The Economist Magazine – January 6, 2024 Preview

Image

The Economist Magazine (January 4, 2024): The latest issue features ‘The man supposed to stop Donald Trump is an unpopular 81-year-old; Israel-Hizbullah – Can war be avoided?; The stakes in Taiwan’s election; An interview with Volodymyr Zelensky; The surge in AI nationalism…

The man supposed to stop Donald Trump is an unpopular 81-year-old

In failing to look past Joe Biden, Democrats have shown cowardice and complacency

Binyamin Netanyahu is botching the war. Time to sack him

To be safe, Israel needs new leadership


Another war could break out on the Israel-Lebanon border

Israeli officials see Hizbullah as an unacceptable threat

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – January 5, 2024

Image

The Guardian Weekly (January 4, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Make or Break 2024’ – The biggest election year in history.

About 2 billion people have the opportunity to cast their ballots in polls that span the globe from the United States to Taiwan, and India to Mexico in 2024. The outcomes, as our analysts and correspondents explain in our big story, have implications for us all.

Washington bureau chief David Smith looks at the likely rerun of 2020’s Biden v Trump contest in November and explores what has changed and what has not in the US as the old adversaries square up. It is an almost foregone conclusion that Narendra Modi will be back for a third term as Indian prime minster, reports Hannah Ellis-Petersen from Delhi where analysts fear his victory will further imperil the country’s Muslim minority. And while Vladimir Putin will certainly continue as president in Russia, Pjotr Sauer explains why the man about to become fifth-time president might allow other candidates onto the ballot list. From Taiwan’s poll on 13 January to the 27-state European elections in June, how citizens vote will influence the geopolitical landscape for us all, while the conduct of campaigns will reveal how vulnerable democracies now are to misinformation and cyber interference from malign actors.

News: Bomb Blasts In Iran Kill 84, U.S. Reopens Mexico Border To 2024 Crossings

The Globalist Podcast (January 4, 2024) – The latest on Iran following the cancellation of president Ebrahim Raisi’s trip to Turkey and discuss the US decision to reopen border crossings with Mexico.

Plus: the release of the explosive Epstein papers and business news with economist Vicky Pryce.

The New York Times — Thursday, January 4, 2024

Image

Leader’s Killing Is a Blow, but Not a Knockout, for Hamas

Workers spray water in front of a damaged building.

The killing of Saleh al-Arouri, a key Hamas strategist, in Lebanon sets the organization back at a vulnerable time. The group has rebuilt after the assassination of other leaders, though.

Bombing in Iran Kills Over 100, Sowing Confusion and Speculation

No one claimed responsibility for the bombing at a memorial for Qassim Suleimani, the top commander killed by a U.S. drone strike four years ago.

Strawberry Case Study: What if Farmers Had to Pay for Water?

With aquifers nationwide in dangerous decline, one part of California has tried essentially taxing groundwater. New research shows it’s working.

‘It’s State Propaganda’: Ukrainians Shun TV News as War Drags on

A government-approved news program intended to counter Russian disinformation and boost morale is coming under criticism for painting a rosy picture of the war.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine January 4, 2024

Volume 625 Issue 7993

Nature Magazine – January 3, 2024: The latest issue cover features  an artist’s impression of a massive young star in the process of forming.

US nuclear-fusion lab enters new era: achieving ‘ignition’ over and over

NIF beamlines entering the lower hemisphere of the NIF Target Chamber, as seen from the ground floor of the Target Bay.

Researchers at the National Ignition Facility are consistently creating reactions that make more energy than they consume.

By Jeff Tollefson

In December 2022, after more than a decade of effort and frustration, scientists at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) announced that they had set a world record by producing a fusion reaction that released more energy than it consumed — a phenomenon known as ignition. They have now proved that the feat was no accident by replicating it again and again, and the administration of US President Joe Biden is looking to build on this success by establishing a trio of US research centres to help advance the science.

DeepMind AI outdoes human mathematicians on unsolved problem

A player holds a hand of Set game cards over a green table.

Large language model improves on efforts to solve combinatorics problems inspired by the card game Set.

Davide Castelvecchi

The card game Set has long inspired mathematicians to create interesting problems.

Now, a technique based on large language models (LLMs) is showing that artificial intelligence (AI) can help mathematicians to generate new solutions.

Fine Art: The Burlington Magazine – January 2024

Image

The Burlington Magazine – January 3, 2024: The new issue features ‘The Golden Age of Avignon’ – Avignon as ‘New Rome’; Rubens and women; Tiepolo in New York; Gertrude Stein and Picasso, and more….

China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta

A vivid photograph of a lotus pond ushers visitors into this ambitious exhibition on the arts and culture of Jiangnan. Lying to the south of the Yangtze – its name literally means ‘south of the river’ – this part of China includes such major cities as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. Curated by Clarissa von Spee, Chair of Asian Art and the James and Donna Reid Curator of Chinese Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), this is the first exhibition outside China to present an encyclopaedic view of the cultural history of this historically affluent region. 

The Walpole Society

Ever since the Walpole Society was founded in London in 1911 ‘with the object of promoting the study of the history of British art’, The Burlington Magazine has taken a close interest in an organisation with aims and principles so close to our own: this is the sixth Editorial we have devoted to the subject. The first, written by the art historian August F. Jaccaci, who edited the Magazine’s ‘Art in America’ section, appeared in 1913 on the occasion of the publication of the first of the annual volumes that are the society’s raison d’être.

Classical Music: Top New Releases – January 2024

Brilliant Classics (January 3, 2024): New classical music from Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Liszt, Adriana, Shostakovich and more…

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Jan 5, 2024

Image

Times Literary Supplement (January 3, 2024): The latest issue features ‘The Lady Vanishes’ – Muireann Maguire on a revival of classic crime fiction; What next for Julian Assange; David Hockney’s drawings; Dreaming up 007; The science of belonging and more…

The New York Times — Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Image

Top Hamas Official Is Killed in Lebanon as Fears Grow of a Wider War

People search for survivors following a strike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday.

The Israeli government would not comment on the death of Saleh al-Arouri. But a U.S. official said to expect Israel to assassinate Hamas officials “for years.”

The Twin Fronts in the Battle Over Israel’s Identity

The Israeli Supreme Court in September last year. Its decision on Monday displayed anew the cultural war at the heart of the country’s politics.

Monday’s court ruling joined the war in Gaza in a widening crisis over what kind of state Israel will be.

A ‘Miracle’: Plane Erupts in Flames Landing in Tokyo, but All Aboard Survive

Japan Airlines said all 367 passengers and 12 crew members had safely, evacuated the jet. But five crew members on a Japanese Coast Guard plane that collided with it were killed.

Harvard President Resigns After Mounting Plagiarism Accusations

Claudine Gay faced backlash over the university’s response to antisemitism on campus, which led to increased scrutiny of her academic record.