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☆ Friends From the Old Neighborhood Turn Rivals in Big Tech’s A.I. Race
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Cade Metz | Nico Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Today, they are two of the most powerful executives in the tech industry’s race to build artificial intelligence. Dr. Hassabis, 47, is the chief executive of Google DeepMind, the tech giant’s central research lab for artificial intelligence. Mr. Suleyman, 39, was recently named chief executive of Microsoft AI, charged with overseeing the company’s push into A.I. In 2010, they were two of the three founders of DeepMind, a seminal A.I. research lab that was supposed to prevent the very thing they are now deeply involved in: an escalating race by profit-driven companies to build and deploy A.I.

Persons: Mustafa Suleyman, Hassabis, Demis, —, Suleyman Organizations: National Health Service, Queen Elizabeth’s, Google, Microsoft, Big Tech, DeepMind Locations: Syrian, Cypriot, London

☆ Britain Memorializes a Queen, With Smiles and Bronze Corgis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On Sunday afternoon in Oakham, a quaint English market town, hundreds of local residents stood behind a temporary barrier and craned their necks to see the 50 or so dogs waddling past in the local library’s gardens. The yapping mutts were just a sideshow, however, to the main event, which was announced from a dais by Sarah Furness, a local dignitary: the unveiling of Britain’s first memorial statue to Queen Elizabeth II. The seven-foot bronze work, by the London-based sculptor Hywel Pratley, shows the queen in flowing robes, with three corgis at her feet. “What most of us remember about Queen Elizabeth is her warmth,” Furness said in a speech. “By showing Queen Elizabeth’s love of dogs, we show her humanity,” she added.

Persons: Sarah Furness, Britain’s, Queen Elizabeth II, Hywel Pratley, Queen Elizabeth, ” Furness, Queen Elizabeth’s, ” Organizations: corgi Locations: Oakham, London

Cast members Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce, Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville attend the premiere for the TV series The Crown Season 5 in London, Britain, November 8, 2022. The two-part sixth, and final, season of “The Crown” explores Princess Diana’s final days before she perishes in a car accident. Debicki believes it’s a common experience for "The Crown" actors to struggle to “let go” and stop “observing” themselves while filming the show. Similarly, Khalid Abdalla - who portrays Dodi Fayed, Egyptian billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed's son, who was in a romantic relationship with Princess Diana - viewed his work with Debicki as a huge responsibility. He went into the final season also thinking about how the loss of Princess Diana is still a “cultural trauma” for “millions of people around the world.”Abdalla said the sacredness of what “The Crown” cast was recreating was something to which he wanted to give dignity.

Persons: Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce, Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, Henry Nicholls, Princess Diana, “, Debicki, Diana’s, Peter Morgan, Queen Elizabeth’s, ” Debicki, Khalid Abdalla, Dodi Fayed, Mohamed al, ”, ” Abdalla, Rollo Ross, Danielle Broadway, Mary Milliken, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Netflix, Debicki, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Basketball-sized gold coin worth ‘around $23M’ honors late Queen Elizabeth II
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It was produced by the East India Company, a luxury lifestyle brand with rights to the name of the corporation that once controlled large swathes of Britain’s empire. Businessman Sanjiv Mehta, who acquired the rights to the East India Company in 2005, poses with the diamond-encrusted coin. The East India Company said its multi-million-dollar valuation was partly due to the quality of the materials and crafting processes, which involved artisans and experts from the UK, India, Singapore, Germany and Sri Lanka. The original East India Company operated for almost 300 years before its dissolution in 1874. “The Crown” took over a year to produce, meaning that it was underway before Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland last September.

Persons: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth’s, Sanjiv Mehta, tiaras, ”, Queen Elizabeth, Mehta Organizations: CNN, East India Company, Sotheby’s, NBA, British Overseas, Government, Royal Household, Royal, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Locations: York, India, Singapore, Germany, Sri Lanka, Scotland, British Overseas Territory, St Helena

☆ Kate Winslet, Ben Whishaw win at BAFTA Television Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Kate Winslet and Ben Whishaw were among the winners at the BAFTA Television Awards in London on Sunday night, with the Oscar-winning actress using her acceptance speech to call for action against harmful content on social media. To people in power and to people who can make change: please, criminalise harmful content. Please eradicate harmful content. Dublin-set "Bad Sisters" won the drama series categories as well as a supporting actress prize for Anne-Marie Duff. A sketch showing the late monarch having tea with Paddington Bear, voiced by Whishaw, won the memorable moment award, voted for by the public.

☆ Fact Check-Sand on streets to protect horses, soldiers during King Charles’ coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image of King Charles’ coach passing through London’s streets where patches of sand are visible was shared with the misleading suggestion that the sand temporarily filled potholes for the coronation day. A Westminster City Council spokesperson told Reuters that sand was used to cover drain holes and roads for the safety of the horses and is a standard practice. “The council works closely with the armed forces ahead of major events such as this to ensure the safety of horses and soldiers”, the spokesperson added. Reuters’ pictures from Queen Elizabeth’s funeral proceedings in Sept. 2022 show a similar use of sand on the roads (here), (here), (here). Sand was used to cover drains and inspection covers on the ceremonial coronation route for safe passage of horses, not cover potholes.

London CNN —The coronation of King Charles III on Saturday was a historic day, jam-packed with events – some planned, others not. The crowning eventCharles was hidden from view for the most dramatic part of the service at London’s Westminster Abbey on Saturday. King Charles III sits as he receives The St Edward's Crown during the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London, Saturday, May 6, 2023. Lady in bluePenny Mordaunt leads King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. Queen Camilla and King Charles III arrive for their coronation at Westminster Abbey.

☆ What King Charles' coronation means for the UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But the UK economy as a whole could suffer as workers take an extra day’s holiday. John Lewis' Coronation Lewis Bear. John Lewis & PartnersDepartment store John Lewis has had to limit in-store purchases of its Coronation Lewis Bear to two per household, and the teddy is out of stock online. For the coronation, UK luxury brands “have procured unique merchandise at all levels of the economy and we’re seeing people buying it, particularly Americans and EU customers,” she added. (The coronation holiday will be the third holiday Monday this month.)

☆ How Queen Elizabeth’s coronation helped start Matchbox cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Matchbox, maker of tiny toy cars, is bringing back one if its most important models. It’s not a car, but a little horse-drawn coach, and its success led to the creation of Matchbox toy cars. The new carriage will be in the traditional 1/64 scale used for Matchbox cars. Courtesy MattelDecades later, Elliot Handler, one of the founders of Mattel, noticed his son playing with Matchbox cars. Hot Wheels cars had flashy paint jobs, outsized wheels, impossibly huge (relatively speaking) plastic engines, and only occasionally looked like cars you might actually see on the street.

☆ Fact Check-Facebook post does not show video of Meghan Markle and Princess Charlotte
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video Facebook post with the caption, “David Beckham Handed Kate SCARY VIDEO Meg Constantly Poking Charlotte Eyes During Queen’s Funeral” does not show such video. A five minute long video shared on Facebook viewed over 104,000 times contains images of the royal family and David Beckham at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, but does not include any footage of Markle interacting with Princess Charlotte (here). The video includes a Reuters image of Princess Charlotte crying at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral which is visible on the Reuters website (here) and which is captioned, “Britain's Camilla, the Queen Consort, Princess Charlotte and Prince George attend the state funeral and burial of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 19, 2022. A google search resulted in no credible results for the claim made in the Facebook posts (bit.ly/3ViTLao). A video being shared online does not show Meghan Markle poking Princess Charlotte’s eyes during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

☆ A picture and its story 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

I flew to Edinburgh the next morning, where the hearse carrying her coffin from Balmoral Castle was expected to arrive two days later. This would be the first moment that the world would see the Queen’s coffin itself, outside of the hearse. After we had waited for hours, the hearse drove down the Royal Mile, the main road leading to Holyroodhouse. The castle gates opened and the hearse stopped outside, where Princess Anne and princes Edward and Andrew were waiting for their mother. When the hearse was opened, soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland lifted out the Queen’s coffin.

☆ Ryan Fox: Heir to cricket and rugby excellence, New Zealand golfer blazes his own trail
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Central Press / Hulton Archive / Getty ImagesThen came Wallace’s son-in-law Grant Fox, a name that needs no introduction to anyone familiar with rugby. Both Wallace and Fox were individually honored during Queen Elizabeth’s reign for services to their sports. If that wasn’t enough family sporting heritage, Wallace’s brother and son – George and Gregory – both played first-class cricket for Auckland. “It’s pretty cool to be the third generation of my family to represent New Zealand,” Fox told CNN’s The Jazzy Golfer. Marty Melville / Getty ImagesNot playing his first tournament until 18, Fox was a late bloomer, but made up for lost time emphatically.

☆ Fact Check-The Simpsons did not predict the date of Queen Elizabeth’s death
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Altered and fabricated footage purportedly showing scenes from the animated television show The Simpsons has been shared on social media to claim that the series “predicted” the date of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the nation's figurehead for seven decades, died on Sept. 8, 2022 aged 96 (here) (here). It highly resembles an edited image, debunked by Snopes in 2017 (here), that was fabricated to show former U.S. president Donald Trump. Matt Selman, executive producer of The Simpsons, tweeted on Sept. 22 an article by Variety that debunked the claim that the show had predicted the death of Queen Elizabeth (here). The Simpsons did not predict the date of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is set for Monday. The event will be rich in pageantry, giving well-wishers one last chance to bid farewell to the long-lived monarch. The proceedings will be attended by the royal family, senior U.K. politicians and foreign dignitaries, as well as thousands of members of the public who are expected to line the route as the Queen’s coffin travels through the streets of London and on to her final resting place at Windsor Castle, where she will be buried in a private ceremony.

☆ How TV coverage of Queen Elizabeth's funeral changed my mind about her
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( David Zurawik David Zurawik | David Zurawik | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But I was deeply moved Monday by the TV image of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin being lowered into its vault at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor with the queen’s bagpiper playing her to rest. The queen and TV came of age together. Now, I wonder if her funeral will be one of the media events that historian use to mark the end of the TV era. But watching them on iPhone did not do justice to the majestic and panoramic imagery being offered on TV screens. Of all the anchors and analysts, CNN’s anchor Anderson Cooper seemed the most plugged into the rhythms of the day’s events.

☆ Queen Elizabeth’s funeral marks the end of television dominance that started with her coronation
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( David Zurawik | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On social media, the queen was often discussed and, in many cases, denounced for Britain’s history of colonialism and her handling of royal scandals. CNN, for example, will start carrying live TV coverage at 5 a.m. Although Thompson expects a “very big” audience, he does not see it proportionally rivaling the 1953 the coronation. “I don’t think this funeral can possibly penetrate the global attention the way the 1953 coronation did — or even the wedding in 1981. And yet, the coronation coverage found an audience of 85 million viewers in the US, according to the BBC.

☆ The Queen Is Everywhere. What Will the Royal Makeover Cost?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Isabella Simonetti | Rebecca Lieberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Since her death this month, Queen Elizabeth’s face has been all over nonstop news coverage. There are around 115,500 mailboxes throughout Britain and 61.4 percent of those, which date to the reign of Queen Victoria, bear Queen Elizabeth’s royal cypher, according to the Royal Mail Group. All mailboxes and those already in production with Queen Elizabeth’s initials will remain intact, the service’s website says. Its designs include Queen Elizabeth, an orange and white corgi, Big Ben, and now, King Charles and Camilla, queen consort. So far this month, however, it has sold 60 Queen Elizabeth ornaments and eight of King Charles.

☆ King Charles: How Duchy Originals became a top organic food brand
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In the year through March 2021, Duchy Originals earned nearly £3.6 million ($4.1 million) before taxes. Control of the Duchy Originals brand is up in the air during a period of national mourning culminating in the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. Packets of Prince Charles' brand of products line shelves at a Waitrose supermarket in central London. The first Duchy Originals product was an oaten biscuit sold in 1992. Johnny Green/Pool/ReutersCharles has access to vast personal wealth through his portfolio of land and property, but he has never directly profited from the Duchy Originals business.

☆ Fact Check-Private funerals can still go ahead on day of queen’s funeral
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Several funeral trade bodies told Reuters that while some cemeteries and crematoria may postpone services on a case-by-case basis, most funerals are still going ahead as planned. One Twitter user, (here), wrote: “Omg so all funerals due on the 19th have been cancelled! Three national funeral director organisations and two crematorium and cemetery trade bodies told Reuters that most funerals will be going ahead on Monday. “The door of the funeral home may not be open for the whole day, in line with other high street organisations, but funeral directors will definitely be working and contactable at all times. Although some funerals may be cancelled on Monday, leading industry organisations all agreed that most will be going ahead as planned, pending any decisions made by the families.

☆ Fact Check-Photo shows Duchess Meghan on Remembrance Sunday in 2019, not during public appearance after Queen Elizabeth’s death
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A widely-shared claim that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, dressed up like Princess Diana for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is false. Both wore a black outfit displaying a red poppy, a symbol associated with the annual memorial date to honor Britain’s war dead. Meghan Markle dressed like Princess Diana yesterday,” reads a Sept. 11 tweet posting the images of both royals side by side (here). The photo does not show Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, dressed as Princess Diana for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Black attire and the display of a red poppy is part of the normal dress code for the annual memorial date.

☆ Cloud of colonialism hangs over Queen Elizabeth’s legacy in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-10 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —The death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted an outpouring of reflection and reaction online. Among the worst atrocities under British rule occurred during the Mau Mau uprising, which started in 1952 – the year Queen Elizabeth took the throne. Queen Elizabeth II on her way to the Kumasi Durbah with Kwame Nkrumah, President of Ghana, during her tour of Ghana, November 1961. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to a crowd of schoolchildren at a rally held at a racecourse in Ibadan, Nigeria, February 15, 1956. Queen Elizabeth II dances with President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, during her visit to Accra, Ghana, in 1961.

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