DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Leaders from government, the arts, academia and philanthropy gathered in Washington for “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities." Panel discussions focused on turning to the arts and humanities to solve challenges, from improving health to bridging divides. HHS and the NEA have a long history of working together to improve health using the arts, including through music, Becerra said. That's through painting, that's through food, that's through performances and music,” Lowe said in an interview before the summit. “They're so tied together it's hard to separate the two.”Biden's executive order said the arts, humanities and museum and library services are essential to the well-being, health, vitality and democracy of the nation.

Persons: Tanden, ” Maria Rosario Jackson, Renee Fleming, Anna Deavere Smith, Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Radhika Fox, Jackson, Xavier Becerra, Becerra, Biden, NEH, Shelly Lowe, ” Lowe, ”, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, Environmental Protection Agency, Arts and Culture, Democratic, Associated Press, NEA, EPA's, Water, Health, Human Services, HHS, National Endowment, Humanities, United, White Locations: United States, Washington, Seattle , New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Boston, York, New Jersey, Culture, America

☆ Gaza Ceasefire Plan for Hostage Release Awaits Hamas Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

"We don't know and we cannot predict what Hamas' response will be," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said on Monday. Hamas told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday the proposal would involve three stages, including the release of hostages held by the group and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. "After that, the Hamas leadership will meet to discuss the paper and express its final opinion on it," the statement said. More than 100 Israeli hostages are still held, following the release of a similar number in an earlier truce in November that involved the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas statement said the second phase would also involve the release of male military recruits.

Persons: Jonathan Landay, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Mills, Nidal, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, David Barnea, Sheikh Mohammed, Jordan, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Islamic Jihad, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Dan Williams, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Palestinian, U.S, Paris, Islamic, Hamas, Washington's Atlantic Council, Israeli Defense Forces Locations: Mughrabi WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, DOHA, Gaza, Israel, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Paris, Qatar, Egypt, U.S, France, Cairo

☆ Why Domicide Should Be a Crime Against Humanity - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Balakrishnan Rajagopal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Opinion Domicide: The Mass Destruction of Homes Should Be a Crime Against HumanityThe widespread or systematic destruction of homes has long been a feature of modern warfare. We all understand that killing can be a murder, a war crime, a crime against humanity or an act of genocide, depending on the gravity and intention of the act. Indeed, what has happened to homes and lives in Gaza is a stand-alone crime: domicide. There is precedent for updating what we legally define as international crimes. Accountability for domicide in Gaza cannot stop with potential criminal prosecutions or declaratory judgments by courts someday in the future.

Persons: Yaqeen Baker, It’s, I’ve, Israel, Enshrining Organizations: West Bank, Israel, United, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Marshall Locations: Jabalia, Gaza, Aleppo, Grozny, Myanmar, Canada, Syria, United Nations, Dresden, Rotterdam, Mariupol, Israel, Hiroshima, Geneva, Rome, domicide, United States

☆ Opinion: Why Ron DeSantis turned out to be a loser
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Opinion Ilene Prusher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ron DeSantis was touted as a rising star with a clear path leading to the Republican nomination in 2024 and possibly into the White House itself. DeSantis also championed the policies that Trump voters claimed to want more of, like a hard line on abortion, expanded gun access and removing progressive prosecutors. The thing that DeSantis didn’t have over the billionaire reality TV star-turned-president – Trump’s personality – turned out to be a fatal flaw. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott – were unwilling to lend their support to DeSantis’ flailing campaign, endorsing Trump instead. Or one could look at DeSantis’ charmless offensive and conclude that his presidential ambitions will never be more than that – ambitions.

Persons: ”, “ Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Prusher Jordana Miller, DeSantis, –, Joe Biden, Scott Maxwell, “, “ Ron DeSantis ’, Mickey Mouse, ” Ana Navarro, Gary Fineout, Trump, Ron DeSanctimonious, doesn’t bode, Brandon Girod, Democrat Andrew Gillum, Joseph Ladapo, Marco Rubio, Rick Scott –, ’, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama –, Clinton Organizations: Florida Atlantic University, CNN, New, Florida Gov, Republican, Harvard Law School, Yale University, Trump, Orlando Sentinel, Disney, Business, POLITICO, Florida Republicans, DeSantis, White, Pensacola News, Democrat, Sens, Democratic, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Miami, POLITICO Florida, Tallahassee, Sunshine

☆ Former NATO commander says the Ukraine war could end just like the Korean War, with Russia clinging on to parts of Ukrainian land
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewThe end of the Ukraine war could look a lot like that of the Korean War, with parts of Ukraine remaining occupied by Russian forces, says a former NATO supreme allied commander. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The long-drawn conflict has seen Russia grappling with the West's crippling sanctions and Ukraine leaning on Western support for their war efforts. Representatives for Stavridis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: —, James Stavridis, Stavridis, John Catsimatidis, John, we've, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: Service, Business, US, NATO, Business Insider Locations: Ukraine, NATO, Russia, Crimea

☆ Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo Traffic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

PANAMA CANAL Colón Atlantic Ocean Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Ship traffic Pacific Ocean PANAMA CANAL Colón Lake Alajuela Atlantic Ocean Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Colón Lake Alajuela Atlantic Ocean Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Ship traffic Pacific Ocean PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic Source: MariTrace Ship movements from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, 2024. Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo TrafficThe lake that allows the Panama Canal to function recorded the lowest water level ever for the start of a dry season this year, which means that vastly fewer ships can pass through the canal. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced daily traffic through the narrow corridor by nearly 40 percent compared with last year. “The fact that the Panama Canal operates on freshwater is a major disadvantage compared to other water routes,” said Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, in a video address last month. But it may not be enough to meet the pressing demand for cargo traffic through the Panama Canal.

Persons: El, Jan, ”, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Gatún, Joshua Tewksbury, Gloria Arrocha Paz, Arrocha Paz Organizations: PANAMA Ship, Panama Canal Authority, Maersk, Panama Canal, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Demand, Times, Smithsonian Tropical Research Locations: PANAMA, Lake Panama, Panama City PANAMA, Lake Panama City PANAMA, Panama, East Coast, United States, Northeast Asia, South America, Tewksbury, Indio, Gatún, Panama City, Panama Canal Authority, What’s

The announcement shocked civil rights advocates, who countered that the state's system is already arduous and this latest requirement will only further worsen voter disenfranchisement throughout the state. However, in GOP-dominant Tennessee, Republican leaders have repeatedly shrugged off calls to reform the state's voting-rights restoration policy. Voting rights advocates have argued the legal interpretation was way off-base. The change, instituted by elections officials in July, has since halted almost all voting rights restorations: More than 60 people were denied and just one person approved. “It's un-American.”Democratic Rep. Joe Towns likened the state's policy to Jim Crow-era laws that were put in place with the intent of stopping Black people from participating in elections.

Persons: —, shouldn't, ”, William Lamberth, you’ve, it’s, We’ve, Cameron Sexton, Randy McNally, I’m, they’ve, ” McNally, “, Sen, Raumesh, wasn't, Mark Goins, ” Akbari, “ It's, Joe Towns, Jim Crow Organizations: Associated Press, GOP, Republican, Democratic, AP, “, Tennessee Constitution, Assembly, ” Democratic Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, Raumesh Akbari, Memphis

BEIJING (AP) — China, the world’s biggest exporter, says it is deeply concerned about tensions in the Red Sea that have upended global trade by forcing many shippers to avoid the Suez Canal. Political Cartoons View All 253 Images“We are deeply concerned about the recent escalation of the Red Sea situation. The Red Sea is an important international trade route for goods and energy,” Wang said. Some of the world’s largest container shipping companies and oil giant BP have been sending vessels on longer journeys around Africa that bypass the Red Sea. In response to the growing impact on global trade, the United States and a host of other nations have created a new force to protect ships.

Persons: Wang Wenbin, ” Wang, Yemen’s, Israel —, Wang, Good Hope, “, ” Organizations: BEIJING, Foreign, Kiel Institute, Washington, U.S, United Nations Security Locations: China, Suez, Iran, Red, Iranian, Asia, Europe, Sanaa, Saudi, Israel, Gaza, United States, Africa, Good, Drewry, Germany, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, East, Beijing, Yemen

Lily Gladstone knew she wanted to be somewhere special when the Oscar news came. “I wanted to be as close to Mollie Kyle and her family as I could be. But Gladstone pointed out that the film was not only about what she called the “horrible, complicated, skewed love” between Mollie and Ernest. It is also, she said, about “the love that Mollie and her community had for each other. As an actor and then, how I can help get other stories told that deserve to be out there.

Persons: Lily Gladstone, Oscar, Martin Scorsese’s, “, ” Gladstone, Mollie Kyle, Gray, Gladstone’s, She’s, I’ve, ”, …, David Grann’s, Mollie, Ernest Burkhart, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Gladstone, Ernest, “ I’ve, that’s Organizations: Gray Horse, Globe Locations: Oklahoma, American, Pawhuska , Oklahoma, Fairfax, Seattle, Blackfeet, Montana

☆ A Gen X woman bought a crumbling 1890s manor. She thought she'd be done restoring it a year into the project, but the work kept coming.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewNear downtown Rensselaer, Indiana, stood a charming old house that Tabetha Heemstra fell in love with at first sight. The Queen Anne-style property was in disrepair, but even with paint peeling off its exterior, Heemstra could see its potential. She has to use different types of paint scrapers and even dental tools on some of the exterior details. Sometimes Heemstra even had to resort to using dental tools to scrape the old paint off. That would've meant that Heemstra completed the restoration project within a year of buying the home.

Persons: —, Tabetha Heemstra, Anne, Heemstra, George F, Barber, It's, that's, she'll, She's, I've Organizations: Service, Business, National Register of Historic Places, BI, McKinley Locations: Rensselaer , Indiana, McKinley, Rensselaer, Chicago, Indianapolis, Jasper

For decades, federal and state officials have struggled to control farm runoff, the biggest source of nutrient pollution that is not typically federally regulated. Water pollution from factories and industry is typically federally regulated. The Biden administration recently proposed toughening regulations on meat and poultry processing plants to reduce pollution, Wall said. When nutrient pollution flows into the Gulf of Mexico, it spurs growth of bacteria that consume oxygen. That affects the productivity of commercial fisheries and marine life in general, but nutrient pollution is also damaging upstream.

Persons: that's, It’s, ”, Olivia Dorothy, Tom Wall, Biden, Wall, Nancy Rabalais, Anne Schechinger, Gregory Klinger, Brad Carlson, Martin Larsen, He's, Larsen, ___ Walling, ___, Melina Walling Organizations: LOUIS, Environmental, Agency, Midwest, EPA, Louisiana State University, University of Minnesota, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Midwest, Minnesota, Olmsted County, Chicago

He has ensured this with the Ram Temple,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an expert in Hindu nationalism and author of a book on Modi. Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is expected to once again exploit religion for political gain in the upcoming national elections in April or May and secure power for a third consecutive term. The mosque was demolished by Hindu mobs in December 1992, sparking nationwide riots that killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. That fraught history is still an open wound for many Muslims, and some say the temple is the biggest political testament yet to Hindu supremacy. Modi has released postage stamps on Ram Temple, and live screenings of the ceremony are planned across the country.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Lord Ram, Modi, ”, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Modi's, ” Mukhopadhyay, “ Modi, Ram, Salam, ” Salam, revivalism —, “ Organizations: DELHI, —, Indian, Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party, Ram, BJP Locations: India, Ayodhya —, Ayodhya, Babri, Gujarat, Babri Mosque, Hindu India

☆ Opinion | The Roots of Trump Nostalgia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Jonathan Chait has a long lament in New York magazine about the diminishing intensity of anti-Trump politics in America. Even as the former president shoulders his way toward the Republican nomination and leads President Biden in many polls, Chait frets that “the imperative to keep Trump out of the Oval Office has become tiresome.” Indeed, a kind of “exhaustion” with anti-Trumpism, Chait writes, “may be the most dominant attribute of our national mood.”His essay goes on to interpret this exhaustion as more psychological and even spiritual than simply political. The way that so many anti-Trump Republican donors and politicians seemed to essentially give up on the hope of a competitive primary once Trump was indicted and Ron DeSantis didn’t set the world on fire fits this framework. So does the way that the Democratic Party has seemingly sleepwalked into renominating Biden despite his lousy polling numbers and obvious age-related issues. But I also think more than just exhaustion is at work here, and that some of the different groups Chait identifies as insufficiently anti-Trump — left-wingers, establishment Republicans, pocketbook-conscious swing voters — are actually experiencing something that might be more accurately characterized as a kind of Trump nostalgia.

Persons: Jonathan Chait, Biden, Trump, Chait, “, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis didn’t, renominating Biden Organizations: Trump, Republican, Trump Republican, Democratic Party Locations: New York, America, Biden’s America

Millennials are turning to more creative and affordable ways of getting on the property ladder, such as buying a fixer-upper. One day, while out walking, she noticed a beautiful, old house that "seemed empty and looked a wreck." A couple bought a 19th-century manor house in Ohio they saw in the Cheap Old Houses newsletterThe Angeleauxs pose in front of Walnut Hill, a house they found on the Cheap Old Houses Instagram account. In May 2022, the Cheap Old Houses newsletter advertised an 1800s manor house in the small village of Higginsport, Ohio. During the renovation, Wormann handled a termite infestation in the beams, disposing of mountains of trash, and firing unreliable contractors.

Persons: —, Betsy Sweeny, Betsy Sweeny Betsy Sweeny, Sweeny, Kayli, Angeleaux, Connor, Kayli Angeleaux, Connor Angeleaux's, We're, Farleigh, Olamide Soyemi, Cullen Farleigh Olamide Soyemi, Cullen Farleigh, Soyemi, creatives, Cullen, Anton Wormann, Anton Wormann Anton Wormann, Wormann, hadn't, akiya Organizations: Service, McClain House, Federal Housing Association Locations: Wheeling , West Virginia, McClain, Virginia, Ohio, Walnut Hill, Utah, Higginsport , Ohio, Colombus, London, East London, Swedish, Tokyo, Japan, Sweden

Portland General Electric warned that the threat of freezing rain Tuesday could delay restoration efforts. Freezing rain and sleet was expected continue across portions of the Southeast into Tuesday morning. Monday night saw temperatures drop as low as 10 degrees (minus 12.2 C) in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and Jackson, Tennessee. Temperatures dipped to minus 3 degrees (minus 19.4 C) in Des Moines, with the wind chill making it feel far colder. The flight tracking service FlightAware reported about 2,900 cancellations Monday within, into or out of the United States.

Persons: Donald Trump Organizations: Rockies, Portland General Electric, NFL, Buffalo Bills, Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC Locations: BUFFALO, N.Y, Great Plains, Midwest, U.S, Oregon, Portland, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Fort Worth, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Alabama, Franklin County, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Olive Branch , Mississippi, Jackson , Tennessee, Orchard Park , New York, Iowa, Des Moines, United States, Northern Plains

☆ The one thing the superrich want in their homes is simple — and it's actually cheap
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"They want to be comfortable everywhere," an interior designer told Sotheby's of his luxury clients. Folks want to be at ease in 2024, according to Sotheby's luxury outlook for the year ahead , and no one has more spending power to make that a decadent reality in their homes than the wealthiest among us. Actor David Harbour showed Architectural Digest his Brooklyn backyard sauna and cold plunge pools, by New York-based modular sauna company Swelter House, in February 2023. "I got really into sauna and cold plunge, like, three years ago," he said, standing in the doorway of the Finnish-style sauna. Eklund's own home in Beverly Hills, California has an infrared sauna and a cold plunge pool, though, he told BI, he's "not the average buyer."

Persons: Sotheby's, —, Loro Piana, Kendall Roy, Robert Stilin, Stilin, Michael Gabellini, Gabellini Shephard, Kendall Jenner, Kardashian, Fredrik Eklund Bravo, Fredrik Eklund, John Gomes, David Harbour, Eklund, luxuriating, Liliya Krueger, Jenner Organizations: Service Locations: Los Angeles, Brooklyn, New York, Beverly Hills , California

☆ Congress announces tax deal to expand child tax credit and revive breaks for businesses
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Sahil Kapur | Kate Santaliz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Senior lawmakers in Congress announced a bipartisan deal Tuesday to expand the child tax credit and provide a series of tax breaks for businesses. The deal, details of which were reported earlier by NBC News, would enhance refundable child tax credits in an attempt to provide relief to financially struggling and multi-child families. Democrats had demanded a larger child tax credit after an earlier version they passed for less than one year expired, causing child poverty to fall and then rise again after it lapsed. And Republicans were motivated to revive some expired portions of the 2017 Trump tax cuts for businesses. Wyden has said he hopes to pass the deal by the beginning of tax filing season, which is Jan. 29.

Persons: Cara Baldari, Evie, Sarah Orrin, Vipond, Otto, Jason Smith, Ron Wyden, Smith, " Wyden, Wyden, That's Organizations: D.C, U.S, Capitol, WASHINGTON —, Congress, NBC News, American Locations: China

☆ Putin Says Ukraine's Statehood at Risk if Pattern of War Continues
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine's statehood could suffer an "irreparable blow" if the pattern of the war continued, and Russia would never be forced to abandon the gains it had made. Putin made his televised comments a day after Switzerland agreed to host a global summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Putin dismissed "so-called peace formulas" being discussed in the West and Ukraine and what he called the "prohibitive demands" they entailed. "Now it is quite obvious, not only (Ukraine's) counter-offensive failed, but the initiative is completely in the hands of the Russian armed forces. If this continues, Ukrainian statehood may suffer an irreparable, very serious blow."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Mark Trevelyan, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Switzerland, West, Ukraine, Russian

Mr. Trump is the first former president in the modern era who has sought to return to the White House. Regardless of what comes next, Mr. Trump’s Iowa victory amounts to a remarkable resurrection of a political career that had once appeared in tatters. Image Mr. Trump greeted supporters after a Fox News town hall in Des Moines. If Mr. Trump does become the nominee, the 2024 campaign will have few modern parallels. A different case making its way through the federal courts will test Mr. Trump’s claim that he should be immune from prosecution.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, DeSantis, Haley, Biden, “, ” Mr, Vivek Ramaswamy, Maansi Srivastava, Mr, “ We’ve, Haley’s, —, Hilary Swift, ”, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Ramaswamy, Long, Haiyun Jiang, Jack Smith Organizations: The Associated Press, Republican, United Nations, Capitol, Senate, clapped, Horizon, New York Times, American, Republicans, PAC, National Weather Service, Mr, Trump, The New York Times, Service, Gov, Fox News, Des Moines . Credit, Justice Department, Biden, “ Locations: Clive , Iowa, Iowa, Florida, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Trump’s Iowa, tatters, “ Iowa, New Hampshire , Nevada, state’s, New York, North Dakota, Des Moines, Georgia, “ America

“Conditions right now in Orchard Park, where the game would have started moments ago,” she wrote early Sunday afternoon. Sub-zero wind chills will grip much of the country, plunging to 50 degrees below zero in Montana and the Dakotas. Other parts of the country could see temperatures drop 25 to 40 degrees below normal, from the Rockies to the Ohio Valley. Even places like Florida won’t be spared from turbulent weather, with forecasts predicting showers and thunderstorms from Monday into Tuesday. The utility said it was watching a second weather pattern that could bring high winds and freezing rain on Tuesday.

Persons: Donald Trump, ‘ Darling, Kathy Hochul, ”, diehard, Logan Eschrich, ___ Weber, Russ Bynum, Nathan Ellgren, Philip Marcelo, Nick Perry, Julie Walker, Bobby Caina Calvan Organizations: NFL, National Weather Service, Northern Rockies, Pittsburgh Steelers, . Buffalo Bills NFL, New York Gov, Bills, South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Rockies, Portland General Electric, Omaha Public Power District, Buffalo Niagara International, Associated Press Locations: PORTLAND, Iowa, Kansas, Northwest, Buffalo , New York, Buffalo, Orchard Park, New York, Lake Erie, Snow, Montana, Ohio, Texas, Southern Plains and Southern, Florida, Oregon, Portland, Michigan , New York , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, In Nebraska, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Tacoma, Los Angeles, Savannah , Georgia, Des Moines , Iowa, Long Island , New York, Meredith , New Hampshire, New York City

☆ Ukraine and Russia say they want the war to end. But military and political experts say they're nowhere near peace talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Fighting remains intense in southern and eastern Ukraine, where Russian units are deeply entrenched, preventing Ukraine's forces from making significant advances. They note that neither Russia nor Ukraine seems to be at a point where a political resolution is palatable, however. 'Red lines' firmly drawnBoth Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly said they want the war to end — but on their terms. For its part, the Kremlin said in December that it saw no current basis for peace talks, and called Kyiv's peace plan an "absurd process" as it excluded Russia. One big stumbling block in any potential peace talks now is their respective positions on territorial integrity.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, It's, Sam Greene, Pierre Crom, Stephen Twitty, Vladimir Putin, Sam Cranny, Evans, Putin, there's, Zelenskyy, Mario Bikarski, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Bill Clark Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Economic, King's College London, CNBC, U.S, Army, U.S . European Command, Economic Forum, Royal United Services Institute, Kremlin, Kherson —, Anadolu Agency, CIS, Senators, Capitol, Cq, Inc Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Switzerland, Davos, Kyiv, Malta, China, Crimea, Avdiivka, Europe, Moscow, Russian, Estonia, Belarus, Turkey, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Ky

☆ Photographs show the dramatic transformation of San Francisco’s salt ponds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But these shades are not mixed on a palette, they are unfiltered snapshots of San Francisco Bay’s salt ponds. Barbara BoissevainAlthough perhaps less photogenic, the shift is a positive sign, says Dave Halsing, executive project manager of the South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project. Today, Cargill still operates 12,000 acres of salt ponds, capable of crystallizing half a million tons of sea salt each year. She remembers visiting the salt ponds for the first time during a science class in third grade. She started by going up in the air once a year to photograph the salt ponds.

Persons: CNN — Barbara Boissevain’s, Mark Rothko, Dunaliella, Barbara Boissevain, Dave Halsing, ”, Boissevain, “, David Maisel Organizations: CNN, Cargill, Menlo Park, Meta, Facebook, Kehrer Verlag, San Jose State University Locations: Francisco, Salt, Manhattan, Dunaliella salina, Silicon, Menlo, Ravenswood Ponds

☆ The new architecture set to shape the world in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Kéré’s Berlin-based firm says the building’s top-heavy appearance was inspired by the palaver tree, which traditionally served as a meeting place. Designed for developer s2e Technologies by US architecture firm Gensler, the four circular residential structures can accommodate a combined 84 households. But it is perhaps Bjarke Ingels, founder of Danish design firm BIG, that has had the greatest impact on the city’s once modest skyline. The first restored sections are set to be ready in time for this summer’s Paris Olympics. Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and local practice Blight Rayner — who together beat more than 20 entries in an international competition — say that the design was inspired by the flow of the Brisbane River.

Persons: David Chipperfield, Francis Kéré, Kéré, China Stefano Boeri, Bosco, Stefano Boeri, Mestres Wåge, Nicolai Tangen, NBBJ, Dror, EPIQ, Ecuador Uribe Schwarzkopf, Bjarke, Moshe Safdie, Jean Nouvel, Ma Yansong, Ingels, France Chatillon Architectes, Notre Dame isn’t, Chatillon, Nikken Sekkei, ”, “, Blight Rayner —, Aunty Lilla Watson Organizations: CNN, superlatives, Malaysia’s, Benin National Assembly, Forest, Kunstsilo, Keppel South, Enclave, s2e Technologies, Bjarke Ingels, BIG, UNESCO, Heritage, Notre Dame, Palais, Beaux -, Chatillon Architects, UAE Kerzner, United, “ Michelin, New York Times, Gang, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Locations: India, Benin, Porto, Novo, Burkina Faso, Kéré’s Berlin, Nanjing, China, Milan, Italy, Europe, China’s, Kristiansand, Norway, Norwegian, Keppel, Keppel South Central, Singapore, London, Canada, London , Ontario, Quito, Ecuador, Bjarke Ingels Quito, Parque La Carolina, Paris, France, Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Hotel, Denver, USA, Denver , Colorado, Urban, Brisbane, Australia, Australian

☆ ‘Lost’ Botticelli masterpiece worth $109 million found in home in southern Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jack Guy | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —A painting by the 15th-century master Sandro Botticelli, recorded as missing since the 1980s, has been found at a home in southern Italy. The depiction of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ was discovered in a home in the town of Gragnano, near Naples, according to the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples. The painting by the artist most famous for “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” is estimated by Italian authorities to be worth at least €100 million ($109 million). “The family continues to hold the title of the work, which, however, will be preserved in a museum,” Croce added. The Somma family declined to comment when contacted by CNN.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Sandro Botticelli, Virgin Mary, Christ, Venus ”, Santa Maria la Carità, Massimiliano Croce, Croce, ” Croce, “, Botticelli Organizations: Rome CNN, Protection Unit of Naples, Primavera, Roman Catholic Church, CNN, Cultural Locations: Italy, Gragnano, Naples, Neapolitan, Santa, State

☆ Not so dead as a dodo: ‘De-extinction’ plan to reintroduce bird to Mauritius
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An audacious collaboration between geneticists and conservationists plans to bring back the extinct dodo and reintroduce it to its once-native habitat in Mauritius. But according to the partners, its return to Mauritius could benefit the dodo’s immediate environment and other species. The Nicobar pigeon, native to the coastal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is the closest living relative to the dodo. Then it will edit the PGCs of a Nicobar so it expresses the physical traits of a dodo. “I have studied the dodo for many years, and there is still a lot to learn about this enigmatic bird,” he added.

Persons: dodo, Beth Shapiro, ”, Matt James, James, Holger Hollemann, Tatayah, ” Tatayah, “, dodos, Ben Birchall, Julian Hume, ” Hume, Ben Lamm, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Colossal Biosciences, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Getty, Gorges, Colossal, “, White Rhino, Biosciences Locations: Mauritius, Rodrigues Island, Asia, Nicobar, Park, “ Mauritius, Aigrettes, Ile

Search resuls for: "Restoration"

25 mentions found