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☆ Do We Need Language to Think?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For thousands of years, philosophers have argued about the purpose of language. Starting in the 1960s, Noam Chomsky, a linguist at M.I.T., argued that we use language for reasoning and other forms of thought. “If there is a severe deficit of language, there will be severe deficit of thought,” he wrote. Dr. Fedorenko went on to become a cognitive neuroscientist at M.I.T., using brain scanning to investigate how the brain produces language. And after 15 years, her research has led her to a startling conclusion: We don’t need language to think.

Persons: Plato, ”, Noam Chomsky, Evelina Fedorenko, Chomsky’s, Fedorenko

☆ Putin arrives in North Korea for first visit in 24 years as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin is scheduled to travel to Hanoi in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Putin’s trip to North Korea will have a “very eventful” agenda, his aide Yuri Ushakov said during a press conference Monday. One image was of a grandstand being constructed on the eastern side of Kim Il Sung Square, the site where all major parades in North Korea are held. Putin arrives in North Korea on Tuesday, June 18. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, Yuri Ushakov, Ushakov, Kim Il, John Kirby, Biden, wasn’t “, ’ Kim, ” Kim, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping, Michael Mitsanas, Katharina Krebs, Mariya Knight, Yoonjung Seo, Betsy Klein, Paul P, Murphy Organizations: CNN, TASS, Putin, Planet Labs, Maxar Technologies, US, North Korean, North, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, West, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, Kremlin, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Korean, Korea, Hanoi, Russia, United States, Asia, Moscow, North, Zarubinreporter, South Korea, South, Russia’s, Eurasia, Italy, Kyiv, Russian, Vietnam, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

☆ Russia’s Putin to visit North Korea in rare trip as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin will travel to Hanoi Wednesday for another two-day trip, in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Both countries have denied North Korean arms exports. The Kremlin has said that Russia hopes to build a partnership with North Korea “in all possible areas,” according to Russian state media. Putin’s move to bolster North Korean ties has also been a boon for Kim, who remains unbowed by years of international sanctions over his illegal nuclear weapons program. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, ” Kim, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ”, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Putin, North Korean, Pyongyang –, North, North Korea “, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Russian, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Hanoi, Russia, United States, South Korea, Moscow, Korean, Russia’s, Italy, Kyiv, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

Representatives from the warring nations held peace talks in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. It was the only time that Ukrainian and Russian officials are known to have engaged in direct peace talks. This includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Mr. Putin annexed in 2014 in a swift operation that he considers central to his legacy. At another point, Russia’s lead negotiator, Mr. Medinsky, interrupted a video conference by claiming that Mr. Putin was phoning him directly. There were signs that Mr. Putin was micromanaging not only the Russian invasion but also the peace talks.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, —, Putin’s, … ”, “, Oleksandr Chalyi, Mr, Vladimir Medinsky, Oleksii Reznikov, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Slutsky, Medinsky, ”, Aleksandr Fomin, Reznikov, Ukraine’s, … “, Sergey Ponomarev, Ukraine —, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Putin “, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetin Muhurdar, Russia’s, Zelensky, …, ‘, ’, Daniel Berehulak, Davyd Arakhamia, ” “, Roman Abramovich, ” Mr, Arakhamia, Abramovich, micromanaging, Nanna Heitmann, France —, Laetitia Vancon, Kamala Harris, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, Marc Weller, Russia “, Weller Organizations: The New York Times, Ukraine, Kremlin, NATO, “, Russian Federation, ”, European Union, West, Ministry, Times, Europe’s, Russian, Moscow, Donetsk People's, Nazi, U.S, Ukrainian, Turkish Presidential Press Service, Agence France, The Times, Russia, New York Times, stoke, Cambridge Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Crimean, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Crimea, “ Ukraine, Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, ”, … ” Russia, Russian, ” Russia, Istanbul, Geneva, Belarus, Western, Russia’s, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Simferopol, Poland, Germany, France, European, Brussels, Turkish, Zelensky, “, Great Britain, China, United States, Turkey, Canada, Italy, Israel, Bucha, Washington, Swiss, Russians

☆ Ukraine peace summit to kick off in Switzerland without China and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nearly 100 countries and organizations are attending a major conference in Switzerland dedicated to setting out a path toward peace between Ukraine and Russia, but there will be no delegation from Moscow. The meeting, which is being held at a resort near Lucerne, will be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who wants to gather support for the 10-point peace plan he first outlined late in 2022. It has said that any such meeting needs to be attended by both Russia and Ukraine. On Friday, the day before the summit was set to kick off, Russian President Vladimir Putin restated the Kremlin’s own peace plan, which Ukraine is unlikely to ever agree to. That most of the world is on the side of Ukraine, on the side of life.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kamala Harris, Fumio Kishida, Ukraine’s , Vladimir Putin, Putin, Zelensky, ”, Zelensky “ Putin, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, White, Japanese, NATO, Russian, Luhansk – Locations: Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Lucerne, France, Germany, China, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia

☆ The Sticking Points That Kept Russia and Ukraine Apart
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Michael Schwirtz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Sticking Points That Kept Russia and Ukraine ApartRussia and Ukraine failed to agree on a range of critical issues when they held peace talks in the spring of 2022. Russia’s Position Russia demanded that Ukraine never join NATO or other alliances; host foreign military bases or weapons; or conduct military exercises with other countries without its consent. Russia’s Position Russia agreed to much of Ukraine’s security guarantees proposal but with key exceptions. Russia’s Position Russia’s stance has also fluctuated. Russia’s Position But Russia’s definition of “denazification” shifted quickly after its initial invasion failed.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s, ” Organizations: The New York Times, NATO, European Union, Ukraine’s, Crimea ”, Ukraine, Mr, Russia’s, ” International, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, France, China, guarantors, Belarus, Turkey, Territory, Crimea, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russian

What is the value of peace talks that aren’t actually talks between the warring sides? President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was due to open a peace conference in Switzerland on Saturday that is intended to shore up support for his country’s negotiating positions with backing from as many nations as possible. Yet even as the two-day gathering has emerged as the most widely embraced diplomatic effort to date to end the war, for now, the effort excludes Russia. The plan has drawn criticism from some countries, like China and Brazil, that say Russia and Ukraine need to negotiate directly for any chance to end the fighting. Mr. Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan involves Russia’s withdrawing in full from Ukrainian territory, paying reparations and facing justice over any war crimes.

Persons: aren’t, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Celso Amorim, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, “, ” Mr, Zelensky, Zelensky’s Locations: Ukraine, Switzerland, Russia, Lucerne, China, Brazil

☆ Biden leads new drive to cement the West’s Ukraine war effort against Putin – and Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden is leading the world’s richest democracies in sending a beefed-up message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the West will not forsake Ukraine despite political shocks casting doubts over its commitment. A flurry of new Western plans to help UkraineStill, the latest Western plans to help Ukraine send a strong message of intent. The sanctions target foreign financial firms aiding Putin’s war effort, restrict Russian access to some US software and information technology. Russian advances on the battlefieldThese are substantial and credible political, economic and political demonstrations of support for Ukraine. Not surprisingly, Zelensky has always chafed at the self-imposed limits of Western support for his war effort that are a symptom of Biden’s core aim of avoiding a direct NATO confrontation with Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Biden, “, Donald Trump, Trump, lionizes Putin, wobbling, —, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Janet Yellen, ” — Biden, Zelensky, ” Jake Sullivan, Wesley Clark, ” Clark, they’ve, ”, Kamala Harris, Sullivan, John Kirby, Putin Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican Party, Capitol, Republican, CNN, NATO, Big, Union, Ukraine, Trump, Biden, Air Force, Hudson Institute, Kremlin, Kyiv, West, White House National Security Council Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Italy, Normandy, Europe, United States, France, Germany, George H.W ., Russia, Britain, Japan, Canada, NATO, Washington, Kyiv, Cuba, China, Iran, Israel, Ukrainian, Switzerland

☆ U.A.W. Monitor Investigates Accusations Against Union Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A court-appointed monitor overseeing the operations of the United Automobile Workers union is investigating disputes involving the union’s president, Shawn Fain, and two U.A.W. officials who say they were improperly stripped of duties. The monitor, Neil M. Barofsky, also accused the union on Monday of a “lapse in cooperation” with the investigation, saying it had taken months to turn over relevant documents and then provided only a small fraction of those requested. The union declined to comment. That process also resulted in the union’s first election of a president by a vote of the full membership — balloting that elevated Mr. Fain, running as an insurgent candidate, to the top job in a runoff last year.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Neil M, Barofsky’s, Fain Organizations: United Automobile Workers, Department Locations: Michigan

☆ Florida Panthers defeat Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of NHL Stanley Cup Final
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final on Saturday at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Bobrovsky’s 32 saves helped lead the Panthers to the first Stanley Cup shutout victory in team history. So, they’re really smart players and it was a fun challenge.”Game 1 kicked off the second consecutive Cup Final for the Panthers. This is the team’s third ever appearance in the Stanley Cup. The Florida Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s Stanley Cup – their first final in 27 years.

Persons: Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, Connor McDavid, Sergei Bobrovsky, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, ” Bobrovsky, “, ” McDavid Organizations: CNN, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Amerant Bank, Panthers, Oilers, Stanley, ” Oilers, ”, Vegas Golden Knights Locations: Sunrise , Florida, Florida, Russian

☆ Angel Reese ejected during Chicago Sky’s loss to New York Liberty
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was ejected late in the fourth quarter of her team’s 88-75 defeat by the New York Liberty on Tuesday after receiving back-to-back technical fouls. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball seemingly offered to pay Reese’s fine. “Ref that threw out @Reese10Angel is weak btw… You know who you are (Keep ya money Angel I got you),” Ball wrote on X. Reese finished the Commissioner’s Cup game with 13 points and 10 rebounds but shot 25% from the field. Breanna Stewart had a huge game for the Liberty, putting up a game high 33 points to go with 14 rebounds and three assists.

Persons: Angel Reese, Reese, Charles Watson, “, waiving, Marina Mabrey, “ You’ve, Teresa Weatherspoon, ”, Lonzo, Angel, ” Ball, ” Reese, Breanna Stewart, Melissa Tamez, Chennedy Carter, Clark, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert’s, King, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin, Christine Brennan, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Chicago Sky, New York Liberty, WNBA, Twitter, Chicago Bulls, Liberty, Sky, tennis, USA

☆ Larry Bensky, a Fixture of Left-Wing Radio, Is Dead at 87
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Trip Gabriel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Larry Bensky, a radio journalist whose reporting on major political events made him the signature voice of Pacifica Radio, a network of progressive, listener-supported stations, died on May 19 at his home in Berkeley, Calif. His wife, Susie Bluestone, said he died in home hospice care. Mr. Bensky’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of the congressional Iran-contra hearings of 1987 put the Pacifica network on the map, earning him a prestigious Polk Award for radio reporting. Mr. Bensky, who called himself an activist-journalist, brought leftist views to reporting — often on people and issues under-covered by other news outlets — which he hoped would, as he often put it, “stir things up.”That was hardly a fringe view in the progressive ethos of the Bay Area, where he was based, though he still managed to transgress the boundaries on a regular basis. The free-form rock station KSAN, the voice of Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s, threw him off the air for interviewing workers who had been fired by one of the station’s sponsors.

Persons: Larry Bensky, Susie Bluestone, Bensky’s, Bensky, Haight Organizations: Pacifica Radio, Pacifica, Polk Award, Ashbury Locations: Berkeley, Calif, Iran, Bay

Singapore CNN —China’s support to Russia will extend the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, as he called on countries across the Asia-Pacific to join an upcoming peace summit he accused Russia of trying to thwart. It comes ahead of the international peace conference on Ukraine slated to be held June 15-16 in Switzerland. “With China’s support to Russia the war will last longer. When asked later about China’s statement it would not attend the peace summit, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of using Chinese diplomats to disrupt it. “Time is running out” including for Ukrainian children taken by Russia, Zelensky told a packed hall during an address on the closing day of the three-day security meeting.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, China –, ” Zelensky, “, Putin, of National Defense Dong, ” Dong, Lloyd Austin, Dong, Russia ”, Vladimir Putin, ”, Austin, Prabowo Subianto, José Ramos, Pat Ryder, Joe Biden Organizations: Singapore CNN —, of National Defense, CNN, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Criminal, Ministry of Foreign, US Defense, Horta, Ukraine, Pentagon, Twitter Locations: Singapore, Russia, Ukraine, Asia, Pacific, China, Switzerland, Beijing, Kharkiv, The Hague, United States, Timor

☆ Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese face off in first WNBA game as Indiana Fever hold on to beat Chicago Sky in Commissioner’s Cup
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Issy Ronald | Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese transferred their already storied collegiate rivalry into the professional ranks of the WNBA on Saturday, and it was Clark who came out on top. But it was far from an individual effort with Clark’s teammates helping lift the Fever to their first home win of the season. A year later, Clark and Iowa got a measure of revenge by defeating Reese and LSU in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA tournament. While the rivalry between Clark and Reese was the major talking point around the game, there was a tense moment late in the third quarter elsewhere. Clark and the Indiana Fever were able to record an important home win.

Persons: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Clark, Marina Mabrey, –, Indiana, Sabrina Ionescu, Reese, Chennedy Carter, Andy Lyons, Kamilla Cardoso, Cardoso Organizations: CNN, WNBA, Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky, New York Liberty, LSU, Clark’s University of Iowa, NCAA, Getty, Sky, University of South, Chicago Locations: Chicago, Clark, Iowa, University of South Carolina

Zelensky’s surprise attendance at the gathering is a stark illustration of Kyiv’s determination to keep the international community engaged in Ukraine’s defense – and its vision for peace – more than two years into Russia’s devastating invasion. A CNN team at the summit witnessed Zelensky and his delegation arriving. His attendance at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore provides a rare opportunity for Zelensky to potentially meet with defense chiefs from across the Asia-Pacific, including China which has deepened its relations with Moscow since the war. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and defense heads from US allies Australia, Japan, and South Korea, as well as China’s Defense Minster Dong Jun are expected to be in attendance for the three-day gathering. Announcing his arrival at the summit, Zelensky said in a statement on X that he would hold “a number of meetings,” in particular with Austin, Singapore’s president and prime minister, Timor-Leste’s president and Singaporean investors.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenksy, Zelensky, Lloyd Austin, Dong Jun, ”, Austin, Rustem Umerov, “, Roman Pilipey, Zelenksy, Ukraine’s, Dong, Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, –, It’s, Sergey Lavrov, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, CNN’s Ivan Watson, Xiaofei Xu, Alex Stambaugh, Natasha Bertrand, Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: Singapore CNN —, CNN, US, Austin, Ukrainian Defense, Getty, NATO, Russia, Northern, Firefighters, Reuters, Ministry, RIA Novosti, Russian, Key Locations: Singapore, Asia, Kharkiv, China, Moscow, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Timor, Ukraine, AFP, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Europe, North Korea, Beijing, Beijing’s, Russian, Reuters Beijing, Zelensky, Kyiv

☆ Britain’s Royal Mail has been bought by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský for $4.5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The owner of Royal Mail has accepted a £3.5 billion ($4.5 billion) takeover bid from Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský, paving the way for the sale of one of Britain’s oldest and most iconic institutions to a foreign owner for the first time. The deal follows a torrid few years for Royal Mail, which was privatized in 2013. “Royal Mail is as British as it gets, and Labour will take the necessary steps to safeguard its undeniable identity and place in public life,” he wrote in the letter, which he posted on X. A low-profile Czech national, Křetínský made his fortune through a sprawling empire of European energy companies, retailers and football clubs. He is worth an estimated $7.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and owns a 27% stake in West Ham United Football Club.

Persons: Daniel Křetínský, Křetínský’s, Jonathan Reynolds, ”, Křetínský Organizations: London CNN, Royal Mail, Distribution Services, Labour Party, Conservative, Labour, Royal, Bloomberg, West Ham United Football Club Locations: Czech, United Kingdom, West

Kyiv CNN —The air at the Ukrainian military recruitment office where a 30-year-old hairdresser is being interviewed is filled with anxiety. “The time has come,” he told CNN. “The desire to fight the enemy is very important, in addition to training, equipment and preparedness,” he told CNN. If shelling starts on the frontline, I think I will be confused and will only create problems for others,” he told CNN. Andrii Demchenko, the spokesperson for the Border Guard Service of Ukraine, told CNN his officers detain people trying to cross out of Ukraine on daily basis.

Persons: –, ”, baring, Yurii Sodol, Yaroslav Galas, Daria Tarasova, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, Dmytro Kulibaba, Galas, “, Diego Herrera Carcedo, I’m, Ukraine doesn’t, ‘, ’, ” Galas, Andrii Demchenko Organizations: CNN, Da Vinci, Joint Forces, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, People, Ukrainian Armed Forces, 114th Territorial Defense Brigade, Armed Forces, Getty, Border Guard Service of, Border Service Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Kreminna, Anadolu, Robotyno, Belarus, Donetsk Oblast, Europe, Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Romania, Hungary

☆ Why OpenAI should fear a Scarlett Johansson lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“It doesn’t matter if OpenAI used any of Scarlett Johansson’s actual voice samples,” Li posted on Threads. Here, Johansson could accuse OpenAI of illegally monetizing who she is by essentially fooling users into thinking she had voiced Sky. But there’s substantial case law — and one very inconvenient fact for OpenAI — undercutting that defense, legal experts say. According to Johansson, OpenAI approached her to perform as Sky; Johansson declined. While California’s publicity law protects all individuals, some state statutes only protect famous people, and not all states have such legislation on the books.

Persons: Will Scarlett Johansson, OpenAI, Johansson, OpenAI’s, Sam Altman, OpenAI didn’t, demoed, Tiffany Li, Scarlett Johansson’s, ” Li, monetizing, John Bergmayer, “, ”, —, Bette Midler, Midler, Tom Waits, Waits, …, James Grimmelmann, Scarlett Johansson ”, Altman, Sky’s, Johansson ”, Samantha, ‘, ” Grimmelmann, Joel Saget, ” Bergmayer, Dana Rao, Adobe’s, we’re, Jennifer Rothman, ” Rothman Organizations: Washington CNN, University of San, Public, Ford Motor Company, Appeals, Circuit, Frito, Cornell University, Getty, Adobe, FAIR, University of Pennsylvania Locations: University of San Francisco, California, Midler’s, Paris, AFP

☆ Read a Transcript of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Interview With The Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke to the Times journalists Andrew Kramer, Philip P. Pan and Bill Brink for 50 minutes at the presidential office in Kyiv on Monday. This transcript of the interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. This is very important, and what we have always asked of President Biden — and not only President Biden, but the leaders of many countries — is that we want to use the weapons for defense. We don’t have long-range shells. You must understand that for the last year and a half, Ukraine hasn’t had any long-range shells.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Andrew Kramer, Philip P, Pan, Bill Brink, Biden, Biden —, Ukraine hasn’t Organizations: Times Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia

☆ Ivan Boesky, famed trader in 1980s insider trading scandal, dies at 87
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Ivan Boesky, the infamous insider trader whose name became synonymous with financial greed and helped inspire the fictional character Gordon Gekko in the 1987 film “Wall Street,” has died. His daughter, Marianne Boesky, confirmed to CNN on Monday that he died in his sleep. Nicknamed “Ivan the Terrible” on a 1986 Time Magazine cover, Boesky profited from the corporate takeover boom in the 1980s, using insider information to receive advanced information on pending deals. He pleaded guilty in 1986 to insider trading and was sentenced to three years of prison and fined $100 million, half of which went to returning the profits he made from insider trading and the other half as a civil penalty. Boesky was barred from securities trading for the rest of his life.

Persons: Ivan Boesky, Gordon Gekko, ”, Marianne Boesky, Marianne Boesky’s, Boesky, “ Ivan, ” Michael Milken, Milken, Ana Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Haas School of Business, University of California, Wall, SEC, SEC Historical Society Locations: New York, Berkeley

☆ Scarlett Johansson Says OpenAI Asked to Use Her Voice. Twice.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Tripp Mickle | More About Tripp Mickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Days before OpenAI demonstrated its new, flirty voice assistant last week, the actress Scarlett Johansson said, Sam Altman, the company’s chief executive, called her agent and asked that she consider licensing her voice for a virtual assistant. It was his second request to the actress in the past year, Ms. Johannson said in a statement on Monday, adding that the reply both times was no. Despite those refusals, Ms. Johansson said, OpenAI used a voice that sounded “eerily similar to mine.” She has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using a voice it called “Sky.”OpenAI suspended its release of “Sky” over the weekend. The company said in a blog post on Sunday that “AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity’s distinctive voice — Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.”

Persons: OpenAI, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Altman, Johannson, Johansson, ” OpenAI, ”

☆ Former Augusta National Golf Club employee pleads guilty to stealing millions worth of Masters memorabilia and merchandise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A former employee of the Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC) in Georgia has pleaded guilty to stealing millions worth of Masters Tournament merchandise and memorabilia. A view of a Members Only sign outside of Augusta National Golf Club prior to the 2024 Masters Tournament on April 7. The 11th green is prepared prior to the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6. CNN has contacted Augusta National for further comment. Unlike the other majors, The Masters is played at the same course every year, with Augusta National hosting the event since the year it was founded.

Persons: CNN —, Richard Globensky, Globensky’s, Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Globensky, Bobby Jones, Andrew Redington, “, Maddie Meyer, Tom Church, Scottie Scheffler Organizations: CNN, Augusta National Golf, District of Illinois Eastern, Masters, Augusta National, United States Attorney’s Office, Prosecutors, Augusta National Golf Club, PGA, U.S . Locations: Georgia, Chicago, Augusta, Florida

☆ Royal Mail: Meet Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský who wants to buy Britain’s postal service
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It has been operating a postal service in England since the reign of Henry VIII. EP Group has until May 29 to convert its £3.5 billion ($4.4 billion) non-biding offer into a formal bid for IDS. The likely sale would come after a difficult few years for Royal Mail, which was privatized in 2013. ‘As British as it gets’The potential buyout of Royal Mail has stirred anxieties about the consequences of the iconic British institution coming under foreign ownership. “Royal Mail is an important national asset that would benefit from being able to take a longer-term view,” the firm said.

Persons: Henry VIII, Daniel Křetínský, Křetínský, Patrik Tkáč, Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch, Dave Ward, ”, ” Ward, Jonathan Reynolds, ” Ivana Kottasová Organizations: London CNN — Royal Mail, Distribution Services, IDS, Royal Mail, UK Department for Business, Trade, CNN, Bloomberg, Equity Investment, Newsweek, West Ham United Football Club, Reuters, Communication Workers Union, Labour Party, Royal, Labour Locations: England, Czech, British, United States, FNAC, France, United Kingdom, West

☆ US intelligence sees Russia step up disinformation campaign against Ukraine’s Zelensky
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Russia has stepped up its disinformation efforts to discredit Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and raise questions about his legitimacy in recent months, US intelligence agencies have observed. Russia has spread disinformation about Zelensky since before the war started but recent intelligence shows “it’s definitely increasing,” the official said. The administration has also imposed sanctions against individuals and entities connected with Russian disinformation. Both Ukraine and Russia have been involved in disinformation efforts against each other for years. “Not only have we seen these disinformation efforts increasing but we also expect them to continue to increase.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “ it’s, “, ”, Zelensky, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, ’ ”, Gavin Wilde, ” Wilde, isn’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, ’ ” Biden, National Security Council, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Russian, Zelensky

☆ Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky to step down
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Amazon’s biggest moneymaker, Amazon Web Services, is getting a new leader. Adam Selipsky, the chief executive of the cloud computing unit, will step down from his role next month, the company announced Tuesday. Selipsky, who first joined AWS in 2005 — before its services were even publicly available — has led the business since 2021, when previous AWS CEO Andy Jassy was promoted to lead all of Amazon. Matt Garman, currently vice president of sales, marketing and global services, will take over as AWS CEO starting June 3. Amazon Web Services’ sales have grown more than 85% since Selipsky’s takeover.

Persons: New York CNN —, Adam Selipsky, Selipsky, —, Andy Jassy, Matt Garman, Jassy, “, he’d, Adam, ” Jassy, “ I’m, Matt, ” Selipsky, Garman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Amazon Web, AWS, Google, Microsoft, Amazon Locations: New York

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