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Finland Slashes Its Private Copying Compensation Plan — And Rights Organizations React

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International associations of authors’ collective management organizations respond to the recent cut in the private copying compensation plan in Finland. Associations worldwide representing authors’ collective management organizations in the music and visual arts sectors — including CISAC, EVA, IFRRO, GESAC, and the SAA — have responded to Finland’s recent cut to its private copying compensation [&#8230…
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Mason Mount ‘pivotal’ to Man Utd pressing style in pre-season

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Actually, Manchester United DO have reasons to be cheerful and one of them is Mason Mount. Send your views on pre-season and what comes next to [email protected]   Mason Mount pivotal to Man Utd pressing positives Despite results perhaps suggesting otherwise there have been plenty of positives to take from United’s pre-season tour…
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Age-Related Cognitive Decline Linked to Blood Vessel Health

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Researchers pinpoint regions in the mouse brain susceptible to blood vessel degeneration, shedding light on the link between vasculature and neurodegenerative diseases. Maintaining healthy blood…
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France-Chine à venir : “Avec cette ambiance, on peut peut-être créer l’exploit”

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La France a dominé le Brésil (3-0), mercredi à lu0027Arena Paris Sud, en quart de finale du tournoi par équipes hommes de tennis de table des Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024. Le trio tricolore (Félix Lebrun, Alexis Lebrun, Simon Gauzy) sera opposé à la Chine en demie…
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Teens run cafe in school supporting needy kids, Chan Chun Sing asks ‘You’re charging friendship prices?’ , Singapore News

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When Education Minister Chan Chun Sing visited Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) recently, he dished out a lesson on economics to several students who run a cafe there. The visit in May saw Chan interacting with student baristas from Our Coffee Story cafe, whose proceeds support less privileged students in their school. Chung Cheng High
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CNG Praises FG’s Decision To Sell Crude In Naira To Domestic Refineries

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CNG Praises FG’s Decision To Sell Crude In Naira To Domestic Refineries The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has voiced its appreciation of the Federal Government’s recent decision to sell crude oil in naira to domestic refineries, a departure from the previous practice of payment in US dollars…
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Great Barrier Reef endangered by hottest oceans in 400 years, study finds

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Researchers say the world is losing ‘one of our icons’ as human activity fuels temperature increases.

Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef have hit their highest level in 400 years over the past decade, researchers say, warning that the largest living ecosystem on Earth likely will not survive if planetary warming is not stopped.

The study published on Thursday by a group of scientists from across Australia says temperatures around the spectacular 2,400km-long (1,500-mile) coral system were most stable for hundreds of years, but have warmed significantly in recent decades as a result of human influence.

Ocean temperatures around the reef increased yearly since 1960 but were particularly hotter during recent mass coral bleaching events, when large sections of the reef turned white due to heat stress, according to the study in the science journal Nature.

“The world is losing one of its icons,” said Benjamin Henley, an academic at the University of Melbourne and one of the study’s co-authors. “I find that to be an absolute tragedy. It’s hard to understand how that can happen on our watch in our lifetime. So it’s very, very sad.”

Co-author Helen McGregor said she was “extremely concerned” about the reef, describing the temperature increases as “unprecedented”.

“These are corals that have lived for 400 years and this is the warmest temperatures they’re experiencing. These are the Redwood trees of the reef,” she told AFP news agency.

Since 2016, the world-famous reef has suffered from five rounds of massive coral bleaching due to warming temperatures, a lethal trend that is occurring at reefs across the world. These bleaching events happened during five of the six warmest years in the last four centuries, the study showed.

Scientists conducted the study by utilising ship and satellite data and by drilling into coral in order to analyse samples that help them understand changes in ocean temperature as far back as the year 1618.

Temperatures began to rise around the beginning of the 20th century and increased by an average of about 0.12 degrees Celsius (0.22 degrees Fahrenheit) for January to March from 1960 through 2024.

The reef is home to a wide variety of natural life, with 600 types of coral and 1,625 fish species alone. It is also a significant tourism boon for Australia, contributing about $4.2bn to the country’s economy each year.

The United Nations has recommended that the Great Barrier Reef be added to the list of at-risk world heritage sites, but Australia has refused those efforts over concerns that it could damage the reef’s tourism appeal.

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Bernice King Reacts To Donald Trump’s Claim His Jan. 6th Crowd Outnumbered Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” Audience

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Whew! Roommates, Donald Trump is shaking the table again. In fact, he’s actually throwing it. Recently, the politician made one of his wildest claims yet, comparing his crowd size to Martin Luther King Jr.’s. Now, MLK’s daughter, Bernice King, has reacted.

RELATED: Surprise, Surprise! Social Media Reacts To Adin Ross Reportedly Gifting Donald Trump A Cybertruck & Rolex (VIDEOS)

Trump Mentions MLK

Donald Trump had a lot to say at his Mar-a-Lago press conference on Thursday, claiming that he draws larger crowds and even comparing his January speech to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

“I’ll tell you, it’s very hard to find a picture of that crowd. You see the picture — a small number of people, relatively, going to the Capitol, but you never see the picture of the crowd. The biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken — I’ve spoken to the biggest crowds. Nobody’s spoken to crowds bigger than me, Trump said.

Donnie couldn’t resist boasting that his massive January 6, 2021, rally had surroundings similar to those of Martin Luther King Jr.’s.

He urged reporters to compare pictures of his crowd to those from MLK’s speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Trump explained that he believes he actually drew a bigger crowd than the civil rights icon, and no one has ever seen a photo of the crowd from his speech.

“If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything, same number of people. They said he had a million people, but I had 25,000 people. But when you look at the exact same picture, and everything’s the same because it was the fountains, the whole thing all the way back to… from Lincoln to Washington. And you look at it, and you look at the picture of his crowd, my friend, we actually had more people.”

According to Business Insider, Martin Luther King Jr. drew an estimated 250,000 people, but the size of Trump’s January crowd remains clear.

Per Business Insider, this isn’t the first time Trump has mentioned Martin Luther King Jr. and made comparisons to him.

In June 2022, he told a Tennessee audience that his 2020 Fourth of July speech drew a larger crowd than the legendary activist.

Social Media Reacts

Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice King, caught wind of Trump’s statements and quickly reacted to his accusations on X (formerly Twitter). The lawyer and minister wrote, “Absolutely not true. I really wish people would stop using my father to support fallacy.” 

Bernice King also had receipts ready to deny Trump’s claims, sharing a photo of the turnout for her father’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

Chile! The Roomies also shared their thoughts on Donnie in The Shade Room comment section. Many social media users called him out for the comparison and thought he was out of pocket.

Instagram user @jeremiahdclemmons wrote,It is actually very scary and concerning that black people support this man.” 

Instagram user @keeping_up_wit_kesha wrote, All jokes aside, something is wrong with this man.” 

While Instagram user @iknowwhereiwanttoeat wrote, Comparing his crowds to those of a MLK speech is diabolical 😂” 

Then Instagram user @dr.keitheats__ wrote,I just lost brain cells watching this 😩” 

Instagram user @maelane.___ wrote, “I’m not voting for Kamala” but you’re gonna vote for this???????”

Another Instagram user @blackmillionaires_ wrote, Not gone lie! I laughed watching this 😂 not MLK”

Finally, Instagram user @powerserge123 wrote,MLK comparison is wild disrespect.” 

Donald Trump Confirms Debate

During the Mar-a-Lago conference, Donnie confirmed that he will debate Vice President Kamala Harris in September.

“It’s very important to have debates. We agreed with FOX on a debate of September 4th. We’ve agreed with NBC on September 10th and we’ve agreed with ABC on a date of September 25th,” Trump said.

Roomies, if you recall, Donald Trump initially refused to debate against VP Harris on ABC News. In July, he went off on the network and called out VP Harris and President Joe Biden.

“ABC Fake News is such a joke, among the absolute WORST in the business. They try to make Crooked Joe into a brave warrior because he didn’t have the guts to fight it out — He quit! They then tried to make Sleepy look like a great President — he was the WORST, and Lyin’ Kamala into a competent person, which she is not. ABC, the home of George Slopadopolus, is not worthy of holding a Debate, of which I hope there will be many!”

RELATED: Wayment! Donald Trump Trends Online After Risky Remarks Towards Michaelah Montgomery At Georgia Rally Goes Viral (WATCH)

What Do You Think Roomies?

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Progressive National Baptist Convention leaders hail Harris, pan Trump, urge voting

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(RNS) — The Progressive National Baptist Convention focused on get-out-the-vote efforts during its annual meeting and celebrated Vice President Kamala Harris becoming a presidential candidate.

“We need everyone to register,” PNBC President David Peoples said at a news conference on Wednesday (Aug. 7), adding that members of his denomination should encourage “our friends and our frenemies and our entire family to vote.”

About 2,500 people attended the four-day annual session of the historic Black denomination, considered the church home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., that concluded in New Orleans on Wednesday.

“We are not political, but we are prophetic,” Peoples said.

But he went on to hail Harris and question recent remarks by former President Donald Trump, who is running against Harris, and to draw comparisons between Harris and the biblical figure Queen Esther.

“We need everyone to help our sister, Kamala Harris, who has always known that she was Black, a daughter of a South Asian mother and a Jamaican father,” he said. “Yes, I know Trump acts like he can’t understand anything about a biracial family and background, even though he has a German and Scottish background. Which one does he wake up and want to be?”


RELATED: Pastors’ first ladies, other Black church leaders organize support for Harris


Peoples was not the only prominent speaker to draw attention to the election and its candidates.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and the pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, voiced criticism of Trump during a midday Wednesday session that annually honors the late preacher Gardner C. Taylor.

Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at the Progressive National Baptist Convention annual meeting in New Orleans. (Video screen grab)

“Your whole history is built on racism, and then you dare to try to curry my favor by saying it’s those brown folk over there who are coming over the border to get your Black job?” he said, without naming Trump but referencing a term the former president used in a June debate with President Joe Biden and again in a recent interview with the National Association of Black Journalists.

“What kind of fool do you think I am? It’s my Black job to make sure you never make it to the Oval Office again. That’s my Black job. That’s everybody’s job,” he added.

As it has in previous election seasons, the PNBC is working with the AFL-CIO on voter mobilization, with the labor group providing training and funding.

“The PNBC will partner with the AFL-CIO in four targeted battleground states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina),” said the Rev. Darryl Gray, PNBC’s director general for social justice, in a statement.

“Just as our ancestors gave their all so that we could have the right to vote, we won’t let them down, nor will we allow ultra partisan conservatives or white Christian nationalism rhetoric threaten peace within our society.”

During the news conference and a social justice session at the meeting, PNBC leaders and other speakers expressed concerns about national and international issues related to and beyond the election, from mass incarceration to poverty.

“We believe in peace, which internationally means that we call for peace in the Middle East and in war-torn African countries,” said Peoples. “Project 2025 outlines an international effort to undermine democracy.”

The Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, co-chair of the PNBC Social Justice Commission, also criticized Project 2025, a series of conservative proposals that some worry will form the foundation of a potential second Trump administration.

“Project 2025, in essence, dismantles everything that was brought about by the Civil Rights Movement,” said Haynes, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas. “Project 2025 is anti-democracy. In a real sense, it is neofascism that is wrapped in white supremacy in the name of white Jesus.”

The Rev. Jacqueline Thompson, second vice president of the PNBC, said Project 2025 is one of several issues she is considering as she approaches the ballot box.

“I think we’re compelled by all of this, you know, kitchen table issues, like everybody else, the economy and jobs and all the rest of that,” said Thompson, pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California. “But when you are Black and female in this nation, every election is an existential threat to your very right to be. And so for this election, that is what is driving me to the polls and driving me to be vocal about the issues that are plaguing our community.”


RELATED: Voter protection training begins as clergy, secular groups look toward election


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At self-announced press event, Trump says he’s eager for upcoming debates with Harris

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“I think its important to have debates,” former President Donald Trump said at a Thursday afternoon press event at his Mar-a-Lago estate that lasted for more than an hour after he gave remarks before taking questions. “I think they’ll be very revealing,” he said. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 8 (UPI) — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday held a self-announced press conference in which he said he is looking forward to upcoming debates with Vice President Kamala Harris, now the official Democratic nominee in the race for the White House.

“I think it’s important to have debates,” the Republican nominee said during his wide-ranging afternoon appearance at his Mar-a-Lago estate that lasted for more than an hour after he gave remarks before taking questions.

The former president cited three separate debates with Harris by three different television networks, which prompted the Harris campaign to quickly send an email correcting Trump on the dates.

“I think they’ll be very revealing,” he said.

A September 4 debate will be hosted by Fox, followed by an NBC debate on September 25 and then a September 10 debate hosted by ABC.

The hosting networks, Trump says, are “very anxious awaiting those dates.” He said he spoke with network heads, adding that “fairly minor details” await — such as city of location and audience rules and requests, which Trump said “will be settled very easily.”

He also used the event to turn his invective on Harris.

The vice president, Trump said, is “a bad debater” who is “worse than Biden” and “not as smart” as him. He said that, since Biden dropped his campaign for another four years in the Oval Office, “I haven’t recalibrated policy at all” to better take on Harris.

He went on to call Harris the “worst admired, least respected, most unpopular vice president” in American history.

“I’m very happy to run against her,” he added, taking aim at Harris’ newly announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, calling him part of the “radical left.”

“He doesn’t want to have borders, he doesn’t want to have walls,” Trump claimed as he also briefly mentioned his own running mate.

“JD Vance has really stepped up,” he says. “He’s doing a fantastic job.”

The ex-president also spoke at length about campaign crowd sizes in response to questions about a perceived lack of enthusiasm for the Republican ticket, which some say is evidenced by sparsely attended crowds at some Trump rally events.

“We have the enthusiasm; the Republican Party and me as a candidate, we have the enthusiasm,” he responded.

Trump also faced questions about his thin campaign event schedule.

He is not making many campaign swings, Trump said, because he is “winning by a lot” despite recent contradictory polling that would suggest otherwise. He said he will step up his campaigning after the Democratic National Convention later this month.

Tramp also said he is “doing commercials to a level never done before” at Mar-a-Lago and creating “a lot of recording.”

The former president also said that abortion, which will be a top ballot concern this fall, is “much less of an issue” now, despite the overturning of abortion access protections formerly offered by Roe vs. Wade, something of which Trump takes credit.

“Democrats, Republicans, everybody,” he said, wanted the federal issue to revert to the purview of state courts and state laws.

“I did that. Now states are voting” on their own abortion polices, he said.

Later on Thursday, former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham suggested in a social media post that the former president is “panicking” with his “self-announced” press conference, which prompted the Trump team to issue a response personally criticizing her.

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