官方不断改口的通报里,她从杨某侠到小花梅,又被加上很多标签,云南籍、患精神疾病,还有:
被多次拐卖。
这一场舆论漩涡中,每一次发布都显得小心翼翼,但每一次都又激起新一轮疑问。
就像一道无法愈合的伤口,被层层撕开,愈合不了,也无法停止流血。
董志民家中的那条铁链,似乎不仅拴住了她的身体,也锁住了网友们的目光。
这个冬天,互联网的热闹氛围被压抑的愤怒和不安所浸染。
人们担忧的,早已不是小花梅的个案,而是那些可能深埋在乡间小路、偏远山村里的无声故事。
各地的记者和网友赶到董集村,试图探寻真相:
但他们常常被拒之门外。
政府部门在巨大压力下成立了调查组,给出了一个调查结果。她的确来自云南,确曾被多次拐卖。
结论看似明朗,却又无比晦暗。
因为在此之后,仍有太多问题悬而未决:她究竟几岁?为什么会成为董家的妻子?八个孩子的命运又会走向何方?
这个冬季过去后,似乎一切归于沉寂。
董集村还是那个村,黄土与冷风如常,家家户户的烟囱里飘散着同样的炊烟。
只不过,在那间破败房屋的角落里,多年以后,人们是否还能记得那道带着铁锈味的锁链?
又是否会有人问起,那个曾被叫做小花梅的女人,现在过得怎样?
在苏北平原昏黄的落日之下,寒风卷起农田里残余的秸秆,也吹散了坊间无数的喧嚣。
就像一场迟迟未醒的噩梦,人们想要遗忘,却又无法真正释怀。
因为有太多底层的声音,在夜里依旧徘徊不去,等待着下一个冷风凛冽的日出。
丰县的冷漠与推诿,与和顺县的收留说辞,并没有本质区别。
人们习惯了沉默,偶尔露出几分不可理喻的理解:
这是家里事,外人别搀和。
2
山东德州禹城,2019年,一个叫方洋洋的女孩出嫁到张家,两年后在饥寒交迫中死去。
临死时身高一米七四:
体重不过六十斤。
她患有轻度精神疾病,可旁人似乎只记得她是:
儿媳、没生孩子。
所谓的家,给了她不多的吃食,却给了她更多的责骂与惩罚。
等案发之时,村委会、妇联恐怕也只能说:
不知道。
否则,为何没有行动呢?
一个人就这样在漠视中走完短暂生命,荒谬得像是一则写坏了的寓言。
农历新年,张庄村处在沉闷的冬末气息里。
空气中飘着烟花的硝味,有人拿着鞭炮在空地上试放,声响忽远忽近。
屋檐下,稻草垛挨着破旧的土墙,冷风吹过,发出飕飕的声响。
方洋洋刚满二十二岁。
她躺在炕上,裹着褪了色的棉被,骨瘦如柴的身子撑不住那层破旧棉絮的分量,呼吸断断续续。
她是这个院子里最年轻的女性,却也是最沉默寡言的存在。
往年村里人去赶集,见到她或许会摇头,说她看着就没精气神儿。
方洋洋低着头,不答。
她轻度智力障碍,偶尔也只是露出疑惑的神情。
窗外是密集的鞭炮声,振聋发聩。
窗内是一片死寂。
只有她时断时续的呼吸,勉强证明着生命依然存在。
直到2019年1月31日,这道微弱的呼吸声彻底消失了。
方洋洋不是被拐卖的,她来自隔壁镇。
婚前,她体重一百六十斤,圆滚滚的脸蛋儿常被人调侃:
有福相。
婚后她体重骤降至六十斤,整个人枯瘦如柴。那时,他们结婚
不到三年。
她嫁入张庄村张家后,与公婆同住。
这里依旧保留着许多传统观念,传宗接代、重男轻女,在村子里似乎是理所当然。
张家父母看她不顺眼,原因很简单:
婚事花了不少钱,她却没能怀上孩子。
这被他们视为罪不可恕。
他们开始用最直接的方式表达不满:
用棍子殴打,用责骂宣泄。
方洋洋的丈夫张丙,也用同样的方式教训她,他喜欢通过打方洋洋来:
撒气。
张庄镇在外人看来并不偏僻,县里通往镇上的公路修得还算平整。
然而,一走进村里,那些尘土飞扬的土路和老式院落,就像把人带回了过去的某个年代。
似乎这里的人们,很多观念和做法,也停留在那里。
冬天,气温在零度以下,方洋洋也经常被:
罚站在院子里。
寒风生硬得像一把细锯,来回切割她的体温。
站不住时,她可能想过回屋。但木棍在那里,她也只能选择继续站着。
那一天,张家父母,张吉林和刘兰英,下手特别狠。
夜里,方洋洋在炕上奄奄一息。
不久后,方洋洋的心跳已经停止。
翻看她身上的青紫淤痕,那些见惯了生死的医生想必也会忍不住皱起眉头。
法医鉴定她是:
重度营养不良。
再叠加外力钝器击打,造成:
创伤性失血性休克而亡。
一条人命,就这样在张庄村的鞭炮声中消失了。
案件曝光后,周围舆论哗然。
很多人初听判决时,心里直冒火:
虐待罪,最高不过三年。
大家都在问,一条人命,就这么几年的刑?
最终,案件被发回重审。
检察院以故意伤害罪起诉张吉林和刘兰英,张丙则依旧是虐待罪。
新判决里,张吉林被判十一年,刘兰英六年,张丙一年八个月缓刑三年。
这个结果虽然稍显公道,但终究没法把方洋洋救回。
人们常叹,为什么不早点发现?为什么他们那么狠心?
谁也说不清那些淡漠和恐惧的来由。
也许是因为这儿几百年来都相信:
家务事不要外传。
也许是因为传宗接代在这里是亘古不变的铁律。
方洋洋的葬礼静悄悄地办了,没人再提她的名字。
张庄村的冬天还是一样的冷,雪花落在那口干涸的水井边,很快就化成黑泥。
新年的喧嚣仿佛只存在于远方。
电视里播放的拜年节目、县城广场上零星的灯展,都和这个萧瑟村庄隔着一道无形的墙。
没有人会记得,方洋洋的那个新年夜,鞭炮声就像一首嘈杂的送别曲,送走了她短暂却痛苦的生命。
人们关心的是下一桩喜事:
哪家办酒席,哪家娶媳妇,哪家生了儿子。
可方洋洋留给世界的,似乎只是一声无人回应的叹息。
还有无数个与她相似的年轻女性,她们躲在灰暗的院墙后面,过着如履薄冰的日子。
有人重男轻女,有人借口传宗接代,亦或是嫌弃智力不如人。
可这一切,究竟是真的理所当然,还是荒诞得令人心惊。
漫长的冬日仍在继续。
鞭炮声渐渐停歇后,只剩下风吹过田野的回音。
那沉默,恰似一面倒映着人性与偏见的深渊。
而方洋洋在死后,也没有安宁。她被家里安排了:
冥婚。
3
九月的辉县,天还没凉透,地里偶尔能听到几声麻雀的叫唤。
收割机轰隆隆地在地里穿梭,卷起成团的尘土。
这里的人,都知道那一桩旧事。
35年前,村里的李某花了1000块钱,从人贩子手里买了一个媳妇。
后来,她一直被叫作:
喂。
没人在意她叫什么,仿佛她生来就该没名字。
村里的口音同她的口音,好像两条平行的沟渠,从不交汇。
她年轻时被拐,多次逃跑,每次都遭毒打,听力也因此损伤。
更荒诞的是,她还:
丢了一个小孩,至今生死不知。
因为耳朵不好,也始终没学会普通话。
从此,听不懂、说不明的孤独就跟在她脚边,缠着一辈子。
偶尔,她会跑到门口坐着,望着路,不知她眼前浮现的是哪一座远山哪一条瀑布。
小李一直听不懂母亲喃喃自语的几句话,却没想到这可能是母亲回家唯一的线索。
自打记事起,她就知道:
母亲的身份尴尬。
人贩子在1985年把喂拐到河南时,喂还很年轻。
但关于她更早的那些事,村里没人问过,也没人会问。
小李坐着,用手机翻看视频。
在抖音上,一个叫峰萧萧的布依族青年的视频引起了她的注意。
她发现,峰萧萧发布的视频里:
有着和母亲极为相似的音调。
她赶忙向峰萧萧求救。
峰萧萧听过之后发现,这似乎就是他们老家的布依语。
他顾不上别的,又拉了几个老乡一起辨认喂的口音。
布依语里有好几种土语,年轻人往往只知道一两种,年纪大些的或许还懂得更多,但能分辨第三土语区的人少之又少。
可他们像拼地图一样,你一句我一句,来来回回地比对、筛选。
有人断言,听音调,该是黔西南那边。
视频反复发在群里,群里的回复越来越长。
有些人指点口音差异,有些人挖出老照片,有些人直接打电话回乡下找长辈问讯。
好像他们都很着急,生怕再拖下去,喂就会在时光里彻底失去这一点家乡的印记。
玉米地里的麻雀似乎对凡尘琐事并不关心,啄完地上的碎玉米粒就各自散去。
偶尔有几根玉米秆断在路边,碾出一股辛辣的气味。
日子在等待和忙碌中一天天过去。
终于,大家找到了她的家,联系到了她的家人。
黔西南的山峰峻峭,云雾盘旋,布依族村寨零星散落。
村里的人好奇且热情,拉她去吃酒、赴宴、聊天。
她的双亲也盼着能多看她两眼。
在这场有点嘈杂又动人的团圆里,每个人都在努力让三十五年的断裂弥合。
可到底,断裂就是断裂,回不去的:
就是真的回不去了。
十几天后,德良和女儿:
不得不回到河南。
走之前,她跟年迈的母亲约定:今年过年,我们回来。
这是她脱口而出的诺言,带着火热的期待。
她不知道,上天从来吝啬给予完满,母亲就在这年腊月里:
猝不及防地去世了。
在第三十六个年头,德良找回了故土和亲人,却也在一瞬间痛失了母亲。
这个来得太快的团圆,如同夜里昙花一现。
我们也许只能站在故事的外缘,讶异、唏嘘,又空留下遥远的叹息。
她用三十五年,回到起点——却发现,老屋依旧存在,可母亲却不在了。
青黄的玉米地里,曾经散落着无数失散的命运。
有些人找到了路,有些人还在试探。
远处,一只麻雀落在枯枝上,抖了抖羽毛,又一次飞走了。
这个村庄、这些人,这些穿过了时光的拐卖与寻亲,就这样在烟尘和尘土里,继续。
4
好像每个乡村都藏着这样一处阴影:
一座简陋的砖房、一张破旧的土炕,一个女人莫名其妙地出现,绵长岁月里,她们生了孩子,也失了自由。
偶尔有人惊呼,但总有更多人不以为然。
官方通报中,那些语焉不详的措辞,轻飘飘地落在纸面:
收留、家庭纠纷、自行外出……
似乎一切都合乎逻辑,却又处处泄露荒诞的气息。
正如榆次失踪的硕士毕业生,足以证明她不算被囚禁的说辞居然是:
常去买零食。
有人问,她们究竟为什么留在那儿,为什么不逃?
有人则说,或许她们就没得选,或许精神上的压制远比身体的禁锢可怕得多。
更加讽刺的是,每次舆论沸腾后,涉事村子仍是原来的模样。
山坡和土路没有变化,人们照旧日升而作,日落而息。
问起当年,都会说:
啊,是有那么个人,可后来没声了。
这一切,就好像春耕秋收一样平常。
乡村有其独特的静谧,但某些静,或许是另一种残酷。
那些没有围墙的院子,看似大门敞开,却锁住了外人无法探究的秘密。
有人疑惑,为何这么多年,村庄里那么多人进进出出,却无人出声。
也有人问,贴在墙上的寻人启事,为何越贴越旧。
多年后的一份简短通报,能否抚平十三年的蹉跎。
他们都说,那是一种收留。
可谁会主动被收留一辈子,丢下自己的故乡与过往。
现如今,卜某离开的这十三年终被划下句点。
小花梅的铁链被解开,董志民吃了官司:
方洋洋却再也无法醒来。
那些空白的档案,或许还在某处尘封。
下一个失踪的名字会不会再次惊动舆论?
谁也说不准。
作者|理饿
2025年1月6日
Biden Says He’s Considering Pre-emptive Pardons For Trump’s Potential Targets
Germany and France warn Trump over threat to take over Greenland
France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its "sovereign borders", after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland.
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was "critical" for national and economic security.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are".
Barrot said he did not believe the US was going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not let itself be intimidated.
Denmark, a long-time US ally, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.
Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Trump made the remarks at a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.
Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.
"But I can say this, we need them for economic security."
Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important for Washington.
Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".
"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters.
Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: "If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.
"Have we entered into an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? Then the answer is yes.
"So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine its future.
However, she stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.
Greenland, which is the largest island in the world but has a population of just 57,000, has wide-ranging autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.
It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.
Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, said most of the people he had spoken to were "shocked" by Trump's suggestion he could use military force to take control of the territory.
While a majority of people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed a partner who could provide public services, defence and an economic foundation, as Denmark did now.
"I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who is dreaming of the island becoming a colony for another outside power like the USA."
Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had sought to "downplay" any confrontation with Trump, "behind the scenes I sense the awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history".
The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a "personal day trip" to talk to people.
He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps.
Russian shelling kills 13 in Zaporizhzhia - Ukraine
At least 13 people have been killed and another 18 injured in Russian shelling in Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials say.
"The Russians cynically attacked the city in the middle of the day," regional head Ivan Fedorov said, adding that two guided aerial bombs hit residential buildings.
Footage has emerged showing one high-rise building ablaze, and a number of vehicles on fire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to put pressure on Russia "for its terror". The Russian military has not commented. President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a video message from outside the bombed site, Fedorov said the Russian shelling began at about 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
He said that two guided bombs struck residential buildings. Earlier he had said "industrial infrastructure" had been targeted.
Graphic images posted online showed first responders treating casualties on the roadside, several vehicles on fire and a stationary tram with its windows shattered.
In one video, at least two minibuses are seen with their windows blown out and what appear to be casualties lying amid rubble and debris on the road.
Zaporizhzhia lies close to the front line.
In a statement later on Wednesday, President Zelensky said that "there is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer".
And appealing to Ukraine's allies for more support, he said "that only through strength can such a war be ended with a lasting peace".
A day of mourning will be declared across the Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.
Israeli military says body of Bedouin hostage found in Gaza
The Israeli military says its troops have found the body of a Bedouin Arab hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as evidence that suggests another may also be dead.
The body of Yousef Zyadna, 53, was recovered from an underground tunnel in the southern Rafah area on Tuesday.
The troops also made what the military described as "findings... which raise serious concerns" for the life of his son, Hamza, 22, who was also abducted by Hamas gunmen during the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Two of Hamza's siblings, Aisha and Bilal, were seized alongside them near the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence that day. But they were among 105 hostages released during a week-long ceasefire that November.
The news about Yousef Zyadna came shortly before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators were "very close" to brokering a new ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.
"I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have," he said, referring to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on 20 January.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Israel says 95 of the hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 34 are presumed dead.
More than 45,930 people have been killed in Gaza during the 15-month war, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala returns home, freed from Iranian jail
An Italian journalist detained in Iran last month has been freed and is on a flight back to Rome, the Italian government says.
Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on 19 December, three days after an Iranian engineer was detained by Italian authorities in Milan on suspicion of supplying drone technology that led to the deaths of US soldiers.
Reports said she had been held in solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.
It is unclear what led to Sala's release, however the news was broken by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's officials who cited "intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels".
In the Italian statement, Meloni thanked "all those who contributed to to making Cecilia's return possible".
She had personally told Sala's parents of her release, it added. Sala's plane had already left Tehran and was due to arrive in Rome at 15:30 (14:30 GMT) on Wednesday, according to Ansa news agency.
Her partner, fellow journalist Daniele Raineri, told Ansa: "I spoke to her and she told me 'I'll see you soon', she was emotional and overjoyed."
Cecilia Sala's detention in prison in Tehran outraged Italians and has dominated headlines since her employer, podcast company Chora Media, broke the news of her arrest on 27 December.
Meloni is understood to have taken personal charge of her case and met US president-elect Donald Trump at the weekend, when the journalist's detention is thought to have been discussed.
Outgoing president Joe Biden is due to visit Rome later this week.
Iran said initially it had detained Sala for "violation of the Islamic Republic's laws", however US state department officials said it could be linked to the arrest of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini at Malpensa airport in Milan on 16 December.
He was arrested on a US warrant and one official told Italian media that Sala was being used as "political leverage".
Mohammad Abedini is due to go before a court in Milan on 15 January, and Tehran has in recent days played down any connection between the two cases.
The head of Italy's foreign intelligence service, Giovanni Caravelli, is said to have travelled to Tehran personally to bring Sala back to Italy.
Her father Renato Sala told Ansa news agency he was proud of her and praised the government for an "exceptional job".
He said he had had the impression that the situation had turned into a "game of chess, but with more than two players".