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☆ Argentina hotel collapse: People trapped beneath rubble of collapsed building in Villa Gessell
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Joaquin Caballero | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A man has died and up to nine other people are missing after a 10-story hotel collapsed in Argentina. Firefighters, paramedics and police were working to remove debris in order to reach people who are thought to be buried. The victim is thought to have been an 80-year-old man who lived in the building next to the collapsed hotel, minister of security of the province of Buenos Aires Javier Alonso said on the TN news channel. The missing include workers from a construction site at the hotel that was apparently operating “clandestinely, without complying with municipal regulations,” according to the statement. Emergency workers are trying to free up to nine people believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Persons: Buenos Aires Javier Alonso, Alonso, Pablo Funes, CNN’s Michael Rios Organizations: CNN, Villa Gessell, Firefighters, Buenos Aires, Reuters CNN Locations: Argentina, Dubrovnik, Villa, Buenos Aires, Buenos

☆ ‘The Boyfriend,’ Japan’s first same-sex reality show, hopes to normalize LGBTQ romance in the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The untroubled July arrival of the country’s first same-sex dating reality show, “The Boyfriend,” on streamer Netflix, may be another sign that normalization of queerness in Japan is on the way. “It’s no different from the familiar reality shows we’ve seen before. The only thing that felt odd or questionable was that, while there have been plenty of heterosexual reality shows, there have been so few featuring same-sex couples, and none in Japan,” casting director Taiki told Variety. The commentators included central host Megumi, an entertainer; drag queen Durian Lollobrigida; Tokui Yoshimi, a veteran of previous reality shows including “Terrace House”; Horan Chiaki; and style diva Thelma Aoyama. “As this was Japan’s first romance reality show featuring male same-sex relationships, it was crucial to have someone from that community in the studio,” Lollobrigida told Variety.

Persons: “, we’ve, ”, Taiki, Dai, Shun, Taehon, inoffensively, Roche, Kimura Hana, Hishida Keisuke, Ota Dai, Durian Lollobrigida, Tokui, Horan Chiaki, Thelma Aoyama, ” Lollobrigida, …, Kitano Takeshi, they’re, ’ Organizations: Netflix, New York Times, Fuji Television, Kyodo Television, Netflix Japan, “, Tokyo Locations: Japan, East Asia, Shinjuku Ni, “ Terrace

CNN —Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs, remained in disarray Thursday after unprecedented heavy rain led to airliners having to negotiate flooded runways. Delays and cancelations caused by the flooding have led to ongoing congestion at Dubai International Airport. The tarmac of Dubai International Airport was left submerged. Some residents were seen rowing canoes outside their homes, and one viral video on social media showed residents wake boarding on a flooded street in a residential area. Amr Alfiky/ReutersOther videos from social media showed water rushing through a major shopping mall and inundating the ground floor of homes.

Persons: Rula Rouhana, Mohit Mehta, ”, “, ” Mehta, Amr Alfiky, Mister Funk, Christopher Pike, Madiha Khawaja, Khawaja, Sheikh Zayed, cleanups, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al, Nahyan Organizations: CNN — Dubai International Airport, Emirates, Flydubai, “, ”, Dubai International Airport, Rula, Reuters, United Arab, Dubai International, CNN, UAE, “ Emirates, Bloomberg, Getty Images Municipal, Abu Dhabi . Schools Locations: United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Gurgaon, India, Amsterdam, UAE, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Iran, London, Sheikh, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi

☆ South Korean companies are offering workers $75,000 to have babies amid the country's desperate bid for more children
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some South Korean companies are giving out $75,000 bonuses to employees who have kids. The fertility rate in South Korea was 0.78 in 2022, far lower than the 2.1 it needs to maintain its population. AdvertisementA South Korean firm is offering employees up to $75,000 to have children and help lift the country's ailing birth rate. The company will take responsibility and put all-out efforts to help the country increase the fertility rate," a company spokesperson, per the outlet. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on February 13 ordered his administration to develop tax incentives and subsidies for companies that encourage their employees to have children.

Persons: —, dwindles, Yoon Suk Organizations: Booyoung, Ssangbangwool, Service, Korea Herald, Booyoung Group, CNN Locations: South Korea, Seoul, China, Japan, South

☆ Suspected gunman takes hostages in Japanese post office - authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A suspected gunman took at least two people hostage in a post office in Japan after wounding two other people in a shooting at a hospital, authorities and media said on Tuesday. At least two female post office workers in their 20s and 30s were taken hostage, local media reported. Two people were injured at the hospital, media reported. Images broadcast on television showed a man wearing a track suit top and white shirt standing just inside the post office brandishing what looked like a pistol. There were just nine shooting incidents last year, according to the national police agency, of which six were related to criminal gangs.

Persons: Shinzo Abe, Sugiyama Satoshi, Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Christian Schmollinger, Ed Osmond Organizations: Police, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NHK, Thomson Locations: Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, Tokyo, Toda

☆ Birmingham City Council: How an equal pay claim took down Britain's second-biggest city
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Birmingham — the biggest British city after London — is in dire financial straits. “Local government is facing a perfect storm,” Sharon Thompson, Birmingham City Council’s deputy leader, said in remarks broadcast Tuesday. How Birmingham went bustThompson blamed Birmingham’s financial troubles partly on an outstanding £760 million ($950 million) legal bill pertaining to the equal pay claims, which resulted from a Supreme Court ruling in 2012. The original case was brought by 174 former council employees, all except four of whom were women. They argued that this breached the equality clauses of their employment contracts under the Equal Pay Act of 1970 — and the court agreed.

Persons: London —, ” Sharon Thompson, Thompson, —, Shaun Davies, Rishi Sunak, England —, ” Organizations: London CNN — Birmingham, Birmingham City Council’s, Birmingham City, National Audit Office, Local Government Association, UK, Special, Municipal Authorities Locations: London, United Kingdom, “, Birmingham, England, —, West Midlands, Yorkshire, Croydon, Woking

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa urges enforcement of laws over 'hijacked' buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A police officer walks past the apartment block where a deadly fire broke out, in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 1, 2023. "Local government has to enforce the laws," Ramaphosa said at a governing African National Congress party event. Municipal officials have said efforts to evict residents in illegally occupied buildings are often hamstrung by court orders stopping the evictions. Ramaphosa said he has asked government ministers to look into ways of enforcing laws without violating people's rights. Ramaphosa said he collected his passbook at the building about 50 years ago, when he worked in the city.

Persons: Siphiwe, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa, Carien du, Olivia Kumwenda, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, African National Congress, Government, Black, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Africa, Carien du Plessis

☆ Cities brace for floods as heavier-than-usual storms drench China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 21 (Reuters) - Rescue services braced for flooding as heavier-than-expected summer storms rolled across China as forecast on Friday, drenching Beijing and other major cities. Historically, China enters its peak rainy season in late July, but extreme weather has made storms more intense and unpredictable, exposing heavily built-up megacities with poor drainage to sudden floods and waterlogging. In Beijing, authorities have deployed this week over 2,600 people to drain 87 pumping stations in advance and clear thousands of water drainage outlets along roads, municipal authorities said in a statement on Friday. In July 2021, extreme rain in the central Henan city of Zhengzhou killed nearly 400 people, including 14 who drowned in a submerged subway line. Reporting by Ryan Woo and Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: drenching, Ryan Woo, Liz Lee, Miral Organizations: Beijing Public Transport, Authorities, Xinhua, China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, drenching Beijing, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Wuxi city, Gansu, Zhengzhou

☆ A cluster of ancient neolithic standing stones in France were bulldozed to make way for a DIY store
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

39 ancient monoliths were swept away from a site in France to make room for a DIY store. The stones, thought to date back 7,000 years, are in a region famed for its standing stones. Montaubin is on the edge of the Carnac region of France famed for its menhirs, or ancient standing stones. The nearby tourist sites of Ménec, Kermario, and Kerlescan, which collectively hold around 3,000 ancient stones, are carefully managed. Mr BricolageThe UNESCO application, if it goes through, will see the sites more closely regulated.

Persons: —, Christian Obeltz, Olivier Lepick, Louise Chaulin, Mr Bricolage, Bricolage, Lepick, Obeltz Organizations: Service, UNESCO, Brittany Cultural Affairs Office, Agence France, Local Locations: France, Montaubin, Ouest, Carnac, Ménec, Brittany, UNESCO

[1/3] Smoke from the Tantallon wildfire rises over houses in nearby Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada, May 28, 2023. REUTERS/Eric MartynHALIFAX, May 29 (Reuters) - A wildfire in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax led to mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of homes, with officials saying residents are not allowed to return until advised by municipal authorities. These suburban communities are home to many of the city's workers and are situated about 15 miles from Halifax. The wildfire, aided by strong winds and tinder-dry woods, damaged dozens of homes and also hampered rescue services. But most of those fires have since been brought under control, helping oil and gas production to resume.

☆ They were convicted for marijuana. Now they’re first in line to sell it legally
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Stefan Sykes for CNBCTRENTON, N.J. – Tahir Johnson has been arrested for marijuana possession three times. Stefan Sykes for CNBCA conditional license is a provisional license that allows awardees to begin operating while they fulfill requirements for an annual license. Stefan Sykes for CNBC"The generational wealth this will create for my family is surreal," he said. He's sold marijuana since he was Stefan Sykes for CNBCIn Trenton, African Americans represent nearly half of the city's population. Stefan Sykes for CNBC

☆ Miner BHP accused of delaying $6 billion-plus Brazil dam case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Global mining giant BHP Group (BHP.AX) was on Tuesday accused of trying to "forever put off" the question of liability for a 2015 dam collapse that triggered Brazil's worst environmental disaster. BHP, the world's biggest miner by market value, denies liability and earlier this month applied to join Vale to the case. BHP has applied to the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and its application is pending. He argued BHP was trying to "forever put off the question of substantive liability for another few years – that would no doubt be very convenient." Charles Gibson, representing BHP, said in court documents that the list of current claimants was "chaotic" and there was "continuing uncertainty" around whether thousands of individuals wanted to continue their cases.

☆ Debt woes and zero-Covid: China's cities are running out of cash to pay huge bills
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

They spent 11.8 trillion yuan ($1.65 trillion) more than they raised in revenue between January and October, borrowing heavily to do so, according to data from China’s Ministry of Finance. Andy Wong/AP‘Widest in history’For nearly three years, local governments have borne the brunt of enforcing pandemic controls. The weak fiscal position of local governments has been a drag on the country’s overall financial standing. Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesLow income, high costsWhy are local governments in this parlous state? In May, Beijing told local governments that they had to bear the costs for regular Covid testing in their regions.

☆ Protests against Covid controls erupt across China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Demonstrators against Covid restrictions hold blank sheets of paper during a protest in Beijing in the early hours of Monday, Nov. 28. BEIJING — Rare protests broke out across China over the weekend as groups of people vented their frustration over the zero-Covid policy. The unrest came as infections surged, prompting more local Covid controls, while a central government policy change earlier this month had raised hopes of a gradual easing. People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, ran a front page op-ed Monday on the need to make Covid controls more targeted and effective, while removing those that should be removed. On Sunday, municipal authorities said temporary controls on movement should not last more than 24 hours.

☆ Beijing grinds to a near halt as China's capital city battles Covid with more lockdowns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Covid restrictions have tightened in Beijing while infections keep soaring, prompting lockdowns of communities. Jade Gao | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's capital city is grinding to a near standstill as Covid controls spread. Beijing city government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. watch nowLocal infections have surged despite gradual tightening of Covid measures over the last two weeks. Beijing city reported more than 1,800 Covid infections for Thursday, bringing the total for the month to well over 10,000.

☆ Kosovo delays fining Serb drivers for 2 days after U.S. request
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live in Kosovo refuse to recognise Pristina's authority, and still consider themselves a part of Serbia. Belgrade has said it will never recognise Kosovo's independence. Hundreds of police officers, judges, prosecutors and other state workers from the Serb minority quit their jobs this month after Pristina ruled that local Serbs must finally replace car plates issued by Kosovo Serb municipal authorities, loyal to Belgrade, with Kosovo state ones. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the talks, blamed mainly Kosovo for rejecting an EU proposal on how to resolve the dispute. NATO, which has around 3,700 peacekeepers in Kosovo, said it was ready to intervene should the security situation be threatened.

☆ China's Covid controls are pushing companies to diversify away from a 'start-stop economy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

After a Covid outbreak at a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, China, some workers chose to go home. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's decision to maintain Covid controls is pushing companies to look to factories outside the country, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit. Beijing's stringent Covid controls helped the country resume work while the rest of the world still struggled with the pandemic in 2020. watch nowOver the weekend, some Foxconn workers reportedly forced their way out of Covid controls at the factory. JPMorgan analysts predicted that just 5% of Apple's global iPhone 14 production would move to India this year.

☆ Exclusive: Thousands of workers evicted in Qatar's capital ahead of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

World soccer's governing body FIFA did not respond to a request for comment and Qatar's World Cup organisers directed inquiries to the government. "DELIBERATE GHETTO-ISATION"Around 85% of Qatar's three million population are foreign workers. Most were in neighbourhoods where the government has rented buildings for World Cup fan accommodation. He said labourers who built up the infrastructure for Qatar to host the World Cup were being pushed aside as the tournament approaches. (This story has been refiled to clarify that apartment blocks being emptied are in the same areas in Doha where visiting soccer fans will stay during World Cup, in the lead paragraph.)

☆ Afghan refugees camp out in Brazilian airport in search of new life
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Fernando Cardoso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brazil has approved about 6,000 humanitarian visas for Afghan refugees since late last year. But local authorities near Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport said they had little idea there would be dozens of Afghans arriving daily this month. The refugees told Reuters they arrived without promises of a place to stay and now the local government is scuttling to find places for them outside the airport grounds. Afghan women talk near makeshift tents made out of blankets as they camp at Sao Paulo International airport in search of refuge in Guarulhos, Brazil, October 12, 2022. The Sao Paulo state government is working with municipal authorities and civil society to attend to basic needs of the arriving refugees.

Women with dogs chat through gaps in a barrier at a sealed area, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China October 11, 2022. Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, reported 28 new local cases for Oct. 10, authorities said on Tuesday, the fourth day of double-digit increases. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterNationwide, 2,089 new local infections were reported, the highest since Aug. 20. That's a step up from once a week presently, a regime imposed after the earlier lockdown was lifted. Checks on people travelling to Shanghai and places such as hotels, should also be strengthened, municipal authorities said.

☆ Blackouts after Russian strikes deepen Ukraine's concerns before winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Russian missile strikes on Ukraine's power network caused blackouts in many parts of the country on Monday, deepening fears of outages this winter and prompting Kyiv to halt electricity exports. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLong queues formed at petrol stations in some areas. He warned civilians that "you need to be prepared for the consequences of such shelling, up to rolling blackouts." GRIM WINTER AHEADWith no end in sight to the war, Ukrainian authorities had already been warning of Russian attacks on critical infrastructure and preparing for a grim winter. The war has wrought huge damage to the energy network, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is in "cold shutdown" after being occupied by Russian forces.

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File PhotoBERLIN, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The German government has opened discussions about providing urgent support for scores of regional state-owned energy providers which are struggling to cope with soaring gas prices, three sources familiar with the matter said. A spokesperson for Germany's economy ministry said it was in contact with the country's regional states concerning the municipal authorities, but declined to elaborate. There is a growing sense of urgency to provide support as energy bills for German households and industry become increasingly unaffordable. Liebing, who has previously warned about insolvencies in the sector, said the talks involved measures needed to shield municipal utilities from "acute" difficulties. "Should municipal authorities be at risk of collapse, many other services such as water, bin collection and public transport could fall apart," he said.

☆ Baidu's robotaxis don't need any human staff in these parts of China
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese tech company Baidu announced Monday it can sell some robotaxi rides without any human staff in the vehicles. BEIJING — Chinese tech company Baidu said Monday it has become the first robotaxi operator in China to obtain permits for selling rides with no human driver or staff member inside the vehicles. The local government approvals allow Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxi business to eliminate the cost of human personnel in some instances. But the Chinese capital still requires human staff to sit in the robotaxi with passengers. In the U.S., Alphabet's Waymo and General Motors ' subsidiary Cruise can already run public robotaxis with no human staff in the vehicles.

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