publicity

Greta Thunberg has pushed back on criticism that a Gaza-bound flotilla she is a part of is a publicity stunt, saying no one would imperil themselves purely for attention.

The Swedish activist is aboard one of 52 boats that form the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which is travelling toward Gaza with the aim of delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians there.

Israeli authorities have ridiculed the GSF flotilla and similar seaborne attempts to reach the territory, calling the boat Thunberg travelled on in June a “selfie yacht”.

Asked about these criticisms of the flotilla by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the activist said: “I don’t think anyone would risk their life for a publicity stunt.”

Speaking while sailing off the Greek coast, she said the flotilla was not just a humanitarian mission but was also sending a message to people in Gaza that “when our governments fail to step up, the people will step up”.

International aid agencies have been attempting to get food and medicine into the Palestinian territory – but note Israel is restricting the flow of supplies. Israel claims it is attempting to stop those supplies falling into the hands of Hamas, and has approved a US-backed aid agency.

Last month, a UN-backed body confirmed that there was famine in Gaza and the UN’s humanitarian chief said it was the direct result of Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid entering the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called this an “outright lie”.

Thunberg said the purpose of the flotilla was to “break Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege on Gaza by sea”. The Israeli military has long controlled the waters that border Gaza.

Earlier this month, the flotilla came under attack by drones which dropped unidentified objects onto boats outside the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said.

Another suspected drone attack on Wednesday, off the coast of Crete, led Spain and Italy to deploy naval ships to assist the flotilla.

Addressing the incidents, Thunberg accused Israeli officials of making “baseless threats” that violate international law, and asked: “Why would they attack a peaceful humanitarian mission aiming to bring humanitarian aid to a starving population?”

Israel has not commented on the drone attack, but has previously said it would not let the flotilla reach its destination.

Thunberg and 11 other activists were detained by Israeli authorities in June after they intercepted another boat heading for Gaza with a token amount of aid in the Mediterranean.

She was held in Tel Aviv for a day before being deported to France.

Thunberg accused Israel of illegally kidnapping her and the other activists while they were in international waters. Israel said it had prevented a breach of the maritime blockade around Gaza.

Want to succeed in reality show love? It might be best to keep your public life free of racial slurs.

“Love Island USA” contestant Yulissa Escobar, whose use of the N-word on a couple of podcasts surfaced over the weekend before the show’s rocky premiere Tuesday, was there and then gone in a heartbeat. A mere blip in love-competition TV’s continuum of smokin’ hot contestants.

She used the N-word casually and naturally in conversation, per video posted on Reddit and TMZ. She did not appear to be using it with disparaging intent — but the word is still racist on its face.

“They’re gonna get cancelled so bad and not like I care but they should be protecting them from mass cancellation like this by not casting them in the first place,” one Reddit user said.

Plus, Escobar had been partnered on the show with contestant Ace Greene, who is Black. Here’s how that selection went, according to Vulture: “The last to choose is Yulissa. I get the sense that someone once called her a ‘real firecracker’ and she’s been trying to live up to that ever since. She has clearly been waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble, so she aims her lips directly at Ace and they lock in. This goes on for a while.”

Before “Love Island USA” even premiered, fans and haters on social media were making plans to vote Escobar off as fast as they could. But the show beat them to it.

“Welcome back to ‘Love Island USA,’” narrator Iain Stirling said 18 minutes into the second episode of Season 7, which streamed Wednesday. “Yulissa has left the villa.” No other details were given.

“I can confirm Yulissa has left the villa,” a representative of the show told The Times on Thursday. No other details were given there either.

So viewers are left to connect the dots on their own — but seriously, those are some pretty huge, flashing-neon dots. Nobody needs that kind of attention, right? At least nobody in the reality TV business does.

The process to audition for “Love Island USA” seems fairly intense, with applicants asked off the bat for their social media usernames and quizzed as to whether they have an OnlyFans page or have ever done porn (sorry, they call it “Adult Film”).

The casting company also wants to know whether prospects have ever cheated on anyone, the location and meaning of any tattoos, whether they have any celebrity friends and whether their parents are still together.

There’s also this: “Is there any other information we should be made aware of concerning your application (including anything in your past that may attract negative press or publicity)? If YES, please provide details.”

Looks as if Escobar didn’t think her language was going to elicit negative publicity? But hey, Greene — who does have tattoos! — is now free to find fresh talent from among his remaining cast members.

As for that rocky premiere, “Love Island USA” fans got heated Tuesday when streamer Peacock posted on social media one minute after the planned showtime, “WE GOT A TEXT! Tonight’s episode will be slightly delayed. But it is worth the wait … Stay tuned!”

A full 40 minutes later, Season 7 got underway.