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☆ Supreme Court rejects Elon Musk over agreement with SEC to vet social media posts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

He has long been an impulsive user of Twitter, now renamed X. Musk acquired the social media company in 2022. As part of that agreement, he signed off on the social media provision. His lawyers say in court papers that the SEC has waged an "ongoing campaign" against Musk. The provision "restricts Mr. Musk's speech even when truthful and accurate. The SEC responded in court papers that Musk had waived his right to bringing his argument when he signed off on the settlement.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Porte, WASHINGTON —, Elon Musk's, Musk Organizations: Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, WASHINGTON, Securities and Exchange Commission, New, Circuit, Appeals, SEC, Tesla Locations: Paris, France, New York

☆ Gangs forced out Haiti’s government. This FBI ‘Most Wanted’ gang leader claims they’re liberating the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

Port-au-Prince, Haiti CNN —Vitel’homme Innocent’s picture on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list of fugitives suggests a crazed man – eyes wide and wild, teeth bared. But the man on the gold sofa preferred to talk about a brighter future – one that he claims Haiti’s gangs are prepared to usher in. Abandoned cars on the road between the US Embassy and the Kraze Baryé stronghold in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 28, 2024. Kraze Baryé employs around 100 men and women, according to Innocent’s lieutenant and cousin, the bleach-blond Dezod Augustin, 34. But Haiti’s gangs maintain they deserve a seat at the negotiating table.

Persons: Haiti CNN —, Innocent, Evelio Contreras, “, ” Innocent, de, –, Kraze Baryé, ”, Viv Ansanm, Ariel Henry, Henry, Kraze, “ It’s, ’ Marie, Lucie Bonhomme Opont, Pierre, Louis Opont, territoire perdue, Opont, ’, Jimmy Chérizier, Robin Hood, Sanjou, Dezod Augustin, Gedeon Jean, Prince, Baryé, Delmas, Antony Blinken, Haiti Dennis Hankins, Rick Barton, Haiti’s, CNN Jean, Henry’s, Jean, CNN’s Rachel Clarke Organizations: Haiti CNN, CNN, Haiti’s, Prince, de Mars, United Nations, Haitian National Police, ”, Kenya, Haiti’s National Police, CARICOM, US Embassy, Security, “, Washington, US, UN, Fund, Federal Bureau of, State Department Locations: Prince, Haiti, Tabarre, Haiti’s, Port, balaclavas, Haitian Creole, Haitian, Nairobi, “, Canada, United States, Kraze Baryé, American, France, Kenya, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, Jamaica, it’s, Atlanta

☆ Musk makes surprise visit to Beijing as Tesla's China-made cars pass data security rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — Local Chinese authorities have removed restrictions on Tesla cars after the company's China-made vehicles passed the country's data security requirements, the automaker said Sunday. Although Tesla's electric cars are some of the most popular vehicles in China, they have reportedly been banned from some government-related properties due to concerns about what data the U.S.-based automaker can collect. Tesla's press release did not specify which local authorities had removed restrictions on the cars. The Biden administration earlier this year announced a probe into whether imported cars from China pose national security risks due to their ability to potentially collect data about the U.S. and send it back to China. Tesla's vehicles were not the only ones that passed the data security rules.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Porte, Premier Li Qiang, Biden, Li Auto, Nio Organizations: Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, BEIJING — Local, Premier, Tesla's, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, National Computer Network, Coordination Center of China Locations: Paris, France, BEIJING, China, Beijing

☆ France moves to rescue Atos as former IT crown jewel struggles to stay afloat
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This photograph taken on April 26, 2024 shows the headquarters of the French multinational information technology company ATOS in Bezons, near Paris. The offer was based on an indicative enterprise valuation between 700 million euros ($750 million) and 1 billion euros as part of the offer, the firm said. "There are within Atos sovereign activities that must remain under the exclusive control of France," he said, according to a CNBC translation. Atos' net debt stood at 3.9 billion euros at the end of the first quarter, the company said earlier this month. Shares in Atos jumped as much as 19% on the news of the French government's offer early on Monday, and were last up by 22.01% at 11:57 a.m. London time.

Persons: Ludovic MARIN, LUDOVIC MARIN, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, Daniel Kretinsky, Atos Organizations: Getty Images, CNBC, Reuters, Airbus, Paris Locations: Bezons, Paris, AFP, French, France, Atos, London

☆ Meryl Streep jokes that Nicole Kidman is so good at acting it’s ‘traumatizing’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Meryl Streep made the most of her AFI Life Achievement Award presentation to Nicole Kidman over the weekend. The two actors costarred together in the 2002 film “The Hours” and Season 2 of “Big Little Lies.” Streep had the audience laughing as she joked about “the very, very hardest part of being incessantly called the greatest actress of my generation.”“What is the hardest part?” Streep joked. The hardest part is when you come up against, or you’re acting with, another person who is also really, really, really, really, really, really great. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesShe cited Kidman opting on the first day of filming to do an emotional scene multiple times, delivering a stellar performance each take. “I haven’t recovered from that first day, I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” Streep said.

Persons: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, costarred, ” Streep, Kidman, “, Nicole, she’s, ” Nicole Kidman, Alberto E, Rodriguez, I’ve, ” Kidman, you’ve, Streep, it’s Organizations: CNN, AFI, TNT, Turner, Warner Bros .

☆ Gérard Depardieu Ordered to Stand Trial in Sexual Assault Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gérard Depardieu was ordered on Monday to stand trial on criminal charges that he sexually assaulted two women during a 2021 film shoot in France, deepening the French actor’s legal woes and further tarnishing his global reputation as he faces a growing number of accusations of sexual violence. The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that Mr. Depardieu, 75, would be tried in October over allegations that he sexually assaulted the two women on the set of “Les Volets Verts,” or “The Green Shutters,” a movie by the French director Jean Becker that was released in 2022. The prosecutor’s office did not identify the two women or provide any details about the alleged assaults. Lawyers for Mr. Depardieu did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday evening, but the actor has repeatedly denied any sexual misconduct in the past. The order to stand trial was a serious development for Mr. Depardieu — one of the most prominent men in France to face accusations of sexual wrongdoing, especially since a new wave of allegations swept through the French movie industry in recent months.

Persons: Gérard Depardieu, Depardieu, Jean Becker Organizations: Mr Locations: France, Paris, French

☆ G7 agrees to shut down coal plants by 2035, UK minister says, in climate breakthrough
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ministers from the Group of Seven nations have agreed to shut down all their coal plants by 2035 at the latest, a UK minister said on Monday, in a climate policy breakthrough that could influence other countries to do the same. Putting an end date on coal — the most climate-polluting fossil fuel — has been highly controversial at international climate talks. Many of the other G7 nations already have national plans in place to phase out the fossil fuel. “Coal might be the dirtiest, but all fossil fuels need to be ultimately phased out,” he said. Energy, environment and climate ministers are meeting in Turin for talks that are expected to end on Tuesday.

Persons: ” Andrew Bowie, ”, Dave Jones, “ Organizations: CNN, Japan, Department for Energy Security, CNBC, Turing, UK Ministry for Energy, US State Department, Energy, European Union Locations: Italy, COP28, Dubai, France, Canada, United States, Japan, Turin, Germany, United Kingdom, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ Holistic, a Paris-based AI startup founded by ex-DeepMind staffers, is raising a $200 million funding round, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Callum Burroughs | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

AI startup Holistic, founded by ex-DeepMind scientists, is raising $200 million in new funding. The Paris-based startup is raising capital from Accel and BPI France, sources say. The startup aims to develop a multi-agent AGI, per a leaked investor deck obtained by BI. AdvertisementA Paris-based AI startup founded by two ex-DeepMind scientists is set to raise around $200 million in new funding. Ex-DeepMind scientist Laurent Sifre is chief LLM officer.

Persons: AGI, —, Charles Kantor, Karl Tuyls, Laurent Sifre Organizations: Accel, BPI France, BI, Service, Stanford Business School, Business Locations: Paris

☆ 9 Places to See the Summer Olympics Without Setting Foot in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Sophie Stuber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For sports fans, Paris will be the center of the universe this summer — and with 15 million Olympic and Paralympic visitors expected, it will feel like it, with crowds and high prices. But Paris isn’t the only Olympic site in France: Nine destinations outside the metro region are also hosting events, giving travelers a way to catch some action without getting caught up in the crush. In places like Bordeaux, Marseille and even Tahiti, you can watch top athletes compete in soccer, basketball, sailing and surfing. (Tickets have been added in batches, so if the ones you want aren’t available, keep checking the ticketing site, tickets.Paris2024.org. And when you’re not watching sports, you can take advantage of museums, parks, design centers, and fresh food and wine options.

Persons: Paris, you’re Locations: Paris, France, Bordeaux, Marseille, Tahiti, Nantes

☆ Billy Vunipola: England rugby player fined for resisting arrest at Mallorca nightclub, court says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( George Ramsay | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —England international rugby player Billy Vunipola has been fined and handed a suspended four-month prison sentence after resisting arrest at a nightclub in Mallorca, a Spanish court said on Monday. He was charged with serious disobedience to an authority and resisting arrest, according to the court sentence document seen by CNN. “The accused admitted that he was in a nightclub in Palma where some police officers came because of a fight,” the court statement said. The 31-year-old also confirmed that he had been charged with resisting the law and had paid a €240 fine. According to the three-page court sentence document, Vunipola admitted that he had not followed police orders and subsequently caused an injury to an officer’s right wrist and hand, requiring medical attention.

Persons: Billy Vunipola, Vunipola, “, ”, won’t, “ unreservedly Organizations: CNN, England, Court, Justice, Spanish National Police, Saracens, Bath Locations: Mallorca, Palma, Palma ., Spain, France

☆ Caledonian Braves: How a tiny Scottish soccer club is chasing ‘Wrexham’-sized dreams
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On any given evening, Ewing receives emails informing him that some fan in a far-flung location – say, Los Angeles – has just invested in his tiny Scottish soccer club, the Caledonian Braves. “A community club, most people would think, is a local community bound by a certain geography,” says Ewing. National Basketball Association/Courtesy Caledonian BravesAgainst this backdrop, fan ownership has emerged as somewhat of a utopian panacea for some fans. As time went by, the academy’s first team started playing in the Scottish soccer leagues and separated to form the Caledonian Braves in 2019. “You can be anyone really from anywhere and you can also own a football club for as little as £10 ($13).”

Persons: Ted Lasso ”, Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney’s, –, Chris Ewing, Ewing, Los Angeles –, ’ ” Ewing, ”, “, Mujtaba Elgoodah, Elgoodah, braving, ” Elgoodah, Alastair Ross, Nassir Criss, Elizabeth Ball, Kristen Hamilton, Hailie Mace, Isaiah Covington, ” Covington, ” Hamilton, that’s, ‘, ’, ” Criss, Mutjaba Elgoodah, Kiera Burns, ” Ball, Tom Brady, Matthew McConaughey Organizations: CNN — Soccer, Welsh soccer, Scottish soccer, Caledonian Braves, CNN Sport, Scottish, Scottish Premier League, NBA, US, Super League, Golden State Warriors, National, Players ’ Association, Braves, Twitter, Kansas City, Boston Celtics, NFL, National Basketball, English Premier League, St Mirren, Motherwell, Rangers, Celtic, –, Edusport Academy Locations: Wrexham, ”, Los Angeles, Scottish, Australia, Motherwell, Glasgow, – Wyoming, Kansas, Scotland, Heart of Midlothian, France

☆ Asylum Seekers Already in U.K. Say Rwanda Law Creates New Anxiety
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Megan Specia | Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a cold spring day last month, Mohsen, a 36-year-old from Iran, woke before dawn and was hurried by smugglers onto a rubber boat on the coast of France. The water was calm and the sky clear, but he knew the risks of the journey he was about to make, he said. Since 2018, at least 72 people have drowned in the Channel while attempting crossings, according to the International Organization for Migration. He fled Iran, he said, because police officers came to his home last year threatening to arrest him after he took part in anti-government protests. And he boarded the boat even though he knew about the British government’s plan to deport some asylum seekers to the central African country of Rwanda, which was first announced in 2022.

Persons: Mohsen Organizations: Channel, International Organization for Migration Locations: Iran, France, Britain, Rwanda

☆ I got remarried, and I'm raising 3 boys in a blended family. Kid-free travel helps us bond as a couple.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Sara Lyle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. My husband and I are raising a blended family with three boys — 8, 13, and 15 — who each go to a different school with slightly different start times. Once the boys are off, my husband leaves for work, and I get started on my to-dos from the home office. The couple being cringe-y, as their youngest says, on a trip to New York City last fall without the kids. Sara LyleWe weren't together, pre-kidsMy husband and I were never a couple before having kids; we were with other partners.

Persons: —, we've, Sara Lyle, It's Organizations: Service, Business, American Psychological Association, APA, New York City Locations: Colorado Springs, Caribbean, Denver, New York, Florida, New Orleans, New York City, France, Singapore, Southeast Asia

☆ How a stay-at-home dad turned his passion for pickleball into 'a game changer' side hustle
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But outside these and other tasks, Echavidre, 45, spends time playing pickleball in California. Other stay-at-home parents could find it helpful to pick up work on the side. Echavidre recommends other stay-at-home parents try to earn money through something they are passionate about if they have time. If you are looking to pick up side work, Echavidre said to look out for what's in demand. He said he especially finds older and retired people are playing pickleball.

Persons: —, Antoine Echavidre's, pickleball, Echavidre, Ted Rossman, Rossman, he's Organizations: Service, Sports & Fitness Industry Association, Business, Social, Fitness Locations: California, TeachMe.To, Japan, France

☆ 'You can live like a king' by retiring in Europe, says CFP—but make these 3 moves first
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"If you have that money in southern Italy, you can live like a king, including renting or purchasing a property." If you're hoping to retire in style while keeping costs low, a European retirement may be right for you. That's true for luxury vacation hotspots such as Lake Como and Saint-Tropez, though you may not find what you're looking for in those places anyway. So they have beaches, a walkable town, restaurants, bars, trains — they live on the main line," Sikes says. "There are zero restrictions on Americans buying property in Italy or France," Sikes tells CNBC Make It.

Persons: Tommy Sikes, Sikes Organizations: CNBC, European Union Locations: France, Italy, United States, U.S, York, Los Angeles, Europe, Paris, Rome, Milan, Como, Saint, Ireland, Cyprus

☆ A City Scarred by Terrorism Prepares an Olympic Opening Without Walls
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Catherine Porter | Ségolène Le Stradic | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A terrorist attack of 2015 that left her city angry and heartbroken persuaded Paris’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to campaign for the Olympic Games. “Something that is very powerful, very peaceful and allows us to move forward. So, I threw myself into it.”Nine years later, the Summer Olympics are set to open in Paris in July with France at its highest level of terrorism alert, after the attack on the Moscow concert hall last month. Yet for the first time, the opening ceremony will not be held inside the barricaded confines of a stadium. Instead, athletes will float in boats down the Seine River through the heart of the dense, ancient city before half a million spectators packed into stands and leaning out of windows.

Persons: Paris’s, Anne Hidalgo, “, ”, Charlie Hebdo Organizations: Olympic Locations: Paris, France, Moscow

☆ A Japanese town will erect a large mesh barrier to stop negligent foreign tourists from taking photos of Mount Fuji
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tourists flock to Fujikawaguchiko, a town in Japan, to take pictures of Mount Fuji. An official said foreign tourists crowd the area, leave trash, and ignore traffic laws. In response, the town will erect a mesh barrier blocking the scenic view to dissuade tourists. AdvertisementA Japanese resort town will erect an eight-foot-tall barrier to dissuade poorly behaved foreign tourists from photographing Mount Fuji at a popular photo spot. An official from Fujikawaguchiko discussed the preventive measure in a statement to Agence France-Presse, a French international news agency, on Friday.

Persons: —, Fujikawaguchiko Organizations: Mount, Service, Agence France, Presse, Business Locations: Japan, Mount Fuji

They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

☆ Aya Nakamura: The most streamed female Francophone artist has become a target in France’s culture wars ahead of Paris 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Bea Adeleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Aya Nakamura was born in the former French colony of Mali, raised in France and is widely considered the most streamed female Francophone artist in the world. However, ahead of Paris 2024, Nakamura finds herself at the center of France’s culture wars. Aya Nakamura attends the Kenzo Menswear Fall-Winter 2023-2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 20, 2023 in Paris, France. “I think that the people who criticize her actually don’t accept that she embodies France,” French activist Rokhaya Diallo told CNN. Politicians such as Le Pen hailed the legislation as an “ideological victory” whilst French health Minister, Aurelien Rousseau resigned in protest.

Persons: Aya Nakamura, Nakamura, Edith Piaf, Piaf, “, ”, I’m, Rachida, Kenzo, Pascal Le Segretain, Marion Maréchal, Marine Le, Rokhaya Diallo, ” Nakamura, ’, le, Geoffroy Van Der, Emanuel Macron, Nakamura “, Le Pen, Vincent Martigny, Thomas Samson, Marion Marechal, Emmanuel Dunand, Martigny, Diallo, Zinedine Zidane, ” Diallo, ‘, Oliver Roy, Reynaud Julien, Macron, Aurelien Rousseau Organizations: CNN, France’s, of Culture, Rally, Blacks, Rassemblement National, Getty, Olympic Aquatics, France Inter, Science, University of Nice, National Assembly, soccer team, Paris Olympic, Le, Palais des Sports, EUI, of Transnational Governance, Twitter, APS, France, BMFTV, RMC Locations: Mali, France, French, Paris, Bamako, Europe, ”, Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt, AFP, Rassemblement, Ukraine, North, Carhaix

☆ What Is a ‘Decent Wage’? France’s Michelin Raises a Debate.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When the French tire maker Michelin closed its factories during the coronavirus pandemic, Florent Menegaux, the company’s chief executive, took stock of the closures’ impact on employees worldwide. Thousands of workers in Asia, Europe and the United States at the lower end of the company’s pay scales could barely get by, an independent review showed. “If workers are just in survival mode, it’s a big problem,” Mr. Menegaux said in an interview. “When the wealth distribution in a company is too unequal, that’s a problem, too.”The announcement quickly ignited a debate in France over what exactly constitutes a decent wage and whether more French corporations should follow suit. Unions warned that the Michelin pledge would still leave some workers struggling and that it did not come with a guarantee against future layoffs or site closures.

Persons: Florent Menegaux, Mr, Menegaux, “ Organizations: Michelin, Unions Locations: Asia, Europe, United States, France

☆ Airbus CFO says A350 plane production increase not tied to Boeing troubles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An Airbus' employee works on an aircraft part of the Airbus A350 at the Airbus Atlantic plant in Bouguenais, near Nantes, western France, on February 29, 2024. Airbus is ramping up production of its A350 aircraft because of consumer demand and not the ongoing crisis at U.S. rival Boeing, according to the French planemaker's chief financial officer. Toulouse-based Airbus on Thursday announced plans to increase its production rate for the long-range aircraft to 12 units per month in 2028. Airbus reported gross commercial aircraft orders of 170 in the quarter, almost half of which were variants of the A350. Airbus is ramping up production of its A350 aircraft because of consumer demand and not the ongoing crisis at U.S. rival Boeing, according to the French planemaker's chief financial officer.

Persons: Thomas Toepfer, CNBC's Charlotte Reed, Toepfer Organizations: Airbus, Boeing Locations: Bouguenais, Nantes, France, U.S, Toulouse

☆ How the Black Opry is helping elevate artists of color in country music
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Before there was conversation over whether Beyoncé is country enough for country music, there was the Black Opry, holding space for music lovers and artists of color in the genre. “I’m super, super excited about that because that’s the single piece that’s been really, really difficult for us to figure out. Courtesy BeyoncéHolly G. started the Black Opry in an attempt to find country fans of color, who like her, did not feel welcomed. “I try to be careful to make the distinction when I talk about country music, between country music and the mainstream industry and country music the art form and genre,” she said. “I got my first tour with Sara Shook & the Disarmers and Joshua Ray Walker thanks to the Black Opry,” Vance told CNN.

Persons: CNN FlashDocs, Max, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, ”, Holly G, “, it’s, They’ve, Aaron Vance, Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Vance, Sara Shook, Joshua Ray Walker, ” Vance, It’s, he’s Organizations: CNN, Nashville’s, Black Opry, The, Opry Locations: Beyoncé, Nashville, Mississippi

☆ Macron, Battling the Far Right at Home, Pushes for a Stronger Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Roger Cohen | Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The nearly two-hour speech reflected Mr. Macron’s conviction that only a reinforced and “sovereign” European Union — a “Europe power,” as he puts it — can save the continent from strategic irrelevancy in an unstable world that is dominated by the United States and China and confronting wars in Europe and the Middle East. “We must be lucid about the fact that our Europe is mortal,” Mr. Macron declared before an audience of government ministers, European ambassadors and other dignitaries. “It can die. It can die and whether it does depends entirely on our choices.”The speech, at the Sorbonne University in Paris, was a follow-up to one that Mr. Macron gave in the same location in September 2017. Then, Mr. Macron discussed the future of Europe and the European Union as a young, recently elected and disruptive president still enjoying a political honeymoon.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mr, Macron Organizations: ”, Sorbonne University, European Union Locations: France, Europe, Ukraine, United States, China, Paris

☆ Airbus misses on operating profit, raises A350 output goal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

An Airbus A350-941 is undergoing a test flight at Toulouse Blagnac Airport in Toulouse, France, on December 8, 2023. Airbus posted weaker than expected first-quarter operating profit and cashflow after hiring more staff to prepare for rising aircraft demand, but reaffirmed its financial goals for 2024 after a nervous start to the year on industrial costs. The world's largest planemaker also announced a higher output target for its wide-body A350 model, of 12 a month in 2028, amid a renaissance in demand for long-haul jets. Airbus reported 577 million euros in adjusted operating profit, down 25% on the year, revenue of 12.83 billion and a free cash outflow of 1.8 billion euros. Analysts were on average expecting operating profit of 789 million euros and an outflow of 1.3 billion euros, according to a company-compiled survey.

Organizations: Airbus, Toulouse Blagnac Airport Locations: Toulouse, France

☆ One for the Ages: Sonia Delaunay’s Wearable Abstractions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Walker Mimms | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

If Wassily Kandinsky bent the visible world to the whims of his canvas, reducing concert hall scenes to puddles of color and line, Sonia Delaunay seems to have worked the other way around. A fashion and textile designer by trade, the Ukrainian-born Delaunay (1885-1979) filled the world with bold and delightful patterns — with the chevrons and dot grids and floral wiggles of the many scarves and dresses she created in France — then let her paintings reflect the results. Or at least that’s the impression given by the Bard Graduate Center’s “Sonia Delaunay: Living Art,” a playful but rigorous unearthing of 184 garments, artifacts and paintings — most on loan from France — spanning 60 years of Delaunay’s career.

Persons: Wassily Kandinsky, Sonia Delaunay, Delaunay, France —, Center’s “ Sonia Delaunay Organizations: Bard, France Locations: Ukrainian, France

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