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☆ New mosaic of Mars could enable humans to settle on another world
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the Perseverance rover landed on Mars in February 2021, it wasn’t alone. The instrument’s capabilities demonstrated that oxygen for life support systems and rocket fuel could be created on Mars rather than transported from Earth. The device is another tool enabling the eventual exploration of Mars by humans. Other worldsThis map of Mars, created by researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi, uses color photographs of the entire planet. That’s what researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi are aiming to do with the Mars Atlas.

Persons: Percy, Dimitra Atri, ”, Fujianvenator, Christopher Owen Hunt, Ralph Solecki, Arlette Leroi, Gourhan, Chris Hunt, Nicolas Reusens, Jack Zhi, ” Zhi, —, REx, Comet Nishimura, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, New York University, NYU Abu Dhabi Center for Astrophysics, Mars, United, United Arab Emirates, Mars Research, Liverpool John Moores University, Amagusa, CNN Space, Science Locations: Mars, New York University Abu, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab, China, Fujian, Kurdistan, Iraq, United Kingdom, Japan, Israel

☆ Fact Check-Vatican cardinals’ coat of arms shows hat, not UFO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A hat-shaped symbol used as part of a Roman Catholic cardinal’s coat of arms has been misrepresented online as a UFO symbol to question whether the Vatican is ruled by aliens. A coat of arms of a cardinal, the pope’s highest advisors, includes the red galero, a wide-brimmed hat, with long tassels on either side. Yet online posts sharing an image of the coat of arms ask, “Is the Vatican ruled by aliens?” (here) and (here). Instead, a smaller red hat called a biretta is now given to newly installed cardinals, Father Richard Kunst, a priest who collects papal artifacts, explains on his webpage (here). The posts share a photo of a cardinal’s coat of arms, not a UFO symbol at the Vatican.

Persons: “, Church Pope Paul VI, Father Richard Kunst, Read Organizations: Vatican Council, Church, Roman Catholic Church, Reuters

☆ Transgender film looks to win hearts and minds in conservative Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gosia Wojtunik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Premiere for the film "Kobieta Z..." (Woman Of) in competition - Red Carpet - Venice, Italy, September 8, 2023 - Directors Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert pose with Agnieszka Holland, director of "Zielona Granica" (Green Border). REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane Acquire Licensing RightsVENICE, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The makers of "Woman Of", which follows a man transitioning to a woman in socially conservative Poland, hope their film will help ease deep-rooted prejudices in the Roman Catholic nation. Critics have accused the party of fanning anti-LGBTQ sentiment, but Szumowska said she wanted "Woman Of" to change the debate around transgender issues. What we've been trying to do, we've been trying to unite," Szumowska told Reuters TV. "Woman Of" is one of 23 films competing for Venice's Golden Lion award which will be announced on Saturday.

Persons: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert, Agnieszka Holland, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Szumowska, we've, We've, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Malgorzata Hajewska, Alan Charlish, Crispian Balmer, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Roman Catholic, Law and Justice, Reuters, Venice's, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, Zielona, Poland, Roman

☆ Tunisian heatwave hits wine output
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jihed Abidellaoui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Estimates of how far wine output has fallen vary, from a roughly 20% drop according to the Agriculture Ministry's Kilani Belhaj, to a reduction of 40-50% according to Vineyard Producers' Syndicate head Salim Chaouch. Winemakers in France and elsewhere in southern Europe have also warned of lower wine output this year due to the heat. "Climate change has impacted both the quantity and quality of production, with a broad effect on the sector. In ancient times Tunisia was a major wine producer under the Carthaginian and Roman empires and commercial-scale output began again under French colonialism, though it has not become a significant exporter. The grapes are picked early in the morning and driven to a modern processing facility at Takelsa in central Tunisia to be turned into wine.

Persons: Kilani, Salim Chaouch, Farmer Wajdi Graya, Hammadi Brik, Latifa Guesmi, Angus McDowall, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Agriculture, Vineyard Producers, Syndicate, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, North Africa, France, Europe, Tunisia, Bon, Takelsa, Coteaux

☆ A Dishy Tell-All About Emily Weiss’s Glossier
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Hunter Harris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

GLOSSY: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss’s Glossier, by Marisa MeltzerA Glossier brick and mortar opened in my neighborhood last fall, and because that neighborhood is Williamsburg, I could comfortably declare it to be the brand’s time of death. Here lies Glossier, the millennial pink tombstone’s black etching would read, makeup for pretty people. That the Williamsburg Glossier is neighbored by retail stores for Parachute (bedding), Mejuri (jewelry) and Warby Parker (glasses) does not feel coincidental; all the formerly online-only direct-to-consumer brands are arranged on North Sixth Street in a neat little row. But when the first permanent Glossier showroom opened in SoHo in 2016, it was the cool girl’s place to go after work. Its founder, Emily Weiss, remains the star student in a class of girl bosses who have either imploded or flamed out.

Persons: Emily Weiss’s Glossier, Marisa Meltzer, Glossier, Warby Parker, Beyoncé, ingeniously, Emily Weiss, Audrey Gelman, clawing, Weiss Organizations: Sixth, Social Locations: Williamsburg, SoHo, Cobble Hill

It wasn’t until 2018 that the Archdiocese of New Orleans publicly identified Hecker as a suspected predator when it released its list of “credibly accused” priests. He is accused of choking the teen unconscious under the guise of performing a wrestling move and sexually assaulting him. The current archbishop, 73-year-old Gregory Aymond, has rebuffed calls by clergy abuse survivors to step down, saying he would not do so until canonically required to when he turns 75. “In my opinion, the Archdiocese of New Orleans is morally bankrupt, not financially bankrupt.”A New Orleans native, Hecker was ordained as an archdiocesan priest in 1958. Like the other secret church records, those emails remain under lock and key today.

Persons: Lawrence Hecker, Hecker, “ credibly, ”, Eugene Redmann, Gregory Aymond, Aymond, ” “ Lawrence Hecker, Richard Trahant, Soren Gisleson, John Denenea, Francis Xavier, “, Aaron Hebert, Hebert, Hecker groped, ” Hebert, Father Hecker, Hecker’s, George F, Brignac, Mike McDonnell, Kevin McGill Organizations: ORLEANS, Roman Catholic, FBI, Guardian, Archdiocese, Francis Xavier Catholic Church, archdiocesan, New Orleans Saints, Survivors Network, Press Locations: New Orleans, St, ”, Catholic New Orleans, Louisiana

☆ Treasures from Rothschild family collection could fetch $30 million at unprecedented auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Carlie Porterfield | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A vast collection of art, furniture, silver, ceramics, and jewelry long held in the private collection of the Rothschild banking dynasty is expected to sell for as much as $30 million over several auctions this fall at Christie’s New York. The sales will mark the first dedicated auction in North America of works from the French branch of the long-time banking family. A German silver-gilt mounted nautilus cup and cover estimated to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000 at auction. Coincidentally, the cameo last came to auction at Christie’s in 1899, when it sold for £3,750 (about £395,000 or $496,000, in today’s money), shortly before it is believed to have entered the Rothschild collection. As for why the family is selling the collection now, Rendell believes it may be a “rationalization” and a “generational shift” in attitude.

Persons: Rothschild, Baron James Mayer de Rothschild, Betty, Alphonse, Gerrit Dou’s, Claudius, ”, Jonathan Rendell, “ It’s, James Mayer de Rothschild, Rendell, ” Rendell, Read Organizations: The Art, CNN, Christie’s, ” Locations: York, North America, Christie’s, Christie’s Americas, New York, Europe

☆ Treasures from Rothschild family collection fetch over $62 million at unprecedented auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Carlie Porterfield | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A vast collection of art, furniture, silver, ceramics, and jewelry long held in the private collection of the Rothschild banking dynasty sold for more than $62.6 million over several auctions at Christie’s New York. The sales, which concluded on Tuesday, marked the first dedicated auction in North America of works from the French branch of the long-time banking family. Coincidentally, the cameo last came to auction at Christie’s in 1899, when it sold for £3,750 (about £395,000 or $496,000, in today’s money), shortly before it is believed to have entered the Rothschild collection. We don’t get a bulk of this type of material coming up for sale anymore,” Rendell said. As for why the family chose to sell the collection now, Rendell believes it may have been a “rationalization” and a “generational shift” in attitude.

Persons: Rothschild, Baron James Mayer de Rothschild, Betty, Alphonse, Gerrit Dou’s, Claudius, ”, Jonathan Rendell, “ It’s, James Mayer de Rothschild, Rendell, ” Rendell, Read Organizations: The Art, CNN, Christie’s, Old Masters Locations: York, North America, Christie’s, Christie’s Americas, New York, Europe

☆ Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords found in cave in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Archaeologists have found four Roman swords and a shafted weapon known as a pilum dating from 1,900 years ago in a cave near the shore of the Dead Sea in Israel. Amir Ganor/Israel Antiquities AuthorityFurther investigation revealed four swords “in an almost inaccessible crevice on the upper level of the cave,” the statement said. Three of the swords had iron blades inside wooden scabbards and measured 60-65 centimeters (24-26 inches) in length. Further excavations uncovered a bronze “Bar Kokhba” coin dating from 132–135 CE, possibly dating the swords, according to the press release. At this time, the Bar Kokhba Revolt, also known as the Second Jewish Revolt, saw Jews rebel against Roman rule in the area.

Persons: Dafna Gazit, ”, Hagay Hamer, Amir Ganor, Eitan Klein, Yoli Schwartz, ” Eli Escusido Organizations: CNN —, Israel Antiquities Authority, Studies, Survey Locations: Israel, Judean, ‘

☆ ‘Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America’ Review: A Predators’ Playground
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Mark Eaton in ‘Scout’s Honor’ Photo: NetflixThe Boy Scouts of America declared bankruptcy in 2020 in the face of a child-sexual-abuse scandal that, in terms of scale, was larger than that of the Roman Catholic Church. Or so it is claimed at the outset of “Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America.” Yes, the Scouts taught skills and virtues to many boys: how to be thrifty, brave, clean and reverent; how not to pitch a tent at the bottom of a hill. At the same time, “It was all just veneer, to mask what was a very dangerous organization.”

Persons: Mark Eaton, “, ” Organizations: Netflix, Boy Scouts of America, Roman Catholic Church, Scouts Locations: ‘

JERUSALEM (AP) — Four Roman-era swords, their wooden and leather hilts and scabbards and steel blades exquisitely preserved after 1,900 years in a desert cave, surfaced in a recent excavation by Israeli archaeologists near the Dead Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday. The cache of exceptionally intact artifacts was found about two months ago and tells a story of empire and rebellion, of long-distance conquest and local insurrection. The swords were dated based on their typology, and have not yet undergone radiocarbon dating. Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesThe cool, arid and stable climate of the desert caves has allowed exceptional preservation of organic remains, including hundreds of ancient parchment fragments known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Archaeologists returned to this particular cave near the desert oasis of Ein Gedi to document an inscription found decades earlier.

Persons: Gedi, ”, Asaf Gayer, Guy Stiebel, —, “ Organizations: JERUSALEM, Israel Antiquities Authority, Survey, Scrolls, Ariel University, Tel, Tel Aviv University, Jewish Locations: Israel, Roman, Judaea, Tel Aviv, “

☆ 4 Roman-era swords were found perfectly preserved in their scabbards in a cave. They were as sharp as if they were hidden today, scientists said.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Perfectly preserved Roman-era swords were discovered in a Dead Sea cave by Israeli reseachers. The Israeli Antiquities Authority thinks the four swords were used by Judean rebels 1,900 years ago. Ilan Ben Zion / Associated PressOn Wednesday, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of the cache in a small, almost inaccessible Judean Desert cave near the Dead Sea. Scientists said the swords featured wooden and leather hilts, wooden scabbards, and steel blades that were amazingly preserved after spending almost 2,000 years in a remote desert cave. Researchers discover the ancient Roman-era swords in a small crack of a remote cave near the Dead Sea.

Persons: reseacher, Eitan Klein, Ilan Ben Zion, Eithan Klein, Eli Escusido, Emil Aladjem, Klein Organizations: Israeli Antiquities Authority, Service, Survey Project, Israel Antiquities Authority, Associated, Survey, BBC, Authority Locations: Wall, Silicon, Judean, Israel, Judea

☆ King Charles: Who will succeed him on the British throne?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles and Queen Camilla, and the presentation of the Honours of Scotland, at St Giles' Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, July 5, 2023. Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - King Charles III succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II on the British throne after her death on Sept. 8 last year, becoming king of not just the United Kingdom, but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand and 11 other countries. Here are brief details of the rules of succession for the British monarch:WHO IS NEXT? So, Charles' eldest son Prince William is the heir to the throne, followed by William's eldest son Prince George, and then his younger children Charlotte and Louis. Prince Harry, Charles' younger son and William's brother, is then next in line.

Persons: King Charles III, Queen Camilla, King Charles, Jane Barlow, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles, Prince William, William's, Prince George, Charlotte, Louis . Prince Harry, QUEEN CAMILLA, QUEEN KATE, Camilla, Kate, Wales, Queen Catherine, Prince Louis, Prince Harry, Prince Archie, Harry's, Lilibet, Prince Andrew, Beatrice, Andrew's, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, Michael Holden, Angus MacSwan Organizations: National Service of, Cathedral, WHO, Catholic, of England, of Scotland, Thomson Locations: St Giles, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand

☆ Mexico's Supreme Court upholds abortion rights nationwide, paving way for federal access
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Gabriella Borter | Thomson Reuters | Gabriella Borter Is A Reporter On The U.S. National Affairs Team | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wednesday's ruling will increase abortion access throughout Mexico, marking a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. In the United States, meanwhile, the Supreme Court struck down the national right to an abortion in 2022 and nearly half of the 50 states have restricted access dramatically. The court sided with GIRE in a challenge to the federal penal code and declared that the section of the national law that criminalized abortion could no longer take effect. The ruling opens the door for the federal healthcare system to start providing abortions, which could become increasingly important as Mexico mulls centralizing healthcare services, abortion rights advocates say. Aguascalientes became the 12th Mexican state to decriminalize abortion last month when the Supreme Court sided with GIRE in a similar challenge to that state's penal code.

Persons: Henry Romero, Wednesday's, It's, Isabel Fulda, Gabriella Borter, Aurora Ellis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Supreme, REUTERS, Catholic, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, Mexico's, Coahuila, America, United States, Aguascalientes, Mexican

☆ Roman-era swords, likely Jewish rebel booty, unearthed in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Ancient swords, believed by the Israel Antiquities Authority to be from the Roman era dating back 1,900 years and found in a weapons cache in a cave in an Israeli desert, are displayed in Jerusalem, September 6, 2023. The fashioning of three of the blades recalls Roman "spatha" swords, and the fourth has a ring-pommel handle consistent with the period, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said. The rare find included a shafted Roman "pilum" spear. A coin from the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132-135 AD was found at the entrance to the cave. "Obviously, the rebels did not want to be caught by the Roman authorities carrying these weapons."

Persons: Ronen, Eitan Klein, Dan Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: Israel Antiquities Authority, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Israel

☆ Tunisia to reopen Bardo national museum shut in 2021 power seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Tunisia will soon reopen its Bardo national museum, the Culture Ministry said on Tuesday, two years after it was closed when President Kais Saied shuttered the parliament, which shares the same building. The new parliament started work this year but there had been no firm information about reopening the national museum - one of the capital's main attractions in a country economically dependent on tourism. Enormous mosaics with rich details and vivid colours are displayed throughout the museum including ones showing the Roman sea god Neptune, hunting scenes and spectacular arrays of sea life. The Bardo mosaics, along with others in the museums at Sousse and by the amphitheatre at El-Djem, are taken from the luxurious villas built during the Roman era and into late antiquity. Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kais Saied, Saied, Bardo, Tarek Amara, Angus McDowall, Josie Kao Organizations: Culture Ministry, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, Tunisia, Bardo, Carthage, Sousse, El

☆ German tourist accused of damaging 16th-century statue in Florence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A 22-year-old German man has been detained in Florence accused of damaging a statue in the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria, city authorities said in a statement. The city estimates the damage to the statue is around €5,000 ($5,400). The fountain features a statue of the Roman sea god Neptune atop a shell-shaped carriage pulled by horses. The mayor of Florence tweeted a photo of the 22-year-old German tourist, whose face was blurred, posing on the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. In August, German tourists were accused of spray-painting soccer graffiti on a wall of the historic Vasari Corridor nearby.

Persons: Neptune, Florence Mayor Dario Nardella, Francesco Bellini, Cosimo I de Medici, Duke of Florence, Francesco, Duchess Joanna of Austria Organizations: CNN, Florence Locations: Florence, Piazza della, Vasari

☆ Two people have been accused of using an excavator to destroy part of the Great Wall of China to create a shortcut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two people have been accused of destroying part of the Great Wall of China with an excavator. The pair reportedly wanted to create a path cutting through the Ming-dynasty portion of the wall as a shortcut, according to CNN. The damage has affected the structural integrity of that portion of the Great Wall, and it was "beyond repair," state-owned newspaper China Daily reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe earliest segments of the Great Wall, which stretches for over 4,000 miles across China, were first created in the third century BC. The damage to the Great Wall is this summer's latest example of a world-historical landmark facing purposeful damage.

Persons: Vespasian Organizations: CNN, Service, China . Police, China Daily, UNESCO, Smithsonian Magazine Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Shanxi, Northeastern China

☆ Woody Allen Finds a Decidedly Mixed Reception at the Venice Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Kyle Buchanan | More About Kyle Buchanan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It has been six years since Woody Allen had a film released in the United States, but the Venice Film Festival was still eager to roll out the red carpet for the 87-year-old director’s latest effort. However, not everyone there welcomed the filmmaker with open arms. On Monday, his new film, “Coup de Chance,” debuted in Venice and earned the several-minute standing ovation that’s customary at most festival premieres. “Coup de Chance” is Allen’s 50th film and his first French-language effort. Starring Lou de Laâge and Melvil Poupaud, it’s a Paris-set dramatic thriller about a married woman who reconnects with an old flame, which drives her possessive husband to thoughts of murder.

Persons: Woody Allen, Chance, ”, ” Allen, Dylan Farrow, Luc Besson, Polanski, Lou de Laâge, Melvil Locations: United States, Venice, U.S, it’s, Paris

☆ Catholic Church to Beatify Polish Family, Including New-Born Baby, Killed by Nazis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Catholic Church is to beatify a Polish family of nine including a new-born baby who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War Two, the Vatican's saint-making department said on Tuesday. The service to beatify Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children will be held on Sunday in the Polish town of Markowa where they died in March 1944. The family was killed by German military police for sheltering a family of Jews. Vatican media have noted that it is the first time that an entire family has been honoured together in this manner. The other six Ulma children executed by the Nazis were aged between 18 months and seven, it added.

Persons: beatify Jozef, Wiktoria Ulma, Ulma, Pope Francis, Keith Weir, Alvise, Nick Macfie Organizations: VATICAN CITY, Catholic, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican Locations: Polish, Markowa, Mongolia

☆ How is Italy solving an invasion of blue crabs? With sauteed garlic and a squeeze of lemon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Agricultural industry group FedagriPesca estimates that more than half the nation’s clams and mussels were eaten by the blue crab this summer. Culinary solutionA fisherman harvests blue crabs in the lagoon of Scardovari, south of Venice, Italy, on August 11, 2023. Italian farmers’ group Coldiretti suggests serving the blue crab with rosemary in a salad, or with sauteed garlic over spaghetti. Blue crab is fast becoming a feature item at restaurants across the country, primarily as a spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes. Lionello Cera, who runs the two-Michelin-starred Antica Osteria Cera di Campagna Lupia, says he has tried it in various dishes, but will not be putting blue crab on his menu anytime soon.

Persons: Rome, ”, Piero Cruciatti, “, They’ve, ” Enridca Franchi, Coldiretti, Giorgia Meloni, Francesco Lollobrigida, Lollobrigida, ” Gabriella Gibin, Gibin, Lionello Cera, Antica Osteria Cera, Campagna Lupia, fishmonger Organizations: Rome CNN, Getty, UNESCO, University of Siena, CNN Locations: Adriatic, Italy, Scardovari, Venice, AFP, Po Delta, Tuscany, United States, Asia, Rovigo, Roman, Testaccio

☆ Russia says Ukraine launched drone attacks on Kursk region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine launched drone attacks on the Kursk region of Russia overnight from Sunday to Monday, with the Russian defence ministry saying its forces had shot down two drones after midnight on Monday. The drone attack on the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine to its west, began around 1 a.m. Monday (2200 GMT Sunday), the defence ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. This followed a report Sunday evening by the governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, that debris from a downed drone sparked a fire at a non-residential building in the city of Kurchatov. Drone attacks on Russian targets, especially in Crimea - annexed by Moscow in 2014 - and in regions bordering Ukraine, have become almost a daily occurrence since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Ukraine rarely takes direct responsibility for such drone strikes but says destroying Russian military infrastructure helps a counteroffensive Kyiv began in June.

Persons: Starovoit, Russia's, Lidia Kelly, Diane Craft, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kursk, Russia, Kurchatov, Crimea, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Opinion | America Is an Empire in Decline. That Doesn’t Mean It Has to Fall.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( John Rapley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

From this view, it can seem that the United States is following the course of all empires: doomed to decline and eventual fall. To call America an empire is admittedly to court controversy, or at least confusion. After all, the United States claims dominion over no countries and even prodded its allies to renounce their colonies. But there’s an illuminating precedent for the kind of imperial project the United States forged after the war: the Roman Empire. Like modern America, Rome attained a degree of supremacy unprecedented in its day.

Persons: Peter Heather, parry — Locations: United States, America, Rome

President Volodymyr Zelensky named Rustem Umerov as his choice to be Ukraine’s next defense minister, opting for a prominent member of the Crimean Tatar ethnic group who has played a key role in negotiations with Russia since the start of the war. In announcing his decision on Sunday to replace Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Mr. Zelensky was brief. Umerov,” he said, “does not need any additional introductions.”Though a member of an opposition political party, Mr. Umerov, 41, has taken on several critical roles for the government since the Russian invasion last year. He was the chief Ukrainian negotiator of an agreement that allowed Ukraine to export some of its grain, and a prominent negotiator on prisoner exchanges. A former investment banker, Mr. Umerov is a lawmaker with the Holos party, which is in opposition to Mr. Zelensky’s Servant of the People party.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Umerov, Oleksii Reznikov, Zelensky, Mr, ”, “, Zelensky’s, Roman Abramovich Organizations: Defense, People, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Istanbul

☆ Steve Harwell, founding lead singer of Smash Mouth, dead at 56
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Steve Harwell, the founding lead singer of the rock group Smash Mouth, died Monday, according to his manager. He died at his home in Boise, Idaho, with family and friends by his side, according Robert Hayes, the manager of Smash Mouth. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. This is what puts bread and butter on my table,’” Harwell told Vice of the group’s best known hits in a 2014 interview. It’s always the back door, or an open window or something, to get our stuff played.”While Smash Mouth reached peak success the late nineties, the group continued performing together and their fans stayed with them.

Persons: Steve Harwell, Harwell, Robert Hayes, “ Steve Harwell, ” Hayes, “ Steve, ” Harwell, ”, ’ ” Harwell, “, there’s, –, It’s, “ We’ve, Zach Goode Organizations: CNN, Duo, “ Locations: Boise , Idaho

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