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☆ In Opera, Clocks Take the Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( David Belcher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“At times I get up in the middle of the night and stop all the clocks. All of them,” an aging princess sings in “Der Rosenkavalier,” Richard Strauss’s sprawling opera of love, devotion and loss. But this year several productions around the world have been using clocks in their set designs, either as a subtle background item or so central that the timepiece seems like a character itself. Perhaps the opera most connected with clocks is “L’heure espagnole” (“Spanish Time”), Maurice Ravel’s one-act farce about a neurotic clockmaker and his unfaithful wife. It is being staged Aug. 22-26 at the Grimeborn Opera Festival in East London — with a twist.

Persons: “ Der, ” Richard Strauss’s, ”, “ Boris Godunov, Maurice Ravel’s Organizations: East London — Locations: “, East London

The fourth criminal case against Donald Trump is likely to intensify next week, when Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., is expected to take her election interference case to a grand jury. Willis has focused her investigation on the weeks after Trump lost the 2020 election, looking into calls that Trump made to pressure local officials, a plan by Trump allies to create a slate of bogus electors and the harassment of local election workers. One big question is how broad the indictments will be, according to our colleague Richard Fausset, who is based in Atlanta. The federal Jan. 6 case, whose indictments were announced last week, was a “very narrowly focused indictment,” Richard told us. “In Georgia, there is the possibility that this will be a multi-defendant indictment that would take in a wide rage of actors who would be accused of violating numerous state crimes in their effort to overturn the election.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Willis, Trump, Richard Fausset, ” Richard, “, ” Organizations: Trump Locations: Fulton County ,, Atlanta, Georgia

☆ Sinéad O'Connor tribute appears on Irish hillside ahead of funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An installation paying tribute to Sinéad O’Connor has appeared on an Irish hillside in Bray, the town where her funeral will be held on Tuesday. The tribute to the singer, who died last month at age 56, features white letters, reading “ÉIRE SINÉAD,” with a heart emoji between the two words. The tribute, unveiled Sunday, was conceived by Dublin-based creative agency The Tenth Man, in conjunction with signwriting and mural specialists Mack Signs. It is located directly above a World War II “ÉIRE” navigational landmark that was rediscovered in 2018 after a wildfire. O’Connor “loved living in Bray and the people in it,” the statement added.

Persons: Sinéad O’Connor, ÉIRE, O'Connor, Mack, ” Richard Seabrooke, Sinéad, I’m, O’Connor “, ” Organizations: CNN, Ireland, Ireland’s, RTE Locations: Bray, Dublin, Wicklow, United States

☆ US investors are searching overseas for opportunities
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Despite the gains in US stocks this year, some investors are looking for opportunities elsewhere. That’s despite what’s been shaping up to be a banner year for the US stock market — at least prior to this week’s US credit rating downgrade (more on that below). But some investors say that cheaper valuations for non-US stocks, compared to their domestic counterparts, are enticing some on Wall Street to look for deals overseas. The S&P 500 index currently trades at about 19.6 times its expected earnings, according to FactSet. That MSCI All Country World ex USA index has risen roughly 9% on a US dollar basis, underperforming the S&P 500.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, That’s, what’s, ”, Adam Turnquist, China’s, Jimmy Lee, bode, Fitch, ” Richard Francis, CNN’s Matt Egan, Francis, “, ” Francis, Janet Yellen, Obama, Jason Furman, Larry Summers, Read, Sam Stovall Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, Investors, Federal Reserve, LPL, Global, The Wealth Consulting, America, Fitch, Treasury Department, AAA

☆ Fitch tells CNN why it downgraded America now
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Fitch Ratings is defending its controversial decision to downgrade the US credit rating by pointing to the nation’s mountain of debt. “The numbers speak for themselves,” Richard Francis, the lead analyst on US sovereign ratings at Fitch, told CNN in an interview on Wednesday. Within minutes of Fitch’s downgrade on Tuesday evening, the White House, Treasury Department and some leading economists slammed the move. Whether America slips into a mild recession or narrowly avoids one “just doesn’t move the needle,” Francis told CNN. ‘The center’s fallen apart’Beyond the fiscal mess, Fitch is growing increasingly worried about the political situation in the world’s largest economy.

Persons: New York CNN Business — Fitch, ” Richard Francis, Francis, “, ” Francis, Janet Yellen, Fitch, Obama, Jason Furman, Larry Summers, ”, Donald Trump, there’s, Biden Organizations: New York CNN Business, Fitch, CNN, Treasury Department, Social Security, Office, Democrats, Republicans, Trump Locations: America

☆ The world’s most shark-filled waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There were just 57 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks last year, out of a global population of 8 billion, five of which were fatal. However, some places around the world have much higher rates of shark attacks than others, with the numbers rising with the passing years. Let’s take a look at the locations worldwide with the highest rates of shark attacks between 2012 and 2021 and the reasons they’ve become hot spots. South Africa (29 bites)South Africa had 29 unprovoked shark bites between 2012 and 2021, of which six were fatal. South Carolina (45 bites)None of the 45 unprovoked attacks in South Carolina in the decade-long time frame were fatal.

Persons: Let’s, ”, Gavin Naylor, Gansbaai, they’ve, ” Neil Hammerschlag, “, ” Richard Peirce, orcas, Brad Leue, Chuck Bangley, Fernando de Noronha, Katarina Zarutskie, ” Zarutskie Organizations: CNN, Discovery, Discovery Channel, Warner Bros ., ISAF, Volusia, Florida Program, Shark Research, orcas, Conservation, University of Miami Rosenstiel School, Shark Conservation Society, International, of Oceanography, Aquaculture Locations: New York, Florida, Florida’s Volusia County, ”, Smyrna Beach, Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Hawaii, Windward Oahu, South Africa, Carolina, South Carolina, Charleston, Horry, Beaufort, ” California, San Diego, California, Brunswick County, North, North Carolina, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Brazil, Pernambuco, Bahamas, Staniel Cay

☆ For Years, Quiet Gilgo Beach Was a Place of ‘Murders and Mayhem’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Christopher Maag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The straight, quiet stretch of Ocean Parkway would give him plenty of time to listen and watch for coming cars. The isolation provided investigators their first clue: The killer knew Long Island well enough to find perhaps its most secluded place. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that four bodies wound up in this area,” Richard Dormer, the Suffolk County police commissioner, told reporters days after the discovery. The investigation into the murders became mired in a police corruption scandal, after which the case went cold for years. Some local politicians grew frustrated and worried that police had bungled the case.

Persons: Long, ” Richard Dormer Locations: Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County

☆ Russian oil tops price cap set by Western countries for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —The price of Russian crude oil has risen above a price cap set by the Group of Seven nations, in the first “real test” of whether the West can enforce one of its key sanctions against Moscow. “This is the first real test of the price cap sanctions,” Matthew Wright, a senior freight analyst at Kpler, told CNN. “High interest rates, declining economic activity in China, and a potential recession in the West,” have depressed oil prices globally. The smaller gap shows that the G7 price cap is “having a diminishing impact on Russian oil revenues,” Richard Bronze, co-founder and head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects, told CNN. Despite rising oil prices, buyers like India are unlikely to turn their backs on Russian oil, said Wright at Kpler.

Persons: ” Matthew Wright, Wright, “ It’s, Russia —, That’s, ” Richard Bronze, Natalia Kolesnikova, “, Tim Lister Organizations: London CNN, Group, Moscow, Argus Media, European Union, Argus, EU, CNN, Organization of, Petroleum, Gazprom, US Treasury, International Energy Agency, IEA Locations: China, India, Europe, Russia, OPEC, Ukraine, Brent, Moscow, AFP, Western, Kpler, Russian, Saudi Arabia

☆ ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Review: Neon Dust, Hollywood Corn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lisa Kennedy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Do I have initiative?” Richard Montañez (played by Jesse Garcia) asks his wife, Judy (Annie Gonzalez), in the dramatic comedy “Flamin’ Hot,” directed with affectionate brio by the actor Eva Longoria. Montañez, on whose memoir this fictionalized story is based, is eyeing an application for a job at the Frito-Lay facility in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. While he’s stumped about that word — “initiative” — soon enough he’ll embody it, as he goes from being a janitor to becoming a family man behind a Cheetos flavor that extended the snack maker’s reach, launching Montañez’s marketing career. Montañez’s youth is recounted in a sometimes boastful, sometimes self-deprecating, always upbeat voice-over that softens the edges of his childhood, which include routine bigotry and outright racism, but also brutality and judgment from his father, Vacho (Emilio Rivera). It wasn’t until Judy got pregnant that the pair agreed that things had to change.

Persons: ” Richard Montañez, Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, ”, Eva Longoria, Montañez, he’s, ” —, Garcia, Gonzalez, Vacho, Emilio Rivera, Judy Organizations: Frito, Chicano Movement Locations: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif

☆ Lazard Names Peter Orszag to Succeed Ken Jacobs as C.E.O.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lazard announced on Friday that Peter Orszag, who leads its core financial advisory business, will succeed Ken Jacobs as the company’s chief executive on Oct. 1. Mr. Jacobs will stay on as executive chairman and continue to advise clients. Mr. Orszag, a former Obama administration official, will oversee a 175-year-old financial institution with a long history of advising on major corporate deals at a time when its mainstay business faces huge challenges. “Over his career spanning both banking and government, Peter has proven to be a strategic, visionary and decisive leader, with deep relationships across the industry and the ability to effectively lead Lazard through evolving global markets and complex geopolitical dynamics,” Richard Parsons, the firm’s lead independent director, said in a statement. Lazard did not say when its succession planning began, but Mr. Orszag, 54, wrote in a memo to employees on Friday that the move followed a “selection process that has been in the works for quite some time.”

☆ Fact Check-New York Gov. Kathy Hochul not authorized to fill potential vacancy if Rep. George Santos steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The House Vacancies Clause in the U.S. Constitution can be seen (here). New York state law requires the governor to call a special election within 10 days of a House vacancy (see subdivision three) (here). “Hochul has no power to replace Santos,” said Derek Muller, an election law expert at the University of Iowa College of Law (here). “If Santos resigns, it depends on when he resigns as to whether there will be a special election before the next general election to fill his vacancy,” he said. “Hochul must announce within 10 days, and the special election must take place within 70 to 80 days, but not if the vacancy occurs after July 1, 2024.”VERDICTMisleading.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ Chinese postpartum confinement, called ‘zuo yue zi,’ is gaining Western appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —You cannot carry heavy things. Chan is a “pui yuet,” also called a confinement nanny, who lives with families after a baby is born. Richard, a content creator from Canada, traveled to Hong Kong to become a model and fell in love with her husband, Tom, there. During that time, the pui yuet makes dishes catering to the mother’s physical needs and helps her with milk production and other concerns. Few entities track the pricing of nannies in Hong Kong on a consistent basis because most negotiations are directly between clients and the nannies.

☆ A shadow fleet is helping Russia ship oil around the world. And it's growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —Russian oil is still finding its way to buyers around the world. Industry insiders estimate the size of that “shadow” fleet at roughly 600 vessels, or about 10% of the global number of large tankers. Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesThe expansion of the shadow fleet highlights the dramatic changes Russia’s war has brought to the global oil market. As a result, an estimated 25 to 35 vessels are being sold per month into the shadow fleet, according to another senior executive at an oil trading firm. There are also questions about who ultimately runs the shadow fleet.

The video game industry also flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic as people increasingly turned to digital entertainment during lockdowns. However, video game music has not always hit all the right notes to be specifically recognized at the Grammys. But game music is breaking ground through technological innovation and new avenues for consumers to experience it. This includes live immersive video game concerts, video game scores across platforms like YouTube,Twitch, TikTok and Fortnite, remixes and collaborations, augmented and virtual reality and even eye-tracking technology. Collaborating with game developers and audio teams informs his ability to write music that can be smoothly integrated into a video game.

An Arkansas man who was photographed on Jan. 6 with his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office took the witness stand at his criminal trial Thursday and said he regretted his actions during the attack on the Capitol. “I shouldn’t have put my feet on the desk,” Richard "Bigo" Barnett told jurors while testifying in his own defense on riot-related felony charges. Barnett testified that going inside the building was “against his instinct” and compared the experience to being in a dream. Barnett also told jurors that he hadn't intentionally sought out Pelosi's office. He said he did not realize it was Pelosi’s office until he picked up an envelope with her name on it, which he said he did out of curiosity.

Fueled by a post-lockdown buying frenzy, the average UK house price hit a record £275,000 ($315,474) in December, a £27,000 increase on the previous year’s high. UK mortgage rates have been ticking upwards since spring, in line with rising interest rates. UK house prices fell 0.9% between September and October, the first decline in 15 months, according to data from Nationwide. A drop in buying power makes a significant drop in house prices inevitable, according to Andrew Wishart, a senior economist at Capital Economics. When house prices fall, homeowners feel less confident about their personal finances, causing them to cut back on spending and hold off on making additional investments.

☆ UK house prices could plunge 15% because of soaring mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN Business —House prices in the United Kingdom could plummet by as much as 15% if the country presses ahead with its tax-slashing economic gamble. Credit Suisse (AMJL) said on Tuesday that UK house prices could “easily” fall between 10% and 15% over the next 18 months if the Bank of England aggressively hikes interest rates to keep inflation in check. Some analysts now expect the Bank of England to raise interest rates to 6% next year, up from its current 2.25%, to prop up the ailing currency. Capital Economics, which likewise forecasts a drop in house prices of between 10% and 15%, warned the slump could be “devastating.”“The resulting drop in buying power makes a significant drop in house prices inevitable,” Andrew Wishart, senior economist at Capital Economics, said in a research note on Tuesday. “Mortgage arrears and default would rise just as house prices likely would be tumbling, placing huge strain on banks’ balance sheets,” Tombs said.

☆ Fact Check-‘Presidential Election Reform Act’ would not automatically ban Trump from becoming president again
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Experts told Reuters there would need to be a determination that such an amendment would apply to the former president. Some on social media said the bill would ban Trump from running for office and becoming president. One user tweeted on Sept. 20: “Liz Cheney (R) and Zoe Lofgren (D) have jointly proposed a bill that would bar Trump from ever becoming president again. The op-ed also does not state that the bill would automatically disqualify Trump from a future election. The Presidential Election Reform Act would not automatically bar Donald Trump from serving again as president if re-elected.

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