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☆ Opinion: Billie Eilish’s “Lunch” is the Pride anthem we so desperately need
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Opinion Allison Hope | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Billie Eilish’s new song, “Lunch” is the definitive queer anthem of 2024. Eilish’s “Lunch” symbolizes the seismic evolution in queer women expression in music. Eilish’s “Lunch” is a brilliant reinvention of our freedom of queer expression, and it comes at a most desperate time. If only we tune into Eilish’s song and to its inherent humanity — carnal, raw, authentic — and recognize in it our own hidden desires that we should face with the same openness she does. What Eilish has achieved, though, with her latest album and particularly with the song, “Lunch,” is to raise the bar on the unabashed expression of queer and women’s sexual desire.

Persons: Allison Hope, Billie Eilish’s, ” Allison Hope, Eilish, Marsha P, Johnson, Billy Porter unapologetically, She’s, Barbie, Finneas O’Connell, We’ve, Whitney Houston, Lang, Tracy Chapman, Jodie Foster, Elliot Page, Katy Perry’s, It’s, Nex Benedict, Starr Brown, Trevor, Lily Tomlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Etheridge Organizations: New Yorker, The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Slate, Pride, MTV, US State Department, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Twitter, Facebook, Lifeline Locations: New, Stonewall, New York, veneers, k.d, Russia, Ghana, Uganda, Italy, Buenos Aires, Memphis

☆ Safaris aren't the only tourist attraction in Africa. From cruises to wine tasting, here's what else you can do
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Harriet Akinyi | Penny Sadler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bungy jumping at Soweto Towers, a decommissioned power station in Johannesburg, South Africa. Explore the beachAfrican beach towns combine beauty and culture, in places like Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Ghana, Namibia and Egypt. In addition to being a popular stop for world cruises, East and South Africa have their own ocean cruise routes which follow the coastlines and visit offshore islands. But South Africa is the continent's crown jewel. The wine country of Franschhoek, outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Persons: Toubkal, there's, Thomas Janisch, Zina Bencheikh, Madagascar's Tsingy, Carlo Morucchio, Kenya's Masai Mara, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Mombasa's, Samir Hussein, Luciemarie Swanepoel, Jeremy Villasis, Peter Unger, Kate Powell, Intrepid's Bencheikh, Kevin Bubolz, Wrenelle Stander, Michele Westmorland Organizations: bungie, Getty, Intrepid Travel, UNESCO, Heritage, Wireimage, Diamonds, Sainte, Cruises, Stone, Queen, Cruise Line, MSC, Continental, Penguin Locations: Africa, Morocco's, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Nyangani, Zimbabwe, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, Europe, East, Namibia, Victoria Falls, Zambia, Jinja, Uganda, Morocco, Seychelles, Kenya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Ghana, Egypt, Mombasa, Mombasa's Fort Jesus, Fort Jesus, Kaya, Zanzibar's Stone, Madagascar, Swanepoel, Durban, Cape, Kivu, Silversea, Continental Europe, Middle East, Port, Ethiopia, Wesgro, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Cape Town , South Africa

☆ Opinion | Exploring the World Beyond Queens
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of his dream careers was paleontology, which combined his love for dinosaurs with the hands-on work of combing through artifacts. They yearned to give him more opportunities to explore his passions beyond their life in Queens. Mr. Bukari was 12 when he spent his first summer in upstate New York, at the Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Mariah. Leaving home for the first time made him feel more mature and aware of how big the world was. Being at camp “raised my eagerness to want to do more things on my own,” he says.

Persons: Shariff Bukari, Bukari, Mariah, “, ” Locations: Queens, Ghana, New York City, New York

☆ Brad Paisley and Howard Gospel Choir to be the entertainment for state dinner as Bidens highlight US-Kenya ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Betsy Klein | Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

US President Gerald Ford dances with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during a state dinner in Washington, DC, in 1976. Jason Reed/Reuters The White House's State Dining Room is seen ahead of a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018. Paisley first performed at the White House in 2009 during the Obama administration as part of a music series. “Tomorrow night we’ve created an experience that will feature the beautiful scenes of the White House and the Washington Monument that few get to enjoy,” White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo said. Event planner Bryan Rafanelli also helped the White House plan for the state dinner.

Persons: Brad Paisley, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, “, Howard, “ Brad Paisley, Dr . Biden, Ruto’s, Biden, Ruto, ” Biden, George W, Bush, Gerald Ford, Queen Elizabeth II, Ricardo Thomas, Gerald R, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Enrique Penaranda, Penaranda, Matthew Costello, George R, Nikita Khrushchev, He's, Nina, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Mamie Eisenhower, Costello, John F, Kennedy, Habib Bourguiba, Jackie, Moufida, Bill Allen, Lyndon B, Johnson, Errol W, Barrow, Carolyn, Richard Nixon, Leonid Brezhnev, Charles Tasnadi, Betty Ford, Jordan's King Hussein, David Hume Kennerly, Betty Sherrill, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter, Deng Xiaoping, Cho Lin, Carter, Nancy Reagan, Indira Gandhi, Mikhail Gorbachev, Joe DiMaggio, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Boris Yeltsin, Naina, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Barbara, Dirck Halstead, Singer Whitney Houston, Nelson Mandela, Ron Sachs, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Mandela, Zindzi, Wally McNamee, Corbis, Bill Frist, Lynne Cheney, Dick Cheney, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Laura Bush, Prince Philip, Itzhak Perlman, Saul Loeb, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Manmohan Singh, Gursharan Kaur, Pete Souza, White, Obama, Singh, Jason Reed, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Macron, Brigitte, Jabin, Scott Morrison, Joshua Roberts, Paisley, ‘ Wake, Martin Luther, ’ ”, ” Jill Biden, we’ve, Carlos Elizondo, Cris Comerford, Bryan Rafanelli, April’s, Fumio Kishida, Yuko Kishida, CNN’s Sam Fossum Organizations: Washington CNN —, Howard Gospel Choir, White, CNN, Kenyan, Ford Presidential Library, United, White House, Historical Association, Washington Post, Getty, Barbados, AP, Indian, New York Times, Singer, South, Trump, Australian, Paisley, Japanese Locations: Kenya, United States, ”, Ghana, Africa, Russia, Namibia, Washington , DC, Bolivian, Soviet, George H.W ., toasts, Nashville, Washington

☆ How Should the Stories of Migrants Be Told?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Dinaw Mengestu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THE SILENCE OF THE CHOIR, by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. Mohamed Mbougar Sarr’s second novel, “The Silence of the Choir,” opens with the arrival of 72 migrants in a fictional Sicilian village called Altino, an ideal narrative framework to test a novel’s empathetic capacity. The migrants may be the newcomers, but Sarr is too interesting and thoughtful a writer to simply answer the inevitable question: Will the good people of Altino learn to care about these men? His interest, rather, is in finding what kind of narrative form, if any, is best suited to such a task. Traoré’s story is so hard to tell that Sarr interrupts the narration halfway through and turns it into a play.

Persons: Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, Alison Anderson, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr’s, ”, Mount, Sarr, Jogoy, Fousseyni Organizations: Choir Locations: Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Mount Etna, Sicily, Malian

☆ Artist Kehinde Wiley denies accusations of sexual assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Stephy Chung | Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Kehinde Wiley, the American artist best known for painting former US President Barack Obama’s official portrait, has denied accusations of sexual assault. In an Instagram post shared Sunday, British-Ghanaian artist and curator Joseph Awuah-Darko alleged Wiley sexually assaulted him twice in 2021. Awuah-Darko said the first incident occurred on June 9, 2021, at a dinner held at the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, to celebrate Wiley’s work. In Sunday’s Instagram post, he wrote that reporting the assault in Ghana “would have been problematic at best — dangerous at worst,” given the country’s broader attitudes towards LGBTQ people. Wiley rose to international fame in 2017, when he was chosen to paint Obama’s official portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

Persons: CNN — Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama’s, Joseph Awuah, Darko, Wiley, Awuah, ” Awuah, ”, ” Wiley, “, Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama, Mark Wilson, I’m Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Getty, ” CNN, Wiley, Ghana “, Yale University Locations: British, Ghanaian, Ghana, Accra, Washington , DC, Nigeria, New York, Ghana’s

☆ Kehinde Wiley Denies Accusation of Sexual Assault by Artist
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After an artist accused the painter Kehinde Wiley of sexual assault in an Instagram post on Sunday, Mr. Wiley denied the allegations, saying on his own Instagram account that “someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with almost three years ago is now making a false accusation about our time together.”“These claims are not true and are an affront to all victims of sexual abuse,” Mr. Wiley added. Mr. Wiley, who was born in Los Angeles, is one of the best known painters in the United States, and is famous for his 2018 portrait of President Barack Obama. On Sunday, Joseph Awuah-Darko, a British-born Ghanaian artist and the founder of the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, said in a lengthy Instagram post that on June 9, 2021, Mr. Wiley assaulted him twice during and after a dinner in Ghana that was held in the famed artist’s honor. In the first incident, Mr. Awuah-Darko said that he had been directing Mr. Wiley to a washroom when the star suddenly grabbed his buttocks. Later that evening, Mr. Awuah-Darko said, a second assault occurred that was “much more severe and violent.” Mr. Awuah-Darko did not give further details of that incident on Instagram, but in a telephone interview, he said that a sexual encounter began consensually, but that it then moved to a bedroom, where he says that Mr. Wiley forced himself on him after Mr. Awuah-Darko had said he did not want to go further.

Persons: Kehinde Wiley, Wiley, ”, Mr, Barack Obama, Joseph Awuah, Darko, Awuah Locations: Los Angeles, United States, British, Ghana

☆ Tiwa Savage makes her acting debut with ‘Water & Garri’ on Prime Video, and emerges with a new sound
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Lauren Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Despite her extraordinary success in Afrobeats music, Tiwa Savage has long harbored a secret aspiration: to pursue a career in acting. On May 10, her much-anticipated debut film, “Water & Garri,” hit Prime Video, marking her leap into acting. Executive produced by Savage and directed by her long-time music video director Meji Alabi, “Water & Garri” is a collaboration between Everything Savage, Unbound Studios, and JM Films. “It was just to break me out of my shell, to break me out of Tiwa Savage and just empty me out – and then just allow me to be or embody like a whole different character,” she added. “I feel like I’ve been boxed to a certain sound because I’ve done it for over 10 years,” Savage said.

Persons: Tiwa Savage, “, ”, CNN’s Larry Madowo, Savage, Meji Alabi, ” Savage, Comfort Emmanuel, Aisha, –, King Charles, Leon Neal, Asa, Zacardi Cortez, Richard Bona, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Studios, JM Films, Getty Locations: Lagos, Cape Coast, Ghana, London, French Nigerian, American

☆ Ife Agoro’s DANG is changing the game for women in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Candid conversationsThrough candid conversations and shared narratives, members of the DANG community confront taboo topics such as gender-based violence, discrimination, body image, mental health, and reproductive rights. This ultimately led Agoro to create the #DangAfterHours series, a no-holds-barred discussion on sex and sexuality, a real taboo subject in Nigeria, Agoro says. Soon after, she launched her DANG Lifestyle and skincare business which has grown largely through word of mouth through the DANG community, Agoro says. Despite aiming her message squarely at women, Agoro doesn’t discount a future where men would be integrated into the community. “I now get men commenting and saying to me, ‘We are DANG men too, include us in the conversation.’ We are happy to have them in the conversation.

Persons: Agoro, –, “, ’ ” Agoro, ”, ‘, ’ ”, ’ Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, Twitter, CNN Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Nigerian, I’m, skincare, Dang, USA, Ghana, Kenya

☆ Benin: The country’s past, present, and future is on display for the first time at the 60th Venice Biennale
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Daniel Renjifo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Ancestral African art is a linchpin of identity and a source of inspiration to creatives across the continent. For the first time in the 60-year history of the renowned Venice Biennale in Italy – an arts and culture festival lasting eight months, hosted every other year – Benin is presenting a national pavilion. Hazoumé hopes the exhibition will reiterate his message and inspire other African artists to own their past to fuel creativity. Ishola Akpo sets up his piece titled “Iyalode” at the Benin national pavilion in Venice, Italy. Moufouli Bello draws inspiration from children’s books, Gèlèdé philosophy and Yoruba traditions in this piece titled “Egbe Modjisola," on display at the Benin national pavilion in Venice, Italy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Romuald Hazoumé's, Jacopo La, Jacopo La Forgia, Romuald Hazoumé, Chloé, Ishola Akpo, Moufouli Bello, we’ll, Hazoumé, Florian Kleinefenn, ” Nwagbogu, “, ”, Gèlèdé, Chloé Quenum, Akpo, I’ve, Nwagbogu, ” Hazoumé Organizations: CNN, French, Smithsonian Museum of African, US, Venice Biennale, African Artist Foundation, Biennale Locations: Africa, West, Benin, Nigeria, Kingdom of Benin, Venice, Italy, “, Rouge, curating, France, Madagascar, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon

☆ India election 2024: The indelible ink behind the world’s biggest election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Election Commission uses indelible ink, or “voter ink”, to prevent fraud or duplicate votes. Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty ImagesMore than 960 million people are eligible to vote in India’s election, the world’s biggest. “Indelible ink serves no other purpose,” said Irfan. The company now supplies indelible ink to more than 35 countries, including to Ghana beginning in the late 1970s. However, Ghana’s election commission recently announced it would phase out the use of indelible ink, opting for biometric verification methods instead.

Persons: CNN CNN —, ”, K Mohammed Irfan, Manish Swarup, Deepika Padukone, Sujit Jaiswal, Irfan, “, Ornit Shani, Shani, ” Shani, Prakash Singh, MVPL, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, Mukulika Banerjee, Rakesh Nair, Banerjee, haven’t, ‘ I’ve Organizations: CNN CNN, CNN, Getty, Universal, Bloomberg, London School of Economics, Reuters “ Locations: Neemrana, India, Mumbai, AFP, Mysuru, Karnataka, Chennai, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Mysore, Ghana, West Bengal

☆ How moving from the US to Costa Rica’s ‘blue zone’ transformed this family’s life forever
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

They initially mulled over relocating to four potential destinations – Ghana, Sweden, Mexico, and of course, Costa Rica. There’s something energetic about being in Costa Rica.”‘Serendipitous’ move"There’s something energetic about being in Costa Rica," says Ward-Hopper. The community really looked out for each other.”New additionTheir son Nicolai was born in Costa Rica in 2020. “So for us it is more affordable, it’s getting more expensive as more people move to Costa Rica. “I guess we’re more nomadic than stationary, but Costa Rica feels like home.”

Persons: Kema, Hopper, Nicholas Hopper, Aaralyn, ”, “, I’d, Hurricane Harvey, Houston, Ward, they’d, we’ve, Nicolai, ” “, it’s, she’s, “ I’m, Costa, Costa Rica Organizations: CNN, Central American, CNN Travel, Loma Locations: Costa Rica, Houston , Texas, Houston, Ghana, Sweden, Mexico, “ Costa Rica, – Costa Rica, ”, Pueblo Nuevo, California, Sardinia, Okinawa, Nicoya, Costa Rican, Latin America, Colombia, Brazil, Costa

☆ Drone startup Zipline hits 1 million deliveries, looks to restaurants as it continues to grow
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Autonomous delivery drone startup Zipline said Friday that it hit its 1 millionth delivery to customers and that it's eyeing restaurant partnerships in its next phase of growth. The San Francisco-based startup designs, builds and operates autonomous delivery drones, working with clients that range from more than 4,700 hospitals including the Cleveland Clinic to major brands such as Walmart and GNC. The company said its zero-emission drones have now flown more than 70 million autonomous commercial miles across four continents and delivered more than 10 million products. The push into restaurant partnerships marks an "obvious transition" he said, due to the continuing growth in interest in instant food delivery. Zipline deliveries for some Panera locations in Seattle are expected to begin next year, the Panera franchisee's chief operating officer Ron Bellamy told CNBC.

Persons: It's, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Rinaudo Cliffton, Ron Bellamy, I'm, Bellamy Organizations: Cleveland Clinic, Walmart, Sequoia Capital, a16z, Google Ventures, CNBC, Memorial Hermann Health Locations: San Francisco, Ghana, Seattle, Houston, Detroit

☆ I planned on confronting my absent father about his parenting. But when I asked to hear his side, I learned a powerful lesson.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Justin Jones-Fosu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My father was absent throughout most of my life, so I went to Ghana to confront him about it. AdvertisementA few years ago, I visited my father in Ghana and asked to hear his story about why he was an absent parent. My father told me about his journey with his dad, his custody struggles, and the interpersonal conflicts between him and my mother. I also asked my father to share his experiences growing upMy father grew up in Ghana, and his own father was only a kid at the time. We hugged, and my father told me he was proud of me, which I never heard growing up.

Persons: —, I'd, Justin Organizations: Service, Finland —, quicken Locations: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Finland, defensiveness

☆ This solo traveler drove from London to Lagos in a Peugeot 107
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —On January 24, content creator Pelumi Nubi, who grew up in London, set off on a solo drive from the UK capital to Lagos, Nigeria in her beloved purple Peugeot 107. In order to ensure that her vehicle would be suitable for the 10,000-kilometer journey, Nubi had it specially modified, adding a bed and a kitchen facility inside. However, the journey wasn’t without its challenges, some more serious than others. Bigger pictureNubi, seen in Kenya before undertaking her London to Lagos challenge, hopes that her travels will inspire us to pursue their dreams. While she believes that she’s now the first Black solo female traveler to have driven from London to Lagos, Nubi isn’t hugely interested in such titles and says that this was never her goal.

Persons: Pelumi Nubi, “ It’s, ”, Nubi, Omololu Olurinde, Kunle, she’d, Omololu, I’ve, ‘ Lumi, “ She’s, she’s, “, it’s, ” Nubi, It’s, Lumi, Nubi isn’t Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Peugeot, Osprey Locations: London, Lagos, Nigeria, France, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Nigerian, West Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Lake Como, Italy, Spain, Paris, Mauritania, ”, Gambia, Guinea, Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Kenya, Yamoussoukro, South Africa

☆ Ugandan Court Upholds Draconian Anti-Gay Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday largely upheld a sweeping anti-gay law that President Yoweri Museveni signed last year, undermining the efforts of activists and rights groups to abolish legislation that drew worldwide condemnation and strained the East African nation’s relationship with the West. The legislation, which was signed into law by Mr. Museveni in May, calls for life imprisonment for anyone who engages in gay sex. But the law was popular in Uganda, a landlocked nation of over 48 million people, where religious and political leaders frequently inveigh against homosexuality. The fallout for Uganda will be watched closely in other African countries where anti-gay sentiment is on the rise and anti-gay legislation is under consideration, including Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania and South Sudan. In February, Ghana’s Parliament passed an anti-gay law, but the country’s president said that he would not sign it until the Supreme Court ruled on its constitutionality.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Museveni Organizations: East, West, World Bank Locations: Uganda’s, Uganda, United States, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ghana’s

☆ Stonebwoy draws inspiration from Bob Marley at Tuff Gong Studios to unite the Black diaspora
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Lauren Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The session was the Ghanaian’s first visit to Bob Marley’s iconic Tuff Gong Studio. I feel like I’m surrounded by the spirits of those who built here.”“Once upon a time, Bob Marley was probably sitting in the same spot that I am sitting in,” he added. Bob Marley performs onstage during a concert in Stockholm, Sweden, in the late 1970s. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Global CitizenUniting the Black diaspora through musicFrom Afrobeats to reggae, Stonebwoy has worked with musicians including Rick Ross, Beanie Man, Shaggy, Keri Hilson, Russ, Davido, and Angelique Kidjo, shining brightest when mentoring emerging artists. Until then, he has his eyes set on making sure the sounds of the Black diaspora continue to dominate worldwide.

Persons: CNN —, Stonebwoy, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Wyclef Jean, Bob Marley, Yohan Marley, Bob Marley’s, ”, riffing, Livingstone Etse Satekla, Ghana's Stonebwoy, ” Stonebwoy, “, Stonebwoy’s, Jemal Countess, Rick Ross, Beanie, Keri Hilson, Russ, Davido, Angelique Kidjo, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Odumodublvck Organizations: CNN, Island Music Conference, Gong, Tuff Gong, Tuff Gong Studios, Global Citizen Festival, Getty, Global Citizen, BHIM, Burniton Music Locations: Ghanaian, Jamaica, Kingston, ”, Ghana, Africa, Caribbean, West African, Stockholm, Sweden, Hulton, Accra

☆ As cocoa prices soar this Easter, chocolatiers consider alternatives
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( John Towfighi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Cocoa prices are surging so high, the Easter Bunny might want to hoard its chocolate. Poor climate and crop diseases in West Africa – home to 70% of global cocoa production – have tightened supply and caused prices to skyrocket. As prices rise, some chocolatiers are exploring cost-cutting alternatives, like diversifying their products to depend less on cocoa. Yet mining often destroys farms and the possibility of a livelihood in cocoa production, Issaka said. “Given the persistently high cocoa prices, it may be necessary for us to make responsible adjustments to pricing in the future,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

Persons: Hershey’s, Shaquille O’Neal, Michele Buck, Billy Roberts, Roberts, ” Roberts, Issaka, Will Kletter, Kletter, “, Peng Xu, Christopher Taylor, Li, Taylor, ”, “ We’re, “ It’s, ” Taylor Organizations: CNN, Cadbury, NCA, “ Brands, Industries, International Cocoa Organization, Rabobank, US, ”, Euromonitor Locations: West Africa, North Region, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Silicon, Washington ,, Manhattan

The world's governments have agreed they want to triple renewable energy by 2030, a goal laid out at the U.N. climate summit in December. Here are the big hurdles to solar, wind and other renewable energy projects:COSTLY CREDITCentral banks in Europe and the U.S. have raised interest rates to combat inflation. Renewables have much higher up-front costs to build wind farms, solar arrays and more, and that borrowing costs money. Germany's southern region of Bavaria, for example, is known for resisting the noise and appearance of wind turbines in its scenic landscape. Installations have lagged in Bavaria and other regions despite the German government's push for more renewable energy after losing affordable Russian natural gas used to heat homes, generate electricity and power factories.

Persons: Todd Moss Organizations: U.S, Renewables, State Department, Energy, Growth Locations: Europe, Germany's, Bavaria, Ghana, U.S, Washington

☆ Spring equinox: First day of spring arrives
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The spring equinox will arrive exactly at 3:06 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on Wednesday, March 20, according to EarthSky. Click here to look up the exact moment of the spring equinox where you’re located. Spring equinox has another nameIf you ever hear anyone say “vernal equinox,” it means the same thing. Zhang Xiaoyu/Xinhua News Agency/Getty ImagesIn Japan, Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday (on Wednesday, March 20, this year). In China, trying to stand an egg upright is a popular game during the spring equinox, according to VisitBeijing.com.

Persons: Tuesday •, •, • Chiang Mai, David Silverman, Alex Pena, It’s, you’ve, it’s, Hugo Borges, Itzá, El Castillo, Zhang Xiaoyu, ” Organizations: CNN, Tuesday, United, Southern, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NASA, Northern Hemisphere, Northern, Southern Hemisphere, National Weather Service, Heritage, Xinhua News Agency Locations: • Anchorage, Alaska, Vegas ( Nevada, Tuesday • Guadalajara, Mexico, Chicago, Illinois, Toronto, Canada, Jacksonville, Florida, Halifax, • Dublin, Ireland, Accra, Ghana, • Berlin, Germany, • Alexandria, Egypt, • Ankara, Turkey, • Dubai, United Arab Emirates, • Mumbai, India, Thailand, • Hong Kong, • Tokyo, Japan, Stellenbosch , South Africa, Northern, South, Quito, Ecuador, Singapore, San Andrés, Zapotitán, El Salvador, Pole, Scandinavia, Itzá, Yucatan State, AFP, England, Malta, Yoyogi, Tokyo, Vernal, Persian, China

☆ The cocoa market is so hot that the commodity has crushed bitcoin's 150% gain in the last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cocoa prices are hovering near historic highs around $8,000 per metric ton. The chocolate commodity has outperformed bitcoin in the last year, gaining more than 200%. A bad harvest and lack of investment have sent cocoa prices higher over recent months. Related storiesRoughly three-fourths of the world's cocoa, per Bloomberg, comes from four countries in West Africa: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Last month, chocolate giants Hershey and Cadbury both warned of potential price hikes for consumers in light of the cocoa supply shortage.

Persons: —, that's Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Processors, Reuters, International Cocoa Organization, Hershey, Cadbury Locations: West Africa, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria

LONDON (AP) — British cellphone company Vodafone confirmed Friday that it is selling its Italian business to Switzerland’s Swisscom for 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion) and will hand back half of the proceeds to its shareholders through the buyback of company shares. Swisscom, a telecoms operator, will pay in cash that it will finance through new debt. "Fastweb and Vodafone Italia are an ideal fit to create high added value for all stakeholders." Swisscom will pay annual initial charges of 350 million euros, which is expected to decrease over time. ”Its refreshed strategy also has seen it seek to merge its U.K. business with Three U.K. to create Britain’s biggest mobile phone network worth around 15 billion pounds ($19 billion).

Persons: Swisscom, Christoph Aeschlimann, Margherita Della Valle, “, ”, Sophie Lund, Yates, stockbrokers Hargreaves Lansdown Organizations: Vodafone, Fastweb, Vodafone Italia Locations: British, Italy, Hungary, Ghana, London, Zurich

☆ Ghana: In deciding on anti-gay law, president is caught between a rock and a hard place
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( David Mckenzie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sam George, the driving force behind Ghana’s harsh anti-LGBTQ legislation, portrays himself as a guardian of gay Ghanaians. Making inequality legalWhatever its origins, the bill’s passage is terrible news for LGBTQ Ghanaians. “The sentiment and emotion we are expressing right now is sadness,” said Alex Kofi Donkor, the founder of LGBT+ Rights in Ghana, an advocacy group. On one side, you have politicians like George and a broadly conservative citizenry that will publicly goad the president to act. For Ghana’s president, navigating this intricate political landscape looks set to be a daunting – and unenviable – task.

Persons: Sam George, “, ”, It’s, ” George, George, Alex Kofi Donkor, Nana Akufo, it’s, Ghana’s Organizations: CNN, Rights, Ghana’s Ministry, Finance, Bank Financing, Monetary Fund, Bank, US State Department, Ministry of Finance Locations: Accra, Ghana, United States, Uganda, Ghanaian, “ Ghana, State

☆ Paris 2024: How friendship and faith helped guide these two US marathon runners to the Olympic Games
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The pair finished first and second at the Florida event to stamp their tickets to Paris 2024. Racing is important and making an Olympic team is obviously a once in a lifetime thing, but there is more to this life than running.”Young poses with his family after achieving his dream of making the Olympic team. Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports via ReutersWith Paris 2024 fast approaching, both men are building up their preparations ahead of this year’s Olympics. The setback is not expected to impact his participation at Paris 2024 though. Neither is afraid to admit that a podium place in Paris is the goal, but both are acutely aware of how unpredictable an Olympic marathon can be.

Persons: Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, Mantz, Young, I’m, ” Young, ’ ” Mantz, James Gilbert, We’ve, we’ve, “ We’re, we’re, ”, I’ve, Mike Ehrmann, “ It’s, of Jesus Christ, God, Kirby Lee, I’d, ” Mantz, “ Organizations: CNN, Olympic, CNN Sport, Mantz, Getty, Brigham Young University, BYU, of Jesus, USA, Sports, Reuters, Paris Locations: Utah, Florida, Paris, Ghana, North Carolina, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Central Park

☆ Photographer Lisa Kristine is shining a light on child labor
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Leif Coorlim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

So it sort of shook up my trajectory a little bit and I began really focusing on modern-day slavery and child labor. Photographer Lisa Kristine says witnessing child labor can be heart-wrenching. Lisa Kristine: When I initially saw slavery and forced labor existing, it was in the brick kilns. Lisa KristineCNN: What would you say you’ve learned from your travels and expeditions regarding forced child labor? Lisa KristineCNN: What would you like people to take away from your work documenting forced child labor?

Persons: Lisa Kristine, Lisa Kristine CNN, you’re, I’m, they’re, You’ve, Lisa you, you’ve, Kristine, I’ve Organizations: CNN Locations: South Asia, West Africa, Ghana, United States, Nepal, Volta

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