Watch: Preserving Biodiversity, Protecting the Earth

CGTN – Dec 14, 2022

At the COP15 in Montreal, officials are trying to hash out a deal to protect biodiversity and ecosystems, but whatever the outcome, the task remains colossal. The Hub with Wang Guan talks to Erik Solheim, convener of the BRIGC Advisory Committee, also former UN under-secretary-general, to discuss the main challenges facing biodiversity and ways to get around some of the major hurdles. Wang Guan also talks to Zhou Fei, chief program officer of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) China, and Stephanie B. Y. Lo, executive director at Shui On Land Limited, to look into China’s achievements in preserving biodiversity and the country’s roadmap to urban green development

‘Eyes Over Hubei’: The return of the Yangtze finless porpoise

CGTN Dec 14, 2022

For more: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-12-15…

The Yangtze finless porpoise has been critically endangered for years due to over-fishing and pollution in the river. However, thanks to new policies designed to protect the local environment, photographer Yang He has noticed that the porpoises have started to return. In this episode, Yang shows us the best places for porpoise spotting, and explains how his findings have helped conserve these incredible creatures.

Lawrence: Texts Show ‘Lying Clown’ Giuliani Was Ginni Thomas’s ‘hero ’

MSNBC – Dec 14, 2022

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell analyzes new reporting from Talking Points Memo about text messages that were sent between former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Virginia Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, during Rudy Giuliani’s performance at the infamous “hair dye” press conference in the weeks after the 2020 election.

Democratic Republic of Congo floods leave more than 120 dead in capital Kinshasa – BBC News

BBC News

Dec 14

2022

More than 120 people have been killed following the worst floods in years in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, the authorities said.

Major roads in the city centre were submerged as heavy rains continued for hours and several homes collapsed.

Many of those who died were in hillside areas which suffered landslides.

The government has announced a three-day period of national mourning.

Four people drown and dozens rescued in English Channel – BBC News

Dec 14, 2022

Four people have died and dozens were rescued after a small boat filled with migrants heading for British shores from France capsized in the freezing waters of the English Channel.

Lifeboats, helicopters and rescue teams working with the French and British navies responded to the emergency.

Attempts to stop the arrival of thousands of migrants in small boats have become a priority for the UK government.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Mark Easton.

Is the rushed dismantling of COVID restrictions premature? | DW News

DW News

Dec 14, 2022

China says it will stop reporting asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, as they’re now impossible to track. It’s another step in the dismantling of Beijing’s zero-Covid policy. The U-turn is bringing with it a wave of illness and the World Health Organization is warning that China is facing tough times ahead.

Finding Your Roots | Season 9 Official Trailer | PBS

PBS

Dec 14, 2022

Official website: https://to.pbs.org/FYRS9 A new season of Finding Your Roots premieres January 3, 2023 8/7c! Tune in for all-new episodes as renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides influential guests into their roots, uncovering deep secrets, hidden identities and lost ancestors.

Exploring Islamic Maps at the Beinecke and Beyond with Travis Zadeh – Mondays at Beinecke, 12/12/22

Beinecke Library at Yale

Dec 14, 2022

Travis Zadeh, a scholar of Islamic intellectual and cultural history, is associate professor of Religious Studies at Yale and Director of the Yale Program in Iranian Studies. His talk is in conjunction with the current exhibition, The World in Maps, 1400-1600, which includes a map from the compendium of natural wonders by the Persian judge and scholar al-Qazwini (d. 1283). Zadeh’s most recent book, Wonders and Rarities, is a history of wonder and nature in Islamic thought through a study of Qazwini’s compendium and its lasting reception.

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• The World in Maps, 1400-1600
• Ray Clemens on The World in Maps – Mondays at Beinecke, September 26, 2022
• Historical Cartography in the Digital Age:Imaging Senegal: New Technologies, Communities & Questions
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• Early Days in African Historical Cartography:The Imaging of Africa in Portolan Charts & Maps -Part 2
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Slash the Pentagon Budget in Half & Abolish ICBMs: Dan Ellsberg on How to Avoid Nuclear Armageddon – Nuclear

Democracy Now!

Dec 14. 2022

As tension rises between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, we speak with Daniel Ellsberg, the famed Pentagon Papers whistleblower, who worked for years during the Cold War on nuclear war strategy within the U.S. national security establishment. He says the threat of a catastrophic nuclear war is intolerable, with intercontinental ballistic missiles posing the highest risk. “The defense budget should be cut more than in half rather than being increased right now, but starting with the most dangerous weapons, the ICBMs,” says Ellsberg, who also calls for the U.S. to commit to a no-first-use policy on nuclear arms.

Indict Us Too: Daniel Ellsberg & Cryptome’s John Young Demand US Drop Charges Against Julian Assange

Democracy Now!

Dec 14, 2022

As supporters of Julian Assange fear his extradition to the United States could be just weeks away, and President Biden faces growing pressure to drop espionage charges against Assange, we are joined for an exclusive joint interview with Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and John Young, the founder of Cryptome.org, who have both asked the Department of Justice to indict them for possessing or publishing the same documents as the WikiLeaks founder. The Biden administration is asking the U.K. government to extradite Assange to the U.S., where he faces up to 175 years in prison on espionage and hacking charges for the release of documents that exposed war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now Ellsberg has revealed that he was in possession of confidential documents leaked by former military analyst Chelsea Manning and given to him as backup by WikiLeaks, and Young says he published some of the same documents days before WikiLeaks did. “If they succeed with Julian Assange, … we will not have a First Amendment,” says Ellsberg. “This accusation against Assange would be illegal against an American citizen, so we think it’s selective prosecution and it should cease,” adds Young.