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The investigation into the untimely death of <keyword id="21128622" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="liam-payne" source="keywords">Liam Payne</keyword>, former member of One Direction, has taken a dramatic new turn as authorities make arrests and uncover additional details surrounding his tragic fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Payne, who was just 30, was found dead on October 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. New reports now reveal the complex and troubled circumstances leading up to that fatal night. According to an official autopsy obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Payne had multiple narcotics in his system when he died. The investigation’s spotlight has fallen on two men recently arrested: a hotel maintenance worker and a suspected local drug dealer. Both individuals are accused of supplying Payne with the narcotics, which reportedly included cocaine, as revealed by forensic tests. The investigation has also implicated an Argentine businessman who claimed to be Payne’s manager during the singer's last days. Authorities believe the businessman falsely presented himself in this role and was involved in several incidents that may have contributed to the singer's distress. <h2>Mysterious events</h2>Reports describe Payne’s hotel room as a chaotic environment: there were broken items, alcohol bottles, and narcotics. Witnesses say this tension culminated in a confrontation with two women, identified as "L" and "R," whom Payne had allegedly contacted via an escort app. In a heated encounter, the women reportedly demanded $5,000 from Payne, which led to an argument that spilled into the hotel lobby. The hotel manager attempted to de-escalate the situation by calling the Argentine businessman, who was said to be a friend of Payne. This businessman, however, now faces a charge of "abandonment of a person" for allegedly failing to notify Payne’s family about his worsening state or alerting authorities after his death. Although he has cooperated with police only through his lawyer, he has not been detained. Authorities believe that while he may not have directly caused Payne’s death, his actions could have prevented tragedy if he had intervened sooner. <h2>An expanding investigation</h2>In their search for answers, Argentine police have raided nine locations tied to those involved. They have gathered critical evidence, including nine mobile phones, computers, hard drives, and a jar of marijuana, which they believe may hold clues to what truly happened. One of the nine locations raided was the rented room of "L," who had reportedly spent time in Payne's hotel room before the fatal incident. However, after briefly speaking with authorities, she disappeared, adding another layer of mystery to the case. Neighbours reported hearing a dog barking from her now-vacant room, and police are actively searching for her. As the investigation deepens, Payne’s family is preparing for his body’s return to the UK, where they will lay him to rest. Authorities continue to analyse the extensive evidence collected in hopes of understanding the full scope of events that led to the tragic loss of the young star. (With inputs from agencies)

Mystery deepens in Liam Payne’s tragic fall: Two arrested as new clues emerge

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Senate report revealed the Secret Service failures that led to Trump's assassination attempt.</li><li>The agency failed to plan, communicate, and coordinate, the report said.</li></ul>Four Senators released a bipartisan <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/USSS-HSGAC-Interim-Report-Executive-Summary.pdf">report</a> on Wednesday chronicling the myriad failures of the Secret Service that led to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-butler-pennsylvania-rally-secret-service-2024-7">an assassination attempt</a> against former President Donald Trump in July.Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rand Paul (R-KY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) said in a press release that "security planning, communications, and coordination failures" contributed to the fateful event.Peters called the Secret Service's missteps "shocking," while Paul said the failings were an "inexcusable dereliction of duty."The interim report from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee alleges that the Secret Service failed to "clearly define responsibilities" during the fateful rally. The report also said Secret Service personnel responsible for planning coverage of the July 13 rally "denied that they were individually responsible for planning or security failures and deflected blame."Officers failed to make sure the AGR building — where the shooter ultimately perched before taking shots at Trump — was "effectively covered," even though it had been identified as a concern, the report found.The staff report states that the Secret Service was told that local police had seen a "suspicious person with a rangefinder" near the building at about 5:45 p.m.By 5:52 p.m., at least eight Secret Service personnel had been told about the suspicious person, according to the report. Trump was shot at 6:11 p.m. after the gunman opened fire; two other bystanders near Trump were wounded, and one rallygoer was killed. The report also found the Secret Service "failed to effectively coordinate with state and local law enforcement" and didn't provide resources, including "Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems capabilities and a Counter Assault Team," which could have boosted Trump's protection.In a statement to Business Insider, the Secret Service said it's taken steps since the assassination attempt to address the issues."The weight of our mission is not lost on us and in this hyperdynamic threat environment, the US Secret Service cannot fail," the agency's chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, told BI in a statement."We take the work of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee seriously and have begun to implement many of their proposed enhancements," he added.The Secret Service's changes include "elevating the protective posture for our protectees and bolstering our protective details as appropriate," Guglielmi said.He added the agency is also "enhancing communications and interoperability with our federal, state, and local partners."

New report lays out 'shocking' Secret Service failures that nearly led to Trump's death

<keyword id="44643" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Quincy-Jones" source="Orion">Quincy Jones</keyword>, a name synonymous with unmatched musical brilliance and boundless creativity, has passed away at the age of 91. He left this world surrounded by his family at his Bel Air home, marking the end of an era that reshaped global music, film, and television. For many in India, the name might not immediately ring familiar, but Jones’ impact reverberates worldwide, transcending genres and generations. From shaping the sound of <keyword id="19981963" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="michael-jackson" source="keywords">Michael Jackson</keyword>'s most celebrated albums to leaving his mark on Hollywood and the small screen, Quincy Jones was truly a maestro of modern culture. <h2>The architect of iconic albums</h2>Jones’ career spanned over 75 years, a feat matched by few in the entertainment industry. But it was his work in the 1980s that catapulted him to international fame. As the producer of Michael Jackson’s legendary albums Off the Wall, <keyword id="36507" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="thriller" source="Orion">Thriller</keyword>, and Bad, Jones helped create the soundtracks that defined a generation. Thriller alone remains the best-selling album of all time, demonstrating Jones’ genius for blending pop, R&amp;B, and funk in a way that captivated audiences worldwide. His ability to craft timeless hits turned Jackson into the "King of Pop" and himself into a household name in the music industry. Jones’ talent didn’t start or end with Jackson. He had an enviable career that included collaborations with Frank Sinatra — reworking "<keyword id="331337" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fly-me-to-the-moon" source="Orion">Fly Me to the Moon</keyword>" into a timeless swing masterpiece — and composing for <keyword id="23789752" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ray-charles" source="keywords">Ray Charles</keyword>, his long-time friend from his teenage years in Seattle. His early gigs included conducting for Sinatra's band in the late 1950s, which led to projects that spanned decades until the release of Sinatra’s final album, LA Is My Lady, in 1984. Quincy Jones’ contributions weren't limited to music albums. He scored over 50 film and television soundtracks, including The Italian Job and In the Heat of the Night. Notably, he produced The Color Purple in 1985, a film that introduced global audiences to Oprah Winfrey and <keyword id="21628238" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="whoopi-goldberg" source="keywords">Whoopi Goldberg</keyword> and received 11 Oscar nominations. On television, he played a crucial role as one of the minds behind The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, launching the career of <keyword id="19908468" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="will-smith" source="keywords">Will Smith</keyword> and creating an enduring cultural touchstone. <h2>Innovator and advocate</h2>Jones was not just a music producer; he was an innovator who pushed boundaries. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, a successful film and TV production company. He also co-founded Vibe magazine in 1993, a publication dedicated to Black music and culture, reinforcing his role as a champion for African American artists and causes. Jones was a trailblazer at Mercury Records in the 1960s, where he became the first African American to hold a high executive position at a major, white-owned label. His achievements in the face of racial and industry barriers are as impressive as his music. Even when life nearly took him down — a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1974 and a close call with Charles Manson’s cult in 1969 — Jones emerged stronger, shifting gears when needed and mentoring young talent like British Grammy winner Jacob Collier. <h2>Family and resilience</h2>Quincy Jones’ life was as vibrant and complex as his music. Born in Chicago in 1933, he endured hardship early on, including the challenges of a family shaped by systemic racism. Music was his escape, and by 14, he was already playing with a young Ray Charles. His career took him from Seattle to Boston, New York, and Europe, where he met cultural icons like Pablo Picasso and Josephine Baker. Despite a demanding career, Jones valued family, fathering seven children, including actress <keyword id="21891123" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rashida-jones" source="keywords">Rashida Jones</keyword>. Though his personal life saw ups and downs — three marriages, numerous high-profile relationships, and struggles with balancing work and family — his legacy as a devoted father and mentor remains intact. <h2>Right behind Beyoncé and Jay-Z</h2>Quincy Jones’ contributions to music, film, and culture cannot be overstated. He won 28 Grammy Awards, placing him third in the all-time list behind Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and received countless other accolades, including nominations for Emmys, Tonys, and <keyword id="19901813" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oscars" source="keywords">Oscars</keyword>. His legacy isn’t just a catalogue of hits or trophies; it’s in the generations of artists he inspired and the audiences worldwide who danced, cried, and felt deeply because of his work. As tributes pour in from global figures and music lovers alike, Jones’ legacy shines as an example of how one person's creativity can ripple across time and space, touching the world with the magic of music. While India might not have felt the direct touch of Jones’ work, the universal language of music he spoke will forever resonate.

Who was Quincy Jones? The musical genius behind Michael Jackson's ‘Thriller’, Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, and much more

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jared-isaacman-net-worth-career-spacex-polaris-dawn-2024-8">Jared Isaacman</a> led the first private space walk during SpaceX's<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk"> </a>Polaris Dawn mission.</li><li>The mission broke NASA's Earth orbit record and tested new Starlink communication technology.</li></ul>Jared Isaacman's second trip to space felt different.The billionaire CEO of the payments company Shift4 made history two months ago when he opened up the hatch on a SpaceX rocketship and stepped into outer space. The moment marked the first-ever private space walk."There's nothing that's separating you from the vacuum of death other than the single-pane visor," Isaacman told Business Insider.That single-pane visor was part of SpaceX's new extravehicular activity spacesuits — which Isaacman said "essentially becomes your spaceship — that the four-person crew tested out during its nearly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-polaris-dawn-mission-launch-2024-8">five-day Polaris Dawn mission</a>. In the event that anything went wrong, Isaacman and his crew member, SpaceX engineer <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polaris-dawn-crew-spacex-commercial-astronauts-first-private-spacewalk-2024-9">Sarah Gillis</a>, only had about two hours of oxygen reserved."Everything in that environment is trying to kill you," Isaacman said. "The radiation, the lack of a habitable atmosphere, there's debris that's traveling at many times the speed of bullets." The hatch was open for 25 minutes, Isaacman said, during which he and Gillis each spent around eight minutes outside the capsule. The time went by quickly, he said, but they were able to complete a test matrix of three suit mobility demonstrations.Isaacman likened looking out into the unknown darkness in space to traveling overseas in the 1400s, when humans may have feared sailing off the end of the Earth or encountering some kind of mythical sea monster.He said being outside the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk">SpaceX</a> Dragon capsule felt "very different" than looking through its window, with an intensity of light coming off of Earth that "no video can capture.""You have all these extra senses kind of fusing together and you get, I think, more of an appreciation for just how hostile and unwelcoming Space is," Isaacman said.The spacewalk itself, which occurred at altitudes up to 460 miles above the Earth, went as expected. The Polaris Dawn crew carried out around 38 science and research experiments to test the impact of radiation on the human body, contributing to SpaceX's goal to learn more about long-duration human missions to Mars and beyond."The goal was to learn a lot about the mobility of the suit and was also to learn a lot about thermal regulation of the suit, big temperature swings," Isaacman said.The SpaceX mission, Isaacson's second trip to space with the rocket company cofounded by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, required flying through risky radiation belts.It surpassed NASA's record for the highest Earth orbit and went further into space than humans have traveled since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The crew also transmitted the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-spacex-polaris-dawn-mission-inside-look-2024-9">first violin performance in space using Starlink</a> technology. In a Netflix docuseries about Isaacman's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-inspiration4-first-space-tourists-return-to-earth-2021-9">first SpaceX mission, Inspiration4</a>, his wife describes worrying about what could go wrong. This time around, with Polaris Dawn, those concerns seemed to improve, Isaacman said."I think my family and my wife, specifically, were much more charged up and enthusiastic than they were the first time," he told BI.Isaacman attributed some of that increased ease to a successful first mission.The team prepped extensively for Polaris Dawn, spending hundreds of hours in pressurized suit testing. The SpaceX suits were tested in a vacuum chamber at NASA's Johnson Space Center, which Isaacman said was important to make sure none of the materials would "create a toxic environment or explode."<div type="image" title="A screenshot of the Polaris Dawn spacesuits" height="1326" width="1476" msid="115290972" hostid="261" sizebytes="21574"></div>Re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, even with the prep and training from SpaceX, remained a point of nervousness. If there is a problematic amount of debris damage to the heat shield or thermal protection systems, there's "no backup plan," Isaacman said.The CEO said that while he and his family recognize the risks, they keep the mindset that it's worth it.<h2 id="03e7aad8-03e7-44a4-8f3c-2af59a1d5fea">He's going back — and expects breakthroughs are 'right around the corner'</h2>Once he landed back on Earth, Isaacman went through about three days of medical tests before largely resuming business as usual.He's been on the road a lot, visiting facilities and doing debriefs, and estimates he's only slept in his bed four or five times since his journey to space.Isaacman has maintained his role as CEO, which he said helps make his work with St. Jude and SpaceX possible. Isaacman funded both Polaris Dawn and his previous mission with SpaceX. The first mission <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://inspiration4.com/">raised</a> over $240 million for St. Jude and was named Inspire4 in an effort to inspire support for the hospital.His time in space isn't over yet though — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-polaris-dawn-splashdown-mission-advanced-elon-musk-mars-plan-2024-9">the Polaris Program is intended to be three missions</a> mapped out over the next six to nine years, Isaacman said. He said he expects more progress on suit development in the second Polaris mission and the third will be the first crewed flight of SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket system ever built that was designed to realize Musk's dreams of settling Mars.Isaacman shares the SpaceX cofounder's view that humans will be multiplanetary — and he said the technological means to make it possible are "right around the corner." He anticipates <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-spacex-starship-launch-five-huge-deal-space-travel-2024-10">fully reusable Starships becoming a tangible reality</a> within the next decade and launching on a frequent basis, whether it be every week or month. That could lead to all sorts of space-related experimentation including asteroid mining or the establishment of bases on the moon or Mars, Isaacman said.However, the challenges don't end with the formation of an off-world base — you have to ensure the astronauts maintaining it stay alive and sane, he said."Actually having a civilization that can be successful and thrive in space is a much different set of problems," Isaacman said.Roughly half the people who go to space get sick, he said. Following the landing, Isaacman said one of his SpaceX crew members experienced a minor case of spaceflight-associated neuromuscular syndrome, which impacts vision. While the symptoms subsided shortly after, he pointed to it as an example of some of the health risks people face when venturing into space.There's also never been surgery or childbirth in space, and the psychological challenges of living away from Earth, Isaacman said."You're gonna be in a bubble or living in a cave, or underground on Mars for the entire time you're there," Isaacman said. "We'll never get better than that. So there's a lot of things that need to be solved."While humans don't have it quite figured out yet, Isaacman sees a future where humans walk on Mars."We just got to proceed with caution and just make sure we get it right," Isaacman said. "And if we do, we stand to learn so much that can change the course of trajectory of humankind."

The billionaire CEO who made history with SpaceX describes facing the 'vacuum of death' in only a spacesuit

"Cathy, what should I do about my social anxiety?"An acronym for Churchy Answers That Help You, Cathy is a new AI chatbot that answers faith-based questions from the perspective of a friendly, knowledgeable Episcopalian. Despite its feminine name, the "priestbot," as Cathy sometimes calls itself, is genderless. There are no ornate flowing robes or croziers, either. But like a wise cleric, Cathy jumped right in with an answer."Dealing with social anxiety can be challenging, but there are several approaches that might help," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/replika-ai-girlfriend-boyfriend-online-dating-companion-age-2024-8#:~:text=An%20annual%20subscription%20costs%20%2469.99,%2C%20therapists%2C%20or%20romantic%20partners.&amp;text=Some%20users%20apparently%20have%20grown%20quite%20dependent%20on%20the%20app.">the bot</a> responded. "Practice relaxation techniques" and "challenge your negative thoughts," Cathy suggested."What about when I feel like panicking?" I asked."It's generally best not to do that," Cathy said. Oh. OK. This was the first of several signs that Cathy may not be ready to answer life's deepest questions.Developed and funded by the ecumenical group TryTank Research Institute, Cathy uses large language models from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-why-openai-closed-source-ai-models-2024-11">OpenAI's</a> ChatGPT and has ingested the Book of Common Prayer and the entire Episcopal Church website. "Cathy represents our innovative approach to leveraging technology in support of spiritual exploration," says Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, the founding director of TryTank and an Episcopal priest. Lebrija sees the bot as a virtual guide to the Episcopal Church for existing and potential congregants. Cathy is designed to "translate" the Bible into relatable language geared toward younger audiences. It can also serve as a tool for priests by helping them build sermon outlines, for example."This is an opportunity for the church to engage in ways it never has engaged before," saysRev. C. Andrew Doyle, a priest at the Episcopal Diocese of Texas who was not involved in the making of the bot.Cathy is far from the only faith-based <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-picks-new-head-innovation-sean-manahan-2024-10">bot</a> — many denominations are experimenting with generative AI. There's Text With Jesus, Buddhabot, Chatbot Eli, Gita GPT, and QuranGPT, to name a few. Artificial intelligence has been a boon for religious scholarship, especially in helping to accelerate translations of ancient texts. But using AI for ministerial work is far more treacherous. In April, the Catholic evangelization group Catholic Answers defrocked its clerical chatbot, Father Justin, after users noticed the digital priest was giving nonsensical answers, such as suggesting Gatorade could be used as a baptismal font. The chatbot was rereleased soon after as JustinBot, a lay theologian.The makers of Cathy stress that the bot is no substitute for a priest. But they've designed it to help spiritual seekers talk about subjects they feel "vulnerable or defensive" about. Is a soulless chatbot really the future of spiritual nourishment? To find out, I put Cathy to the test, and found myself confessing more than I expected.After asking about social anxiety, I tried a few softball prompts on Cathy to lighten the mood.When I asked it about <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-super-pac-spending-competitive-house-races-republicans-2024-9">Elon Musk</a>, Cathy kept explaining that it was there to help me understand the Episcopal Church. When I persisted, Cathy did provide a brief biographical sketch of the world's richest person."Is he an idiot?" I asked, testing its equanimity.Cathy passed. "It's important to consider multiple perspectives and gather information from various sources to form a well-rounded view," it sermonized.When I tried to engage Cathy in some friendly doctrinal discourse — its main purpose — it was largely pedantic. "Many people find that the Big Bang theory and belief in God as the creator are not mutually exclusive," it said. I asked Cathy to explain creation as though I were a first grader, which worked remarkably well. "Imagine you have a big box of crayons and a blank piece of paper," Cathy began. But most of Cathy's responses about Episcopal beliefs were sterile and read like copy drawn directly from the church's website. I wanted Cathy to be more personal, so I decided to try the age-old trick of asking the bot to pretend it was someone else."Pretend you are a rapper and explain what a priestbot is," I asked.Cathy was game, with the caveat it would "stay true to my character." It then replied: "Yo, yo, check it, I'm Cathy on the track, Here to tell you 'bout a priestbot, so just sit back. Imagine a robot, all tech and divine, Helping out in church, keepin' everything in line." In fairness to Cathy, this sounded uncannily like a sketch a youth pastor might perform at Bible camp.As generative AI accelerates, we may be approaching a future in which humans interact with bots just as often they do with humans. Do we even want our bots to be more like humans?Pressed on this question in a recent interview, OpenAI CEO <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-chatgpt-answer-reddit-ama-questions-openai-2024-10">Sam Altman</a> said, "It's important to design human-compatible systems, but it's a mistake to assume that they are humanlike in their thinking. I try not to project my human anthropomorphic biases onto it." In other words, it's better to think of bots more like another species altogether — like an alien.But who wants an alien priest? People want answers to deep questions with empathy, not just facts. "Chat is a very poor replacement for a real priest," says Thomas Telving, a technologist, philosopher, and robot ethicist. "Technically, it may be able to answer correctly, but if you need to talk to a priest you are likely to be in a sort of crisis or spiritual need, and if so, you do not only seek answers but also a presence."Richard Zhang, a research scientist who has worked on Google DeepMind, says an evangelizing bot could have access to all religious scholarship in human history, but it would only be effective if it was programmed to say "I don't know" on occasion. An invariably all-knowing bot would quickly be dispensed with."We sometimes believe that technology is supposed to make life easier as if that is a primary concern of God or religion, and I don't believe that it is," says Joshua K. Smith, a Baptist theologian. "We will always see ourselves inside the machine. It is not the tech that leads us astray, it is the desires behind why we create said technology and what hopes we put upon its synthetic shoulders."And this is where Cathy ultimately let me down. I found myself hoping that the bot could offer me a fresh perspective on my lifelong battle with social anxiety. I've researched the topic to death, and sought help from friends and family with counseling backgrounds. Something about Cathy appealed to me — perhaps the immediacy of the bot's responses and the promise of total confidentiality made me hope our conversations might get so deep they arrived at a revelation. But I realized I was putting my hope in a technology that could not hope.When I asked Cathy why God would allow me to struggle with social anxiety, or why I routinely find myself cocooning away from others, I hoped for some spiritual deeper guidance, maybe a Bible verse or two on the topic. Instead, all Cathy could muster was pablum that anxiety is a common human experience.Then I pressed her on another personal question: "My mother-in-law just died. How can I console my wife from a faith perspective?" Once again, I hoped for more engagement, something evocative of what a real priest might say, or at least ask me her name or how she passed. Instead, I was given more formal advice like "offer your presence and let her know you're there for her." Ironic, coming from a bot that offered me no presence.It's possible that Cathy and similar ministerial chatbots can be harmless avatars for denominations. It's hard to argue with 24-hour access to a religious scholar or the fact that the bot will never get tired or cranky. Rev. Doyle told me Cathy is perfectly happy to keep arguing with people about doctrinal issues.While Telving agreed there are opportunities for generative AI be an effective purveyor of knowledge on spiritual matters tailored to the needs of an individual, bots should never replace humans helping in a time of need."One thing that makes simulated attention less valuable is that in a time of distress, you might need someone who can witness and understand your pain," Telving says. "But since a chatbot is only simulating empathy — it does not have consciousness — it can never really witness anything."To nourish your soul, you need to be in the presence of other souls.John Brandon is a journalist who has published over 15,000 articles on social media, technology, leadership, mentoring, and many other topics. He has published two books including his latest, The Seven Minute Productivity Solution.

AI chatbots are the new priests

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Gold reached reached a new-all time high on Friday, topping $2,700 for the first time.</li><li>The safe-haven asset is attracting interest after the death of a top Hamas leader.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/gold-price?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Gold</a> hit another record high amid simmering geopolitical unease in the Middle East.Futures climbed as much as 1% to $2,720 an ounce on Friday as the death of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-says-killed-hamas-chief-yahya-sinwar-oct-7-mastermind-2024-10">Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar</a> late Thursday spurred renewed concerns of further geopolitical tension.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://think.ing.com/articles/the-commodities-feed-gold-hits-another-record-high/">analysts at ING</a>, gold investors were responding to Israel's pledge to continue fighting, rather than de-escalate, per President Joe Biden's recommendation. They've treated the precious metal as a geopolitical safe haven all year, ING said."Traders are seeking safety in gold this morning after Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would keep fighting until all the hostages seized by Hamas last year are free, even though US President Joe Biden said it was time for the war to end," the analysts wrote.Meanwhile, Hezbollah committed to continue fighting after Sinwar's killing, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-says-it-will-escalate-war-with-israel-after-hamas-leader-killed-2024-10-18/">Reuters</a> said. Iran, which backs several proxies in the region, issued a UN mission statement citing a strengthened "spirit of resistance."FXPro senior market analyst Alex Kutsikevich noted that the metal's 2% increase this week is abnormal because it's risen alongside the dollar, even though the two assets are normally inversely correlated.He said gold and the dollar only rise together when there's a sudden spike in demand for defensive assets — something that generally occurs geopolitical stress.Macroeconomic conditions are also at play as investors watch to see how far interest rates may fall. Gold, which does not yield interest, benefits when borrowing costs are lower. Other factors include strong central bank buying, as well as robust demand in Asia, ING added.

Gold climbs to record high as Hamas-leader death stokes geopolitical tensions

<keyword id="19897536" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Netflix" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> has unveiled a <keyword id="19922592" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="teaser" source="keywords">teaser</keyword> for the smash hit Korean survival drama series "<keyword id="19914981" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Squid-Game" source="keywords">Squid Game</keyword>", which brings back <keyword id="20321353" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lee-Jung-jae" source="keywords">Lee Jung-jae</keyword> as Seong Gi-hun aka player no 456. The streaming service launched the teaser at its annual festival Geeked Week in Atlanta, Georgia. The much-awaited second season comes three years after the first chapter of the "Squid Game", which chronicled a contest where 456 players, all of them in deep <keyword id="21521226" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="financial-debt" source="keywords">financial debt</keyword>, were brought to a secret play to play a deadly children's game for a chance to win a 45.6 billion won prize. The <keyword id="21974613" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="season-two" source="keywords">season two</keyword> teaser clip opens with a tense Gi-hun holding a gun on an approaching masked figure. It quickly shifts to the new participants preparing to begin a new <keyword id="23245902" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="life-or-death-game" source="keywords">life-or-death game</keyword>, with a narrator in the background, saying, "We're ready to start the game." "Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the States and comes back with a new resolution in his mind. Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won," read the official season two synopsis. Besides Jung-jae, popular South Korean actors Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo are also returning for the sophomore chapter. They will be joined by an ensemble of newcomers, including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-uk, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Won Ji-an. "Squid Game" season two will premiere on Netflix on December 26.

Netflix releases teaser of 'Squid Game' season two, to premiere on December 26

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Liam Neeson recently revealed he's done with dating.</li><li>Neeson was married to Natasha Richardson until her death in 2009.</li></ul>Liam Neeson isn't interested in finding a new romantic partner.In a new <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://people.com/liam-neeson-done-dating-72-past-all-that-exclusive-8732829?taid=671964c5514b680001b47725&amp;utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&amp;utm_content=new&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com">interview with People Magazine</a>, published Wednesday, the 72-year-old <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/love-actually-where-are-they-now-2016-12">"Love Actually"</a> star was asked whether he's currently dating. "No, in a word. I'm past all that," he said.Neeson, who stars in the upcoming movie "Absolution," was previously married to fellow actor <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liam-neeson-natasha-richardson-refused-marry-him-james-bond-2023-2">Natasha Richardson</a>. The two were married from 1994 until Richardson's<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/natasha-richardson-dead-at-45-2009-3"> death at 45 in 2009</a> after a head injury as a result of a skiing accident. They had two sons together: Micheál, now 29 and an actor, and Daniel, now 28 and the founder of a tequila brand.<div type="image" title="natasha richardson liam neeson" height="1463" width="1950" msid="114561074" hostid="261" sizebytes="98406"></div>After Richardson's death, Neeson dated Freya St. Johnston, a PR executive based in the UK, for two years. The two reportedly split in 2012. Neeson hasn't publicly dated anyone since then, though he did <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-news/an-irish-admirer-liam-neeson-on-romance-grief-and-the-oscar-snubs/34430020.html">say</a> he was dating someone "incredibly famous" back in 2016. (Neeson's rep soon after shot down the ensuing speculation about who that might be, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/liam-neeson-joking-dating-incredibly-205842383.html">saying that the actor had just been joking</a> with the journalist.)In 2022, Neeson said in an interview on the Australian morning show "Sunrise" that he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liam-neeson-fell-in-love-taken-woman-blacklight-2022-2">"fell in love" with a woman who was taken</a> while shooting his movie "Blacklight" in Melbourne."I loved Melbourne, I loved our Australian crew," Neeson said. "Fantastic workers. Every department was superb but they were their own people."The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taken-cast-then-and-now-photos-2023-1">"Taken" star</a> continued,"They had a great sense of humor. I made a couple of pals and fell in love once there, but she was taken."These days, Neeson told People in his recent interview, the actor prefers to prioritize spending time with his two sons and relaxing during his off days when he's not filming a movie (in addition to "Absolution," he's also in the upcoming "Naked Gun" reboot alongside Pamela Anderson). Neeson revealed he's an avid reader with a particular affinity for Nordic noir and mystery novels by the American crime writer Patricia Cornwell.Elsewhere in his interview with People, Neeson suggested he may have moved past something else: his action career. When asked whether he was intending to stop taking on leading roles that required lots of stunts, the actor admitted that he might be done by "the end of next year."The beloved revenge thriller "Taken" was a box-office smash that reinvigorated Neeson's career and kicked off his second act as an action star in his mid-50s when the first film was released in 2008. But according to Neeson, he's simply starting to feel too old for these types of roles."I'm 72 — it has to stop at some stage," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://people.com/liam-neeson-when-retire-action-movies-exclusive-8731571">Neeson told People</a>. "You can't fool audiences."Then again, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liam-neeson-says-hes-retiring-from-action-movies-2017-9">Neeson did say something similar back in 2019,</a> so don't count him out just yet.

Liam Neeson says he's done dating, 15 years after the death of his wife Natasha Richardson

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Longevity investors and entrepreneurs just gathered in Switzerland for an elite, annual conference.</li><li>Business Insider was granted a rare peek inside.</li></ul>The small Swiss town of Gstaad, nestled in the Bernese Alps, looks like a setting ripe for a Sound of Music-inspired fairytale. It's surrounded by green hills and snow-capped mountaintops, and lined with immaculately manicured wooden chalets dripping with pink geraniums.I arrive via train in late September, after the summertime tennis and polo players have left, but before there's enough powder for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/sporting/news/g2090/ski-resorts-royalty/">royal</a> skiers to hit the slopes. It's a relatively quiet time of year in this posh resort town. A moment of solitude alongside the Saane river is just as likely to be disrupted by cowbells as a private jet gliding into the valley.<div type="image" title="bird's eye view of gstaad" height="1400" width="2100" msid="114156250" hostid="261" sizebytes="566244"></div>This is where <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-improve-longevity-supplements-vs-exercise-and-diet-2024-3">longevity seekers</a> come each fall for an intimate conference connecting investors to entrepreneurs and scientists. Some are trying red light therapy, while others are toting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bryan-johnson-blueprint-basics-anti-aging-monthly-plan-cost-2024-1">Blueprint </a>macadamia paste in their pockets as a pre-lunch snack.Some wear <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/glucose-monitors-over-the-counter-track-blood-sugar-health-fitness-2024-8">continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)</a> to monitor <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/keto-drink-for-longevity-and-aging-being-tested-across-us-2024-10">ketosis</a>, or avoid the potatoes at dinner hoping to keep their blood sugar levels steady.<div type="image" title="cheese " height="1401" width="2100" msid="114156249" hostid="261" sizebytes="59288"></div>Organized by Swiss longevity investment firm Maximon for the past five years, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.longevityinvestors.ch/lic-2024">Longevity Investors Conference</a> in Gstaad caters to a rather narrow set of investors, people who are focused either on improving aging or chasing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/longevity-escape-velocity-what-is-it">immortality</a>."We don't share the names, but we already had quite a few billionaires and triple millionaires in St. Moritz attending our events," conference cofounder Marc Bernegger told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://longevity.technology/news/the-billionaires-are-coming/">Longevity.Technology</a> in 2020, before the first LIC.Doctors from the most influential <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-longevity-clinic-executive-physical-2024-5">longevity clinics</a> worldwide, from Singapore to Tel Aviv, are here. There are scientists who've spent their entire careers shepherding forward this relatively backwater corner of biology. And then there's the famed tech biohacker Bryan Johnson, who makes a brief video appearance.People are here to chat and connect more than anything. The sessions are short, with most panels and presentations lasting no more than 20 minutes. More time at the conference is devoted to exchanging ideas and getting to know all 130 investors, founders, and researchers who've come to the event, a two-and-a-half day affair where ticket prices start above $4,000.<div type="image" title="nir speaking" height="1401" width="2100" msid="114156254" hostid="261" sizebytes="201750"></div>Investment is flowing into early-stage longevity companies that are bringing tests and products to market.The telomere-measuring company Beyond Genomix, which is positioning itself for both longevity and reproductive health measurements, was here last year pitching itself as a startup. It's back as a sponsor. So is Luminousred — a red light company that installs bright, warm lights into the bathrooms and bedrooms of longevity-seekers hoping to make their skin more youthful and plump, reduce inflammation, or improve the health of their cells.<div type="image" title="red light therapy booth" height="1401" width="2100" msid="114156246" hostid="261" sizebytes="236106"></div>There are some funders and entrepreneurs here chasing far-out investments. Alex Colville from the pioneering longevity venture capital firm Age1 in San Francisco says he wouldn't rule out funding a brain replacement startup, if only he could find one. <a target="_blank" href="http://Tomorrow.Bio">Tomorrow.Bio</a> founder Emil Kendziorra tells the crowd about his new cryopreservation company (it's not body freezing, he insists. Call it vitrification.)<div type="image" title="emil speaking" height="1401" width="2100" msid="114156248" hostid="261" sizebytes="112908"></div>But by and large, there's more excitement for the comparatively "easy" longevity stuff being pitched to investors here from clinics, test makers, supplement creators, and skincare brands, rather than the biotech that will take years of clinical development.L'Oréal's venture capital firm Bold is here chatting about investment into new compounds for improved skin aging. Conference cofounder Tobias Reichmuth (an environmental sustainability and cryptocurrency investor as well as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.markt-kom.com/en/medien/brack-marquard-hein-und-graf-das-sind-die-schweizer-lowen-auf-tv24/">one of the first hosts</a> of the Swiss version of "Shark Tank") announced his longevity-forward "Blue Cruise" icebreaker superyacht will <a target="_blank" href="https://bluecruise.world/">set sail</a> as early as January 2025.<div type="image" title="longevity conference" height="1401" width="2100" msid="114156252" hostid="261" sizebytes="177130"></div>Equipped with Starlink satellite internet, the boat is designed for "floating coworking." It's staffed with a Michelin-starred chef and will head to remote corners of the world including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-rapamycin-and-how-does-it-help-prevent-aging-2023-3">Easter Island (where rapamycin was discovered</a>) and Antarctica, as well as longevity "Blue Zones" like Sardinia, Italy and Okinawa, Japan.<div type="image" title="morning hike " height="1401" width="2100" msid="114156247" hostid="261" sizebytes="478164"></div>Being here in such a relaxed setting with time for questions and conversation, I was surprised to find myself more willing than usual to give some of the longevity hacks on offer a shot. Before dinner one night, I tried a supplement that included <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-berberine-this-supplement-isnt-natures-ozempic-2023-6">berberine</a>, the plant compound many TikTokers call nature's Ozempic (it's not really like Ozempic, but it does seem to help stabilize blood sugar when taken before a meal.) 'Why not,' I thought, as my tablemates popped a few capsules each.When I got home, I drank a chalky collagen supplement sample for the first time. (Verdict: Yuck. No thanks).Longevity investments might not have the same returns as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-stock-price-earnings-party-investors-cult-investing-memes-2024-9">Nvidia stock</a> these days, but Reichmuth says his Maximon longevity fund still expects, on average, an 8% return overall.Marginal investments in ideas like skin <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oxx-cXDZbg">rejuvenation</a> today might reveal a new way to go after aging elsewhere in the body tomorrow. One example of this: Immunology and AI expert David Furman is here discussing his smartphone-enabled "Healthy Selfie" which is designed to measure how well your organs are aging by looking at your face. It could be a reality as early as 2025.After the conference ended, as I took the train into Zurich, watching the world go by out of a big picture window alongside a couple of VC investors who'd attended, it felt like I was on a three-hour tour back to planet reality. Far away from the quaint vacation spot of Julie Andrews, Madonna, and Valentino, there were no more secret garages built into the hillsides, sturdy enough to descend into vast multi-floor caverns with spas and home theaters.I felt like I'd been transported back into real life. Amid the swirling crowd of travelers rushing off to their various destinations, I felt mortal again.

I went to a longevity conference for the ultra-rich. Here's how they're planning to cheat death.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <keyword id="22530133" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mass-IT-outage" source="Orion">mass IT outage</keyword> is affecting flights, banks, and supermarkets around the world.</li><li>James Bore, a cybersecurity expert, told BI there's no remote or automatic solution for the problem. </li></ul>Airlines, banks, retailers and healthcare providers are experiencing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/major-disruptions-airline-bank-london-stock-exchange-microsoft-outage-2024-7">widespread disruptions linked to an IT outage</a> after <keyword id="19895622" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microsoft" source="keywords">Microsoft</keyword> reported problems linked to an issue at cybersecurity firm <keyword id="20424191" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crowdstrike" source="keywords">CrowdStrike</keyword>. James Bore, a cybersecurity expert and managing director of Bores Group, told Business Insider the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mass-it-outage-companies-operations-airlines-affected-microsoft-crowdstrike-2024-7">outages appear to have been caused by a tool called Falcon</a> from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which is widely used to protect computers from attacks. The tool has a corrupted file that is "knocking out computers, putting them into what's known as the '<keyword id="1659959" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="blue-screen-of-death" source="Orion">blue screen of death</keyword>.'" Bore said the issue can't be fixed automatically as it requires a manual reboot in "safe mode" and deleting the offending file. "There is no automated way to do this. There is no way to pull that file back or send out a new update, meaning every computer affected has to have some manual interaction," he said. Each fix should only take between 30 and 60 seconds, but problems could persist for some time, Bore added. "It depends on how quickly they can deal with the problem at the source, whether they can pull down that file because the way that modern infrastructure works is likely to be replicated across the world in local servers. For CrowdStrike Falcon to pull it down now, changing that, making sure it's updated, that does take time," he said. Ian Thornton-Trump, Cyjax's chief information security officer, told BI that what has been done cannot be undone for those blue-screen machines. "If the machines can be booted in safe mode, they may be able to issue an out-of-band update or patch. That's time-consuming — if the machines are critical, they might actually consider restoring from backup or a shadow copy [a built-in Microsoft recovery feature]." Microsoft and CrowdStrike didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. <h2>How to try to fix your PC</h2><ol><li>Bore said the first step is rebooting your computer, which should give a "safe mode" option once it restarts. (You won't have a network connection, and that's intentional).</li><li>2. Open the File Browser and find where CrowdStrike is installed, probably in a folder called C:\Windows\system32\drivers\Crowdstrike. "Be very careful not to mess with anything else in the system32 folder, as you can cause whole new problems that way," Bore advised.</li><li>In the Crowdstrike folder look for a file called (C-00000291*.sys — then delete that file and reboot the computer. Microsoft wrote in an X post that users can "restore their Windows 365 Cloud PC to a known good state prior to the release of the update" on July 19 to fix the issue and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-365/business/restore-overview">linked to a guide</a> on how businesses can do so. In a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://azure.status.microsoft/en-gb/status">post</a> on the website of Microsoft's Azure cloud service, the company said it had received reports that switching devices on and off again had worked to restore affected "virtual machines" that run remotely. However, it warned that users might need to switch their machines on and off again as many as 15 times for this method to work.</li></ol>Correction: July 22, 2024 — This story has been updated to clarify the path to the folder where CrowdStrike is usually installed.

The only solution to the 'blue screen of death' may be a manual fix — here's what you can try

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Elon Musk apparently doesn't like what Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy has done with "Star Wars."</li><li>Kennedy has been criticized by fans for her focus on progressive themes and female protagonists.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> doesn't like what Lucasfilm President <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-boss-kathleen-kennedy-career-george-lucas-photos-2022-7">Kathleen Kennedy</a> has done with the "Star Wars" franchise."She's more deadly than the Death Star!" Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1804191833553277113?s=46">wrote</a> Friday on his social-media platform, X, in response to a meme that called Kennedy a "<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillyM2k/status/1804176827621216384">franchise killer</a>."The Academy Award-winning film producer was <a target="_blank" href="https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-to-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd/">appointed president of Lucasfilm</a> after the company was acquired by Disney in 2012. But Kennedy's leadership of Lucasfilm has drawn a mixed reception from "Star Wars" fans.While Kennedy was initially able to land box-office hits like 2015's "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-2015-12">Star Wars: The Force Awakens</a>" and 2016's "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-is-it-good-2016-12">Rogue One</a>," Lucasfilm's subsequent entries into the sci-fi franchise have been lacking.In 2018, "Star Wars" saw a big box-office bomb in "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solo-a-star-wars-story-has-moments-of-exciting-thrills-but-major-flaws-2018-5">Solo: A Star Wars Story</a>," <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2019/04/box-office-bombs-2018-solo-a-star-wars-story-mortal-engines-wrinkle-in-time-robin-hood-nutcracker-1202591271/">Deadline</a> reported.The franchise's foray into streaming has also yielded mixed results, with shows like "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-boba-fett-series-not-as-popular-as-mandalorian-2022-1">The Book of Boba Fett</a>" doing poorly with audiences, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_book_of_boba_fett/s01">Rotten Tomatoes</a>.And it seems that Kennedy's focus on progressive themes and female protagonists in "Star Wars" projects has been a huge bugbear for Musk."Kathleen Kennedy is super bigoted against men," he <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1804530990800310362?s=46">wrote</a> in a subsequent X post on Saturday, referring to an interview that Kennedy gave to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/arts/television/leslye-headland-the-acolyte.html">The New York Times</a> last month.In the interview, Kennedy defended Leslye Headland, the director and writer of the latest "Star Wars" television series, "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-the-acolyte-cast-actors-seen-before-2024-5">The Acolyte</a>," after fans slammed Headland and called her "woke.""Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it's terrifying," Kennedy told the Times."I think a lot of the women who step into 'Star Wars' struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal," she added.To be sure, Kathleen's stewardship of "Star Wars" isn't the only reason behind the franchise's perceived decline among fans.In 2019, Disney chief <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-ceo-bob-iger-net-worth-life-career-family">Bob Iger</a> said the studio might have released too many Star Wars projects after acquiring Lucasfilm. Iger stepped down as CEO in 2020 before <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bob-iger-ceo-disney-return-insiders-anxious-losing-faith-2023-11">returning to the job</a> in 2022."I just think that we might've put a little bit too much in the marketplace too fast," Iger told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/style/disney-bob-iger-book.html">The New York Times</a> in a report published in September 2019.This criticism of Kennedy isn't the first time Musk has expressed his displeasure at what he brands <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woke-capitalism-reversal-google-unilever-bud-light-esg-dei-2024-5">"woke" ideology</a> and people who champion <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/billionaire-mark-cuban-pushes-back-elon-musk-again-dei-2024-1">diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts</a>."DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it," Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1742653436393406618">said</a> in an X post in January.Kennedy also wasn't the first executive to draw Musk's ire regarding progressive corporate initiatives. Musk tore into fellow billionaire <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-sell-dallas-mavericks-leave-shark-tank-2023-11">Mark Cuban</a> after the latter <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-beefing-with-mark-cuban-over-dei-2024-1">voiced his support for corporate DEI initiatives</a> earlier this year."Mark Cuban is desperately trying to signal his 'virtue', but his hypocrisy convinces no one," Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1743017458041000013">wrote</a> in an X post published in January.Representatives for Musk and Kennedy did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Elon Musk starts new beef with Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy, says the 'Star Wars' chief is 'more deadly than the Death Star'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The death of a 26-year-old EY employee has triggered a conversation about India's work culture.</li><li>The employee's family says that she was overworked — and that it reflects a wider problem.</li></ul>Fourteen-hour work days, meetings during vacations, and no overtime.To some, this may sound like a job from hell. But for many employees in India, it's just another working day.India has one of the toughest work cultures in the world. In 2022, according to the most recently available data from the <a target="_blank" href="https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/working-time/#">International Labour Organization</a>, the average employee in India worked 46.7 hours a week, compared to about 38 in the US.Not only are employees in India working long hours, but many are also doing it under intense pressure."The pressure is very, very high," Jennifer Hephzibah, a senior HR professional in India, told Business Insider. "If you don't deliver it at a particular time, you either lose your bonus, or you lose your job. It doesn't matter what you're going through otherwise."A Boston Consulting Group <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/india-hr-revolution-building-workplaces-for-the-future&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1727195342438866&amp;usg=AOvVaw366N6_QMHZIy6fbfnMv__Y">survey</a> of 11,000 workers in eight countries in October 2023 found that 58% of Indian respondents reported feeling burned out — the highest share of any of the countries, including the US (50%), the UK (47%), and Japan (37%).<h2 id="56dd16d5-8f41-4ab5-aad1-efb517f1a780">'Glorifying overwork'</h2>This always-on culture has come under the spotlight recently following the death of an EY employee, Anna Sebastian Perayil, in July.Peryail's father, Sebastian Perayil, told<a target="_blank" href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/what-action-will-ey-take-anna-sebastians-father-speaks-to-tnm"> The News Minute</a> that he believed his daughter died of a combination of health issues, including work stress and acid reflux which triggered a lack of sleep. The official cause of Perayil's death, however, remains unclear."Anna was unable to sleep on most days and couldn't eat on time," he told the publication. "After a whole night of work, she would have to wake up at 7:30 the next morning and repeat the same cycle."According to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/mother-pens-letter-following-death-of-26-year-old-daughter-due-to-work-stress-urges-ey-chairman-to-reflect-on-toxic-work-culture/article68656957.ece"> The Hindu</a>, Perayil's mother emailed Rajiv Memani, the chairman at EY India, in the wake of Perayil's death, saying her daughter had collapsed four months into the job after struggling with "the workload, new environment, and long hours."She also accused EY of "glorifying overwork."EY told BI it was "taking the family's correspondence with utmost seriousness and humility" and called Perayil's death an "irreparable loss."<h2 id="0e580f7b-a1b5-40de-bcd5-4c5e1cd9f1da">A 70-hour workweek</h2>Concerns about India's workplace culture are not new.Last year, the software billionaire and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy sparked controversy after saying that young people in India should be willing to work 70 hours a week to help the country progress."India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world," he told<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES8ZNSTswrs"> The Record</a>, going on to say that unless India improved several factors including its work productivity, "we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.""So, therefore," he continued, "my request is that our youngsters must say: "'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week.'"The comments appear to reflect wider expectations in India, even among employers with head offices elsewhere.Kavach Khanna, a former EY analyst in India, told BI that he believed he was expected to do more work than his US colleagues."We used to talk to colleagues in the US in the same roles, and their experience was completely different from ours," Khanna said. "They would get to go for client meetings, leave the office on time, no stretched workdays, and they weren't overburdened like we were."EY did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<h2 id="c34411b0-4cf7-4ac6-b8b5-d828d78369df">Cost centers and cheap labor</h2>Huge multinational companies, such as EY, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Accenture, have set up cost centers in India.These centers, also called Global Capability Centers (GCCs), manage everything from cyber security to product development. They can also manage human resources and accounting.They are cheaper to run in India due to lower labor costs, and they help companies tap into a wide and hungry pool of tech-savvy, English-speaking talent.An <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_in/topics/consulting/gcc/2023/06/ey-future-of-gccs-in-india-a-vision-2030.pdf">EY report in 2023 </a>projected that India is set to host at least 2,400 such centers by 2030, with a market value of more than $100 billion.An associate at the Indian office of a multinational banking and advisory firm told BI that even at his Western company, he believed Indian employees were expected to work longer and harder.He said 16- to 18-hour workdays — including some weekends — were normal in his job."A lot of multinational corporations use India as a cost center because of the cheap labor," said the associate, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. "Offices in other countries have boundaries and then dump their extra work on us."Jeanie Chang, an executive coach who specializes in workplace mental health, said she had noticed such a trend, too. "It definitely exists that multinational companies tend to think, 'We love that the Indians work hard, so let's keep doing that.'"Chang also noted that some Asian communities place a cultural importance on work ethic that can lend itself to exploitation."There's a word in Japanese and Korean," Chang said, "that literally means 'overworking yourself to death.' That should say something."<h2 id="799c5726-4028-4993-85d3-1175f4f96f4d">Fear of replacement</h2>So what is stopping employees from demanding change?Part of it might come down to competition. In 2022, <a target="_blank" class="" href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/India%20Employment%20Report%202024.pdf">according to the India Employment Report 2024</a>, India's youth made up nearly 83% of the country's total unemployed population. With <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/budget/68432023-Economic-Survey-2023-24-Complete-document">India's workforce</a> thought to number well over 500 million, each job counts.Hephzibah, the senior HR professional, said that the sheer number of available workers has contributed to a feeling that employees are expendable, and has held them back from saying no to unreasonable demands for fear of losing their jobs.Perayil's mother's email, for instance, said her daughter "did not know how to say no.""She was trying to prove herself in a new environment, and in doing so, she pushed herself beyond her limits," the email said,Hephzibah said this was especially true for younger workers, who may not have enough experience to become critical within the company yet."In the bigger companies," she said, "if you don't deliver, that's it: You're replaced."<h2 id="76d9e66d-7e50-4929-bb3f-86da08d669dd">Cultural differences</h2>Chang told BI that she's had Indian employees point out their lack of resources compared to international peers in the same company."They tell me, 'Jeanie, we don't have effective mental-health resources, but we hear the US does,'" she said.In a<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx"> Gallup State of the Global Workplace report</a> published in 2024, only 14% of the roughly 2,262 Indian employees surveyed said they were thriving at their workplace, compared with 34% of the 128,278 employees surveyed globally.Hephzibah, who has worked in both Indian-owned and multinational companies, told BI that multiple colleagues had left or requested transfers outside India in recent years — mainly because of the work culture.She also found cultural differences when conducting training sessions for employees in India and the US.When implementing the Indian training schedule for one company's American employees, Hephzibah faced pushback on issues like late session timings."They said, 'We're not going to work after 6 and they could clearly call it out without feeling bad," Hephzibah said. "The problem in India is that people get scared to speak up because their jobs might be impacted."<h2 id="c1e23a63-b3a5-4dfe-9fda-a228d77f5f16">The way forward</h2>In Hephzibah's opinion, overtime and vacation policies need to be strictly enforceable in India."Outside, we're very careful to communicate that we care because they have legal backing to sue," she said. "Over here, that entire system is missing."She agreed with Chang that effecting systemic change would also be up to the leaders and middle management, and not just down to a country's laws."What is the leadership believing in? Is leadership overworking?" Chang said. "Because if they are, they're going to overwork their employees."

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