All posts tagged: question

Can the Historical Materialist Be a Woman? On the Woman Question in Walter Benjamin

Can the Historical Materialist Be a Woman? On the Woman Question in Walter Benjamin

Published by Jenni Sidey

Image provided by smith. This year I agreed to be a part of a translation project: alongside two fellow academics, the aim was to translate the fifty-something page Walter Benjamin essay, “Eduard Fuchs, collector and historian.” An issue soon arose concerning whether or not we should change the pronouns—which in the essay is usually “he”—to the gender-neutral “they.” I had initially suggested this change without giving it much thought. Another translator did not agree with my view that this was a relatively harmless change, rather insisting that we ought to maintain the translation of the pronoun as “he,” citing the necessity of “fidelity to the text.” To his mind, if this word was what was on the page, then we had to translate it as literally as possible: a one-to-one match. Translation must be free of interpretation, since interpretation is subjective, and subjectivity is, my colleague seemed to express, a bad word in the world of translation. I thought at the time, and still do, that this seemed a little odd considering how much of …

Zepto’s IPO filing reveals fast growth, bigger losses, and a valuation question nobody’s answered yet

Zepto’s IPO filing reveals fast growth, bigger losses, and a valuation question nobody’s answered yet

Published by skeptic

Indian quick-commerce startup Zepto has unveiled plans for an initial public offering that could be valued at about $1 billion, putting one of Y Combinator’s biggest bets outside the U.S. on the path to public markets. The filing, released Monday, offers a rare look at how one of India’s most closely watched startups plans to sustain its breakneck growth after listing. Zepto’s advertising revenue rose more than 151% year-over-year to ₹16.4 billion (about $171 million) in fiscal 2026, outpacing the company’s 104% increase in operating revenue to ₹115.5 billion (around $2.4 billion). While grocery deliveries remain Zepto’s core business, the faster growth of its advertising arm points to a broader shift in how the startup makes money — a strategy Amazon pioneered, turning its marketplace into one of the world’s most profitable ad businesses by selling visibility to the same merchants competing on its platform. Founded in 2021 by Stanford dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, Zepto has grown into one of India’s fastest-growing startups, competing with Zomato-owned Blinkit and Swiggy’s Instamart in the country’s …

Question Time Audience Member Savages 'Sexist' Reform By-Election Candidate

Question Time Audience Member Savages 'Sexist' Reform By-Election Candidate

Published by Sam Flores

Robert Kenyon was confronted by the woman on Question Time. A BBC Question Time audience member savaged the Reform UK candidate in a crunch by-election over his “sexist” views. Robert Kenyon has been forced to defend social media posts he made before being chosen to stand for the party in Makerfield, Greater Manchester. The plumber wrote that women can’t “ref, drive or give directions” on an online rugby fan forum in the 2010s. He said women presenting rugby games on TV “aren’t up to the job and only there to tick a box”, adding: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.” On the same forum, he also said that women have abortions get them for “vanity purposes” and so they can “shag anyone they want”. In a now-deleted social media post, he also interacted with a message sent on X to former Countdown host Carol Vorderman, which said: “Happy birthday Carol, my God I would love to smell and lick your arsehole.” Kenyon replied: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking,” along with a thumbs up and a …

Putin Sidesteps a Question on Whether or Not He Will Stay in Power Until 2036

Putin Sidesteps a Question on Whether or Not He Will Stay in Power Until 2036

Published by Sam Flores

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 4 (Reuters) – Russian ⁠President ⁠Vladimir Putin on Thursday ⁠sidestepped a question on whether or not he ​would stay in power until 2036, saying that it was too ‌early to talk about the ‌issue and that in any case only God knew ⁠if he ⁠would be healthy enough.  Asked by Reuters at a meeting in ​St. Petersburg with senior editors of news agencies if he would serve until 2036 and whether or not he felt he had ​the stamina and health to serve that long, Putin said: “Only God ⁠knows ⁠if we have enough ⁠health – ​for me, for you, and for everyone gathered here, in order to ​live until tomorrow, ⁠the day after tomorrow, and even more so to solve some of the tasks we face, to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves.” Putin, in power as either president or prime ⁠minister since 1999, said that the constitution allowed him to ⁠run again in 2030 and serve another term until 2036 if he won. “Indeed, the Constitution allows …

Who can carry a kirpan in the UK? Religion, law and the question of risk

Who can carry a kirpan in the UK? Religion, law and the question of risk

Published by Sam Flores

The murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton in December 2025 is a profound tragedy that has left a family grieving and deeply affected the wider community. Any discussion that follows must keep that loss clearly in view. Following Digwa’s conviction and sentencing, Nowak’s father said the family did not want his death “to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to help make our streets safer for everyone.” Local and national Sikh organisations expressed deep sorrow and offered condolences, while unequivocally condemning the killing and stating that Digwa’s actions were “in direct contradiction to Sikh teachings and values” and wholly unrepresentative of Sikhs. In court, the judge noted that Digwa was carrying a kirpan – a ceremonial blade that is typically worn in a small, discreet form – as well as a larger bladed weapon, which was used in the attack. Wider questions have since been raised about religious exemptions. Should Sikhs be allowed to carry kirpans in public? And, given this horrific case, are …

As Israel pushes past the Litani, Lebanese question the purpose of UNIFIL | Israel attacks Lebanon

As Israel pushes past the Litani, Lebanese question the purpose of UNIFIL | Israel attacks Lebanon

Published by Sam Flores

Beirut, Lebanon – The mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends on December 31, 2026, bringing to an end its 48-year peacekeeping role. This week, Israel advanced deeper into Lebanese territory than at any point since it ended a nearly two-decade occupation of the country’s south in 2000. The UN body’s inability to prevent the invasion has led to questions about UNIFIL’s mandate and its effectiveness in keeping the peace. UNIFIL has been attacked by both Israeli and Lebanese actors for various perceived failures. The Israelis often criticise the UN force for failing to disarm Hezbollah or other nonstate armed actors, although Resolution 1701 – the UN mandate for the body in Lebanon – does not stipulate this. Conversely, UNIFIL has also been accused of working against Lebanese armed groups that are fighting Israel. “Israel has long accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent Hezbollah’s military presence and rearmament, while Hezbollah and its supporters have often accused UNIFIL of acting in ways that serve Israeli intelligence and security interests,” Imad Salamey, a …

Iowa’s red state status in question with competitive midterms : NPR

Iowa’s red state status in question with competitive midterms : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Spring Kickoff event May 1, 2026. Stephen Fowler | NPR hide caption toggle caption Stephen Fowler | NPR CLIVE, Iowa — There’s very little Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on these days, but Iowa’s importance to their political futures is one exception. Tuesday’s primary elections will kick off a sprint to November that includes three competitive House races and a Senate race that will help decide control of each chamber of Congress. The open governor’s race is one of a handful in the country that experts say could change hands this fall. Iowa is a state where the institutional strengths and weaknesses of Democrats and Republicans alike are on heightened display in a midterm election year. President Trump faces record-low approval ratings, rising gas prices, an unpopular war in Iran and affordability concerns. His grip on the Republican Party is stronger than ever, with the few remaining Congressional lawmakers that have notably crossed him ousted in recent primaries. The national Democratic …

Question Time’s ‘Genuinely Offensive’ ‘AI Panel’ Did Not Go Down Well With Viewers

Question Time’s ‘Genuinely Offensive’ ‘AI Panel’ Did Not Go Down Well With Viewers

Published by Sam Flores

Fiona Bruce was seen introducing AI-generated guests at the beginning of Thursday night’s Question Time BBC The BBC’s Question Time programme has raised eyebrows over scenes depicting Fiona Bruce sitting among historical figures recreated with generative AI technology. On Thursday night, Question Time aired an artificial intelligence special, which opened with Fiona introducing her guests for the evening, including AI-generated images of former prime minister Winston Churchill and pioneering artist Frida Kahlo. AI renderings of Emmeline Pankhurst and Mahatma Gandhi were also included (a Radio Times article previewing the special also featured Che Guevara on this line-up, though this was ultimately not part of the broadcast). Before the episode aired, a clip of the scene in question was posted on Question Time’s social media accounts, and was quickly met with backlash from viewers who took issue with the BBC for a variety of reasons, not least the ethical questions about recreating dead people’s likeness using AI and the technology’s impact on the environment. During the actual broadcast, Fiona Bruce was quick to point out that …