ITK Daily | January 14

Happy Saturday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

To be ITK, know this:

Today: World Logic Day.

Indonesian president Widodo admits historical rights violations in the country: SCMP reports Indonesian President Joko Widodo has acknowledged gross human rights violations had occurred across the country in the past decades. Speaking on January 11, 2023, one day before Human Rights Watch released its annual world report, he also promised to compensate victims and prevent such abuses from happening again.

Australia and Papua New Guinea pledge new security pact saying interests are ‘intertwined’: Guardian reports in contrast with security deal between China and Solomon Islands, the Australia-PNG agreement will be ‘public and transparent,’ prime ministers vow.

In Dhaka, a prime minister’s ‘vendetta’ is shaping politics: With an election looming, Sheikh Hasina’s criticism of Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus is intensifying. FT

Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion bet to build a futuristic city in the desert CNBC

+ The UK economy unexpectedly grew by 0.1% in November, boosted by the World Cup.

Who’s afraid of Keir Starmer? Fraser Nelson

+ "Without a Labour demon to point at, the Tories’ only chance of avoiding defeat in 2024 will be to provide positive reasons to vote Conservative. Sunak had better get thinking."

Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon hold private talks in Scotland: BBC reports The prime minister and Scotland's first minister have held "cordial" talks at a private meeting in Scotland. Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon met at a hotel in Inverness on Thursday night, following a series of engagements by the PM north of the border.

Macron will not ask Algeria for ‘forgiveness’ over colonization: ‘The word would break all the bonds,’ France president said in an interview. Politico

Why Macron is risking a wave of unrest over pensions Bloomberg

+ "For more than a quarter of a century, there hasn’t been a French president who didn’t try to fix the country’s gigantic state pension system."

+ The world’s population of people aged 60 years and older is expected to double by 2050, according to the World Health Organization, while fertility rates are in long-term decline.

French pension reform: The mother of all social battles: A broad coalition is unhappy with President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, but it remains unclear if the left and trade unions are strong enough to present a united front. Gilles Paris

Sweden discovers biggest rare earths deposit in EU: FT reports the Lapland mine could help reduce Europe’s dependence on China imports.

Biden administration to ask Congress to approve F16 sale to Turkey: WSJ reports the deal depends on Ankara’s signoff to NATO expansion, administration officials say, and comes alongside an F-35 sale to Greece.

Why Olaf Scholz is reluctant to send battle tanks to Ukraine: Germany’s chancellor resists move for fear of provoking Vladimir Putin. FT

+ Olaf Scholz is under growing international pressure to make a momentous decision: whether or not to give the green light for German battle tanks to be sent to Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine will be long. Is the west ready? Time could be on Russia’s side if the US and its allies don’t adjust to a prolonged conflict. WSJ

+ The war in Ukraine, it’s clear by now, won’t end soon. The bet in Moscow—and the fear in Kyiv—is that the West will lose stamina before Russia suffers a decisive defeat.

+ Ukraine’s own once-significant defense industry has been decimated by Russian airstrikes in the 11 months of war, and the country now is almost wholly reliant on Western-provided weapons and ammunition to survive.

Cost of living: Argentina sees prices almost doubling last year: BBC reports Argentina saw prices almost double last year as the country's annual inflation rate hit its highest level in more than 30 years. Official figures show consumer prices jumped by 94.8% from 12 months to the end of December.

Reuters: Lula to purge Bolsonaro loyalists from Brazilian security forces after rampage

Reuters: Brazil's Lula predicts policies in place within 100 days, reassures markets

Can Lula put Brazilian democracy back together again? Many of the country’s institutions, from the military to the Supreme Court, are creaking under accusations of divided loyalties. FT

ConocoPhillips in talks to sell Venezuelan oil in US to recover billions it is owed: The Houston-based oil company has had preliminary discussions with Venezuela’s state oil firm, PdVSA. WSJ

+ ConocoPhillips, which abandoned Venezuela after its assets were nationalized in 2007, is now open to a deal to sell the country’s oil in the US as a way to recover the close to $10 billion it is owed by Venezuela.

‘Three Amigos’ summit over, the hard work of US, Mexico, and Canada policymaking begins LAT Editorial

Reuters: US strongly committed to Japan's defense, Biden tells Kishida, hails military boost

Biden and Kishida discuss Japan ‘stepping up’ security: AP reports President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks at the White House on Friday as Japan looks to build security cooperation with allies amid growing concerns about provocative Chinese and North Korean military action.

+ The Oval Office meeting and signing ceremony at NASA’s Washington headquarters capped a weeklong tour for Kishida that took him to five European and North American capitals for talks on his effort to beef up Japan’s security.

Biden and Kishida to bolster US-Japan alliance amid China’s growing power: The two leaders discussed tensions with China, North Korea, and Russia and plans for deterrence in Asia with US troops and missiles. NYT

+ Japan was infuriated by China’s lobbing of missiles around Taiwan in August, five of which landed in waters by Japan

+ Japan is increasingly anxious over greater maritime activity by the Chinese military in the ECS and around the Senkaku Islands

+ The United States and Japan also announced on Friday a new agreement to cooperate on the exploration of outer space and the moon and “other celestial bodies.”

+ Japan has said it plans to buy hundreds of American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. At the moment, Britain is the only US ally with the missiles.

Why Japan is the latest ally moving Biden’s way: Key countries finally boost defense commitments amid new threats and a new approach from Washington. Politico

OTD: In 1874, The US was established as a sovereign nation with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris.

US to begin ‘extraordinary measures’ to stay under debt limit: WSJ reports the Biden administration and House Republicans are preparing for a fight over how — and whether — to raise the current limit from $31.4 trillion. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said failure to do so would cause "irreparable harm" to the economy.

Democrats wary as GOP House rebels wield more influence: Republican and Democratic critics alike say the new rules will allow a small group of lawmakers to grind the legislative process to a halt. WP

SOTU: Biden was invited to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 7.

The cases for and against Trump Kellyanne Conway

Good read.

IN-SEN: Republicans close to Mitch Daniels (R) say opposition from the Club for Growth is poised to push the former Indiana governor into the 2024 Senate race.

WV-SEN: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said that he is “seriously considering” running for Senate in 2024.

Bloomberg: Campaign to renew US spy powers faces bitter battle in Congress

+ Spying tool has scooped up data on Americans, prompting an outcry

+ Biden administration says Section 702 key to combating threats

With FBI search, US escalates global fight over Chinese police outposts: Beijing says the outposts aren’t doing police work, but Chinese state media reports say they “collect intelligence” and solve crimes far outside their jurisdiction. NYT

Want to deter China? Hold a tanker competition John D.W. Corley + Jon T. Thomas

Nouriel Roubini: 'We are entering the great stagflation': Inflation, trade war, global warming... The American economist, known for his pessimism, lists in his latest book the major threats facing economies in the coming years. Le Monde

A Q&A with Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum: The first World Economic Forum was held in 1971. Here’s how he sees the state of the world. WSJ

Just a few people crowned some of YouTube’s earliest hits: How “coolhunters” helped make YouTube into an internet sensation before the algorithms took over. Mark Bergen

YouTube tests new hub of free streaming channels: WSJ reports the tech company’s effort could rival Roku and Fox in the fast-growing area of the streaming business.

Hollywood released a record 599 adult-oriented, scripted TV shows last year, a 7% increase from 2021.

2023 SAG nominations Mashable

OTD: In 1952, NBC's long-running morning news program Today debuts with host Dave Garroway.

'Pokémon' series ends after 25 years and 1,200 episodes Le Monde

The dawning of the quantum age: It is time to consider the opportunities and risks of a new form of computing. FT - Editorial

Who killed Nokia? Nokia did. Quy Huy

+ Nokia’s ultimate fall can be put down to internal politics. In short, Nokia people weakened Nokia people and thus made the company increasingly vulnerable to competitive forces.

The many, many reasons space travel is bad for the human body: Leaving Earth upends almost every system inside of us. WP

+ Despite every available precaution and protection, deep space will remain a harsh, unwelcoming place for the human body.

Even electric self-driving cars may have a climate change problem: MIT researchers say that the computers that power self-driving cars could have a large carbon footprint. WP

What if Tesla is…just a car company? Tesla’s aura as an elite tech disrupter dims as EV competitors multiply and improve their offerings. WSJ

Tesla cuts electric car prices across Europe and US to bolster demand: FT reports that prices fall to the lowest level in 2 years in response to falling supply chain costs.

Epitaph for an entrepreneur Steve Blank

CNET is quietly publishing entire articles generated by AI The Byte

Barry Diller explores sale of The Daily Beast: NYT reports the tech mogul’s company has hired Whisper Advisors, an advisory firm, to find potential buyers for the digital publication.

Saks Fifth Avenue wants to add a casino atop its flagship store: NYT reports the owner of the store unveiled plans for a casino in Midtown Manhattan, joining the race for one of three full-fledged gambling licenses in the city.

More gambling!

Tennessee Williams, JFK, and a suspected Nazi spy: The history behind Charleston’s Fort Sumter House: The iconic hotel-turned-condo is now sought-after for its ample water views and prime location. WSJ

Over 150 of the best buildings by American architects honored at the 2022 American Architecture Awards Archinext

It’s the coolest rock show in Ann Arbor. And almost everyone there is over 65. At the “Geezer Happy Hour,” the “silver tsunami” has been dancing for decades. NYT

OTD: In 1973, Elvis Presley's concert Aloha from Hawaii was broadcast live via satellite and sets the record as the most-watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.

How much does our food tell us about who we are? Cheuk Kwan’s ‘Have You Eaten Yet?’ explores the global reach of Chinese food — and the shape of cultural identity. WP

Super Bowls 2023 ads: Fox, which will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl, said in September that it had sold 95% of its ad inventory, charging a record $7 million for a 30-second spot.

National Women's Soccer League: The NWSL has increased its salary cap by 25% to nearly $1.4 million and bumped up the available allocation money to $600,000 for the upcoming season.

+ The NWSL plans to add two teams for the 2024 season.

Manchester United will reportedly invite formal takeover bids by mid-February after receiving interest from several groups.

+ The Glazers are reportedly looking for an offer of more than $7.2 billion for the team.?

+ Forbes last valued Manchester United at $4.6 billion.

Sadly, Gregg Berhalter is about to lose his job because of angry soccer mom Michael Arace

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal

Caracal produces ITK Daily.

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