All posts tagged: gathers

Salma Hayek gathers Hollywood’s biggest names for star-studded NYC event

Salma Hayek gathers Hollywood’s biggest names for star-studded NYC event

Published by Daniella Wilson

Salma Hayek is set to host a glittering, star-studded dinner in New York City in September with the Kering Foundation, alongside A-listers like Pamela Anderson and Dakota Johnson. The 59-year-old beauty will head the fifth annual Caring for Women Dinner at The Pool in NYC on September 10, in an effort to raise money to end gender-based violence.  Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson, Olympian Simone Biles, Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro, Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras, Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson and artist Lorna Simpson will all join Salma in co-hosting the event.  The dinner will feature a live auction of luxury items from brands under the Kering umbrella, like Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, McQueen and Bottega Veneta. The 2025 dinner managed to raise more than $4.5 million for the cause. © Getty ImagesSalma and François-Henri co-founded the Kering Foundation In 2026, the funds raised will go towards four charities: Activating Change, Fondo Semillas, JBWS and The New York Women’s Foundation.  “Salma and I created the Caring for Women Dinner to raise essential funds for organizations working to …

Star-studded crowd gathers to celebrate the Obama Presidential Center dedication

Star-studded crowd gathers to celebrate the Obama Presidential Center dedication

Published by Sam Flores

Fomer US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama arrive at the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Kent Nishimura | Afp | Getty Images Former President Barack Obama opened his long-awaited presidential center in Chicago on Thursday, drawing a who’s who of former presidents, dignitaries, celebrities and musical performers to an invite-only dedication ceremony on the city’s South Side. The Obama Presidential Center, a $850 million campus more than a decade in the making, officially opens to the public Friday. Thursday’s ceremony featured guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Stephen Colbert and Tom Hanks, with performances from Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, The Roots, Christina Aguilera and others. All living former presidents and first ladies — except President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump — were in attendance. Obama used the moment to pay tribute to Chicago, the city where he launched his political career, built his family and found community that helped shape his presidency. “I found my purpose here, and I fortified my faith here, and I …

Dark Cloud Gathers as Bill Comes Due for AI Industry

Dark Cloud Gathers as Bill Comes Due for AI Industry

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech AI companies have swept customers onto the bandwagon by offering cheap and even free access to their AI models. But the bill is finally coming due, and the results could be ugly. Earlier this month, Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot customers were informed that they would have to reduce their usage of the AI coding tool because of the “significant strain” placed on company servers. It also nixed free trials for new accounts, citing abuse of the system. Now, the popular development platform is doubling down on its cost-cutting regime. On Monday, it announced that all GitHub Copilot plans will be moved to usage-based billing, charging customers based on the number of tokens their AI tasks consume. GitHub said the change, which will go into effect on June 1, “aligns Copilot pricing with actual usage and is an important step toward a sustainable, reliable Copilot business and experience for all users.” The company is replacing its previous “premium request units” …

Russia Goes After VPNs as ‘Great Crackdown’ Gathers Pace

Russia Goes After VPNs as ‘Great Crackdown’ Gathers Pace

Published by Sam Flores

MOSCOW, March 31 (Reuters) – Russia ⁠is ⁠going to further clamp ⁠down Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which are used by ​millions of Russians to get around internet controls and censorship, Russia’s digital ‌minister said. In what has ‌been cast by diplomats as Russia’s “great crackdown”, the authorities have ⁠repeatedly blocked ⁠mobile internet and jammed major messenger services while giving ​sweeping powers to cut off mass communications. “The task is reduce VPN usage,” Digital Minister Maksut Shadayev said on state-backed messenger MAX late on Monday, ​adding that his ministry was trying to impose the limits ⁠with minimal ⁠impact on users. He said ⁠decisions ​had been taken to restrict access to a number of unidentified foreign ​platforms without giving ⁠details. After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia imposed the most repressive laws seen since Soviet times, ordering censorship and bolstering the influence of the Federal Security Service, the main successor to the ⁠Soviet-era KGB. But in recent months, the state has gone much further: ⁠it blocked WhatsApp, has slowed down Telegram and has repeatedly jammed mobile internet …

Pieced Together review – poignant narrative game gathers bittersweet fragments of a friendship | Games

Pieced Together review – poignant narrative game gathers bittersweet fragments of a friendship | Games

Published by Sam Flores

There are few things sadder than the end of a close friendship. Whether it happens in a sudden moment of betrayal or after years of gradual separation, the feelings of loss can stay with you for a lifetime. This is the theme of Pieced Together, a quiet, charming narrative game about best pals Connie and Beth, who meet at school in the 1990s and form an immediate, seemingly inseparable bond. Through the ingenious medium of an interactive scrapbook, we play as Connie, glueing in photos, notes and memories of her friend after years of separation. The game begins with several attempts to write Beth a letter, before we cut-out, stick and sort the story of their lives together. The scrapbook process is divided into chapters of Connie’s life. She moves to a new area with her mum, and this is marked through photos of a moving van, a good luck card, a label with “Connie’s stuff” written on it that was stuck on a box full of her things. You place these items on the …

Pope Leo gathers cardinals in first consistory to chart church’s path together

Pope Leo gathers cardinals in first consistory to chart church’s path together

Published by Sam Flores

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In his first major act of governance, Pope Leo XIV welcomed about 170 cardinals this week at the Vatican for an extraordinary consistory, a gathering aimed at addressing the most pressing issues facing the church. While the meeting on Wednesday and Thursday (Jan. 7-8) takes place behind closed doors, the message Leo is sending is clear: He intends to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics not as a solitary decision-maker but in close consultation with the church’s senior leadership. “I am here to listen,” the pope said in his opening remarks before cardinals in the Synod Hall at the Vatican on Wednesday. “This day and a half together will point the way for our path ahead.” It is the first consistory of Leo’s papacy and the first time the cardinals have convened since his election in May. Shortly after his inauguration, Leo expressed his desire to lead the church alongside his fellow cardinals. His predecessor, Pope Francis, only held one extraordinary consistory during his 12-year papacy, choosing to rely on a …