Tag Archives: Israel

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – December 22, 2023

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The Guardian Weekly (December 20, 2023) – The new issue features Two wars and a growing divide between the global west and south. Plus: Best culture of 2023.

World risks new age of empires where might makes right, warns Estonian foreign minister

Margus Tsahkna

International institutions seem powerless in face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, writes Margus Tsahkna, arguing they ‘cannot survive unchanged’

The international rules-based system needs urgent and fundamental change if it is not to collapse, the Estonian foreign minister has said, calling for “a new global conversation” to begin on how to reform the UN and the international criminal court.

Writing in the Guardian on Wednesday, Margus Tsahkna says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted flaws in the system that risk fatally undermining people’s faith in it.

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Elsewhere, we shouldn’t forget there are plenty of reasons for hope. Having been expected to deliver little, the Cop28 climate summit turned out to be full of surprises – but was the final deal on fossil fuels just a ruse, asks environment editor Fiona Harvey.

Writers from the Guardian’s global development team reflect on the inspirational figures they met in 2023, from leaders to dancers to dads, who proved that humanity still has much to give. And leading conservationists and scientists tell us about the mysteries of the planet they wish they better understood.

The review of 2023 continues with the Observer’s selection of those we lost, recalled with affection by their friends. There’s also a dazzling range of images courtesy of the Guardian agency photographers of the year.

Last but not least, the Guardian critics’ top 10 rundowns of the best film and music of 2023, topped off with the Guardian Weekly team’s now-legendary television selections of the year.

News: Red Sea Shipping Crisis, Colorado Bars Trump From State Ballot

The Globalist Podcast (December 20, 2023) – We have the latest on the Red Sea shipping crisis and the decision of Colorado’s Supreme Court to kick Donald Trump off the ballot.

Also, the day’s newspapers, the latest business news and a look at Christmas in Lapland.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023

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Trump Is Disqualified From 2024 Ballot, Colorado Court Says in Explosive Ruling

Former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Durham, N.H., last week. His political opponents have sought to keep him off the 2024 presidential ballot by citing the 14th Amendment.

The decision, the first by a court to find that Donald Trump is ineligible to hold office again because he engaged in insurrection, is likely to put a monumental case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Red Sea Attacks Pose Another Threat to Global Economy

Ships awaiting passage through the Suez Canal in 2021. When shipping companies avoid the canal, they often must spend millions of dollars more on fuel to transport their goods on longer routes.

Already hampered by problems at the Panama Canal, shipping companies are now steering clear of the Suez Canal to avoid being attacked in the Red Sea.

7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp

A man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation. He gathered financial information, photos and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.

In Iceland, a Fiery Show of Lava and Smoke

Icelanders had been girding for an eruption. When it happened, they wanted to see it.

News: Israel-Hezbollah War Fears, Media In U.S., South Africa Elections

The Globalist Podcast (December 19, 2023) – We discuss the possibility of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Plus: we look ahead to next year’s election in South Africa, bring you the latest urbanism news and flick through the day’s papers.

The New York Times — Tuesday, December 19, 2023

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U.S. Urges Israel to Do More to Spare Civilians in Gaza and Pushes Hostage Talks

Two military officials standing at lecterns against a backdrop of American and Israeli flags.

The American defense secretary reiterated “unshakable” support for Israeli security, but said protecting Palestinians was a “moral duty and a strategic imperative.”

How Putin Turned a Western Boycott Into a Bonanza

If companies want to leave Russia, the president is setting the terms — in ways that benefit his government, his elites and his war.

Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Couples

A church official said the blessings amounted to “a real development” that nevertheless did not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.”

Chimps Can Still Remember Faces After a Quarter Century

Long-term memories may have been vital to our own evolution, suggests a new study of chimpanzees and bonobos.

Current Affairs: Prospect Magazine – January 2024

Prospect Magazine (January/February 2024) The latest issue features ‘America’s Meltdown’ – Gaza, Ukraine and the Limits Of U.S. Power; Top Thinkers 2024; Bellincat – Putin’s Nemesis; Teaching Generation AI, and more…

America’s undoing

Triumphant at the end of the Cold War, the United States pledged to lead humanity in a new world order. Two conflicts—in Gaza and in Ukraine—have exposed that it has never been weaker

By Samuel Moyn

The date of 7th October 2023 will go down in history as a turning point for the global role of the United States. The country’s promise both to defend and model democracy on the world stage has taken a huge hit, from which it is doubtful that it can recover. When the Ukraine War began in 2022, and the US responded with enormous military aid, the credibility of that promise had been briefly revived after the nightmare of Donald Trump’s presidency. Now it is smashed once again, joining the rubble of Gaza’s streets.

The World’s Top Thinkers 2024: ideas for a world on the brink

As a planet and a civilisation we are approaching tipping points—some frightening, others freeing—that will transform life as we know it. Here, we present our annual list of intellectuals—from priests and strategists to neuroscientists and historians—who will help us navigate the world in the year ahead

News: Israel-Gaza War Cease-Fire Calls Mount, Egypt Election Results

The Globalist Podcast (December 18, 2023) – Yossi Mekelberg discusses the weekend developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Plus: the latest on Egypt’s presidential election results, the Wagner group’s gold trade operations in Africa, a flip through the papers with Vincent McAviney and theatre news with Matt Wolf, a critic at ‘The New York Times’.

The New York Times — Monday, December 18, 2023

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Israel’s Allies Urge Restraint as Netanyahu Vows ‘Fight to the End’

Dark smoke rises from Gaza, seen from southern Israel.

The U.S. defense secretary was headed to the Middle East as two top European officials called for a scaled-back war against Hamas.

Why Democracy Hasn’t Settled the Abortion Question

Post-Roe voting might bring America to a new consensus — but only if the voters keep getting their say.

Campus Crackdowns Have Chilling Effect on Pro-Palestinian Speech

Universities are under tremendous pressure to stamp out antisemitism, but some say that is causing fear and curbing free expression.

More Than 100 Members of This Gaza Clan Have Been Killed in War

Family trees have been dismembered, and whole branches obliterated, since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.

Sunday Morning: Stories From Zürich, Helsinki, London, Paris & Belgrade

Monocle on Sunday, December 17, 2023 – Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, is joined by Florian Egli and Marcus Schögel to discuss the weekend’s biggest talking points.

Also, a check-ins with our friends and correspondents in London, Helsinki, Paris and Belgrade.

The New York Times — Sunday, December 17, 2023

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Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

Running to a reinforced concrete shelter in Ashkelon, Israel, moments after a rocket siren was sounded on Oct. 7.

Agents worried as millions poured in. Hamas bought weapons and plotted an attack. The authorities now say the money helped lay the groundwork for the Oct. 7 assault on Israel.

Israel Says 3 Hostages Bore White Flag Before Being Killed by Troops

Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas attending a rally calling for their return in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

The military said the mistaken killing of the three men, who had been shirtless, was a violation of its rules of engagement.

Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade

This is the inside story of how the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion — shooting down compromise and testing the boundaries of how the law is decided.

The Overlooked Crisis in Congo: ‘We Live in War’

Six million have died, and more than six million are displaced after decades of fighting and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing in neighbors, mercenaries and militias. An upcoming election is inflaming tempers.