Trump. Indian food. Matthew Perry. And books, books, books. Excerpts from letters obtained by The Times show Mr. Navalny’s active mind, even amid brutal prison conditions.
The Globalist (February 19, 2024): We discuss the latest from the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction, and Andrew Mueller sits down with Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at the Munich Security Conference as it becomes the first Orthodox-Christian nation to legalise same-sex marriage. Plus: TV highlights with critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan.
Toward the end of Russia’s long assault, hundreds of civilians still remained in Avdiivka. Those who escaped in the last weeks spoke of relentless devastation.
A huge penalty for deceiving lenders about the value of his properties and his own net worth, if upheld, leaves Donald J. Trump in a perilous financial position.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (February 17, 2024): The new issue features ‘Actors in the Wild’ – The best performers of the year, when they’re not on film….
The best performers of the year — when they’re not on film.
James Nachtwey, an eminent photojournalist known for his intimate depictions of the front lines in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine, had never photographed a movie star before. So for this year’s Great Performers issue, we asked him to capture a dozen of the world’s best actors away from the red carpets and awards ceremonies that often define how we see them. “My work has focused almost exclusively on conflicts and critical social issues, the polar opposite of what might be thought of as celebrity photography,” Nachtwey says. But he was intrigued by the challenge: “Art takes talent, but it’s also hard work, and exploring what actors practice in their daily lives to strengthen their art would be fascinating.”
Tubi Is Reviving a Lost Joy: Watching Really, Really Bad Movies
Their films have gone viral for their awful production values. But their success says fascinating things about what comes after prestige TV.
By Niela Orr
There’s a 2008 movie that offers an odd preview of today’s entertainment. In Michel Gondry’s “Be Kind Rewind,” a bizarre accident demagnetizes the entire inventory of a video rental store, so a clerk and his eccentric friend decide to remake all the films themselves, from “The Lion King” to “Driving Miss Daisy” to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Their versions are 20 minutes long (at most), shot on an old hand-held video camera and produced in a delightfully quirky, ad hoc way: handcrafted props and sets, buddies working as extras, costumes from the local dry cleaner.
Monocle on Saturday, February 17, 2024: Isabel Hilton, international journalist and founder of China Dialogue, joins Georgina Godwin for a round-up of the week’s news and culture.
This week, we look back at the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the UK by-elections and fake Chinese accounts on Elon Musk’s X. Plus: Professor Suzannah Liscomb, award-winning author and broadcaster, joins Georgina Godwin to talk about the first-ever Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.
The ruling in Donald J. Trump’s civil fraud case could cost him all his available cash. The judge said that the former president’s “complete lack of contrition” bordered on pathological.
The president visited the Ohio town over a year after a devastating train derailment. He faced a divided community anxious over the long-term health consequences of an environmental disaster.
Trump Privately Expresses Support for a 16-Week Abortion Ban
In supporting a 16-week ban with exceptions, Donald Trump appears to be trying to satisfy social conservatives who want to further restrict abortion access and voters who want more modest limits.
The Globalist (February 16, 2024): The latest as world leaders pile pressure on Israel to abandon plans for a ground offensive in Rafah.
Then: key themes at the Munich Security Conference and Chad’s refugee crisis with Sudan. Plus: a preview of the Singapore Air Show, newspapers and this week’s ‘What We Learned’.
Israel says Hamas routinely operates within — and beneath — places like Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, using them as shields, and has held Israeli hostages there. The group denies the charges.
As Russian forces breach a supply line and seek to encircle opposing soldiers, Ukraine’s commanders maneuver to “more advantageous positions.”
California’s Push for Ethnic Studies Runs Into the Israel-Hamas War
The state’s high school students will be required to take the subject, but some object to how the discipline addresses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Economist Magazine (February 10, 2024): The latest issue features ‘The Right Goes GAGA’ – Meet the Global Anti-Globalist Alliance’; Goodbye to the racial jobs gap; San Francisco’s comeback; China’s chipmaking plan; The looming hell in Rafah….
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