DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

A year has passed since Hyundai Motor Group broke ground on the $7.6 billion vehicle and battery plant, the South Korean automaker's first U.S. factory dedicated to producing EVs. The plant is being built parallel to Interstate 16 on a site that covers more than 2,900 acres (1,170 hectares). Tollison said suppliers opening shop in nine Georgia counties near the Hyundai plant will create another 6,000 jobs. It’s the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history. Pat Wilson, Georgia’s economic development commissioner, has said Hyundai is projected to have a direct payroll of $4.7 billion over the next 10 years.

Persons: ”, Oscar Kwon, Jose Munoz, ” Munoz, Tollison, Pat Wilson Organizations: Hyundai Motor Group, Korean, Hyundai, Metaplant, Economic Development Authority, LG Energy Locations: Georgia, U.S, Savannah

☆ China's Belt and Road Forum: What to know following Beijing's 'grand gathering'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here are the main takeaways from China’s Belt and Road Forum. No doubt over Putin’s prominenceThe gathering left no question over who was the most important world leader in attendance in the eyes of China’s Xi. In his meeting with Putin, Xi hailed the China-Russia partnership as “a long-term commitment,” stressing “ever-lasting good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation,” and alluding to their shared 4,300-kilometer border and mutual aims. Since then, skepticism about China’s global ambitions has risen in Europe, in particular over Beijing’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow. “Obviously, competition should not mean working against each other but mutually improving each other,” he said, while touting the quantity of China’s global development projects.

Persons: Beijing CNN —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, –, Putin striding, Putin, ” Putin, Joe Biden’s, ”, Giuseppe Conte, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Kassym, Joko, General António Guterres, ” Guterres, Zhai Jun, Wang Yi, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, of, Italian, Beijing, United Nations, Hamas Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Russia, China’s, East, Gaza, Israel, Europe, US, Greece, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Moscow, Italy, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Egypt

FDI in Brazil fell 36% in the first eight months of 2023 to $37.9 billion. Currently, investors in long-term projects in Brazil with exposure to foreign currency pay taxes on currency appreciation over the course of the project - which the central bank has long flagged as a deterrent for FDI. Haddad said he was confident that policymakers had found a tool to shield investors from currency risks keeping them away. Executive orders in Brazil have immediate validity but must be endorsed by lawmakers within four months or they expire. Without that measure, Haddad said it will be "very challenging" to erase the deficit in next year's budget bill.

Persons: Fernando Haddad, Haddad, Luiz Inacio Lula da, Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Finance, Reuters, Sao Paulo, leftist Workers Party, Executive, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, Brasilia, Sao, United States

BEIJING (AP) — China's Belt and Road Initiative looks to become smaller and greener after a decade of big projects that boosted trade but left big debts and raised environmental concerns. Called “One Belt, One Road” in Chinese, the Belt and Road Initiative started as a program for Chinese companies to build transportation, energy and other infrastructure overseas funded by Chinese development bank loans. China became a major financer of development projects under BRI, on par with the World Bank. Chinese development banks provided money for the BRI projects as loans, and some governments have been unable to pay them back. Now, having learned the hard way through defaults, China development banks are pulling back.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, Xi, “, Alessia Amighini, Kevin Gallagher, Sri Lanka, Christoph Nedopil, Nedopil, Colleen Barry Organizations: BEIJING, Initiative, Silk, Italy, World Bank, Boston University Global Development Policy Center, U.S, Export, Import Bank of, Asia Institute, Griffith University, Associated Press Locations: Beijing, Africa, Asia, Latin America, China, Europe, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Pakistan, Italy, “ Italy, Sri Lankan, Zambia, Sri, Import Bank of China, Australia, BRI, Hungary, Milan

Hailed by Xi as a “project of the century,” the BRI has emerged as a glaring symbol of China’s rise as a global power. Chinese investment in BRI projects has tapered off as the world’s second-biggest economy slows. The opening ceremony of Cambodia's Morodok Techo National Stadium, funded by China's Belt and Road Initiative, in Phnom Penh on December 18, 2021. Later that year, Xi pledged that China would not build any new coal-fired power projects abroad. The BRI has also spurred other countries to increase their own efforts toward supporting infrastructure projects in the developing world.

Persons: Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, –, Cambodia's, Lon Jadina, William & Mary, Marshall, China, ” Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, China's, Getty, BRI, Boston, Global, Policy, William &, Marshall Plan, Global Development Policy Center, World Bank, Global Development, United Arab, European Union Locations: Beijing, China, Israel, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Ukraine, United States, Phnom Penh, AFP, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Sri Lanka, West Africa, America, Southeast Asia, Hambantota, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, East

☆ Belt and Road Forum: Beijing to host global gathering as Xi Jinping lays out China's vision
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose on-going assault on Ukraine is another major point of global instability and division, is expected to attend. The last time he was in Beijing was for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in early 2022. Winning backing for China’s global leadership from a broad swath of developing and emerging economies is key to Xi’s strategy to push back against perceived international threats, analysts say. Overseas development finance from China’s two major development banks has also decreased significantly since a peak in 2016, the report’s data show. Ten years on, Chinese decision makers are becoming “more selective and more calculating” about the benefits of their financing, she said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, laud China’s, –, weren’t, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, ”, Craig Singleton, “, Kenya . Han Xu, Li Mingjiang, ” Jonathan Fulton, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, ” It’s, Liang, Yun Sun Organizations: CNN, Global, Initiative, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Getty, Communist Party, Hamas, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Officials, Atlantic Council, Indian, Russia's, Boston University Global Development, Center, World Bank, Overseas, China’s National, Reform, China Program, Stimson Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Washington, Kenya ., Xinhua, Russia, Moscow, China’s, Abu Dhabi, Fulton, Johannesburg, New Delhi, saddling

Used copper wires are seen in a recycling company in Thoerishaus near Bern July 3, 2011. Copper producers increasingly want to share the risk and costs of projects, and the sector has already seen a jump in M&A activity, which more than doubled year-on-year to $14.24 billion in 2022. Miner and trader Glencore (GLEN.L) has been approached by potential investors in its Argentine copper projects Minera Agua Rica Alumbrera (Mara) and El Pachon, two sources said. According to Argentine government data, the projects could produce a combined 435,000 tonnes of copper a year. Both sources declined to be named because the information is not public.

Persons: Ruben Sprich, Glencore, Mara, El, Canada's Lundin, Jack Lundin, Lundin, Hudbay, EY, Paul Mitchell, Farid Dadashev, Clara Denina, Divya Rajagopal, Julian Luk, Veronica Brown, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Sumitomo Metal Mining, Sumitomo, Reuters, BHP Group, BHP, Santo Domingo, Hudbay, Capstone, Taca Taca, Global Mining, Metals, RBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Thoerishaus, Bern, Miner, Agua Rica, Argentine, Josemaria, Chile, Santo, Arizona, Rio Tinto's, Peru, Argentina

Queries about what the move entailed and how extensive its impact on Palestinian aid would be weren't immediately answered. According to the bloc, it has provided humanitarian aid to help meet Palestinians’ basic needs since 2000 through the European Commission’s humanitarian aid department (ECHO) and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Since 2000, ECHO has provided 700 million euros of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The EU’s most populous member, Germany, and its neighbor Austria, also said they were suspending development aid for the Palestinian areas. Germany isn't suspending the humanitarian aid it provides separately via international nongovernmental organizations and the U.N., the Foreign Ministry said.

Persons: “, ”, Oliver Varhelyi, Israel, Varhelyi, weren't, ” Varhelyi, Svenja Schulze, Schulze, Israel “, Germany isn't, Christian Wagner, Alexander Schallenberg, ___ Samuel Petrequin, Geir Moulson Organizations: European Union, EU, European Commission, Palestine Liberation Organization, Humanitarian Affairs, West Bank, Ministry, Palestinian Authority, UNRWA, Development, Foreign Ministry Locations: BRUSSELS, Israel, Germany, Austria, Oslo, Muscat , Oman, Gaza, Berlin, Austrian, Brussels

☆ Germany mulls possible aid suspension to Palestinians after Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israel supporters protest, following Hamas' biggest attack on Israel in years, next to the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2023. "We will now review our entire engagement for the Palestinian territories." But pushback came from the opposition Left party and the Greens, junior partner in the federal coalition. Hamas, and not all Palestinians, were responsible for the attack, said Gregor Gysi, a prominent member of the Left party. "These funds above all gave suffering people in the Palestinian territories access to food provisions and health care."

Persons: Israel, Liesa, Svenja Schulze, Armin Laschet, Mahmoud Abbas, pushback, Gregor Gysi, Luise Amtsberg, Markus Wacket, Sarah Marsh, Ros Russell, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Hamas, . Development, Social Democrats, West Bank, Left, Greens, Palestinian Authority, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Israel, Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Palestinian, Europe

☆ How Apple made its first 'carbon neutral' product
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In September, Apple announced its next-generation smartwatch models would all have a "carbon neutral" option, at the same price as the non-carbon neutral options, starting at $249. For Apple, making a product "carbon neutral" means that it changed its operations — including manufacturing, packaging and shipping — to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with making and selling its watches. Depending on who you talk to, dubbing a product "carbon neutral" when the accounting requires buying carbon credits is either Apple acting responsibly and doing the best it can to contribute to climate mitigation strategies that are available right now, or an irresponsible misrepresentation of what "carbon neutral" should mean. The relative effectiveness of nature-based carbon credits is contentious because some forestry carbon credits have been shown to be nullified when, for example, the forests set aside for carbon credits burn in wildfire season. Even if the carbon credits Apple buys are of the highest quality, carbon credits are, by their very nature, an accounting strategy.

Persons: It's, Apple, Elizabeth Sturcken, Barbara Haya, Haya Organizations: Apple, United, Environmental Defense Fund, CNBC, Berkeley, Trading, Goldman School of Public, University of California, Apple Watch Locations: United Nations, Berkeley

☆ House-building slump brings biggest UK construction fall since 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Partly finished houses are seen on a new housing development under construction in Liverpool, Britain June 2, 2023. The all-sector PMI - which includes services, manufacturing and construction - edged down to 48.2 in September, its lowest since January 2021. The house-building index dropped to 38.1 from 40.7 - its lowest since April 2009, apart from two months in 2020. Commercial construction also fell as clients grew more concerned about the economic outlook and civil engineering saw the steepest decline in over a year. Alongside the weaker activity, the survey showed the biggest rise in subcontractors' availability in 14 years and more stable input costs after steep rises between mid 2020 and mid 2023.

Persons: Phil Noble, Tim Moore, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, David Milliken, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, P, Reuters, PMI, P Global Market Intelligence, Nationwide, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, August's, Bank of England, London, Manchester, Birmingham

☆ UAE's ADNOC awards $17 bln of contracts for gas project
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Logos of ADNOC are seen at Gastech, the world's biggest expo for the gas industry, in Chiba, Japan, April 4, 2017. Italian engineering group MAIRE (MTCM.MI) and energy services group Saipem (SPMI.MI) said in separate statements they had been awarded $8.7 billion and $4.1 billion contracts by ADNOC respectively for the project. MAIRE's onshore EPC contract is worth about $8.74 billion and includes CO2 and sulphur recovery and handling, ADNOC said. The Hail and Ghasha project will capture 1.5 million tonnes per year (mtpa) of CO2, which would raise ADNOC's committed investments for carbon capture capacity to almost 4 mtpa, the statement said. ADNOC - which in July brought forward its net zero carbon emissions target to 2045 - last week said it aimed to increase its carbon capture capacity to 10 mtpa by 2030.

Persons: Toru Hanai, MAIRE, MTCM.MI, ADNOC, Saipem, Saipem's, Al Kindy, Sultan al, Jaber, Yousef Saba, Clauda, Alberto Chiumento, Jan Harvey, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, National Petroleum Construction Company, Fertiglobe, United Arab Emirates, United, Thomson Locations: Gastech, Chiba, Japan, Rights DUBAI, Abu Dhabi, Saipem, UAE, United Nations, Dubai, Gdansk

☆ Rising interest rates are hurting very broad swaths of the stock and bond markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Dozens of stocks and ETFs are hitting 52-week lows on the relentless rise in interest rates. Treasury bond ETFs: New lows iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY) iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH) iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) It's not just Treasury bonds. Broad bond ETFs: New lows Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) iShares Core US Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG) Higher rates are affecting other areas of the U.S. economy: look at clean energy and biotech It's simple. Clean energy ETFs: New lows iShares Global Clean Energy (ICLN) VanEck Low Carbon Energy ETF (SMOG) Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF (PBW) Invesco Solar ETF (TAN) It's the same story with biotech. The SPDR S & P Biotech ETF (XBI) , which tracks an equal-weighted index of US biotechnology stocks, is at a 52-week low.

Persons: Schwab, It's Organizations: Vanguard Utilities, Treasury Bond ETF, Bond Market, Bond Fund, NextEra Energy Partners, Clean Energy, Carbon Energy, P Biotech, Biotechnology, Biotech, Verizon, SPDR Telecom, AT, Property, Comerica, Huntington Bancshares Locations: U.S, Orsted, Denmark, REITs

☆ Blue Origin, Sierra Space weigh future of Orbital Reef space station as partnership turns rocky
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Orbital Reef space station partnership between Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Sierra Space is on rocky footing, CNBC has learned. The companies announced Orbital Reef as a co-led project in 2021, but updates about the project dried up in the past year. It's becoming increasingly likely that Blue Origin and Sierra Space will go their separate ways, leaving behind joint efforts to develop Orbital Reef, according to those sources. Shortly after unveiling the Orbital Reef project, Blue Origin won a $130 million contract from NASA for design work on the private space station. "Our team is currently testing window frames and materials in a relevant space environment," Blue Origin said, without mentioning Orbital Reef by name.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, It's, Rebecca Wickes, Wickes, Sierra Organizations: CNBC, Space, Origin, NASA, Sierra

☆ China's 1.4 billion population isn't enough to fill the country's empty homes, former official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Chinese official said the country's entire population couldn't fill its empty homes. He Keng said China's 1.4 billion population was likely insufficient to fill all its vacant houses. AdvertisementAdvertisementChina has long relied on real-estate development as a safe investment to bolster economic growth. Today, farmers have taken over the ghost town, plowing the land and letting cattle roam free around the empty mansions. But by 2016, its population was only around 100,000, and it has been described as "the largest ghost town in the world."

Persons: Keng, Evergrande, that's, Li Gan, Shenyang . Jade Gao Organizations: Service, Reuters, China News Service, Texas, M University, Greenland Group, Getty, Nikkei Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, France, City's, Shenyang, Shenyang ., AFP, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Ordos, Nikkei Asia

☆ South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's opposition leader ended a 24-day hunger strike on Saturday, a party spokesperson said, two days after parliament voted to let prosecutors serve an arrest warrant against him for alleged bribery. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will maintain a schedule including court attendance while hospitalised for the time being, the spokesman told reporters. Lee, who lost South Korea's presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol last year, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations "fiction" and a "political conspiracy". South Korea is to hold parliamentary elections in April.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Lee, . Lee, Yoon Suk Yeol, Joyce Lee, William Mallard Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic Party of Korea, Prosecutors, South, Police, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Gyeonggi Province, Seongnam, ., Lee's

Political Cartoons View All 1171 ImagesHere is some of the history, process and cost when it comes to MLB expansion. In 1977, MLB went to 26 teams, adding the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. For a reference point, the move to 30 teams started with the formation of an MLB expansion committee in March 1994. The Diamondbacks and Rays both paid $130 million to enter MLB in 1998 while the Marlins and Rockies paid $95 million in 1993. Back in 1977, the Blue Jays ($7 million) and Mariners ($6.5 million) paid even less.

Persons: —, Rob Manfred, he's, isn't, Jim Bouton's, Manfred, Ronald Blum, ___ Organizations: Tampa Bay Rays, MLB, Rays, Oakland Athletics, Las Vegas, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Negro Leagues, League —, American League, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Senators, Los Angeles Angels, National League, New York Mets, Houston Colt, Seattle Pilots, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, NL, The Pilots, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Charlotte, Expos, Vegas Golden Knights, NHL, NBA, Charlotte Bobcats, NFL, Houston Texans, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rockies, Blue Jays, Mariners, AP Locations: St . Petersburg, Florida, Las, Washington, Milwaukee, — Orlando , Florida, Phoenix, St, Petersburg , Florida, Northern Virginia, Petersburg, Charlotte, North Carolina, Nashville , Tennessee, Portland , Oregon, Montreal, Nashville, Portland, Salt Lake City, Austin , Texas

☆ S. Korea opposition leader hospitalised after hunger strike, prosecutors seek arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's main opposition leader was hospitalised on Monday, days into a hunger strike in protest against government policies, while prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for him over corruption allegations. Hours after Lee was transferred to a hospital, prosecutors said they had requested an arrest warrant for him as part of an investigation into a development project and bribery allegations. Prosecutors also accused Lee of bribery in connection with a company suspected of $8 million in illegal money transfers to North Korea. Parliament rejected their previous request for an arrest warrant in February.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Kim Gi, Lee, Prosecutors, Yoon Suk, 1,327.4000, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic Party of Korea, National Assembly, Power Party, Seongnam Development Corporation, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Seongnam, North Korea

☆ S. Korea Opposition Leader Hospitalised After Hunger Strike, Prosecutors Seek Arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Soo-hyang ChoiSEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's main opposition leader was hospitalised on Monday, days into a hunger strike in protest against government policies, while prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for him over corruption allegations. Hours after Lee was transferred to a hospital, prosecutors said they had requested an arrest warrant for him as part of an investigation into a development project and bribery allegations. Prosecutors also accused Lee of bribery in connection with a company suspected of $8 million in illegal money transfers to North Korea. A Seoul court needs the 300-member parliament, where the Democrats hold a majority, to waive Lee's immunity from arrest to review the prosecution's request. Parliament rejected their previous request for an arrest warrant in February.

Persons: hyang Choi SEOUL, Lee Jae, myung, Kim Gi, Lee, Prosecutors, Yoon Suk, 1,327.4000, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Democratic Party of Korea, National Assembly, Power Party, Seongnam Development Corporation Locations: Seoul, Seongnam, North Korea

Dajabón, Dominican Republic, and Les Cayes, Haiti (CNN) When Pauline Philippe found out she was pregnant with twins, she felt a flash of happiness. "I thought about everything that could happen," Phillippe told CNN. In 2017, he unveiled a four-pronged strategy focused not only on ending impunity, but also on prioritizing victims' rights and dignity. He appointed the UN's first Victims' Rights Advocate and created a "trust fund" to support victims. Hers is the "smallest, newest and poorest" department in the UN, Connors told CNN.

Persons: Dajabón, Les, Pauline Philippe, Preval, Aristide !, Prince, Philippe's, Phillippe, Philippe, General Kofi Annan, Antonio Guterres, Jane Connors, Jokencie Jean Baptiste, Les Cayes, we're, Rosemina Joseph, Yasna Uberoi, Paula Donovan, Beatrice Lindstrom, it's, Lindstrom, Connors, decamp, Antonio Guterres hasn't, Sienna Merope, Synge, gesturing, she's, I've, Caitlin Hu, Etant Dupain, Paula Newton, CNN's Eliza Anyangwe, Eliza Mackintosh Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, General, Central African, moto, UN's Office, UN's, Development, Trust Fund, Democratic, Harvard Law School, Institute for Justice, Democracy, Trust, New Locations: Dominican Republic, Les Cayes, Haiti, Port, Niger, Central African Republic, Dajabón, Cap, Haiti's, Haitian, Les, Senegalese, Port Salut, Uruguayan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, New York City, Prince, South Sudan, New York, UN, Africa

☆ Venice avoids being added to UNESCO list of endangered sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A UNESCO committee has decided not to add Venice to the organisation's World Heritage List in Danger, disregarding a recommendation from experts and sparing the Italian government from an embarrassing verdict on the city's condition. "The World Heritage Committee ... has made the decision not to inscribe Venice and its Lagoon on the World Heritage List in Danger," UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, said in a statement as the committee met in Riyadh. Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said adding Venice to the list would have been an "undue move" not based on objective facts. Venice, known for its canals and cultural sites, has long been threatened by floods and mass tourism. However, UNESCO said more work was needed to protect the fragile lagoon city.

Persons: Gennaro Sangiuliano, Sangiuliano, MOSE, Angelo Amante, John Irish, Alvise Armellini, David Holmes Organizations: UNESCO, Heritage, Thomson Locations: Venice, Riyadh, Italian, Rome, Paris

☆ Growing fury from Maui residents over the direction of early wildfire recovery efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Alicia Victoria Lozano | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

US President Joe Biden is embraced by Hawaii Governor Josh Green (C) after delivering remarks as he visits an area devastated by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 21, 2023. Rebuilding hasn't even started after a deadly wildfire destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii, last month, but residents are already angry and frustrated with recent moves by Gov. Now, they say, that pattern could be repeated with the aid of an emergency proclamation signed by Green that could erode their hard-won rights, despite his reassurances that rebuilding would reflect the needs of Maui residents. "It is a real slap in the face when we still have to deal with the aftermath of this fire." Green reinstated the water rules last week, but residents are wary that future proclamations could jeopardize their efforts to restore Maui's streams and wetlands.

Persons: Joe Biden, Josh Green, hasn't, Green, Kekai Keahi, Makana McClellan, we've, McClellan, We're, Hōkūao Pellegrino, Nani Medeiros, I've, Medeiros, Marti Townsend, Townsend, Glenn Tremble, Manuel, Ed Wendt, David Henkin, Pellegrino Organizations: Hawaii, Gov, Maui Land Co, West Maui Land Co, American Civil Liberties Union, Sierra Club, Earthjustice Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Honolulu

“They have nowhere they can go back to,” Mr. Choula said of his family, who spent Saturday night sleeping in a field with several other families. Some are rallying together to send funds and organize shipments of supplies for survivors while others are heading home to help on the ground. But Mr. Dehy said he had received dozens of calls from Moroccans who want to immediately send help home. For Moroccans watching from afar, “the only thing that helps them is knowing that they helped, that they didn’t just stand idly by,” Mr. Dehy said. Mr. Choula, 41, said he was gathering money to send home.

Persons: Youssef Choula, “, ” Mr, Choula, ”, Latif Dehy, Dehy, —, Ella Williams, Talat N’yakoub, It’s, “ I’ve, Williams Organizations: “, French, of, British Moroccan Society Locations: Gloucestershire, England, Marrakesh, Amizmiz, Moroccan, Avignon, France, Morocco, Europe, Britain, ”

☆ UN chief says global finance system fragmenting; Myanmar crisis worsens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during his bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. In a wide-ranging speech that touched on geopolitical tension, multilateral development finance and climate change, Guterres called on world leaders to find peaceful and inclusive solutions to the challenges facing the world. He also voiced support for re-channelling an additional $100 billion of International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights through multilateral development banks to increase liquidity and support developing economies' needs. At a Paris summit in June this year, world leaders backed a push for multilateral development banks like the World Bank to put more capital at risk to boost lending. ASEAN leaders are set to hold talks with the United Nations later on Thursday.

Persons: General Antonio Guterres, Joko Widodo, Tatan, António Guterres, Rich, Ajay Banga, Guterres, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: UN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Monetary, Bank, World Bank, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, China, United States, Paris, Myanmar, ASEAN

☆ His Mind Helped Rebuild New York. His Body Is Failing Him.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Christopher Maag | More About Christopher Maag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A journalist who hears the Olympics pitch describes Mr. Doctoroff as a man whose eyes “gaze past you, out towards the horizon.”Why this constant drive? His brother Andy says Mr. Doctoroff should be more introspective, and who knows. Mr. Doctoroff is aware that he graduated Harvard aimless and lazy. Wound up in New York by following his wife, Alisa, who got a job in town. It is hard work seeing the future, and so Mr. Doctoroff puts everything into the job.

Persons: Doctoroff, Andy, Harvard aimless, Alisa, “, ”, Stephen Ross, Doctoroff’s, ’ ” Sharon Greenberger Organizations: Harvard, Companies, Ivy League Locations: New York, Bluffed, Bronx, Staten Island

Search resuls for: "Development Project"

25 mentions found