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☆ Pokémon teams up with Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Pokémon is partnering with the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam as part of a new collaboration to teach youngsters about the work of one of the Netherlands’ most famous artists. A number of Pokémon-themed exhibits will run at the Van Gogh Museum from Thursday as part of the museum’s 50th anniversary celebrations, according to a press release published Wednesday. Courtesy Van Gogh Museum“This collaboration will allow the next generation to get to know Vincent van Gogh’s art and life story in a refreshing way. The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company have drawn on many years of educational expertise to create a special experience for children, their supervisors, and we hope many others at the Van Gogh Museum,” said Emilie Gordenker, general director of the Van Gogh Museum, in the release. Courtesy Van Gogh MuseumThe collaboration will run until January 7 and a regular ticket to the museum is required for entry.

Persons: Pokémon, Vincent van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s, Van, ”, Emilie Gordenker, Van Gogh's, Theo, Vincent, ‘, Mathieu Galante, Galante, Pikachu Organizations: CNN, Van, Van Gogh Museum, Pokémon Company Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Van Gogh, Gogh, Japan

REUTERS/Emilie Madi/ Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness said in a report on Tuesday. Global Witness found at least 177 environmentalists were killed globally last year. The findings returned Colombia to the top of the list of deadliest countries for environmentalists after killings declined in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. Brazil and Mexico were the second and third most deadly countries for environmentalists in 2022, the report found, with at least 34 and 31 killings respectively. The only two countries not from Latin America to be included in the 10 most dangerous for environmentalists were the Philippines and Indonesia, Global Witness said.

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Emilie Madi, Laura Furones, Gustavo Petro, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Global, Environmental, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: Red, el, Sheikh, Egypt, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia, America, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia

☆ Biden heads to Florida to survey storm damage, no DeSantis meeting set
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Jeff Mason | Thomson Reuters | Jeff Mason Is A White House Correspondent For Reuters. He Has Covered The Presidencies Of Barack Obama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden heads to Florida on Saturday to survey damage caused by Hurricane Idalia and comfort people affected by the storm, but he will not be meeting Ron DeSantis, the state's Republican governor and a potential presidential rival. DeSantis, 44, is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to oust Biden from the White House but trails former President Donald Trump in polls. Biden and DeSantis have spoken regularly through the week about the storm, which pummeled Florida's Big Bend region with Category 3 winds of nearly 125 mph (200 kph). DeSantis has been a sharp critic of Biden, and the two have clashed over COVID-19 vaccines, abortion and LGBT rights. DeSantis may not want to be photographed with Biden overlooking storm damage now as the Republican presidential primary race intensifies.

Persons: Dennis Buckley’s, Cheney Orr, Joe Biden, Hurricane Idalia, Ron DeSantis, Biden, Jeremy Redfern, Donald Trump, DeSantis, pummeled, Jill, Emilie Simons, Chris Christie, Barack Obama, superstorm Sandy, Jeff Mason, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Republican, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Former New Jersey, Democrat, Thomson Locations: Horseshoe Beach , Florida, U.S, Florida, Bend, COVID, Hurricane, Trump, Hawaii, Delaware

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian and relief efforts as he visits Fisherman's Wharf while touring hurricane-damaged areas, joined by first lady Jill Biden, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., October 5, 2022. Biden, a Democrat who is running for re-election next year, told reporters at the White House on Friday that he would see DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination to challenge Biden in 2024, during the trip. The White House said Biden and his wife, Jill, would meet with members of the community affected by the storm. This is about taking care of the people of his state," Biden told reporters on Wednesday. He plans to visit Florida before flying to his home state of Delaware for the weekend.

Persons: Joe Biden, Hurricane, Jill Biden, Ron DeSantis, Casey DeSantis, Evelyn Hockstein, Biden, Jeremy Redfern, Redfern, Jill, Emilie Simons, DeSantis, Chris Christie, Barack Obama, superstorm Sandy, Jeff Mason, Trevor Hunnicutt, Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Democrat, White, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Former New Jersey, Thomson Locations: Fisherman's, Florida, Fort Myers Beach , Florida, U.S, Washington, Delaware

☆ Lebanon approves 'Barbie' film for release after bid to ban it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A boy stands near an advertising billboard of the movie 'Barbie' at a cinema theatre, as Lebanon approved the film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it, in Beirut, Lebanon September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Lebanon on Friday approved the "Barbie" film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it by its culture minister over claims it contradicts conservative values. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in turn asked General Security's censorship committee to review the film and give its recommendation. Kuwait has banned "Barbie" and supernatural horror film "Talk to Me" to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency said last month. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) Barbie doll on an adventure into the real world.

Persons: Emilie Madi, Mohammad Mortada, Bassam Mawlawi, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Nour Hajjar, Maya Gebeily, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, General Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Rights BEIRUT, Kuwait, Lebanese

CNN —Hundreds of protesters gathered in Lebanon on Friday to mark the third anniversary of a devastating explosion that ripped through a port in Beirut, demanding accountability from officials over a disaster that remains shrouded in mystery. The incident at the Port of Beirut in the country’s capital was one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions. Relatives hold the pictures of some of those killed in the August 2020 Beirut port blast during a march marking the three-year anniversary of the disaster. He also launched a nationwide three-day mourning period for those affected by the blast. Grain silos damaged in the 2020 Beirut port blast.

Persons: Emilie Madi, Najib Mikati, ”, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Jean Yves Le Drian Organizations: CNN, Investigators, Reuters, United Nations, Reuters “ Public Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Port, Cyprus, “ Lebanon, France

[1/3] A volunteer does the registration check-in of pilgrims on the first day of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 1, 2023. The cross-cultural festival, which actually runs for nearly a week, is held every two to three years and was initiated by the late Pope John Paul. At the Lisbon civil parish of Olivais, volunteers welcomed pilgrims carrying suitcases and sleeping bags on Tuesday near a school that is hosting them. He will celebrate several Masses and attend events with young people, politicians and diplomats. Reporting by Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira and Pedro Nunes; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Nunes, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul, Francis, Emilie Bartoschek, Bartoschek, Parque Eduardo VII, Buddy, Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Connect, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Reuters Connect LISBON, Tejo, Portuguese, Western, Olivais, Germany, Parque

☆ Sweden temporarily moves Iraq embassy staff after storming
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Emilie MadiSTOCKHOLM, July 21 (Reuters) - Seconded staff and operations at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad have been relocated temporarily to Stockholm for security reasons after it was stormed by protesters, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador on Thursday in protest at a planned burning of the Koran in Stockholm that had prompted hundreds of protesters to attack and vandalise the embassy in the Iraqi capital. A Sweden foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday that the staff and operations would temporarily move to Stockholm for security reasons but declined to give further comment. "What has happened is completely unacceptable and the government strongly condemns these attacks," Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in a statement on Thursday. Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen in Copenhagen and Johan Ahlander in Stockholm, editing by Anna RingstromOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emilie Madi STOCKHOLM, Tobias Billstrom, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Johan Ahlander, Anna Ringstrom Organizations: REUTERS, Swedish Foreign, Iraq, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Beirut’s, Lebanon, Swedish, Baghdad, Stockholm, Copenhagen

☆ Top Biden cyber official will not get permanent role due to personal debts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kemba Walden, who has been acting director since mid-February, has received endorsements from Democrats and Republicans as well as her predecessor, former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis. As acting director, Walden has overseen the rollout of the administration's national cyber strategy and implementation plan. White House spokeswoman Emilie Simons said Walden "has demonstrated strong leadership overseeing the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD)." "The Biden-Harris Administration – and the American people – greatly appreciate Acting Director Walden's vision and service...," Simons said. Simons did not comment on Walden's personal debt issues and why she would not be considered for the role.

Persons: Kemba Walden, Chris Inglis, Jeff Zients, Walden, Julie Su, Emilie Simons, Harris, Harris Administration –, –, Simons, Nandita Bose, Franklin Paul Organizations: Republicans, National, White, U.S, Reuters, Biden, Harris Administration, Washington Post, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ Lebanon daycare abuse prompts alarm as economic despair deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Emilie Madi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIRUT, July 12 (Reuters) - The alleged abuse of toddlers at a daycare in crisis-stricken Lebanon has sparked alarm over the physical and emotional wellbeing of children in the country, where a nearly four-year economic meltdown is seeping into all aspects of life. The videos - shot on a mobile phone months ago but only recently circulated on social media - prompted an outcry from parents. Lebanon's health ministry meanwhile said in an online statement on Tuesday that it had shut down the daycare after carrying out a "rapid investigation" into the alleged violence. "This closure is not enough, and the punishment must be a lesson," the statement quoted minister Firas al-Abiad as saying. "That was just the tip of the iceberg, what we saw this week at the nursery," Higgins said.

Persons: Tatiana Tannous Hachem, Hachem, Firas, Ettie Higgins, Higgins, Emilie Madi, Rajaa bint Talal, Maya Gebeily, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Reuters, Internal Security Forces, United Nations, UNICEF, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Beirut

☆ French police scramble to find missing toddler in remote Alpine village
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —French police searching for a 2-year-old boy who went missing from his grandparents’ garden in the French Alps on Saturday said on Tuesday they had no clues as to what could have happened to him. The boy, Emile, was last seen walking down the street of his grandparents’ house – located in a remote mountain outpost with only two dozen inhabitants – by two witnesses on Saturday afternoon, a prosecutor said. “At this point, we don’t have any clues allowing us to follow any particular theory (on his whereabouts),” the local public prosecutor told Franceinfo radio. French authorities at the weekend opened a telephone hotline and released a photograph of the boy, a yellow flower tucked behind his ear. French media reported the boy went missing while his grandparents were preparing a car for a ride.

Persons: Emile, ’, Emilie’s Organizations: Reuters, Police, Twitter

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried shot a MasterClass video about crypto trading months before FTX collapsed, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried shot a MasterClass video on crypto last year, per The New York Times. He recorded the video last summer, months before FTX collapsed, according to the report. FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried is thought to have shot a video for MasterClass, which offers classes taught by celebrity experts, just months before his crypto exchange collapsed. The existence of Bankman-Fried's MasterClass had only been a social media rumor around the time FTX collapsed prior to The Times' report. MasterClass, Bankman-Fried and Kives did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Sam Bankman, FTX, MasterClass, SBF's, Fried, Michael Kives, Kives, Crypto, Changpeng Zhao, Emilie Choi, Paul Krugman, Chris Dixon, Coinbase, Gordon Ramsay, Garry Kasparov, Margaret Atwood, Fried's MasterClass, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ron DeSantis Organizations: New York Times, Morning, Hollywood, Bankman, MasterClass, Times, Alameda Research Locations: MasterClass, Alameda

[1/6] Mehmet Ali Fakioglu arrives by bus from Istanbul to Hatay to vote during Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections, in Hatay, Turkey May 14, 2023. But as he prepared to cast his ballot, he voiced criticism of the state's slow response to the disaster in which more than 50,000 people were killed. We were forgotten, all of us, on that day, the second day even on the third day. Critics and earthquake survivors have accused Erdogan's government of both a slow response and lax enforcement of building rules - failures they said cost lives. He said around 1.5 million people had left the quake zone, only a portion of whom had registered new addresses for the purpose of voting.

☆ Sales, spins and splits — what are the differences and why do they matter for investors like us?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +20 min

Investors may get one share in the spun-out entity for every share of the parent company they owned. What's left of J & J will be focused on pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, which were responsible for over 84% of the company's total 2022 revenue of $94.94 billion. It underscores that once free of the parent company tethers a divested company can chart its own destiny. Those priorities may not have necessarily been wrong when considering J & J as the overall enterprise. We believe J & J and Danaher are poised to deliver two more examples.

☆ World record crowd watches England complete Grand Slam against France in Women’s Six Nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —When England’s women first played at Twickenham in 2003, the crowd was scattered about the vast stadium, almost imperceptible in the pictures taken that day. Twenty years later, in the latest historic occasion for women’s rugby, a world record crowd of 58,498 supporters watched England win the Women’s Six Nations by defeating France 38-33 in a thrilling finale at Twickenham, the home of English rugby union. The previous record for a women’s game was 42,579, set at the 2022 women’s rugby World Cup final in New Zealand. To produce a game like that on a stage like this is everything that is good about the game. Ultimately, however, it was too little too late – France’s last try arrived as the clock ticked into the red – and England clung on for victory.

☆ Battle over Biden labor nominee Julie Su heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Julie Su applauds while being nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as the Labor secretary during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2023. Crucial senators in Montana, West Virginia and Arizona, who voted for Su to become deputy Labor Secretary in 2021, are on the fence about her confirmation for the top job. The AFL-CIO will target Montana, West Virginia, Arizona and Maine, communicating support for Su to its members to get them to contact their state senators. A spokesperson for Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins said she does not support Su's nomination. She voted no on Su's deputy secretary nomination in 2021, as did all Republicans.

☆ Lebanon has 'no other way out' than IMF deal, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Retired Lebanese army officer holds Lebanese pound banknotes during a protest over the deteriorating economic situation in Beirut, Lebanon March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie MadiBEIRUT, March 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon has no alternative for economic recovery but to make progress on a deal with the International Monetary Fund, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Leaf said in an online briefing she had urged Lebanese officials to make progress on the full deal and to end a months-long vacuum in the presidency. Leaf said that talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Egypt and Jordan in recent weeks had "very slowly, painstakingly" been moving towards de-escalation. Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alison Williams and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

If you look, it's in Lebanese pounds, so is this the price? To solve the exchange rate confusion, the government needs to implement one unified rate. Shop owner Mahmoud Chaar told Reuters the exchange rate was changing so fast that his business was losing money overnight. Like many business owners, Chaar has to pay in U.S. dollars to import goods but sells in Lebanese pounds. "Basically, we lost in the exchange rate difference what we had made in profit," Chaar told Reuters.

The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria has climbed to more than 41,000, and millions are in need of humanitarian aid, with many survivors having been left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures. It asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to open more border crossing points with Turkey to allow aid to get through. "I shouted, shouted and shouted. Civil war hostilities have obstructed at least two attempts to send aid to the northwest from elsewhere in Syria, but an aid convoy reached the area overnight. "The children and I, by some miracle, we ended up in this small space that I had left empty."

[1/7] Children draw at a makeshift shelter that hosts about 250 people, half of whom are children, following the the deadly earthquake in Mersin, Turkey, February 13, 2023. Anti-Syrian slogans such as "We don't want Syrians," "Immigrants should be deported," and "No longer welcome" trended on Twitter. TENSIONS ON THE RISETurkey is home to nearly 4 million Syrian refugees, having opened its borders to those fleeing the civil war that erupted there in 2011. Turkey has spent more than $40 billion since 2011 accommodating the refugees at a time of intense economic hardship in the country. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday a new influx of refugees from Syria to Turkey was "out of the question".

☆ Turkey detains building contractors as quake death toll passes 33,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A man reacts next to rescuers in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey February 11, 2023. The quakes were powerful, but victims, experts and people across Turkey are blaming bad construction for multiplying the devastation. Rescuers search for survivors, following the deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 10, 2023. I did everything according to the rules," the DHA news agency reported. In leaked testimony published by Anadolu, the man said the building followed regulations and he did not know the building didn't withstand the quakes.

☆ Lebanon hopes UNESCO danger listing could save crumbling modernist fairground
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1962, the collection of structures on the 70-hectare plot is considered one of the key works of 20th century modernism in the Middle East. "It was placed on the World Heritage List exceptionally, quickly and urgently – and on the list of heritage in danger because it's in a critical situation," said Joseph Kreidi, UNESCO's national programme officer for culture in Beirut. "Placing it on the World Heritage Danger List is an appeal to all countries of the world, as if to say: this site needs some care," said Kreidi. Lebanon has five other sites on UNESCO's World Heritage list, most of them citadels and ancient temples. Mira Minkara, a freelance tour guide from Tripoli and a member of the Oscar Niemeyer Foundation's Tripoli chapter, has fond – but rare – memories of the fairground as a child.

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is still weighing candidates for new top economic advisers, officials familiar with the process said, and no final decisions are expected before next week's State of the Union speech. Biden is focused on Tuesday's address to Congress and had not made a decision on the top jobs at the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), officials said. Other candidates for the NEC job include Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Reuters reported last week. Only the CEA job requires Senate confirmation. Brainard was widely floated as the frontrunner for Treasury secretary when Biden came to office, only for him to pick Yellen instead.

The White House will likely appoint Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard to run the National Economic Council and Jared Bernstein to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, sources familiar with the matter tell CNBC. The appointments are expected to be announced after incoming White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients assumes his role, as soon as next week. Bernstein is a member of the board he is expected to head, the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The White House is holding a ceremony on Wednesday to thank outgoing White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and welcome Zients to the position. Current White House NEC Director Brian Deese is expected to depart imminently, sources said.

☆ 'Not right' for us to be key global health funder -Gates CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Mark Suzman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during an interview with Reuters at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 7, 2022. REUTERS/Emilie MadiCompanies Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust FollowLONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - It is not right for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to play such a big role in global health funding, but the group will not back away until others step up, its chief executive said. The Gates Foundation has faced criticism that it has too much power and influence in the global health realm, including within the World Health Organization, without the requisite accountability. "It's not right for a private philanthropy to be one of the largest funders of multinational global health efforts," he said, adding that countries ought to be leading the charge. Suzman said the aim of the fund was not to set the agenda for the WHO or other global health groups, but to provide them with better options and data as they make key decisions.

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