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Day: 15 May 2023

UN marks 75 years since displacement of 700,000 Palestinians

UN »

The mass displacement in 1948, known as the Nakba (meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic), has an importance to Palestinians across the world.

For Palestinians, the 1948 the massive displacement meant families took what they could carry or was shipped in trucks, from their homes to areas outside the new State of Israel.

The UN agency created to serve the displaced population (UNRWA), reports that 5.9 million Palestinian are currently registered as refugees.

The sombre anniversary spotlights the world’s longest-standing protracted refugee crisis, serving as a stark reminder that Palestine refugees continue to live amidst conflict, violence, and occupation while aspiring to a just and lasting solution to their plight, said the UN Committee on the Rights of Palestine People.

WHO advises against use of artificial sweeteners

UN »

Common NSS include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and other stevia derivatives.

“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety.

Death rates from firearms keep climbing in Texas

The Texas Tribune »

Deaths from firearms in Texas — the vast majority of them suicides or homicides — have continued rising in Texas, reaching levels not seen in almost three decades.

At the same time, Texas relaxed its gun laws in a decadeslong push to expand Second Amendment rights in the state, most recently in 2021 when Gov. Greg Abbott signed what Republicans called a “constitutional carry” bill into law, allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training.

Texas lawmakers have approved more than 100 bills that loosened regulations on firearms over the last two decades, from blocking campus “zero tolerance” policies that expelled gun-carrying students to preventing hotels from restricting handguns, according to data compiled by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.

New York City to become the first place in America to institute a congestion pricing plan

Curbed » 

The Federal Highway Administration has given its blessing to New York City’s plan after an environmental review determined a “Finding of No Significant Impact” over a project area that encompasses 28 counties across three states. In what has become an agonizingly drawn-out process — the state legislature approved congestion pricing in 2019, for those keeping track — the MTA has cleared one more hurdle in its quest to charge drivers to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. To say that the agency could really use the plan’s projected $1 billion in annual revenue is an understatement.

Canadian home sales jumped by 11.3%  in April as the real estate market picked up again, but supply remained at a 20 year-low

Canadian Real Estate Association »

Highlights:
  • National home sales surged 11.3% month-over-month in April.
  • Actual (not seasonally adjusted) monthly activity came in 19.5% below April 2022.
  • The number of newly listed properties edged up 1.6% month-over-month but remain at a 20-year low.
  • The MLS Home Price Index (HPI) climbed 1.6% month-over-month but was down 12.3% year-over-year.
  • The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price posted a 3.9% year-over-year decline in April.

Elsewhere » CBC » Average Canadian house price rose to $716,000 in April — up by $100K since January

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