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☆ Biden’s pro-competition agenda put to the test as net neutrality, tech trials take shape
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Shortly after that, the Federal Communications Commission chair announced a proposal to reinstate net neutrality rules, which prohibit internet service providers from favoring certain websites over others. It included appointing strong enforcers and starting the White House Competition Council. Even as several prongs of competition policy take shape, the Biden administration is up against the clock. That timeline may be particularly concerning for the ability to implement and uphold net neutrality rules, given that the FCC didn't have a Democratic majority able to advance the rulemaking until just this week. Wu and other net neutrality advocates have blamed the telecom industry for opposing Biden's initial FCC nominee, Gigi Sohn, holding up her nomination for well over a year until she ultimately withdrew.

Persons: Joe Biden, Department's, Anna Gomez, Biden, Tim Wu, Wu, Hannah Garden, Gigi Sohn Organizations: White, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Justice, Google, Washington , D.C, FCC, Antitrust, Biden, Competition Council, FTC, Competition, Democratic, CNBC, Comcast Locations: Washington U.S, Washington ,

☆ This little-known maker of mountain bike parts has a history of outperforming during recessions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Fox Factory is known for making a wide range of products used in everything from bikes to off-road vehicles to trucks. "But at the same time, that's actually the consumer that's most resilient. The higher-income and enthusiastic consumer Analysts highlighted two qualities in Fox's consumer base that help the company weather a broader economic downturn. The company's "sticky" consumer base caught the attention of Motley Fool Asset Management's Shelby McFaddin, whose Small-Cap Growth ETF (TMFS) contains the stock. It's the largest competitor in the business of bike suspensions, which are typically used on mountain bikes to help mitigate rough terrain.

Persons: Riley, Anna Glaessgen, that's, they're, Michael Swartz, shutdowns, Riley's Glaessgen, Fox, Shelby McFaddin, McFaddin, Glaessgen, Truist's Swartz, Swartz, it's Organizations: Fox Factory, Growth, Consumers, Fox, Street, Ford, United Auto Workers, UAW

☆ US FCC chair to seek reinstating net neutrality rules rescinded under Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Wong/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Communications Commission chair Jessica Rosenworcel plans to begin an effort to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules rescinded under then-President Donald Trump, sources briefed on the matter said Monday. The FCC is set to take an initial vote on the net neutrality proposal in October, the sources added. In July 2021, Biden signed an executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules adopted under Democratic then-President Barack Obama in 2015. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 that the 2017 decision by the FCC to reverse federal net neutrality protections could not bar state action, rejecting a challenge from telecom and broad industry groups to block California's net neutrality law. Days after Biden took office, the U.S. Justice Department withdrew its Trump-era legal challenge to California's state net neutrality law.

Persons: Jessica Rosenworcel, Alex Wong, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Anna Gomez, Biden, Barack Obama, Rosenworcel, David Shepardson, Himani Sarkar, Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S . Senate Commerce, Science, Transportation, Federal Communications Commission, Rights, . Federal Communications, FCC, Democratic, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Industry, U.S . Justice Department, Trump, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ FCC to propose rules for net neutrality that ban internet providers from blocking websites
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The US government aims to restore sweeping regulations for high-speed internet providers, such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, reviving “net neutrality” rules for the broadband industry – and an ongoing debate about the internet’s future. The rules would ban internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or slowing down access to websites and online content, the people told CNN. A net neutrality reduxNet neutrality rules are more necessary than ever, Rosenworcel is expected to say in her speech, after millions of Americans discovered the vital importance of reliable internet access during the Covid-19 pandemic. The draft rules are substantially similar to the rules the FCC passed in 2015, the people said. Among Pai’s first acts as agency chief was to propose a rollback of the earlier net neutrality rules.

Persons: Jessica Rosenworcel, Trump, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Rosenworcel’s, Anna Gomez, Donald Trump, Ajit Pai, Pai, George W, Bush, forbearing Organizations: CNN, Comcast, Verizon, Federal Communications Commission, Bloomberg, National Press Club, FCC, Obama, Republican, Senate, European Union, Communications, White Locations: Washington

☆ British police charge recaptured terrorism suspect with unlawful escape
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A general view of Wandsworth prison, where Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier who is suspected of terrorism offences, escaped, in London, Britain, September 7, 2023. Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, who worked in the kitchen of Wandsworth prison, slipped out on Monday morning by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck, authorities say. "Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 11 September." Khalife, who was discharged from the British army in May, was charged with escaping "contrary to common law" while being remanded in custody. He had been held pending trial on offences relating to terrorism and the Official Secrets Act.

Persons: Daniel Abed Khalife, Anna Gordon, strapping, Khalife, Alistair Smout, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, British, Metropolitan Police, ’, BBC, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain, HMP Wandsworth, Westminster, England, Iran

☆ UK government vows escaped terrorism suspect will be found
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A wanted sign featuring an image of Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier who is suspected of terrorism offences, is displayed, near Wandsworth prison which he escaped from, in London, Britain, September 7, 2023. "Daniel Khalife will be found and he will be made to face justice," Alex Chalk, the government's justice minister, told parliament. Police said he was not thought to pose a risk to the wider public but advised people not to approach him. Opposition lawmakers have demanded answers into how he had been able to escape and why he was not being held at a maximum security prison. Reporting by Michael Holden, Farouq Suleiman and Muvija M; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniel Abed Khalife, Anna Gordon, strapping, Daniel Khalife, Alex Chalk, Khalife, Chalk, Mark Fairhurst, Michael Holden, Farouq Suleiman, Muvija, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, London's HMP, Police, Officers, Association, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain, London's, London's HMP Wandsworth, England

☆ Senate confirms Anna Gomez to FCC, breaking yearslong deadlock at the agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Democrat Anna Gomez to the Federal Communications Commission, breaking the deadlock at the agency that has lasted the entirety of the Biden presidency. Gomez's confirmation comes after a protracted battle to confirm Biden's initial pick for the commissioner seat, Gigi Sohn. As senators remained split on her confirmation, the FCC was left in a 2-2 deadlock of Republican and Democratic commissioners, limiting its agenda to items that both sides could agree on. That could include a push to return to net neutrality rules, which seek to prevent internet service providers from slowing or blocking service for select websites, for which President Joe Biden has voiced his support for. Disclosure: Comcast, an internet service provider, is also the owner of CNBC parent company NBCUniversal.

Persons: Anna Gomez, Biden, Gigi Sohn, Gomez, who's, Joe Biden, Sohn, she'd Organizations: Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Republican, Democratic, Comcast, CNBC, White

☆ Wallace confirms resignation as UK defence minister in letter to PM Sunak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace walks on Downing Street on the day of the last cabinet meeting before the summer recess, in London, Britain, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ben Wallace confirmed his resignation as defence minister on Thursday in a letter to Rishi Sunak, offering the government his continued support while warning the British prime minister not to see defence as a "discretionary spend". In his official resignation letter, Wallace renewed his appeal for the government not to turn to defence to make spending cuts. Sunak praised Wallace for his work, saying in a letter in response: "You have served our country in three of the most demanding posts in government: defence secretary, security minister and Northern Ireland minister." A former captain in the British army, Wallace, 53, was appointed as defence minister in 2019 by his friend and ally, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson after holding junior ministerial roles in earlier governments.

Persons: Defence Ben Wallace, Anna Gordon, Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak, Wallace, Jens Stoltenberg, hollowing, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Muvija M, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: State, Defence, REUTERS, NATO, Conservative Party, Ministry of Defence, Northern, Twitter, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Ukraine, Norwegian, Northern Ireland, Russia, Kyiv

☆ Grant Shapps replaces Ben Wallace as UK defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

British Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Grant Shapps walks on Downing Street on the day of the last cabinet meeting before the summer recess, in London, Britain, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The British government named ex-energy secretary Grant Shapps as the country's new defence minister on Thursday, replacing Ben Wallace who said he wanted to step down after four years in the role and would quit as a lawmaker at the next national election. Wallace, who had been touted as a potential successor to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, had taken a leading role in shaping Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. The defence role will be Shapps' fifth government job over the last year, after serving in four different ministries - transport, interior affairs, business and then at energy and net zero. ($1 = 0.7872 pounds)Reporting by Muvija M, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Grant Shapps, Anna Gordon, Ben Wallace, Wallace, Jens Stoltenberg, Britain, Muvija, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: State for Energy Security, REUTERS, NATO, Ukraine, Russia, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British, Ukraine

☆ Finland's government agrees anti-racism policy to save coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo attends a summit between European Union leaders and leaders of the CELAC group of Latin American and Caribbean states, in Brussels, Belgium July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHELSINKI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Finland's government, beset by racism controversies since taking office in June, has agreed on a common policy to combat intolerance, party leaders said late on Wednesday, preventing a collapse of the four-party, right-wing coalition. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, whose conservative National Coalition Party (NCP) narrowly won Finland's April election, said the government on Thursday will present its unified policy on how to tackle racism, following a cabinet meeting. SPP leader Anna-Maja Henriksson said she and her party had endorsed the new policy. Reporting by Anne Kauranen, editing by Terje Solsvik, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Petteri Orpo, Johanna Geron, Vilhelm Junnila, Riikka Purra, Anna, Maja Henriksson, Henriksson, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Robert Birsel Organizations: Finland's, Union, REUTERS, Rights, Finns Party, Finns, National Coalition Party, NCP, Swedish People's Party, Swedish, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Caribbean, Brussels, Belgium

☆ London chewing gum artist paints 'hidden world' beneath people's feet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Lucy Marks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ben Wilson, artist, shows Naiara, 4, how to hold a paintbrush, while he paints on the Millennium Bridge, London, Britain, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Lying on his side on the surface of London's iconic Millennium Bridge, artist Ben Wilson paints a piece of dried chewing gum trodden into the ground. "The important thing is the gum is below the metal tread," said 60-year-old Wilson, dressed in a paint-daubed orange jumpsuit. "By painting a picture which is so small, those that see it then discover a hidden world beneath their feet," Wilson said. The images are more personal than the chewing gum works, Wilson says, and represent an "intuitive visual diary".

Persons: Ben Wilson, Anna Gordon, Wilson, It's, he's, it's, Lucy Marks, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

Quito, Ecuador CNN —Six suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are Colombian nationals and gang members, authorities have confirmed, as a former vice president demanded action over spiraling levels of violence in the South American country. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag as he attends a rally in Quito on August 9. People take cover after shots were fired at the end of a rally of Ecuadorian presidential cadidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito on August 9. Ecuador’s presidential election, scheduled for August 20, will go ahead as planned, the Electoral Council President Diana Atamaint said Thursday. He noted that Villavicencio had first entered public life as an investigative journalist who fought against corruption and abuses of power.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Juan Zapata, Karen Toro, Zapata, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, ’, Otto Sonnenholzner, ”, ” Sonnenholzner, cadidate Fernando Villavicencio, Sonnenholzner, Villavicencio, Diana Atamaint Organizations: Ecuador CNN —, Wednesday, General’s, Reuters, CNN, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, UN Human Rights, European Union, Ecuadorian, AFP, Getty, Electoral, Sunday, Movimiento Construye Locations: Quito, Ecuador, United States, Quito .

☆ Mark Margolis, Scene Stealer from ‘Breaking Bad,’ Dies at 83
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Alex Williams | More About Alex Williams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But no role made him as instantly recognizable to millions of viewers as his Hector in Vince Gilligan’s critically acclaimed AMC series “Breaking Bad,” starring Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn and Giancarlo Esposito, and its prequel, “Better Call Saul,” with Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn. The role, in “Breaking Bad,” brought him an Emmy nomination in 2012 for outstanding guest actor in a dramatic series. His Hector, or Tio, was indelible. Despite his lack of dialogue in “Breaking Bad,” Mr. Margolis proved a scene stealer from his wheelchair, his eyes bulging, his face trembling with rage, despite the nasal cannula pumping oxygen up his nose and his palm furiously banging his bell, taped to an arm of the chair, whenever he needed attention. “I tell people I’m the second-most famous bell ringer after Quasimodo,” he said in a 2016 interview with Vulture, New York magazine’s culture site.

Persons: Hector, Vince Gilligan’s, ”, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Saul, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Walter White, Cranston, ” Mr, Margolis, “, Quasimodo Locations: New Mexico, , New York

☆ A Spending Boom Fuels Russia’s Wartime Economy, Raising Bubble Fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | More About Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Anna Gromova, a Russian entrepreneur, made a snap decision to open a real estate agency, hoping to create a safety net from the economic fallout of the conflict. Within weeks, she landed a deal for a stately 18th-century apartment, with parquet floors and high ceilings in the prestigious center of Russia’s former imperial capital of St. Petersburg. Since the war, the owner had stopped coming to Russia, allowing her client to buy it for roughly 40 percent below its current value. Amid the constant shocks, people are looking for “a window of opportunity” to secure their income, she added. Her business has been underpinned by a state-led spending boom that has propped up the national economy despite the swiftest and most far-reaching campaign of sanctions imposed by Western nations in modern history.

Persons: Anna Gromova, ”, Gromova Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, St . Petersburg, Western

☆ Labor Department Decries Surge in Exploited Migrant Children
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Hannah Dreier | More About Hannah Dreier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Labor Department on Thursday decried a national surge in child labor, saying that the agency’s inspectors had found thousands of violations and were investigating a slaughterhouse where a 16-year-old boy from Guatemala was killed this month. The update followed a hearing on Wednesday in which lawmakers from both parties accused the Health and Human Services secretary, Xavier Becerra, of failing to protect migrant children from exploitation. “There are some terrible things that are wrong,” Representative Anna G. Eshoo, a Democrat from California, told him. secretary, the buck stops with you.”Some 300,000 minors have come to this country alone since 2021, fueling a dramatic increase in migrant child labor. In an online report, the Labor Department announced an 87 percent increase in fines on employers in recent months.

Persons: Xavier Becerra, Anna G, “ Organizations: Labor Department, Human Services Locations: Guatemala, California

☆ HGTV's Galey Alix wants to be a star. Will the spotlight crush her — or set her free?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Anna Peele | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Alix is the creator and star of the HGTV show "Home in a Heartbeat With Galey Alix," which premiered in April and streams on Max. Galey Alix Gravenstein comes from a family of overachievers. Alix got to work with Jay Delgado, remaking Calloway's blank white box into a Galey Alix take on a rich person's beach house. In April 2021, Parker, who had no renovation experience, offered to help Alix with an install. He and Lauren Parker insist Alix is OK because she's able to ask people like them for help without fear.

Persons: Galey Alix, Nancy Meyers, Dale Moss, Alix, semiprivate, fiancé, Goldman Sachs, Joanna Gaines, Drew Scott, Alix gravitates, Jay Delgado, PJ Fetscher, Instagram, she's, she'll, Sonya Revell, —, It's, Goldman, I'm, Galey Alix Gravenstein, she'd, Alix didn't, Alix's fiancé, Carrie Calloway, who'd, Mac, Calloway, I'd, Lauren Parker, Parker, Delgado, Fetscher, Kay Marryshow, she's fallible, Phil, Alix's Instagram, it's, She's, Moss, of Moss, he's, Rebecca Zisser, Crystal, Anna Ruiz, Agency Gerard, Ester Gattuso, Susana Betancourt Organizations: grays, Goods, Fort, HGTV, Goldman, Target, University of Florida, Home Depot, Parker, Netflix, Crystal Cox, Agency, Agency Gerard Artists Locations: Italian, Fort Lauderdale, Max, Florida, overachievers, New York, Connecticut, fiancé's Connecticut, Westport , Connecticut, Target, Instagram, Australia, London, India , Puerto Rico, Wyoming, Orlando, peeking

☆ Google's top AI researchers, including all the authors behind a landmark paper, have left for competitors. Here's where they are now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Top AI researchers have been leaving for startups where their work can have more impact. That frustration over Google's slow movement has been corroborated by other former Google researchers who spoke to Insider. Niki Parmar left Google Brain after five years to serve as a cofounder and CTO of Adept, though in November, she left to found a stealth startup. Lukasz Kaiser left Google Brain after working there for more than seven years to join OpenAI in 2021. Sharan Narang, another contributor to the T5 paper, left Google Brain in 2022 after four years there.

Persons: it's, Llion Jones, OpenAI's, ChatGPT, Sundar Pichai, Bard, Daniel De Freitas, Noam Shazeer, Ilya Sutskever, Sutskever, OpenAI, Ashish Vaswani, Niki Parmar, Jakob Uszkoreit, Aidan Gomez, Nick Frosst, Lukasz Kaiser, Kaiser, Illia Polosukhin, Meena, De Freitas, Romal Thoppilan, Character.AI, LaMDA, Elon Musk, Character.ai, Winni Wintermeyer, Thoppilan, Alicia Jin, BERT BERT, BERT, Jacob Devlin, Colin Raffel, Raffel, Sharan Narang, He's, Azalia Mirhoseini, Anna Goldie, Mirhoseini, Goldie, Claude, DeepMind Mustafa Suleyman, Mustafa Suleyman, DeepMind, Suleyman, Reid Hoffman Organizations: Google, Bloomberg, New York Times, Microsoft, Street Journal, Neural Networks, OpenAI, YouTube, Elon, UNC Chapel Hill, Meta, Anthropic, Society Locations: ChatGPT, Character.AI, DeepMind

☆ US Senate panel to vote on key Biden telecom board nominee
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee plans to vote next week on President Joe Biden's nominee for a key fifth seat on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In July 2021, Biden signed an executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules adopted under Democratic then-President Barack Obama in 2015. Biden's first nominee for the open seat, former FCC official Gigi Sohn, withdrew in March after three hearings. The FCC has raised mounting concerns about Chinese telecom companies which had won permission to operate in the United States decades ago. In 2019, the FCC voted to deny state-owned Chinese telecom firm China Mobile Ltd (0941.HK) the right to provide U.S. services and later withdrew U.S. authorizations for several other Chinese telecom carriers, including China Telecom Corp (0728.HK).

Persons: Joe Biden's, Anna Gomez, Gomez, Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks, Donald Trump, Biden, Barack Obama, Biden's, Gigi Sohn, Sohn, David Shepardson Organizations: U.S, Senate, U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Democratic, State Department's Bureau, Cyberspace, Digital, Radio Conference, FCC, Republican, China Mobile Ltd, HK, China Telecom Corp, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, United

☆ Dolly Parton says turning to rock was 'one of the most fun things I've done'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] American singer Dolly Parton poses on stage during a press conference to launch her new album, in London, Britain, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Anna GordonLONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - Country music star Dolly Parton says her first rock album "Rockstar" is some of her best, as well as most fun, work she has ever done. "I’ve lived my whole life mainly in country music and I love it," Parton told a news conference in London on Thursday. “I enjoy getting to do something besides my own songs or just country songs. "Rockstar" also features collaborations with Lizzo, Stevie Nicks, Kid Rock, Simon Le Bon, P!nk, Debbie Harry and Joan Jett among other well-known music names.

Persons: Dolly Parton, Anna Gordon LONDON, Parton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Miley Cyrus, I’ve, ”, “, ” Parton, Lizzo, Stevie Nicks, Kid Rock, Simon Le Bon, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Roll Hall of Fame, Broadway, nk, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

[1/5] Actors sing during a performance of To The Ocean being performed at The Greenhouse, a zero waste pop up theatre in Canary Wharf, London, Britain June 19, 2023. The Greenhouse Theatre, billed as Britain's first zero waste theatre, is staging plays in London over the summer months when long, light evenings reduce the need for electricity. Over the five years since the Gift Horse Theatre was set up as environmentally-conscious theatre, Lury senses actors and audiences have become more willing to confront the climate issue. Other industry observers say building an entire theatre from re-used materials, although exceptional, is aligned with a trend that gathered momentum in lockdown. The Theatre Green Book's co-founder architect Patrick Dillon said it has been adopted across the world and is being translated into 11 languages.

Persons: Anna Gordon LONDON, Oli Savage, Signe Lury, Green Book's, Patrick Dillon, Barbara Lewis, Sarah Mills, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Theatre, Research, Indigo, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain

☆ US FCC proposes to force cable TV operators to disclose full pricing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The plan would require providers to disclose the total cost of video programming service - including broadcast retransmission consent, regional sports programming and other programming-related fees - as a prominent single line item on bills and in promotional materials. Major cable TV companies include Comcast Corp (CCZ.N), Cox Communications, Charter Communications (CHTR.O) and others. NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, an industry group representing the major cable TV companies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ACA Connects, which represents smaller video providers, said its members "are committed to transparency in their sales and billing practices." The rules require broadband providers to display, at the time of sale, labels that show prices, speeds, fees and data allowances.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Jessica Rosenworcel, Anna Gomez, David Shepardson, Will Dunham, Chris Reese Organizations: U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Comcast Corp, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Dish Network, Democratic, FCC, & Television Association, Democrats, Senate Republicans, Thomson

☆ New V&A show 'DIVA' salutes and studies top stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Elton John's 50th birthday costumes are seen on display at DIVA, an exhibition celebrating the power and creativity of iconic performers, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, Britain June 19, 2023. Titled "DIVA", the exhibition features some 60 costumes and 250 items from screen sirens and stage stars from the 19th century to today, many displayed for the first time. "Some of this goes all the way back to the turn of the century, 1900, you know opera singers, silent film stars. It uses the objects to recount the creation of the diva, delving into personal stories and looking at performers' activism and sway on social issues, including equality and civil rights. "The diva has a strong sense of self, an attitude and knowing... how to use their voice," lead curator Kate Bailey said.

Persons: Elton John's, Anna Gordon LONDON, Victoria, Marilyn Monroe, Maria Callas, Franco Zeffirelli's, Bob Mackie's, Tina Turner, Cher, Elton John's Louis XIV, Janelle Monae's, Mackie, Kate Bailey, Hanna Rantala, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Victoria, Albert Museum, REUTERS, Royal Opera House, nk, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Malta, Land of Knights, Sailors and Rainbow Flags
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Alexander Lobrano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Knowing nothing about Maltese food, I assumed it would be a variation on the fare of nearby Sicily. “Our food is a reflection of all of the peoples who ruled us,” he said, explaining that Malta has one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cuisines. Baroque masterworks and neon-lit nightlifeMalta is only 122 square miles, so 72 hours had seemed like an adequate amount of time to explore. I decided to check out the main island first, and then Valletta itself after that. The delightful Anna Grech Sant, a local guide, offered an abbreviated but fascinating lesson in Maltese history, richly seasoned with memorable trivia.

Persons: ruddy, bouillon, Brincat, ”, Anna Grech Sant Organizations: British Navy Locations: Sicily, Malta, Libya, India, Northern Europe, Bolognese, Gozo, Valletta

☆ London's solar street thrives on people power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Natalie Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Roofers install solar panels on the roof of renegade artists Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell's house in London, Britain, June 6, 2023. Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell raise funds to install solar panels on the rooftops of all the houses on their street. After raising 113,000 pounds ($141,000), partly through crowd-funding publicised by sleeping on their roof for three cold, winter weeks, artist couple Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell have arranged for solar panels to be installed on dozens of houses on their street. Households powered by solar panel-derived electricity draw less power from the national grid, cutting energy bills, and they can also sell any excess energy back. Industry analysts say community projects tend to be more efficient than individual solar installations as costs fall with scale.

Persons: Dan Edelstyn, Hilary Powell's, Hilary Powell, Anna Gordon LONDON, Powell, Ejaz Hussein, It's, Rebecca Dibb, Ofgem, Edelstyn, Sachin Ravikumar, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Industry, Octopus Energy, Community Energy, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Waltham Forest

☆ Ex-comic sets sights on Ukraine reconstruction after helping fund war effort
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Now the comedian-turned-politician's charitable foundation is setting its sights on the next big battle: post-war reconstruction. Prytula, 41, led a campaign to acquire Turkish Bayraktar drones after Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year. The foundation also raised about $9.5 million for attack drones, which he said were ordered by Kyiv's military intelligence. After the war, Prytula wants to apply his crowdfunding acumen to help rebuild war-damaged parts of Ukraine. "All of this will need to be rebuilt, and after the war we'll begin measuring everything we've lost."

Persons: Serhiy Prytula, Mariia, Oleksandr, Prytula, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Anna Gvozdiar, Gvozdiar, isn't, we've, Ivan Lyubysh, Timothy Heritage, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Foundation, Bank, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, KYIV, Turkish, Finnish, Crimea, Sumy

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