While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 9
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The period of totality lasted up to 4 1/2 minutes depending the observer's location.
PHOTO: REUTERS
North America experiences total solar eclipse, starting at Mexican resort
The first total solar eclipse to grace North America in seven years made landfall in Mexico on April 8 as millions of skywatchers gazed upward for the start of a celestial display at least partially visible, weather permitting, across most of the continent.
The Mexican beachside resort town of Mazatlan was the first major viewing spot along the “path of totality” in North America. Thousands of people gathered along the coastal promenade, setting themselves up in deck chairs with solar-safe eyewear as an orchestra played the “Star Wars” movie theme. The crowds burst into cheers and applause and the eclipse reached totality.
Where clear skies prevail, observers along the direct path of the eclipse were being treated to the rare spectacle of the moon appearing as a dark orb creeping in front of the sun, briefly blocking out all but a brilliant halo of light, or corona, around, the sun’s outer edge.
White House urges Hamas to ‘come through’ on Gaza ceasefire
PHOTO: AFP
The White House said April 8 that negotiators had presented Hamas with a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, but that it was up to the Palestinian militant group to decide.
Talks in Cairo at the weekend involving CIA chief William Burns, Israel, Hamas and Qatar were “serious” but it was too early to say whether they would bear fruit, it said.
“Where we are now is that a proposal has been presented to Hamas, and we are waiting on Hamas’s response,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman declared billionaire by Forbes
AFP
Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, has become a billionaire, Forbes said April 8.
Altman, who became the face of the global AI frenzy when his company released ChatGPT in 2022, cracked the magazine’s list of billionaires in the 2,692nd position.
The financial news outlet said that Altman’s wealth came mainly from his investments in startups, such as Reddit, which was recently floated on the New York stock exchange, and payments company Stripe, which is currently estimated to be worth US$65 billion (S$87.62 billion).
Actor Jonathan Majors avoids jail after domestic violence conviction
Getty Images via AFP
Jonathan Majors, a fast-rising Hollywood star before domestic violence charges derailed his career, avoided jail and was sentenced to one year of domestic-violence counseling on April 8 after being found guilty of attacking his former girlfriend.
The sentence was imposed by Justice Michael Gaffey of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, where Majors was convicted on Dec 18 of one count each of third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, neither a felony, against Grace Jabbari.
Majors had faced up to one year in jail, but prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney’s office recommended the counseling. He must also continue therapy and stay away from Jabbari.
Arsenal favourites against Bayern but Arteta wary of Kane threat
Action Images via Reuters
In-form Arsenal will be seeking to set the record straight when they face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on April 9 but will be wary of a familiar face who simply loves scoring against the Gunners.
The last time the two clubs clashed in the competition in 2017, Bayern Munich won both legs of their last-16 tie 5-1 -- a humiliating outcome that underlined Arsenal’s decline.
Arsenal only returned to the Champions League this season and have thrived, reaching their first quarter-final since the 2009-10 season while challenging for the Premier League title.
