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  • This Couple Married at a Historic French Château Nestled in the Foothills of the Pyrenees

    This Couple Married at a Historic French Château Nestled in the Foothills of the Pyrenees

    Once their renovations were finished, the Catskills became a sanctuary for the couple, outside of their busy life in Brooklyn. “We’ve spent countless weekends all over the area over the years, and I couldn’t think of anything more perfect…

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  • White House says ‘substantial’ shutdown layoffs have begun

    White House says ‘substantial’ shutdown layoffs have begun

    A general view of the White House as US President Donald Trump’s motorcade returns following a trip to Trump National Golf Club, in Washington, DC, US, July 20, 2025.—Reuters

    The White House said on Friday it had…

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  • France Risks Trigger Fresh Downgrade

    France Risks Trigger Fresh Downgrade

    This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

    Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) analysts have turned more cautious on European bank debt, cutting their recommendation on euro-denominated high-grade bonds by banks to underweight, only months after scrapping their earlier bullish stance. Led by Lotfi Karoui, the team noted that bank bonds are now trading at even tighter spreads than the rest of the market, leaving little room for additional value. The analysts said the spread premium that once made the sector appealing is decidedly a thing of the past, and warned that tight valuations could limit upside potential from here.

    The downgrade follows a strong rally in European bank bonds this year, as investors piled into the sector amid optimism over the industry’s recovery. But Goldman’s analysts cautioned that fiscal risksespecially in Franceare beginning to resurface, posing potential headwinds for the market. Political uncertainty in Paris has already pressured some French bank bonds, and Goldman said the fluid backdrop and challenging fiscal outlook make French issuers particularly vulnerable. The firm added that sovereign risks could be more damaging to bank bonds than to other corporate debt.

    In late June, Goldman had already shifted both its U.S. dollar and euro bank bond calls to neutral, ending an overweight that had been in place since early 2024. The move to underweight suggests a more defensive tone, as the team believes investors may find better risk-reward opportunities elsewhere in credit markets. With spreads compressed and fiscal clouds gathering over Europe’s largest economies, Goldman’s message to clients is clear: the easy gains in bank debt could be behind us.

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  • AI System Boosts Accuracy of National Flood Predictions, Study Finds

    AI System Boosts Accuracy of National Flood Predictions, Study Finds

    A new artificial intelligence tool could make flood forecasts more accurate and actionable, according to a study published in AGU Advances. Researchers found that combining a machine learning model with the U.S. National Oceanic and…

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  • Beware phony Sora apps on the Apple App Store

    Beware phony Sora apps on the Apple App Store

    Demand remains high for Sora, OpenAI’s new invite-only AI video app for iOS users. So high, in fact, that scammers are rushing to fill demand.

    As TechCrunch reported, phony Sora apps somehow slipped…

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  • Hair-loss drug tied to suicides, depression and anxiety in global study

    Hair-loss drug tied to suicides, depression and anxiety in global study

    This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

    Millions of men undergoing hair loss treatment may be putting their mental health…

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  • Beware Sketchy SMS Links From Your Contacts. It Could Be 'ClayRat' Malware – PCMag

    1. Beware Sketchy SMS Links From Your Contacts. It Could Be ‘ClayRat’ Malware  PCMag
    2. New ClayRat Spyware Targets Android Users via Fake WhatsApp and TikTok Apps  The Hacker News
    3. New Android Spyware Attacking Android Users Mimic as Signal and ToTok…

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  • One Person’s Pre-Watch Guide to “A House of Dynamite” – Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

    1. One Person’s Pre-Watch Guide to “A House of Dynamite”  Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
    2. ‘A House of Dynamite’ Star Idris Elba on Picking Up Morgan Freeman’s Mantle as the Go-to Head of State  IndieWire
    3. Kathryn Bigelow…

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  • Apple sued over use of copyrighted books to train Apple Intelligence

    Apple sued over use of copyrighted books to train Apple Intelligence

    Oct 10 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab was hit with a lawsuit in California federal court by a pair of neuroscientists who say that the tech company misused thousands of copyrighted books to train its Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence model.
    Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, professors at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York, told the court, opens new tab in a proposed class action on Thursday that Apple used illegal “shadow libraries” of pirated books to train Apple Intelligence.

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    A separate group of authors sued Apple last month for allegedly misusing their work in AI training.

    TECH COMPANIES FACING LAWSUITS

    The lawsuit is one of many high-stakes cases brought by copyright owners such as authors, news outlets, and music labels against tech companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab, and Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab, over the unauthorized use of their work in AI training. Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a lawsuit from another group of authors over the training of its AI-powered chatbot Claude in August.

    Spokespeople for Apple and Martinez-Conde, Macknik, and their attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new complaint on Friday.

    Apple Intelligence is a suite of AI-powered features integrated into iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad.

    “The day after Apple officially introduced Apple Intelligence, the company gained more than $200 billion in value: ‘the single most lucrative day in the history of the company,’” the lawsuit said.

    According to the complaint, Apple utilized datasets comprising thousands of pirated books as well as other copyright-infringing materials scraped from the internet to train its AI system.

    The lawsuit said that the pirated books included Martinez-Conde and Macknik’s “Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles” and “Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions.”

    The professors requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages and an order for Apple to stop misusing their copyrighted work.

    Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Rod Nickel

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

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  • Doja Cat surprises viewers with unexpected Fortnite bundle purchase during her live Twitch stream | Esports News

    Doja Cat surprises viewers with unexpected Fortnite bundle purchase during her live Twitch stream | Esports News

    Doja Cat surprises viewers with unexpected Fortnite bundle purchase during her live Twitch stream (Image via Getty)

    Doja Cat bought her own Fortnite bundle while streaming live on Twitch on October 8, 2025. The American singer and rapper shocked…

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