Happy Sunday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
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Erdogan runs scared in Turkey: A court convicts a leading opponent of the President on a trumped-up charge. WSJ - Editorial
Mexican president slams Peru's state of emergency, blasts US official: Reuters reports Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday criticized a state of emergency imposed in Peru to tackle violent protests and slammed the U.S. ambassador to Lima for meeting the South American country's new leader.
2022 is deadliest year on record for Mexican journalists: ABC News reports the deadliest year in at least three decades for Mexican journalists and media workers are nearing its close, with 15 killed.
Peru president refuses to quit, demands Congress speed up election: AFP reports Peru's embattled President Dina Boluarte said Saturday she would not step down in the face of violent protests over her predecessor's ouster as she called on lawmakers to bring forward elections as a way to quell unrest.
Peru: Ministers resign amid deadly protests: DW reports the death toll from the nationwide protests has risen to 22, prompting two ministers to resign. An attempt to bring forward elections has also failed due to a deadlock in Congress.
Argentina in World Cup Final gives tired nation a reason to celebrate: Hit hard by economic stagnation and inflation, Argentines put hardship aside to watch Lionel Messi and their team take on France. WSJ
SCMP: Chinese fighter jets’ South American hopes grounded as Argentina pulls purchase plan
+ Argentina will not make any immediate military aircraft purchases, President Alberto Fernandez has said of a US$664 million defense budget plan
+ China’s FC-1/JF-17 ‘Thunder’ multi-role fighter aircraft, jointly produced with Pakistan, is believed to have been a top contender
The sleeping Japanese giant awakes: Tokyo rolls out the most important shift in defense strategy and spending since World War II. WSJ - Editorial
Kishida eyes US visit in January for defense talks with Biden: Nikkei reports Japan's counterstrike capability and increased spending to be discussed.
CIA Director Bill Burns on war in Ukraine, intelligence challenges posed by China PBS News Hour
How Putin’s War in Ukraine became a catastrophe for Russia NYT
Putin’s new strategy: Laying claim to traditional values: Searching for allies against Ukraine, Russia now presents itself as the leader of a global culture war against moral depravity. It’s not working. WSJ
Twenty ways the Ukraine war has changed our world: The impact of the invasion stretches from nuclear fears to longer holiday flights. The Times
+ Germany on Saturday inaugurated its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, built in record time, as the country scrambles to adapt to life without Russian energy.
War in Ukraine: Georgia's ambiguous neutrality: Seeing as Russia has been occupying 20% of its territory since 2008, the Georgian population has shown unfailing solidarity with Ukraine. But the government is doing everything it can to avoid irritating Moscow. Le Monde
Anatomy of a scandal: How ‘Qatargate’ crisis shook EU to its core: European leaders are desperate to stop the Parliament corruption crisis trashing their democracy. Is it already too late? Politico
'Qatargate': Attention shifts to Morocco in EU Parliament corruption scandal: Close connections between former MEP Antonio Panzeri, who is in jail, and Abderrahim Atmoun, Morocco's ambassador to Warsaw, have come to light. Le Monde
Varadkar returns as Irish PM as part of unprecedented rotation deal: AFP Ireland's Leo Varadkar on Saturday took over as premier for the second time in a handover of power in line with a coalition deal struck in 2020.
+ Varadkar replaced Micheal Martin as Taoiseach (premier) in a rotation between his Fine Gael and Martin's Fianna Fail parties that is unprecedented in Irish history.
WP: Biden to appoint Joe Kennedy — RFK’s grandson — as special envoy to Northern Ireland
Congress braces for a hectic year-end week. It wasn’t always this way. Paul Kane
Biden advisers craft re-election plans as President weighs final decision: Biden has said he intends to run but will consult with family during holidays. WSJ
Biden vs. Trump? In 2022, there was a clear winner and a clearer loser: Biden and his party defied the history of midterm elections. Trump’s missteps helped make that possible. This pattern continues to play out ahead of 2024. Dan Balz
Peak inflation? The new dilemma for central banks: Policymakers have talked tough this week to buy space for further rate rises even though the pace of price increases could be slowing. FT
Bob Iger vs. Bob Chapek: Inside the Disney coup: The former Walt Disney Co. chief executive undermined and then succeeded the man he had handpicked to lead the entertainment giant. WSJ
Microsoft prepares to go to battle with FTC over Activision deal: WSJ reports the software company says the deal won’t threaten competition in the industry.
There’s a small but growing push to make video gaming greener: Resource-intensive hardware and the energy used by an increasingly popular pastime are starting to draw the attention of climate experts. Bloomberg
The key to widespread adoption of EVs: Less range: Battery packs that could charge in the same amount of time it takes to fill up at a gas station could be key to making electric vehicles more affordable than gas cars. Christopher Mims
What comes next for the most empty downtown in America: Tech workers are still at home. The $17 salad place is expanding into the suburbs. So what is left in San Francisco? NYT
Thursday is the new Monday as hybrid-work patterns shift: Monday and Friday had been the most common days to work from home, but new data from remote-work guru Nicholas Bloom shows a surprising change in preferences. Bloomberg
Bankman-Fried is ready to ‘face the music,’ prison official says: WP reports the embattled crypto executive may consider extradition to the US, according to an employee of Fox Hill prison.
The FTX files: US authorities outline the sprawling case against crypto exchange: The criminal and civil charges as three markets regulators bear down on the golden boy of the industry. FT
Pappy Van Winkle: A 23-year-old bottle recently sold for $52,500 at auction.
For planet Earth, this might be the start of a new age: A panel of experts has spent more than a decade deliberating on how and whether, to mark a momentous new epoch in geologic time: our own. NYT
When you lose weight, where does it go? This is really a question about how our bodies store and use the energy we need to function. Bonnie Tsui
British students tired of UK’s rigid system flock to US colleges: A more flexible admissions process and a greater variety of courses are an appealing options as costs rise in the UK. Bloomberg
The history, hysteria, and deciding factors surrounding France, Argentina’s World Cup Final: The Messi-Mbappé focus is deserved, but Sunday’s title bout is about—and will be decided by—so much more. SI
Kylian Mbappé, star striker who yearns to leave his mark beyond football: France’s most explosive player has been thrust into the sometimes chafing role of the republic's hero. FT
'It's like a religion': Out in droves in Doha, Argentina fans are some of football's most committed supporters: About 50,000 South American fans are expected to attend the World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday to watch Argentina face France. Le Monde
Game needs its modern genius Lionel Messi to seize ultimate prize: Much of the narrative for Sunday’s showdown is about Mbappé versus Messi, but this is about the Argentinian master taking his place as the unquestionable No 1 of his generation and at last doing what Diego did before. Henry Winter
Why Messi surpasses Maradona without needing World Cup victory: Most of the game’s greats marry brilliance and persona, but Argentina’s talisman ruthlessly pursued individual records. Simon Kuper
Why is Didier Deschamps’ role in French glory so often overlooked? James Gheerbrant
Many French vowed to boycott the World Cup. Then their team did too well. WP
AP: Macron returns to Qatar for love of sport, despite criticism
Will the presidents of Argentina and France attend the World Cup Final?
+ Emmanuel Macron of France will be in attendance in the final.
+ Alberto Fernández of Argentina is not expected to attend the game.
David Beckham has made his first public statement on his controversial multi-million-dollar ambassador's role with World Cup hosts Qatar, telling the New York Times he believed "sport has the power to be a force for good in the world."
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
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