Category Archives: Newspapers

Front Page: The New York Times – November 29, 2022

Chinese Unrest Over Lockdown Upends Global Economic Outlook

Growing protests in the world’s biggest manufacturing nation add a new element of uncertainty atop the Ukraine war, an energy crisis and inflation.

A Protest? A Vigil? In Beijing, Anxious Crowds Are Unsure How Far to Go.

In a country where protests are swiftly quashed, many who gathered to voice their discontent — under the watchful eye of the police — were uncertain about how far to go.

Jewish Allies Call Trump’s Dinner With Antisemites a Breaking Point

Supporters who looked past the former president’s admirers in bigoted corners of the far right, and his own use of antisemitic tropes, now are drawing a line. “He legitimizes Jew hatred and Jew haters,” says one. “And this scares me.”

As Haiti Unravels, U.S. Officials Push to Send in an Armed Foreign Force

Fearing a mass exodus, some Biden officials are pressing for a multinational force, but they don’t want to send U.S. troops and haven’t been able to persuade other countries to take the lead.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 28, 2022

After Deadly Blaze, Surge of Defiance Against China’s Covid Policies

Protests became rare once the government cut off most routes to collective action. But ubiquitous Covid rules, bringing shared suffering, have created a focus for anger.

In Ukraine, Bakhmut Becomes a Bloody Vortex for 2 Militaries

Even as they have celebrated successes elsewhere, Ukrainian forces in one small eastern city have endured relentless Russian attacks. And the struggle to hold it is only intensifying.

He Never Denied Selling Drugs. But Britain Says He’s a Slave Master, Too.

A law written to prevent human trafficking is being wielded against low-level drug dealers. The effects are long-lasting.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 27, 2022

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U.S. and NATO Scramble to Arm Ukraine and Refill Their Own Arsenals

The West thought an artillery and tank war in Europe would never happen again and shrunk weapons stockpiles. It was wrong.

They Were Surrogates. Now They Must Raise the Children.

In Cambodia’s weak legal system, surrogacy exists in a gray market, endangering all involved when political conditions suddenly shift and criminal charges follow.

They Were Unjustly Imprisoned. Now, They’re Profit Centers.

Many former prisoners are broke until state settlements arrive. Tiding them over has become a niche market for finance firms. An investment can reap 33 percent interest.

Reviews: Best Business Books 2022 – The Times

The Sunday Times book of the year

Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals by Oliver Bullough

Britain, according to this damning book, is a land of dirty money. It has become the country of choice for dictators wanting to hide their cash, and oligarchs wishing to launder their reputations. Yet instead of waging war on this illicit finance, we’re helping it to propagate. Our national debasement is a sordid story, but Oliver Bullough canters through it with wit and such a colourful set of case studies that it is at least a little easier to stomach. His account begins with the Suez crisis in 1956, which Bullough pinpoints as the moment when Britain’s imperial power crumbled and the nation searched for a new role in the world. The job we chose? Playing Jeeves to kleptocrats. Since the Brexit vote there has been a lengthy debate about what kind of country Britain should strive to be; Bullough argues convincingly that we haven’t spent enough time scrutinising what it has already become. Ros Urwin
Profile, £20
Buy a copy of Butler to the World here

Megathreats: The Ten Trends that Imperil Our Future, and How to Survive Them by Nouriel Roubini

Nouriel Roubini is not known as “Dr Doom” for nothing, and this book from the economist who predicted the 2008 financial crisis is a bleak look at some of the horrible threats facing our survival on Earth, from economic collapse to a new cold war and the rise of artificial intelligence. But it is also an important wake-up call to how fragile modern civilisation is. Roubini lucidly lays out the challenges we face. Maybe save reading this until after the festive period. TK
John Murray, £20
Buy a copy of Megathreats here

A Pipeline Runs Through It: The Story of Oil from Ancient Times to the First World War by Keith Fisher

In this epic, deeply researched history of oil, Keith Fisher, who spent 15 years on the book, takes us from the Byzantine era to the US oil boom of the 19th century and the rise of barons such as John D Rockfeller, and ends with the First World War. He unsparingly shows what a great but terrible industry oil exploration has been. No one comes out well, but the brutality involved in clearing indigenous communities to open up areas for exploitation are harrowing, especially the cruelty from what would become Royal Dutch Shell. TK
Allen Lane, £35
Buy a copy of A Pipeline Runs Through It here

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Books: The New York Times Book Review – Nov 27, 2022

Illustration by Eleanor Taylor

New York Times Book Review – November 27, 2022:

A Life of Shirley Hazzard, Sublime Chronicler of Affairs of the Heart

A new biography by Brigitta Olubas is the first to examine the life of the Australian novelist celebrated for her refined poetic fiction and acute moral vision.

Big ‘Pippin’: The Harmony and Dissonance of an American Classic

Elysa Gardner’s “Magic to Do” goes backstage at Bob Fosse and Stephen Schwartz’s 1972 musical about a lost prince.

Read Your Way Through Mexico City

Juan Villoro, who spent over two decades perfecting one book about Mexico City, recommends reading on the city he loves. “Mexico is too complex,” a visitor said. “It needs to be read.”

Front Page: The New York Times – November 26, 2022

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At Protests, Guns Are Doing the Talking

Armed Americans, often pushing a right-wing agenda, are increasingly using open-carry laws to intimidate opponents and shut down debate.

Retailers Push Sales, and Normalcy, but Economic Uncertainty Looms

Black Friday deals returned, drawing shoppers back into stores, but inflation worries left many companies unsure what the holiday shopping season would look like.

A Rising Star in the Biden Administration Faces a $100 Billion Test

Gina Raimondo, the commerce secretary, has made a career of tackling increasingly larger challenges. Could the next one be too big?

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

This week: as the exhibition Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia opens at the Kling & Bang gallery in Reykjavik, Ben Luke talks to Masha Alekhina, one of the founding members of Pussy Riot, and the artist Ragnar Kjartansson, one of the co-curators of the show.

As protests continue across Iran, Aimee Dawson, The Art Newspaper’s acting digital editor, speaks to Shirin Neshat, the artist whose work expressing solidarity with women in Iran was recently installed outside the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

And this episode’s Work of the Week is by the Puerto Rican artist Gabriella Torres-Ferrer. Their 2018 sculpture—called Untitled (Value Your American Lie)—is part of a major new show at the Whitney Museum in New York, exploring art in Puerto Rico in the five years since the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia, Kling & Bang, Reykjavik, until 15 January 2023. Pussy Riot: Riot Days, National Theatre of Iceland, Reykjavik, 25 November. Proceeds from the concert and the exhibition go to supporting Ukraine. You can hear an in-depth interview with Ragnar Kjartansson from 2020 on our sister podcast A brush with… on the usual podcast platforms.No existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, until 23 Apr 2023. 

Front Page: The New York Times – November 25, 2022

Under Missile Strikes, Ukrainians Haul Water, While Surgeons Work in the Dark

“Every hour is getting harder.” Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s essential services has caused blackouts in hospitals and cut off power and water in cities.

Balloons, Crowds and Poultry-Shaped Hats: A Thanksgiving Rite Springs Eternal

The annual Macy’s parade stepped off for the 96th time, its mix of joy and commercialism echoing through the years.

United States Enters a New Era of Direct Confrontation With Iran

The Biden administration has imposed new sanctions on Tehran and expressed support for protesters, as the Iranian government aids Russia in the Ukraine war and continues nuclear enrichment.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 24, 2022

Justice Dept. Seeking to Question Pence in Jan. 6 Investigation

Prosecutors want to speak with the former vice president as a witness to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain in power, and he is said to be considering how to respond.

Shooting at Walmart in Virginia Adds to Nation’s Grim Gun Toll

Six were killed, as well as the gunman, in the third recent high-profile mass shooting in the United States.

As Dinosaur Fossils Fetch Millions, There’s Many a Bone to Pick

Fossils are a multimillion-dollar business, bringing legal disputes, nondisclosure agreements and trademarks to the world of paleontology.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 23, 2022

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In Blow to Trump, Supreme Court Permits House to Obtain His Tax Returns

Ending a long legal fight, the Supreme Court rejected the former president’s request that it block the I.R.S. from turning over the files.

Even the Saudi Team Is Stunned After Victory Over Argentina

Even the country’s de facto leader had downplayed expectations. After a win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina, one of the most shocking results in World Cup history, Wednesday will be a national holiday.

A Year After the Omicron Surge, Officials See a Reduced Covid Threat This Winter

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci said the administration was optimistic that “we’re not going to see a repeat of what we saw last year,” when the Omicron variant swept through the country.