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☆ Sydney Harbour shark attack puts Australian swimmers on edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Monday night’s attack was the first in Sydney Harbour since 2009, when a bull shark tore off the arm of an Australian Navy diver near Green Island. “Sydney residents do love swimming in Sydney Harbour. Dan Himbrechts/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockWarmer waters mean more sharksAustralia is second only to the United States when it comes to “unprovoked” shark attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File. January and February are peak months for bull sharks in Sydney Harbour, which go there to feed and breed during the warmer months. Despite the frequency of visits by bull sharks to Sydney Harbour, there’s no separate system to monitor them.

Persons: Lauren O’Neill, Elizabeth Bay, Linda Scott, ”, “, Gerard Soury, Michael Porter, ” Porter, Fiona Crago, ” Crago, Dan Himbrechts, Amy Smoothey, Smoothey, ” Smoothey, Scott Organizations: Australia CNN, Sydney Harbour, Opera, Sydney, Australian Navy, CNN, Bank, Sky News, Local, Tweed Heads, NSW Department of Primary Industries, East Australian Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Sydney, Elizabeth, Sydney Harbour, Green Island, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, United States, New South Wales, Bega, Tweed, Queensland, there’s, NSW, ”

☆ Lia Thomas: Transgender swimmer begins legal case against swimming’s world governing body
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( David Close | Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has begun legal proceedings against World Aquatics, swimming’s governing body, after it voted to restrict transgender athletes from competing in elite women’s aquatics competitions, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The swimmer is challenging certain parts of the World Aquatics’ gender inclusion policy, which went into effect on June 20, 2022, according to the international court body. CNN has reached out to World Aquatics for comment. At the time of her transition in 2019, the NCAA required transgender athletes to have one year of hormone replacement therapy to be cleared to compete. Advocates of banning transgender women from women’s sport have argued transgender women have a physical advantage over cisgender women in sports.

Persons: Lia Thomas, Thomas, Ms Thomas, “, Thomas ’, Danne Diamond, Ally, ”, CNN’s Ben Church Organizations: CNN, World Aquatics, Sport, Olympic Charter, Aquatics, European, Human Rights, Women, NCAA, University of Pennsylvania, UPenn, University of Pennsylvania’s, Ivy League, Penn Athletics, Sports Medicine Locations: Berlin

☆ Former high-ranking FDIC attorney Mark Black pleads guilty in child sex exploitation case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A former high-ranking lawyer at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to conspiring to sexually exploit multiple children and now faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years. "Black and his co-conspirators would covertly record this conduct and share the videos with each other," the DOJ said. Black pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life behind bars. The FDIC said Black's criminal activity "had nothing whatsoever to do with the FDIC," and did not involve the use of agency computers or other devices.

Persons: Mark Black, Black Organizations: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Arlington Aquatic, FDIC, Justice, DOJ, CNBC, FBI, U.S . Center, SafeSport, U.S, Olympic Locations: Arlington, Virginia, Arlington ., U.S, Alexandria , Virginia

☆ A dangerous undercurrent is pulling Americans toward the political extreme. The media is turning a blind eye to it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —There is a dangerous undercurrent dragging Americans who wade into the political waters out toward the extreme. But much of the national press, basking ashore on the sun-soaked beach, refuses to acknowledge it in a serious manner. Instead, many journalists have grown comfortable glossing over the treacherous rip tide lurking beneath the surface of the water before their very eyes. Embarrassingly, Ron DeSantis has done more in recent days than most in the press to call attention to the matter. For one, it is still perhaps uncomfortable to acknowledge the depths of dishonesty in which much of right-wing media now operates.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, —, Ron DeSantis, assailing Trump, Breitbart, Trump, it’s Organizations: New York CNN, Republican Party, Trump, Fox News Locations: New York, Iowa, Overton, Florida

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — For the first time in 11 years, Katie Ledecky has lost a 400-meter freestyle race in an American pool. Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh took the title at the U.S. Open championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday, beating Ledecky by nearly 3 seconds. McIntosh took the title in a meet record of 3 minutes, 59.42 seconds, while Ledecky touched next in 4:02.38. Ledecky’s last loss in the 400 free in her home country was at the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials, when she placed third at age 15. Ledecky took gold in the event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Persons: Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh, McIntosh, Ledecky, Ledecky’s, Australia's Ariarne, ___ Organizations: U.S, Olympic, Janeiro Games Locations: GREENSBORO, N.C, Greensboro , North Carolina, Ledecky, Fukuoka, Japan

☆ The key to fighting the urban doom loop might be a downtown beach
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Urban rivers, lakes, and parks can also be the key to making cities more resilient to climate change. The 1,200 tons of sand near Greenwich Village along the Hudson river would have to do. But there's no public pool nearby, and no sanctioned river swim spots in the city. The sandy bluff on Gansevoort peninsula is part of the much larger Hudson River park and looks out over Little Island, a whimsical, highly instagrammable transformation of Pier 55. Seattle has torn down an elevated freeway downtown to make way for a waterfront park.

Persons: Mia Olis, Olis, they'll, Amanda Weinstein, Hudson, Karin Balow, Eliza Relman, Bill O'Leary, Trey Sherard, It's, vVJ9elwcss, Sherard, Charles, satchel, Paris, Anne Hidalgo, he's Organizations: Service, University of Akron, Hudson, Inwood, New, Battery, Park, DC, Navy, Nationals, Anacostia, Prince, AFP, Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Yacht Locations: Chelsea, Hawaii, Greenwich Village, Harlem, New York, Rivers, Upper Manhattan, Manhattan, Jersey City, New York City, Hudson, Little, Manhattan's, Brooklyn, Domino, Queens, Governor's, . Cleveland , Ohio, Lake Erie, Cuyahoga, . Seattle, Potomac, Anacostia, Washington , DC, Prince George's County , Maryland, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Iraja, Black, Boston, Switzerland's, Zurich, Lake Zurich, Bern, who's, American

She immediately called Shira Chuna, a 16-year-old teammate, to express her outrage, although she didn’t tell her parents or anyone else. Then she texted Mustafa in an exchange that she later shared with The New York Times. “I didn’t say you were Musta,” Avishag wrote back. “Right now Hamas are in the wrong.”She told him to tell her if he wanted the videos. It seemed they had achieved an uneasy peace, although they couldn’t be sure until they swam together again.

Persons: ” Mustafa, you’re, Avishag, Shira Chuna, texted Mustafa, “, I’m, ” Avishag, “ It’s, ”, “ Israel, that’s, texted Organizations: The New York Times, Hamas Locations: Israel

Filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have given audiences thrilling and sometimes terrifying front-row seats to incredible feats of human ambition in their documentary work. But there would be at least one big difference in bringing “Nyad” to life: actors. Political Cartoons View All 1233 ImagesIn fiction, she found creative collaborators in their decorated core cast: Annette Bening, who plays Nyad, Jodie Foster as her friend and coach Bonnie Stoll, and Rhys Ifans as the ship's navigator. Vasarhelyi wasn’t without any experience working with actors, either, and in fact learned from the best. With their other films, the filmmakers had loved watching their subjects get to see audiences respond to them and their work.

Persons: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold’s, El Capitan, they’d, Diana Nyad, “, ”, Nyad, ” Vasarhelyi, Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Bonnie Stoll, Rhys Ifans, Chin, Vasarhelyi, Nyad ”, Mike Nichols, Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, Tom Stoppard, Julia Cox, ” Chin, Foster, “ There's, Bening, Annette, Diana, Oscar, Claudio Miranda, Ang, Pi ”, Miranda, it’d, you’re, We’re Organizations: Key West, Netflix, Associated Press, Formula Locations: Northern Thailand, The, Cuba, Key, Covent Gardens

☆ A rat exterminator who's helped successfully eliminate nearly 100% of rats in a section of NYC says people clap, cheer, and offer him free beer when he comes around
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New York City has millions of rats. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementThere are millions of rats in New York City. Matt Deodato, the owner of Urban Pest Management, told Insider he's killed thousands of rats with the method. A rat climbs into a box with food in it on the platform at the Herald Square subway station in New York City.

Persons: Matt Deodato, —, he's, Deodato, He's, chewers, New York City Bethany Brookshire, Val Curtis, Michael Parsons, Mongabay, Parsons, Gary Hershorn Organizations: Service, Urban Pest Management, London School of Hygiene, Tropical Medicine, Geographic, Herald, Smithsonian Locations: York City, New York City, New York

☆ First Australian named for Paris Games shrugs off Seine pollution concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Organisers were forced to cancel the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Paris in August after heavy rain caused the Seine's water quality to dip below minimum health standards, leaving Gubecka and other swimmers unable to compete. Swimming legs of test events for triathlon and Para triathlon were also scrapped in August over water quality concerns. "They really are considering their options and are going to try to make sure we have the best experience possible next year." Paris has been working on clean-up efforts to make the Seine swimmable again, as it was during the 1900 Paris Olympics. Bathing in the Seine has been banned since 1923, though officials have long promised to restore water quality to safe levels.

Persons: Australia's Chelsea Gubecka, Issei Kato, Chelsea Gubecka, Ian Ransom, Robert Birsel Organizations: Chelsea, Paris Olympics, Brisbane, Australia's, Games, Thomson Locations: Fukuoka, Japan, Seine, Paris, Brisbane, Melbourne

☆ U.S. casts big net into Pan Am pool in quest for Olympic gold
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Americans finished with a bang, picking up five medals including gold in the women's 1,500m freestyle and the men's 4x100m medley relay. "We cast a huge net the year before the Olympic trials and Olympic Games trying to make sure we give a lot of people opportunity to get international experience which only sets us up to be better in 2024. The Pan Am pool was not without a few big fish. Olympic butterfly champion Maggie MacNeil was the swimmer in the spotlight, claiming five gold medals (100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 4x100 freestyle relay, 4x100 medley relay), the most by a Canadian athlete at a single Pan Am Games. Her total medal haul of seven (five gold, a silver and bronze) is also a single Games high for a Canadian swimmer.

Persons: Rachel Stege, Dylan Martinez, Brent Arckey, Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky, Arckey, LEN European, Brooks Curry, Paige Madden, Jay Litherland, Maggie MacNeil, MacNeil, Steve Keating, Ed Osmond Organizations: Acuatico, U.S, Rights, Pan American, Aquatic Center, Reuters, Olympic Games, Olympic, Pan Ams, Am Games, Thomson Locations: Santiago, Chile, Morros, U.S, Indianapolis, LEN European Ireland, Canadian, Canada, United States

☆ Andrade and MacNeil take Pan Am Games spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With marquee names in short supply, Olympic champions MacNeil and Andrade commanded the Pan Am stage, the Canadian tying American Gabi Albiero for first in women's 50 metre freestyle while Andrade soared to the top of the podium in the vault. Simone Biles aside, Andrade might just be the most intriguing athlete competing in her sport in Santiago. Biles may be recognised as the greatest gymnast of all-time but Andrade is the queen of the vault, holding the Olympic, world championship and now Pan Am Games crowns on the apparatus. MacNeil's fourth win in Santiago tied the record for most gold by a Canadian swimmer at a Pan Am Games while her six total medals (four gold, a silver and bronze) also equalled a single Games national mark. Chile enjoyed their best day of the Panamerican Games scooping up three gold to push their total to five while Argentina's struggles continued.

Persons: Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, Agustin Marcarian, Rebeca Andrade, Maggie MacNeil, MacNeil, Andrade, Gabi Albiero, Simone Biles, Biles, Jordan Chiles, Zoe Miller, ”, I’m, Argentina's, Steve Keating, Lincoln Organizations: Centro, deportes colectivos, Rights, Pan American Games, Olympic, Tokyo, Pan Am, Pan, Santiago, Pan Am Games, Canadian, Aquatic, Thomson Locations: Santiago, Chile, United States, Santiago ., Antwerp, Biles, Canadian, Argentina, Grande, U.S, Mexico, Canada

☆ Remarkable video showed a false killer whale twirling and 'twerking' in front of divers. The species is known to socialize with humans, even bringing them large fish.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video taken by divers showed a false killer whale twirling right in front of them in Costa Rica. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe false killer whale proceeded to blow bubbles before moving away from McSweeney and then circling back, stopping beside him. False killer whale Morten Falch SortlandThe sharing of prey is common for false killer whales, which are long-lived creatures with strong social bonds, Baird said. A lone false killer whale, far from its typical range, would catch fish and offer them to people on boats. As for the video of the false killer whale twirling before the divers, he said it's likely on that same scale of behavior.

Persons: Robin Baird, —, Lee Bertrand Robin Baird, Baird, Dan McSweeney, McSweeney, Dan, Morten Falch, He's, mahi, it's Organizations: Costa Rica . Research, Service, Cascadia Research, Hawai'i's Dolphins Locations: Costa Rica ., Costa Rica, Hawaii, Kona, British Columbia

BERLIN (AP) — Plans for the first “open category” swimming races to accommodate transgender competitors at a World Cup this weekend have been scrapped because of a lack of entries. World Aquatics said Tuesday it had received “no entries” for the open category events scheduled to take place at a World Cup starting Friday in Berlin. The open category was supposed to make its debut on a pilot basis with 50-meter and 100-meter races in Berlin. World Aquatics said its open category working group will continue its work. Political Cartoons View All 1196 Images“Even if there is no current demand at the elite level, the working group is planning to look at the possibility of including open category races at Masters events in the future,” World Aquatics said.

Persons: ___ Organizations: BERLIN, FINA, Aquatics Locations: Berlin, Budapest, Hungary

CNN —Water levels are so low at Canyon Lake in Texas that an underwater cave and remnants of communities that stood more than a century ago at the site are reappearing. It was constructed in 1958 to help mitigate flooding and preserve water and was filled with water by 1968, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. The drought combined with high heat to produce all-time low water levels. As well the history that is coming to the surface.”A bridge and rubble from a previous house that was underwater at Canyon Lake in Texas reappeared due to historically low water levels. “As the lake level drops, there are more underwater hazards such as tree stumps and large rocks that are at or near the surface,” Church said.

Persons: JM Perez, I’ve, “, Perez, Hancock, ” Devol, “ It’s, ” Organizations: CNN, US Army Corps of Engineers, KSAT, Porsche Devol, US Army Corps of Engineers ’ Fort, US Army Corps of Engineers ’ Fort Worth District Locations: Texas, Comal County, San Antonio, Hancock, ” Clay, US Army Corps of Engineers ’, US Army Corps of Engineers ’ Fort Worth

☆ Elite Ukrainian commandos on jet skis conducted a daring raid on a Russian electronic warfare station in Crimea, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian commandos on jet skis conducted a mission to damage a Russian electronic warfare station in Crimea. Members of the group told The Times of London how they carried out their covert and daring mission. AdvertisementAdvertisementA unit of Ukrainian commandos traveled covertly across the Black Sea on jet skis in a daring raid on a Russian electronic warfare station in Crimea, a report says. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe electronic warfare station had thwarted drone strikes and tracked British Storm Shadow missiles. While the unit approached the peninsula, five Ukrainian support ships fired at Russian positions as a diversion tactic, per The Times.

Persons: —, Borghese, Levan, Timur, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, GUR Organizations: Times, Ukrainian, Service, Brotherhood Battalion, Storm Shadow, Raptor, REUTERS, Fleet Locations: Crimea, London, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Crimea, Sevastopol, Ukraine

☆ Botany Bay: One dead, one in hospital after breaching whale capsizes boat in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Akanksha Sharma | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —One man is dead and another in hospital after a boat reportedly struck by a whale capsized in waters off Sydney, Australia, early Saturday morning local time. The vessel has been recovered and will undergo forensic testing, Munro added. The incident occurred on the first day of National Safe Boating Week in Australia, which runs from September 30 to October 6. A key focus of the initiative by Australia & New Zealand Safe Boating Education Group is lifejackets. “It’s a stark reminder about the boating season and how dangerous it can be on our waterways,” Munro said.

Persons: Siobhan Munro, “, ” Munro, ” “, Munro Organizations: CNN, Police, New South Wales Water Police, Australia & New, Safe Boating Education, Channel, Australian Maritime Safety Authority Locations: Sydney, Australia, Botany, New South

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min secured the exemption after his Korean team won gold at the last Games in Jakarta in 2018. K-pop star Suga, songwriter and rapper for the boy band supergroup BTS, began the enlistment process for mandatory military service last month, making him the third BTS member to go off to perform the military duty. The military service law was amended several years ago to allow selected K-pop megastars to defer their service to aged 30, but not to avoid it entirely, with a large section of the population against giving stars like BTS special treatment. "We have players (in the current squad) who have been exempt from military service by winning gold medals in past editions of the games, but... we also several players who have not yet avoided military service. "But of course, because a gold medal gives one an exemption, and we have many who haven't done their service yet... we should perform at our best and get the gold."

Persons: Lee, Kelley L Cox, Son Heung, Kwon, Suga, Faker, Lee Sang, Baek, chul, Kim Woomin, I’m, ” Kim, Choo Il Seung, I'm, Heo Hoon, Martin Quin Pollard, Eduardo Baptista, Ian Ransom, Toby Davis Organizations: DRX, League of, Chase Center, USA, Rights, South, Hangzhou Asian Games, North, Asian Games, Tottenham Hotspur, Korean, BTS, League, China, Qatar, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, USA, Rights HANGZHOU, China, North Korea, South, Jakarta, Korea, Hangzhou, Qatar, Beijing

☆ Why this small Florida county became the 'shark bite capital of the world'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Florida's Volusia County is known as the "shark bite capital of the world." The area is a hot spot for shark attacks, especially on September afternoons, per the ISAF. Data from the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which describes itself as "the world's only scientifically documented, comprehensive database of all known shark attacks," shows that Florida is the global leader in shark attacks, with 259 from 2012 to 2021, well ahead of Australia in second place. But it is in Volusia County — which includes the renowned Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach — on Florida's east coast that has been dubbed the "shark bite capital of the world." The sharks that hunt the waters of Volusia County and are mostly involved in biting incidents include Blacktip, Bull, and Requiem sharks.

Persons: Gavin Naylor, Menhaden, Naylor, It's, surfboards, Carlos Grillo, Mark Summersett, Alex Miller, Miller, Summersett, I've, Sumersett Organizations: ISAF, The Florida, of Shark Research, Service, Sunshine, Florida, Daytona Locations: Volusia County, Wall, Silicon, Florida, Australia, Volusia County —, and New Smyrna, —, Florida's, Brevard, Volusia, Ponce, ISAF, Tiger Beach, Bahamas, New Smyrna Beach

☆ Swimming sets 'strict' rules for individual Russians to return to competition before Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gold medallist Russia's Evgeny Rylov poses on the podium after the final of the men's 200m backstroke swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 30, 2021. Individual Russian swimmers will be allowed to compete in international events, including the Paris Olympics, if they meet a set of "strict criteria" that include not talking to the media, the sport's governing body said Monday. The World Aquatics governing body published its criteria Monday for Russian and Belarusian athletes, coaches and officials to return to competition as neutrals after being banned because of their countries' war in Ukraine. World Aquatics said only one Russian and Belarusian athlete will be allowed to enter in each swimming and diving event. They cannot take part in any relays, artistic swimming, synchronized diving, or water polo.

Persons: Russia's Evgeny Rylov Organizations: Paris Olympics, Aquatics, Belarus — Locations: Tokyo, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Paris, Belarusian

☆ Labor Day weekend forecast: Sizzling heat to impact two-thirds of US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Labor Day weekend may mark the unofficial end to summer for many, but Mother Nature didn’t get the memo this year. July-like heat sends temperatures skyrocketingTemperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal levels for September could break or tie close dozens of records as heat builds over Labor Day weekend and into Tuesday. By Sunday, sweltering heat will expand across much of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and even portions of the mid-Atlantic. On Labor Day Monday, conditions will feel more like July across nearly two-thirds of the US. Places like Los Angeles and San Francisco may have the best weather in the country for Labor Day weekend.

Persons: Nature didn’t, Idalia Organizations: CNN, Labor, Miami, Orlando, National Weather Service, Hurricane Franklin, Southwest, Rockies, Weather, Idaho and Locations: United States, Upper, Omaha , Nebraska, Sioux Falls , South Dakota, Lakes, Ohio Valley, Atlantic . Minneapolis, Philadelphia, East Coast, Chicago , Washington, New York City, Gulf Coast, Texas, Florida, Houston , New Orleans, Tampa, Alabama, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Arizona , Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Idaho and Wyoming, Northwest, California, Seattle, Portland, Portland –, Los Angeles, San Francisco

AdvertisementAdvertisementI love cruises as a vacation option with an affordable fixed price, and my Virgin Voyages cruise was great. Vacations often come with surprise expenses — cruises are a great value and make it easy to know exactly how much you'll spend in advance, and my Virgin Voyages cruise was a great value. While the cruise ship itself offered plenty to see and do, I thought the four included stops were some of the best I have ever visited on a cruise. Finally, we loved the inclusiveness the Virgin Voyages brand builds into their cruise product, which helped make the cruise more carefree and fun. Now all I have to do is start planning how we'll spend days in port on our next Virgin Voyages cruise in February.

Persons: Richard Branson's, Jeff Bezos, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Usher, That's, Burger, we'll Organizations: Service, HBO, Virgin, Voyages, Virgin Voyages Locations: Wall, Silicon, Athens, Greece, Dubrovnik, Split, Croatia, Kotor, Montenegro, Corfu, Old, Montenegro Kotor, Town, San Juan , Puerto Rico, St, Croix , Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Bahamas

☆ At South Brooklyn’s Beaches, a Battle of the Buoys
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Alyson Krueger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Eight years ago, Capri Djatiasmoro watched helplessly as four Jet Skis ran over her friend while he was swimming at Brighton Beach. Decades ago, a line of buoys ran parallel to the shore, marking the boundary between swimmers and boaters. “Some boat and Jet Ski drivers don’t even know there is this law,” said Ms. Djatiasmoro, 72, a retired advertising executive and avid open-water swimmer who lives in Brooklyn. “Some know, but in the open water it’s hard to tell exactly where that mark is.” Jet Skis regularly come very close to the borough’s beaches, she said, especially in the late afternoon, after lifeguards have left for the day. “I love the ocean, I love swimming, and I want to keep people safe while enjoying these things,” she said.

Persons: ”, “, Djatiasmoro, Sandy Hook Organizations: Jet, Brighton Beach, Coney Island Hospital, New York, Yorkers Locations: Coney, New York State, New York City, Brooklyn, N.J, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach

☆ FIDE bans transgender women from competing in women’s chess events pending ‘further analysis’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In a meeting earlier this month, FIDE’s council approved the updated policy which will come into effect on August 21. The policy says that once a player informs FIDE they are changing their gender from male to female, they will be banned from competing in official women’s events. This is so insulting to cis women, to trans women, and to the game itself,” it wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “So FIDE just published (yesterday) a list of anti-trans regulations, like it was ‘the biggest threat of women in chess’. WA said the exclusion would apply to “male-to-female transgender athletes.”Advocates of banning transgender women from women’s sport have argued that transgender women have a physical advantage over cisgender women in sports.

Persons: Federation –, –, ” “, Yosha Iglesias, “, ” Iglesias, FIDE’s Organizations: CNN, Federation, FIDE, Center for Transgender Equality, Cup, FINA, Athletics, WA, Sports Medicine

☆ World Aquatics to debut 'open' category in Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 16 (Reuters) - World Aquatics will debut its new "open category" at a World Cup event in Berlin in October, swimming's governing body said on Wednesday. World Aquatics voted last year to restrict participation of transgender athletes in elite women's competitions and create a working group to establish an open category, which was announced last month. "When World Aquatics instituted its Policy on Eligibility for the Men's and Women's Competition Categories, we committed to exploring the creation of an open category," World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam said. World Aquatics added that the open category could also be added to more events. "Berlin is thrilled to champion this groundbreaking initiative with the full endorsement of the German Swimming Federation," the German Swimming Federation's vice president Kai Morgenroth said.

Persons: Husain Al, Musallam, Kai Morgenroth, Aadi Nair, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Aquatics, German Swimming Federation, Swimming Federation's, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Bengaluru

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