News: G20 Meeting In Brazil, Burkina Faso-Mali-Niger Create New Alliance

The Globalist (February 21, 2024): G20 foreign ministers gather in Rio de Janeiro as a diplomatic spat engulfs Brazil and Israel. Then: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger juntas confirm their commitment to form a new tri-state confederation, the Philippines conducts joint air patrols with the US and we hear from Portugal’s foreign minister, João Cravinho on Ukraine and Israel.

Plus: the commercial airport set to open on Italy’s Amalfi Coast this summer.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Feb 21, 2024

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U.S. Vetoes Security Council Cease-Fire Resolution

The United States said the resolution could have disrupted its negotiations to free hostages and secure a temporary cease-fire, but its vote drew outcry from many diplomats and aid workers.

Supreme Court Won’t Hear New Case on Race and School Admissions

The decision, along with an order this month declining to block West Point’s admissions program, suggests that most justices are not eager to immediately explore the limits of its ruling from June.

Strongmen Find New Ways to Abuse Interpol, Despite Years of Fixes

The international police organization has toughened oversight of its protocols, which autocrats have used to pursue dissidents. But the autocrats have adapted.

Wife, Protector and Now Political Heir: Yulia Navalnaya Rallies Russians

The wife of Russia’s most famous opposition leader long shunned the spotlight, but his death in prison may make that impossible. “I have no right to give up,” she said.

Culture/Politics: Harper’s Magazine – March 2024

HARPER’S MAGAZINE – MARCH 2024: The new issue features ‘The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Problem’ – How Big Tech is losing the wars of the future…

The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Problem

How Big Tech is losing the wars of the future

Illustrations by Yoshi Sodeoka
Illustrations by Yoshi Sodeoka

by Andrew Cockburn

“Artificial intelligence may indeed affect the way our military operates. But the notion that bright-eyed visionaries from the tech industry are revolutionizing our military machine promotes a myth that this relationship is not only new, but will fundamentally improve our defense system—one notorious for its insatiable appetite for money, poorly performing weapons, and lost wars. In reality, the change flows in the other direction, as new recruits enter the warm embrace of the imperishable military-industrial complex, eager to learn its ways.”

The Case Against Children

Illustrations by María Jesús Contreras

Among the antinatalists

by Elizabeth Barber

“People would rather be enthusiastic collaborators in a global project than be skeptics of its fundamental integrity. Antinatalism implies or counts on our eventual extinction, and thinking this way is painful.”

Home Tours: Mygunya By The Circus In Australia

The Local Project (February 20, 2024) – Located in Fitzroy, Victoria, Mygunya by The Circus by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design is an innovative home filled with character and texture. One of the great characteristics of the family house is how it is split into three separate pavilions and finished with a soft connection of glass between them.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Innovative Home 00:55 – The Original Integrated Brief and the Inspiration 01:44 – Behind the Brick Selection 02:34 – A Focus on the Landscaping 02:58 – The Material Palette and Key Features 04:07 – The Layout of the Home 05:19 – A Great Collaboration

The built connections bring in a wealth of natural light while also playing off the textures of the external materials, which are also used inside the house to add extra detail and idiosyncrasy that makes the family house what it is. Situated just across the road from Edinburgh Gardens, Mygunya by The Circus is in a heritage area that features a lot of Victorian and Edwardian buildings. After being approached by the clients, who had just bought the house, the team was given a brief that requested a contemporary home for a large family.

In answer to this, they increased the bedroom sizes and opened the architecture of the home to better integrate the interior spaces with the garden. In the conceptualization of the residence, Matt Gibson Architecture + Design revised three distinct pavilions that would come together as one innovative structure. The first pavilion is the original heritage Victorian-era home, while the second is the new contemporary building in cream brick by Brickworks and the third pavilion – to the west side – holds a north-facing family room and a series of individual gardens.

News: Israel Sets Rafah Invasion Date, Russia’s Lavrov Tours Venezuela

The Globalist (February 20, 2024): Israel’s war cabinet sets a date for the ground invasion of Rafah, while Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, continues his Latin American tour in Venezuela. Sweden’s defence minister, Pål Jonson, tells us about his country’s path to Nato.

Plus: the EU’s mission to protect vessels against Houthi attacks, turmoil at Austrian property company Signa and a round-up of fashion news.

The New York Times — Tuesday, February 20, 2024

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Navalny’s Widow Pledges to Carry On Opposition Leader’s Work

The sudden death of Aleksei Navalny left a vacuum in Russia’s opposition. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, signaled that she would try to fill the void.

Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words

Trump. Indian food. Matthew Perry. And books, books, books. Excerpts from letters obtained by The Times show Mr. Navalny’s active mind, even amid brutal prison conditions.

The $2.8 Billion Hole in U.S. Sanctions on Iran


A Times investigation reveals how lax government oversight allowed shadowy oil tankers, covered by American insurance, to fund Iran’s regime.

Winter Sports: The World Of Young USA Ski Jumpers

NOWNESS (February 19, 2024): A historically niche sport, predominantly known in an Olympic context, ski jumping has gone through waves of popularity in the U.S.

Yet, while huge grassroots communities foster the development of a new generation of young ski jumpers, the sport is at a critical point in its lifecycle – with no college programs, limited spots at international level, and a recent reduction in Olympics categories

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Feb 26, 2024

People enjoy a variety of winter activities like skating sledding and skiing.

The New Yorker (February 19, 2024): The new issue‘s cover features Marcellus Hall’s “Winter Wonders” – The artist depicts an array of invigorating, comforting, and delightful cold-weather activities.

Legal Weed in New York Was Going to Be a Revolution. What Happened?

A cannabis leaf growing roots into buildings and piles of paper.

Lawsuits. Unlicensed dispensaries. Corporations pushing to get in. The messy rollout of a law that has tried to deliver social justice with marijuana.

Matt Gaetz’s Chaos Agenda

Matt Gaetz photographed by Mark Peterson  Redux for The New Yorker.

The Florida Republican is among the most brazen and controversial figures in Donald Trump’s G.O.P. He’s also among the most influential.

By Dexter Filkins

Representative Matt Gaetz arrived at the White House in the last days of 2020, amid a gathering national crisis. President Donald Trump had lost his bid for reëlection the previous month, and his allies were exploring strategies to keep him in office. Though only thirty-eight years old, Gaetz, the scion of a political family in Florida’s Panhandle, had become one of the Republican Party’s most prominent and divisive figures. His dark hair styled in a kind of bouffant, his lips often curled in a wry smile, Gaetz bore a resemblance to Elvis Presley, or, in the description of a Florida friend, “either Beavis or Butt-head.” He was quick-witted and sometimes very funny, and he loved to taunt his enemies, who were numerous, especially in his own party. “He’s the most unpopular member of Congress, with the possible exception of Marjorie Taylor Greene, and he doesn’t care,” a fellow-congressman told me. 

News: Japan Support For Ukraine, Greece Prime Minister In Munich

The Globalist (February 19, 2024): We discuss the latest from the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction, and Andrew Mueller sits down with Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at the Munich Security Conference as it becomes the first Orthodox-Christian nation to legalise same-sex marriage. Plus: TV highlights with critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan.

The New York Times — Monday, February 19, 2024

The Death Throes of a Ukrainian City

Toward the end of Russia’s long assault, hundreds of civilians still remained in Avdiivka. Those who escaped in the last weeks spoke of relentless devastation.

A Family Ranch, Swallowed Up in the Madness of the Border

Desperate migrants. Cartel violence. It’s all happening in the Chiltons’ backyard.

In New York, the Trump Brand Is Costing Some Condo Owners

When Donald J. Trump became president, condominiums in buildings emblazoned with his name began selling for less, according to an analysis.