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☆ Detroit's population has grown for the first time in 66 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFor decades, Detroit was an international symbol of urban decay: abandoned neighborhoods, decrepit former factories, and a population exodus. From July 2022 to July 2023, the US Census Bureau says Detroit's population grew by close to 2,000 residents, bumping the city's population to 633,218. AdvertisementWith Detroit's latest population numbers, the city also jumped from the 29th-largest to the 26th-largest city in the United States, overtaking Memphis, Louisville, and Portland. Detroit's numbers are still far from 1950, when the city's population peaked at about 1.85 million. Back then, it was the fifth-largest city in the United States, behind only New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

Persons: —, There's, it's, Mike Duggan, Duggan Organizations: Service, Detroit, Business, Bureau, Memphis, Sun Belt, Associated Press Locations: Detroit, United States, Louisville, Portland, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles . Detroit, Michigan's

☆ Here's why FEMA has spent about $4 billion to help destroy flood-prone homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Lindsey Jacobson | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

'I have no regrets'Andrea Jones accepted a floodplain buyout for her home in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. CNBCAndrea Jones, 59, sold her home in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area in a floodplain buyout. On average, federal buyouts can take two to five years, though 80% of the FEMA acquisitions are approved in less than two years. Jones' buyout was delayed by the pandemic, but once she started the process up again in May 2022, things moved quickly. In addition to FEMA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and many state and local communities fund floodplain buyouts.

Persons: Siders, Andrea Jones, CNBC Andrea Jones, Jones, Andrea Jones Jones, they're, Mathew Sanders, Sanders Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, University of Delaware's, Program, CNBC, Finance, Charitable, Congressional Research Service, U.S . Department of Housing, Urban Development Locations: Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ A graffiti ‘takeover’ roils downtown Los Angeles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Leda Abkenari | Leda Joy Abkenari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Climbing up abandoned, unfinished floors and tightrope walking across balcony ledges, backpacks clanging with cans of alkyd and acrylic, a collective of Los Angeles graffiti artists have transformed their craft beyond urban aesthetics to champion community issues. (The Los Angeles City Attorney confirmed to CNN that, as of April 3, criminal charges have been filed against 23 individuals, for violations including trespassing and possession of vandalism tools.) ENDEM's tag, pictured here adorning the walls of the 3rd Street tunnel in Downtown Los Angeles. And as a result of that, they’re on the streets,” Hutchinson told CNN, noting that the homeless population in Los Angeles is continuing to grow. (“This has strained our deployment,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said during a February meeting of the Los Angeles City Council.

Persons: tagger ENDEM, “, Keith Haring, Banksy, Endem, ENDEM, ” ENDEM, Oceanwide, ” Roger Gastman, Roger Gastman, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, “ You’ve, ” Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Mario Tama, Michel Moore, ”, Blair Besten, ” Besten, Gastman, — we’re, We’re, it’s, ” Gastman, It’s Organizations: CNN, Oceanwide Holdings, Los Angeles City Attorney, Oceanside, Los Angeles Urban Policy, Los Angeles Housing Services Authority, LA, Plaza, LAPD, Los Angeles City Council, Downtown, Oceanwide Locations: Angeles, Downtown LA, Germany, New York City, Downtown Los Angeles, Oceanside, LA, Los Angeles

☆ Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings, who bought a ski mountain in Utah, snaps up more land for his public-private mountain experiment
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Reed Hastings is turning part of Powder Mountain into a ski club for the wealthy. Powder Mountain is the largest ski resort in the country. Related storiesThe former Netflix CEO said he is privatizing part of Powder Mountain to help remediate years of financial struggles. AdvertisementThe mountain was previously owned by a group of millennial investors who struggled to maintain the mountain, according to a report from The Information. Hastings announced his plans to make part of the ski resort private in December 2023, but Powder Mountain announced a new land acquisition and lift on Friday.

Persons: Reed Hastings, —, He's, Hastings, Ian Matteson Organizations: Netflix, Service, The New York Times, Meriwether Companies, Forbes Locations: Africa, Ogden, The, Sierra Nevada, Utah

☆ What an intense weekend on the campaign trail tells us about a Biden-Trump matchup
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

An intense weekend of campaigning, with the rivals both visiting the critical swing state of Georgia, laid out the stakes of their clash – as well as their strategies and vulnerabilities. Still, a successful State of the Union address can clarify a president’s purpose not just to voters – but to himself and his own campaign. Backstage in Georgia, Trump met the parents of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was allegedly killed by an undocumented migrant. Biden’s campaign knows it must do more to defuse concerns about his capacity to fully serve a second term. “Here’s a guy who’s kicking off his general election campaign up the road with Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, won’t, Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith’s, Robert Hur, Pete Buttigieg, “, Biden’s, he’ll, ”, Viktor Orbán, ” Orbán, –, Nikki Haley, Laken Riley, ” Georgia Democratic Sen, Raphael Warnock, “ craven, Riley, dithering, I’m, ” Biden, “ Donald Trump, Hur, Georgia –, “ Joe Biden, ” Warnock, Brian Kemp, hasn’t, Marjorie Taylor Greene, MAGA Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republicans, Transportation, ABC News, Trump, South Carolina Gov, CNN’s, Union, ”, ” Georgia Democratic, MSNBC, Court, Trump Republicans, Georgia Locations: Georgia, Florida, Mar, Hungarian, Hungary, CNN’s “ State, ” Georgia, State, New Hampshire , Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, “ State

The situation was so dire last year at one Walgreens store in San Francisco, employees resorted to padlocking frozen foods. The effort to undo some aspects of Prop 47 comes amid a broader check on some other liberal crime enforcement policies in America. Police data shows that larceny theft, which includes retail theft and car break-ins, is down 37% from this time last year. On Tuesday, San Francisco voters approved two ballot measures spearheaded by Breed. Last September, the state announced it would be sending $267 million to law enforcement agencies throughout the state to tackle organized retail theft.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, It’s, ”, Jason Henry, “, Marlene Harden’s, Harden, Chloe, …, ” Harden, Marlene Harden's, Thanh Tran, Tran, Ella Baker, CNN Lenore Anderson, ” Anderson, Richard Bailey of Coronado, Breed, Tayfun, –, Miracle, don’t, We’re, Newsom, He’s Organizations: San Francisco CNN —, Republican, Democratic, Democratic Gov, CNN, Public, Institute of California, state’s Department of Justice, Walgreens, Walmart, ” Walmart, Westfield San Francisco Centre, New York Times, “ Walgreens, ”, National Retail Federation, Target, Ella Baker Center for Human, Attorneys, San Francisco Mayor London, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Anadolu Agency, San Francisco Chronicle, Police, “, San Francisco, Breed Locations: San, California, San Francisco, America, Oregon’s, San Diego County, Francisco, Texas, South Carolina

☆ America has never had a presumptive nominee like Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Donald Trump has put America on notice – his second term would be even more disruptive and turbulent than his first. He’s portraying America as a dystopian, failed state overwhelmed by lawlessness, urban blight and slipping toward World War III abroad. For Trump, America is not Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on a Hill.” It is a banana republic. Who are these people that would ruin our country?” Trump asked. After Trump demoralized US allies in his first term, Biden has reinvigorated and expanded NATO in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – an illegal land grab Trump suggests he will reward.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, –, Trump, he’s, conflating, “ We’re, we’re, ” Trump, Ronald Reagan’s “, “, ”, quagmire –, Biden, chillingly, reedy, ” Biden, Grover Cleveland, He’s, Haley, Robert F, Kennedy Jr Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, Carnage, Trump, Justice Department, Capitol, Wednesday, White House, Democrat Locations: America, Ukraine, Florida, ”, Manchester , New Hampshire, Super, United States, NATO, Michigan, Arab, Gaza

☆ Fungi mystery: Amphibian found with mushroom growing from its body
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But a newly described mystery involving a mushroom and a frog suggests that fungi’s role in the environment is anything but black-and-white. Once upon a planetA golden-backed frog is seen with a small mushroom (right) growing out of its body. Elsewhere in our solar system, space scientists have spotted three faint and tiny moons orbiting the outermost planets in the Milky Way: Uranus and Neptune. — A dead star that feasted on a planet once in its orbit could foretell the eventual fate of our own solar system. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Lohit, Dimorphos, ”, Dr, Sabina Raducan, it’s, Ralf Britz, Britz, Here’s, Odysseus, Odie, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, NASA, DART, University of Bern’s Physics, CNN Space, Science Locations: Indian, Karnataka, Dimorphos, Switzerland, Myanmar, Dresden, Germany, Roman Britain, United States

☆ DEI Programs Are Under Attack. Here Is How to Fix Them, Chief Diversity Officer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Steve Pemberton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In 2007, I became Monster.com's first chief diversity officer, then Walgreens' in 2012. Most recently I served as chief human-resources officer at Workhuman. When done right, DEI programs not only give companies a competitive edge but also can be the very means of mending a broken America. Unsurprisingly, the role of chief diversity officer became more popular during this time as CEOs and boards recognized that they needed a dedicated team with resources to prevent similar class-action settlements and public-relations disasters. Prior to serving as chief people officer for Workhuman, he was chief diversity officer for Walgreens and Monster.com.

Persons: unschooled, Monster.com's, meritocracy, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, ERGs, Charles Walgreen, Jim Crow, Rep, Robert B, Elliott of, Steve Pemberton Organizations: Walgreens, Revelio Labs, America, Commission, Texaco, Denny's, Nextel, Harvard, The Lighthouse Academy Locations: America, Elliott of South Carolina

☆ When Science Class Is in a Former Macy’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Paul Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The mall, which is about 60 percent vacant, has a hodgepodge of other tenants. Call center workers are parking or being dropped off for their shifts. But on the other side of the parking lot, scores of young children dash out of cars and through a mall entrance. They’re not playing hooky; they’re going to school in a former J.C. Penney store. And if all goes according to plan, they will keep going there for years as the school adds more grades and takes over more of the mall each year.

Persons: It’s, They’re, Penney Organizations: Belk Locations: Sumter, S.C

☆ Yale apologizes for past ties to slavery
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Jay Croft | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Yale University has issued a formal apology for its historical ties to slavery. The apology is part of Yale’s “ongoing work to understand its history and connections to slavery,” the university said in a news release Friday. Yale also announced the release of a book, “Yale and Slavery: A History,” by professor David W. Blight with the Yale and Slavery Research Project, and a range of actions and initiatives based on the project’s findings. “Confronting this history helps us to build a stronger community and realize our aspirations to create a better future,” Yale President Peter Salovey said in the release. In April 2022, Harvard dedicated $100 million to research and redress its “extensive entanglements with slavery,” President Lawrence Bacow said.

Persons: Yale, “, David W, Blight, ”, Peter Salovey, ” Yale, Lawrence Bacow, Brown, Woodrow Wilson Organizations: CNN — Yale University, “ Yale, Yale and Slavery Research, ” Yale, “, Yale University, Connecticut, Yale, New Haven, Black, Slavery Research, Harvard, Harvard University, ”, Brown, Princeton Locations: New England

☆ Trump seizes on US troops killed and border crisis to sell general election message
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s core general election argument is that President Joe Biden is weak and incapable as events spin out of control at home and abroad. Instead, we are on the brink of World War 3,” Trump said in a statement. So Trump’s picture of a world in disarray as Biden stands by helplessly may have some political potency. It remains to be seen whether voters will buy into the image Biden and his team are trying to paint of Trump. But his reemergence as the GOP’s likely nominee is also highlighting the extraordinary liabilities that he would carry into a general election.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, ”, Trump, Biden, ” Trump, Joe Biden’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Joe Biden weren’t, ” Haley, Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Trump’s, – Trump, It’s, …, Mike Johnson, I’d, “, Democratic Sen, Christopher Murphy of, CNN’s Dana, Mitch McConnell, Johnson, it’s, Donald Trump, ” Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Shawn Fain, Jean Carroll, – Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, New, Democratic, Baptist, United, Republican, Republican Party, Christopher Murphy of Connecticut, Union, United Auto Workers, UAW, Washington Locations: Nevada, United States, Jordan, New Hampshire, South Carolina, East, Iran, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Louisiana, “ State, Ukraine, France, Trump

More than 8.5 million abandoned homes in rural Japan are creating a "ghost town" problem. There are more than 8.5 million akiya , or abandoned homes, in rural Japan, according to the country's 2018 Housing and Land Survey, its most recent on record. The institute predicts akiya could exceed 30% of homes in Japan by 2033. As Richard Koo, the chief economist at NRI, told them at the time, the Japanese countryside has been hollowing out since the mid-'90s. Why aren't more Japanese people buying abandoned countryside homes?

Persons: —, who've, Richard Koo, There's, Chris McMorran, Koo, Douglas Southerland, McMorran, Natasha Durie, Durie, Eric McAskill, McAskill, Jaya Thursfield, Chihiro, Kurosawa, Joey Stockermans, akiya Organizations: Service, Survey, Nomura Research Institute, Business Insider's, NRI, National University of Singapore, of Anthropology, Ethnography, Oxford University, Canadian Real Estate Association Locations: Japan, Business Insider's Singapore, Gifu, Vancouver, Canada, Nagano Prefecture, England, Ibaraki Prefecture, London, North America, Kyushu, akiya

☆ Trump aims to drive Haley out of the GOP race with big New Hampshire win
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The former South Carolina governor is pushing back hard against Trump’s bid to end the GOP primary race after only two nominating contests. She’s calling on voters to make a generational shift and is appealing especially to independents who can join the GOP primary in New Hampshire. According to a CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire before DeSantis dropped out, Haley trailed Trump by 13 points in a two-person race. But like the late Arizona senator, Haley might still have a South Carolina problem. Even Haley’s most vehement supporter, New Hampshire GOP Gov.

Persons: New Hampshire CNN —, Donald Trump, ” Trump, “, ” Nikki Haley’s, —, Joe Biden, Haley, ”, Dean Phillips, Ron DeSantis, Nancy Pelosi, Biden, Trump, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Vivek Ramaswamy, Scott, Haley she’d, She’s, November’s, ” Haley, That’s, DeSantis, John McCain, George W, Bush, Chris Sununu, He’s, ” Sununu, CNN’s Anderson Cooper Organizations: New Hampshire CNN, White, New Hampshire, GOP, Republican Party, Trump, South, —, Democratic, Democratic National Committee, Minnesota, New Hampshire Voters, United Nations, Florida Gov, Tim Scott , North Dakota Gov, Manchester, Capitol, Republicans, CNN, University of New, Texas Gov, New, New Hampshire GOP Gov, Biden Locations: Salem, New Hampshire, New, Laconia, Granite State, South Carolina, America, Franklin , New Hampshire, — New Hampshire, —, Iowa, Florida, Tim Scott , North, Trump, North Dakota, Salem , New Hampshire, University of New Hampshire, Arizona

☆ A former OpenAI exec says AI could be the last technology humans ever invent
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

So now you start compounding the implications on life sciences, and biosciences and it gets really, really exciting. I will say this, I don't think that it is currently popular to espouse an overwhelmingly positive sentiment, because I think it is seen as naive. I think we are so wrapped up in the Terminator Skynet idea, and I just don't think that's even remotely interesting given what we think we're building. I point to nuclear as the best example of how one policy, especially influenced by public perception, can have a really, really incredible consequence on the human experience. I think there is not enough attention paid to the issue of AI versus AI.

Persons: Zack Kass, Kass, Santa Barbara, Sam, Altman, I've, we're Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, biosciences, Artificial General Intelligence Locations: Santa, China

☆ The new architecture set to shape the world in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Kéré’s Berlin-based firm says the building’s top-heavy appearance was inspired by the palaver tree, which traditionally served as a meeting place. Designed for developer s2e Technologies by US architecture firm Gensler, the four circular residential structures can accommodate a combined 84 households. But it is perhaps Bjarke Ingels, founder of Danish design firm BIG, that has had the greatest impact on the city’s once modest skyline. The first restored sections are set to be ready in time for this summer’s Paris Olympics. Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and local practice Blight Rayner — who together beat more than 20 entries in an international competition — say that the design was inspired by the flow of the Brisbane River.

Persons: David Chipperfield, Francis Kéré, Kéré, China Stefano Boeri, Bosco, Stefano Boeri, Mestres Wåge, Nicolai Tangen, NBBJ, Dror, EPIQ, Ecuador Uribe Schwarzkopf, Bjarke, Moshe Safdie, Jean Nouvel, Ma Yansong, Ingels, France Chatillon Architectes, Notre Dame isn’t, Chatillon, Nikken Sekkei, ”, “, Blight Rayner —, Aunty Lilla Watson Organizations: CNN, superlatives, Malaysia’s, Benin National Assembly, Forest, Kunstsilo, Keppel South, Enclave, s2e Technologies, Bjarke Ingels, BIG, UNESCO, Heritage, Notre Dame, Palais, Beaux -, Chatillon Architects, UAE Kerzner, United, “ Michelin, New York Times, Gang, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Locations: India, Benin, Porto, Novo, Burkina Faso, Kéré’s Berlin, Nanjing, China, Milan, Italy, Europe, China’s, Kristiansand, Norway, Norwegian, Keppel, Keppel South Central, Singapore, London, Canada, London , Ontario, Quito, Ecuador, Bjarke Ingels Quito, Parque La Carolina, Paris, France, Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Hotel, Denver, USA, Denver , Colorado, Urban, Brisbane, Australia, Australian

☆ Italy is no country for young chefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Antonella Cinelli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Italy's food is famous the world over but many talented young chefs, hoping to make a career in their country, find themselves frustrated by low pay, lack of labour protection and scant prospects. The current outflow of Italian chefs due to difficult conditions at home is not a new phenomenon. A peep into the kitchens of even the most traditional Italian restaurants shows the local dishes are often prepared by low-paid immigrants. Partly for this reason, young chefs in Italy take home half the salary of their peers in Britain while working longer hours, Mazzei said. British people have become knowledgeable about Italian food, even learning about regional differences, he said, so he preferred to hire Italian chefs to satisfy an increasingly demanding clientele.

Persons: Davide Sanna, Brendan McDermid, Sanna, he'd, It's, Massimo Bottura, Roberto Gentile, Paese, Gentile, Di Marzo, Julio, Francesco Mazzei, Mazzei, Giorgia Meloni's, Francesco Lollobrigida, Antonio Bassu, Bassu, Gavin Jones, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Star, Michelin, European, European Labour Authority, Reuters, MELONI'S, PRIDE Italian, Thomson Locations: SoHo, New York City, U.S, Sardinia, New York, Italy, Italian, glitzy SoHo, Modena, Spain, Japan, France, Europe, United States, Sicily, ITALY, Le, Toulouse, Britain, Milan, Gaeta, Rome, Naples, Roman, Emilia, Peruvian, Calabria, Italy's, London, Malta, England, Sardinian, Barcelona

☆ Insight: Italy is no country for young chefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Antonella Cinelli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

For the past year, the 25-year-old has cooked at Piccola Cucina, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan's glitzy SoHo district, home to designer boutiques and high-end art galleries. The current outflow of Italian chefs due to difficult conditions at home is not a new phenomenon. A peep into the kitchens of even the most traditional Italian restaurants shows the local dishes are often prepared by low-paid immigrants. Partly for this reason, young chefs in Italy take home half the salary of their peers in Britain while working longer hours, Mazzei said. British people have become knowledgeable about Italian food, even learning about regional differences, he said, so he preferred to hire Italian chefs to satisfy an increasingly demanding clientele.

☆ Housing economists have a great idea that could fix just about everything
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"A land value tax would fix that" has become a popular, and sometimes comedic, Twitter response to a range of policy conundrums among urbanists and YIMBYs. It would incentivize landowners to maximize the revenue from their property — building an apartment building instead of, for example, a parking lot. And because rich individuals and corporations own most land in cities and towns, land taxes would disproportionately fall on the wealthiest. Pure Georgists advocate for abolishing all taxes besides land value taxes. Instead, they want to see more regressive levies — like sales taxes — or those that penalize investment — like property taxes — reduced.

Persons: —, Henry George, George, Stephen Hoskins, BZ5X3Lh7mU — Daryl Fairweather ⛅, Mike Duggan, Gregor Schwerhoff, Shane Phillips, Scott Olson, Phillips, Hoskins Organizations: Service, urbanists, Resource Justice, Lawmakers, Detroit, International Monetary Fund, Lewis Center for Regional Policy Locations: America, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh , Harrisburg, Allentown, Detroit, Minnesota, Hamtramck , Michigan, American

☆ Another study links ultraprocessed foods to cancer, but questions remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“This study adds to a growing pool of evidence suggesting a link between UPFs (ultraprocessed foods) and cancer risk,” said Dr. Helen Croker, assistant director of research and policy at World Cancer Research Fund International, which funded the study, in a statement. Ultraprocessed foods are often calorie-dense and are considered to be a driver of excess weight, experts say. An unusual linkOddly, the study also found a link between ultraprocessed food and accidental deaths, which was being used as a control for the study. A growing associationThis is not the first study to find a link between ultraprocessed food and cancer. In that study, eating more ultraprocessed animal products and sweetened beverages explained a good part of the association.

Persons: ”, Helen Croker, Ingre, UPFs, ” Huybrechts, David Katz, Katz, ” Katz, “ UPFs, George Davey Smith, “ Organizations: CNN, Cancer Research Fund, Metabolism, International Agency for Research, Cancer, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, European, of Nutrition, Investigation, Cancer and Nutrition, EPIC, US Centers for Disease Control, BMI, True Health Initiative, University of Bristol Locations: United States, UPFs, Europe, United Kingdom

☆ Mass visa cancellations at Saudi airport puts relations with Nigeria in spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have come under scrutiny after 177 Nigerians were refused entry to the country on Monday. The mass cancellation of visas occurred as Nigera’s President Bola Tinubu was still in Saudi Arabia after holding bilateral talks with the Saudi government. “There was a total lack of sensitivity (by Saudi officials) because the president (of Nigeria) was visiting that country,” Okhai said. Saudi Arabia is a popular pilgrimage destination for thousands of Nigerian Muslims. However, Monday’s deportation of Nigerian nationals is not the first time travelers have been refused entry to Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, It’s, ”, ” Victor Okhai, ” Okhai, Reno Omokiri, ” Omokri, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, Air, country’s Ministry, Hajj, Saudi, Jeddah …, Africa Summit, Guinea Bissau, African Diaspora Foundation, CNN, United Arab Emirates, UAE, reoccurrence Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Mecca, Saudi, Guinea, Independence, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The distinction is politically significant as the public has become increasingly frustrated over homeless camps in Los Angeles and other California cities, seeing them as a blight on neighborhoods and a threat to public safety. Some critics were quick this weekend to suggest that homeless campers might have been responsible for the latest blaze, which shuttered a freeway traversed by about 300,000 vehicles daily. “It’s an ongoing issue, but I don’t want to conflate it with the source of this fire,” Mr. de León said. “We need to see where the investigation goes.”Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles similarly urged caution and asked the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions about who had set the fire. There is no reason to assume that the origin of this fire or the reason this fire happened was because there were unhoused individuals nearby.”

Persons: Kevin de León, Mr, de León, Karen Bass, ”, “ Locations: Los Angeles, California, Angeles

☆ Mexico's Acapulco hit by garbage pile-up after deadly hurricane
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Troy Merida | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People protest against what they say is the lack of government help, in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, in Acapulco, Mexico, November 5, 2023. The government has sent in thousands of soldiers to help clean up Acapulco, but residents say rubbish has engulfed some areas so quickly that even traffic is being held up. Mexico's Civil Protection authority did not reply to a request for comment, but the government said getting Acapulco cleared up is a top priority. When questioned about the garbage this week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said authorities are fumigating the city to prevent disease, and would deal with the problem. "When you've got large numbers of yellow fever mosquitoes, dengue outbreaks are only a matter of time."

Persons: Hurricane Otis, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Rosa Pacheco, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Otis, Alejandro Macias, you've, Troy Merida, Dave Graham, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Hurricane, Acapulco, Mexico, Rights ACAPULCO, La Mira, Mexican

☆ Mexico's Acapulco Hit by Garbage Pile-Up After Deadly Hurricane
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The government has sent in thousands of soldiers to help clean up Acapulco, but residents say rubbish has engulfed some areas so quickly that even traffic is being held up. Mexico's Civil Protection authority did not reply to a request for comment, but the government said getting Acapulco cleared up is a top priority. When questioned about the garbage this week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said authorities are fumigating the city to prevent disease, and would deal with the problem. If not, he said, conditions could be ripe for yellow fever mosquitoes. "When you've got large numbers of yellow fever mosquitoes, dengue outbreaks are only a matter of time."

Persons: Troy Merida, Hurricane Otis, Rosa Pacheco, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Otis, Alejandro Macias, you've, Dave Graham, Bill Berkrot Locations: Troy Merida ACAPULCO, Mexico, Acapulco, Hurricane, La Mira, Mexican

☆ Britain bans 'laughing gas' to curb anti-social behaviour
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Policing Minister Chris Philp hosts a roundtable in Downing Street with senior policing figures and UK's biggest retailers to set out a joint plan of action to tackle the rise in shoplifting and to catch more prolific offenders, in London, Britain October 23, 2023. "For too long the use of this drug in public spaces has contributed to anti-social behaviour which is a blight on communities. We will not accept it," Britain's policing minister Chris Philp said in a statement. In September, interior minister Suella Braverman said people were "fed up" with the use of drugs in public spaces, with discarded gas canisters being littered across Britain's streets. Under the ban, nitrous oxide will be prescribed as a "Class C" drug and classified in "the least harmful" category of drugs under Britain's laws alongside anabolic steroids, benzodiazepines and growth hormones.

Persons: Chris Philp, Aaron Chown, Suella Braverman, Farouq Suleiman, Michael Holden Organizations: Thomson Locations: London, Britain

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