Tag Archives: religion

The Guardian Weekly – April 4, 2025 Preview

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY (April 3, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The End of Turkish Democracy’ – Inside the anti-government protests...

The detention of the popular Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last month has sparked Turkey’s largest anti-government protests in years, with people gathering nightly amid violent clashes with police. But after thousands of arrests and with disagreements about how the protests should move forwards, the opposition movement is at a crossroads.

Amid concerns that Turkey may be slipping irretrievably towards full authoritarianism, Ruth Michaelson reports from Istanbul on how the detention of a popular young activist has caused particular anger among opponents of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government. Ruth also weighs up what options now lie ahead for the protest movement amid disagreements about the best way forward.

Spotlight | Myanmar, after the earthquake
With thousands now known to have been killed as a result of last Friday’s earthquake that struck near Mandalay, Rebecca Ratcliffe reports on fading hopes of finding more survivors

Environment | The power of dead seaweed
Rotting sargassum is clogging up Grenada’s beaches – but innovative technology is turning it into fuel, fertiliser and bioplastics. Natricia Duncan and Abigail McIntyre report

Feature | The rapid growth in beard transplants
Demand for beard transplant surgery is soaring – despite the dangers that lurk in unregulated clinics. Are the risks worth it? Simon Usborne investigates

Opinion | How to beat the far right
As a lonely, hate-filled kid in Sydney’s suburbs, Matthew Quinn turned to far-right ideology. Now he reveals how he helps others avoid that path

Culture | The return of FKA twigs
Despite global stardom, FKA twigs has always felt a lack of belonging. The musician opens up to Zoe Williams about f ighting censorship, crying on stage and performing for peanuts

The New York Times – Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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White House Failed to Comply With Court Order, Judge Rules

The federal judge in Rhode Island said the Trump administration had failed to comply with his order unfreezing billions of dollars in federal grants.

Hamas Postpones Release of More Hostages ‘Until Further Notice’

Stalling the next release of hostages from the Gaza Strip, scheduled for the coming weekend, raises new challenges for the already tenuous six-week truce and chances for a lasting end to the war.

36 Hours After Russell Vought Took Over Consumer Bureau, He Shut Its Operations

The agency had been one of Wall Street’s most feared regulators, with the power to issue rules on mortgages, credit cards, student loans and other areas affecting Americans’ financial lives.

Trump’s Actions Have Created a Constitutional Crisis, Scholars Say

Law professors have long debated what the term means. But now many have concluded that the nation faces a reckoning as President Trump tests the boundaries of executive power.

The New York Times – Monday, February 10, 2025

Why Federal Courts May Be the Last Bulwark Against Trump

With a compliant Congress and mostly quiet streets, the president’s opponents are turning to the judicial branch with a flurry of legal actions. But can the courts keep up?

Trump Will Impose Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum on Monday

The president said he planned sweeping tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports on Monday and would take other action to even out tariff rates with the rest of the world later this week.

As Trump and Musk Upend Washington, Congressional Phones Can’t Keep Up

In the three weeks since President Trump took office and gave Elon Musk free rein inside the federal government, millions of calls have poured in to members of Congress, jamming the system.

For Stunned Federal Workers, Sleeplessness, Anger and Tears

One thing lost in the Trump administration’s war on the federal bureaucracy is the collective voice of the employees. But some have begun to speak out.

The New York Times – Sunday, February 9, 2025

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Young Aides Emerge as Enforcers in Musk’s Broadside Against Government

Much of the billionaire’s handiwork — gaining access to internal systems and asking employees to justify their jobs — is being driven by a group of engineers operating in secrecy.

As Ground Shifts, ‘Flailing’ Democrats Struggle to Find Footing in Diversity Fight

President Trump’s aggressive moves against transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion programs have left the Democratic Party casting about for a strategy for how to respond.

For New Orleans, the Superdome Is More Than a Stadium

The distinctive domed building, turning 50 this year, is known for hosting the Super Bowl, but to locals, it’s also “the city’s living room.”February 6, 2025

Why Federal Courts May Be the Last Bulwark Against Trump

With a compliant Congress and mostly quiet streets, President Trump’s opponents are turning to a flurry of legal actions. But can the courts keep up?

The New York Times – Saturday, February 8, 2025

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U.S.A.I.D. Turmoil Threatens Key Aid Supplies to Gaza, Officials Say

Washington has funded roughly a third of the aid sent to the enclave since the war began. With most agency workers set to be put on leave, officials say that those supplies are under threat.

Musk Wields Scythe on Federal Work Force, With Trump’s Full Blessing

The president defended Elon Musk’s role in seeking to slash budgets and cut payrolls as the young aides burrowing into federal agencies came under scrutiny.

Trump’s Gaza Takeover Plan May Sound Death Knell for the Two-State Solution

Already unlikely, the prospects for creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel could vanish altogether if the United States takes over Gaza and displaces the population, as President Trump proposes.

Trump’s New Line of Attack Against the Media Gains Momentum

First Amendment experts say Mr. Trump’s lawsuits, based on an unproven legal theory, lack merit. But more could be on the way.

The New York Times Magazine – Feb. 9, 2025

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (February 7, 2025): The 2.9.25 Issue (The Love and Sex Issue) features Mireille Silcoff on Generation X womens’ improving sex lives; Lisa Miller on how weight loss drugs can upset a couple’s intimacy; Daniel Oppenheimer on his realization through couples therapy that the problem in his marriage was him; Stella Tan on confessions from those who ghosted their dates; The Ethicist answers a series of sex related queries; and more.

Why Gen X Women Are Having the Best Sex

In an era plagued by sex negativity, only one generation seems immune: mine.

Digital Drugs Have Us Hooked. Dr. Anna Lembke Sees a Way Out.

The psychiatrist and author of “Dopamine Nation” wants us to find balance in a world of temptation and abundance. By Lulu Garcia

The Other Side of Getting Ghosted

Ten people explain why, instead of saying it’s over, they decided to just disappear.Interviews by Stella Tan

The New York Times – Friday, February 7, 2025

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Trump’s Gaza Plan Reflects Broader Push for Annexation of Palestinian Land

Right-wing officials in Israel, evangelical Christians in the United States and Trump appointees have become increasingly outspoken in calling for Israel to take more territory.

Abandoned in the Middle of Clinical Trials, Because of a Trump Order

The stop-work order on U.S.A.I.D.-funded research has left thousands of people with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, with no access to monitoring or care.

A ‘Stellar Crew,’ a ‘Tragic Accident’ and a Black Hawk’s Last Flight

The Army helicopter that collided with a passenger plane above the Potomac River boasted an experienced crew doing “an unforgiving job.” Friends and relatives are still baffled and mourning their loss.

House Committee to Examine Secret Navy Effort on Pilot Brain Injuries

The Navy quietly started screening elite fighter pilots for signs of brain injuries caused by flying, a risk it officially denies exists.

The New York Times – Monday, January 27, 2025

As Thousands Try to Return Home, Fragile Mideast Cease-Fires Are Tested

Israeli forces killed at least 22 people and injured dozens more in southern Lebanon on Sunday, Lebanese officials said. In Gaza, Israel said Hamas had violated the terms of the truce.

Trump Pushes Jordan and Egypt to Take in Palestinians to ‘Clean Out’ Gaza

President Trump said he had spoken to Jordan’s leader and planned to call Egypt’s. Mr. Trump’s suggestion echoes proposals from far-right Israelis. A Hamas official rejected the idea.

Trump’s Moves to Upend Federal Bureaucracy Touch Off Fear and Confusion

Agencies are gripped with uncertainty about how to implement the blizzard of new policies as workers frantically try to assess the impact on their lives.

Flashes Then Flames: New Video of Eaton Fire Raises More Questions for Power Company

Investigators are still trying to determine what started a fire that raged through Altadena, Calif. A new video appears to show sparking on a power line near the origin of the blaze.

History Today Magazine — February 2025 Preview

History Today | The World's Leading Serious History Magazine

HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE (January 23, 2025): The latest issue features the destruction of medieval England’s Jews, British soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, unreported murder in East Germany, ‘mad duchess’ Elizabeth Cavendish, and more.

Portugal, the Mamluks, and the Age of Discovery

For the Portuguese empire to rise, an old world had to give way. Rivals in Europe’s lucrative spice trade, how much did they know about the powerful Mamluk sultanate?


Behind Donald Trump’s Palace Walls

The vagaries of palace politics are notoriously difficult to record. Historians should pay attention to rumour.

Who to Blame for Early Modern Climate Change?

The changing climate of the Little Ice Age forced radical thinkers to reconsider humanity’s place in the universe.


‘Man-Devil’ by John J. Callanan review

Man-Devil: The Mind and Times of Bernard Mandeville, the Wickedest Man in Europe by John J. Callanan revels in the making of the controversial satirist and philosopher.

The New York Times – Tuesday, January 21, 2025

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Trump Cites His Own Victories as Sign He Will Lift a Country in ‘Decline’

In his second inaugural address, the president reprised dark themes from his first and laid out an expansive policy agenda.

For Trump, a Vindication for the Man and His Movement

Donald John Trump took the oath of office again during a ceremony in the Capitol, promising a new “golden age of America” four years after he was evicted by voters.

Biden in Final Hours Pardons Relatives and Others to Thwart Trump Reprisals

President Biden used his executive clemency power to protect people targeted by Donald J. Trump, including five members of his family as well as Liz Cheney, Anthony S. Fauci and Mark A. Milley.

A Determined Trump Vows Not to Be Thwarted at Home or Abroad

Wiser about the use of power, the newly sworn-in president suggests that this time he will not take no for an answer, whether in enacting an ambitious domestic agenda or in his expansionist worldview.