Throughout the complicated and often contradictory cultural milieu that shaped turn-of-the-century Vienna—which included Jewish and non-Jewish artistic patrons who were both friends and combatants, Jewish and non-Jewish artists who were supported by these clients, and the rhetoric surrounding the Secession’s goût juif—Kokoschka, Oppenheimer, and Schiele began to include esoteric hand gestures in their various portraits, including self-portraits (see figs. 3–5, 8–10, 13–17). Deciphering the “secret” language of these signs is the primary aim of this study, in which I argue that the three Expressionists were creating images that incorporated Jewish and Masonic hand gestures in order to “speak” a language of exclusivity, and thus modernity. In so doing, meaning was thus visually communicable between themselves and their sitters, as well as to erudite viewers who were cognizant of these historic “gang signs.” This contention suggests, moreover, that Kokoschka, Oppenheimer, and Schiele had developed a niche lexicon of signs by 1910 based on two separate, yet interconnected, concepts: the mysteries encoded in the gestures of the Freemasons; and an awareness that “talking with one’s hands”—as discussed, for example, by the Austrian-Jewish writer Elisabeth Freundlich (1906–2001)—persisted as a cultural stereotype of Jews in fin-de-siècle Vienna.[15] Importantly, the Expressionists laid claim to these Jewish and Masonic gestures at a moment when the search for “greater truths” was key to their avant-garde agendas, and when Kraus—for better or for worse—had already associated the Secession-led art market with a “Jewish taste.”
[…]
The present essay endeavors to specifically demonstrate that each of these artists (though, as I will show, Oppenheimer and Schiele were more prolific in this arena than Kokoschka) worked in tandem to create an expressive language that iconographically referenced two very specific hand gestures. The first drew upon the Jewish symbology of the Nesi’at Kapayim, or “raising of the hands,” which is still enacted today as part of the Aaronic priestly blessing known as the Birkat Kohanim (ברכת כהנים in Hebrew; see fig. 6). During this benediction, a Kohen (or Jewish priest) invokes the Hebrew letter Shin (ש) by forming his or her fingers into the telltale “W” sign (the thumb serves as one side of the letter), thus drawing a visual reference to the Hebraic word for Shaddai, or “God Almighty.” The second gesture—the Masonic upside-down “M” sign, which also resembles the Shin—was historically used by secular and religious Freemasons to show members that they too were part of the secret fraternity (fig. 7). The “M” gesture, in turn, conceivably developed from the Kabbalah—the ancient source of Judaic mysticism and esoteric teachings—given that the origins and “secrets” of Freemasonry were already connected to Judaism by the time the society was officially formed in the eighteenth century.[17]
The unseen letters to Epstein, Ghislaine and Andrew from the man who published Lolita
I came across them during my research for my biography of the British publisher George Weidenfeld. These letters are not part of the files released by the US Congress or Department of Justice, but were included in Weidenfeld’s private archive.
I was already aware of a connection between Epstein and George Weidenfeld. The Boeing 757 that Epstein used to traffic underage girls to his Caribbean island was nicknamed by the locals as the “Lolita Express”. It was a reference to the novel by Vladimir Nabokov about a professor who minimises the repeated rape and sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. In 1959, this book, Lolita, was famously published in the UK – overturning a government ban in the process – by George Weidenfeld.
The first letters I found in George’s archives involved Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years in prison for helping sex offender and billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse teenage girls.
The last stand of Hegemony: Venezuela and the New Global Resistance
Under Nicolás Maduro, the hostility hardened further. Washington responded to Venezuela’s internal political crisis with crippling economic sanctions, asset seizures, and diplomatic isolation. The attempt to install Juan Guaidó as a “parallel president” was perhaps the most extravagant intervention of the century—a strategy that collapsed spectacularly as the world refused to accept what became a geopolitical fiction. These episodes are not isolated. They form a continuous arc of confrontation stretching from the late 1990s to the present, an arc that shapes how any potential U.S. military action must be understood today.
In this context, Russia and China have become central actors. Russia’s involvement is direct and strategic. Moscow sees Venezuela as a key outpost in its global contest with U.S. dominance. Over the past decade, it has expanded military cooperation, supplied advanced air-defence systems, trained Venezuelan officers, and signalled repeatedly that it will not allow a rerun of Iraq or Libya on its geopolitical perimeter. In the event of an attack, Russia would not need to deploy troops to meaningfully alter the balance; its intelligence, cyber capabilities, defence technologies and diplomatic weight would dramatically raise the cost of any U.S. assault.
China, though less dramatic in tone, is just as indispensable. Beijing has poured billions into Venezuelan energy, infrastructure, and long-term credit lines. It has consistently rejected sanctions and opposed external interference, grounding its approach in sovereignty and economic stability. If the U.S. attacked, China would respond by ensuring Venezuela’s economic survival: expanding credit lines, buying oil regardless of sanctions, and blocking any Western attempt to legitimise military action at the United Nations. Beijing’s calculus is simple. Allowing a violent overthrow in Venezuela would set a precedent that could later be used against its other partners—and eventually against itself.
But perhaps the most striking change lies not in Eurasia, but in Latin America itself. The region has moved into a new era marked by sovereignty, cooperation, and an instinctive rejection of U.S. militarism. Even countries that disagree with Maduro on ideology or governance oppose any form of foreign military intervention. The era in which Washington could rely on neighbouring states to serve as logistical platforms or political cover is over.
Colombia is the clearest example. Once the centre of U.S. security operations, Colombia under President Gustavo Petro has undergone a profound transformation. Petro has rebuilt relations with Caracas, embraced diplomacy over militarised counterinsurgency, and rejected the U.S.’s punitive drug war model.
Russia bans Human Rights Watch in widening crackdown on critics
The decision by the Russian prosecutor general’s office is the latest move in a crackdown on Kremlin critics, journalists and activists, which has intensified since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a separate statement on Friday, the office said it was opening a case against Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot that would designate the group as an “extremist” organisation.
Separately, Russia’s Supreme Court designated on Thursday the Anti-Corruption Foundation set up by the late opposition activist Alexey Navalny as a “terrorist” group.
Leak of Afghan Data in the UK: Whistleblower Reveals Ignored Warnings
The committee announced on Friday, November 28, 2025, that “Person A,” whose identity has not been disclosed, warned British officials after the data breach but was subsequently confronted with an emergency court order prohibiting him from speaking about or confirming the issue in any form.
Person A explained that in 2021, during the fall of Kabul, he participated in assisting former Afghan security personnel and their families, initially in administrative tasks and later in processing cases across a wide network of units.
He said the breach became evident when a family under his care came across sensitive information about themselves on Facebook anonymously.
Gen Zers have taken on their governments. From around the world, they tell us why.
Gen Zers feel their future is slipping away from them.
They are playing the game of academic achievement, but where are the well-paying jobs they were promised? Meanwhile, as they work two jobs or wake up at 3 a.m. simply to get a good seat in overcrowded university classes, social media offers a steady stream of Instagram-perfect lives – the privileged living in luxury. So Gen Z has used the internet to fight back.
The revolution has come with plentiful brushstrokes of youth, from the use of a gaming platform to organize to the ubiquitous symbol of the movement – a Jolly Roger flag taken from a popular Japanese comic. Some protesters needed their parents’ permission to participate.
Yet what is perhaps most extraordinary about the Gen Z protests worldwide, experts say, is their unprecedented interconnection. A global generation has spawned a global movement.
David Clark of Binghamton University has studied protest movements for years. This is the first time he’s seen so many protests refer to one another. With hashtags, movements are creating chain reactions.
The US Secretary of War accused the media of incitement
On Friday, the Washington Post newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that Hegset ordered “everyone to be killed” during the US strikes on drug traffickers off the coast of Venezuela, and therefore, during the first strike on September 2, the commanders were ordered to launch a second strike to kill the survivors.
‘Not a denial’: Experts say Trump’s Pentagon chief could be prosecuted for ‘war crimes’
“If the reports are true, then a war crime was committed,” Lieu posted to X. “Also, there is generally no statute of limitations for war crimes.”
“The United States Armed Forces and [United States Southern Command] are not your sicarios,” tweeted Adam Isacson, who is the director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America. “You can’t just order them to carry out illegal hits on noncombatants and kill survivors. Issue all the secret memos you want, granting immunity through legal contortions. These are still crimes, and won’t stand.”
Hegseth’s defense of the attack on alleged drug traffickers came on the same day that President Donald Trump announced he was pardoning former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking. Hernández was convicted of conspiring to traffic 400 tons of cocaine into the United States.
6,000 Airbus Jets Grounded, Because Nobody Tested for the Sun
At usual cruising altitudes (35,000-40,000 feet), an aircraft operates with roughly 100 to 300 times the cosmic ray and solar particle flux we experience at ground level. The Earth’s atmosphere shields from this radiation, so commercial aviation loses a significant portion of protection.
During a solar flare, the sun ejects high-energy protons that travel at nearly the speed of light. When these particles (or the secondary neutrons created when they collide with atmospheric molecules) pass through a semiconductor, they can deposit enough electrical charge to flip a bit in memory or logic circuits (0 becomes a 1, or vice versa). This is a known phenomenon called the Single Event Upset (SEU).
The Airbus advisory traces the exact vulnerability to their ELAC B (Elevator Aileron Computer) hardware running software version L104, the upgrade from L103. Flight control computers process sensor inputs and compute control surface positions many times per second. When a bit flip corrupts a value mid-calculation, such as an elevator deflection command, the output can be wrong without any error-checks.
Miss Universe owners face fraud and trafficking allegations
Arrest warrant issued for missing Thai mogul Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, as co-owner investigated in Mexico.
The Miss Universe competition has been overshadowed by legal drama as its owners face charges of fraud in Thailand and an investigation into drugs and weapons trafficking in Mexico just days after the latest pageant concluded.
The Miss Universe Pageant, which once belonged to United States President Donald Trump, has been owned by Thai mogul Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip and her company, JKN Global, since 2022.