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☆ Lisbon residents call for vote on restricting vacation rentals
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But as overall monthly overnight stays in Portugal reached an all time high in August, some Lisbon residents are becoming frustrated by the impact of ballooning tourism on local quality of life. Following protests in September about the city’s housing market, thousands of people living in the Portuguese capital have signed a petition demanding a clampdown on Lisbon vacation rentals. The group behind the petition, the Referendum Movement for Housing (MRH), is seeking to eradicate the almost 20,000 short term vacation rentals in Lisbon residential blocks, hoping to free up housing opportunities for locals. CNN Travel has reached out to Airbnb for comment about the Lisbon referendum petition. Changing the Lisbon tourist industryFreitas stresses a successful referendum wouldn’t eliminate Lisbon tourist lets altogether, but prevent them from “existing in houses registered for residential use.” Landlords would also be prohibited from establishing new vacation rentals in residential buildings in the future.

Persons: Luisa Freitas, Jorge Castellanos, Freitas, “, ”, there’s, Airbnb, —, she’s Organizations: CNN, Housing, ”, CNN Travel, Getty, Barcelona, European Union, Lisbon Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, ” Lisbon, Augusta, Comercio, Baixa

☆ AI Is Quietly Being Used to Pick Your Pocket With Personalized Pricing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Under the long-standing law, companies can face ruinous penalties for price discrimination only if they're discriminating against other businesses. Tyler Le/BII say low-grade shock because at the time personalized pricing discrimination was far less widespread and harmful than it is today. And many of those that don't disclose using personalized pricing still do it. AI pricing also means that those who are the most desperate and most vulnerable will often pay the most. So much of AI pricing acts as a regressive tax, charging those with the most the least.

Persons: I'm, I'd, Robinson, Tyler Le, Price, Uber, might've, it's, you've, Tinder, Nikolas Guggenberger, Guggenberger Organizations: American Prospect, Walmart, Smart, Mozilla, Consumers International, University of Houston Law Center, Zephyr Locations: London, United States

☆ India wants to be a developed nation by 2047. Here are 4 critical areas Modi can't ignore
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

India has undergone a massive infrastructure push and has made significant strides in connecting and modernizing its highways, railways and airports. He's going to double down on that," said Samir Kapadia, CEO of India Index and managing principal at Vogel Group. "Along with creating physical infrastructure, India needs to remain steadfast on the structural reforms ... Increase foreign investmentsFrom veteran emerging markets investor Mark Mobius to global strategist David Roche, market experts remain bullish on India. Foreign direct investments into the country needs to however pick up pace to further drive economic growth and development, analysts told CNBC.

Persons: Vikram Singh, Narendra Modi, Modi, Reema Bhattacharya, Verisk, Modi's, he's, Samir Kapadia, Nirmala Sitharaman, Santanu Sengupta, Goldman Sachs, Sengupta, Richard Rossow, Kapadia, Sumedha Gupta, Vivek Prasad, Prasad, Mark Mobius, David Roche Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Infrastructure, India Index, Vogel Group, Nurphoto, CNBC, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Padget Electronics, Dixon Technologies, Bloomberg, Getty, Research, India Electronics, Semiconductor Association, Economist Intelligence Unit, Centre, Monitoring, National Stock Exchange of, World Federation of Exchanges Locations: India, Asia, China, Mumbai, Noida, PwC India, National Stock Exchange of India

☆ The women behind the glitz and glamour of New York’s fabled department stores
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Cat Woods | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Before the nationwide influx of suburban malls and the convenience of online shopping, there was a golden age of American department stores. Satow’s evocation of this historic age is timely, with the death knell for many US department stores well and truly ringing in our ears. Sally Moss“When department stores originally opened, (they represented) one of the rare opportunities for women to congregate together in public,” Satow told CNN. Her motivation was to make department stores enticing — and accessible — for women of all means.) Read: “The Dallergut Dream Department Store” (2024)A bestseller in Korea, the debut novel (and first of a two-book series) from author Miye Lee weaves a fantastical narrative around, as its title suggests, a department store selling consumers’ perfect dreams.

Persons: strategized, Hortense Odlum, Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver, Taylor, Geraldine Stutz, Henri Bendel, Julie Satow’s, Odlum, Shaver, Stutz, Sally Moss “, ” Satow, “ Dorothy Shaver, …, ’, ” Doubleday, —, Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, “ Hortense Odlum, Jill Krementz “, “, ”, Madeleine St, Goode, Kim Cattrall, Jonathan, Andrew McCarthy, Estelle Getty’s, Claire Timkin, Hollywood Montrose, Miye Lee, Miss Jones ”, John P, Merrick, Charles Coburn, Mary Jones, Jean Arthur, Helena Rubinstein ”, Lindy Woodhead, mindedly Organizations: CNN, puma, Harrods, Rive, TIME, Fashion Group, Fashion, Fashion Industry Hall of Fame, New, & $ Locations: America, Bonwit, Europe, London, Le Bon, Paris, New York, TikTok, Sydney, Australia, Korea

☆ Three bodies recovered after Papua New Guinea landslide, ‘significant’ death toll expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Three bodies have been recovered after a landslide in Papua New Guinea, local officials told CNN on Saturday, adding that the death toll was likely to rise to a “significant” total. Three bodies have so far been recovered, but “we are expecting the number to be significant,” Sandis Tsaka, provincial administrator of Enga province, told CNN. More than 100 are believed to be dead, Janet Philemon, caretaker and national treasurer of the Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society, previously told CNN. People carry bags in the aftermath of a landslide in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, on May 24, 2024. A Pacific nation home to around 10 million people, Papua New Guinea is rich in resources.

Persons: Sandis, Janet Philemon, Tsaka, ” Serhan Aktoprak, That’s …, ”, Andrew Ruing Organizations: CNN, Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society, Humanitarian, CARE Australia, International Organization for Migration, “, Reuters CARE Australia Locations: Papua New Guinea, Kaokalam, Port Moresby, Enga, Enga Province

☆ Opinion: America vowed to desegregate its schools. This is what happened instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Opinion Keith Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A few weeks ago, I gave the keynote speech at an inaugural conference on Black literacy exploring what the organizers called an “alarming literacy gap” between Black students and their peers. The White students even had their prom at the local country club while the Black students’ prom was held in the school gym. And since schools with high numbers of poor Black and Brown students tend to be drastically underfunded the correlation between poverty and lower academic achievement is hardly surprising. More than two-thirds attend schools in which only a minority of students are eligible for FRPL, schools where better funding and opportunities mean better outcomes. Research shows that integration raises the attainment levels of all students — not just those who are Black, Brown and poor.

Persons: Keith Magee, Keith Magee Arron Dunworth, sleepovers, Angela Davis, Brown, backpedaling, —, Martin Luther King, Jr, Beverly Daniel Tatum, ” Organizations: University College London Institute for Innovation, Newcastle University Law School, CNN, of Education of, Civil Rights, Stanford, University of Southern, Pacific, Research, Twitter, Facebook, Brown v, of Education Locations: America, Brown, of Education of Topeka, Louisiana, University of Southern California, Black

Rescue teams are digging through the mud and debris trying to find survivors near Mai Mahiu, in Kenya’s Nakuru County, Gov. In Mai Mahiu, Kihika said a serious situation was unfolding as floodwaters swept away people and homes. Access to Mai Mahiu, 20 miles north of the capital Nairobi, had been difficult as part of the road had been cut off from recent heavy rains, Kihika said. Other video shows vast flooding around the Tana River, with large parts of the surrounding area underwater. Heavy rains in East Africa have also affected Tanzania and Burundi.

Persons: Susan Kihika, Isaac Maigua Mwaura, Mai Mahiu, Kihika, ” Kihika, Tana, Andre Kasuku, downpours, El Niño, Jagan Chapagain, Kassim Majaliwa Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Gov, CNN, Kenya Red Cross Society, of Education Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Mai Mahiu, Kenya’s Nakuru County, Mai, Mororo, Tana River, Garissa, North Eastern Kenya, Tana, Kona, Tana River County, East Africa, Tanzania, Burundi, Tanzanian

☆ At least 32 dead as flash floods sweep through half of Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Lindsay Isaac | Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —At least 32 people have been killed and two are missing after flash floods swept through almost half of Kenya. Kenya has registered heavy rain since mid-March but downpours have intensified over the past week, leading to mass flooding. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty ImagesTwo major highways out of Nairobi saw heavy traffic on Wednesday after floodwaters submerged parts of them. The Kenya Urban Roads Authority partially closed four roads that were heavily affected and warned of flooding on two others. The Kenya Meteorological Department warned of “heavy to very heavy” rainfall in parts of the country in an update on Wednesday.

Persons: downpours, ”, Edwin Sifuna, Simon Maina Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Kenyan, The Kenya Red Cross Society, Getty, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Kenya Railways, Kenya Meteorological Department Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, The, ”, Mathare, AFP

☆ Flooding Inundates Kenya, Killing at Least 32 and Displacing Thousands
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | More About Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days of heavy rains have pummeled parts of Kenya, leaving at least 32 dead, 15 injured and more than 40,000 people displaced, according to officials. They said that flooding had killed nearly 1,000 farm animals and destroyed thousands of acres of crops, with more rain expected across the country. The rains began in March during what is known in the country as the “long rains,” but precipitation intensified over the past week, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department. In Nairobi, where some of the heaviest rain has fallen, more than 30,000 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations. On Tuesday, 18 people, including seven children, were stranded, and later rescued, in Nairobi after heavy rain, the Kenya Red Cross Society said.

Persons: Edwin Sifuna Organizations: Kenya Meteorological Department, United Nations, Kenya Red Cross Society Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Nairobi County

☆ Sam Altman's mission to increase human lifespan with a $180 million shipping container experiment at Retro Biosciences
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Called Retro Biosciences, the startup's goal is simple yet supremely ambitious: Add 10 healthy, enjoyable years onto the back end of our lifetimes. But Retro Biosciences actually fits quite neatly into Altman's futuristic worldview. Retro BiosciencesRetro Biosciences sits about 30 miles south of OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters, where ChatGPT was hatched. Joe Betts-LaCroix is the CEO of Retro Biosciences. There are things we already know work super well to improve human longevity, like exercise, diet, faith, and social support.

Persons: Sam Altman, he's, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Altman, Instacart —, Joe Betts, LaCroix, isn't, Betts, Retro's, spry, Yamanaka, Shinya Yamanaka, it's, they've, Sora, Thiel, Jeff Bezos, Bezos, Yuri Milner, Billionaire Peter Thiel, He's, Aubrey de Grey, Christian Angermayer, biogerontologist Daniel Promislow, Altman's, Matt Buckley Organizations: Business, OpenAI, Biosciences, Harvard, MIT, Caltech, Extension, Apple, Stanford University, Retro, Bezos, Labs, Billionaire, Cambrian, Retro Biosciences, Bloomberg Locations: geroscience, Silicon Valley, OpenAI's San Francisco, Meta, Golden City, Retro.bio, Redwood City , California, San Diego

☆ Article 23: Hong Kong passes second national security law aligning city more closely with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Coming into effect on Saturday, the law introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests the year before. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Lee described it as a “historical moment for Hong Kong.”Lawmakers attend a meeting for Basic Law Article 23 legislation at the Legislative Council on March 19, 2024 in Hong Kong, China. They argue their legislation is similar to other national security laws around the world. “This will surely increase the doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty of foreign businesses in Hong Kong.”In mainland China, national security laws have often ensnared both local and foreign businesses in opaque investigations. That is something Emily Lau, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, also worries about, that what made Hong Kong distinct is fast fading.

Persons: –, John Lee, Hong, Lee, Chen Yongnuo, ”, Hong Kong’s, Eric Lai, Lai, ” Lai, Hung Ho, fung, Capvision, Sarah Brooks, “, ” Brooks, ” Johannes Hack, Emily Lau, I’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, ” Lawmakers, Legislative, China News Service, China’s Communist Party, CNN, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Johns Hopkins University, Amnesty International, German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, Beijing, China, Amnesty International China, ”, Hong

☆ Church of England urged to build a $1.3 billion fund to tackle its legacy of slavery
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The Church of England has welcomed a report that calls for it to spearhead the establishment of a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) fund to address its historical ties to slavery. The Church Commissioners group, which manages the church’s £10.3 billion ($13 billion) investments, has accepted the report “in full,” the church said in a statement. The report also calls for the Church Commissioners to build up the value of the fund by bringing in co-investors while also increasing its own allocation. The Church of England is the established church in the United Kingdom. It also urged the Church Commissioners to deliver the full sum committed to the fund sooner than over the nine years originally envisaged.

Persons: ”, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Bishop Rosemarie Mallett, Canterbury Justin Welby, Toby Melville, Welby, George Floyd Organizations: London CNN, of, “, for, Commissioners, South Sea Company, REUTERS, National Archives, Bank of Locations: of England, Black, United Kingdom, Barbados, London, REUTERS Britain, Historic England, Caribbean, Bank of England, United States

☆ ‘Eventually, one gets used to anything:’ How Ukrainians have learned to live with war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Dnipro, Ukraine CNN —The residential block in Dnipro looked like someone had taken a huge bite out of it. Their presence was a sign of how Ukrainians have become used to the realities of living through a war. Tsyplionkova said she considered leaving Dnipro after the war started but found she simply couldn’t go: this is her city. Lydmila Lashko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, says two years of war have forced Ukrainians to get used to its brutal realities. “But eventually one gets used to everything.”Some 4.8 million Ukrainians are officially registered as internally displaced people, according to data from Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy.

Persons: Yevhenia Tsyplionkova, Tsyplionkova, “, Ivana Kottasová, CNN Tsyplionkova, ”, Lydmila Lashko, ” Lashko, Lashko, They’ve, Zhanna Vedmedieva, ” Vedmedieva, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Savchenko, Ivana Kottasova, Yulia Murashkina, Murashkina, Ihor Omelchenko, wasn’t, Omelchenko, ” Omelchenko, Vedmedieva Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Russian, Ukrainian Railways, CNN, Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Dnipro, Ukraine’s Ministry of Social, Donetsk People’s, United Nations Human Rights Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, Iranian, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian, Demydiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Kreminna, Severodonetsk, Luhansk, Russia, Russian, Dmytrivka, Novomykhailivka, Donetsk People’s Republic, Mariinka, France, Havriushyna

☆ AI era is a 'seismic moment' in tech we've not seen in a decade, top Meta exec says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The new artificial intelligence era represents a huge moment for the tech industry that has not been seen in a decade, according to a top executive at Facebook parent company Meta Platforms. "This is a seismic moment," Mendelsohn said, in conversation with CNBC's Tania Bryer at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In her role at Meta, Mendelsohn leads relationships with top marketers and agencies. She is also a seasoned advertising executive, with past experience including partner and executive chairman at London advertising agency Karmarama, and non-executive director of alcoholic beverages firm Diageo. Last year also marked a major pivot toward artificial intelligence for Meta — an area where the company plays a key role with its LLaMA large language model.

Persons: Nicola Mendelsohn, Mendelsohn, CNBC's Tania Bryer, Mark Zuckerberg's Organizations: Facebook, Meta, Economic, Diageo Locations: Davos, Switzerland, London

☆ Millennial and Gen Z parents are struggling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

AdvertisementMillennial and Gen Z parents are finding themselves isolated. But they and Gen Zers behind them have finally caught up to previous generations in terms of their income, Jean Twenge, a psychologist and the author of "Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future," told me. As fast as the money comes in from the pay raises that millennials and Gen Zers have secured, for parents the money goes right back out. These realities can force many millennial and Gen Z parents to make tough choices. But, at the same time, young parents are fleeing those walkable cities for the towns next door.

Persons: Kyle Taylor doesn't, Taylor, they're, Gen, they've, We've, Natalie Groff, Gen Zers, Jean Twenge, Gen X, Silents, Twenge, Groff, she's, Jimmy Gomez, Gomez, of Labor He's, Zers, It's, millennials, they'd, Brittany Pettersen, we've, Pettersen, that's, She's, Becca Balint, didn't, Balint, That's, who's, isn't, Juliana Kaplan Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bank of America, Department of Labor, Congressional, Caucus, of Labor, Pew Research Center, National Association of Realtors, Deloitte, Democratic Locations: The Alabama, New York City, California, Younger, Colorado, America, Vermont

☆ Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger take to the pitch for the last time in NWSL Final
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Friends and teammates for much of their illustrious careers, US Women’s National Team legends Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger will take to the pitch one last time on Saturday as foes. Rapinoe’s OL Reign takes on Krieger’s Gotham FC in Saturday’s NWSL Final, which provides a fitting stage for the grand finale of two women’s soccer greats. Ahead of the game, in the final pre-match press conference of her career, an emotional Rapinoe couldn’t hold back the tears. Krieger’s farewellPerhaps it was written in the stars that both Rapinoe and Krieger would enjoy their last dance on the pitch together in the NWSL Championship game. On Monday, after both teams had booked their places in the final, Krieger revealed on Instagram a two-month-old text exchange she had with Rapinoe.

Persons: Megan Rapinoe, Ali Krieger, Rapinoe’s, “ I’ve, ”, I’ve, Rapinoe, “, ” Rapinoe, Krieger, Stephen Brashear, Jessica Berman Organizations: CNN, National, Gotham FC, USA, Amazon Prime, ION, CBS, Paramount Plus, ESPN, Sports, Reuters, Champions League, Frankfurt Locations: Saturday’s, rondos, California

☆ Opinion | I’ve Been Under Bombardment. There Must Be a Cease-Fire in Gaza.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Megan K. Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

I’ve watched U.S. warplanes attack Afghanistan; barely escaped a direct strike from a Russian MiG in Georgia, and lived for weeks under relentless Israeli bombardment in Lebanon. Israel has so far killed more than 8,000 people, the Gaza Health Ministry said, more than 40 percent of them children. But having spent time under bombardment, and having reported in Gaza, I have no time for these explanations. If we are to believe the Israeli political and military leadership’s own words — and I think we should — the assault on Gaza was driven, first, by straightforward vengeance. We could find out with a cease-fire, but they say we can’t ask for a cease-fire.

Persons: I’ve, keening, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, “, Maj, Ghassan, ”, Ron Derner, Yoav Gallant, You’re Organizations: U.S, Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Israeli Defense Forces, ”, Israel Locations: Afghanistan, Russian, Georgia, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, United States, America, Jerusalem

HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Rescue workers on Monday scrambled to pull out survivors, and the dead, from beneath the rubble two days after the northwestern city of Herat and its surroundings were struck by the deadliest earthquakes to rattle Afghanistan in years. Neighbours Pakistan and Iran have offered to send rescue workers and humanitarian aid, while China's Red Cross Society offered cash relief aid. Hemmed in by mountains, Afghanistan has a history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Pakistan said its disaster management authority had put a search and rescue team on standby to assist in the disaster hit area. Iran, whose border is less than 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the site of the worst hit area, also pledged humanitarian aid, the Taliban administration said.

Persons: Nissar Ahmad Elyias, Mir Ahmed, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Syed Hassib, Emma Farge, Gibran Peshimam, Miral Organizations: Neighbours, Cross Society, Reuters, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: HERAT, Afghanistan, Herat, Turkey, Syria, Neighbours Pakistan, Iran, Pakistan, Zindajan, Kabul, Geneva

☆ Megan Rapinoe to leave behind a remarkable legacy after final US game
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Rapinoe won the Women's World Cup twice, most recently in 2019. She continued to do so for the US national team, a symbol not appreciated by everyone in the country. But, despite all the success that went before, her World Cup dreams ended in a penalty shootout heartbreak. There was to be no perfect ending for Rapinoe as the US was dumped out of the 2023 Women's World Cup last-16. A smile of disbelief masked the pain as she trudged off the pitch, never to play in a World Cup again.

Persons: Megan Rapinoe, she’s, ” Rapinoe, Féminin, Rapinoe, Richard Heathcote, Bill Simmons, Colin Kaepernick, Donald Trump, she’d, Joe Biden, “, Biden, Emma Lazarus, ‘, ’ ” Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, ”, “ We’ve, I’m, Alex Pantling, ’, Kelley O’Hara, “ There’s Organizations: CNN, US, National, South, London Olympics, Getty, France, Seattle, NFL, White House, Reuters, US Soccer, men’s, FIFA, Fox Sports Locations: California, South Africa, Chicago, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden

☆ China to give $200,000 to earthquake-stricken Morocco
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Emergency crews work, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Amizmiz, Morocco, September 10, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The Red Cross Society of China will give the Moroccan Red Crescent $200,000 for emergency humanitarian assistance, Chinese state media reported on Monday, after a deadly earthquake struck the North African country late on Friday. The Chinese Red Cross said the donation will be used to help Morocco carry out rescue and disaster relief work, according to the China Daily. Chinese medical workers in Morocco have been actively helping victims, including during aftershocks, state broadcaster CGTN reported. Video in Chinese state media showed a Chinese doctor holding a baby delivered right after the 6.8 earthquake hit the region, killing more than 2,100.

Persons: Nacho, Cross, Xi Jinping, King Mohammed VI, Ben Guerir, Bernard Orr, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Cross Society of China, Crescent, China Daily, CGTN, Thomson Locations: Amizmiz, Morocco, Rights BEIJING, Moroccan, China, Ben

☆ China unveils sweeping foreign policy law as Xi consolidates power — and aims to counter the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has unveiled a sweeping foreign relations law enshrining its right to impose “countermeasures” against actions that it deems a threat – in Beijing’s latest bid to bolster its position amid strained relations with the West. “This is the first comprehensive foreign relations law … but it (reads) more like Xi Jinping’s foreign policy declaration,” Zhao said, adding that its release comes at a moment when Xi is focused on countering what it sees as US efforts to contain China. “The party, not the government, runs China’s foreign relations. The law also includes China’s pledge to promote “high-level opening-up” of its economy, development of foreign trade and and encouraging and legally protecting foreign investment. In recent months, a campaign against consulting and due diligence firms has unnerved foreign businesses in China.

Persons: enshrining, Antony Blinken, Jinping, –, Zhao Leji, “, Xi, Washington, Lockheed Martin, Suisheng Zhao, University of Denver’s Josef, ” Zhao, ”, China’s, Sung, Li Qiang, Zhao Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, West, Global Times, Lockheed, Raytheon, Communist Party, Center for, Cooperation, University of Denver’s, University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, Australian National University’s Taiwan Studies Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing’s, Beijing, China’s, United States, Ukraine, Taiwan, Center for China, Tianjin, Europe, Denver

☆ ‘Students will suffer’: Harvard and UNC students, alumni react to 'disappointing' Supreme Court ruling rejecting affirmative action in admissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina that consider a student's race for college admissions are unconstitutional. The court's decision is not surprising but "disappointing" nonetheless, says Julian Taylor, a rising junior and member of the Affirmative Action Coalition at UNC Chapel Hill. The CEO and founder of the sustainability brand Blueland has been vocal about the importance of maintaining affirmative action policies at top colleges. Research has shown that the removal of affirmative action has led to declines in minority admissions at universities. Overturning 40-plus years of affirmative action in colleges

Persons: Edward Blum, Blum, Julian Taylor, Brown, Taylor, John Roberts, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Sarah Paiji Yoo, wouldn't, Claudine Gay Organizations: U.S, Supreme, of Harvard College, University of North, Harvard, Fair, UNC, United States, Affirmative, Coalition, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Affirmative, Chapel, ACT, Harvard Business School, CNBC Locations: University of North Carolina, Washington ,, Chapel Hill

The series, “Wave Makers,” follows the fictitious lives of a team of campaign staffers in the run-up to a presidential election in Taiwan. The turn of events took the creators of “Wave Makers” by surprise. The main story line of "Wave Makers" features the solidarity and support between its two female protagonists. “Even the protagonists in ‘Wave Makers’ might not be able to persevere in our system,” said Kang at the National Chengchi University. These are people we must protect, not treat with prejudice.”For the show’s scriptwriters, Taiwan’s #MeToo moment has not fully arrived.

Persons: MeToo, ”, Tsai Ing, ” Tsai, Chien Li, Nina Peng, Wen, Let’s, “ Let’s, William Lai, Wang Dan, Wang, Kang Ting, Kang, “, Chien, Tsai, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Taiwan’s, Liao, ” Kang, Lu Sheng, ” Peng Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Netflix, Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, KMT, “, National Chengchi University, Chinese Communist Party, Inter, Parliamentary Union, CNN, National Taiwan Normal University Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, “, Asia

☆ A Critical Dam Is Destroyed on Ukraine’s Front Line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Kakhovka dam and electric plant on the front line in southern Ukraine was destroyed today, sending torrents of water through the breach and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Russia and Ukraine were quick to blame each other for the disaster, but it was not immediately clear who was responsible. Officials in Kyiv said that Moscow’s forces had blown up the Russian-controlled dam in the predawn hours, a day after U.S. officials said it appeared a Ukrainian counteroffensive had begun. More than 40,000 people could be in the path of the flooding in both Ukrainian- and Russian-controlled territory, a Ukrainian official said. “People here are shocked,” said our colleague Marc Santora, who was in southern Ukraine.

Persons: ”, Marc Santora, “ They’ve Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Antonivka

Pita Limjaroenrat’s progressive Move Forward Party is on track to win the largest share of seats and the popular vote, according to unofficial results, far ahead of the party of incumbent Prime Minister – and 2014 coup leader – Prayut Chan-o-cha. Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat leads a victory parade with fellow party members and supporters outside Bangkok City Hall on May 15. A party or coalition needs to win a majority in both houses to elect a prime minister and form a government. Asked what would happen if Thailand’s military tried to subvert election outcomes, Pita said, “we have to minimize the risk” of subversion. Move Forward’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party, won the third most seats in the 2019 election.

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