Meanwhile, poverty measured against national lines also surged, affecting 130 million people in Arab countries, revealed the Survey.
Excluding Libya and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, more than one-third of the region’s population is affected.
Moreover, poverty levels are expected to rise over the next two years, reaching 36 per cent of the population in 2024.
Good news in growth
Notwithstanding disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, the Survey showed an expected 3.4 per cent growth next year throughout the Arab region.
While inflation rates jumped this year to 14 per cent, they are predicted to drop to eight and 4.5 per cent, respectively, in the next two years.
Noteworthy discrepancies
Yet, despite the region’s positive growth outlook, Ahmed Moummi, lead author of the Survey, pointed to significant discrepancies among countries – which were exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
Noting that repercussions were not the same for all Arab States, he maintained that Gulf Cooperation Council countries and other oil-exporting ones will continue to benefit from higher energy prices.
At the same time, oil-importing nations will suffer from several socioeconomic challenges, including rising energy costs, food supply shortages, and drops in both tourism and international aid inflows.
“The current situation presents an opportunity for oil-exporting Arab countries to diversify their economies away from the energy sector by accumulating reserves and investing in projects that generate inclusive growth and sustainable development”, Mr. Moummi underscored.
Through its annual Survey, ESCWA provides an analysis of the latest social and economic trends in the region to help member States in developing and implementing evidence-based policies, and improving economic planning processes for sustainable and inclusive development.
The extensive Indian diaspora will help the South Asian country reach a special milestone this year.
Asia’s third largest economy is on track to receive more than $100 billion in yearly remittances in 2022, according to a World Bank report published Wednesday. This will be the first time a country will reach that milestone figure, it said.
Remittances, or money transfers from migrant workers to families back home, are an important source of income for households in poorer countries. They not only reduce poverty in developing nations but have also been associated with higher school enrollment rates for children in disadvantaged households.
Over the last few years, the World Bank reportsaid, Indians have moved to high-skilled jobs in high-income countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore — from low-skilled employment in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar — and sending more money back home as a result.
India had received $89.4 billion in remittances in 2021, according to the World Bank, making it the top recipient globally last year.
“Remittance flows to India were enhanced by the wage hikes and a strong labor market in the United States,” and other rich countries, the bank said.
Despite being poised to reach the record figure, India’s remittance flows are expected to account for only 3% of its GDP in 2022, it said.
Apart from India, the other top recipient countries for remittances in 2022 are expected to be Mexico, China, and the Philippines. The next year may be more challenging for Indian diaspora, however.
2023 will “stand as a test for the resilience of remittances from white-collar South Asian migrants in high-income countries,” because of rising inflation in the United States and slowing global growth, according to the report.
Globally, remittances to low and middle income nations are expected to grow an estimated 5% to $626 billion this year, it added.
BARSTOW, Calif., November 28, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– On the heels of the recent BNSF Railway announcement to develop the largest railway hub in the western United States in Barstow, the City of Barstow is making its first notable infrastructure development by planning the replacement of the city’s historic bridge.
Built in 1930 and modified in 1943, the North First Avenue two-lane steel and wooden bridge has served as a thoroughfare for several decades. It was deemed a focal point of the railroad industry but no longer meets the structural and functional standards needed as the city undergoes a major railway industry transformation.
“As we gear up for the major BNSF Railway project, which will double our city’s population, this bridge replacement marks the beginning of the transformational change to our community,” said Barstow City Manager Willie Hopkins. “The bridge has served as the main thoroughfare for schools, hospitals and other services, and the new one will be a mark of improved goods movement as we embark on enhancing our city’s infrastructure.”
The new bridge is being funded through various sources, including the Federal Highway Bridge Program, state funds, Measure I funds, and the City of Barstow. Ground is slated to be broken in January 2023. As construction takes place, a temporary bridge will be erected parallel to the existing bridge so traffic will not be impacted.
Domingo Gonzales, City of Barstow engineering services administrator, said the new bridge will be more modern and constructed out of concrete. It will have a wider sidewalk on one side for a pedestrian walkway, eight-foot shoulders for bicyclists, and a lookout point for individuals to view the prominent railroad. It will be approximately 1,179 feet long with a width of 50 feet that expands to over 62 feet to accommodate a left turn lane that extends onto the bridge structure. Its aesthetics will mimic the city’s popular destination of the Harvey House with its antique lighting and quaint touches.
The new bridge is the first replacement in a series of three bridges slated for renovation. The next two are over the Mojave River and the river’s overflow area. Construction of those will start in two to three years.
Hopkins said the bridges are one of several infrastructure changes that will take place in the city prior to BNSF breaking ground on its massive railway project, which was announced in October.
BNSF Railway plans to invest more than $1.5 billion to construct a state-of-the-art master-planned rail facility in Barstow. The Barstow International Gateway will be an approximately 4,500-acre new integrated rail facility on the west side of Barstow, consisting of a rail yard, intermodal facility and warehouses for transloading freight from international containers to domestic containers. The facility will allow the direct transfer of containers from ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF mainline up to Barstow. Once the containers reach the Barstow International Gateway, they will be processed at the facility using clean-energy powered cargo-handling equipment and then staged and built into trains moving east via BNSF’s network across the nation. Westbound freight will similarly be processed at the facility to more efficiently bring trains to the ports and other California terminals.
“A lot of positive changes are in the works for Barstow, and we are excited to see it all come to fruition over the next several years,” Hopkins said.
More information on the City of Barstow can be accessed at www.BarstowCA.org.
Editor’s Note: Adjoa Adjei-Twum. She is the Founder & CEO of the Africa-focused and UK-based advisory firm Emerging Business Intelligence and Innovation (EBII) Group for global investors interested in Africa and emerging markets. The opinions expressed in this article are solely hers.
CNN
—
The recently-concluded COP27 was dubbed the “African COP” – with the continent center stage in the global effort to fight the causes and effects of climate change.
As negotiations in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh spilled over into the weekend, there was a significant breakthrough on one of the most fractious elements – creating a fund to help the most vulnerable developing nations hit by climate disasters.
The backdrop for COP27 was a series of catastrophic global weather events including record-breaking floods in Pakistan and Nigeria, the worst droughts in four decades in the Horn of Africa, and severe European heatwaves and hurricanes in the US.
The loss and damage fund – to pay for the sudden impacts of climate change which are not avoided by mitigation and adaptation – has been a major obstacle in COP talks.
The richest, most polluting nations have been reluctant to agree to a deal, worried that it could put them on the hook for costly legal claims for climate disasters.
I welcome progress here, as African nations are bearing the brunt of climate change. The continent contributes around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Environment Programme and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Climate change is estimated to cost the continent between $7bn and $15bn a year in lost economic output or GDP, rising to $50bn a year by 2030, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).
But my joy is muted – the devil is in the detail, as ever. As an African diaspora entrepreneur whose work focuses significantly on the impact of climate change on the risk profile of African financial institutions and nations, I am concerned about the lack of detail about how the fund would work, when it will be implemented, and the timescale. I fear these could take years.
During a recent visit to the US, I discussed reparation money with US Democrat Congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar. She said it was important for the US and other countries to make heavy investments, which could come in the form of reparations.
She spoke about the importance of consulting impacted communities in Africa to avoid exploitation and the need for countries such as the US and China to end fossil fuel expansion and phase out existing oil, gas, and coal in a way that is “fair and equitable.”
Adaptation is Africa’s big challenge – the AFDB estimates that the continent needs between $1.3 to $1.6 trillion by 2030 to adapt to climate change.
The bank’s Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, in partnership with the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), aims to mobilize $25bn in finance for Africa, for projects such as weather forecasting apps for farmers and drought-resistant crops.
It is now time for African nations to levy a climate export tax on commodities, such as cocoa and rubber, to help pay for climate adaptation. But it still falls short of the money Africa needs.
Adaptation is all about building resilience and capacity, and I believe our governments, banks, and businesses must also adapt.
I am calling on our governments, institutions, and companies to boost efforts to attract green finance and make Africa more resilient by improving governance, tax systems, anti-corruption efforts, and legal compliance.
Sustainability is not a business tax, it is essential for business survival. Only companies focused on the changing world around us – from regulation to consumer and investor attitudes – will survive the climate crisis.
Businesses that ignore this can expect fines, boycotts, and limited access to funding. Banks will suffer too. So the financial sector must be better prepared and more agile.
This message will be reinforced when I meet CEOs, banking executives, and Nigeria’s central bank at the 13th Annual Bankers’ Committee Retreat, organized by the Nigerian Bankers Committee, in Lagos next month. The aim is to support the country’s biggest banks as they navigate new international sustainability rules.
Increasingly, investment funds must conform to green taxonomies – a system that highlights which investments are sustainable and which are not. In other words, banks will only support investments by institutions in G20 countries if they conform to national or supranational rules, such as the European Union’s Green Taxonomy.
This will not only help tackle greenwashing but also help companies and investors make more informed green choices. Additionally, G20 countries are asking their banks to forecast how risky their loans are due to climate change.
African nations must implement robust systems to mobilize private capital and foreign direct investment in key sectors. Governments must ensure they have an enabling environment for increased green investments.
Regulators must strengthen their capacity to develop and effectively enforce climate-related rules. Companies, especially banks, should strengthen climate risk management teams, regulatory compliance expertise, and preparation of bankable projects for international climate finance. This is the foundation for a successful transition to a low–carbon economy.
Looking ahead, there are other actions we can take. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – the world’s largest free trade area and single market of almost 1.3bn people – could protect Africa from the adverse impacts of climate change, such as food insecurity, conflict, and economic vulnerability.
It could lead to the development of regional and continental value chains, inter-Africa trade deals, job creation, security, and peace. A single market could drive less energy-intensive economic growth while keeping emissions low, for example by developing regional energy markets and manufacturing hubs.
But we need much better pan-Africa coordination, like the European Union, to accelerate the AfCFTA. I urge our governments to work together and take swift and concrete actions to ensure the full and effective implementation of the AfCFTA. There is no time to waste.
This will not be popular with some African regimes because they will be forced to be more transparent and accountable with their public finances.
This year’s COP may have been marred by chaos, rows between rich and poorer nations, and broken multi-billion-dollar pledges by developed countries who created the climate crisis.
Many observers point out the final deal did not include commitments to phase down or reduce the use of fossil fuels.
But, the deal to create a pooled fund for countries most affected by climate change is significant, and as UN secretary general António Guterres warned, it was no time for finger-pointing.
It is also no time for the blame game. It is a wake-up call for African governments, banks, institutions, and companies to unite, step up, and adapt to a new climate reality.
Teresa Gala is a 44-year-old mother of five. She was married at 14, and had to leave school because of her new circumstances. For more than three decades, her days were filled with domestic chores and taking care of her children. During the agricultural season, Ms. Gala added to her daily routine by working on her family farm.
However, her thoughts always remained focused on having her own business, one that would give her financial independence.
“Since I didn’t study and didn’t have my livelihood, I always had to ask my husband for money, “says Ms. Gala. “Being aware that he didn’t earn much, sometimes I asked almost nothing, but I still heard ‘no’ many times. It was very humiliating”.
Three decades ago, when she got married, there was almost no debate about child marriage in the country, but things are changing for the better. Since 2019, the Spotlight Initiative, a global initiative of the United Nations funded by the European Union, has been supporting the approval and implementation of Mozambican laws that protect women and girls from gender-based violence and harmful practices, such as early marriages.
A safe space to thrive
In 2021, life improved for Ms. Gala, when she joined the Tambara Women’s Association (ASMTA) in Manica province, an organization backed by the Spotlight Initiative. These associations and women’s groups create support networks where women can learn and grow together economically, and create trusting relationships and safe spaces to address issues related to gender-based violence and women’s rights. In Mozambique, over the past year, the Spotlight Initiative supported more than 9,000 women in this way.
Through the group, Ms. Gala had access to a “business kit” which included the initial funds for her to start a company selling yogurt made from Malambe (baobab tree fruit) and Maheu (a fermented corn drink).
In the Tambara district, where Ms. Gala lives, temperatures easily reach over 40 degrees Celsius but, by investing her first profits in a freezer, she was able to make Maheu and Malembe ice cream, which was an immediate hit with her customers.
With more money coming in, Ms. Gala was able to buy a cell phone, enabling her to communicate with clients and social contacts, and join the national mobile financial system.
With proceeds from her micro-enterprise, she now contributes to the household expenses and pays the university fees for one of her daughters, who is studying for a health degree.
“My business makes me feel more respected at home. Today I am a financially stable woman, with savings, who contributes to household expenses and the education of my children”, she says. “I no longer have to wait for my husband to meet my financial needs”.
There are many positive aspects to tourism. Around two billion people travel each year for tourism purposes. Travel and tourism connect people and bring the world closer through shared experiences, cultural awareness and community building. It provides jobs, spurs regional development, and is a key driver for socio-economic progress.
However, there is often a downside; Mmany popular destinations are threatened by increasing pollution, environmental hazards, damage to heritage sites and overuse of resources. And that’s without factoring the pollution caused by travel to and from these destinations.
So, with that in mind here are some tips that will help you to enjoy your trip, and leave with the confidence that your favoured tourist destination will not be damaged by your presence, once you return home.
1. Ditch single-use plastics
Often used for less than 15 minutes, single-use plastic items can take more than 1,000 years to degrade. Many of us are switching to sustainable options in our daily lives, and we can take the same attitude when we’re on the road. By choosing reusable bottles and bags wherever you go, you can help ensure there is less plastic waste in the ocean and other habitats.
2. Be ‘water wise’
On the whole, tourists use far more water than local residents. With a growing number of places experiencing water scarcity, the choices you make can help ensure people have adequate access to water in the future. By foregoing a daily change of sheets and towels during hotel stays, we can save millions of litres of water each year.
3. Buy local
When you buy local, you help boost the local economy, benefit local communities, and help to reduce the destination’s carbon footprint from transporting the goods. This is also true at mealtimes, so enjoy fresh, locally grown produce every chance you get.
4. Use an ethical operator
Tour operations involve people, logistics, vendors, transportation and much more. Each link in the chain can impact the environment – positively or negatively. If you prefer to leave the planning to someone else, be sure to pick an operator that prioritizes the environment, uses resources efficiently and respects local culture.
Tourism broadens our horizons…
5. ‘Please don’t feed the animals’
Sharing food with wildlife or getting close enough to do so increases the chances of spreading diseases like cold, flu and pneumonia from humans to animals. Also, when animals get used to receiving food from humans, their natural behaviours are altered, and they become dependent on people for survival. In some cases, it can also lead to human-animal conflict.
6. And don’t eat them either!
By creating the demand, consuming endangered or exotic animals leads to an increase in poaching, trafficking and exploitation of animals. Besides the harm done to the individual animal on your plate, irresponsible dining can contribute to the extinction of species already threatened by climate change and habitat loss. Keep this in mind when shopping for souvenirs as well, and steer clear of products made from endangered wildlife.
7. Share a ride
Transportation is a major contributor to the carbon footprint from tourism. Instead of private taxis, explore using public transportation like trains, buses and shared cabs. You can also ride a bicycle, which offers a convenient and cheaper way to explore and learn about a place.
8. Consider a homestay
Staying with a local resident or family is a nature-friendly option that allows you to get up close and personal with local culture and customs. Staying at local homestays can uplift communities by providing income while giving you a peek into different ways of life.
Dig into the local cuisine. You’ll delight your taste buds and support the local economy…
9. Do your homework
Before your travel, educate yourself about your destination. Doing so will allow you to better immerse yourself in local traditions and practices and appreciate things that might have gone unnoticed otherwise. With the right information, you can explore a destination in a more sensitive manner and surprise yourself with new adventures and discoveries.
10. Visit national parks and sanctuaries
Exploring nature and wildlife through national parks is an intimate way to learn about the animals and their ecosystems first hand. In some cases, your entrance fee supports conservation efforts that protect species and landscapes and preserve these natural spaces for future visitors to enjoy.
11. Don’t leave a trace
You can make a mark by not leaving a mark on your vacation destination. Put garbage in its place to avoid litter, and don’t remove or alter anything without permission. Let’s make sure we leave only soft footprints, and not the environmental kind.
12. Tell your friends
Now that you’re ready to travel in eco-friendly style, it’s time spread the word! Inform fellow travellers, friends and family about how sustainable tourism benefits local people by enhancing their livelihoods and well-being, and helps all of us by safeguarding our beautiful environment.
“There is no sugar, I have to take a taxi very far away to buy one kilogramme of sugar,” one woman explains in frustration, at a market in Kairouan, a town several hours drive south of the capital, Tunis.
“The prices are going up! Poor people can no longer afford anything. It is like the world is on fire,” another woman explains, as she opens her purse to pay for a bagful of tomatoes, jumbled together on a wooden cart by the side of the road.
Surprise appeal
Nodding his head in agreement, the stallholder takes her money and makes an astonishing, if discreet, appeal. “Please, make it easier for us to migrate across the sea, so we can leave,” he says.
Although the elderly customer scoffs at the idea – “He wants to drown! He wants to drown!” – for many younger Tunisians, leaving the country in search of work and security is a frequent topic of conversation.
This is despite the fact that many thousands of people have died trying to cross the Central Mediterranean Sea from North African nations to Europe on unsafe boats in recent years, and regular TV news reports that announce yet another missing person – or family – at sea.
UN News/Daniel Johnson
In Tunis, Tunisia, a local newspaper says that there will be a sugar delivery soon in the country.
Migration pressures
“I think what the crisis in Ukraine has brought up again, is the hard choices that people have to make on a daily basis, because people forced to flee their homes, people forced to flee their country, are not taking that decision lightly,” says Safa Msehli, spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
For many Tunisians, it remains a challenge to source basic staples, although more than 85,000 metric tonnes of Ukrainian wheat have arrived in Tunisian ports in the two months since the Black Sea Grain Initiative kicked into action, its Joint Coordination Centre in Odesa, said on Thursday.
Since 1 August, 240 vessels have sailed from Ukrainian ports with some 5.4 million metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs.
Spreading the load
At an enormous mill in the Tunisian capital, there’s an abundance of flour, as workers stand under a conveyor belt which transports an apparently endless supply of semolina, packaged up into large, heavy-duty plastic sacks.
As the bags start to fall, the men grab them in turns and load them into a large flat-bed lorry until it is full, their faces covered in fine white flour.
The scene is industrious, but the mill is not nearly as busy as it should be, thanks in no small part to the impact of the Ukraine conflict on cutting grain exports from Black Sea, and its role in accentuating existing economic uncertainty.
“Now, we are not in crisis, the crisis is always happening,” says Redissi Radhouane, the chief mill operator at La Compagnie Tunisienne de Semoulerie. “When we look for the wheat, we don’t find any. The wheat is not abundant like before.”
UN News/Daniel Johnson
Redissi Radhouane is the chief mill operator at La Compagnie Tunisienne de Semoulerie flour mill in Tunis, Tunisia.
‘It’s like hunting without bullets’
At a wholesaler’s outlet in Mornag, a town on the outskirts of Tunis, customer Samia Zwabi knows all about the shortages and rising prices.
She explains to UN News that she has to borrow money or buy goods on credit for her grocery store, assuming she can find them in the first place. Like many parents, the fact that it’s the start of the school year is an additional concern.
Half capacity
“We are working at half capacity,” says Samia Zwabi, who reels off a wishlist that includes milk, sugar, cooking oil and fruit juice. “When a client comes, he can’t get all the basics. Clients ask for something I don’t have. We have no options. We need to be able to work to feed our kids.”
Echoing that message, wholesaler Walid Khalfawi’s main headache is the lack of available cooking oil, as his bare storerooms indicate. Another growing worry is the number of customers who pay on credit, he tells us, as he waves a thick wad of handwritten IOU chits.
“If a grocery owner comes here for cooking oil and finds it, he’ll automatically buy pasta, tomatoes, couscous and other products,” says the married father-of-three. “If he doesn’t find it, he won’t buy anything…It’s like going into the forest to hunt with your rifle but you have no bullets. What can you do?”
UN News/Daniel Johnson
Wholesaler Walid Khalfawi talks with UN News at local grocery store in Tunis, Tunisia.
Sole breadwinner
From her modest single-storey home in the city of Kairouan, Najwa Selmi supports her family making traditional handmade bread patties known as “tabouna”, twice in the morning and once in the evening.
The process is laborious and time-consuming, a batch of eight flat rolls taking around 15 minutes to knock into shape from semolina flour, water, yeast and a drop of olive oil.
Once prepared, Najwa wets the surface of the soft patties and slaps them into the inside of a concrete oven that’s been stoked with firewood outside. She grimaces in pain as she removes them with her scorched hands, once she’s satisfied that they’re cooked.
The bread is delicious and Najwa has loyal customers, but it is not easy getting hold of a regular supply of flour, she tells us.
UN News/Ahmed Ellali
Najwa Selmi, at home with her daughter, demonstrates to a UNTV film crew how to make traditional ‘tabouna’ bread.
Classroom blues
“My youngest daughter will start school soon and I haven’t bought her anything yet, no bag, no books, no school stationery, no clothes,” she says. “If for any reason I had to stop working …or if I got sick, we do not know what the future holds, my family will be hungry, what will they eat?
“From where will they get the money? We do not have another alternative source of income.”
In the bustling Tunis neighbourhood of Ettadhamen, bakery owner Mohamed Lounissi is open about the stresses and challenges of keeping his business afloat, thanks to chronic shortages of flour caused by the war in Ukraine.
“For us, it’s a big problem, if I order eight tonnes, they only give me one tonne. They say you need to wait and then when I tell them I can’t work and I might close, they say, ‘Ok, close, it is not our business!’”
Essential oils
For olive grove and cereal farmer Inès Massoudi, the Russian invasion of Ukraine this February is just the latest in a series of problems that are beyond her control, coming after five years of failed rains and two years of economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In particular, she worries that everything she needs for her 50-hectare holding in Beja is now more expensive – and more scarce – than before the war.
Never mind having to pay for more expensive grain for planting, without pesticides to treat common wheat fungus, along with fertilizer to promote growth – a key Russian export before the war – Inès’s harvest could be down by as much as 60 per cent.
“My farm is part of the world and it feels it when something happens outside,” she says of her 50-hectare holding, where olive trees stretch away into the distance in a green haze.
Ahead of the upcoming planting season, “everybody is hesitating”, Inès continues, “because the cost of planting the wheat today is the equivalent of a car, or a new apartment…There is also the crisis in Ukraine that made the cereal prices increase, along with the prices of agrochemicals and fertilizers which have become very expensive.”
UN News/Daniel Johnson
Inès Massoudi (back to camera) is olive grove and cereal farmer who owns a 50-hectare holding in Beja, Tunisia.
Feeling the heat
Back in Tunis, in the bustling Ettadhamen neighourhood, baker Mohamed Lounissi accepts that he is struggling. “It is a daily challenge,” he explains:
“There are no goods and raw material at all; it is (all) too little: no flour, no sugar, oil is not available all the time, everything is not available all the time, along with the price increase, the prices have increased terrifically, they are big increases.”
Standing in front of a sweltering bread oven that he worries he might lose his livelihood, unless he can repay his mortgage, Mohamed concedes that the stress of running a business in the current situation is getting to him. “If I don’t get the raw material I can’t work and I feel that I have a big responsibility in terms of paying the workers.”
In an outdoor storeroom, Mohamed shows us his meagre supply of wheat flour – a small pile of sacks barely reaching knee-height. He carefully locks the door on leaving, quietly chiding himself for not doing so earlier.
Getting hold of the precious ingredient “is a big problem”, he says. “If I order eight tonnes, they only give me one tonne. They say you need to wait and then when I tell them I can’t work and I might close, they say, ‘Ok, close, it is not our business!’”
UN News/Daniel Johnson
A customer chats with UN News at a Tunis neighbourhood bakery in Ettadhamen.
In a statement on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was time for Government forces and their allies, together with Houthi rebels and their international backers, to “choose peace for good.”
The hiatus since 2 April, has been twice renewed, providing the longest period of relative calm since the beginning of the intensified conflict, in 2015, Mr. Guterres said. In a statement calling for the truce to be expanded earlier this month, the Security Council said casualties were down 60 per cent since it began.
“I strongly urge the Yemeni parties not only to renew but also to expand the truce’s terms and duration, in line with the proposal presented to them by my Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg.”
In a tweet on Thursday, Mr. Grundberg said he had held “intense discussions” in the capital this week, and said renewal and expansion was a “humanitarian imperative and a political necessity.”
‘Tangible benefits’
The UN chief said the truce had “delivered tangible benefits and much needed relief to the Yemeni people, including a significant reduction in violence and civilian casualties countrywide”.
It has also allowed an increase in fuel deliveries via the main Red Sea port of Hudaydah, and the resumption of international flights to and from the Houthi-controlled airport in the capital, Sa’ana, for the first time in nearly six years.
“Yet more needs to be done to achieve its full implementation, including reaching an agreement on the reopening of roads in Taiz”, in the south, and other governorates, the Secretary-General added.
Beginning to pay civil service salaries, would further improve the day-to-day life of ordinary Yemenis, said, proposing progress “long-term political, economic and military issues”, which “would signal a significant shift towards finding lasting solutions.”
Seize the day
Mr. Guterres strongly urged all those involved in the long-running conflict, to “seize this opportunity.”
“This is the moment to build on the gains achieved and embark on a path towards the resumption of an inclusive and comprehensive political process, to reach a negotiated settlement to end the conflict. The United Nations will spare no efforts to support the parties in this endeavour.”
IOM/Rami Ibrahim
An IOM worker distributes aid kits to newly displaced communities in Ma’rib, Yemen.
Apple launched an online store in Vietnam this week, in another nod to the growing importance of emerging markets for the iPhone maker.
The opening on Thursday, which followed the high-profile launch of its first physical shops in India, means consumers in the fast-growing Southeast Asian economy will be able to buy any Apple product directly for the first time.
Markets like Vietnam, India and Indonesia are becoming more important for Apple as its growth in developed markets, including China, slows down, prompting the company to focus on places where it’s traditionally been less active.
For decades, China was central to Apple’s extraordinary ascent to become the most valuable company on Earth, serving as a backbone for both its production and consumption. While the country remains key to Apple’s operations, the tech giant is now hedging its bets.
Apple
(AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has pointed to the company’s prospects in emerging economies, calling them bright spots in the company’s financial results. On an earnings call this month, Cook said he was “particularly pleased” with the performance in these markets during the first three months of the year.
Apple “achieved all-time records in Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE, as well as a number of March quarter records, including in Brazil, Malaysia and India,” he told analysts.
“Clearly, growth has slowed globally and thus put more pressure [on Apple] to aggressively go after emerging markets,” said Daniel Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities.
Ives predicts that “over the coming years, Indonesia, Malaysia and India will comprise a bigger piece of the pie for Apple, given its efforts in these countries.”
The start of online sales in a country usually precedes the launch of brick-and-mortar stores for Apple, he told CNN. This was true of India, for instance, which got its first physical outlets last month and a pledge from Cook to further invest in the country.
Thursday’s launch showed how Apple was “further cementing” its presence in emerging markets, according to Chiew Le Xuan, a research analyst who covers smartphones in Southeast Asia for Canalys.
He said the tech giant had been “actively increasing” its presence in the region in recent months, ramping up its distribution and network of authorized resellers, especially in Malaysia.
Apple has ample room to run in these markets.
Currently, the company only operates its own stores in more developed regional economies, such as Thailand and Singapore, according to Canalys.
Even Indonesia, a vast archipelago that is the world’s sixth-biggest smartphone market, doesn’t have a physicalApple store yet, said Chiew. Apple’s market share there is tiny, at just 1% in 2022, according to Canalys data.
“We’re putting efforts in a number of these markets and really see, particularly given our low share and the dynamics of the demographics … a great opportunity for us,” Cooksaid during Apple’s results call.
Apple joins a growing list of global businesses that have become bullish on Southeast Asia, where more investment is being poured into manufacturing.
The region’s consumer base also holds promise, with the number of middle-income and affluent households in economies such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines projected to grow by around 5% annually through 2030, according to the Boston Consulting Group.
The consultancy has called this group of consumers “the next mega-market.”
The allure of Southeast Asia’s rising middle class “has changed the dynamic in these countries, which previously Apple stayed away from,” according to Ives.
“This is a golden opportunity for Apple,” he said.
For years, premium brands like Apple have have struggled to compete in emerging markets because of the price of their products, choosing instead to rely on local resellers.
iPhones, which cost between $470 and $1,100, are expensive for consumers in less developed Southeast Asian economies, where the bulk of smartphone shipments are priced under $200, according to Chiew.
He said Apple’s absence from places like Cambodia or Vietnam was typically more apparent around the launch of a new iPhone, as buyers from those countries often flew to Singapore or Malaysia to purchase devices and take them back for resale.
This could change in the coming years, particularly as Apple continues to increase its firepower in the region.
Ives predicted that Apple could “further expand its ecosystem and tentacles to emerging markets using itsChina playbook,” meaning it could try to hook customers through “various pricing strategies and building out from there.”
Once those users have converted to Apple’s operating system, iOS, they tend to stick around and become loyal customers, he added.
This has “been the core part of its success in China that now can be replicated in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, among others,” said Ives.
But Apple may face hurdles in Southeast Asia, where several countries have placed stringent requirements on foreign businesses, according to Chiew.
For example, at least 35% of the components of electronic goods sold in Indonesia must made locally, a threshold Apple has had to meet by working with partners, he added.Similar rules prevented Apple from setting up shop in India for years until the relaxation of regulations in 2019.
And while consumers are becoming more affluent, the company’s price points are still considered high in many emerging markets, noted Ives. “Growth will be choppy we believe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin just reminded the world that he has the capacity to apply pain far beyond the excruciating torment he’s inflicting on Ukraine.
Russia’s suspension of a deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain from a region fabled as the world’s bread basket threatens to cause severe food shortages in Africa and send prices spiraling in supermarkets in the developed world. In the United States, it represents a political risk for President Joe Biden, who is embarking on a reelection campaign and can hardly afford a rebound of the high inflation that hounded US consumers at its peak last year.
Russia’s decision looked at first sight like a face-saving reprisal for an attack claimed by Ukraine on a bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland. The bridge was a vanity project for Putin and the apparent assault represented another humiliation for the Russian leader in a war that has gone badly wrong.
The Black Sea grain deal, agreed last year and brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, was a rare diplomatic ray of light during a war that has shattered Russia’s relations with the US and its allies and has had global reverberations.
By refusing to renew it, Putin appears again to be seeking to impose a cost on the West, in return for the sanctions strangling the Russian economy. He may reason that a food inflation crisis might help splinter political support in NATO nations for the prolonged and expensive effort to save Ukraine. And grain shortages afflicting innocent people in the developing world could exacerbate international pressure for a negotiated end to a war that has turned into a disaster for Russia.
The United States and other Western powers reacted to Russia’s announcement that the deal had been “terminated” with outrage, mirroring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Putin was trying to “weaponize hunger.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Russia was trying to use food as a tool in its war on Ukraine, adding that the tactic would make “food harder to come by in places that desperately need it and have prices rise … The bottom line is, it’s unconscionable. It should not happen.”
Singling Russia out as a moral transgressor might be understandable given the horror it has visited on Ukraine and may rally fury over Putin’s move in the West and the developing world. But humanitarian arguments won’t sway a Russian president who launched an unprovoked onslaught on a sovereign neighbor and is accused of presiding over brutal war crimes.
Still, Russia’s rhetoric after canceling the deal and the reactions from key players elsewhere in Eurasia suggest that the agreement may not be quite as terminated as the Kremlin claims. There’s a chance Putin sees a grain showdown as a way to improve his dire position.
In a clear sign of diplomatic maneuvering, Russia justified its cancellation of the agreement by saying that it was not getting its share of the benefits. noting that it had faced obstacles with its own food exports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted, however, that Moscow might allow the return of exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports once its objectives were achieved.
But UN Secretary General António Guterres underscored how difficult it might be to return to the deal with a categorical repudiation of Russia’s points in a letter to Putin, arguing that under the agreement, the Russian grain trade had reached high export volumes and fertilizer markets were nearing full recovery with the return of Russian produce. Guterres said that he’d sent Russia proposals to keep the grain deal alive but that he was “deeply disappointed” that his efforts went unheeded.
The UN chief’s comments reinforced a view that, for now, Russia sees a point of leverage in refusing to renew the Black Sea grain deal. The decision comes against a complicated geopolitical backdrop following last week’s NATO summit at which G7, nations pledged to offer Ukraine the means of its self-defense for years to come.
It may also represent the latest chess move in a shady double game of great power geopolitics being waged by a pair of Machiavellian autocrats — Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who are due to meet in August.
Erdogan won prestige and the gratitude of his fellow NATO leaders and developing nations for brokering the original grain deal. But he has angered Russia in recent days, despite keeping open channels with Putin during the war. It’s conceivable the Russian leader could be sending a shot across the bows of his Turkish partner by canceling out his achievement.
Russia was infuriated last week when Turkey sent a group of captured Ukrainian military commanders back to Zelensky despite a previous agreement they would not go home until after the war. Erdogan also risked his relationship with Putin by dropping opposition to Sweden’s entry into NATO, a move that significantly weakened Russia’s strategic position in Europe.
But it was noticeable that Erdogan, who has a reputation for cannily playing his cards to enhance his own and Turkey’s influence, referred to Putin as his “friend” on Monday and suggested that the Russian leader might want to keep the “humanitarian bridge” of grain exports open.
If he could somehow engineer a return to the deal, Erdogan could again bolster his place at the hinge of Eurasian great power politics. He’d also boost his goal of emerging as a leader among developing world nations and do a favor for Western leaders fearing an inflationary spike.
Michael Kimmage, who served on the policy planning staff at the State Department between 2014 and 2016 and is now a professor at Catholic University of America in Washington, argues that Turkey is in a unique position, since it possesses considerable leverage inside NATO but also has robust relationships with both Ukraine and Russia.
“I think it’s very possible that even before the Putin-Erdogan meeting there could be a resumption of the grain deal because that keeps Russia to a degree in the good graces of the international community,” Kimmage said.
Reviving the grain deal would show that Russia, in its isolation, retains some Turkish support, Kimmage added, but the episode also demonstrates to the rest of the world that “when Russia wants, it can turn off the grain deal and be an enormous pain in the neck in the Black Sea.”
First video of damage to Crimean bridge surfaces after reported strike
While the war in Ukraine has consumed Russia’s foreign policy, Moscow has also made intense efforts to carve out its own influence in Africa and elsewhere in opposition to the United States. So it may risk damaging its own priorities by triggering widespread food shortages, especially since much of Ukraine’s grain is used in World Food Programs to alleviate famine in Africa.
While the White House is fueling a sense of moral outrage over Russia’s move, it quickly dismissed another potential response – an attempt to bust a Russian blockade in the Black Sea.
“That’s not an option that’s being actively pursued,” John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said Monday in a comment that was in line with Biden’s goal of avoiding any direct NATO clash with Russia, a nuclear superpower.
While the end of the grain deal would cause significant global hardship, its worst effects may be weeks away – so there could be time for diplomacy to work.
Nicolay Gorbachov, the President of the Ukrainian Grain Association, told Isa Soares on CNN International on Monday that exports by road, rail and river could mitigate the most damaging effects of the collapse of the deal for two or three weeks, even if such transportation methods lacked the volume of shipborne cargoes.
But he also warned that ultimately, if Ukraine could not export its grain – “all of us, in developed countries, in developing countries, will face food inflation.”
“In my opinion, the international community, the developed countries have to find the leverage to move grain from Ukraine to the world market,” he said.
TAMARAC, Fla., August 11, 2020 (Newswire.com)
– The City of Tamarac announces a Small Business Stabilization Grant program that takes its economic development initiatives to the next level, offering $5,000 grants to eligible small businesses financially impacted by COVID-19.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. Unfortunately, many are suffering financially, especially our small retail stores and restaurants,” said Tamarac Mayor Michelle J. Gomez. “These grants will provide some financial relief and ease the burden as they follow COVID-related health guidelines and capacity restrictions that keep the community safe.”
The City is utilizing CARES Act emergency funds to support this grant program and will accept grant applications on August 24-28. Business owners are encouraged to collect required documentation in advance. Information on eligibility, FAQs and documentation required are available at www.Tamarac.org/EconomicDevelopment.
Other City initiatives to assist local businesses include the Tamarac Together: Support Local Business campaign, launched in partnership with the Tamarac North Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. It encourages residents and businesses to buy goods and services from Tamarac-based businesses, which can be done safely when businesses and their patrons follow the guidelines outlined in local Emergency Orders, including facial coverings and social distancing.
In addition, the City has enacted several business assistance emergency provisions during the pandemic, such as temporarily allowing additional commercial signage for local businesses and outdoor seating at restaurants. The City also eased certain restrictions on established Tamarac businesses using food trucks during the pandemic. Businesses must apply to take advantage of these provisions; the form is available at www.Tamarac.org/368/Planning-and-Zoning.
ABOUT THE CITY OF TAMARAC
Tamarac covers a 12-square mile area in western Broward County and is home to more than 65,000 residents and approximately 2,000 businesses. Ideally situated, Tamarac provides easy access to highways, railways, airports and waterways, and a wealth of cultural and sports activities. Tamarac’s median age continues to grow younger and the population more diverse, as people recognize the City as a great place to spend their lives. For more information, visit www.Tamarac.org.
Unveils Three-Point Turnaround Plan to Attract and Retain Businesses and Residents to Connecticut
Press Release –
updated: Feb 4, 2019
WESTPORT, Conn., February 4, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– Greg Kraut, founder of the newly launched Connecticut-based “solutions tank” The Economic Policy Project (www.economicpolicyproject.org), is calling on the state to adopt an emergency economic development program called Come to CT. This is in response to Governor Lamont’s latest economic development announcement where he stated that we need to “focus on what we have.”
Come to CT is designed to “focus on what we need,” which is to retain and attract businesses and residents to Connecticut, and immediately urges Governor Ned Lamont and the legislature to focus on cultivating “what we need” and not on “draining what we have.”
Kraut believes the state needs a complete economic overhaul to be competitive.
“We can’t afford to rely on what we have since what we have has brought us to where we are,” Kraut said. “We must immediately change Connecticut’s anti-business reputation and all-around high tax structure. Mixed messages are not effective – we can’t talk about raising the minimum wage and taxing groceries and have a believable conversation about economic development.”
According to Kraut, “Fewer residents and businesses lead to less revenue for our top schools, exacerbates our crumbling infrastructure and leads to property value decline.”
Come to CT proposes the following three initiatives:
Recruit and Retain Business – To help keep our existing businesses, Connecticut should create immediate incentives to companies that agree to hire new employees and to meet performance standards to attract high-priced jobs. In Virginia, they use workforce grants that have been successful in luring top companies like Amazon. Virginia has also used transportation investments to sweeten the pot. We also need to focus on assistance programs such as consulting engagements following the model of Florida’s initiative GrowFL. GrowFL, which offers four- to six-week consulting contracts, has resulted in the direct creation of 1,419 jobs, plus 819 jobs created indirectly, with a total economic input – as measured by sales and output – of $510.4 million.
Create Organic Business – To attract new businesses through public/private partnerships, Connecticut should establish business incubators, which could also make monetary investments in companies that show potential for growth and job creation but that might not meet traditional funding criteria banks require. It could follow the model of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Partners. We need to look only at this model as an example of how we could be doing better things here in Connecticut. Investments can take the form of debt or equity and can be converted to one or the other.
Recruit and Retain Educated Workers – To attract and keep the type of workforce that 21st-century companies are looking for, Connecticut must lower the state income tax to give us a value proposition over New Jersey and New York and to put us in line with Massachusetts where, as a result of lower taxes, clustered employees have surpassed Connecticut in growth. Tax reform, together with a student debt forgiveness program tied to residency, will grow our GDP and help Connecticut recruit and retain millennials, keep young families and encourage high-net-worth individuals to Come to CT.
“Our citizens and businesses are telling us that we don’t have what they want and that we are not competitive. Instead of focusing on what we have, we need to focus on what we need.For too long, Connecticut has not treated businesses or residents like customers and, as a result, they are leaving Connecticut in droves to find a better ‘product’ elsewhere,” said Kraut.
“Other states have been in competition with each other for business and residents; a fact that Connecticut has been unresponsive to. For years, Connecticut relied on wealthy residents and financial service businesses from New York City and had become complacent, while other states like Florida and Texas were actively attracting Connecticut’s businesses and residents.
“As Connecticut looks to rebound from years of poor economic growth, we need to send a message that the state is back in business,” said Kraut. “The immediate adoption of the Come to CT program will show companies that Connecticut is open for business and that it’s a vibrant state for workers and families alike.”
About The Economic Policy Project:
The Economic Policy Project is an independent, non-profit research institution dedicated to promoting smart bipartisan public policy solutions for Connecticut’s biggest fiscal challenges. The Economic Policy Project priorities are job growth, strengthening education, revitalizing Connecticut’s transportation network, sustainable budgeting, optimizing revenue streams and limiting debt and wasteful spending. The Institute encourages citizen activists to educate legislators and decision makers about smart government solutions that are used both in the public and private sector. Coming together from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, a skilled team of citizen solutionists is the backbone of The Economic Policy Project. Their ideas help shape the direction and mission of the organization as it continues to develop. For more information, visit www.economicpolicyproject.org.
Media Contact: Greg Kraut Phone: 203-493-0771 Email: greg@economicpolicyproject.org
Leaders in music, planning, cultural policy to gather in Louisiana Oct. 11-12
LAFAYETTE, La., September 19, 2018 (Newswire.com)
– When the Music Cities Convention arrives in Lafayette next month, it will land in a music city steeped in history (Zydeco and Cajun) and bubbling over with new ideas and artists (Givers, New Natives, The Shrugs). The attendees – who’ll be traveling to Louisiana from six continents – will get an inside look at this emerging hub of new music during the convening, which will focus on Diversity, Music and Improving Our Cities and Communities Oct. 11-12.
To kick off the convention on Wednesday, Oct. 10, attendees will be invited to a 5:30 p.m. reception at Blue Moon Saloon featuring live music with Horace Trahan and the Ossun Express, food and beverage, plus a Cajun Jam beginning at 8 p.m.
The weekly Cajun jam at the Blue Moon attracts some of the area’s best musicians as well as folks from around the globe. Open to all, the jam allows players of all skill levels to sit in and play Cajun tunes the way they used to be played (comme dans l’vieux temps), all acoustic on the back porch.
On Thursday, Oct. 11, after the first day of convention programming, attendees will enjoy a reception at The Warehouse 535, featuring singer-songwriters showcasing their new music created at the 2018 SOLO (South Louisiana) Songwriters Festival, followed by An Evening of Lafayette Music Highlighting the Caesar Vincent Project with nearly 30 local musicians and the unofficial kickoff of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles.
On Friday, Oct. 12, the Boudin Cutting festivities in Girard Park kick off Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. Music Cities Convention – though it moves to a new city each year – is always scheduled adjacent to a local festival to encourage attendees to stay in the host city for a weekend of live music and culture.
The conference programming will take place during the day on Oct. 11-12 at Acadiana Center for the Arts. The event is hosted by the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission and the CREATE Initiative of Lafayette Consolidated Government, with generous support from The Recording Academy and American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation.
Speakers include:
· Clara Barbara, Director for Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion at the Valencia campus, Berklee (Spain)
· Austin Barrow, President, MAD/Murphy Arts District, (Arkansas, USA)
· Al Bell, Former Chairman and Owner, Stax Records, Former President, Motown Records Group, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Al Bell Presents (Arkansas, USA)
· Ben Berthelot, President and CEO, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission (Louisiana, USA)
· Anya Burgess, Owner, SOLA Violins and Band Member of “Magnolia Sisters” and “Bonsoir, Catin” (Louisiana, USA)
· Sung Cho, Founder and CEO, Chartmetric.io (California, USA)
· Cary Clarke, CEO, Young Audiences (Oregon, USA)
· Sari Delmar, Program Director, The Participation Agency (New York, USA)
· Greg Deshields, Executive Director, PHL Diversity Philadelphia Visitors & Convention Bureau (Philadelphia, USA)
· David Dudley, Executive Editor, CityLab (New York, USA)
· Kate Durio, Assistant to Mayor-President Joel Robideaux, Lafayette Consolidated Government (Louisiana, USA)
· Abed Hathot, Co-Founder, Palestine Music Expo (California, Palestine)
· Mike Henry, CEO, Paragon Media Strategies (Colorado, USA)
· Tara Hernandez, President, JCH Properties+ (Louisiana, USA)
· Alyssa Kelley, Project Manager, Property Development, Artspace (Minnesota, USA)
· Carmen Gloria Larenas, Artistic Director, Teatro del Lago (Chile)
· Jordan Lee, Program Director, Radio Milwaukee (Wisconsin, USA)
· Margaret Lioi, CEO, Chamber Music America (New York)
· Matt McArthur, Executive Director, The Record Co Boston (Massachusetts, USA)
· Joel Robideaux, Mayor-President, Lafayette (Louisiana, USA)
· Warwick Sabin, Senior Director for U.S. Programs, Winrock International, Arkansas House of Representatives, 2018 Little Rock mayoral candidate (Arkansas, USA)
· Pena Schmidt, Music Producer (Brazil)
· Tim Scott, Artist in Residence, Charlotte Center City Partners (North Carolina, USA)
· Laura Simpson, Co-Founder and CEO, Side Door (Canada)
· John Sommerlad, Director Business and Community, Tamworth Regional Council (Australia)
· Joey Stuckey, Official Music Ambassador, Macon, Georgia (Georgia, USA)
· Dr. Liana Valente, National Federation Of Music Clubs Representative To The United Nations Department Of Public Information & Classical Voice Area Coordinator, Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
· Kelly Wells, Executive Director, KDHX (Missouri, USA)
· Johnathan Peter Williams, Founder/CEO, Quality Of Life Services and Founder/President, Love Of People (Louisiana, USA)
· Nolfris “Slim KuttaR” Williams, Musician, Music Executive and Former Pro Basketball Player (Louisiana, USA)
· Sharon Yazowski, Executive Director, Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation (California, USA)
The Kendal Corporation begins a $40M construction project to better serve Lexington community.
Press Release –
updated: Feb 20, 2018
LEXINGTON, Virginia, February 20, 2018 (Newswire.com)
– In the picturesque Shenandoah Valley, a vibrant community of nearly 200 independent senior residents, medical and continuing care providers, and their Lexington, Virginia neighbors gathered Thursday for a highly celebrated groundbreaking ceremony that kicked off a $40M renovation and expansion initiative.
The project was designed to make life brighter and more homelike for residents, to make facilities friendlier to those who suffer from cognitive decline and to provide a model work environment for Kendal’s highly skilled staff. When it is complete, the Borden Health Center will be the most up-to-date skilled care nursing facility in the region and will continue to provide care to residents and regional neighbors alike. Currently, 80 percent of Borden admissions come from the general community, 40 percent of those are supported by Medicaid.
We are proud of our long legacy of partnering with, and caring for, both our full-time community residents and our Lexington area neighbors. After the renovations, the residents and staff living and working in the skilled care and assisted living centers will enjoy bright, home-like settings with modern amenities and comforts, and we really want to get the word out that our facility is open to everyone.
Bob Glidden, Kendal at Lexington Board of Directors Chairman
“We are proud of our long legacy of partnering with, and caring for, both our full-time community residents and our Lexington area neighbors,” Board Chair Bob Glidden said. “After the renovations, the residents and staff living and working in the skilled care and assisted living centers will enjoy bright, home-like settings with modern amenities and comforts and, our facilities are open to everyone.”
Additionally, the Webster Assisted Living Center and the Anderson Dining room will both be upgraded to increase Kendal’s legendary neighborhood community feel. The architects have reworked the existing footprint to enhance natural light and remove structural obstacles.
“In each planned renovation, we carefully considered the needs of our residents and seek to meet and exceed model care practices, even as expectations and opportunities for advancement continue to evolve. We work every day to ensure that Kendal at Lexington is the kind of place we would all choose as our home,” Mina Tepper, Executive Director at Kendal at Lexington said.
In addition to the care facility upgrades, the phase three Kendal expansion will produce 30 new independent living cottages, increasing the number of residential living opportunities by 25 percent.
“To see Kendal expand to meet our original vision is truly remarkable,” Dianne Herrick, one of Kendal at Lexington’s original founders and a current full-time resident, said. “There is so much we now know about what it takes to provide a positive aging experience, and Kendal is at the cutting edge, delivering fulfilling experiences to all its residents. I’m just so excited for what comes next.”
More information: http://kalex.kendal.org/expansion/press
Media Contact:
Jennifer Eddy 202-709-7509 (w) | 540-878-9681 (c) j.eddy@eddycommunications.com
Brooklyn, NY, December 6, 2016 (Newswire.com)
– WHAT: Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will be holding a press conference at BioBAT, the New York Science and Technology Center at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, announcing his office’s capital budget economic development allocations for 2017. BioBAT will receive $1 million for tenant fit-out for biotech/technology companies.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 7, 10:30 AM.
WHERE: Brooklyn Army Terminal, Building A, 140 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220 (map)
ABOUT BIOBAT:
BioBAT, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization established to develop affordable, state-of-the-art biotechnology/technology research and manufacturing space in New York City. BioBAT is a joint venture of the New York City Economic Development Corp. and the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Downstate Medical Center. For more information, visit www.biobat.nyc.
