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☆ Miss Universe 2024: See all the best national costumes
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

At Miss Universe 2024, it was all those things — and much more — as the annual pageant kicked off with its flamboyant national costume competition Thursday evening. Raquel Cunha/ReutersThe first person of First Nations heritage to represent Canada at Miss Universe, Ashley Callingbull wore a multi-tiered gown equipped with flashing lights. Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesMiss Jamaica, Rachel Silvera, paid homage to the female pioneers of dancehall music. Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesMiss Malta, Beatrice Njoya, became the first ever Miss Universe contestant to reach the finale in their 40s, after the pageant lifted a longstanding age limit of 28. Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesMiss Ukraine, Alina Ponomarenko, came in an armored outfit symbolizing "the courage of Ukrainian defenders," the pageant host said.

Persons: Geyssell García, Irene Mukii’s, Chile, Emilia Dides, Sábado Gigante, ”, Miss Ivory Coast Marie, Emmanuelle Diamala’s, Thet San Andersen, Christina Chalk, Sheynnis Palacios, Faith Landman, Hector Vivas, Miss Argentina, Magalí Benejam, Selvinique Wright, Elena Hidalgo, Ky Duyen Nguyen, Fernando Llano, ” Hector Vivas, Juliana Barrientos, Images Miss Kenya, Irene Mukii, Raquel Cunha, Ashley Callingbull, Miss Italy, Glenany Cavalcante, Jamaica, Rachel Silvera, Davin Prasath, Malta, Beatrice Njoya, Sakhile Dube, Alma Cooper, Sam, Alina Ponomarenko Organizations: CNN, Miss, Miss Bangladesh, Anouk, United, Images Miss, Reuters, Nations, Images, Cambodia, San, Santo Locations: Mexico City, Miss Nicaragua, León Cathedral, Kenyan, Miss Ivory Coast, Miss Myanmar, United Kingdom, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, Delft, Miss Bahamas, Costa Rica, Miss Aruba, Miss Vietnam, Miss Great Britain, Chile, Bolivia, Canada, Ecuador, Tema, San Francisco, Santo Domingo, Colombia, Mexico, Miss Zimbabwe, Miss United States, Images Miss Nicaragua, León

☆ Who’s Attending COP29, the International Climate Summit?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Over 50,000 people are gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the United Nations climate conference known as COP29. This is the second largest of the annual gatherings in their history, according to official estimates and recently published data. Diplomats from nearly 200 member countries will seek a deal on climate financing to support the clean energy transition in developing economies. Recent years have seen a spike in the number of guests, particularly from Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Politicians started to take more interest in the climate talks in 2009, when they were held in Copenhagen.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, COP6, Keir Starmer, ”, Richard Kinley, they’ve, They’ve Organizations: Climate, United Nations, Diplomats, Paris Copenhagen, Berlin, COP3, Dubai, New York, Paris Copenhagen Official, CENTRAL, NORTH, NORTH AFRICA EAST, NORTH AFRICA Official, EAST ASIA, COP1, CENTRAL ASIA, EAST, PACIFIC, Copenhagen COP15, United, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan Russia United Arab, Swarthmore, Ivory, Ivory Coast Democratic Locations: Baku, Azerbaijan, United States, Europe, Saharan Africa, COP28, Dubai, Paris, Copenhagen, United Kingdom, China, SAHARAN AFRICA, NORTH AFRICA, NORTH AFRICA EAST ASIA, Berlin, ASIA, EUROPE, EAST ASIA, AFRICA, Russia, United Arab, Qatar, Doha, Azerbaijan Russia, Azerbaijan Russia United Arab Emirates Qatar, Ivory Coast, Ivory Coast Democratic Republic of Congo Senegal Ghana

☆ I take quiet vacations as often as I can. My employers have no idea where I am thanks to VPN tricks and my meticulous calendar.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Kimanzi Constable | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Benjamin Fields, a 26-year-old teacher, student, and business owner. I got the job as a public school teacher in 2022. I used the majority of my leave from public school to go. I see my perfume business supporting me, and if I'm still teaching, I'll use that money to pay for travel and investments.

Persons: Benjamin Fields, he's, —, I'm, Fields, Jila, I've, Lauryn Haas Organizations: Service, Cornell University, Dubai, Ivory Coast, Google, USPS, Subway, lhaas Locations: Oklahoma, U.C . Berkeley, Dubai, Colombia, Portugal, London, Barcelona, Sydney, Ibiza, Berkeley, Antarctica, Vienna, Seville, Paris, Corfu, Cameroon, San Francisco, Monaco, Singapore, Macau

☆ Italy’s hard-right government set to send sea migrants to Albania in bid to curb arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

However, the court’s decision is non-binding and Italy and Albania are not prohibited by the ruling from going forward with the plans. That’s all, very normal variations during construction.”A general view of the reception center for migrants in Shengjin, Albania, on June 4, 2024. If they do not qualify for asylum, they will be deported to “safe” countries, according to the agreement between Italy and Albania. The cost comes to around 7.5% of what Italy currently spends on its migrant reception centers, Meloni said in June, speaking alongside Rama. Other listed “safe countries” include Egypt, Tunisia and the Ivory Coast, citizens of which make up a large portion of arrivals.

Persons: Rome, It’s, Gjader –, Matteo Piantedosi, There’s, Florion Goga, Piantedosi, Giorgia, Keir Starmer, “, ” Meloni, Meloni, Starmer, Rama, ” Rama, Giorgia Meloni, Adnan Beci, ’ ”, Alketa Misja, ”, ” Gianfranco Schiavone, Schiavone Organizations: Rome CNN, European Union, Court, Justice, Reuters, CNN, United Nations, Refugees, UNHCR, Interior Ministry, Meloni, Amnesty, Italy's, Albania's, Edi, Getty, AP, Migration, United Nations ’ International Organization for Migration, Union Locations: Albania, Italy, European, Albanian, Shengjin, Gjader, Agrigento, Sicily, Catania, Malta, Greece, Spain, Libya, Tunisia, Meloni’s, Rome, Europe, AFP, Italian, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Syria, Lezhe, Refoulement, North, Denmark

☆ Pope picks 21 new cardinals in move that broadens pool of who will choose his successor
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-06 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Pope Francis has chosen 21 new cardinals in a move that once again shows his determination to reshape the group of churchmen who will elect his successor. Also among the new cardinals announced by the pope on Sunday are bishops from Indonesia, Algeria, Japan and the Ivory Coast. At the time of the pope’s announcement, there were 122 cardinals under 80 and able to vote in a future conclave. Church law technically limits the number of such cardinals to 120, but previous popes have also gone over that number. Cardinals are second only to the pope in the church hierarchy, hold senior positions in the Vatican and act as the pope’s main advisers.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Dominique Mathieu, Francis ’, ” Francis, Mykola Bychok, Frank Leo, Timothy Radcliffe, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Cardinals Locations: Israel, Belgian, Iran, Australia, Ukrainian, Oceania, Italy, Indonesia, Algeria, Japan, Ivory Coast, Toronto, British, Gaza, Lebanon

☆ The vaccines you need to know about before you travel
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Lisa Kjellsson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Norlys Perez/ReutersUntil recently, there wasn’t a widely available dengue vaccine for travelers. But according to Dr. Nicky Longley, consultant in infectious diseases and travel medicine at The Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD) at University College London Hospitals, dengue vaccination is not quite the silver bullet travelers had hoped for. One traveler who welcomes the arrival of the new Qdenga vaccine is UK-based travel writer Chris Dwyer. Which vaccines do you need? Adults are advised to keep a record of their immunizations and when they need to be boosted.

Persons: Yasuyoshi Chiba, Norlys Perez, Dengvaxia, Nicky Longley, haven’t, “, ” Longley, Chris Dwyer, Dwyer, Qdenga, ” Dwyer, vaccinates, Sia Kambou, ”, Longley, “ It’s, Anniina Sandberg, Sandberg, didn’t, Martin Harvey, HTD’s Longley, wasn’t, Tick Organizations: CNN, Hatta International Airport, Getty, Health Organization, WHO, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Reuters, European Union, The, University College London Hospitals, Malaria, Natives, TBE, CDC Locations: Sweden, Asia, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, Soekarno, Tangerang, Indonesia, AFP, Cuba, Europe, United States, Malaysia, Abidjan, West Africa, South Sudan, Ivory, Finnish, Africa, Tanzania, Tanzanian, South Africa, Helsinki, Finland, Americas

☆ Moo Deng: Baby pygmy hippo is Thailand’s latest online sensation. But her keeper is worried about her fame
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Kocha Olarn | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Moo Deng gives her handler a good chew on the knee. One person poured water [on her] while another threw a shell onto Moo Deng when she lay on the floor,” he said. While she continues to draw admirers in person, Moo Deng has found her biggest stardom online. “This will be the time Moo Deng will be energetic as the keeper will splash the water around,” he said. Another good time would be in the afternoon when the keeper feeds her mother, as Moo Deng follows her around.

Persons: Deng, she’s, ” Narongwit Chodchoy, Moo Deng, Narongwit, Moo, ”, –, Aom, Napatsawan Balee, “ Haha, Jona, Tony Organizations: Bangkok CNN —, CNN, Facebook Locations: Bangkok, Thai, West Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Jona

☆ Chocolate, but without the guilt? Why lab-grown cocoa and fermented fava beans could be the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

One way to tackle these problems is to make chocolate without using cocoa beans — the fermented seed of the cacao tree. It also makes cocoa powder and cocoa butter substitutes. “Instead of cocoa beans, we use fava beans sourced from farms across the UK and Europe, and then we ferment them in a similar way that cocoa farmers ferment their cocoa beans,” said Ross Newton, CEO of Nukoko, a UK-based startup that aims to launch on its domestic market next year. A study published this year shows it’s possible to make chocolate using only the cocoa pod, by replacing traditional sugar with a cocoa gel. “You make chocolate using only components from the fruit and not conventional crystallized sugar from sugar beets.

Persons: we’ve, ”, Max Marquart, shea, We’re, ” Marquart, Sara, Ross Newton, Newton, Michal Beressi Golomb, we’re, “ We’ve, “ That’s, Beressi Golomb, “ We’re, Beressi, “, “ We’d, Kim Mishra, ” Mishra Organizations: CNN, Planet, Department of Health Sciences, Technology, Swiss Institute of Technology Locations: West Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Africa, Brazil, Swiss, Germany, Czech Republic, Europe, Zurich

☆ The Olympics Is Transforming Their Neighborhood. And Kicking Them Out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Sarah Hurtes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The building, once a warehouse, apartments and offices, is a temporary home — with one shower — for 60 adults and children. The stench of damp clothes and clogged toilets overpowers the strong scents of tomato and spices from the makeshift kitchenettes on upper floors. This is a so-called squat in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburban area east of Paris that at one time was an industrial district. The other day she was getting ready to go to court to argue that she has the right to stay. “It may not be ideal, but it’s the best I have, and it’s a safe place to sleep,” she said one recent evening.

Persons: Denis, Mariam Komara, ” Locations: Seine, Paris, Ivory

☆ Africa is doubling down on its space ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“It was really giving me a hard time in my mind.”Now Ouattara is helping to lead Africa into space. Early this year, Ouattara became the first president of the African Space Council, which oversees the newly inaugurated African Space Agency (AfSA). VCG/Getty ImagesAfrica’s space industry could be worth $22.6 billion by 2026, up from $19.5 billion in 2021, according to the consultancy Space in Africa. Better data from Earth observation could unlock more than $2 billion in value for Africa, according to a 2021 report by the World Economic Forum. More than 20 countries now have national space programs, and African nations budgeted more than $400 million for the sector in 2024, according to Space in Africa.

Persons: Tidiane Ouattara, ”, “, Ouattara, Temidayo Oniosun, Aloyce, Deche, Andrew Nyawade, Simon Maina, that’s, “ It’s, Oniosun, ” Oniosun, ” Ouattara Organizations: CNN, Moon, African Union Commission, African Space Council, Space Agency, ”, World Economic, World Bank Group, Kenya Space Agency, University of Nairobi, Getty, African Development Bank, European Space Agency Locations: Ivory Coast , West Africa, stargaze, Canada, Africa, Ivory Coast, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, Egypt, Cairo, ” Africa, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Bulgaria, AFP, ”

☆ Carpenter ants are the only other animals known to amputate besides humans, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But over time, some species — including Camponotus floridanus, also known as carpenter ants — have evolutionarily lost them. “I wanted to see how an ant species that cannot use antimicrobial compounds to treat wounds would care for their injured,” Frank said. “In tibia injuries, the flow of the hemolymph was less impeded, meaning bacteria could enter the body faster. The researchers observed that ant-assisted amputations took about 40 minutes to complete, which is why the insects appeared to opt for femur amputations, but not tibia amputations. “We will keep studying wound care behavior in other ant species and try to understand its evolutionary origins,” Frank said.

Persons: Camponotus floridanus, Erik Frank, ” Frank, Frank, “, weren’t, Dany Buffat, Bart Zijlstra, Dr, Laurent Keller, Frank said, amputations, ” Keller, Keller Organizations: CNN, University of Würzburg, Switzerland’s University of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, “ Workers Locations: Florida, Germany’s, Bavaria, Ivory Coast, United States

☆ Opinion | Chocolate Prices Have Spiked. Why Are Cocoa Farmers Still So Poor?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I’m willing to do the job.” His literacy and English skills help him serve as a liaison between his fellow farmers and the government, which is the primary price-setter for cocoa beans in Ghana. The exorbitant prices paid for cocoa beans and chocolate products in the United States and other nations barely touch the lives of Frimpong and those around him. The poverty of cocoa farmers is sometimes seen as a moral failing of chocolate buyers or sellers, but above all it’s a market failure. In a healthy market, price spikes are self-correcting: When the price rises, production increases to take advantage of the extra profit opportunity. They don’t have the funds for long-term investment in new cacao trees, which are the source of cocoa beans, or for adequate fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and labor-intensive pruning.

Persons: Emmanuel Frimpong, couldn’t, “ I’m, ” Locations: Ghana, United States, Frimpong, Ivory Coast

Millions around the world caught a glimpse of the North Korean men’s team in two World Cups. The secrecy surrounding the North Korean national team was also evident in the case of star player Han Kwang Song. Carl Recine/Action Images/ReutersEarning respectWhen An joined the North Korean national team upon receiving a call-up letter in 2002, he remembers not being immediately accepted by teammates. To be accepted by the squad, newcomer An had to prove himself to the other North Korean players. Although, as fate would have it, An met his former teammate and current manager of the North Korean national team, Sin Yong Nam, last March.

Persons: –, Yong Hak, Han Kwang, Han, “, ”, Yong, Son Heung, Pak Kwang, Choe, I’ll, ” Han, Yong Nam, ‘ It’s, ’ ”, “ Han’s, ‘, …, Kim Jong Hun, Jong Tae, Philip Fong, Kim, Jong Tae Se, Carl Recine, didn’t, Sin Yong Nam, Sin Organizations: CNN, Korean men’s, CNN Sport, North, Korean, Juventus, Qatari, Al, UN, North Korean, –, SC, Cagliari, South, Tottenham Hotspur, Radio Free Asia, Tokyo's, Getty, Portugal, DPRK, Thailand Locations: North Korea’s, East, Italy, Middlesbrough, England, South Africa, Portugal, North Korean, Japan, Qatar, North Korea, Myanmar, China, Pyongyang, South Korea, Austria, Tokyo, DPRK, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Korean, AFP, Korea

☆ Amanda Knox returns to Italian court for slander trial linked to Meredith Kercher’s murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Knox, Sollecito and Ivory Coast native Rudy Guede, whose DNA was present in the murder room, were all convicted of the murder in 2009. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters/FileKnox and Sollecito’s murder convictions were overturned by a Perugia appellate court in 2011 after an independent review of key forensic evidence, only to have that acquittal overturned by Italy’s supreme court in 2013. The 36-year-old Seattle native, now a mother of two, along with Sollecito, were definitively cleared in 2015 of Kercher’s murder after Italy’s supreme court voided the 2013 re-conviction. After being cleared of murder, Knox remained convicted of slander against Lumumba, a ruling upheld by Italy’s supreme court in 2015. The decision will then have to go to Italy’s supreme court once more.

Persons: Rome, Amanda Knox, Knox, Patrick Lumumba, Meredith Kercher, Lumumba, Raffaele Sollecito, Rudy Guede, Guede, Sollecito, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Italy’s, ” Knox, Monica Lewinsky Organizations: Rome CNN, Democratic, Ivory Coast, of Human, CNN, White House, Hulu Locations: Italy, Italian, Perugia, Kercher’s, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sollecito, Ivory, Seattle, Florence

☆ I'm a Gen Zer who moved to London from the US. I wouldn't recommend it if you're used to American salaries and social life.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementMoving to London can be tough if you're used to American salaries and social lifeI've looked into moving to New York. My friend who moved to New York when I moved to London started at $80,000. One of my favorite things about London is anytime people from home come over, I'm like, "Let's take a trip." I want to try other cities, but I think I'm just going to end back up in London. I really love London.

Persons: —, Gladys Nkengasong, I've, Nkengasong, Let's, let's, It's, I'm Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Atlanta, Ivory Coast, England, Southampton, London, New York, Canada, Europe, France

☆ Cocoa prices tumble 19%, giving up a chunk of their record-setting gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A farmers holds cocoa beans while he is drying them at a village in Sinfra, Ivory Coast, on April 29, 2023. Cocoa prices dropped more than 19% on Monday, giving up a large part of the strong gains that lifted them to all-time highs earlier this year. Prices last traded at around $7,175, after dropping about $1,700 per metric ton. Earlier in the year, cocoa futures hit a record of $11,722 per metric ton. Cocoa prices soared this year amid a shortage of cocoa beans due to supply disruptions, including heavy rains and disease.

Locations: Sinfra, Ivory Coast

☆ Evan Ndicka: Italian football match abandoned after Roma player suffers ‘medical emergency’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Sunday’s Serie A soccer match between Udinese and AS Roma was abandoned in the second half after Roma’s Evan Ndicka experienced a “medical emergency” on the pitch, Roma said. Ndicka was taken to hospital for further evaluation, where the rest of the team later went to visit him. Forza Evan!”Video of the match showed Ndicka, who was away from the ball at the time, bend over and then sit down on the turf in the 71st minute. Reuters“Following the on-field medical emergency involving Evan Ndicka, the match between Udinese and Roma has been suspended,” Roma said in a statement on X. Forza Evan, we are all with you!”Udinese also showed its support for Ndicka, posting: “We are with you, Ndicka.”

Persons: CNN —, Roma’s Evan Ndicka, Roma, Ndicka, “ Evan, ” Roma, Forza Evan, ”, Evan Ndicka Organizations: CNN, Serie, Udinese, AS Roma, Forza, Bluenergy, Ndicka, Reuters, Roma, ” Udinese Locations: Ivory Coast, Udine, Italy

☆ Google DeepMind wants to make AI a part of soccer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Google DeepMind launched a prototype AI soccer tactics tool last month. DeepMind developed the tool with Liverpool FC, known for its data-driven approach to soccer. AdvertisementGoogle DeepMind is bidding to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into soccer by launching a new tool to help coaches make better tactical decisions. DeepMind researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Google DeepMindHaving that knowledge on hand helped the collaboration between DeepMind and Liverpool to run smoothly, according to Veličković.

Persons: Google DeepMind, DeepMind, —, Zhe Wang, Didier Drogba, Divock, Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Ian MacNicol, Petar Veličković, Billy Beane, Ian Graham, they've, Liverpool —, Monterrey's Sergio Canales, Yuri Cortez, We're, Wang, it'll Organizations: Google, Liverpool FC, Service, English Premier League soccer, Nature Communications, Soccer, Former Ivory Coast, Chelsea, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, UEFA, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool FC's, Ph.D.s, Harvard, Inter Miami, Getty Locations: London, Cambridge, Anfield, DeepMind, Liverpool, AFP

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

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

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

☆ How African Immigrants Have Revived a Remote Corner of Quebec
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Norimitsu Onishi | Nasuna Stuart-Ulin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Not long ago, the handful of African immigrants in Rouyn-Noranda, a remote city in northern Quebec, all knew one another. There was the Nigerian woman long married to a Québécois man. And, of course, the doyen, a Congolese chemist who first made a name for himself driving a Zamboni at hockey games. A couple from Benin has taken over Chez Morasse, a city institution that introduced a greasy spoon favorite, poutine, to this region. And women from several corners of West and Central Africa were chatting at the city’s new African grocery store, Épicerie Interculturelle.

Persons: Chez, Interculturelle Locations: Rouyn, Noranda, Quebec, Nigerian, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Congolese, Africa, Benin, West, Central Africa

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

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

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

☆ Cocoa prices hit $10,000 per metric ton for the first time ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Workers collect dry cocoa beans in front of the store of a cocoa cooperative in the village of Hermankono on Nov. 14, 2023. Futures for May delivery were up 3.9% at $10,030 per metric ton, marking the first time the commodity breaks above the $10,000 mark. Cocoa has been on a tear this year, soaring nearly 138%. Ivory Coast, the biggest coca producer in the world, is facing hotter-than-normal temperatures — which have led to dryer-than-usual conditions and crop yields. Correction: Cocoa prices are up more than 100% this year.

Locations: Hermankono, Ivory Coast, U.S

☆ Cocoa prices are soaring to record levels. What it means for consumers and why 'the worst is still yet to come'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A farmers holds cocoa beans while he is drying them at a village in Sinfra, Ivory Coast, on April 29, 2023. Consumers could start to see the effect of surging cocoa prices as the world faces the worst supply deficit in decades, with farmers in West Africa struggling against bad weather, disease and failing trees. The world is facing the largest cocoa supply deficit in more than 60 years and consumers could start to see the effect at the end of this year or early 2025, Joules said. The International Cocoa Organization has forecast a supply deficit of 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season, a 405% increase from a deficit of 74,000 tons in the previous season. Cocoa prices will likely remain elevated for some time because there are no easy fixes to the systemic issues facing the market, he said.

Persons: Michele Buck, Paul Organizations: Hershey, CNBC, National Confectioners Association, Rabobank, International Cocoa Organization Locations: Sinfra, Ivory Coast, West Africa, Cocoa

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

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

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

“If you have minerals or oil under the ground, how do you come up with a price for a long-term contract? The shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles has caused a spike in the demand for critical minerals, driving these kind of loans. Adesina, whose Abidjan, Ivory Coast-based institution helps finance development in African countries, said these arrangements come with a litany of problems. Photos You Should See View All 60 Images“These are the reasons I say Africa should put an end to natural resource-backed loans," Adesina said. After Chad, Angola and the Republic of Congo approached the IMF for support, the multilateral lender insisted on the renegotiation of their natural resource-backed loans.

Persons: Akinwumi Adesina, paydowns, Adesina, ” Adesina, Glencore, Trafigura, ”, Mao Ning Organizations: African Development Bank, Associated Press, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Chartered, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Railway Group, Gecamines, Alliance for Green Infrastructure Locations: Lagos, NIGERIA, China, Congo, Nigeria, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa, Chad, Angola, Republic of Congo, Guinea, Ghana, Beijing, Nigerian, AP.org

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