ITK Daily | December 21
Happy Wednesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
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Today: Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
Breaking Zelenskyy to DC:?AP sources report Ukraine's Zelenskyy to visit Washington on Wednesday if security allows. It would be his first overseas trip since the war.
+ @langfittnpr: NPR has confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be in the nation’s capital on Wednesday.?He plans to meet with President Biden and congressional leaders, and possibly address a joint session of Congress.
+ Zelensky’s address to a joint session of Congress is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 pm ET tonight.
Zelensky knows the clock is ticking: Ukraine’s president is rushing to the United States for good reason. Tom Nichols
+ "When the Ukrainian president speaks on Wednesday, he will be a symbol not only of one nation’s struggle against the Kremlin, but of the global fight for democracy. Unfortunately, it is a fight with multiple fronts—and that includes Capitol Hill."
Our country of the year for 2022 can only be Ukraine: For the heroism of its people and for standing up to a bully.?Economist
+ Since the invasion, Amazon has been working with the Ukrainian government to download essential data and ferry it out of the country in suitcase-sized solid-state computer storage units then funneling the data into Amazon’s cloud computing system.
Putin warns war in Ukraine becoming ‘extremely complicated’: Russia’s leader’s comments mark the second admission this month that military operations could be protracted.?FT
Britain says Russia to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for drones: Reuters reports Britain accused Russia of planning to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones, British defense minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday, calling on the West to do more to expose the trade.
'France's strategic thinking in the Middle East is at a standstill': Paris is the only western capital still making the fight against terrorism the priority of its strategy in the region. It is now time for a change, researcher Hélo?se Fayet explains in an interview.?Le Monde
GER-CHN-5G: A new study analyzing 华为 ’s market share in Europe estimates that Germany relies on Chinese technology for 59 percent of its 5G networks.
How Germany changed its mind, and gave the Benin Bronzes back: A ceremony in Nigeria on Tuesday was the culmination of a yearslong process that upended Germany’s approach to museum items looted during the colonial era.?NYT
+ The image of King Charles III will start appearing on British money in 2024.
OTD: In 1988, a bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries, and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270. This is, to date, the deadliest air disaster to occur on British soil.
Corruption scandal badly shakes European Parliament's credibility: A major bribery scandal is currently rocking the European Parliament. Yet the European Commission and member states want to continue deepening relations with Qatar, the country reportedly behind the affair. Many worry that the scandal could cause significant damage to the EU.?Der Spiegel
+ The European Parliament is now frantically trying to save its own reputation. On Thursday, deputies passed a resolution strongly condemning Qatari influence peddling and announcing tougher anti-corruption measures as well as a committee of inquiry.
Elon Musk invited to testify in the European Parliament: Politico reports Parliament President Roberta Metsola says she hopes for a ‘frank exchange in public.’
HBD: Emmanuel Macron
Today: Armed Forces Day (Philippines)
Big news: Kevin Rudd headed to DC as Australian ambassador.
+ Kevin Michael Rudd AC is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013.
+ @MrKRudd: I am greatly honoured by the Australian Government’s decision to nominate me as our country’s next Ambassador to the United States of America commencing in March.
Australia-China tension is a case of World War II deja vu: A new security treaty with tiny Vanuatu is a big response to China’s pact with the Solomon Islands.?Hal Brands
Republicans press Biden officials for answers on TikTok security concerns: Two GOP lawmakers cited a WSJ article in seeking more information about the Chinese-owned video app.?WSJ
How TikTok became a diplomatic crisis: A Chinese app conquered the planet — and now the US is threatening to shut it down. Can the world’s biggest virality machine survive??NYT Magazine
+ The administration’s contradictory approach — its embrace of the app as a vital conduit to the public, and its fear of the app as a potential tool of foreign influence — is perhaps a fitting response to the utterly unique problem that TikTok poses.
China’s baseball-tossing, Tesla-riding envoy signals lower-key diplomatic strategy?Bloomberg
+ Top foreign minister contender Qin Gang strikes a gentler tone
+ Personnel moves coincide with Xi's push to repair ties with West
US flies bombers, stealth jets as Kim’s sister threatens: AP reports the United States flew nuclear-capable bombers and advanced stealth jets in a show of force against North Korea on Tuesday, as the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un derided doubts about her country’s military and threatened a full-range intercontinental ballistic missile test.
South Korea: President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rises above 40% for the first time in over five months
TJT: Japan’s births set to fall below 800,00 in 2022, marking a new all-time low
CNBC: Bank of Japan shocks global markets with bond yield shift
+ The Bank of Japan caught markets off guard by tweaking its yield curve control policy to allow the yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond to move 50 basis points on either side of its 0% target.
+ In its policy statement, the BOJ said the move is intended to “improve market functioning and encourage a smoother formation of the entire yield curve while maintaining accommodative financial conditions.”
Indian army masses on Chinese border after soldiers clash: The Times reports Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar revealed that Delhi was mobilizing thousands of troops along the mountainous 2,100-mile border, following an “encroachment” by Chinese forces that triggered a skirmish with Indian troops 12 days ago.
+ India has moved an “unprecedented” number of troops to the disputed border with China after a clash between soldiers of the two nuclear-armed rivals.
Reuters: The world fears a new China COVID wave, ponders how to help Xi
COVID chaos unfolds in China: Chinese leadership abandoned its zero-COVID strategy practically overnight. The consequences promise to be enormous. Rural areas, in particular, will struggle with the suddenly spiking caseload in the country.?Der Spiegel
+ The Communist Party is no longer responsible for the well-being of the Chinese people. Rather each person is responsible for themselves.
China’s hasty reopening is a risky bet that Beijing can control the narrative: Expect officials to underplay deaths while publicizing the strength of the country’s rebound.?Bloomberg
Lula, Putin talk on 'strategic' Brazil-Russia relations: Reuters reports Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had congratulated him on his recent election win and talked of stronger relations between the two countries.
领英推荐
Axios: Biden in newly surfaced video: Iran nuclear deal is "dead"
The Hill: Biden to meet with leaders of Mexico and Canada in Mexico City next month
+ Biden will meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Jan. 9 and 10, 2023, national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
Canada’s single-use plastic ban takes effect on Dec. 20: Global News reports Canada will ban the manufacture and import for sale of single-use plastics to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Poilievre doubles as most valuable, least valuable politician in 2022 in The Hill Times’ All Politics Poll: Raquel Dancho is one to watch, and most people would like to sit down for dinner with House Speaker Anthony Rota. Stephen Harper, Jean Chrétien, and Pierre Trudeau were picked as the most admired former prime ministers. From favorites to flops, we've got the results of this year's All Politics Poll.?HT
+ The pro-Democratic Senate Majority PAC plans to return $3 million in donations from former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and the crypto exchange’s ex-head of engineering, Nishad Singh.
McCarthy’s Speaker struggles hamper fast start for new majority?BGov
+ Some committees likely won’t get new chairs until January
+ Setting GOP agenda is at risk as panels try to get up to speed
How to do growth hacking: In 2018, ByteDance spent almost $1 billion in advertising for TikTok, with a budget that reportedly doubled for three straight quarters. TikTok blanketed Facebook, Instagram, Snap, and other American social media platforms with ads.
3M 公司 ?set a deadline of 2025 to stop making PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals."
Toyota Motor Corporation to launch EV tailored to emerging markets around 2023: Nikkei reports the automaker seeks to maintain a presence in the Thai market that is moving toward electrics.
Lucid Motors ?closed a $1.5 billion fund-raising round led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Tesla : The company's stock has lost $565 billion in market value since it peaked at more than $1 trillion in late 2021.
福特 's new strategy in Europe: The end of the car for everyone: The US carmaker will stop selling its popular Fiesta and Focus models, reduce its offer, and switch to all-electric vehicles in 2035.?Le Monde
苹果 to start making MacBooks in Vietnam by mid-2023: Nikkei reports the iPhone maker aims to have 'out of China' production alternatives for key products.
亿滋食品 ?will sell its gum business in the US, Canada, and Europe to an Italian rival, 不凡帝范梅勒糖果中国有限公司 , for $1.35 billion.
Bloomberg: Sam Bankman-Fried signs US extradition papers in Bahamas, official says
Confessions of a copywriter on creativity, returning to the office and ‘butts in seats mentality.’?Kristina Monllos
OTD: In 1945, George S. Patton, the American general, dies
Caro still working away on fifth LBJ book, no pub date set: AP reports The good news on Robert A. Caro’s long-awaited next book is that he knows the final words. The bad news is that he’s known them for years and remains far from concluding his Lyndon B. Johnson series.
+ The fifth volume is expected to cover Johnson’s first full year as president, 1964, and continue through the end of his administration in 1969 and his death four years later.
OTD: In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
Masaaki Yuasa’s world is everyone else’s, too?Zoe Crombie
Do you dare??Wikipedia Roulette
The controversy about the LIV Tour is over: LIV golfers will be allowed to compete at The Masters in 2023, Augusta National Golf Club confirms.
Ronaldo’s $638 million offer includes promoting Saudi World Cup bid: FOS reports Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr offered Ronaldo a reported three-year contract worth an annual $212.9 million after he and Manchester United mutually agreed to part ways.?
+ The country wants one of the world’s most popular athletes to boost its pitch for the 2030 World Cup.
How Argentina won the World Cup: Messi’s voice, lucky Aguero, and lots of beef.?The Athletic
The near-perfect story of a French team born in pain but obsessed with destiny: Although Les Bleus arrived in Qatar beset by doubt, they left as World Cup runners-up after an epic final against Argentina.?Le Monde
Phoenix Suns : Michigander Mat Ishbia is reportedly finalizing a deal to buy the team.
+ He will pay around $4 billion, easily beating the record for an NBA team set by Joseph Tsai’s 2019 purchase of the Brooklyn Nets for $2.3 billion.
+ WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury are also included in the deal.?
National Football League (NFL) in advanced talks with 谷歌 ’s YouTube for ‘Sunday Ticket’ rights deal: WSJ reports an agreement could be reached as early as Wednesday following a meeting of NFL owners who are required to approve rights deals.
Will this device protect athletes’ brains, or only make them think it does??More and more pro and college athletes are trying on the Q-Collar as they search for something, anything, that might keep their brains safe. But does it work??NYT
The inside story of National Basketball Association (NBA) players and their socks: Zion Williamson rocks an orange stripe. Marcus Smart almost got fined over his socks. Some guys wear them on the wrong feet. (The wrong feet?)?NYT
Socks!
Great read.
FIA bans 'political statements' from F1 drivers: DW reports following years of anti-racism campaigns and support for LGBTQ and other social issues, the FIA now says it wants "political neutrality" in motorsports in 2023.?
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc?
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