CNBC International (August 30, 2023) – China has invested heavily in Europe, particularly in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008 when the region was strapped for cash. This means that Chinese firms are now shareholders in many key European infrastructure projects.
These include ports, wind and solar farms, telecommunications, airports – the list goes on. But there are growing fears that Beijing could use its strategic investments to further its own political ambitions. A recent dispute between the Baltic nation of Lithuania and Beijing shed light on potential reactions from China.
It’s led European governments to step up their scrutiny of Chinese investments and attempt to figure out how to redesign their relationship with Beijing. Dr Yu Jie from Chatham House told CNBC that we’re going to see more frictions regarding Chinese investment in Europe looking ahead.
The Guardian Weekly (September 1, 2023) – The issue features Prigozhin’s downfall – What next for Putin, Russia and Wagner?; Zadie Smith returns to the streets of London; Protecting the Arctic Sea, and more…
Andrew Roth explores what the legacy of the Wagner warlord might be for Russia – which may well hinge on Putin himself and how the war in Ukraine turns out.
Pjotr Sauer looks at the array of methods used to dispose of Putin’s political enemies in the past, while Dino Mahtani asks what will happen to Wagner group’s clandestine operations in Africa now its enigmatic boss is no longer in the picture.
In Spotlight, a beautiful photo-essay by Ossie Michelin and Eldred Allen transports us to the Canadian Arctic where, amid alarming signs of warmer winters and receding ice, Inuit people are planning to turn 15,000 sq km of the Labrador Sea into a unique conservation zone.
BicycleDutch Films (August 29, 2023) – A bicycle tour in Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle in Lapland, Finland, after an 11-hour night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, also known as the Santa Claus Express.
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, in northern Finland. Almost totally destroyed during World War II, today it’s a modern city known for being the “official” home town of Santa Claus, and for viewing the Northern Lights. It’s home to Arktikum, a museum and science center exploring the Arctic region and the history of Finnish Lapland. The Science Centre Pilke features interactive exhibits on northern forests.
Times Literary Supplement (September 1, 2023): The extraordinary story of the OED; Shakespeare quotations for everyday life; Benjamín Labatut’s infernal vision; histories of learning and forgetting; rules for reviewers– and much more
The Globalist Podcast (August 30, 2023) – We discuss Imran Khan’s suspended conviction and rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Fukushima’s wastewater.
Plus: our Washington correspondent, Chris Cermak, flicks through the day’s papers and we look ahead to Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Munich.
The price negotiation program, established by Democrats as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, is projected to save the government tens of billions of dollars in the coming years.
An Air Force program shows how the Pentagon is starting to embrace the potential of a rapidly emerging technology, with far-reaching implications for war-fighting tactics, military culture and the defense industry.
China’s Economic Outlook: Pep Talks Up Top, Gloom on the Ground
Beijing has characterized concerns about the economic slowdown as being inflated by Western critics. Widespread anxiety and pessimism paint a different picture.
After Losing Their Homes, Lahaina Parents Try to Save Their School Community
Nearly 60 percent of Lahaina students haven’t enrolled in classes after the deadly fire, and families are yearning to rebuild their school network for educational and emotional support.
Architectural Digest (August 29, 2023) – Today AD travels to the rugged shores of Malibu, California to tour Sandcastle House, the remarkable family home of architect Harry Gesner. This stunning property was born from a promise to Gesner’s wife to build her dream house on the shores of Malibu.
This one-of-a-kind home is made almost entirely from reclaimed materials salvaged from surrounding areas and inspired by the structural design of a sandcastle. But what makes Sandcastle House so special is Gesner built it with his own two hands for his family, making it a true labor of love.
Apollo Magazine– September 2023 issue: Wrestling with Michelangelo at the Albertina; The Musée des Arts Décoratifs gets modern; An interview with Sarah Lucas and The Norman conquest of the European imagination.
Little Big World (August 29, 2023) – Qatar is a small country in the Middle East and received a lot of international attention by hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
“I was invited by Visit Qatar to explore what Qatar has to offer beyond football. After two amazing and very hot weeks of shooting, I have condensed hours of footage into a bite sized film with less than 3 minutes that you might hopefully enjoy. Check out stunning desert landscapes, breathtaking art installations, amazing beaches, oriental markets and a vibrant and futuristic urban capital.”
A time-lapse & tilt-shift & aerial video by Joerg Daiber
Nature on PBS (August 29, 2023) – NATURE returns for its 42nd Season, featuring a brand-new Spy in the Ocean miniseries, alongside documentaries on grizzlies, whales, shorebirds and ancient sea monsters.
THE PLATYPUS GUARDIAN | Wednesday, October 18
Witness the story of an extraordinary man and a mysterious animal living on an island at the end of the world…Tasmania. Pete Walsh is a Tasmanian with no background in natural history, yet he’s become obsessed with one of nature’s least understood creatures, the platypus. Before it is too late, Pete is on a mission to observe and understand these animals and save them from urban development in the capital city of Hobart. Pete befriends one particular female platypus he names Zoom. She lets him into her secretive world and Pete learns more about the life of this enigmatic species, capturing unique footage of their behavior.
SPY IN THE OCEAN (4-part special) | Wednesdays, October 25 – November 15
The latest installment of the popular Spy in the Wild series takes place in the ocean, the largest ecosystem on Earth. This four-part Nature miniseries deploys animatronic spy cameras disguised as marine animals to secretly record behavior in the wild. These uncanny robotic look-alikes take us to places where no spy has gone before. They will swim, float, paddle, waddle, drift and fly into every nook and cranny to film rarely seen behavior that reveals how ocean animals possess emotions and behavior similar to humans – including the capacity to love, grieve, deceive and invent.
BIG LITTLE JOURNEYS (3-part special) | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
Small animals, even tiny ones, must sometimes make epic journeys to find a home or a mate. While the distances may not seem monumental to us, to these little creatures the journey is monumental. Grasses appear like skyscrapers, mounds become mountains and raindrops fall as big as cars. Meet six heroic, tiny travelers risking it all to complete big journeys against the odds.
The most famous bear in Yellowstone is responsible for 22 descendants. Grizzly 399 has become a symbol of the clash between humans and the wild, as well as a measure of success for her species as it creeps back from the brink of extinction. Now, the stakes are higher than ever as the State of Wyoming petitions the federal government to remove grizzlies from the endangered species list—which would make it legal to hunt bears for recreation. But 399 is far more than just a symbol, she’s the protagonist of a riveting story full of twists and turns, hope and heartbreak.
ATTENBOROUGH AND THE JURASSIC SEA MONSTER | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
Sir David Attenborough unearths a once in a lifetime discovery: the fossil of a giant Pliosaur, the largest Jurassic predator ever known. Follow a team of forensic experts on a perilous expedition to excavate the skull, uncover the predatory secrets lying deep inside the fossil, and unlock clues about the life of this giant sea beast.
PATRICK AND THE WHALE | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
For years, Patrick Dykstra has traveled the globe following and diving with whales, learning how whales see, hear and perceive other creatures in the water. In Dominica, Patrick has a life changing experience – a close encounter with a sperm whale he names “Delores.” Witness Patrick and the whale attempt to communicate with each other in extraordinary footage never before seen.
RAPTORS: A FISTFUL OF DAGGERS (two-part series; working title) | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
The planet’s most successful large predators are a group of birds known as raptors. United by a hooked beak, a taste for flesh and a set of razor-sharp talons, these birds of prey have conquered the globe. Raptors dominate every habitat in which they live. Learn more about eagles, hawks, and falcons as well as the lesser-known hunters like the secretary bird, the caracara, kites and more.
Ukrainian YouTuber Anton Ptushkin documents the work that Ukrainian citizens have done to rescue and care for the pets and zoo animals abandoned during the war. Before the invasion in February 2022, Ukraine had the second-highest population of pets per capita in the world. In the face of violence, pets and their owners became symbols of resistance, heroes and frontline volunteers. See how a national tragedy transformed into a global story of incredible devotion and love.
Shorebirds fly thousands of miles each year along ancient and largely unknown migratory routes called Flyways. Species travel from feeding grounds in the southern hemisphere to breeding grounds in the Arctic regions and back again, flying up to nine days non-stop without food or water. But their populations are crashing. Follow a conservation movement of bird-loving experts and citizen scientists as they mobilize to the challenge of understanding and saving shorebirds.
Gabon’s Loango National Park is home to a group of western lowland gorillas that have become accustomed to biologists who have studied them for almost 20 years. This documentary presents an intimate look at a silverback and his family, and features a newborn baby gorilla, brave researchers, forest elephants, buffalos and the last remaining wild coastline in the African tropics.
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