DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Transgender athlete says Paralympians embraced her despite outside hate
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Visually impaired transgender sprinter Valentina Petrillo said she felt welcomed by her fellow competitors despite the widespread scrutiny outside of the Paralympic village in France. The 51-year-old sprinter, who transitioned in 2019, reached T12 200m and 400m semi-finals at the recent Paralympic Games in Paris. So all of this fear that trans people will destroy the world (of women’s sport) actually does not exist. Over the last few years, the discourse around transgender athletes has garnered widespread attention. The governing bodies of many sports including athletics, cycling and swimming have tightened their participation rules for transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions.

Persons: Valentina Petrillo, JK Rowling, ” Petrillo, Petrillo, “ JK Rowling, Ingrid van Kranen, Van Kranen Organizations: Paralympic, Games, Times, Stade de France, International Paralympic Committee, Rio, IPC, Para Athletics Locations: France, Paris

What does the Olympics controversy over Algerian boxer Imane Khelif have to do with J.K. Rowling’s home wallpaper? A representative for Rowling declined to comment on her wallpaper and the backlash to her posts about Khelif. LGBTQ people and groups like GLAAD have condemned Rowling’s views, calling them transphobic, and “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe spoke out against her in 2020. Some of Rowling’s defenders responded to the mold posts, suggesting that what people online claim is mold is actually wallpaper. Google search interest in “jk rowling mold” has also skyrocketed since then, with breakout search queries like “jk rowling black mold meme” in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

Persons: Imane Khelif, —, “, ” Khelif, Rowling, ” “, ”, Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, X, Harry Potter ”, Rowling’s, JD Vance, “ jk rowling Organizations: International Olympics, IOC, ” “ Jk, GLAAD, “ Locations: British, Russian, Canada, U.S, Australia

☆ Who is Imane Khelif and why is her Olympic boxing win marred by controversy?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Kara Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Khelif has become a flashpoint for an often misinformed debate about how women are allowed to compete in sports. As Khelif prepares for her next fight on Saturday, here’s what to know:Who is Imane Khelif? Algeria's Imane Khelif (R), is seen after defeating Italy's Angela Carini in the women's 66kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Thursday. Many athletes have written in support of Khelif, including Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst – who fought and beat Khelif in the World Championships. Female athletes that have differences of sexual development (DSD) are often subject to such tests.

Persons: Imane Khelif, Angela Carini, dislodging, Carini, Mark Adams, ” Adams, Khelif, Italy's Angela Carini, John Locher, “, Lin Yu, Adams, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, JK Rowling, Logan Paul, ” Rowling, Giorgia Meloni, ”, Amy Broadhurst –, Broadhurst, Lin, Semenya, CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne, Camille Knight, Natasha Maguder, Eliza Anyangwe Organizations: CNN, Olympic Committee, Boxing, IBA, Games, IOC, WWE, Algerian Olympic, Human Rights Watch, Paris Games, DSD, European, of Human Rights Locations: Algerian, Italy, Paris, “, Algeria, Budapest

☆ Bloomsbury had its highest sales year ever thanks to Sarah J. Maas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewBloomsbury Publishing is crediting fantasy author Sarah J. Maas for its record-setting sales year. AdvertisementAnd the company said that growth comes largely from one author: Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury's CEO credits fantasy author Sarah J. Maas with driving the publisher's growthIn a statement on its financial report, Bloomsbury's CEO Nigel Newton pointed to Sarah J. Maas as the source of much of the company's financial achievements for the year. Sarah J. Maas had massive sales over the last year. "Sarah J. Maas is a publishing phenomenon and we are very fortunate to have signed her up with her first book 14 years ago."

Persons: —, Sarah J, Maas, Nigel Newton, Newton, JK Rowling's, Harry Potter, Katherine Rundell's, Bloomsbury Maas, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent Organizations: Service, Bloomsbury, Business, New York Times, Marvel, Wings Locations: Bloomsbury, children's

☆ Scotland’s new hate crime law was meant to protect against prejudice. It ended up sowing further division
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Amy Cassidy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act came into force last week, a contentious law that expands existing legislation to include transgender identity as a protected characteristic from hate crimes. In the first week of the law’s enactment, a feminist group, “Let Women Speak,” organized a rally against the legislation in Scotland’s capital on Saturday. Another major concern for those who oppose the Hate Crime Act is the supposed lack of clarity on what type of behavior could constitute an offense under the new law. But 25-year-old Scottish trans student Lucy (who asked not to be identified by her real name due to concerns about continued online abuse), said the new law does not reassure her. Scotland’s proposed reforms would have allowed transgender people to self-identify, without the need for a medical diagnosis or certificate.

Persons: –, – Humza Yousaf, ”, JK Rowling, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Jane Barlow, ’, Susan Smith, “, ’ ” Smith, Siobhan Brown, Rowling, Harry Potter, Yousaf, J, Rowling waded, Angela Weiss, ” Vic Valentine, Lucy, Scotland’s, hadn’t, Musk, Ian Miles Cheong Organizations: CNN, ” Scottish, Reuters, Scottish, Women Scotland, Community Safety, Police Scotland, BBC, Getty, Scottish Trans, Public Affairs, Equality Network, Scottish Police Federation, ” Police, Courier, PA Media, Police Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, British, Scottish, Malaysian

☆ JK Rowling hits out at reports calling a transgender cat killer and convicted murderer a woman
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewJK Rowling has hit out at reports calling a transgender cat killer and convicted murderer a woman. It is not the first time Rowling has aired her views on transgender issues. In a 2020 statement released via The Trevor Project, Daniel Radcliffe, who played the films' titular character, said: "Transgender women are women. AdvertisementTiffany Scott, also known as Andrew Burns, died on Thursday aged 32, the Scottish Prison Service confirmed, per The Telegraph.

Persons: —, Rowling, Harry Potter, Scarlet Blake, Jorge Martin Carreno, Blake, Jon Capps, Forstater, JK Rowling, I've, Daniel Radcliffe, Jo, Tiffany Scott, Andrew Burns Organizations: Service, Sky, Business, Spanish, BBC, Thames Valley Police, JK, Scottish Prison Service Locations: Scotland

☆ British author A.S. Byatt, who won Booker prize for 'Possession' dies aged 87
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Man Booker Prize shortlisted authors Adam Foulds (L), Hilary Mantel (2nd L), A S Byatt (2nd R) and Simon Mawer pose for photographers in London October 5, 2009. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Booker-prize winning British novelist Antonia Susan Byatt, known most commonly as A.S. Byatt, has died aged 87, her publisher said in a statement on Friday. Byatt, whose career spanned nearly 60 years, was best known for her 1990 novel "Possession: A Romance". Seven years later came her breakthrough with Possession, which became a bestseller and won the coveted Booker Prize for Fiction the same year. Byatt won a number of awards and titles including a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and DBE (Dame of the British Empire).

Persons: Booker, Adam Foulds, Hilary, Simon Mawer, Toby Melville, Antonia Susan Byatt, Byatt, Margaret Drabble, Antonia, Charles, Gwyneth Paltrow, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Mike Collett, White, Kylie MacLellan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Chatto & Windus, Penguin Random, Quaker, Cambridge, Oxford, Thomson Locations: London, British, English, Sheffield, York

☆ The difficult task of verifying truth in a war zone, especially now
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A report of "40 beheaded babies" in Israel made the rounds last week as journalists worked to verify it. AdvertisementAdvertisementLast week, I was watching CNN and heard a someone describing the Hamas attacks on a kibbutz referencing 40 beheaded babies. The i24news' online story references "40 babies and young children" taken out on gurneys from the town of Kfar Aza. "I just wanted to clarify that I did not tweet 40 babies had been beheaded. Clearly fed up with the mess, BBC's Sardarizadeh, wrote on X, "War is not a game for retweets and likes on social media."

Persons: Claire Atkinson, —, Cooper, Nic Robertson, Robertson, Rashida, Kfar Aza, Marc Owen Jones, JK, Bel, Anna Botting, hadn't, Justin Peden, Sardarizadeh, Elon, Elon Musk, Thierry Breton, Musk, BBC's Sardarizadeh, Rupert Murdoch, She's, Atkinson Organizations: Media, Service, CNN, Fox, Fox News, The Independent, Sky News, Comcast, Times, The Media Locations: Israel, Kfar, Gaza

☆ The raw materials for creating AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Alistair Barr | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The AI models behind this technology are built using high-quality datasets from millions of different sources. These are the raw materials for model "training," in industry parlance. Nvidia GPUs are the main hardware required for AI model training. AdvertisementAdvertisementOver 8,000 authors, including Margaret Atwood and James Patterson, signed an open letter demanding compensation from AI companies for using their works to train AI without permission. Got a tip or insights about the leading AI companies OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Meta?

Persons: ChatGPT, Nat Friedman, Ben Thompson, Friedman, There's, OpenAI, Reddit, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Atwood, James Patterson, JK Rowling's Harry Potter, Alistair Barr Organizations: Service, Nvidia, Tech, Amazon, LexisNexis, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, abarr@insider.com

☆ Russian legislators are targeting transgender people. It's the latest move that copies GOP talking points from the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian legislators are targeting transgender people in a move that mirrors US GOP politics. A new bill in Moscow would ban gender affirming care for any reason other than birth defects. According to state media, the bill would also ban gender changes in public record information. The bill, put forward on Tuesday, would ban gender-affirming surgeries and care, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. Seventy-eight bills targeting transgender care have passed this year, while 373 bills are currently being actively considered, according to Trans Legislation Tracker.

☆ Scores of world figures urge Putin to free Navalny in open letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 28 (Reuters) - Scores of famous figures, including writers and actors, have signed an open letter urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to free opposition politician Alexei Navalny and to end what they called his torture in prison. Russian authorities say Navalny and his supporters are extremists with links to the U.S. CIA intelligence agency intent on trying to destabilise Russia. They have outlawed his movement and Navalny himself is facing new charges that could add years to his prison sentence. Navalny's supporters have grown increasingly worried about his health in recent weeks, saying they fear he could die in jail. The Kremlin denied trying to kill him and said there was no evidence he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing Harry Potter back as it closes in on a deal for a new TV series, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. Discovery is close to a deal for a new Harry Potter TV series, per Bloomberg. The people, who asked not to be identified because the deal is yet to be announced, said Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Meanwhile, the overall Harry Potter franchise which includes books, toys, and games has earned $15 billion, Insider reported in 2021.

☆ Fact Check-J.K. Rowling tweet thanking LGBTQ community for ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ game sales is fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Author J.K. Rowling did not tweet a post thanking the LGBTQ community for sales of the ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ computer game, despite a screenshot circulating online. A spokesperson for JK Rowling, Rebecca Salt, told Reuters that no such tweet was published. A Twitter advanced search via Rowling’s account did not reveal the tweet (archive.is/wip/PmBkF). Archived versions of Rowling’s Twitter account saved on Feb. 24 did not reveal the tweet either (here). No such tweet was posted by J.K. Rowling.

☆ Harry Potter video game 'Hogwarts Legacy' has done $850 million in sales so far, despite calls for a boycott after JK Rowling's anti-trans comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. Discovery said "Hogwarts Legacy" has sold 12 million units so far, worth $850 million. The game's success comes despite protests over "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling's comments that many say are anti-trans. Many have called her comments transphobic, and "Harry Potter" film stars like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have denounced her stance. Many gamers criticized the release of "Hogwarts Legacy" in light of Rowling's comments.

☆ The Harry Potter video game 'Hogwarts Legacy' is here, and topping sales charts — despite the JK Rowling controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Hogwarts Legacy" was at the top of the Steam PC and PlayStation Store sales charts on Friday. The early success comes despite backlash over Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's anti-trans comments. The game's early success is in the face of some calls for a boycott over Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's past anti-trans comments. Warner Bros. Games, which released "Hogwarts Legacy," wrote on the game's FAQ page that Rowling was "not directly involved in the creation of the game." Discovery CEO David Zaslav in November expressed an interest in doing "something with J.K. on Harry Potter going forward."

☆ Hogwarts Legacy breaks record before official release, despite controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hogwarts Legacy – the new open-world video game by Avalanche and Warner Bros. Hogwarts Legacy is based on Harry Potter but is set in the late 1800s, well before the action in the Harry Potter books take place, and opens the Harry Potter World beyond Hogwarts Castle. Videogamesnewyork, a New York City store that sells modern and retro video games, is ordering just enough games to their store based on pre-orders. Some gamers also are boycotting Hogwarts Legacy over the controversy. The company says J.K. Rowling is not involved in the Hogwarts Legacy game.

☆ The upcoming Harry Potter game is already a top seller, despite JK Rowling controversy and boycott calls
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Hogwarts Legacy" is topping charts on Steam and the PlayStation Store, a month from its release. Warner Bros. has suggested it wants to cooperate with Rowling on future Potter-related content. "Hogwarts Legacy" is an open-world role-playing game set in the Harry Potter universe during the 1800s, and the player will play as a student at Hogwarts during that time. Warner Bros. Games representatives did not respond to requests for comment from Insider on whether Rowling will be compensated for "Hogwarts Legacy." But Rowling has far-reaching control over Harry Potter.

☆ Helena Bonham Carter voices support for JK Rowling and Johnny Depp
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Helena Bonham Carter is coming to the defense of two fellow members of the “Harry Potter” universe. Addressing the controversy around views Rowling has expressed that have been criticized by some as transphobic, Bonham Carter called the backlash “horrendous.”“I think she has been hounded,” she said. “Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma, and you have to respect where people come from and their pain,” Bonham Carter said. “People will jump on the bandwagon because it’s the trend and to be the poster girl for it,” Bonham Carter told the Times of Heard and the #MeToo movement. It has become quite hysterical and there’s a kind of witch hunt and a lack of understanding.”CNN has reached out to representatives for Bonham Carter, Depp and Rowling for comment.

Search resuls for: "JK Rowling"

18 mentions found