PR in the Philippines

SAO PAULO — Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service provider Starlink announced on Tuesday that it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice’s order to block access to his social media platform, X. In a statement posted on X, Starlink said it will abide by Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ order, despite the fact that he has frozen the company’s assets. Previously, Starlink had informally informed the telecommunications regulator that it would not comply until de Moraes reversed his course. “Despite the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil,” the company statement said. “We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent order violate the Brazilian constitution.” De Moraes froze Starlink’s accounts last week as a means to compel it to cover X’s fines, which have exceeded $3 million. He justified his action by stating that the two companies are part of the same economic group. Starlink filed an appeal, its law firm Veirano told the Associated Press on Aug. 30, but has declined to comment further in the days since. Days later, the justice ordered the suspension of X for refusing to name a local legal representative, as required in order to receive notifications of court decisions and swiftly take any requisite action—particularly, in X’s case, the takedown of accounts. A Supreme Court panel unanimously the on Monday, undermining efforts by Musk and his supporters to cast the justice as an authoritarian renegade intent on censoring political speech in Brazil. Had Starlink continued to disobey de Moraes by providing access, telecommunications regulator Anatel could eventually have seized equipment from Starlink’s 23 ground stations that ensure the quality of its internet service, Arthur Coimbra, an Anatel board member, said on a video call from his office in Brasilia. Already some legal experts questioned de Moraes’ basis for freezing Starlink’s accounts, given that its parent company SpaceX has no integration with X. Musk noted on X that the two companies have different shareholder structures. X has clashed with de Moraes over its reluctance to block users—mostly far-right activists accused of undermining Brazilian democracy and allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro—and has alleged that de Moraes wants an in-country legal representative so that Brazilian authorities can exert leverage over the company by having someone to arrest. And Musk has been relentlessly posting in recent days, lambasting de Moraes as a criminal. “This evil tyrant is a disgrace to judges’ robes,” Musk wrote on X along with a photo of de Moraes some 17 hours before Starlink announced its decision to comply with the order. He hasn’t posted about the company’s operations in Brazil since its announcement. The reversal comes as a relief to those in Brazil who have come to depend on Starlink. The company has said it has more than 250,000 customers in the country, many of whom are in remote areas that wouldn’t have fast internet access otherwise. Before Starlink, internet access in many of these areas came from slow, unstable fixed antennae. Its easy-to-install kits and high-quality connections have transformed communication in some communities, surpassing even major Amazonian cities in speed. The Forest People Connection project, founded in 2022 with Musk-donated Starlink terminals, has so far brought them to 1,014 remote communities, including riverine and Indigenous peoples. The Yanomami are among them. Living in a far-flung corner of Brazil’s rainforest, they had faced a severe health crisis, but now have access to Starlink-powered telemedicine consults and reliable communication for emergency transport of patients. Improved connectivity has also facilitated illegal activities, such as gold mining. While Brazil’s massive territory with vast rural and forested areas makes it a key growth market for Starlink, its presence isn’t yet as large as Musk has led some to believe. On Sunday, he shared someone else’s post that showed him meeting Bolsonaro in 2022 and noted that the duo claimed to have struck a partnership to bring Starlink to 19,000 schools. Musk touted the deal on X at the time. It never happened. As of March 2023, SpaceX and the communications ministry hadn’t signed any contract, and only three terminals had been installed in Amazon schools for a 12-month trial period. The ministry’s press office didn’t immediately answer an AP request for updated information about these contracts on Tuesday. Brazil’s education ministry told the AP that states are responsible for signing contracts with internet service providers. Since January 2022, when Starlink began operations in Brazil, it has captured a 0.5 percent share of the internet market, trailing significantly behind leading providers, according to Anatel. Although Starlink has retreated and says it will now block X, Musk’s bravado in recent days has boosted his hero status in the eyes of his fans, said Marietje Schaake, the international policy director at Stanford University Cyber Policy Center. “The battle of the titans, between de Moraes and Musk, reminds us of how powerful, political and provocative tech leaders have become,” said Schaake, who is also author of the forthcoming book “The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley.” “Brazil won’t be that last country to seek accountability or to put up guardrails.” —Maisonnave reported from Curitiba. AP writers Barbara Ortutay and David Biller contributed from San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro.

The U.S. Justice Department has filed criminal charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other high-ranking militants in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. This is the first time American law enforcement has formally targeted the masterminds behind the attack. The seven-count criminal complaint, filed in federal court in New York, accuses Sinwar and others of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, and conspiracy to finance terrorism. The complaint also alleges that Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah provided financial support, weapons, including rockets, and military supplies to Hamas for use in attacks. The impact of the case may be largely symbolic as Sinwar is believed to be hiding in tunnels in Gaza, and the Justice Department reports that three of the six defendants are now deceased. However, officials say they expect further actions as part of a broader effort to target Hamas, a militant group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997. Hamas has been linked to numerous deadly attacks on Israel over the decades, including suicide bombings. The complaint was initially filed under seal in February to allow the U.S. time to attempt to apprehend then-Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other defendants. However, it was unsealed on Tuesday following Haniyeh’s death in July and other developments in the region that diminished the need for secrecy, according to the Justice Department. “The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video statement. “These actions will not be our last.” These charges emerge as the White House reveals its development of a new cease-fire and hostage deal proposal with Egyptian and Qatari counterparts. The proposal aims to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the nearly 11-month war in Gaza. A U.S. official, who requested anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak publicly about the case, told The Associated Press that they saw no reason to believe the charges would impact the ongoing negotiations. National security spokesman John Kirby stated that the recent “executions” of six hostages, including an American, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, by Hamas highlight the “sense of urgency” in the talks. “We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of the brutal murders of Americans, as acts of terrorism,” Garland said in the statement. “We will continue to support the whole of government effort to bring the Americans still being held hostage home.” Sinwar became the overall head of Hamas following the death of Haniyeh in Iran and is at the top of Israel’s most-wanted list. It is believed that he has spent most of the past 10 months living in tunnels beneath Gaza, making his contact with the outside world unclear. He was a longtime Palestinian prisoner who was released in an exchange, similar to the kind that would be part of a cease-fire and hostage release deal. Haniyeh was also charged. Other Hamas leaders facing charges include Marwan Issa, deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza, who assisted in planning last year’s attack and was reportedly killed in March by Israeli fighter jets that struck an underground compound in central Gaza; Khaled Mashaal, another Haniyeh deputy and a former leader of the group believed to be residing in Qatar; Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ long-standing shadowy military leader who was purportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza in July; and Lebanon-based Ali Baraka, Hamas’ head of external relations. These charges represent “yet another tool” for the U.S. to counter the threat posed by Hamas to the U.S. and its ally Israel, according to Merissa Khurma, Middle East program director at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. “If Sinwar is found and brought to justice for planning the October 7 attacks, it would be a significant win for the U.S. and for all those who lost loved ones,” she stated via email. However, considering Sinwar’s concealed status, Khurma doesn’t anticipate the charges increasing pressure on Hamas. She pointed out that the chief prosecutor of the world’s premier war crimes court sought arrest warrants for Hamas leaders like Sinwar, yet this didn’t alter their conduct or weaken their position in cease-fire negotiations. She emphasized the case’s importance for the U.S. due to the numerous Americans killed or kidnapped and the country’s non-recognition of the International Criminal Court. During the October 7 attacks, militants killed around 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and took approximately 250 people hostage. Roughly 100 hostages remain, with a third believed to be deceased. The criminal complaint describes the massacre as the “most violent, large-scale terrorist attack” in Hamas’ history. It outlines how Hamas operatives, arriving in southern Israel with “trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats, and paragliders,” engaged in a brutal campaign of violence that included rape, genital mutilation, and machine-gun shootings at close range. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The war has led to extensive destruction, forcing the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times, creating a humanitarian crisis. Hamas has accused Israel of prolonging negotiations for months by introducing new demands, including lasting Israeli control over the Philadelphi corridor along the Egyptian border and a second corridor spanning Gaza. Hamas has offered to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of numerous Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants. These terms align broadly with the outline for a deal proposed by President Joe Biden in July. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed “total victory” over Hamas and blames them for the negotiations’ failure. —Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Courtney Bonnell in Washington and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

In a February Super Bowl showdown in Las Vegas, the Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker kicked off the game with a touchback. The moment, eagerly awaited by fans in the stadium and millions watching on TV, ended with a predictable result: no return, no excitement. While past Super Bowls saw dynamic kick returns, Super Bowl LVIII featured 13 consecutive touchbacks, a testament to the lack of excitement in the play. Determined to make kickoffs more engaging, the NFL implemented new rules for the 2024 season, designed to increase returns and reduce injuries.  Under the new rules, kickoffs will still originate from the 35-yard line, but receiving teams will start at their own 30-yard line, rather than the 25, on a touchback. This change creates a slight incentive for the kicking team to try for a return. The kicking team will also have 10 players lined up at the receiving team's 40-yard line, as opposed to the traditional kickoff point. The receiving team is required to have at least nine players in the “setup zone” between their own 35- and 30-yard lines. These new alignments mimic a play from scrimmage, bringing the teams closer together, potentially reducing the risk of high-impact collisions. The ball must be returned if it lands in the "landing zone," between the 20-yard line and the goal line. (If the kick fails to reach the 20, the receiving team takes possession at their own 40.)  “The goal is to make the kickoff relevant again, bring back that exciting play, but in a way that minimizes injuries, which have historically been common on kickoffs,” explains Walt Anderson, former referee and current NFL officiating rules analyst. “That’s the challenge.”  Early indications are positive. Over 70% of kickoffs were returned during the 2024 preseason, compared to 54.8% in 2023. The league also witnessed 18 returns of at least 40 yards, double the number from the previous year.  However, the regular season may reveal a different story. Only 22% of NFL kickoffs were returned in the 2023 season, the lowest ever. Teams might be more inclined to kick for touchbacks in exhibition games to evaluate their coverage units. Some experts, like former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the new rules.  Belichick believes that teams will continue to opt for touchbacks in regular season games, as the risk of allowing a talented returner to gain substantial yardage outweighs the minimal advantage of a five-yard difference in starting position. “Once you get into the regular season, if the [opposing] team’s got good returners, it’s just gonna be touchbacks,” Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show in August. “That’s all it’s gonna be. You put them on the 30 instead of 25, I mean, big deal. But I’d rather do that than kick it to one of these guys that can change field position on you in a hurry.” Belichick suggests moving the kickoff spot back to the 20 or 25 to encourage more returns. This adjustment would make it harder for kickers to consistently put the ball out of bounds.  The NFL’s new kickoff rules are a one-year experiment. If the format fails to achieve its intended results, the league can make adjustments.    “We’ll see what happens during the course of the year,” says Anderson. “Do we want to end up making some changes? Do we want to go back to the drawing board? Everything’s on the table.”  

Over a decade ago, Thomas Derrick Hull, a clinical psychologist who researches digital health, had a bold idea. What if therapists, who are the primary providers of mental-health care in the U.S., began texting their patients instead of requiring them to come into the office? At the time, it seemed unlikely, even to Hull, that patients and providers could use a screen to develop the strong connections and meaningful conversations that typically flourish in face-to-face interactions. However, the potential benefits were enticing: texting is inexpensive, quick, easily accessible, and convenient, potentially allowing therapists to engage with their patients regularly, rather than waiting for scheduled weekly sessions. Hull began experimenting with this approach, eventually leading this initiative as an executive at the online therapy provider Talkspace. (He left the company in 2020 and now works for a different organization.) Even if texting proved to be only 60% or 70% as effective as traditional therapy, the convenience and accessibility could make it a valuable alternative, Hull initially thought. “That felt like a fair trade,” Hull says. “But as we started looking at the data, it turned out that it seemed to be just as effective.” Recent research—some of it funded by text therapy providers like Talkspace—continues to indicate that texting is a legitimate and effective means of delivering mental-health care. In a study published in July, for instance, Hull and other researchers discovered that therapy delivered through text or voice notes is equally as effective as teletherapy—which itself has been shown to be effective—at alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression over a three-month period. This implies that individuals who prefer texting with a therapist can feel confident that they are receiving the same quality of care as those who choose video appointments, states the study's senior author, Michael Pullmann, who conducted the research while working as a research professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. How can this be, considering that the connection between a patient and therapist is widely regarded as one of the strongest predictors of treatment success? Can such a bond genuinely develop through text communication? The American Psychological Association expressed skepticism about text therapy as of 2015, and some professionals remain wary of the concept. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that strong relationships can form via text or email, just as they do in person. Some research even reveals that individuals can develop a sense of "bonding" through digital interactions. Some experts contend that face-to-face relationships produce better outcomes than online connections—but Adrian Aguilera, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies digital health, isn't overly concerned about this. Aguilera asserts that he's less interested in whether text therapy is as effective as face-to-face therapy and more focused on whether it offers a better alternative than nothing—because a significant segment of the population currently lacks access to mental health services. “Is it the best? Probably not,” he says. “A better question is, ‘Can it meet an unmet need?’” The answer appears to be positive. During the pandemic, Aguilera led a study in which participants received daily automated text messages designed to enhance mental well-being. (An example: “Self-soothe is an important skill for coping with distress. What are two ways that you can use your senses [e.g., smell, taste, touch] that will be calming?”) Across the board, individuals who received these texts reported improvements in their anxiety and depression symptoms after 60 days. Notably, the program seemed to be particularly beneficial for Latinx users, who indicated that they gained valuable knowledge from the messages, possibly because they were less likely to access mental health services. Aguilera's other research has indicated that patients tend to remain in therapy longer when it incorporates a text-based component. This finding may not be surprising, given that nearly all of us are constantly connected to our phones these days. “Have you ever texted a friend when you’ve been upset or anxious about something?” Pullmann asks. Almost certainly, the answer is yes. Similar to casual conversations, texting with a therapist offers both the advantage of immediacy (you can send a message as soon as a challenging feeling arises) and asynchronicity (the recipient can take their time to craft a thoughtful response), Pullmann explains. Some individuals may also find it easier to express a difficult, embarrassing, or vulnerable thought in writing—and research consistently shows that people benefit from expressing themselves through written communication, Hull notes. Furthermore, he suggests that text therapy may provide the advantages of "state-based learning," that well-established psychological principle suggesting that it's most effective to study for a test in the same room where you'll take it. In other words, it's possible that therapeutic concepts are more readily absorbed when they are delivered in the environments where individuals will actually need those insights, such as at home or work. Text therapy isn't without its flaws. Two of the largest online providers, Talkspace and BetterHelp, have faced criticism, with Talkspace specifically being accused of charging users fees even when therapists weren't available to meet with them. (All claims in the lawsuit have now been either dismissed or settled, according to a statement from Talkspace.) In a 2022 Wall Street Journal report, providers who worked with Talkspace also expressed concerns about the quality of care offered on the platform. In a statement provided to TIME, Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, Talkspace’s chief medical officer, asserted that the platform's therapists are thoroughly vetted and licensed, and that research suggests text therapy is effective. “Imagine having an always-on, open-door option for people to communicate with their therapists, rather than bottling things up and waiting for their next session,” Benders-Hadi stated. “Ultimately what is most important is meeting members where they are, and letting them choose the modality that works best for how they would like to engage with therapy.” Meanwhile, BetterHelp reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission concerning allegations of improper data-sharing practices. In a statement issued after the settlement, the company emphasized that its “technology, policies, and procedures are designed to protect and secure our members’ information so it is not used or shared without their approval and consent.” BetterHelp has also recently been the target of criticism on social media from customers who allege that its clinicians provided poor advice or behaved inappropriately. In a statement provided to TIME, a spokesperson for BetterHelp did not directly address those allegations but stressed that the company provides “many ways” for clients to connect with therapists, including phone and video calls, and stated that it is “very rare” for members to exclusively use text messages. As with any form of therapy, Hull cautions, it's essential to be discerning. There will always be good therapists and bad therapists, good patient matches and bad ones, regardless of whether appointments take place in a private practice or through an iPhone. “I don’t think there’s anything about message-based care that reduces quality, in principle,” he says. Increasingly, the data support his perspective. 

In March, a group of U.K. biologists, zoologists, and chemical ecologists published the latest results of a study on group living among wild great tits. (Yes: wild great tits—birds.) In the winter of 2018, they tracked 105 great tits at two sites in the Wytham Woods, curious to test whether these small birds’ social networks influenced what they ate. This turned out to be the case—the scientists found that when the tits had larger social networks and were embedded in more expansive communities, they felt safer taking risks and eating new foods. The researchers call this “social learning.” These findings echoed the results of other avian studies: group living allows for risk-taking, learning new things, and a sense of security. Assuming you’re not a biologist or ethologist, when you read the words “group living,” what comes to your mind? A sloppy shared living experience? Hippies baking sawdust into bread? A cult with a charismatic overlord? An institutional home for elders? Typically, the words “group living” conjure two contradictory ideas: on the one hand, too much disorderliness and chaos—a messy house with trash bags that haven’t been taken to the curb—and on the other, too much order, too many rules, too many gurus. In both cases, absolute lack of privacy. These ideas are out of touch. Group living continues to be stigmatized and misunderstood, but it is widespread and long-lived. The nuclear family, built on a racist, classist foundation. Before the 1930s, multigenerational households in the U.S. were the standard. Even today, just shy of one-third of adults live with at least one other person who’s not their spouse, romantic partner, or a college student, and more people in the world live in communal settings than nuclear ones. Group living represents a galaxy of ways to structure our home lives. In the face of growing economic disparity, unaffordable housing, the climate crisis, and women’s disproportionate domestic labor, we need to become more flexible in how we conceptualize family and home. For the past 17 years, I’ve lived in a communal household in Portland, Ore., with three (and sometimes more) housemates. Living together has been a tactic for financial survival. I moved into the house in 2007, during the first throes of the Great Recession. Most of my roommates were and are artists with unimpressive salaries. And we’re not the only ones struggling. On the West Coast, we face an acute housing crisis that has obliterated the possibility that most people could buy a house, yet home ownership is still presented as the foundation of the American Dream. Many of our neighbors within the working class can’t get a mortgage, minimum-wage workers can’t afford rent on market-rate apartments, and the number of people without shelter rises all the time. Group living isn’t a solution to homelessness, but sharing costs can make the difference between being able to afford a roof over our heads and living on the street. Despite all the factors that should encourage it, our culture still views group living as a hassle to be avoided. The dream is a posh apartment or an orderly, single-family home with a bathroom for each occupant, a washer and dryer, and a two-car garage. Communal arrangements are seen as a toll paid by the poor, the young, and counterculture weirdos. While I don’t think everyone needs to live in a communal household, we’d all benefit from exorcizing stigmas that are out of date. The single-family home tells us the only meaningful life is one lived in isolation. What a paltry premise for growing up and growing old. There are many wonderful reasons to choose group living for its own merits. Learning how to share space thoughtfully and making time for others can combat the currents of isolation, alienation, loneliness, and apathy. Group living can also make it easier to live lighter on the land, spend less money by sharing resources like that car and those appliances, and divide domestic activities, including childcare, which is traditionally done by women and, consequently, devalued. In my experience, when the group is a little larger than a couple, it’s easier to give without tallying the score and to take without feeling guilty. Remove the financial incentives, and I’d still stay right where I am—my life is richer for it. My housemates and I give each other the gifts of time and camaraderie. We hang out, often in the kitchen while cooking or over a shared meal. As among the wild great tits, our flock has expanded what I feel safe and excited to eat by sharing foods they love with me. Our meals together feel intentional, considered. Because we’re enmeshed in each other’s lives, we expose one another to new ideas, inspire each other to take risks, expand how we engage with the world, and take care of each other. We also offer each other privacy when we ask for it. Over time, we’ve learned to communicate better and become more attuned to each other's needs. Borrowing the vocabulary of ethology, this is also “social learning.” Of course, none of this is guaranteed. I’ve lived in a group setting that wasn’t built on a common commitment to each other, and it was worse than living alone. We all know that one can feel very lonely and unseen inside of a family, as well. But adults can choose each other for compatibility rather than yielding to genetics or societal expectations. I feel grateful when a conversation with a friend is as easy to spark as walking into the living room. I feel more capable when I have companionship while I’m processing hard things. I also know the relief of coming home to friends who will make me laugh, watch a show with me, and cook me dinner when I’ve had a bad day. These are the moments I cherish: watching John Woo movies while sick on the couch and wrapped in blankets, or slowly going about our morning routines, ricocheting off each other gently as we make coffee and eat toast. In real time, these moments glide by without grabbing attention, but cumulatively, they constitute the texture of our lives. Recently, I’ve been wondering what to call our household unit. The contemporary name for a group like ours is a collective or a cohousing. While I like those words, they feel both broad and fuzzy, like an image projected awkwardly over a familiar three-dimensional form. We have many words for groups of birds: a colony, an unkindness, a parliament, a chattering. A murder, a flamboyance, a quilt, a convocation. An exaltation, a scold, an asylum, a descent. Each of these collective nouns expresses something about the communal experience—the challenges of decision-making, the loudness of many voices, the treachery of intimacy, the delights of it. No doubt, most variations of group living are raucous and complex, but they offer social connections that may keep us safe and help us thrive. Our lives fill with new meaning when we’re together.

After eight seasons of the epic saga, fans can now enter what might be a competition on par with the battle for the Iron Throne: an auction of prized memorabilia from the HBO series. Fans can now bid on a range of costumes, props, set pieces, and memorabilia from the show that ended in 2019. More than 2,000 items — including a melted version of the coveted Iron Throne — distributed across 900 lots will be on the auction block in October through Heritage Auctions. The starting bids range from $500 to $20,000 for items as iconic as Jaime Lannister's full suit of armor and sword to props as detailed as prosthetic teeth used for the White Walkers. Other notable items include memorable cloaks, coats, and leather ensembles (some that feature dragon chokers and accents) worn by Jon Snow, Jon Snow's notorious Longclaw sword wielded, and the Hand of the Queen Pin donned by Tyrion Lannister. Even items that didn't have much screen time, like the bell wielded during or bloodstained garb from the infamous Red Wedding, are expected to draw fans' attention during bidding. Jay Roewe, HBO's senior vice president of global incentives and production planning, said the auction — a chance for fans to “grab a piece of history” — speaks to the staying power the series has had. “‘Game of Thrones’ was a zeitgeist moment in our culture. It was a zeitgeist moment in high-end television. It was a zeitgeist moment in terms of HBO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is something we all grew up with. It’s impacted every single one of our lives. It’s impacted the culture, and ‘Game of Thrones’ has meant something to every single person.” Although the series started in 2011 and several items in the auction date back to then, they have not been “collecting dust,” Roewe said. HBO had been carefully preserving thousands of props, costumes, and set pieces since the series began for use on potential spinoffs or sequels. With having recently completed its second season and other projects firmly in development — while — Roewe said the studio now knows what they’ll need to hold on to and what they can part ways with. “These items have been curated and taken care of since we finished filming. They are the quality that they were when we finished filming, and we’ve had people working on them for years to keep them in shape,” he said. “We don’t need them anymore. It’s time to finally open it up to the world.” Beyond the preservation and quality of the items, the sheer scale of the auction required months of collaboration with HBO and countless hours of research and planning to organize, said Joe Maddalena, the executive vice president of Heritage Auctions. Maddalena wanted to ensure fans and collectors didn’t feel like there were any “glaring holes” in the collection by including a wide variety of characters’ costumes and props, displayed in a 750-page catalog. There are even multiples of crucial items like Arya Stark's rapier Needle, of which there were several versions throughout the series’ run. The intricate nature and craftsmanship of the costumes and props are part of what make the show so memorable, Maddalena, a fan himself, said. Emmy-winning has been praised since the series’ start for the detailed and intentional designs that fueled storylines. The catalog features interviews with Clapton, and several of the cast members commenting on the episode-specific usage and significance of hundreds of the items. Maddalena called this kind of access and information “uncharted territory” in the auction world. “You don’t usually get studio-sanctioned auctions like this. This is studio sanctioned,” he said. “Everything comes from the archive. Everything was handpicked, scene specific. You know where your piece was used. You know it was actually used on screen.” For fans who want to snag a piece of “Game of Thrones,” the vast collection is now open for preliminary bidding with the auction taking place Oct. 10-12 through Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The collection will be available to preview in the auction house’s New York and London locations starting Sept. 17 through Oct. 4.

For a work of literary nonfiction to captivate readers the way 's 2019 bestseller has done, it needs more than just compelling subject matter. There has to be a connection between the author and the story; readers must feel her intimate understanding of its characters and perceive the unique perspective she brings to their situations. Fittingly, given that Three Women is a multifaceted portrayal of female desire in 21st century America, there's an element of seduction. achieves this by closing the gap that separates her from the women whose sex lives she chronicles. Their thoughts, feelings, and desires are so vividly expressed that you might forget she's even present. It's no surprise that such a captivating read was adapted into a steamy yet poignant premium-cable drama. However, the 10-episode series, initially developed by Taddeo for Showtime and later picked up by Starz, fails to capture the book's electrifying aura. This version of Three Women, premiering Sept. 13, feels like the text has been spun in a centrifuge, weaving together accounts of the subjects' stories with the narrative of a fourth woman: the Taddeo-like journalist (played by 's Gia) who travels the country to find her subjects. Despite strong performances and sensitive direction that focuses on women's subjective experiences of sex and their bodies, the show's disjointed structure and flimsy frame narrative suggest that the book might not have been suited for television after all.  Taddeo sets the stage with an encounter between Gia and Gay Talese (James Naughton), a real-life giant of literary journalism whose 1981 book about sex in the '70s, Thy Neighbor's Wife, Gia aims to update—a figure whose cultural significance and masculine reputation will likely be unfamiliar to most viewers under 60. "You're gonna go out there and f-ck married men," Talese, whose role as a mentor with ambiguous usefulness was to the , proclaims. But she doesn't, in part because she realizes early on that, when it comes to sex, love, and specifically desire, women are more interesting.  The premiere introduces all three subjects. Lina, portrayed with fiery desperation by , is an Indiana housewife and mother whose husband (Sean Meehan) won't kiss her. Craving passion, she reconnects with a high school boyfriend who has haunted her fantasies. Sloane (a radiant ), the belle of every Martha's Vineyard ball, satisfies her unruly desires by letting her husband (Blair Underwood) select men and sometimes women for her to sleep with while he watches. But then she becomes infatuated with a man (Blair Redford) she doesn't want to share. And Maggie (Gabrielle Creevy) is a 23-year-old waitress in North Dakota whose life was turned upside down by an affair, years earlier, with her high school English teacher (Jason Ralph). When he's named the state's teacher of the year, Maggie finally files charges. “What they all had,” Gia tells us, in glibly inspirational voice-over narration that belies Taddeo’s ability for nuance, “was the audacity to believe that they deserved more.” But a scattered format that dedicates some full episodes to single characters and, in others, blends vignettes about two or more only highlights how loosely the women fit together. Bolstered by Gilpin's almost feral vulnerability, only Lina embodies the intensity of an ordinary woman untethered by repressed desires. Based on a trial that didn't end well for the accuser (and paired with a wordy on-screen disclaimer to that effect), Maggie's story suffers from its similarity to so many previous stories of teacher-student boundary-crossing on TV. A New England WASP recast as a wealthy Black woman, presumably to diversify an otherwise white series, with only attention paid to the implications of that identity shift, Sloane's arc feels conspicuously lightweight. Most incongruous is the Gia storyline. The new character compels viewers to make sense of a convoluted, ultimately inessential chronology of the reporting process; her entry into Lina's life is particularly confusing. And instead of offering much insight into what might motivate a journalist to stake her career on a cross-country quest to illuminate women's sexuality, Three Women gives Gia an inexplicably devoted love interest (John Patrick Amedori) and embroils them in a progressively more far-fetched conflict between his commitment and her avoidance. It's not difficult to understand why Taddeo felt compelled to adjust the structure for television or to add a semi-autobiographical character who could shed light on a remarkable feat of reportage. But in separating her voice from those of her subjects, the series breaks the mind-meld connection that made so captivating.

Pope Francis has embarked on his 45th and longest overseas trip as pontiff, landing in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday to begin a busy 12-day schedule. This comes despite concerns about the 87-year-old Catholic leader's declining health.  “Please pray that this journey may bear fruit,” he on X on Monday, announcing the start of the “Apostolic Journey,” which was originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today I begin an Apostolic Journey to several countries in Asia and Oceania. Please pray that this journey may bear fruit.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) Francis’ first stop on the journey, in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country where about 87 percent of the population practice Islam, reflects his consistent efforts to reach out to Catholics in regions where they are minorities and to promote interfaith cooperation.  Indonesia’s eight million Catholics make up just 3 percent of the population. “There are not many Catholics in Indonesia, so it shows that we are being acknowledged and we are being counted,” a local told . “It shows we have a role to play in Indonesia.” After meeting with Indonesian as well as representatives from civil society and local clergy on Wednesday, Francis is expected to hold a mass for some 70,000 people at a stadium on Thursday.  The pope also plans to attend a meeting with other religious leaders on Thursday in Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque. The mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, is connected to the capital’s main Catholic cathedral via an underground “tunnel of friendship,” built in 2020 as a symbol of religious harmony. Francis will sign an interfaith declaration with Nasaruddin Umar, the grand imam of Istiqlal Mosque. Umar told the that he and Francis will “discuss the common ground between religious communities and emphasize the commonalities between religions, ethnicities and beliefs.” Umar also said that the choice to make Indonesia the pope’s first stop makes “the Muslim community proud.”  In 2019, Francis became the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula, where, together with the grand imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, he a historic interfaith document and pledged to work together to tackle extremism. In 2021, Francis with Iraq’s top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and attended a gathering of religious leaders—a rare display of unity given the country’s long-standing divisions among religious and ethnic groups. For the current visit to Jakarta, there are also hopes that Francis, who has been outspoken about climate efforts, will promote environmental protection. Indonesian authorities have long dragged their feet on effectively tackling the problem of in the capital city. Ahead of his trip, Francis people in his monthly video message to commit to protecting the environment, describing the Earth as a “sick” planet. “The visit of the pope is great because it provides a sounding board,” air pollution expert Piotr Jakubowski told the , “from another, very well-respected world leader.” Continuing his journey through Asia, on Friday, Francis is expected to arrive in Papua New Guinea, a small Pacific island nation where nearly all of its citizens as Christian and about 26% of the population are Roman Catholic. There, the pope will with local bishops and priests as well as missionaries. He will then make his way to Timor-Leste, the region’s youngest nation—it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002—where of the population is Catholic. The last stop on Francis’ itinerary is Singapore. While only 19% of Singapore’s population as Christian—among them, about are Catholics—Francis’ visit to the city-state, which has a majority ethnic Chinese population and balances good ties with both China and the U.S., has been by some as part of the Vatican’s sustained efforts to warm relations with China.  During his to Mongolia last year, Francis took the opportunity to send his well wishes to the Chinese people. And in May, the Vatican announced its intentions to a permanent office in China, home to millions of Catholics. As a result of tensions surrounding the appointment of bishops and the Holy See’s ties with Taiwan, no pope has ever visited China. This is an ambitious one for the pope, whose ailing health has in recent years caused him to cut down on some of his public engagements. Francis, who lost part of his lung to an infection when he was younger, has in recent years intestinal surgeries and suffered from mobility issues. Over the past year, he has battled bouts of bronchitis and influenza. Nevertheless, he is already planning his next trip—to later this month.