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☆ Cadella Marley: Bob Marley instilled a love of football in his daughter. Now she’s changing the lives of women and girls in Jamaica
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“I’m reading it … I’m like: ‘Wait, Jamaica has a women’s football team? Six years earlier, in 2008, underfunding had led to the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) disbanding the women’s national team program. The women’s team disbanded again in 2016, but Marley never wavered in her commitment to the program. Marley’s work has helped not only improve standards and conditions for players, but also helped shift the country’s attitude towards the women’s national team. Qualifying to the knockouts will be difficult, but more history, this time a first Women’s World Cup win, is a real possibility.

Persons: Bob Marley, Cedella, “ Daddy, ” Marley, “, Ziggy, Steve, Pelé, Cadella, Joe Maher, underfunding, Marley, Ziggy Marley, Damien, –, Cedella Marley, Angela Weiss, ’, Havana Solaun, Khadija ‘ Bunny ’ Shaw, Jamaica's Khadija Shaw, Alfredo Estrella, Hue Menzies, Michael Ricketts, ”, Chinyelu Asher, ’ ” Asher, Asher, Bob Marley's, hasn’t, “ I’d, England’s Lionesses, I’ve, Bob Marley Foundation “, “ It’s Organizations: CNN — Football, CNN Sport, Soccer, Jamaican Football Federation, women’s, Bob Marley Foundation, Jamaica's, Getty, Ajax, Adidas, Friendship Sports, Havana, Manchester City, Super League, CNN, ” Reuters, Jamaica Locations: Jamaica, Caribbean, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Brazil, AFP, United States, France, Panama, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Costa Rica, Kingston , Jamaica

☆ Modi and India’s Diaspora: A Complex Love Affair Making Global Waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Damien Cave | More About Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Backstage at the Kennedy Center, as business leaders in bespoke suits and fine silk saris filtered into a 1,200-seat theater, Mr. Modi met with a handful of entrepreneurs. Mr. Modi tapped Mr. Sachdev’s shoulder and exclaimed “waah,” or wow in Hindi. With an emphasis on national pride, Mr. Modi and his conservative Hindu-first Bharatiya Janata Party have cultivated a surprisingly strong relationship with India’s successful diaspora. The bond has been strengthened by a global political machine, supercharged under Mr. Modi with party offices in dozens of countries and thousands of volunteers. And it has allowed Mr. Modi to fuse his own image — and his rubric of elevating India — with superstar executives and powerful, often more liberal constituencies in the United States, Britain, Australia and many other nations.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, ”, ” Umesh, “ waah, India’s Organizations: White, Kennedy, Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr Locations: Washington, Congress, India, America, California, United States, Britain, Australia

☆ India's tomato prices surge over 300%, sparking theft and turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tomato prices surged 366.86% from 26.76 rupees per kg at the start of the year to 108.92 rupees per kg as of July 11. India is facing a tomato crisis as prices have skyrocketed more than 300% due to extreme weather conditions. Tomato prices surged 341% year-to-date, from 24.68 rupees per kg to 108.92 rupees per kg as of July 11, data from the Department of Consumer Affairs showed. "Due to excess rainfall in these states, tomato [crops have] been highly affected… A large part of the tomato crop has been destroyed due to rains and flood," the council stated. Another popular Indian dish, the Andhra Tomato Kura (tomato curry) is also widely enjoyed by locals.

Persons: Damien Yeo Organizations: Department of Consumer Affairs, National, BMI, Fitch Solutions Locations: Kolkata, India, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka

☆ Medvedev weathers Eubanks storm to reach semis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Medvedev clung on stubbornly, however, and as the fire in the Eubanks racket began to fade he took charge to reach the semi-finals at the grasscourt slam for the first time. Eubanks used his sledgehammer forehand to break the Medvedev serve to lead 3-1 in the second set -- beaming broadly and imploring the crowd for more noise. Medvedev looked bewildered and out of ideas as Eubanks kept swinging for the hills, landing blow after blow. Medvedev looked close to boiling point as he whacked a ball dangerously close to the fans, argued with umpire Damien Dumusois and received a warning. Eubanks cut a dejected figure in the deciding set as his dream faded away and the end came quickly.

Persons: Russia's Daniil Medvedev, Christopher Eubanks, Toby Melville LONDON, Daniil Medvedev, Eubanks, Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Cameron Norrie, Medvedev's, Damien Dumusois, John McEnroe, Martyn Herman, Ken Ferris, Ed Osmond Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, U.S, REUTERS, Wimbledon, Georgia Tech, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Russian, British

☆ 2,000 Miles, a Balky R.V. and a Swim with Whale Sharks: How We Got Our Travel Mojo Back
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Damien Cave | More About Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Category 5 cyclone hit Western Australia the week we arrived. It was about 800 miles north of us, but on our first night, wind gusts tossed our R.V. During Covid, living in Australia, where state and national borders were closed for more than a year, that was impossible. We feared snags at airports, Covid, quarantine, labor shortages that slashed services. Travel had changed.

Persons: Amelia, ”, Diana, “ We’ll, “, We’d, I’d Organizations: New York Times, Travel Locations: Australia, Western Australia, Covid

☆ How 'Birkin Bandit' George Mickum Infiltrated NYC Society
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Kate Taylor | Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +52 min

"He would know people's weaknesses and what they wanted and somehow always have something to offer," a former close friend said. Another close friend said Mickum once gave her a $1,000 loan "within minutes" when she needed it because of a credit-card crisis. He never "let the truth get in the way of a good story," a former close friend said. Hermès bags, like the Birkin and the Kelly, have always been symbols of unattainable luxury. There wasn't even a dust bag; Mickum claimed his mom's assistant would drop it off later.

Persons: George Mickum strode, Carlyle, Patty Hearst, He'd, Mickum, Birkin, swilling, Patty's, Gillian Hearst, Mr, George Mickum, Gillian Hearst's, George, Sally Painter, who'd, Peter Davis, Jackie O, Barbara Walters, Alessia Fendi, influencer Hannah Stella, Nick Hissom, Steve Wynn, Hearst, they'd, Prince Charles, Anna Delvey, Patty Hearst's, Rumor, he'd, wasn't, Met Breuer, Peter Poopat, George Santos, Trinity, Elisabeth Thieriot, Thieriot, Hermes, —, Painter, Paul Mickum, George Mickum III, Sally, Painter's, Poopat, PJ Pascual, Patrick McMullan, Ramona Singer, Lauren Lawrence, Lawrence, Van Cleef, Nicole Salmasi, Trudy, Mike Vitelli, Eric Schmidt, Schmidt, Eric, R, Couri Hay, They're, Astor, William Randolph Hearst, Orson Welles, Kane, Gillian's, Bill Clinton, Patty, Bernard Shaw, Gillian, Lydia —, Shaw, Maxim, Lydia, Kane we're, Christian Simonds, Pierre, Krista Corl, Dee Dee, Scott Buccheit, Naeem Delbridge, Pascual, who's, We're, buttering, Simonds, Matthew Kehoe, England, — Hearst, Delbridge, Hearst's, Mario Glen Coco, Hearsts, Astrid Stawiarz, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Justin Timberlake, Joe Lewis, Buccheit, Mary McCarthy, Lillian Hellman, Mickum's, Christie Grimm, Steve, Kameron Ramirez, Hissom, Ramirez, Nick, Hunt, Damien Hirst, Douglas Elliman, Harry Winston, David Fiszel, invitees, Fiszel, Darian, Winston, Martha Stewart's, Mendel minks, Vacheron Constantin, Tao, Melinda French Gates, Shawn Mendes, Bill, Hillary Clinton, Neiman Marcus, Damien Hirst's, Damien, weren't, Kelly, Alexis Clarbour, Clarbour, Paul Wharton, you've, Wharton, Sean Zanni, Michael Coste, Hannah Stella, Coste's, Stella, Scott Fitzgerald, Coste, Goodman, Courroies Birkin, didn't, Aman, Cartier, Mickum's bluster, skeptically, satchel, Clarbour's, He's, We've, Sider, Philippe, Buccheit texted Pascual, he's, Hay, Café Carlyle, Alexander Hankin, Burisma, Hunter Biden, Mickum hasn't, There's, They've, Amy X, Wang, King Charles, Tracey Amon, Amon, GEORGE MICKUM Organizations: Hearst, Blue, Potomac, Hamptons, East, Met, University of Delaware, Southampton Bathing Corporation, Fields School, Georgetown Law, DC, Town &, New York Daily News, The New York Times, Google, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Cosmopolitan, Symbionese Liberation Army, Hearst Corporation, Vogue, Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering, Stockbridge Golf, New, Tiger, Tottenham, Douglas, Martha Stewart's Hamptons, Mickum, Projects, Madison, Getty, Antibes, Nike, Rue du Faubourg Saint, Couture, US, UN, New Yorkers, Avenue Couture, Hermès, Republican, Justice Department, Blue Star, Town, New York Times Magazine Locations: Bemelmans, Clinton, York, Palm, New, London, Manhattan, Dalton, Bay, Windsor Castle, Haute, Washington , DC, New York, Baccarat, The, San Francisco, Wilton , Connecticut, Side, Wyntoon, California, Buccheit, woodsy Stockbridge , Massachusetts, Stockbridge, Bahamas, Albany, Nobu, Martha, Peking, Paris, Istanbul, St, Georgetown, China, Italy, Hermès, Amalfi Coast, du, Midtown, brunch, Rue, Central Park, Mickum, Turkey, La, Café, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ New Zealand, EU ink trade deal that likely goes into effect in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - New Zealand and the European Union signed a free trade agreement overnight Sunday after negotiations were completed in 2022, with expectations it will come into force in the first half of 2024. New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor said the trade deal will cut costs and support exporters to grow and diversify their trade. The agreement was signed in Brussels by O’Connor and the EU Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. The statement added it is anticipated that the NZ-EU FTA will enter into force in the first half of 2024, once both parties complete the final required legal steps. ($1 = 1.6108 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Damien O’Connor, Cyclone Gabrielle, ”, Valdis Dombrovskis, Lucy Craymer, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: WELLINGTON, European Union, New, Trade, Export, O’Connor, EU, NZ, Zealand, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Brussels

☆ Texas Barbecue Is the Best It Has Ever Been. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Brett Anderson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Damien Brockway, who opened the Austin barbecue truck Distant Relatives in 2020, said he was inspired by the creative ferment of Austin’s barbecue scene. After a career spent in fine dining, he began to study cuisines of the African diaspora and his own heritage. Mr. Brockway’s team uses techniques enslaved Africans brought to plantations in the Caribbean and American South to cook dishes like roasted peanuts and pulled pork with tamarind molasses barbecue sauce. “It was more like the process educated me.”***Regional distinctions in Texas barbecue today go beyond what kind of wood fuels the smokers — post oak? — and often reflect the demographics of the areas where the barbecue is made.

Persons: Damien Brockway, ” Locations: Caribbean, American, Texas, Houston

Every June, it seems more and more corporations are trying to speak to and for the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community during Pride Month. This year was no different, even in the face of rising homophobia and anti-trans legislation. Whether it was Bud Lite partnering with a prominent trans influencer or the C.I.A. posting a banal message of inclusivity or Disneyland’s Clarabelle Cow being called a rising queer icon after serving in a rainbow dress during the park’s inaugural Pride Nite, companies are clamoring for a chance to make Pride about them. But is this representative of a genuine interest in diversity, inclusion and furthering the acceptance of queer identities, or is it rainbow washing — an attempt at capturing the attention and business of a growing consumer demographic?

Persons: Bud Lite, Max Wittert Organizations: Pride

June 21 (Reuters) - A former Goldman Sachs (GS.N) banker was convicted of insider trading by a New York jury on Wednesday, after prosecutors said he passed tips about potential mergers to a friend. He was convicted on four counts of securities fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Goel took the stand in his own defense during the trial and denied that he shared confidential information about the transactions. The case was one of several U.S. Attorney Damien Williams announced last summer as part of an insider trading crackdown. The average sentence in federal fraud, theft and embezzlement cases in the U.S. last year was 22 months in prison.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brijesh Goel, Akshay Niranjan, Goel, Prosecutors, drugmaker, Goldman, Niranjan, Damien Williams, Jody Godoy, Jamie Freed Organizations: New, Spirit Airlines, Prosecutors, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of New York

June 20 (Reuters) - Former Goldman Sachs banker Brijesh Goel's trial on insider trading charges drew to a close on Tuesday, with his attorney saying he was framed by his friend and a prosecutor saying Goel had lied to a New York jury. Prosecutors agreed not to charge him in exchange for cooperation in the case, including secretly recording his conversations with Goel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Naftalis said recordings of Goel urging Niranjan to delete messages about the trades prove his guilt. A Goldman Sachs spokesperson has called Goel's alleged conduct "egregious" and said the bank is cooperating with authorities. The case was one of several U.S. Attorney Damien Williams announced last summer as part of an insider trading crackdown.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brijesh Goel's, Goel, Akshay Niranjan, drugmaker, Goldman, Joshua Naftalis, Niranjan, Reed Brodsky, Brodsky, Apollo, Damien Williams, Jody Godoy, Sonali Paul Organizations: Spirit Airlines Inc, Barclays, Prosecutors, Goel ., U.S, Apollo Global Management, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of New York

☆ Jump Trading's top executive in Europe is leaving the systematic trading firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jump Trading exec Peter Deaner is leaving the systematic trading firm, people familiar with the matter said. Senior executive departures are relatively uncommon at the press-shy trading firm. Jump Trading Group's top executive in Europe is leaving the systematic trading firm after more than a decade. "Pete will be retiring from the industry in 2024, moving on from Jump Trading roughly at the end of Q1," the spokesperson told Insider in an email. Jump Trading International, the London-based subsidiary of the Chicago trading firm, has grown substantially since Deaner joined in the summer of 2012.

Persons: Peter Deaner, Deaner, Pete, Damien Couture, Verition, lockups Organizations: Companies, Couture, Bloomberg Locations: Europe, London, Chicago

☆ Shelbourne goalkeeper leaves club for Love Island
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 15 (Reuters) - Irish side Shelbourne are grappling with an unconventional transfer after goalkeeper Scott van der Sluis announced he was leaving to participate in dating reality show "Love Island". Van der Sluis, a former Wales youth international, is heading to Spain after requesting an early release from his contact to take a break from his professional career. Shelbourne boss Damien Duff was amused by Van der Sluis' decision. "I was shocked and saddened that Scott chose a villa in Mallorca full of beautiful, single women over myself, the staff and the players," ex-Ireland winger Duff joked. "All jokes aside, I thank Scott for his services to Shelbourne FC and we all wish him the very best for the future, whatever that holds."

Persons: Scott van der Sluis, Van der, Damien Duff, Van der Sluis, Scott, Duff, Hritika Sharma, Conor Humphries Organizations: Shelbourne, Wales, British, Wednesday, Shelbourne FC, Thomson Locations: Spain, Mallorca, Hyderabad

☆ Why the Battle for Supremacy in Asia Begins With China’s Coast Guard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But they are not Chinese Navy vessels. Their hulls are painted white, with “China Coast Guard” in block letters on the sides. In just a decade, China has amassed the world’s largest coast guard fleet, and it is like no other. More militarized, more aggressive in international disputes and less concerned with the usual missions of policing smugglers or search and rescue, the Chinese force has upended 200 years of global coast guard tradition. But with coast guard standoffs quietly escalating around the region, officials and analysts increasingly worry about a rising threat: an accident or violent skirmish anywhere in the vast area that China’s Coast Guard roams, which could spark a broader conflict, even a war between major powers.

Persons: standoffs Organizations: U.S . Navy, China Coast Guard, Guard Locations: Asia, China, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ Worldwide, Trump’s Latest Legal Woes Draw Outrage, and Shrugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As details emerged from the indictment charging former President Donald J. Trump with mishandling classified documents, global reaction ranged from strategic silence to unbridled outrage, with room in between for world-weary shrugs, wild conspiracy theories and ominous predictions of American decline. China’s propaganda machine, which would normally leap on a U.S. scandal, stayed quiet. Russian commentators called the charges a fake production of the “deep state.” And among American allies in Asia and Europe, there were concerns that the episode hurt not just the former president, but also the United States by highlighting that security secrets were not safe in America’s hands, and that the country’s disorienting, partisan fever has yet to break. “The case shows once again that Donald Trump belongs behind bars, not in the White House,” Ralf Stegner, a German Social Democrat who sits on the German intelligence oversight committee, said in a text message, adding: “This man is a threat to security and democracy in the U.S. and around the world.”The world, it seems, is once again gawking at the messiness of the United States and calculating the costs and opportunities of the latest Trump revelations transfixing and dividing the country. It is a moment that feels familiar yet not quite the same.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Donald Trump, ” Ralf Stegner, gawking Organizations: German Social Democrat Locations: U.S, Asia, Europe, United States, German

Senior military officials from the United States and China used a conference in Singapore to push competing visions of Asia’s future security: a U.S.-led safety net of well-armed partnerships versus a region where China is the center of a new international order. On Sunday, the Chinese defense minister, General Li Shangfu, methodically laid out criticisms of the United States and presented Beijing as a contrast in leadership, increasingly confident in using its political, economic and military power to keep Asia stable. “Certain countries willfully interfered in other countries’ internal matters and regional affairs, frequently resort to unilateral sanctions and armed coercion,” General Li said in an unmistakable reference to the United States and its allies. They “create chaos in a region and then walk away, leaving a mess behind,” he said. “We never want to let this be replicated in the Asia-Pacific.”The Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore where Mr. Austin and General Li spoke is one of the few regular forums where Beijing and Washington try to publicly win over Asian policymakers and publics.

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, —, General Li Shangfu, General Li, ”, “, Austin Organizations: U.S . Defense, Mr Locations: United States, China, Singapore, U.S, Ukraine, Asia, Beijing, Washington, Britain, Germany, Canada, American

The United States pressed Beijing on two fronts this weekend, warning both of the near-term risks of military mishaps and of the looming dangers of a nuclear arms rivalry, prompting a vehement accusation from a Chinese general that Washington was stoking confrontation. In speeches from President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Friday, and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on Saturday in Singapore, the Biden administration sought to draw China toward talks on the rising military perils. Mr. Austin also indicated that the United States would keep operating military ships and planes in international seas and skies near China despite recent close calls with Chinese forces, and also keep providing support to Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing sees as its own territory. Both are sore points with China. “We won’t be deterred by dangerous operational behavior at sea or in international airspace,” Mr. Austin told a gathering of military officials and experts at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual meeting in Singapore.

Persons: Washington, Jake Sullivan, Lloyd J, Austin III, Biden, Austin, Mr Organizations: Biden’s, Defense Locations: States, Beijing, Singapore, China, United States, Taiwan

☆ U.S. Defense Chief Vows to Continue Military Actions Near China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Chris Buckley | Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This year, however, the Chinese defense minister, General Li Shangfu, declined to meet Mr. Austin. All these are sore points for Beijing, especially Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. “We won’t be deterred by dangerous operational behavior at sea or in international airspace,” Mr. Austin told the audience of military officials and experts from across Asia and beyond. “The People’s Republic of China continues to conduct an alarming number of risky intercepts of U.S. and allied aircraft flying lawfully in international airspace. “We’ve all just seen another troubling case of aggressive and unprofessional flying by the P.R.C.,” he said, referring to China.

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, General Li Shangfu, Austin, Mr, ” Organizations: United, Washington, Taiwan Locations: United States, China, Singapore, Beijing, Washington, Austin, Taiwan, Asia, Republic of China

☆ Nikola Jokic, an Elusive Superstar, Has a Hold on Denver
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Sopan Deb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

About two miles from downtown Denver, the yellows, oranges and reds of a spray-painted mural fill the cracked, gray cement wall of a building that houses a temporary employment agency. The mural rises about 20 feet and depicts an expressionless Nikola Jokic next to a much more emotive Jamal Murray, his eyes narrowed and arms extended as though he is wielding a bow and arrow. Thomas Evans, a 38-year-old artist, finished the mural of the two Denver Nuggets stars recently as the team prepared to begin the N.B.A. He said the mural inspired him and some collaborators to write the song as a tribute to Jokic. James is the biggest star in the N.B.A., with four championship rings, piles of endorsement deals and a constant presence on social media and television.

Persons: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Thomas Evans, Damien Lucero, Lucero, Dame, Dame D.O.L.L.A, Damian Lillard, ”, —, LeBron James, James Organizations: Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Nuggets, Western Conference Locations: Denver, Portland, Jokic

May 28 (Reuters) - Global investors are gaming out how a tentative deal to raise the United States debt ceiling could ripple through markets, as lawmakers strive to pass the agreement through Congress before a June 5 deadline. U.S. five-year credit default swaps narrowed, meaning that the cost of insuring against exposure to a U.S. debt default fell. “The debt ceiling agreement is only the first step in saving the government from the brink of illiquidity.”The deal suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025 in exchange for caps on spending and cuts in government programs. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday set a deadline for raising the federal debt limit, saying the government would default if Congress does not increase the debt ceiling by June 5. Optimism that a debt ceiling deal was near and hefty gains in AI-related stocks helped the S&P 500 (.SPX) close at its highest level since August 2022 on Friday.

“The debt ceiling agreement is only the first step in saving the government from the brink of illiquidity.”The deal suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025 in exchange for caps on spending and cuts in government programs. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday set a deadline for raising the federal debt limit, saying the government would default if Congress does not increase the debt ceiling by June 5. Optimism that a debt ceiling deal was near and hefty gains in AI-related stocks helped the S&P 500 (.SPX) close at its highest level since August 2022 on Friday. S&P Global Ratings stripped the United States of its coveted top rating over a debt ceiling showdown in 2011, a few days after a last-minute agreement the agency at the time said did not stabilize "medium-term debt dynamics." S&P Global Ratings, Fitch and Moody's did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

☆ The music industry is freaking out about AI — but this artist is embracing the 'new tools'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The legality of commercializing AI-generated music is a gray area, experts say. AI music is divisiveAI-generated music is booming — but many people aren't happy about it. He said that although it's important to address concerns about deep fake songs made in the likeness of other artists, AI tools also offer the potential for increased accessibility. Commercializing AI-generated content is complicatedThere's been mounting anxiety over the legality of AI-generated content across creative industries. Weston said that for AI-generated music to be protected, a creator must do something significant with the output.

☆ Stars at Cannes take break from red carpet to support AIDS research
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CANNES, May 25 (Reuters) - Celebrities including Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Wright and Heidi Klum escaped the Cannes Film Festival's crowded Croisette Boulevard for a night to attend a fundraiser for AIDS research at a secluded luxury hotel in the nearby resort town of Antibes. In addition to Rexha, Gladys Knight, Adam Lambert and Halsey entertained the high-paying guests while Queen Latifah played host for the evening that included a fashion show and auction. The goal of the luxury evening was to raise money on behalf of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, which also supports HIV prevention, treatment education and advocacy. [1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - The amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2023 charity gala - Antibes, France, May 25, 2023. Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols pose.

☆ How ‘Decoupling’ From China Became ‘De-risking’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It reflects an evolution in the discussion over how to deal with a rising, assertive China. But the word also has a vexing history in financial policy — and since the debate over de-risking will continue, we all might as well get up to speed. How De-risking Went Viral“De-risking” relations with China caught on after a speech by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on March 30, when she explained why she’d be traveling to Beijing with President Emmanuel Macron of France, and why Europe would not follow the calls for decoupling that began under President Trump. “I believe it is neither viable — nor in Europe’s interest — to decouple from China,” she said. This is why we need to focus on de-risk — not decouple.”

☆ Biden Abruptly Cuts Short an Asia-Pacific Visit, to China’s Benefit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was meant to be a moment for the history books — the first time a U.S. president visited a Pacific Island country. The White House announced on Tuesday that Mr. Biden would cut short an Asia-Pacific trip and return to Washington on Sunday after the Group of 7 summit in Japan for debt ceiling negotiations to ensure the United States does not run out of cash and default. What the cancellation means, in the broadest of terms, is that America’s domestic politics is undermining American foreign policy at a crucial time, in a critical region. “It will reinforce lingering doubts about U.S. staying power,” said Hal Brands, a professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins University. “And you can bet China will make hay of this — its message to countries in the region will be, ‘You can’t count on a country that can’t even perform basic functions of governance.’”

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