Air Force combat veteran MJ Hegar will face Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn after winning her Democratic primary in Texas, while Maine's Democratic Speaker of the House Sara Gideon has secured the right to challenge her state's vulnerable Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. Meanwhile, Ronny Jackson, President Trump's former physician, will be the Republican nominee to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry in northern Texas. It was a primary night that also resulted in a humiliating defeat for Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general who was forced out by the president in 2018. He lost to former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, a political neophyte who nonetheless enjoyed Trump's backing (see story here ). In Texas, Hegar got the nod over Black state senator Royce West in a close race for the Democratic nomination in a state that has long been red, but that analysts say is in a state of political flux due to changing demographics. Even so,

The evolutionary biology of friendship and how digital tech has shaped our fundamental sense of togetherness.

Denver is most definitely a burger town, even boasting its own annual Burger Battle. And it appears the writers at “Saturday Night Live” have noticed.

Cherry Creek seeks its seventh straight appearance in the title game, while Mountain Vista looks for its first.

It's nothing to be a 'black american' goddess!

She now has seven Olympic medals.

The Bermuda International Gymnastics Challenge will be held at the Training Centre in St David’s in March next year. Organised by Bermuda Gymnastics, the competition is from March 16 to 17, with male and female athletes judged under USA Gymnastics rules, all Xcel levels and levels 1 to 10. The entry deadline for gymnasts is […]

Footballers in both the FA Challenge Cup Preliminary Round and First Division were in action this weekend, with the Tuff Dogs, St David’s, X-Road’s and Boulevard Blazers all earning wins. FA Challenge Cup Preliminary Round Tuff Dogs 4 Vasco 0 Corona League side Tuff Dogs secured their place in the first round draw of the […]

Convicted sex offender Brittonie Taylor is making a legal challenge against being deported, with the Court ruling making an “order for a temporary stay of the Deportation Order.’ The court document noted that the applicant stated that he is a Jamaican national who has lived in Bermuda since 2000 and he has Bermudian children “In 2012 […]

Bermuda will host the Pan American Field Hockey Challenge at National Sports Center, and a look at the schedule is below. 2024 Women’s Pan American Cup Challenge Schedule Saturday September 21st 1:30 pm Peru vs. Guyana 3:45 pm Paraguay vs. Brazil 6:00 pm Mexico vs. Bermuda Sunday September 22nd 1:30 pm Peru vs. Brazil 3:45 pm Mexico […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Kovin Moodley, the Bermuda women’s hockey team coach, is confident his players are ready to execute their game plan and make the most of the home advantage in the Women’s Pan American Challenge. Bermuda get their campaign underway against Paraguay in their first pool match today [September 21] at the National […]

Tournament favourites Mexico won their second game at the Women’s Pan American Challenge at the National Sports Centre yesterday [September 23] after defeating Brazil 3-1. Maribel Acosta, Grecia Mendoza and Dariana Cardiel scored for Mexico; meanwhile, Mayara Eiko netted for Brazil. In today’s games, Brazil face Paraguay at 3.45 pm and Bermuda play Guyana at […]

The Mexico women’s national hockey team won their third straight game at the Women’s Pan American Challenge after beating Paraguay 3-1 at the National Sports Centre yesterday [September 25]. Dariana Cardiel, Arlette Estrada and Grecia Mendoza scored for Mexico; meanwhile, Abril Sanabria found the net for Paraguay. In tomorrow’s games, Mexico, the pool leaders, play […]

The Bermuda women’s national hockey team placed fourth in the Women’s Pan American Challenge after a 2-1 defeat to Guyana at the National Sports Centre yesterday [September 28]. Coach Kovin Moodley’s side took the lead in the third-place play-off match through Georgia Harris in the 23rd minute. It was Harris’s second goal of the competition. […]

Arizona State University men’s tennis player Daniel Phillips participated in the DI Big 12 / SEC Tennis Challenge at Baylor University. The Bermudian tennis player and his doubles partner Nicola Cigna defeated Lucas Brown and Evan Burnett of the University of Texas at Austin in a close match, 8-7. In singles competition, Phillips lost to […]

Daniel Phillips and his Arizona State men’s tennis teammates continued competing in the DI big 12 / SEC tennis challenge hosted by Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. In the doubles, Phillips and Nicola Cigna went down 8-7 to Alexander Frusina, and Jake Kennedy from Auburn University. In the singles, Phillips defeated Damien Nezar from the […]

The Association of Tennis Professionals [ATP] has approved a slot in their 2025 calendar for an ATP Challenger tour event to take place in Bermuda during the last week of March. A spokesperson said, “The event will be produced and executed by Same-Group Bermuda, LLC. Same-Group organizes sporting and arts events and also manages professional […]

Daniel Phillips and his Arizona State men’s tennis teammates continued competing in the DI Big 12 / SEC Tennis Challenge hosted by Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. Phillips and Nicola Cigna won their doubles match 8-6 defeating Ritesh Patil, and Ethan Silva from Texas A&M University. Related Stories Phillips Wins Matches In Newport Beach Trey […]

Joey FC, led by Justin Bell, triumphed over Wa Good FC with a 4-1 victory in the final of the sixth annual UT7 Challenge Cup, concluding the ninth annual UT7 Football Series on July 10th. “UT7 has concluded their sixth annual Challenge Cup [ninth annual UT7 Football Series]. The UT7 3v3 tournament took place this […]

The Bermuda Equestrian Federation hosted the 2023 CEA Regional Jumping Challenge at the Bermuda National Equestrian Center. Tyler James won the 0.75m Class riding Sunny Days, they had a score of 57.93, but they also had 4 Penalty Fault Points, Simone Sainsbury riding Face Off won the 0.85m Class with two Clear Rounds of 62.11. […]

Under the watchful eye of FEI 4* judge Cesar Torrente, the Bermuda Dressage Group hosted their portion of the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Dressage Challenge at the National Equestrian Center on Vesey Street. Angela Halloran Smith riding Evert was the adult regional high scorer with 73.75%, while Georgia Harris and Casichacco was the junior regional high […]

The Overall Regional and Mini Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Dressage Challenge results have been tallied and recently announced, with Bermuda making an excellent showing to claim multiple wins. A spokesperson said, “Once again, the annual Regional & Mini Challenges came to very successful conclusions for Bermuda competitors who can now boast of securing overall winnings as […]

The Bermuda Equestrian Federation announced that Bermuda will compete the annual FEI Jumping World Challenge. A spokesperson said, “Bermuda show jumpers are gearing up to compete in the 2024 FEI Jumping World Challenge – the FEI 46th edition of this event. “The Challenge provides local show jumping equestrians an opportunity to compete in an international […]

Round 2 of the 2024 FEI Jumping World Challenge was held at the National Equestrian Center. In the 1.20 – 1.30m Category A Division, JayLynn Hines riding Toto D’ysenbeeck Z finished first with a time of 68.97, but they had a combined 23 Penalty Fault Points. Tyler James and Cruise Control won the 1.10 – […]

Bermuda’s show jumpers will compete in the final phase of the 2024 FEI Jumping World Challenge. Bermuda has competitors in all three categories. Competition #3 will take place on Saturday, March 23rd at the National Equestrian Center on Vesey Street. The judges for the event include FEI level 2 – John Flisk from the United […]

[Updated] Bermuda’s show jumpers showcased their skill and determination as they competed in the 2024 FEI Jumping World Challenge’s final phase at the National Equestrian Center on Vesey Street this weekend. We will update with the results as able. Update 7.50pm: A spokesperson said, “The final phase of the 2024 FEI Jumping World Challenge [FEI […]

The 2023 FEI World Jumping Challenge came to a successful conclusion for Bermuda with Philip Correia, riding his horse Junior Cardento, securing 2nd place in the Zone 10 Category A 1.20 – 1.30m division. A spokesperson said, “This dynamic team also ranked 78th overall out of 173 competitors worldwide. Only the top two placing Category A […]

Yesterday [Nov 2], the Bermuda Equestrian Federation [BEF] hosted the Bermuda round of the 2024 Caribbean Equestrian Association’s ‘Mini’ Jumping Challenge, along with the BEF Support Show, at the National Equestrian Centre. A spokesperson said, “On Saturday, 2nd November, the Bermuda Equestrian Federation hosted the Bermuda round of the 2024 Caribbean Equestrian Association’s ‘Mini’ Jumping […]

[Column written by Dr Kimberley Watkins] Stroke, a leading cause of long-term disability, often brings with it a host of hidden challenges that are not immediately apparent to the casual observer. While physical impairments such as paralysis may be noticeable, there are many invisible disabilities that stroke survivors may face, making their journey to recovery […]

The Bermuda Golf Association hosted their 2024 BGA Team Challenge title event at the Tucker’s Point Club. The team Fantastic Fore of Angela Cook, Elaine Gaugain, Sarah Murphy-Christopher and Sue Maisonneuve claimed the title. Their Net Stableford total of 91 was 2 points clear of team GHIN & Tonics of Paddy Graham, Richard Fulton, David […]

Lord Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, will be the honorary guest speaker for the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge on January 17-19, 2025. A spokesperson said, “The Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge [CBTC] is pleased to announce that the President of the World Athletics, Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE, has agreed to be the honorary guest […]

Bermuda Island Games hosted its 3rd Annual Video Game Design Challenge, where participants showcased their creativity and entrepreneurial skills by designing video games. A spokesperson said, “Bermuda Island Games held their annual Video Game Design Challenge over the weekend, to see which group could come up with the best video game idea. “The theme this […]

The famous Distance Challenge fridge magnets

It's been a few months, but I finally have some time to sit down and blog my having completed the Austin Distance Challenge (long course), sponsored by the Austin Runners Club.  I'd done most of the events before, but decided to do the challenge itself (six races, culminating in the Austin Marathon), because I wanted to put more structure into my training for the marathon. I'd done several in the 90s, but this was my second of the century and I wanted to do better than my last one (2013).

The first race was the Run Free Texas 80s 8k (for those who don't think in metric, that's about five miles) up in Cedar Park.  Naturally enough, there were a couple of DeLoreans, each outfitted with a flux capacitor.  Time travel being what it is, they were obviously the same car but from different time periods. :-).  The course was through residential neighborhoods and parks and had some rolling hills -- nice for a beginning of the season race.

Back to the Future!

The second race of the Challenge was the Run for the Water Ten Miler.  The course was along Lady Bird Lake and up through Tarrytown and then back downtown, There were some great hills on this course and let me know I needed more hill work...And, ironically enough, it was raining. :-)

Rain and hills

Race three was the Decker Challenge, a half marathon in early December with a course around Decker Lake.  It's notorious for hills and really bad weather.  (The last time I ran it, it was in the 40s and pouring rain).  If anything, last year, it was a bit too warm.  The hills were pretty brutal, though. 

My face when attacking the hills

But Santa was there!
After that, we had a month break until the Rogue Distance Festival 30k (about 18.6 miles) in early January.  This one was fairly cold and probably my least favorite of the events.  It was up in Cedar Park again and ran through residential neighborhoods which was fine.  There was an issue with marking the course, though, so most of us got off track, which meant the mile markers were out of order so it was impossible to figure out a pace. (I think at some point, we were going in circles -- and ended up going about a mile farther than we should've.).  Still, it was my longest run before the marathon and I was kind of glad it happened that way. 

Yay!  I'm done! :-)

With four events done, it was all downhill from there.  Literally.  The 3M Half Marathon starts up in the Great Hills area and runs a straight line down to downtown. It also has a swag bag filled with useful (and not so useful) 3M products.:-)

Leo checks out the swag bag

This one also started out pretty cold and way too early :-). 

Before dawn, in the warm car before the cold race.

I really enjoyed this one, though, and it was a nice preview of many of the neighborhoods on the marathon route.

Finisher!

The piece de resistance, of course, was the Austin Marathon in mid-February.  I like the course, but the first time I ran the Austin Marathon, it was all downhill, starting up north and snaking its way downtown.  Now, there's a good bit of uphill until around mile 18.  I still like the course, though, and it's not like the hills from the Decker Challenge or the Run for the Water races.

I was pretty happy with my time -- my second fastest of the century!  I did it in under 4 hours, which had been my goal.  Next year, I'll work more on speed, but this time, I just wanted to not have my quads seize up in the last two miles :-).

Running through UT campus

Made it! Best time of the century!

Anyway, thanks to everyone involved in putting on the races and the challenge itself: organizers, volunteers, emergency personnel, and all the rest!  You keep Austin running!

This past year, I signed up for the Austin Distance Challenge again, because it was intrinsically fun, but also to ensure that I would get enough running in for the Austin Marathon. The Distance Challenge, sponsored by the Austin Runners Club, involved five races: The Run Free 8k, the Run for the Water 10 miler, the Decker Challenge half marathon, the 3M Half Marathon, and the Austin Marathon.

The Run Free 8K is out in Cedar Park, a considerable distance from downtown.  It leaves from one of the high school football stadiums and winds through residential neighborhoods before returning to the starting line. It's a nice start to the fall training season.

The first piece of the puzzle

Run for the Water goes through downtown and along the lakefront. It's one of the prettiest routes in the challenge and much of it is along routes I train on.

Starting line on Cesar Chavez

The drum group at the finish line

A friend got this shot of me at the starting line.

After that came the Decker Challenge -- a hilly route just east of Austin in Decker, and notorious for terrible weather.  This year, it wasn't bad --- a bit misty with a steady drizzle. By the finish line, my glasses were so fogged up I had to take them off to see anything at all. Which made it difficult to see things like potholes...

Glasses fogging up as I climb the hills

Blindly crossing the finish line

 Not on the Challenge, but still an Austin staple was the Turkey Trot!  One of the more fun races, it usually features a good number of costumes and a large helping of whimsy.



After the holidays, the next race was the 3M Half Marathon. It's almost the exact opposite to the Decker Challenge, because it's all downhill. It starts up in the Great Hills area and winds its way downtown. This year it was a particularly fast run because there was an incredible wind out of the north. Several folks, including myself, were nearly blown over as we ran past the UT football stadium.

A selfie at the starting line

the 3M photographer got a shot of me taking my selfie

After the finish in sight of the Capitol

And the last race was the Austin Marathon!

But. About three weeks before the race, in the middle of the night, I slipped and came down on the edge of my entertainment console and tile floors. Result? A nice set of bruised ribs and a strangely linear scar on my right side.

By race day, I could still feel it a bit but had gone on short runs with only minor discomfort, so I decided to go for it.  The first half went pretty well, but the second was less pleasant.  But I'm still glad I did it...

Looking all chipper and optimistic before the race starts

Vulcan salute for the photographer

Gritting it out with a hundred yards to go

Finished!

So my time for the marathon ended up being a personal worst, although I did make it under five hours :-).

Anyway, thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, emergency personnel, and everyone else involved in putting on these races! You keep Austin running!
Next up? The Capital of Texas Triathlon! Hopefully there won't be rain...

Een maand niet klaarkomen, is dat écht gezond: uroloog over de ‘No Nut November’-challenge  Provinciale Zeeuwse CourantHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Rapport is something we all seek, even if we don’t think about it every day. It’s that sense of connection, of feeling understood, and of moving smoothly with others in sync. Whether in our professional lives or at home, rapport matters—and it matters a lot more than we might realize. In today’s fast-paced, digital world, ... Read more

The post Mastering Rapport: Overcoming Challenges in Digital and In-Person Communication appeared first on LifeHack.

To be honest with you, the past two months (Oct. and Nov.) have been miserable for me because of the election campaign and results. Now, finally, the cloak of despair, the fog of depression, is lifting a little.

One evening, as I noticed the challenge kit from the La Conner Quilt Museum on top of my quilting to-do pile, a flicker of an idea passed through my brain. Then, as I awoke the next morning, the flicker became a small flame, which in turn lead me to accept an invitation to spend an afternoon quilting with some friends, which (in order to have something to work on) got me rooting through my fabric stash.

Now, quilters, beaders, and artists of all types, will recognize the phenomenon caused by physically touching your materials, supplies, and tools. Suddenly your wearisome thoughts of the election (or whatever else got you down) are gone! You fondle your stuff lovingly, and with great anticipation, you make the first cuts, fanning the flame, turning it into a nice warm fire. Ah, saved from the chilly fog, at last!

My journey out of the fog began with this vintage block from a quilt that someone, somewhere, started long ago, but never finished. It, along with many others, was donated to the La Conner Quilt Museum. The Curator, Kathleen Kok, not knowing what she would do with all the vintage blocks donated over the years, just kept them in a corner waiting for an idea to form. And form it did!

Every year the Museum has a challenge as a fundraiser, showcasing the entries at the annual Quilt Festival. For 2017, the challenge theme is "Time" and the material provided in the kit is one of the vintage blocks from their collection. The block above is the one I picked. It is just so cheerful... how could I resist? Hand pieced, it wasn't perfectly sewn, but still I fell instantly in love with it. Mine for a $10 contribution!

Of course, it was just the block. In the photo above, I have already layered it with backing and batting, and then hand quilted it.

My idea is two-fold. (1) Since the "time" theme can be portrayed by a transition from these early fabrics to modern fabrics, I decided to repeat the block using Kaffe Fassett fabric scraps left over from my shimmer quilt. (2) Feeling powerless in the face of impending doom after the election, I had to find some ways to assert my beliefs, and this quilt was to be one of them. I've long been concerned about the ever-increasing world population, about all the small, yet constant ways overpopulation is damaging and destroying the natural systems of the planet. So the title will be: Under the Quilts, Time Flies, and Population GROWS. My idea is to illustrate this concept using both color and beads. You'll see.

First though, a few words about making the modern block. At first I tried to make a pattern for the "flower/star" by tracing one of the triangles from the back side. I hand-stitched the required 16 pieces together FOUR different times, varying the seam allowances each time, trying to get it to lie down flat. Obviously, I did not correctly copy the original, because when I finally sewed it so it was nice and flat, it was also too small. Grrr.

A smart quilt friend (thanks Tori) suggested I trace a section from the right side of the block and add 1/4 inch seam allowances all around. Good idea, but there were small differences between the sections... which one to trace? Trying to answer that question, looking at the block, I finally saw how the pattern was derived! (Light bulb!!!)

It's two overlapping squares of the same size, one on point and one not. All it took was to measure the sides of the squares on the original block (which averaged 8.5 inches), cut them out of paper, fold the diagonals and sides, put a pin through the centers to join them, rotate the top one until the folds lined up, tape the two together, and draw along the fold lines. Voila! Now, all I had to do was cut out one of the half-points, add my quarter-inch seam allowances, and there was the perfect pattern for my new block. The rest went quite quickly, and below you can see the quilted result. (Note: I added quarter-inch seam allowances to each of the pattern pieces shown above to get the final cutting pattern.)


You might be wondering why I've layered and quilted these blocks. How will they be joined to form the quilt? The answer is they won't be joined! Instead, they will be bound as separate little quilts (each 11 inches square), and then appliqued to a separate "background quilt."

Here is how they look with the binding.


Notice that the over-all color of the modern block is darker. This matches my concern about over-population of the planet. Time flies, and the population GROWS, making the world a darker place for me, as many species become stressed and obsolete, as the desert lands grow and the forests shrink, as potable water becomes polluted and scarce, as crowded people war with each other. You know. If you watch the documentaries and contribute to various environmental causes, you know. Darker.

Thus, the quilt also becomes darker as the eye travels from top to bottom. Here is how it looks with the two blocks on the background quilt, the transitioning colors from light to dark, representing about 70 years in time passing (estimating the date of the fabrics in the vintage block at approximately 1946). This is an extremely tiny period of world history, but one in which world population sky-rocketed from 2.3 billion to 7.4 billion.

You can probably see the little heart beads, but if you click to enlarge the photo, you'll see them more clearly. The pair at the top represents a couple. They dive under the quilt, have some fun, and produce four lovely children (between the two blocks). These four pair up, dive under the quilt, resulting in 16 children. Under the quilts, time flies, and the population GROWS. That's m' story, and I'm sticking to it.

Now, here's a question for you loyal readers who have come so far with me on this thing.  The quilt looks really pretty the way it is. But originally, I had planned to do more beading on it.  I planned to bead several vines circling the outer border of the quilt (not the binding). Across the top of the quilt, the vines would be light green, with many green leaves, bright-colored flowers, and some critter beads/charms (bees, birds, bears, fish). As the vines trailed down the sides, they would become darker, until at the bottom they would be beaded with dark brown, black, and darkest greens, with no critters, and only a few dark flowers. The visual message (I hope) would be, "this is what happens when we overpopulate the world." What do you think... leave it like it is now or bead the borders?

Global Population Information

Think of it this way. Every single month increasing world population adds another Los Angeles AND another Chicago to the planet. That's 24 gigantic cities worth of people added EVERY year; more than 240 giant cities every 10 years. Imagine how many cities full of people will be added in your life time. Crunch the numbers and see what you think.

Evidence of heavy population demand on resources is all around us. Global aquifers are being pumped 3.5 times faster than rainfall can naturally recharge them. Eventually they will run dry, perhaps as soon as 75 years. Topsoil is being lost 10-40 times faster than it is formed.  Feeding all 7+ billion of us is increasingly difficult, impossible actually.

There is no technology solution to accommodate the increasing demand of uncontrolled global population growth. The only solution is voluntary one child per couple for a couple of generations, on a Global participation level. If all countries followed the lead of countries with the lowest birth rates (Taiwan, Spain, Portugal, South Korea, and Poland), we could reach a more sustainable Global population of 3 billion by 2100!

Please, talk about this with your child-bearing-aged kids, grand kids, students, etc. We teach environmentally sound practices in most schools, write books and make documentary films about issues like clean water, over-fishing, fracking, etc. But rarely does the topic center on overpopulation. Be proactive. Make it happen.

If you are willing to read (or listen to an audio book) to learn more about Global population, Count Down is an excellent read.

Here is a link to the previous bead embroidery pieces (and poems) I've made concerning population growth.Thank you for reading all the way to the end, and for anything you can do to help people understand what we need to do.

Simon A. Levin, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University Samuel S. Wang, Professor of Neuroscience, Princeton University Discussant: Keena Lipsitz, Associate Professor of Political Science at Queens College, City University of New York

Life is like a mirror. Everything you see has a reflection. It can be good or bad. It can be both. We are exposed to a lot of negatives with the widespread use of the internet and social media platforms. Also, we have received a ton of positives we can take advantage of in everyday ... Read more

The post Unleash Your Potential: How Fitness Challenges Can Transform Your Life appeared first on Star Two.

Here are the honorable mentions from the 2024 Student Podcast Challenge. Congratulations!

BBC Radio London's team of swimmers have completed their part of the 1,000-mile challenge.

East Kilbride stun Ayr United to reach the semi-finals of the SPFL Trust Trophy as Dunfermline Athletic and Livingston progress.

The rental-car giant fell as much as 12% on Tuesday after posting a deeper-than-expected loss.

Home Depot's CFO said investments to combat retail theft are "paying off" but the operating environment is "getting harder and harder."

Director's briefing: Key challenges for China’s economy in 2023 6 February 2023 — 8:00AM TO 9:15AM Anonymous (not verified) 18 January 2023 Chatham House

This event examines the structural challenges facing the Chinese economy in the wake of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

This event examines the structural challenges facing the Chinese economy after the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2022 and how President Xi Jinping is responding to short and long-term domestic pressures.

The panel, including Professor Huang Yiping, discuss how quickly the Chinese economy could rebound after the Chinese government abandoned its ‘Zero COVID-19’ policy in December 2022 and to what extent the Chinese economy is pivoting toward Xi Jinping’s stated goal of ‘self-reliance’. The panel also discuss the broader implications for the global economy.
 
Key questions to be explored:

• Which sectors will China prioritize in pursuit of greater economic self-reliance?

• If China is turning inward, how will it drive technological innovation in the coming years?

• Is China’s economy robust enough to withstand geopolitical turbulence and other external shocks?

This event is held under the Chatham House Rule.

Director’s Briefing: Assessing foreign policy challenges for the next US president 5 September 2024 — 2:00PM TO 3:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 27 August 2024 Chatham House and Online

This briefing will explore what challenges might await the winner of 2024 US presidential election.

As the 2024 US Presidential election draws closer, the future direction of American foreign policy seems ever more uncertain. Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, appears to be embracing many of Biden’s policies, but she brings a different background, and most likely a different team, so change is likely.  Donald Trump has more well-known views on foreign policy, but the context for a second Trump administration would be very different than the first.

The next U.S. President will be confronted a world in need of leadership with two major wars, a more assertive and capable China, a climate crisis, ungoverned technological change, emerging powers that demand a seat at the table, and debt distress across much of the developing world.

Please join us for this critical conversation covering:

• How will US-China strategic competition and the threat of conflict over Taiwan challenge US policy makers?
• What are the risks and challenges posed by Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
• How does war in the Middle East and the threat of regional escalation shape US foreign policy?

Offsetting the North Korean strategic challenge 16 March 2023 — 9:30AM TO 10:30AM Anonymous (not verified) 8 March 2023 Online

This event explores what balance between pressure and dialogue is most likely to incentivise North Korea to limit its provocations.

With North Korea having steadily increased its nuclear and conventional security capabilities over the course of recent months, the speakers explore practical options for lowering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

They consider how best to re-engage diplomatically with North Korea, including the role of key actors such as the US, South Korea, Japan, and European states, in advancing a constructive resolution of current tensions.

The discussion explores finding a balance between pressure and dialogue which is most likely to incentivise North Korea to limit its provocations, assess the risks of a possible seventh nuclear test, and consider the viability of multilateral cooperation in enhancing regional security in north-east Asia.

This event forms part of the Korea Foundation Korea Fellowship, funded by the Korea Foundation and Taejae Academy.

G20's lack of progress highlights challenge for COP26 Expert comment NCapeling 1 November 2021

A positive outcome from the G20 summit was committing to end international financing for coal projects but, on other issues, the communique was ultimately weak.

Success at Glasgow depends on bridging fault lines

Renata Dwan

The G20 summit’s lack of progress on climate highlights the scale of the challenge – and the stakes – for COP26.  The countries responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions recognized but failed to agree concrete action to limit global warming to 1.5C.

The leaders’ gathering reveals multilateralism’s fault lines. One is the tension between domestic politics and international priorities, reflected in the lack of ambition to reduce coal dependency.  The second is the tension between industrialized and developing states over responsibility for delivering global goods.

The G20 failed to endorse the G7’s pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or to accelerate the mobilization of previously agreed climate financing. Success at Glasgow – and beyond – will depend on the extent to which these fault lines can be bridged.

Communique’s language was weak

Professor Tim Benton

A positive outcome on climate from the G20 summit was the commitment to end international financing for coal projects by the end of 2021. This is a win for the climate and for the G20-host, Italy.

The references to 1.5 degrees and the commitment to taking further action this decade were also important, and help lay the groundwork for COP26. On the downside, the communique’s language on phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and coal domestically was very weak.

The G20 summit should be regarded as the next step – it is crucial world leaders accelerate their efforts at COP26 in Glasgow to avert climate catastrophe and keep 1.5 degrees alive.

Platitudes and vague plans on pandemic preparedness

Robert Yates

As G20 leaders head to Glasgow to tackle the evolving climate crisis, they leave Rome having failed, yet again, to take serious action to end the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Despite the obvious urgency to achieve universal vaccine coverage, their communique contains little more than platitudes and vague plans to prepare better for future pandemics. It is not as if they had not been briefed. 

In the run up to the G20, the leaders of the WHO, WTO, IMF, World Bank, former world leaders, Nobel laureates and the Pope, all highlighted the costs of ongoing vaccine inequity: five million deaths next year and $5.3 trillion dollars in lost economic output by 2026.

The ask was also straightforward: launch a massive airlift of unneeded vaccines from rich countries through COVAX, ramp up financing of the multilateral response and accelerate technology transfers to developing countries.

But on all these issues the wording of the communique is weak, with no numbers on vaccines or funding, no hard timescales and no urgency. This does not augur well for the COP-26 summit.

G20 communique is a launching pad

Dr Leslie Vinjamuri

The G20 might seem disappointing to some, but a lot will depend on expectations. If your starting point is a pandemic that has so far taken five million lives and driven a global economic crisis, and that both these crises are marked by deep inequality, then the measures adopted are bound to look insufficient. But if your starting point is 16 years of democracy in decline, rampant disinformation on issues of climate and public health, four years of failed international leadership during the Donald Trump presidency and, especially today, heightened tensions between the US and China, the world’s two greatest powers, then the fact that the G20 communique achieved as much as it has is remarkable.

Any written document that requires agreement between the US, UK, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia and the EU is necessarily going to be watered down.

But the principles are in the document, and mostly everyone turned up – if some by video. That is a good outcome for this kind of multilateralism in 2021. The G20 communique is a floor not a ceiling, and it’s a launching pad for activism and mobilisation by individual states, but also by corporates, civil society, and subnational actors. 

Now we need to hope that those on the right side of progress, whether on climate, health, or development, will use this language to drive forward concrete actions towards net zero, climate finance, vaccine distribution, and debt relief.

Specifics are for the most part missing

Creon Butler

This year’s G20 leaders’ summit marks a stark contrast with the past four years when much of the group’s energy was exhausted simply trying to maintain a consensus – in the face of opposition by a President Trump-led United States – on such issues as the importance of tackling climate change, the benefits of the rules-based multilateral trade system and the centrality of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the global financial safety net. 

By contrast, today’s G20 Rome Leaders’ declaration early on underlines ‘the crucial role of multilateralism in finding shared, effective solutions’. In two critical areas for the world economy – the global boost to liquidity from the general allocation of $650bn in Special Drawing Rights and the global tax deal focused on addressing challenges arising from digitalisation – this outlook has been translated into very substantial and concrete achievements announced earlier in the year.