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☆ There's a messy battle over AI going on in DC — and there's no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Why does the US not have federal AI regulation? Biden signed the executive order on "Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence" near the end of 2023. Another challenge comes from AI experts and researchers choosing private sector jobs instead of ones in the government, a kind of "brain drain," Zhang said. "Less than 40% go to government looking to create all those AI regulations and governance structures." AdvertisementThe vast majority of AI experts end up working in the private sector rather than for universities or federal governments.

Persons: —, hasn't, Joe Biden, Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, I'm, Jason Green, Lowe, It's, Sen, Martin Heinrich, Sam Altman, Bill O'Leary, Rebecca Finlay, Finlay, we're, she's, Daniel Zhang, Zhang, Drew Angerer, That's, there's Organizations: Service, White, Business, Bills, Republican, Artificial Intelligence, Federal Government, Science & Technology, Congress, Microsoft, Google, Defense, Center, Senate, Washington, Getty, Stanford Institute for, AI, Stanford's, for, Biden Locations: Silicon Valley, Korean, Washington , DC, Congress, North America

☆ Germany far-right trial: Nine accused of plotting to overthrow government go on trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Inke Kappeler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Nine suspected members of a German far-right group accused of plotting to overthrow the government and install a minor royal as leader went on trial at a high-security courtroom in Stuttgart on Monday. The plot to overthrow the government and install martial law was exposed in 2022. Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss is a descendant of the House of Reuss, the former ruling family of parts of eastern Germany. Two of the defendants are accused of violating the Weapons and War Weapons Control Act. “One of these two defendants is also accused of attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm, resisting and assaulting law enforcement officers,“ according to the court.

Persons: Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, —, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, of Reuss, “, General Organizations: CNN, Monday, Prosecutors, Bundestag —, Stuttgart Higher, Federal Public, Control Locations: Stuttgart, Germany, Frankfurt, Munich, German

☆ A Plot to Overthrow Germany’s Government Heads to Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A year and a half after police and intelligence officers in Germany uncovered a plot to overthrow the country’s government and replace its chancellor, the first of three trials in the sprawling case is set to begin on Monday in Stuttgart. Most of the would-be insurrectionists were arrested in December 2022, when heavily armed German police officers stormed houses, apartments, offices and a remote royal hunting lodge and made dozens of arrests. Those charged included a dentist, a clairvoyant, an amateur pilot and a man running a large QAnon telegram group. The German authorities contend that their figurehead was Heinrich XIII Prince of Reuss, an obscure and conspiracy-minded aristocrat who would have been made chancellor if the coup had succeeded.

Persons: Heinrich XIII Prince of Reuss Locations: Germany, Stuttgart

☆ After 70 Years, Si Lewen’s Wrenching ‘Parade’ Marches On
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Will Heinrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At the very beginning of Si Lewen’s “The Parade,” the series of untitled antiwar works on artist’s board that forms the pulsing heart of a new exhibition curated by the cartoonist Art Spiegelman, four sketchy, ecstatic boys and girls stride into the endless possibility of unmarked white gesso. In the second panel, a family leaning out their window catches sight of someone waving a flag. The flag itself is also faint and white, but the family is surrounded by an ominous black shadow. And as that single flag turns into a parade, and the parade acquires rifles, swords, black banners and German helmets, Lewen’s painting and drawing — he made “The Parade” around 1950 with a mix of crayon, ink, paint and graphite — gets denser and darker.

Persons: Art Spiegelman

☆ UK Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs dies aged 94
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London —Physicist Peter Higgs, whose theory of an undetected particle in the universe changed science and was vindicated by a Nobel prize-winning discovery half a century later, has died aged 94, the University of Edinburgh said on Tuesday. Higgs described himself as “incompetent” in the physics laboratory at school and at first preferred maths and chemistry. What came to be known as the Higgs boson would solve the riddle of where several fundamental particles get their mass from: by interacting with the invisible “Higgs field” that pervades space. That interaction, known as the “Brout-Englert-Higgs” mechanism, won Higgs and Belgium’s Francois Englert the Nobel prize in physics in 2013. CERN’s massive Large Hadron Collider finally proved to be the sledgehammer needed to crack the nut, and in 2012 two experiments there independently found the Higgs boson.

Persons: Peter Higgs, Higgs, “ Peter Higgs, ”, Sir Peter Mathieson, Paul Dirac, Belgium’s Francois Englert, Robert Brout, “, Rolf Heuer, welling, theoreticians, Jody Williamson, ’ ”, Robert Evans, Tom Miles, Farouq Suleiman, Pravin Char, Mark Heinrich Organizations: London, University of Edinburgh, CERN, Reuters, “, Edinburgh University, Fermilab, Collider, chuckling Locations: Geneva, Chicago, American, Edinburgh

☆ Robert Moskowitz, Abstract Painter of New York’s Skyscrapers, Dies at 88
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Will Heinrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Robert Moskowitz, a painter who used the New York City skyline to stake out a unique position on the border of abstraction and representation, died on Sunday in Manhattan. His son, Erik Moskowitz, said the cause of death, at a hospital, was complications of Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Moskowitz first came to broad notice with collagelike paintings in which he glued window shades to canvases that had been painted various shades of off-white. Some of these works, which evoke stripped-down Rauschenbergs, were exhibited in the 1961 Museum of Modern Art show “The Art of Assemblage.” He later made a series of similar collages with envelopes. From the mid-1960s into the ’70s, after an interlude painting Surreal interiors, Mr. Moskowitz settled on views of empty corners, which again flirted with the limits of legibility — they were usually one color, sometimes even black on black.

Persons: Robert Moskowitz, Erik Moskowitz, Moskowitz, legibility — Organizations: Modern Locations: York City, Manhattan, legibility

☆ The Baltimore bridge disaster is just the latest knock to global shipping and trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Over the past few years, supply chain woes have repeatedly come into the spotlight. Since then, global integrated supply chain systems just seem to keep getting disrupted — be it by the COVID-19 pandemic or Russia's war in Ukraine. The domino effect is due to the "just in time" model that supply chains have been relying on for decades. Here are three key reasons why supply chains just seem to keep screwing up in recent years. Examining ongoing conflicts in the Black Sea and Red Sea respectively shows how geopolitical conflicts affect global supply chains.

Persons: —, they've, Donald Trump, Dali, Francis Scott Key, Project44, Nari Viswanathan, Viswanathan, tailspin, Julie Gerdeman, Trump, Rahul Khanna, Geoff Weiss, Allan Post, Justus Heinrich, Khanna Organizations: Service, Business, Maersk, BI, Shipping, Allianz, Allianz Commercial, Technologies Locations: China, Ukraine, Baltimore, The Port, of Baltimore, Europe, Asia, Iran, Israel, Suez, Good, Africa, Panama, El, Egypt

☆ German Government, Opposition Agree Constitutional Changes to Protect Top Court, Newspaper Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's centre-left ruling coalition and the main conservative opposition have agreed a draft law to protect its highest court, the Rheinische Post newspaper reported on Thursday, at a time of growing concern about the strength of the far-right AfD party. The anti-establishment, nationalist party is already under state surveillance on suspicion of being extremist and anti-constitution. The AfD rejects allegations it is undemocratic and has said the Constitutional Court, which is appointed by parliament, is biased and closely linked with the government. The 12-page draft law will incorporate the mandate of the Federal Constitutional Court into the constitution, the Rheinische Post reported, with the aim of enshrining its independence with the following passage:"The decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court bind the constitutional bodies of the federal and state governments as well as all courts and authorities." Photos You Should See View All 60 Images"All of these regulations are therefore exempt from change with a simple majority in the future," the Rheinische Post added, quoting the draft legislation.

Persons: Riham, Mark Heinrich Organizations: BERLIN, Rheinische Post, Constitutional, Federal Constitutional Court, Federal, Court

☆ OpenAI hired the lawyer who helped force Elon Musk to buy Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The firm battling Musk previously helped Twitter in a legal conflict with the billionaire. The billionaire is set to face off again with a lawyer who helped Twitter sue Musk after he attempted to back out of the $44 billion purchase. One of the lawyers from the Wachtell firm, William Savitt, helped lead Twitter's case against Musk. AdvertisementMusk helped found OpenAI in 2015 and has said he invested tens of millions of dollars into the AI venture. Representatives for Musk and OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: OpenAI, Elon Musk's, Musk, —, Elon Musk, Lipton, Katz, Foerster, Sam Altman, William Savitt, Morrison, Ragesh Tangri —, Morgan Chu, Alan Heinrich, Chu, Tesla, Altman Organizations: Twitter, Service, Reuters, Wachtell, Rosen, Morrison, — Jordan Eth, Ragesh, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Musk Locations: — Jordan

☆ Explainer-How the West Might Use Russia's Frozen Reserves
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Here are some of the ideas that have been suggested:CONFISCATIONSome international policymakers and lawyers say the immobilised Russian reserves can simply be confiscated under a doctrine of international law known as "countermeasures". Some in the bloc are still wary, though, and the European Central Bank has warned that claiming the trapped Russian assets should only be done in tandem with G7 powers. The bondholders would not have a contractual claim on the Kremlin’s frozen reserves. Ukraine would have a plausible way to collect on any damages awarded up to the value of the reserves. If Moscow refused to pay the damages, the allies could then use Russia’s frozen assets to pay off the loan.

Persons: Marc Jones, Lee Buchheit, Daleep Singh, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Marc Jones LONDON, Emergency Economic, U.S, European Central Bank Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kuwait, United States, EU, Russian, Brussels, Belgium, U.S, Britain, China, Hong Kong, Dubai, Moscow

☆ Russia Responsible for Navalny's Death, UN Rights Expert Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights expert on Russia said on Monday that Alexei Navalny's death was Moscow's responsibility as he was either killed in prison or died from detention conditions that amounted to torture. "So the Russian government is responsible, one way or another, for his death," Mariana Katzarova told Reuters on the sidelines of an event on Russian political prisoners at the United Nations in Geneva. Russia's spy chief previously said that Navalny, who died on Feb. 16 in an Arctic prison, died a natural death. "Ever since the death of Alexei Navalny, there is no day passing without asking myself, who is the next Navalny?" It has denied his wife Yulia Navalnaya's accusations that President Vladimir Putin had him killed.

Persons: Alexei Navalny's, Mariana Katzarova, Russia's, Navalny, Katzarova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya's, Vladimir Putin, Navalnaya, Putin, Emma Farge, Cecile Mantovani, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, United Nations Locations: GENEVA, Russia, Russian, Geneva

☆ Explainer-What's Next After Portugal's Inconclusive Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The centre-left Socialist Party (PS) won 77 seats, down sharply from its absolute majority of 120 in the previous legislature, after the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa amid a corruption investigation. Failure to approve a budget usually means the government's collapse and a new election. Portugal's constitution sets out that a new general election cannot happen earlier than six months after a new legislature first convenes, nor in the six months before a presidential election, which is due in January 2026. AD'S POLICY PROPOSALSThe newly-formed AD is led by the centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) - the Socialists' main traditional rival. Investors do not expect much divergence from established fiscal prudence and economic growth from an AD government.

Persons: Andrei Khalip LISBON, Antonio Costa, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Luis Montenegro, Andre Ventura, Rebelo de Sousa, Chega, Ventura, Sergio Goncalves, Aislinn Laing, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Democratic Alliance, Liberal Initiative, Socialist Party, Socialist, Conservative, Social Democratic Party, PSD, Socialists, Investors Locations: Montenegro, Portugal, Brussels

☆ Americans aren't having enough kids. That's bad news for the economy — and immigration may be the answer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China, Japan, and Italy are all battling dwindling birth rates — and their struggles are a reminder of an issue that could eventually become a problem for the US. Elon Musk, with his three-year-old son X AE A-Xii at the 2024 Super Bowl, thinks low birth rates pose a risk to civilization. Meanwhile, economists have warned for years about plunging birth rates in Italy . AdvertisementChina has also struggled to raise its birth rate. Congress has also played up the potential for immigration to boost the economy over the longer term.

Persons: —, millennials, Zeds, Zers, you’ve, Marc Ostwald, That’s, Elon Musk, Musk, X, Rob Carr, Italy party’s, ”, ADM’s, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “, ” Ostwald, Martin Heinrich Organizations: Service, United Nations, Business, ADM Investor Services International, Congressional, Republican, Democrat, Economic Committee Locations: China, Japan, Italy, India, “ Japan

☆ US Says Its Forces Strike Unmanned Surface Vessel, Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Near Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - U.S. forces conducted two strikes against a mobile anti-ship cruise missile and a mobile unmanned surface vessel (USV) launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday. Four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-held areas over the Red Sea towards commercial ship MT Pollux between Friday at 1:15 p.m. local time and 1 a.m. on Saturday, CENTCOM said in a post on X. It added that there were no reported injuries or damage to the MT Pollux or any other vessel in the areas. War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 Images(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Persons: CENTCOM, Surbhi Misra, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Central Command, Houthi Locations: Yemen, Red, Israel, Gaza, Bengaluru

☆ Former German Spy Chief Founds New Right-Wing Party
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Thomas Escritt and Sarah MarshBERLIN (Reuters) - A former German spy chief who was sacked after being accused of averting his eyes to the threat posed by the far-right founded a new right-wing party on Saturday, holding an inaugural party congress on a boat near Germany's old capital Bonn. The Werteunion, or Values Union, is headed by Hans-Georg Maassen, who was dismissed as head of Germany's Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in 2018. A former member of the opposition Christian Democrats, Maassen is himself now being monitored by the security agency he ran, he said last month. Maassen said on social media platform X, posting a photo of himself and colleagues in front of a German flag on the boat. Earlier this year, leftist politician Sahra Wagenknecht founded a new left populist party.

Persons: Thomas Escritt, Sarah Marsh BERLIN, Hans, Georg Maassen, Maassen, Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, Sahra Wagenknecht, Sarah Marsh, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Values, Christian Democrats, Social Democrats Locations: Bonn, Germany, Chemnitz

☆ France, Ukraine to Sign Security Deal Soon, French Foreign Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By John IrishPARIS (Reuters) - France and Ukraine are soon likely to sign a bilateral agreement on security commitments, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron was expected to finalise a security deal in Ukraine this month, but he postponed the trip for security reasons. "A bilateral accord is in discussion and will be signed probably soon between the President Emmanuel Macron and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy," Sejourne told a hearing in parliament. According two diplomats aware of the talks, France would announce a 200-million-euro fund for civilian projects to be carried out by French companies. "In the coming days we will give numbers and give you transparency on the military and the civilian aid," Sejourne said.

Persons: John Irish PARIS, Stephane Sejourne, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sejourne, Macron, John Irish, Mark Heinrich, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: French, NATO, Institute Locations: France, Ukraine, Germany, Paris, Kiel

☆ AI could disrupt the 2024 US presidential election. What’s Congress doing about it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But with just nine months until Americans head to the ballot box, there are few signs Congress is ready to pass any meaningful legislation on AI. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesSchumer has previously said that with the election nearing, he may seek to fast-track a bill that focuses specifically on AI and election security. Nothing looks likely to move.”Initial momentum on AI regulationFor months, Congress has focused on getting up to speed on the basics of AI. Still other ideas would require “high-risk” AI models to register for a government license, or create a dedicated new federal agency to oversee AI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies before a Senate Judiciary Privacy, Technology & the Law Subcommittee hearing titled 'Oversight of A.I.

Persons: Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, “, Schumer, Sen, Todd Young, Martin Heinrich, Michael Rounds, Alex Wong, New Mexico Democratic Sen, South Dakota Republican Sen, Mike Rounds, Indiana Republican Sen, didn’t, Paul Gallant, Cowen, ”, Gallant, we’re, Sam Altman, Altman, Heinrich, Rounds, Young, Julia Nikhinson, Sundar Pichai, Jensen Huang, Mike Johnson, Marcus Molinaro, Johnson, Drake, Tom Hanks, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Hakeem Jeffries, Don Beyer, it’ll, Alan Davidson, Biden, Elizabeth Frantz, ” Davidson, —, Sarah Myers West Organizations: Washington CNN, mayoral, U.S, Senate, Capitol, Artificial Intelligence, “, CNN, New, New Mexico Democratic, South Dakota Republican, Indiana Republican, Cowen Inc, United, International Atomic Energy Agency, Intelligence, Reuters, Google, Nvidia, New York Republican, The Washington Post, Commerce, Tennessee Republican, ITI, Virginia Democratic Rep, State of, Republican, House Energy, European Union, EU, Congress, Commerce Department, White House, Privacy, Technology, Democrats, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Washington ,, New Mexico, South, Washington , U.S, Washington

☆ Yemen Houthi Leader: No Ships Linked to Israel Passed During Last Week
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

"The Americans and the British failed to secure the passage of any ship heading to Israel. They can no longer protect even American-British ships, and this is a real and major victory for us," Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech. Houthi militants, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, according to shipping and insurance sources. Houthi operations in the Red Sea, he said, were "legitimate (ones) to help support the people of Gaza and lift the siege being imposed on them."

Persons: Yemen's, Houthis, Abdul Malik al, Houthi, Mohamed Ghabori, Adam Makary, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Organizations: British Locations: CAIRO, Yemen's Iran, Aden, Israel, British, United States, Britain, Gaza, Red, Yemen

☆ Russia Says It Foiled Ukrainian Drone Attack on Civilian Cargo Ships in Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Saturday it had repelled an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Russian "civilian transport ships" on Friday evening in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, a key artery for grain and oil exports from both countries. It said Russian patrol boats and warplanes had averted the attack, destroying one Ukrainian naval drone by artillery fire and disabling the rest by electronic warfare. A day later, Ukraine said it would adopt the same stance on ships bound for Russian and Russian-controlled Ukrainian ports. The southwestern part of the Black Sea adjoins Turkey's Bosphorus Strait through which cargoes leaving the sea travel. Ukraine has in recent months mounted a series of drone and missile attacks on Russian military targets in the Black Sea, sinking at least one naval vessel and damaging others.

Persons: ReutersWriting, Felix LightEditing, Helen PopperEditing, Mark Heinrich, Giles Elgood, Helen Popper Organizations: Civilian, Russia's Defence Ministry Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkish

☆ Yemen's Houthis Hold Funeral for 17 Militants Killed in US-UK Air Strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi militia held a funeral on Saturday for at least 17 militants killed during joint U.S.-British airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed militants, the Houthi-run Saba news agency said. The Houthis have launched waves of exploding drones and missiles at commercial ships since Nov. 19 in what they say is a response to Israel's military operations in Gaza, prompting Britain and the United States to start retaliatory strikes last month. "These crimes will not discourage the Yemeni people from continuing their support and backing of their brothers in the Gaza Strip," Saba said in its coverage of the funerals. The Houthi campaign has disrupted international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa. Photos You Should See View All 21 Images(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Adam Makary; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Helen Popper)

Persons: Saba, Ahmed Tolba, Adam Makary, Mark Heinrich, Helen Popper Locations: CAIRO, Iran, Saba, Gaza, Britain, United States, Israel, Yemen, U.S, Africa

☆ Former Albanian Navy Port to Take in Migrants Sent on From Italy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Floirian GogaSHENGJIN, Albania (Reuters) - An Albanian port that was once home to the country's navy is set to receive African, Asian and Middle East migrants sent on from Italy as part of a deal that has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Migrants who arrive in Italy would be taken by boat to the ex-navy port of Shengjin, now a popular tourist destination on Albania's scenic northern Adriatic seacoast. I feel a spiritual obligation because my children were raised in Italy," said Mhill Marku, an Albanian ex-military officer whose four children live in Italy. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights chief said last week the plan raised concerns about arbitrary detention and living conditions for migrants. The Rwanda scheme was declared unlawful in November by non-EU Britain's Supreme Court and the government has introduced legislation it hopes, when passed, will override human rights concerns.

Persons: Goga, Mhill Marku, Marku, Florian Goga, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Organizations: European Union, Migrants, Reuters, European, EU Locations: Goga SHENGJIN, Albania, Albanian, Italy, Balkan, European, EU, Shengjin, Gjader, Brussels, Albania's, British, Rwanda, East Africa, France

☆ When ‘Giants’ Roam the Museum Halls
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Will Heinrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What you think of it really depends on what you’re asking for. If you view the painting as a Venti-size iteration of Wiley’s ongoing project, his decades-long attack on the paucity of Black faces in Western museums and art history, it’s one-note but hard to argue with. Brightly colored and thoughtfully composed, it’s visually appealing, and even today, when it’s no longer so uncommon to see Black figures on museum walls, catching sight of one this big still elicits a thrill. On the other hand, considered strictly as a painting, “Femme Piquée par un Serpent” (“Woman Bitten by a Serpent”) doesn’t offer that much. It’s simply the adept illustration of an idea.

Persons: Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Auguste Clésinger Organizations: Giants, Art, Brooklyn Museum

The New Mexico secretary of state's office will accept signature petitions from candidates seeking a major party nomination for Congress or the U.S. Senate. Republicans also are choosing a contender to take on U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez in a congressional swing seat along the U.S. border with Mexico. Former one-term U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell hopes to reclaim the 2nd District seat she lost in the 2022 election. The district is one of about a dozen in the national spotlight as Republicans campaign to keep their slim U.S. House majority in 2024. The Republican Party unsuccessfully challenged a Democratic-drawn congressional map that reshaped the 2nd District as it divvied up a conservative, oil-producing region among three congressional districts.

Persons: Democratic U.S . Sen, Martin Heinrich, Nella Domenici, Sen, Pete V, Domenici, Heinrich, Manny Gonzales, Gonzales, Donald Trump, Tim Keller, Republican Mick Rich, Gary Johnson, Gabe Vasquez, Yvette Herrell Organizations: SANTA FE, — Republican, Mexico’s, Democratic U.S ., The New, U.S . Senate, Republican, U.S, Democratic Party, GOP, Nationwide, Senate, New, New Mexico Gov, Republicans, U.S ., Republican Party, Democratic Locations: SANTA, U.S, Mexico, The, The New Mexico, Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico

☆ Israeli Hostage Families Gain Clout as Political Landscape Shifts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Some respondents did not mention names but wrote variants of "hostage families", reflecting the impact of the Forum itself and its "Bring them home now" campaign. Political scientist Tamar Hermann of the IDI said solidarity with the hostage families was blending with broader anti-government sentiment, partly rooted in a huge pre-war protest movement against Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary. New or existing left-wing parties could be a natural fit for any hostage relatives who did decide to go into politics. Conversely, the hostage families are seen as opponents by some on the right, and especially on the ultra-nationalist far right, which has sway over Netanyahu because it is part of his fragile coalition. Some of Netanyahu's hard-right supporters in politics and media portray the hostage families as leftists abusing public sympathy to further their anti-government agenda, said political scientist Gideon Rahat of the Hebrew University.

Persons: Emily Rose, Estelle Shirbon, pollsters, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Nimrod Nir, Gil Dickmann, Carmel Gat, Jonathan Shamriz, Alon, Israel, Dror, Yonat, Netanyahu, irked Netanyahu, Sunday Israel, Tamar Hermann of, IDI, Tomer Reznik, implacably, Gideon Rahat, Eliyahu Libman, Elyakim, Libman, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Truman Research Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Families Forum, Israel, Hamas, Sunday, Truman Institute, Israel Democracy Institute, IDI, Hebrew University, West Bank Locations: Estelle Shirbon JERUSALEM, LONDON, Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Kiryat Arba

☆ Polish President Says He Doesn't Know if Ukraine Can Retake Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's president said he was unsure if Ukraine would be able to regain control over Russian-occupied Crimea but believed it could retake Donetsk and Luhansk, in comments that drew criticism from politicians from the ruling coalition. However, when asked if he believed Ukraine would really be able to retake Crimea, he said, "It is hard for me to answer that question. "I don't know if (Ukraine) will regain Crimea, but I believe it will regain Donetsk and Luhansk," he said. Ukraine has vowed to recover every inch of its territory including Crimea in the war with Russia. "He answered directly to the question about Ukraine regaining Crimea by saying that he didn't know," Fogiel wrote on X.

Persons: Kyiv's staunchest, Andrzej Duda, Duda's, Mr Duda, Radoslaw Fogiel, Fogiel, Alan Charlish, Mark Heinrich Organizations: YouTube, European, Law and Justice, Civic Coalition Locations: WARSAW, Ukraine, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Warsaw, Russia, Moscow, Poland

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