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☆ Biden looks to counter China’s influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects. On Wednesday, when he arrived at Joint Base Andrews to begin another state visit – this time to Washington – he again found a red carpet and troops. Senior administration officials acknowledge a central factor in scheduling a state visit with Kenya was the desire to counter China’s influence and financial leverage on the African continent, which has outpaced the United States in direct investment. One of the goals of Thursday’s state visit is to demonstrate the ability of democracies – like Kenya’s – to deliver for their people. “I plan on going in February,” Biden told reporters.

Persons: Washington CNN —, William Ruto, Joint Base Andrews, Washington –, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, –, Kenya –, ”, “, Biden, Ruto, ” Ruto, he’s, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Jake Sullivan, ” Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump –, ” Sullivan, Ariel Henry Organizations: Washington CNN, Kenyan, Joint Base, East, Kenya, NATO, Africa –, White, Initiative, Loans, Washington, World Bank, Group, European Union, Democratic, White House, Angolan, Advisers, CNN, Haitian Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, Kenya, United States, China’s, Nairobi, Mombasa, Boston, US, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Washington, East, Ukraine, ”, Russia, –, combatting al, Shabab, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti

☆ TikTok Is About to Become Even More Powerful Thanks to Millennials
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Emilie Friedlander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

"I have friends that say that TikTok Shop has ruined the app," Casey Lewis, a trends researcher, said. "It can be good — especially as TikTok moves to TikTok Shop — if they're able to capitalize on this shift and sell products more effectively to older users." Just because something is going viral on TikTok doesn't necessarily mean Gen Z is behind it. The same could be said of Gen Z, which would explain the generations' shared fascination with a time before smartphones and round-the-clock news. The Gen Z users I spoke with didn't seem particularly concerned about an influx of olds.

Persons: Keara Sullivan, Zers, Rushmore, Sullivan, Ryan Broderick, Adam Bumas, Broderick, TikTok, —, Cory Doctorow, it's, Kevin Munger, Doctorow, Casey Lewis, Lewis hasn't, Gen Zers, Jonathan Gelfond, Taylor Lorenz, Lorenz, Munger, Gen Z, Lewis, Stanley, Alpha, Zers —, Gen Alpha, hasn't, millennials, Jason Parham, Leslie Horn Petersen, she's, Gen, didn't, I've, Emilie Friedlander Organizations: New, Pew Research Center, Facebook, Senate, Microsoft, Penn State, Little League, Business, QVC, UC Santa Barbara, The Washington Post, YouTube Locations: New York, tfym, millennials, Brooklyn, Philadelphia

☆ Kenyan President’s State Visit: An Antidote to U.S. Troubles in Africa?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As other African nations move away from the United States, disillusioned with democracy or lured by rival powers, President William Ruto of Kenya arrives in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit intended to showcase a stalwart American ally on the continent. Relations with once-firm American allies like South Africa and Ethiopia are decidedly cool. Mr. Ruto, the Biden administration hopes, is the antidote to those troubles. Since he came to power two years ago, Mr. Ruto, 57, has pulled Kenya, the economic powerhouse of East Africa, ever closer to the United States. His visit is just the sixth state visit hosted by the Biden administration, and the first for an African president since 2008.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Biden Locations: United States, Kenya, Washington, American, Russia, China, Niger, South Africa, Ethiopia, Senegal, East Africa

☆ America's Surge of Dumb Neighborhood Names, Real-Estate Rebrands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Neighborhood names are also shorthand for your rent or mortgage payments. In 2017, real-estate brokers in the historically Black New York neighborhood of Harlem sparked backlash when they tried to rebrand its south end as SoHa. At their best, new neighborhood names bring people together over a shared sense of pride in their little corner of the world. Along the way, these neighborhood names have veered into parody territory. I'm not saying that neighborhood names should be set in stone — in fact, I think it's natural for them to evolve alongside their populations.

Persons: you've, MoRA, Nashville's, they're, Let's, Gill Holland, Holland, Nestor Davidson, David Fagundes, Grant McKenzie, McKenzie, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Davidson, They're, Bob Dylan's, Marshall, Lily, I'm, Willy, Dirtbag, Little Italy — Organizations: Market, McGill University, University of Maryland, Houston, Financial, Tribeca, McGill, Google, Democratic, New York State Assembly, New York Times, Apple, North Arts District, Congress, Little Locations: Denver, Charlotte , North Carolina, LoSo, Boston, Louisville , Kentucky, NuLu, Austin, America, New York City, Louisville, Holland, North Carolina, Greenwich, Louisville's, Phoenix, Holland's, York, New York, Manhattan, Side, Chelsea, Maryland, Harlem, SoCo, Soho, Dowisetrepla, Charlotte, East Williamsburg

Taipei CNN —Thousands of mostly young protesters surrounded Taiwan’s legislature late into the night on Tuesday, protesting a push by opposition parties to subject the island’s new leader and his administration to tighter scrutiny from a parliament controlled by lawmakers who favor closer ties to China. Meanwhile, the president would be required to deliver an annual address to the parliament on key policy issues. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesOn Tuesday, as the parliament resumed its meeting to discuss the bill, protesters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan – Taiwan’s unicameral parliament – from morning until midnight, braving downpours in the afternoon. Lai, 64, a former doctor and vice president, was inaugurated Monday alongside new Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, who recently served as Taiwan’s top envoy to the United States. Both leaders and their party are openly loathed by Beijing for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Persons: Lai Ching, TPP, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Yuan –, braving, Ricky Li, “ I’m, ”, Lai, Hsiao Bi, China’s Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s, Kuomintang, KMT, Taiwan People’s Party, DPP, –, Communist Party Locations: Taipei, Taiwan’s, China, Beijing, Taiwan, AFP, United States

☆ This startup built AI that's actually licensed to practice law. We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used to raise $5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The startup, Superlegal, just raised $5 million in seed funding in a round led by Israeli VC funds Aleph and Disruptive AI. The startup says it has the only AI licensed to practice law in the US. One such startup, Robin AI, raised a Series B funding round earlier this year for its gen AI-powered contract drafting and review technology. Here's a look at the 14-slide pitch deck Superlegal used to raise its $5 million seed round.

Persons: —, Tom Glover, Westlaw —, Superlegal, Noory, hasn't, AI, Bechor Organizations: Service, Israeli, Alicorn Venture Capital, Thomson Reuters, Business, Utah Locations: Israel

☆ Trump removes video referencing ‘unified Reich,’ but his Nazi allusions are long-standing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Donald Trump dabbles in Nazi allusions too often for it to be a coincidence. But the term “Reich,” which means a kind of empire, is also synonymous with the later Third Reich of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany. Some of Trump’s rhetoric suggests an ignorance of history and his own self-obsession. Some of Trump’s rhetoric seems designed to get a rise from his opponents and the media. And as extreme as a second Trump term might be, the Nazi Germany comparison feels extreme.

Persons: Donald Trump dabbles, Reich, Adolf Hitler’s, Trump, Joe Biden, Hitler, Mein, hasn’t, Donald Trump’s, Donald J, Trump Trump, John Kelly, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Powers, ” Kelly, “, ’, ” Sciutto, Kelly, Steven Cheung, John Bolton, He’s, Biden, ”, Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Truth, White House, Nazi, Baby Boomers Locations: Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Gestapo, United States, Charlottesville , Virginia, Boston, Nazi Germany, Hungarian, Russian, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Eastern Europe, Nazi, Normandy

☆ Kenyan officials arrive in Haiti ahead of planned security mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A delegation of Kenyan “command staff” has arrived in Haiti, according to a law enforcement source in the country, ahead of the long-delayed arrival of a Kenyan-led multinational security support force in the Caribbean nation. Members of the delegation are also expected to meet with US and United Nations officials in the country, sources said. The UN Security Council last year authorized a multinational mission to support Haiti’s National Police in battling deadly gangs that have seized control of much of the capital Port-au-Prince. But despite strong support from the US and other regional powers, the mission has been mired in uncertainty and legal challenges for months. The council said Tuesday that it met with top Haitian police brass to discuss the multinational mission.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Ariel Henry, Korir Sing’Oei, Antony Blinken, “, Price, Joe Biden, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, CNN’s Michael Conte, Audry Jeong Organizations: CNN, Kenyan, US, United Nations, UN Security, Haiti’s National Police, Haitian, Haitian National Police, UN, Canada, Relations, White Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Kenya, France, Spain, United States, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Benny Gantz ultimatum, Netanyahu government in turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rescue teams' vehicles are seen near the site of the incident of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran, on May 19. It has also brought a decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel out into the open. But the proxy war continues with Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah continuing to fight Israel’s forces. The powers of Iran's president are ultimately dwarfed by those of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the final arbiter of domestic and foreign affairs in the Islamic Republic. That means Iran's clerical establishment, headed by Khamenei, must now find a new leader they can throw their support behind against a backdrop of intense regional insecurity and domestic discontent.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Azin, Israel —, Israel, Mahsa, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, —, Mohammad Mokhbar —, Khamenei Organizations: Moj News Agency, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards, United Locations: Varzaghan, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Damascus, Iranian, Isfahan, United Nations, Islamic Republic

☆ Opinion: Hardened like diamonds, these Gen Z protesters fight for a European future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Will Cathcart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They snatch protesters from the crowd and drag them back into a mass of black uniforms. Will Cathcart Will CathcartHundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Georgia in recent weeks to protest the government’s adoption of a Kremlin-inspired “foreign agents” bill. As with the foreign agents law, the bill’s authors claim it promotes transparency, an absurd notion. The foreign agents bill is a symptom of a deeper issue – money. The pressures of authoritarian intimidation and systematic violence have hardened Georgia’s young protestors like diamonds.

Persons: Will Cathcart, Mikheil Saakashvili, Cathcart Will Cathcart, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Hans Gutbrod, ”, Salome Zourabichvili, aren’t, Gen Z, Europe –, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Party ” –, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Shalva Papuashvili, – “, “, James O’Brien’s, Ivanishvili, Zviad Organizations: CNN, Tbilisi CNN — Riot, Georgian, Ilia State University, European Union, Getty, Global, Party, Georgian Orthodox Church, US, State, Eurasian Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, NATO, Special Forces Exchange Locations: American, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Europe, AFP, Georgian, Soviet, Russian, United States, Brussels, Washington, Moscow, EU

☆ Opinion: Iran’s president is dead. The cruel show goes on
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and senior columnist for World Politics Review. Expect clerics and security forces – the military and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – to compete to see who can gain the upper hand, with hardliners in both groups seeking to position themselves for dominance. The chance of a kinder, gentler Iran emerging after new presidential elections are held in 50 days are essentially nil. He won, but most voters spoiled their ballots or stayed home, with the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Now Raisi is dead and the odds are that he will be replaced by another hardliner.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, –, Ali Khamenei, Khamenei acolyte, ”, Mahsa Amini, ” Raisi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Islamic, Ukraine, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Army, Amnesty International, Green Movement, US Locations: Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Damascus, Russia, China, North Korea, Tehran, Saudi Arabia

☆ Here's the moment Nvidia became the AI king and what it must do this week to keep the throne
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

No one is laughing about Jayshree's company, either, as her white box solutions are beating Cisco Systems when it comes to the internet plumbing that connect Nvidia chips to the Titans. Last year at this time, Nvidia snuck into the U.S. trillion-dollar market cap club, with that May quarter. What does Nvidia really have to do then for an encore? Now we are getting into what Jensen does to beat expectations. Tall order, but Nvidia is a company that's beaten tall orders routinely we just didn't really know it until last May.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Jensen, Claude, let's, Blackwell, Andy Grove, Intel's, doesn't, — Jensen, Collette Kress, Mills, Eli Lilly, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Josh Edelson Organizations: Nvidia, Titans, Arista Networks, Microsoft, Meta, Cisco Systems, Google, Apple, Devices, Intel, Merck, Keytruda, Vision, AMD, Grove, Union Pacific, Club, GE, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, SAP Center, Afp, Getty Locations: San Jose , California

☆ Eric Molitor was acquitted on charges related to the Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot. Now he’s running for sheriff
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Alison Main | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A man acquitted last year on charges linked to a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is now looking to unseat an incumbent county sheriff. Eric Molitor has filed to run in the Republican primary this August against Trent Taylor, the sheriff of deep-red Wexford County in Northern Michigan. Taylor told CNN he believes he’s constitutionally obligated to enforce the state’s laws and that it would be “reckless” not to do so, as Molitor has said he would. Molitor told CNN his experience opened his eyes to flaws in the justice system.

Persons: Gretchen Whitmer, Eric Molitor, Trent Taylor, ”, Taylor, “, Molitor, Whitmer, he’s, ” Taylor, ” Molitor, we’ve, Dan Pfannes, Pfannes, MAGA, Donald Trump’s “, Trump, Michele Lundgren, Dana Nessel, ’ ”, CNN’s Lauren del Valle, Veronica Stracqualursi, Josh Campbell, Michelle Watson Organizations: CNN, Michigan, Republican, Democrat, Michigan State University, Northern, Capitol, Michigan House, Democrats, The Michigan Sheriffs ’ Association, Michigan Democratic Party, MAGA Republican, Michigan Republicans won’t, Republican Party Locations: Wexford County, Northern Michigan, Cadillac , Michigan, Michigan, Wexford

☆ Bill Gates: 'You need to read' this new book about AI and education
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

His latest recommendation comes from the world of artificial intelligence — specifically, how the fast-advancing technology might improve the quality of education students receive around the world. The Microsoft co-founder recently took to social media to tout "Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (And Why That's a Good Thing)," which published last week. The book was written by Sal Khan, the founder and CEO of education nonprofit Khan Academy — which is developing an experimental AI chatbot tutor called Khanmigo. "If you're passionate about education, you need to read this book," Gates wrote on social media platform X. AI tutoring could help "close the education gap" with direct help for low-income students even in developing countries, Gates noted last year on his "Unconfuse Me" podcast, in an episode featuring Khan.

Persons: Bill Gates, Sal Khan, Gates, Sal, Khan, Khanmigo —, Melinda Gates, Tovah Klein Organizations: Microsoft, Khan Academy, Melinda Gates Foundation, Barnard College, CNBC

☆ The US secretly sent communist-friendly Coca-Cola to a Soviet general in a bid to maintain good ties across the Iron Curtain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAs World War II ended and the Iron Curtain fell over Eastern Europe, relations deteriorated between the Soviet Union and its Western allies. Zhukov had developed an intense liking for Coca-Cola, a drink now illegal in the Soviet Union. PH/Sherman Montrose ACMECoca-Cola's steadfast support for the Allied war effort helped make it both distinctly American and recognizable worldwide. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesAt Zhukov's request, the new beverage wasn't put in the usual Coke bottles but instead in unmarked, straight-edged bottles. Its rival Pepsi eventually gained a virtual monopoly in the Soviet Union, which the Soviets maintained — once trading several warships for $3 billion worth of Pepsi — until 1985.

Persons: —, Georgy Zhukov, Zhukov, Truman, Robert Woodruff, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Bong, Henry, Hap, Arnold, Coke, Eisenhower, Getty Images Zhukov, Mark W, Clark, Harry Truman, James Farley, It's Organizations: Service, Soviet Union, Business, Sherman, Sherman Montrose ACME, US, US Army, Army Air Forces, Allied, Keystone, Getty Images, Cola Export Corporation, Getty, Cola, Pepsi Locations: Eastern Europe, Soviet, Soviet Union, Cassino, Italy, Sherman Montrose, North Africa, Coke, Montgomery, Frankfurt, Germany, France, American, Austria, Dehradun, India, Vienna, East

☆ Dover Castle: Soldier graffiti found on tower door in ‘astonishing discovery’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —More than 50 etchings from soldiers have been discovered on an English castle door in an “astonishing discovery,” including graffiti of what could depict the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte being hanged. The door was only recently discovered in Dover Castle, in southeast England, charity English Heritage said in a press statement Wednesday. The graffiti on the door is thought to have been created by soldiers living inside the castle between 1789 and 1855. English Heritage suggests that, with hours to kill and “questionable artistic talents,” the soldiers may have whittled into the door to simultaneously whittle away the time. Three significant dates are also inscribed onto the door, English Heritage said: 1789, the year of the French Revolution; 1798, a period of rebuilding in Dover Castle; and 1855, when changes were planned to St. John’s Tower.

Persons: Napoleon Bonaparte, St, whittle, Jim Holden, Napoleon, Helena, Hopper, Hooper, ’ Paul Pattison, ” Pattison, ” Organizations: CNN, Heritage, Dover Castle Locations: Dover Castle, England, Napoleon, France, John’s, British, Waterloo, St, Dover

☆ Supreme Court saves consumer protection agency after a challenge from conservatives and the payday lending industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( John Fritze | Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Congress created the bureau in 2010 to protect consumers from financial scams. The payday lending groups sued over a 2017 bureau rule that prohibited attempts to withdraw payments from accounts after two consecutive tries failed due to insufficient funds. Because of that, the conservative appeals court tossed the payday lending rule. The Biden administration appealed to the Supreme Court in 2022. CNN Supreme Court analyst Steve Vladeck said the ruling is another instance of the high court not endorsing controversial opinions from the 5th Circuit.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Biden, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren, ” Thomas, Steve Vladeck, “, would’ve, ”, Vladeck, Samuel Alito, ” Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Stuart, Trump Organizations: CNN, Massachusetts Democratic, Federal Reserve, Circuit, University of Texas School of Law Locations: New Orleans

☆ Opinion | The Authoritarians Have the Momentum
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( David Brooks | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The central struggle in the world right now is between liberalism and authoritarianism. In this contest, we liberals should be wiping the floor with those guys! Modi seems to be on the verge of re-election. Over the last two centuries liberalism has evolved into a system that respects human dignity and celebrates individual choice. As other moral systems, like religion, have withered in many people’s lives, liberalism itself has expanded to fill the hole in people’s souls.

Persons: Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Narendra Modi, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Trump, Modi, ” Alexandre Lefebvre, isn’t Locations: Iran, Russia

☆ Cohen cross-examination resumes at the most critical point of Trump’s trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen goes back on the stand Thursday braced for another bruising day of cross-examination that is shaping up as the most crucial chapter in the first criminal trial of a former president. A suddenly compressed political calendarEvery criminal trial is a grave process since a defendant’s reputation and even liberty is on the line. The Supreme Court is expected to deliver its decision on Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution. That would almost certainly delay Trump’s trial in his federal election interference case until after the election, meaning he wouldn’t be brought to account for the worst attack on democracy in modern times before a subsequent election. In that case, the hush money trial may be the only one held before the election.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Trump, Trump’s, ”, Todd Blanche, CNN’s Paula Reid, Blanche –, Blanche, Reid, —, he’d, It’s, there’d, Joe Biden, Biden, they’d, he’s, Mike Johnson Organizations: CNN, Trump, “, ABC, GOP, Republican Locations: New York, Manhattan, Georgia, Florida

TradeBiden has left some of Trump's tariffs in place, illustrating the protectionist bent that continues to take hold in Washington. Biden has left some of Trump's tariffs in place, illustrating the protectionist bent that continues to take hold in Washington. As president, Trump fixated on the US trade deficit even as some economists argued against reading too much into such figures. He didn't see the fruits of his biggest trade deal, which went into effect in July 2020: the USMCA, a revamped North American trade deal known Experts at Brookings Institution have praised the treaty for growing regional trade. Trump has pledged to kill the Biden administration's new Asian trade talks, which the former president has dubbed "TPP two."

Persons: Biden, Niels Wenstedt, Trump, Katherine Tai, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Barack Obama Organizations: BSR Agency, Getty, Republican Party, American Free Trade, World Trade Organization, Big Tech, Trump, Bloomberg News, Brookings Institution, TransPacific, US, Biden, Politico Locations: Washington, China, American, Mexico, Beijing

☆ Flowers, socks and sparkling wine: Queen Camilla reveals some of her favorite brands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Royal warrants act as a stamp of approval to indicate the preferred goods and services used by the royal household and senior members of the royal family. The use of royal warrants can be traced back to medieval times when Henry II first granted a Royal Charter to the Weavers’ Company, according to the Royal Warrants Holders Association. In the 15th century, the first official royal warrants were granted, including to the King’s printer, William Caxton. A window display at Fortnum and Mason celebrates the coronation of King Charles III on April 29, 2023 in London, England. “It seems quite clear that if there are any [Environmental, Social and Governance] problems with the company, they will not get a royal warrant,” he said.

Persons: Camilla, Shane Connolly, Mason, King Charles III, Prince of Wales, Charles, Henry II, William Caxton, David Haigh, ”, Chris J Ratcliffe, Haigh, Bob Lindo, ” Haigh, Tom Athron Organizations: CNN’s Royal, London CNN, Charter, Weavers ’, Royal, Parliament, Brand, CNN, Corgi, Fortnum, Social Locations: London, England, America, East, China, Camel, Cornwall

☆ Four dead in New Caledonia riots as France declares state of emergency
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Wednesday after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform. The state of emergency, which entered into force at 5 a.m. local time (1800 GMT), gives authorities additional powers to ban gatherings and forbid people from moving around the French-ruled island. Police reinforcements adding 500 officers to the 1,800 usually present on the island, have been sent after rioters torched vehicles and businesses and looted stores. "No violence will be tolerated," said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, adding that the state of emergency "will allow us to roll out massive means to restore order." He later signed a decree declaring a state of emergency that will last for 12 days and announced that French soldiers would be used to secure New Caledonia's main port and airport.

Persons: Gabriel Attal Organizations: French Gendarmerie, Police, Authorities Locations: French, Tir, Noumea, New Caledonia, France, Kanak, Paris

☆ Neither Russia nor China wants the Ukraine war to end, but for different reasons
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewRussian President Vladimir Putin is on a two-day visit to China, and he's bringing along a large trade delegation. But Russia has also become increasingly reliant on China since it started the war in Ukraine. For instance, Russia is now "exporting raw materials to China while China sends finished goods, especially cars, to Russia — the latter at the expense of Russia's indigenous auto industry," she added. However, some analysts say China has more to gain from a continuing war. China and Russia are forging a partnership increasingly reminiscent of a great power alliance," wrote Michta.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, It's, Putin, Xi —, Michta, Russia —, Europe —, China's Organizations: Service, Business, Center for, Bilateral, West, Center, Global Energy, Columbia University, Kyiv —, US Army Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Siberia, Europe, Beijing

☆ Live Updates: Slovakia’s Prime Minister in ‘Life-Threatening’ Condition After Shooting
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Pavol Strba | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot and seriously wounded on Wednesday in what the government called an assassination attempt. A post on the prime minister’s official and verified Facebook page said that Mr. Fico was in “life-threatening condition” after sustaining “multiple” gunshot wounds. Local media reported that the attack unfolded in the central Slovak town of Handlova, where Mr. Fico, a veteran politician, had been meeting with supporters. Mr. Fico has aligned with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, in opposing aid to Ukraine and challenging mainstream opinions within the European Union. On Wednesday, Mr. Orban was quick to send well wishes to Mr. Fico, whom he called “my friend.”“We pray for his health and quick recovery,” Mr. Orban wrote on social media.

Persons: Robert Fico, Fico, “, Zuzana Caputova, ”, Caputova, Viktor Orban, Orban, Mr, Ursula von der Leyen Organizations: Local, Facebook, Reuters, European Union, European Commission Locations: Slovak, Handlova, Russia, Ukraine, United States

The National Security Agency collected the intelligence that gave US officials insights into China and Iran’s capabilities in producing deepfakes, one of the sources said. At a briefing last week, FBI officials warned that AI increases the ability of foreign states to spread election disinformation. US officials have maintained a high level of visibility into the AI and deepfake advancements made by countries including China, Iran and Russia since the 2020 election. Nearly 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaners said that President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win was not legitimate, according to a CNN poll released in August. The 2024 US election will present new opportunities for foreign influence operations.

Persons: “, ”, Lee Foster, Foster, ” Foster, leaners, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, National Security Agency, NSA, Intelligence, US, Labs, “, Republican, Pew Research Center, FBI, Kyiv Locations: China, Iran, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Ukraine –

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