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Geopolitics

South Sudan Talks Begin, Polar Vortex, Juan Carlos' Daughter Suspected

Temperatures are sticking far below zero Tuesday in Chicago, aka "Chiberia"
Temperatures are sticking far below zero Tuesday in Chicago, aka "Chiberia"
Worldcrunch

SOUTH SUDAN CEASEFIRE TALKS BEGIN
Government and rebel representatives of South Sudan have both confirmed the beginning of ceasefire talks in neighboring Ethiopia, almost a month after the alleged coup attempt from soldiers loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar. Read more from Al Arabiya.

STATE OF EMERGENCY IN N.Y. AS COLD CONTINUES
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency in western parts of the state, with residents urged to remain indoors, as a wave of extremely cold temperatures across North America continues, The New York Times reports. The market prices of oil and natural gas rose slightly, as demand is expected to increase. The “polar vortex” is expected to affect 187 million people, and Chicago has earned the new nickname “Chiberia.”

MASSIVE RESHUFFLE AT ANKARA PD AMID SCANDAL
The Turkish government fired 350 police officers during the night and is relocating another 600 in response to the ongoing corruption scandal,Hurriyetreports, citing private news agency DoÄŸan.

To better understand the spiraling corruption scandal, we offer a Radikal/Worldcrunch timeline of recent events.

AT LEAST 34 JIHADISTS DEAD IN FIGHTS WITH SYRIAN REBELS
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 34 non-Syrian jihadist fighters had been executed by rebels, as moderate opposition groups are now fighting against al-Qaeda-linked organizations. Read more from AFP.

BY THE NUMBERS
Total losses caused by natural disasters in 2013 were about $125 billion worldwide, according to the world’s biggest reinsurer, Germany-based Munich Re.

SAMSUNG’S BONUS PAYOUT LEADS TO PROFIT LOSSES
Samsung, the world’s largest cellphone manufacturer, announced profits for the fourth quarter of 2013 were down 6% compared with the previous year. This comes after the company distributed $1 billion in bonuses to employees to celebrate the 20th anniversary of chairman Lee Kun-hee’s “New Management” strategy, the Financial Times reports.

CRIME INT'L
The daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain, Infanta Cristina, has been summoned by a Spanish judge to appear before a court over accusations of money-laundering and fraud.

FAREWELL
Hong Kong kung fu film pioneer Run Run Shaw has died at the age of 106.

NEW FED CHIEF
Janet Yellen won U.S. Senate confirmation to become the 15th chairman of the Federal Reserve and the first woman to head the central bank in its 100-year history. Read more from Bloomberg here.

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Future

Life On "Mars": With The Teams Simulating Space Missions Under A Dome

A niche research community plays out what existence might be like on, or en route to, another planet.

Photo of a person in a space suit walking toward the ​Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah

At the Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah

Sarah Scoles

In November 2022, Tara Sweeney’s plane landed on Thwaites Glacier, a 74,000-square-mile mass of frozen water in West Antarctica. She arrived with an international research team to study the glacier’s geology and ice fabric, and how its ice melt might contribute to sea level rise. But while near Earth’s southernmost point, Sweeney kept thinking about the moon.

“It felt every bit of what I think it will feel like being a space explorer,” said Sweeney, a former Air Force officer who’s now working on a doctorate in lunar geology at the University of Texas at El Paso. “You have all of these resources, and you get to be the one to go out and do the exploring and do the science. And that was really spectacular.”

That similarity is why space scientists study the physiology and psychology of people living in Antarctic and other remote outposts: For around 25 years, people have played out what existence might be like on, or en route to, another world. Polar explorers are, in a way, analogous to astronauts who land on alien planets. And while Sweeney wasn’t technically on an “analog astronaut” mission — her primary objective being the geological exploration of Earth — her days played out much the same as a space explorer’s might.

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