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☆ Japan aging: Women’s participation in ‘naked festival’ a sign of how aging is forcing changes to male-centric traditions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Himari Semans | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Tokyo/Hong Kong CNN —With a history spanning more than 1,200 years, “hadaka matsuri,” or the naked festival, is Japanese masculinity on full display. Some women in Japan still battle deep-rooted cultural expectations that require them to take the role of “shufu,” or housewife, experts say. But in the naked festival, women have recently found hope. Men strip naked — except for a delicate piece of crotch-covering white loincloth — to take part in the naked festival at Konomiya Shrine on February 22, 2024. Women — donning happi, a traditional festive coat — are responsible for carrying a bamboo offering during the naked festival at Konomiya Shrine on February 22, 2024.

Persons: —, Saudi Arabia —, “, Christopher Gallagher, ”, we’ve, ” Haruhiko, Atsuko Tamakoshi, Chris Gallagher, Enyukai, Ayaka Suzuki, Mitsuko Tottori, Yoko Kamikawa, Fumio, Kaori Katada, Hiyori Kon, Sumo, won’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Economic, Japan, Reuters, Mikiko, Hosei University, pre, CNN, ”, Ministry of Health, ” Eto, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Japan Airlines, Netflix, Little Locations: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Japan, jostle, Germany, Britain, United States, India, Saudi Arabia, Konomiya Shrine, Konomiya

☆ South Korea midterms: Opposition wins landslide parliamentary vote in resounding blow to Yoon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Heather Chen | Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea’s liberal opposition parties scored a landslide victory in a parliamentary election held on Wednesday, dealing a resounding blow to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his conservative party but likely falling just short of a super majority. A splinter liberal party considered allied with the DP was expected to take at least 10 seats, projections showed. It marked the highest ever turnout for a parliamentary election, though the numbers were down from the 2022 presidential vote that narrowly brought Yoon to power. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, watches election results at his district office in Incheon, South Korea, on Thursday, April 11, 2024. “Given his likely lame duck status, the temptation for Yoon will be to focus on foreign policy where he will still have statutory power,” Richey said.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon Suk, Lee Jae, myung, Lee, Yoon, ”, Kim Keon Hee, SeongJoon Cho, Mason Richey, “, ” Richey Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, Democratic Party, National Election Commission, Dior, People Power Party, Election Commission, NEC, Bloomberg, Getty, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Incheon

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's government criticized senior doctors at a major hospital for threatening to resign in support of the weekslong walkouts by thousands of medical interns and residents that have disrupted hospital operations. But in some major hospitals like the Seoul National University Hospital, they account for about 30%-40% of the total doctors, assisting senior doctors during surgeries and dealing with inpatients while training. Their walkouts have subsequently caused numerous canceled surgeries and other treatments at their hospitals and burdened South Korea’s medical service. But doctors say newly recruited students would also try to work in the capital region and in high-paying fields like plastic surgery and dermatology. Critics say doctors — one of the best-paid professions in South Korea — are only worrying about the possibility of a lower income in the future.

Persons: JaeSeung, Park, Cho KyooHong Organizations: Seoul National University Hospital, Health Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, South

☆ Do we simply not care about older adults in the US?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

KFF Health News —The Covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. Around 900,000 older adults have died of Covid-19 to date, accounting for 3 of every 4 Americans who have perished in the pandemic. Many seniors at high risk aren’t getting antiviral therapies for Covid, and most older adults in nursing homes aren’t getting updated vaccines. The pandemic made things worsePrejudice against older adults is nothing new, but “it feels more intense, more hostile” now than previously, said Karl Pillemer, 69, a professor of psychology and gerontology at Cornell University. But as a society, we don’t value older adults or the people who care for them,” said Robert Kramer, 74, co-founder and strategic adviser at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care.

Persons: —, ”, Alice Bonner, I’m, Karl Pillemer, “, ’, ’ ”, Andrew Achenbaum, Achenbaum, Covid, Edwin Walker, Robert Kramer, Kramer, John Rowe, Anne Montgomery, Allen Power, ” Power, it’s “, ” Pillemer Organizations: Health, America, CDC, Institute for Healthcare, gerontology, Cornell University, Texas Medical Center, Aging, Department of Health, Human Services, National Investment Center, Seniors Housing & Care, ”, Columbia University’s Mailman, of Public Health, National Committee, Preserve Social Security, Schlegel, University of Waterloo Research Institute, National Academy of Medicine’s, Healthy, University of Southern, Cornell, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Houston, Canada, University of Southern California

☆ Moody’s warns it may downgrade China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Laura He | Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The lowering of its outlook does not automatically mean the ratings agency will downgrade China’s creditworthiness, but it increases the chances. Analysts say the property downturn is likely to drag on, hobbling China’s growth prospects for years. Slower growth, weaker demographicsMoody’s expects China’s annual economic growth rate to slow to 4% in both 2024 and 2025, and average 3.8% a year from 2026 to 2030. “The affirmation of the A1 rating reflects China’s financial and institutional resources to manage the transition in an orderly fashion,” the agency said. “Its economy’s vast size and robust, albeit slowing, potential growth rate, support its high shock-absorption capacity.”China’s Finance Ministry said Tuesday it was “disappointed” with Moody’s decision to downgrade the country’s credit outlook.

Persons: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN — Moody’s, China’s, Moody’s, “, Hong, Seng, Anna Cooban Organizations: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN, China’s Finance, CSI Locations: China, Hong Kong / New Delhi, China’s, “, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ AI is fueling transformative new brain-health technology to detect and prevent cognitive decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Hazel Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The global population is aging, presenting new challenges related to cognitive decline. One startup is building an AI tool to identify potential cognitive decline based on driving behavior. AdvertisementAs the global population ages, the challenges associated with cognitive decline become more prominent. However, cutting-edge technologies are emerging to address these challenges, with companies developing novel tools designed to detect, prevent, and manage cognitive decline. The convergence of AI, medical technology, and neurotech is leading the fight against cognitive decline.

Persons: —, Brian Mullins, Mullins, John Klepper, Klepper, Cathy Craig Organizations: Service, Japan, Mind Foundry, Dowa Insurance, PIPRA AG, Business, Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise, Italian Rugby Federation, Elite Ice Hockey Locations: Zurich, postsurgery, London

☆ Opinion | How Covid Built a Bridge Between the Worst of Past and Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

I would put inflation in this category as well. By contrast, the aspects of the Covid era that I discussed or tried to predict in my fast-forward column were accelerations, not disjunctions. The growth of working-from-home and virtual commuting, similarly, was a leap upward that followed a “continuous rise” in the pre-Covid decades. And the baby bust of 2020 was, of course, an acceleration of a fertility decline that began with the Great Recession more than a decade before. Some trends didn’t shake out exactly as I anticipated three years ago: The decline of newspapers, for instance, continued on trend but didn’t actually accelerate.

Persons: Wells, Bill Clinton’s, George Floyd, Barack Obama’s, wokeness Locations: America

☆ What's gone wrong with China's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It’s a far cry from global financial meltdown of 2008, when China launched the largest stimulus package in the world and was the first major economy to emerge from the crisis. It’s also a reversal from the early days of the pandemic, when China was the only major developed economy to dodge a recession. Property woesChina’s economy has been in doldrums since April, when momentum from a strong start to the year faded. While Evergrade is still undergoing a debt restructuring, troubles at Country Garden raised fresh concerns about the Chinese economy. Beijing has so far unveiled a steady incremental drip of measures to boost the economy, including interest rate cuts and other moves to help the property market and consumer businesses.

Persons: rekindling, Ying Tang, Morgan Stanley, Xi Jinping, It’s, what’s, Evergrande, Evergrade, ”, Julian Evans, Pritchard, Evans Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, UBS, Nomura, Barclays, Garden, Zhongrong Trust, CNN, Capital Economics, “, People’s Bank of China, National Health Commission, Moody’s Investors Service Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, It’s, doldrums, Beijing, United States, Europe

☆ More Baby Boomers are living alone. One reason why: ‘gray divorce’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

It’s been about a decade since Brown’s research popularized the term “gray divorce” to describe this phenomenon – something that used to be a rarity, but now has become much more common. They dubbed it “the gray divorce revolution.”And it’s still going strong, both for celebrities and everyday people. Rather than “gray divorce,” Myres says she prefers the term “silver splitters,” because it also alludes to the silver lining of starting fresh, no matter how old you are. Financial difficulties after “gray divorce” are a problem Brown says she and other researchers have been studying, too. In the first couple of years after a “gray divorce,” Brown says, about 50% of people end up living alone.

Persons: Edith Heyck didn’t, “, I’d, ”, She’s, Susan L, Brown, It’s, ” Brown, Tipper Gore, Melinda French Gates, Lin, Melinda Gates, Justin Trudeau, Susan Myres, she’s, ‘, ’ ” Myres, “ I’ve, they’ve, Myres, ” Myres, Heyck, Edith Heyck, Edith Heyck “, ‘ Gray, ’, izusek, Bella DePaulo, …, what’s, “ Who’s, Markus Schafer, it’s, ” Schafer, Kim Kyung, Jennifer Molinsky, There’s, ” Molinsky, Edith Heyck Heyck Organizations: CNN, National Center for Family, Bowling Green State University, Al, United States, Canadian, Social Security, Baylor University, Reuters, Aging Society, Harvard University’s, for Housing Locations: Newburyport , Massachusetts, United States, United, Houston, Santa Barbara , California, Japan, Tokyo

But while the Fed in 2019 was asking "'is this as strong as the labor market can get?' Fed rate hikes could have "very significant, uneven short-term impacts" on the job market. So far headline payroll employment growth remains strong. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWANTING IT BOTH WAYSFor now, though, the Fed might mark the pandemic labor rebound as essentially complete, despite the risks. The economy needs to create about 100,000 payroll jobs a month to keep pace with population growth.

Persons: Bryan Woolston, Michael Madowitz, Raphael Bostic, Trump, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Kentucky, Center, REUTERS, . Federal Reserve, Washington Center for Equitable, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Atlanta Fed, BLS, American Progress, White House Council, Economic Advisers, Thomson Locations: Frankfort , Kentucky, U.S, Bryan Woolston WASHINGTON, COVID

☆ A Japanese millennial could soon be a billionaire after shares of his AI-powered matching service for companies surged nearly 50% this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shunsaku Sagami, the founder, and CEO of M&A Research Institute, is worth $950 million as of Tuesday. M&A Research Institute, which currently employs about 160 people, focuses on companies with annual sales of up to 500 million Japanese yen, or $3.7 million. M&A Research Institute doesn't charge any fees until a transaction is closed. Other M&A consultancies charge retainer fees that can reach tens of millions of yen — even if the deal doesn't eventually close, M&A Research Institute said on its website. M&A Research Institute's share price closed 0.4% lower at 9,270 Japanese yen on Tuesday.

So how did India’s population get so big, and how long will it last? The rise in population despite a drop in the fertility rate can be explained by “demographic momentum.”“When the fertility rate drops, the population continues to grow for several decades. So, even with a replacement or sub-replacement fertility rate, India’s population will continue to grow slowly because of the considerable number of women entering their reproductive years. India’s population growth is slowing downIndia may have overtaken China in total population, but UN data also shows that its growth rate has slowed. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, is home to 17% of India’s population but has only 9% of its industrial jobs.

☆ Billionaire Ken Griffin gives $20 million to Miami Dade College weeks after $300 million Harvard donation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Michelle Abrego | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Billionaire Ken Griffin donated $20 million to Miami Dade College to launch a new scholarship. Earlier this month, Griffin gave $300 million to his alma mater Harvard University. On Saturday, the billionaire founder of hedge fund Citadel donated $20 million to Miami Dade College, one of the country's largest and most diverse schools. Earlier this month, Griffin gave $300 million to Harvard University, his Ivy League alma mater, where he has now donated more than $500 million. Schools like Miami Dade are "the on-ramp to the American Dream," said Griffin in a commencement speech to Miami Dade College graduates on Saturday afternoon.

☆ Cash-strapped Chinese cities are cutting medical benefits for seniors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Censors removed hashtags for “Wuhan health insurance” from Weibo’s hot topics section after the demonstrations began in January. State media reported at the time that some other regions had already spent public money on mass testing. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesCovering the shortfallChina’s health insurance scheme is a key part of its limited social safety net. To protesters, however, it looked like local governments were dipping into their individual accounts to cover the shortfalls of the collective pool. “There has to be some resolution of the financial capacity of local governments to meet current, and prospective, age-related costs,” Magnus said.

☆ The property market is so bad in China that some banks are letting people be on mortgages till they are 80
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some banks in China are now extending the upper age limit for mortgage borrowers to 80. Banks in cities like Beijing, Nanning, and Ningbo have raised the upper age cap. To attract more mortgage-seekers, some banks are starting to extend the upper age limit for homeowners servicing mortgages to 80 years old, according to various local media outlets. The upper age limit is typically 65 to 70 now, according to news outlet Sixth Tone. Banks have extended the upper age cap for mortgages in cities like Beijing and Nanning, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on February 14.

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