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☆ AI comes for the DJ: London partygoers rave to robot beats
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Vin Shahrestani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"If we can have AI make beautiful music and we can play that to each other, I think that's probably why it's there. For Mubert’s CEO, Paul Zgordan, the rise of AI will inevitably result in some musicians losing jobs. "We want to save musicians' jobs, but in our own way," Zgordan told Reuters via videolink from the Armenian capital Yerevan. PRETTY GOOD JOBThe DJ booth, usually the focus of parties, was left empty as an experiment to see how revellers would react to the AI DJ. "There is no ChatGPT for music because music is more complex," he said.

☆ Nepal deputy PM loses job after top court rules his ID invalid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KATHMANDU, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Nepal's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that deputy prime minister Rabi Lamichhane had stood for election with invalid citizenship papers, annulling his status as a lawmaker and effectively removing him from office. Lamichhane became deputy prime minister for home affairs - heading the ministry that oversees identity cards - in a seven-party alliance that took power last month. In its ruling on Friday, a five-member constitutional bench of the top court said the 48-year-old had contested November elections on an invalid citizenship certificate after abandoning his U.S. citizenship. "He loses his ministerial position and there will be a by-election in his constituency," Lamichhane’s lawyer Sunil Pokhrel told Reuters. Pokhrel said Lamichhane will now seek to get a regular citizenship card and contest the by-election from the same constituency in south Nepal.

☆ Exclusive: Indian sugar mills to close early as rain hits cane supply - govt official
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

India has allowed sugar mills to export only 6.1 million tonnes of the sweetener in the current season and, out of that, mills have already contracted to export 5.7 million tonnes. Sugar mills in Maharashtra were operational until mid-June in 2021/22 as they were struggling to harvest a record crop. LOWER EXPORTSIn 2021/22 Maharashtra produced a record 13.7 million tonnes, higher than the initial estimate of 11.2 million tonnes, allowing New Delhi to export a record 11.2 million tonnes. As the sugar exports quota was nearly exhausted, the Indian Sugar Mills Association and other trade bodies were requesting the government to allow additional exports of up to 4 million tonnes. India mainly exports sugar to Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sudan, Somalia and the United Arab Emirates.

☆ New museum in Mexico spotlights endangered axolotl salamander
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Alberto Fajardo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] An axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) swims in an aquarium at the new Axolotl Museum and Amphibians Conservation Centre, which is to promote the protection and study of this endangered species, at Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Mexico, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Henry RomeroMEXICO CITY, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A new museum and conservation center dedicated to Mexico's critically endangered axolotl salamander is highlighting the amphibian's remarkable story that has captured the attention of scientists and the public alike. With an impressive ability to heal itself, the axolotl (pronounced ah-sho-LO-tul) salamanders were showcased in the exhibit, which opened on Saturday, at Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo. For decades, researchers have marveled at how the axolotl can regenerate amputated limbs and damaged body tissue, even its heart and brain. While the axolotl native to Mexico City's southern Xochimilco district is especially well-known, Gual points to 16 other kinds of axolotls that also call Mexico home, each one "like a wetlands ambassador."

[1/6] French energy workers on strike gather with dockers near tyres set on fire as they protest against French government's pension reform plan, in the port of Saint-Nazaire, France, January 26, 2023. An Elabe poll for BFM showed 72% of the French are against the pension reform. "Oil workers are against this (pension) reform but they don't want to be on the front line," said a CGT union representative for Exxonmobil. A spokesperson for Esso, whose two French refinery sites are run by ExxonMobil (XOM.N), said only truck loading operations were suspended at Fos, with everything else operating normally. A union representative added that production at the Port Jerome site was slightly impacted.

☆ Missile hit Turkish-owned ship in Ukraine's Kherson port -video, sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A Turkish-owned general cargo ship was struck by a missile in the port of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, sparking a fire, according to video footage from the scene and shipping sources. The missile hit the bridge of the vessel named Tuzla on Tuesday, maritime security company Ambrey said, causing the fire. A shipping source said there are twelve Turkish ships trapped in Ukrainian ports, including in Kherson, that are not covered by the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal. "There has been an attack yesterday night, most probably to the port, and an explosive charge seems to have hit the ship. Turkish ships in Kherson are manned by a skeleton crew so there are no injuries or casualties," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Rooted in the Middle Ages, the Binche carnival, a UNESCO World Heritage event, is one of Europe's oldest surviving street carnivals and the biggest in Belgium. The costumes include ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs, bells and wax masks, elements which the Kersten family have been designing and making for five generations. "This year, we are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the start of the 'Gilles de Binche' costumes production", said 57-year-old Fanny Kersten, who has been making costumes with her father for 33 years. The Binche carnival's cancellation in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a "black hole" for the business, Kersten said, adding "we couldn't even imagine a future for the carnival." It was the first time the carnival was cancelled since World War Two, significantly reducing costume makers' income from renting out their pieces.

☆ German exports to Russia plunge to lowest in two decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

German exports to Russia slumped by 45% year-on-year to 14.6 billion euros ($15.9 billion) in 2022, according to preliminary data from the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations. Imports from Russia, however, grew by 11% to about 37 billion euros due to high oil and gas prices, the group said in its report. Germany's trade deficit with Russia climbed to a record level of around 22 billion euros as a result, the group's executive director Michael Harms said. The plunge in exports to Russia was most visible in motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as electrical engineering products, Harms added, while pharmaceutical products and agricultural machinery, sectors which have been excluded from European Union sanctions, remained the top exports. "The outlook for export business with Russia remains bleak," Harms said, adding that goods exports to Russia were likely to settle at a low level in 2023.

☆ Dior dazzles with Josephine Baker-inspired haute couture show in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Models present creations by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri as part of her Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 collection show for fashion house Dior in Paris, France, January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri paid homage to Josephine Baker with her spring haute couture show on Monday, sending out a dazzling lineup featuring golden jaquards, crushed velvet and beaded fringes that swayed and sparkled down the runway. "She immediately understood the power of fashion," Chiuri said of Baker, the famed French-American jazz singer and dancer. She sought to depict the beauty and confidence of these women, Thomas told Reuters, describing the challenge of whittling the list down to 13. The exhibit, which is set up in a temporary show space at the Rodin Museum in Paris is open to the public through January 29.

☆ Regulator fines Air India $37,000 for unruly passenger incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Air India has been fined 3 million Indian rupees ($37,000) for its handling of an unruly passenger on one of its flights in November, India's aviation regulator said on Friday. Air India, on Friday, said it was studying the regulator's order on the matter, but acknowledged that there were "gaps" in the airline's internal reporting and assured the "relevant steps" were being taken to address them. "We are also strengthening our crews' awareness of and compliance with policies on the handling of incidents involving unruly passengers," said a spokesperson. India's aviation regulator had earlier issued formal paperwork, named show cause notices, to some Air India staff, including the pilots and cabin crew of the flight involved in the incident, asking why enforcement action should not be taken against them. Air India had also issued show cause notices and de-rostered one pilot and four cabin crew as part of its investigation.

☆ Kadyrov, Prigozhin slam prohibition on Russian soldiers' beards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Thursday criticised a prohibition on Russian soldiers wearing beards, joining Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in the two men's latest outburst against the Russian military leadership. Kadyrov called Sobolev's comments "a clear provocation", saying that his mostly Muslim soldiers wore beards as part of their religious duty. Wagner boss Prigozhin, whose rift with the defence establishment has become more public in the past week, called Sobolev's comments "absurd" and "archaisms from the 1960s". Kadyrov and Prigozhin, whose forces in Ukraine operate largely autonomously of the high command, have become more outspoken in their criticism of the Russian military leadership since Moscow's armies suffered a string of cascading defeats in the autumn. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Vin ShahrestaniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Google challenged the directive in the Supreme Court saying it would hurt consumers and also its business, warning the growth of the Android ecosystem could stall. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which included the chief justice of India, extended the implementation date of CCI's directives by a week beyond Jan. 19, but declined to block the ruling despite Google's repeated requests. Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say it imposes restrictions such as mandatory pre-installation of its own apps that are anti-competitive. Google also says in its India filings that "no other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes". "We have not cut, copy and paste," N Venkataraman, a government lawyer representing the Competition Commission of India (CCI), told the top court.

☆ Venezuela opposition names committee to manage foreign assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Deisy Buitrago | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Venezuela traditionally has only one legislature, but currently has two parallel bodies - one of government-allied lawmakers and another for the opposition. Opposition party members Carlos Millan, Rene Uzcategui, Yon Goicoechea and Fernando Blasi will serve on the committee headed by Gustavo Marcano. Many assets controlled by the opposition have enjoyed the United States' protection against creditors, which this week extended its protection of Citgo for three months. Marcano, Goicoechea and Blasi served on the spending control committee previously operated under the interim government of former opposition leader Juan Guaido. Blasi will also represent the assembly in the United States, while lawmaker Miguel Pizarro will work on the assembly's behalf at the United Nations.

☆ U.S. agency says Amazon.com exposed workers to safety hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File PhotoNEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. government agency on Wednesday issued citations against Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) for failing to keep warehouse workers safe, by exposing them to ergonomic hazards that resulted in serious injuries. The agency said workers at the Florida facility were also exposed to "struck-by" hazards, where merchandise that was unevenly stacked or not secured was susceptible to collapse. Doug Parker, the head of OSHA, said Amazon's processes were "designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries." Amazon has said it invests hundreds of millions of dollars annually to ensure worker safety. Safety concerns, including after the deaths of six workers when an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, collapsed during a December 2021 tornado, have helped spur union campaigns at Amazon warehouses across the country.

☆ Givenchy doubles down on suits and hoodies at Paris Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/7] A model presents a creation by designer Matthew M. Williams as part of his Menswear ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection show for fashion house Givenchy during Men's Fashion Week in Paris, France, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierPARIS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Givenchy creative director Matthew Williams hit the runway Wednesday with a collection of layered looks for men, piling suit jackets on top of hoodies and wide-legged bermudas. Adding texture, the designer of the LVMH-owned (LVMH.PA) French fashion house also wove patches of colour and distressed elements into the line up, which included furry coats in bright colours, shiny puffer coats and exotic skin patterns. The event was held on the second day of Paris Fashion Week's menswear shows, which lasts through Jan. 22 and include high end labels Louis Vuitton, Dior Homme, Hermes and Maison Margiela. European fashion labels are looking to tap into the global popularity of South Korean stars, with an eye to younger shoppers, and the latest flurry of tie-ups include BTS' Jimin for Dior and rapper Suga at Valentino, also announced this week.

Jan 18 (Reuters) - A Massachusetts man charged with murdering his wife searched online for "dismemberment and the best ways to dispose of a body" after she was last seen on New Year's Day, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Not guilty pleas were entered in Quincy District Court on behalf of Brian Walshe, 47, as a prosecutor revealed a search of a trash facility uncovered items with Ana Walshe's DNA on it along with a hacksaw and cutting shears. He was ordered held without bail after prosecutors on Tuesday charged Walshe with his wife's murder. The investigation began after her employer in Washington, the real estate company Tishman Speyer, reported her missing on Jan. 4. At the time, Brian Walshe was on house arrest awaiting sentencing in Boston federal court after admitting in 2021 he sold forgeries of Andy Warhol art based on paintings he took from a one-time friend and never returned.

☆ 'Sex Education' co-stars Wood and Mackey among BAFTA Rising Star nominees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Emma Mackey and Aimee Lou Wood, who rose to fame on hit Netflix show "Sex Education", and historical epic "The Woman King" actor Sheila Atim are among the nominees in the rising star category in the BAFTA Film Awards. Mackey and Wood play close friends in the Netflix comedy drama about teenagers trying to figure out their love lives. Wood, who has previously won a BAFTA TV award for Female Performance in a Comedy Programme for "Sex Education", was recognised on Tuesday for her role in drama "Living". Mackey was nominated for her portrayal of "Wurthering Heights" novelist Emily Bronte in biographical drama "Emily". The EE Rising Star Award is the only category voted for by the public at the annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards, which this year will take place on Feb. 19 in London.

☆ Foreign investors pour $925 mln into Egypt since Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Foreign investors transferred more than $925 million dollars into the Egyptian foreign exchange market in the three days since its currency sharply depreciated last week, Egypt's central bank said in a statement on Monday. Additional foreign currency from local sources, remittances from Egyptians working abroad and tourism also flowed into the market over the past three business days, the central bank statement added. Banks were able to fulfil more than $2 billion in requests by Egyptian importers over the past three days, in addition to the requests other clients, the central bank statement added. Goods began backing up in Egyptian ports after the central bank placed restrictions on imports in February. Last month the central bank removed those restrictions, and importers have been scouring for dollars to get their goods released.

☆ UK's Clarkson apologises to Harry and Meghan over 'naked' column
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson said he had emailed an apology to Prince Harry and Meghan after he wrote in a national newspaper column that he hoped the Duchess of Sussex would one day be forced to parade naked through the streets. Neither Amazon Prime nor a representative for Clarkson immediately responded to a request for comment. "The language I'd used in my column was disgraceful," Clarkson said on Instagram on Monday, adding he had sent the apology on Christmas morning. Harry and Meghan have made headlines around the world in recent weeks after the couple released a Netflix series, and later Harry's book, in which they accused the British tabloid press of misogyny and racism. Following the widespread public backlash after his column was published, Clarkson has said previously he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt".

☆ Super skills on show for Guinness World Records Day
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Feats ranging from the most alternating single-arm handstands in one minute to solving the most rotating puzzle cubes while skateboarding are being celebrated in this year's Guinness World Records Day. With the theme of "Super Skills", the 19th annual event has prompted people across continents to set new milestones for what is humanly possible. "Guinness World Records Day is a global celebration of the superlative so it's a chance for everyone around the world to have a go at getting their name in the famous Guinness World Records book," said Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records. "We've all got skills, we've all got party tricks but are they good enough to make it into the Guinness World Records book. Nicolas Montes de Oca from Mexico scored three titles: most single-arm handstands in one minute (male) with 23 repetitions, most handstands in one minute (male), totalling 41 repetitions, and most alternating single-arm handstands in one minute, with 32 repetitions.

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