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☆ ‘Lady Killer’ and ‘The Strange Mister Victor’ Review: A Golden Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Beatrice Loayza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Compared to other heavy hitters from the golden age of French cinema — think Jean Renoir (“The Rules of the Game”) or Marcel Carné (“Children of Paradise”) — history hasn’t been kind to Jean Grémillon. This is especially the case in the United States, where the director’s work continues to be discussed among cinephiles like a special secret. “Lady Killer” stars the leonine Jean Gabin as Lucien, a womanizing legionnaire. Lucien falls hard for Madeleine and takes up a job at a print shop in Paris so that they can be together. In his early days, Grémillon was a violinist who played with an orchestra that provided accompaniment for silent films.

Persons: Jean Renoir, Marcel Carné, Jean Grémillon, ”, Victor ”, “, Jean Gabin, Lucien, Madeleine, Mireille Balin, Grémillon Locations: United States, France, Paris

☆ China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Yin Gang/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Xinhua via Getty ImagesIn a recent report to parliament, the British intelligence services detailed the operations and goals of the Chinese intelligence services. The Chinese intelligence services are also collecting information on the Chinese democracy movement at home and abroad — including in the US — in an attempt to subvert it. According to the British intelligence report, Xi has sought to make Chinese intelligence activity more professional through reform and investment. "In more ways than one, the broad remit of the Chinese Intelligence Services poses a significant challenge to Western attempts to counter their activity," the report said, citing assessments by British intelligence officers. "To compound the problem, it is not just the Chinese Intelligence Services: the Chinese Communist Party co-opts every state institution, company and citizen.

Persons: Yin, Ma Ying, Xi Jinping, Chuang, Gong, Dalai Lama, Murad Sezer, Xi, Xie Huanchi, hoover, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, intel, Beijing, Service, Ministry of Public Security, Yin Gang, Getty, Xinhua, of State Security, of Public Security, Force, NSA, REUTERS, CCP, of, People, US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Chinese Intelligence Services, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Xinhua, Taipei, Singapore, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Istanbul, Johns

☆ Hyperscalers will see huge boosts from AI productivity tools, says Gong's Amit Bendov
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHyperscalers will see huge boosts from AI productivity tools, says Gong's Amit BendovAmit Bendov, Gong co-founder and CEO, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss transforming enterprise applications with AI, growing profits through using AI to replace human labor, using AI to aid sale associates in customer interaction.

Persons: Gong's Amit Bendov Amit Bendov, Gong

HONG KONG, July 4 (Reuters) - Hong Kong chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday eight overseas-based Hong Kong activists who were issued with arrest warrants for alleged national security offences, would be "pursued for life". Hong Kong police issued arrest warrants for the eight overseas-based activists on Monday, accusing them of national security offences, including foreign collusion and incitement to secession, and offered rewards for information leading to their arrest. They are wanted under a national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Both these countries have criticised the national security law for being used to suppress Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong's economic success.

Persons: John Lee, Lee, Nathan Law, Anna Kwok, Finn Lau, Dennis Kwok, Ted Hui, Kevin Yam, Mung Siu, Yuan Gong, James, Hong Kong's, Hong, James Pomfret, Donny Kwok, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Hong Kong, HK, U.S . State Department, Hong, Inter, Parliamentary Alliance, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Hong, United States, Britain, Australia, Beijing, China

REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File PhotoHONG KONG, July 3 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police on Monday accused eight overseas-based activists of serious national security offences including foreign collusion and incitement to secession and offered rewards for information leading to any arrest. "They have encouraged sanctions ... to destroy Hong Kong and to intimidate officials," Steve Li, an officer with the police's national security department, told reporters. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong's economic success. "I miss Hong Kong but as things stand, no rational person would be going back." British-based rights group Hong Kong Watch said in a statement Britain, the U.S. and Australia should issue statements "guaranteeing the safety of those activists named and the wider Hong Kong community living overseas".

Persons: Nathan Law, Bobby Yip, Anna Kwok, Finn Lau, Dennis Kwok, Ted Hui, Kevin Yam, Mung Siu, Yuan Gong, Steve Li, Hong Kong, Yam, Li, James Pomfret, Jessie Pang, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Hong, Reuters, Georgetown University's Center, Asian Law, Police, Kong's Security, Hong Kong Watch, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, United States, Britain, Australia, Beijing, British, Hong, Asia, U.S

☆ The return of perms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Yola Mzizi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Perms, or the permanent wave, have been a fixture of American culture since the late 19th century and reached peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. While beauty trends, like fashion, are cyclical, perms today differ greatly from those once seen on stars like Cher and Stevie Nicks, thanks to gentler products and digitized heat technology. Digital perms, or hot perms, have also become popular. “It certainly helps that K-Pop and K-Dramas are popular and the stars get perms, so that has made it more culturally acceptable,” said Chen. Wella’s Munz is hopeful the resurgence of perms will also encourage brands to further engage with the multicultural consumer.

Persons: Charles Chen, “, ”, Cher, Stevie Nicks, perms, Roland Munz, Briana Dunning, Dunning, BTS’s, Kim Tae, Gong Yoo, Lydia Wolfe, Jack, Wolfe, Chen, Wella’s Munz Organizations: The, Fashion, CNN, Wella, Korean, Busan ”, perms Locations: perm, Manhattan, TikTok, perm ”, Euromonitor, Gen, Los Angeles, “, Striiike, Korean, Korean perm, American perm, Busan, London

☆ Ukraine’s cross-border tactics are aimed at destabilizing Russia. Judging by the response, they’re working
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The operations of Russian citizens, carrying Ukrainian military ID, wearing Ukrainian uniforms and attacking from Ukraine, remain officially opaque. Back then, “Little Green Men” in peculiar two-tone sport-hunting uniforms – and Russian military fatigues – appeared in Crimea. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom for Russia Legion – which fall under Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence structure – have been conducting short cross-border raids into Russia. Russia rattledIn Ukraine, it suits Kyiv to have Russians invade Russia on its behalf. Previous days with all the shelling - there was almost no response, no (Russian) military.

Persons: coy, what’s, “, fatigues –, Vladimir Putin, Moscow, Sergey Bobok, for Russia Legion –, –, Putin, it’s, ”, ” Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, “ Wagner, Yulia Morozova, you’ve, ” Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Shebekino Organizations: CNN, Fighters, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia Legion, Getty, for Russia Legion, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, Frontline, Kremlin, Russian, Russian Federation, “ Wagner PMC, Russia, Kyiv, Reuters, Russian Telegram Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Simferopol, Soviet, AFP, South, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Pretoria, destabilization, Belgorod –, Moscow, Kursk, Smelensk, Russian, St Petersburg, Soviet Union, Belgorod, Shebekino, “

☆ TikTok loves book 'tropes' and authors are feeling the pressure to use them as the platform becomes a powerful marketing tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A common way to quickly discuss book plots on TikTok is through tropes, or specific themes that recur in many stories. The focus on tropes has to do with the short nature of videos on TikTok, creators told Insider. The success of tropes puts pressure on authors to try themFor authors, seeing these types of plots find success on the platform can be a double-edged sword. She decided to try writing a romance novel incorporating popular tropes like "enemies to lovers." Some creators worry the focus on tropes on TikTok may be limiting authors' visions.

☆ A Cabin in the Woods, Intermittent Wi-Fi and a Dead Landline
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Leah Greenblatt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There’s even a live-in housekeeper, a forbidding red-haired woman named Mrs. Brandt who lurks in corners, spouting cryptic things about Jed’s long-dead mother and the breeding habits of local mountain lions. In a genre that can be numbingly formulaic and indifferently composed, she remains a masterful builder of mood, her voluptuous prose heavy with sex and weather. But as Jacy dithers and stalls in the July heat, so does the story, even as it wends toward the feverish, improbable rush of its climax. Woman, beware; these are the signs you were looking for. Leah Greenblatt is a freelance writer and former critic at large at Entertainment Weekly.

☆ TikTok has influenced nearly every aspect of book publishing and helped push sales to record highs. 25 insiders describe how it's changed their industry.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The BookTok phenomenon helped send book sales to an all-time high and reignite a love for reading. From authors to stores, the book world is turning to TikTok to drive sales and build community. Still, while authors might feel pressure to try TikTok, industry experts say it's better to focus on craft than marketing. Aster is one of the hundreds of authors who are benefitting from the success of TikTok and its book-related hashtag #BookTok. But TikTok's influence on publishing has also dialed up the pressure on authors to be marketers, as well as writers.

[1/2] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Opening ceremony and screening of the film "Jeanne du Barry" Out of competition - Red Carpet arrivals - Cannes, France, May 16, 2023. Gong Li poses. REUTERS/Gonzalo... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Gong Li, one of China's best actors, told Reuters on Wednesday that Michelle Yeoh's recent success at the Oscars and Golden Globes was particularly encouraging for Asian actors. "Since the beginning of the epidemic to now, in fact, the film industry has not been so vibrant, not like it was before, so her award is also an encouragement," Gong said. "Well, congratulations to her, because I also take it as an encouragement to fellow Asian actors to enter the world."

☆ China's 'Belt and Road' grew out of a lending spree. Now those loans may be its problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAt its peak, China's Belt and Road Initiative was seen as the centerpiece of Beijing's engagement with the world. According to the report, China issued 128 emergency rescue loans worth $240 billion to 22 countries — including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey, among others. 'Trying to salvage Belt and Road'Chinese efforts to revamp Belt and Road have been underway since 2020, according to one observer. "A nod to the concern that many Belt and Road projects were not economically viable to begin with. "The increased indebtedness in many Belt and Road countries is a direct consequence of Beijing's overshooting in the pre-2020 phase," said Zhong.

☆ Off-the-radar destinations every China visitor should consider
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

JingdezhenLarge chimneys, used for firing porcelain, dot the skyline of Jingdezhen city. gui yong nian/Adobe StockDubbed the porcelain capital of the world, Jingdezhen has been firing quality pieces of “white gold” for more than 1,700 years. For a crash course in the city’s porcelain history, visit the newly built and photogenic Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum of China. LinhaiLinhai's historic city wall stretches more than 6,000 meters in length. Food aside, travelers should leave time to admire this historic city that dates back more than 2,000 years.

☆ A fire just razed a slum in the heart of one of Korea's ritziest neighborhoods. It highlights the vast wealth gap and tight proximity in which Seoul's richest and poorest live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Cheryl Teh | Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On January 20, a fire tore through the shantytown of Guryong village in Seoul. Firefighters and rescue workers clean up the site of a fire at Guryong village in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. ED JONES/Getty ImagesGuryong feels like a world away from Seoul, but it's very close to where the most well-heeled people in South Korea live. Around a fifth of single-person households in Seoul live in spaces under 14 square meters, or 150 square feet. But for now it's still Guryong village — a smoldering scar on the sparkling facade South Korea would rather have you looking at instead.

☆ Why Mark Cuban called 'B.S.' on a 'Shark Tank' company that was on track to bring in $14 million last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Like Cabinet Health, Cuban's company Cost Plus Drugs offers generic drugs at a fraction of the cost charged by major pharmaceutical companies. Cuban put those instincts to work on Friday's episode of ABC's " Shark Tank ," when the billionaire told sustainable wellness company Cabinet Health's founders he was suspicious of their lack of profit. Cabinet Health, which launched in October 2019, wants to reduce and eventually eliminate single-use plastics in medicine. The co-founders entered negotiations seeking $500,000 for a 2.5% stake in Cabinet Health, which would value the company at $20 million. He offered $500,000 for 10% of Cabinet Health, which would value the company at $5 million.

☆ China’s local governments set 2023 growth targets, offering clues on economic recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The meetings will culminate in the national parliamentary session to be held in March, in which the premier is expected to disclose the nation’s GDP growth target. So far, a group of government economists and international analysts have said they expect Beijing to set a growth target of above 5% in 2023. On Thursday, Zhejiang province, another major economic powerhouse, announced it’s targeting an expansion of more than 5% in 2023. On Wednesday, Shanghai, the most affluent city in mainland China, announced it would aim for 5.5% growth this year. On the same day, Fujian, Sichuan and Hebei provinces all disclosed growth targets of 6% for 2023.

☆ Check out the 16-slide pitch deck the sustainable-healthtech startup Cabinet Health used to nab $17 million in new funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sustainable-healthtech startup Cabinet Health just raised $17 million from Global Impact Fund. Check out the pitch deck Cabinet Health used to land its latest round of funding. Cabinet Health just raised millions of dollars in new capital for its mission to make medication refills more earth-friendly. Cabinet Health was founded in 2018 with the goal of eliminating single-use plastics from the pharmaceutical industry. Check out the 16-slide pitch deck Cabinet Health used to raise its most recent round of funding:

☆ 'The mood is really grim': Washington Post staffers lived at publisher Fred Ryan after layoff announcement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Staffers at The Washington Post are livid at publisher Fred Ryan. Video posted on Twitter by national reporter Annie Gowen showed Ryan walk off stage as staffers peppered him with questions. In fact, I haven’t spoken to a single person at The Post yet who has gone to bat for the publisher. Buzbee indicated to staffers on Wednesday that she had only learned about the layoff situation the night before. “The mood is really grim,” one staffer candidly told me.

☆ Jiang Zemin: China's Xi calls for unity at former president's memorial service
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the country to unite around his leadership as he addressed a memorial service for former leader Jiang Zemin, following an unprecedented show of dissent over his zero-Covid policy and authoritarian rule. At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi led hundreds of China’s political and military elites to pay final tribute to Jiang, who died last Wednesday at the age of 96. Chinese leader Xi Jinping leads other officials to bow during a formal memorial for late former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in Beijing on December 6, 2022. Coming to power in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, Jiang led China out of international isolation and guided its integration into the global market. On Tuesday, in his first public speech since the protests, Xi praised Jiang for ensuring the party’s survival from the “political storms” of his time.

HONG KONG — Chinese authorities are moving to ease strict “zero-Covid” controls, in an apparent response to a nationwide wave of protests that have otherwise been suppressed. Police form a cordon in Beijing on Monday during a protest against China’s strict “zero-Covid” measures. Kevin Frayer / Getty ImagesChinese authorities have mostly stamped out the protests, with heavy police presence at protesters’ former gathering sites. Like other Chinese leaders, Jiang showed little tolerance for dissent, jailing activists and banning the Falun Gong religious movement. But the political environment has greatly tightened under Xi, leading some people in China to reassess Jiang’s legacy.

☆ Mark Cuban: Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried should be ‘afraid of going to jail’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Billionaire Mark Cuban isn't giving up on crypto, despite the implosion of FTX, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. However, Cuban says former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried should be "afraid of gong to jail for a long time," in an interview with TMZ. Alameda research, the trading firm founded by Bankman-Fried, was borrowing billions of dollars from FTX users' accounts and trading those funds without their knowledge, CNBC reports. FTX and Bankman-Fried did not immediately respond to CNBC Make It's requests for comment. Don't miss: FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried lost billions and the company filed for bankruptcy—it could signal the ‘demise’ of crypto, expert says

☆ Obituary: China's Jiang Zemin confounded doubters, mended U.S. ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/5] A security guard stands next to a portrait of China's former President Jiang Zemin at an exhibition to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, China, July 7, 2011. Under Jiang, China weathered the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and won the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "Jiang Zemin was more ready to be natural, even though sometimes it could be perceived as vulgar, not very sophisticated." At celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic in 1999, floats carried giant portraits of Mao, Deng and Jiang past Tiananmen Square. Jiang, like Mao, wore his trousers well above his waist and brushed his hair straight back.

Investors raised bets against Beauty Health Company , owner of the skincare brand HydraFacial, in the first half of November. Short interest as a percentage of float refers to the amount of shares available for trading that are being bet against the company. Shares of Beauty Health underperformed in 2022, down more than 50% this year, while the S & P 500 declined about 17% over the same time period. Beauty Health has made a number of infrastructure investments as it expands its business globally. Short interest data is updated twice a month and reported mid-month and at the end of the month.

☆ Factbox: A chronology of dissent in China in recent decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( James Pomfret | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The following is a timeline of some other notable protests, and public dissent against China's ruling Communist Party. 2009 - Xinjiang - In the region's worst ethnic unrest in decades, ethnic Uighurs attacked majority Han Chinese in the capital Urumqi, after an incident involving Uighur workers in a factory in southern China. China later builds massive "facilities" to turn Xinjiang into what a United Nations panel described as a "massive internment camp shrouded in secrecy". China later imposes a powerful national security law, arresting scores of democrats and shutting down civil society groups and liberal media outlets, including the Apple Daily newspaper. 2022 - Henan bank protests - Public protests simmer as thousands lose access to their savings in a banking fraud scandal centred on rural lenders in Henan and Anhui provinces.

☆ UBS says self-driving cars could become a $100 billion market in China — and names stocks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It cited China's large domestic market, high acceptance of autonomous driving, efficient supply chains, and supportive infrastructure among other factors. UBS estimated that China's potential autonomous driving-related market could reach $100 billion by 2030. As such, the Swiss bank said it sees "significant" investment opportunities in the autonomous driving space. Stock picks Tesla is among UBS' top picks to play the autonomous driving theme. Xpeng also made the list, with the bank describing the automaker as one of the "leading autonomous driving players in China."

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