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Showing episodes and shows of
Sveinn Helgason
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Lífæðar landsins
Þétt alþjóðlegt tengslanet margborgar sig
Öflugur hópur frá Íslandi, fulltrúar orkufyrirtækja, háskóla, verkfræðistofa og fleiri, sóttu Evrópsku jarðhitaráðstefnuna í Zurich frá 6. til 9. október sem EGEC – European Geothermal Energy Council skipulagði. Þessi góða þátttaka er til marks um forystuhlutverk Íslands í nýtingu jarðhita og margvíslega alþjóðlega samvinnu um rannsóknir, nýjungar og annað sem eflir þessa grænu orkulind. Sveinn Helgason sat ráðstefnuna fyrir hönd Samorku og talaði við nokkra úr íslenska hópnum fyrir Lífæðar landsins. Viðmælendur Sveins lögðu áherslu á gagnsemi þess...
2025-10-10
19 min
Lífæðar landsins
Viðnámsþróttur vatns og ríkidæmi Íslands
Birna Guttormsdóttir, sérfræðingur hjá framkvæmdastjórn Evrópusambandsins, segir að ný stefna ESB um viðnámsþrótt vatns (European Water Resilient Strategy) sé yfirgripsmikil enda við margvíslegar áskoranir að glíma. „Stærsta markmiðið með stefnunni er að laga þessa brotnu hringrás vatnsins,“ segir í Birna í viðtali við Svein Helgason í Brussel, í hlaðvarpi Samorku. Birna Guttormsdóttir, sérfræðingur hjá framkvæmdastjórn ESB. Birna segir að Íslendingar standi svolítið með pálmann í höndunum á þessu sviði því landið sé ríkt af vatni. Hinsvegar sé mikilvægt að þekkja vel auðlindina og gera...
2025-06-23
28 min
Þjóðmál
#325 – Helgarvaktin á Heimaey um borð í Heimaey
Árni Helgason, varaþingmaður og lögmaður, Ólafur Jóhann Borgþórsson, fv. prestur og nú framkvæmdastjóri Herjólfs, og Sveinn Ólafur Melsted, aðstoðarritstjóri Viðskiptablaðsins mæta á helgarvakt Þjóðmála, sem í þetta sinn er tekin upp um borð í nýjasta skipi íslenska skipaflotans, Heimaey VE. Fjallað er um allt það helsta í pólitíkinni, pirringinn í stjórnarmeirihlutanum, hvort að eldhúsdagskrárumræður á þinginu skipti einhverju raunverulegu máli og fleira. Einnig er rætt um nafnabreytinguna hjá Sýn, fyrirhugaðar breytingar á eignarhaldi Play auk þess sem teknir eru ýmsir snúningar á lífinu í Vestmannaeyjum.
2025-06-14
1h 19
Lífæðar landsins
Snjöll samvinna er sterkasta vopnið
Netárásum á mikilvæga inniviði hefur fjölgað mikið sem kallar á öflugar varnir um tæknibúnað. Kristrún Lilja Júlíusdóttir, forstöðukona hjá Orkuveitunni, ræddi við Svein Helgason á Samorkuþingi 2025 um öryggismál og hvernig samtal, traust og samvinna getur skipt sköpum í að verja innviði á Íslandi. Sveinn og Kristrún Lilja ræða saman á Samorkuþingi 2025.
2025-05-28
09 min
World Focus from Brussels
Fighting for Freedom in Belarus - An interview with Vitaliy Molchanov
Today 29 March, is the fourth anniversary of World Focus from Brussels. Looking back the world has changed dramatically since the first episode went on line 29 March 2021. However, one thing has not changed. The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is still in power and has only tightened his grip, brutally repressing Belarusians and holding elections that are neither free or fair. Those who are fighting for democracy in Belarus are either in prison or in exile. One of the exiled is Vitaliy Molchanov whom I interviewed during the Lampa conversation festival in Latvia in the summer of 2023. Vitaliy is a...
2025-03-29
25 min
World Focus from Brussels
European Unity on Defence - Crucial Challenges and Political Will - An interview with Rainer Wenning
Leaders of the European Union meet in Brussels on 20 March to discuss security and defence, following the introduction of a White Paper on European Defence - Readiness 2030. Many allied military leaders are also meeting today in Northwood HQ in the UK. In Germany the incoming new Chancellor, Friedrich Merz is wasting no time to implement his plans on boosting defence. In this episode I interview Rainer Wenning, a Lt. Colonel in the reserves of the Germany military, Bundeswehr. He has a long experience in serving his country, including in the NATO multinational battlegroup in Lithuania, led by Germany. We...
2025-03-20
33 min
World Focus from Brussels
Greenland Votes in the Global Spotlight – An Interview with Vilborg Ása Guðjónsdóttir
Greenlanders voted for a parliament on 11 March. This tiny nation living on the largest island in the world has been pushed into the global spotlight following Donald Trump's repeated comments that he wants to make the country a part of the United States. Greenland was a colony of Denmark for 300 years, currently has self-rule but is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In this episode I interview Vilborg Ása Guðjónsdóttir, an Icelandic expert in international affairs who was in Greenland to follow the elections. We speak about the results, talks to form a new government, the r...
2025-03-14
25 min
World Focus from Brussels
Deadly Drone War in Ukraine - An interview with Ole Kværnø Director of Danish Drone Centre
Drones have become increasingly important on the battlefields of the Russia-Ukraine war, as three years have recently passed from Russia's full-scale invasion. In this episode I interview Ole Kværnø, a retired Danish Brigadier General now the director of the Danish Centre for Defence Robotics and Autonomy. He says we are witnessing a military revolution, adding that innovation, matched with mass productions of drones, will be the deciding factor in who wins or loses this war on the frontlines. A war which has killed and wounded more than a million soldiers in all, according to Ukrainian and Western estimates. To...
2025-03-05
36 min
World Focus from Brussels
The Role of Military AI and the Resort to Force - Discussing Crucial Questions in a Copenhagen Conference
In war zones of the world Artificial Intelligence already guides drones, is used in target selection, intelligence and surveillance, just to name a few examples. But how can AI affect decisions by political and military leaders to use military force in the first place? In this episode I continue to focus on the conference "Military AI and the Resort to Force" in Copenhagen on 27 February which brought together legal academics, ethicists, members of the military, IR scholars and the wider public. Speakers and guests discussed the potential impact of autonomous weapons and AI-based decision support systems on the interstate u...
2025-03-03
17 min
World Focus from Brussels
Military AI is Shaping Modern Warfare and Posing Tough Questions - An interview with US Ret. Lt. General Jack Shanahan
Military Artificial Intelligence is already shaping the character of modern warfare, for example in the battlefields of Ukraine and Gaza. The episode focuses on this new arms race and key challenges we face. I attended “Military AI and the Resort to Force,” a conference organized by Centre for Military Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen on 27 February. Multiple speakers grappled with crucial military, ethical, legal and political questions on the use of Military AI and it’s role in decision making by leaders. I interviewed Jack Shanahan, a retired United States Air Force Lieute...
2025-02-28
23 min
World Focus from Brussels
Ukraine still stands and fights - Marking three years from Russia's full scale invasion - Special Edition
Allied leaders from Europe and Canada, have been in Kyiv today, 24 of February, demonstrating support for Ukraine at a Summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Three years have passed since the full scale invasion of Russia into this sovereign state in the heart of Europe. At the same time the US Trump administration seems to be embracing Russia, the aggressor, and President Donald Trump has called President Zelensky, “a dictator.” US leaders are not in Kyiv today. America’s support to Ukraine is therefore in serious doubt and the transatlantic bond underpinning NATO, is being challenged. Ukrainians have fought bravely, in fact...
2025-02-24
56 min
World Focus from Brussels
The Frozen Conflict of Abkhazia and Everyday Geopolitics – An interview with Dr. Görkem Aydemir-Kundakci at KU Leuven University
Russia’s war on Ukraine has left death and destruction in its trail, as we approach three years from Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. This is very much a “hot-war.” However, around the world multiple frozen and often forgotten conflicts are also impacting people’s daily lives, without getting into the global headlines. One of these conflicts evolves around Abkhazia in the South-Caucasus, which Russia and a handful of its closest Allies have recognized as an independent state. However Georgia and most other UN member states view Abkhazia as Georgian territory, occupied by Russia. In this episode I in...
2025-02-18
21 min
The House
As Trump threatens Canada, where are our allies?
World leaders are gathering in Germany this weekend to discuss threats to international security, including Russia’s war on Ukraine. But for some countries — Canada included — the latest threat is coming from U.S. President Donald Trump. CBC’s defence correspondent Murray Brewster guest hosts The House to look at international crises unfolding in real time.We start with Oleksandra Matviichuk — head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize — who shares her reaction to Donald Trump’s conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine.
2025-02-15
49 min
World Focus from Brussels
A New Munich Moment for the World - NATO Ukraine Trump and Putin - News analysis
The Munich Security Conference started today 14 February in Germany, two days after US President Donald Trump pushed for peace in Ukraine by talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a 90 minutes phone call. In Brussels US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told NATO Allies and Partners supporting Ukraine, that it is unrealistic to return to the prewar borders from 2014 between Ukraine and Russia. He added that Ukraine’s membership in NATO would not be included in security guarantees for the country. This contradicts the pledge by NATO leaders at the Washington Summit from 2024 that Ukraine was on an "ir...
2025-02-14
38 min
World Focus from Brussels
The UK in NATO and Defending Europe - Keir Starmer visits Brussels - An interview with Russia and defence expert Keir Giles
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, met with Mr. Mark Rutte Secretary General of NATO in Brussel on the 3 of February. They discussed defence spending and ongoing support for Ukraine, as we are approaching three years from Russia’s full scale invasion into Ukraine. The two leaders also participated in an informal meeting with leaders of the European Union member states, in Brussels, to discuss European defence. Mr. Starmer also attended a dinner in Egmont Palace where he became the first UK Prime Minister to address the European Council of EU leaders since Brexit. To tal...
2025-02-04
34 min
World Focus from Brussels
Russia at War – An interview with Félix Krawatzek, expert on Russia and comparative politics
Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on and soon three years have passed since the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. Experts on Russia gathered in Brussels on 27 January at a conference headlined: “Russia and Europe in Wartime.” In this episode I interview one of the speakers, Félix Krawatzek, Senior Researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), in Berlin. He says that despite Western sanctions Russia will not run out of money to finance the war effort. We spoke about how the Russian government is increasingly militarizing education through propaganda and other methods...
2025-01-28
17 min
World Focus from Brussels
Russia at War - An interview with Félix Krawatzek, expert on Russia and comparative politics
Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on and soon three years have passed since the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. Experts on Russia gathered in Brussels on 27 January in a conference headlined: “Russia and Europe in Wartime.” In this episode I interview one of the speakers, Félix Krawatzek, Senior Researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), in Berlin. He says that despite Western sanctions Russia will not run out of money to finance the war effort. We spoke about how the Russian government is increasingly militarizing education through propaganda and other methods...
2025-01-28
18 min
World Focus from Brussels
Trump is back - Is Europe ready? - News analysis and interview with Brussels Correspondent Björn Malmquist
Donald J. Trump is back in the White House, after being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on 20th of January. In his inaugural address Trump said that America will “be respected again all over the world." Leaders of other NATO Allies and the European Union have been bracing themselves for a second Trump presidency and how that will affect transatlantic relations. President Trump takes office at a time when the global security environment is very challenging. The episode focuses on the cooperation between NATO and the European Union as the annual European Defence Agency confe...
2025-01-22
18 min
World Focus from Brussels
Sound advice from a military leader - Admiral Rob Bauer's term as the Chair of the NATO Military Committee
On 17 January, Admiral Rob Bauer from the Netherlands finished his term as Chair of the NATO Military Committee, after serving for three and a half years as NATO’s senior military official. His successor is Admiral Cavo Dragone from Italy. This episode focuses on Admiral Bauer’s time in this important post. He was the senior military spokesperson for the Alliance on all military matters and the principal military adviser to the NATO Secretary General, first Jens Stoltenberg and then Mark Rutte. We hear clips from Admiral Bauer's speeches, interviews and press conferences.Effective deterrence rests on strong...
2025-01-18
27 min
World Focus from Brussels
Icelandic town of Grindavík threatened by seismic activity and potential eruption - Interview with geophysicist Ari Trausti Guðmundsson
Massive seismic activity has led to the evacuation of close to 4000 inhabitants from the fishing town of Grindavík, on the south coast of the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. I speak to my fellow Icelander, geophysicist Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, who explains the immense forces at work. Geoscientists still think it is likely that an eruption might start, close to or even in Grindavík itself. Already earthquakes, sink holes and other activity have caused huge damage to houses and infrastructure in the town. Few kilometers away, barriers are being built to protect the geothermal power plant in Svartsengi, next...
2023-11-15
30 min
World Focus from Brussels
France in the World - Perspective from Paris on Geopolitics and Defence - An interview with dr. Élie Tenenbaum
France plays a major role in Europe as one of the leading nations of the European Union, plus being a founding member of NATO and a key Ally. Nevertheless French governments have often been critical of the Alliance through the years. French President Emmanuel Macron has focused on strengthening the influence and status of France on the global stage, while also emphasizing the importance of Europe's strategic autonomy. For this episode I travelled to Paris and interviewed dr. Élie Tenenbaum, the Director of the Security Studies Center at the French Institute for International Relations - IFRI. We spoke about the w...
2023-11-08
1h 03
World Focus from Brussels
The role and influence of the European Union on the global stage - An interview with Sven Biscop
Major conflicts are raging in different parts of the world. The war in Ukraine continues and since early October, a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, following Hamas terrorist attack on Israel - adding a new chapter to the violent and complicated history of that region. Leaders of the European Union member states met in Brussels late last week to discuss these two conflicts and other pressing matters. In this episode I interview Belgian professor Sven Biscop, an expert at the Egmont Institute, about the role and the influence of the EU on the global stage. In this...
2023-11-01
38 min
World Focus from Brussels
EEAS report on targeting LGBTIQ people by foreign threat actors - Analysis to protect human rights and diversity
Targeting LGBTIQ+ people is one tool that the Kremlin and other foreign threat actors use to manipulate the information space, in order to sow discord and weaken democracy, aiming to achieve their own political and even military objectives. The most prominent anti-LGBTIQ+ disinformation narrative, asserts that the West is trying to destroy everything that is good, normal, and moral by actively pushing ‘the LGBTIQ+ agenda.” The European External Action Service – the diplomatic service of the European Union – launched a landmark report on this issue at a conference in Brussels last Monday, 23 October. The report identifies cases of foreign information manipulati...
2023-10-25
35 min
World Focus from Brussels
Vicious cycle of violence and war - Israel retaliates after Hamas attack. - An interview with Erlingur Erlingsson
US President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 18 October, in a high-stake visit to Israel, trying to break the latest cycle of violence in the region or at least prevent the current conflict from escalating even further. On 7 October the Hamas organization launched a horrific terrorist attack on Israel across the border from it’s bases in Gaza. Israel has retaliated with massive air strikes on the Gaza strip, also cutting fuel, water and other supplies to this densely populated area of around 2.2 million people. My guest in this episode is Erlingur Erlingsson, an Icelandic military historian and...
2023-10-18
35 min
World Focus from Brussels
War in Ukraine has long-term geopolitical implications - An interview with Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen
NATO ministers of defence meet in Brussels today 11 October and tomorrow to discuss the war in Ukraine as almost 600 days have passed since the full-scale invasion by Russia on 24 February last year. Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine was welcomed to NATO's headquarters this morning by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, In this episode I speak to top Danish defence and miltary expert Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a professor in political science at the University of Copenhagen. He says the geopolitical implications of the war will be felt for generations to come. The use of Artificial Intelligence in warfare and the importance of...
2023-10-11
39 min
World Focus from Brussels
Global Military Power in the Making - the Chinese PLA - An interview with Ole Kværnø
China’s military – the People’s Liberation Army – aims to be world class by mid century, equal to the United States military. The PLA has already added massive capabilities, such as enlarging the navy and is also preparing for intelligentized warfare through developing and analyzing AI – Artificial Intelligence. Brigadier General Ole Kværnø, was a contributor to a conference on 2 October organized by the Centre for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen, about the Chinese military. General Kværnø returned home late summer from Beijing where he had been the Danish military attaché for the past four years. He says that majo...
2023-10-04
20 min
World Focus from Brussels
Launching the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index - An interview with Kosyo Ivanov and Chiara Gentili
The Global Organized Crime Index 2023 reveals a widening gap between organized crime and our collective resilience efforts. A new edition of the index has been launched by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and the results highlight the urgent need for informed, practical strategies to combat organized crime globally. The index profiles all 193 member states of the United Nations, by providing a criminality and resilience score for each of them. In this episode I speak with two analysts from the GI index team, Kosyo Ivanov and Chiara Gentili about the main findings and the methodology behind the index. For fu...
2023-09-27
29 min
World Focus from Brussels
Brussels Arts Square in Sablon Shows Lively Gallery Scene – An interview with Jonathan F. Kugel
Brussels has a very lively art gallery scene and a thriving market for art that is internationally recognized. This week, from 21 to 24 September, 70 galleries and jewellers take part in the annual Brussels Art Square in the Sablon neighbourhood. World Focus from Brussels visits one of art dealers taking part, Jonathan Kugel, in his gallery in the heart of Sablon. We discuss the importance of Brussels Art Square, the market for art in general, how to be aware of forgeries and how the business of art is evolving – becoming more digital but at the same time holding on to personal fa...
2023-09-21
14 min
World Focus from Brussels
Pivotal Elections for Parliament in Slovakia - An interview with Katarina Klingová
Slovaks go to the polls on 30 September to select a new parliament. The election campaign takes place in a volatile political environment where disinformation has been rampant and rivals fight bitterly. The elections are also closely watched because the results might decide whether Slovakia changes course in it’s support for Ukraine, which until now has been robust. On the other hand, Former Prime Minister and front-runner in the elections, Robert Fico, says Slovakia will stop sending arms and ammunition to Ukraine if voters return him to power. That must be a cause of concern for Slovakia’s Allies in N...
2023-09-20
29 min
World Focus from Brussels
Ukraine is united around one aim: Victory - An interview with Oleksiy Goncharenko
Ukraine is united in fending off the full-scale invasion by Russia and liberate all occupied territories. In this episode I interview Oleksiy Goncharenko a member of the Ukrainian parliament who took up arms along with his colleagues following the invasion on 24. February 2022. He represents Odesa, the biggest city in the south of Ukraine, on the coast of the Black Sea and a key hub for exports. We met at the NATO Public Forum on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on 11 and 12 July.
2023-07-19
12 min
World Focus from Brussels
The business of sports and Latvian identity - An interview with Kaspars Gorkšs
Sports is a huge global business, one example is English football where billionaires and oil-rich countries have been making big investments. In this episode I speak with Kaspars Gorkšs, former professional footballer from Latvia, In addition to playing for domestic clubs and his national team, Kaspars had a successful 10 years career in England, joining clubs such as Queens Park Rangers and Reading. We spoke about sports and business, a subject of a panel where he was one of the participants at the Lampa conversation festival in the Latvian town of Cēsis I also...
2023-06-21
11 min
World Focus from Brussels
Challenges in reporting from the frontlines in Ukraine - An interview with Latvian reporter Gints Amoliņš
Reporters and journalists in Ukraine face a challenging task in reporting on the horrific war brought on by the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Russia into the country on 24 February 2022. In this episode I speak to Latvian TV-reporter Gints Amoliņš who has been reporting from the frontlines and telling other stories related to war to his domestic audience. I met Gints on the 10 of June, at the Lampa conversation festival in the town of Cēsīs, few days after he returned home for a break. We discussed what it is like working in a war-zone and the impor...
2023-06-11
14 min
World Focus from Brussels
Fighting on the information front in Ukraine and globally - An interview with Dmytro Pleshakov
Ukrainians are united in fighting the Russian invading forces on the battlefield but also in the information space. In this episode I speak to Dmytro Pleshakov, a young Ukrainian tech entrepreneur who was a speaker at the Riga StratCom dialogue on 7-8 June. Like millions of his fellow citizens Dmytro decided to help his government in the war effort, contributing his professional skills and knowledge. We discuss how to tell the story of Ukraine to the world and effectively counter the flood of disinformation from the enemy.
2023-06-09
13 min
World Focus from Brussels
Finland joins NATO entering a new era - An interview with Dr. Iro Särkkä
Finland has joined NATO becoming the thirty first member of the Alliance. This is a historic change for a country that for a long time was militarily non-aligned, charting a tricky path as a next door neighbor to Russia. However the full-scale invasion by Russia into Ukraine on 24. February 2022 has totally changed the security landscape in Europe, eventually leading to the Finnish flag to be raised at NATO HQ in Brussels on 4. April , the founding day of the Alliance. I speak to Dr. Iro Särkkä an expert on defence and security, including Finnish foreign policy and NATO, at the F...
2023-04-25
31 min
World Focus from Brussels
The war in Ukraine - high stakes and no end in sight - An interview with Toms Rostoks
The war in Ukraine rages on, more than one year after the full-scale invasion of Russia into the country on 24 February 2022. The invaders were met with fierce resistance by the Armed Forces of Ukraine that have demonstrated war fighting skills and bravery. Ukraine has also received massive military and humanitarian support from the West. The scale of death and destruction is unspeakable and there seems no end in sight. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, said in a speech on 24 February this year that the invaders would be held accountable for their crimes and he was sure that Ukraine w...
2023-03-02
50 min
World Focus from Brussels
Terrorists on trial in Brussels - An interview with Dr. Thomas Renard
Ten men are now on trial in Brussels, for their involvement in the terrorist attacks in the capital of Belgium on 22 March 2016. 32 people were killed and hundreds more wounded when the perpetrators detonated their bombs in the Maalbeek metro station and at Zaventem airport. In this episode I speak with Dr. Thomas Renard, a Belgian who is the Director of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in the Hague https://icct.nl/ Dr. Renard, a leading expert on counter-terrorism, talks about the massive trial underway in Brussels but also how the threat of terrorism has evolved in the broader context an...
2023-01-25
40 min
World Focus from Brussels
Körfuboltalíf í Litháen - Elvar Már Friðriksson landsliðsmaður í viðtali
Elvar Már Friðriksson landsliðsmaður í körfuknattleik telur að Ísland eigi enn ágæta möguleika á að komast í lokakeppni Heimsmeistaramótsins. Elvar Már átti stórleik um helgina þegar lið hans Rytas Vilnius lagði Siauliai (Síólæ), 107:101 í framlengdum leik í litháísku úrvalsdeildinni. Elvar var að mæta sínum gömlu félögunum en hann spilaði með Siauliai fyrir tveimur árum.
2022-12-19
03 min
World Focus from Brussels
Existential war about values - An interview with Nataliya Gumenyuk journalist from Ukraine
Russia’s unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to unspeakable human suffering and widespread destruction. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have courageously fought the invaders and backed by weapons supplied by Western Allies gained the momentum on the battlefield. In late September I spoke with Nataliya Gumenyuk, a well known journalist from Ukraine, on documenting the atrocities committed by Russian forces, how this war is about values and is in fact existential for Ukraine.
2022-10-23
19 min
Curiosity Weekly
Fake Paint Real Carbon, Vanishing Vikings, Sweeping Smarts
Tune in to understand how new tech to find fake paintings, the mysterious reason a viking colony collapsed, and how doing chores might make kids smarter!Goodbye forgaries.Police Rely on Radiocarbon Dating to Identify Forged Paintings by Carolyn Wilkehttps://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00582-wDetecting Recent Forgeries of Impressionist and Pointillist Paintings with High-Precision Radiocarbon Dating by Lucille Beck, et al.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111214Discovering Forgeries of Modern Art by the 14C Bomb Peak by L. Caforio, et al.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2014-14006-6Uncovering Modern Paint Forgeries by...
2022-09-07
11 min
World Focus from Brussels
The powerful printmaking of Aleksandrs Karpovs. Interview with Kārlis Kanderovskis
Aleksandrs Karpovs, US born graphic artist of Latvian descent, led a remarkable life. An exhibition, presenting his powerful and provocative printmaking was opened in The Global Center for Latvian Art in the town of Cēsis on 25 March. On that day Latvians commemorate every year the mass deportations of over 40.000 people to Siberia in 1949, carried out by the Soviets. I speak with Kārlis Kanderovskis, the director of the Center, about the life and art of Aleksandrs Karpovs and the importance of preserving the strong bond with your home country. Art and politics in the past and the present.
2022-04-29
10 min
World Focus from Brussels
Elections for the Bundestag in Germany - Interview with Hardy Ostry
German voters go to the polls on the 26th of September to choose a new Bundestag, the federal parliament in Berlin. The two current government partners – the CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democratic Party are almost in a dead-heat in the polls and the Greens are not far behind. Some of the latest polling actually indicates that the Social Democrats are slightly ahead of Angela’s Merkel party, who after sixteen years is stepping down as chancellor. In this episode I speak with Hardy Ostry, an expert on German and European Politics, about the state-of-play in the elec...
2021-08-26
30 min
World Focus from Brussels
The Jewish Community in Belgium - Interview with Frieda Van Kamp
The Jewish community in Belgium has a remarkable history and culture. In this episode I speak with Frieda van Kamp from the Jewish Museum of Belgium about the diversity of this vibrant community, the importance of education and how to promote mutual understanding. We also discuss the horrors of the Holocaust and how to counter Anti-Semitism in the modern day.
2021-08-16
28 min
World Focus from Brussels
How Iceland Changed the World - Interview with Egill Bjarnason
“How Iceland Changed the World” is the title of a new book written by my fellow Icelander, journalist Egill Bjarnason and published by Penguin. Egill tells the history of those who have lived on this volcanic island in the middle of the North-Atlantic for 1200 years, featuring various historical figures, from Vikings to the first elected female president plus chess player Bobby Fisher. In this episode I speak with Egill about the book and how Iceland and Icelanders have changed the course of world history.More about How Iceland Changed the World and reviews:https://www.pengu...
2021-08-01
25 min
World Focus from Brussels
President of Haiti Murdered - Interview with Robin Morais
The President of Haiti Jovenel Moïse was assassinated during a night time attack on July 7 by a group of assailants. The murder has shocked the nation, adding to political turmoil in a country already hammered by COVID-19 on top of a struggling economy, In this episode I speak to Robin Morais, an experienced journalist from Trinidad and Tobago, another state in the Caribbean. He has been closely following events in Haiti and how they are affecting this poor nation which also takes pride in it’s independence, more than two centuries ago.
2021-07-16
21 min
World Focus from Brussels
NATO-Summit in Brussels - Interview with Kristine Berzina
Leaders of NATO Allies meet at a Summit in Brussels on Monday 14 of June to discuss a wide range of issues, including the vision for NATO 2030, how to deal with Russia, the rise of China, and the security implications of climate change. I speak with Kristine Berzina, a NATO-expert, on the future of the Alliance and how to deal with the multiple security and political challenges at hand. This is also the first NATO Summit of Joe Biden as US President.
2021-06-11
36 min
World Focus from Brussels
The rise of transnational repression - Interview with Nate Schenkkan
Transnational repression is on the rise as multiple states deploy a broad spectrum of tactics against their perceived enemies, from spyware and family intimidation to renditions or assassinations. In this episode I speak to Nate Schenkkan from Freedom House, co-author of a recent report on transnational repression "Out of Sight, Not Out of Reach." Find it here: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/Complete_FH_TransnationalRepressionReport2021_rev020221.pdf
2021-06-03
40 min
World Focus from Brussels
Russia's history and Putin - Interview with Mark Galeotti
Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin and the complicated history of this vast country. This is the subject of my conversation with Mark Galeotti, the author of A Short History of Russia, We Need to Talk about Putin and several other books. Mark closely follows Russian politics and society and also has his own podcast: In Moscow's Shadows. We talk about challenging several myths about Russia and Putin and a range of other subjects.
2021-05-24
36 min
World Focus from Brussels
Saving Stella from Syria -- Interview with Bassel Abou Fakher
The war in Syria has been going on for more than ten years, tearing the nation and the country apart. I speak with Bassel Abou Fakher, a musician in Belgium, one of the millions of refugees that have fled Syria because of the war. This is a story about courage and building a new life in a new country. Bassel also tells me how he rescued his beloved dog, Stella, with the help of some good people. You can read that beautiful story in the children's book "Saving Stella."
2021-05-14
24 min
World Focus from Brussels
Ukraine faces Russia's military build-up - Interview with Liubov Tsybulska
Russia’s massive military build-up close to the Eastern border of Ukraine and in occupied Crimea has alarmed NATO and prompted Allies to declare their unwavering support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says a path toward NATO membership is the only way to end the war in the Donbass region where Russia has backed separatist forces since 2014. Russia on the other hand claims the military build-up is a response to so called “ threats” from NATO. I spoke with Liubov Tsybulska in Kyiv, an expert on hybrid warfare and strategic communications about Russia’s tactics, including disinformat...
2021-04-15
23 min
World Focus from Brussels
China and the Uighurs - An interview with Belgian MP Samuel Cogolati
China faces increasing international pressure over its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighur population in the north-western region of Xinjiang. More than one million Uighurs and other Muslims, including ethnic Kazakhs and Uzbeks, are in government run detention camps, according to reports by human rights groups, international media and many others. Outside of the camps the eleven million Uighurs living in Xinjiang have continued to suffer from a decades-long crackdown by Chinese authorities Parliamentarians sitting in Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives have now submitted a resolution calling for the Belgian government to declare the persecution of the Uighurs a ‘genoc...
2021-04-01
21 min
World Focus from Brussels
Brussels Attacks - Interview with Thomas Renard
Five years ago on the morning of 22 March 2016, terrorists attacked Brussels, killing 32 people, at Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station, in the heart of Brussels. I speak to Thomas Renard, an expert on terrorism at the Egmont Royal Institute of International Relations, on how the threat of terrorism has evolved in Belgium and in Europe since the attacks, how the EU is taking on a bigger role in countering terrorism and what to expect when ten defendants stand trial in Brussels later this year for their roles in the 22 March attacks.
2021-03-29
32 min
Taktíkin
#6 Ofurhlauparinn Tobbi og Dalvík/Reynir efstir í 3. deild
Þorbergur Ingi Jónsson og Sævar Helgason mæta hér í settið til að ræða UTMB. Ásamt þeim mættu Atli Fannar Írisarson, Jóhann Örn Sigurjónsson og Sveinn Þór Steingrímsson frá Meistaraflokki Dalvík/Reynis í settið til Skúla Braga til að ræða ótrúlegt gengi liðsins á tímabilinu. Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc eða UTMB er 170 km hlaup með 10.000 metra hækkun kringum Mont Blanc. Þorbergur Ingi Jónsson, einnig þekktur sem Tobbi, var einn af 2.581 keppendum sem hélt af stað í þessa miklu þrekraun sem alls ekki allir ná að klára alla leið í endamarkið. Skö...
2019-08-27
29 min