Florence seeks to ban Airbnb rentals apartments from city centre – mayor

By Federica Urso and Federico Maccioni ROME (Reuters) -Florence wants to ban residential properties in its historic centre from being used for short-term rentals by platforms such as Airbnb in order to free up more homes for local people in the Tuscan city. Dario Nardella, the mayor of one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations,…

Read More

Digital doubles, fake trailers: AI worries Hollywood actors before labor talks

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A search for Wes Anderson on YouTube turns up trailers that the famed director with a distinctive style appears to have made for adaptations of “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” featuring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and other stars. Artificial intelligence allowed people with…

Read More

Federal judge disqualifies himself from hearing Disney lawsuit

(Reuters) – A federal judge on Thursday disqualified himself from hearing Walt Disney Co’s <DIS.N> civil suit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials, citing a small financial interest in the company by a relative. Disney sued DeSantis in late April, asking a court to overturn state efforts to control the Disney World…

Read More

‘California is meant to burn’: Experts teach landowners art of prescribed burns

By Nathan Frandino GEORGETOWN, California (Reuters) – The prescribed burn begins on a California hill with a drip torch to light brush, needles and fallen branches, the flames spreading out on the forest floor far below the tree canopy. Students on this Saturday class learn how to keep the burn under control, while others stand…

Read More

What makes us human? Primate genome study offers some clues

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The most comprehensive genomic study ever on primates – a group whose membership includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and people – has revealed pivotal genetic traits that are uniquely human while refining the timeline for our evolutionary lineage’s split from our closest cousins, the chimpanzees and bonobos. Researchers said on…

Read More

‘That 70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson convicted on two rape counts

(Reuters) -“That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson was convicted on Wednesday of raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home. A jury deadlocked on another charge that Masterson raped a third woman between 2001 and 2003, said Greg Risling, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Masterson, 47, got his breakout role…

Read More

Russian clothing brands plug gap left by Western rivals

By Roman Churikov MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian designers and brands are helping the retail sector gradually recover from a turbulent 15 months of store closures and slumping demand, with new labels plugging the gap left by foreign rivals and shoppers tentatively returning. Hundreds of foreign retailers shut up shop in response to Russia despatching troops…

Read More

Surging temple and lottery stocks mirror China’s weak recovery

By Jason Xue and Tom Westbrook SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Shares in some Chinese temple operators and lottery sellers surged for a second day on Thursday amid a weak post-COVID recovery, as despondent young people rush to pray or gamble amid greater economic uncertainty. Data showed Chinese temple visits more than quadrupled this year compared with…

Read More