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“The magnitude of the flow is unprecedented and unheard of,” said Jorge Duany, director of Florida International University’s Cuba Research Institute. Over 6,000 Cuban migrants were interdicted at sea in 2021 while attempting to cross the Florida straits in makeshift boats. Recent migrants have been staying with relatives until they’re able to find work and a room or efficiency to rent. “It’s basically chaos,” said Angel Leal, an immigration attorney in Miami with a large volume of Cuban clients. But previous waves of Cuban migrants, like those who came in the 1990s during the rafter crisis, also leaned Democratic and then ultimately turned Republican.

☆ Ryuichi Sakamoto, fighting cancer, livestreams what may be final concert
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Japan's Ryuichi Sakamoto, known for his electronic music, including the score for "The Last Emperor," on Monday finished streaming a concert that may be the last for the Academy-award winning composer, who is fighting stage 4 cancer. "My strength has really fallen, so a normal concert of about an hour to ninety minutes would be very difficult," he said. In 2014 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which was cured after years of treatment. But in January 2021 he said he had been diagnosed with rectal cancer the previous year. In June 2022, he wrote in an essay that the cancer had spread despite multiple operations and was now Stage 4.

☆ China's stunning reversal on lockdowns showed that mass protests can influence policy change in the country — but experts say it still doesn't threaten Xi's regime
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But experts on China say it's unlikely the protests will embolden future political movements. The changes come after protests against COVID measures erupted all across China — rare for a country where dissent is snuffed out quickly. Baogang He, the chair of international relations at Deakin University in Australia, agreed that the protests show how mass anger can influence government policy, but not regime change. "No one is strong enough to exploit or dare to use these protests to mount a challenge to Xi Jinping," Xi, the professor, told Insider. Chong said that although Xi holds extensive power in China, the protests and subsequent rollback both underscore how he can make major mistakes, too.

☆ How Cho Gue-sung became the breakout thirst trap of the World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Cho, 24, was a local celebrity as a player for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC before the World Cup, when he had 20,000 Instagram followers. Cho first generated buzz in his World Cup debut during Korea’s match against Uruguay, which ended in a scoreless tie. South Korea's Cho Gue-sung, center, during the FIFA World Cup match against Ghana in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Nov. 28. One can point to 2002’s World Cup heartthrob, Ahn Jung Hwan, whose beauty was only celebrated locally in South Korea. “He’s hot, he knows it, and he scored two goals for Korea in the World Cup.

That made Vietnam one of the top buyers of Russian arms, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global military expenditures. Starting Thursday, the country will host its first large-scale international arms trade fair, for which more than 170 companies from 30 countries have registered, the defence ministry said. The Defence Ministry referred questions about the country's defence industry to the Foreign Ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment. A half-dozen Russian defence firms are registered for the Hanoi fair, including Rosoboronexport, the state agency that imports and exports weapons. That year, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced Vietnam's military imports to only $32 million, of which $9 million worth were Russian arms.

☆ Jiang Zemin: China's Xi calls for unity at former president's memorial service
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the country to unite around his leadership as he addressed a memorial service for former leader Jiang Zemin, following an unprecedented show of dissent over his zero-Covid policy and authoritarian rule. At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi led hundreds of China’s political and military elites to pay final tribute to Jiang, who died last Wednesday at the age of 96. Chinese leader Xi Jinping leads other officials to bow during a formal memorial for late former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in Beijing on December 6, 2022. Coming to power in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, Jiang led China out of international isolation and guided its integration into the global market. On Tuesday, in his first public speech since the protests, Xi praised Jiang for ensuring the party’s survival from the “political storms” of his time.

☆ Hearing aids may lower your risk for cognitive decline and dementia, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hearing aids might be an important tool in the effort to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new study. The new study published Monday in JAMA Neurology offers evidence that managing hearing loss may potentially help reduce or delay cognitive decline, Loh said. The use of hearing aids was associated with a 19% reduction in long-term cognitive decline, the study found. “Get screened for hearing loss, and if you do have hearing loss, speak with your audiologist or physician ENT to ensure appropriate and optimal correction to help stave off the potential dementia risk and cognitive decline,” Holland said. But in the meantime, people with hearing loss should talk with their doctor about whether it is appropriate to use hearing aids, Tan said.

☆ A new species of penguin-like diving dinosaur has been discovered
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A new study found evidence at least one species of dinosaur may have been an adept swimmer, diving into the water like a duck to hunt its prey. The study, published in Communications Biology on December 1, describes a newly-discovered species, Natovenator polydontus. Scientists from Seoul National University, the University of Alberta, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences collaborated on the paper. The Natovenator specimen is very similar to Halszkaraptor, another dinosaur discovered in Mongolia, which scientists believe was likely semiaquatic. “There is a real question of, OK, you’ve got a swimming dinosaur in the desert, what’s it swimming in?” he said.

☆ Australia's Albanese wins industrial relations vote, tougher challenges ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Australia's parliament passed legislation on Friday to reform industrial relations laws, boosting the ability of unions to negotiate with multiple employers and scrapping a construction industry watchdog. The Opposition Liberal party said it would lead to more strikes. "Businesses don't want the ideology," she said, referring to the traditional battlelines drawn between Labor, with its trade union power base, and the Liberal party, over industrial relations. The legislation passed the upper house with the support of the Greens, who said they won amendments from the government to improve parental leave that would benefit women. Legislation for a national Anti-Corruption Commission, a measure to re-establish public trust in politics, passed on Wednesday.

☆ A Penguin-Like Shape May Have Helped This Dinosaur Dive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And then there are penguins, which plunge a quarter-mile deep into icy waters in search of food. It now seems that modern birds are not the only dinosaur group to embrace the plunge-and-prey lifestyle. A team of researchers say they have found the earliest example of an extinct dinosaur with a body that was streamlined for diving. They described the dinosaur discovery in the journal Communications Biology on Thursday. The new duck-size dinosaur was at first overlooked.

☆ Driving simulator helps teens with ADHD keep eyes on the road - study
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Shawana Alleyne-Morris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Teens with ADHD are one of the highest-risk groups of drivers on our roadways," said study leader Dr. Jeffrey Epstein of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "Other than refusing or delaying licensure, parents have not had options for addressing their teen's driving risk." Teen drivers with ADHD are twice as likely to be involved in vehicular collisions as neurotypical teens, earlier research has shown. Rates of collisions or near collisions during these events were 3.4% in the intervention group versus 5.6% in the control group. At the same time, other aspects of the teens' driving will still need to be supported, he said, including compliance with speed limits and other rules of the road.

☆ 'It'll be really chaotic' if China suddenly changes its zero-Covid policy, professor says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'It'll be really chaotic' if China suddenly changes its zero-Covid policy, professor saysWang Gungwu of the National University of Singapore says the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party has been "overconfident" about keeping the zero-Covid policy going.

“Let’s say no to Norma Torres because she has caused so much harm to El Salvador,” one of the many tweets read. The State Department considers this an attempt to influence the elections. You can say someone is interfering with the election, you can call it election interference. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and his party Nuevas Ideas, or New Ideas, and its allies won the biggest congressional majority in the country’s history. Bukele and Torres met once in 2019 when she was with a congressional delegation visiting El Salvador.

☆ China doubles down on its 'zero COVID' rules while protests in major cities grow
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two international politics experts told Insider that while reversing some zero COVID policies could ease protestors, it won't be enough to send them home for good. But the government has shown no signs of easing any other zero COVID rules. Protesters around the country held up blank, white pieces of paper above their heads to protest against the zero COVID policies. But he doesn't predict a "broader relaxation of the zero covid policy." Xi voiced those concerns during a visit to Wuhan Tuesday in response to the zero COVID policies, state news agency Xinhua reported.

☆ World’s ‘oldest meal’ discovered in 550-million-year-old fossil
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Toyin Owoseje | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An international team of scientists say they have new insight into how the very earliest animals survived after traces of what they described as the world’s oldest meal were found in a 550 million-year-old fossil. Some of the oldest life on Earth is referred to as the Ediacaran biota. This group is based on the earliest fossils ever discovered, providing evidence of complex, multicellular organisms. Nearly all fossils that came before the Ediacaran biota were single-celled and microscopic in size,” Brocks said, according to a press release. Dr. Bobrovskiy said the findings are helping scientists track the evolution of the earliest animals, and how they relate to their descendants today.

☆ North Korea's flurry of missile tests has South Korea talking about the nuclear option
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Robert Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea has done dozens of missile tests this year, including an ICBM test last week. We should always keep talking to North Korea — it is too dangerous to ignore — but there is little realistic hope that North Korea will deal profoundly with its nukes or missiles at this point. South Koreans watch a news report on North Korean missile tests. The current South Korean president, Yoon Seok-yeol, suggested, as a candidate, that South Korea might preemptively air-strike North Korean missile sites in a crisis. The South Korean conservative party has suggested that South Korea should withdraw from the NPT if the North conducts a seventh nuclear test.

☆ China’s Xi attempts to claim diplomatic victory in battle for global influence after summit whirlwind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday. Since taking office, Biden has shored up relations with allies and partners to counter China’s growing influence. In a rare, candid moment caught on camera, Xi chided Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing him of leaking details of a brief conversation between them. He also attended the Group of 20 dinner, where he shook hands and chatted with leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from the Dutch Prime Minister, Xi also invited US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s newly elected Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to visit Beijing early next year.

The 2022 World Cup has been dogged by controversy since Qatar was announced as the first Middle East nation, and Gulf absolute monarchy, to host it. But a successful World Cup is far from guaranteed. Dorsey said Qatar could use a successful World Cup as a springboard to reform. "This is the first ever World Cup in the region. This is a big, big deal," said Mahjoob Zweiri, director of the Gulf Studies Centre at Qatar University.

☆ China's Xi Jinping was filmed lecturing Justin Trudeau in an awkward exchange. It offers a rare glimpse into Xi's personal style of diplomacy.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"That's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau on Wednesday at the G20 summit in Indonesia. The 40-second video, captured by a Canadian news cameraman, offers a rare glimpse into Xi's personal style of diplomacy. "Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau, per a translator who was with Xi during the exchange. "Otherwise, it will be hard to say what will happen," the Chinese leader said. Remarking on his exchange with Xi, Trudeau said that "not every conversation is going to be easy," per The Globe and Mail.

It was a rare, candid glimpse of the Chinese leader and a reminder of Beijing's testy relations with the West. Besides Biden, Trudeau and Australia's Anthony Albanese, Xi also met the leaders of South Korea, Italy, Argentina, Holland and France for bilateral talks in Bali. Xi was ferried around Bali in his own Hongqi (Red Flag) limousine - Mao Zedong used an earlier model - China's version of the U.S. presidential "Beast" limo. Returning to in-person diplomacy also gives Xi a platform to push Chinese initiatives that further cement its stature as leader of the emerging world. "I think in the coming years you'll see China indeed making a serious effort to implement its major power diplomacy," he said.

MIAMI — Florida Democrats are reeling and coming to terms with devastating Election Day losses, particularly among Latino voters who turned out solidly for Republicans in statewide contests. Most Republicans running in the state won by large margins, turning Florida into a solid red state. “Republicans became the real spokespeople for this community,” said Gamarra, referring to the governor, senators, and South Florida members of Congress. DeSantis always hammers down the message that Florida is a “free state.” Over 80,000 people have died of Covid in Florida. Meanwhile, the number of Democratic Latino registered voters decreased from 947,853 in 2020 to 901,481 in 2022.

☆ Uganda university drops mandatory pregnancy tests for students after outcry
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A university in Uganda has withdrawn a requirement for female nursing and midwifery students to take a pregnancy test before sitting their exams, after facing a backlash. Female nursing and midwifery students being asked to take a pregnancy test, at their own cost as a pre-condition for sitting exams is peak nonsense!!! !”Dr. Githinji Gitahi, CEO of non-profit Amref Health Africa, responded by tweeting: “What? Because pregnancy has what to do with exams? I wish you all the best in the forthcoming exams,” he continued.

☆ Xi shook up the power order in China, but the world should expect little change — because Xi is still the complete puppet master, 2 experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Last month, Xi Jinping announced who would join him to be the top seven officials in China. Kevin Frayer/Stringer/Getty ImagesBoosted to the second-in-command spot by Xi, Li is thought to be one of the president's closest protégés. Having been the lowest-ranked member of the previous standing committee, Zhao has jumped four positions to get to his current role. It indicates to me that Xi Jinping is satisfied with the work that Zhao has done," said Loh. "Xi Jinping makes it very clear.

☆ His COVID lockdowns made him one of the most unpopular politicians in China. Xi Jinping just made him the 2nd-most powerful man in the country. Meet Li Qiang.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

They key to his success is his loyalty to President Xi Jinping, experts say. But on October 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping made it clear: It didn't matter. Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, and other members of China's new top leadership walk in order of their rank. But his real value to Xi comes in the form of his loyalty to Xi, Wu said. Xi Jinping doesn't look into other things.

☆ China says U.S. must 'take responsibility' for breakdown in climate ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Climate change diplomacy between China and the United States cannot be separated from broader political tensions between the two sides, and Washington must take responsibility for the breakdown in talks, China's foreign ministry said. "China and the United States previously developed good cooperation in the area of climate change, working together to get the Paris Agreement reached and brought into effect," a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement late on Thursday. "At the same time, China-U.S. climate cooperation cannot be separated from the broad climate of bilateral ties," the spokesperson added, noting that Pelosi's "serious breach of Chinese sovereignty" in Taiwan had left China with no choice but to suspend the talks. "The United States side must take responsibility for this." China has not suspended cooperation with other countries, and would continue to support the multilateral climate negotiation process, the spokesperson said, adding that China was "willing to communicate and coordinate with all parties" to ensure COP27 was successful.

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