Sunday Morning: Stories From Zurich And London
Sunday, January 15, 2023 – Our weekend programme comes live from Monocle’s radio studio in Zürich, where Tyler Brûlé and a panel of special-guest thought leaders discuss key topics in front of a studio audience.
Front Page: The New York Times – January 15, 2023
Santos’s Lies Were Known to Some Well-Connected Republicans
George Santos inspired no shortage of suspicion during his 2022 campaign, including in the upper echelons of his own party, yet many Republicans looked the other way.
Documents Inquiry Puts Spotlight on Biden’s Frenetic Last Days as Vice President
The special counsel will have to reconstruct how a small number of classified documents made it to Mr. Biden’s home in Delaware and a private office in Washington.
Ecuador Tried to Curb Drilling and Protect the Amazon. The Opposite Happened.
A novel idea to leave the country’s vast oil reserves in the ground fizzled for lack of international support. Now, struggling under painful debt, the government wants to expand drilling in the rainforest.
As Russians Steal Ukraine’s Art, They Attack Its Identity, Too
Russian forces have looted tens of thousands of pieces, including avant-garde oil paintings and Scythian gold. Experts say it is the biggest art heist since the Nazis in World War II, intended to strip Ukraine of its cultural heritage.
Safari Travel: Okavango Delta By Boat In Botswana
Botswana, country in the centre of Southern Africa. The territory is roughly triangular—approximately 600 miles (965 km) from north to south and 600 miles from east to west—with its eastern side protruding into a sharp point. Its eastern and southern borders are marked by river courses and an old wagon road; its western borders are lines of longitude and latitude through the Kalahari, and its northern borders combine straight lines with a river course. Within the confines of Botswana’s borders is a rich variety of wildlife, including many species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
Before its independence in 1966, Botswana was a British protectorate known as Bechuanaland. It was also one of the poorest and least-developed states in the world. The country is named after its dominant ethnic group, the Tswana (“Bechuana” in older variant orthography). Since its independence the Republic of Botswana has gained international stature as a peaceful and increasingly prosperous democratic state. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the African Union (AU), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The secretariat of SADC is housed in the capital of Botswana, Gaborone (until 1969 spelled Gaberones—i.e., Gaborone’s town, after the tribal chief who had his capital at the site during the colonial period).
Japan View: ‘Kyoto In Snow’
Finance Review: Barron’s Magazine – Jan 16, 2023
Barron’s Magazine – January 16, 2023 issue:
The Age of Free Money Is Over. But There Are Still Opportunities, Roundtable Pros Say.
Bullish or bearish, our 10 panelists help make sense of increasingly complicated market dynamics. Plus: nine stock picks.
The Fed: Whose Words Carry the Most Weight
Barron’s tells you who’s who at the central bank and how to decipher what they say. Consider it the definitive guide to the Fed-verse.
Why Falling Inflation Is a Problem for the Stock Market
Generationally high inflation was the story of 2022. That’s not going to be the story of 2023. The boogeyman of disinflation—and even some deflation—is about to become the biggest risk to stocks, and investors are going to have to figure out how to position portfolios for falling prices.
Front Page: The New York Times – January 14, 2023
Biden and Kishida Vow to Bolster U.S.-Japan Alliance as China’s Power Grows
The two leaders discussed tensions with China, North Korea and Russia and plans for deterrence in Asia with U.S. troops and missiles.
Idaho Murders Suspect Felt ‘No Emotion’ and ‘Little Remorse’ as a Teen
Messages and online posts from the Ph.D. student now charged with four murders show that he was once detached and suicidal before he became fascinated with criminals’ minds.
In a Drought, California Is Watching Water Wash Out to Sea
Heavy storms have flooded parts of California, but the state has been unable to capture billions of gallons of water that are flowing unchecked into the ocean. Los Angeles is embarking on an ambitious new program to change that.
How Western Goods Reach Russia: A Long Line of Trucks Through Georgia
With Western sanctions barring many imports, a lot of what Russia needs now travels a slow, crowded truck route through the Caucasus Mountains from Georgia.
Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 15, 2023
 Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath |
The New York Times Book Review (January 15, 2023):
‘Terrorist’ — to Whom?
V.V. Ganeshananthan’s novel “Brotherless Night” reveals the moral nuances of violence, ever belied by black-and-white terminology.
The Highland Heroine Who Helped Rescue a Prince
Since her daring mission in 1746, Flora Macdonald has lived on in myth. A new biography by Flora Fraser attempts to sort fact from fiction.
Where Adventurous, Curious Women Rule
In three new historical novels, female protagonists defy odds and push limits.
Technology: The Global Impact Of OpenAI ‘ChatGPT’
Chat GPT is the world’s most powerful AI chatbot. It offers a human-like alternative to search engines and can do everything from compile a menu to writing a TV script to explaining quantum physics. Could it also transform the jobs of hundreds of millions of people?
World Economic Forum: Top Stories – Jan 13, 2023
0:15 Solar powered car drives 1000kms – The Sunswift 7 weighs just 500kg. While an average car weighs between 1,500 and 2,000kg and boasts incredibly low rolling resistance due to its shape. A team at UNSW Sydney designed and built the car. Which completed 240 laps of a special test circuit. Equal to driving from Sydney to Melbourne, plus 100km.
1:32 3D printed bionic arms – Cure Bionics 3D-printed prosthetics are lightweight and muscle-controlled. They can be attached without surgical intervention and are charged wirelessly by solar power. The arms can be printed and ready within a week at the cost of just $3,000. Other providers can take months and charge up to $100,000. Cure Bionics’ arms are available for children with limb differences aged 8 and up. The low weight makes them easy for kids to operate. An immersive VR training programme helps patients learn to use their arms even before it’s made. Cure Bionics was founded in Tunisia, where the start-up has already launched a prototype. In spring 2023, it’s releasing a public version.
3:17 Geneva introduces driverless buses – 15 self-driving minibuses will be deployed in 2025. Providing an on-demand, door-to-door service, 24 hours a day. This pilot project will run for 1 year alongside similar schemes in Germany and Norway.
4:55 Implants restore vision to blind people – The implants were given to 20 people by scientists at Sweden’s Linköping University and LinkoCare Life Sciences. 14 were blind and 6 were on the verge of losing their sight. After 2 years, none of them were blind.
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