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☆ Some Authors Were Left Out of Awards Held in China. Leaked Emails Show Why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Suspicions in the science fiction community have been building for weeks that something was amiss with last year’s awards, which rotate to a different city each year, and in 2023 were hosted in Chengdu, China. What are the Hugo Awards? The awards, first established in 1953, are given annually at a gathering hosted by the World Science Fiction Convention. Writers are nominated and awarded prizes by members of the World Science Fiction Society, which includes science fiction fans. In January, the Hugo Awards revealed which writers had been nominated for last year’s awards, and by how many people.

Persons: Ursula K, Le Guin, William Gibson, Philip K, Dick, Hugo, Kuang, Xiran Jay Zhao Organizations: Science, Convention, Writers, Science Fiction Society, Canadian Locations: China, Chengdu, American, Oxford

☆ Germany Can Cut Funding to Far-Right Party, Rules Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) - Germany can cut off state funding to the successor party to the far-right NPD even though it is not banned, the Constitutional Court said on Tuesday in a landmark ruling which adds fuel to a debate about whether the nationalist AfD could be penalised. The court in Karlsruhe justified its decision by saying the National Democratic Party (NPD) and its successor, Die Heimat, aimed to impair or eliminate the country's democratic system. The ruling is being closely watched as mainstream politicians struggle to respond to a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), second in most polls with support of about 22%. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Germany protesting against the AfD after a report that some party members discussed policies such as mass deportations of people of foreign origin at a meeting of right-wing radicals. (Reporting by Ursula Knapp; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Kirsti Knolle)

Persons: Ursula Knapp, Madeline Chambers, Kirsti Knolle Organizations: Constitutional, National Democratic Party, NPD Locations: KARLSRUHE, Germany, Karlsruhe, Bundestag

☆ Elon Musk's Cybertruck apocalypse
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In most regards, the sales pitch for Tesla's new Cybertruck doesn't differ in its particulars from the value proposition of any other pickup or SUV. But unlike the Cybertruck, its sales pitch has a curve: Musk has said all along that it's designed to be your go-to vehicle for the End of the World. "The apocalypse could come along at any moment, and here at Tesla we have the finest in apocalypse technology." If you believe in an apocalypse with trucks, you must also believe that someone will be maintaining the necessary infrastructure. In the early 20th century, when cars first came within financial reach of average Americans, the sales pitch focused on freedom of movement.

Persons: Elon, Musk, —, It's, cofound, Ursula K, Le Guin, Ken Liu, Mike Pondsmith, Adam Rogers Organizations: SpaceX, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Cooperation Locations: Francisco, Megacity

☆ An old quote where Anthony Bourdain called Henry Kissinger a 'murderous scumbag' is making the rounds on X
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Anthony Bourdain despised Henry Kissinger, and called him a "murderous scumbag" in his 2001 book. Screenshots of Bourdain's words are now making the rounds on X after Kissinger's death. AdvertisementThe late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was famously unfiltered, and didn't mince any words when writing about former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. AdvertisementAfter Kissinger's death on Wednesday, Bourdain's words are now making the rounds on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Once you've been to Cambodia, you'll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands."

Persons: Anthony Bourdain, Henry Kissinger, — Bourdain, —, you've, you'll, Bourdain, Kissinger, Slobodan Milošević, Anthony Bourdain pic.twitter.com, NtEu4YMOW7 Organizations: Service Locations: Cambodia, Serbian

[1/3] FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on as he meets NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2023. Wednesday's decision by the constitutional court could also set a precedent for fiscal responses to future crises. "FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES""The court ruling has far-reaching consequences for fiscal policy in Germany," said Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo economic institute. This was done with the Second Supplementary Budget Act 2021, which retroactively amended the Budget Act for 2021. The constitutional court ruled that this act was incompatible with Germany's Basic Law and so was void.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Scholz, Robert Habeck, Clemens Fuest, Ralph Solveen, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Ursula Knapp, Matthias Williams, Kirsti Knolle, Madeline Chambers, Susan Fenton, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Union, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Christian Democratic Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

☆ British Library looks at evolution of fantasy genre in new exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” to live-action role play costumes and Gandalf's staff from "The Lord of the Rings" films, a new London exhibition opening on Friday delves into the fantasy genre. "Fantasy: Realms of Imagination", running at the British Library, features more than 100 items from around the world including manuscripts, first editions, games, film props and costumes. “Fantasy has never been as exciting as it is today." "Fantasy: Realms of Imagination" runs until Feb. 25, 2024. Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Rod NickelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: George R.R, Martin’s, Lewis, Ursula K, Le, Tanya Kirk, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Rod Nickel Organizations: British, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London

☆ The National Book Awards Longlist
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | More About Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever received was a stack of four or five books, all published the year I was born. I hadn’t read John le Carré’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” but now I felt a connection to it; we’d both come into being at roughly the same time. The all-you-can-read buffet of books available begs a reader, especially a slow reader like me, to develop a strategy. This week, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2023 National Book Awards, presenting a crop of books on which a hungry reader could happily feast from now through the end of the year. (“Chain-Gang All-Stars,” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and “Fire Weather,” by John Vaillant just moved to the top of my list.)

Persons: I’ve, John le Carré’s, ”, Ursula K, Le Guin, I’m, ’, Nana Kwame Adjei, John Vaillant Organizations: Book Foundation

☆ Carmakers owe compensation for emissions cheating devices, German court rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 26 (Reuters) - Carmakers must pay compensation for diesel vehicles fitted with illegal emissions controlling devices, Germany's highest federal court ruled on Monday, in a case that could potentially cost Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and others millions of euros. The judge overturned previous dismissals by courts of such claims and referred them back to courts of appeal. It was up to carmakers to prove that their so-called defeat devices were functional and not illegal, she said. Carmakers argue the devices, which are only switched on at certain temperatures, are needed to protect the motor and are in line with the law. Reporting by Ursula Knapp, Victoria Waldersee, Ilona Wissenbach; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ursula Knapp, Victoria Waldersee, Ilona Wissenbach, Maria Sheahan, Mark Potter Organizations: Volkswagen, Mercedes, Benz, Audi, Court, Justice, Thomson

☆ Spielberg, Who Regrets Cutting ‘E.T.’ Guns, Says Don’t Revise Old Works
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Marc Tracy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Steven Spielberg, one of Hollywood’s most powerful filmmakers, has weighed in on a cultural debate about whether to change books, films and television shows to make them more palatable to contemporary sensibilities, calling such revisions “censorship.”Most of the discussion in recent weeks has been about publishers’ excising references to the race and physical appearance of characters in the work of deceased authors like Roald Dahl, Agatha Christie and Ursula K. Le Guin. But film and television directors, including Spielberg, have also made revisions to published work. Spielberg said in 2011 that he regretted replacing the guns that federal agents carried with walkie-talkies in the 20th anniversary edition of “E.T.,” and he later brought the guns back for its 30th anniversary release. The director went even further on Tuesday at a forum sponsored by Time magazine, condemning all such alterations to artwork. “No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are either voluntarily or being forced to peer through,” he said, adding that all movies were “a signpost of where we were when we made them and what the world was like.”

☆ German police use of software to fight crime unlawful, court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 16 (Reuters) - A top German court ruled on Thursday that police use of automated data analysis to prevent crime in some German states was unconstitutional, dealing a win to critics of the CIA-backed Palantir Technologies (PLTR.N) that provides the software. Provisions regulating the use of the technology in Hesse and Hamburg violate the right to informational self-determination under the German constitution, a statement from the constitutional court said. U.S.-based Palantir Technologies makes software for data analytics used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world, according to its website. In comments to the Handelsblatt newspaper, Palantir's strategy chief in Europe, Jan Hiesserich, said the company merely provides the software for processing data, not the data itself. The German Society for Civil Rights (GFF), which brought the case against police data analysis, said Palantir software used innocent people's data to form suspicions and could also produce errors, affecting people at risk of police discrimination.

☆ German court dismisses challenge to 750 bln euro EU recovery fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Germany's constitutional court on Tuesday threw out a legal challenge to the European Union's 750-billion-euro ($786 billion) recovery fund, which saw the EU take on joint debt to help member states overcome the COVID-19 crisis. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner welcomed the ruling but said some aspects of the decision would have to be closely analysed by the government. The funds are to be repaid from the EU budget over the coming decades, with Germany shouldering by far the biggest share of any member state. The court ruled that the ratification act had not violated their right to democratic self-determination nor did it "impair the overall budgetary responsibility of the Bundestag". Lucke expressed disappointment at the ruling but said it was positive that the court had emphasized the EU has no general authority to take on common debt.

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