Research Preview: Science Magazine -January 12, 2024

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Science Magazine – January 11, 2024: The new issue features ‘Lost City’ – Ancient development in the Upper Amazon; What SARS-CoV-2’s mild cousins reveal about Covid-19; Specifying laws of friction and a Continued decline in sharks despite regulation…

The hottest year was even hotter than expected

Greenhouse gases, El Niño, and cleaner air fueled record heat in 2023

Tectonic plate under Tibet may be splitting in two

Peeled-apart Indian Plate could be affecting earthquake hazards

Defending Taiwan: Guam Is Key To America’s Strategy

The Economist (January 11, 2024) – Guam, an island in the northern Pacific, is just 48km long and has a population of about 170,000. So why is it so important to America’s strategy to defend Taiwan from a potential Chinese invasion?

Video timeline: 00:00 – Where is Guam? 00:13 – Why is it so important? 01:00 – What makes it vulnerable?

Extreme Sports: 360° Views Of Cliff Diving In Mexico

Red Bull Cliff Diving (January 11, 2024) – Immerse yourself in extreme water sports with breathtaking VR and mixed reality experiences and learn how Red Bull athletes experience their high-performance sport.

Award winning virtual reality filmmaker Jonathan Griffith was commissioned by Meta Quest and Red Bull to film a groundbreaking 360 VR documentary about high diving, following Mexican Olympian and Red Bull athlete Jonathan Paredes during his 2022 Red Bull Cliff Diving Season in stunning and iconic locations from the Cenotes of the Yucatan to places like Paris, Mostar, Sisikon, Polignano and Sydney.

This exhibition is unique in the world and can only be seen in Lucerne (CH) for the next two years. Thanks to a cooperation with Meta Quest, one of its VR highlights will also be available around the world.

#redbullcliffdiving #cliffdiving #redbull

Elton John’s ‘Exuberant Art’ Collection In Atlanta

Christie’s (January 11, 2024) – The Rocket Man singer and his husband, David Furnish, discuss the Peachtree Road residence where the pop legend became a ‘serious collector’ of exuberant art and objects.

In 1991 when Sir Elton John bought a duplex-apartment at Park Place on Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s coveted Buckhead neighbourhood, he couldn’t have imagined the extent to which the city would transform him personally and professionally.

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Politics: The Guardian Weekly – January 11, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (January 10, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Middle East on the brink’ – The threat of a regional war. Also, Inside the Post Office Horizon IT scandal…

The assassination of a Hamas chief in Lebanon. A terror attack on mourners of an Iranian former general. Commercial shipping in the Red Sea targeted by Yemeni rebels, and a US airstrike in Iraq. All were separate events in the Middle East last week but all were linked, in one way or another, to the presence of autonomous but Iranian-backed militia forces in the region.

When asked to visualise the threat of war engulfing the Middle East, for this week’s cover, illustrator Carl Godfrey took a literal approach. “I wanted to convey the tense and unpredictable situation,” says Carl, “and there’s nothing more tense than looking down the barrel of a gun. Especially when those barrels are pointing in all directions, and the risk of war is expanding in all directions.”

News: The South Africa Genocide Case Against Israel, Taiwan Elections

The Globalist Podcast (January 11, 2024) Assessing the possibility of the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to halt its campaign in Gaza.

Plus: Taiwan’s all-important election this weekend, Poland’s political meltdown and the latest business news.

The New York Times — Thursday, January 11, 2024

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At World Court, Israel to Confront Accusations of Genocide

The Peace Palace which houses the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. South Africa has brought a case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and is asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks.

Israel has categorically rejected the allegations being brought this week in the International Court of Justice by South Africa.

The Day Hamas Came

No Israeli town suffered more bloodshed than Be’eri in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

Trump Is Connecting With a Different Type of Evangelical Voter

They are not just the churchgoing, conservative activists who once dominated the G.O.P.

Trump’s Argument for Immunity in 2024 Is the Opposite of His Stance in 2021

During his second impeachment trial, the former president argued that criminal prosecution was a more appropriate way to seek accountability since he had left office.