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☆ Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby faces calls to resign over church child abuse
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

As well as heading the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury acts as the “first among equals” leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States. Although Smyth sought ordination to the Church of England, he was refused and moved to Zimbabwe in 1984. The report estimates he went on to abuse 85 to 100 male children aged 13 to 17 in Africa. During his time in office, Welby has demanded accountability from those accused of mishandling abuse, including his predecessor, Lord Carey, and the former Bishop of Lincoln. A resignation by an Archbishop of Canterbury over child abuse would be without any obvious historical precedent and there is no mechanism with which to remove an archbishop.

Persons: Canterbury, John Smyth, Justin Welby’s, “, Welby, Smyth, Welby “, Justin Welby, ”, Newcastle, Ann Hartley, Marcus Walker, St Bartholomew the Great, Bishop, Guildford, Andrew Watson, ” Smyth, Lord Carey, of Lincoln Organizations: London CNN, of, of England, Episcopal Church, British, Church of England, BBC, CNN, Eton College Locations: of England, United States, Makin, London, ” Lambeth, South Africa, “, Zimbabwe, Africa, Britain, ”

☆ Ukraine’s president signs law banning Russia-linked religious groups
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Daria Tarasova Markina | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

President Volodymr Zelensky signed into law a bill banning religious groups with ties to Russia Saturday, Ukraine’s Independence Day. The bill’s main target is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) which has historically been linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate. The law passed Ukraine’s parliament on August 20, with 265 lawmakers voting for and 29 voting against. But with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine’s Orthodox churches split. In particular, 63% believe that Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be completely banned in Ukraine.

Persons: Volodymr Zelensky, Mykyta, ” Poturaiev, Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ukraine’s, Epiphanius, ”, Metropolitan Clement, –, ” Kosta Gak Organizations: CNN, Russia, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church, Russian, Church, Ukraine’s, Service, Ethnic, Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine, of Ukraine, Moscow Patriarchate, Ukraine, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Facebook, God Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Crimea, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Kyiv, Russian

☆ Taylor Swift can absolutely sue Trump over the fake endorsement images he reposted. Winning a lawsuit might be harder.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-19 | by ( Laura Italiano | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewShould Taylor Swift sue Donald Trump or just shake it off? "Swift could sue Trump and those who misappropriated her likeness by creating AI-generated images," Neama Rahmani, the president and a cofounder of West Coast Trial Lawyers, said. "So I wouldn't be surprised if they send the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter at a minimum," Rahmani said. Firmly in the "sue Trump" camp is James Walker Jr., a veteran entertainment attorney from Atlanta who reps the estate of Isaac Hayes. Swift would need to prove that the Trump campaign sent these images out with intent to deceive voters."

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Trump, Swift, Taylor, deepfakes, Scarlett Johansson, lawyered, Rahmani, Harry Surden, Surden, Harris, James Walker Jr, Isaac Hayes, Walker, Aretha Franklin, I've, Paul Michael Wilson, Wilson, Jessica Litman, Litman, Mark Bartholomew, Bartholomew, Juan Perla, Curtis, Mallet, Prevost, Perla, Celine Dion, Vance, Johansson Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, West, Trial, University of Colorado, Biden, Walker & Associates, University of Michigan, University at Buffalo, ELVIS, Colt Locations: University of Colorado Boulder, Atlanta, Hayes, Tennessee, York

☆ Omar Al Marzouqi: The young showjumping sensation carrying the UAE flag into the Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Soaring over fences on horseback in Hangzhou, China, last October, Omar Al Marzouqi was jumping into history. Yet Al Marzouqi made it work – with a little help from his sister. Stephen Bartholomew/IPS/ShutterstockShowjumping has always a family affair for Al Marzouqi, who mounted his first pony at just three years old. Just 15 years old at the time, Al Marzouqi was comfortably the youngest rider in the field in Buenos Aires. For Al Marzouqi, continuing that lineage is a privilege.

Persons: Omar Al Marzouqi, Omar, Al Marzouqi, “, ”, Stephen Bartholomew, Showjumping, Steve Guerdat, Ahlmann, I’m, Al, you’ve, ” Al Marzouqi, Helen Cruden, Ahmed Al Maktoum, Sergiu Toma, Al Marzouqi hasn’t, you’d Organizations: CNN, United Arab Emirates, Asian Games, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, Youth Olympics, Paris Olympics, UAE, Games, Athens Locations: Hangzhou, China, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Paris, West Sussex, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Montefalco, Italy, Rio

☆ An unchecked AI could usher in a new dark age
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One legal expert even warned that AI could potentially usher in a new, modern-day "dark age," or a period of societal decline if the relatively new industry of AI goes largely unregulated. AdvertisementAI regulation, Pasquale said, could prevent many of the problems that could pave the way for this so-called new dark age dynamic. US intellectual property laws related to copyright infringement and state-level publicity rights are among the main legal frameworks being used to potentially regulate AI in the country. That includes how social media affects youth's mental health and the propagation of disinformation and misinformation, he said. AdvertisementHe noted that the ability to regulate social media today exists, but that it's not clear what the effective legal solutions are for the societal problems that have arisen.

Persons: —, Frank Pasquale, OpenAI, Pasquale, Mark Bartholomew, Bartholomew, Harry Surden, We've, Surden Organizations: Service, Business, Cornell Tech, Cornell Law School, Microsoft, University, Buffalo, University of Colorado Law School, Stanford, CodeX, Legal Informatics Locations: United States

☆ Citadel's Ken Griffin wants to build a massive NYC skyscraper that the city hopes will lure more workers back to the office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Citadel's Ken Griffin filed plans alongside Vornado and Rudin for a 62-story NYC skyscraper. The mayor's office said the building would bolster an ongoing revitalization of midtown. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Real estate developers Vornado Realty Trust and Rudin Management filed plans for the project alongside Griffin (whose Citadel and Citadel Securities will serve as anchor tenants), the mayor's office said Tuesday. The prices they paid will fund upkeep for both churches, the Mayor's office said, to the tune of $150 million.

Persons: Citadel's Ken Griffin, Rudin, Griffin, —, Ken Griffin, Adams, Griffin doesn't Organizations: Vornado, Service, Realty, Rudin Management, Citadel Securities, Saint Bartholomew's, Midtown, Bloomberg, Citadel, Business, Miami Locations: Miami, New York, St, Patrick's, Midtown Manhattan, Chicago, United States

☆ Pope Francis takes on vested interests to speak out on humanitarian crises
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Analysis Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Pope Francis received an emotional welcome on the island during a visit showing solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis confesses in St. Peter's Basilica during the Vatican's Penitential Celebration on Friday, March 4, 2016. Alessandro Di Meo/AP Pope Francis arrives for his visit with prisoners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Friday, July 10, 2015. Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I address the faithful in Istanbul on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Gokhan Tan/Getty Images Pope Francis speaks during the feast-day Mass while on a one-day trip to Italy's Calabria region in June 2014.

Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Francis, “, ”, Regina Coeli, Vincenzo Pinto, Juan Manuel Santos, Santos, Alessandra Tarantino, L'Osservatore Romano, VINCENZO PINTO, Simon Bar Sabbae, Pope, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Karekin, TIZIANA FABI, Giuseppe Ciccia, MAX, Pope Francis tries, Pope Benedict XVI, Alessandro Di Meo, Evo Morales, OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Federico Lombardi, Lombardi, Gregorio Borgia, Getty Pope Francis, Raul Castro, Castro, GABRIEL BOUYS, ANDREAS SOLARO, Kurukkal SivaSri, Mahadeva, Pope Francis in, Eranga, Franco Origlia, Bartholomew I, Gokhan Tan, San Gregorio Magno, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh, Oli Scarff, Barack Obama, SAUL LOEB, Santa Sabina, Max ROSSI, Daniele De Sanctis, Pope Francis ', FABIO FRUSTACI, Benedict XVI, Benedict, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Osservatore Romano Pope Francis, Vinicio Riva, Riva, CLAUDIO PERI, Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus, Fotografia, Father Don Renzo Zocca, Osservatore Romano, LUCA ZENNARO, Jorge Saenz, Dan Kitwood, Jesus, Internationalis Paulus VI, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Roman Catholic Church's, Peter Macdiarmid, Pope Francis Prev, it’s, He’s, Filippo Monteforte, Donald Trump’s, Czerny, Trump, Donald Trump, Melania, Evan Vucci, Reuters “, ” Cardinal Czerny, Cardinal Czerny, doesn’t, Francis ’, “ Jesus Organizations: CNN, Getty Images, Colombian, Revolutionary Armed Forces, International Catholic Rural Association, Vatican, AFP, Getty, Catholic Chaldean, St, Mercy, ARIS MESSINIS, MAX ROSSI, Getty Images Bolivian, Cuban, Sunday, Queen, getty, Rainbow Association, Renault, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Intelligence, Warner Bros, Discovery, “, Republican, Reuters Locations: St, AFP, Colombia, Rome, Tbilisi , Georgia, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Poland, Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Armenia, Vatican City, Moria, Lesbos, Peter's, Mexican, Havana, Cuba, Mexico, Santa Cruz , Bolivia, South America, Ecuador, Paraguay, La Paz, Bolivia, Italian, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Havana and Washington, Vatican, Pope Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Istanbul, Italy's Calabria, Jerusalem's Old City, Argentina, Roman Parish, San, Rome's, Santa, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Argentine, America, Gaza, Nove, Lampedusa, Italy, Ciampino, Czechoslovakia, Canada, United States, Africa

According to the Pentagon's most recent report on China's military power, Beijing has “denied, canceled or ignored” military-to-military communications and meetings with the Pentagon for much of last year and this year. In an effort to improve transparency and communication, defense leaders from the two countries were meeting regularly. He and other defense chiefs, Joint Chiefs chairmen and regional high-level U.S. commanders routinely traveled to China over the next decade, and Chinese defense leaders came to the Pentagon. The Pentagon routinely complained that there was little tangible progress in the press for greater transparency in China’s military ambitions and its burgeoning defense budget. But the lack of communications heightened worries about an increase in what the Pentagon calls risky Chinese aircraft and warship incidents in the past two years.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, “, Robert Gates, ”, Chuck Hagel, Hagel, China's, Obama, Trump, Nancy Pelosi’s, Pelosi, Newt Gingrich, Carolyn Bartholomew, Bonnie Lin, ” Lin, Tara Copp Organizations: WASHINGTON, Economic Cooperation, Military Maritime, U.S, Pentagon, Defense Department, Chiefs, Yuchi, Pacific ., Beijing, The Defense Department, China Economic, Security, China, Center for Strategic, International Security, Associated Press Locations: Asia, San Francisco, China, Beijing, U.S, Singapore, South China, South, America's, Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Washington

4 Florida State clinched a spot in the ACC Championship game with a 24-7 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. Travis hit tight end Markeston Douglas for a 22-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Florida State a 10-point lead. Florida State, fourth in the initial College Football Playoff ranking, won its 15th straight game. It did not come easy on a day the Seminoles played without leading receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. The most costly miscue came in the third quarter with Florida State leading 10-7.

Persons: — Jordan Travis, Travis, Markeston Douglas, Trey Benson, Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Wilson, Coleman, Douglas, Ja'Khi Douglas, Benson, Mike Norvell's, Christian Veilleux, Notre, Pitt, Ben Sauls, Gavin Bartholomew, Pat Narduzzi's, Pitt didn't, —, Seminoles didn't, Doak Campbell, ___ Organizations: PITTSBURGH, Florida State, ACC, Pittsburgh, Seminoles, Panthers, Pitt, Notre Dame, The Panthers, Florida, archrival Miami, Doak, Syracuse, Yankee, AP Locations: Charlotte, Florida, makeable, Norvell's, Tallahassee, New York City

Group members said Russian occupiers are snuffing out religious and other freedoms in areas of Ukraine under Russian control. “We are eyewitnesses of Russian atrocities going on in our country,” said Metropolitan Yevstratiy Zoria, a representative of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has declared its independence from Moscow and proclaimed its loyalty to Ukraine, but a government study commission contended that the UOC remains a structural unit of the Russian Orthodox Church. The other separate, but similarly-named church, Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was officially recognized as independent by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in 2019, but the Russian church has disputed the legitimacy of that recognition. Zoria decried statements by Moscow Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has strongly supported the war as part of a metaphysical battle against Western liberalism and has said the Russian war dead have their sins forgiven.

Persons: Ivan Rusyn, ”, Freedom, “, Bartholomew of Constantinople, you’re, Zoria, Kirill, ” Zoria, Yaakov Dov Bleich, ” Bleich, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine Akhmed Tamim Organizations: WASHINGTON, Ukrainian Evangelical Church, Ukrainian, of, U.S . Institute of Peace, Orthodox, of Ukraine, The U.S . Commission, ” UNESCO, U.S . State Department, Church, Orthodox Church of, Ecumenical, Metropolitan Zoria, Russian Orthodox Church, Administration, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Ukrainian, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Rusyn, Christianity, The, ”, Houston, Moscow, Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of Ukraine, of Ukraine, “, Kyiv, America, Yugoslavia

☆ Pope Francis appeals against polarization ahead of big Church meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

About 18,000 people, mostly young Christians from around the world, attended, reading prayers for victims of war, injustice and sexual violence and calling for defence of the environment. Hundreds were later starting a three-day retreat north of Rome ahead of the opening of the synod. Various groups have arrived in Rome to hold news conferences, presentations and protests to illustrate their views, suggestions and demands. The prayer vigil was attended Christian leaders including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican communion, and Bartholomew I, the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch of Orthodox Christianity. In his homily at that event, he called for "an ever more symphonic and synodal Church".

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Bartholomew I, Philip Pullella, Giles Elgood Organizations: CITY, Catholic Church, Peter's, Churches, Thomson Locations: St, Rome, Istanbul, Christianity

☆ Harmonia Rosales’ ‘Master Narrative’ exhibition reimagines Renaissance art
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

A selection of her work in this vein is currently on display in the exhibition “Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta. At the core of Rosales’ art is the idea that “storytelling is a journey of personal discovery and a reclamation of one’s cultural identity." Elon Schoenholz/Harmonia RosalesAcross 20 oil paintings and a large-scale sculptural installation, Rosales’ work challenges viewers to consider the universality of creation through a Black diasporic lens. Rosales' work demonstrates her journey towards empowerment and self-love, with figures in her artworks painted with features she used to dislike about herself. Every one of these (artworks) tells my stories.”“Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” is on display at the Spelman College Museum of Art in Atlanta through December 2.

Persons: Adam, ” Sandro Botticelli’s “, Venus ”, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Harmonia Rosales, Barbara, Rosales, Elon, Rosales ’, Olodumare, orishas —, Lucy Garrett, it’s what’s, ” Rosales, “, “ I’m, ”, Liz Andrews, —, Andy Warhol, ’ ” Rosales, ” “, Harmonia Rosales “, I’m, Regla, Harmonia, Black Mary, Virgin Mary, Helen Morales, ” Lucy Garrett, ” Morales, Yemaya, “ They’ve, Angelou, Saint Bartholomew Organizations: CNN, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, University of California, European, Masters, Spelman College Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Museum of Contemporary, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, European Old Masters, Catholic, UCSB Locations: Britannica, Cuban American, Atlanta, Santa, Western Africa, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Rosales, Cuba, Americas

☆ There's an AI-powered app that lets users 'text' with Jesus. For $2.99 a month, you can unlock Satan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are free, but Satan requires a $2.99 per month subscription. "Ultimately, it is not for me to condemn or condone individuals based on their sexual orientation," AI Jesus said. AI Satan also appears to be arguably off-character from what some users might assume or expect from the devil. "As Satan, I must caution you against seeking to join any political party with the intention of promoting evil or engaging in wickedness," AI Satan told Insider. "Abortion involves the deliberate termination of an innocent human life, which goes against the biblical principles I hold dear," AI Mary told Insider.

Persons: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Jesus Christ, Christ, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Simon, Adam, Eve, Satan, Moses, Stéphane Peter, Peter, Oscar Wilde, Adolf Hitler, Microsoft's Bing, Megan Thee Organizations: Religion News Service, Catloaf Software, Software, Singularity, Independent Locations: Los Angeles, cherishing, Berlin

☆ Rodriguez, Singer Whose Career Was Resurrected, Dies at 81
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Neil Genzlinger | More About Neil Genzlinger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Australia was one place where his music had found an audience, and in 1979 he was invited to tour there. He returned in 1981 for a few shows with the band Midnight Oil and released a live album in Australia. He seemed to have no idea how popular he was there, especially among white South Africans uncomfortable with apartheid and the country’s rigidly conservative culture. He joined forces with Craig Bartholomew-Strydom, a journalist who was also searching for Rodriguez, and eventually they found the singer, still living in Detroit. A 1998 tour of South Africa followed, with Rodriguez playing six sold-out shows at 5,000-seat arenas.

Persons: —, ” Stephen Segerman, you’d, Simon, Garfunkel, Rodriguez, ”, Segerman, Craig Bartholomew, Strydom Organizations: Oil, Cape Town, Beatles, Sunday Telegraph Locations: Detroit, Australia, South Africa, Britain

[1/2] Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 29, 2023. More than a dozen Republican voters interviewed on Wednesday unanimously said the new charges would not affect their 2024 election choice. These voters seemed to accept Trump's contention that he is being targeted by Democrats because he is a political threat. "The only way I'd vote for anyone other than Trump is if Trump dropped dead before the primaries, and I don't see that happening," Silver said. The Republican voters who spoke to Reuters appeared unmoved by arguments by Trump's rivals that he likely would lose a November 2024 rematch with Biden.

Persons: Donald Trump, Lindsay DeDario, Trump, Joe Biden, Robin Bartholomew, Bruce Silver, Silver, Brian Demer, Ron DeSantis, Biden, Steven Wolverton, delegitimize Trump, Trump . Sharon Young, Young, Gram Slattery, Jasper Ward, Jason Lange, James Oliphant, Will Dunham, Colleen Jenkins Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, Democratic, Trump, New York Times, Florida, Reuters, Coca, Trump ., Newport, Thomson Locations: Erie , Pennsylvania, U.S, Van Buren County , Iowa, Myrtle Beach , South Carolina, Washington, United States, New York, Georgia, Loudoun County , Virginia, what's, Siena, St, Charles , Michigan, Trump, Newport News , Virginia

☆ Was mass hysteria behind the mysterious case of 227 middle school students fainting last fall?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Lillian Perlmutter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

On September 23, 2022, 12-year-old Esmeralda walked out of the girls' bathroom at her middle school in Tapachula, Mexico, and fainted. Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador began including regular updates on the government's investigation into the fainting episodes in his daily press conferences. Dr. Carlos Alberto Pantoja Meléndez, one of Mexico's few field epidemiologists, had taken an interest in the fainting episodes. News of the initial fainting episodes had been shared there, the epidemiologist, who asked to remain anonymous, told Pantoja-Melendez. Both believe that the fainting episodes in Mexico were examples of something new and alarming: mass hysteria spreading online.

Persons: Esmeralda, Diala, Gladys, Esmeralda's, convulsing, Esmeralda Eva Alicia Lépiz, —, Esmerelda, Mami, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, Gladys didn't, Bochil, Luis Villagrán, bristled, Susanna, Tapachula, Diala's, José Eduardo Morales Montes, they'd, Eva Alicia Lépiz, Hidalgo —, I've, Carlos Alberto Pantoja Meléndez, Pantoja Meléndez, Meléndez, Robert Bartholomew, Bartholomew, Lopez Obrador, busily, Simon Wessley, schoolgirls, twitching, we'll, Pantoja, Melendez, Bartholomew said, we're, We've, who's Organizations: Federal, Central America, Journalists, Mexico City —, Mexico City, Universidad Autónoma Nacional, University of Auckland, Roswell, Kings College, New York, Health Department, Pantoja Locations: Tapachula, Mexico, Bochil, Mexican, Chiapas, Mexico City, El Pais, Chiapas —, Central, Esmeralda, Mexico City — Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, México, University of Auckland , New Zealand, Veracruz, London, Southern Mexico, Kanshasa, Tanzania, Blackburn , England, Sweden, Pyuthan, Nepal, Leroy , New York, Tapachula .

☆ Bluesky Social: Twitter's former CEO has a new app that looks a lot like Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The buzzy new social media app of the moment looks so much like Twitter it’s almost hard to distinguish the two. But under the hood, Bluesky, developed by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, is vastly different. The Bluesky social media app logo is seen on a mobile device in April 2023. Like Mastodon, Bluesky appeals to a number of Twitter users who are frustrated with the direction of the platform under owner Elon Musk. As Eve 6 wrote on Twitter: “Bluesky invite codes are the new blue check.”

☆ Ecumenical patriarch: Russian Church shares blame for 'crimes' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's comments are a rebuke for Russian Patriarch Kirill, whose full-throated blessing for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church. Bartholomew, who in 2019 infuriated Moscow by recognising the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said Russian authorities were using the Church as an "instrument for their strategic objectives". The Russian Orthodox Church had no immediate comment. 'MOTHER CHURCH'The Ecumenical Patriarch is based in Istanbul and is viewed as "first among equals" in the Orthodox Church, which has some 260 million followers worldwide, around 100 million of them in Russia. Ukraine says Russia is waging an unprovoked war of aggression aimed at seizing land and crushing its independence.

☆ I make fake snow for films like 'Fantastic Beasts.' It's fun to make but painstaking to clean up — now I never look at winter movies the same.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jem Bartholomew | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jon Llewellyn works at Snow Business International, a company that produces fake snow. I work at Snow Business International, where we make fake snow for all kinds of movie sets and more. There's a lot of secrecy around Christmas TV ads in the UKPeople talk, so we use code names to muddy the water. Jon LlewellynRecently, we cleaned up this entire area of fake snow on a shoot in Ireland. But it's funny because I thought it looked a bit unrealistic on the cars, even though it was real snow.

☆ Christmas joy and anger for rival Orthodox churches in historic Kyiv monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It has become a focus of a bitter conflict between Ukraine's Orthodox communities, triggered by Russia's invasion. Members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukraine's largest, piled into the cathedral's ornate interior on Saturday, to hear the first ever Ukrainian-language service in the cathedral. Ukraine's Orthodox Church, in its various iterations, has been subordinate to Moscow since the 17th century. The war, now in its eleventh month, has led many Ukrainians to rally round the OCU, which they see as more pro-Ukrainian than its rival, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). That decision infuriated Russia's Orthodox Church, as Istanbul had previously recognised the UOC, then under Moscow's rule, as the legitimate Ukrainian church.

☆ Kroger and Albertsons want to create a grocery empire. The last supermarket mega-merger backfired
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

With the FTC’s blessing, Haggen, a small supermarket chain in the Northwest with just 18 locations, bought 146 of the former Albertsons and Safeway stores, including the one where Martinez worked. In an weird twist, Albertsons bought back dozens of the same stores it previously sold to Haggen in bankruptcy court — at a lower price. Now she worries Kroger will divest Ralphs as part of its merger with Albertsons in a repeat of the Haggen 2015 deal. To address antitrust concerns that the merger will stifle competition in local markets where they overlap, Kroger and Albertsons plan to divest stores. In 2015, Haggen bought a Vons grocery store (owned by Safeway at the time) in Carpinteria as part of the Albertsons and Safeway divestitures.

This time round, Charles III hosted the first state visit of his reign and welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the UK. The South African state visit was Charles’s first big diplomatic test. But this week, the prominence of the Prince and Princess of Wales during the state visit indicated that the couple have been elevated into crucial central roles. PHOTOS OF THE WEEKHere’s a few of our favorite shots from the first state visit King Charles hosted as monarch. Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesThe state visit also allowed UK PM Rishi Sunak the opportunity to welcome Ramaphosa to 10 Downing Street for a bilateral meeting.

☆ Head of Cyprus Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos, dies aged 81
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NICOSIA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The head of Cyprus's dominant Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, died on Monday, his doctors said. The Church of Cyprus, an independent branch of the Eastern Orthodox communion, traces its lineage back to Barnabas, one of Christ's first followers. In Nicosia, a group of priests in flowing black robes were seen carrying a coffin from the Archbishopric, where Chrysostomos died, to a nearby church. Chrysostomos, who was elected archbishop in 2006, had been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, head of the estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, said he was "deeply moved" by Chrysostomos's death.

☆ Analysis: Bank of England's recession warning turns spotlight to UK budget plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That would be a longer and shallower economic contraction than the ones that followed the COVID-19 lockdowns and the global financial crisis of 2007-09. But the backdrop of high inflation this time is limiting the policy options available to the government. Hunt has warned of tough decisions on taxes and spending as he prepares to announce the new government's first budget programme on Nov. 17. "This is not a recession we should be offsetting with lower interest rates and expansionary fiscal policy," Chadha said. Additional reporting by David Milliken;Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ What to watch for in the Federal Reserve policy announcement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The supersized hike would bring the central bank’s benchmark lending rate to a new target range of 3.75% to 4%. Here’s what to watch for: According to the CME Fedwatch tool, traders believe there’s nearly a 90% chance of a three-quarter-percentage-point rate hike this month. And through it all, the job market has remained tight. Looking forward: Wednesday’s policy announcement and the press conference that immediately follows will be closely analyzed for any potential forward guidance by the Fed. The much bigger question is around how the Fed signals its future policy path,” wrote Luke Bartholomew, senior economist at abrdn, in a note.

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