The nearly $3 billion package is part of an effort by both sides to reset rocky relations, which have become increasingly important to maintaining European unity in backing the war.
More than a year into Vladimir Putin’s invasion, the web of global trade has adjusted to Western sanctions, with a network of middlemen sending cars, electronics and more to Russia.
Mr. DeSantis and his allies are retooling his expected run for the White House after a series of missteps and miscalculations allowed Donald J. Trump to define the 2024 Republican race.
CNBC (May 13, 2023) – Public transit can be extremely valuable for a city’s economy – in New York City 85% of the people who travel into the business district below 61st Street take some form of public transportation.
Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 01:39 — Second Avenue Subway 06:45 — A national problem 08:37 — Subway costs 15:31 — Solutions
In several major cities – New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco – the subway and other rapid rail systems are key contributors to the prosperity of the city. In NYC for example, more than $37 billion of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $54 billion budget goes to subways. But building subways in the U.S. is very expensive.
In fact, it’s the sixth most expensive country to build rail transit in the world. And even that is likely an understatement. High labor costs, overbuilt tracks and stations, and onerous regulations all jack up costs. NYC’s sheer population density makes it rather worth it – so many people ride the subway that the cost per rider is comparable to many European cities where total expenditures are substantially lower.
However, the high costs hurt the case for public transit in less dense areas of the country. Lowering those costs could go a long way toward building affordable and accessible public transit for smaller cities around the country and reducing traffic congestion, pollution and traffic accidents.
World Economic Forum (May 13, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:
0:15This volcanic bacteria eats CO2 – Scientists say they turn CO2 into biomass ‘astonishingly quickly’ and one day could help remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The microbes were discovered off the coast of the Italian island of Vulcano where the ocean is rich in CO2. They bubble up from volcanic vents on the seafloor. The microbes were discovered by scientists from the Two Frontiers Project who found that the bugs sink in water which could help to sequester the CO2 they absorb.
1:35This Japanese soccer league is over 80s only – It kicked off in April with 3 teams going head-to-head boasting an average age of 83.5. Among the players is ex-national team forward Mutsuhiko Nomura. His career has spanned 70 years and 18 World Cups. Now, aged 83, he patrols the midfield for Red Star. But the league’s veteran is Shingo Shiozawa. The former racing car designer plays in net for the White Bears at the tender age of 93.
3:19Why we need economic growth – Economic growth may not be the only measure of success but in many countries, it saves lives. But economic growth need no longer happen at the expense of the planet.
6:38Women need investment, not just empowerment – Non-profit Grameen Foundation is helping millions of people lift themselves out of poverty by teaching women how to manage money, access loans and manage their businesses. Most importantly, Bai says, women need to have the knowledge to ask the right questions.
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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
DW Travel (May 13, 2023) – Belgrade, the former capital of Yugoslavia, is a real insider tip for a European city trip. With 1.7 million inhabitants, the Serbian capital is one of the largest cities in Europe.
Video Timeline:00:00 Intro 00:36 Brutalist architecture 01:08 Genex Tower 01:48 Skadarska street 02:03 Dva Jelena restaurant, eat Karađorđeva schnitzel 02:42 Belgrade’s nightlife 02:55 Cetinjska 15
Belgrade is the capital of the southeast European country of Serbia. Its most significant landmark is the Beogradska Tvrđava, an imposing fortress at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers. The fort is a testament to the city’s strategic importance to the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Serbian and Austrian empires, and it’s now the site of several museums as well as Kalemegdan, a vast park.
Monocle on Saturday, May 13, 2023: The weekend’s biggest discussion topics, with Georgina Godwin. Siân Pattenden reviews the papers, Andrew Mueller recaps the week and Monocle’s Helsinki correspondent, Petri Burtsoff, brings us a taste of Finnish Eurovision mania.
Despite the relative calm, the Biden administration faces court challenges that they say may undermine efforts to deal with record levels of border crossings.
Pandemic-era migration restrictions were lifted without a fresh spike in border crossings. Thousands of migrants now find themselves in a holding pattern.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has tilted the political playing field in his favor over the past two decades, concentrating power in his own hands. Still, he faces a stiff challenge in Sunday’s election.
Anderson Pictures (May 7, 2023) – A tilt shift timelapse of unique intersections in Omaha, Nebraska.
Omaha is a city in the U.S. state of Nebraska, on the Missouri River close to the Iowa border. A stop on the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, it’s known for its pioneer history, museums and cultural centers. The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium spearheads conservation work and features a big cat complex as well as indoor jungle, rainforest and desert habitats.
Tawada Films (May 12, 2023) – Fes is a northeastern Moroccan city often referred to as the country’s cultural capital. It’s primarily known for its Fes El Bali walled medina, with medieval Marinid architecture, vibrant souks and old-world atmosphere. The medina is home to religious schools such as the 14th-century Bou Inania and Al Attarine, both decorated with elaborate cedar carvings and ornate tile work.
Fez was founded in 789 by Idris, the Arab ruler responsible for founding the Idrisid dynasty. Since then, it has earned itself a reputation as an important center of trade and learning. It has served as Morocco’s capital on several different occasions, and experienced its own Golden Age under the rule of the Marinids, the dynasty that presided over Fez during the 13th and 14th centuries. Many of the medina’s most iconic monuments (including its Islamic colleges, palaces, and mosques) date from this glorious period of the city’s history.
Lionard Luxury Real Estate (May 12, 2023) – Located in a prestigious area, quiet and private yet convenient to all the main amenities of the town, this villa boasts wonderful access to two beaches of very fine sand and the crystalline waters of the Costa Smeralda.
A pleasant feeling of intimacy is guaranteed by the luxuriant Mediterranean scrub that frames it, almost two hectares of nature that are both in front of the villa, towards the sea, with corners of paradise among the palms and trees that give necessary shade to be able to read a good book while admiring the infinite blue, and behind it, with splendid terraces and furnished verandas, ideal for enjoying exclusive drinks and moments of relaxation.
Designed to be enjoyed both indoors and out in its large outdoor spaces, thanks to the incredible size of the garden, which makes it an authentic haven of rest, this exclusive estate also boasts an outdoor hot tub on a hill in the garden, ideal for taking a nice bath with a view of the sea.
The Art Newspaper May 11, 2023: This week: the Sudan crisis. How are artists responding to another war in the East African country?
The photographer Ala Kheir joins us from Khartoum to tell us about the conflict in Sudan and how it is affecting him and other artists. We talk to Alyce Mahon, the co-curator of Sade: Freedom or Evil, a new exhibition at the Centre Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) in Barcelona about the 18th-century writer and libertine the Marquis de Sade and his artistic and literary influence, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries.
And this episode’s Work of the Week is Gwen John’s La Chambre sur la Cour (1907-08), a painting of John herself in a Parisian interior. The picture is one of the highlights of an exhibition dedicated to John at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, UK.Ala Kheir on Instagram @ala.kheir.Sade: Freedom or Evil, Centre Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, until 15 October.
Alyce Mahon, The Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde, Princeton University Press, $47/£40.Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, 13 May-8 October. Alicia Foster, Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris, Thames and Hudson, $39.95/£30. Out now in UK, published in the US on 18 July.
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