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CNN —Zookeepers at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium arrived to a pair of unexpected discoveries Thursday morning: a newborn baby gorilla and the news that its mother wasn’t a male gorilla. The gorilla, Sully, has lived at the facility with her mother since 2019 and was thought to be male until “the gorilla care team discovered her holding the unexpected baby gorilla early Thursday,” the zoo announced in a news release. There are an estimated 100,000 left in the wild across central Africa, says the Columbus Zoo. The surprise discovery builds on a history of gorilla conservation at the Columbus Zoo. The facility “was the first zoo in the world to welcome the birth of a baby gorilla” in 1956, according to the release.

Persons: CNN — Zookeepers, Sully, it’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Columbus Zoo, Aquarium, International Union for, Nature Locations: Columbus, Africa

DAKAR, May 8 (Reuters) - The presidential bid of a popular Senegalese opposition politician was thrown into doubt on Monday after a court of appeal handed him a heavier suspended sentence in a libel case, triggering a small protest in Dakar that riot police quelled with tear gas. But Monday's appeal hearing extended the suspended sentence to six months, said lawyer Boubacar Cissé, who represents the minister. "If this sentence is final, there is a good chance that his candidacy will be inadmissible," Diaw said. He has six days to file an appeal with the Supreme Court. Aside from the latest ruling, Sonko is also charged with raping a beauty salon employee in 2021 and making deaths threats against her.

☆ Nice Guy Meets Iron Man in the First Novel by Tom Hanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Alexandra Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

THE MAKING OF ANOTHER MAJOR MOTION PICTURE MASTERPIECE, by Tom Hanks. Sidelined by the pandemic, some actors fired up ceramics or sang fragments of “Imagine.” Tom Hanks, one of the most prominent to contract an early case of Covid, bounced back by making a run at the Great American Novel. Alas, it is more Forrest Gump trotting from coast to coast than Sully landing on the Hudson. Titled “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” the book arrives at a crossroads for Hollywood. The novel also acknowledges a fading time when leading actors, even avatars of Everyman decency like the author, were royalty: their work shown not in living rooms but red-velvet-swagged “palaces.”

Like the original movie, "Avatar: The Way of Water" is directed by James Cameron ("Titanic"). How to watch 'Avatar: The Way of Water'"Avatar: The Way of Water" is currently only available to watch in theaters, so you can't purchase or stream the movie at home just yet. When will 'Avatar: The Way of Water' be available to watch at home? You can watch "Avatar: The Way of Water" at home starting March 28. The sequel repeats one of the biggest draws of the first "Avatar" movie in terms of being a groundbreaking visual spectacle.

☆ Biden’s Selma visit puts spotlight back on voting rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The visit to Selma also is an opportunity for Biden to speak directly to the current generation of civil rights activists. They urged Washington politicians visiting Selma not to sully the memories of the late civil rights activists John Lewis, Hosea Williams and others with empty platitudes. "When voting rights passed after Selma, it didn't just help Black people. We need the president to reframe this: When you block voting rights, you're not just hurting Black people. As a candidate in 2020, Biden promised to pursue sweeping legislation to bolster protection of voting rights.

☆ This is the best place to be sitting if your plane is about to crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Plane crashes are extremely rare. Data from past crashes and crash tests show that the back of the plane is probably the safest. In the rare case that a plane goes down, some research indicates that the safest place to be sitting is in a middle seat near the back of a plane. A 2015 analysis by Time magazine of the Federal Aviation Administration's aircraft accident database looked at 17 plane crashes with seat charts that could be analyzed. Middle of the plane, middle seat: 39% — about one in 2.5 passengers.

☆ Box office haul for 'Avatar: The Way of Water' tops $2 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Director James Cameron arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. "The Way of Water" debuted in late December, 13 years after the original "Avatar" introduced the lush world of Pandora and became a worldwide phenomenon. Box office sales for "The Way of Water" totaled $2.024 billion on Sunday, according to Disney estimates. Roughly $1.4 billion of ticket sales have come from international markets outside the United States and Canada. A third "Avatar" movie, which Cameron has already filmed, is scheduled to debut in December 2024.

☆ Prince Harry says UK royals got into bed with tabloid press 'devil'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The moment that that rehabilitation comes at the detriment of others, me, other members of my family, then that's where I draw the line." Harry said he didn't think his father or brother would read his book. Harry told ITV he wanted reconciliation with his family members but said they had shown no interest, giving the impression it was better to keep him and Meghan as villains. "My father said to me that it was probably a suicide mission to try and change the press," he said. Reporting by Michael Holden and Sarah Mills; Editing by Frances Kerry and Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

FHA mortgages and conforming mortgages have borrowing limits that vary by state and county. If you need to borrow more than $726,200 in South Dakota, you'll want to consider getting a jumbo loan. In South Dakota, the 2023 borrowing limit for FHA mortgages is $472,030. In some states, certain counties may have higher borrowing limits than others because it is more expensive to live in that area. South Dakota borrowing limits in 2023 for conforming and FHA mortgages by countyCounty Conforming mortgage limit (single-family home) FHA mortgage limit (single-family home) Aurora County $726,200 $472,030 Beadle County $726,200 $472,030 Bennett County $726,200 $472,030 Bon Homme County $726,200 $472,030 Brookings County $726,200 $472,030 Brown County $726,200 $472,030 Brule County $726,200 $472,030 Buffalo County $726,200 $472,030 Butte County $726,200 $472,030 Campbell County $726,200 $472,030 Charles Mix County $726,200 $472,030 Clark County $726,200 $472,030 Clay County $726,200 $472,030 Codington County $726,200 $472,030 Corson County $726,200 $472,030 Custer County $726,200 $472,030 Davison County $726,200 $472,030 Day County $726,200 $472,030 Deuel County $726,200 $472,030 Dewey County $726,200 $472,030 Douglas County $726,200 $472,030 Edmunds County $726,200 $472,030 Fall River County $726,200 $472,030 Faulk County $726,200 $472,030 Grant County $726,200 $472,030 Gregory County $726,200 $472,030 Haakon County $726,200 $472,030 Hamlin County $726,200 $472,030 Hand County $726,200 $472,030 Hanson County $726,200 $472,030 Harding County $726,200 $472,030 Hughes County $726,200 $472,030 Hutchinson County $726,200 $472,030 Hyde County $726,200 $472,030 Jackson County $726,200 $472,030 Jerauld County $726,200 $472,030 Jones County $726,200 $472,030 Kingsbury County $726,200 $472,030 Lake County $726,200 $472,030 Lawrence County $726,200 $472,030 Lincoln County $726,200 $472,030 Lyman County $726,200 $472,030 McCook County $726,200 $472,030 McPherson County $726,200 $472,030 Marshall County $726,200 $472,030 Meade County $726,200 $472,030 Mellette County $726,200 $472,030 Miner County $726,200 $472,030 Minnehaha County $726,200 $472,030 Moody County $726,200 $472,030 Oglala Lakota County $726,200 $472,030 Pennington County $726,200 $472,030 Perkins County $726,200 $472,030 Potter County $726,200 $472,030 Roberts County $726,200 $472,030 Sanborn County $726,200 $472,030 Spink County $726,200 $472,030 Stanley County $726,200 $472,030 Sully County $726,200 $472,030 Todd County $726,200 $472,030 Tripp County $726,200 $472,030 Turner County $726,200 $472,030 Union County $726,200 $472,030 Walworth County $726,200 $472,030 Yankton County $726,200 $472,030 Ziebach County $726,200 $472,030Note: In South Dakota, you'll need to get a jumbo loan if you want to borrow more than $726,200, regardless of which county you hope to reside in.

☆ U.S. lawmakers back key Boeing 737 MAX certification deadline waiver
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Congressional leaders attached thewaiver to a bill to fund U.S. government operations and to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by U.S. Cantwell's language requires retrofitting existing MAX planes with a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack (AOA) system and the ability to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts. It gives airline operators three years from the time the 737 MAX 10 is certified to retrofit existing MAX planes and says Boeing must bear those costs. Faulty data from a single sensor erroneously activated a software function called MCAS and played critical roles in both fatal 737 MAX crashes, investigations found. Boeing declined to comment on Monday, but Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said last week the planemaker supported Cantwell's safety retrofit proposal.

☆ U.S. lawmakers back key Boeing 737 MAX deadline waiver
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The company had been heavily lobbying for months to convince lawmakers to waive the Dec. 27 deadline that affects its MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes which was imposed by Congress in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Congressional leaders attached thewaiver to a bill to fund U.S. government operations and to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by U.S. Cantwell's bill requires retrofitting existing MAX planes with a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system and the ability to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts. It gives airline operators three years from the time the 737 MAX 10 is certified to retrofit existing MAX planes and says Boeing must bear those costs. Boeing declined to comment on Monday, but Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said last week the planemaker supported Cantwell's safety retrofit proposal.

At 190 minutes, the running time of “Avatar: The Way of Water” is longer. Jake and Neytiri have had numerous children and adopted Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), the daughter of a human scientist’s avatar body. Rather than invaders exploring the land they’ve invaded, the second “Avatar” film is about the encounter of two different indigenous societies. But the human colonizers —preparing to strip-mine Pandora for its minerals and its biological resources (including space whale essence) — are the aliens. Rather than invaders exploring the land they’ve invaded, the second “Avatar” film is about the encounter between two different indigenous societies.

☆ 'Avatar' sequel rings up $17 million in U.S. debut night
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Director James Cameron arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLOS ANGELES, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Director James Cameron's long-awaited "Avatar: The Way of Water" pulled in $17 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices from its first showings on Thursday night, distributor Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) said. With international sales, the sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time has generated $50.4 million at theaters around the globe since the movie started rolling out on Wednesday. The sequel should end the opening weekend with at least $140 million from domestic theaters, forecasters said. "The Way of Water" was released 13 years after the first film wowed audiences with pioneering 3D technology.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" premiered December 16 exclusively in theaters. Though the movie is currently exclusive to theaters, it's expected to hit Disney Plus at some point in 2023. Like the original movie, "Avatar: The Way of Water" is directed by James Cameron ("Titanic"). As of December 16, there is no official streaming date set for "Avatar: The Way of Water." The sequel repeats one of the biggest draws of the first "Avatar" movie in terms of being a groundbreaking visual spectacle.

☆ 'Avatar: The Way of Water' review roundup: See it on the biggest screen possible, critics say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"The Way of Water" follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) who are now the parents of four Na'vi children. Read more: "Avatar: The Way of Water" could be headed for a $175 million opening weekend Critics are adamant that audiences should watch "The Way of Water" on the biggest screen possible, lauding the film for its you-won't-believe-this-is-computer-generated visuals and bombastic sound design. Here's what critics thought of "Avatar: The Way of Water" before its Friday release. Avatar: The Way of Water Courtesy: Disney Co.Ma did note that "The Way of Water" is "jaw-droppingly beautiful," likening it to watching a David Attenborough documentary rather than a CGI feature. Avatar: The Way of Water Courtesy Disney Co.Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

☆ 'Avatar: The Way of Water' could be heading for a $175 million box office opening
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" tells the story of the Sully family. It's been more than a decade since James Cameron's "Avatar" shattered box office records. The movie, which opens this week, is set to snare between $150 million and $175 million domestically during its opening weekend. While the first movie only opened with $77 million in 2009, "Avatar" had unparalleled staying power at the box office. "In the big picture, I'd expect a leggy box office run whose story won't be told on opening weekend alone," said Shawn Robbins, chief media analyst at BoxOffice.com.

☆ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ rekindles the wonder in a way that demands to be seen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —“Avatar” took a very basic story and adorned it with eye-popping spectacle, in a way that made the film a must-see commodity, and a record-breaking hit in the process. Thirteen years later, braving much different theatrical tides, director James Cameron has done it again with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a state-of-the-art exercise that rekindles that sense of wonder and demands to be seen by anyone with lingering interest in watching movies in theaters. The children, in particular, must grapple with the personalities and pettiness associated with becoming the new kids on the reef. Ultimately, though, “The Way of Water” melts away any skepticism that it might be too late or too long in its return to Pandora. “Avatar: The Way of Water” premieres December 16 in US theaters.

Justice Department regulations say that money laundering charges against a financial institution must be approved by the MLARS chief. Binance's defense attorneys at U.S. law firm Gibson Dunn have held meetings in recent months with Justice Department officials, the four people said. Faced with the Justice Department investigation, Binance hired an external lawyer from U.S. law firm Paul Weiss, Roberto Gonzalez, who was previously Treasury's deputy general counsel. MLARS has a reputation in the Justice Department for moving slowly in reaching prosecution decisions, people familiar with its activities said. Day met with Justice officials in Washington in recent months, three of the people said.

☆ U.S. Justice Department reportedly split over charging Binance as crypto world falters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

Justice Department regulations say that money laundering charges against a financial institution must be approved by the MLARS chief. Binance's defense attorneys at U.S. law firm Gibson Dunn have held meetings in recent months with Justice Department officials, the four people said. Faced with the Justice Department investigation, Binance hired an external lawyer from U.S. law firm Paul Weiss, Roberto Gonzalez, who was previously Treasury's deputy general counsel. The Justice Department appointed Eun Young Choi, previously Monaco's senior counsel, as NCET's first director. MLARS has a reputation in the Justice Department for moving slowly in reaching prosecution decisions, people familiar with its activities said.

[1/4] Director James Cameron arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. Hollywood's big question about "Avatar: The Way of Water" is whether the follow-up to the highest-grossing movie of all time can attract enough moviegoers to recoup its massive production and marketing costs. The 2009 movie remains the highest-grossing film in history with $2.9 billion in global ticket sales. Some disliked wearing 3D glasses, or objected to paying the 3D ticket surcharge. On opening weekend, Robbins predicts "The Way of Water" will rack up at least $150 million at domestic theaters.

☆ U.S. senators want FAA to rewrite aircraft evacuation standards
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators are proposing legislation to require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to rewrite aircraft evacuation standards to do a better job of taking real life conditions into account. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin argue the FAA simulation tests do not include real-life conditions and are proposing the Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin (EVAC) Act. They are using groups of able-bodied people," Duckworth, who is a double amputee, told Reuters, noting that FAA tests have just 60 passengers. The FAA released an aircraft cabin evacuation study in March said Thursday it is reviewing 26,000 public comments it received to determine "whether current seat size and spacing affect passenger evacuation. In September, a U.S. appeals court heard arguments from a flyer advocacy group urging it to order the FAA to set minimum seat dimensions on passenger airplanes.

☆ U.S. lawmakers decline to add Boeing 737 MAX exemption in defense bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers late on Tuesday declined to add an extension to an annual defense bill of a looming deadline that would impose a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for two new versions of Boeing's (BA.N) best-selling 737 MAX aircraft. The U.S. planemaker has been lobbying for months to convince lawmakers to waive the deadline that affects its MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes and was imposed by Congress in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. That would be a significant setback for Boeing, which did not immediately comment but has argued previously it is better to have a common alerting system for all versions of the 737 MAX. The requirements for modern cockpit alerts were adopted by Congress as part of certification reform passed after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that led to the plane's 20-month grounding. Nadia Milleron, whose daughter Samya Rose Stumo died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, praised lawmakers for not including the extension in the defense.

☆ James Cameron on releasing long-awaited 'Avatar' sequel: "It's a relief"
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Edward Baran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Filmmaker James Cameron is taking audiences back to his visually mesmerizing world of Pandora, releasing the sequel to his 2009 epic "Avatar", the top-grossing movie of all time. The stakes are high for "Avatar: The Way of Water", which reportedly cost more than $350 million and comes 13 years after the original that grossed $2.9 billion worldwide, with more "Avatar" movies in the pipeline. Sully, Neytiri and their children flee to a far-flung territory, seeking refuge with the oceanic Metkayina clan. They quickly have to learn the ways of the water to survive amid the approaching threat of their enemy. The new movie, which begins its global cinema rollout from Dec. 14, reunites Cameron with his "Titanic" star Kate Winslet, who plays the Metkayina clan's shamanic matriarch.

☆ 'Avatar' sequel finally premieres 13 years after original
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Actor Zoe Saldana arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Thirteen years after James Cameron released the highest-grossing film of all time, "Avatar", the filmmaker finally premiered its long-awaited sequel in London on Tuesday. "Avatar: The Way of Water" takes audiences back to the enchanting world of Pandora, where in the first film the native blue Na'vi people battled human colonists for the moon’s natural resources. To protect their family and their tribe, Sully, Neytiri and their children flee to a far-flung territory and seek refuge with the oceanic Metkayina clan. Released in 2009, "Avatar" ranks as the top-grossing film of all time with more than $2.9 billion in global ticket sales.

☆ Disney's 'Avatar: The Way of Water' gets coveted China release
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" tells the story of the Sully familyDisney's "Avatar: The Way of Water" has landed a coveted release in China, a promising sign for a film that needs big box office sales to offset its massive budget. Director James Cameron has not placed a price tag on "The Way of Water," but estimates suggest it is in excess of $250 million. Since cinemas reopened in the country, it has been one of the fastest markets to recover and generate box office success. In 2009, China's overall box office reached $910 million. These screenings are more expensive than traditional laser or digital showings and can bolster overall ticket sales.

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