Tag Archives: Ukraine

The New York Times — Tuesday, November 21, 2023

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Trump’s Dire Words Raise New Fears About His Authoritarian Bent

Former President Donald J. Trump has framed his campaign as the “final battle” against political adversaries, and he and his allies are devising plans for a second term that would upend some of the long-held norms of American democracy.

The former president is focusing his most vicious attacks on domestic political opponents, setting off fresh worries among autocracy experts.

Between Israelis and Palestinians, a Lethal Psychological Chasm Grows

Israeli security forces looking on as Palestinians prayed in Jerusalem in October. Nearby is a site sacred to both Jews and Muslims that has been one focus of tensions over the years.

In a conflict marked by complete incomprehension on both sides, the ability to see each other as human has been lost.

Behind 94 Acts of Shocking Violence, Years of Glaring Mistakes

New York officials have escaped scrutiny for repeated failures to help homeless mentally ill people, a New York Times investigation has found.

The Long Shadow of Steve Jobs Looms Over the Turmoil at OpenAI

Sam Altman, the most prominent promoter of artificial intelligence, learned that it’s hard to be a visionary founder like the Apple legend.

The New York Times — Monday, November 20, 2023

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Infants Moved From ‘Death Zone’ Hospital That Israel Says Was Hamas Hideout

A Palestinian medic caring for premature babies who were taken to a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

U.N. officials said 31 premature babies in precarious health were evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital to a hospital further south in Gaza.

The Invisible War in Ukraine Being Fought Over Radio Waves

A visualization of the rapidly-changing frequencies of the Himera military radio, which features signal-hopping technology that makes it difficult to jam.

Using electromagnetic waves to flummox and follow smarter weapons has become a critical part of the cat-and-mouse game between Ukraine and Russia. The United States, China and others have taken note.

A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages

One big reason the U.S. housing market is broken: Owners don’t want to give up their cushy old loans.

For Years, Two Men Shuttled Messages Between Israel and Hamas. No Longer.

Since 2006, Gershon Baskin, an Israeli peace activist, and Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official, maintained a secret back channel between Gaza and Israel. Then Oct. 7 happened.

The New York Times — Sunday, November 19, 2023

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The War Turns Gaza Into a ‘Graveyard’ for Children

Waiting for treatment at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Thousands of children have been killed in the enclave since the Israeli assault began, officials in Gaza say. The Israeli military says it takes “all feasible precautions” to avoid civilian deaths.

A Jan. 6 Defendant Pleads His Case to the Son Who Turned Him In

A.J. Mock, left, with his father, Brian.

The Capitol attacks ruptured their mutual trust. In the weeks before Brian Mock’s sentencing, could he mend the divide with his son A.J.?

Why Is the College Board Pushing to Expand Advanced Placement?

This year, taxpayers paid the nonprofit at least $90 million for A.P. tests that many students failed.

Downtowns Are Full of Empty Buildings. Universities Are Moving In.

The stylish new Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center took over a former museum in Washington. It’s got potential to become a community hub.

Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

Monocle on Saturday, November 18, 2023: Sian Bayley, news editor at ‘The Bookseller’, joins Georgina Godwin to look at the week’s global news and culture.

Plus, the two discuss the winner of this year’s Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. John Vaillant’s winning book, ‘Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World’, delves into the devastating wildfires that struck Fort McMurray, Alberta – the hub of Canada’s oil industry – in May 2016. It examines the conflicting priorities of the oil industry and climate science, the immense destruction caused by modern wildfires, and the lasting impacts of these disasters on the lives of those affected.

The New York Times — Saturday, Nov 18, 2023

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Want to Know What’s Bedeviling Biden? TikTok Economics May Hold Clues.

“I think people have gotten angrier,” said Kyla Scanlon, a content creator who coined the term “vibecession” last year. “I think we’re actually in a worse vibecession now.”

Economic despair dominates social media as young people fret about the cost of living. It offers a snapshot of the challenges facing Democrats ahead of the 2024 election.

Santos Faces New Expulsion Push Led by His Own Party After Damning Report

Representative George Santos has survived two previous expulsion attempts.

The resolution from Representative Michael Guest, a Republican, sets the stage for a vote shortly after Thanksgiving.

Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care

The United States has no coherent system for providing long-term care, leading many who are aging to struggle to stay independent or to rely on a patchwork of solutions.

A Journey Into Northern Gaza: Ruins, Wreckage and Darkness

New York Times journalists traveled with an Israeli military convoy to catch a rare glimpse of conditions inside wartime Gaza. They saw houses flattened like playing cards, and a city utterly disfigured.

The New York Times — Friday, November 17, 2023

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Santos Won’t Seek Re-election After House Panel Finds Evidence of Crimes

Representative George Santos made the announcement after the release of a damning report by the House Ethics Committee, which found evidence he had broken federal law.

The findings, which were referred to prosecutors, are likely to prompt another attempt to expel the embattled congressman from the House.

Pressure Mounts as Israel Combs Through Gaza Hospital for Hamas’s Presence

Al-Shifa Hospital, in northern Gaza, is the enclave’s largest hospital complex.

The Israeli military said troops had uncovered a Hamas tunnel shaft underneath the Al-Shifa Hospital complex, as well as a vehicle on the hospital grounds packed with weapons.

Jewish Celebrities and Influencers Confront TikTok Executives in Private Call

TikTok faces escalating accusations that it promotes pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel content. “Shame on you,” Sacha Baron Cohen said on the call.

How R.F.K. Jr. Has Turned His Public Crusades Into a Private Windfall

The causes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has championed have brought him admiration, criticism — and tens of millions of dollars.

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Nov 18, 2023

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The Economist Magazine (November 18, 2023): The latest issue features The World Ahead 2024 – 90-page guide to the coming year; How the young should invest – Markets have dealt them a bad hand. They could be playing it better; Better ways to fund science – Too much of researchers’ time is spent filling in forms; The best films of 2023 – They featured cattle barons, chefs, composers, physicists and whistleblowers…

Donald Trump poses the biggest danger to the world in 2024

What his victory in America’s election would mean

Ashadow looms over the world. In this week’s edition we publish The World Ahead 2024, our 38th annual predictive guide to the coming year, and in all that time no single person has ever eclipsed our analysis as much as Donald Trump eclipses 2024. That a Trump victory next November is a coin-toss probability is beginning to sink in.

Will Japan rediscover its dynamism?

People shop along the streets of Shinsaibashi in Osaka, Japan

Rising prices and animal spirits give it a long-awaited opportunity

Global investors are giddy about Japan again. Warren Buffett made his first visit to Tokyo in more than a decade this spring; he has built up big holdings in five trading houses that offer exposure to a cross-section of Japan Inc. Last month Larry Fink, ceo of BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, joined the pilgrimage to Japan’s capital. “History is repeating itself,” he told Kishida Fumio, the prime minister. He likened the moment to Japan’s “economic miracle” of the 1980s. Even disappointing gdp figures released on November 15th will not dent investors’ optimism.

The New York Times — Thursday, Nov 16, 2023

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Israel Seizes Gaza Hospital That Became Symbol of the War Itself

Satellite image of Al-Shifa Hospital and surroundings in Gaza City, on Saturday.

A raid of a hospital that Israel asserts is a base for Hamas is shaping up as a watershed moment in a conflict that has put the Mideast on edge.

So Thieves Nabbed Your Catalytic Converter. Here’s Where It Ended Up.

The innards of a catalytic converter are coated in some of the rarest, most expensive metals on the planet.

The pollution control devices contain valuable metals, making them a hot commodity for recycling. Some beneficiaries of the thefts look the other way.

Biden-Xi Talks Lead to Little but a Promise to Keep Talking

Both American and Chinese accounts of the meeting indicated scant progress on the issues that have pushed the two nations to the edge of conflict.

Palestinian and Israeli Teens Swam in the Same Pool. Then Came Oct. 7.

The teenagers in the Greater Jerusalem swim club made a point of not focusing on their differences. That changed with the war.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023

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Israel Says Military Has Entered Gazan Hospital Grounds to Root Out Hamas

The operation at the main hospital complex in Gaza came after Israel released videos showing what it said were weapons inside a children’s hospital in the enclave.

Inside the Desperate Effort to Evacuate Young Cancer Patients From Gaza

An overhead view of people camped out in a hallway of a hospital with blankets laid on the floor and clothes hanging over railings.

A mission to rescue cancer-stricken children from the violence in Gaza has involved multiple countries and last-minute connections in the chaos of war.

Jewish Groups Rally for Israel on National Mall

The rally was a response to large protests across the United States and the world denouncing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

Freeway Closed? Just Take the 10 to the 110 to the 5, Angelenos Say.

Southern California residents are bracing for longer commutes over the next month, after a fire forced the closure of a central freeway segment. But they don’t seem to be panicking yet.

Analysis: The World Ahead In 2024 – The Economist

The Economist The World Ahead 2024 (November 14, 2023)Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation including Ten trends to watch in 2024; 2024 will be stressful for those who care about liberal democracy; America will need a new vocabulary to discuss its presidential election; Europe needs to step up support for Ukraine; Don’t give up on peace in the Middle East, and more…

Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2024

A letter from the editor of The World Ahead

By Tom Standage

Life comes at you fast. Whether it’s the upsurge in armed conflict, the redrawing of the global energy-resources map or rapid progress in artificial intelligence (ai), the world is changing at mind-boggling speed. From the situation in the Middle East to the adoption of electric vehicles to the treatment of obesity, things look very different from the way they did just a year or two ago. Our aim is to help you keep your worldview up to date—and tell you what might be coming next. To kick things off, here are ten themes to watch in the coming year.

2024 will be stressful for those who care about liberal democracy

In theory it should be a triumphant year for democracy. In practice it will be the opposite

By Zanny Minton Beddoes

More than half the people on the planet live in countries that will hold nationwide elections in 2024, the first time this milestone has been reached. Based on recent patterns of voter turnout, close to 2bn people in more than 70 countries will head to the polls. Ballots will be cast from Britain to Bangladesh, from India to Indonesia. Yet what sounds like it should be a triumphant year for democracy will be the opposite.

The world must try to break a vicious cycle of insecurity 

A stick of dynamite with a lit fuse in the shape of a world map

The fragility of the Western coalition is a crucial weakness

By Patrick Foulis

As 2023 drew to a close, wars were raging in Africa, Israel and Gaza, and Ukraine. These crises are explosive in their own right. Combine them with a presidential race in America and 2024 promises to be a make-or-break year for the post-1945 world order.

The 2020s were destined to be dangerous. The West’s share of world gdp has fallen towards 50% for the first time since the 19th century. Countries such as India and Turkey believe the global institutions created after 1945 do not reflect their concerns. China and Russia want to go further and subvert this system.