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☆ Kathleen Folbigg: Mother who served 20 years for killing her four babies pardoned
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Folbigg was jailed in 2003 on three counts of murder and one of manslaughter following the deaths of her four babies over a decade from 1989. As recently as 2019, an inquiry into her convictions found there was no reasonable doubt she had committed the crimes. But another inquiry began last year after new scientific evidence emerged that provided a genetic explanation for the children’s deaths. Examination of the babies’ remains failed to find any physical evidence they’d been suffocated, but without another plausible reasons to explain their deaths, suspicion focused on Folbigg. During Folbigg’s 2003 trial, the prosecution used “coincidence and tendency” evidence to allege that Folbigg had also killed Caleb.

Persons: Australia CNN —, General Michael Daley, Kathleen Folbigg, Daley, ” Daley, Folbigg, Sophie Callan, Folbigg’s, ” Patrick, Craig Folbigg, she’d, Caleb, Patrick, Sarah, Laura, Graham Barr, Barr, ”, Laura Folbigg, Shutterstock, ’, Tom Bathurst, Laura – Bathurst, “, Bathurst, “ We’ve, We’ve, You’d Organizations: Australia CNN, New South Wales, South, South Wales Supreme, New South, New South Wales Supreme Locations: Brisbane, Australia, NSW, South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, New

More than 280 people were killed and over 1,100 injured in a three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train in eastern Odisha state on Friday, officials said. BJP4India/TwitterThe cause of Friday’s crash remains unclear, but senior state railway officials told CNN that it is suspected to have been caused by a traffic signaling failure. Video footage and photographs from the crash site near Bahanaga Bazar rail station showed scenes of chaos and despair. An official overseas rescue efforts at the site of the train crash in Balasore. An aerial view of the derailed coaches in Balasore.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, ” Modi, “, “ It’s, Sudhanshu Sarangi, “ We’ve, Piyal Adhikary, Anshuman Purohit, ” Rohit Raj, Dibyangshu Sarkar, ”, Narendra Singh Bundela, ” Bundela, Stringer, Rafiq Maqbool, AP Modi, Shehbaz Sharif, Rishi Sunak, Ursula von der Leyen, Fumio Kishida Organizations: India CNN — Indian, Bharat, CNN, Chennai Coromandel, Passengers, NDTV, Getty, Response Force, Reuters, National Crime Records, Western, AP, Force, Rapid Action Force, Soro Block, “, British, EU, Japan’s Locations: Bhubaneswar, India, Odisha, Balasore, Shalimar, Chennai, Yesvantpur, Howrah, Bahanaga Bazar, AFP, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Mumbai, country’s Jammu, Kashmir, Soro

☆ Satellite Images Reveal Russian Defenses for Ukraine Counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Big Tech Relies on Outsourcing. Facebook content moderators hired by a third-party contractor in Kenya are suing over working conditions. The contractor involved denies the allegations and Facebook parent Meta is arguing it shouldn’t be involved in the lawsuit. The outcome of this case and two others could have a profound impact on big tech and the industry’s outsourced workforce. WSJ South Africa-based business reporter Alexandra Wexler joins host Zoe Thomas to explain.

Persons: shouldn’t, Alexandra Wexler, Zoe Thomas, Daniel Irungu Organizations: Tech, Facebook, Meta, WSJ Locations: Africa, Kenya

☆ Watch: Senate Passes Bill to Suspend the Debt Ceiling, Avoid Default
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: shouldn’t, Alexandra Wexler, Zoe Thomas, Daniel Irungu Organizations: Tech, Facebook, Meta, WSJ Locations: Africa, Kenya

☆ Watch: Biden Falls at U.S. Air Force Academy Commencement
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: shouldn’t, Alexandra Wexler, Zoe Thomas, Daniel Irungu Organizations: Tech, Facebook, Meta, WSJ Locations: Africa, Kenya

☆ Lake Maggiore: All passengers on boat that sank on Italy lake had worked for security or defense services
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The 16-meter (52-foot) houseboat had been carrying 23 people at overcapacity when an apparent waterspout struck nearby, causing it to capsize on Sunday evening, CNN affiliate Sky Tg24 reported. Some of the party managed to swim ashore and others were rescued by nearby boats, according Sky Tg24, adding that, although five were taken to the hospital, none of the survivors sustained any serious injuries. There were 13 Israeli and 8 Italian passengers on board at the time the boat sank, while the victims were two men and two women. Italian authorities are seen inspecting the tourist boat that capsized and sank on Lake Maggiore. Passengers had been reportedly celebrating a birthday party when the boat, traveling between the Italian towns of Lisanza and Dormelletto, capsized, according to Sky Tg24.

Persons: Barnobi, Claudio Alonzi, Erez Shimoni, Anna Bozhkova, Shutterstock, ”, Shimoni Organizations: CNN, Sky, Authorities, Passengers Locations: Italy’s Lake Maggiore, overcapacity, Lake Maggiore, Puricelli, Israel, Maggiore, Italy, Switzerland, Lisanza

CNN —The bodies of four people have been recovered from Lake Maggiore in northern Italy after a tourist boat capsized on Sunday evening, Italy’s fire service has said. A diver searches for bodies after a rescue operation in Lake Maggiore, northern Italy. Vigili Del Fuoco/Handout/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockTwenty people were rescued after the boat capsized, the fire and rescue service said. Divers and a helicopter were used as part of the search and rescue operation, according to the fire and rescue service. Passengers had been celebrating a birthday party when the boat, traveling between the Italian towns of Lisanza and Dormelletto, capsized, according to Sky Tg24.

CNN —Flights from Catania airport in Sicily were grounded on Sunday after volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Etna covered the runways. Volcanic ash in Nicolosi, near Catania Orietta Scardino/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockPictures and video footage show black volcanic ash covering planes at the airport, and blanketing roads in the area. In 2010, a volcanic eruption in Iceland sent a huge plume of ash moving across the Atlantic, causing massive disruption to air traffic across Western Europe. In the aftermath of the crisis, international aviation regulators introduced new risk management guidance on flight safety and volcanic ash. Mount Etna is Europe’s most active volcano, and also the highest, at about 3,350 meters (almost 11,000 feet) tall.

☆ Trevi Fountain: Climate activists dump charcoal in Rome monument
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —Climate change activists turned the blue water of the Trevi Fountain in central Rome black with diluted charcoal on Sunday. Luisa Regimenti, councilor for personnel, urban security, local police and local authorities in the Lazio region, which includes Rome, condemned the act. In a written statement she said that it was the “umpteenth demonstrative act of eco-vandals” that hit “a symbol of Rome universally known in the world.”Climate activists from the group Last Generation stand inside the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It will cost time, effort and water.”Last Generation activists at the Trevi Fountain, Rome. “Charcoal in the water of the Trevi Fountain,” they tweeted Sunday.

☆ Two killed in Spain blast in suspected gender-based violence incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Vincent West | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Police cordon off the area where a man and a woman died in a suspected bomb blast related to gender violence, according to the Basque regional security department, in Orio, northern Spain, May 16,... Read moreMADRID, May 16 (Reuters) - Two people - a man and woman - died in an explosion in the town of Orio in northern Spain, the Basque regional security department said on Tuesday, and media cited authorities as saying the incident was being investigated as likely gender-based violence. A Reuters witness said police had cordoned off an area around a sidewalk bench where the blast occurred, next to a children's playground. There were few signs of an explosion, with the bench, shrubs behind it and a bin nearby apparently undamaged. News agency EFE, quoting police sources, reported the preliminary investigation pointed toward a package held by one of the victims being the source of the explosion. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Efe is one of more than 6 million first-time voters expected to cast ballots in the May 14 election. 'ANGRY AND HOPELESS'Erdogan's share of the vote among young and first-time voters is forecast to be lower than among other age groups, said Erman Bakirci from pollster Konda Arastirma. Describing young voters as a "very angry and hopeless" segment of Turkey's 85 million people, Bakirci said they would be crucial to the result because they are such a large block. "They see via internet and social media what their peers in Europe are doing and what opportunities they have," Bakirci said. Erdogan, who oversaw an economic boom in his first several years in power, has traditionally drawn support from Turkey's conservative voters in Turkey's Anatolian Islamic heartlands.

☆ China’s Tightening Grip on Foreign Firms Risks Hitting Investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jason Douglas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Foreign investment in China will likely remain concentrated among a few big companies willing to maintain or expand their existing operations there. Photo: ROMAN PILIPEY/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockSINGAPORE—China’s moves to put pressure on foreign companies risk squeezing the flow of overseas capital its economy needs, as signs point to the country’s appeal waning as a destination for all but the largest global companies. By one measure, foreign direct investment into China dropped by almost half last year from a year earlier, hitting the lowest level in five years as Covid-19 lockdowns mauled its economy, while other gauges suggest the world’s second-largest economy is struggling to attract corporate newcomers.

☆ European Economies Are Finding New Ways to Pay for War on Their Doorstep
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( David Luhnow | Sandra Kilhof | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Danish lawmakers have canceled a 300-year-old religious public holiday to recoup the additional tax revenue. Photo: epa-efe/ShutterstockCOPENHAGEN—Denmark, a founding member of NATO, has no artillery, submarines or air-defense system. The small Nordic nation didn’t think it needed them because a ground war in Europe seemed far-fetched—until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict in its neighborhood has set it and similar European nations scrambling to plug gaps in their armory. Denmark, one of the richest nations per capita in the Western world, has pledged to boost military spending from about 1.4% of gross domestic product to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s target of 2% by 2030.

☆ Jon Rahm sets new PGA Tour earnings record with four months still to play
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —It’s been quite the year for Jon Rahm – and he’s got the prize money to prove it. A runner-up finish at the Mexico Open on Sunday took the Spaniard’s PGA Tour season earnings to $14,462,840, setting a new Tour record for money earned in a single season. With $49,486,883 in total earnings since joining the PGA Tour in 2016, Rahm looks set to pass the $50 million mark imminently upon his return. The American had finished joint-second, one shot shy, of Rahm at last year’s event, but improved his total by eight shots to end on 24-under and clinch his sixth PGA Tour title. Orlando Ramirez/Getty ImagesGiven his form, Rahm looks well-placed to add to his two majors and 11 PGA Tour titles this year, but the 28-year-old is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

☆ World's longest bridge could transform Sicily. But not if the Mafia and earthquakes get in the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Since then, various plans, including a short-lived idea for a tunnel, have come and gone – like water under the bridge. If built, the bridge across the Straits of Messina would span two miles (3.2 kilometers) and would be the longest suspension bridge in the world. When Salvini became transport minister, he made it his priority, betting his legacy on the bridge. “The bridge over the Strait of Messina is a project that can break ground immediately. The recent arrest of Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro after 30 years on the lam in Sicily represented a victory.

☆ Merck Keeps Striking Out on Expanding Its Cancer-Drug Juggernaut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jared S. Hopkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Merck says it has been doing deals and developing new drugs to reduce its dependence on Keytruda for sales. Photo: David Crosling/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockThe gold rush from pioneering cancer immunotherapy Keytruda is about to run out for Merck & Co.Keytruda, one of the world’s top-selling drugs, powered its maker for the past decade. The therapy’s annual sales neared $21 billion last year, about a third of Merck’s revenue. Yet a drop in sales looms after Keytruda’s main patent expires in 2028.

CNN —The editor-in-chief of Die Aktuelle, a German magazine that published a fake artificial intelligence (AI) interview with Michael Schumacher, has been “relieved of her duties,” a statement from publishing house FUNKE said, alongside an apology to the Schumacher family. Schumacher has not been seen in public since he suffered a brain injury in a skiing accident in December 2013. It in no way meets the standards of journalism that we – and our readers – expect from a publishing house like FUNKE,” FUNKE magazine managing director Bianca Pohlmann said in the statement. Only toward the end of the article does it become apparent that the interview was produced by AI. Hannibal Hanschke/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockSince the accident, the Schumacher family has kept updates about the health of the motorsport legend to a minimum to protect their privacy.

CNN —The family of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is planning legal action after a German magazine published a fake artificial intelligence (AI) interview, a family spokesperson told CNN on Thursday. “I can confirm that Michael Schumacher’s family is planning to take legal action over a fake artificial intelligence interview by German outlet Die Aktuelle,” a Schumacher spokesperson told CNN on Thursday. German weekly magazine Die Aktuelle published a fake AI interview with Michael Schumacher. “Please understand that we do not comment on this topic,” Barkhausen told CNN on Thursday. Since the accident, the Schumacher family has kept updates about the health of the motorsport legend to a minimum to protect their privacy.

☆ Spanish extreme athlete emerges into daylight after 500 days living in cave
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Beatriz Flamini, an elite sportswoman, mountaineer and climber, is said by her support team to have broken a world record for longest time spent in a cave. She was 48 when she went into the cave, and celebrated two birthdays alone underground. WOOLLY HATSFlamini spent her time underground doing exercises to keep her fit and busy, painting and drawing and knitting woolly hats. She took two GoPro cameras to document her time, and got through 60 books and 1,000 litres of water, according to her support team. A spokesman for Guinness was not able to immediately confirm whether there was a separate record for voluntary time living in a cave and whether Flamini had broken it.

[1/5] Javier Ramiro, Co-Chief Scientific Officer of Spanish indoor hops farming start-up Ekonoke controls the plantation of hops in Alcobendas, Spain, March 23, 2023. "We're on a mission to save the world's beer," Ines Sagrario, chief executive and co-founder of Ekonoke, told Reuters. Strict hygiene measures such as protective clothing for staff ensure the space remains pest-free, taking the pesticides on which traditional farming often depends out of the equation. The most obvious challenge indoor farming faces, he said, is its high energy cost. "Demand from breweries is quite inelastic; you can't make beer without hops and they don't want to produce less," Sagrario said.

REUTERS/Nacho DoceMADRID, April 5 (Reuters) - A 68-year-old Spanish TV actress said that her newly adopted daughter was conceived using her dead son's frozen sperm and is in fact her granddaughter, reigniting a debate over the bioethics of surrogacy and children's right to privacy in Spain. The weeks-old baby, named Ana Sandra, was born to a surrogate mother identified on Wednesday by the Lecturas magazine as a Cuban woman living in Miami, Florida. "This girl isn't my daughter, but my granddaughter," TV actress Ana Obregon told celebrity magazine ¡Hola! Obregon's only biological child, her son Aless Lequio, died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 27. Obregon rose to prominence in the 1980s and starred in Spanish sitcoms in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

[1/6] Spanish Labour Minister and Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz applauses as she presents new political platform 'Sumar' in Madrid, Spain, April 2, 2023. REUTERS/Isabel InfantesMADRID, April 2 (Reuters) - Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz launched her bid to become the country's first woman prime minister on Sunday at a packed event in Madrid, where the absence of two government ministers signalled a deepening rift among the progressive left. Today, I want to become our country's first female prime minister," Diaz told the crowd to a standing ovation. Although she has yet to release a detailed platform, Diaz outlined the broad outline of her manifesto, including a new "bill of rights" and a democratic, economic and social "contract" for the next decade. She also touted her ministry's accomplishments, such as raising the minimum wage and a pro-union labour law reform.

“I have argued for years that the biggest banks in the world are still too big to fail. In practice, however, the economic damage would be considerable.”Keller-Sutter was at the center of a government-orchestrated rescue of Credit Suisse by its larger rival UBS (UBS) earlier this month. They were designed to make it possible to wind down a big bank without destabilizing the financial system or exposing taxpayers to the risk of losses. Although some investors in Credit Suisse bonds lost everything, Swiss taxpayers are still on the hook for up to 9 billion Swiss francs ($9.8 billion) of potential losses arising from certain Credit Suisse assets. The rest is lent out at higher interest rates or invested, because that’s how big banks make most of their profit.

“I have argued for years that the biggest banks in the world are still too big to fail. In practice, however, the economic damage would be considerable.”Keller-Sutter was at the center of a government-orchestrated rescue of Credit Suisse by its larger rival UBS (UBS) earlier this month. Global standards for dealing with teetering “too big to fail” banks were key a part of the package of rules introduced after the global financial crisis. They were designed to make it possible to wind down a big bank without destabilizing the financial system or exposing taxpayers to the risk of losses. The rest is lent out at higher interest rates or invested, because that’s how big banks make most of their profit.

☆ Chinese companies have rushed to fill the gap in Russia left by brands exiting from the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Chinese manufacturers were already popular in Russia before the war, accounting for approximately 40% of the smartphone market in December 2021. Tough times for consumersAlthough Chinese brands are reaping the rewards of the Western embargo, the Russian market is shrinking as its economy slumps. If the war in Ukraine ends, Apple and Samsung will likely rebuild operations in the country — and quickly recapture smartphone sales, Stryjak said. Even then, with the return of international brands, Chinese players could retain their foothold, particularly given how long it could take to rebuild supply chains. “Stating this a bit harshly, but the Russian brands and the Chinese brands are kind of stand-ins for the real players,” said Le at Sino Auto Insights.

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