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IMPORTANT
| | |  | Disaster | Taliban Appeal for International Help as Quake Death Toll Climbs More than 1,000 people have been killed in the 6.1 magnitude earthquake and that number is expected to climb, particularly around the Paktika province epicenter. Afghanistan was already in the midst of a humanitarian and economic crisis, experts say, following the pandemic and the return of the Taliban to power. This has exacerbated rescue and recovery efforts with the government “financially unable to assist the people to the extent that is needed.” International aid agencies and neighboring countries are scrambling to respond to the disaster, particularly for medicines and health care, which have seen severe shortages under Taliban rule. (Source: BBC) |
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|  | Freezing | In the Pipeline: Get Ready for Putin to Turn Off the Tap That’s the outcome Europe must prepare for, the International Energy Agency said. While it’s not the most likely scenario, it’d certainly be a tough one once the continent hits winter. Reduction in exports from Russia to Europe is likely, however, and “Europe needs contingency plans” for the pipeline bringing gas west. Russian oil magnate and now-dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky said the EU had blundered. The bloc should’ve secured energy from elsewhere before going ahead with sanctions, leaving hundreds of millions exposed to the whims of the Kremlin. “The problem is that current Western politicians have never held talks with a gangster,” Khodorkovsky said. (Sources: Reuters, Politico) |
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|  | Rumor Mill | Jan. 6 Committee Turns Scope on Sen. Ron Johnson The Wisconsin Republican’s chief of staff had tried to deliver a list of fake electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence to back up the Trump camp’s claims, the committee revealed. Johnson has played an outsized role in the attempted undermining of the 2020 American election, including suggesting an “inside job” by the FBI. Committee members are preparing to hear soon from Justice Department sources who are expected to testify on the Trump campaign’s pressure on federal executive branch agencies, including allegations acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen was threatened with being replaced if he resisted former President Donald Trump’s election fraud claims. (Sources: WaPo, AP) |
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|  | Sidelined | Uvalde School Police Chief Placed on Leave Amid Investigation Pete Arredondo is on administrative leave just a day after Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw blamed local law enforcement for not responding faster to last month’s mass shooting tragedy. Criticism of the force’s response has piled up amid local and state-level investigations, including testimony from experts suggesting Uvalde police should have entered the classroom in which the shooter was holed up with children, regardless of any threat to the lives of police. Arredondo, who has denied he was in charge at the scene, had previously said police were unable to enter a locked door into the room — a claim since disproved. (Source: Texas Tribune) |
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|  | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Mind the gap. Talks between the railway workers’ union and the U.K. government have collapsed as Britons face a second day of commuting disruption. Union officials accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of “wrecking negotiations” over pay and working conditions. (Source: The Guardian) “Collapsed.” That’s how Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe described the state of the economy to Parliament. He said it’s more than just shortages of necessities that have plagued the country for months and warned of “a possible fall to rock bottom.” (Source: AP) Rocked boat. Chinese President Xi Jinping has lashed out at the West ahead of a BRICS summit, blaming the “weaponization” of the global economy for instability. (Source: Bloomberg) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Rip It Up | Vegas Keeps the Green Inside Casinos With Turf Ban The grass is no longer greener in Las Vegas. City officials have ordered grass across the city, including along the world-famous Strip, to be pulled up as Nevada battles its ongoing drought. Grass in the city requires “the equivalent of 73 gallons of water a year per square foot,” Bronson Mack from the Southern Nevada Water Authority says. “That’s enough water to put where we are completely underwater by 10 feet.” A mix of artificial grasses and desert-loving flora will replace the shorn grass in public spaces and new developments. Residential homes and golf courses are exempt from the turf war. (Source: Reuters) |
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| | | Splitsville | Unlucky in Love: Murdoch, Hall Set to Divorce It will be media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s fourth divorce. Murdoch and Jerry Hall, a former supermodel, married in 2016 and news of a split has reportedly surprised friends. Murdoch’s media empire, including Fox News and a string of holdings in the U.K. and Australia, is unlikely to change hands. Still, media watchers have suggested it could have some long-term effects. Close allies of Murdoch previously said the 91-year-old happily stepped back from the business world to spend more time with Hall and begin succession plans. With more time on his hands, will the big man come back to take charge? (Source: NYT) |
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| | | Take Down | Meta Board Tackles 1.1 Million Removed Post Appeals Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, had removed most of the posts for violence, hate speech or bullying. The Oversight Board published decisions on just 20 of the complaints between late 2020 and December 2021. It ruled against Meta in 14 of those instances, which included female breasts in a post supporting breast cancer awareness and the post-election banning of former President Trump from the platform. The board is Mark Zuckerberg’s own creation and is dubbed the social media giant’s “Supreme Court.” More than half of the 2,600 cases or so per day referred to the board originated from North America. (Source: BBC) |
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| | | Switch Witch | Pardons Better Late Than Never for Scotland’s Accused Natalie Don, a member of the Scottish Parliament, has launched a crusade with a member’s bill calling for fellow lawmakers to right a grave historical wrong. She wants to see the 4,000 people in Scotland who were tortured — or worse — under the Witchcraft Act of 1563 pardoned, calling it a rejection of misogyny both past and present. Accusers targeted women who “were a little bit different, they were poor, they were outcasts,” Don said, much like the misogynists of today. The pardon follows an official apology from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Church of Scotland earlier this year. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | | | Good Dog | Westminster Dog Show Declares Historic Champion Behind the scenes of this Tarrytown, New York, event is no joke. Depending on the breed, dogs are pampered with flat irons and blow-dryers. Others have their fur smoothed and styled by owners wielding $170 Mason Pearson hairbrushes. And some travel across the country in RVs. The arsenal was no contest for Trumpet — the first bloodhound in Westminster’s 146-year history to win best in show — who trumped 3,500 dogs from 211 breeds. Still, every dog is a winner. Bee the Shetland sheepdog was victorious in the Master Agility Championship and Willie the Australian shepherd won this year’s Westminster’s Masters Obedience Championship. (Sources: People, Fox Sports) |
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COMMUNITY
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| ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! |
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