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☆ Royal wedding showpiece highlights Jordan's role as West's stable ally
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Prince Mohammed last visited Jordan a year ago following years of tensions, also prompting hopes then that warmer ties would unlock more fulsome economic support. KING-IN-WAITING[1/10] Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif are seen together at their royal wedding ceremony, in Amman, Jordan, June 1, 2023 in this screen grab taken from a video. At the Arab League summit in Jeddah last month, he walked alongside his father to greet Crown Prince Mohammad. Washington's desire for a stable ally in an otherwise volatile region meant it too has often turned a blind eye to Jordan's slow democratic reforms and mixed human rights record. It's the prince's wedding, not ours," said Abdullah al-Fayez, a retired servicemen living on slim savings on the outskirts of Amman.

Persons: Prince Hussein, Rajwa Al Saif, Britain's William, Kate AMMAN, King Abdullah, Jordan, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Lady Jill Biden, Britain's Prince, Princess of Wales, William, Kate, Prince Mohammed, Hamza, Hussein, Joe Biden, Prince Mohammad, Prophet Mohammed, Alia Ibrahim, Abdullah al, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, John Stonestreet Organizations: West, Saudi, U.S, Royal Hashemite, REUTERS, Georgetown, Sandhurst, League, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Saudi, West, U.S, Amman, Jordan, Jeddah, Mecca, Iraq, Syria

☆ Far-right minister says Israel 'in charge' during visit to Jerusalem holy site
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) - Israel's hard-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited a site in Jerusalem holy to both Muslims and Jews on Sunday and declared Israel was "in charge", drawing condemnation from Palestinians after months of escalating tension and violence. "All the threats from Hamas will not help, we are in charge here in Jerusalem and all of the Land of Israel," Ben-Gvir said. Today, the hillside site is the third holiest in Islam, holding Al-Aqsa mosque with the Dome of the Rock, believed to be where the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven. Under the status quo arrangements, non-Muslims may visit the site in the heart of the Old City but are not allowed to pray. Palestinians consider defiance of the ban on prayer as a provocation and fear that Israel intends to take over the site.

☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

[1/2] Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are covered with a white sheet as they arrive to appear at the High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin RazaISLAMABAD, May 16 (Reuters) - Bushra Khan, the wife of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is facing corruption charges in the same case that led to his arrest on May 9. It was not clear when or how Khan met Bushra, but former aide Aun Chaudhry said Khan was very impressed with her spirituality. Khan and Bushra married in 2018, seven months before he was elected prime minister, in a secret ceremony. While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events, and the couple are the sole trustees, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

☆ Opinion: The dubious MLK Jr. quote about Malcolm X
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Opinion Peniel E. Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, long a contentious backdrop to the history of civil rights and anti-racist activism in America, is under new scrutiny after the bombshell news that a quote denigrating Malcolm X, published in Playboy and attributed to King, is apparently fraudulent. This new information adds to the ongoing rethinking of the relationship between King and Malcolm X. Of course, this is not to suggest that we stop teaching “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” since all memoir and autobiography is an act of literary creation. The complexity of his relationship to Malcolm X is handled judiciously. Balancing the bitter and beautiful parts of the relationship between King and Malcolm X helps us come to terms with past and contemporary historical traumas.

☆ Iran hangs two men for blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, May 8 (Reuters) - Iran has executed two people who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, the judiciary's news website Mizan reported on Monday. Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were executed for crimes including blasphemy, insulting the religion of Islam, the prophet and other sanctities, Mizan reported. The two were running dozens of online anti-religion platforms dedicated to the hatred of Islam, the promotion of atheism and insults to sanctities, Mizan reported. U.N. experts have called on majority Shi'ite Muslim Iran to stop persecution and harassment of religious minorities pointing out an Iranian policy of targeting dissenting beliefs or religious practices, including Christian converts and atheists. Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Coronation of King Charles: Order of Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +46 min

The Archbishop saysI here present unto you King Charles, your undoubted King: Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same? Christopher Finney GC saysI here present unto you King Charles, your undoubted King: Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same? We praise thee, we bless thee,we worship thee, we glorify thee,we give thanks to thee for thy great glory,O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O clap your hands together, all ye people;O sing unto God with the voice of melody. The King touches the Ring and the Archbishop saysReceive this Ring, symbol of kingly dignity and a sign of the covenant sworn this day, between God and King, King and people.

☆ Factbox: Key moments in King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - From the religious symbolism of his anointment to the moment when the crown is placed on his head, what are the highlights to look out for during the coronation of King Charles on Saturday? It has been used at every coronation since King William IV's in 1831 and was first used by George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament in 1762. "This is often thought to be the most sacred part of the ceremony," Charles Farris, Public Historian At Historic Royal Palaces, said. "The big moment, the big photograph moment, the big moment that everyone's going to be talking about, making memes of, making TikToks of, that's when the king is crowned, when the king has the crown put on his head". While the newly-crowned king and queen will be the centre of attention, all eyes will be on whether Charles' younger son Prince Harry appears.

☆ Sam Altman is building his utopia, whether you want it or not
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

Altman told Insider, "We debate our approach frequently and carefully." "I don't think anyone can lose your dad young and wish he didn't have more time with him," Altman told Insider. Altman told Insider that his thinking had evolved since those posts. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ He's played chess with Peter Thiel, sparred with Elon Musk and once, supposedly, stopped a plane crash: Inside Sam Altman's world, where truth is stranger than fiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

But, "you do at some point need to start having contact with reality," he told Insider. The plan was still only a rough sketch, Blania told Insider, but that didn't seem to matter to his host. "He always wanted to understand everything at a very deep level," Thrun told Insider in an email. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ Egyptian female Islamic chanters break into male-dominated field
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Then at the age of 17, her mother encouraged her to learn "Maqamat" - the art of singing Arabic music melodies which would prepare her for Inshad chanting. Now 27, she is the founder of "Al Hoor" - an all female Islamic chanting troupe in Egypt. "I felt women were underrepresented in this field and I wanted us to take part in developing the art form of chanting," she said. Shaimaa El Nouby, another Egyptian female chanter, said she faced similar challenges. "I want to develop chanting as an art form while protecting the old schools of Inshad," she said.

☆ Fact Check-2019 image of Nigeria's Buhari praying at Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque mistakenly linked to 2023 trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A photo from 2019 of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari praying at Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque is being falsely attributed online to his 2023 trip to the kingdom. April posts on Facebook show Buhari wearing a white garment and praying next to his wife, Aisha (here and here). Captions suggest the image was captured at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. While he did pray at the Prophet’s Mosque in the city (here), the photo shared by social media users is from a different occasion. He said it showed Buhari at the Grand Mosque in Mecca while the president was undertaking the Umrah pilgrimage.

[1/5] A Palestinian Christian man Ehab Ayyad offers dates and water to Muslims held up in traffic or getting late for home to break their fast during Ramadan, in Gaza City April 12, 2023. For those unlucky enough to miss breaking the fast altogether as they stand in solid traffic, Ehab Ayyad is a welcome sight. The Christian man from Gaza offers dates and water to Muslims held up in traffic or late home to break their fast, in keeping with the Prophet's tradition. Five years ago, Ayyad began by offering neighbours dates and water, the first thing Muslims normally eat when they end their fast at sunset, and decided to make the offer general. "On our holidays, our Muslim neighbours come to visit and congratulate us, and we do the same on their holidays," Ayyad said.

☆ Who is Nouriel Roubini, Wall Street's 'Dr. Doom' economist who has warned of catastrophe for 2 decades?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Nouriel Roubini, the economist known as "Dr. Doom", has been warning of disaster for two decades. He rose to prominence after being among the commentators to call the 2008 financial crisis. When he spoke of an impending housing crash at the International Monetary Fund that year, the audience chuckled, the New York Times reported. Nouriel Roubini economics professor at New York University attends 48th edition of Economic Forum of Cernobbio on September 02, 2022 in Cernobbio, Italy. "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day," Anirvan Banerji, a critic of Roubini's told the New York Times in 2008.

☆ ChatGPT can't answer basic questions about markets and investing and it'll be a long time before its a useful tool for investors, DataTrek says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

ChatGPT's market and investing knowledge is spotty, and the bot isn't a good tool for investors yet, DataTrek said. The firm asked the chatbot seven questions related to markets, and some of its answers were vague or incorrect. In a note on Friday, the research firm tested the capabilities of the trendy AI tool, asking it seven questions related to markets and investing. The chatbot refused to answer four questions, and it incorrectly or vaguely answered two other questions, the firm said. "Generative AI has a long way to go before proving useful in the financial services industry or as a tool for individual investors.

☆ ChatGPT and A.I. might have a future as your portfolio manager, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

From a portfolio management perspective" — found that ChatGPT's ability to choose from a set of assets outperformed random selection on measures of risk-adjusted return and diversification. "Additionally, professional portfolio managers can improve their productivity by focusing on more important tasks while being assisted by ChatGPT in the selection of diverse assets for a given portfolio." Then, the researchers ran 10,000 simulations asking ChatGPT to select a various number of the available assets to create a portfolio. A backtest of the data showed that ChatGPT's selections created a more diversified portfolio with less correlated assets than random selection. And then, over the period of Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023, the ChatGPT portfolios also outperformed the random selection portfolios on a risk-adjusted basis.

☆ Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, prophet of the rise of the PC, dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Noel Randewich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SAN FRANCISCO, March 24 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) co-founder Gordon Moore, a pioneer in the semiconductor industry whose "Moore's Law" predicted a steady rise in computing power for decades, died Friday at the age of 94, the company announced. Intel and Moore's family philanthropic foundation said he died surrounded by family at his home in Hawaii. In recent years, Intel rivals such as Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) have contended that Moore's Law no longer holds as improvements in chip manufacturing have slowed down. He went to work at the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory where he met future Intel cofounder Robert Noyce. In 1968, Moore and Noyce left Fairchild to start the memory chip company soon to be named Intel, an abbreviation of Integrated Electronics.

JERUSALEM, March 24 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers flocked to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan for noon prayers, which passed peacefully amid tight security imposed after months of escalating tension and violence. "I cannot describe to you how happy I am to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. I'm 50 years old and they only recently removed the security ban that had prevented me from coming here," said Nasser Abu Saleh, a resident of the West Bank city of Hebron. The Muslim Waqf, custodians who manage the site which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, said around 100,000 people had visited for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan. [1/5] Palestinians make their way through an Israeli checkpoint to attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 24, 2023.

☆ 6 ways to support Muslim coworkers who are fasting during Ramadan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Allana Akhtar | Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For many Muslims, Ramadan means abstaining from food and drink while at work. So, how can non-Muslim colleagues be supportive, while also not accidentally making a micro-aggression toward someone who is observing Ramadan? At one office where Nasr worked, a boss privately asked her if she needed any special accommodations while observing Ramadan. Most Muslims use the Arabic phrase "Ramadan Mubarak," which translates to "have a blessed Ramadan" or "happy Ramadan, to greet each other. Plus, there are many other reasons why Muslims don't fast, like during illness or travel.

☆ Saudi sculptor steps into limelight as religious curbs ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Mohammed Benmansour | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Awatif Al-Keneibit, a Saudi artist, shows her art in her studio, an art-form previously frowned upon in the country but now gaining more acceptance, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 9, 2023. Her exposition includes ceramic faces, some with hollow eyes, others wearing eye glasses, and figurines of Saudi Arabian women, displayed on red bricks and coloured to reflect traditional desert dresses. "Who could have imagined that one day, this exhibition, which was in a basement, could be displayed in Olaya (downtown Riyadh)?" said Keneibit, 60, who is blazing a trail for women in the arts in Saudi Arabia's conservative male-dominated society. U.S.-educated Keneibit said she resorted to creating a private gallery at the bottom of her house for friends and guests after a public exhibition was banned in 2009.

☆ Iranian foundation offers land to Salman Rushdie's attacker - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - An Iranian foundation has praised the man who attacked novelist Salman Rushdie last year, leaving him severely injured, and said it will reward him with 1,000 square metres of agricultural land, state TV reported on Tuesday through its Telegram channel. Some Muslims saw passages in the novel about the Prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. Khomeini's successor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was suspended from Twitter in 2019 for saying the fatwa against Rushdie was "irrevocable." The man accused of attacking the novelist has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Michael Georgy and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Paradox of Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( James Verini | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +52 min

The preventive approach to domestic terrorism goes back even further than the 1990s and it begins with the basic police work and surveillance of the joint terrorism task forces. In fact, there is no section of the U.S. Criminal Code that criminalizes domestic terrorism as such. The absence of clear law around domestic terrorism, and the imperatives of prevention, mean that investigators and prosecutors who work domestic terrorism cases must focus on more common charges: weapons violations, illegal drug possession, burglary, aiding and abetting and so forth. But this was not enough to overrule the fear of domestic terrorism that was gripping the nation and that hung in the courtroom. It reflected the legal paradoxes of the case and domestic terrorism law in general or, maybe more accurately, the absence of it.

☆ New Zealand's Ardern bids emotional farewell on last day as prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday bid an emotional farewell on her last day as prime minister, speaking of the kindness and empathy New Zealanders have shown her, but said she was ready to be a sister and a mother. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the greatest privilege of my life," Ardern told the gathering in a speech. The speeches and accompanying songs and dances that followed saw elders speak with humour and warmth about Ardern. "Thanks so much for teaching us to love quickly," one elder told Ardern. Ardern responded, saying she that hadn't planned to speak but that those there refused to give her an out.

☆ On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her father’s legacy into a “comfortable and convenient King” offering easy platitudes. The service, organized by the center and held at Ebenezer annually, headlined observances of the 38th federal King holiday. ... A prophetic word calls for an inconvenience because it challenges us to change our hearts, our minds and our behavior,” Bernice King said. At Ebenezer, Warnock, who has led the congregation for 17 years, hailed his predecessor’s role in securing ballot access for Black Americans. But, like Bernice King, the senator warned against a reductive understanding of King.

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