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☆ Jersey Mike’s Subs is worth $8 billion after a huge investment from Blackstone
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Blackstone announced Tuesday that it has acquired a “majority ownership position” in Jersey Mike’s, valued at around $8 billion, according to a source familiar. The influx of cash will help the sandwich chain “accelerate its expansion across and beyond the US market, as well as its continued investment in technology and digital transformation,” a statement said. “We believe we are still in the early innings of Jersey Mike’s growth story and that Blackstone is the right partner to help us reach even greater heights,” Cancro said in a statement. Jersey Mike’s is the second-largest sandwich chain behind Subway in sales. Data from QSR Magazine reveals Jersey Mike’s locations pull in about $1.35 million per unit, with an average Subway location raking in less than $500,000.

Persons: Peter Cancro, who’s, “, Blackstone, ” Cancro, Roark Organizations: New, New York CNN, Jersey, Subway, Blackstone, QSR Magazine, Roark Capital Locations: New York, Jersey, New Jersey, Canada

☆ Tony Todd, 'Candyman' and 'Final Destination' star, dies at 69
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Tony Todd, an American actor known for leading the “Candyman” horror franchise as its eponymous hook-wielding ghost, died Wednesday at his home in Marina Del Rey, California. The film starred Virginia Madsen as a Chicago graduate student preparing a thesis on the legend of Candyman by investigating inner-city Chicago. “The great actor Tony Todd has left us and now is an angel. As the sympathetic slasher, Todd reprised the role of Candyman several times. Todd reprised his role in the new entry, which starred Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an artist who becomes drawn into the Candyman legend.

Persons: Tony Todd, Alex Proyas, ” Michael Bay’s, Oliver Stone’s Oscar, ” Todd, Worf, Michael Dorn, Todd, Bernard Rose’s “, ”, Clive Barker, Daniel Robitaille, Virginia Madsen, Candyman, “, ” Madsen, Oscar, Bill Condon, Nia DaCosta, DaCosta, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Yahya Abdul, Mateen, Wilson’s “ King Hedley II, ” Variety, Alex, Ariana Organizations: “, Klingon Defense Force, Toronto, Universal, Universal Pictures, NBC Universal, NBC, Washington , D.C, University of Connecticut, Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute, Boston, PlayStation Locations: American, Marina Del Rey , California, Chicago, Washington ,, Hartford, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Boston

☆ Nepal’s historic, tranquil forest retreat on the outskirts of Kathmandu
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Just a 25-minute drive east from the city center is Gokarna Forest Resort, a five-star luxury retreat and golf course embedded within 470 acres of protected sanctuary jungle, sheltering a rich array of wildlife. Though a golf course had been present since 1999, the development saw it blossom into the undulating 6,755 yard, 18-hole setup that sits as the crown jewel of the resort today. “The uniqueness of the golf course is what really inspires me, and I have been to at least 200 or 250 golf courses around the world. It is commonplace to glimpse as many as 400 spotted and barking deer bounding across the course’s fairways on any given day, Acharya says. “That is a big challenge for the golf course and for me to maintain, because they run on the greens,” he said.

Persons: Deepak Acharya, Acharya, ” Acharya, “, Gokarna, ”, greenkeepers, Kushe, Gokarneshwor, Prakash Mathema, Taleju Organizations: CNN, Beach, Leopards, Getty, Jagannath, Chandragiri Locations: Nepal, Kathmandu, tranquillity, Gokarna, AFP, ”, Everest

☆ America’s oldest tombstone has new origin story, according to study
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Historical evidence then pointed the study authors to a Belgian tombstone export business thriving at the time, where they theorize the tombstone began its journey. Burial within a church was typically saved for high-status individuals and clergy, and Yeardley was one of two knights to die while the Jamestown church was in use, according to Jamestown Rediscovery. Colonial period cemeteries have suffered neglect and vandalism, with the Knight’s Tombstone likely surviving for as long as it did because vegetation concealed it, she added. It seems to be pretty inherent there in nature, but most (colonists) didn’t have the resources to import a nice carved stone,” Key said. “There were a lot of people being buried in the church, but only one of them had a big old black (limestone) tombstone from Belgium.”

Persons: ”, Marcus Key, Joseph Priestley, Sir George Yeardley, England, Marcus, Mary Anna Hartley, Hartley, Yeardley, Weeks, —, ” Hartley, “, Queen Elizabeth II’s, King George VI, George’s, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Tombstone, International, Philosophy, Dickinson College, Key, Dickinson College Geosciences, General Assembly, First Peoples Locations: United States, Jamestown , Virginia, North America, Europe, Belgian, Carlisle , Pennsylvania, Belgium, London, Jamestown, Ireland, Virginia, England, Tombstone, America, British, St, Windsor

Trump’s re-election campaign has excoriated the project, calling it “pure malicious defamation” and “garbage,” and sent the producers a cease-and-desist letter. Vanity Fair journalist Gabriel Sherman, who wrote the screenplay, draws a direct line between Cohn’s bare-knuckle tactics and Trump’s modern-day political persona. In one graphic scene, the dramatized Trump character sexually assaults his first wife, Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova), after a bitter argument. In another notable sequence, Trump’s character goes under the knife for scalp reduction surgery and a liposuction procedure. “You might find some of these character questions you have about Trump answered,” Abbasi said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump’s, Ali Abbasi, Abbasi, “, ”, McCarthy, Roy Cohn, Trump, Gabriel Sherman, Cohn, Jeremy Strong, Sebastian Stan, ” Abbasi, Sherman, Fred, Ivana Trump, Maria Bakalova, ” Pief, Steven Cheung, doesn’t, ” Cheung, Tom Ortenberg, ’, ” Ortenberg, Kevin Smith’s, Bill Maher’s “, Oliver Stone’s “, George W, Bush, Briarcliff, Jamal Khashoggi, Ortenberg, It’s Organizations: Cannes Film, Republican, New York, Manhattan, Vanity, NBC, Trump, Hollywood, Briarcliff Entertainment, Catholic League, Washington Post, Saudi, Variety Locations: Hollywood, American, Tehran, Copenhagen, “, New York City, Saudi Arabian, Istanbul

Meanwhile in southern Lebanon, an Israeli official told NBC News that Israeli forces had begun launching small special forces operations ahead of a potential ground offensive. People gather outside an apartment building hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut's Cola district on Monday. Thousands of families in southern Lebanon have also been displaced from their homes over the past year due to the cross-border attacks. Families rest on Beirut's corniche after fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, on Monday. 'No safe place'Kaisi, the executive director of URDA, said humanitarian workers were "shocked" by the strike in Cola.

Persons: Israel, Kaisi, Fadel Itani, Hassan Nasrallah, Najib Mikati, Beirut's, Hassan Ammar, Fatima, I'm, Nayef Fouani, URDA, Charlotte Gardiner, Israel’s, ” Organizations: Union of Relief, Development Association, NBC News, Popular Front, Liberation, Residents, Getty, Israel, Hezbollah, Lebanon's, NBC, IDF Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Beirut, Israel, Palestinian, Palestine, Lebanese, Washington, Beirut's Cola, AFP, Iran, Gaza, Beirut's, Cola, Saida, Sidon

☆ Woman suffers third-degree burns while walking in thermal area in Yellowstone National Park
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A 60-year-old woman received third-degree burns while walking in a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming this week, according to park officials. Visitors are urged to practice “extreme caution” in hydrothermal areas by staying on boardwalks and trails. Pets are prohibited on boardwalk and hiking trails in the backcountry and in thermal areas, according to the park service. And in March, actor Pierce Brosnan, best known for playing James Bond, was fined after he posted photos of himself standing on off-limits thermal areas of Yellowstone in the previous year. In August 2023, a Michigan man was charged with two federal misdemeanors after he burned himself in one of Yellowstone’s thermal areas, federal prosecutors said.

Persons: Pierce Brosnan, James Bond, “, ” Organizations: National Park Service, Eastern, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical, Visitors Locations: Yellowstone, Wyoming, Windsor , New Hampshire, Mallard, Eastern Idaho, Michigan

☆ Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign information to Biden campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Iranian hackers sent unsolicited information they stole from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to people who were affiliated with Joe Biden’s campaign over the summer, federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The law enforcement statement Wednesday said that the hackers’ efforts to send information to US media outlets have continued. Law enforcement officials have previously said that those efforts also included an unsuccessful attempt to hack the Biden-Harris campaign. The Iranian hackers did breach the email account of longtime Trump ally Roger Stone to target campaign staff in June, CNN has reported. Investigators believe the suspected Iranian hackers breached Stone’s account and then used that email account to try to break into the account of a senior Trump campaign official as part of a persistent effort to access campaign networks.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, “, Biden’s, Trump’s, Kamala Harris ’, ”, Biden, Morgan Finkelstein, Harris, “ We’re, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Vance, Roger Stone, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Organizations: CNN, National Intelligence, FBI, Infrastructure Security Agency, Trump, Politico, The New York Times, Washington Post, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Investigators Locations: stoke

☆ Jet: The forgotten gemstone that reigned during the Victorian era comes back into focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Emili Vesilind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And these designers aren’t using just any old jet — they’re purposefully picking Whitby jet, which is widely considered the gold standard of jewelry-ready jet. And “Whitby jet is definitely in the running for the best jet in the world,” explained Steele, who also co-owns Ebor Jetworks, an historic jet workshop and retail shop in the town. Whitby jet is renowned for being pitch-black in color and tough in temperament. Generally speaking, Whitby jet won’t crack or fade over time, like less hearty, no-name jets are wont to do. “There’s not enough jet out there and you can’t buy big pieces of jet” said Steele.

Persons: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Victoria's, ”, Sarah Steele, “, ” Steele, “ We’re, Steele, Natasha Wightman's, Tessa Trager Sussex, Natasha Wightman, Rei Kawakubo, Adrian Joffe, Graham Heeley, Ian Fowler, Wightman, Great Britain …, ” Jacqueline Cullen, wasn’t, Jacqueline Cullen, Cullen, he’s, who’ve, John Galliano, Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry, Mary , Queen of, Holly Mazour, it’s, “ There’s Organizations: CNN, Vikings, Deutsch, ”, Whitby, “ Ravens, Central Saint Martins, Blend, Derbyshire Locations: Venezuela, Spain, France, American, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, Dover, Great Britain, ateliers, London, hunks

☆ Stonehenge’s Altar Stone: Research rules out Scottish site as source
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

That research, published in the journal Nature, overturned a century-old idea that the stone came from current-day Wales. The Altar Stone, the largest of the bluestones used to build Stonehenge, lies at the heart of the ancient monument in southern England. “The Altar Stone is anomalous in many ways to both the bluestones and the sarsens at Stonehenge,” Bevins said. But discovering that Wales was unlikely to be the origin site for the Altar Stone was a game changer, Bevins said. The researchers compared their findings with samples from the Altar Stone and found no mineralogical connection between the rocks.

Persons: Nick Pearce, ”, Richard Bevins, ” Piecing, ” Bevins, Bevins, Paul Williams, Stenness, T Schaeffer, “ Organizations: CNN, Archaeological Science, Aberystwyth University “, UK’s Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth University Locations: Scotland, Wales, Orkney, England, Orkney’s, Aberystwyth, Wiltshire, Salisbury, Woods, Marlborough, Preseli, British, Orkney's, Shetland, Caithness, Sutherland, Inverness, Aberdeenshire, Britain

☆ Who is Chappell Roan: Timeline of the singer’s rise to fame
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Chappell Roan is having the year of her life. The rise of Chappell Roan, 2014 — 2015Chappell Roan hails from Willard, Missouri. This is when she adopts the stage name Chappell Roan — her late grandpa’s name was Chappell. “It’s been very freeing to be like, ‘Oh, Chappell Roan is my drag project.’”September 22, 2023: “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess” debuts, exactly six years after she put out her first EP as Chappell Roan. Chappell Roan at the Governors Ball in June in Queens, New York.

Persons: CNN — Chappell Roan, she’s, Roan, —, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, “ I’ve, It’s, ”, Roan’s, Kayleigh Rose, Troye Sivan, “, ” “ i’ve, ” Sivan, Chappell Roan —, Chappell, Jim Bennett, ” Chappell, Vance Joy, Declan McKenna, ” Roan, Tom Power, it’s, Dan Nigro, Olivia Rodrigo, Stone, TikTok, Fletcher, ” Crayola, “ It’s, Oh, ’, ” “, Jimmy Fallon, Astrida Valigorsky, Babe, Kate Bush, Lady, She’s, Marie Antoinette, Governors Ball, Nina Westervelt, Babe ! ”, Fallon, Sasha Colby, who’ve, “ I’m, Gaga’s Organizations: CNN, MTV, YouTube, Atlantic Records, Getty, Roan, Pony, ”, Sony, Amusement Records, Records, Boston, NPR, “, Lady Liberty, New, Governors, Spotify Locations: Missouri, Willard , Missouri, Seattle, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Los Angeles and New York, North America, London, Roan, Queens , New York, Chicago

☆ Iranian hackers target WhatsApp accounts of Biden and Trump administration associates, Meta says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Jalen Beckford | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Iranian hacker group targeted the WhatsApp accounts of individuals associated with the administrations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Meta announced Friday. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Meta said its investigation linked the efforts to a group called “APT42,” known for using phishing tactics to steal credentials to people’s online accounts. Meta’s security team blocked a cluster of accounts posing as support agents for various tech companies, an activity it linked to APT42. CNN has reached out to both the White House and the Trump campaign for comment.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Kamala Harris, Roger Stone’s, Meta Organizations: CNN, Meta, Google, Biden, Democratic, Republican, Trump, Getty, FBI, White Locations: Iranian, Iran, Israel, Palestine, United States

Condo owners unable to pay an assessment can be foreclosed on by their condo association. After that, she plans to move back into her Florida condo, but in the meantime, she’s been living with her adult son. But that’s what happens when prior boards don’t do their job.”But the decision ended up pitting the building’s owners against each other, with some owners saying the work was unnecessary. “These guys ruined my early retirement plan.”Lopez, who helped craft the legislation, said she is looking for ways to provide relief to condo owners once Florida’s Legislature reconvenes next year. Stone would like to see the state Legislature give buildings and condo owners more time to comply with the regulations so they would be able to spread out the costs.

Persons: Janet Stone, she’s, ’ ”, Stone, We’ve, ”, Vicki Lopez, “, —, Greg Batista, he’s, reapplied, ” Stone, Krista Goodrich, they’ve, Batista, Joseph Hernandez, Edgardo Defortuna, ” Defortuna, Jeremy Maurice, Maurice, ” Maurice, Steve Davis, Cristian Murray, ” Murray, ” Lopez, reconvenes, “ I’m, I’m Organizations: Florida House, NBC, Yacht, Surfside, Condo, realtors, Statewide, Dade, University of Miami Locations: Florida’s, Las Vegas, Ormond Beach , Florida, Florida, Champlain, Miami, ”, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Miami Beach, Hollywood , Florida, Ormond Beach, Redfin, Volusia County, South, Dade County

Aiming to unseat three-term Democratic incumbent Jon Tester, Sheehy is founder of Montana-based Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company. On July 1, Sheehy resigned as chief executive of Bridger to focus on his Senate campaign; the company is seeking a replacement. In mid-June, an editorial in The Wall Street Journal echoed Griffin’s view, branding Sheehy’s company Bridger a success. The PAC spent $5.3 million for Sheehy and $5.7 million against his opponent, Tester, records show. In 2022, Sheehy’s cash and stock compensation neared $5 million, and last year, he received $2.5 million, Bridger’s proxy says.

Persons: Donald Trump, Tim Sheehy, Jon Tester, Sheehy, “, Bridger, Tim, ” Katie Martin, Louise Johns, Ken Griffin, Griffin, Stephen Schwarzman, “ Tim Sheehy, ” Griffin, Marc Cohodes, Cohodes, Sheehy’s, ”, Scott Olson, Blackstone, Matthew Sheehy, Bridger’s, Blackstone Tim Sheehy, Blackstone’s, ” Jon Tester, Andrew Harnik, Schwarzman, haven’t, Farrah Saint, Surin, Matthew, Martin, Bridger ”, Montana . Don, Melinda Crawford, Todd Hirsch, Thomas A, Waldman, Yocca Carlson, I’ve Organizations: Navy, Republican, Montana, Bridger Aerospace, International, Interior Department, U.S . Forest Service, Agriculture Department, Bloomberg, Getty, Wall, Citadel LLC, PAC, Commission, The Blackstone, “ Bridger Aerospace, Blackstone, Small Business Administration, Republican National Convention, Trump, ”, Cattle Company, Tallgrass Energy, Blackstone Group, Bridger, Forest Service, Bridger Air Tanker LLC, Bridger Air Tanker, SBA, ” Companies, Federal, NBC News, Mountain Air LLC, Mountain Air, Air, Service, U.S ., “, Montana ., Rauth Locations: Bozeman , Montana, Bozeman, Mont, New York City, Bridger, America, Montana, Gallatin County, Milwaukee, Riding, disbursements, Surin, ” Saint, U.S, Los Angeles

☆ Female comedians are flipping the script on what they wear to perform
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Close your eyes and imagine a stand-up comedian. Today, female comics are more likely to be seen in vintage Versace, Gucci or Alessandra Rich than a denim button-down. To the uninitiated, Barone wore a sparkly silver dress. Dev Bowman“For a long time, female comedians were pressured into dressing like their male counterparts,” said Barone. “I don’t want it to seem like I’m saying I’m the first person to ever wear a dress to do stand up comedy,” she said.

Persons: Versace, Gucci, Alessandra Rich, ” Ziwe, George Santos, Jean Paul Gautlier, Ayo Edibiri, —, Loewe, Thom Browne, Rachel Sennott, Maya Rudolph, Mary Beth Barone, Barone, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Moss, “, Instagram, Barone nodded, ” Barone, Jimmy Fallon, Tom Ford, De, Dave Benett, Sidewalkkilla Barone, Todd Owyoung, Britney Spears, Mary, Kate, Ashley Olsen, Paris, Mary Beth Barone Cat Cohen, ”, ’ ”, Cohen, Kelsely Randall, Chloe, Halle Bailey, Kelsey, aren’t, Phyllis Diller, Jean Carroll, Joan Rivers, Rivers, Midge Maisel, Maisel, Catherine Cohen, Dev Bowman, ” Cohen, ” Margaret Cho —, Betsy Johnson, Todd Oldham, Gemma Kong, Andrew Dice Clay, Louis C.K, ” Cho, ” Margaret Cho, Jay Leno, Margaret Norton, Cho, Ron Galella, Karen Kilgarriff, Janeane Garofalo, Kim Gordon’s, Janeane, Karen, Harry Styles, Forbes earnt Styles, Edebiri, It’s, ” Barone —, Dior Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Sydney, De Beers, NBC, Paris Hilton, Netflix, Globe, MTV, Hollywood Locations: New York, LA

☆ Yellowstone’s popular Biscuit Basin is closed for the summer after hydrothermal explosion
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Amanda Musa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Biscuit Basin – located about 2 miles northwest of the famed Old Faithful geyser in Wyoming – was shuttered for the rest of the summer out of concern for visitor safety, according to park officials. This map shows the major thermal features in Biscuit Basin at Yellowstone National Park. Officials say Grand Loop Road, which surrounds Biscuit Basin and other notable sites in the park, remains open to vehicles. Biscuit Basin and other popular geysers have experienced similar explosions in the past, officials said. Additionally, a small hydrothermal explosion occurred from Wall Pool, in Biscuit Basin, in 2009, according to officials.

Persons: “, CNN’s Jamiel Lynch Organizations: CNN, Yellowstone, National Park Service, Geological Survey, Google, Survey, ” Geologists, Porcelain Locations: Wyoming, Sand, Norris, Porcelain Terrace, Wall, Yellowstone

☆ Roger Stone sentencing proposal change was ‘highly unusual’ but politics didn’t play an improper role, DOJ watchdog says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The investigation was launched after the Justice Department issued a second sentencing memo for Stone called for a prison sentence “far less” than the 7-9 year recommendation his trial team initially put forward. Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison, but that sentence was ultimately commuted by Trump. However, the inspector general found in Wednesday’s report that even career department lawyers believe “reasonable minds” can disagree on whether the initial sentencing recommendation for Stone was too high. “Thus, we found that Barr had articulated his position about the sentencing recommendation both before and shortly after the first sentencing memorandum was filed, and before the President’s tweets,” the inspector general said. The comments during these deliberations formed a “substantial basis” for Zelinsky’s congressional testimony, the inspector general said.

Persons: Roger Stone, Donald Trump, Stone, Aaron Zelinsky, General Michael Horowitz, ” Zelinsky, Bill Barr, Barr, Trump, Timothy Shea, Shea, ”, Joshua Matz Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Trump, DOJ, DC, Attorney Locations: DC

☆ Watchdog Finds No Evidence of Political Interference in Stone Sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department’s in-house watchdog found no evidence of political interference in the reduction of a prison sentence proposed for the longtime Trump ally Roger Stone in 2020, attributing the stunning reversal to “ineffectual” leadership, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report concluded a four-year investigation into the decision by Attorney General William P. Barr in February 2020 to reduce Mr. Stone’s proposed sentence to about three years, after initially recommending seven to nine. The episode incited accusations of political interference and prompted four prosecutors in the case to resign. He denounced the sentencing recommendation as a “miscarriage of justice.”But the inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, concluded that Mr. Barr had argued that the more stringent sentence was unreasonably harsh before Mr. Trump expressed those sentiments. Mr. Barr was blindsided by a subordinate who had led him to believe the department would request a lesser prison term, Mr. Horowitz wrote.

Persons: Department’s, Trump, Roger Stone, William P, Barr, Stone’s, Donald J, Stone, Michael E, Horowitz Locations: Russia

☆ This ‘once in a generation’ £1.5 million Scottish cottage is up for sale. But there’s one key quirk
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

For the golf fanatics of the world, it could soon all be yours – so long as you have a spare £1.5 million ($1.93 million) to part with. “The sale of Blackrock House is one of those rare times where you can safely say there isn’t anything else like this available in the world,” Strutt and Parker selling agent Annabel Blackett told CNN via email. Spectators walk past Blackrock House and its "for sale" sign. It would be another 45 years before the course hosted its first Open Championship, with this week marking its 10th time staging the major. “This will be a bittersweet Open for us,” Andrew Kelly told the Associated Press ahead of this week’s tournament.

Persons: Woods, Viewings, Strutt, Parker, “, ” Strutt, Annabel Blackett, Jon Super, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, ” Blackett, Jason Cairnduff, David, Isabel Kelly, Andrew, John, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, ” Andrew Kelly, ” Organizations: CNN, Blackrock House, Royal Troon, –, Troon, Associated Press Locations: Blackrock, Firth, Clyde, Isle, Arran, South Ayrshire, Scotland, ”

☆ Chiseled gladiators, tight leather pants, and copious amounts of olive oil: Inside Turkey’s ancient oil wrestling festival
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Scott Mclean | Umut Sevdi Tangor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

He pours a bottle filled with a mixture of water and olive oil into the pants, and then with a few firm tugs on the waistband and a wiggle of the hips, he’s in. Koca is one of hundreds of wrestlers competing at this year’s Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in northwestern Turkey. The sport is similar to regular wrestling, except here, the competitors are covered head to toe in olive oil. Record breakerThe annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival has been running for more than 600 years. Participants are doused in olive oil before taking part.

Persons: Cem Tekkesinoglu, Orhan Ghazi, ”, Abdullah Basar, ” Basar, –, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Filiz, Ferda Demir, Koca, They’ve, “, Hakan Mehmet Sahin, Basar, ‘ I’ve, ’ ”, I’ve, ” Akin, ” Guray Ervin, Tanem Zaman Organizations: CNN, Turkey CNN, Oil Wrestling, Anadolu Agency, Oil, Getty, Olympic, 663rd, “ Wrestling Locations: Edirne, Turkey, Koca, Anadolu, Republic of Turkey

☆ Music Catalog Giant Hipgnosis Is Sold, and Merck Mercuriadis Exits
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Six years ago, an outspoken music executive named Merck Mercuriadis kicked off a new wave of dealmaking in the industry when his company, Hipgnosis, began buying up the song catalogs of artists like Neil Young, Shakira, Justin Bieber and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In the company’s complex structure, Hipgnosis Songs Fund is an “investment trust,” which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and owns the rights to tens of thousands of songs. A separate company, Hipgnosis Song Management — which has been run by Mercuriadis — is its “investment adviser,” doing much of the dealmaking and administration work for those songs. In 2021, Blackstone invested $1 billion to take majority control over the adviser firm. The board of Hipgnosis Songs Fund voted on Monday to accept Blackstone’s offer of $1.6 billion for the company’s assets, the company announced early Tuesday.

Persons: Merck Mercuriadis, Neil Young, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, Elton John, Mercuriadis —, ”, Blackstone Organizations: London Stock Exchange

☆ Paramount media empire agrees to merge with Skydance, ending Redstone control
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Jon Passantino | Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Paramount Global—the sprawling media empire behind CBS, MTV, and one of Hollywood’s most storied movie studios—has agreed to merge with technology scion David Ellison’s Skydance Media, ending years of speculation over the company’s fate. The complicated transaction will see Skydance first buy National Amusements, then merge with Paramount, valuing Skydance at $4.75 billion. The combined company will be helmed by Ellison as chief executive and former NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell as president. The deal caps a tumultuous and protracted saga that began in December, with the two companies entering into exclusive negotiations in April, resulting in the ouster of longtime Paramount chief executive Bob Bakish. In the meantime, the company has been run by a triumvirate of leaders: Brian Robbins, chief executive of Paramount Pictures; Chris McCarthy, chief executive of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios; and George Cheeks, chief executive of CBS.

Persons: —, David Ellison’s Skydance, Ellison, Shari Redstone’s, Sumner Redstone, Jeff Shell, Bob Bakish, Brian Robbins, Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks, Robbins, “, ” Robbins, David Ellison, Larry Ellison, ” Redstone, Paramount’s Organizations: CNN, Paramount, CBS, MTV, David Ellison’s Skydance Media, Amusements, National, Paramount Pictures, Showtime, MTV Entertainment Studios, Comedy Central, Netflix, BET, Sony Pictures, Apollo Global Management, Sony, Apollo, Redstone, Skydance Media

☆ Heat waves: Here’s why your AC can’t save you anymore
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Then came the heat wave. But it is also a lifeline against increasingly brutal heat, the deadliest type of extreme weather. It allows people to live in places where temperatures push close to the limits of survivability and where extreme heat persists even at night. And many electrical grids are being pushed to a breaking point due to increasingly frequent extreme weather and soaring demand for cooling. Heat can affect vital organs and cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even death.

Persons: Ida, ”, Jen Brady, Michael Webber, Webber, Brian Stone Jr, Hurricane Ida, Leah Millis, ” Webber, ” Stone, Stone, Kate Gallego, ” Gallego, it’s, Mario Tama, Central’s Brady, —, Ian, “ Organizations: CNN, Climate Central, Climate, University of Texas, Georgia Institute of Technology, “, Service, Authorities, Arizona Public Service, Babcock Locations: Louisiana, New Orleans, Austin, California, Pacific Northwest, Europe, Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, New Orleans , Louisiana, Hurricane, Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix, Phoenix , Arizona, Florida

☆ China coast guard detains Taiwanese fishing boat near frontline islands, Taiwan says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Eric Cheung | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Taipei, Taiwan CNN —China’s coast guard detained a Taiwanese fishing vessel and its five-member crew near the mainland’s southeast coast on Tuesday night, according to Taiwan authorities, in the latest flare-up of tensions in waters around a group of frontline islands controlled by Taipei. In a statement, Taiwan’s coast guard said the fishing boat, Tachinman 88, was intercepted by two Chinese coast guard vessels near the Kinmen islands, which lie just miles from the Chinese city of Xiamen. China coast guard officers boarded the fishing boat and then escorted it to a nearby Chinese port, the statement said, adding that three Taiwan coast guard vessels answered a call for help but retreated to avoid conflict when they were outnumbered by their Chinese counterparts. The Taiwan coast guard demanded the immediate release of the boat and crew members. In late February, Chinese coast guard officers intercepted and boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat for inspection, an unprecedented move that startled Taiwanese passengers.

Persons: Hsieh Ching, China’s, Lai Ching, ”, Chen Yu, jen Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration, Coast Guard Administration, Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, CNN, Taiwan’s Ministry, Agriculture Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Xiamen, China, Beijing, Kinmen, China’s

☆ ‘Kinds of Kindness:’ Playing a sex cult leader, Willem Dafoe dons a pair of bright orange Speedos
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Caitlin Chatterton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In the first, “The Death of R.M.F.,” Jesse Plemons plays Robert, the hapless puppet of his boss Raymond (Willem Dafoe). Eats a Sandwich,” Stone and a now-shaven headed Plemons are the disciples of a purity cult led by Dafoe, tasked with locating someone able to revive the dead. Emma Stone plays three characters across three stories in Yorgos Lanthimos's "Kinds of Kindness," and her wardrobe journey reflects that. “Willem is such a great example: you are a CEO, and then you’re (Stone’s) father, and now you’re a leader of a sex cult. Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight PicturesIn the third chapter Dafoe plays a cult leader, freed from Raymond’s designer suits and instead sporting little else besides eyeliner and orange Speedos.

Persons: darlings, He’s, —, ” Jesse Plemons, Robert, Raymond, Willem Dafoe, “, Emma Stone, Plemons, ”, Dafoe, Yorgos Stefanakos, Yorgos, ” Jennifer Johnson, ” Johnson, Gianni Agnelli, Italy’s, Agnelli, ” Dafoe, Emma Stone’s, Johnson, Atsushi Nishijima, “ Anna Karenina ”, — Plemons, Tom Ford turtleneck Robert’s, “ Willem, Jesse Plemmons, Margaret Qualley, Rebecca, Ruth, she’s, lambasting Robert, “ There’s, it’s, ‘ yup, Ken, Barbie, “ They’re, groans Organizations: CNN, Searchlight, Fiat Locations: Hong, Venice, New Orleans

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