Category: Articles of the week

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Articles of the Week 

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Notre Dame’s restoration surplus of nearly $150M will be used for future preservation

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Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

A bell, center, that Olympic medalists rang at the Paris Games, is seen before being installed in Notre Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument’s grandiose reopening following a massive fire and five-year reconstruction effort, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

By THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — More than five years after the devastating fire ravaged Notre Dame, igniting nearly $1 billion in pledged donations within days, restoration chief Philippe Jost says €140 million (around $148 million) still remains from the funds as the cathedral prepares to reopen next month.

The surplus, sourced from both billionaire benefactors and countless small donors, will be used to support vital future preservation work on the 861-year-old Gothic monument. Continue reading

Bitcoin has topped $87,000 for a new record high. What to know about crypto’s post-election rally

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – Bitcoin logos are displayed at the Inside Bitcoins conference and trade show on April 7, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — As money continues to pour into crypto following Donald Trump’s victory last week, bitcoin has climbed to yet another record high.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency topped $87,000 for the first time on Monday. As of around 3:45 p.m. ET, bitcoin’s price stood at $87,083, per CoinDesk, up over 28% in the last week alone.

That’s part of a rally across cryptocurrencies and crypto-related investments since Trump won the U.S. presidential election last week. Analysts credit much of the recent gains to an anticipated “crypto-friendly” nature of the incoming administration, which could translate into more regulatory clarity but also leeway.

Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, others continue to warn of investment risks. Continue reading

Trump win ignites crypto frenzy that sends bitcoin to a record high

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Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE -Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — The price of bitcoin hit a new high Wednesday and crypto-related shares rallied as investors bet that former President Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election will be a boon for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin jumped nearly 8% in early trading, climbing above $75,000 and smashing its previous record set in March. Other cryptocurrencies also soared, including ether, the world’s second most popular cryptocurrency after bitcoin, which rallied 8%.

Another token, dogecoin, rocketed as much as 18%. It’s the favorite cryptocurrency of billionaire Elon Musk, one of Trump’s most prominent supporters. Continue reading

A presidential campaign unlike any other ends on Tuesday. Here’s how we got here

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Voters are reflected in a window near an American flag as they mark their ballots during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at City Hall in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the election that no one could have foreseen.

Not so long ago, Donald Trump was marinating in self-pity at Mar-a-Lago after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic yet erratic billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and shame. When Trump announced his comeback bid two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26.

At the same time, Kamala Harris was languishing as a low-profile sidekick to President Joe Biden. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, she struggled with both her profile and her portfolio, disappointing her supporters and delighting her critics. No one was talking about Harris running for the top job — they were wondering if Biden should replace her as his running mate when he sought a second term. Continue reading

Care for a sweet treat during Mexico’s Day of the Dead? Have a bite of ‘pan de muerto’

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

Pan de muerto, or “bread of the dead,” traditional for Mexico’s Day of the Dead, sits for sale at a bakery in the San Rafael neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The first bite is an assault to the senses. A sugary, citric, fluffy delight.

“Pan de muerto” or “bread of the dead” is baked in Mexico every year, from early October to mid-November, amid Day of the Dead celebrations.

Shaped like a bun, decorated with bone-like bread pieces and sugar on top, pan de muerto can be seen at coffee shops, dinner tables or home-made altars, which Mexicans build to remember their deceased loved ones and welcome them back for a night on Nov. 2.

Its date of origin can’t be specified, but pan de muerto can be thought of as a fusion of Mesoamerican and Spanish traditions, said Andrés Medina, a researcher at the Anthropological Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Continue reading

As coal plants shut in Romania, some miners transition to green energy while others are reluctant

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Sebastian Tirintica speaks next to solar panels in the RenewAcad training center in Petrosani, southern Romania, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

By ANCA GURZU, Cipher News undefined

PETRILA, Romania (AP) — For many years, Sebastian Tirinticǎ worked in a coal mine, just like his father and grandfather before him.

These days, Tirinticǎ, now 38, is largely surrounded by solar panels and wind turbines as he travels across Romania to train former coal workers and others for jobs in renewable energies.

It’s been a huge professional shift for a worker from one of the main coal regions of this formerly Communist Eastern European country.

“It’s hard to unglue yourself from something you did your entire life,” said Tirinticǎ, who has a short beard sprinkled with grey hair. “It’s hard to start again from zero, and not everyone has the strength and courage to do it.” Continue reading

King Charles III’s visit rekindles Australia’s debate on ending ties to the British monarchy

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

The Sydney Opera House sails show photos of Britain’s King Charles and Queen camilla soon after their arrival in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has restarted debate about the nation’s constitutional links to Britain.

The Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to welcome the couple, whose six-day trip will be brief by royal standards. Charles, 75, is being treated for cancer, which led to the reduced itinerary.

Charles and Camilla were welcomed in light rain at Sydney Airport by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns and the king’s representative in Australia, Governor-General Sam Mostyln.

Charles is only the second reigning British monarch to visit Australia. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first 70 years ago.

While the welcome has been warm, Australia’s national and state leaders want the royals removed from their constitution. Continue reading

‘Kindness’ influencers on TikTok give money to strangers. Why is that controversial?

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Influencer Jimmy Darts poses for a portrait, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Southern California. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

By KAITLYN HUAMANI Associated Press

Every Christmas growing up in Minnesota, Jimmy Darts’ parents gave him $200 in cash: $100 for himself and $100 for a stranger. Now, with over 12 million followers on TikTok and several million more on other platforms, philanthropy is his full-time job.

Darts, whose real surname is Kellogg, is one of the biggest creators of “kindness content,” a subset of social media videos devoted to helping strangers in need, often with cash amassed through GoFundMe and other crowdfunding methods. A growing number of creators like Kellogg give away thousands of dollars – sometimes even more – on camera as they also encourage their large followings to donate.

“The internet is a pretty crazy, pretty nasty place, but there’s still good things happening on there,” Kellogg told The Associated Press.

Not everyone likes these videos, though, with some viewers deeming them, at their best, performative, and at their worst, exploitative. Continue reading

What Are Corporate America’s Top Frustrations in 2024?

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

By creativeart freepik.com

By Michael Dinich | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Salary dissatisfaction, lack of appreciation and poor work-life balance are corporate America’s top frustrations — according to the nation’s Human Resources (HR) pros.

A new survey of 1,000 human resource professionals revealed the biggest challenges facing the workforce today, along with the pain points HR problem solvers are feeling in their departments.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents said feeling underpaid is the most common source of discontent for workers at their company, along with being unappreciated (26%), poor work-life balance (25%) and dissatisfaction with benefits (23%).

And according to the survey, the most common types of issues that get brought to the HR department are rooted in poor communication (44%), rule violations (40%), toxic negativity (38%), and gossip (37%). Continue reading

Nobel economics prize goes to 3 economists who found that freer societies are more likely to prosper

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Academy of Sciences permanent secretary Hans Ellegren, center, Jakob Svensson, left, and Jan Teorell, of the Nobel assembly announce the Nobel memorial prize in economics winners, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson, seen on screen, during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

By DANIEL NIEMANN, MIKE CORDER and PAUL WISEMAN Associated Press

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to three economists who have studied why some countries are rich and others poor and have documented that freer, open societies are more likely to prosper.

The work by Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson “demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity,” the Nobel committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said at the announcement in Stockholm.

Acemoglu and Johnson work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while Robinson does his research at the University of Chicago.

Jakob Svensson, chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said their analysis has provided “a much deeper understanding of the root causes of why countries fail or succeed.” Continue reading