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☆ Microsoft under fire over AI-generated poll about death of 21-year-old woman on its news platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Guardian accused Microsoft of causing "significant reputational damage" with an AI-generated poll. A poll speculating how a woman died appeared next to a Guardian news story on Microsoft Start. AdvertisementAdvertisementA newspaper publisher accused Microsoft of damaging its reputation after an AI-generated poll appeared next to one of its articles on an aggregation platform. An AI-generated poll asking readers to vote on whether they thought the woman had died by murder, suicide or accident appeared next to the article on Microsoft Start. She also called for the software company to stop using experimental AI alongside Guardian news stories.

Persons: —, Lilie James, Anna Bateson, Bateson, Brad Smith, Smith Organizations: Guardian, Microsoft, Service, Guardian Media Group Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Storylines Residential Cruise Faces Backlash From Investors, Ex-Employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Kate Taylor | Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Storylines' first cruise ship was initially scheduled to launch in 2019; it's now set for December 2026. Nine former employees, consultants, and investors told Insider that they'd come to doubt the MV Narrative would ever be built. The only existing residential cruise ship is The World. Many Storylines buyers remain optimistic about the residential cruise ship. "The ball is in your court," Punton told buyers in July in a video that's since been taken down.

Persons: Alister Punton, Punton, Shannon Lee, Mike Kasperzak, Jim Holt, Holt, Angela Nuran, Paul Cosentino, Cosentino, We're, Lee, it's, Alexandre Caillol, Condé, superyachts, Sean Fremder, Weeks, Caillol —, —, Marco Polo —, PitchBook, Alexandra Zodian —, Caillol, Michael Edwards, Edwards, he'd, Martin Buggy, Melissa Edyvean, Edyvean, Paul Read, Salvatore R, Mercogliano, Pat Helmers, Helmers, Michael Perisi, Andrew Lentz, didn't, Lentz, Wrocław . Lentz, Andrew, I'm, Lee ., Dick Rosman —, Lee —, Krzysztof Kontek, Kontek's, Michal Jackiewicz, Brodosplit, Brian Martin, Read, Nuran, We've, he's, New Zealand —, Kasperzak, " Lentz Organizations: Punton, Army, West —, Industry, CNN, Brodosplit, Regent Seven Seas, Wall Street Journal, Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries, Utopia, Beverly Hills, Rock City, The Raiders, Raiders, Holland America's, Mariners, New Zealand Locations: massages, Croatian, Beverly, Punton, Queensland, Australia, Broadbeach, California, Rock, Brisbane, Netherlands, Caillol, Polynesia, French Polynesia, France, London, Australian, British, Delaware, Sweden, Tahiti, Perth, Ecuador, Poland, Wrocław, Mexico, Florida, New

☆ Flooded pitch fails to dampen spirits of Ireland's women
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Wettest game in history but job done and top of the group with the girlsss," Ireland captain Katie McCabe posted on Instagram after the match in Shkoder. "Ballon Pour," Ireland team mate Louise Quinn commented under the post, a reference to McCabe, like many others, missing the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday despite her nomination. After 20 minutes of play the first rumbles were heard, accompanied by torrential rain. The game was scoreless at halftime and play was suspended for an hour as ground staff cleared the waterlogged pitch. Denise O'Sullivan scored the winner in the 88th minute, and with four wins from four games, Ireland have secured the group win and promotion with two games still to play.

Persons: Ireland's Katie McCabe, Dan Peled, Katie McCabe, Louise Quinn, McCabe, Denise O'Sullivan, Sinead Farrelly, Trevor Stynes Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Brisbane Football, REUTERS, Ireland, League, Women's Nations, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, of Ireland, Nigeria, Brisbane, Australia, Republic, Albania, Shkoder, Dublin

☆ Is the Pantyhose-as-Pants Look a Real Thing?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Vanessa Friedman | More About Vanessa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I thought pantyhose were dead, but now it seems as if they are being treated as the equivalent of actual pants. Are we really supposed to believe the pantyhose-instead-of-pants look I see on social media is going to be a trend? The fashion world became so attached to the End of Pantyhose that editors famously went to shows in February with bare legs and high heels, snow be damned. Then, in September 2022, Matthieu Blazy of Bottega Veneta sent a navy crew neck down his runway paired with only dark hose and heels. Just a few months later, Miuccia Prada largely tossed pants and skirts out the window in her Miu Miu show, subversively matching her librarian cardigans and beatnik polo necks with sheer hose and coordinating undies.

Persons: pantyhose, — Susan, Allen Gant Sr, Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta, Miuccia Prada, Miu Miu, cardigans, Prada, Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol’s, Emma Corrin Locations: Vancouver, Bottega

☆ Hawaii Settles Sex Discrimination Case With High School Female Athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( David W. Chen | More About David W. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hawaii education officials on Friday agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by female athletes at the state’s biggest public high school alleging widespread and systemic sex discrimination, as well as retaliation against the girls who raised those concerns. The lawsuit filed by the athletes and their families from James Campbell High School, located in Ewa Beach, a Honolulu suburb, had accused school officials of forcing water polo athletes to practice in the ocean, sometimes battling whipping winds and choppy waves, because the school had failed to provide them a pool. Closer to campus, female athletes had to run to a nearby Burger King to use the bathroom, or change clothes under the bleachers or on the bus. The case was notable because much of the attention with Title IX has focused on opportunities for women to participate in college sports, while high school programs were seldom challenged. First filed in 2018, after Honolulu Civil Beat, a nonprofit newsroom, detailed gender disparities at Campbell, the case gained momentum in July 2022, when a federal judge ruled that the case could proceed as a class action.

Persons: James, IX, Campbell Organizations: James Campbell High School, Honolulu Civil Locations: Hawaii, Ewa Beach, Honolulu, Burger

☆ A running store in Paris invited people to steal its products — if they could outrun one of France's fastest sprinters disguised as a security guard
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

For one day in September, a Paris running boutique let people try to steal from it. There was catch though: they had to outrun one of the fastest sprinters in France. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementStill, chasing people for hours was exhausting: "It was a long, long, long day," he said.

Persons: —, ROB, Méba, Zeze, shoplifter Laurie Sicot, Lionel Jagorel, Distance's Organizations: Service, Distance's, Washington Post Locations: Paris, France, Distance's Paris

☆ The Rock’s Wax Figure Will Get Redo, Museum Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Reggie Ugwu | More About Reggie Ugwu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A wax museum in Paris said it would change its recently unveiled statue of Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock, after a week of ridicule on social media and a plea from the actor himself. The statue, unveiled last Monday by the Grévin Museum — the French equivalent of Madame Tussauds — depicted the “Fast and the Furious” star and former W.W.E. Critics online quickly mocked several aspects of the likeness, especially the skin tone, which many described as noticeably lighter than Johnson’s. “Who is this because uhhhh … You do know he’s Samoan and Black right lol?” wrote one commenter. An Instagram post about the “melanin deficient” statue on the popular celebrity news account The Shade Room received over 40,000 comments.

Persons: Dwayne Johnson, Madame Tussauds —, ”, Johnson, James Andre Jefferson Jr, ” Johnson Organizations: Grévin Locations: Paris

☆ Seagulls close Venice airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Venice may be know as La Serenissima, but for those who have encountered her resident seagulls, the experience can be anything but serene. Now, the winged criminals have gone one stop further, causing an hour-long shutdown and two hours of chaos at the city’s airport. Venice Marco Polo Airport, located north of the city, with a runway adjacent to the lagoon, is the fifth busiest airport in Italy, and the largest in the north of the country outside the Milan area. Twenty incoming flights were diverted to other airports in northern Italy: Treviso, Verona, Trieste and Milan. Venice airport employs a resident falcon, who was dispatched by a falconer to disperse the 200-odd birds.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Venice Marco, falconer, Marco Bertorello, LaGuardia, Chesley “ Sully ” Sullenberger Organizations: CNN, intel, Venice Marco Polo Airport, SAVE, Eastern Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, Addis Ababa, Ryanair, Boeing, Hudson Locations: Venice, Italy, Milan, Treviso, Verona, Trieste, AFP, Boston, Addis, Frankfurt, Rome, New, Charlotte, Canada, Hudson

The rest are running for the Republican nomination for president. Ron DeSantis has the words “Ron DeSantis” plastered across the breast of his fishing-style shirts. On sunny days, Tim Scott wears a white baseball cap that says “Tim Scott.” Vivek Ramaswamy’s polo shirts read “Vivek,” and Doug Burgum and Asa Hutchinson wear hats and shirts with their names on them. On the 2024 trail, nearly all of the Republican presidential candidates have turned themselves into human billboards for their campaigns. It’s a fashion choice that would be more typical for a state legislator, and it hasn’t been seen before on such a broad scale during a national campaign.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, ” Vivek, Vivek, ”, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson, Donald J, Trump, —, hasn’t Organizations: Republican

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — The opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday in China offered all the staples of a major international sports event. One big thing, however, was missing: real fireworks, the exploding kind that smell of power and burnt fuses. Instead, the high-tech games — billed of course as “green games” — offered electronic flash, 3D animations and a virtual torchbearer. Delayed for a year by the pandemic, the Asian Games are China's largest sports event since the country scrapped its zero-COVID-19 policy early in the year. China won almost 300 medals in the Asian Games five years ago and is sure to dominate again followed by Japan and South Korea.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Bashar al, Assad, Thomas Bach, King Norodom Sihamoni, Bach, Vladimir Putin, there’s, ___ Didi Tang Organizations: Asian Games, Sports Center, International Olympic, Olympic Council of, Hangzhou Asian, Xinhua, Olympics, China, —, Afghan, ___ AP Asia Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, Taiwan, North Korea, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Olympic Council of Asia, Russia, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, “, Hangzhou Asian Games, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Afghanistan, Washington, ___, asia

De Sarno’s debut Friday, nine months after being hired in the wake of Michele’s surprise departure, was the most anticipated on the Milan Fashion Week calendar for next spring and summer womenswear. The fervor was enough to fill the front row with Hollywood A-listers including Julia Roberts and Ryan Gosling. In one recent interview, De Sarno professed admiration for Brutalist architecture, suggesting a love of the essential, and his collection was exactly that. A tiny leather bra top in embossed leather was paired with a matching midi skirt. The conversation started this week by De Sarno is to be continued.

Persons: — Sabato De Sarno, Gucci —, “ Gucci Ancora, “ Gucci, De Sarno, Alessandro Michele, Sarno’s, Julia Roberts, Ryan Gosling, Tom Ford, Guccio Gucci, De, tinsel, — Organizations: MILAN, Prada, Dolce, Gabbana, Milan, Hollywood, Gucci Locations: Valentino, London, Brera

☆ Olympic medalist sues US bobsled team doctor for sexual abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Winter Olympic bobsledder Aja Evans poses for photos wearing Polo Ralph Lauren items designed for U.S. Winter Olympic Team at the company's store in New York City, New York, U.S., January 20, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 21 (Reuters) - Aja Evans, a 2014 Olympic bobsled bronze medalist, has filed a lawsuit alleging that a doctor who worked on Team USA's medical staff subjected her to nearly a decade of sexual abuse and harassment during treatment. The USOPC said it had not reviewed the complaint, but "remains committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Team USA athletes," including by eliminating abuse. USA Bobsled did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "Rather than being protected, believed, and taken seriously, Ms. Evans was subjected to investigation and degradation by the USOPC and USA Bobsled governing bodies," the lawsuit said.

Persons: Aja Evans, Polo Ralph Lauren, Brendan McDermid, Jonathan Wilhelm, Evans, Larry Nassar, Ryan Stevens, Wilhelm, Nassar, USA Bobsled, Ms, bobsled, Frank Pingue, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Winter, U.S, REUTERS, USA's, United States Olympic, Paralympic, Federation, USA Gymnastics, Team USA, videotaping, USA, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, New York, USA, Lake Placid , New York, Sochi, Toronto

☆ Budweiser says it has stopped chopping the tails of the iconic Clydesdale horses used in its commercials and promotions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Budweiser's famous horses will have longer tails now that the company has stopped clipping them. Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of the beer brand, said in a press release on Wednesday that it no longer clips its Clydesdales' tails, a procedure known as docking. Budweiser Clydesdales handler John Fink walks the horses prior to bathing them at Houston Polo Club. In its campaign, PETA noted that horses use their tails to communicate and swat away flies, which can carry diseases. The Clydesdale breed of horses originated in Scotland and are synonymous with the Budweiser brand .

Persons: John Fink, They've, Amy Trout Organizations: Anheuser, Busch, Budweiser, PETA, Service, Veterinary Medical Association, Houston Polo Club, Houston Chronicle, Hearst Newspapers, Getty, American, Clydesdale, Super, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Empire State Locations: Wall, Silicon, Scotland, Missouri, New England

☆ Tupac, Cocaine, Murder: Henchmen Brothers, Hip-Hop's Forgotten Moguls
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

Mario called Tupac. All he could do was listen to her cry as he explained that he didn't know when he'd be back. He didn't speak Spanish, didn't know a soul in Mexico, and had no clue where he would be sent. Mario didn't ask why, and the guy didn't inquire about Mario's predicament. "It's all good, man," Mario told Jimmy.

Persons: Mario Rosemond, Rosemond, Jimmy, Mario, Akon, Sean Kingston, Gucci Mane, Jimmy Rosemond —, Lowell, Lodi Mack, Fletcher, Tupac Shakur, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Jimmy Rosemond, Saul Goodman, Tommy Davis, Mario stammered, It's, Jimmy Jr, Andrea, Constantin, Johnny Nunez, Rikers, —, Slick, Russell Simmons, Benny Medina, Lyor Cohen, Chris Lighty, Mona Scott, Mark Sparks, Shoop, Paul Bergen, Bryce Wilson, Wilson, Mohammed, Tef, Stewart, Little Shawn, Puff Daddy, Pac, Freddie Moore, Moore, Al Pereira, would've, Jimmy wasn't, They'd, didn't, Jimmy didn't, —, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Wyclef Jean, Garland, Cyrus, THONY BELIZAIRE, Mariah Carey, LL, Missy Elliott, Cent, Tef Stewart, Jimmy Rosemond Jr, Jimmy Sr, Khalil Abdullah, Jimmy Iovine, determinedly, DJ Skee, Mario couldn't, Mario chuckles, he'd, GummyBone, Mario didn't, I'm, freckling, he's, isn't, I've, Jim Brown, Michael K, Williams, Donald Trump, Arturo Holmes, Scott Olson, Trump, Brown, James Rosemond Jr, David Kushner Organizations: FBI, Entertainment, Justice Department, Bronx ., Quad Studios, AP, grandad, Wall, Black Panthers, Junior Mafia, Hollywood, Haiti, Management, Apollo, Lowell, Racing, Interscope Records, Interscope, Feds, Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, Colombian, York Post, Drug, Administration, NFL, Trump, Stone, Atari Locations: Mexico, Haiti, Brooklyn, Bronx, Cuernavaca, Spanish, Rahway , New Jersey, Port, New York City, Vanderveer Estates, East Flatbush, Rikers, Islam, Miami Beach, New York, New Jersey, East Coast, West Coast, Plainfield , New Jersey, Brandy, Los Angeles, Czar's, Harlem, LA, California, Beverly Hills, San, Tijuana, Mexico City, Colombian, San Diego, Manhattan

☆ Winemaker dies in Italy while trying to save colleague who fainted in wine vat
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A winemaker in Italy has died while trying to save his colleague who had passed out in wine vat, according to Italy’s fire brigade. Authorities responded to the emergency call on Thursday at the Ca’di Rajo winery in San Polo di Piave, in the city of Treviso in northern Italy. According to the fire brigade, the man in his forties was trying to save his colleague who had fainted from carbon monoxide fumes while carrying out maintenance work. The two men were working in a processing tank that had just been emptied of wine for bottling when they were overcome by fumes from the fermentation process. Neither men were wearing breathing apparatuses or safety harnesses, according to the fire brigade.

Persons: Simone Cecchetto, “, ”, Sergio Mattarella, ” Massimiliano Paglini Organizations: CNN, Authorities, CISL Belluno Locations: Italy, San Polo di Piave, Treviso, CISL Belluno Treviso

☆ Princess Diana’s ‘black sheep’ knit is the most valuable sweater ever sold at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Princess Diana wore many show-stopping outfits over the years, leaving behind an indelible impact on fashion history as it relates to royal dress codes, semiotics and more. The piece: a “black sheep” sweater first worn by the late Diana when she attended a polo match in 1981, while she was engaged to the now King Charles III. But the quirky knit sold today has not only eclipsed that record sum, it has also become the most valuable sweater ever sold at auction. One black sheep stands out from the crowd on the front of the sweater. “We are thrilled that this cherished sweater has now found a new home, carrying with it the enduring legacy of Princess Diana,” said Muir and Osborne in a statement.

Persons: Diana, Princess Diana wasn’t, King Charles III, Victor Edelstein, Kurt Cobain, Sotheby’s, Sally Muir, Joanna Osborne, Muir, Osborne, Princess Diana, Osborne didn’t, ‘, ” Organizations: CNN, MTV, Buckingham Locations: New York, cardigan

☆ Unpacking the Impact of a Brown Paper Bag
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Hilary Reid | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It has been rendered in chrome-plated resin as part of a sculpture of Andy Warhol by the artist Rob Pruitt. It is a shopping bag — the Big Brown Bag, from the department store Bloomingdale’s — which turns 50 this month. To celebrate, Bloomingdale’s has introduced the Big Brown Bazaar at its flagship store on 59th Street in Manhattan, which is filled with new merchandise inspired by the shopping bag, including a Big Brown pickleball paddle ($98), a Big Brown journal ($19.95) and a Polo Ralph Lauren sweatshirt ($188) that features a bear holding a Big Brown Bag. A commemorative version of the bag, with a golden “50” and rope handles, will also be offered to store customers through October. Introduced in 1973, the Big Brown Bag debuted amid a rebranding at Bloomingdale’s that began a year earlier under Marvin Traub, then the department store’s chief executive, as it celebrated a century in business.

Persons: ”, Andy Warhol, Rob Pruitt, Bloomingdale’s, Ralph Lauren sweatshirt, Brown, Marvin Traub Locations: Limoges, Manhattan

☆ China is bitter medicine for Europe’s EV pivot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Neil Unmack | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China can offer a bitter medicine for Europe’s bold electric vehicle pivot. That has prompted carmakers to develop premium e-cars for richer punters, rather than mass market vehicles. More competition from Chinese carmakers should help bring down prices of electric vehicles in Europe. It will force Western players to keep cutting costs to avoid losing too much market share, boosting overall e-car adoption. Sales of EVs picked up in August, with Jefferies analysts estimating a total market share across Europe of 23%.

Persons: Oliver Zipse, Olaf Scholz, carmakers, Morgan Stanley, Encouragingly, BYD, ”, EVs, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Volkswagen, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, HK, Norway, BMW, Reuters Graphics, Jato Dynamics, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, BYD, Renault, UBS reckons, Financial, Electric, European Union, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: China, Europe, Italy, Europe’s, Germany, Norway, Latvia, Bulgaria, Britain, Polo . China, Western, EU

He spoke with the acquaintance on a Ring doorbell camera, which captured his new clean-shaven look, but the person wasn’t home and did not respond to meet Cavalcante, Bivens said. That person was also not home but called police after a female resident saw the escaped inmate, according to Bivens. Cavalcante fled Chester County Prison within days of being sentenced to life without parole for the murder of his former girlfriend, 33-year-old Deborah Brandão. Chester County District Attorney/PA State PoliceSo far, all the reported sightings of Cavalcante have been in Chester County, where the prison is located. “We are obviously very concerned that Cavalcante has or will attempt to steal another vehicle to facilitate his escape,” Bivens said.

Persons: Danelo Cavalcante, Cavalcante, George Bivens, Bivens, ” Bivens, CNN’s Polo Sandoval, Deborah Brandão, ”, John Miller, van, ” Miller, he’s, –, Miller, “, Brandão –, – Cavalcante Organizations: CNN — Police, Ford Transit, Pennsylvania, Police, Attorney, CNN, Authorities, US Marshals Service, Pennsylvania State Police Locations: Pennsylvania, Chester, Philadelphia, Pikeland, Chester County, East Nantmeal Township, Longwood Gardens, Brazil

It was his Lauren's first NY Fashion Week show since 2019. “For them, if you wore Ralph Lauren, you had made it, you know, and so that became popularized in my house with Polo Ralph Lauren. “Some of my favorite Ralph sweaters are 15, 20 years old,” the actor said, “beautiful cashmere sweaters. We're having a conversation about sustainable fashion right now, and .you can have less things if they're beautiful and they last a long time." “Through the years and years ... he’s stayed true to his designs and the kind of woman that he dresses," she said.

Persons: Ralph Lauren, Jennifer Lopez, Julianne Moore, Diane Keaton, Mindy Kaling, Gabrielle Union, James Marsden, Lauren, Christy Turlington, lacy, Lopez, Moore, Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Keaton grooving, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Ariana DeBose, Rachel Brosnahan, Robin Wright, Sheryl Crow, Thom Browne, Anna Wintour, Lauren’s, filet mignon, Kaling, she'd, “, Polo Ralph Lauren, ” Brosnahan, Ralph, Sofia Richie, he’s Organizations: Brooklyn, NY, Huntington Library, Brooklyn Navy, Associated Press, Vogue, Colorado — Locations: Bronx, New York, San Marino , California, Kaling, Colorado

☆ Where to stay in India? Here are 8 former palaces that are now hotels
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Poonam Binayak | Lisa Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Source: Heritage DharampuraIt's now a 14-room boutique hotel, which received an honorable mention in 2017's UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. It was transformed into a heritage hotel in the 1960s and is now impeccably managed by the Taj Group. Taj Lake Palace Source: Taj Lake PalaceStraight out of a fairy tale, the Taj Lake Palace boasts domed pavilions, ornamental turrets, crystal chandeliers, and 83 antique-filled rooms and suites, some which overlook a gleaming courtyard that hosts nightly folk dances. Source: Taj Usha Kiran PalaceToday, it's a lavish Taj hotel that balances old-world vibes with contemporary style. It is now a heritage hotel managed by the Taj Group.

Persons: Jehan Numa, Jehan, Palace, General Obaidullah Khan, Vijay Goel, James Bond, Taj Falaknuma, —, Taj Usha Kiran, it's, King Charles , Louis Mountbatten, Jacqueline Kennedy, Bhanj Deo, There's Organizations: UNESCO, Cultural Heritage Conservation, Taj, Taj Group, Royal, Rambagh, Jaipur, Cochin — Locations: India, Odisha, Rajasthan, Bhopal, Dharampura, Delhi, UNESCO Asia, Jama Masjid, Old Delhi, Udaipur, Pichola, Mewar, Taj Lake, Lake, lavishness, Falaknuma, Nizam, Hyderabad, Windsor, Gwalior, Rambagh, Jaipur, Baripada, Chittoor Kottaram, Kochi, Chittoor, —, Cochin

☆ Swimming sets 'strict' rules for individual Russians to return to competition before Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gold medallist Russia's Evgeny Rylov poses on the podium after the final of the men's 200m backstroke swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 30, 2021. Individual Russian swimmers will be allowed to compete in international events, including the Paris Olympics, if they meet a set of "strict criteria" that include not talking to the media, the sport's governing body said Monday. The World Aquatics governing body published its criteria Monday for Russian and Belarusian athletes, coaches and officials to return to competition as neutrals after being banned because of their countries' war in Ukraine. World Aquatics said only one Russian and Belarusian athlete will be allowed to enter in each swimming and diving event. They cannot take part in any relays, artistic swimming, synchronized diving, or water polo.

Persons: Russia's Evgeny Rylov Organizations: Paris Olympics, Aquatics, Belarus — Locations: Tokyo, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Paris, Belarusian

☆ A Nation With Few Catholics Gives Pope a Welcome Fit for an Emperor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Jason Horowitz | More About Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Perhaps the most famous of the merchant visitors to Mongolia, Marco Polo, wrote in his 13th-century “Travels” about how Kublai Khan, a Mongolian emperor and grandson of Genghis Khan, put down a revolt by “a baptized Christian.” After having the rebel rolled up in a carpet that “was dragged all over the place with such violence that he died,” the emperor made a peace offering to the Christians. He told them, Marco Polo wrote, that the “the cross of your God did the right thing by not helping” the rebel and later suggested that the pope send 100 wise Christians to his land with the potential of his own conversion, “so there will be more Christians here than there are in your part of the world.”It did not shake out that way. Buddhism took hold, and Catholicism struggled. Centuries later, in the 1920s, the Vatican sought to establish mission structures in the country, but Mongolia fell under the Soviet sphere and Communism prevailed for the next 70 years. As religion was suppressed, atheism grew.

Persons: Marco Polo, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan, “, ” Locations: Mongolia, Mongolian

☆ Back-to-school US spending set to hit record high in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Kailyn Rhone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The National Retail Federation, a retail trade group, predicts spending will surpass $135 billion, an increase of more than $24 billion from last year. “The larger the school, the more they are needed,” said Leslie Sparacello, a school superintendent in Austin, Texas, whose former school required clear backpacks. Clear backpacks available on Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) marketplace are priced starting at $9.97, according to its website. A spokesperson said Walmart has recorded an increase in demand for clear backpacks in the last two back-to-school seasons, specifically in Texas, Florida and Mississipi. The company has a separate section for clear backpacks under its backpack category starting at $4.89.

Persons: Mike Blake, jean, ”, Chip West, Melissa Cohen, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nikki Mcneri, Mcneri, Leslie Sparacello, Calvin McDonald, West, Matthew Bilunas, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, National Retail Federation, MBC Consulting, Walmart, Kailyn Rhone, Thomson Locations: Encinitas , California, U.S, Georgia, jorts, Austin , Texas, Canada, Texas , Florida

☆ How Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin spent the mysterious 2 months between his failed coup and his plane crash — from strange meetings with Putin to sitting in a tent in his underwear
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Sebastian Cahill | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was "exiled" to Belarus after staging a short-lived mutiny in Russia. Here's what we know about what he was up to before Russian officials say he was killed in a plane crash. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who said he talked Putin out of assassinating Prigozhin, said that the Wagner boss had arrived in the country. July 4-6: Back in Russia after raid on St. Petersburg homeThe Russian media outlet Fontanka reported Prigozhin arrived in St. Petersburg on July 4. August 24: Prigozhin was on a private jet that crashed in RussiaAlmost two months to the day since his armed rebellion, Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash, according to Russian officials.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Simon Miles, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Jake Epstein, Freddy Mapouka Organizations: Service, Russian, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Fox News, Putin, Kremlin, Pentagon, New York Times, Central African, Associated Press Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Soviet, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, St, Petersburg, St . Petersburg, Belarusian, Africa, Central African Republic

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