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☆ Opinion | Classical Crescendo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The orgasm heard around the world was reported by Magnus Fiennes, a composer and music producer who is the brother of Ralph Fiennes. Some in the audience tweeted back, wondering if the moaning was due to a medical condition. But the woman, who stayed with her smiling partner for the whole concert, has not come forward to clear it up. — it seems that classical music is getting hotter. Albert Imperato, a New York music promoter, says the idea is breaking through that classical music is not supposed to be safe and relaxing.

☆ Chess’ Governing Body Delays Report on Cheating Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Segal | Dylan Loeb Mcclain | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The internet was soon awash with theories about how Niemann might have secreted a radio device on his body. In a postgame interview at the Cup, Niemann offered to play naked, in a radio signal-proofed room, to prove he was playing clean. He also said emphatically that he had never cheated during an over-the-board game, as in-person chess is known. Many in the chess world did not believe him. Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion, put it this way: “I thought Carlsen literally cracked at the end.”

☆ China’s Ding Liren Wins Dramatic World Chess Championship, Replacing Magnus Carlsen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Joshua Robinson | Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ding Liren beat Ian Nepomniachtchi at the chess world championship. Photo: VLADISLAV VODNEV/REUTERSAfter three weeks and 18 contests, the chess world championship came down to the final minute of the tiebreaker on Sunday as China’s Ding Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in a wild conclusion in Astana, Kazakhstan. The pair played a speed-chess tiebreaker on Sunday to break a deadlock in their competition to replace Magnus Carlsen, who announced last year that he wouldn’t defend the crown he had won on five successive occasions. Ding, 30, had less than 60 seconds remaining on the clock as he pounced all over Nepomniachtchi in the fourth game of the tiebreaker, despite playing with the disadvantage of the black pieces.

☆ One in 5 young people in Chinese cities are out of work. Beijing wants them to work in the fields
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Guangdong, the manufacturing powerhouse that abuts Hong Kong, said last month it will help college graduates and young entrepreneurs to find work in villages. Guangdong’s plan, which was widely panned on social media, coincided with the rate of urban unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds surging to 19.6%, the second highest level on record. Kong Yiji, a famous literary figure from the early 20th century, has been one of the hottest memes on China’s social media since February. A tourist shop named 'Kong Yiji' in China's Zhejiang province. Other popular buzzwords have included “lying flat” and “letting it rot.”Authorities, uneasy about dissatisfaction expressed through memes, have banned the hashtag of Kong Yiji.

☆ Chess-China's Ding Liren defies odds to become world champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Alessandro Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 30 (Reuters) - China's Ding Liren was crowned on Sunday as the 17th world chess champion in a tense match against Russian-born Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the last chapter of an odds-defying sequence of events. "One Ding to rule em all," fellow grandmaster Anish Giri wrote on Twitter in honour of the new champion. Ding's triumph means China holds both the men's and women's world titles, with current women's champion Ju Wenjun set to defend her title against compatriot Lei Tingjie in July. "The moment Ian resigned the game was a very emotional moment, I cannot control my feelings," the new world champion said in a press conference. Carlsen said he was not motivated to play shortly after Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates tournament, the prestigious qualifier to the match.

☆ The Grandmaster Plan to Turn Hordes of Kids Into Chess Fanatics
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Matt Richtel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Stella Schwartz, 16, hopped on the chess bandwagon earlier this year after hearing about the game from her older brother, Hugh, a high school senior in San Francisco. Alex Post, a freshman at Colorado University, started playing in February, after some chess-related videos appeared in his Tik Tok feed; then he got his whole fraternity playing. Many other teenagers and young adults said that they too had recently developed a regular chess habit, although they could not recall how it started. But by all accounts — from players, parents, teachers, website metrics — the game’s popularity has exploded. (In December Chess.com also purchased the Play Magnus Group, a company started by chess world champion Magnus Carlsen that includes a mobile chess app.)

☆ Chess-World championship contender faces purported leak of his preparation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Chess grandmasters and other players said a secret online account has been found of world championship contender Ding Liren's preparation as he trails by a point in his match in Astana, Kazakhstan, against Russian-born Ian Nepomniachtchi. The first player to gain 7.5 points will win the match and a prize of 2 million euros ($2.19 million). Ding would have used a burner account on the website Lichess.org to prepare for the match with his trainers, several players said. The account, created on Feb. 14, features new opening ideas which Ding unveiled in the match. "Ding has to deal with the fallout of his 'anonymous' pre-match training games being discovered online," chess publication Chess24 reported.

☆ Sweden's Alecta axes CEO after US bank losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OSLO/STOCKHOLM, April 11 (Reuters) - Swedish pension fund Alecta on Tuesday fired its CEO Magnus Billing with immediate effect following the recent announcement of large losses from investments in several U.S. banks. Alecta, Sweden's largest pension fund provider, last month said it had lost 19.6 billion Swedish crowns ($1.87 billion) from its shareholdings in First Republic Bank (FRC.N), Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. "The losses have severely damaged the trust in Alecta's asset management," the company said in a statement. "The board has concluded that Alecta needs new leadership in order to implement the necessary changes within the asset management and re-establish trust." The pension provider last week announced the replacement of its head of stock market asset management.

☆ UAE's e& takes $400 mln majority stake in ride-hailer Careem's Super App
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Lisa Barrington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, April 10 (Reuters) - Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (EAND.AD) has agreed to take a 50.3% stake in a super app managed by Careem, Uber Technologies' (UBER.N) Middle East subsidiary, in a transaction valued at $400 million, e& said in a filing on Monday. The Super App will be managed by Careem founders Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson, said the company, formerly known as Etisalat Group and now called e&. The ride-hailing business will be separated from the Careem Super App business and will be fully owned by Uber, but will still be available on the super app. Careem began seeking outside investors last year to help finance its Super App, which offers services outside its core ride-hailing business such as food delivery, bike rentals, digital payments and courier services. Uber and Careem's co-founders Sheikha, Olsson and Abdullah Elyas have the remaining stakes in the super app, a Careem spokesperson said.

☆ Austrian banks unaffected by banking turmoil - finance minister tells NZZ
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They are very well prepared," Brunner told Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung. He also defended Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) (RBIV.VI) which has come under fire for continuing to operate in Russia despite the war in Ukraine. "As for RBI, the bank complies with all international sanctions," Brunner told NZZ. "Incidentally, there are other European banks that continue to operate legally in Russia. The minister also said Austrian inflation, which fell to an estimated 9.2% in March, was still too high and called on the European Central Bank to do more to contain price increases.

☆ Chess-In Carlsen's shadow, chess awaits a new world champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 8 (Reuters) - Chess will crown a new world champion when Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren begin their battle on Sunday in the shadow of incumbent Magnus Carlsen, who voluntarily relinquished the title he held since 2013. Neither has held the world title before - a first for the championship. "I can write my name in history," Ding, the first Chinese player to contest the men's world title, told reporters on Saturday. "For me, this world championship match should include the strongest player on the planet, and this match doesn't. Current women's champion Ju Wenjun is scheduled to play a title match against compatriot Lei Tingjie in July.

☆ Austrian banks unaffected by banking turmoil, finance minister tells Neue Zuercher Zeitung
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They are very well prepared," Brunner told Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung. He also defended Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) (RBIV.VI) which has come under fire for continuing to operate in Russia despite the war in Ukraine. "As for RBI, the bank complies with all international sanctions," Brunner told NZZ. "Incidentally, there are other European banks that continue to operate legally in Russia. "The European Central Bank (ECB) in particular can do something about this, as a member of the euro zone we are dependent on the ECB," Brunner said.

☆ Magnus Carlsen’s Reign Over Chess Ends With a Slip of the Mouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Magnus Carlsen had mere seconds left on the clock of the final game he would play as World Chess Champion. He was near the end of the tie-breaking game in a format so dramatic it’s called Armageddon. Then he made a technological chess blunder for the ages.

☆ The Cycling Phenom Born for the Rough Ride of Paris-Roubaix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS—For as long as Zoe Bäckstedt has been serious about racing bicycles, her father has sat her down each spring to watch an old video of Paris-Roubaix 2004. Together, they watch the miserable, bone-chattering dash across the cobblestones of northern France and Zoe’s dad, a former bike racer named Magnus, begins commentating. He points out tricky corners and breaks down the tactics, mile by mile, right down to the potholes. By now, Zoe knows his whole spiel by heart. That’s when a young Magnus Bäckstedt crosses the race’s famous velodrome finish line for the finest victory of his 17-year professional career.

☆ Magnus Carlsen’s Reign Over Chess Ends with a Slip of the Mouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SummarySummary Companies Plant to supply 1.2-1.4 mln tonnes of ammonia per yearYara attracted by low US gas prices, carbon capture costProduction start up set for 2027-28OSLO, March 31 (Reuters) - Norwegian fertiliser maker Yara (YAR.OL) and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge (ENB.TO) plan to invest up to $2.9 billion to build a low-carbon blue ammonia production plant in Texas, they said on Friday. Blue ammonia, rather than green ammonia derived from renewable energy, refers to ammonia produced from natural gas, with the carbon dioxide (CO2) byproduct captured and stored. The plant will supply 1.2 million to 1.4 million tonnes of low-carbon ammonia per year. High gas prices in Europe have made the case to build in the U.S. stronger, Ankarstrand said. Many similar facilities are in development and demand for low-carbon ammonia looks strong, said Vince Paradis, Enbridge's vice president of business development.

☆ Cash-strapped Chinese cities are cutting medical benefits for seniors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Censors removed hashtags for “Wuhan health insurance” from Weibo’s hot topics section after the demonstrations began in January. State media reported at the time that some other regions had already spent public money on mass testing. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesCovering the shortfallChina’s health insurance scheme is a key part of its limited social safety net. To protesters, however, it looked like local governments were dipping into their individual accounts to cover the shortfalls of the collective pool. “There has to be some resolution of the financial capacity of local governments to meet current, and prospective, age-related costs,” Magnus said.

☆ Anna Cramling: Being a woman in chess can feel 'lonely' says popular streamer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Popular online chess streamer Anna Cramling says she’s also had uncomfortable experiences during her career in the game. “I’ve had weird experiences in the chess world ever since I was a kid,” Cramling told CNN Sport. “From adult men complimenting me at chess tournaments, to receiving DMs from my chess opponents saying things such as ‘I couldn’t stop looking at you’ during our chess game. “One of the main issues has been that there are so many more guys than girls that play chess, and being a woman at a chess tournament can sometimes feel lonely. “I know that chess tournaments will not forever look this way, we just need to get more women to play.

☆ Zelenskiy to IAEA: Russia holds nuclear plant hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The president met Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station - northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russian officials say they want to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to the Russian grid. Russia said last month the construction of protective structures for key facilities at the Zaporizhzhia plant were nearing completion. "Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year - this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or worldwide nuclear power," Zelenskiy said. Last week, the Ukrainian military warned that Avdiivka, a smaller town 90 km (55 miles) farther south, could become a "second Bakhmut" as Russia turns its attention there.

☆ Corporations desperate to avoid poor quality carbon credits and are starting up their own climate funds to offset emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The voluntary carbon market has a problem with bad quality carbon credits. "Headline after headline is published exposing these offsets for poor quality," Michelle You, CEO and cofounder of carbon removal platform Supercritical told Insider. The London Stock Exchange has also done this for investors - instead of getting dividends, they get carbon credits. He expects bespoke funds will phase out when the quality of carbon credits is better assured. Frontier Fund has brought widespread attention to the carbon removal space and sends critical demand signals to early carbon removal companies, Supercritical's You said.

☆ NHL roundup: Alex Ovechkin hits 40 goals for record 13th time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY SportsMarch 22 - On a night he was honored for passing one NHL legend, Washington's Alex Ovechkin made history by eclipsing another. Before the game, Ovechkin was honored in a 20-minute on-ice ceremony for passing Gordie Howe for second place on the all-time NHL goals list on Dec. 23. On Tuesday, Ovechkin scored his 40th goal of the season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history with his 13th. Barrett Hayton scored the lone goal for Arizona (27-33-11, 65 points), which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Alex Chiasson and Filip Zadina scored regulation goals for the Red Wings, who earned just their third victory in their last 13 games.

☆ NHL roundup: Bruins bounce Rangers for 10th straight win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

At the end of a board battle behind Elliott in the second period, Hinostroza one-timed his second goal off a pass from Casey Mittelstadt at 5:35 for Buffalo's first lead. Captain Dylan Larkin scored in the second period and Magnus Hellberg made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who have lost five straight games (0-4-1). Bennett, who had missed six straight games, scored one goal. Capitals 8, Sharks 3Craig Smith scored twice in Washington's four-goal second period and the visitors rallied for a win against San Jose. Predators 3, Blackhawks 1Philip Tomasino, Tyson Barrie and Colton Sissons scored for visiting Nashville in a win against Chicago.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid's 49th, 50th goals can't stop Bruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Edmonton's Connor McDavid scored twice for the first 50-goal season of his NHL career. Rantanen has goals in five straight games and MacKinnon recorded at least a point in his eighth consecutive game. Andrei Kuzmenko scored the winner 48 seconds into the overtime for the Canucks, who are 3-1-1 in their past five games. Isac Lundestrom, Jakob Silfverberg and Troy Terry also scored goals for the Ducks, with Silfverberg recording his 150th in an Anaheim uniform. Tyler Johnson and Andreas Athanasiou each scored goals for the Blackhawks, who saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to an end.

☆ Brain Chips Like Elon Musk's Neuralink Can Change Your Personality
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Evan Malmgren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Musk's neurotech startup, Neuralink, has been working toward implanting its skull-embedded brain chip in a human since it was founded in 2016. Other researchers have been looking into using BCIs to restore lost senses and control prosthetic limbs, among other applications. Intervening in the delicate operation of a human brain is a sticky business, and the effects are not always desirable or intended. If a brain chip can change key parts of your personality, companies should not be rushing to put them in people's heads. Wexler told me that while most people in the industry aren't that open to using BCIs as a consumer product, they still think it's likely to happen.

☆ The US economy needs immigrants. A rising share of both Democrats and Republicans don't want them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But a growing share of both Democrats and Republicans wants less immigration. This sentiment could be in response to the rise of migrants at the southern border in recent years. But a rising share of both Democrats and Republicans want the country to reduce immigration. After plummeting during 2020 due to the pandemic, the US Border Patrol reported a record-high nearly 1.7 million encounters with migrants at the US-Mexico border in 2021. Last year, a new record was set with over 2 million encounters.

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