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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid and political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Magid and Schneider speak about the cautious optimism of some Israeli government officials regarding renewed hostage talks, amid the arrival of US National security adviser Jake Sullivan to the region. Magid also looks at the request of Trump advisors who asked for the return of Hamas leaders to Qatar as they view the Gulf country's mediation efforts as vital to the hostage negotiations, and want the entire situation completed by the January 20 inauguration. Magid and Schneider discuss the latest in the Golan Heights and IDF activity in the buffer zone with Syria following the rebel group takeover. Several European countries asked for Israel's restraint as no one wants Israel and the rebel groups to set off on an antagonistic relationship. Finally, Schneider looks at the latest in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial, as the prime minister claims he was never favored by any of the Israeli media that he attempted to influence, but rather received hostile coverage. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Sullivan heads to Israel for Biden administration’s likely final hostage deal push 1st hostage to return from Gaza meets Trump, urges him to do all he can to free captives Security chiefs discuss hostage deal in Cairo as Israel sees growing chances Trump aides asked Qatar to recall ousted Hamas chiefs in bid to revive hostage talks Netanyahu argues ‘hostile’ Walla coverage, telecoms reforms prove bribery claims ‘absurd’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Hostage family members speak to the media after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, December 8, 2024. (Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government took the decision less than a day after the fall of the Assad regime

The UK parliament is considering landmark proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. They would, if approved, establish the right for some terminally ill people to choose a medically assisted death. Several European nations, Canada, and a number of US states have already gone down this road. Stephen Sackur speaks to actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr. Is the focus on a ‘good death' detracting from the right to a good life?

fWotD Episode 2633: Alpine ibex Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 20 July 2024 is Alpine ibex.The Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), also known as the steinbock, is a European species of goat that lives in the Alps. It is one of ten species in the genus Capra and its closest living relative is the Iberian ibex. The Alpine ibex is a sexually dimorphic species; males are larger and carry longer horns than females. Its coat is brownish-grey. Alpine ibexes tend to live in steep, rough terrain and open alpine meadows. They can be found at elevations as high as 3,300 m (10,800 ft) and their sharp hooves allow them to scale their mountainous habitat.Alpine ibexes primarily feed on grass and are active throughout the year. Although they are social animals, adult males and females segregate for most of the year, coming together only to mate. During the breeding season, males use their long horns to fight for access to females. Ibexes have few predators but may succumb to parasites and diseases.By the 19th century, the Alpine Ibex had been extirpated from most of its range and it went through a population bottleneck of fewer than 100 individuals during its near-extinction event, leading to very low genetic diversity across populations. The species has been successfully reintroduced to parts of its historical range. All individuals living today descend from the stock in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. As of 2020, the IUCN lists the species as being of least concern.Carl Linnaeus first described the Alpine ibex in 1758. It is classified in the genus Capra with nine other species of goat. Capra is Latin for "she-goat" while the species name "ibex" is translated from Latin as "chamois" and is possibly derived from an earlier Alpine language.Fossils of the genus Tossunnoria are found in late Miocene deposits in China; these fossils appear to have been transitional between goats and their ancestors. The genus Capra may have originated in Central Asia and spread to Europe, the Caucasus, and East Africa from the Pliocene and into the Pleistocene. Mitochondrial and Y chromosome evidence show hybridisation of species in this lineage. Fossils of the Alpine ibex dating from the last glacial period during the late Pleistocene have been found in France and Italy. The Alpine Ibex and the Iberian ibex (C. pyrenaica) probably evolved from the extinct Pleistocene species Capra camburgensis, whose fossils have been found in Germany. The Alpine ibex appears to have been larger during the Pleistocene than in the modern day.In the 20th century, the Nubian (C. nubiana), walia (C. walie), and Siberian ibex (C. sibirica) were considered to be subspecies of the Alpine ibex; populations in the Alps were given the trinomial of C. i. ibex. Genetic evidence from 2006 has supported the status of these Ibexes as separate species.The following cladogram of seven Capra species is based on 2022 mitochondrial evidence:Alpine ibexes are sexually dimorphic. Males grow to a height of 90 to 101 cm (35 to 40 in) at the withers with a body length of 149–171 cm (59–67 in) and weigh 67–117 kg (148–258 lb). Females are much smaller and have a shoulder height of 73–84 cm (29–33 in), a body length of 121–141 cm (48–56 in), and weigh 17–32 kg (37–71 lb).The Alpine ibex is a stocky animal with a tough neck and robust legs with short metapodials. Compared with most other wild goats, the species has a wide, shortened snout. Adaptations for climbing include sharp, highly separated hooves and a rubbery callus under the front feet. Both male and female Alpine ibexes have large, backwards-curving horns with an elliptical cross-section and a trilateral-shaped core. Transverse ridges on the front surface of the horns mark an otherwise flat surface. At 69–98 cm (27–39 in), the horns of males are substantially longer than those of females, which reach only 18–35 cm (7.1–13.8 in) in length.The species has brownish-grey hair over most of its body; this hair's colour is lighter on the belly, and there are dark markings on the chin and throat. The hair on the chest region is nearly black and there are stripes along the dorsal (back) surface. The Alpine ibex is duller-coloured than other members of its genus. As with other goats, only males have a beard. Ibexes moult in spring, when their thick winter coat consisting of woolly underfur is replaced with a short, thin summer coat. Their winter coat grows back in the autumn. As in other members of Capra, the Alpine ibex has glands near the eyes, groin and feet but there are none on the face.The Alpine ibex is native to the Alps of central Europe; its range includes France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, and Austria. Fossils of the species have been found as far south as Greece, where it became locally extinct over 7,500 years ago due to human predation. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the species disappeared from much of its range due to hunting, leaving by the 19th century one surviving population in and around Gran Paradiso, Italy. The species has since been reintroduced into parts of its former range, as well as new areas such as Slovenia and Bulgaria.The Alpine Ibex is an excellent climber; it occupies steep, rough terrain at elevations of 1,800 to 3,300 m (5,900 to 10,800 ft). It prefers to live an open areas but when there is little snow, and depending on population density, adult males may gather in larch and mixed larch-spruce woodland. Outside the breeding season, the sexes live in separate habitats. Females are more likely to be found on steep slopes while males prefer more-level ground. Males inhabit lowland meadows during the spring, when fresh grass appears, and climb to alpine meadows during the summer. In early winter, both males and females move to steep, rocky slopes to avoid dense buildups of snow. Alpine ibexes prefer slopes of 30–45°, and take refuge in small caves and overhangs.The Alpine ibex is strictly herbivorous; its diet consists mostly of grass, which is preferred all year; during the summer, ibexes supplement their diet with herbs, while during autumn and winter they also eat dwarf shrubs and conifer shoots. The most-commonly eaten grass genera are Agrostis, Avena, Calamagrostis, Festuca, Phleum, Poa, Sesleria, and Trisetum. In the spring, animals of both sexes spend about the same amount of time feeding during the day, while in summer, females, particularly those that are lactating, eat more than males. High temperatures cause heat stress in large adult males, reducing their feeding time, but they may avoid this problem by feeding at night.In Gran Paradiso, home ranges of the Alpine Ibex can exceed 700 ha (1,700 acres) and in reintroduced populations, home ranges may approach 3,000 ha (7,400 acres). Home-range size depends on the availability of resources and the time of year. Home ranges tend to be largest during summer and autumn, smallest in winter, and intermediate in spring. Females' home ranges are usually smaller than those of males. Ibexes do not hibernate during the winter; they take shelter on cold winter nights and bask in the mornings. They also reduce their heart rate and metabolism. The Alpine ibex may compete for resources with chamois and red deer; the presence of these species may force the ibex to occupy high elevations. The Alpine ibex's climbing ability is such that it has been observed scaling the 57-degree slopes of the Cingino Dam in Piedmont, Italy, where it licks salts. Only females and kids, which are lighter and have shorter legs than adult males, will climb the steep dam. Kids have been observed at 49 m (161 ft), ascending in a zig-zag path while descending in straight paths.The Alpine ibex is a social species but it tends to live in groups that are based on sex and age. For most of the year, adult males group separately from females, and older males live separately from young males. Female groups consist of 5–10 members and male groups usually have 2–16 members but sometimes have more than 50. Dependent kids live with their mothers in female groups. Segregation between the sexes is a gradual process; males younger than nine years may still associate with female groups. Adult males, particularly older males, are more likely to be found alone than females. Social spacing tends to be looser in the summer, when there is more room to feed. Ibexes have stable social connections; they consistently regroup with the same individuals when ecological conditions force them together. Female groups tend to be more stable than male groups.In the breeding season, which occurs in December and January, adult males and females gather together, and separate again in April and May. Among males, a dominance hierarchy based on size, age, and horn length exists. Hierarchies are established outside the breeding season, allowing males to focus more on mating and less on fighting. Males use their horns for combat; they will bash the sides of rivals or clash head-to-head, the latter often involves them standing bipedally and clashing downwards.Alpine ibexes communicate mainly through short, sharp whistles that serve mostly as alarm calls and may occur singularly or in succession with short gaps. Females and their young communicate by bleating.The mating season begins in December and typically lasts for around six weeks. During this time, male herds break up into smaller groups and search for females. The rut takes place in two phases; in the first phase, males interact with females as a group and in the second phase, one male separates from his group to follow a female in oestrus. Dominant males between nine and twelve years old follow a female and guard her from rivals while subordinate, younger males between two and six years old try to sneak past the tending male when he is distracted. If the female flees, both dominant and subordinate males will try to follow her. During courtship, the male stretches the neck, flicks the tongue, curls the upper lip, urinates, and sniffs the female. After copulation, the male rejoins his group and restarts the first phase of the rut. Environmental conditions can affect courtship in the species; for example, snow can limit the males' ability to follow females and mate with them.The female is in oestrus for around 20 days and gestation averages around five months, and typically results in the birth of one or sometimes two kids. Females give birth away from their social groups on rocky slopes that are relatively safe from predators. After a few days, the kids can move on their own. Mothers and kids gather into nursery groups, where young are nursed for up to five months. Nursery groups can also include non-lactating females. Alpine ibexes reach sexual maturity at 18 months but females continue to grow until they are around five or six years old, and males are nine to eleven years old.The horns grow throughout life. Young are born without horns, which become visible as tiny tips at one month and reach 20–25 mm (0.8–1.0 in) in the second month. In males, the horns grow at about 8 cm (3.1 in) per year for the first five-and-a-half years, slowing to half that rate once the animal reaches 10 years of age. The slowing of horn growth in males coincides with aging. The age of an ibex can be determined by annual growth rings in the horns, which stop growing in winter.Male Alpine Ibexes live for around 16 years while females live for around 20 years. The species has a high adult survival rate compared with other herbivores around its size. In one study, all kids reached two years of age and the majority of adults lived for 13 years, although most 13-year-old males did not reach the age of 15. Alpine ibexes have a low rate of predation; their mountain habitat keeps them safe from predators like wolves, though golden eagles may prey on young. In Gran Paradiso, causes of death are old age, lack of food, and disease. They are also killed by avalanches.Alpine ibexes may suffer necrosis and fibrosis caused by the bacteria Brucella melitensis, and foot rot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus. Infections from Mycoplasma conjunctivae damage the eye via keratoconjunctivitis and can lead to death rates of up to 30%. Ibexes can host gastrointestinal parasite]s such as coccidia, strongyles, Teladorsagia circumcincta, and Marshallagi amarshalli as well as lungworms, mainly Muellerius capillaris. Several individuals have died from heart diseases, including arteriosclerosis, cardiac fibrosis, sarcosporidiosis, and valvular heart disease.During the Middle Ages, the Alpine ibex ranged throughout the Alpine region of Europe. Starting in the early 16th century, the overall population declined due almost entirely to hunting by humans, especially with the introduction of firearms. By the 19th century, only around 100 individuals remained in and around Gran Paradiso in north-west Italy and on the Italian-French border. In 1821, the Government of Piedmont banned hunting of the Alpine ibex and in 1854, Victor Emmanuel II declared Gran Paradiso a royal hunting reserve. In 1920, his grandson Victor Emmanuel III of Italy donated the land to the state of Italy and it was established as a national park. By 1933, the Alpine ibex population reached 4,000 but subsequent mismanagement by the Fascist government caused it to drop to around 400 by 1945. Their protection improved after the war and by 2005, there were 4,000 in the national park. In the late 20th century, the Gran Paradiso population was used for reintroductions into other parts of Italy.Starting in 1902, several Alpine ibexes from Gran Paradiso were taken into captive facilities in Switzerland for selective breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Until 1948, translocated founder animals were captive-bred. Afterwards, there were reintroductions of wild-born specimens from established populations in Piz Albris, Le Pleureur, and Augstmatthorn. These gave rise to the populations in France and Austria. Alpine ibexes also recolonised areas on their own. The Alpine ibex population reached 3,020 in 1914, 20,000 in 1991, and 55,297 in 2015, and by 1975, the species occupied much of its medieval range. In the 1890s, ibexes were introduced to Slovenia despite the lack of evidence of their presence there following the last glacial period. In 1980, ibexes were translocated to Bulgaria.Between 2015 and 2017, there were around 9,000 ibexes in 30 colonies in France, over 17,800 individuals and 30 colonies in Switzerland, over 16,400 ibexes in 67 colonies in Italy, around 9,000 in 27 colonies in Austria, around 500 in five colonies in Germany, and almost 280 ibexes and four colonies in Slovenia. As of 2020, the IUCN considers the Alpine ibex to be of Least Concern with a stable population trend. It was given a recovery score of 79%, making it "moderately depleted". While the species would likely have gone extinct without conservation efforts in the 19th and 20th centuries, as of 2021, it has a low conservation dependence. According to the IUCN, without current protections, the population decline of the species would be minimal. Some countries allow limited hunting.Having gone through a genetic bottleneck, the Alpine ibex population has low genetic diversity and is at risk of inbreeding depression. A 2020 analysis found highly deleterious mutations were lost in these new populations but they had also gained mildly deleterious ones. The genetic purity of the species may be threatened by hybridisation with domestic goats, which have been allowed to roam in the Alpine Ibex's habitat. The genetic bottleneck of populations may increase vulnerability to infectious diseases because their immune system has low major histocompatibility complex diversity. In the Bornes Massif region of the French Alps, management actions, including a test-and-cull program to control outbreaks, effectively reduced Brucella infection prevalence in adult females from 51% in 2013 to 21% in 2018, and active infections also significantly declined.The Alpine ibex is called the steinbock, which originated from the Old High German word steinboc, literally "stone buck". Several European names for the animal developed from this, including the French bouquetin and the Italian stambecco. The Alpine ibex is one of many animals depicted in the art of the Late Pleistocene-era Magdalenian culture in Western Europe. Local people used Ibexes for traditional medicine; the horn material was used to counter cramps, poisoning, and hysteria, while the blood was thought to prevent stones from developing in the bladder. The species' value as a source of medicine led to its near extinction. Since its recovery, the Alpine ibex has been seen as a resilient symbol of the mountain range. The species is depicted on the coat of arms of the Swiss canton of Grisons.Alpine Ibex European Specialist Group (GSE-AIESG)This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:31 UTC on Saturday, 20 July 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Alpine ibex on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Gregory.

Several European cities are exploring ways to manage the level of tourism they're seeing. Locals are starting to turn on visitors - there were angered protestors spraying tourists with water pistols in Barcelona this week, and places like Venice have added a tax to limit the amount of people that can visit the city daily.For a positive spin, the city of Copenhagen is now going to reward tourists who take part in climate-friendly tasks when they holiday there. They'll get things like free lunches, coffees, glasses of wine and kayak rental in return for things like litter picking and using public transport.Should we be doing the same? Andrea is joined by Travel Journalist Ed Flynn, Gwen Leyden, Landlord of George's Street Arcade and Melanie May ‘Talk Travel' Presenter on Dublin City FM to discuss.

According to the Minutes from the two-day session held on June 11-12, Federal Reserve officials at their June meeting indicated that inflation is moving in the right direction but not quickly enough for them to lower interest rates. The FOMC “dot plot” showed one quarter percentage point cut by the end of 2024. The government cleared USD1.3 bn worth of arrears to foreign oil and gas companies operating in the country at the end of June — accounting for around 20% of its outstanding dues. The first phase for the Egypt-Saudi Arabia 1.5k GW electricity interconnection will start operations in July 2025. Japanese hygiene and health food products company Saraya is looking into setting up two projects in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone). The projects would come as part of the second phase of the company's USD25 mn investment plan in Egypt. The Central Bank of Egypt is reportedly gearing up to allow Egyptian expats to transfer their remittances using payment platform InstaPay. Egyptian National Railways (ENR) has awarded Italy's Mermec a EUR130 mn contract to supply a European Train Control System (ETCS) for a portion of the railway line linking Sinai to the Suez Canal. Several European institutions intend to provide funds that might sum up to EUR450 million by 2024 end to the National Tunnels Authority affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, to complete the implementation of the high-speed electric train project linking the cities of Ain Sokhna and Matrouh. The CEO of the commercial sector at Sky Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of the Emirati Diamond Group, revealed that his company is currently in negotiations aimed at obtaining a huge plot of land on the North Coast with an area of up to 600 acres, to implement a large project on it. Kima's fertilizer factories will be fully operational within days, following a partial resumption of gas supplies. CNFN is planning to invest EGP12 bn across all of its investments, including cars, furniture, furnishings, education and green finance. Additionally, it's planning to enter foreign markets and pursue available opportunities. Act Financial is planning to use the EGP1 bn raised from its IPO to invest into three EGX-listed companies this year, the company is also exploring potential investments in six non-listed local companies with the hopes of eventually listing them on the EGX. The investments will range from 5-30%, depending on the size of the company and Act Financial's plan for it. ACTF is currently also in negotiations to secure EGP2 bn in loans. 

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reiterated that the Taiwan question is at the center of China's core interests(01:06). Several European nations including Ireland and Spain have announced plans to formally recognize the Palestinian state(06:21). And China is marking the International Day for Biodiversity(14:53).

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. It is day 207 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Reports about a potential hostage release deal are, as ever, a rollercoaster of emotions: Yesterday, headlines were filled with positive signs, but today we're hearing that Israel has decided it will not be sending a delegation to Cairo for hostage talks yet. Berman gives us a sense of where things stand now. US Congress members from both parties have reportedly warned of retaliation from Washington, amid fears that the International Criminal Court may issue warrants against Israelis, concerned that the move could sink the hostages-for-truce agreement in the works between Israel and Hamas. We hear why the court may suddenly issue these warrants for alleged war crimes perpetrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi -- or at least, why the issue is suddenly in the news again. Several European member states are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday at the sidelines of a World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh. Which states and what could this mean for Israel on the international stage? An overwhelming majority of Americans believe Israel should go ahead with an offensive in Rafah to end the war against Hamas, according to a new Harvard CAPS Harris poll. Berman shares his experience of overwhelming support for Israel while he was recently in the US. For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Blinken hopes Hamas takes Israel's ‘extraordinarily generous' truce offer US lawmakers threaten retaliation against UN court over potential Israel arrest warrants What is the International Criminal Court and why does it worry Israeli leaders? Israel working to block feared ICC arrest warrants against PM, others over Gaza war EU top diplomat: At least 5 countries expected to recognize Palestinian state in May Over 70% of US voters back Israeli offensive in Rafah to defeat Hamas — poll THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.  IMAGE: A protester with a zipper over her mouth holds a poster showing pictures of Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza during the October 7 attacks, during a demonstration calling for their release in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on April 27, 2024. (Jack Guez / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the Chinese people, the eternal theme of the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, remains family reunion, yet an increasing number of Chinese are choosing to integrate travel into their holiday traditions.The change was seen this year as the Spring Festival holiday spanned eight days -- possibly nine with a flexible one-day paid leave -- surpassing the usual one-week holiday in previous years.According to data released Saturday by Chinese travel website Mafengwo, Monday and Tuesday saw peak travel activity."We made a random decision to drive to the historic city of Datong (in northern China) on Monday but were surprised to see a large number of tourists. Local hotel chains are almost always full, and restaurants almost always have a waiting line," said a tourist surnamed Li.NEW TRENDS IN DOMESTIC TOURISMAccording to Mafengwo, family travel accounted for 45 percent of all trips during the holiday, reflecting a trend that young people return home for family reunions before embarking on trips with their families, taking advantage of the extended holiday period.Beijing, Xi'an and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were among the most popular tourist destinations, said Mafengwo, adding that visiting museums, grottoes, temples and other historical and cultural places was another highlight of this year's Spring Festival travel after temple fairs and folk activities.A report by travel portal Tuniu.com showed an emerging trend for cross-regional travel between the northern and southern parts of the country during the holiday.Harbin, capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province, maintained its growing popularity among people from the South who are eager to explore an ice-and-snow world, while tropical cities such as Sanya, Xishuangbanna, and Beihai remained favored destinations for northlanders seeking winter getaways.SURGING OUTBOUND TOURISMData from multiple online travel platforms showed that on the first day of the eight-day holiday, outbound travel bookings already surpassed the 2019 figure, with Southeast Asian countries, particularly those with visa-free policies for Chinese nationals, emerging as red-hot destinations.From Feb 10 to 13, bookings for hotels in Bangkok tripled year on year, while reservations for Singaporean hotels reported a stunning growth of 800 percent, according to the travel platform LY.com.Several European destinations have introduced unique strategies to attract Chinese tourists. A Michelin-starred restaurant in downtown London has launched a menu specially designed for the Year of the Loong (Dragon), while a railway for the well-known scenic spot Jungfrau in Switzerland has been decorated with Chinese elements to greet Chinese tourists between Feb 8 and 20.With a substantial rise in outbound tourism, this holiday is projected to see a daily port clearance of 1.8 million people nationwide, more than triple that of the previous year and nearly reaching the level of 2019, according to the National Immigration Administration.According to a market forecast by Ctrip, a leading travel platform in China, the eight-day holiday would mark the country's first travel rush of the year, with a notable increase in international travel being one of the highlights."Destinations in Southeast Asia have continued to gain traction as many in China opted for the region for an escape from the winter season," said Gao Tao, from Tuniu. "The tourism industry has gone through a rough patch in the past three years due to the pandemic. But it is now poised for a growth spurt, particularly in outbound tourism."In 2023, China saw its outbound passenger trips exceed 87 million, and this figure is projected to reach 130 million in 2024, according to a paper published by the China Tourism Academy.UPWARD MOMENTUMExperts believe that the revved-up Spring Festival tourism consumption heralds an upward momentum in the tourism sector in 2024.In a recent report, the China Tourism Academy estimated that over 6 billion domestic trips will be made in 2024, and the total number of inbound and outbound travelers is expected to exceed 260 million."With the recovery of the economy, the resumption of international flights and the relaxation of visa policies, it is expected that the scale of domestic tourism consumption will continue to grow in 2024, and the scale of outbound tourism will be comprehensively advanced," said Qi Chunguang, vice president of Tuniu.

The Union Finance Ministry on Monday exuded confidence in a report that the Indian economy will expand at 7% or more in FY25, and that the country will become the third largest economy in the next three years. This economic review report has set the tone for tabling of the interim budget tomorrow. But what are the expectations? Which areas are likely to get more attention? Business Standard team breaks it down for you Clearly, expectations from the interim budget are running high. The government will indeed have to do a tough balancing act. Moving on, the government recently came out with a set of guidelines for the coaching industry. It bars coaching centres from enrolling students below 16 years of age. It also calls for appointment of trained counselors, and warns coaching centres against making misleading promises. So what will be the future of the coaching industry after new guidelines?  After the coaching industry, let us now turn our focus back to the budget theme. While market participants may not be expecting any major policy announcements in the tomorrow's interim budget, they are still keenly awaiting the budgetary support across various sectors to gauge the expected opportunities that will arise for related companies. So, which sectors are expected to derive most government support in the interim budget and how should you position your portfolio?  Meanwhile, the government's economic review report talks about a common concern. That is the rising geo-political risk. Markets too is keeping an eye on the rising escalations in various parts. The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is one of them. Several European nations have now decided to halt financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees or UNRWA. But why? Because some agency members were allegedly involved in the October 7 terrorist attack. But what exactly is UNRWA? What does it do? Listen to this episode of the podcasts for answers. 

China is again grappling with a repertory disease. Hospitals in several parts are operating at full strength for the last two months. Some are calling it “walking pneumonia” -- which is mostly taking children into its grip. Several European countries and the US too have reported a sharp spike in child pneumonia cases, fanning concern of another pandemic-like situation. While medical experts believe there's no need to hit the panic button just yet, it is a good time to take stock of India's preparedness.  Over two years of pandemic took a heavy toll on human lives, and also on the businesses. The toll on businesses would have been much worse if not for the internet. But India's internet growth rate has been slowing down for the last two years. It coincides with the fall in sales of entry and mid-level smartphones. So exactly what is holding back India's internet growth?  Let us now turn our gaze to financial markets. The Reserve Bank of India's policy outcome today could move rate-sensitive stocks across banks, financials, auto, and real-estate pockets as most analysts expect the central bank to maintain a status quo on rates. The eventual rate cuts next year, they believe, could lead to positive moves for these pockets. So, how should you position these stocks in your portfolio?  Well, time will clear the air on RBI's next move. And how markets will react to it. Moving on, Amazon founder and the world's third richest man, Jeff Bezos, is trying to turn back the hands of time. In this era of technology, he is building a giant clock in the hills of Texas which will keep time for the next 10,000 years. Yes, you heard it right. Listen to this episode of the podcast to know more. 

China is again grappling with a repertory disease. Hospitals in several parts are operating at full strength for the last two months. Some are calling it “walking pneumonia” -- which is mostly taking children into its grip. Several European countries and the US too have reported a sharp spike in child pneumonia cases, fanning concern of another pandemic-like situation. While medical experts believe there's no need to hit the panic button just yet, it is a good time to take stock of India's preparedness.  Over two years of pandemic took a heavy toll on human lives, and also on the businesses. The toll on businesses would have been much worse if not for the internet. But India's internet growth rate has been slowing down for the last two years. It coincides with the fall in sales of entry and mid-level smartphones. So exactly what is holding back India's internet growth?  Let us now turn our gaze to financial markets. The Reserve Bank of India's policy outcome today could move rate-sensitive stocks across banks, financials, auto, and real-estate pockets as most analysts expect the central bank to maintain a status quo on rates. The eventual rate cuts next year, they believe, could lead to positive moves for these pockets. So, how should you position these stocks in your portfolio?    Well, time will clear the air on RBI's next move. And how markets will react to it. Moving on, Amazon founder and the world's third richest man, Jeff Bezos, is trying to turn back the hands of time. In this era of technology, he is building a giant clock in the hills of Texas which will keep time for the next 10,000 years. Yes, you heard it right. Find out more about this ambitious project in this episode of the podcast. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the World Health Organization all recommend universal topical ocular prophylaxis to prevent gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum. In the United States, ophthalmia neonatorum caused by N. gonorrhoeae has an incidence of 0.3 per 1000 live births, while Chlamydia trachomatis represents 8.2 of 1000 cases. However, this prophylaxis is not a uniform GLOBAL stance. The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends against universal prophylaxis. Several European countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, no longer require universal prophylaxis, instead opting for a prevention strategy of increased screening and treatment of pregnant women and/or selective use in those delivered without pregnancy screening. But WAIT… it gets even slightly more confusing. According to a 2022 publication from the FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, the AAP has taken the position that the need for legal mandates for ocular prophylaxis should be reexamined and instead advocates for states to adopt strategies to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum by focusing on maternal treatment, such as compliance with CDC recommendations for prenatal screening and treatment of N gonorrheae and Chlamydia trachomatis. This was also the subject of a recent review published May 2023 in an article titled, “Neonatal ocular prophylaxis in the United States: is it still necessary?”. Confused...don't be. We'll cover all this information in this episode. So, can erythromycin ophthalmic application be avoided in some cases? Is that safe? And if so, doesn't that conflict with current US neonatal care expectations? Listen in and find out.

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised foreign companies greater access to China's huge market and more than $100 billion in new financing for other developing economies as he opened a forum Wednesday on his signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Xi's initiative has built power plants, roads, railroads and ports around the world and deepened China's ties with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast. But the massive loans backing the projects have burdened poorer countries with heavy debts, in some cases leading to China taking control of those assets. At the forum's opening ceremony at the ornate and cavernous Great Hall of the People, Xi promised that two Chinese-backed development banks – the China Development Bank and the Export–Import Bank of China – will each set up 350 billion yuan ($47.9 billion) financing windows. An additional 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) will be invested in Beijing's Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects. “We will comprehensively remove restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector,” Xi said. He said China would further open up “cross-border trade and investment in services and expand market access for digital products” and carry out reforms of state-owned enterprises and in sectors such as the digital economy, intellectual property rights and government procurement. The pledges of hefty support from Beijing come at a time when China's economy has slowed and foreign investment has plunged. Xi alluded to efforts by the United States and its allies to reduce their reliance on Chinese manufacturing and supply chains amid heightened competition and diplomatic frictions and reiterated promises that Beijing would create a fairer environment for foreign firms. “We do not engage in ideological confrontation, geopolitical games nor clique political confrontation,” Xi said. “We oppose unilateral sanctions, economic coercion and the decoupling and severance of chains,” a reference to moves elsewhere to diversify industrial supply chains. Reiterating Chinese complaints that such moves are meant to limit China's growth, Xi said that “viewing others' development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one's own life better or speed up one's development.” “China can only do well when the world is doing well,” he said. “When China does well, the world will get even better.” Representatives from more than 130 mostly developing countries are attending the forum, including at least 20 heads of state and government. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending, reflecting China's economic and diplomatic support for Moscow amid the isolation brought by its war in Ukraine. Addressing the forum right after Xi, Putin praised BRI as being “truly important, global, future-oriented, aimed at creating more equitable, multipolar world relations." “This is truly a global plan,” he said, adding that it aligns with Russia's plan “to form a large Eurasian space, as a space of cooperation and interaction of like-minded people, where a variety of integration processes will be linked.” He referred to other regional organizations, such as the security-oriented Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Eurasian Economic Union of former Soviet states. Several European officials including the French and Italian ambassadors to China and former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin walked out while Putin spoke and returned afterwards. On Tuesday, Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is the sole European Union government leader attending the forum. Their meeting was a rare instance of the Russian president meeting a European leader since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine in February 2022. Putin met with Xi after the opening ceremony. Also in attendance are the presidents of Indonesia, Argentina, Kazakstan, Sri Lanka, Kenya among other countries, as well as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Most Western European countries and U.S. allies sent lower level or former officials to the forum. Guterres highlighted the BRI's potential to bring development to neglected areas while stressing the need for projects to be environmentally sustainable. He said the initiative could help drive the transition away from reliance on fossil fuels. “Developing countries will need massive support for a fair, equitable and just energy transition toward renewables while providing affordable electricity to all,” Guterres said. He also called for an “immediate, humanitarian” ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine war after a strike killed hundreds at a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday. With the BRI, China has become a major financer of development projects on a par with the World Bank. The Chinese government says the initiative has launched more than 3,000 projects and “galvanized” nearly $1 trillion in investment. It has also attracted criticism from the U.S., India and others that China is engaging in “debt trap” diplomacy: Making loans Beijing knew governments would likely default on, enabling Chinese interests to take control of the assets. An oft-cited example is a port that the Sri Lankan government ended up leasing to a Chinese company for 99 years. Many economists say China did not make the bad loans intentionally. A key concern is whether the BRI can become more sustainable in terms of debt burdens, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London. The initiative now aims to become smaller and greener after a decade of big projects that boosted trade but left big debts and raised environmental concerns. China will also “monitor the debt sustainability of BRI countries more closely,” Christoph Nedopil, director of the Asia Institute at Griffith University in Australia, wrote in a report. “Chinese financial institutions will likely limit their exposure to projects that do not have stable cash flows from within the project,” he added. “That being said, ‘beautiful' strategic projects, such as strategic railways or ports, will still find Chinese financial creditors.” - by Simina Mistreanu, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Online News Act, or Bill C-18, has already radically changed how Canadians get their news. First and foremost, we can no longer get it on Facebook or Instagram. Google may be the next to go, depending on what the final regulations look like. But Canada isn't the first country to attempt to bring in regulations like C-18. Several European countries have tried to force Big Tech to pay publishers, too, and in some cases have been subject to news blocks that are still in effect. Ricard Gil is an Associate Professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow of Business Economics Smith School of Business of Queen's University, and has studied the impact of these regulations on the media industry in European countries. He joins us to explain what happened in Europe and how Big Tech's response has impacted the sector there. ----- Links: More episodes of Free Lunch by The Peak: https://readthepeak.com/shows/free-lunch Follow Taylor on Twitter: @taylorscollon Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarahbartnicka Subscribe to The Peak's daily business newsletter: https://readthepeak.com/b/the-peak/subscribe

Abdul Ghani and his extended family fled to the roof of a nearby girls' school in August when the floodwaters came to his town in southern Pakistan's Sindh province. His family was still there two weeks later, without tents or any other shelter, when waves whipped up in the floodwaters destroyed their house.“Our hearts sank,” Ghani said from the sun-scorched school roof, where the one remaining room of his home is still visible and surrounded by water. “The house that was our shelter, our children's home, was destroyed.”Ghani, a mason, built the nine-room home in a small farming town in the Dadu district himself. He lived there with his wife and three kids, along with his seven brothers and their families. Heer Mallah with her children Zulgar Non, 5, Zakia, 3, and Aurong Zeb, 1. Credit: Carolyn Beeler/The World Unprecedented rains in Pakistan that began in mid-June led to flooding that impacted 33 million people and killed more than 1,700 others, causing an estimated $30 million in damages and economic losses.Some two months after the rains stopped, 7,000 square miles of land in Sindh are still submerged under water.Five million of the 8 million people displaced by the floods are still unable to return home.Paying for damagesThe question of who should pay for damages like these wrought by climate-fueled disasters has been one of the most contentious issues at the UN climate summit this month in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with Pakistan's floods a focal point of discussions.“We are paying the price for other people's carbon usage,” said Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's climate minister, who is at the summit. In recent months, she's often cited the statistic that Pakistan has contributed far less than 1% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, even though it's among those bearing the brunt of the consequences.Pakistan is leading a negotiating bloc of 134 developing countries in calling for a dedicated pot of money to be established for “loss and damage” funding.“Countries on the frontline of the climate crisis are facing accelerated catastrophes, and are not getting the relief and rehabilitation funding they need,” Rehman said.For decades, developed countries have resisted calls for direct climate aid, partially out of fear of exposing themselves to claims of financial or legal liability, not to mention the complexities of defining which damages should be included.In the floods in Pakistan, for example, it's difficult to tease out how much climate change contributed to the estimated $30 million in damages and economic losses. What used to be a road in Pakistan's Sindh province before it was inundated by floodwaters. Credit: Carolyn Beeler/The World Warming contributed to the torrential rains that triggered these floods. An attribution study published by an international group of scientists in September found that rainfall in Sindh and neighboring Balochistan is 50% more intense now than it would have been without climate change.But the researchers say that other factors also drove the damages, including development on flood plains, inadequate infrastructure, an outdated river management system, high poverty rates and a lack of adequate early warning systems.Early momentum at COP27For the first time, this year, countries have started to volunteer funds specifically for losses and damages. Several European countries, along with New Zealand, announced tens of millions of dollars in aid in the first week of the summit. Also for the first time, negotiators at the climate summit have a mandate to discuss an official mechanism for loss and damage funding through the UN, “with a view to adopting a conclusive decision no later than 2024.It's not yet clear what shape any funding will take.Developed countries want to discuss options for funding at COP27 and decide on a solution by 2024. Developing countries want to agree to a loss and damage fund this year, and hammer out the operational details until 2024, when it would then go into effect.US climate envoy John Kerry said “not a lot of people want to sign off on something that is not yet fully defined.”“The well-known fact is that the United States and many other countries will not establish some sort of legal structure that is tied to compensation or liability,” Kerry added.The European Union's head of delegation, Jake Werksman, said last week that the negotiations aim to start a broad conversation, not focus on a single solution like a fund for losses and damages. The US and EU also favor funding to flow through existing programs and institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund or the Green Climate Fund.Insurance and disaster protectionThe G-7, meanwhile, spearheaded by Germany with a $173 million commitment, launched a “Global Shield” program on Monday, based on insurance and disaster protection for vulnerable countries.But developing countries insist that a loss and damage fund — not just insurance or loans, which would trap them in further debt — is essential, and must be agreed to this year.Proponents of such a fund argue that post-disaster aid, which currently seeks to address events like Pakistan's floods, comes at the whim of donors.So far, a UN appeal for Pakistan has brought in only a third of its goal, and that itself is only a fraction of the $16 billion the government estimates it will take to rebuild.“International aid is given for charity. Rich people feel bad that this event is happening in poor countries, and they give money,” said Saleemul Huq, a Bangladeshi scientist who's attended every UN climate summit and is a longtime adviser to the Least Developed Countries coalition.“Loss and damage is not that,” Huq added. “It is polluters taking responsibility for having caused the problem, recognizing that there are victims of the problem who they have the responsibility to help.”Meanwhile, aid that does follow disasters can be slow to arrive, exacerbating health and economic problems.Water-born illnesses spiked in Pakistan with the floods. Officials fear widespread increases of malnutrition — which impacted nearly 1 in 2 Pakistani children even before the floods — and upticks in child marriage rates.Back at the girls' school where Abdul Ghani now lives with five of his brothers and their families, it's hard to keep the kids out of the floodwaters.“We try to stop them, but they won't listen,” Heer Mallah, Ghani's wife, said while cooking stewed spinach and potatoes in the hallway of the school. Children from Abdul Ghani's own family and extended family play together in a courtyard in Pakistan. Credit: Carolyn Beeler/The World “The children are not healthy here,” she said. “But what can we do? We're helpless until we return home.”Her 5-year-old son has a persistent cough. He and his 3-year-old sister have malaria, with fevers that broke after more than a week.“We dream that our kids will get educated and become doctors. But how are they going to do that if they can't go to school?”Heer Mallah, Pakistani mother“We dream that our kids will get educated and become doctors,” Mallah said with a smile. “But how are they going to do that if they can't go to school?” Fatima Mullah, 12, shelters with her family in a classroom just a few doors down from where she used to study as a student. Credit: Carolyn Beeler/The World  Ghani's niece, 12-year-old Fatima Mallah, now sleeps in a classroom a few doors down from where she used to be in second grade. She likes playing with her cousins there, including gleeful games of tag in the school's courtyard, but she misses school.   “She cries and says, 'bring back my books,' but we can't, because we don't have money,” said her mother, Shaahzadi Mallah, sitting on a traditional wood and woven rope bed in the courtyard. “We can't even eat three meals, how can we buy books?”The family is down to two meals a day. The cow whose milk they used to sell is tied up in the school's courtyard, under a line of drying laundry. The cow's grazing land is flooded, so she's not producing enough milk for the family to sell.Most of the places where Abdul Ghani used to work as a mason are flooded, too. He recently bought nets to start fishing the floodwaters.Farmers are perhaps even worse off, as flooding ruined their rice crop for the year and, in many places, will prevent them from sowing wheat this month.In affected areas, pumps powered by tractor engines are working to “de-water” towns, which often means moving water to agriculture fields or other less populated areas. Pumps powered by tractor engines work to “de-water” flooded towns in Pakistan. Credit: Carolyn Beeler/The World Government and military officials are going door-to-door conducting damage assessments. Sindh's information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said only when that's complete will money be distributed to help people rebuild.“Once the assessment figures come, then the rehabilitation work will start,” Memon said.Related: Loss and damage: Who is responsible when climate change harms the world's poorest countries?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the third Vande Bharat train on September 30. And in the next four years, there is a plan to roll out over 450 such semi high-speed trains. But in just 10 days since the launch, the nose of a train was disfigured twice due to collisions with cattle, while another Vande Bharat train faced a technical glitch. We ask today if our rail tracks and other infrastructure are ready for such a speed upgrade.  Several European countries are now exploring the option to use renewable energy to fuel their trains. And as the world is trudging the renewable energy path, India too is keeping the pace with it. But wind power, which had a head start in India, has reported moderated growth in the last few years, with solar dominating the renewable energy mix. Why is it so?  Moving on to markets, soaring inflation, and the steep interest-rate hikes deployed by global central banks have brought an end to a four-decade bull market in global bonds. However, Indian bond markets have been relatively resilient, and have seen single-digit cuts since their recent peaks. As strong labour markets in the US suggest more rate hikes, will Indian bonds break under the mounting global pressure?  India had introduced a pre-packaged insolvency resolution process last year. It was projected as an alternative resolution process for MSMEs. This episode of the podcast tells more about it.

Several European countries have shifted to the right in electing new leaders that prioritize God, family, and country, as Europe battles debt, inflation, immigration, and EU progressivism. Just as notably, many of these new European leaders are female, which is not being celebrated by the media like it typically would.   ⭕️Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

Several European countries are testing a four day work week with much success. Employees are more productive and reporting better mental health. Do you think it would work for you? One of us says absolutely...the other isn't so sure…

Britain is facing its biggest rail strikes in decades after last-minute talks between a union and train companies failed to reach a settlement over pay and job security.Up to 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff are due to walk out for three days this week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The strike is expected to shut down most of the rail network across the country, with London Underground subway services also hit by a walkout on Tuesday.The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union branded employers' latest offer “unacceptable” and said “the strike action scheduled this week will go ahead.”Secretary-General Mick Lynch said rail companies had “proposed pay rates that are massively under the relevant rates of inflation, coming on top of the pay freezes of the past few years.”Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the strike would cause “mass disruption,” with only about 20% of services able to operate.Shapps placed blame for the strike squarely on unions, which he said were resisting much-needed changes to make the railways “fit for the post-COVID world.”“This strike is not about pay,” Shapps told lawmakers. “It's about outdated unions opposing progress.”U.K. passenger numbers remain below pre-COVID-19 levels, and train companies, which were kept afloat with government support during the pandemic, are seeking to cut costs and staffing.Unions have urged the government to get involved to resolve the dispute. They accuse Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative administration of standing on the sidelines so it can blame unions, and the left-of-center opposition Labour Party, for the disruption.Unions say the government, which sets the rules for train companies and owns infrastructure operator Network Rail, has not given the firms enough flexibility to offer a substantial pay increase.“The dead hand of this Tory government is all over this dispute,” said Lynch, the union chief.Unions are warning of a summer of strikes as soaring inflation hits the pay packets of workers across the economy.Millions of people in Britain, like those across Europe, are seeing their cost of living soar. Salaries have not kept pace with inflation, which has hit 9% and is forecast to rise further, as Russia's war in Ukraine squeezes supplies of energy and food staples including wheat. Prices were already rising before the war, as the global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic fueled strong consumer demand.Lynch said he expected other sectors to strike later this year.“I think there are going to be many unions that are balloting across the country because people can't take it anymore,” he told Sky News. "We've got people doing full-time jobs who are having to take state benefits and use food banks. That is a national disgrace.”Treasury minister Simon Clarke said workers should get “a sensible pay increase,” but that too big a raise would spark a wage-price spiral driving inflation even higher.Compounding the travel misery in the U.K., Heathrow Airport said it was asking airlines flying from Terminals 2 and 3 to cut 10% of flights on Monday. The request came after reports emerged Friday of a huge backlog of baggage at the London airport.Several European airports have scrapped flights in an attempt to reduce delays. Budget airline easyJet said Monday it was “consolidating” flights because of “operational issues” at airports including London Gatwick and Amsterdam's Schiphol, which have both cut the number of flights they will handle over the summer. EasyJet didn't say how many flights would be affected.- by Jill Lawless, AP

Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi calls on BRICS countries to practice multilateralism while chairing a security meeting (01:19). The last section of a rail loop around China's largest desert in Xinjiang has started operation (11:55). Several European leaders are in Kyiv to show solidarity (19:11).

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Several European nations have called on Russia to immediately halt its attack on the nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Russian troops shelled it this afternoon - starting a fire. There have been conflicting reports about whether the fire compromised equipment at the plan. The UN's atomic watchdog urged Russian forces to stop attacking warning of "severe danger" if the reactors were hit. Professor Tatsu-jiro Suzuki is a nuclear power expert from Nagasaki University, and a former Vice Chairman of Japan's Atomic Energy Commission.

*) Russian airborne troops land in Ukraine's second city Kharkiv Russian airborne troops have landed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the Ukrainian army said on Wednesday, adding that there were immediate clashes. The army said that Russian troops have attacked a local hospital and there is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians. Earlier, the central square of Ukraine's second city was shelled by advancing Russian forces, killing at least 21 people and leaving many more injured. *) Biden: US closing airspace to Russia, going after oligarchs US President Joe Biden has said that Washington will join allies in banning Russia's aircraft from using its airspace and branded his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "dictator" during his State of the Union address. He said that in the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security. The American president also took aim at Russian oligarchs whom he said have bilked billions of dollars off Putin's government, warning them "we're coming for your ill-begotten gains". *) Treat Türkiye like Ukraine for bloc's membership, Erdogan tells EU Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the European Union to treat his country like it does Ukraine, without waiting for it to be "hit by a war". "Show Türkiye the same sensitivity that we are witnessing towards Ukraine," Erdogan said at a press conference in Ankara. Several European nations had called on EU member states to immediately grant Ukraine a EU candidate country status and open membership talks after Russia's aggression. On the other hand, Türkiye has been a candidate for EU membership since 1987 but talks have floundered in recent years. *) World bank sets more than $1B in aid for Afghanistan The World Bank has announced more than 1 billion dollars in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. It said the aid will go to UN agencies and international NGOs and will "remain outside the control of the interim Taliban administration." The funds, to be delivered in the form of grants, aim "to support the delivery of essential basic services, protect vulnerable Afghans," the Washington-based institution said in a statement. And finally … *) ExxonMobil, Apple, Boeing cut ties with Moscow Apple, ExxonMobil and Boeing have announced in rapid succession steps to withdraw or freeze business in Russia. ExxonMobil will begin a phased withdrawal from the giant Sakhalin offshore oilfield that it has operated since 1995. Apple will halt all product sales and limit the use of Apple Pay and other services in the country. Boeing suspended its support for Russian airlines and its operations in Moscow.

After Russia's war in Ukraine, Germany announced it is abandoning its pacifism and will double its defense spending and prepare for war. Several European nations are putting themselves on war footing and looking for ways to check Russia's aggression. Why did Russia invade? How important is Ukraine to Vladimir Putin? Ukrainian resistance has been more robust than Putin expected, and it looks like Russia is beginning to employ more extreme and brutal measures to bring Ukraine to heel. How far might Putin go to fulfill his aims? The mainstream narrative is that Ukraine fighting Russia is a classic David-and-Goliath story. But the reality is much more complicated when you consider epic-scale corruption among Ukrainian officials, and Obama- and Biden-administration officials' shady dealings in Ukraine. And finally we talk about how world peace will actually come to this war-weary world. Links [03:27] Effects of Russia's Attack (15 minutes) “Germany Responds to Russia With an Explosive Announcement!” “What Are the Times of the Gentiles?” [18:42] Cause of Russia's Attack (16 minutes) “Will Russia Ignite a Nuclear World War?” [34:33] U.S. Shady Dealings (19 minutes) [53:35] LAST WORD: World Peace (7 minutes) “World Peace—How It Will Come”

Several European countries and the US have reported record high Covid cases, as the Omicron variant continues to surge. The US, France, the UK, Spain and Italy are the countries with the highest number of infections in one day. In Europe, France documented almost 180,000 cases, the UK nearly 130,000, Spain close to 100,000 cases, and Italy about 80,000. The United States registered over 309,000 cases of coronavirus. All of this in a 24-hour period. Portugal also reported record-high daily coronavirus caseload, despite having one of the world's highest vaccination rates. In Greece, authorities announced a new daily report of more than 21,000 cases, more than twice the level on Monday.

In this bulletin, Health officials say there will be enough booster vaccines to meet demand when children become eligible to receive the vaccine; Several European countries set to impose further travel and social restrictions amid escalating cases of COVID-19; And in sport, Australian tennis players Ash Barty and Dylan Alcott crowned as joint Newcombe Medal winners.

Several European countries experienced protests against pandemic restrictions - and Austria is moving into lockdown today. Lockdowns are obviously negative for economic activity, as they are designed to prevent economic activity. The protests could be seen as a signal of low fear levels over the virus, and lower fear levels mutes the economic impact of the virus.

Several European countries are introducing stunningly draconian restrictions on unvaccinated people, an illustration of Europe's tendency toward authoritarianism. Russia tested an antisatellite missile by blowing up one of its own satellites, filling low Earth orbit with dangerous space junk just to show off its space war-making capability. As Iran is on the cusp of nuclear weapons, the United States says the solution is to give Iran money to try to convince it to halt nuclear development in its tracks. We also talk about the mainstream media's inflammatory coverage of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, the dangers of China's rapidly advancing nuclear arsenal, how the U.S. is relying on Qatar to represent its interests in Afghanistan, more evidence on the Nazi presence in the German government for decades after World War II, and Donald Trump saying that the 2020 election has to be corrected or America is done for. Links [00:38] Europe Unvaccinated (7 minutes) “Coronavirus and the Holy Roman Empire” [08:16] China's Antisatellite Missile (7 minutes) “Russia Carries Out Space-Based Antisatellite Weapons Test” [15:49] U.S. Iran Nuclear (9 minutes) “The Most Dangerous Lie in History,” Chapter 6 in Great Again [24:14] Rittenhouse Trial (9 minutes) “Why Is the Corporate Media Spinning the Rittenhouse Trial?” “Police Under Attack” [33:07] China's Nuclear Buildup (7 minutes) “The Climax of Man's Rule Over Man” [39:42] U.S. Relies on Qatar in Afghanistan (5 minutes) The King of the South [45:13] Nazis in Germany (5 minutes) “Nazis, Nazis Everywhere in Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office” [50:35] Trump on U.S. Elections (7 minutes) “RINOs, Donald Trump and Confronting Evil” “What Will Happen After Trump Regains Power”

As the number of Afghans making their way into Turkey across the border from Iran rises steadily, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a stark warning to European nations, saying in a televised address that Turkey will not become Europe's 'refugee warehouse'. Several European leaders have suggested that refugees from Afghanistan should remain in Turkey and other countries in the region rather than being given asylum in Europe.

Jose Pontes of EAFO and EV-Volumes runs through EV sales trends and policies that influence them in several European countries. CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan chimes in where it might be useful or funny.

Jose Pontes of EAFO and EV-Volumes runs through EV sales trends and policies that influence them in several European countries. CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan chimes in where it might be useful or funny.

Several European countries like Germany and Italy have temporarily suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccines over concerns that dozens of recipients of the shot have developed blood clots. So how concerning is this in the big picture? And how might it impact the public's trust in COVID-19 vaccines? For some insight, we speak with Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong. Image Credit: rafapress / Shutterstock.com

GBP/USD gained traction on Wednesday and built on the overnight bounce from one-week lows. The uptick was solely led by some cross-driven strength stemming from a fall in the EUR/GBP. The debacle around AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines continues as the old continent is struggling to get jabs into its citizens' arms and even if the crisis is resolved shortly, many European would still refuse this specific inoculation – or perhaps others. The European Medicines Agency is set to announce its verdict on the safety of AZ's immunization on Thursday after cases of blood clots seemed to be correlated with the jabs. Several European leaders hinted that vaccination will likely return. However, a message saying that the benefits of the injections outweigh the risk could do little to alleviate concerns. Support awaits at 1.1870, which was a stepping stone on the way up last week, and that is followed by the 2021 trough of 1.1836. Above 1.1910, the next cap awaits at 1.1950, which held EUR/USD down on Tuesday. GBP/EUR is trading around the key level 1.17 on the back of euro-weakness, the highest level since 24 Feb 2020. A more than one-year high. The upside seems limited ahead of Wednesday's FOMC decision and BoE meeting on Thursday. The dollar index was up 0.1% at 91.925, having risen for three straight sessions on support mainly from elevated U.S. bond yields. USD/JPY was up 0.2% at 109.15, near the nine-month high hit earlier this week, and ahead of the Bank of Japan's two-day policy meeting ending Friday. AUD/USD dropped 0.1% to 0.7736.

Several European countries are suspending use of the vaccine, while Canadian health officials continue to recommend its use. Our house doctor speaks about the risks and benefits.

The European Medicines Agency investigates the vaccine's link to blood clots, though some experts deem the pause as "overly cautious." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Several European nations have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a Danish woman died from blood clots following her first shot. However, doctors and scientists maintain there is no link and the vaccine is in fact completely safe. Professor of Global Health at UCL Dr. Anthony Costello and statistician David Spiegelhalter join Christiane Amanpour to discuss the impact of this decision. Then turning to the shadow pandemic of violence against women, the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old British woman Sarah Everard has shocked the nation and sparked a conversation about sexual assault, harassment and women’s safety. Mandu Reid, the leader of the Women's Equality Party, and Jackson Katz, an anti-violence educator, explain why it’s so important we reframe the conversation and hold men accountable. Our Michel Martin speaks to Connecticut Congresswoman Jahana about her 10 year experience as a teacher and the unprecedented challenges that teachers have faced over the past year.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Tonight's rundown:   The Biden Administration is planning for the largest tax hike in almost 30 years! Nancy Pelosi blames the flood of illegal immigrants into the U.S. on the prior administration – surprise, surprise – but the Biden administration doesn't seem to have a plan to fix any of it! Crime across America's largest cities surges as lawmakers don't prosecute the guilty How can Florida and California have nearly the same number of COVID deaths, when the government took such different approaches to the shutdown? The first weekend of Spring Break in Miami Beach ends with over 100 people arrested Several European countries suspend their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to reports of patients developing blood clots In Evanston, Illinois black Americans are expected to receive $25,000 in reparations and they claim it's not enough! UC Berkeley announces they would like to enroll 25% of students who identify as Hispanic – and yes, its constitutional! This Day in History, 1972: “The Godfather” opens in theaters Final Thought: Time limits are needed for the machines in Bill's home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Several European countries have temporarily halted use of AstraZeneca's vaccine as they investigate blood clots. Attorney for Derek Chauvin, charged with George Floyd's murder, requests a delay to the start of the trial. "Mank" leads Academy Award nominees with 10 nods. J.R. Whalen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As more and more vaccines are approved by regulators, countries are facing a new question: which ones should be given to the most vulnerable? Several European countries say they will not administer the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to the elderly, citing a lack of data about its efficacy in that age range. Should Australia restrict its use to the young?

As more and more vaccines are approved by regulators, countries are facing a new question: which ones should be given to the most vulnerable? Several European countries say they will not administer the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to the elderly, citing a lack of data about its efficacy in that age range. Should Australia restrict its use to the young?

As more and more vaccines are approved by regulators, countries are facing a new question: which ones should be given to the most vulnerable? Several European countries say they will not administer the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to the elderly, citing a lack of data about its efficacy in that age range. Should Australia restrict its use to the young?

As more and more vaccines are approved by regulators, countries are facing a new question: which ones should be given to the most vulnerable? Several European countries say they will not administer the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to the elderly, citing a lack of data about its efficacy in that age range. Should Australia restrict its use to the young?

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for January 27th, 2021. The European Union has warned pharmaceutical companies that developed vaccines with money from the EU, the shots better come in on schedule. In fact, it threatened to impose export controls on vaccines made within its borders. Many of the 27 member states are struggling to get their vaccine rollout going.Lots of eyes are turning to Johnson & Johnson, which says data on its vaccine should come out early next week. Theirs is a single-dose option which should simplify and speed inoculations. The company also says it anticipates being able to meet demand. The World Health Organization has new advice for treating COVID-19 patients, including long haulers with persistent symptoms after recovery. They advise using low-dose anti-coagulants to prevent blood clots, using a pulse oximeter at home to track oxygen levels, and that patients should be put into the awake prone position, on their front, which improves oxygen flow.Several European countries are considering requiring masks be surgical or medical-grade respirators. These are typically called N95, KN95 or FFP2 masks. Governments say cloth masks aren’t subject to any standards. But in the U.S., the CDC actually discourages the public from using medical masks, saying they should be conserved for healthcare workers. It says cloth masks work, except now they suggest wearing two of them.Two more people of note lost to Covid-19, the Defense Minister of Colombia has died at age 69. And longtime NBA reporter Sekou Smith, seen regularly on NBA TV, died at age 48. He covered basketball for more than 20 years and spent the last 11 with Turner Sports.In the United States cases were down 31%, deaths down 3%, and hospitalizations down 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since January 24th. There are now 9,808,357 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Forest, PA. Dimmit, TX. Chattahoochee, GA. Hitchcock, NE. San Miguel, CO. Hemphill, TX. Milam, TX. Culberson, TX. Uvalde, TX. And Winchester, VA. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Arizona, South Carolina, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and New York. There’ve been a total 425,062 deaths in the US reported as COVID-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.67%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 728. Texas 332. Alabama 234. Florida 229. Pennsylvania 214. New York 210. Arizona 209. Tennessee 192. Georgia 179. And New Jersey 132. Globally, cases were down 20%, and deaths up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 11. Globally, there are 25,816,304 active cases.The five countries with the most new cases: the United States 148,265. Brazil 63,626. Spain 36,435. France 22,086. And the U.K. 20,089. There have now been 2,155,052 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The world is changing fast, but you can learn it at a slower pace. 时尚美音，优雅英音，听新闻，学英语。（每周一、周二更新）

A new strain of the coronavirus triggers travel restrictions overseas. Several European nations ban travel in and out of the United Kingdom. Moderna's first life-saving doses of its COVID-19 vaccines leaves a distribution center in Mississippi. The CDC issues new guidance as to who should be next in-line to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announces a new 900-billion dollar coronavirus stimulus bill has been reached. President Trump continues to peddle false claims about the 2020 election, and the new details about an alleged White House meeting. And the new weather alert ahead of the holidays.

Several European leaders are self-isolating after French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19.

Several European countries are imposing strict pre-Christmas lockdowns to try and control the COVID-19 pandemic. We hear from Dresden, and talk to a German epidemiologist and the former health minister of the Czech Republic. Also in the programme: the BBC's Mike Thomson reports from Darfur as international peacekeepers prepare to leave; and we speak to the medical anthropologist Paul Farmer, who has just won the Berggruen Prize for his work at the intersection of public health and human rights. (Picture: Bonn, Germany; Credit: Reuters Wires)

Several European countries are planning to ease coronavirus lockdowns for the Christmas holidays despite the risk that lifting restrictions could cause COVID-19 cases to skyrocket. And, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s political alliance claimed a sweeping victory Monday in congressional elections boycotted by the most influential opposition politicians. Also, Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie broke the world record on Sunday for the half marathon by 29 seconds in Valencia, Spain. Be a superhero and help keep The World spinning! Our coverage wouldn’t be possible without incredible individuals working behind the scenes. Donate today to support the work of our superhero staff and help keep our coverage free and open to all. Donate $100 or pledge $8.33/month to receive an invite to a virtual party with Marco Werman and The World team! Visit theworld.org/WhoWeAre to make your contribution and learn more about the superheroes behind The World's compelling stories! Thank you for your support.

Several European countries are imposing nightly curfews and other restrictive measures in an attempt to curb a surge in coronavirus cases.Infection rates in the United States are also continuing to rise. - Shume vende te Bashkimit Europian kane filluar te rivendosin shtetrrethime gjate nates dhe masa te reja per te ulur numrin e infeksioneve me koronavirus.Numri i infeksioneve ne SHBA vazhdon te rritet.

VMware's Bitfusion and DellWe start with team introductions, as usual, but drop a bombshell on listeners:  we’re going to be missing Jessi for the next couple of months as she goes off to Marine Officers Candidate School – or as she calls it “screamy summer camp.” It’s sort of like an all-inclusive Sandals Resort. You get your room, meals, drinks, plus many interesting activities and outings – plus thousands and thousands of push-ups. And to top it off, you’re nearly a Marine Corps officer when you’re done! We’re very proud of our Jessi and know she’s going to do great. In unrelated news, Henry reports in from Las Cruces, straight from his echoey bunker. He’d doing great in the new house.AI Anywhere, Anyone?Our main story this week concerns Dell’s integration of VMware and Bitfusion to provide “AI anywhere” type of infrastructure where any set of systems can get access to typically underutilized GPUs sitting anywhere on the network. This could mark the end of “GPU silos” in both enterprise and HPC data centers and lead to much better utilization of expensive GPU assets. The guys bat around the pros and cons of virtualization. Henry raises the point that not all applications will work right out of the box with this type of virtualization (or any virtualization, for that matter). The real key according to Henry is how much computation you need vs. how much data you need to move. So to justify the movement of data, the computational density of the job needs to be high. We kick these concepts back and forth and it’s a good and meaty discussion. Dan and Henry even violently agree a couple of times as we go through it. Amazing.Reasons Why No One Should Ever be Online. Ever. Russian agents have been attacking a critical part of the Exim Email Transfer Agent – which is very bad. This could allow a ‘man in the middle’ style exploit of emails passing through these systems. Or highly targeted attacks on individual organizations. This is why I’m starting to convert back to fax.Catch of the WeekJessi:  Jessi’s catch of the week is, gasp, another podcast – and not ours! She heartily recommends that our listeners also listen to the Modern Figures podcast. Their motto:  A podcast elevating the voices of black women in computing. Radio Free HPC approved and certified, so you have our permission to listen.Henry:  Several European academic supercomputers have been hijacked in order to run crypto mining. It is unknown how much crypto they mined or the value of it. The attackers were particularly sophisticated when it came to covering their tracks, making the systems look like there wasn’t anything running when they were, in fact, furiously running crypto routines. Crafty stuff.Shahin:  Gives a shout out for Hot Chips, a virtual event this year that will be held later this August.  All of you who always wanted to attend and couldn't should take advantage of this. Either way, we'll probably do a post-show show to bring you the highlights of the event that's putting Silicon back into Silicon Valley.Dan:  The US of A is back in space! Yay! Join us!* Download the MP3 * Sign up for the insideHPC Newsletter* Follow us on Twitter * Subscribe on Spotify * Subscribe on Google Play * Subscribe on iTunes * RSS Feed * eMail us

Blues in Chicago with Dave Katzman and an interview with vocalist Petra Van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown.   About Andy Brown   Andy Brown is a guitarist based in Chicago. Born in New York in 1975, he has played professionally for over twenty five years. He has had a varied performing career that has included stints in Cincinnati and New York City. Since coming to Chicago in 2003, Andy has been fortunate to work at many of the area's finest jazz venues with his own bands, as well as playing his unique brand of solo jazz guitar. He has backed visiting jazz names at places including The Jazz Showcase, Ravinia and the Harris Theater. Currently he plays solo guitar every Thursday at The Green Mill, leads his quartet every Wednesday at Andy's Jazz Club and performs with his trio bi-weekly at Winter’s Jazz Club. As a sideman he has performed with internationally know jazz musicians including Scott Hamilton, Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Warren Vaché, Ken Peplowski, Hod O’Brien, Rebecca Kilgore, Judy Carmichael, John Pisano, Michael Feinstein, Anat Cohen, Kurt Elling and many others. He has also worked with many names on the Chicago jazz scene including Russ Phillips, Don Stiernberg, Chris Foreman, Eric Schneider, Bobby Lewis and Judy Roberts. His love of great tunes, as well as accompanying skills have made him a favorite with vocalists. Married to frequent partner vocalist Petra van Nuis, Andy has worked with many of Chicago's finest singers. Andy also had the good fortune to accompany Barbra Streisand when she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2009. Andy has made many festival and club appearances around the world. Highlights include Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Chautauqua Jazz Party, the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Cleveland Classic Jazz Party, as well as festivals in Rio de Janeiro, the Netherlands, Germany and throughout the United States. Andy has provided the music for a wide variety of parties and private events. In 2012, his trio was invited by the Chicago Mayor's office to perform for the Nobel Peace Prize dinner in Chicago where invited guests included U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as the Dalai Lama and Mikhail Gorbachev. Also in 2012, Andy's trio was hired by the U.S. State Department to provide music for the opening night gala at the NATO summit held in Chicago. Andy enjoys being a member of several bands besides his own. He works often with vocalist Petra van Nuis, either in duo or larger groups, including Petra's Recession Seven. They have worked together all over Chicago and in venues throughout the country, as well as tours of Europe and Canada. Since 2009, Andy has co-led a two-guitar quartet with renowned guitarist Howard Alden. In 2013, Delmark Records released a CD of the group entitled "Heavy Artillery" which received four stars in Downbeat magazine and was featured in their annual Albums Of The Year issue. Andy plays regularly with jazz mandolinist Don Stiernberg's trio. They have worked at festivals in Germany and Brazil, as well as throughout the United States. He is also a member of trombonist Russ Phillips' group, both with Russ' Quartet and his Windy City All-Stars. Andy has been featured on a wide array of recordings. As a leader, his latest is the 2016 Delmark Records release “Direct Call” which received four stars in Downbeat magazine. His previous Delmark release “Soloist” was his first solo jazz guitar recording and received warm reviews from critics and fans alike. 2015 marked the release of organist Chris Foreman's debut recording "Now Is The Time” which featured Andy on several cuts. In 2016, mandolinist Don Stiernberg released a CD titled “Good Numbers” featuring Andy on acoustic archtop guitar. Andy has collaborated on four CDs with Petra van Nuis, the most recent being their 2017 duet release “Lessons Lyrical." Andy had the good fortune to learn directly from several guitar masters, including Cal Collins, Ted Greene, and Howard Alden. His most important mentor was the late Kenny Poole, who called Andy his protégé.   About Petra   Petra van Nuis (pronounced Pay-tra van Nouse) is a Chicago-based jazz vocalist who has been described in Downbeat Magazine as having "a light, gorgeous, and fairly delicate voice...a gift for melody and plenty of rhythmic confidence." A Chicagoan since 2003, Petra sings at all the finest jazz venues in town including the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, Andy's Jazz Club, Winter's, Fitzgerald's, the City Winery, and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs has presented Petra's groups at the Chicago Cultural Center and Chicago Summer Dance. The Jazz Institute of Chicago has featured Petra's Recession Seven band at the Chicago Jazz Festival and Jazz City. Petra has been interviewed and her music featured on Chicago's WGN for Rick Kogan's "After Hours" show and on WBEZ's "Morning Shift" with Tony Sarabia. Outside of Chicago, Petra plays at jazz festivals such as the Cleveland Classic Jazz Party, the Roswell Jazz Festival and Joe Boughton's Chautauqua Jazz Party with such renowned musicians as Dan Barrett, Nicki Parrott, Ken Peplowski, John Di Martino, Dan Block, Scott Robinson, Frank Tate, Hal Smith, Rossano Sportiello, and Duke Heitger. Petra's latest project, Because We're Night People, is a live recording of night-themed standards which was awarded 4 stars by DownBeat Magazine and included in their "Top Rated Albums of 2019" listing. Revered Chicago pianist Dennis Luxion blends his signature impressionistic harmony with Petra's lush vocals. This CD was re-issued in Japan on the Japanese label Muzak in October 2018 and was used as in-flight music on All Nippon Airways (Japan's largest airline) in January/February 2019. Germany's Jazzpodium Magazine hails Petra's seventeen year musical collaboration with her husband, guitarist Andy Brown, as "a magical musical dialogue, which can only partially be described as blind understanding." Petra and Andy's romantic style has been enjoyed in intimate club settings around the country including Shanghai Jazz (Madison, NJ), the Kerrytown Concert House (Ann Arbor, MI), Night Town (Cleveland,OH), the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (Saugatuck, MI), and the Blue Wisp Jazz Club (Cincinnati, OH). Several European tours have brought the duo to Germany (Traditional Jazz Hall Stuttgart, Jazzhaus Heidelberg, Mampf Frankfurt, Le Pirate, Jazz Club Neustadt, Jazz Club 77, Musikhaus Birlkehof) to the Netherland's (Gorinchem Jazz Festival, Culuurschip Thor, Jazz Hall 72, Stichting Jazz Zevenbergen) and to Belgium (Jazz Cafe Hopper). With the re-release of the duo's 2017 CD Lessons Lyrical and their 2009 CD Far Away Places on Japan's Muzak label, Petra and Andy continue to spread their swinging sounds far and wide. Petra and Andy often augment their duo with bass and drums forming the Petra van Nuis/ Andy Brown Quartet. In addition to Chicago performances, the quartet frequently tours the Midwest having played for the West Michigan Jazz Society (Grand Rapids, MI), Polyrhytms (Davenport,IA), the Firefly Jazz Club (Ann Arbor, MI), the Wilson Center for the Arts (Milwaukee, WI), the Detroit Institute for the Arts (Detroit, MI), and headlined the 32nd Michelob Women In Jazz Festival (Dayton, OH). At the start of the Great Recession in September 2008, Petra's Recession Seven, a Chicago-style early swing/trad jazz band was born at Chicago's legendary Green Mill. This seven piece ensemble features an all-star line up of internationally known Chicago veterans including trombonist Russ Phillips, reed man Eric Schneider, and trumpeter Bob Ojeda. Festival appearances include the 32nd Elkhart Jazz Festival, 33rd annual Chicago Jazz Festival, the 34th, 35th, 37th, 40th and 42nd annual Cedar Basin Jazz Festival, Fitzgerald's 29th annual American Music Festival, the Juvae Jazz Society's 25th anniversary Festival, and the Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz's 40th anniversary Jazz Festival. The band regularly travels to regional jazz societies such as the Madison Jazz Society, the Starr-Gennett Foundation, the "Masters of Swing" series at Cincinnati's Xavier University, the Lafayette Jazz Club, and the Indianapolis Jazz Club. The American Rag, in a review of the band's 2011 on location recording Live In Chicago praises "a killer of a band that grabs your attention and doesn't give it back until they are finished playing." You may have heard selections from Petra's 2006 debut CD A Sweet Refrain on digital cable's Music Choice, where it regularly rotates on the "Singers & Swing" channel. In a review, Los Angeles Jazz Scene critic Scott Yanow notes "a sweet voice, a straightforward delivery....one hears touches of Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie, and Mildred Bailey in her phrasing, but not in the sound of her voice which is distinctive." This CD is a throwback to the classic vocal recordings of the 50's with a blend of duo, quartet, quintet, and tight two-horn sextet arrangements by bassist/arranger Joe Policastro. In 2012, these arrangements were recreated with the teaming of Petra and Andy with four Canadian musicians at Edmonton's famed Yardbird Suite. In 2015, two songs from this CD were selected by famed Japanese jazz writer/historian/record producer Yasukuni Terashima to be included in the compilation CD For Jazz Vocal Fans Only on the Japanese label Disk Union. Petra continues to play with Chicago's finest instrumentalists including Bobby Lewis, Art Davis, Kim Cusack, Larry Harris, Greg Fishman, Chris White, Joe Adamik, Joe Policastro, Bob Rummage, Andy Schumm, Jeremy Kahn, Judy Roberts, Phil Gratteau, Don Stille, Dan Delorenzo, Tom Bartlett, Mike Schlick, Bill Overton, Bradley Williams, Ron Dewar, John Otto, Stewart Miller, and Don Stiernberg.

#GameOfTwoHalves Ep 83: Can Singapore be the best in chess; solving incomplete football leagues 12:42 mins Synopsis: #GameofTwoHalves is The Straits Times' weekly sports podcast that is out every Tuesday. Money FM's Rachel Kelly calls up ST sports correspondents Sazali Abdul Aziz and David Lee. They discuss the following topics: 1. That unassuming young kid in your neighbourhood could be a chess whiz, as some pre-teens here already have international acclaim. But what separates them from that elusive Grandmaster status? 2. Several European football leagues have ended their campaigns with various debatable approaches, including the point-per-game method in the French Ligue. When will Asean leagues resume, if at all, and what are the repercussions on the respective national teams? Produced by: ST Sports Desk Edited by: Aw Yao Feng, Nadiah Koh & Penelope Lee Follow #GameOfTwoHalves podcasts and rate us on: Spotify: https://str.sg/ovjR Apple Podcasts: http://str.sg/o8MK Google Podcasts: http://str.sg/oXeS Playlist: https://str.sg/Ji3k Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Thank you for your support! ST and BT Podcasts picked up a silver medal for Best Digital Project to engage younger and/or millennial audiences at 2019 Asian Digital Media Awards by Wan-Ifra: https://str.sg/Jw5T

#GameOfTwoHalves Ep 83: Can Singapore be the best in chess; solving incomplete football leagues 12:42 mins Synopsis: #GameofTwoHalves is The Straits Times' weekly sports podcast that is out every Tuesday. Money FM's Rachel Kelly calls up ST sports correspondents Sazali Abdul Aziz and David Lee. They discuss the following topics: 1. That unassuming young kid in your neighbourhood could be a chess whiz, as some pre-teens here already have international acclaim. But what separates them from that elusive Grandmaster status? 2. Several European football leagues have ended their campaigns with various debatable approaches, including the point-per-game method in the French Ligue. When will Asean leagues resume, if at all, and what are the repercussions on the respective national teams? Produced by: ST Sports Desk Edited by: Aw Yao Feng, Nadiah Koh & Penelope Lee Follow #GameOfTwoHalves podcasts and rate us on: Spotify: https://str.sg/ovjR Apple Podcasts: http://str.sg/o8MK Google Podcasts: http://str.sg/oXeS Playlist: https://str.sg/Ji3k Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Thank you for your support! ST and BT Podcasts picked up a silver medal for Best Digital Project to engage younger and/or millennial audiences at 2019 Asian Digital Media Awards by Wan-Ifra: https://str.sg/Jw5T See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump sharply increased his estimated coronavirus death toll in the United States. The president says he is very confident there will be a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year. Over the weekend, crowds defied social distancing guidelines to enjoy the nice weather. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook shares how the partial reopening of states could affect the fight against the virus. Several European countries are also letting stores reopen and giving people more freedom to go out. A Colorado paramedic, who died from the coronavirus after volunteering to help save lives in New York, is being remembered as a hero.

The World Health Organisation says coronavirus is still now spreading faster outside China than inside, but is not yet a pandemic.Several European countries and Latin America have announced their first cases which all seemed to be linked to the worsening outbreak in Italy. - Coronavirus yayılıyor. Dünya Saglık Örgütü, henüz pandemik olmasa da hızla yayıldını söylüyor. Çin'de salgın yavaşladı. Ancak Çin dışında yayılması hızlandı. Latin Amerika'da ilk vakaya Brezilya'da rastlandı.

Several European brands put together special edition products and bundles for Valentine's Day, Gamma Labs announces a collaboration with Doom Eternal, Build Fast Formula previews Blitz3d, and RAZE Energy gets ready to crowd source another flavor of its energy drink.

For every cyclist competing in a professional bike race, there's seemingly a corresponding vehicle. But it's not an exact parallel. In fact, in top-level races, there are several times more team, organization, media and sponsor vehicles, equipment trucks, fans' motorhomes and police cars and motorcycles than competitors. Like the cyclists, race vehicles get down time at hotels, but otherwise, they're all almost always on the move, climbing mountains, negotiating narrow roads and descending at top speeds. The USA Cycling National Team has a new relationship with Volvo during the 2019 Amgen Tour of California. Its team cars during the 14th annual event are 2019 Volvo V60s. All images © James Raia/2019. Volvo saw an opportunity at this year's event and provided three V60 AWD T6 Inscription trim wagons for the seven-rider team. Team managers Michael Sayers and Michael Creed are driving the cars during every stage. Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Cycling's vice president of Elite Athletics, has often piloted the third vehicle. Several European manufacturers, including Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot and Renault, have also had partnerships with the Tour de France and other international cycling events. All of the vehicles' drivers enthusiastically praised the Volvo V60s as ideal vehicles in bike racing caravans but simultaneously as luxury wagons. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the Volvo and my vehicle during the 14th annual event, a 2019 Volkswagen GLI, in Episode #87 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. I've driven from start to finish during the race's editions, this year from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe and then on a North to South route toward the finish in Pasadena on May 18. I've driven about 900 miles so far in the Jetta GLI, and it has performed admirably as a four-door sedan with a sports car persona. For example, it's rated at 32 mph on the freeway. I've averaged 35.6 mpg. Bruce, who hosts the episode from Sacramento, and I also talk about the history of vehicles in the Tour de France. I'm reporting from during a morning break before continuing to the end of stage 4 in Morro Bay, California. The Weekly Driver encourages and appreciates feedback from our listeners. Please forward episode links to family, friends and colleagues. And you are welcome to repost links from the podcast to your social media accounts. Support our podcast by shopping on Amazon.com. Please send comments and suggestions for new episodes to James Raia via email: james@jamesraia.com. All episodes of the podcast are archived on www.theweeklydriver.com/podcast Every episode is also available on your preferred podcast platform: Google Play iTunes Spotify  Stitcher  The Weekly Driver Podcast is presented by www.americanmuscle.com.  

The Sixth of “7 Ways to Take a Deep Breath”: What Keeps Us Human? Food with a Friend   Would you like to go out for coffee, or maybe come over for tea? How about some supper?  Would you like to head down to the lunchroom together? Would you like to go out for brunch?  It's older than the 30,000 year old paintings in caves, when early humans were forming community. We do it by sharing a common feast.  Thank you for joining us for the sixth of "7 Ways to Take a Deep Breath".  We are going to share food with a friend. Some time ago I concluded that beer and peanuts must be one of the common denominators that brings us together as a planet. There was about a year and a half period when I had homemade millet beer out of a gourd in West Africa along with freshly roasted peanuts from the field just across the way.  Not so long afterwards, it was beer and peanuts in a tiny corner place in China. That was shortly followed by beer and peanuts in a big fancy place in India. It doesn't really matter what it is, although I think beer and peanuts have probably been with us for a long, long time. What matters is that we as humans, for as long as we've been humans, have connected together in community by sharing food with a friend. I have been working with people in that 18-20 year old time in their lives for long enough to notice that, often, we're connecting as humans differently than we once did. Buddhist ethics would understand there is nothing that's either good nor bad.  The question is:  is it skillful or not skillful?  Are we are working with a situation, or thing, in a way which truly serve us or not?  There is nothing wrong with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and I warmly invite you to join us through social media. It's a miracle that we can have a conversation together like this from anywhere in the world. It would have been on imaginable even 50 years ago. Yet, even as we celebrate new ways that we're able to connect, may we ensure that we're not using these ways in a fashion that prevents us to actually connect. "Hey, how are you?" "I'm good; how are you?" "Yeah good thanks." That would be a standard greeting that I think we do with one another in many North American settings.  Several European countries in my awareness have variants on the same, although I like to think that countries who remember old wisdom still remember what it is to bow to one another. Isn't it true that often there is only one correct answer to the question:  "how are you?". Although we're greeting each other, it's almost a way for us to not be communicating, if the only answer we are socially permitted is "fine". The sixth way to take a deep breath is to share food with a friend.  Put down the phone.  Be present with each other.  Look one another in the eye.  Have a conversation.  Listen to one another.  Enjoy food together.  To be able to be present, look one another in the eye and have a conversation:  it is what has kept humans human for so long. So this is the invitation in the sixth of seven ways to take a deep breath. Now, let's choose the possible. What is the way that's possible for you to share food with a friend? Maybe it doesn't involve food at all. Maybe what we really need to do is to go for a walk together, and that's what we will find most nourishing.  Maybe getting together for a coffee is perfect. Next week, I could be having a meeting with someone at our workplace, but we're going to have lunch together instead. That's lovely. Maybe cooking food for a friend is quite out of the question, but bringing over takeout sounds fun. If you wish, consider enjoying that takeout with conversation and without some other kind of distraction.  Can we listen to one another and allow a sharing to build our connection with one another in community? I think some of the people that taught me most about community was a family of neighbours who have recently moved away from next door to me. There was quite a memorable stormy day – in late February, or early March, about three years ago - when the wind in my neck of the woods here was so strong that it blew down a fence. We hadn't quite come out of the snow season, and that fence blew down in part because it was getting old.  I didn't want to have the wood of my fence rotting on the ground through the rest of the winter.   So there was I – on a rainy, windy, stormy Saturday afternoon - with my skill saw and drill, repairing the fence between the property that I take care of and the property that they were renting.   They had relatively recently - not totally freshly, but quite recently - moved to Canada from the Middle East, and they didn't have power tools. They weren't in a position to be able to repair that fence. Besides, they were tenants, so repairing the fence was not something that it was even appropriate for them to do, but they certainly noticed that I was doing it.  I had a tremendous amount of fun teaching two of their daughters – then perhaps 10 or 13 years old - how to use - not the skill saw - but the drill to repair that fence.   Perhaps most memorable to me is that their mother watched from inside while I was repairing our common fence.  She sent out their children to help at regular intervals: you go out and help, and come in when you're cold; then the next child would come out and help, and come in when she was cold.  Their perhaps six year old son came out to help as well.  While they were watching, and their children were helping, she was making me dinner. By the time I finished, there was an absolutely gorgeous hot four course meal – a middle eastern style of meal - that was being carried over to me by one of their children. It was an expression of gratitude that I had repaired this fence on that stormy Saturday afternoon. It's a part of Islamic culture that is tremendously well developed:   we share food.  It is known as "zakat".  What we have, when we have extra, we share.   It is part of what protects our ability to be together in community.  So, this is the invitation. Choose the possible. What is possible for you? If you cook food for people all the time, can you pick someone new this month to share food with?  Find what's right for you.  Would you like to make a donation to the food bank? It's about nourishing, and nourishing in this context is about giving time for one another, and making a connection that's real: as real as it can be, and older than those 30,000 year old paintings in caves.  It is the sixth way to take a deep breath:  be present with one another, sharing a common feast. The quality of the relationship that you have with the outside world directly relates to the quality of relationship you have with yourself.  For a free list of the full menu of “7 Ways to Take a Deep Breath”, come see us at “justbreatheyouareenough.com”. I'm Adela, and you've been listening to Just Breathe....You Are Enough™.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you haven't yet, please subscribe, rate and review this podcast. Join us next time, and thank you for listening.  Copyright © 2018, Adela Sandness  

Business Radio Special: The Great Recession: What's Changed in 10 years Part 1On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy which sent the stock market tumbling. The problems that started in the US soon spread to Europe. Several European nations, including Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, faced austerity to deal with their debt, and still face issues today. Wharton Finance Professor, JOAO GOMES, and ERIK JONES, Director of European and Eurasian Studies, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, join us to discuss how the European Union dealt with the recession and its lasting impact. Then, Iceland was the textbook case of the global banking crisis. Back then, the three biggest banks in Iceland had assets that were 14 times the national economic output of the country. At the height of the crisis Iceland's debt was close to 100% of GDP. Today that number is 24.1%. We look at how the country recovered and the risks it still faces with PHILIP NICHOLAS, Wharton Professor of Social Responsibility in Business and Professor of Legal Studies in Business, and THORVALDUR GYLFASON, a University of Iceland Economics Professor. Next, after Lehman Brothers collapsed and the stock market plunged, Congress passed a $700 billion bailout bill to save the US financial system. Corporations deemed "too big to fail" got help. President George W Bush and, after his inauguration in January. 2009, President Barack Obama worked with Congress on new regulations for financial institutions, including the Dodd-Frank Act. Wharton Legal Studies and Business Ethics professors PETER CONTI-BROWN and DAVID ZARING join us to discuss how the banks recovered from the recession and where things stand now with regulations. Finally, one of the most significant parts of the financial crisis in the US was the housing bubble. Banks were making home loans often without down payments to people who couldn't afford them. When the bubble burst, millions ended up in foreclosure and various metropolitan areas around the country, like Las Vegas, Modesto and Fort Meyers, found themselves in dire economic times. Rules were changed to make it a lot more difficult to qualify for a mortgage, with more stringent requirements on down payments. We look at the housing crisis and how things look today with SUSAN WACHTER, Wharton Professor of Real Estate and Finance, and BENJAMIN KEYS, Wharton School Real Estate professor and Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Several European countries, the EU, and Canada have recently addressed religious freedom in their foreign policies. Given that US policy is already shaped by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) passed by Congress, the potential exists for transatlantic cooperation in promoting religious freedom. However, differences among Western democracies are significant. This dialogue—the first in a year-long series on IRFA policy—aims to identify these differences and find ways to accommodate or overcome them in the urgent task of advancing international religious freedom. This day-long event featured many speakers from academia and the policy world, including one of the world's leading sociologists, Peter Berger of Boston University; New York Times columnist David Brooks; and David Saperstein, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Several European countries, the EU, and Canada have recently addressed religious freedom in their foreign policies. Given that US policy is already shaped by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) passed by Congress, the potential exists for transatlantic cooperation in promoting religious freedom. However, differences among Western democracies are significant. This dialogue—the first in a year-long series on IRFA policy—aims to identify these differences and find ways to accommodate or overcome them in the urgent task of advancing international religious freedom. This day-long event featured many speakers from academia and the policy world, including one of the world's leading sociologists, Peter Berger of Boston University; New York Times columnist David Brooks; and David Saperstein, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Several European countries, the EU, and Canada have recently addressed religious freedom in their foreign policies. Given that US policy is already shaped by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) passed by Congress, the potential exists for transatlantic cooperation in promoting religious freedom. However, differences among Western democracies are significant. This dialogue—the first in a year-long series on IRFA policy—aims to identify these differences and find ways to accommodate or overcome them in the urgent task of advancing international religious freedom. This day-long event featured many speakers from academia and the policy world, including one of the world's leading sociologists, Peter Berger of Boston University; New York Times columnist David Brooks; and David Saperstein, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Several European countries, the EU, and Canada have recently addressed religious freedom in their foreign policies. Given that US policy is already shaped by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) passed by Congress, the potential exists for transatlantic cooperation in promoting religious freedom. However, differences among Western democracies are significant. This dialogue—the first in a year-long series on IRFA policy—aims to identify these differences and find ways to accommodate or overcome them in the urgent task of advancing international religious freedom. This day-long event featured many speakers from academia and the policy world, including one of the world's leading sociologists, Peter Berger of Boston University; New York Times columnist David Brooks; and David Saperstein, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Several European countries, the EU, and Canada have recently addressed religious freedom in their foreign policies. Given that US policy is already shaped by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) passed by Congress, the potential exists for transatlantic cooperation in promoting religious freedom. However, differences among Western democracies are significant. This dialogue—the first in a year-long series on IRFA policy—aims to identify these differences and find ways to accommodate or overcome them in the urgent task of advancing international religious freedom. This day-long event featured many speakers from academia and the policy world, including one of the world's leading sociologists, Peter Berger of Boston University; New York Times columnist David Brooks; and David Saperstein, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Defense Secretary General James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo have been confirmed by the Senate and are now the most powerful influencers of foreign policy in the Trump Administration. In this episode, we examine their worldviews by investigating their pre-Trump Administration experience as corporate titans and hearing critical highlights from their confirmation hearings. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD055: Three Bills for Fossil Fuels CD067: What Do We Want In Ukraine? CD102: The World Trade Organization: COOL? CD108: Regime Change CD117: Authorization for Limitless War CD118: How to Get Your Name on the Ballot CD131: Bombing Libya CD136: Building WWIII South China Sea Map Image Credit: U.S. Energy Information Administration Israeli Settlements and Outposts Image Credit: Vox Additional Reading Article: Israeli Allies Condemn Settlement Law as Lawsuits Loom by the Associated Press, The New York Times, February 7, 2017. Trumps Makes Right Turn on Iran by Rebecca Kheel, The Hill, February 4, 2017. Article: Rex Tillerson Backs Aggressive Policy in Disputed South China Sea as Exxon, Russia Eye Region's Oil and Gas by Steve Horn, Desmog, February 2, 2017. Article: Iran To Ditch The Dollar In Wake Of Trump's 'Muslim Ban' by Dominic Dudley, Forbes, January 30, 2017. Article: Iran to Ditch US Dollar in Official Reports, Financial Tribune, January 30, 2017. Article: What it's like in the 7 countries on Trump's travel ban list by Angela Dewan and Emily Smith, CNN, January 30, 2017. Article: Exxon-Vietnam gas deal to test Tillerson's diplomacy by Helen Clark, Asia Times, January 23, 2017. Document: Questions For The Record: Representative Mike Pompeo, U.S. Senate, January 18, 2017. Op-Ed: America dropped 26,171 bombs in 2016. What a bloody end to Obama's reign by Medea Benjamin, The Guardian, January 9, 2017. Article: How Exxon, under Rex Tillerson, won Iraqi oil fields and nearly lost Iraq by Missy Ryan and Steven Mufson, The Washington Post, January 9, 2017. Document: Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, January 6, 2017. Article: Secretary Of State Appointee Rex Tillerson Reaches $180 Million Severance Deal With Exxon by Dan Alexander, Forbes, January 4, 2017. Article: The growth of Israeli settlements, explained in 5 charts by Jennifer Williams and Javier Zarracina, Vox, December 30, 2016. Article: What UN Vote on Israeli Settlements Means--and What's Next by Jonathan Ferziger and Michael Arnold, Bloomberg, December 26, 2016. Article: If ExxonMobil were a country, its economy would be bigger than Ireland's by Adam Taylor, The Washington Post, December 13, 2016. Article: Rex Tillerson, From a Corporate Oil Sovereign to the State Department by Steve Coll, The New Yorker, December 11, 2016. Article: Is Donald Trump's CIA Pick A Koch Brothers 'Puppet'? Oil And Gas Billionaires Backed Rep. Mike Pompeo by Avi Asher-Schapiro, International Business Times, November 18, 2016. Article: Trump's CIA Director Wants to Return to a Pre-Snowden World by Kaveh Waddell, The Atlantic, November 18, 2016. Article: The UK's Devastating New Report on NATO's Regime - Change War in Libya by James Carden, The Nation, September 19, 2016. Fact Sheet: U.S. Relations With Ukraine, U.S. Department of State, September 6, 2016. Op-Ed: Rep. Mike Pompeo: One year later, Obama's Iran nuclear deal puts us at increased risk by Mike Pompeo, Fox News Opinion, July 14, 2016. Article: Colin Powell: U.N. Speech "Was a Great Intelligence Failure" by Jason Breslow, PBS, May 17, 2016. Op-Ed: On National Security, Some Republicans May Be as Weak as the Democrats by Mike Pompeo, National Review, December 21, 2015. Congressional Bill: H.R. 4270 (114th): Liberty Through Strength Act II by Mike Pompeo, House of Representatives, December 16, 2015. Article: ExxonMobil returns to Vietnam market, The Voice Of Vietnam, November 17, 2015. Article: What China Has Been Building in the South China Sea by Derek Watkins, The New York Times, October 27, 2015. Article: Inside the Koch Brothers' Toxic Empire by Tim Dickinson, RollingStone, September 24, 2014. Article: Ukraine crisis: Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call, BBC, February 7, 2014. Op-Ed: The GOP should support Obama on Syria by Mike Pompeo and Tom Cotton, The Washington Post, September 3, 2013. Congressional Bill: H.R. 4387 (112th):To allow for a reasonable compliance deadline for certain States subject to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule by Mike Pompeo, House of Representatives, April 18, 2012. Op-Ed: Stop harassing the Koch brothers by Rep. Mike Pompeo, Politico, February 2, 2012. Article: Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer With Secret Iran Sales by Asjylyn Loder and David Evans, Bloomberg, October 3, 2011. Congressional Bill: H.R. 2897 (112th): BARR Preservation Act of 2011 by Mike Pompeo, House of Representatives, September 12, 2011. Article: Qaddafi, as New African Union Head, Will Seek Single State by Lydia Polgreen, The New York Times, February 2, 2009. Article: Foreign Exchange: Saddam Turns His Back on Greenbacks by William Dowell, Time, November 13, 2000. References Opensecrets: Mike Pompeo Opensecrets: Rex Tillerson List of Bills by Rep. Mike Pompeo, GovTrack By the Numbers: World-Wide Deaths, The National WWII Museum About Nord Stream 2, Gazprom About General Dynamics About NATO Sound Clip Sources Interview: General Wesley Clark: Wars Were Planned - Seven Countries In Five Years, Democracy Now, March 2007. Presidential Speech: Eisenhower's Farewell Address, January 17, 1961. News Segment: Trump and Mattis Disagree on Russia, Torture on CNN News Channel, CNN, December 3, 2016. Video: Middle East Security Challenges, Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 22, 2016. Video: The Third Presidential Debate: Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump, NBC News, October 19, 2016. Hearing: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Confirmation, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, January 11, 2017. Watch on CSPAN Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Timestamps & Transcripts Part 1 54:17 Rex Tillerson: We are the only global super power with the means and the moral compass capable of shaping the world for good. If we do not lead, we risk plunging the world deeper into confusion and danger. 1:11:18 Senator Ben Cardin: So, what would you have done, after we were surprised by what they did in taking over Crimea, what should the U.S. leadership had done in response to that, that we didn’t do? Rex Tillerson: I would have recommended that the Ukraine take all of its military assets it had available, put them on that eastern border, provide those assets with defensive weapons that are necessary just to defend themselves, announce that the U.S. is going to provide them intelligence and that either NATO or U.S. will provide air surveillance over that border to monitor any movements. Cardin:So, your recommendation would do a more robust supply of military? Tillerson: Yes, sir. 1:12:16 Senator Ben Cardin: Our NATO partners, particularly in the Baltics and Poland, are very concerned about Russian aggression. NATO has deployed troops in this region in order to show Russia that Article 5 means something. I take it you support that type of action. Rex Tillerson: Yes, I do. That is the type of response that Russia expects. If Russia acts with force—taking of Crimea was an act of force. They didn’t just volunteer themselves. So that required a proportional show of force to indicate to Russia that there’ll be no more taking of territory. 1:15:45 Senator Ben Cardin: We’re a part of COP21. Do you agree that the United States should continue in international leadership on climate-change issues with the international community? Rex Tillerson: I think it’s important that the United States maintain its seat at the table on the conversations around how to address threats of climate change, which do require a global response. No one country’s going to solve this alone. 1:27:35 Senator Bob Menendez: Do you believe it is in the national interest of the United States to continue to support international laws and norms that were established after World War II? Rex Tillerson: Yes, sir. Menendez: Do you believe that the international order includes respecting the territorial integrity of sovereign countries and the inviability of their borders? Tillerson: Yes, sir. Menendez: Did Russia violate this international order when it forcefully annexed Crimea and invaded Ukraine? Tillerson: Yes, it did.Menendez: Did Russia’s continuing occupation of foreign countries violate international laws and norms? Tillerson: I’m not sure which specific countries you’re referring to. Menendez: Well, the annexation of Crimea— Tillerson: Yes, sir. Menendez: —Eastern Ukraine, Georgia, just to mention a few. Tillerson: Yes, sir. Menendez: Does Russia and Syria’s targeted bombing campaign in Aleppo, on hospitals, for example, violate this international order? Tillerson: Yes. That is not acceptable behavior. 1:52:23 Senator Jeanne Shaheen: You were unwilling to agree with Senator Rubio’s characterization of Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, and you point out in your statement that Russia has disregarded American interests. I would suggest, as I think has been brought out in later testimony, that it not only has disregarded American interests but international norms and humanitarian interests. The State Department has described Russia as having an authoritarian political system dominated by President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Freedom House currently puts Russia in a category of countries like Iran, with very restricted political rights ruled by one part or military dictatorships, religious hierarchies, or autocrats. Do you agree with that characterization of Russia and Vladimir Putin? Rex Tillerson:I would have no reason to take exception. 2:08:15 Senator Jeff Flake: How can we refashion some of our policies to nudge countries toward democracy that need nudging, or that punished countries weren't deemed spent, or encourage cooperation with us on security measures or humanitarian measures? Rex Tillerson: Well, certainly, the use of important USAID assistance really falls in kind of two broad areas: a disaster relief addressing imminent situations on the ground, where there's starvation or the result of storms or as result of conflict, providing assistance to relieve the immediate suffering. That is an important part of USAID. Over the past few years, in looking at the balance of that against, what I would call, development assistance, which is designed to create change, which, hopefully, becomes a sustainable change, that, regrettably, the disaster-assistance part of that budget has grown, and that means there's less available for development. Other important ways in which we can provide the assistance, though, are through other mechanisms, such as millennial challenge corporation for those countries that qualify. That's a different model. And so I think in terms of what is the issue we're trying to address, that then conditions how do we put obligations on the country then to modify behaviors, whether it's to take steps to reduce corruption, improve the strength of governments and their own institutional capacity to manage their affairs. Where I have seen a good progress is when assistance was put into the country with some requirement that, for instance, they modify or streamline their permitting process. One of the ways to begin to reduce corruption is to remove the complexities of how people are able to carry out their activities. The more steps you have in the process, the more opportunities there are for people to be taking something out of it or adding a cost to it. 2:10:24 Rex Tillerson: So, I think where we can tie our assistance to obligations, it’s important that we do so. 2:16:25 Rex Tillerson: As to how I would deal with the past history I have in my prior position with ExxonMobil, I've made clear in my disclosures, and I think in answers to questions that have been posed, that obviously there's a statutory recusal period, which I will adhere to, on any matters that might come before the State Department that deal directly and specifically with ExxonMobil. Beyond that, though, in terms of broader issues dealing with the fact that it might involve the oil and natural gas industry itself, the scope of that is such that I would not expect to have to recuse myself. Part 2 08:38 Senator Tim Kaine: You were with the company for nearly 42 years? Rex Tillerson: That is correct. Kaine: And for the majority of your time you were with the company in an executive and management position? Tillerson: Approximately half the time. Kaine: And you became CEO in 2006? Tillerson: Correct. Kaine:So, I’m not asking you on behalf of ExxonMobil—you’ve resigned from ExxonMobil. I'm asking you whether those allegations about ExxonMobil's knowledge of climate science and decision to fund and promote a view contrary to its awareness of the science, whether those allegations are true or false. Tillerson: The question would have to be put to ExxonMobil. Kaine: And let me ask you: do you lack the knowledge to answer my question, or are you refusing to answer my question? Tillerson: A little of both. 36:00 Rex Tillerson: We've had two competing priorities in Syria under this administration: Bashar al-Assad must go and the defeat of ISIS. And the truth of the matter is, carrying both of those out simultaneously is extremely difficult because at times they conflict with one another. The clear priority is to defeat ISIS. We defeat ISIS we, at least, create some level of stability in Syria which then lets us deal with the next priority of what is going to be the exit of Bashar Assad, but importantly, before we decide that is in fact what needs to happen, we have to answer the question, what comes next? What is going to be the government structure in Syria, and can we have any influence over that or not? 53:10 Senator Edward Markey: Do you believe that it should be a priority of the United States to work with other countries in the world to find climate-change solutions to that problem? Rex Tillerson: I think it's important for America to remain engaged in those discussions so that we are at the table, expressing a view, and understanding what the impacts may be on the American people and American competitiveness. 1:13:38 Senator Jeff Merkley: There are three individuals who were involved in the Trump campaign—Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and Carter Page—who, public reports, have been involved in dialogue with Russia, with the goal of finding a common strategy, with Russia believing that Trump would be better on Syria and Ukraine policy and Trump believing that Russia could help defeat Hillary Clinton. Now these reports have not been substantiated, I'm sure much more will come on them, but in theory, how do you feel about a U.S. candidate turning to a foreign country to essentially find another partner in defeating another opponent in a U.S. presidential election? Rex Tillerson: That would not comport with our democratic process. 1:16:35 Rex Tillerson: The defeat of ISIS as an ideology, in other words, other than the battlefield, is going to require advanced capabilities in our own communication tools in terms of disrupting their communication to develop their network, more importantly to further their ideology. This means getting into the Internet airspace and putting forth different ideas and disrupting their delivery of ideas to people who are persuaded to join them. 1:23:42 Senator John Barrasso: We have had a situation where some of the programs in place have not really supported all of the above energy, and we've seen where the World Bank has blocked funding for coal-fired power plants which would help bring light and other opportunities to a number of countries in Africa, and I wonder if you could comment on the need to use all of the sources of energy to help people who are living in poverty and without power. Rex Tillerson:Well, I think, and I know you touched on it, but nothing lifts people out of poverty quicker than electricity. That's just a fact. You give people light, you give them the ability to refrigerate food, medicine—it changes their entire quality of life. They no longer cook on animal dung and wood cooking in their homes, so health issues—their health improves. I think it's very important that we use wisely the American people's dollars as we support these programs, and that means whatever is the most efficient, effective way to deliver electricity to these areas that don't have it, that should be the choice, and that is the wisest use of American dollars. 1:27:30 Senator Chris Coons: Do you see RT as a Russian propaganda outlet, and how would you use and lead the resources of the State Department to counter Russian propaganda and to push back on this effort to change the rules of the world order? Rex Tillerson: Well, as you point out, utilizing the opportunity to communicate to the people of Russia through mechanisms that were successful in the past—Radio Free Europe—and utilizing those type of sources as well as providing information on the Internet to the extent people can access Internet so that they have availability to the facts, the facts, as they exist, to the alternative reporting of events that are presented through the largely controlled media outlets inside of Moscow. That is an important way in which to, at least, begin to inform the Russian people as to what the realities are in the world, and it is an important tool. It should be utilized. Part 3 08:28 Senator Cory Booker: You did characterize the Obama administration's decisions as weakness, even though you're saying that you wouldn't necessarily do something different. Rex Tillerson: In that instance, I would've done something different. Booker: Military force. Tillerson:A show of force at the border of the country that had been already had territory taken from them. Booker: American military force, in this case? Tillerson: No, I indicated Ukrainian military force, supported by the U.S. providing them with capable defensive weapons. If that's not seen across the border, then it's not a show of force. 55:32 Rex Tillerson: I had a great 41-and-a-half-year career, and I was truly blessed, enjoyed every minute of it. That part of my life's over. I've been humbled and honored with the opportunity to now serve my country—never thought I would have an opportunity to serve in this way—and so when I made the decision to say yes to President-elect Trump when he asked me to do this, the first step I took was to retain my own outside counsel, to begin the process, and the only guidance I gave them is I must have a complete and clear, clean break from all of my connections to ExxonMobil—not even the appearance—and whatever is required for us to achieve that, get that in place. I am appreciative that the ExxonMobil Corporation, whoever represented by their own counsel, and the ExxonMobil board were willing to work with me to achieve that as well. It was their objective, too. And in the end, if that required me to walk away from some things, that's fine, whatever was necessary to achieve that. And again, told people, I don't even want the appearance that there's any connection to myself and the future fortunes, up or down, of the ExxonMobil Corporation. 1:04:25 Rex Tillerson: We've got to step back and look at all of China's activities, and the one you mention now—the island-building in the South China Sea, the declaration of control of airspace in waters over the Senkaku Islands with Japan—both of those are illegal actions. They're taking territory or control or declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China's. The island-building in the South China Sea itself, in many respects, in my view, building islands and then putting military assets on those island is akin to Russia's taking of Crimea. It's taking of territory that others lay claim to. The U.S. has never taken a side in the issues, but what we have advocated for is, look, that's a disputed area, there are international processes for dealing with that, and China should respect those international processes. As you mentioned, some of their actions have already been challenged at the courts in The Hague, and they were found to be in violation. 1:06:00 Rex Tillerson: But you’ve got five trillion dollars of economic trade goes through those waters every day, and this is a threat to the entire global economy if China’s allowed to somehow dictate the terms of passage through these waters. 1:06:23 Rex Tillerson: We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops, and second, your access to those islands is also not going to be allowed. 1:45:10 Senator Chris Murphy: Do you believe that the Iraq war—not the conduct of the war, but the war itself—was a mistake? Rex Tillerson: I think I indicated in response—I believe it was to Senator Paul's question—that I think our motives were commendable, but we did not achieve the objectives there: we did not achieve greater stability, we did not achieve improved national security for the United States of America. And that's just, the events have borne that out. And at the time, I held the same view, that I was concerned just as I was concerned before the decisions were made to go into Libya and change the leadership there. It's not that I endorse that leadership, but that leadership had the place somewhat stable with a lot of bad actors locked up in prison. Now, all those bad actors are running around the world. Murphy: Just, just— Tillerson: So it's the question of—it isn't a question that our ultimate goal has to be to change that type of oppressive leadership. It has to be, though, that we know what is coming after, or we have a high confidence that we can control what comes after or influence it, and it will be better than what we just took out. Murphy: But which—in this case, which motives are you referring to that were commendable? Tillerson:I think the concerns were that Saddam Hussein represented a significant threat to stability in that part of the world and to the United States directly. 1:47:00 Senator Chris Murphy: One last question, going back to Russia. You’ve said in earlier—answered an earlier question that you wouldn't commit today to the continuation of sanctions against the Russians for their involvement in the U.S. presidential election, but could you make a commitment to us today that if you deem sanctions to be the inappropriate policy, that you will recommend and argue for a substitute response for the interference in U.S. elections? Will you argue for a U.S. response, even if you don't believe sanctions is the right policy? Rex Tillerson: Yes. Yes, and all I've read is, again, the unclassified portions, but it is troubling. And if there's additional information that indicates the level of interference, it deserves a response. 2:04:25 Senator John Barrasso: The last thing I wanted to get to was the issue of energy as a master resource in the way that Putin uses it as a political weapon. And one of the things we're seeing now is this Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the pipeline between Russia and Germany that the United States has been working closely with our European partners, with respect to that. And this is something that we've had bipartisan support on—looking across the aisle: Senator Shaheen, Senator Murphy have signed a letter with me and with Senator Risch and Senator Rubio, Senator Johnson—because of our concern with the ability of this pipeline to deliver more energy and make Europe more dependent upon Russia for energy. It also bypasses Ukraine and impacts the Ukrainian economy as well when it runs directly from Russia under the Baltic Sea directly into Germany. Several European countries have raised the concerns that this pipeline would undermine sanctions on Russia, increase Russia's political leverage over Eastern Europe, and can you give us your assessment of something of which there's actually a lot of bipartisan agreement on this panel with regard to? Rex Tillerson: Well, energy is vital to every economy the world over, so it can be used as a powerful tool to influence, kind of tip the balance of the table in one party's direction or the other. So it is important that we are watching and paying attention to when this balance is upset. Now, the greatest response the United States can give to that threat is the development of our own natural resources. The country’s blessed with enormous natural resources of both oil and natural gas, and I know the Congress took action here in the recent past to approve the export of crude oil. We now have exports of liquefied natural gas. The more U.S. supply, which comes from a stable country that lives by our values, we can provide optionality to countries so that they cannot be held captive to a single source or to a dominant source. 2:17:45 Senator Rob Portman: I want to talk to you a little about your views on Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship. One important issue for me, as you know, is this issue of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement—the so-called BDS movement—which is a global movement targeting Israel. I've been concerned about this for a while, introduced some legislation on it. In fact, Ben Cardin and I have not just introduced but passed legislation in this regard to try to push back against the BDS forces. Recently—of course with the consent of the Obama administration—the U.N. Security Council passed this resolution condemning the settlements and demanding Israel cease all activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem, is the way the resolution reads. I think this will, no doubt, galvanize additional BDS activity. And so here's my question to you: would you make it a priority to counter Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions efforts against Israel, make sure Israel is not held to a double standard but instead treated as a normal member of the international community? Rex Tillerson: Yes, I would. Portman: Any preliminary thoughts as to how you would do that? Tillerson: Well, I think, just by raising it in our interactions with countries that do put in place provisions that boycott whatever elements of activity or business with Israel in their country, that we begin by highlighting that we oppose that and just expressing that view, and that those countries need to understand that does shade our view of them as well, then. One of the things that would, I think, help change the dynamic, obviously, would be if there were a change in the dynamic regionally. Today, because of Iran and the threat that Iran poses, we now find that Israel, the U.S., and the Arab neighbors in the region all share the same enemy, and this give us an opportunity to discuss things that previously, I think, could not have been discussed. 2:26:45 Senator Jeff Merkley: We are also viewing, often, climate change as a national-security issue, and since you believe—so I wanted to ask, do you see it as a national-security issue? Rex Tillerson: I don’t see it as the imminent national-security threat that, perhaps, others do. 2:27:30 Rex Tillerson: The facts on the ground are indisputable in terms of what’s happening with drought, disease, insect populations, all the things you cite. Now the science behind the clear connection is not conclusive, and there are many reports out there that we are unable, yet, to connect specific events to climate change alone. 2:30:26 Senator Jeff Merkley: We also saw that leading up to Paris, China has committed to producing as much renewable power as our entire electricity production in the United States, and we’ve seen India, now, talking about how to shift providing electricity to 300 million people who don’t have it and doing it primarily, or shifting from primarily a coal strategy to primarily a renewable-energy strategy. So we’re seeing big countries with big populations that have far smaller carbon footprints than the United States stepping up, and shouldn’t we step up as well? Rex Tillerson: I think the United States has stepped up. As I indicated earlier, I think the United States has a record over the last 20 years, of which it can be quite proud. 3:13:55 Rex Tillerson: I think the president-elect’s made clear in his views, that his whole objective of his campaign and putting America first, that he is not going to support anything that would put U.S. industry in any particular sector at a disadvantage to its competitors outside of the U.S., whether it’s automobile manufacturing or steel making or the oil and gas industry. 3:32:57 Rex Tillerson: I have never supported energy independence; I have supported energy security. Hearing: DoD Secretary James Mattis Confirmation Hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee, January 12, 2017. Watch on CSPAN CSPAN Timestamps & Transcripts 20:15 Senator John McCain: For seven decades, the United States has played a unique role in the world. We’ve not only put America first, but we’ve done so by maintaining and advancing a world order that has expanded security, prosperity, and freedom. This has required our alliances, our trade, our diplomacy, our values, but most of all, our military for when would-be aggressors aspire to threaten world order. It’s the global striking power of America’s armed forces that must deter or thwart their ambitions. Too many Americans, too many Americans seem to have forgotten this in recent years. Too many have forgotten that our world order is not self-sustaining. Too many have forgotten that while the threats we face may not have purely military solutions, they all have military dimensions. In short, too many have forgotten that hard power matters—having it, threatening it, leveraging it for diplomacy, and, at times, using it. Fairly or not, there is a perception around the world that America is weak and distracted, and that has only emboldened our adversaries to challenge the current world order. The threat posed by violent Islamic extremism continues to metastasize across Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and but for those who remain vigilant, our homeland. It should now be clear that we will be engaged in a global conflict of varying scope and intensity for the foreseeable future; believing otherwise is wishful thinking. So, if confirmed, General Mattis, you would lead a military at war. You of all people appreciate what that means and what it demands. At the same time, our central challenge in the Middle East is not ISIL, as grave a threat as that is. It is a breakdown of regional order in which nearly every state is a battlefield for conflict, a combatant, or both. ISIL is a symptom of this disorder. 51:20 Senator John McCain: You are a distinguished student of history, and, as we are all aware, that following World War II, a world order was established which has held for, basically, the last 70 years. Do you believe that that world order is now under more strain than it’s ever been? James Mattis: I think it’s under the biggest attack since World War II, sir, and that’s from Russia, from terrorist groups, and with what China is doing in the South China Sea. McCain: And that would argue for us making sure we’re adequately prepared to meet these challenges. Mattis:I think deterrence is critical right now, sir. Absolutely. And that requires the strongest military. McCain: Do you think we have a strong-enough military today in order to achieve that goal? Mattis: No, sir. 1:13:08 Senator Jeanne Shaheen: Today, for the first time since the fall of Communism, American troops arrived in Poland as part of the European Reassurance Initiative. How important is it for us to continue these initiatives to reassure our European allies that we will continue to support them, and how concerned are you that some of President-elect Trump’s statements with respect to continuing to support NATO, to support our allies in Europe, has undermined our ability to continue this initiative, and will you support the ERI continuing, as secretary of defense? James Mattis: Senator, I do support ERI. NATO, from my perspective, having served once as a NATO supreme allied commander, is the most successful military alliance probably in modern-world history, maybe ever, and was put together, as you know, by the “greatest generation” coming home from a war to defend Europe against Soviet incursion by their military. Yet the first time it went to war was when this town and New York City were attacked. That’s the first time NATO went into combat. So my view is that nations with allies thrive, and nations without allies don’t, and so I would see us maintaining the strongest-possible relationship with NATO. 1:51:05 Senator Joni Ernst: I do believe we need to look at other regions around the globe, and we cannot turn a blind eye to ISIS in regions outside of the Middle East, such as in Southeast Asia. There are many news reports that have showed those areas are very active, and reports from last year, I noted over 57 Philippine government forces have been killed in battles linked with ISIS groups. There was also an attempted U.S. Embassy bombing in Manila and many other ISIS-claimed attacks throughout that region. Secretary Carter did agree with my assessment on ISIS in Southeast Asia, and President Obama was made well aware of my concerns; however, we have yet to develop a strategy to combat ISIS, especially in those regions where we are not focusing. How should our new administration address the rising threat of ISIS in Southeast Asia, and will you commit to working with me on this, sir? James Mattis: Absolutely, Senator. The way we do this, I think we have to deliver a very hard blow against ISIS in the Middle East so that there’s no sense of invulnerability or invincibility there. There’s got to be a military defeat of them there, but it must, as you point out, be a much broader approach. This requires an integrated strategy so you don’t squeeze them in one place and then they develop in another and we really are right back to square one. We’ve got to have an integrated strategy on this, and it’s got to be one that goes after the recruiting and their fundraising, as well as delivering a military blow against them in the Middle East, and that way you slow down this growth and start rolling it back by, with, and through allies. 2:08:55 Senator Dan Sullivan: In the Arctic, Russia has filled a vacuum left by the U.S., and, as you know, General, just in the past few years the buildup in the Arctic by the Russians has been quite dramatic: a new Arctic command; four new Arctic brigades; 14 operational air fields; 16 deep-water ports; 40 icebreakers, with 13 more on the way, three nuclear powered; huge new land claims in the Arctic for massive oil and gas reserves; the most long-range air patrols with Bear bombers since the Cold War; a snap military exercise in 2015 that included 45,000 troops, 3,400 military vehicles, 41 ships, 15 submarines, and 110 aircraft. What is the effect on the United States not being actively engaged in the Arctic, as you mention in your article? James Mattis: Senator, I think that America has global responsibilities, and it’s not to our advantage to leave any of those areas of the world absent from our efforts. Sullivan: What do you think Russia’s trying to achieve in the Arctic with that massive military buildup? Mattis: I don’t know. I believe, however, that we are going to have to figure it out and make certain that we’re not seeing an expansion of these efforts to dominate, what have been up until now, part of the international commons. Sullivan: What role would you see of increased U.S. presence and involvement with regard to our role in the Arctic versus what the Russians are doing? Mattis: Senator, with the new sea routes of communication that are opening up, as the sea ice retreats, I think we’re going to have to recognize this is an active area, whether it be for search and rescue, for patrolling, maintain sovereignty up along our Alaska coastline, that sort of thing. 2:47:17 Senator Lindsey Graham: Are we going to give the world a veto of what we do? James Mattis: I would never give the world a veto. 3:02:12 Senator Ben Sasse: You have commented, General, on the political objectives must be clearly defined to ensure military success in Iraq and Syria. How will your recommendations for pursuing Iraq and Syria differ from the Obama administration? James Mattis: Senator, I think the most important thing is to know when you go into a shooting war how you want it to end, and by setting out the political conditions that you’re out to achieve up front and come into agreement on that in the national security team and with the Congress, then you give it full resourcing to get there as rapidly as possible. And I think it’s getting there as rapidly as possible is probably where it would differ from the current administration where it would be a more accelerated campaign from what the president-elect has already called for. Hearing: Central Intelligence Agency Director Confirmation Hearing, Senate Intelligence Committee, January 12, 2017. Watch on CSPAN CSPAN Timestamps & Transcripts 57:28 Senator Martin Heinrich: You’ve been supportive of the use of enhanced interrogation techniques in the past, saying, back in September of 2014, that President Obama has continually refused to take the war on radical Islamic terrorism seriously and cited ending our interrogation program in 2009 as an example. Can you commit to this committee that under current law, which limits interrogation to the Army Field Manual, that you will comply with that law and that the CIA is out of the enhanced-interrogation business? Mike Pompeo: Yes. You have my full commitment to that, Senator Heinrich. Panel: National Security Issues Panel, Foreign Policy Initiative Forum, December 3, 2014. Protest Guide Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Perpetuation of Traditional Gender Roles by European Languages; by Douglas S. Files; From Volume I, Number 1, of Babel, March 1990 — Several European languages encourage the continuation of traditional sex roles through the gender underlying their nouns. In this paper, the French, Spanish, and German gender systems will be examined for their contribution to sexism in housework (traditionally the domain of the female) and the nouns relating to bars and pubs (traditionally the domain of the male). (Read by Trey Jones, et al.)

Several European automakers and their Chinese joint venture partners are battling over who gets to sell imported cars. Toyota will start exporting Corollas built in the U.S. to 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The new twin-turbo V6 in the upcoming BMW M3 will be the smallest displacement engine offered in that car in over two decades. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Sean McElroy takes a look at the refreshed 2014 Toyota Tundra.