Dancers and a Dam: World Bank Hones New Strategy in Mozambique
Dancing women and gyrating men wearing traditional masks were among the hundreds of people who gathered to meet the dignitaries in the central town of Tete, many of them clad in the red garb of the ruling Frelimo party. The six-foot-eight Chapo towered above the crowd as he walked down a red carpet, shaking hands, pumping his fist and shouting chants, with Banga following close behind him. The scene was repeated in Songo, a short helicopter ride away.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Voters appear poised to approve new funding for Key Peninsula fire after staffing challenges
Early results are in — and it appears Pierce County voters are poised to approve a ballot measure that would increase funding for the Key Peninsula Fire Department. The money would help close a funding gap that has led to staff shortages and a series of temporary station shutdowns. The measure would reset the Key Peninsula Fire Department's EMS tax levy rate to 50 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value. Though voters approved that rate in 2019, property tax laws have allowed it to drop to 32 cents per $1,000 in assessed value, according to the fire chief. The new rate would mean someone who owns a $500,000 home in the district would pay $250 a year, which is about $90 more than that homeowner pays now. The department says the levy lid lift request would bring in more than $900,000 in additional revenue each year for emergency services, allowing them to fill four vacancies, increase daily minimum staffing levels, and avoid station shutdowns. The shutdowns happened between six to 10 times early this year, according to the chief, and typically lasted a full shift (around 24 hours). 'The next nearest station could be coming from way to the north of us, perhaps from another city, so you could be talking about a response time difference from, say, five minutes to 15 to 20 minutes,' said Fire Chief Nick Swinhart. Those issues started after voters rejected the renewal of a levy that helped pay for staffing costs in November. The department was forced to make budget cuts this year. Bob Green, who lives in the area, voted to approve the request in this week's election. 'You want to be able to call somebody and have them come in a short period of time,' he said. Teresa Ives voted against it, citing distrust over the department's ability to manage its funds. Her concerns are similar to those of some other voters who spoke in opposition to the November levy renewal request. 'My property taxes will go up,' she said. 'So, yeah, who wants to pay more?' Latest numbers show about 62% of voters in the district have approved the measure, while 38% have voted against it. Votes are still being counted, and results will be posted here,. Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
6 hours ago
- Bloomberg
UCLA Talking to Trump to Restore $584 Million in Federal Grants
By and Liam Knox Save The University of California at Los Angeles said it has entered into negotiations with the Trump administration to reinstate about $584 million in frozen federal research funding. The move came after the US Justice Department had given the school a Tuesday deadline to enter into a resolution agreement after a US investigation found UCLA violated federal civil rights laws by failing to stop antisemitic harassment on campus.
CNN
8 hours ago
- CNN
UCLA says the federal government has frozen more than a half-billion dollars of its research funds
For the first time since revealing last week that the Trump administration began freezing its federal research funding, the University of California, Los Angeles has put a number on how much is at stake. And it's far bigger than previously thought. 'Currently, a total of approximately $584 million in extramural award funding is suspended and at risk,' Chancellor Julio Frenk wrote Wednesday to the university community. 'If these funds remain suspended, it will be devastating for UCLA and for Americans across the nation.' The extent of UCLA's financial challenge comes as the Trump administration – citing a wish to quell what it describes as rampant antisemitism on US campuses – has inked deals with several prominent universities, including Columbia, which agreed to give the White House 'relevant data' on hiring and admissions, 'strengthen oversight of international students' and have an independent monitor oversee the agreement. While UCLA and the Trump administration previously declined to give a specific figure publicly for the amount of federal research money frozen, it was 'greater than $300 million,' documents given to the Los Angeles Times on Friday showed. Frenk's acknowledgment of the size of the funding freeze comes two days after a town hall with faculty and staff to discuss the financial threat that the university says drew more than 3,000 attendees. 'We are doing everything we can to protect the interests of faculty, students and staff – and to defend our values and principles,' Frenk wrote. UCLA's grants were suspended by agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. 'We will not fund institutions that promote antisemitism,' a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told CNN last week. 'We will use every tool we have to ensure institutions follow the law.' UCLA in March launched its own Initiative to Combat Antisemitism and last week settled a lawsuit that accused the university of letting Jewish students get targeted and harassed during 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Still, the university continues to be the target of an antisemitism investigation by the Department of Justice. 'Jewish and Israeli students at UCLA were subjected to severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment that created a hostile environment by members of the encampment,' said a notice from the Civil Rights Division, asking for a 'voluntary resolution' with the school. Both Columbia and Brown universities recently signed settlements with the Trump administration to restore federal grants blocked over similar claims, restoring hundreds of millions of dollars to those institutions. Harvard, which saw more than $2 billion in government funds frozen this year, is battling the Trump administration in court. The nation's oldest and wealthiest university awaits a judge's decision on whether the White House should be forced to release the money while also reportedly discussing its own settlement options. UCLA is keeping its options open for how to respond to the loss of funding, Frenk said. 'The UC Board of Regents and the UC Office of the President are providing counsel as we actively evaluate our best course of action,' the chancellor said.
