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☆ AI could judge if user is of porn-watching age under new UK guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. The legal age to watch porn in Britain is 18 or over. The regulator described its suggestion on facial age estimation as using AI to analyse a viewer's features. The watchdog said its proposed guidance also included photo identification matching, requiring a user to upload a photo ID such as passport or driving licence to prove their age, and credit chard checks. The regulator said weaker methods such as self-declaration of age, online payment methods that do not require a person to be 18, and disclaimers or warnings, would no longer meet the standards in its new guidance.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Melanie Dawes, chard, Muvija, Paul Sandle, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, England, of Economic Affairs, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: Britain

“It is appalling.”Israel has said it is investigating several cases of sexual assault and rape from the Hamas attack on Israel. Some recently released hostages have shared testimonies of sexual violence and abuse during their time in Gaza. He referenced his work on the issue as a lawmaker as he spoke out against the allegations of sexual violence by Hamas. “The world can’t just look away at what’s going on,” Biden told donors. He added, “It’s on all of us — government, international organizations, civil society and businesses — to forcefully condemn the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists without equivocation.

Persons: Joe Biden, equivocation, Biden, ”, —, ” Biden, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, “, you’ve, Israel, Hillary Clinton, Sen, Kirsten Gillibrand, Sheryl Sandberg, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Jean, Pramila, ” Jayapal, Seung Min Kim, Aamer Madhani, Melanie Lidman Organizations: BOSTON, Hamas, United Nations, New, White, California Democrat, CNN, Associated Press Locations: Israel, Boston, Gaza, New York, California, Washington, Jerusalem

☆ News Corp's UK papers settle phone-hacking claims with high-profile figures
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Those involved included Melanie Chisholm, or "Sporty Spice" from the well-known girl band, actor Keith Allen, and Shane Lynch from the band "Boyzone". Katie Major, from law firm Hamlins, said Chisholm, also known as Mel C, said the phone-hacking - illegally intercepting voicemail messages - had caused her considerable distress. Chris Huhne, a former energy minister, said he had been targeted by NGN to destroy his career because he had called for a police investigation into hacking. NGN said it strongly denied that there was any corporate motive or direction to obtain information unlawfully. "Huhne was a senior politician and stories published were legitimate and in the public interest," NGN's spokesperson said.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Melanie Chisholm, Keith Allen, Shane Lynch, Boyzone, Katie Major, Hamlins, Chisholm, Mel C, Major, Murdoch, NGN, Chris Huhne, Huhne, King Charles, Prince Harry, Michael Holden, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: British, News Group, Sun, NGN, News Corporation, Thomson Locations: London, British

☆ AI Could Judge if User Is of Porn-Watching Age Under New UK Guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain proposed new age-check guidance on Tuesday to protect children from accessing pornography online, including a suggestion to use AI-based technology to see if a viewer looks to be of legal age. The legal age to watch porn in Britain is 18 or over. The regulator described its suggestion on facial age estimation as using AI to analyse a viewer's features. The watchdog said its proposed guidance also included photo identification matching, requiring a user to upload a photo ID such as passport or driving licence to prove their age, and credit chard checks. The regulator said weaker methods such as self-declaration of age, online payment methods that do not require a person to be 18, and disclaimers or warnings, would no longer meet the standards in its new guidance.

Persons: Melanie Dawes, chard, Muvija, Paul Sandle, Richard Chang Organizations: England, of Economic Affairs, Ofcom Locations: Britain

☆ 17 nepo babies who are parents to their own nepo babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Dakota Johnson's mother is Melanie Griffith, who in turn is the daughter of Tippi Hedren. Dakota Johnson, Tippi Hedren, and Melanie Griffith. Stefanie Keenan/Getty ImagesKids today might know that Johnson, the daughter of Griffith and "Miami Vice" star Don Johnson (and former stepdaughter of Antonio Banderas) is a nepo baby. Additionally, Hedren and Griffith appeared in a film together, "Roar," which showcased Hedren's love for big cats. She and her husband and daughter lived with their pet lion Neil, which was famously documented in a photo shoot for Life Magazine in 1971.

Persons: Dakota, Melanie Griffith, Tippi, Dakota Johnson, Tippi Hedren, Stefanie Keenan, Johnson, Griffith, Don Johnson, Antonio Banderas, Alfred Hitchcock, Sean Connery, Marnie, Neil Organizations: Getty, Miami, Hedren, Magazine Locations: Tippi Hedren

But Greene said she had a tougher time connecting with Speaker Mike Johnson, who doesn’t have a strong relationship with the congresswoman. “I haven’t heard much from him,” Greene told CNN earlier this week. Greene said Johnson heard her out and gave her assurances that her impeachment articles would move through committee and on to the floor. Taking a page from his predecessor’s playbook, Johnson has tried to dole out commitments and face-time to some of his potential critics. GOP Rep. Bob Good of Virginia said the Freedom Caucus made clear to the speaker on Thursday what their expectations are.

Persons: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Alejandro Mayorkas, Greene –, –, Kevin McCarthy’s, Greene, Mike Johnson, Johnson, ” Greene, George Santos, playbook, Max Miller, ”, He’s, I’m, ” Miller, he’d, I’ve, Chip Roy, Roy, “ We’re, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Hunter, James Biden, Scott Perry, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, they’d, Kevin McCarthy, Dusty Johnson, “, McCarthy derangement, Tom Cole of, “ It’s, She’s, ” Rep, Don Bacon, Joe Biden, impeaching Mayorkas, Darrell Issa of, Issa, It’s, Tom McClintock of, bombast, ” McClintock, Rashida Tlaib, there’s, Santos, can’t, Bob Good, Virginia, ” Good, Mike Garcia, Mike, ” Roy Organizations: Georgia Republican, impeaching Homeland, Republican, CNN, Louisiana Republican, GOP, Ohio Republican, Texas, Freedom Caucus, White, Capitol, Republican Conference, South Dakota Republican, ” Veteran GOP, ”, GOP Rep, Caucus, Democratic Locations: Georgia, Louisiana, Israel, Florida, Scott Perry of, “, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Darrell Issa of California, Tom McClintock of California, Ukraine, Taiwan, ” California

☆ Step-by-Step Guide: How to Wear a Shawl Like a Runway Model, Not Your Nan
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Laura Neilson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

If you’re remotely fashion-minded, now’s the time to swaddle yourself dramatically in oversize shawls and wraps. Consider the vast swaths of wool that draped models’ entire upper bodies at Saint Laurent’s fall show. For Melanie Masarin, 32, the Los Angeles founder of nonalcoholic aperitif brand Ghia, they evoke memories of her childhood in France. My mother and grandmother have always worn wraps like this,” she said. “I’m craving fuzzy, cozy, wraparound knits to shield me from the news these days.”

Persons: Stow, Michael Kors’s, Saint Laurent’s, Melanie Masarin, nonalcoholic, “, ”, Masarin Organizations: Los Locations: Saint, Los Angeles, France

☆ John Nichols, Author of ‘The Milagro Beanfield War,’ Dies at 83
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Sam Roberts | More About Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

John Nichols, a New York City transplant to New Mexico whose exuberant novels, notably “The Milagro Beanfield War,” transformed him from an urban gringo into a local idol, died on Monday at his home in Taos. Imbued with a heady pedigree and a peripatetic upbringing, Mr. Nichols evolved instinctively from a cosmopolitan New Yorker and world traveler to a Western writer of the purple sage. He was best known for “The Milagro Beanfield War” (1974), a 445-page political allegory that tells the story of farmers in the fictional town of Milagro Valley who are denied the right to irrigate their farms because water is being diverted to a huge development. “The Milagro Beanfield War” became a crowd pleaser on college campuses, was venerated in his adopted state, and for a while was considered among the most widely read novels about Latinos. In 1988 it was adapted into a film, directed by Robert Redford and starring Rubén Blades, Christopher Walken and Melanie Griffith.

Persons: John Nichols, ”, Tania Harris, Nichols, Robert Redford, Rubén Blades, Christopher Walken, Melanie Griffith Organizations: Yorker Locations: New York City, New Mexico, Taos, Western, Milagro

☆ Satellites are the new climate police for oil and gas polluters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fifty oil and gas companies pledged to zero out methane emissions by 2030 at the UN climate summit. Satellites are the next tool that will hold oil and gas companies accountable in their promise to cut methane emissions and slow global warming. Many state-owned oil companies signed on, including the UAE's Adnoc, as well as Saudi Arabia's Saudi Aramco. This, in turn, means oil and gas companies responsible for the plumes can be notified faster and potentially take action. The country's state-owned oil companies are also absent from the "decabonization charter" announced in Dubai.

Persons: Adnoc, Catherine Boudreau, Erin Snodgrass, Michael Bloomberg, Sultan Al Jaber, Peter Dejong, Fred Krupp, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Melanie Robinson, Robinson Organizations: ExxonMobil, Shell, Service, United, Saturday, Environmental Defense Fund, Bloomberg, UN, Summit, EDF, IEA, RMI, European Union, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, EU, Russia —, World Resources Institute Locations: Saudi Aramco, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Los Angeles, Saudi, Argentina, EU, Glasgow, Scotland, China, Russia

☆ US overturn of Roe v. Wade prompts France to embed abortion rights in constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Maya Szaniecki | Claudia Colliva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Paris CNN —When the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, French women were paying close attention. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty ImagesProtesters voice their support for abortion rights during a debate at the Senate in Paris. According to backers of the bill, therefore, constitutionalization would safeguard abortion rights even if a pro-life majority were to be voted into office. Just last week, Argentina elected a far-right president who has pledged to reverse the abortion rights the country acquired in 2020. ‘Now or never’In France, recent polling data suggests 86% of people are now favorable to the constitutionalization of abortion rights.

Persons: Paris CNN —, Roe, Wade, France, ”, Mélanie Vogel, Vogel, Emmanuel Macron, Stephanie Hennette, Ludovic Marin, Jordan Bardella, ” Bardella, Laurence Rossignol, Malagré, “, Enora Malagré, Pierre, Stephane Cardinale, Corbis, Rossignol, Sarah Durocher, it’s, Marine Le, Le Pen, that’s “, Lafargue Raphael, Durocher, Vauchez, ” Vogel, “ It’s Organizations: Paris CNN, United States, Atlantic, CNN, Senate, Getty, Popular, Law, Justice, National Rally, “ Locations: France, French, Paris, AFP, United States, Popular French, Poland, Argentina, Versailles

CNN —For nearly a decade, US Coast Guard leaders have concealed a critical report that exposed racism, hazing, discrimination and sexual assault across the agency. That investigation found that serious misconduct had been ignored and, at times, covered up by high-ranking officials, allowing alleged offenders to rise within the ranks of the Coast Guard and other military branches. The Coast Guard said this week it had enacted or partially enacted 60 of 129 recommendations, including additional training and additional support services for victims. The Coast Guard did not comment on concerns that problems remain at the agency, or the statistics or examples cited by CNN. Yet to this day, none of the accused service members from her case have faced any consequences.

Persons: “, Linda Fagan, ”, Admiral Linda Fagan, Bonnie Cash, Fagan, Kimberly Young, McLear, Bonnie Watson Coleman, ” Watson Coleman, Elizabeth Frantz, General, …, “ We’ve, we’ve Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Coast, Coast Guard, Trust, Homeland, Coast Guard Academy, US, Guard, Retired Coast Guard, Department of Homeland, Department of Homeland Security Locations: Black

☆ A showdown is brewing over money, oil and carbon. Here's what's at stake at the COP28 climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions continue to break records, with no continent left untouched by more frequent and intense extreme weather events. MoneyClimate finance is always a hotly debated talking point at the U.N. summit and COP28 promises to be no different. She anticipated three main debates around the use of oil, gas and coal — the burning of which is the chief driver of the climate crisis. "So, one is this 'phase out' or 'phase down' [of fossil fuels]. There is no credible scenario where CCS will allow continued use of fossil fuels, let alone expanding oil and gas.

Persons: Sean Gallup, HENRY NICHOLLS, Henry Nicholls, COP28, Alex Scott, Rich, Sultan al, Jaber, LUIS TATO, Luis Tato, Melanie Robinson, Robinson, Sultan Al Jaber, Francois Walschaerts Organizations: AG, Getty, United Arab Emirates, InterContinental, Fossil, Energy Intelligence, Afp, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Getty Images, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Climate, World Resources Institute, CNBC, CCS Locations: Salzgitter, Germany, Dubai, Bonn, COP28, London, AFP, E3G, Egypt, COP27, UAE, Garissa, Africa, El Nino, Abu Dhabi, WRI, Brussels

☆ Canada is seeking more cooperation from India in light of US allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. charges come about two months after Canada said there were "credible" allegations linking Indian agents to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb, in June. "The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we've been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. Earlier on Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly urged India to be more forthcoming in the ongoing murder investigation. Both the United States and Canada are looking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and the allegations undermine that effort. Neither New Delhi nor Ottawa looks likely to take dramatic steps to reconcile soon as Canada's murder investigation proceeds and Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for Indian national elections by May.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh, Melanie Joly, Nijjar, Joly, Narendra Modi, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Chizu Nomiyama, Sandra Maler Organizations: Canadian, U.S . Justice, New York City, Indian, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, OTTAWA, Canada, India, British Columbia, The U.S, Vancouver, United States, Ottawa, Delhi

The world is heading for considerably less warming than projected a decade ago, but that good news is overwhelmed by much more pain from current climate change than scientists anticipated, experts said. Even though emissions of heat-trapping gases are still rising every year, they’re rising more slowly than projected from 2000 to 2015. “It requires the tearing out the poisoned root of the climate crisis: fossil fuels,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres, numerous climate scientists and environmental activists all say what’s needed is a phase-out — or at the very least a phase-down — of coal, oil and gas. “This is throwing the global energy transition and humanity’s future into question.”___Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment.

Persons: That’s, It’s, ”, Niklas Hohne, Bill Hare, Rob Jackson, Ani Dasgupta, ” Dasgupta, Hare, Anne Olhoff, “, ” Jackson, Melanie Robinson, that’s, Johan Rockstrom, Antonio Guterres, Sultan al, Jaber, Greta Thunberg, Adnan Amir, ’ ’, Majid Al Suwaidi, we’ve, Institute’s Hohne, Al Jaber, ” Hohne, Dasgupta, can’t, Inger Andersen, ” ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Environment, NewClimate, Stanford University, Project, Resources, UNEP, World Resources Institute, Potsdam Institute, Climate Research, Center for Biological Diversity, Biden Administration, Twitter, AP Locations: Dubai, Paris, Europe, Pakistan, Libya, Arab Emirates, ”, al, greenwashing, Russia, Ukraine

☆ A French Thriller About a Kidfluencer Gone Missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Madeleine Feeny | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A somewhat didactic early chapter describes the explosive (and real-life) arrival in 2001 of the French reality show “Loft Story,” in which everyday contestants spend 70 days trapped in a surveilled house together before being released back into reality, fresh prey for their newfound fans. In de Vigan’s novel, both Clara Roussel and Mélanie Claux were schoolgirls when they watched its finale. “They’d believed that Big Brother would be incarnated in an outside power, authoritarian and totalitarian,” de Vigan writes of Clara’s family. “But Big Brother hadn’t needed to use force. Their paths cross when Mélanie’s daughter, Kimmy, disappears outside her home in November 2019.

Persons: Delphine de Vigan, Alison Anderson, “, ”, Delphine de Vigan’s, Clara Roussel, Mélanie, “ They’d, Vigan, hadn’t, Big Brother, Clara Organizations: YouTube, Paris Locations: Delphine, Vigan, French

GENEVA (AP) — International aid groups say they are ready to deliver thousands of truckloads of food, water and other supplies to besieged Gaza if a temporary cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war takes hold as hoped on Thursday. Della Longa lamented bottlenecks he said have confounded the delivery of already insuffient aid into Gaza. The only route for international humanitarian aid into Gaza since the start of the war has been through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Some aid groups say they wouldn’t be able to get enough fuel into Gaza over the four days to distribute aid to the hard-to-reach north. “And very ineffective Band-Aids.”Uncertainty is also looming over possible arrangements for contacting Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Persons: ”, Tommaso Della Longa, Israel, Della Longa, Joel Weiler, “, doesn’t, Jan Egeland, Shani Sasson of COGAT, “ It’s, Jason Lee, Mirjana Spoljaric, ’, Ismail Haniyeh, ___ DeBre, Melanie Lidman, Jon Gambrell Organizations: GENEVA, —, Aid, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Norwegian Refugee Council, Red Crescent, International Committee, Red Cross, ICRC, Monday, Associated Press Locations: Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Egyptian, El, Arish, Paris, Rafah, Nitzana, Della, Red, “, Palestinian, Geneva, Qatar's, Qatar, United States, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

☆ Foot Locker, Teamsters Show Their Drug-Benefit Managers the Door
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Melanie Evans | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Employers and unions are getting fed up with the firms they have used for years to help control their spending on prescription drugs—because their costs keep soaring. Footwear retailer Foot Locker dropped UnitedHealth Group ’s OptumRx drug-benefit manager last year, while a Teamsters fund in Philadelphia recently reupped with its replacement for CVS Health ’s Caremark.

Persons: Locker Organizations: Teamsters, CVS Health Locations: Philadelphia

☆ Fortescue shareholders vote against remuneration report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Fortescue Metals Group adorns their headquarters in Perth, Australia, November 11, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMELBOURNE, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Australia's Fortescue (FMG.AX) said shareholders did not approve its annual remuneration report at a vote at its annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday. "Based on the votes received to date on this resolution, Fortescue will receive a first strike for the FY 23 remuneration report," said Penny Bingham-Hall who is chair of the company's remuneration committee. "We acknowledge this feedback, particularly in relation to the special one off payments made in the last financial year." Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Gray, Australia's Fortescue, FMG.AX, Fortescue, Penny Bingham, Melanie Burton, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Fortescue Metals, REUTERS, Rights MELBOURNE, Hall, Thomson Locations: Perth, Australia

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants in a dense, urban refugee camp on Tuesday as they expanded operations across northern Gaza, where residents have been without electricity, water or access to humanitarian aid for weeks. Footage released by the military in recent days shows soldiers and tanks operating in dense urban neighborhoods where nearly every building appears to be damaged or destroyed. Israeli forces cut off the north in their ground invasion late last month, though tens of thousands have since fled south through corridors announced by the military. As they have overflowed, people have been forced to sleep on the streets outside, with little shelter from winter rains that have hit the region in recent days. RISING TOLLMore than 12,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Marwan Abdallah, Ashraf al, Qidra, Ashraf, Al, Michael Ryan, Izzat, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Goren, Tal Chaimi, ” Netanyahu, ___ Magdy, Melanie Lidman Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Health, International Committee, Indonesia Hospital, Shifa, World Health Organization, Palestinian Health Ministry, West Bank, Associated Press Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Jabaliya, Israeli, Gaza's, Egypt, United States, Qatar, Shifa, Cairo, Jerusalem, israel

☆ Joost Luiten: Frustrated golfer throws club into tree – loses two more trying to retrieve it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Losing a golf club in a tree? The Dutch golfer had already been enduring a Sunday to forget at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai when his drive from the ninth tee went sailing left into a bunker. “Taking tree trouble to the next level,” posted the DP World Tour on its X account. Three birdies in a row soon followed but ultimately came too little too late, as a final round one-over 73 saw Luiten sign off at three-over overall, 48th of the 50-player field. “I was frustrated, one of those weeks [when] nothing went my way,” Luiten told reporters.

Persons: Joost Luiten, Luiten, ”, Melanie, Jane, ” Luiten, ” Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, Giuseppe Cacace, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Matt Wallace, ” Hojgaard Organizations: CNN, –, Hojgaard, Getty, Ryder Locations: Dubai, AFP

☆ BHP train drivers to start 'restrained' industrial action on Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BHP's iron ore operations include four processing hubs and five mines that are linked by more than 1,000 km (621 miles) of rail and port facilities. BHP said that the proposed action would present logistical challenges but that it had put in place arrangements to mitigate the impact. Worries about a strike had lent support to iron ore prices, which are trading at the highest levels since February. "Concerns over disruptions on the supply side due to the looming strike at BHP in Australia contributed to higher iron ore prices today," said Pei Hao, a Shanghai-based analyst at international brokerage FIS. Drivers received an offer from BHP last Wednesday that did not meet their expectations around rostering, arbitration and camp standards, Busson added.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Greg Busson, Busson, Pei Hao, BHP, Melanie Burton, Amy Lv, Gerry Doyle Organizations: BHP, REUTERS, Rights MELBOURNE, Reuters, Monday, Mining, Energy Union WA, Drivers, Thomson Locations: WA, Australia, Shanghai, rostering, Rio Tinto's, Beijing

☆ Jewelry Designers Are Putting Their Sketches to Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Melanie Abrams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Lorenz Bäumer is convinced that having a special area for sketching in his Paris boutique and hanging original drawings of jewelry designs on its walls has helped distinguish his business from its competitors. “It’s like coming to an artist’s studio and being there with the artist, instead of being at some giant conglomerate jewelry thing that is on the stock market and has 400 stores,” the designer, 57, said. For centuries sketches have been part of the creative process, helping designers to sort through ideas and providing guidance for the artisans who fabricate the pieces. But Mr. Bäumer’s decision to highlight drawing is just one example of the many ways that designers have been putting their sketches to work, using them in everything from social media to sales materials to emphasize the artistry and craftsmanship of their endeavors.

Persons: Lorenz Bäumer, “ Locations: Paris

☆ COP28: What you need to know about the 2023 climate summit in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Tens of thousands of people are heading to Dubai in early December for COP28, the annual international climate summit convened by the United Nations. While the science behind human-caused climate change was still young, scientists knew even then it would be life-changing. The controversy at COP28The climate summit is hosted at a different location each year. “It tells us clearly that the world is not on track to achieve our global climate goals,” Melanie Robinson, the global climate program director for the World Resources Institute, told CNN. A major debate among the parties has been whether to “phase out” or “phase down” fossil fuels.

Persons: John Kerry, Ian Langsdon, —, United Arab Emirates —, Critics, Al Jaber, Britain's King Charles III, COP28, Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, Aaron Chown, John Kerry —, Al Jaber’s, King Charles III, Pope Francis, Joe Biden, China’s, Jinping, Biden, Xi, Larry Fink, It’s, ” Melanie Robinson, ” Robinson, “, Maya Siddiqui, Nate Warszawski, ”, CNN’s Ivana Kottasová Organizations: CNN, COP28, United Nations, Getty, UN, “ Conference, United, United Arab Emirates, Minister of State, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Buckingham Palace, US, Publishing, decarbonize, Wall, BlackRock, World Resources Institute, Bloomberg, World Bank Locations: Dubai, Le Bourget, Paris, AFP, Berlin, COP21, United Arab, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Buckingham, France, Germany, Japan, Hami city, Xinjiang province, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia, Iran, Israel, Egypt, COP27

Fortescue approved investments in the U.S. hydrogen hub in Phoenix, Arizona; the Gladstone 50 megawatt green hydrogen project in Queensland, Australia; and the Christmas Creek green iron trial commercial plant in Western Australia. About $550 million will be used for developing an electrolyser and liquefaction facility in Phoenix, where first production of liquid green hydrogen is targeted for 2026. I think some of the market's concerns will be allayed because the capital investment required is pretty minimal in the scheme of things." Under a plan to ramp up its green energy business, Fortescue said in August it would stop allocating 10% of its net profit to that unit. Fortescue shares were up 1% on Tuesday in a strong market for iron ore miners, with peers BHP (BHP.AX) and Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) up 1.5% and 2% respectively.

Persons: Melanie Burton, Australia's Fortescue, Fortescue, David Coates, BHP, Himanshi, Richard Chang, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Fortescue Metals Group, REUTERS, Arizona, MELBOURNE, Gladstone, Fortescue Energy, Fortescue, Rio Tinto, Thomson Locations: Pilbara, Port Hedland, Western Australia, U.S, Phoenix , Arizona, Queensland, Australia, Phoenix, Brazil, Kenya, Norway, BellPotter, Sydney, Michigan, New York, Rio, Bengaluru

Sunak told delegates that a “fundamental shift” is needed to confront a food-security crisis that is being worsened by climate change. He focused on the role of science and said the U.K. would set up a “virtual science hub” linking international researchers working on more resilient crops. “Climate change, conflict and population rise mean ever greater challenges to food supplies," Sunak said. “So we need a fundamental shift in the way we approach food security, with a focus on long-term solutions to stop food crises before they start. Political Cartoons View All 1256 ImagesThe summit coincided with publication of a “re-energized” U.K. development strategy aimed at ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Melinda Gates, ’, David Cameron, ”, Melanie Ward, that’s Organizations: British, Food Security, United Arab Emirates, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Melinda Gates Foundation, Lancaster House, Medical Aid Locations: London, U.K, Somalia, Lancaster, Israel, Gaza, “, ”, United States

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