Category Archives: Politics

Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

Monocle on Saturday, November 4, 2023: Georgina Godwin hosts with Latika Bourke on Anthony Blinken’s visit to Jordan today, the Australian PM Anthony Albanese’s historic visit to China, and the mushroom murder case in Australia that is cripp;ing the world.

Also, Monocle’s Robert Bound speaks to the founder of C2C festival taking place in Turin this weekend, and Honestly Tasty’s co-founder, Michael Moore, proves that vegan can, in fact, be very tasty. 

The New York Times Magazine – Nov 5, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (November 3, 2023): The latest issue features Bariatric Surgery at 16 – If childhood obesity is an ‘epidemic,’ how far should doctors go to treat it?; Some Ukrainians Helped the Russians. Their Neighbors Sought Revenge; The Eternal Life of the ’90s Supermodel -How did a small group of models manage to stay on top for so long?, and more…

Bariatric Surgery at 16

Alexandra and her mother holding hands.

If childhood obesity is an ‘epidemic,’ how far should doctors go to treat it?

By Helen Ouyang

Last fall, Alexandra Duarte, who is now 16, went to see her endocrinologist at Texas Children’s Hospital, outside Houston. From age 10, she had been living with polycystic ovary syndrome and, more recently, prediabetes. After Alexandra described her recent quinceañera, the doctor brought up an operation that might benefit her, one that might help her lose weight and, as a result, improve these obesity-related problems.

Some Ukrainians Helped the Russians. Their Neighbors Sought Revenge.

For people in Bilozerka, the invasion began a cat-and-mouse game of collaboration and resistance.

By James Verini

Andriy Koshelev steered his car into the driveway of his home on Pushkin Street in Bilozerka, a lakeside town in Ukraine’s Kherson region. Leaving the car on, Koshelev got out and walked to the entrance gate. He reached down to loosen the latch. When he pulled it, the gate exploded. Koshelev’s parents, who lived on the same property, rushed outside as acrid smoke filled their driveway and the street. The explosion resounded across town.

News: ‘Forced Exodus’ Of Gazans To Egypt Proposal, Public Trust In Ukraine

The Globalist Podcast (November3, 2023) – Sari Bashi, programme director of Human Rights Watch in West Bank, and journalist Robin Lustin join Georgina Godwin to discuss the leaked Israeli government proposal for Gaza and the new emergency radio station for the territory.

We also examine public trust in the Ukrainian government and why Latin America’s aviation industry is booming. Plus: Andrew Mueller’s wry musings on the past week.

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Nov 4, 2023

Too good to be true: The contradiction at the heart of the world economy

The Economist Magazine (November 2, 2023): The latest issue features The contradiction at the heart of the world economy – Threats abound, including higher-for-longer interest rates; Why Israel must fight on – Unless Hamas’s power is broken, peace will remain out of reach; unless Hamas’s power is broken, peace will remain out of reach; Donald Trump’s tariff plans would inflict grievous damage on America and the world – You may think his worst ideas won’t get far. Sadly, on trade he has been singularly influential…

Too good to be true: The contradiction at the heart of the world economy

The world economy is defying gravity. That cannot last. Threats abound, including higher-for-longer interest rates

Even as wars rage and the geopolitical climate darkens, the world economy has been an irrepressible source of cheer. Only a year ago everyone agreed that high interest rates would soon bring about a recession. Now even the optimists have been confounded. America’s economy roared in the third quarter, growing at a stunning annualised pace of 4.9%. Around the world, inflation is falling, unemployment has mostly stayed low and the big central banks may have stopped their monetary tightening. China, stricken by a property crisis, looks likely to benefit from a modest stimulus. Unfortunately, however, this good cheer cannot last. The foundations for today’s growth look unstable. Peer ahead, and threats abound.

Why Israel must fight on

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is taking a terrible toll. But unless Hamas’s power is broken, peace will remain out of reach

Trade wars: episode II

Donald Trump’s tariff plans would inflict grievous damage on America and the world

You may think his worst ideas won’t get far. Sadly, on trade he has been singularly influential

News: Blinken’s Second Visit To Israel, West Bank Violence, AI Safety Summit

The Globalist Podcast (November 2, 2023) – International Crisis Group’s Palestine analyst, Tahani Mustafa, joins Georgina Godwin to discuss the purpose of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s second visit to Israel and the reported increase in settler violence in the West Bank.

Plus: we explain the biggest challenges addressed at London’s AI Safety Summit and why Switzerland is handing out iodine pills. 

Current Affairs: Prospect Magazine – December 2023

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Prospect Magazine (December 2023) – The latest issue features Oh, the humanities! – History, literature, film studies; I still dream of peace – How Israel might emerge from the Gaza horror, and more…

I still dream of peace

My country will emerge from this horror—and when it does the peacemakers, not the zealots, will reign, writes a former speaker of the Israeli Knesset

By Avraham Burg

The following words were written amid the storm of battle. Planes constantly circling in the sky, the bedroom turned into a shelter, the radio telling of new atrocities, the heart torn with fear as to the fate of missing persons. The days are now devoted to funerals and condolences, and the evenings to guarding our small community. I have participated in many demonstrations against the terrible folly of Benjamin Netanyahu, which found its outcome in the revenge and rage in Gaza on 7th October. Today, I try to be available for acts of support and solidarity with the victims on all sides. This beautiful land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea weeps bitterly, its two communities refusing to be comforted. 

Oh, the humanities!

History, literature, film studies—these subjects expand our understanding and enrich our democracy. They are also under assault

Priyamvada Gopal

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – November 3, 2023

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The Guardian Weekly (November 3, 2023) – The new issue features Bletchley Park, the main center of allied second world war codebreakers, and it’s no coincidence that the English country house was chosen as the venue for this week’s landmark summit on safety in artificial intelligence. The age of AI brings opportunities but also significant risks, as a number of experts in the field outlined in an open letter last week.

Global technology editor Dan Milmo discusses the pros and cons with one of the technology’s leading thinkers, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind, who says the rise of AI must be thought of as seriously as the climate crisis. Then, Observer columnist Sonia Sodha argues that calling for AI to be reined in is not simply a sign of luddism.

As Israeli forces entered Gaza this week, Bethan McKernan and Rory Carroll report for us on the increasingly unbearable nature of life in the besieged enclave, and there’s expert analysis and commentary from Julian BorgerPeter Beaumont and Jason Burke.

News: Gaza Health Crisis, EU President In Balkans, Dutch Arctic Ambassador

The Globalist Podcast (November 1, 2023) – The World Health Organization warns that civilians in Gaza face a looming health crisis, Ursula von der Leyen continues her Balkans tour and we hear from The Netherlands’ ambassador for the Arctic.

Plus: is the future of the pharmacy in jeopardy and how is climate change affecting cheesemakers?

News: Israel-Gaza Assault, Nordic Council Meeting, US-South Korea Air Drills

The Globalist Podcast (October 31, 2023) – As Israel intensifies its attacks on Gaza, we assess the humanitarian situation on the ground.

Also, The Nordic Council meets in Oslo, the US and South Korea begin joint air drills and we speak with the mayor of Tromsø, Gunnar Wilhelmsen. Plus: Portuguese newspaper ‘A Mensagem’ unveils a mural in Lisbon’s port.

Culture & Politics: The Drift Magazine – Fall 2023

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The Drift Magazine – Fall 2023 Issue – Essays on dissidents, ecoterrorists, and mermaids; an interview with Veronica Gago, Dispatches on the future of the Supreme Court; also fiction, poetry, reviews and more…