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☆ Italian senate passes controversial measure to ship boat migrants to Albanian camps
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Rome CNN —A controversial plan agreed upon between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart in November to send boat migrants to Italian-run centers on Albanian soil has passed the Italian Senate. The plan passed on a vote of 93 to 61. It is unlawful under EU law to immediately deport a migrant or refugee until their application for asylum is processed. The centers will be built with Italian funds and staffed with Italian civil servants to process up to 3,000 asylum applicants a month. In 2023, more than 157,000 people reached Italy by boat, according to Italian interior ministry data.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Giorgia Meloni, Atdhe Mulla, NGO’s, Meloni’s, Matteo De Bellis, “, ” Organizations: Rome CNN, Italian, Italian Senate, European Union, Bloomberg, Getty, Coast Guard, Navy, Amnesty Locations: Italian, Guantanamo, Albania, Afghan, Shengjin, Italy, United Kingdom, Rwanda

☆ Former Albanian Navy Port to Take in Migrants Sent on From Italy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Floirian GogaSHENGJIN, Albania (Reuters) - An Albanian port that was once home to the country's navy is set to receive African, Asian and Middle East migrants sent on from Italy as part of a deal that has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Migrants who arrive in Italy would be taken by boat to the ex-navy port of Shengjin, now a popular tourist destination on Albania's scenic northern Adriatic seacoast. I feel a spiritual obligation because my children were raised in Italy," said Mhill Marku, an Albanian ex-military officer whose four children live in Italy. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights chief said last week the plan raised concerns about arbitrary detention and living conditions for migrants. The Rwanda scheme was declared unlawful in November by non-EU Britain's Supreme Court and the government has introduced legislation it hopes, when passed, will override human rights concerns.

Persons: Goga, Mhill Marku, Marku, Florian Goga, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Organizations: European Union, Migrants, Reuters, European, EU Locations: Goga SHENGJIN, Albania, Albanian, Italy, Balkan, European, EU, Shengjin, Gjader, Brussels, Albania's, British, Rwanda, East Africa, France

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin dismisses threat from anti-war election hopeful; Zelenskyy visits front-line war hot spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought fresh political momentum to the European Union and its plans for enlargement in the Western Balkans. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month. Within days of Russia's invasion, Ukraine, neighboring Moldova and, soon after, nearby Georgia applied for EU candidate status — which they were granted in quick succession. "Now, it's very clear that the European Union is serious."

Persons: Russia's, —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák, — Karen Gilchrist Organizations: EU, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC, European Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Western Balkans, European, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, Moldova, Georgia, European Union

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine has had an unlikely consequence — it has revived the EU's plans to get even bigger
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People hold a banner and Ukrainian flags during a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Davos, SWITZERLAND — As spiking geopolitical tensions thrust the European Union into the spotlight, attention has turned to the strategically important Western Balkans. The Western Balkans, comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia, represent a notable gap in the map of EU membership in southeastern Europe. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month.

Persons: —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák Organizations: EU, Union, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, European, Western Balkans

Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country isn't part of the EU. But parts of Kosovo's north, populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, continue to use the dinar. The Central Bank reported on Wednesday that Serbian bank Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd closed its branches in Kosovo. Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. Kosovo eventually declared independence in 2008, but the government in Belgrade doesn't recognize its neighbor as a separate country.

Persons: Kosovo's, Aleksandar Vučić, Alexander, Botsan, ” Vucic, ”, Besnik Bislimi, Albin Kurti, Miroslav Lajčák, Josep Borrell, ___ Llazar Semini Organizations: Union, Serbian, Kosovo’s Central Bank, Western, The Central Bank, NATO, Belgrade doesn't, European Union, Kosovo, Kosovo police, EU Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Serbs, Serbia, Russia, Russian, Belgrade, Pristina, Metohija, Kosovo Serbs, ” Kosovo, Komercijalna Banka, Beograd, Brussels, EU, United States, Vučić, Balkans, Kosovo’s, Tirana, Albania

☆ Albania’s Highest Court Rules in Favour of Migrant Deal With Italy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's constitutional court ruled on Monday in favour of a deal with Italy that will allow the Italian government to set up reception centres to host migrants trying to come ashore. The Albanian parliament has still to ratify the deal before it enters into force. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed with her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama in November to set up centres that would initially host some 3,000 people as Italy tries to bring down numbers of migrants that nearly doubled last year. (Reporting by Florion Goga, writing by Fatos Bytyci, editing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Florion Goga, Fatos Bytyci, Christina Fincher Organizations: Albanian Locations: TIRANA, Italy, Italian

☆ Contested Migrant Deal Between Albania and Italy Moves Forward
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An Albanian court on Monday gave the green light to an agreement allowing Italy to send migrants who are rescued in the Mediterranean by Italian ships to detention centers in Albania while their asylum claims are considered. The deal is part of the Italian government’s multipronged efforts to stem migration, in particular Mediterranean Sea crossings, sending the message that many undocumented migrants will not be allowed directly into Italy, even temporarily. The agreement was signed in November by the leaders of the two countries, but challenged by opposition lawmakers in Albania, who argued that it violated the country’s Constitution. On Monday, the Albanian Constitutional Court ruled otherwise, clearing the way for the deal to be taken up by Parliament, where Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party holds 75 of the 140 seats.

Organizations: Monday, Albanian Constitutional, Edi, Socialist Party Locations: Italy, Albania, Albanian

In the 1960s, immigration laws were reformed again, ushering in waves of immigration from Asia because the U.S. needed people to work at unfilled jobs. So, how do other countries, including Canada and Germany, respond to migrants crossing their borders without a visa or proper documentation? Germany, for example, has been wrestling with increases in undocumented immigration. Italy, which is also battling a huge influx of undocumented migrants from North Africa, recently doubled the amount of time that it can detain undocumented migrants, rising from three months to at least six months. They also direct the European Union to give money to countries that allow more asylum seekers to stay in those countries.

Persons: Tara Sonenshine, Olaf Scholz, Sebastien St, Jean, Eric Adams, Adams, Edward R, Murrow Organizations: Underwood, Underwood Archives Immigrants, Union, European Union, Getty, New, Diplomacy, Tufts University Locations: United States, Mexico, U.S, Ellis, Europe, Asia, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, Italy, North Africa, Albania, Greece, Syria, Pakistan, Quebec, New York, Chicago

BARI, Italy (AP) — The year has gotten off to a slow start for a rescue ship that typically plies the Mediterranean Sea looking for migrants and refugees in distress. Italian maritime authorities now routinely assign privately operated rescue ships to ports in central and northern Italy, hundreds of miles and several days of navigation away from where they find boats in trouble. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesTo date, 13 or 14 charity-run rescue ships have been impounded for various violations. But she said the presence of charity-run ships in the Mediterranean must be limited and strictly regulated. Charity ships rescue only around 8% of the asylum-seekers who reach Italy, down from a peak of 41% in 2017.

Persons: Premier Giorgia Meloni, Alessandro Porro, ” Mary Finn, ” Sara Kelany, ”, Meloni, Enrico Mattei, haven't, Edi Rama Organizations: SOS Mediterranee, Premier, Authorities, SOS, Meloni’s Brothers, International Organization for Migration, ENI, Constitutional, Edi Locations: BARI, Italy, Europe, North Africa, Bari, Italian, Lampedusa, Africa, Tunisia, Albania, Balkan

☆ In the Dream Orchestra, many musicians never played an instrument before joining
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

I think they thought I was crazy.”Many of the Dream Orchestra’s members had never played an instrument before they joined. Ron Davis Álvarez, Dream Orchestra founder and artistic directorThe small ensemble rehearsed on Fridays and Saturdays. He'd never played an instrument before joining the Dream Orchestra. Mushtaq Khorsand asked to join the Dream Orchestra after seeing how joyful his friends were during a performance. So if I wasn’t part of Dream Orchestra and (hadn’t) met Ron, I don’t where I would be,” he says.

Persons: Ron Davis Álvarez, He’d, ” Álvarez, hadn’t, they’d, Álvarez, Venezuela’s, he’d, It’s, Gustavo Bandres, “, Mostafa, ” Kazemi, Kazemi, —, –, Mostafa Kazemi, He'd, ”, Ron, Mushtaq Khorsand, ” Khorsand, Khorsand, He's, Rey, He’s, he’s, Carlos Medrano y Ritmos Ciganos Carlos Garcia, isn’t, it’s, Johan Nilsson, Tymofii Slakva, Tim, Slakva, ” Slakva, Azra Avci, Andrea Spehar, Anna Svanberg, they’ve, ‘, hasn’t, Scheherazade, Richard Meyer Organizations: CNN, Volunteers, El, El Sistema, Sistema, Orchestra, Dream Orchestra, Dream, Gothenburg Symphony, Training, YouTube, University of Gothenburg, ” Locations: Stockholm, Venezuelan, Sweden, Syria, Afghanistan, El Sistema Sweden, Gothenburg, It’s, El, Caracas, Eritrea, Albania, Malmo, Swedish, Ukraine, France, Álvarez, United Kingdom, Lebanon

☆ The world’s most powerful passports for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —In a big shakeup of a quarterly ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, an unprecedented six countries are tied in the top spot for the hottest travel documents for 2024. The United States and Canada, meanwhile, are tied in seventh place, along with Hungary, with visa-free access to 188 destinations. “The average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” says Kaelin. Portugal is at No.4 on the Henley Passport Index and Arton Capital's Passport Index. Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2024 puts the United Arab Emirates in the top spot, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180.

Persons: Christian, Kaelin, ”, Tamas Gabor, iStockphoto, It’s, Arton Capital’s, Armand Arton, that’s, Arton Organizations: CNN, Henley & Partners, International Air Transport Association, South Korea, United, United Arab Emirates, Henley, United Nations Locations: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, London, Europe, Finland, Sweden, –, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, Greece, Malta, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Czechia, Poland, United States, Canada, Hungary, United Arab, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian, Territories, Monaco, Albania, South Korea, Czech Republic , New Zealand, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Iceland

☆ I regretted buying a home and now live out of 2 suitcases in a $60-a-night Airbnb. I've finally found my freedom, but it's not for everyone.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I had to resort to an iBuyer to sell the house quickly and get out, which meant I lost $100,000. There's an account called Living Big in a Tiny House that I always found fascinating. I always just thought, "That's a nice idea, but I'm not really into the RV lifestyle." I'm staying here for 30 days, and then I have another Airbnb lined up on the west side of Los Angeles. If you're someone who's able to work remotely and who loves freedom, I think this is really the way to go.

Persons: Stella Guan, Guan, —, I've, I'd, I'm, it'll, hasn't, It's Organizations: Service Locations: Los Angeles, LA, Washington, New York City, Europe, Asia, Balkans, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro

☆ Best travel destinations to visit in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Cnn Travel Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +32 min

cdwheatley/iStockphoto/Getty Images Angola: Beyond the capital city of Luanda, pictured, Angola has some jaw-droppingly spectacular scenery and cultural treats. David ChiaFF/Alamy Stock Photo Mérida, Mexico: Yucatán state's capital city showcases a blend of Mayan and colonial heritage. Pavel Tochinsky/The Image Bank RF/Getty Images Morocco: This North African country is home to nine UNESCO sites, including the historic city of Meknes, pictured. Panama City is also the only world capital with a tropical rainforest within its city limits. And a historic city forever entwined with the famed Camino de Santiago.

Persons: you’d, Tengguo Wu, Gabriele Thielmann, Turkey's, Gary Ennis, Matevz, Bill Bachman, Christian Kober, Gonzalo Azumendi, David ChiaFF, Pavel Tochinsky, Terry Kelly, Raul Rodriguez, iStock, Anton Petrus, –, — Karla Cripps Turkey’s, — Barry Neild, Mana Kaasik, — Maureen O’Hare, — Maggie Hiufu Wong, Deb Snelson, Glen Arbor, Marnie Hunter, — Forrest Brown, — Forrest Brown Angola Cristo, Eric Lafforgue, it’s, King, Eric Carr, John’s, Saint John, New Brunswick —, —, Tuul, Bruno Morandi, — Julia Buckley, Groenewald, Alamy, — Lilit Marcus, Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, — JB, Bogdan Lazar, — Tamara Hardingham, Gill, Hercules, Francesca, Lazarus, ”, David Casanova, Megan Sequeira Casanova, “, Kuka y Naranjo, medina, Gordon Sinclair, Yvette Cardozo, — FB, Pierce Ingram, Stefan Tomic, Fujairah, who’ve, Samarkand —, It’s Organizations: CNN, United, CNN Travel, Getty Images, Town, Getty, Northwest, Saint, New Brunswick Tourism, UNESCO, Heritage, Alamy, Parque Nacional Volcán Barú, Galicia, Tercera Orden, Parque, Bank, Wakulla Springs, Texas, United Arab Emirates, AP, Rock, of Culture, Estonian National Museum, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest Michigan, Bear, Farm, Riders, Lubango, — BN Saint John, Canada Tourists, St, Saint John City Market, Historic, Saint John Arts Centre, Carnegie, Carnegie Library, — KC, Korea, Folk, Netflix, South Korea, Adriatic, Nacional Glaciares, Australian Sea Lions, Panama, Spain Santiago de, Spain Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Islas, Camino, Mexico People, YouTube, US State Department, Morocco, Regis Hotels, Resorts, — FB Texas, Travel Texas, Krause, Gruene, Fujairah, Icefjord, FS, Tuul, ” Locations: United States, Sumba, Indonesia Sumba, Indonesia, Bali, Getty Images Tartu, Estonia, Tartu —, European, Tainan, Taiwan, Northwest Michigan, Traverse City, Lake Michigan, iStockphoto, Western Balkans, Culebra , Puerto Rico, Flamenco, Culebra, cdwheatley, Angola, Luanda, , New Brunswick, Fundy, New Brunswick, New Brunswick Tourism South Korea, Korea Albania, Albania, Chile, mauritius, Western Australia, Greece, Macedonia, American, Panama, Spain, Camino, Santiago, St, John's, Mexico, Parque Hidalgo, Morocco, Meknes, Florida, Spicewood, Anton, Greenland, Denmark, AP Uzbekistan, Bukhara, Indonesian, Sumela, Turkey's, — Barry Neild Tartu, Estonia Tartu, of Culture Tartu, Tartu, “, Baltics, — Maureen O’Hare Tainan, Taiwan Tainan, Taipei, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest, Lake, Traverse, Leland, Glen, perusing, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, transdinarica.com, —, Puerto Rico, It’s, — Forrest Brown Angola, Lubango, Barra, Cabo Ledo, — BN Saint John , New Brunswick, Canada, Hopewell, Newfoundland, Saint, Canada’s, Korea Andong, South Korea, Sanga, Korea, Seoul, Busan, Andong, Albania Albania, Berat, Montenegro, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, — Julia Buckley Chile, Atacama, Patagonia, Coral Coast, Geraldton, — Lilit Marcus Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece's, Hemis, Athens, Vergina, Veria, Naousa, Greece’s, Thrace, Philippi, Kavala, Panama . Panama City, Gill Galicia, Spain Santiago, Spain Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Galicia’s, Santiago de Compostela, Cabo, Fisterra, Galicia —, Singapore, John’s, Paseo, Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán, getaways, there’s, Marrakech, Rabat, Fes, Resorts Morocco, Wakulla, Ginnie, Fredericksburg, Texas, Marble Falls, Meanderers, New Braunfels, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Wadi, Nuuk, Ilulissat, West, FS Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, China, India, Khiva, Uzbek, Sentob, Tashkent

☆ 10 industry leaders transforming business in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

In 2023, Business Insider's annual list of People Transforming Business highlights key players across the advertising, ESG, finance, AI, and labor sectors. Increasingly, they're turning to more opaque private credit markets to borrow money. The world of private credit sits outside the traditional banking system. Analysts expect the private credit market to balloon in size — likely keeping lawyers like Breen very busy. Muthukrishnan is trying to make sense of how risky these private credit loans are by overseeing what is so far the most comprehensive look at vulnerabilities in the industry.

Persons: Mira Murati, who's, Vince Toye, Eileen Fisher, Eileen Fisher Fisher, Guerin Blask, Eileen Fisher Eileen Fisher, she's, Fisher, Janelle Jones, Jones, Lexey, —, She's, Justin Breen, Proskauer Breen, Proskauer Justin Breen, he's, Breen, Ares Capital, He's, McLaren, Julie Su, Labor Julie Su, Department of Labor Julie Su, Su, Marty Walsh, Murati, Jim Wilson, Neal Mohan, YouTube Mohan, Katie Thompson, YouTube It's, YouTube isn't, Mohan, Muthukrishnan, Satya Nadella, Microsoft Satya Nadella, Ben Kriemann, Nadella, Steve Ballmer, Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer, Tim Cook, Apple Cook, Justin Sullivan, Cook, Steve Jobs, Jobs, JPMorgan Chase Toye, JPMorgan Chase, Toye, they'll, Vince Toye's, Bella Sayegh, Rebecca Ungarino, Lara O'Reilly, Juliana Kaplan, Alex Nicoll, Tim Paradis, Stephanie Hallett, Michelle Abrego, Josée Rose, Ryan Joe, Emily Canal, Kaja Whitehouse, Alyssa Powell, Davis, Jonann Brady Organizations: JPMorgan, Service Employees International, SEIU, New York, Ford, Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers Union, Spelman College, US Department of Labor, Economic Policy Institute, Center for Economic, Research, Department of Labor, The New York Times, Ares, Churchill Asset Management, European, Atlético Madrid, Labor, Labor Department, MacArthur Foundation, New York Times, Dartmouth, OpenAI, Associated Press, YouTube, NFL, DirecTV, Federal, Microsoft, Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin -, University of Chicago, Apple, Apple Watch, Google, Time, JPMorgan Chase, National Housing Trust, Trenton Almgren Locations: McDonald's, Lorain , Ohio, Atlanta, California, Los Angeles, Albania, Canada, Muthukrishnan, Hyderabad, India, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, OpenAI, Virginia, Wells Fargo, Trenton

Released Tuesday, it finds the average international math score fell by the equivalent of three-quarters of a year of learning. Reading scores fell by the equivalent of half a year. Reading scores fell by 10 points. A national study in the U.S. last year found math scores fell by more than ever, with reading scores dropping to 1992 levels. It was joined in the upper echelons by other East Asian countries including Japan and China.

Persons: ”, Peggy Carr, “, didn’t, Jordan, Miguel Cardona, Joe Biden’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Program, Organisation for Economic Co, OECD, Reading, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S . Education Department, Associated Press, Carnegie Corporation of New, AP Locations: United States, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, U.S, Belgium, Finland, Canada, France, Sweden, Brazil, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, China, Estonia, Albania, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Carnegie Corporation of New York

The results of the Program for International Student Assessment – the first assessment to examine the academic progress of students in math, reading and science in dozens of countries since the outset of the pandemic – marked historic setbacks for children globally. Students hadn’t recorded a change of more than five points in either subject since the exam was first administered in 2000. The COVID-era setbacks spared none, affecting wealthy countries and poor countries and even those long recognized as academic powerhouses. The slumping scores among American students largely mirror results seen on national assessments in recent years. “At an extremely tough time in education, the United States moved up in the world rankings in reading, math, and science – all three categories PISA measures – while, unfortunately, many other countries saw declines.”

Persons: ”, Peggy Carr, hadn’t, Jordan, ” Carr, Miguel Cardona, Donald Trump, “, ” Cardona Organizations: Program, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S . Education Department, “, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Education, Republican Party Locations: U.S, PISA, Albania, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Poland, Singapore, Japan, China, Estonia, Canada, Ireland, United States, –

☆ Could 'carbon passports' that limit how much we travel be in our future?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A recent report on the future of travel includes the concept of a "carbon passport." One tour company is proposing a solution: a "carbon passport" that would limit how much carbon travelers could emit each year. "Carbon passports have taken that idea one step further" because they would involve tracking and limiting travel carbon emissions, specifically, Hawkins added. In reality, a carbon passport would be challenging to implementHawkins and Matt Berna, the president of Intrepid in the Americas, said they didn't see a carbon passport as a quick fix, though. To track your flight's carbon emissions, Berna suggests booking through Google Flights, which has included emissions levels since 2021.

Persons: Paloma Zapata —, Zapata, Alex Hawkins, Hawkins, Matt Berna, Berna, it's, Anna Abelson, Jonathan M, Thierry Monasse, there's Organizations: Future Laboratory, Intrepid, Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Travel International, Business, The, Laboratory, Tisch Center of Hospitality, New York University, Airlines, International Air Transport Association, Wizz, Google, European Environment Locations: Americas, Greece, Italy, Albania

☆ Italy's Parliament Approves Crackdown on Teenage Migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ROME (Reuters) - Italian lawmakers on Thursday approved a government decree that allows migrants aged 16 or 17 to be held in adult reception centres and gives police stronger powers to check that migrants are not falsely claiming to be under age. Under Italian and European legislation, unaccompanied young migrants are entitled to more favourable treatment. For example, they cannot be expelled and should have access to more extensive welfare and support services. It allows minors aged 16 or 17 to be held in adult migrant reception camps when places for underage migrants are not available, and says they can be held there for up to 150 days. Earlier this month, Meloni announced Italy would build migrant identification and reception centres in Albania, saying she hoped they could host as many as 36,000 sea migrants per year.

Persons: Giorgia, Meloni, Angelo Amante, Gareth Jones Organizations: Senate, Unicef Locations: ROME, Italy, Albania, Africa

☆ UN Committee Criticizes Denmark on Third Country Plans for Asylum Seekers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Johannes BirkebaekCOPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The United Nations Committee against Torture has expressed concerns about Denmark's ambitions to transfer asylum seekers to third countries like Rwanda while their applications are being considered, citing worries about the safety of migrants. The committee criticised Denmark two weeks after the UK Supreme Court said Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country, blocking Britain's similar plans for transferring asylum seekers to Rwanda. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would pass an emergency law to declare Rwanda a safe destination for migrants. In a bid to bypass the European Union's fragmented migration and asylum system, Denmark last year agreed with Rwanda to explore setting up a program in which asylum seekers arriving in Denmark could be transferred to the African country. The UN committee said in a report it was concerned about the Danish legislation and recommended it was revisited, taking international standards into account.

Persons: Johannes Birkebaek COPENHAGEN, Rishi Sunak, Dybvad Bek, Olaf Scholz, Johannes Birkebaek, Grant McCool Organizations: United Nations, Torture, British, European, EU, Immigration, Integration, Reuters, UN Locations: Rwanda, Denmark, Danish, Italy, Albania

The naive pair — unknowns whom Garrone found and cast in Senegal — witness mass death in the Sahara, scams and torture beyond their expectations. Italian Premier Georgia Meloni has called migration the biggest challenge of her first year in office. The film shows the two cousins Seydou and Moussa leaving their home without alerting their parents or knowing what to expect. The film's subject is familiar to those who follow migration news in Europe and North Africa. Garrone said he relied heavily on migrants in Rabat and Casablanca who worked on the film as extras.

Persons: Matteo Garrone, Seydou, Moussa, Garrone, Pope Francis, Georgia Meloni, ”, Mamadou Kouassi, ” Kouassi, hasn't, who've, “ Organizations: United Nations, Georgia, Associated Press, West, Libyan Locations: MARRAKECH, Morocco, Italian, Europe, Marrakech, Dakar, Niger, Libya, Italy, Senegal, Albania, Tunisia, Ivorian, Caserta, Libyan, North Africa, Casablanca, Erfoud, Rabat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is turning his attention to Ukraine, NATO and the Western Balkans after weeks of intense focus on Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Now, amid signs that a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas due to expire on Monday may be extended, Blinken is departing for Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said he plans to attend the OSCE meeting, possibly setting the stage for a U.S.-Russia confrontation over Ukraine. The NATO meeting in Brussels will also address the situation in the Western Balkans where there are calls for NATO to increase its military presence amid concerns that hostility between Serbia and Kosovo could escalate to outright conflict. Blinken will underscore U.S. and NATO support for democracy and regional stability in the region, including a commitment to back all countries’ aspirations to join the European Union, O’Brien said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Jim O’Brien, O’Brien, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, NATO, eventual, “, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Russian, OSCE, Kosovo —, Serbia —, European Union, NATO's Locations: Ukraine, Western Balkans, Gaza, Israel, Brussels, Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, U.S, Balkans, Washington

☆ Geert Wilders: A ‘Trump moment’ in the Netherlands shows that Europe still has a populist problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The shock election results in the Netherlands have taken Europe by surprise, and left many onlookers unsure exactly what happens next. Far-right populist Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) are now seeking to form a government after an unexpected win in Wednesday’s national vote. It would be very unusual for a party that comprehensively won the most seats to be locked out of government. Beyond those immediate concerns, there are questions as to what Wilders’ victory means for the direction of Dutch and European politics more broadly. Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections,” Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said late on Wednesday.

Persons: Geert Wilders, “, Donald, Trump, ” Catherine de Vries, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Robert Fico, Giorgia, Tiziana Fabi, Viktor Orban, Marine Le Pen, Carl Court, Emmanuel Macron, Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, Nigel Farage, Farage Organizations: CNN, Freedom Party, Wednesday’s, Italy’s Bocconi University, European Union, Democracy Party, VVD, New, Labour, Green, Italy's, Albania's, Edi, Getty, –, EU, ”, Conservative, firebrand, Conservatives, Conservative Party Locations: Netherlands, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, Slovakia, Rome, AFP, EU, Brussels, ” Hungarian, France, United Kingdom

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a news conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, February 3, 2023. With Scholz from the centre-left Social Democrats and Meloni from the rightist Brothers of Italy, the two leaders and their governments make for unlikely allies. These include the construction of a pipeline to transport gas and hydrogen between the two countries and approaches to tackle illegal migration. The German stance on illegal migration has converged more with the Italian one. In the plan, Berlin and Rome pledge to enhance regular dialogue - for example through meetings of their defence and foreign ministers - and coordinate more closely on key policies in general.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Giorgia Meloni, Christian Mang, Giorgia, Scholz, Meloni, India's, Angelo Amante, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Italian, Social Democrats, Meloni, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Italy, Europe, Ukraine, Albania, Rome, France

Kosovo’s border with Serbia was “out of control," Rama said after an informal meeting of Western Balkan NATO members in North Macedonia. It gained independence with the help of a NATO military campaign, launched in 1999 to end a bloody Serb crackdown on an armed separatist movement. “But what we do see is an increase in tensions, especially in Kosovo,” Stoltenberg said. During a visit to Kosovo on Monday, Stoltenberg said that NATO was considering deploying additional peacekeeping troops there. In May, Serb demonstrators in northern Kosovo clashed with NATO peacekeeping troops.

Persons: Rama, Jens Stoltenberg, Wednesday's, ” Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Dimitar Kovačevski, Milojko, Zoran Milanović Organizations: Edi Rama, NATO, Western Balkan NATO, Kosovo —, Serbia —, European Union Locations: SKOPJE, North Macedonia, Albanian, Kosovo, Serbia, Serbian, Russia, Balkans, Ukraine, North Macedonia's, Skopje, Western Balkans, Belgrade, Banjska, Brussels, Montenegro

As Open AI employees celebrated the return of CEO Sam Altman with a five-alarm office party , OpenAI software engineer Steven Heidel was busy publicly rebuffing overtures from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Heidel was one of more than 700 OpenAI employees who's threatened exodus halted a would-be mutiny at one of Silicon Valley's most important AI companies. He was previously a scientist at Facebook AI Research and worked as a member of Google Brain under supervision of Prof. Geoffrey Hinton and Ilya Sutskever. Alec Radford: Radford was hired in 2016 from a small AI company he founded in his dorm room. Tao Xu : technical staff, worked on GPT4 and WhisperChristine McLeavey : technical staff, with contributions to music-related productsChristina Kim : technical staffChristopher Hesse : technical staffHeewoo Jun : technical staff, researchAlex Nichol : technical staff, researchWilliam Fedus: technical staff, researchIlge Akkaya: technical staff, researchVineet Kosaraju : technical staff, researchHenrique Ponde de Oliveira Pinto : technical staffAditya Ramesh : technical staff, developed DALL-E and DALL-E 2Prafulla Dhariwal : research scientistHunter Lightman : technical staffHarrison Edwards : research scientistYura Burda : machine language researcherTyna Eloundou : technical staff, researchPamela Mishkin : researcherCasey Chu : researcherDavid Dohan : technical staff, researchAidan Clark : researcherRaul Puri : research scientistLeo Gao : technical staff, researchYang Song : technical staff, researchGiambattista ParascandoloTodor Markov : Machine learning researcherNick Ryder : technical staff

Persons: Sam Altman, Steven Heidel, Marc Benioff, Heidel, Altman, Mira Murati, Murati, Brad Lightcap, Lightcap, Jason Kwon, Kwon, Wojciech Zaremba, Geoffrey Hinton, Ilya Sutskever, Alec Radford, Radford, OpenAI, Peter Welinder, He's, Github Copilot, Anna Makanju, Andrej Karpathy, OpenAI's, Michael Petrov, Petrov, Greg [ Brockman, Miles Brundage, Brundage, John Schulman OpenAI, Srinivas Narayanan, Scott Grey, Grey, Bob McGrew, Research Che Chang, Lillian Weng, Safety Systems Mark Chen, Frontiers Research Barret Zoph, Peter Deng, Jan Leike Evan Morikawa Steven Heidel Jong Wook Kim, Tao Xu, Christine McLeavey, Christina Kim, Christopher Hesse, Heewoo, Alex Nichol, William Fedus, Henrique Ponde de Oliveira Pinto, Aditya Ramesh, Hunter Lightman, Harrison Edwards, Yura, Tyna, Pamela Mishkin, Casey Chu, David Dohan, Aidan Clark, Raul Puri, Leo Gao, Yang, Giambattista Parascandolo Todor Markov, Nick Ryder Organizations: Business, BI, OpenAI, Khosla Ventures, Facebook, Research, Google, Tesla, U.S . Department of Energy, Oxford University, Safety Systems, Frontiers Research Locations: Albania, Canada, OpenAI

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