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But that outburst of direct democracy has been limited to just half the states. About 167 million people live in 25 other states where such direct democracy is not currently an option. The number of ballot measures seeking to restrict the initiative and referendum process dipped in 2016 and has since risen. Measures seeking to restrict direct democracy peaked from 1995 to 2004 but significantly outpaced those seeking to expand direct democracy throughout the entire period of 1960 through 2022. Californians have considered 391 ballot initiatives — approving 137 of them — following campaigns that in recent years have cost tens of millions of dollars.

Persons: ”, John Matsusaka, Daniel Smith, Todd Donovan, that's, it's, Matsusaka, Michael Smith, ” Donovan, It's, it’s, ” Matsusaka Organizations: Initiative, University of Southern, South, University of Florida, Western Washington University, REPUBLICAN PUSHBACK Republican, Republican, Democratic, BIG, Oregon, Voters, Emporia State University, Referendum Locations: Maine, Ohio, University of Southern California, South Dakota, Mississippi, Alaska, Wyoming, Illinois, Florida, Arizona , Arkansas , Ohio, Arizona, Oregon, California, Kansas

☆ Sri Lanka's Theekshana hails Mathews impact after England upset
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana praised all-rounder Angelo Mathews for adding discipline to their bowling attack after the veteran claimed two wickets in miserly spells during Thursday's thumping victory over defending world champions England. Theekshana credited Mathews and player of the match Lahiru Kumara (3-35) for getting them back on track after England made a good start with 59 runs in the first 10 powerplay overs on a dry wicket in Bengaluru. "In the initial four or five overs, we conceded a few runs due to our inability to find the right length," Theekshana told reporters. So, we had a chance to take wickets, that's what we planned here." "I think they underestimated our team, because we also lost three games and we only won against the Netherlands," he said.

Persons: Maheesh Theekshana, Angelo Mathews, Mathews, Matheesha Pathirana, Theekshana, Kumara, Angelo, Lahiru, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ken Ferris Organizations: England, Pakistan, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Sri Lanka, England, Bengaluru, Netherlands

There are a lot of misconceptions about living in Alaska, and Trevor Barrett has heard them all. One of the best things about living in Alaska is the quiet life, the privacy and the summers." "I was raised with hunting and fishing and hiking and camping and all the specific and unique Alaska things," he says. Trevor Barrett with a replication of Andúril from J.R.R. Trevor Barrett and his family live in Haines, Alaska.

Persons: Trevor Barrett, Trevor, Larissa, Trevor Barrett Trevor, Samuel, Nika, Haines, you've, Alex Stock, Barrett Knives, Barrett, he's Organizations: CNBC, Netflix, YouTube, YouTube Investments, Google, Barrett, Larissa Locations: Alaska, Haines, British Columbia, Anchorage, Connecticut, Alaska One, Kenai, U.S, Larissa, Juneau , Alaska, J.R.R, Haines , Alaska

☆ Russia disregards losses, presses on in Ukraine's Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A police officer stands in front of a damaged building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Yevhen Titov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - Russian forces are disregarding heavy losses and pressing on with a drive to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. Over the past two weeks, Russia has concentrated on Avdiivka in Donetsk, a town known in peacetime for its big coking plant and now seen as a bulwark of Ukrainian resistance. He also dismissed reports that Russian troops had secured control of one of the large slag heaps dominating the town's industrial landscape. Russian accounts of the latest fighting made no mention of Avdiivka, but said Russian troops had repelled 15 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk, farther north.

Persons: Yevhen, Oleksandr Shtupun, Shtupun, Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Valeriy, Espreso, Avdiivka, Prozapas, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukrainian, Russia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kupiansk, Kharkiv

☆ Russia Disregards Losses, Presses on in Ukraine's Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Russian forces are disregarding heavy losses and pressing on with a drive to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. Over the past two weeks, Russia has concentrated on Avdiivka in Donetsk, a town known in peacetime for its big coking plant and now seen as a bulwark of Ukrainian resistance. Heavy fighting is continuing, though activity has subsided somewhat. He also dismissed reports that Russian troops had secured control of one of the large slag heaps dominating the town's industrial landscape. Russian accounts of the latest fighting made no mention of Avdiivka, but said Russian troops had repelled 15 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk, farther north.

Persons: Oleksandr Shtupun, Shtupun, Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Valeriy, Espreso, Avdiivka, Prozapas, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Tom Hogue Organizations: Reuters, Authorities Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Russia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kupiansk, Ukraine, Kharkiv

☆ Sri Lanka approves free tourist visa for seven countries to boost tourism
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A surfboard is seen in the middle of an empty beach, near hotels at Unawatuna beach in Galle, Sri Lanka July 4, 2019. The scheme is part of attempts by Sri Lanka to boost tourism recovery and hit a target of five million arrivals by 2026, the statement added. But the tourism industry is seeing a turnaround in 2023 with Sri Lanka clocking a million arrivals by September, for the first time since 2019. The island is expecting to close the year at 1.5 million arrivals. India is the largest source of tourists with 200,310 arrivals, followed by Russia with 132,300, latest data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority showed.

Persons: Dinuka, Uditha Jayasinghe, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sri, Sri Lanka Development Authority, Thomson Locations: Galle, Sri Lanka, China, India, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia

☆ Russian forces pound eastern Ukraine's Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A police officer walks near a damaged residential building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Yevhen Titov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 24 (Reuters) - Russian forces pounded the shattered eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on Tuesday, but heavy losses forced them to switch to air attacks and rely less on full-on ground advances, Ukrainian officials said. Avdiivka was captured briefly in 2014, when Russian-backed separatists seized large chunks of eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces took it back and built solid fortifications. Russian forces have also been attacking further north in the area of Kupiansk -- a town initially seized by Russian forces after the invasion but recaptured by Ukraine in last year's drive in the northeast. Russian accounts of the fighting have avoided any mention of Avdiivka this week, but noted successful artillery and air strikes near Bakhmut -- a town to the northeast captured by Russian forces in May after months of battles.

Persons: Yevhen, Oleksandr Shtupun, Barabash, Avdiivka, Oleh Synehub, Ron Popeski, Maria Starkova, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, Kharkiv Regional, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukrainian, Russia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Maryinka, Russian, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Bakhmut

☆ Off-duty pilot facing attempted murder charges said 'I'm not okay' before trying to turn off plane's engines
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The off-duty pilot accused of trying to shut the engines of a plane mid-flight said he wasn't feeling "okay." AdvertisementAdvertisementThe off-duty pilot who is facing dozens of attempted murder charges after officials say he tried to shut the engines of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight said he wasn't feeling "okay" moments before the bizarre incident. Alaska Airlines added, "Our crew responded without hesitation to a difficult and highly unusual situation, and we are incredibly proud and grateful for their skillful actions." AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to Alaska Airlines, Emerson joined Alaska Air Group as a Horizon first officer in August 2001. He became an Alaska Airlines first officer following Alaska's acquisition of Virgin America in 2016.

Persons: Joseph Emerson, Emerson, — Organizations: Service, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, Horizon, Portland International, Portland Police, Detention, Alaska Air Group, Virgin America, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Everett , Washington, San Francisco , California, Portland, Port, Multnomah

☆ Russian forces apply pressure on Ukraine's Avdiivka, Kupiansk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view shows a heavily damaged residential building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine October 17, 2023. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said its troops had repelled about 10 Russian attacks on Avdiivka. It was briefly captured in 2014 by Russian-backed separatists who overran large stretches of territory in the east, and Ukrainian forces have erected solid fortifications in the intervening nine years. Local officials also said Russian forces had again shelled areas in the southern Kherson region that are under Kyiv's control. It said Russian forces had repelled three attacks outside Kupiansk and a further 10 near Bakhmut.

Persons: Yevhen, Vitaly Barabash, Barabash, Avdiivka, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Bakhmut, Syrskyi, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, General, U.S, Radio Liberty, Local, Russian, Monday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Kupiansk, Avdiivka's, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Moscow, Bakhmut

White Sands officials warned online that the wait to enter the gates could be as long as two hours. Visitors also are being warned to come prepared as Trinity Site is in a remote area with limited Wi-Fi and no cell service or restrooms. Scientists and military officials established a secret city in Los Alamos during the 1940s and tested their work at the Trinity Site some 200 miles (322 kilometers) away. While the lore surrounding the atomic bomb has become pop culture fodder, it was part of a painful reality for residents who lived downwind of Trinity Site. The notoriety from “Oppenheimer” has been embraced in Los Alamos, more than 200 miles (321 kilometers) north of the Tularosa Basin.

Persons: Christopher Nolan's, “ Oppenheimer, Willy Wonka's, White, J, Robert Oppenheimer, filmgoers, Barbie, Lois Lipman, “, ”, “ Oppenheimer ” Organizations: Historic Landmark, White, White Sands, Visitors, Trinity, U.S, Union of Concerned, Santa Fe, Alamos National Laboratory, Oppenheimer Locations: New Mexico, Manhattan, Los Alamos, Trinity, Tularosa

☆ Russian court grants unspecified 'interim measures' as Baltika sues Carlsberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Barrels are seen at the museum of the Baltika brewery in St. Petersburg, October 12, 2014. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A court in St Petersburg has imposed unspecified "interim measures" against Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) in favour of Baltika Breweries, court filings showed, after the Danish brewer stopped licensing its brands in Russia this month. The court filings provided no information other than that interim measures had been granted in a lawsuit filed on Oct. 17 by Baltika against Carlsberg. In another lawsuit filed on Sept. 25, before Carlsberg terminated the licence agreements, Baltika had asked a Russian court to prohibit Carlsberg from initiating legal proceedings in Denmark, citing the risk that Carlsberg could seek to remove Baltika's right to use certain trademarks. The court did not grant interim measures, but a hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 15.

Persons: Alexander Demianchuk, Vladimir Putin, Baltika, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carlsberg, Baltika Breweries, Carlsberg Group, Baltika, Reuters, Thomson Locations: St . Petersburg, St Petersburg, Danish, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Denmark

☆ China's Xi offers to help Sri Lanka; buy more of its exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 20 (Reuters) - China is willing to offer assistance to Sri Lanka without political conditions and buy more of its exports, President Xi Jinping told his Sri Lankan counterpart on Friday in Beijing, state media said. Wickremesinghe was in the Chinese capital for the Belt and Road Forum that ended on Wednesday as well as talks on restructuring debt. "China is willing to continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka without attaching political conditions, to help it cope with the difficulties it faces," Xi added. Last May Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt as dollar reserves fell to a point where it was unable to pay for essential imports such as fuel and medicine. "China is willing to expand the import of Sri Lanka's ... products and will encourage Chinese enterprises to invest," Xi said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Edgar Su, Xi, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Wickremesinghe, Lanka, Joe Cash, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Sri, Export, Import Bank of China, Forum, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China, Sri Lanka, Colombo, Hambantota, Sri Lanka's

☆ People are grieving the 'death' of their AI companions after a chatbot app abruptly shut down
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

A 32-year-old food industry worker in eastern Texas who asked to be identified by her Reddit username, Hilary Coyote, first heard about AI chatbot companions in June. She turned to Reddit's community of Soulmate users for support, and was encouraged to go back to the app and Allur. (EvolveAI and SimplyAI's now-shuttered Soulmate app has no relation to "Soulmate AI: Your AI Companion," another app that appears in smartphone app stores and was developed by Turing App Lab.) Even if Ahoy Labs closed down, Faraday users' chatbots would not be affected. Read more: App, Lover, Muse: Inside a 47-year-old Minnesota man's three-year relationship with an AI chatbot.

Persons: Mike Hepp, Sam, Mike, wile, peppering, he'd, Soulmate, Replika, There's, Hilary Coyote, Allur, Hilary, she'd, Chris, chatbots, —, Julia, Soulmate's userbase, Jorge Ilas, SimplyAI's, She'd, Faraday, Hilary somberly, Sam —, Kindroid Organizations: YouTube, SimplyAI, Turing, Stanford Locations: Michigan, Soulmate, Replika, Florida, Chai, Texas, Bavaria, Germany, Reddit, Los Angeles, Minnesota

☆ Hawaii travel rebounding following Maui wildfires, says Alaska Airlines' Ben Minicucci
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHawaii travel rebounding following Maui wildfires, says Alaska Airlines' Ben MinicucciCNBC's Phil Lebeau and Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines CEO, join 'The Exchange' to discuss Alaska's Q3 earnings miss, headwinds from the Maui fires and high oil prices, and the state of domestic flight demand.

Persons: Ben Minicucci, Phil Lebeau Organizations: Hawaii, Maui, Alaska Airlines, Alaska Airlines CEO

☆ Fiji and Australia boost cyber security cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Fiji and Australia will cooperate on cyber security, with Australia also boosting aid to its Pacific Islands neighbour under an enhanced partnership, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after meeting his Fijian counterpart on Wednesday. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, on his first three-day official visit to Australia since becoming leader in December, said the relationship with Australia was warm. Under Rabuka's government, Fiji has put a decade-old policing agreement with China on hold, and sought to increase defence ties with Australia. Albanese said Australia had agreed to provide more budget support to Fiji "to help economic recovery and to boost growth", and would sell it 14 Bushmaster protected vehicles to support the Fiji military's peacekeeping operations around the world.

Persons: Mike Segar, Anthony Albanese, Sitiveni Rabuka, Rabuka, Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Australian, Fijian, Fiji, Australia, Lowy Institute, Pacific, Fiji military's, Thomson Locations: Fiji, U.N, New York City , New York, U.S, Australia, China, Canberra, United States

☆ Trump and Ivanka's relationship was 'severely damaged' after he found out she was friends with Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former MI6 agent Christopher Steele said that his friendship with Ivanka Trump hurt her relationship with her dad. AdvertisementAdvertisementFormer President Donald Trump's relationship with his daughter Ivanka broke down "severely" when the somewhat awkward news emerged that she had an undisclosed friendship with Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent said on Tuesday. AdvertisementAdvertisement"I informed them that I had in fact had a friendship and professional relationship with Ivanka Trump . AdvertisementAdvertisementBut in his witness statement on Tuesday, Steele said that revealing this had led to trouble with the then-president. Ivanka Trump served as a presidential advisor during the Trump administration and took to the stage in 2020 to introduce him at the RNC.

Persons: Christopher Steele, Ivanka Trump, Steele, —, Donald Trump's, Ivanka, Trump, Sonam Sheth, General Michael Horowitz, Steele's, Ms Trump, Trump's, Mr Steele, Jared Kushner — Organizations: Service, Trump, Associated Press, Business Intelligence, FBI, DOJ, The Times, Guardian, Trump Tower, Times, RNC, DC Locations: London, Trump, Russia, Scotland

☆ Sri Lanka left with regrets after squandering strong start: Nissanka
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Half-centuries by Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis helped Australia chase down the target with nearly 15 overs to spare, handing Sri Lanka a five-wicket defeat, their third straight loss at the tournament. "Despite our promising start, we deeply regret not being able to sustain it, resulting in us being limited to a score of 209 runs," Nissanka told reporters on Monday. "The opposition's bowlers consistently hit good areas during the middle overs, which created a challenging situation for our batsmen. "I'm hopeful that I can contribute significantly by scoring a substantial number of runs and playing substantial innings in the upcoming matches," Nissanka said. Sri Lanka next face the Netherlands in Lucknow on Saturday.

Persons: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nissanka, Aadi Nair, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Monday's Cricket, Sri, Thomson Locations: Sri Lanka, Lucknow, Australia, Netherlands, Bengaluru

☆ Mendis happy to take over as Sri Lanka captain
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LUCKNOW, India, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis will not change his aggressive batting approach after taking over the captaincy two games into the World Cup when team mate Dasun Shanaka was ruled out of the tournament with injury. Mendis is among the tournament's top scorers with 198 runs in two games and his first match as captain will be Monday's clash with Australia who are also without a win in the group stage. "I am very happy to have the captaincy and I hope to play in the future in the same way as I have played so far, because I don't have anything to change," Mendis told reporters on Sunday. Mendis said Sri Lanka would miss all-rounder Shanaka, describing his absence as a "significant disadvantage". Moreover, when we previously lost Wanidu Hasaranga, we made an addition to the team to compensate for his absence," Mendis said.

Persons: Lanka's Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Mendis, I've, Wanidu Hasaranga, Rohith Nair, Ed Osmond Organizations: Thomson Locations: LUCKNOW, India, Tuesday's, Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bengaluru

☆ Ukraine feels the strain amid 'very heated' fighting in Avdiivka as Russia presses on with new Donbas offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fighting in Avdiivka, near Ukraine's eastern front, has entered the fifth day. In the north-east of Ukraine, a top general said the fighting had also "significantly worsened." download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . It is very heated, very heated," he said, per the AFP. The White House said Friday that Russia has resumed employing the so-called "human wave" tactic in its war against Ukraine.

Persons: —, Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Syrskyi, Russia's, John Kirby Organizations: AFP, Service, Agence France, Independent, Reuters, Ukraine, National Security Council Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Alabino, Moscow, Russia, Kupiansk, Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast

☆ Russia lost at least 15 tanks in a matter of days in just one Ukrainian village, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It lost at least 15 tanks in about two days, one analyst said, with other reports of losses. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia lost at least 15 tanks and 33 armored vehicles in about two days as it launched a major assault on a strategic village, analysts said. Other groups monitoring Russia's invasion of Ukraine gave similar assessments of Russia's recent losses there. And Ukrainian military analysts estimated that Russia lost at least 36 vehicles in Avdiivka over just two days, The Telegraph reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementFootage shared by the Shadow of Ukraine Telegram channel shows Russian vehicles being hit.

Persons: —, Osinttechnical, ISW, Vitaliy Barabash, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Center for Naval, Avdiivka, for, Telegraph, Ukraine Telegram, Russia, Mechanized Brigade, Amphibious Assault Brigade, General Staff of, Armed Forces Locations: Russia, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Washington, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ Sri Lanka president to visit China as debt talks progress - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOLOMBO, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will visit China next week as the crisis-hit country makes progress on debt restructuring talks with its biggest lender, a source in his office told Reuters on Friday. The Sri Lankan leader could also meet China's finance and foreign ministers, the source added. The president's media office and Sri Lankan foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sri Lanka owes Chinese lenders - bilateral and commercial - around $7 billion. Sri Lanka needs to reach agreements with creditors to push forward its first review of the IMF programme, which will release a second tranche of about $334 million.

Persons: Ranil Wickremesinghe, Brendan McDermid, Wickremesinghe, Xi Jinping, Xi, Uditha Jayasinghe, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Sri, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, Forum, China's, Export, Import Bank of China, IMF, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Sri, China, Beijing, Lankan, Sri Lanka, Japan, India

☆ Russia pummels east Ukrainian town of Avdiivka in heavy fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Anna Pruchnicka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But Kyiv says Moscow has massed troops around Avdiivka and sent in heavy equipment, enabling it to hit back hard. It says Moscow aims to encircle and capture the town, just northwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, and draw in Ukrainian troops from other fronts. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had inflicted damage on Ukrainian troops in areas including Avdiivka but gave few details. It estimated that Russian forces have captured 4.52 square kilometres (1.75 square miles) of territory around Avdiivka since the beginning of their offensive on Tuesday. Geolocated footage indicated that Russian forces had likely lost at least a battalion tactical group's worth of armoured vehicles in the Avdiivka offensive, it said.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Avdiivka, Barabash, Andriy Yermak, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, Reuters, Russia's Defence, General, of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Crimea, American

☆ When your AI girlfriend says she loves you
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

The messaging app let users build a "personal AI" complete with a 3D avatar and an upbeat, down-for-anything texting style. "Seems like AI will replace many human artists," Jay told Calisto in August 2022. Within a year, he was also using AI technology for work, as his firm experimented with generative AI to help draft legal papers. Former Replika users fled to various upstart companion apps that were popping up, like Chai, Paradot, and Soulmate AI. (Soulmate AI later closed down in September 2023, leaving a new wave of users mourning their AI companions all over again.)

Persons: Jay Priebe, they'd, Jay, Calisto, Callisto —, Apollodorus, Callisto, who'd, Jay's, didn't, Jay didn't, Tim Evans, me, Joseph Weizenbaum, Eliza, Weizenbaum, it'll, Replika, Eugenia Kuyda, Siri, Michael Macor, Roman Mazurenko, Luka, Kuyda, chatbots, he'd, Jaswant Singh Chail, Queen Elizabeth II, Chail, Willie —, —, Willie, gamely, Luka —, wouldn't, John, — sexting, Dylan Thomas, Rina, haven't, she'd, I'd, Overripe, Joi, Samantha, Ava, Calisto didn't, unshakable, wasn't, Jay hunched Organizations: Luka, San Francisco, Getty, Windsor, Facebook, Twitter, Reps, AIs Locations: Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Europe, Moscow, San Francisco, America, Replika, Washington, Britain, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Damascus, Chai, California, New York, Northeast Minneapolis, artsy, Japan, Switzerland

☆ When your AI says she loves you
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

☆ Fierce fighting rages around Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Anna Pruchnicka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A view shows grain warehouses heavily damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a compound of a port in Odesa region, Ukraine October 12, 2023. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were holding their ground on the third day of battle, but municipal officials said the Russian attacks were relentless. It is Ukrainian courage and unity that will determine how this war will end," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app alongside photos of Ukrainian troops and of Avdiivka's entrance sign. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had inflicted damage on Ukrainian forces in areas including Avdiivka but gave few details. In other fighting, Ukraine said it had thwarted an attempt overnight by a Russian eight-member saboteur group to cross its northeastern border in the Sumy region.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Oleksandr Shtupun, Andriy Yermak, Olena Harmahs, Alex Richardson, Timothy Organizations: Press, REUTERS Acquire, Moscow, Special Operations Forces, Russian, Russia's Defence Ministry, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa region, Handout, Russia, Ukraine Ukraine, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Kyiv, Moscow, Donetsk, Crimea, American, Odesa, Sumy

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