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The 10 Best Movies You Missed in 2024
Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000
From The Bikeriders to The Order, these are the movies you should watch before the year is through.
Match ID: 0 Score: 39.29 source: www.wired.com age: 4 days
qualifiers: 25.00 (best|good|great) (show|movie), 14.29 movie
A ‘best of’ list might be OK for a movie — but to find star money managers?
Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:16:00 GMT
How to tell when the ‘best’ is no better than the rest.
Match ID: 1 Score: 20.00 source: www.marketwatch.com age: 0 days
qualifiers: 20.00 movie
The physics of ugly Christmas sweaters
Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:00:57 +0000
The ways a sweater is folded, stretched or rumpled determines how it settles into one of several resting meta-states.
Match ID: 2 Score: 20.00 source: arstechnica.com age: 0 days
qualifiers: 20.00 movie
How Does a Movie Projector Show the Color Black?
Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000
There’s no such thing as black-colored light. So how can we see Darth Vader on a screen?
Match ID: 3 Score: 20.00 source: www.wired.com age: 0 days
qualifiers: 20.00 movie
The Year Villainy Won
Thu, 26 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000
Villains were everywhere and more relatable than ever. Across pop culture, social media, and IRL, the phenomenon went full-on main character.
Match ID: 4 Score: 20.00 source: www.wired.com age: 1 day
qualifiers: 20.00 movie
Nosferatu’s Resurrection Was a Long Time Coming
Wed, 25 Dec 2024 11:30:00 +0000
There’s nothing more done to death than the vampire. Director Robert Eggers says he tried to avoid the obvious by returning to “the older folklore.”
Match ID: 5 Score: 20.00 source: www.wired.com age: 2 days
qualifiers: 20.00 movie
Daily Cartoon: Wednesday, December 25th
Wed, 25 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000
“It’s a long plan, but if we play our cards right it will lead to the ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’ movie, and it will all be worth it.”
Match ID: 6 Score: 20.00 source: www.newyorker.com age: 2 days
qualifiers: 20.00 movie
Why The Long Kiss Goodnight is a great alt-Christmas movie
Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:12:16 +0000
Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson are sheer perfection as an amnesiac former assassin and PI who foil a terrorist plot.
Match ID: 7 Score: 17.14 source: arstechnica.com age: 3 days
qualifiers: 17.14 movie
How the worlds of Dune: Prophecy got their distinctive looks
Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:08:32 +0000
Ars chats with Dune: Prophecy lead cinematographer Pierre Gill about color palettes, lighting, and other challenges.
Match ID: 8 Score: 14.29 source: arstechnica.com age: 4 days
qualifiers: 14.29 movie
The New “Nosferatu” Drains the Life from Its Predecessor
Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:19:13 +0000
Robert Eggers’s take expands significantly on the 1922 classic—and makes a pivotal change, with sickening implications.
Match ID: 9 Score: 14.29 source: www.newyorker.com age: 4 days
qualifiers: 14.29 movie
Willem Dafoe on “Nosferatu”
Fri, 20 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000
The actor talks with Adam Howard about playing a vampire hunter in Robert Eggers’s remake of “Nosferatu.” After hundreds of vampire movies, Eggers “wanted him to be scary again.”
Match ID: 10 Score: 5.71 source: www.newyorker.com age: 7 days
qualifiers: 5.71 movie
The 50 best films of 2024 in the UK
Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT
Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama was chilling, Lily Farhadpour charmed in Iran and Paul Mescal was tremendous in a fantasy-romance as our critics select their standout picks of the year
• The best films in the US
• More on the best culture of 2024
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Continue reading...The jurors that sent Hall to death row never heard critical evidence that could have convinced them to spare his life. Some of them now support his bid for clemency.
The post Charles Hall Insisted He Wanted the Death Penalty. Now He’s Asking Biden for Mercy. appeared first on The Intercept.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the most popular digital assets today, capturing the attention of cryptocurrency investors, whales and people from around the world. People find it amazing that some users spend thousands or millions of dollars on a single NFT-based image of a monkey or other token, but you can simply take a screenshot for free. So here we share some freuently asked question about NFTs.
NFT stands for non-fungible token, which is a cryptographic token on a blockchain with unique identification codes that distinguish it from other tokens. NFTs are unique and not interchangeable, which means no two NFTs are the same. NFTs can be a unique artwork, GIF, Images, videos, Audio album. in-game items, collectibles etc.
A blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that allows for the secure storage of data. By recording any kind of information—such as bank account transactions, the ownership of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), or Decentralized Finance (DeFi) smart contracts—in one place, and distributing it to many different computers, blockchains ensure that data can’t be manipulated without everyone in the system being aware.
The value of an NFT comes from its ability to be traded freely and securely on the blockchain, which is not possible with other current digital ownership solutionsThe NFT points to its location on the blockchain, but doesn’t necessarily contain the digital property. For example, if you replace one bitcoin with another, you will still have the same thing. If you buy a non-fungible item, such as a movie ticket, it is impossible to replace it with any other movie ticket because each ticket is unique to a specific time and place.
One of the unique characteristics of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is that they can be tokenised to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought, sold and traded on the blockchain.
As with crypto-currency, records of who owns what are stored on a ledger that is maintained by thousands of computers around the world. These records can’t be forged because the whole system operates on an open-source network.
NFTs also contain smart contracts—small computer programs that run on the blockchain—that give the artist, for example, a cut of any future sale of the token.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) aren't cryptocurrencies, but they do use blockchain technology. Many NFTs are based on Ethereum, where the blockchain serves as a ledger for all the transactions related to said NFT and the properties it represents.5) How to make an NFT?
Anyone can create an NFT. All you need is a digital wallet, some ethereum tokens and a connection to an NFT marketplace where you’ll be able to upload and sell your creations
When you purchase a stock in NFT, that purchase is recorded on the blockchain—the bitcoin ledger of transactions—and that entry acts as your proof of ownership.
The value of an NFT varies a lot based on the digital asset up for grabs. People use NFTs to trade and sell digital art, so when creating an NFT, you should consider the popularity of your digital artwork along with historical statistics.
In the year 2021, a digital artist called Pak created an artwork called The Merge. It was sold on the Nifty Gateway NFT market for $91.8 million.
Non-fungible tokens can be used in investment opportunities. One can purchase an NFT and resell it at a profit. Certain NFT marketplaces let sellers of NFTs keep a percentage of the profits from sales of the assets they create.
Many people want to buy NFTs because it lets them support the arts and own something cool from their favorite musicians, brands, and celebrities. NFTs also give artists an opportunity to program in continual royalties if someone buys their work. Galleries see this as a way to reach new buyers interested in art.
There are many places to buy digital assets, like opensea and their policies vary. On top shot, for instance, you sign up for a waitlist that can be thousands of people long. When a digital asset goes on sale, you are occasionally chosen to purchase it.
To mint an NFT token, you must pay some amount of gas fee to process the transaction on the Etherum blockchain, but you can mint your NFT on a different blockchain called Polygon to avoid paying gas fees. This option is available on OpenSea and this simply denotes that your NFT will only be able to trade using Polygon's blockchain and not Etherum's blockchain. Mintable allows you to mint NFTs for free without paying any gas fees.
The answer is no. Non-Fungible Tokens are minted on the blockchain using cryptocurrencies such as Etherum, Solana, Polygon, and so on. Once a Non-Fungible Token is minted, the transaction is recorded on the blockchain and the contract or license is awarded to whoever has that Non-Fungible Token in their wallet.
You can sell your work and creations by attaching a license to it on the blockchain, where its ownership can be transferred. This lets you get exposure without losing full ownership of your work. Some of the most successful projects include Cryptopunks, Bored Ape Yatch Club NFTs, SandBox, World of Women and so on. These NFT projects have gained popularity globally and are owned by celebrities and other successful entrepreneurs. Owning one of these NFTs gives you an automatic ticket to exclusive business meetings and life-changing connections.
That’s a wrap. Hope you guys found this article enlightening. I just answer some question with my limited knowledge about NFTs. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below. Also I have a question for you, Is bitcoin an NFTs? let me know in The comment section below
The anti-abortion movement is looking at ways to control information about how and where to obtain abortions
The next front in the US abortion wars may be what people are allowed to say about it.
More than two years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in the case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, US abortions are on the rise, thanks in large part to the spread of abortion pills and travel across state lines. This has infuriated anti-abortion advocates, who have proposed policies to help the incoming Trump administration curtail the mailing of abortion pills and targeted individuals and groups that help women get out-of-state abortions. In a sign of how the issue is pitting states against one another, Texas earlier this month sued a New York-based doctor who allegedly provided a telehealth abortion to a Texan woman.
Continue reading...Dance till you drop, then home by 10pm – daytime events offer a glorious escape for those of us bogged down by responsibility
Last Saturday night, I went clubbing with friends. Once upon a time, this wouldn’t have been a remotely odd sentence to type, because it was what I did pretty much every weekend. But a lot has changed since then – let’s just say that in my peak raving years there was a Labour government in power, only it was actually popular – and like most people whose happy place was once on the dancefloor, inevitably with time comes the feeling that you no longer belong. Deep down, you still come to life when the bassline kicks in. But you morph from hardened raver to the kind of person who’s always up for dancing at parties and weddings, and then finally into the kind of person whose friends aren’t getting married any more and who spends their Saturday nights giving their children lifts to parties. So eventually you tell yourself sadly that those days are over now, and that clinging on would be a bit mutton-behaving-as-lamb.
Well, not any more. Enter what was almost certainly the cheeriest thing about an otherwise lousy 2024: the rise of what is now regrettably known in my house as Old Lady Clubbing, AKA daytime events specially laid on by music promoters for the over-30s. It’s like going back in time, but better: partly because this time round you have learned to wear the big coat, instead of going without and shivering glamorously to death in the queue, but mostly because it starts in the afternoon. The secret of middle-aged socialising, it transpires, is to do roughly what you always did – but earlier: hitting the club at 3pm means being home in time for the 10 o’clock news, and blissfully asleep by last orders. (Though the truly multitasking could do as one of the DJs at Day Fever, the over-35s night set up by the actor Vicky McClure and her promoter husband, Jonny Owen, reportedly sometimes does and cram in a big supermarket shop on the way back.) Even the bar staff love it, one told me, because unlike most nights there’s no hassle: everyone’s just too thrilled to be out of the house.
Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist
Continue reading...Record-breaking explorer, who was first woman of colour to complete solo expedition to Antarctica, turns to north
The record-breaking British explorer Preet Chandi, who made history trekking solo to the south pole, is now turning her ambitions north.
Nicknamed Polar Preet, the 36-year-old from Derby has made three solo expeditions to Antarctica, earning herself four Guinness world records, as well as praise from the Princess of Wales for her “incredible” achievements.
Chandi reached the south pole for the first time in January 2022, travelling 702 miles in 40 days, and becoming the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to Antarctica.
A new Syria is emerging from the shadow of the brutal Assad regime. The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan and Ayman Abu Ramouz meet people celebrating their hard-won freedom, but also those grappling with a traumatic past. The pair travel to the notorious Sednaya prison, where they meet a former prisoner who was liberated by his family just days before
Resistance was not a choice’: how Syria’s unlikely rebel alliance took Aleppo
'The Syrian regime hit us with chemical weapons: only now can we speak out' – video
Syria’s disappeared: one woman’s search for her missing father
Share a tip on a peerless architectural or sculptural creation, ancient or modern – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break
The Seven Wonders of the World was a list of peerless architectural and sculptural creations from the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East drawn up in the 2nd century BC by Greek travellers following Alexander the Great’s conquests. Only one is still standing – the Great Pyramid of Giza. In 2001, the Swiss-based New7Wonders Foundation came up with an updated list, which included Machu Picchu, Petra and the Taj Mahal. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so we would like you to tell us about your personal wonder of the world. It could be an ancient stone circle, a statue, a stately home, a temple or even a modern-day skyscraper.
If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition.
Continue reading...The Arizona senator’s prodigious campaign spending in global wine hot spots can’t possibly be related to the campaign she’s not running, says an ethics complaint.
The post In Waning Senate Days, Kyrsten Sinema Screwed Workers and Spent Campaign Cash on Stay at French Castle appeared first on The Intercept.
For more than two decades, the U.S. has flown drones over the heads of millions of people — watching, recording, and even killing some of them.
The post America Gets a Taste of Its Own Medicine: Drone Terror appeared first on The Intercept.
As the diplomatic row over the embargo escalates, the U.S. sent Israel millions of pounds of ammunition through Spanish territory.
The post U.S. Defied Spanish Embargo on Arms Bound for Israel by Making Enforcement More Difficult appeared first on The Intercept.
The jurors that sent Hall to death row never heard critical evidence that could have convinced them to spare his life. Some of them now support his bid for clemency.
The post Charles Hall Insisted He Wanted the Death Penalty. Now He’s Asking Biden for Mercy. appeared first on The Intercept.
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.
You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.
Continue reading...Over the holidays, this column will explore next year’s urgent issues. Today we look at why an unqualified belief in nuclear deterrence can’t keep us safe
Next November marks 40 years since the US president Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”. The statement was striking – not least because their militaries were pouring billions into preparing for an unwinnable conflict.
A year later, at Reykjavik, the two came tantalisingly close to eliminating nuclear weapons entirely. That historic chance slipped away over Reagan’s insistence on his unproven “Star Wars” missile defence system. The moment passed, but its lesson endures: disarmament demands courage – and compromise.
Continue reading...First of Kim Jong-un’s soldiers to be taken was detained in Kursk region of Russia, according to Ukrainian reports
South Korea’s intelligence agency has reported that a North Korean soldier believed to have been the first to be captured while supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine has died after being taken alive by Ukrainian forces.
Seoul’s spy agency earlier on Friday confirmed Ukrainian reports that an injured North Korean soldier had been captured by Ukrainian forces, in what was likely to have been the first capture of its kind since Pyongyang sent combat forces to bolster Russian forces in the war.
Continue reading...Security assistance package in works as North Korean troops are deployed in Kursk after Putin-Kim agreement
The Biden administration is pledging to approve fresh military aid to Ukraine in the coming days, including crucial air defense systems, as North Korean forces face mounting casualties in their first major deployment to a European conflict.
John Kirby, the US national security communications adviser, told reporters on Friday that in just the last week North Korean troops had suffered more than 1,000 casualties in what he referred to as failed “human wave” assaults near the Kursk border-region, which confirms similar figures reported by South Korea.
Continue reading...As reports of battlefield casualties emerge, Russian locals say presence of soldiers sent by Pyongyang is barely noticed
At dusk one afternoon last week, two dozen wounded North Korean soldiers were brought to one of the main hospitals in the Russian city of Kursk.
They were ushered into a specially designated floor, guarded by police, with access limited to translators and medical personnel.
Continue reading...Finland seizes ship it suspects of damaging cable connecting Estonia and Finland on Christmas Day
Nato is to increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea, the alliance has announced, after the suspected sabotage of an underwater power cable running between Finland and Estonia.
The Estlink 2 submarine cable was disconnected from the grid on Christmas Day, little more than a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
Continue reading...A mysterious group linked to Patagonia has been accused of making what appear to be illegal “straw donor” contributions.
The post Patagonia’s Ties to a Dark-Money Operation Bankrolling Democratic Candidates appeared first on The Intercept.
Feud flared up when president-elect chose Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-born entrepreneur, as his AI adviser
Bitter in-fighting has broken out between the tech billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s hardline Make America great again (Maga) base after the US president-elect chose an Indian-born entrepreneur to be his adviser on artificial intelligence.
The row has pitted Musk and his fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy against diehard supporters including the far-right activist Laura Loomer and Matt Gaetz, the former Congress member and abortive nominee for attorney general. The spat threatens to open up a chasm among Trump’s supporters over immigration, a key issue in his election victory.
Continue reading...Readers respond to a piece by Jonathan Freedland in which he says a little deliberate optimism can go a long way
I was drawn to Jonathan Freedland’s article (‘How do we live in this terrible world?’ a reader asked me. Here’s the only answer I have, 20 December), as it is a question that’s continually on my mind. There’s much substance in his well-informed piece, though the ending’s quite simple and resonates with my own take: “Perhaps by accepting that it’s the only one we have and that it’s not always so terrible – that sometimes, even quite often, it can be rather beautiful.”
One of my responses to this ever-present question is to have gratitude for what I call “magic moments” in nature – like this morning catching sight of the heron, almost invisible, being so amazingly camouflaged among the reeds by a stream; I said “good morning, heron” softly, but didn’t linger because I’ve come to realise that they don’t like being looked at for long.
Continue reading...The industry looks back wistfully on a past year of promise but little delivery, and wonders what next under Trump
For those awaiting the end of cannabis prohibition in the US, 2024 began on a hopeful note, but as the year comes to a close, many of those hopes remain unfulfilled.
“The big issue is rescheduling, and there was a lot of excitement about that, but it’s been sort of mired down,” said Alex Halperin, who has covered the cannabis industry in his newsletter WeedWeek since 2015. Rescheduling would mean that cannabis is no longer federally banned under the Controlled Substances Act.
Continue reading...William Webster writes in letter to senators that ‘the safety of the American people … depends on it’
William Webster, the only man to head both the FBI and the CIA, has urged the US Senate to reject Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s nominees as directors of the bureau and national intelligence, arguing that they are unqualified.
Writing to senators, Webster, who is aged 100 and who was appointed by both Democrat and Republican presidents, called on them to “weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience” and suggested that Patel and Gabbard possessed neither attribute.
Continue reading...They’ve been around for ever; now they’re running the US. And beneath all the podcasts and punching lie questions of grievance, self-ownership and self-expression
A creature of various talents, and the owner of at least three types of shirt, the Great American Bro can take different forms.
The finance bro, for example, favours a Patagonia power vest over his button-ups. The brocialist still thinks Bernie would have won. The gym bro likes to wear the tightest vest he can find, and has biceps you can crack a walnut with. Whatever his particular vibe, however, the bro is a pack animal, most comfortable when surrounded with a group of people who look and act just like him.
Continue reading...The anti-abortion movement is looking at ways to control information about how and where to obtain abortions
The next front in the US abortion wars may be what people are allowed to say about it.
More than two years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in the case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, US abortions are on the rise, thanks in large part to the spread of abortion pills and travel across state lines. This has infuriated anti-abortion advocates, who have proposed policies to help the incoming Trump administration curtail the mailing of abortion pills and targeted individuals and groups that help women get out-of-state abortions. In a sign of how the issue is pitting states against one another, Texas earlier this month sued a New York-based doctor who allegedly provided a telehealth abortion to a Texan woman.
Continue reading...Athletes such as William Ellard and Bly Twomey starred this summer but much needs doing to boost disabled sport between Games
There was a lot riding on the Paris Paralympics, but they delivered. A Games that had the challenge not only of exciting the people of Paris but of reviving the movement behind disability sport served up world-class entertainment to full stadiums and made the French capital more accessible on top. Paris was a triumph, if not quite a perfect one, but the question already being asked is: what next?
For ParalympicsGB the answers are relatively clear. After another second place in the medal table, ahead of the US and the host nation and behind only China, funding has been locked in for the next four-year cycle for Los Angeles 2028. A £330m package across Olympic and Paralympic programmes enriched every one of the latter’s 18 world-class programmes with a funding increase. William Ellard in the pool, Archie Atkinson in the velodrome and the table tennis semi-finalist Bly Twomey are new faces who emerged in Paris with prospects for glory in Los Angeles. The 2028 Games, even with the political complications of a Trump presidency, are something athletes and officials are excited by.
Continue reading...The US president-elect’s ties with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and boxing, as well as World Wrestling Entertainment, might tell us about the kinds of sport he appreciates. But then there’s golf …
As the US prepares to host the World Cup and the Olympics during Trump’s presidency, Jonathan Freedland and Karim Zidan walk through his history with sport to see if it explains more about him
Archive: BBC, WWE, Fox 9 Minneapolis, NBC 10 Philadelphia, PBS Newshour, TMZ, MSNBC
Continue reading...On Truth Social, president-elect also lashes out at Chinese troops in Panama Canal and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau
Donald Trump has told 37 people on death row who had their sentences commuted by Joe Biden to “go to hell” in a lacerating Christmas Day social media post.
The president-elect – long a vocal advocate of capital punishment – lashed out at Biden’s decision on his Truth Social platform, after wishing a merry Christmas to political opponents he addressed as “Radical Left Lunatics”.
Continue reading...Over the holidays, this column will explore next year’s urgent issues. Today we look at the crisis in western democracy, Donald Trump’s victory and the role played by digital media
In November 2020, shortly after Donald Trump’s defeat in the US presidential election, Barack Obama observed that America risked entering “an epistemological crisis”. The prospect of Mr Trump’s return to the White House in January validates his predecessor’s premonition.
Mr Obama was talking about media fragmentation and polarisation: different segments of society existing in discrete information spaces; arguments no longer drawn from a common reservoir of facts; no shared reality, no foundation of truth. “Then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work,” he said. “And by definition our democracy doesn’t work.”
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Announcement comes as Trump has threatened to reassert control over canal, which US handed to Panama in 1999
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated the Miami-Dade county commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera to serve as ambassador to Panama.
Trump described Cabrera as “a fierce fighter for America First principles” who he said has been instrumental in driving economic growth and fostering international partnerships.
Continue reading...Biden’s commutations for 37 of 40 people on death row brought relief for the men and their loved ones.
The post “And I Was Surprised”: On Federal Death Row, They Feared Biden Would Set Up Another Trump Killing Spree appeared first on The Intercept.
Russian airstrikes on Christmas Day, the aftermath of the fall of Assad, remembering the Indian Ocean tsunami and a Boxing Day swim in Scotland: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists
• Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing
Continue reading...Il Foglio war correspondent Cecilia Sala taken in by police while reporting in Tehran, says Italy’s foreign ministry
An Italian journalist has been arrested while reporting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and held in solitary confinement for a week, according to Italy’s foreign ministry.
Cecilia Sala, 29, a war correspondent and reporter who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained on 19 December, the ministry said, but her arrest was only made public on Friday.
Continue reading...Georgian Dream government threatens pro-west president with jail if she refuses to leave office on Sunday
All eyes in Georgia are fixed on the elegant 19th-century Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, where a defining moment looms. Who will occupy its halls on 29 December?
On Sunday, Georgia’s pro-western president, Salome Zourabichvili, is supposed to hand over the keys to her successor, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former football player turned far-right politician who is backed by the ruling and increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream (GD) party.
Continue reading...Dictators in Russia and China should be denied further control of raw materials used in electronics, writes John E Havard. Plus a letter from Fawzi Ibrahim
A footnote to the excellent article by Timothy Garton Ash (What if Russia wins in Ukraine? We can already see the shadows of a dark 2025, 21 December). The so-called rare earths are essential raw materials for advanced electronics industries. China – with the world’s largest economically exploitable reserves – has a major strategic advantage in access to rare earths, underlined by the tight export controls that it has recently imposed. In Europe, it is eastern Ukraine that has the best reserves. To gain and maintain control of Ukraine’s reserves would be a major boost for Russia.
A defeat here for Ukraine, enabled by the failure of the west to provide the long-term support that it has promised, would signal to China that it should not be too concerned about western resolve in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Taiwan is a dominant supplier of the advanced electronics, incorporating rare earths, that will continue to be a major determinant of economic success.
Continue reading...Carrier suspends flights to five Russian airports after early findings of investigation into crash on Christmas Day
The aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 people, experienced “external physical and technical interference”, according to preliminary results of an investigation, Azerbaijan Airlines said on Friday.
The early findings led the carrier to suspend flights to five Russian airports, citing “potential risks to flight safety”, adding to the two routes that were suspended immediately after the crash.
Continue reading...Hannah Crosbie picks the best bottles for entertaining that won’t break the bank or your spirit
If you’re reading this, well done. It means you’ve survived the most expensive, sociable and digestively taxing part of the holiday season. Now you can focus all your efforts on getting through Twixmas (a phrase I prayed wouldn’t catch on) and the New Year’s Eve party. Livers and wallets, rejoice.
Perhaps you’re hosting such a party. On reflection, I feel last week’s column portrayed me as a little “anti-party”. It’s not that I’m allergic to them; more that I just can’t stand how they often bring out the worst in even the most unflappable friend. Hosting should be simple and, above all, not leave you deflated or penniless – or both. Plus, if you’re planning on giving up booze for January, you had better make these last few drams count, before you spend the whole of the next month grumbling about how expensive non-alcoholic options are and wishing you were drinking a pint of Guinness.
Continue reading...Removal of acting president Han Duck-soo is part of a rancorous battle for the country’s constitutional future
For the fourth time this month, South Korea’s parliament has become the arena for a rancorous battle for the country’s political future.
Safeguarding the hard-won rights and freedoms South Koreans have enjoyed for almost four decades is a lofty aim – and supported by the vast majority of voters – but the scenes inside the national assembly have been a reminder of how thin the line can be between democracy and rule by force.
Continue reading...Italians are taking to the court with factors including the pandemic and broadcasting also said to be fuelling enthusiasm
At the age of 47, diehard AC Milan fan Ninni Licata has hung up his football boots in exchange for a tennis racket.
Like thousands of Italians in recent years, Licata has been unable to resist the lure of a game that for years had been relegated to the sidelines of the country’s national sports, overshadowed by football and Formula One.
Continue reading...This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here
Events since Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3 had ignited South Korea’s worst political crisis since 1987 when nationwide public demonstrations forced the ruling party of former military generals to accept the democratic election of the president.
On Friday, prosecutors indicted former Defence Minister Kim Yong-Hyun in the first move to put an official accused of insurrection on trial, Yonhap News said.
Continue reading...Assembly approves motion days after parliament stripped President Yoon Suk Yeol of his powers over martial law order
South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach the acting president, Han Duck-soo, plunging the country deeper into a political crisis that has caused policy deadlock and damaged its international reputation.
On Friday, the national assembly approved an impeachment motion introduced on Thursday by the main opposition party by a 192-0 vote. The chamber has 300 MPs, but members of the ruling People Power party (PPP) boycotted Friday’s vote.
Han took over as president after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law on 3 December. The move triggered six hours of chaos that, for many older South Koreans, brought back memories of the country’s bloody transition from military rule to democracy in the 1980s.
Continue reading...Buy a power bank and write a will. You’ll need a ‘bug-out bag’ packed and ready to go. In Kyiv, we’ve learned how to survive Russia’s hybrid warfare
Day 1,024 of the invasion. Kyiv, 7am. Friday the 13th. In a former life, someone would have observed that this is a day that portends bad luck. But in a country where shelling is a daily occurrence, it has become irrelevant. I wake up to the sound of an app on my phone warning me of an increased missile threat. While my partner and I are hiding in the corridor, I read the news that the Nato chief, Mark Rutte, has called on members of the US-led transatlantic alliance to “shift to a wartime mindset”.
With the first bang of the air defence system, a thought strikes me: for those who have not already been living with it for nearly three years, how would you explain this mindset? What is this wartime thinking?
Continue reading...Yoon’s legal team will attend the first hearing in impeachment review on Friday, the same day that the acting president also faces an impeachment vote
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal team are set to attend court on Friday as the constitutional court begins hearings into his impeachment by parliament over his short-lived imposition of martial law,
The court has 180 days to decide whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him. In the latter scenario, a new presidential election would be held within 60 days.
Continue reading...Aircraft carrying 62 passengers and five crew was en route from Baku to Grozny in Chechnya
Twenty-nine people have survived after a passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines burst into flames as it crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after veering hundreds of miles off its planned route.
The flight was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members with 38 killed in the crash, according to Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister, Kanat Bozumbayev.
Continue reading...Ukraine official also says crash caused by Russian air defence fire, while Russia plays down involvement
Russia and Kazakhstan have sought to play down speculation about the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, as a US official said there were early indications that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane.
The assertion comes after a Ukrainian national security official and several sources in Azerbaijan claimed that the crash, which killed 38 people on Christmas Day, was caused by Russian air defence fire.
Continue reading...Two crew members from Ursa Major are missing and 14 have been rescued, Russian foreign ministry says
An engine room explosion sank a Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian foreign ministry has said.
The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian defence ministry’s military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far-eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.
Continue reading...Workers who reported symptoms of the illness often faced delayed or denied care and struggled to access benefits
A newly declassified US Senate report found that the CIA’s handling of mysterious health incidents known as Havana syndrome has been flawed and marred by inconsistent medical care, delayed compensation and communication failures – all while foreign adversaries remain “very unlikely” to be responsible.
Many cases of the syndrome have been reported, mostly among US officials posted abroad, and the phenomenon has led to theories they had been targeted by a hitherto unknown weapon using directed energy of some sort wielded by a hostile power.
Continue reading...If you’re looking to heat the human not the home – or just love snuggling under something cosy on your sofa – these are our best buys
Aside from hugging a fluffy hot-water bottle, sipping the Christmas whisky and ramping up the thermostat, an electric blanket or heated throw is the best way to keep out the winter chill. More than half of a typical household’s fuel bills goes on heating and hot water, so finding alternative ways to keep warm – and heating the person, rather than the whole home – is always a good idea.
Many of the best electric blankets and heated throws boast running costs of about 1p to 3p an hour, so it’s hard to ignore their potential energy- and money-saving benefits.
Best overall electric blanket:
Fogarty Wonderfully Warm
King, £80 at Dunelm
Best budget electric blanket:
Slumberdown Sleepy Nights
King, £33.60 at Amazon
Best quilted electric blanket:
Dreamland Pure Comfort bamboo underblanket
King, £139.99 at Amazon
Best overall heated throw:
Beurer heated snuggle blanket
Extra-large, £84.99 at Beurer
Best budget heated throw:
OHS electric heated fleece over blanket
£34 at Online Home Shop
From morning drinks to bedtime sounds – and don’t forget a mid-afternoon boogie – experts share tips to help you boost your energy levels
“A side bend stretches the intercostal muscles between the ribs, making more space for inhalation,” according to the psychologist Suzy Reading, author of Self-Care for Winter, “and when we breathe better we feel more lively. Either seated or standing, breathe in and stretch one arm up overhead, forming a banana shape for your side body. Breathe out to lower your arm back down and come back to centre. Repeat five times on each arm.”
Continue reading...The internal EU document may strip European foreign ministers of “plausible deniability” in Israeli war crimes in Gaza, experts said.
The post EU Officials Will Claim Ignorance of Israel’s War Crimes. This Leaked Document Shows What They Knew. appeared first on The Intercept.
Indiana wanted to kill Joseph Corcoran under the cover of darkness, but one journalist slipped in to witness.
The post Indiana’s Midnight Executions Are a Relic of Another Age appeared first on The Intercept.
Biden is running out of time to stop another Trump execution spree.
The post Power of the Pardon appeared first on The Intercept.
Hours before Assad fell, Congress moved to extend sanctions. Despite presidential waivers, Syria won’t open up until they’re off the books.
The post Keeping Sanctions in Force Would “Pull the Rug Out From Under Syria” appeared first on The Intercept.
The big news outlets used to say settlements would encourage more lawsuits. Trump is already targeting smaller newspapers.
The post The Real Danger of ABC News Settling Its Lawsuit With Donald Trump appeared first on The Intercept.
For the first group of ESA’s Astronaut Reserve, two intensive months of Astronaut Reserve Training (ART) have come to a close. During this initial training phase, members of the ESA Astronaut Reserve Sara García Alonso from Spain, Andrea Patassa from Italy, Arnaud Prost from France, Amelie Schoenenwald from Germany, and Aleš Svoboda from Czechia were introduced to essential skills required for future space exploration and scientific research.
The Arizona senator’s prodigious campaign spending in global wine hot spots can’t possibly be related to the campaign she’s not running, says an ethics complaint.
The post In Waning Senate Days, Kyrsten Sinema Screwed Workers and Spent Campaign Cash on Stay at French Castle appeared first on The Intercept.
“The funds to CJA are critical for building community resilience against climate change threats.”
The post EPA Staffers Demand Biden Release Climate Funds Withheld Over Gaza appeared first on The Intercept.
“When you imagine what the FTC is willing and able to do in the service of an authoritarian Trump administration, that takes you to some really terrifying places.”
The post Republicans Said the FTC Was Too Politicized. Now Trump’s FTC Pick Says It Should be Politicized — by Trump. appeared first on The Intercept.
The U.S. political system is owned by corporations despised by the American people. Luigi Mangione is the result.
The post Health Insurance Execs Should Live in Fear of Prison, Not Murder appeared first on The Intercept.
Everyone from janitors to the Geek Squad could be forced to help the NSA spy — and Democrats barely put up a fight.
The post Top Senator Warns Sweeping New Surveillance Powers Will “Inevitably Be Misused” by Trump appeared first on The Intercept.
Trump wants a bloodbath for the federal employees, but government workers aren’t the only ones who will suffer.
The post Federal Labor Unions Steel Themselves for Trump and DOGE’s Mass Firings appeared first on The Intercept.
For more than two decades, the U.S. has flown drones over the heads of millions of people — watching, recording, and even killing some of them.
The post America Gets a Taste of Its Own Medicine: Drone Terror appeared first on The Intercept.
The jurors that sent Hall to death row never heard critical evidence that could have convinced them to spare his life. Some of them now support his bid for clemency.
The post Charles Hall Insisted He Wanted the Death Penalty. Now He’s Asking Biden for Mercy. appeared first on The Intercept.
On The Intercept Briefing, Syrian journalist Rami Jarrah discusses the fall of the Assad family’s decadeslong brutal regime.
The post Syria: What Comes Next? appeared first on The Intercept.
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