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IMPORTANT
| | | All Aboard | Changing Course: US, Germany Slated to Send Tanks to Ukraine Both Berlin and D.C. had been hesitant to commit the artillery to Ukraine, citing concerns over training and servicing requirements. An insider confirmed the Biden administration will send around 30 advanced M1 Abrams tanks, widely seen as adding pressure on Germany to make a similar commitment of its Leopard 2 tanks. The gamble appears to have paid off, with reports Berlin is preparing to announce the decision imminently. Germany’s commitment could change the conflict — German-made military gear can only be sent to a third country with the permission of Berlin, possibly giving other countries the ability to send their own German-made tanks. (Sources: NYT, DW) |
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| | | Pax Americana? | Outrage and Fear Amid California’s Gun Violence “Only in America do we see this kind of carnage,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday afternoon as his state continues to reel after the double mass shootings. Newsom slammed political colleagues, particularly Republicans, for failing to address gun violence across the country. In the capital, President Joe Biden echoed these words and pleaded with lawmakers to pass Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s bill banning assault weapons. Far from the political hubs, Asian-American communities across California continue to mourn. According to data compiled by UCLA, nearly one-third of Asian immigrants to the U.S. fear becoming a victim of gun violence in their new home. (Sources: NPR, Reuters) |
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| | | Paper Trail | Mike Pence Hands Over Classified Docs Found at His Indiana Home The former vice president, acting “out of an abundance of caution,” tapped legal representatives to search his home last week following reports of similar documents found in President Joe Biden’s possession. So says Greg Jacob, designated representative for Pence’s records. Around a dozen documents were collected by the FBI and handed over to the National Archives, while a second cache was taken to the Archives for further inspection. The contents of the papers are unknown, the Justice Department has been notified. “Vice President Pence was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence,” Jacob added. (Sources: CNN, WaPo) |
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| | | | | Blame Game | Govt, Labour Spar Over UK’s Missing Asylum-Seeking Children Government ministers have shown a “dereliction of duty,” immigration spokeswoman Yvette Cooper said during an urgent parliamentary debate on Tuesday. It comes after revelations hundreds of asylum-seeking children had gone missing from temporary hotel accommodation since July 2021. A whistleblower earlier this week claimed to have seen children bundled into cars and kidnapped from a hotel in the coastal town of Brighton, where 76 children remain missing. Government officials point to local authorities for responsibility, but concede it is a “gray area.” Brighton and Hove City Council officials elsewhere said efforts to collaborate with the U.K. Home Office had failed. (Sources: The Guardian, BBC, AP) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Locked down. Pyongyang will lock down for five days after a sharp increase in cases of an unnamed respiratory illness, according to reports from South Korea. (Source: Al Jazeera) Day one. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was sworn in Wednesday, less than a week after Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. He has vowed to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. (Source: Stuff) Divisive. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called his 2018 trip to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi a “middle finger” to the media establishment in the U.S. The comments, made in his forthcoming memoir, have been slammed by Khashoggi’s family and former employer, the Washington Post. (Source: France24) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Bad Science | Peak Genetics Body Apologizes for Eugenics, Scientific Racism in US “How do you build trust if you don’t express remorse and decry what has really gone on inappropriately in the past?” said head of the American Society of Human Genetics, Brendan Lee. The apology follows the release of a 27-page report into the field’s historic support of eugenics and scientific racism. An investigation was launched during the groundswell of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. The organization found many instances of member and leadership support of forced sterilization and the weaponization of genetics to discriminate against Black Americans. Erik Peterson called for the findings to be included in undergraduate science education. (Source: Science) |
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| | | Censored | Big Tech Is Helping Modi Bury a BBC Documentary YouTube and Twitter have complied with a request from India’s information and broadcasting ministry to scrub a BBC documentary investigating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in a 2002 massacre in Gujarat that left at least 1,000 people dead. A ministerial spokesman slammed the film as “hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage” as Twitter users in the country said links to the film on the platform are now inaccessible and it has virtually disappeared from YouTube. Twitter posts by opposition lawmakers in India have also been removed. It’s a sharp reversal for both platforms, which have historically dodged takedown requests from governments. (Source: The Intercept) |
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| | | | | Movie History | Oscar Nominations Are Everywhere and All at Once Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once is leading the pack for this year’s Academy Awards nominations with 11, including best picture and acting awards. It’s no surprise for the film’s legion of critical and popular fans. Two sequel films will duke it out with the favorite for best picture — Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water — bucking the Academy’s usual indifference to follow-ups. But, insiders say, the sequels may have a shot: the Academy may reward films that show cinematic releases are still an exciting — and profitable — prospect for an industry leaning ever closer to streaming services. (Sources: Variety, Hollywood Reporter) |
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| | | Get Ye Gone! | No More Parties for Ye, Says Australian Govt Any plans Kanye West may hatching to head down under to visit the family of his new Aussie partner, Bianca Censori, would likely be scuttled by immigration authorities, Australia’s Education Minister Jason Clare said Wednesday. Citing the rapper’s well-documented anti-semitism, Clare said it was unlikely West, legally known as Ye, would be granted a visa into the country. “People like that who’ve applied for visas to get into Australia in the past have been rejected,” Clare said. The Australian Jewish Association has called on Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to intervene on any potential visa request calling the star a “significant risk” to Australian society due to his profile. (Source: ABC) |
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| | | Game On! | Hey Now, Am I an All-Star? Nobody will know for sure until Feb. 19 — the night of the NBA All-Star Game. Team captains — most likely LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant — will make their picks in a televised segment shortly before the players hit the court in Salt Lake City. The captain’s pick is becoming something of a tradition, but typically choices are announced days ahead of the game. “I want to play, I want to be a part of all these events,” Durant said Tuesday. He looks set to be up against the best: James has a 5-0 record as All-Star captain. (Source: AP) |
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