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☆ In London, a Houseboat Used to Be the Affordable Option. Not Anymore.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Ben West | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As he spoke, a kingfisher flew by and the sun cascaded through the windows of his 43-foot-long Dutch barge. He bought his current houseboat about six years ago for £30,000 ($38,000). Dating from 1940, the barge has an open kitchen/saloon in the bow, a bathroom with a shower and toilet, and a double bedroom in the stern. Home prices remain out of reach for many in London, with an average sale price of about 508,000 British pounds ($636,000), a 50 percent increase over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, a two-bedroom Dutch barge houseboat in the area will now run you around £190,000 ($238,000).

Persons: ”, Ros, he’ll Locations: London

☆ ‘Naked’ Trend Hits Big at the Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Callie Holtermann | More About Callie Holtermann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What did the stars wear to the Met Gala on Monday night? The singer Rita Ora attended the event wearing multicolored strings of beads by Marni that cascaded down a sheer bodysuit. A trompe l’oeil gown by Diesel superimposed an image of a naked torso atop Kylie Minogue’s real one. Nakedness on the red carpet may still scandalize, but it is time tested: Consider Rose McGowan’s backless mesh dress at the Video Music Awards in 1998, which she has described as a statement about reclaiming her body. On the Met Gala carpet this year, the approach seemed to catch on more than usual, even after barely-there clothing took over the spring 2023 runways in New York, London, Milan and Paris.

Persons: Rita Ora, Doja, Kylie Minogue’s, Vanessa Friedman, Adam, Eve Organizations: Diesel Locations: New York, London, Milan, Paris

☆ A FAFSA Fiasco Has Students Still Asking: Which College Can They Afford?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Colbi Edmonds | Bernard Mokam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By this time of year, college-bound high school seniors are usually celebrating their choices, researching dorms and even thinking of their majors. Because of a disastrous rollout of the new application for federal tuition aid, many still don’t know how much tuition they would be paying and so have not decided where they can afford to go. The Education Department’s redesigned form for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, was supposed to make applying for tuition aid easier and more accessible. But faced with a bureaucratic mess caused by technical meltdowns and severe delays in processing information and receiving aid packages, students say the new system has been anything but clear or streamlined. The first signs of trouble began in December with the form’s release and have cascaded since, creating uncertainties for students — with graduation right around the corner.

Persons: that’s Organizations: Federal Student Aid

Police officers swept onto the ordinarily serene campus of Emory University in Atlanta after demonstrators erected tents on Thursday morning, leading to the latest clash in a pro-Palestinian protest movement that has cascaded across American campuses this week. As the demonstrators at Emory screamed, officers wrestled with protesters on the ground and escorted others away. From a few dozen yards away, onlookers stared and recorded the scene with their cellphones. The authorities did not immediately say how many people had been arrested in Atlanta, but across the country, more than 400 protesters have been taken into police custody since April 18, when the arrests of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University in New York set off a wave of student activism nationwide. University administrators and law enforcement officials have responded by arresting students, removing encampments and threatening academic consequences as some Jewish students have expressed concern for their safety, and some politicians have demanded a crackdown on the growing demonstrations.

Organizations: Emory University, Emory, Columbia University, University Locations: Atlanta, New York

☆ Country Garden misses results and likely faces trade suspension in fresh blow for China’s property sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —Troubled housing giant Country Garden announced late Thursday that it would delay the publication of its annual results, in the latest sign of the turmoil still coursing through China’s huge property sector. The move is likely to cause its share trading to be suspended from Tuesday, as is required by Hong Kong’s listing rules. Country Garden, once the China’s largest property developer, is reeling under about $194 billion worth of debt. Last month, it received a liquidation petition in Hong Kong from a creditor for non-payment of a loan worth 1.6 billion Hong Kong dollars ($204 million), according to the company. Country Garden’s woes echo that of another huge, and now insolvent, Chinese property giant Evergrande.

Persons: Hong Kong’s, Evergrande Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Garden, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, China’s

☆ Inside Smashmallow, Silicon Valley's Failed Marshmallow Startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

"We wanted a marshmallow to have a little bite to it, not just be a foamy air," he says. Jon Sebastiani, Smashmallow founderSmashmallow had a killer brand — but the product was still basically being made one batch at a time, on kitchen counters. If Smashmallow couldn't produce enough marshmallows, Tanis wouldn't get its dough. The thing is, even though Smashmallow failed, Sebastiani didn't. "In that industry, a snackable marshmallow is a Smashmallow, like a copy machine is a Xerox," says Kwasniewski.

Persons: Jon Sebastiani, Sebastiani, Krave, jonesing, marshmallows, Liam Eisenberg, aerated, Cook, Jens Hoj, Hoj, Smashmallow, he'd, It's, Theranos, wasn't, Elizabeth Holmes, Tanis, Wolfgang Confectioners, Smashmallow Smashmallow, Wolfgang, Tanis wouldn't, Smashmallow couldn't, Richard Hartel, Sebastiani didn't, David Kwasniewski, Kwasniewski, Smashmallows, it's, Adam Rogers Organizations: Hershey, Michelin, BI, Kraft, Target, Walmart, Doumak, Workers, University of Wisconsin, Area, Xerox, marshmallows, Business Locations: Paris, California, Sonoma, Hershey, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Hobart, Chicago, Las Vegas, Netherlands, Tanis, Pennsylvania, America, Sonoma Capital, Smashmallow, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Colorado, North America

PARIS (AP) — An air of surrealism enveloped Chanel’s Spring Couture show Tuesday as celebrity guests including Naomi Campbell and Kendrick Lamar faced a navigational challenge: walking past a towering pair of open metal scissors. Here are some highlights of Tuesday’s spring couture shows:BUTTONS AND BALLETThe button is a humble icon, but it was not always so. Viard used the button-jewels as a spice for the drama of the ballet stage, scattering them across contrasting and often segmented silhouettes. The house was keenly aware of its history: 2024 marks a century since Coco Chanel first ventured into ballet design. In a world that often seeks the innovative, Mabille reminds us of the enduring allure of classic couture.

Persons: Naomi Campbell, Kendrick Lamar, Baz Luhrmann, Gabrielle “ Coco ” Chanel, “, Virginie Viard, Viard, Coco Chanel, Léon Bakst, Sergei Diaghilev, Chanel, ” Viard, Karl Lagerfeld, didn’t, Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell, Dave Free, Barbra Streisand’s, ”, Rue, Anna Mouglalis, Alexis Mabille Organizations: PARIS, Palais, Russes, Rue Cambon Locations: Paris

☆ When it comes to explaining market sell-offs, look for the simplest explanation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-21 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The simplest explanation for Wednesday's sell-off was that the market was dramatically overvalued and due for a pullback. Look at the Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF (BDRY). BDRY is essentially a play on global shipping, which is itself a play on the state of the global economy. There's an ETF for global shipping companies If you'd rather play global shipping companies directly, there's an ETF for that as well. The SonicShares Global Shipping ETF (BOAT) is a modified market cap weighted ETF that contains all the big global shipping companies: Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Mitsui, Euronav, Matson, AP Moller, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, COSCO Shipping, etc.

Persons: William of Ockham, overvalued, —, stupidly, overbought, Santa Claus, Matson, AP Moller, DBRY Organizations: Traders, Santa, Bulk Shipping, Global Shipping ETF, Kawasaki, Mitsui, Euronav, AP, Maersk, COSCO Locations: America, U.S, Hapag, COSCO Shipping, India

Leslye Davis and“DealBook Summit” includes conversations with business and policy leaders at the heart of today’s major stories, recorded live at the annual DealBook Summit event in New York City. As the annual DealBook Summit approaches, the DealBook founder and Business reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin looks back at the highlights from last year’s summit, including his interview with the former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried. The collapse of FTX cascaded in November 2022, culminating in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Bankman-Fried’s lawyers had advised him not to speak to the press, but he called in to the DealBook Summit from the Bahamas anyway, and delivered his first interview since news of the scandal broke almost a month earlier.

Persons: Leslye Davis, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sam Bankman, cascaded Locations: New York City, Bahamas

☆ Opinion: The big question about the Israel-Hamas truce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. And then it was back to war — a conflict in which some 8.5 million soldiers from all sides would ultimately die. The timing of the Israel-Hamas truce that took effect Friday had nothing to do with a holiday. But there is also the possibility that this truce won’t last much longer than the one in 1914. “The deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup,” wrote Frida Ghitis.

Persons: Israel joyously, “, ”, Frida Ghitis, —, Aaron David Miller, Israel —, Joe, Biden, Christopher McCallion, ” Sheryl Sandberg, ” “, Amy Klein, I’d, Sam Altman, Clay Jones, OpenAI, Jill Filipovic, ” Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Charles Tasnadi, Kate Andersen Brower, “ Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn, Brower, it’s, Bill Perkins, Sara Stewart, Maria Bamford, ’, “ Bamford, It’s heartening, ” Nick Anderson, Donald Trump, Trump, Julian Zelizer, “ Trump, …, It’s, Dean Obeidallah, Dana Summers, Martin Zwick, Catharine Fulton, Don’t, Scott Stantis, Agency Nima Elbagir, Joseph, Danielle Campoamor, Uvalde, ‘, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon, Ridley Scott, “ Napoleon, Noah Berlatsky, Scott deplores, he’s, ’ ”, ” Berlatsky Organizations: CNN, Front, Museum, “, Democratic, Republican, Democratic Party …, Department of State, Defense, Israel, Mental Health, White, Peanut Brigade, Federal, Twitter, Tribune Content Agency, Heritage Foundation, Agency, Apple, Hollywood Locations: Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza, Iran, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, East Asia, China, Taiwan, today’s America, Georgia, Washington, Reykjanes, Europe, Northern Europe, Iceland, Grindavik, Canadian, Reykjavik, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Sudan

☆ Opinion: Iceland’s magnificent nature comes with a monster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Opinion Catharine Fulton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hikers are silhouetted against rivers of lava flowing from a volcanic eruption between Iceland's Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers in March, 2010. Residents have been evacuated amid an imminent volcanic eruption. • Join us on Twitter and FacebookThe monster had burrowed a 15-kilometre lava tunnel that stretched beneath the town. Not since the Westman Islands awoke to an eruption in their backyard in 1973 has an entire town been evacuated. Now everyone waits and watches and wonders if residents of Grindavík will ever go back home.

Persons: Catharine Fulton, Read, Reykjavík, Reykjavík CNN —, NordicPhotos, there’s, Micah Garen Organizations: Reykjavík CNN, Geographic, Red, Icelandic Meteorological, CNN, Twitter Locations: Canadian, Reykjavik, Reykjavík, Iceland, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Toronto, Grindavík, Grindavik

☆ ‘Erase Gaza’: War Unleashes Incendiary Rhetoric in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Shock, grief and pain have cascaded across Israel since Hamas gunmen poured out of Gaza to kill an estimated 1,200 Israeli civilians and soldiers on Oct. 7. Mr. Netanyahu suspended Mr. Eliyahu, saying that his comments were “disconnected from reality.”Mr. Netanyahu says that the Israeli military is trying to prevent harm to civilians. Such reassurances are also belied by the language Mr. Netanyahu uses with audiences in Israel. “Gaza nakba 2023.”The rise in incendiary statements comes against a backdrop of rising violence in the West Bank. It will also make Israelis more inured to the civilian death toll in Gaza, which has isolated Israel around the world, he added.

Persons: ”, Yoav Gallant, We’re, Naftali Bennett, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, FakeReporter, Ghazi Hamad, Israel, Itamar Ben, Netanyahu’s, Amichay Eliyahu, Netanyahu, Eliyahu, Mr, Amalek, Michael Sfard, Sfard, ” Yehuda Shaul, Eyal Golan, Sara Netanyahu, Yinon, Don’t, ” Mr, Golan, Ms, Magal, —, Avi Dichter, Eran Halperin, Halperin, erodes, ’ ” Adam Sella Organizations: Twitter, Mr, Human Rights, West Bank, United Nations, Hebrew University, “, ” Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Palestine, Jerusalem, Israeli

☆ Forget Aerodynamics: Running the Marathon in Style
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Callie Holtermann | Hilary Swift | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As 7 a.m. approached on Sunday, a crowd of runners stumbled blearily off the Staten Island Ferry in fleece blankets and body glitter. The blankets were for warmth, and the body glitter for morale to help them through the 26.2 miles that lay ahead. With energy gels and bodega coffees in hand, the crowd made its way to Fort Wadsworth, where thousands of runners congregate each year before running the New York City Marathon. Speed demons wearing Nike Vaporflys and short-shorts mingled with casual runners wearing “Monsters, Inc.” onesies. “I believe that joy and performance are not mutually exclusive,” she said.

Persons: ”, Alexi Pappas, “ Organizations: New York City Marathon, Nike, Inc Locations: Fort Wadsworth

It was hard to miss Mark Aaron Polger, Alexi Pappas and Masashi Kondo at the New York City Marathon on Sunday. With energy gels and bodega coffees in hand, the crowd made its way to Fort Wadsworth, where thousands of runners congregate each year before running the New York City Marathon. Speed demons wearing Nike Vaporflys and short-shorts mingled with casual runners wearing “Monsters, Inc.” onesies. That’s the record I’m going for. Running is therapeutic, even though I’m going to be running really, really slowly.

Persons: Mark Aaron Polger, Alexi Pappas, Masashi Kondo, ”, “, Adam Tjolle, Simon Waterhouse, Malina Roberts, we’ll, they’re, they’ve, Stephen Zachensky, Marlinda Francisco, Mika Shaw, Maansi Srivastava, It’s, I’ve Organizations: New York City Marathon, Nike, Inc, New York Times, York Locations: Fort Wadsworth, Edinburgh, Scotland, Newmarket, England, Brooklyn, York City, Tokyo, Berlin, New York, Westchester, N.Y, How’d, New York Times Tucson, Ariz, Ogden , Utah, Japan, Los Angeles, Manhattan

DETROIT (AP) — Jeep maker Stellantis has reached a tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union that follows a template set earlier this week by Ford, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Saturday. Political Cartoons View All 1223 ImagesLike the Ford contract, the Stellantis deal would run through April 30, 2028. Jermaine Antwine and other Stellantis workers picketing outside the automaker’s Sterling Heights, Michigan, were excited Saturday after hearing news of a tentative deal. The union and Stellantis went into intense negotiations on Thursday, the day after the Ford deal was announced, and finalized the agreement on Saturday. Under the Ford deal, workers with pensions also will see small increases when they retire, and those hired after 2007 with 401(k) plans will get large increases.

Persons: Stellantis, Bruce Baumhower, “, Fain, Baumhower, Shawn Fain’s, ”, Jermaine Antwine, Antwine, Ford, Haleluya Hadero, Corey Williams Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Ford, Workers, Jeep, UAW, General Motors, GM, Saturday, Kentucky, Plant, Detroit, Hollywood, Teamsters, AP Locations: Michigan, Ohio, Stellantis, Belvidere , Illinois, Toledo , Ohio, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Pontiac , Michigan, Sterling, Texas , Michigan, Missouri, Louisville, Jersey City , New Jersey

But if the UAW can reach a tentative agreement with Ford, it would be used as a model to seek similar contract settlements with GM and Stellantis. Typically, during past auto strikes, a UAW deal with one automaker has led the other companies to match it with their own settlements. About 32% of the union’s 146,000 members at the automakers are now on strike and getting by on $500 per week in strike pay. The UAW also wants traditional defined-benefit pension plans restored for workers who were hired after 2007, an end to varying tiers of wages for UAW workers, pension increases for retirees and other benefits. One key issue is whether to extend the national UAW contract to 11 U.S. electric vehicle battery factories.

Persons: Ford, Shawn Fain, ’, Todd Dunn, “ I've, ” Dunn, “, Dunn, he's, ” Masters, Mary Barra, Wayne State's Masters, It's Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Ford, Detroit, General Motors, UAW, GM, Kentucky, Plant, Ford's, Bloomberg News, Automotive, Marick, Wayne State University, Workers, Toyota, Moody's Investor Service Locations: Arlington , Texas, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Louisville, Detroit, Korean, Texas

☆ Opinion: In Gaza, Palestinians have nowhere to run
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Omar Ghraieb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Wednesday, October 11. Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10. Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9. Ronen Zvulun/Reuters Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9. Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

Persons: Omar Ghraieb, Gaza CNN — Omar Ghraieb, Khan, Abed Rahim Khatib, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Francisco Seco, Baz Ratner, Agha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Jack Guez, Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, Mohammed Salem, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Mohammed Abed, Eden Guez, Violeta Santos Moura, Atef Safadi, Fatima Shbair, Tamir Kalifa, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Yuri Cortez, Belal Khaled, Samar Abu, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Ali Jadallah, Oren Ziv, Mohammed Saber, Ronen Zvulun, Majdi, Ilia Yefimovich, Ramez Mahmoud, Mahmud Hams, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ahmad Gharabli, Mustafa Hassona, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, I’ve Organizations: CNN, Gaza CNN, Getty, Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, New York Times, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, AP, Mount, Anadolu Agency, Shifa, West Bank, Rockets, Israel's, United Nations, Palestinian, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets Locations: Gaza, Khan Younis, Gaza City, AFP, Tel Aviv, Israel, Be'eri, Modiin Maccabim, Kfar Aza, Ashkelon, Mount Herzel, Jerusalem, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Yassin, Palestinian, Beitar Ilit, Mount Herzl, Sderot, Ramat Gan, Israeli, Kiryat Shmona, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion

☆ The moving tribute hidden in Selena Gomez’s floral gown
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Selena Gomez was in full bloom at her inaugural Rare Impact Fund Benefit on Wednesday, wearing a hand-embroidered purple dress from designer Rahul Mishra. “It is an issue that has become very close to my heart,” Gomez said in a CNN article for World Mental Health Day in 2020. Kristy Sparow/Getty ImagesAnother floral look from Mishra's collection also featured large-scale, sculptural petals and intricate, metallic embroidery. Kristy Sparow/Getty ImagesModels walk during the finale of Mishra's show. Kristy Sparow/Getty ImagesMishra’s Instagram post included photographs of the dress in various stages from concept to completion, as well as a video displaying close-ups of the intricate embellishments.

Persons: CNN — Selena Gomez, Rahul Mishra, Gomez, Valentino, Kevin Winter, ” Gomez, “, Iris ”, Munir Ahmed, Rahul Mishra's, Kristy Sparow, Mishra, Ahmed, ” Mishra, Mishra’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Fund, Mental, Couture, Haute Couture, Vogue Locations: Los Angeles, Paris, Couture, France

☆ Flash floods foreshadow a threatening reality in New York City
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Denise Chow | Evan Bush | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Cars drive along a flooded street on Church Avenue amid a coastal storm on September 29, 2023 in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn borough New York City. And more than a decade after Hurricane Sandy forced officials to rethink the meaning of climate resilience in New York City, it appears there's still much to be done. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, calling the storm a "life-threatening rainfall event." The storm caused about $19 billion in damage to New York City. In densely populated cities like New York, flooding risks are heightened because of the built environment and lack of green spaces.

Persons: Michael M, Hurricane Ida, Hurricane Sandy, Joseph Kane, Steve Bowen, Gallagher, Bowen, Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Spencer Platt, Zachary Iscol, Sandy, Superstorm Sandy, Louise Yeung, Yeung, Hurricane Sandy —, Ida, Mona Hemmati, Hemmati, Andrew Kelly Organizations: Brooklyn borough New, Santiago, Getty, Hurricane, Brookings Institute, NBC News, Gallagher Re, . New York Gov, York City, Prospect, Columbia Climate School, New York City Department of Environmental Locations: Flatbush, Brooklyn borough, Brooklyn borough New York City, New York City, Brooklyn, New York, New York , New Jersey, Connecticut, Long, Hudson, York, Brooklyn Borough, Zachary Iscol , New York, Hurricane, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Manhattan, Williamsburg, U.S

CNN —At least 21 people are dead and six others missing after a flash flood and landslide following torrential rains in the outskirts of northwestern China’s Xi’an city, local authorities said Sunday. Parts of China have seen record high temperatures and deadly flooding in recent weeks, with experts linking extreme weather around the world to climate change. Flooding killed at least 29 people in Hebei province and 33 in the capital Beijing, according to local authorities. Another 14 people were reported dead in the city of Shulan in Jilin province, as the rains moved northward, inundating farmlands in the country’s grain-producing area. Seven people were taking shelter from heavy rains at the house when it collapsed, according to China National Radio.

Persons: ” Organizations: CNN, Emergency Management, Xinhua, Restaurants, Authorities, China National Radio Locations: China’s Xi’an, Xi’an, China, Weiziping, Hebei province, Beijing, Shulan, Jilin province, Hebei, Hunan province, Leyu, Hengnan county

☆ Airlines Are Thriving as People Keep Traveling
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the recent recovery has been marred by problems, including delays and cancellations around the country. Airlines and the air traffic control system have struggled to overcome bad weather, technology problems, staffing shortfalls and other disruptions over the past two years, contributing to major meltdowns like the one that Southwest Airlines suffered over several days in late December. Delays and cancellations have often cascaded on themselves, disrupting air travel for days, leaving many people stranded far from their destinations. Weather has been responsible for nearly 70 percent of flight delays this year, compared with just under 61 percent during the same period last year, according to federal data. But many more were delayed: about 25 percent over the past two months, up from about 19 percent in the same period in 2019.

Organizations: . Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Newark Liberty International Airport

☆ Can Couture Be More Socially Responsible?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Dana Thomas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a cold evening in March, a cement-floored warehouse in the gritty Paris suburb of Fontenay-sous-Bois played host to a different kind of couture fashion show. A third was dressed in a white silk strapless gown, gathered on the hip, that was embroidered with blue and pink posies. Unlike traditional couture, as presented on runways in Paris this week, these clothes weren’t sewn by seasoned artisans or made from precious new materials. The bronze jacket was fashioned from a secondhand pair of Etro men’s pants and embroidered with thin chains from a company that had gone bankrupt. The tangerine dress was made from neckties of decommissioned uniforms of the Aéroports de Paris.

Persons: Bois Locations: Paris, Fontenay

☆ Heavy 'dragon boat water' rains hit southwest China, some cities flooded
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) - Non-stop heavy rains lashed parts of southwest China on Friday, triggering floods in cities, engulfing roads and partially submerging buildings. A particularly harsh first bout of summer rains known locally as "dragon boat water" saw the city of Beihai in Guangxi log 453 millimetres on Thursday. Rain is forecast to continue in southern China over the coming days while the northeast is also expected to be hit by sudden thunderstorms, the weather bureau reported. China, prone to floods, is increasingly warning of more extreme weather due to climate change. The central province of Henan, the granary of China, was recently struck by heavy rainfall that caused crops to sprout or be hit by blight, triggering concerns about food security.

Persons: Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beihai, Guangxi, Yulin, Henan

☆ Opinion: The Ukraine dam disaster demands accountability
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Meanwhile, Kyiv and Moscow engaged in an intense round of finger pointing over responsibility for the unfolding environmental disaster. The dam’s collapse is not just devastating for those who reside in the immediate environs — it is a nationwide disaster for Ukraine that could reverberate across the globe. Stalin’s goal in the midst of World War II was to prevent Nazi armies from sweeping across Ukraine, which at the time was part of the Soviet Union. The dam collapsed as Ukraine stepped up operations in anticipation of a much-awaited counter-offensive. The broken walls of the Nova Kakhovka dam, and its destructive rushing waters, should strengthen the resolve of Ukraine’s backers.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Joseph Stalin, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky’s, Andriy Yermak, Ursula Von der Leyen, “, Antonio Guterres Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Soviet Union, EU, ”, UN, UN Security Council, United Nations General Assembly, Human Rights, Twitter, NATO, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine’s, Dnipro, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Soviet, Russia, “ Russia, Geneva, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Lithuania, Baltic, Nova

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

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