Podcasts about uk foreign office

This week on The Nowhere Office, hosts Julia Hobsbawm and Stefan Stern speak with journalist, author, and broadcaster Rachel Johnson for another addition of My Working Life in a conversation about her unconventional career journey Rachel shares how she broke into journalism as the Financial Times' first female trainee, the early mistakes she learned from, and how she built a career on her own terms.  She talks about the challenges of balancing working motherhood with her own ambitions, and why her time at the UK Foreign Office left her frustrated.  The episode also explores her latest project — the Tortoise investigative podcast Master — which looks into the allegations against author Neil Gaiman. Rachel explains what drove her to pursue this complex story and what the experience taught her about the power of persistence and purpose in working life. The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in partnership with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Learn more at workathon.io. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trade Unionists Blockade UK Foreign Office https://labourhub.org.uk/2024/07/24/trade-unionists-shut-down-access-to-foreign-office-demanding-government-stops-arming-israel/ #peoplearerevolting twitter.com/peoplerevolting Peoplearerevolting.com movingtrainradio.com

This is Early Kick Off from the Men in Blazers Media Network, all your global football stories straight from the back pages of Europe's newspapers in around 10 minutes.On today's episode: it's arguably the biggest game of the season… we preview Manchester City v Arsenal, Xabi Alonso looks set to stay put at Bayer Leverkusen, Todd Boehly to be ousted out at Chelsea, UWCL quarter final round-up, Premier League preview, and the UK Foreign Office issues warning on the strength of German beer. Football don't sleep, and neither do we.This episode was made in the UK for Men In Blazers by…Host: Betty Glover Producer: George CooperResearcher: Jack CollinsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Back to the Future (Again) -- Russian Frozen Assets Episode In recent months, there has been much talk about what to do with frozen Russian assets and, in particular, whether they can be repurposed to aid Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion. This is not the first time that large amounts of Russian assets have been frozen though, with heated debates about whether to expropriate the frozen funds. In this podcast we talk to Professor Lauge Poulsen of UCL about one of these prior freezings, from the early 1900s. Indeed, the 1918 default of Soviet Russia on investors in Tsarist Russian bonds is still one of the largest ever sovereign defaults and it (along with other expropriations) then resulted in widespread freezing of Russian assets overseas. Lauge and his co author, Eileen Denza, have a fascinating article about the negotiations between the UK Foreign Office and the Soviets over these frozen assets and the ultimate resolution of all of the various claims and counterclaims (a process that took close to three quarters of a century). The article, “Settling Russia's Imperial and Baltic Debts” appears in the American Journal of International Law. Producer: Leanna Doty

Hello and welcome to today's episode of Gibraltar Today!As we've been reporting, the Electricity Authority is working on a battery energy storage system project.The announcement was made by Michael Caetano, the Gib Elec CEO.... It prompted the GSD Opposition to ask: why wasn't this part of the original plans for the power station?A question for the Minister for Utilities, Gemma Arias Vasquez who is here with us today.-We're also going to talk to Monique Grambow from MBS Well-being.MBS Well-being is accessible in most schools.We'll be discussing what's on offer, the importance of self-care and how the services might develop.-We also tell you about a story involving President George Bush, the UK Foreign Office, and the Spanish King.Jonathan Sacramento continues to look at newly declassified documents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest in this episode is Nick Mabey, the co-founder and co-CEO of one of the world's most influential climate change think tanks, E3G, where the name stands for Third Generation Environmentalism. As well as his roles with E3G, Nick is founder and chair of London Climate Action Week, and he has several independent appointments including as a London Sustainable Development Commissioner.Nick has previously worked in the UK Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, the UK Foreign Office, WWF-UK, London Business School, and the UK electricity industry. As an academic he was lead author of “Argument in the Greenhouse”; one of the first books examining the economics of climate change.He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Jubilee honours list in 2022 for services to climate change and support to the UK COP 26 Presidency.As the conversation makes clear, there is both good news and bad news regarding responses to climate change.Selected follow-ups:Nick Mabey's websiteE3G"Call for UK Government to 'get a grip' on climate change impacts"The IPCC's 2023 synthesis reportChatham House commentary on IPCC report"Why Climate Change Is a National Security Risk"The UK's Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC)Bjørn LomborgMatt RidleyTim LentonJason HickelMark CarneyMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

Simon McDonald, former Head of the UK Foreign Office, now cross-bench peer and Master of Christ's College, Cambridge, talks to Paul Adamson about his new book 'Beyond Britannia - Reshaping UK Foreign Policy'.

UK Foreign Office officials suggested rescinding Benjamin Netanyahu's invitation to a hotly-anticipated AI summit in Bletchley Park. World leaders, experts and tech executives are set to gather at the famed home of World War II codebreakers to discuss safety measures for artificial intelligence. UK correspondent Enda Brady says officials warned Netanyahu's presence could overshadow Rishi Sunak and distract guests from the topics at hand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Joseph's mother petitions the Queen for help to recover her Nazi-plundered house from a resistant Germany. The Queen's response unlocks a wave of British government action, which escalates towards an international crisis. In this episode, a very personal family story becomes a highly political dispute. In this epic journey, Mike sets out to uncover his Holocaust inheritance, but is led relentlessly to discovering his Nakba inheritance. It turns out that the two different catastrophes are more connected than he thought possible. In 2023, can both stories be heard and understood?  With unique personal testimony, recordings, letters and memories by those who survived and those who did not, this challenging audio series is devised, dramatised and narrated by broadcaster Mike Joseph.  PLACE NAMES  When the place names in Keys get confusing, these notes will help. Mike's grandparents came from Galicia, a part of eastern Europe on no modern map. Today some of Galicia is southeast Poland, another part is western Ukraine. Galicia no longer exists.In the last century, many of Galicia's Jews, Ukrainians and Poles also ceased to exist, violently, as their province was repeatedly ruptured by the front lines of two World Wars, genocide and ethnic cleansing. Before 1918, Galicia was the Austro-Hungarian Empire's most eastern province. Its capital was Lemberg (German) = Lwów (Polish) = Lviv (Ukrainian).  Three names, but one city.Further south, Mike's grandfather grew up in Stanislau (German); left Stanislaviv (Ukrainian) in 1918 for a better life in Germany; deported back to Stanisławów (Polish) in 1938, which became Stanislaviv (Ukrainian) in 1939; killed in Stanislau (German) in 1941. Before Mike first visited that city in 1999, the Soviet Union renamed it Ivano-Frankovsk (Russian). Today the place where he found his grandfather's surviving colleagues and allies is called Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukrainian).  Five names, but one city. Fatima Abu Salem grew up in the thriving Palestinian village of Burayr, at crossroads leading to Gaza, Hebron and Beersheba. Today a few ruins of Burayr are surrounded by the fields of kibbutz Bro'r Hayyil. Two names, but one place. Place names matter. How we name places reveals our own histories, identities and yearnings. CREDITS for this episode Testimony Testimony and commentary by Mike Joseph, Asha Phillips, James Stewart Interpreters and Translators Dina Brandt Alex Dunai Markus Hartmann Burkhardt Kolbmuller Svitlana Kovalyk Itamar Shapira Nadia Slobodyan Hannah Kleinfeld Atef Alshaer Images & music Mike Joseph Sami Abu Salem  Micha Wink  Lilli Gold, © 1998 USC Shoah Foundation. From the archive of USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education  http://sfi.usc.edu/ Brahms, German Requiem, The Holden Consort Orchestra and Choir http://ml.cs.colorado.edu/~ben/Brahms/  Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license PRODUCTION Mike Joseph   Producer Zac Ware   Sound Editor Micha Wink   Keys Theme & Variations on a Bach Prelude in B minor  Pamela Koehne-Drube Audience and Web Advisor PRESENTERS Mike Joseph Asha Phillips CAST in programme order Christine Willison as Lilli Gold James Stewart as Robert Fellowes, voices of UK Foreign Office, Martin Gilbert, British Ambassador to Germany. 

What do you say to an old Nazi? With this question, Mike Joseph's daughter Asha opens an episode in which we hear what Mike does say when suddenly, in 1991 he encounters the Nazi who stole his mother's house fifty years earlier.  The old Nazi shouts him down. Then Mike finds that he is not the only voice in newly-reunited Germany refusing to return property stolen by the Nazis. In this epic journey, Mike sets out to uncover his Holocaust inheritance, but is led relentlessly to discovering his Nakba inheritance. It turns out that the two different catastrophes are more connected than he thought possible. In 2023, can both stories be heard and understood?  With unique personal testimony, recordings, letters and memories by those who survived and those who did not, this challenging audio series is devised, dramatised and narrated by broadcaster Mike Joseph.  CREDITS for this episode Testimony Testimony and commentary by Mike Joseph, Asha Phillips, James Stewart Interpreters and Translators Dina Brandt, Alex Dunai, Markus Hartmann, Burkhardt Kolbmuller, Svitlana Kovalyk, Itamar Shapira, Nadia Slobodyan, Hannah Kleinfeld, Atef Alshaer Images & music Lilli Gold, Mike Joseph, Holger Jackisch, Sami Abu Salem  Lilli Gold, © 1998 USC Shoah Foundation. From the archive of USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education  http://sfi.usc.edu/ Dresden Bombing: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1994-041-07, Dresden, zerstörtes Stadtzentrum.jpg   Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1994-041-07 / Unknown author / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5483604 Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license. Foreign & Commonwealth Office main building.jpg, created: circa 2014 QS:P,+2014-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902 Public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0. Klaus Kinkel: Tohma, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Helmut Kohl: © European Communities, 1996 / EC, Photo:  Christian Lambiotte Otto Lambsdorff: Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F046792-0029 / Wegmann, Ludwig / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons Hinrich Lehmann-Grube: Axel Hindemith, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Brahms, German Requiem, The Holden Consort Orchestra and Choir http://ml.cs.colorado.edu/~ben/Brahms/  Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license PRODUCTION Mike Joseph - Producer, Zac Ware - Sound Editor, Micha Wink - Keys Theme & Variations on a Bach Prelude in B minor, Pamela Koehne-Drube - Audience and Web Advisor PRESENTERS Mike Joseph, Asha Phillips CAST in programme order Daniel Ratthei as Burkhardt Kolbmuller [German] Werner Bauer as Ralph Dippmann [German]  James Stewart as Ralph Dippmann [English]  Christel Stoecker-Danby voicing confiscation and conveyance to Dippmann [German], James Stewart [English] James Stewart as Holger Jackisch and voices of UK Foreign Office, Leipzig City Council and Federal German Government, Daily Telegraph Klaus Riekemann as Hinrich Lehmann-Grube and Christian Jacke Bruno Bubna-Kasteliz as Klaus Kinkel and Otto Lambsdorff  Christine Willison as Lilli Gold

A version of this essay was published by news18.com at https://www.news18.com/opinion/opinion-what-a-difference-ten-years-make-india-since-2014-8559632.htmlI wrote ten years ago on Rediff.com (‘The great Indian rope trick and other illusions of progress' https://www.rediff.com/news/column/the-great-indian-rope-trick-and-other-illusions-of-progress/20130716.htm) about how the average Indian is satisfied with illusion, never mind real progress. That made India a Potemkin State, where form is everything and substance is immaterial. It turns out that I was wrong: Indians do want actual progress. I might be pardoned for saying what I said then because the country was at the fag-end of the Lost Decade, 2004 to 2013, wherein things deteriorated steadily. Decline had been par for the course throughout the Nehruvian-Stalinist decades of dirigisme. Conversely, there has been noticeable change in 2014-2023.Apart from mis-steps in economic management, the political environment was also dicey. There was the appalling spectacle of a constitutional coup, as I noted at the time (‘Four ways the Congress won power by Constitutional coups' https://www.rediff.com/news/column/column-rajeev-srinivasan-4-ways-the-congress-won-power-through-constitutional-coups/20140107.htm): by colluding with the Communist Speaker in the cash-for-votes scam, the Congress clung on to power violating democratic norms. We see the same recklessness today in the US (“Let's jail the leading opposition candidate”) and in Germany (“One party is getting too popular, let's ban it”). It does not bode well. The New York Times, on August 21, 2023 ran the striking headline, “Elections Are Bad for Democracy” before changing it to “The Worst People Run for Office. It's Time for a Better Way”. Yes, democracy is too important to leave to the people. Let us elites tell them what to think. The most striking example of this uncaring State, the very nadir of its contempt for the man in the street, was the length of the chain anchoring the mug in the loo in railway compartments: just three inches too short, thus shattering the illusion that you could actually clean your bottom.  A daunting prospect for any traveler, especially because of the overwhelming stink, and a world of difference from Japan's shinkansen and their amazing high-tech loos.Recently I traveled in several train compartments, including ancient Jan Shatabdi chair cars and newish Hamsafar sleeper coaches, although, alas, not in Vande Bharat coaches yet; but I was surprised at how much better the toilets were. The ‘bio toilet' means human feces are not dumped on the tracks; they do not smell terrible, and, wonder of wonders, there is a hygiene hose/bidet that is actually long enough to do the deed.And, perhaps redundantly, the chain for the mug has been lengthened. And there is water! It is hard to explain to a non-Indian what a difference all this makes. I had a cousin who denied herself food and drink while traveling by train just so she could avoid the toilet. It is a sea-change when you are granted a little self-respect. I am reminded of the placard held by a man at a Martin Luther King rally: “I am a man”. Yes, the proverbial average Indian aam admi is a human who deserves consideration: not only Lutyens and Khan Market types.I am sorry to talk about a cringe-making topic like toilets, but this is something earthy and immediately understandable; it makes the point that India is, 76 years after the imperialists left and brown sahebs took over, finally on the march. Indians are beginning to see that they can demand respect from their rulers, and get it. Dignity, that watchword of the butler Stevens in Kazuo Ishiguro's brilliant The Remains of the Day.In a penetrating 1997 essay, “India shouldn't have fantasies about the past, but face it” (https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/from-the-archives-1997-v-s-naipaul-india-shouldn-t-have-fantasies-about-the-past-but-face-it-1988599-2022-08-16) Sir V S Naipaul mentioned that those who have been oppressed and denigrated for centuries are now rising, and this rise will be messy. He was talking about those outside the charmed circle that ruled the country for long. It is also broader: the rise of the Other Backward Communities, that uncharming name for the majority of Indians, the bahujan. Naipaul also said that the rulers will now of necessity be of the people, not overlords. It can be argued that for over a thousand years, Indians have been effectively ruled by a comprador ‘elite', middlemen who did the dirty work on behalf of invaders or distant rulers. It is my suspicion that the zamindars and other local strongmen were largely from the upper or middle jatis, and it is only now that those from the bottom of the pyramid are finally getting a say in things. No, this is not a jati-bashing exercise, and I may be extrapolating from my observations in Kerala, where a middle jati, Nairs, were the kulaks who lorded it over those below them in the hierarchy, such as OBC Ezhavas, SC Pulayas, and ST Mala-arayans. The latter are now rising, though not in full measure, yet. I think it's similar in Tamil Nadu, too. In the Soviet Union, Stalin liquidated the kulaks. In India, their eclipse has come about too late, though without violence. The usual woke Lutyens/Khan Market suspects were disappointed they couldn't chortle about Chandrayaan-3 being yet another expensive failure a poor country could ill afford, echoing Brits upset that their alleged ‘aid' was going to India (in reality, as per the UK Foreign Office, India politely declined any charity from them starting 2015; any money coming to India from the UK is foreign direct investment (FDI), or strictly in support of their geopolitical objectives, channeled via dubious NGOs or missionaries).The ‘wokes' also grumbled about ISRO engineers going to Tirupati and invoking the blessings of the Divine for their project. I am glad they got a munh thod jawab. There really is no dichotomy in Hindu thought between science and faith: science too requires faith and belief.The ‘wokes' have reason to be worried, not only by the picture-perfect moon landing, but also by Praggnaanandhaa, who almost unseated the reigning World Champion in chess; Neeraj Chopra, who won the World Athletic Championship in javelin to go with his Olympic gold; the 4x400 relay quartet with their heroics of almost defeating the Americans in the heats while setting an Asian record; and Vivek Ramaswamy, who is unabashedly Hindu and at the same time a patriotic American and a force to contend with in the Republican party in the US.Even though they haven't been defenestrated, except perhaps some unfortunate folks at Ashoka University, India's Left are less and less relevant: relics of a failed ideology. They should count their lucky stars: in Singapore, Lee Kwan Yew liquidated them. And indeed, even in the US, the ‘woke' capital of the world, their star is setting. There is another reason I brought up toilets: the unseemly obsession that westerners have with them. I was delighted to see this cartoon on Twitter, and it is obviously a parody of the earlier one in the sadly overrated New York Times, below.While the racist derision of the original cartoon, and the celebration of the be-jasmined and be-bindi'd women in Indian engineering are the obvious takeaways, I was intrigued by a detail: the white guy in the cartoon is dragging a shopping-cart full of toilet paper behind him! I am not sure why toilet paper is some kind of atavistic guilty pleasure for westerners. Despite being purely climate-related (they could not afford to melt ice and snow just to wash their bottoms, or for that matter their hands, thus cutlery), toilet paper has become a cultural staple for them. You might remember the hoarding of toilet paper in the early days of covid! It's time westerners abandoned killing trees, and went for the more healthy bidet-like health faucet. For that matter, the squat in Indian closets is apparently better than the sitting posture on a western ‘thunder-box'. Recently while traveling in the Czech Republic, I stayed in a (fancy) hotel that had a bidet: such a relief! May their tribe increase!Of course, some things never change. This was demonstrated in two ways: the thinly-veiled envy from the British that manifested itself in their assertion that an India full of open defecation shouldn't be spending on space research, and The Economist magazine in their recent obituary of Bindeswar Pathak repeatedly emphasizing caste discrimination and manual scavenging. These are vestiges of the past, and mostly due to the $10 trillion (or $45 trillion depending on whom you ask) that the Brits looted, impoverishing India. But then, who's counting?Oh, you want to talk about open defecation? Once-beautiful San Francisco is now the champion, while India has built large numbers of indoor toilets all over the country. See the ‘poop map' of San Francisco here (https://mochimachine.org/wasteland/# ).One thing that has definitely changed in the last ten years is the amount of Hindu-hatred expressed in the West, particularly America. The California caste Bill, Equality Labs, Audrey Truschke, and the latest, tech journo Kara Swisher's racist attack on Vivek Ramaswamy, are all related to the fact that Hindus have quietly become one of the most economically successful (but politically powerless) groups in the US. It is really a back-handed compliment, happily cheered on by rogues from the “Chindu” stable or similar. Caste is the weapon.Hindus tend to be defensive about caste. We shouldn't be. Caste is really a white invention, from the Portuguese casta, intended to segregate mixed-race people based on how white they are, half, quarter, one-eighth, etc: thus mulatto, quadroon, octroon, etc. It is their cross to bear. There is an ocean of difference between this caste business and jatis, but I digress..Besides, there are de facto castes in the US: the investment banker caste, the doctor caste, the lawyer caste, the management consultant caste, etc. They all go to the same tony prep schools, the same Ivy League colleges (legacy admissions mean you easily get into Harvard, if your parent(s) went to Harvard, regardless of your grades. Raj Chetty has published reams of data about this); they are endogamous; and they all miraculously end up at Goldman Sachs or McKinsey. An outsider can't break in. These castes are also Lindy (ask Nassim Taleb).Perhaps, taking a cue from other groups that have prospered, Hindus (and Indian Americans in general) are becoming ‘white', like others have before them. Irish, Italians, Jews, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese: there is a long list. ‘Whiteness' is a construct. I was flabbergasted decades ago when a well-meaning white guy said, “You guys are almost white”. I stuttered: “But, but… we are brown!”. If you have money, you pretty much become white. I give it another ten years. With India's GDP at $10 trillion, and more Hindu-Americans creating unicorns, I bet by 2034 Hindus will be ‘white'. Maybe Vivek is the first white Hindu. I am not making a value judgment, merely making a prediction. You heard it here first.1800 words, Aug 29, 2023, updated Sep 10, 2023 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Thoughts on yesterday's UN Security Council meeting on AI, published by Greg Colbourn on July 22, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum. Firstly, it's encouraging that AI is being discussed as a threat at the highest global body dedicated to ensuring global peace and security. This seemed like a remote possibility just 4 months ago. However, throughout the meeting, (possibly near term) extinction risk from uncontrollable superintelligent AI was the elephant in the room. ~1% air time, when it needs to be ~99%, given the venue and its power to stop it. Let's hope future meetings improve on this. Ultimately we need the UNSC to put together a global non-proliferation treaty on AGI, if we are to stand a reasonable chance of making it out of this decade alive.There was plenty of mention of using AI for peacekeeping. However, this seems naive in light of the offence-defence asymmetry facilitated by generative AI (especially when it comes to threats like bio-terror/engineered pandemics, and cybercrime/warfare). And in the limit of outsourcing intelligence gathering and strategy recommendations to AI (whist still keeping a human in the loop), you get scenarios like this. Highlights: China mentioned Pause: "The international community needs to. ensure that risks beyond human control don't occur. We need to strengthen the detection and evaluation of the entire lifecycle of AI, ensuring that mankind has the ability to press the pause button at critical moments". (Zhang Jun, representing China at the UN Security Council meeting on AI)) Mozambique mentioned the Sorcerer's Apprentice, human loss of control, recursive self-improvement, accidents, catastrophic and existential risk: "In the event that credible evidence emerges indicating that AI poses and existential risk, it's crucial to negotiate an intergovernmental treaty to govern and monitor its use." (MANUEL GONÇALVES, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mozambique, at the UN Security Council meeting on AI)(A bunch of us protesting about this outside the UK Foreign Office last week.) (PauseAI's comments on the meeting on Twitter.) (Discussion with Jack Clark on Twitter re his lack of mention of x-risk. Note that the post war atomic settlement - Baruch Plan - would probably have been quite different if the first nuclear detonation was assessed to have a significant chance of igniting the entire atmosphere!)(My Tweet version of this post. I'm Tweeting more as I think it's time for mass public engagement on AGI x-risk.) Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org

We've both been in Learning & Development (or Training, as it was known) since the 1990s. It seems that so much has changed and yet so much remains the same. I.e., Classroom training was the primary means of development, tech was emerging but seen as supplementary (and perhaps inferior), and we struggled to demonstrate our value beyond attendance and satisfaction. And yet the nature of work has evolved, technology has advanced enormously, employee expectations have shifted, and work patterns are more flexible. So how has the nature of leading L&D changed and what's the key to successfully evolving? KEY TAKEAWAYS  Cultural intelligence has become increasingly important for L&D. Blended learning provided with context is greatly improving effectiveness. Identifying the goal and how it will be measured is important, but the measurement needs to be simple. L&D needs to be an integral part of the team. Simulations are proven to be effective in teaching complex skills. AI could be used to generate different scenarios, for people to respond to and test their skills so they can gain confidence. Proving tech before it is rolled out is essential. BEST MOMENTS'We tend to be an industry that moves pretty fast, sometimes too fast. ''Drill down and say what are the real skills and behaviours that are the difference between normal performance and really high performance.''We've seen a huge opportunity with chat GPT now and generative AI in order to plug some of the gaps.' ABOUT THE GUESTJohn Tomlinson BioJohn is Head of Learning & Development at the UK Foreign Office as well as the host of the Trainer Tools podcast, a writer, and a conference speaker. John is also a qualified coach and has extensive experience in leadership development, change management, and partnering with senior leaders to develop and deliver L&D strategies. GUEST RESOURCESYou can follow John via:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntomlinson/Twitter: @JohnRTomlinsonPodcast: https://trainertools.podbean.com VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

An Antifa terror suspect arrested in Georgia last week was recently revealed to be the daughter of a Chinese pharmaceutical tycoon and a United Kingdom Foreign Office consultant, RadarOnline.com has learned.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Elizabeth McGovern was Oscar nominated for her portrayal of Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime and, by the age of 21, had played leading roles in Once Upon A Time In America followed by The Handmaid's Tale and The Wings of the Dove. She is probably best known though for playing Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. She is now on stage starring in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The actress and musician joins Jessica to discuss her varied career so far and what drew her to the role of Martha. A misconduct hearing today will formally dismiss David Carrick from the Metropolitan Police, after he admitted twenty-four counts of rape and multiple sexual assaults. Carrick was finally stopped when one woman reported him in October 2021. Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, has apologised to Carrick's victims, and says the force is currently also investigating 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims involving about 800 of its officers. Jessica is joined to discuss by Shabnam Chaudhri, who served as an officer in the Met for 30 years. Tomorrow will see the start of a second round of strikes by the Royal College of Nursing. The RCN says that this will be the biggest walkout so far, affecting 55 trusts in England - that's 11 more than last month. They are calling for a pay rise of 5% above inflation, with inflation currently sitting at 14%. The government says the demands are unaffordable and pay rises were decided by independent pay review bodies. NHS staff in England and Wales - including nurses - have already received an average increase of 4.75%. The union says that there will be a further two strikes in February in England and Wales, unless there is movement on pay by the end of this month. Pat Cullen is the General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, and joins Jessica. Today marks the 250th anniversary of the UK in the Antarctic following the first voyage of James Cook in 1773. In contrast to Cook's all-male crew in the 18th century, the UK's current polar leadership includes several women. What is it like to be a female leader in this field? Jessica Creighton is joined by Jane Rumble, the Head of Polar Regions Department at the UK Foreign Office, Professor Dame Jane Francis, the Director of the British Antarctic Survey and Captain Milly Ingham, the Captain of HMS Protector, The Royal Navy's ice patrol ship to find out. One of literary history's favourite characters – Alison the Wife of Bath – from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is re-examined in a new book by Professor Marion Turner from Oxford University. Marion tells Jessica how the lusty life story of the medieval Alison who married five times has inspired other writers from Shakespeare to Zadie Smith.

What can be done to create a nation that is better adapted and resilient to the changing climate? How does climate adaptation and resilience support a growing economy? And what can be done to ensure this generation is the first to leave the environment in a better state than we found it? From responding to flood risk to managing industry and waste, the Environment Agency is at the heart of all these questions. In a keynote address at the IfG, Sir James Bevan discussed the bold action needed to meet current and future environmental challenges faced by the UK. The chief executive of the Environment Agency, the UK's environment regulator, Sir James also discuss the agency's work in tackling flooding, drought, sea level rise and coastal, and how he believes the UK can become a nation that is resilient to climate change while encouraging green growth and a sustainable future. After his speech, Sir James was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director at the Institute for Government, and took questions from the audience. #IfGclimate Sir James Bevan joined the Environment Agency (EA) as Chief Executive in late November 2015. His previous roles include UK High Commissioner to India, Chief Operating Officer at the UK Foreign Office, and Visiting Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard. He has also held a number of senior posts in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office including posts in Washington, Paris and Brussels

Students at all levels and institutions were invited to this careers panel where practitioners in various Middle East-related fields will talk through their career paths. Reza Afshar is the Executive Director of Independent Diplomat, a non-profit non-governmental organisation founded in 2004 by British former diplomat Carne Ross to give advice and assistance in diplomatic strategy and technique to governments and political groups. Previously, Reza was head of the team responsible for Syria policy at the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). During his time at the FCO, Reza also served as head of the Middle East, Asia and Europe Team at the UK Mission to the United Nations (2009 to 2012). He was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work as lead negotiator on Libya in the UN Security Council. During his 13 years of service, Reza also worked on Iraq (2003-2004), Zimbabwe (leading the UK Foreign Office's crisis team in 2008), and negotiated new arms control protocols relating to cluster munitions and landmines. Hind Hassan is an award winning international correspondent for VICE News covering conflicts, humanitarian crisis and the biggest developing stories from around the world. Since joining VICE News, Hassan has reported on wars and uprisings across the globe including the post-ISIS legacy in Syria, Lebanon's blast demonstrations and the battle over Nagorni-karabakh where her team became the first journalists to independently confirm the use of cluster munitions against civilians in Azerbaijan. Most recently Hassan travelled to Ukraine where she documented war crimes and the devastation caused by Russian bombs in the city of Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres from the Russian border. She was also part of a team that investigated the essential oil industry's frankincense supply chain, uncovering allegations of abuse made against a multi-million dollar American wellness company. Hassan embedded with the Taliban in Afghanistan just months before the group's takeover of Kabul and was on the ground in Jerusalem and Gaza ahead of the military offensive on the Strip. Prior to joining VICE News, Hassan worked as a reporter for Sky News. Ahmed Tabaqchali is a Visiting Fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre and a capital markets professional with over 25 years' experience in US and MENA markets. He is the Chief Strategist of the Asia Frontier Capital Iraq Fund. Ahmed is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS), and non-resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council - Iraq Initiative. He is a board member of Capital Investments, the investment banking arm of Capital Bank-Jordan. Previously, he was former Executive Director of NBK Capital, the investment banking arm of the National Bank of Kuwait, Managing Director and Head of International Institutional Sales at WR Hambrecht + Co., Managing Director at KeyBanc in London and Director & Head of Capital Markets & Institutional Sales at Jefferies International in London. He started his career at Dean Witter International in London. At the LSE Middle East Centre, Ahmed is researching Iraq's economy and political economy with a specific focus on the economic aspects of the relationship between the GoI (Government of Iraq) and the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government). Michael Mason is Director of the LSE Middle East Centre. He is also Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment and Associate of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. His research interests encompass environmental politics and governance, notably issues of accountability, transparency and security.

In this episode we sit down to discuss the risk posed to commercial airliners by terrorism and armed conflicts with Aviation Security expert William Sandover. After 29 years in the UK Foreign Office, with postings in Vienna, Buenos Aires, Paris and Pakistan, William joined British Airways in 2008 as their International Risk Adviser, responsible for analysing the security threats to the airline's operation and people and working with colleagues to manage these. In 2015, William was appointed the first Chair of the Global Business Travel Association (Europe)'s Risk Committee. In 2017 William was appointed as Cathay Pacific's Independent Security Adviser.

In the end, it took nearly 60 government resignations, more personal scandals than one can count, and a painful amount of drama and dysfunction. But the moment finally came today when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would step down – except he wants to stay on until his successor is chosen, which could be months from now. He painted his legacy in terms of getting Brexit done, the Covid vaccine rollout, and Britain's support for Ukraine. But Johnson's time in office will surely also be remembered for the tsunami of self-inflicted crises, breaking the law over Partygate, and his many attempts to cling onto power. Alistair Burt served under Boris Johnson at the UK Foreign Office and joins the show to discuss.  Also on today's show: CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, historians Catherine Haddon and Simon Schama. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

*) UK PM Johnson resigns as Conservative party leader after turmoil UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned as the leader of the Conservative party after the latest ethics scandal around his leadership led some 50 senior lawmakers to quit the government. Johnson said outside 10 Downing Street he will resign as “it is clearly the will of the Conservative party that there should be a new leader. His resignation will trigger an internal election to pick a new leader of the Conservative Party, who will also be the next prime minister. *) Ukraine 'repels' some Russian advances in Donbass In eastern Ukraine, Russia continues to bombard the city of Slovyansk, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee. The Ukrainian military has claimed it has repelled enemy units from advancing towards the city, as well as Russian attacks on a town and village north of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv near the Russian border. Russian forces are advancing in the Donetsk region, after it took over neighbouring Luhansk. *) Austrian parliament unanimously adopts Srebrenica genocide resolution Austria's parliament has unanimously adopted a resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica. The resolution honours more than 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks who were killed by units of the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska and a paramilitary unit in the town on July 11, 1995. It also declared July 11 a day of mourning and condemned public denial of the mass killings *) Iran 'detains' UK diplomat, other foreigners for alleged spying Iran's Revolutionary Guard has detained several foreigners, including Britain's second most senior envoy in Tehran, for allegedly engaging in espionage and taking soil samples from prohibited military zones. State media reported that the foreigners had been arrested, but did not elaborate on when this happened. The UK Foreign Office denied that its diplomat was among those arrested. The accusations follow escalating tensions over a rise in the number of arrests made on foreigners in Tehran and the rapid advancement of its nuclear plans. And finally… *) Netflix confirms 'Stranger Things' spinoff series and stage play Netflix has confirmed that its popular show "Stranger Things" is getting a spin-off series and a new stage play set within its supernatural world. The sci-fi horror following a group of teenagers in a fictional US town as they battle monsters from another dimension is one of Netflix's flagship and most-watched shows, The announcement comes as Netflix continues to face pressure, having lost subscribers earlier this year after years of uninterrupted growth.

Two of Britain's most senior Cabinet ministers have quit, a move that could spell the end of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership after months of scandals.Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned within minutes of each other. Javid said "I can no longer continue in good conscience."Johnson has been hit by allegations he failed to come clean about a lawmaker who was appointed to a senior position despite claims of sexual misconduct. The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.My letter to the Prime Minister below. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022 Sunak said "the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. ""I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning."In a highly critical resignation letter, Javid wrote: "The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country. Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. I have spoken to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care. It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience. pic.twitter.com/d5RBFGPqXp— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) July 5, 2022 "[The confidence vote] was a moment for humility, grip and new direction. I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too."Parliamentary private secretary to the Northern Ireland secretary Jonathan Gullis has also resigned, saying for "too long we have been more focused on dealing with our reputational damage rather than delivering for the people of this country and spreading opportunity for all".Fellow parliamentary private secretary Saqib Bhatti MP has also resigned, saying "recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life".And Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, a previous supporter of Johnson, says she is "no longer able to support Boris Johnson as Leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister".The resignations come as former top British civil servant said Tuesday that Boris Johnson's office wasn't telling the truth about sexual misconduct allegations against a senior member of the prime minister's government.Johnson has faced pressure to explain what he knew about previous misconduct allegations against lawmaker Chris Pincher, who resigned as deputy chief whip on Thursday amid complaints that he groped two men at a private club. Chris Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip after a drunken incident, which turned out not to be an isolated case. Photo / APThe government's explanation shifted repeatedly over the past five days. Ministers initially said Johnson was not aware of any allegations when he promoted Pincher to the post in February.On Monday, a spokesman said Johnson knew of sexual misconduct allegations that were "either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint."That account did not sit well with Simon McDonald, the most senior civil servant at the UK Foreign Office from 2015 to 2020. In a highly unusual move, he said Tuesday that the prime minister's office still wasn't telling the truth.McDonald said in a letter to the parliamentary commissioner for standards that he received complaints about Pincher's behavior in the summer of 2019, shortly after Pincher became a Foreign Office minister. An investigation upheld...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keir Starmer's work with the Obama Administration and UK Foreign Office comes under scrutiny this week, following the release of Oliver Eagleton's The Starmer Project. Along with the author, we welcome New Left Review assistant editor Cait Doherty, plus political historian Anton Jäger, to the discuss the international left's turn to the courts, and what the Bernie and Corbyn movements did next after the defeats of their leaders. Don't miss TWO all-original bonus podcasts with these guests this week, TPS81 INTELLIGENCE TEST and TPS83 COMPONENTS OF THE LEFT NATIONAL CULTURE. This episode also appears as our fourth video show for the Sublation Media YouTube channel. Please consider helping The Popular Show continue by becoming a supporter at Patreon.com/ThePopularPod.

Find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/3v1ug1Y A safe asset is generally understood to be a highly liquid debt instrument, backed by a solvent sovereign borrower, that can be relied on to hold its value during adverse systemic events. Quintessential safe assets are US Treasuries. Yet it is questionable whether US government IOUs satisfy this definition today. Against a background of soaring inflation they are priced to deliver negative real returns. Their liquidity in systemic crises since 2007-08 has been questionable. And soaring debt since the pandemic together with tightening monetary policy points to potential Treasury market turbulence. Could this pose a threat to the dollar's role as the world's preeminent reserve currency? Reserve currency status is in reality a relative issue. At present none of the main reserve currencies can be regarded as safe. US Treasuries and the dollar continue to look the least unsafe outlets for nervous money. Two pressing questions are whether the global shortage of safe assets is likely to persist and whether US and European sanctions targetting Russia's official reserves since the invasion of Ukraine have changed the rules of the reserve currency game. Where does this weaponisation of reserves leave the renminbi as a future challenger to the dollar? And what does the closer geopolitical alignment of the US and the EU in the face of the Russian threat mean for the euro's reserve currency role? Speaker: John Plender is a British writer, broadcaster and journalist based at the Financial Times in London. After Oxford University, he joined Deloitte, Plender, Griffiths & Co, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1970. He then moved into journalism and became financial editor of The Economist in 1974, where he remained until joining the UK Foreign Office policy planning staff in 1980. On leaving the Foreign Office, he became a senior editorial writer and columnist at the Financial Times, a role he combined for a time with broadcasting for BBC Television and Chanel Four. A past chairman of Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (Pirc), the UK shareholder activist, John Plender served on the UK government's Company Law Review steering group which provided the basis for the Companies Act 2006. He joined the board of Quintain PLC as a non-executive director in 2002 and chaired the company from 2007 to 2009. John is a trustee of the £4bn Pearson Pension Fund and a member of the World Bank/OECD Private Sector Advisory Group on corporate governance. His recent books include Going Off The Rails: Global Capital and the Crisis of Legitimacy, John Wiley (2003) which anticipated the financial crisis and Capitalism: Money, Morals and Markets, Biteback Publishing (2015).

The Cybercrime Magazine Podcast brings you our daily alert, which provides boardroom and C-suite executives, CIOs, CSOs, CISOs, IT executives and cybersecurity professionals with a breaking news story we're following. If there's a cyberattack, hack, or data breach you should know about, then we're on it. Airs every day on WCYB and our podcast. For more on the latest cyberattacks, hacks, and breaches, visit https://cybercrimewire.com

Cryptocurrency worth more than $5 billion has been seized by the US Department of Justice in the largest ever confiscation. A New York couple which includes the self-proclaimed 'Crocodile of Wall Street' have been arrested.A geomagnetic storm has taken out 40 of 49 SpaceX Starlink satellites launched last week and the UK Foreign Office has been the target of a 'serious cyber incident'.Samsung's Unpacked and Nintendo Direct's first ‘Switch-focused' events take place. An astronaut closes in on record for consecutive days in space and NASA awards the contract to build a vehicle for Mars sample return mission. Plus, how ‘alien-like' life thrives on dead matter in the deep of the Arctic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Cybercrime Wire, hosted by Scott Schober, provides boardroom and C-suite executives, CIOs, CSOs, CISOs, IT executives and cybersecurity professionals with a breaking news story we're following. If there's a cyberattack, hack, or data breach you should know about, then we're on it. Listen to the podcast daily and hear it every hour on WCYB. The Cybercrime Wire is sponsored by Deloitte Cyber. To learn more about our sponsor, visit https://deloitte.com/cyber • For more breaking news, visit https://cybercrimewire.com

"The Russian Government is looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine," the UK Foreign Office said in a statement released on Saturday, January 22. The British authorities pointed to former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevhen Murayev as a "potential candidate," while also claiming to "have information that the Russian intelligence services maintain links with numerous former Ukrainian politicians." Commenting on this information, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab warned that there would be serious consequences should Russia try and invade Ukraine and install a puppet government. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to comment on the British intelligence report. In turn, Yevhen Murayev himself vehemently dismissed the allegations as "nonsense and stupidity." Meduza examines what is known about Murayev and the other former Ukrainian politicians the UK Foreign Office named. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/01/25/who-is-yevhen-murayev

PODCAST: This Week in Amateur Radio Edition #1191 - Special Christmas Edition Release Date: December 25, 2021 Here is a summary of the news trending This Week in Amateur Radio. This week's edition is anchored by Chris Perrine, KB2FAF, Don Hulick, K2ATJ, Eric Zittel, KD2RJX, Will Rogers, K5WLR, George Bowen, W2XBS, and Jessica Bowen, KC2VWX, and Santa Claus! Produced and edited by George Bowen, W2XBS. Approximate Running Time: 1:40:51 Podcast Download: https://bit.ly/TWIAR1191 Trending headlines in this week's bulletin service: 1. David Benoist, AG4ZR, Appointed As ARRL Georgia Section Manager 2. Georgia Club Donates License Manuals To Local Schools 3. Switzerland Has Its Own AMSAT Organization 4. Norway is Trying to Track Down Two Meter Intruders 5. New Chinese Amateur Radio Satellite Could Launch On December 25th 6. International Space Station Slow Scan Television Transmission Is Set For Late December 7. WSJT-X Development Group Releases Version 2.5.3 8. Islands On The Air Group In India Activates New Island 9. The NASA Parker Solar Probe Touches The Sun 10. Registrations Now Being Accepted For Contest University 11. Dutch Regulators Are Cracking Down On Anti-5G Devices 12. FAA Is Worried About 5G Rollout Affecting Airplane Instrumentation 13. Finland's amateurs send gift to Icelandic hams 14. UK Foreign Office proposal for amateur radio bands in BAT 15. IRTS Regulator ComReg proposes new entry class amateur license 16. A Story About Long Delayed Echoes 17. Germany Warns The WIA about the interference potential of LED Lighting and poorly manufactured electronics 18. Solar Cycle 25 is now heating up Plus these Special Features This Week: * CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Jean Shepherd, the late K2ORS from WOR Radio in New York, talks about his adventures being a kid hooked on amateur radio and Heising Modulation. * Technology News and Commentary with Leo Laporte, W6TWT, takes a close up look at your modem and router specifications. * Foundations of Amateur Radio with Onno Benschop VK6FLAB, will answer the question, how does your gear measure up? * Weekly Propagation Forecast from the ARRL * Bill Continelli, W2XOY - The History of Amateur Radio. Bill returns with another edition of The Anicent Amateur Archives, this week, Bill takes a close up look at the FCC 1974 proposal to totally restructure amateur radio with a two-tiered licensing system. ----- Website: https://www.twiar.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/twiari/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/twiar RSS News: https://twiar.net/?feed=rss2 iHeartRadio: https://bit.ly/iHeart-TWIAR Spotify: https://bit.ly/Spotify-TWIAR TuneIn: https://bit.ly/TuneIn-TWIAR Automated: https://twiar.net/TWIARHAM.mp3 (Static file, changed weekly) ----- Visit our website at www.twiar.net for program audio, and daily for the latest amateur radio and technology news. Air This Week in Amateur Radio on your repeater! Built in identification breaks every 10 minutes or less. This Week in Amateur Radio is heard on the air on nets and repeaters as a bulletin service all across North America, and all around the world on amateur radio repeater systems, weekends on WA0RCR on 1860 (160 Meters), and more. This Week in Amateur Radio is portable too! The bulletin/news service is available and built for air on local repeaters (check with your local clubs to see if their repeater is carrying the news service) and can be downloaded for air as a weekly podcast to your digital device from just about everywhere, including Acast, Deezer, iHeart, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, iVoox, Blubrry, Castbox.fm, Castro, Feedburner, gPodder, Listen Notes, OverCast, Player.FM, Pandora, Podcast Gang, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podnova, and RSS feeds. This Week in Amateur Radio is also carried on a number of LPFM stations, so check the low power FM stations in your area. You can also stream the program to your favorite digital device by visiting our web site www.twiar.net. Or, just ask Siri, Alexa, or your Google Nest to play This Week in Amateur Radio! This Week in Amateur Radio is produced by Community Video Associates in upstate New York, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. If you would like to volunteer with us as a news anchor or special segment producer please get in touch with our Executive Producer, George, via email at w2xbs77@gmail.com. Also, please feel free to follow us by joining our popular group on Facebook, and follow our daily feed on Twitter! Thanks to FortifiedNet.net for the server space! Thanks to Archive.org for the audio space. Show them some appreciation with a donation today!

Laith Marouf, international affairs analyst and media law consultant, joins us to discuss the White House's new U.S. Government Strategy on Countering Corruption, which has been billed as the first of its kind and a commitment to supporting good governance around the world. We talk about how these claims fall flat in the face of the reality of institutionalized corruption with the U.S. government itself, with the public service to private industry pipeline, which sees politicians enter lobbying firms once they quit Congress, the outsized influence of wealthy donors in elections after the Citizens United decision, gerrymandering, voter suppression, the way the U.S. supports and influences other governments that engage in corrupt practices, and how soft power institutions like the NED and USAID end up cementing U.S. corporate interests abroad with no regard to democratic practices. We also talk about the meeting between Biden and Putin, the growing tensions in Ukraine and threats of further sanctions on Russia.Ted Rall, award-winning political cartoonist, columnist, and author, his latest book is "The Stringer", and co-host of the DMZ America podcast, joins hosts Michelle Witte and Bob Schlehuber to talk about the “democratization” of drone use in conflict zones around the world, that has seen fighters and militants take advantage of the technology which is increasingly easier to acquire. We also talk about a United Kingdom senior desk officer at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office who is now being called a whistleblower after speaking out on the UK Foreign Office's handling of the Afghan evacuation, and reports of US officials using vaccine donations for political favors abroad after accusing other countries of engaging in similar practices.Justin Williams, co-host of Redspin Sports, talks to us about the Biden administration formally announcing that the US will enact a diplomatic boycott of the games as a protest against the alleged human rights violations of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang by the Chinese government, whether we will see a full boycott of the games, and what this means for increasing tensions between China and the U.S.

This past Saturday, Richard Ratcliffe ended his hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office after 21 days. His wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held hostage in Iran since 3 April 2016 and the British government has not done enough to free Nazanin and bring her back home to London. Richard had 4 demands for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This week, we speak to Richard Ratcliffe himself to find out how he's recovering, his thoughts on the recent debates in the Houses of Parliament regarding freeing his wife as well as what's next for the Free Nazanin campaign. We also hear from Washington Post reporter and former hostage in Iran, Jason Rezaian on his experience working with Richard Ratcliffe. Follow Pod Hostage Diplomacy on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with our work.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PodHostageDiplo)

Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British hostage in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is on week 3 of his hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office which is right next to the Prime Minister's office. Richard's amazing campaigning has inspired millions of good caring people from all walks of life to come together to free Nazanin. On this week's episode, we show you the power of love, the power of hope, the power of solidarity and the power of lifting others while you climb. You'll hear from volunteers of the Free Nazanin campaign, human rights activist and Hollywood actress, Nazanin Boniadi, human rights lawyer, Gissou Nia as well as the families and campaigners for other innocent people held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. These include Daniela Tejada (wife of Matthew Hedges), Dara Conduit (colleague of Kylie Moore-Gilbert), Marielle Debos (colleague of Fariba Adelkhah), Mariam Claren (daughter of Nahid Taghavi) and former American hostage in Syria, Sam Goodwin.   Follow Pod Hostage Diplomacy on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with our work.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PodHostageDiplo)

Family is everything and not many people know this better than Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British hostage in Iran – Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Today marks 11 days since Richard Ratcliffe has been on hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office which is right next to the Prime Minister's Office. He has 4 demands for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ultimate objective is to get the British government to free his wife so she can come back home to London after being held hostage in Iran for the last 5 years.Richard's ability to keep on campaigning tirelessly to free his wife would not be possible without the love and support of his family. On this episode, we speak to Richard Ratcliffe himself, his sister who is a doctor, Rebecca Jones, his brother, Chris Ratcliffe and his mother, Barbara Ratcliffe.We discuss how Richard has been feeling throughout the week, his disappointing meeting with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, how his health is being monitored and looked after by his sister, the good caring people that have showed up to help, what the public can do as well as what the last 5 years have been like for the Ratcliffe family. Follow Pod Hostage Diplomacy on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with our work.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PodHostageDiplo)

Today my guest is Samuel Nicholls who is a Diplomat working at the UK Foreign Office. He also co-founded and run a social enterprise called TipStart. His mission is to harness the motivation and social responsibility of graduates to disrupt privilege in employment. TipStart is a for-profit social enterprise that uses a digital platform to connect graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds with firms struggling to recruit diverse talent. Through these connections, the graduates improve their awareness of the sector they want to work in, increase the size of their professional network and increase their personal confidence. The firms involved are able to build a new diverse recruitment pipeline as well as offering a compelling learning and development opportunity to their staff. Check TipStart webpage : https://www.tipstart.org/ Books discussed in the episode: 1. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead : https://amzn.to/3i4WtAg 2. Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism by Bhu Srinivasan : https://amzn.to/3vDyufc Enjoy the episode !

Jim Kavanagh, a writer at The Polemicist and CounterPunch and author of "The American Farce Unravels: Shreds of January 6th," joins us to discuss the COVID relief plan that passed Congress. The plan addresses the needs of the middle class, but fails to address the systemic problems that created long-term economic instability. The only initiative in the plan that would have addressed income inequality was the minimum wage increase, and that was unceremoniously dismissed early in the process.Marvin Weinbaum, Director for the Middle East Institute's Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, joins us to discuss Afghanistan. A leaked memo shows the US plan to end the Afghanistan war. The document shows that the US wants significant input in the design and operation of the Afghanistan government's structure and foreign policy. A number of proposals have already been ruled out by the Taliban, and are likely to be rejected out of hand. Also, the document appears to spell out exactly what the role of Islamic law will be in the new government.Netfa Freeman, Host of Voices With Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM, pan-Africanist and internationalist organizer, and Dr. Jemima Pierre, associate professor of Black Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and editor of the "Black Agenda Review," join us to discuss Bobi Wine. The Ugandan pop star-turned-politician has demonstrated support for US-backed Venezuelan regime-change puppet Juan Guaido. A Black Agenda Report article by Netfa Freeman and Jemima Pierre argues that he is auditioning for a position as an imperial puppet. They maintain that this shocking move is a reminder that we must support movements and not individual politicians in the quest for freedom from oppressive imperial rule.Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief at TheDuran.com and host of "The Duran" on YouTube, joins us to discuss China and Russia's growing unity. Zhang Hanhui, China's ambassador to Russia, recently stated that the two nations have a specific responsibility to maintain world peace and stability. He went on to add that the military cooperation between the two countries is an “important pillar” of their relationship, and an “important safeguard” in maintaining the strategic balance of the world. He specifically named relations with the US as the most pressing issue that requires joint cooperation.Teri Mattson, the Latin America coordinator for Code Pink, joins us to discuss Western oppression of the global south. A recent investigative report contends that the UK government clandestinely supported the recent coup in Bolivia in order to gain access to the nation's massive lithium reserves. The UK Foreign Office was outright in supporting the coup government after the operation, but never took credit for their contribution to the illegal overthrow of the democratically-elected President Evo Morales.Dan Cohen, filmmaker and writer for the Gray Zone Project, joins us to discuss the US media's support for war and regime change. President Joe Biden recently joined the club of US presidential warmongers when he illegally bombed Syria. Alan Macleod writes that President Biden's "aggressive actions will also be met with approval by corporate media, who have continually found creative ways to pitch such actions to the traditionally anti-interventionist left, primarily through the use of progressive language to justify Washington's global agenda." Also, an article at fair.org argues that the US media purged inconvenient facts about the recent Syria bombing.Professor Richard Lachman, Professor at the University at Albany, SUNY and author of "Capitalists in Spite of Themselves," joins us to discuss the US healthcare system. Recent articles about US citizens who were forced to raise money for their medical bills have been presented as "feel good" stories in the mainstream media. However, proponents of a national healthcare system argue that they are indicators of a broken system that does not address the needs of citizens. Shane Stranahan, co-host of Radio Sputnik's Fault Lines, joins us to discuss the proposed digital health pass. The US government is in talks with vaccine maker Moderna regarding a method to track vaccine administration in real-time through its various blockchain, artificial intelligence, and hybrid cloud services. While it is proposed to open as a voluntary program, many fear it may eventually become mandatory and threaten constitutional safeguards.

Guests: Kit Klarenberg & Mohamed Elmaazi. New documents that appear to be from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have been leaked by a group that identifies as “Anonymous” and is allegedly the same group that has published leaked documents over the past two years about UK Foreign Office covert programs. This batch of documents shows that Whitehall uses private contractors to infiltrate a variety of media (including smaller, “independent” media and social media influencers and civil society. In this case the stated noble objectives are things like improving literacy, ensuring balance in reporting and countering disinformation. The real objectives revealed in the documents are something else entirely. There is also a bonus episode for patrons about how this seems like an evolved, 21st century Operation Mockingbird.  Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist who explores the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions and he currently writes for RT. Mohamed Elmaazi is a journalist with experience in human rights law who is currently writing for Sputnik International.  FOLLOW Mohamed on Twitter at @MElmaazi. Find his writing at Sputnik News, The Canary and visit his blog The Interregnum. Follow Kit’s work at RT.  Around the Empire is listener supported, independent media. Pitch in at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod. Find all links at aroundtheempire.com.  SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, Facebook or on your preferred podcast app. Recorded on March 3, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey. Reference Links: Leaked papers allege massive UK govt effort to co-opt Russian-language anti-Kremlin media & influencers to ‘weaken Russian state’, Kit Klarenberg, RT From Telegram to elections: Leaked documents expose sinister workings of UK government’s anti-Russian ‘troll factory’, RT, Kit Klarenberg UK Foreign Office Docs Reveal 'Full-Spectrum' Psyops to 'Destabilise Russia', Journalist Says, Mohamed Elmaazi, Sputnik ATE Ep 83 Temple of Covert Propaganda (Part 1) feat Mohamed Elmaazi ATE Ep 84 Temple of Covert Propaganda (Part 2) feat Mohamed Elmaazi On Contact: British government psyops with Mohamed Elmaazi Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office-funded programs to “weaken Russia,” leaked docs reveal, Max Blumenthal, The Grayzone PNAC: Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century  

Max Blumenthal begins by discussing the immense power imbalance between Israel and Palestine, which has led to enormously one-sided violence by the Israelis. The Palestinians, to be sure, have fought back, but Blumenthal says there’s a crucial difference between people defending their own territory, even when it sometimes results in civilian casualties, and an aggressor who moves in on other people’s land and deliberately targets families. Of course, with international support overwhelmingly behind the state of Israel, it’s very hard to get the real story out. If there’s one silver lining, explains Blumenthal, it’s that Netanyahu’s stranglehold on power makes it increasingly hard for so-called liberal zionists in the U.S. to back what Israel is doing. Blumenthal also discusses an investigation by his organization, the Grayzone, into the extensive effort by the British Foreign Office to coordinate pro-western media narratives in Russian-speaking countries and push pro-NATO candidates in Eastern European elections. Hundreds of documents obtained by the Grayzone reveal the extent of the corrupt relationship between the British government and supposedly unbiased media organizations like Reuters and the BBC. Blumenthal and Scott agree that this real scandal is much worse than even the most scurrilous “Russiagate” allegations, nearly all of which have turned out to be false. Of course, if the tables were turned, we would hear no end of outcry about this in the mainstream media—as it is, Twitter has done everything they can to silence the story. Discussed on the show: “Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office-funded programs to “weaken Russia,” leaked docs reveal” (The Grayzone) Director and writer of “Killing Gaza,” Max Blumenthal is a senior editor of the Grayzone Project and the author Goliath, Republican Gomorrah, and The 51 Day War. Follow Max on Twitter @MaxBlumenthal. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

All we have here is a branding problem. Video: 351: Live Video - UnfilterTube (https://unfilter.tube/videos/watch/5e3cb94e-9d21-49ad-9b30-ff79b67304b4) 351: Overtime - UnfilterTube (https://unfilter.tube/videos/watch/bdd33bca-5b64-4449-9ac3-73f55f960cf9) Links: 2020 United States federal government data breach - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_federal_government_data_breach) 'Disinformation And Extremism in the Media' — House Committee Hearing | CBN News - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5Rtq3C1KQo) The Great Climate Bill of 2021 Is Being Shaped Now - The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/02/the-great-climate-bill-of-2021-is-being-shaped-now/618121/) American Airlines Confirms Encounter With Unidentified Cylindrical Object Over New Mexico (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39416/american-airlines-confirms-pilot-report-of-bizarre-cylinder-shaped-object-over-new-mexico) Developers of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Tied to UK Eugenics Movement - unlimitedhangout.com (https://unlimitedhangout.com/2020/12/investigative-series/developers-of-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-tied-to-uk-eugenics-movement/) Ex-aide details sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo (https://nypost.com/2021/02/24/ex-aide-details-sexual-harassment-allegations-against-cuomo/) Lindsey Boylan, Ex-Aide, Says Cuomo Sexually Harassed Her - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/nyregion/cuomo-lindsey-boylan-harassment.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur) 2-22-21 Trump Voters USA TODAY Marginals (https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/academics/research-at-suffolk/suprc/polls/issues-polls/2021/2_22_2021_marginals_pdftxt.pdf?la=en&hash=90BD0E21168399E259262CD994978737F5D7F929) https://twitter.com/ryangirdusky/status/1363896844905041920 (https://twitter.com/ryangirdusky/status/1363896844905041920) Biden’s slow start - POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2021/02/23/bidens-slow-start-491861) Biden told Letterman he got arrested at 21 for breaching chamber at US Capitol, sitting in lawmaker's seat (https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/02/22/biden-told-letterman-he-got-arrested-at-21-for-breaching-chamber-at-us-capitol-sitting-in-vp-chair-1033322/) German scientist says 99.9% chance coronavirus leaked from Wuhan lab | Taiwan News | 2021/02/23 (https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4134301) The Blob circles the wagons around failing Afghanistan strategy – Responsible Statecraft (https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/02/23/the-blob-circles-the-wagons-around-failing-afghanistan-strategy/) Letters from House members to cable providers [pdf] | Hacker News (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26237823) The Sound and the Fury of Andrew Cuomo | The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/the-sound-and-the-fury-of-andrew-cuomo) Democrats question TV carriers' decisions to host Fox, OAN and Newsmax, citing 'misinformation' - POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/22/democrats-conservative-media-misinformation-470863) China Hijacked an NSA Hacking Tool in 2014—and Used It for Years | WIRED (https://www.wired.com/story/china-nsa-hacking-tool-epme-hijack/) Weed now legal in New Jersey - Breaking911 (https://breaking911.com/breaking-weed-now-legal-in-new-jersey/) Psaki dodges question on whether Biden still considers Cuomo 'the gold standard' for COVID-19 leadership - Breaking911 (https://breaking911.com/psaki-dodges-question-on-whether-biden-still-considers-cuomo-the-gold-standard-for-covid-19-leadership/) Yellen sounds warning about 'extremely inefficient' bitcoin (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/22/yellen-sounds-warning-about-extremely-inefficient-bitcoin.html) Yellen Signals Interest in Backing Digital-Dollar Research (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/yellen-signals-interest-backing-digital-164843289.html) Trump loses Supreme Court appeal to shield tax records from NY prosecutor (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/22/supreme-court-rejects-trump-effort-to-shield-tax-records-from-ny-prosecutors.html?__source=androidappshare) People Who Wear Spectacles Are About Three Times Less Likely to Catch Covid-19, Finds Study (https://www.ibtimes.sg/people-who-wear-spectacles-are-about-three-times-less-likely-catch-covid-19-finds-study-55744) Whistleblowers: Software Bug Keeping Some Inmates In Prisons Beyond Release Dates | KJZZ (https://kjzz.org/content/1660988/whistleblowers-software-bug-keeping-hundreds-inmates-arizona-prisons-beyond-release) 75% Of US Troops Refused Taking COVID-19 Vaccine Says Pentagon Report | GreatGameIndia (https://greatgameindia.com/us-troops-refuse-covid-19-vaccine/) Germany urges 'caution' as COVID infections climb again (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-germany-urges-caution-covid-infections.html) Lockdown roadmap: Boris Johnson reveals shops, pubs & hairdressers will open & holiday plan will be unveiled on APRIL 12 (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14125374/lockdown-roadmap-boris-johnson-revealed-live-2/) Americans may still need masks to fight COVID in 2022, Fauci... (https://news.trust.org/item/20210221143523-j7r4j) White supremacy a global threat, says UN chief | The Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/white-supremacy-threat-neo-nazi-un-b1805547.html) Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office-funded programs to "weaken Russia," leaked docs reveal | The Grayzone (https://thegrayzone.com/2021/02/20/reuters-bbc-uk-foreign-office-russian-media/) Sunday shows - COVID-19 dominates as grim milestone approaches | TheHill (https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/539774-sunday-shows-covid-19-dominates-as-grim-milestone-approaches) Senate Leadership Coalition Announces Intention To Release Comprehensive Legislation To End Marijuana Prohibition - NORML (https://norml.org/blog/2021/02/01/senate-leadership-coalition-announces-intention-to-release-comprehensive-legislation-to-end-marijuana-prohibition/) ‘Stakes are high’ as QAnon conspiracy phenomenon emerges in France (https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210220-stakes-are-high-as-qanon-conspiracy-phenomenon-emerges-in-france) Russia reports first human cases of H5N8 bird flu - BNO News (https://bnonews.com/index.php/2021/02/russia-first-human-cases-of-h5n8-bird-flu/) We’ll Have Herd Immunity by April - WSJ (https://www.wsj.com/articles/well-have-herd-immunity-by-april-11613669731)

This week the guest on our podcast is Timur Georgievich Kobaliya, a Russian human rights activist and graduate of the American International Visitor Leadership Programme and the UK Foreign Office's first visitor's programme for human rights defenders in Russia. Timur is the founder of the NGO TV Russia and former head of the Human Rights Council of Volgograd. Timur also heads the international organisation Georgian-Russian Forum and has three applications against the Russian Federation at the European Court of Human Rights.The questions we discuss in the podcast include: When and why Timur Georgievich became a human rights defender; when NGO TV was set up and why; successes and difficulties; the impact of the law on foreign agents; Volgograd as a region in terms of human rights; cooperation with the authorities; future change for better or worse; Navalny's return; what's next for human rights organisations in Russia; what lies ahead for Russian civil society in the coming years.The podcast is in the Russian language. You can listen to the podcast here on Podcasts.com and also on Rights in Russia (https://www.rightsinrussia.org/podcast-6), SoundCloud, Spotify and iTunes. The music, from Stravinsky's Elegy for Solo Viola, is performed for us by Karolina Herrera.Sergei Nikitin writes on Facebook: Timur Kobaliya was one of the founders of the Youth Advice and Training Centre in 2010 which is when he began working on human rights issues. In 2013 the centre was labelled a “foreign agent”. As Timur told us, the formal impetus for this was the NGO's participation in the Georgian-Russian forum, which the human rights defender heads. The actions of the Russian authorities, including the fines levied against the Centre, prompted Timur and his colleagues to appeal to the ECtHR. The closure of the Centre prompted Timur to set up two organisations: the Volgograd Human Rights Council and the Internet Channel for NGOs (NGO TV). Timur runs the television channel with a staff of six and, understandably, the authorities could not but give it their attention. The channel's presenter, journalist Aleksandr Batmanov, was sentenced in October 2017 to two years and one month in a maximum-security penal colony after being found guilty of stealing Kolbasa [like a German sausage] from a supermarket. The European Federation of Journalists added Aleksandr Batmanov to its list of journalists prosecuted for their professional activities. Although the mission of NGO TV Russia is to promote the activities of non-profit organisations and civic associations, activists and youth, the local authorities are stubborn in their unwillingness to cooperate with such groups, refusing to see them as allies. The picture is familiar, and not only for Volgograd. Simon Cosgrove and I had an interesting conversation with Timur, and we invite you to listen to this recording.Simon Cosgrove adds: If you want to listen to this podcast on the podcasts.com website and it doesn't seem to play, please download by clicking on the three dots to the right. A summary of some of the week's events in Russia relevant to human rights can be found on our website here.

As the UK leaves the EU's single market and customs union, we speak with members of the European Parliament and other key political figures to find out what a future outside of the EU will mean for Britain. The BBC’s Marie Keyworth tells us about the history of the relationship, which became official with Common Market membership in 1971. And looking ahead, we ask if Britain will still be able to freely trade with its European neighbours without any bad blood resulting from Brexit. Cecilia Malmstrom, former EU Trade Commissioner, tells us how she sees the relationship developing. Plus, we speak with key politicians from the remaining EU states, Domenec Ruiz Devesa, Spanish Member of the European Parliament, and Geert Bourgeois, MEP for Belgium, about their thoughts on what life without the UK be like. Finally, what will this mean for Britain on the world stage? We hear from Sir Simon Fraser, former head of the UK Foreign Office. And Lord Digby Jones, former UK trade minister and head of the Confederation of British Industry, outlines the sentiment from businesses. Plus, the view from India and Australia: will the UK strengthen its relationship with Commonwealth countries? We're joined by Renu Agal from the Print news site in Delhi and journalist Karen Percy in Melbourne. (Image: A flag of the UK is torn apart from the EU flag. Credit: Getty Images Stock)

In this episode, host Sarah Ladislaw talks with Archie Young about the future of climate negotiations in light of this year's delayed COP meetings and the five-year anniversary of the Paris agreement. Archie and Sarah look at the COP leadership role that the UK takes on this year amid the Covid-19 challenges, the steps left to meet the Paris targets and improve the global action, and how diplomatic efforts are working to empower and engage all stakeholders.  Archie Young has been the UK's Lead Climate Negotiator since 2016, overseeing climate negotiations in the UNFCCC, EU, G7, and G20. He is also the UK's director of Negotiations & Ambition for COP26. He has a background in both international and domestic policy. Previous roles include co-director of International Climate & Energy; deputy director of Americas and head of South America Department in the UK Foreign Office; head of delivery in the Department of Energy & Climate Change; and deputy director for Business, Environment and the Olympics in the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Recommendations for Further Reading: Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report Paris Agreement

SAMLA, the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2018, represents the United Kingdom's establishment of an independent sanctions policy in preparation for Brexit at the end of 2020. The legislation's sanctions provisions are now in force and the UK Foreign Office has already designated several sanctioned parties. While these initially sanctioned parties have been carefully limited to those who have participated in unambiguous and high-level violations of human rights, the new regime shows the potential to become more expansive both in terms of the scope of targeted persons and the possible secondary effects for businesses around the world. PSA's Michael Olver spoke with Adam Wolstenholme of Simmons and Simmons about the impact of these sanctions on the global compliance environment. Adam provides insights into how SAMLA may fit into Whitehall's newly independent approach to regulating UK-connected transactions and highlights some potentially unanticipated risks for businesses arising from the new regime. _ To learn more about Pacific Strategies & Assessment's investigative and due diligence capabilities go to www.psagroup.com

Gill Bennett was chief historian at the UK Foreign Office for 40 years. She tells Georgina Godwin about her new book, ‘The Zinoviev Letter’, which investigates the murky world of espionage and global conspiracy in the 1920s.

The last five years has seen the first steps to integrate climate issues in to the global financial system by policy makers, regulators, banks and investors. As President of global climate negotiations in 2020 the UK government was planning to push for deeper and faster financial reforms this year. With the Glasgow Summit now postponed to 2021, and the global economy experiencing its largest ever disruption, will climate reforms be delayed or is it even more important to ensure the transition to a more sustainable financial system? Speaker: Nick Mabey is Chief Executive and a founder director of E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism) a non-profit European organisation dedicated to accelerating the transition to sustainable development. In addition to his management role, Nick works on European climate and energy policy, climate diplomacy and foreign policy, and the security implications of climate change and resource scarcity. Nick was previously a senior advisor in the UK Prime Minister's Strategy Unit leading work on energy, climate change, countries at risk of instability, organised crime and fisheries. Nick also worked in the UK Foreign Office's Environment Policy Department where he helped establish the UK's world leading environmental diplomacy network. Before he joined the UK government, Nick was Head of Economics and Development at WWF-UK. He came to WWF from academic research at London Business School on the economics of climate change; published as the book “Argument in the Greenhouse”. This followed a period in the UK electricity industry working for PowerGen and GEC-Alsthom. Nick trained as a mechanical engineer at Bristol University and holds a Masters degree in Technology and Policy from MIT. Nick has held a range of external appointments and is currently serving on the London Sustainable Development Commission and as a trustee of the Ashden Awards. Nick has previously served on the advisory board of Infrastructure UK, the independent UK Green Investment Bank Commission and as the vice-chair of the European Alliance to Save Energy. Interested in watching our webinars live, or taking part in the production of our research? Join our community at: https://bit.ly/3sXPpb5

Afua Hirsch, author and social commentator, Simon Fraser, former head of the UK Foreign Office and Mark Landler, the London Bureau Chief for the New York Times join Christiane Amanpour on set to discuss the Conservative Party landslide victory in the historic UK election. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former Danish Prime Minister discusses Boris Johnson's Brexit plan. Craig Whitlock, a lead investigative reporter for the Washington Post, discusses his work uncovering the Afghanistan papers.

As a 24-year-old Kieran Williams was in Moscow staying with Soviet friends when the 1991 Moscow Coup occurred.He is a Professor at Drake University in the United States and previously he taught for nine years at University College London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies, where he was an associate professor in politics as well as a frequent consultant to the UK Foreign Office. He is a specialist in the politics of Central and Eastern Europe, he has authored or co-authored four books, including a prize-winning account of the 1968 events in Czechoslovakia and a biography of the writer-statesman Václav Havel.Now as I’m sure you know some of our fans who are helping the podcast financially, so if you’d like to join this select band? Then sign up to Patreon. For the price of a couple of coffees a month you help to cover the show’s increasing costs and keep us on the air, plus you get the sought after CWC coaster too.Just go to Patreon.com/coldwarpodBack to today’s episode, Kieran gives a rich eyewitness account of those edgy days with vivid descriptions of what he saw and felt during those tumultuous days. I’m delighted to welcome Kieran Williams to Cold War ConversationsDo visit our show notes at https://coldwarconversations.com/episode81 These include Kieran's photos of the Coup and some amazing audio he recorded in the streets of Moscow at the time - well worth a look!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/coldwarpod)

In this week's update, we look at a new DHS National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin reminding American citizens of the continuing threat of terrorism, as well as a UK Foreign Office warning regarding a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation in Egypt. An expanded written version of this update can be found within our weekly Threat Journal newsletter. You can subscribe for FREE by simply visiting http://www.ThreatJournal.com . A link to this issue will immediately be sent to you via email.AlertsUSA Homepagehttp://www.AlertsUSA.com – (Emergency Alerts for Mobile Devices) Now in our 17th year!Threat Journal Homepagehttp://www.ThreatJournal.comThreat Journal on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/threatjournalThreat Journal on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/alertsusaThreat Journal on SoundCloudhttps://soundcloud.com/alertsusaThreat Journal via RSShttp://www.threatjournal.com/feed/podcast/AlertsUSA Homeland Security Daily Brief on Amazon Alexa *** NEW ***https://www.amazon.com/AlertsUSA-Homeland-Security-Daily-Brief/dp/B07RW8YTLV

Meet the UK and NATO’s new and upgraded “disinformation factory”, an expansive clandestine network of mainstream, journalists, NGOs, and ‘activists’ – all working in concert to attack and drown out alternative opinions and narratives which go against the US, UK and NATO’s strategic agenda. This week 21WIRE’s editor Patrick Henningsen spoke with host George Galloway, on #MOATS The Mother of All Talkshows, broadcasting worldwide on Sputnik Radio, about the latest iteration of the UK Foreign Office propaganda project, the infamous Integrity Initiative, which has been re-organised and given a PR facelift, now called the Open Information Partnership (OIP), and with a further £10 million in-hand, they’re poised to spread even more disinformation. The Mother of All Talk Shows: SUNDAYS | 7-10 PM UK Time | CALL GEORGE +44 207 798 2255 | Skype GGMOATS This segment was clipped from the July 7, 2019 live broadcast: https://youtu.be/fTVAhqv7CRc

The British government is in damage control over the leak of scathing emails from its ambassador in Washington.The documents show Sir Kim Darroch calling the Trump administration "inept" and "uniquely dysfunctional".The UK Foreign Office says the leak is mischievous and it's investigating, but it hasn't denied the accuracy of the information.UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Tim Dower it's a damaging blow to US-UK relations."The White House is yet to respond. This could really damage the so=-called 'special relationship' between the US and the UK."The hunt is now on for who leaked the information, and Grey says they could face very serious consequences."As you can imagine now, big question marks. A formal investigation has been launched, with one MP saying that whoever leaked this should face criminal proceedings."  

As the podcast nears its conclusion, fresh information kept hidden in UK Foreign Office files for 40 years delivers yet another twist to this case. Martin Bottomley of the Greater Manchester Police Cold Case Unit gives an unexpected reply to a question Dan hesitates to ask - and it becomes clear this story is far from over. And Boston's public defender, Lexi Nagin, reveals she's an avid listener to the podcast - but hasn't changed her mind about her client.

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Garland Nixon and Lee Stranahan discuss the media ecosystem that allows establishment narratives to be methodically disseminated to the public. What causes certain stories to gain traction in the mainstream media and to then subsequently remain in the news cycle for extended periods of time? Guests:David Miller - Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bristol | The Integrity Initiative and Connections to British IntelligenceMark Frost - Economist and Professor | Are Market Fluctuations Reflecting Political Uncertainty?Ryan Cristián - Founder and Editor of The Last American Vagabond | Violent Protests Rage in France; Peace Talks for Yemen...Leaked documents have revealed that the organization known as the Integrity Initiative has received funding from the UK Foreign Office and is largely run by military intelligence professionals. David Miller, Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bristol, returns to Fault Lines to discuss this story and the issue of the UK government using taxpayer money to effectively spread government talking points and propaganda. Last week, financial markets experienced multiple days of major price movements as questions remain about stability and expectations involving the incoming Congress. Economist and professor Mark Frost joins the program to discuss last week's market fluctuations and how political uncertainty in Washington DC is contributing to the current volatility.For the final segment, the hosts are joined by Ryan Cristián, founder and editor of The Last American Vagabond, for a conversation about both the protests in France and the ongoing war in Yemen. How has a disregard for populist impulses from the French government contributed to the current situation in France and are there any expectations that peace talks about Yemen can improve the outlook on the ground in the war torn country?

Turkey’s President Erdogan says the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a savage crime meticulously planned in Riyadh. He wants all those responsible to stand trial in Turkey. As the pressure on the house of Saud mounts, will the kingdom’s partners in the West take punitive action? Stephen Sackur speaks to Alan Duncan, Minister of State in the UK Foreign Office. Has the time come for Britain to stop lucrative arms exports to Saudi Arabia? (Photo: Alan Duncan MP in the Hardtalk studio)

Turkey’s President Erdogan says the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a savage crime meticulously planned in Riyadh. He wants all those responsible to stand trial in Turkey. As the pressure on the house of Saud mounts, will the kingdom’s partners in the West take punitive action? Stephen Sackur speaks to Alan Duncan, Minister of State in the UK Foreign Office. Has the time come for Britain to stop lucrative arms exports to Saudi Arabia? (Photo: Alan Duncan MP in the Hardtalk studio)

Chelsea won the FA Cup but the future of the club looks uncertain, with question marks over the future of Antonio Conte, Eden Hazard and even Roman Abramovich, whose investor visa has not yet been renewed by the UK Foreign Office. Jonathan Wilson joins us to talk about what is likely to happen there over the summer, and whether Chelsea as we know them could weather the departure of their owner. We discuss the claims of Manchester United directors that the club's profitability is not affected by relative lack of success. Does success off the field really lead to success on the field, or is something getting lost in translation? Plus there's the Portuguese Cup Final heroics, Iniesta's beautiful battles, Ken's scrapes, Team Willian, and did Jose Mourinho choose the wrong sport?

John Plender (Financial Times) Abstract: Japan is currently dependent on artificially low nominal and real interest rates together with continuing budget deficits averaging around six per cent of gdp. These deficits are necessary to offset the potential deflationary impact of the corporate sector saving far in excess what it invests. A consequence is that public sector debt is far higher than in the other major advanced economies at 226 per cent of gdp (gross) and 129 per cent (net). Such high levels of debt are not currently a problem because the global economy is experiencing a synchronised upturn and Japan remains an international creditor. But when the cycle turns down this unstable equilibrium could come unstuck - especially if protectionist forces gain strength, thereby hitting export dependent Japan's economic growth. This event is co-organised by the SOAS Japan Research Centre, Japan Economy Network and the SOAS Department of Economics. Speaker biography: John Plender has been a senior editorial writer and columnist at the Financial Times since 1981. After taking his degree at Oxford University, John Plender joined Deloitte, Plender, Griffiths & Co in the City of London in 1967, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1970. He then moved into journalism and became financial editor of The Economist in 1974, where he remained until joining the UK Foreign Office policy planning staff in 1980. On leaving the Foreign Office, he became a senior editorial writer and columnist at the Financial Times, an assignment he combined until the late 1990s with current affairs broadcasting for the BBC and Channel Four. A past chairman of Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (Pirc), the UK shareholder activist and corporate governance consultancy, John Plender served on the UK government’s Company Law Review steering group which provided the groundwork for the Companies Act 2006. He joined the board of Quintain PLC as a non-executive director in 2002 and chaired the company from 2007 to 2009. He is currently chairman of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, as well as being a trustee of the £4bn Pearson Group Pension Fund. Among a number of other roles John Plender is a member of the OECD/World Bank Private Sector Advisory Group on Corporate Governance and a member of the advisory council of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He was the winner of the Wincott Foundation senior prize for excellence in financial journalism in 1994. His books include Going Off The Rails - Global Capital And The Crisis Of Legitimacy (John Wiley, 2003), which anticipated the 2007-8 financial crisis, and Capitalism – Money, Morals and Markets (Biteback, 2015). John Plender has spoken and lectured at numerous venues around the world including Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Yale and Bocconi universities, the London Business School, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the World Bank, the OECD, the International Corporate Governance Network, the Pimco Secular Forum and CLSA Annual Investors Forum. Organiser: SOAS Japan Research Centre, Japan Economy Network & SOAS Department of Economics Speaker(s): John Plender (Financial Times), Ulrich Volz (SOAS) Event Date: 15 November 2017 Released by: SOAS Economics Podcast

In today's podcast, we hear that the ShadowBrokers are fed up with all of you peoples. The Callisto Group spearphised the UK's Foreign Office last year. The US DCI calls out WikiLeaks as a hostile intelligence service. Lawful intercept shops alleged to be willing to deal with pariah regimes. University of Maryland’s Jonathan Katz discusses Google’s unfulfilled promise of end-to-end encryption in gmail. Ajit Sancheti from Preempt Security explains the tension between security and human nature.  NATO insiders would like to see the Atlantic Alliance weaponized memes.

Carne Ross is the founder and Executive Director of Independent Diplomat. Carne served as a British diplomat from 1989-2004 in a number of different roles, including speechwriter to the Foreign Secretary.  From 1998, he was the UK’s Middle East expert at the United Nations in New York.  In 2004, he resigned from the UK Foreign Office after giving then-secret evidence to the first official inquiry into the Iraq war.     Carne is also an author of two books, most recently “The Leaderless Revolution: how ordinary people will take power and change politics in the 21st Century” and “Independent Diplomat”, a critique of contemporary diplomacy.  Carne is a frequent commentator on international affairs on the BBC and Al Jazeera, and in publications including the Financial Times and The Guardian. 

For the 74th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with someone a little further away from home than usual, specifically in Galicia.Pilar Fernandez. Pilar writes a blog called A ponte entre Galiza e Escocia // The bridge between Galiza and Scotland. She has also been working hard on a new campaign called Solidarity With Scotland, which describes itself thusly..."A few months ago, a friend in the USA asked what she could do to help the cause of Scottish independence. "Nothing much," was my reply, before going on to explain that this is a debate that has to be held within Scotland. However that is not the view of the UK Government, despite Cameron's protestations that he cannae debate Alex Salmond because he doesn't have a vote in September. But it turns out that there is something she can do after all.In January, the Sunday Herald published the news that the UK Foreign Office is heading a campaign to enlist support for Better Together in foreign countries. Wee Wullie Hague wants to hear from you if you have bad things to say about Scottish independence. According to the Herald, the Foreign Office has contacted the governments of China, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the 28 members of the EU in a desperate search for viagra to bolster the flaccid Project Fear."One of the things on the site is this letter, translated into many languages, which she is encouraging people to send to embassies around the world. Find out why and much more in the new episode.Hope you enjoy…P.S.She also translated her song for us...Entre nós (Between us) by Uxia (oo-shee-ah)A wee translation:Aqui vin, aqui cheguei, aqui me mandaron vir,I came here, I arrived here , someone told me to come hereAqui está o meu corazón se o queren recibirHere it is my heart if they want to receive it