Tag Archives: China

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Sunday, September 17, 2023

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In Risky Hunt for Secrets, U.S. and China Expand Global Spy Operations

The nations are taking bold steps in the espionage shadow war to try to collect intelligence on leadership thinking and military capabilities.

Dire Warnings About Libya Dams Went Unheeded

Derna, Libya, has been devastated by flooding from storms this week, which washed swaths of the city into the sea.

“The state wasn’t interested,” said an engineer who published a paper on why Derna’s dams, after decades of postponed repairs, might fail under the stress of a powerful storm.

World’s Largest ‘Baby Exporter’ Confronts Its Painful Past

South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt adoption system that went largely unchanged until recent decades.

Texas Attorney General Is Acquitted in Landmark Senate Trial

Senators voted largely on party lines against conviction of the attorney general, Ken Paxton, who had been impeached on charges of corruption and abuse of office.

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The New York Times — Saturday, Sept 16, 2023

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U.A.W. Starts Strike Small, but Repercussions Could Prove Far-Reaching

Workers outside a plant hold up signs that read, “UAW; Stand Up; Record Profits; Record Contracts.”

The union targeted three factories: one run by General Motors, one by Ford and one by Stellantis. Prolonged walkouts could hurt the U.S. economy and President Biden.

‘A Ticket to Disney’? Politicians Charge Millions to Send Migrants to U.S.

The journey into the jungle begins, led by a guide from the New Light Darién Foundation.

The Biden administration vowed to “end the illicit movement” of people through the Darién jungle. But the number of migrants moving through the forest has never been greater — and the profits are too big to pass up.

Biden Defends Striking Autoworkers: They Deserve a ‘Fair Share’

White House aides believe the battle between the car companies and their workers underscores many of the president’s policy positions.

Fernando Botero, Artist of Whimsical Rotundity, Is Dead at 91

His voluptuous figures, both in paintings and in sculpture, portrayed the high and mighty as well as everyday people through an enlarging prism.

Economics, Financial, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Previews, Reviews

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Sept 16, 2023

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All weekly editions | The Economist

The Economist Magazine (September 16, 2023): The latest issue reviews How AI can revolutionize science; Donald Trump will “never” support Putin, says Volodymyr Zelensky; The hard right is getting closer to power all over Europe, and more…

How artificial intelligence can revolutionise science

Consider the historical precedents

Debate about artificial intelligence (ai) tends to focus on its potential dangers: algorithmic bias and discrimination, the mass destruction of jobs and even, some say, the extinction of humanity. As some observers fret about these dystopian scenarios, however, others are focusing on the potential rewards. ai could, they claim, help humanity solve some of its biggest and thorniest problems. And, they say, ai will do this in a very specific way: by radically accelerating the pace of scientific discovery, especially in areas such as medicine, climate science and green technology.

Modi’s “one India” goal is good for the economy, but not for politics

Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, presides over the closing session of the G20 Summit

In the next decade regional tensions will build in India

The world has been seeing the bright side of India. In August it landed a spacecraft on the Moon. In the latest quarter gdp grew at an annual rate of 7.8%, making it the world’s perkiest big economy. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, has just hosted a g20 summit where other leaders, including Joe Biden, courted Asia’s rising behemoth. Yet inside India the talk has turned to whether Mr Modi’s hunger for power and dreams of national renewal could lead him to bend the constitution. 

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Friday, September 15, 2023

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Hunter Biden Indicted on Gun Charges

Hunter Biden outside the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Del., in July.

The Justice Department charged President Biden’s son after the collapse of an earlier plea deal and amid an impeachment investigation by House Republicans.

History Turns Upside Down in a War Where the Koreas Are Suppliers

A photograph released by North Korean state media showing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia on Wednesday.

Desperate for munitions for the war in Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia have turned to their allies in South and North Korea, which kept stockpiling arms for decades after their own conflict.

What the Wildfire Stole From One Maui Family

A 7-year-old boy, his mom and grandparents tried to flee Hawaii’s deadliest wildfire in over a century, and ran into impossible challenges.

C.I.A. Discloses Identity of Second Spy Involved in ‘Argo’ Operation

The movie about the daring mission to rescue American diplomats from Tehran portrayed a single C.I.A. officer sneaking into the Iranian capital. In reality, the agency sent two officers.

Magazines, Podcasts, Previews, Research, Reviews, Science

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Sept 15, 2023

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Science Magazine – September 15, 2023: Blue jays, similar to other corvid songbirds, are known for their impressive cognitive abilities, presumably due to their relatively large brains. 

Mars Sample Return risks consuming NASA science

Forthcoming cost estimate for budget-busting mission could lead to strict caps from Congress

Iran prepares to erect a digital wall

Researchers feel increasingly isolated as government moves to restrict internet access

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Thursday, Sept 14, 2023

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Libyan Flood Survivor Recounts Horror After Dams Burst

Ruined buildings and debris on a beach.

“We walked out barefoot and saw our friends and neighbors dying,” said a woman from the hard-hit city of Derna. More than 5,000 are reported dead and 10,000 more are believed to be missing.

Russia Overcomes Sanctions to Expand Missile Production, Officials Say

The site of a missile strike in Kyiv in August.

Moscow’s missile production now exceeds prewar levels, officials say, leaving Ukraine especially vulnerable this coming winter.

A Spectacular Marble Cube Rises at Ground Zero

The Perelman Performing Arts Center, a glamorous $500 million project, may yet turn the World Trade Center into a neighborhood, our critic writes.

Former Buildings Chief Accused of Trading Favors for $150,000 in Bribes

The former commissioner, Eric Ulrich, pleaded not guilty, as did five other men, several of whom raised money for the campaign of Mayor Eric Adams.

Culture, Magazines, Politics, Previews, Reviews, Society

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – Sept 15, 2023

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The Guardian Weekly (September15, 2023) – The issue features  Amy Hawkins looking under the lid of China’s economy and asks if it has peaked?

Desperate searches for survivors continued in Morocco’s Atlas mountains after last Friday’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which killed thousands of people. Peter Beaumont reports from remote villages devastated by the country’s deadliest quake in six decades.

A worse disaster still appeared to be unfolding further along the north African coast in Libya, where up to 10,000 people were feared missing after flooding caused by the collapse of two dams. Details were only just emerging at the time of the Weekly going to press on Tuesday, but you can find the latest updates here.

First there were the bewildering DNA test results, then the long-forgotten fertility blog. Jenny Kleeman tells the remarkable tale of a discovery that would change the lives of two American families for ever.

Also in Features is American author Elif Batuman’s entertaining account of what happened when she asked the AI chatbot ChatGPT for assistance with a quote from Proust, leading her down a digital rabbit hole she never could have foreseen.

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The New York Times — Wednesday, Sept 13, 2023

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More Than 5,000 Dead in Libya as Collapsed Dams Worsen Flood Disaster

In a catastrophe recalling Hurricane Katrina, a heavy storm burst through dams to unleash their waters on the city of Derna, sweeping away entire neighborhoods.

McCarthy, Facing an Ouster and a Shutdown, Orders an Impeachment Inquiry

Speaker Kevin McCarthy had long signaled he was moving toward an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

The move against President Biden, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy had been signaling for weeks, comes as some far-right House Republicans are irate over spending and threatening to depose him.

‘Wounds Will Need to Be Healed’: Collisions in a Fractured Israel

Israelis are deeply split about what kind of country Israel should be. Four encounters at four recent protests show how that division plays out in daily life.

Theaters of War That Make Up the Fighting in Ukraine

A “striking fist” in the North, and river crossings in the South. Along a jagged 1,000-mile front, the fighting is multifaceted — and relentless.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: Kim Jong-un Meets Putin, Canadian Politics, Israel Supreme Court

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/5XTxzbXshnVufLknWeKlqJ

The Globalist Podcast (September 12, 2023) – Kim Jong-un reportedly arrives in eastern Russia for arms talks with Vladimir Putin, as Moscow seeks to replenish its dwindling stockpile. Who has the upper hand and how will the meeting be portrayed for home audiences?

Plus: Israel’s supreme court prepares to rule on its own future and we discuss the British parliamentary researcher accused of spying for China.

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Tuesday, Sept 12, 2023

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China Sows Disinformation About Hawaii Fires Using New Techniques

China’s most recent influence campaign suggests that it is making more direct attempts to sow discord in the United States.

Beijing’s influence campaign using artificial intelligence is a rapid change in tactics, researchers from Microsoft and other organizations say.

Fury as Quake Help Finally Arrives: ‘How Many Hours Has It Been?’

Men helping Mohamed Abarada, left, in green, search for his missing daughter in Douar Tnirt, Morocco, on Monday.

The people of a village high in the Atlas Mountains erupted in anger when the Moroccan government left them alone for three days to dig out and bury their loved ones.

Michelin’s Coveted Stars Can Come With Some Costs

As its universe of dining guides expands to new places, the company is asking those regions to help pay the bill. And some chefs fear the honors are fostering a world of restaurant clones.

America’s Fire Spotters Aren’t Ready to Fade Away Just Yet

Officials say the future of wildfire detection is cameras. But in northwest Montana, solitary humans on mountaintops still do more than machines alone can offer.