THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (November 10, 2023): The latest issue features A Beginner’s Guide to Looking at the Universe; What Does the U.S. Space Force Actually Do? – Inside the highly secretive military branch responsible for protecting American interests in a vulnerable new domain; Their Final Wish? A Burial in Space. – Why some people decide to send their remains into orbit.
A stunning advancement in a long history of stargazing, the James Webb telescope reveals light where once we saw only darkness. Our view of the universe will never be the same.
The Globalist Podcast (November 10, 2023) –The latest on the conflict in Gaza and whether Qatar can create stability in the Middle East.
Plus: Myanmar and Russia hold their first joint naval drills, a flick through the day’s papers and Andrew Mueller’s irreverent roundup of the week’s news.
The Economist SPECIAL REPORTS – CHINA’S ARMED FORCES (NOVEMBER 11, 2023): Overestimating China’s armed forces would be dangerous; Unknown soldiers – The People’s Liberation Army is not yet as formidable as the West fears; Rank indifference – China is struggling to recruit enough highly skilled troops; Weapons of woe – From hypersonic missiles to undersea drones, the PLA is making leaps…
Overestimating China’s armed forces would be dangerous, argues Jeremy Page
In 1957 america was gripped by fears of a “missile gap” with the Soviet Union. The Kremlin had stunned the world with a test flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile (icbm) and the launch of Sputnik. An American intelligence report predicted that by 1962, the Soviets could have 500 icbms, outstripping America’s arsenal. When word of that leaked, a political furore erupted. Eyeing the presidency from his Senate seat, John F. Kennedy demanded action to prevent a Soviet “shortcut to world domination”.
The Economist Magazine (November 11, 2023): The latest issue features How Scary is China? – America must understand China’s weaknesses as well as its strengths; The Omnistar is born – How artificial intelligence will transform fame; Giorgia Meloni’s “mother of all reforms” is a power grab – Italians should reject their prime minister’s demagogic proposal, and more….
The Globalist Podcast (November 9, 2023) –European trade unions are refusing to handle Israeli arms, while in the US, the House of Representatives has voted to censure its only Palestinian-American member for her comments on the conflict.
We speak to Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid as protests ramp up over acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s attempts to negotiate with Catalan separatists. Plus: the latest culture news and how Paris’s business district is hoping that students will take over empty office blocks.
The Globalist Podcast (November 8, 2023) –The history of Israel and Palestine’s changing borders with former Gaza correspondent James Rodgers.
Also, France’s self-styling as international peace negotiators and Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, resigns. We also examine how poetry is being weaponised by Russia in Ukraine with the president of Pen Ukraine, Volodymyr Yermolenko.
The Globalist Podcast (November 7, 2023) –Fiona O’Brien, UK bureau director for Reporters Without Borders, explains how the conflict in Israel and Gaza has been the deadliest for journalists.
Also, the US keeps its laser-sharp focus in Southeast Asia, an update on Poland’s future government and the luxury market leaves China for India.
The New Yorker – November 13, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features Kadir Nelson’s “Dumbo” – The artist discusses the seasonal energy of the city, and his sources of inspiration.
On the morning of the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was full of catastrophic confidence. His seventy-three thousand troops were camped on a ridge near a tavern called La Belle Alliance. His nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, occupied a slope across the fields, with a mere sixty-seven thousand troops. Over breakfast, Napoleon predicted, “If my orders are well executed, we will sleep in Brussels this evening.” When his chief of staff offered a word of caution, Napoleon snapped, “Wellington is a bad general and the English are bad troops. The whole affair will not be more serious than swallowing one’s breakfast.”
Some people think that we can’t be held responsible for what we do, given that our actions are the inevitable consequence of the laws of nature. They’re only half right.
The Globalist Podcast (November 6, 2023) –Israel-Hamas conflict tensions flare at Israel’s northern border with Lebanon; the experience of medics working under bombardment in Gaza; a look at the papers with journalist Vincent McAviney; and Joe Biden’s unexpected challenger.
Plus: we look ahead to Cop 28, hear the headlines from the Balkans and find out about a bevy of new K-pop boy bands.
Monocle on Sunday, November 5, 2023– Emma Nelson, Juliet Linley, Oliver Strijbis and Simon Brooke on the weekend’s biggest talking points. We also speak to Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent, Hannah Lucinda Smith.
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