Author: shuiyaoinns.com

In a recent exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal, it was revealed that The New York Times has issued a cease and desist letter to the AI research startup Perplexity, demanding that they halt access to and use of its content. This move comes in the wake of previous legal disputes surrounding content usage, notably involving OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT chatbot, which faced a lawsuit from The New York Times late last year over similar concerns.

Publishers, including Forbes and Condé Nast, have also accused Perplexity of unauthorized use of their articles, claiming that the company has been using their content to generate AI-generated outputs without permission.

Founded two years ago with backing from tech billionaire Jeff Bezos, Perplexity aims to challenge search engine giant Google. When users input questions or keywords, Perplexity provides AI-generated outlines as answers, complete with sources and links.

According to a copy of the letter obtained by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, via its legal representatives, asserted that Perplexity’s use of its articles to create AI-generated outlines violates copyright laws. The letter explicitly states that Perplexity was profiting from the unauthorized use of The New York Times’ well-researched, professionally edited content.

In response, Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, expressed a desire to collaborate with all publishers, including The New York Times, emphasizing that they do not wish to be seen as adversaries.

The Wall Street Journal’s analysis highlights the growing unease within the industry regarding the impact of AI technology on content generation. News organizations are increasingly at risk of their content being misused or stolen, which could harm their reputations and affect advertising and subscription revenues.

OpenAI has established partnerships with several media companies, including News Corp, Dotdash Meredith, and Axel Springer, allowing it to use their reporting content in exchange for payment to the publishers.

The report also mentions that search results have become a particularly sensitive topic, as AI-generated outputs from platforms like Google or Perplexity provide users with curated overviews, reducing the need to click through each article individually.

Lastly, The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of intellectual property infringement, claims that both companies vehemently deny.

On October 19, the Second China-Europe-Africa Green Energy Development Forum opened in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. In his opening speech, Zhao Zhiguo, Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, expressed, “We are willing to enhance our collaboration with European and African partners in the field of green energy, to explore new avenues for cooperation, and to make a greater contribution to global green and low-carbon transformation.”

Currently, green energy plays an increasingly vital role in the global energy restructuring. During the forum, over a hundred representatives, including government officials, ambassadors from China, the European Union, and Africa, engaged in discussions centered on the theme “Collaborating on Green Energy and Jointly Addressing Global Climate Change.” The discussions focused on five key topics: a review and outlook of China-Europe-Africa cooperation in new energy, the internal driving forces of this cooperation, opportunities for collaboration, the establishment of a China-Europe-Africa green financial partnership, and the creation of a collaborative industrial chain in green energy.

Zhang Chunhui, Vice President of the China-EU Association and Chairman of Chint Group, emphasized the complementary strengths each region possesses in the green energy sector. He noted that through mutually beneficial cooperation, countries can share knowledge, technology, and resources, thereby accelerating the green transition. He highlighted that China’s photovoltaic industry has achieved world-leading technological standards and supply chain advantages after nearly two decades of innovative development. Meanwhile, Europe boasts rich experiences in green energy policies, technological innovation, and market mechanisms, serving as a benchmark for global green energy development. Africa, on the other hand, is endowed with abundant solar resources and significant potential for green energy growth.

The transition of global energy towards greener solutions—from solar power plants and hydropower stations to wind farms—demonstrates that China, Europe, and Africa are effectively leveraging their respective advantages to make strides in green energy collaboration. For example, Li Shisheng, Deputy General Manager of China Power Engineering Consulting Group, shared during his keynote speech that his company has partnered with local organizations in Africa to construct multiple green energy projects, such as the Kafue Gorge Dam in Zambia, the Adama Wind Farm in Ethiopia, and the Nyabira Solar Power Station in Zimbabwe, thereby injecting a continuous stream of green electricity into Africa’s energy grid and empowering local economic development.

To ensure the sustainable development of green energy, it is essential for China, Europe, and Africa to seize cooperation opportunities. Sun Lei, General Manager of Bernard Group’s China operations, pointed out the clear complementary advantages between China and France in the energy sector. He emphasized that both sides could work together to drive innovation in green energy technologies and expand into third-party markets, delivering green energy technologies and equipment to regions in need.

*Ghana miss out as Algeria, Morocco qualify
Hosts Rwanda last night came from behind to beat Benin Republic 2-1 in Kigali and thrown open Group D of the 2025 AFCON qualifying series, which also has the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
With the win, Rwanda now have five points from four matches, a point behind second-placed Benin.
The Cheetahs of Benin, under former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, took the lead late in the first half.
However, the home team drew level in the 70th minute, before they snatched the winning goal through a controversial penalty four minutes later.
The Super Eagles on seven points remain top of the standings even though they are yet to play their match against Libya after they were held hostage by Libyan authorities for 20 hours and forced to return to Nigeria without kicking a ball. Libya remain bottom of the group with a point from three matches.
Next month, Benin will first welcome Nigeria to Abidjan, before the Super Eagles host Rwanda in a final group game in Uyo to round up the qualification race.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Black Stars lost 2-0 to Sudan Tuesday afternoon in matchday 4 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series putting their prospects in great doubt.
The former three-time African champions are now third in Group F having accrued just two points from four matches. Sudan, with seven points, are second. Angola, who yesterday defeated bottom-placed Niger 1-0, are on top with maximum 12 points from four matches and are likely winner of the group’s ticket to Morocco 2025.
Elsewhere, champions Algeria and host Morocco both booked their places at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals after victories in qualifying on Monday, bringing the number of qualified teams to four.
Cameroon defeated Kenya 1-0 when Boris Enow scored the only goal of the game in neutral Kampala, while Ramy Bensebaini netted a first-half spot-kick winner for Algeria against Togo in Lome.
RESULTS
Chad 0-1 Zambia
Lesotho 0-2 Gabon
Malawi 0-1 Senegal
S’Sudan 1-2 Uganda
Sudan 2-0 Ghana
Tanzania 0-2 DR Congo
Botswana 1-0 C’Verde
Congo 1-1 S’Africa
G’Bissau 0-0 Mali
Mauritania 0-1 Egypt
Niger 0-1 Angola
Rwanda 2-1 Benin
S’Leone 1-0 C’d’Ivoire
Libya v Nigeria (PP)

Yinka Kolawolein Osogbo
Osun State Government yesterday warned companies that are laying cables illegally without the permit of the state government to desist henceforth.
The government has also urged all entities operating in the telecommunications sector to prioritise compliance with environmental regulations.
Speaking with journalists, the Director of Data and Project Management of Global Transactions Nigeria Limited, Morenike George –Taylor, said there is the need to address the critical importance of compliance with the Osun State Environmental Protection Law 2022 (as amended).
She said the law mandates that any installation, including the laying of cables, must first receive a written permit from the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, as stated in Section 27(1).
According to her, “This requirement is not merely a bureaucratic formality; it is designed to protect our environment and ensure the safety of our communities. Section 27(3) further emphasizes this necessity.
“By the virtue of the provisions of Section 22 and 23 of the Osun State Environmental Protection Law 2022 (as amended) the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation is the one-stop shop for permits with regard to telecommunications infrastructure in Osun State.
“Additionally, under Section 135 of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Act, telecommunication companies are required to comply with state laws and obtain the relevant permits before installing equipment.”
George -Taylor further said that the consequences of neglecting these laws o not only endanger the environment but also expose companies to significant legal and financial liabilities.
She said the company has made every effort to inform and bill the involved parties, yet they have failed to respond appropriately.
“It is disheartening that criminal sanctions need to be imposed at all; ethically, these companies should be committed to complying with the established laws to foster a responsible and sustainable business environment.
“The potential consequences for non-compliance are substantial, with fines escalating up to N100,000, 000 against defaulting companies, as stipulated in the Osun State Environmental Protection Law 2022 as amended.
She said this serves as a clear warning to all entities that are neglecting these regulations, saying it can lead to severe financial repercussions.

(Epitaph)The foursome channel their blistering, rage-fuelled energy into a mature second album with hints of Foo Fighters and Olivia Rodrigo
Ammar KaliaFri 11 Oct 2024 07.00 EDTShareWhen a video of four girls shredding guitars and screaming about a “racist, sexist boy” in the LA public library went viral in 2021, it proved a powerful launchpad for the Linda Lindas. Combining chugging drums with sludgy guitars, pop hooks and emphatic punk vocals, the quartet’s 2022 debut record, Growing Up, skewered the awkward angst of adolescence. Now reaching the tail-end of their teens, the group’s follow-up, No Obligation, showcases a maturing sound.
Blistering, rage-fuelled compositions kick in from the opening title track, which features vocalist Lucia de la Garza cathartically screaming about her refusal to conform, while the frenetic Resolution/Revolution and Excuse Me both hit hard courtesy of drummer Mila de la Garza’s punishing groove. There is energy aplenty, yet it’s on the slower, more melodic numbers that the album offers exciting new ground. The downtempo guitar melody of All in My Head, for instance, channels the singalong songwriting of the Foo Fighters, while the pop-punk Don’t Think wouldn’t feel out of place in the hands of Olivia Rodrigo.
Rather than a pastiche of styles, No Obligation displays the depth of the Linda Lindas’ developing musical skill, capable of channelling their infectious enthusiasm beyond virality into a long-lasting career.
Watch the video for the Linda Lindas’ No Obligation.

During a recent interview in Kyiv, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed robust support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “Victory Plan.” This plan primarily aims to conclude the Russian invasion through diplomatic negotiations. Barrot stated that France will collaborate with Ukrainian officials to secure the involvement of other allied nations in promoting the initiative.

Barrot highlighted the criticality of the situation, stating, “A Russian victory would affirm the law of the jungle and throw the international order into chaos.” He spoke alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha during a joint press conference on the 19th, emphasizing the need for France and Ukraine to work together to make progress on the Victory Plan while rallying support from neighboring countries.

The Victory Plan includes five major points: Ukraine’s membership in NATO, the use of long-range weapons on Russian territory, the deployment of non-nuclear strategic forces in Ukraine to deter Russia, joint protection of Ukraine’s key natural resources by the U.S. and the EU, and the replacement of some U.S. troops stationed across Europe with Ukrainian soldiers in the post-war period.

Western partners of Ukraine are currently evaluating this proposal, as their support is vital for Kyiv’s resistance against Russia. A critical aspect of the plan is the formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, a topic that Western allies have been reluctant to discuss during the ongoing conflict.

Furthermore, Barrot announced that France plans to deliver the first batch of Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine by the first quarter of 2025. Ukrainian pilots and technicians are already undergoing training for operating and maintaining these aircraft.

“Ukraine is fighting not only to defend its territory but also to uphold the front line for Europe against Putin’s Russia, separating freedom from oppression,” Barrot remarked.

Barrot’s visit coincided with a prisoner exchange on the night of October 18, where 190 prisoners, including 95 Ukrainians, were swapped under the mediation of the United Arab Emirates.

Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, France has emerged as one of Ukraine’s staunchest military, diplomatic, and economic allies in Europe. The country is currently training a Ukrainian brigade expected to be deployed to the front lines in November. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously advocated for Western allies to allow Kyiv to utilize advanced long-range weapons, including French missiles, to target Russian military bases within its territory.

On October 14, 2024, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was announced, with three American economists—Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson—being honored for their significant contributions to understanding how institutions shape economic prosperity.

Daron Acemoglu, a 57-year-old professor at MIT, Simon Johnson, who is 61 and also a professor at MIT, and James Robinson, aged 64 and a professor at the University of Chicago, have all dedicated their research to this critical area.

In a statement, the Nobel Prize Committee emphasized, “Narrowing the vast income gaps between nations is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and these laureates demonstrate the importance of social institutions in achieving this goal.” The committee further remarked that the recipients’ research provides deeper insights into the fundamental causes of national success or failure.

Harvard University, one of America’s oldest and wealthiest institutions, is experiencing a notable decline in donations following dissatisfaction among its affluent alumni regarding the university’s handling of antisemitism issues. According to a financial report released on the 17th, contributions for the fiscal year 2024 have dropped to $1.17 billion, down 15% from $1.38 billion the previous year, marking the largest decline in donations for Harvard in nine years, as reported by the Capitol Hill report.

In a recent interview, Harvard President Alan Garber expressed his disappointment over the situation, stating, “Some of the new contributions have been disappointing compared to previous years,” in remarks to the Harvard Crimson.

Donations specifically designated for Harvard also saw a significant decrease of 34%, falling from $560.6 million last year to $368.1 million this year. However, in a positive note, the university’s endowment is projected to grow by 9.6% in fiscal year 2024, bringing its total value to $53.2 billion—the largest academic endowment in the world.

This reduction in donations follows a year marked by campus turmoil over antisemitism and divisions among students due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. CNBC highlighted comments from Ken Griffin, founder of the hedge fund Citadel and a major benefactor, who condemned antisemitism earlier this year and expressed concerns that Harvard was “lost in the wilderness,” indicating a halt in his donations.

Similarly, billionaire Len Blavatnik, another key supporter, has also pulled back his funding for comparable reasons, despite his family foundation previously donating at least $270 million to Harvard.

Despite the decrease in alumni contributions, Harvard’s overall revenue remains strong, with certain types of donations seeing an uptick. The university’s “current use donations” set a record, reaching over $525 million, the second highest in Harvard’s history.

How did a $2m horror sequel trump $200m movie Joker: Folie à Deux this weekend? By shocking viewers – and steering clear of songs
Mon 14 Oct 2024 10.05 EDTLast modified on Tue 15 Oct 2024 05.06 EDTShareName: Terrifier 3.
Age: Three days old.
Appearance: A clown putting a chainsaw up a man’s bum.
I don’t understand. Is this a metaphor? No. Terrifier 3 is a horror movie about an evil clown (often dressed as Santa), and in this film he murders a man by taking a chainsaw to his nether regions.
Ah, I see. Well, no thank you. Are you sure? You’d be in a minority.
Would I? Oh yes. Because Terrifier 3 is No 1 at the US box office.
Even though it’s about chainsaw murder? Well, there’s more to it than that.
Phew. It’s also about (in no particular order) people being beheaded, having their skin peeled off, and being filled with rats and then split open. I’ve missed some out, but you get the gist.
Not to repeat myself, but no thanks. Are you sure? It makes people vomit.
How on earth is that a selling point? Are you kidding? It’s the selling point. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have seen stories about preview screenings that ended with audiences either throwing up or walking out because the level of gratuitous violence is so extreme. In other words, don’t think of Terrifier 3 as a film. Think of it as a challenge of endurance.
Did this simply come out of the blue? No. Art the Clown – the monster at the heart of the Terrifier movies – has been around in short films since 2008. Creator Damien Leone’s first Terrifier feature came out in 2016 and made back its $35,000 budget 10 times over; 2022’s Terrifier 2 made its $250,000 budget back 60 times over; and now Terrifier 3, which cost $2m to make, is the biggest movie in the US, taking $18.3m this weekend.
Terrifier 3 review – killer clown is tooled up for third helping of gleeful gorefestRead moreBut why? The films are independently made, and unrated. If you’re a horror fan, they’re a corrective to decades of diluted studio fare. They are also – if you’re in the right frame of mind – quite funny.
Wasn’t Joker: Folie à Deux supposed to be October’s big movie? Yes, but that film flopped hard, largely because it’s a long, dour musical that goes out of its way to punish the people who enjoyed the grim thrills of the first movie.
So the opposite of Terrifier 3, then. Yes. And a warning that, no matter what, Terrifier 4 should definitely not feature Art the Clown mournfully whisper-singing old show tunes while he wields his chainsaw.
Do say: “Terrifier 3 is proof that the world loves movies about violent antiheroes.”
Don’t say: “Unless they have any singing in them.”

Three new TV adaptations of Austen’s classic novel have been announced, including Dolly Alderton taking it to Netflix and a BBC spin-off centred on the bookish Mary
Naoise DolanWed 16 Oct 2024 13.35 BSTLast modified on Wed 16 Oct 2024 16.09 BSTShareAt 12 years old, I plucked Pride and Prejudice at random from my grandmother’s bookshelf. A recklessly expeditious gobbler-up of doorstoppers, I had skimmed through many a dull descriptive paragraph in my time. But I didn’t want to miss a single word of Pride and Prejudice. Austen had mastered the storyteller’s art of providing ever so slightly less detail than I craved. Like many other readers before and since, I was hooked.
Though Austen’s famous free indirect narration is all but impossible to transfer to the screen, Pride and Prejudice’s dialogue adapts like a dream, and so we keep bloody well doing it. Within the last week three more adaptations were announced. Netflix is developing two of them: one based on Pride, a YA novel by Ibi Zoboi which resets the story in Brooklyn, the other a direct adaptation scripted by Dolly Alderton. Meanwhile, the BBC has commissioned a spin-off drama about Lizzy Bennet’s bookish sister Mary.
Since 1938 there have been 11 more-or-less faithful film and TV adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, including in Italian, Spanish and Dutch. The BBC’s 1995 TV series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth remains the generally accepted fan favourite, but Joe Wright’s 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen has its adherents. There have been further dozens of looser adaptations, most famously Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), which – like any modernisation – was fated to eventually seem of its time.
The premises of all three of the newly announced TV shows look promising. The Deadline announcement for Pride – backed by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground – describes a story of an Afro-Latina teen fighting gentrification. Austen belongs to everyone and it’s invigorating to see her retellings reflect that. I trust a writer of Alderton’s emotional acuity not to commit the carnage that Netflix visited two years ago on Persuasion; its assigning to Anne Elliot’s sacred mouth the words “Now we’re worse than exes: we’re friends” will forever haunt my dreams. I’ve always felt Mary Bennet got an unjustly bad rap – as an autistic person, I cannot reasonably hate a character who’s full of facts and blissfully ignorant of social cues – so let’s hope her spin-off proves a watershed moment for know-it-all rights.
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Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice at 200: looking afresh at a classicRead moreHow to explain the enduring appeal of Pride and Prejudice? Some of it is down to Austen’s brilliant writing, of course, but wish fulfilment comes into it, too. We would all like to be as scathing as Lizzy and to marry rich. It is fundamentally Lizzy’s wit that lands her Darcy, making the story more acceptable to 21st-century sensibilities than if she’d enthralled him through saccharine virtue or conventional beauty. Lizzy, to use modern parlance, has game.
I use the words “wish fulfilment” with a degree of trepidation, as the term is often used to suggest that indulging readers’ fantasies somehow compromises one’s literary heft. This is lazy and snobbish. Obviously popularity doesn’t mean a book is good, but it doesn’t make it automatically bad, either. Please explain why offering simpler pleasures necessarily detracts from fine-tuned prose! There’s a gendered element to these criticisms, too: nobody refers to the extravagantly unrealistic sex that men have in thrillers as “wish fulfilment”.
What Austen understood is that you can be a serious writer who still knows how to have fun. You can mix high art with being conventionally engaging. And if you succeed, you’ll be loved for centuries.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Penguin Books Ltd, £7.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.