Tag Archives: Russia

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Wednesday, Sept 6, 2023

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North Korea Finds New Leverage in the Ukraine War

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un with Russia’s President Vladimir V. Putin in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2019. Russia has long been a crucial ally for the isolated North Korea.

Kim Jong-un is likely to seek missile and warhead technology in an expected visit to Russia, and he is already getting a public embrace he has long sought.

Ex-Leader of Proud Boys Sentenced to 22 Years in Jan. 6 Sedition Case

Enrique Tarrio led the Proud Boys during a period when far-right extremists moved from the fringes toward the center of conservative politics.

The prison term for Enrique Tarrio was the most severe penalty handed down so far to any of the more than 1,100 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack.

At Yale, a Surge of Activism Forced Changes in Mental Health Policies

For decades, the university required students seeking medical leaves to withdraw and reapply. A campus suicide set off a cascade of revisions.

Can Kenya Bring Order to Haiti? Doubts Are Swirling.

The African country has volunteered to send forces to Haiti as its security crisis spirals out of control. But the plan is facing pushback.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: Ukraine Defense Minister Umerov, U.S.-Saudi Arabia, Polls In Germany

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/660fdLaxclS39ANhPCtAwE

The Globalist Podcast (September 5, 2023) – Who is Ukraine’s new defence minister, Rustem Umerov? Monocle’s Kyiv correspondent, Olga Tokariuk, profiles the Crimean Tatar with experience in Russian negotiations.

Plus: US officials visit Saudi Arabia to discuss Palestine, Olaf Scholz’s government slumps in the polls and we review the latest Indian newspapers.

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Tuesday, September 5, 2023

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Kim Jong-un and Putin Plan to Meet in Russia to Discuss Weapons

A photograph released by North Korean state news shows Kim Jong-un, right, with Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, in July. Mr. Kim is expected to travel to meet President Vladimir V. Putin in Russia.

Russia seeks more weaponry for its war in Ukraine, and a North Korean delegation recently traveled to Russia by train to plan for Mr. Kim’s visit this month, officials say.

E.U. Official From Sweden Imprisoned in Iran for Over 500 Days

An advertisement featuring Johan Floderus.

The case of Johan Floderus, kept under wraps for more than a year, has become part of Iran’s “hostage diplomacy” as Tehran seeks concessions from the West.

A Conservative Push to Save Ken Paxton

The effort to help the Texas attorney general, whose impeachment trial starts Tuesday, is part of an ongoing struggle over the Republican Party’s future.

Faced With Evolving Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Change

A new generation of cheaper and more flexible vessels could be vital in any conflict with China, but the Navy remains lashed to big shipbuilding programs driven by tradition, political influence and jobs.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: Putin Meets With Erdogan, China Economic Concerns, Mexico Politics

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uEAthwNWj0LZ56WFCbJDH

The Globalist Podcast (September 4, 2023) – Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meets with Vladimir Putin in Sochi to discuss grain deals, we get the lowdown on the Chinese economy with Patricia Thornton and Mexico’s opposition selects a female candidate with Indigenous roots to run for office.

Plus: France debates the height of ceilings, we get a roundup of news from the Nordics with Helsinki correspondent Petri Burtsoff and we check in with Seattle’s Bumbershoot festival.

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Monday, September 4, 2023

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Zelensky Replaces Defense Minister, Citing Need for ‘New Approaches’

The Ukrainian defense minister wearing a green jacket and standing with his arms crossed in a doorway.

The fate of the defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, had been the subject of increasing speculation in Ukraine. It was the biggest shake-up in Ukraine’s government since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Never-Ending Nightmare of Ukraine’s Dam Disaster

Environmentally, economically and in terms of pure human suffering, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam unleashed untold damage. Months later, many communities are still reeling.

Amid Rain and Mud, Climactic ‘Burn’ Is Delayed at Burning Man Fest

Officials urged campers to conserve food and water on Sunday, as the police investigated one death. The annual burning of a manlike figure was postponed.

China to Its People: Spies Are Everywhere, Help Us Catch Them

As Beijing tries to enlist the “whole of society” to guard against foreign enemies, the line between vigilance and paranoia fades.

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Sunday, September 3, 2023

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Auto Strike Looms, Threatening to Shut Detroit’s Big 3

Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers union, center, has said he is willing to call a strike against all three Detroit automakers, a step the union has never taken.

With their contract expiring Sept. 14, the United Auto Workers and the companies are far apart in talks. A walkout could take a big economic toll.

Officials in South Africa Knew About Problems at a ‘Bad Building,’ but Did Nothing

The scene of the fire in Johannesburg on Friday.

An extensive paper trail reveals that the authorities in Johannesburg were warned repeatedly about the dangers in the derelict building where 76 people died in a fire this week.

A Brutal Path Forward, Village by Village

As Ukraine pushes slowly forward in its counteroffensive, it’s relying heavily on the effort of hundreds of small-scale assault groups, each tasked with attacking a single trench, tree line or house.

Jimmy Buffett, Roguish Bard of Island Escapism, Is Dead at 76

With songs like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” he became a folk hero to fans known as Parrot Heads. He also became a millionaire hundreds of times over.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

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Monocle on Saturday, September 2, 2023: A look at the week’s news and culture with Georgina Godwin.

Also, we are joined by Charles Hecker for a look through the morning’s papers, Monocle’s Helsinki correspondent, Petri Burtsoff, investigates the growing popularity of e-bikes in Finland and we examine India’s space programme with Maya Sharma.

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Previews, Reviews, Society

Views: The New York Times Magazine – Sept 3, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (September 3, 2023) – The 9.3.23 Issue features Michael Steinberger on how the war in Ukraine turned tennis into a battlefield; Keri Blakinger on the Dungeons and Dragons players on death row; Jennifer Szalai on Naomi Klein’s new book about her doppelganger; and more.

How the War in Ukraine Turned Tennis Into a Battlefield

All the photographs in this article are black-and-white. This shows a raised fist with a tennis ball in it.

For Ukrainian players, as well as those from Russia and its allies, the unceasing conflict at home has bled into the game. Now they face off at the U.S. Open.

By Michael Steinberger

It was a few days before the start of Wimbledon this summer, and Elina Svitolina, just off a flight from Geneva, had come to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to check in for the tournament. She was returning after a year’s absence. “It feels like it has been 10 years,” she said as she got out of the car. A lot had happened since she last competed at Wimbledon, in 2021. She had given birth to a daughter named Skaï, the first child for her and her husband, the French player Gaël Monfils. Also, her country, Ukraine, had been invaded by Russia.

When Your ‘Doppelganger’ Becomes a Conspiracy Theorist

Naomi Klein.

If you’re Naomi Klein, you write a book about it.

By Jennifer Szalai

In June, the Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein was sitting in the dark gray booth of a recording studio in Lower Manhattan. Dressed simply for the New York City heat — white linen top, light cropped pants, white sneakers — she was reading from a script, and there was a line that was giving her a bit of trouble.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: Counteroffensive In Ukraine, Russia – North Korea Ties, Quality Of Life

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/6rl56NwUMGe7xVFksWeV0v

The Globalist Podcast (September 1, 2023) – We present a special episode of ‘The Globalist’ live from Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Munich.

Hear from our editors and correspondents, including Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, Asia editor and Tokyo bureau chief, Fiona Wilson, and Europe editor at large, Ed Stocker. Plus: Charles Hecker discusses Russia’s allies and enemies, and David Bodanis explores the politics of cartography in the wake of China’s new national map.

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

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Sept 2, 2023

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The Economist Magazine (September 2, 2023): This week’s issue features AI voted: How artificial intelligence will affect the elections of 2024; How paranoid nationalism corrupts; How to stop a three-way nuclear arms-race, and more…

How artificial intelligence will affect the elections of 2024

Disinformation will become easier to produce, but it matters less than you might think

Politics is supposed to be about persuasion; but it has always been stalked by propaganda. Campaigners dissemble, exaggerate and fib. They transmit lies, ranging from bald-faced to white, through whatever means are available. Anti-vaccine conspiracies were once propagated through pamphlets instead of podcasts. A century before covid-19, anti-maskers in the era of Spanish flu waged a disinformation campaign. They sent fake messages from the surgeon-general via telegram (the wires, not the smartphone app). Because people are not angels, elections have never been free from falsehoods and mistaken beliefs.

How paranoid nationalism corrupts

Cynical leaders are scaremongering to win and abuse power

People seek strength and solace in their tribe, their faith or their nation. And you can see why. If they feel empathy for their fellow citizens, they are more likely to pull together for the common good. In the 19th and 20th centuries love of country spurred people to seek their freedom from imperial capitals in distant countries. Today Ukrainians are making heroic sacrifices to defend their homeland against Russian invaders.