ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
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ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to present a "plan for victory" in the country's war with Russia to President Joe Biden during this week's visit to the US.
Zelensky also intends to present the plan to Congress and the two candidates in the US presidential election: Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
He is expected to ramp up efforts to persuade the US and its allies to allow Ukraine to fire the missiles they supplied deep into Russian territory for the first time in the war.
Zelensky's visit to the US coincides with efforts from the White House to prepare a new $375m (£283m) military aid package for Ukraine.
This autumn would "determine the future of this war," Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
In a statement ahead of the visit, the Ukrainian leader previewed three elements to his plan: further weapons donations, diplomatic efforts to force Russia to agree to peace, and holding Moscow accountable for its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine has been pleading for months for the US, UK and other Western allies to ease restrictions on the use of long-range missiles so it can strike targets in Russia which Kyiv says are used to launch attacks.
Earlier in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western countries that he would consider long-range missile strikes to be "direct participation" by the Nato military alliance in the war.
When asked by reporters on Sunday whether he had made a decision on allowing Ukraine to use US-made long-range weapons, Biden answered: "No."
What weapons are the UK and other countries giving Ukraine?
Trump has previously criticised US support for Ukraine and spoken highly of Putin, but said he would "probably" meet Zelensky.
The ex-president previously flagged his own plan to end the war "within 24 hours" if re-elected in November, but has not given details.
According to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who he met in March, Trump has vowed to "not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end".
Zelensky's statement also voiced gratitude for the support from Ukraine's allies to date, singling out the US in particular as its "leading supporter".
The US has been the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, and to date has provided $56bn for its defence.
After arriving in the US on Sunday, Zelensky stopped in Biden's birth town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to visit a munitions factory involved in supplying the Ukrainian war effort.
After Washington, Zelensky is expected to head to New York and the United Nations for a planned meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday and a speech at the General Assembly on Wednesday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the inauguration and laying of foundation stone of projects in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, announced the launch of initiatives worth over US$955 million in the railway, road, power and housing sectors.
Modi also launched the country’s first high-speed railway connecting Ahmedabad and Bhuj. The Prime Minister also initiated a Single Window IT System (SWITS) of the International Financial Services Centres Authority. This is reported by ANI, a partner of TV BRICS.
The Prime Minister stated that many families have been given keys of new houses, which will enable them to celebrate upcoming festivals like Navratri and Diwali in a new environment.
He highlighted the implementation of the programme for construction of new houses and improvement of living conditions for families across the country. Finally, the official recalled the recent decision to provide free health care to the elderly, emphasising his government’s commitment to social issues and care for citizens.
For nearly 40 years, daring smugglers transported nearly 40,000 Lithuanian-language books into the nation each year when it was forbidden under Russian rule.
Following the gentle bends of the Nemunas, Lithuania's largest river, the Panemunė road stretches for more than 100km and marks the former border between Lithuania and East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Considered the most romantic road in Lithuania by locals, it travels past a series of 17th-Century castles, Renaissance-era mansions and postcard-worthy towns.
Yet, the route is perhaps best known as the site of a remarkable movement that took place in the late 19th Century and helped save Lithuanian, which is commonly considered the world's oldest surviving Indo-European language.
Panemunė was built in the early 13th Century along a chain of early medieval fortresses and castles designed to protect the Grand duchy of Lithuania from the invading Teutonic forces coming from Prussia. By the 1800s, it had developed into a major trade and travel route as the fortresses became mansions for the nobility, and smaller towns grew around them.
Among the road's many regal attractions are the Castle of Panemunė, a 17th-Century manor complete with intricate frescoes and a park with cascading ponds that's been transformed into a lavish hotel and artist residence. Ten kilometres east of the castle, Raudone ("The Red Castle") is a 16th-Century fortress that was partially destroyed during World War Two but has since been rebuilt and now offers horseback riding, archery lessons and a weekly food and arts fair.A further 20km east, the ancient city of Veliuona and the castle hill of Seredzius come into view, where a 30-minute hike up the wooden steps to the top of the lush green hill reveals sweeping views of the Nemunas river below. As the road unfurls in one final sweeping bend before the city of Kaunas, the towers of the Raudondvaris Castle emerge. Built where the Nemunas and Nevezis rivers meet, this sprawling 17th-Century estate now features a concert hall, labyrinth park, museum and a restaurant.
"The Panemunė road is often called the 'paradise road' in Lithuania: it boasts exceptional scenery, rich history and countless cultural experiences ranging from the [Honey Valley]; boat trips along River Nemunas; [and] local dandelion wine tastings; to art and history museums, food fairs and cultural events in the Renaissance mansions along the road," said Eglė Speičienė, founder of the local travel agency TavoGidas. Because of the many castles, rolling hills and boutique wineries located along the Panemunė, Speičienė says some travellers liken the road to France's famed Loire Valley.
However, stunning scenery and dreamy castles aren't the only thing Panemunė is known for. The road is also where a unique Lithuanian movement took place in the late 19th Century that would help shape the nation's character: book smuggling.
From 1865 to 1904, the Lithuanian language (which is actually related to ancient Sanskrit and diverged thousands of years ago) was banned under the tsarist Russian rule, which controlled large swathes of the country at the time. The ban prohibited the printing, possessing and distributing of any publications in Lithuanian with the Latin alphabet – but instead of creating a complete Russification of the country, it had the opposite effect.A large network of resistance publishers, book smugglers and distributors sprang up and more than three million books, scientific papers, textbooks and newspapers were printed in Lithuanian in East Prussia and the US, which each had large populations of Lithuanian émigrés. According to historian Vytautas Merkys, during this 39-year-period more than 40,000 Lithuanian-language publications were smuggled into the country each year, reaching villages, parishes and towns across the nation via the Panemunė road.
Panemunė's proximity to both East Prussia and Poland, (where the books entered) helped it serve as an entry point into the nation for book-smugglers. Tilžė (now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad) was one of the main points where smugglers crossed, and the road's final point, the city of Kaunas, served as Lithuania's capital from 1919 to 1940 and was a centre for cultural resistance against the Russians.
"Essentially, Panemunė was the main artery through which the Lithuanian printed press and books reached the country. River Nemunas was a crucial point for crossing into the country. Some book smugglers swam across, carrying bundled-up books on their bodies, while some transported books hidden in steamboats or paid merchants to help," explained Vaidas Banys, a historian and educator. "[These] banned books, newspapers and religious texts reached deep into the country."
According to Banys, these book smugglers were key to saving the Lithuanian language. They frequently carried up to 80lbs of printed Lithuanian books and other publications, smuggling them from East Prussia and other border locations across the Nemunas river, then transporting them along the backroads of Panemunė in horse-drawn carts hidden among stacks of hay, furniture or even empty coffins."All routes were intricately connected, and no book smuggler worked alone. It wasn't just the person who smuggled the books across the border or carried them on their bodies. There were people who would carry the printed materials for a leg of the way, further distribute the prohibited press, finance the printing or supply local communities, parishes and schools," Banys said. "There [wasn't] a 'typical' book smuggler profile, either: people involved in the printing and transporting of the books came from all backgrounds – from simple peasants and devout women to landowners, priests, merchants, bankers and doctors. The network spanned thousands of individuals and organisations. That, in the end, was why the Russians eventually gave up and lifted the ban – the network was so vast and well-connected that it was impossible to destroy."
According to Banys, crossing the border was the most dangerous part of the journey. If caught, book smugglers could be shot on sight by Russian officials, imprisoned, tortured and banished to Siberia.More like this:
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"A book smuggler had to know the smallest details – when the border guards would be changing, which ones could be bribed, which trails or river crossings were watched more closely. Even inside the country, they had to be careful who to trust, how to transport the books and press – using double floors in carts and boxes, paying Jewish merchants aboard the Nemunas steamboats, hiding the books under haystacks and merchandise," Banys added. "The severity of the punishment, when caught, also depended on the kind of books they carried: religious materials were considered less of an offense, and a book smuggler might get away with a fine or a few years of imprisonment. Newspapers and literature that promoted the ideas of freedom, democracy, Lithuanian national identity and the like usually carried a death sentence or deportation to Siberia."According to Banys, these book smugglers didn't just save the language – they helped solidify Lithuanian identity, and, ultimately, its battle for independence."Although many of the fates of the book smugglers were tragic, their contribution and their memory remain vital. During the years of the language ban, one book smuggler from Kėdainiai was caught by the Russian officers and beaten so severely he went mad. Even when the ban was lifted, this man would still wander around with books on his back, and people would tell their kids: look what our language has cost us; study it and cherish it," Banys said.
When the Lithuanian language ban was lifted in 1904, Juozas Masiulis, one of the prominent book smugglers, opened his own book store in the town of Panevezys. The shop is now Lithuania's oldest bookstore. It's still operational today, and every year on 16 March, the nation commemorates the Day of the Book Smugglers.
The river ferry near Vilkija – the only remaining Nemunas ferry – is now a popular attraction along the Panemunė road, and travellers can experience what it must have been like to cross the river on smaller boats. In Kaunas, the final stop along the Panemunė road, visitors can also see the Wall of the Book Smugglers – a monument honouring those who perished on their perilous journeys.Today, this scenic drive lives on as a living testament to Lithuania's rich culture, complex history and defiant spirit.
Half a billion fans, a multi-million dollar personal fortune and a global business empire.
It would take a lot to dethrone YouTube's biggest influencer Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast.
But a 54-page court document could be his toughest test yet.
Five female contestants on upcoming Prime Video show Beast Games are launching legal action against his production company MrB2024 and Amazon in Los Angeles.
Billed as the largest ever reality competition series, 1,000 contestants are set to compete for a $5m (£3.7m) prize when the show airs - or if it airs. The lawsuit has plunged the show into crisis.
Among many redacted pages, the legal document includes allegations that they "particularly and collectively suffered" in an environment that "systematically fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism".
It cuts to the core of MrBeast's image as one of the nicest guys on the internet.I flicked through the document, which includes suggestions that participants were "underfed and overtired". Meals were provided "sporadically and sparsely" which "endangered the health and welfare" of the contestants, it is claimed.
In one section where almost all of the claims are redacted from public view, it says the defendants "created, permitted to exist, and fostered a culture and pattern and practice of sexual harassment including in the form of a hostile work environment".
Back in August, the New York Times spoke to more than a dozen of the (yet unreleased) show's participants, and reported there were "several hospitalisations" on the set, with one person telling the paper they had gone over 20 hours without being fed.
Contestants also alleged they had not received their medication on time.
The BBC has approached MrBeast and Amazon - he has not yet publicly commented.
So will these latest allegations hurt the king of YouTube's popularity?
Rising fame and philanthropy
MrBeast is no stranger to controversy this year - and has managed to come out unscathed each time.
In July, the 26-year-old American said he had hired investigators after his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenager.
Ava denied the allegations, but has apologised for "past behaviour" which was "not acceptable".
MrBeast said he was "disgusted" by the "serious allegations".
Later, further allegations about business practices surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a former employee. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims or this person's identity.
Some of his philanthropic efforts - such as building wells in Africa, and paying for surgery for people with reduced sight and hearing - have drawn criticisms around exploitation.
"Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast’s latest piece of inspiration porn," one person told the Independent last year.
But his empire continues to grow. The day before the lawsuit emerged on Wednesday, he revealed a team-up with fellow famous faces KSI and Logan Paul - a new food line designed to challenge Lunchables.
And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric rise last year, he has made his millions through hard work.
His videos are big budget experiences, with his most popular - viewed 652 million times - recreating the Netflix hit Squid Game in real life with a $456,000 (£342,000) prize.
Most of his philanthropy is less controversial - including giving away houses, cash and cars - which has worked to create an image of him being one of the internet's good guys.
According to his website, he has delivered more than 25 million meals to the needy around the world.
People continue to flock to his social channels. In June, he gained enough subscribers to make his YouTube channel the largest in the world.
According to stats-checker Socialblade, MrBeast picked up an extra five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone.
That’s just one metric - we can’t tell how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example.
What is certain is that the number of people who’ve actively decided to stop watching his videos has been eclipsed by those who’ve decided to subscribe.
The YouTube apology
He wouldn't be the only YouTuber whose popularity holds through controversy - others have faced far more significant storms than MrBeast, with few facing many consequences outside of a public apology.
Logan Paul faced a massive backlash in 2018 after he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers which showed the body of a person who had apparently taken their own life.
After removing the original video, he shared a less than two-minute apology titled simply: "So sorry."
Now, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and up until August was the WWE United States champion. He's had quite a few pay-per-view boxing bouts, too.
Other high-profile YouTubers, including Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star have all had their own controversies, and got on with their careers after uploading apology videos.
A more modern example is Herschel "Guy" Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, who admitted he sent messages to "an individual minor" in 2017.
He stressed that "nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed" and went offline for two months after posting the statement.
His comeback livestream earlier this month attracted more than three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.
Dr Disrespect remains the second-most watched streamer in the US this year, according to Streams Charts.
The point is: YouTubers tend to be forgiven quickly.
What next for MrBeast?
While MrBeast's fanbase has continued growing, controversy is swirling once again - and his next move could determine his long-term success.
James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, says the star is "in an incredibly unique position" with a "multi-faceted" brand spanning many industries.
"We are indeed in uncharted waters," he says, and "a proactive approach, addressing the issues transparently and ensuring accountability, could protect his brand".
Brand expert Catherine Shuttleworth says the "sheer scale" of MrBeast’s fame may act as a buffer against backlash, but the latest lawsuit could be difficult.
"When it comes to his business ventures, particularly those targeting families and children - like Feastables chocolate bars or Lunchly - it’s a different story," she says.
"Parents, who often hold the purchasing power, tend to be less tolerant of controversies involving safety, fairness, and ethics."
Back in August 2023, when writing about MrBeast, I predicted he would soon take the YouTube crown despite him having half as many subscribers then.
He is now facing extra challenges as his fame rises, and a lot of the internet is eagerly awaiting his reply to what is, so far, one side of a complex story.
A suspected gunman arrested near Donald Trump's golf-course wrote a note months earlier saying he intended to kill the former president, a court filing shows.
"This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump," the note says.
Prosecutors included the note in a court filing on Monday, and said they would try to charge 58-year-old Ryan Routh with the attempted assassination of a major political candidate.
Routh has been in custody since his arrest on 15 September in Florida.
US Federal Judge Ryon McCabe ordered that Routh remain behind bars without bail pending his trial, saying that the "weight of the evidence against the defendant is strong".
Routh is so far facing two federal gun crime charges, including for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Federal prosecutors, however, said in court that they would ask a grand jury in the coming days to also charge Routh with the more serious crime of plotting to assassinate a political candidate, saying that evidence suggests he had been plotting an attack on Trump.
In the pre-written letter, addressed to "The World" and sent to an unnamed witness months before the 15 September incident, Routh appears to pre-empt a failed assassination attempt on the former president.
"I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster," the letter reads.
Routh, who told a judge during his first court appearance last week that he had no funds and no savings, then says in the letter that he would pay a cash reward to anyone "who can complete the job".
A box containing the letter - as well as ammunition, building materials, tools and four phones - were dropped off at the home of the witness before the incident, according to the court documents filed by prosecutors.
In the filing, prosecutors state that the witness, whose relation to Routh is unclear, opened the box after learning of the apparent assassination attempt and then contacted the authorities.
The documents were filed in support of Routh's continued pre-trial detention.
Routh was arrested after a Secret Service agent spotted his face in foliage while securing the sixth hole of Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach before noticing a rifle, prosecutors say.
The agent then jumped out of his golf cart, drew his gun and fired after seeing Routh allegedly move his gun, the court filing says. Routh did not fire his gun at any point during the incident, police have said.
The suspect managed to flee and left the weapon and some other items at the scene. He was arrested shortly afterwards after a witness spotted him on the Interstate 95, a major highway.
Court documents indicate he had 11 rounds of ammunition, one of which was chambered in the rifle.Investigators also found a handwritten list in his vehicle of dates where Trump had public appearances scheduled between August and October.
Phone records show that Routh had been in the vicinity of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort for nearly a month between 18 August and 15 September.
Routh is originally from North Carolina and spent much of his life there, although he most recently lived in Hawaii. He has had numerous legal issues in the past, including multiple charges for stolen goods between 1997 and 2010.
In 2022, Routh went to Ukraine in a failed bid to recruit foreign soldiers for Ukraine's military following the country's invasion by Russian forces.
The American reportedly contacted the legion on a regular basis with ideas described by one Ukrainian soldier as “nonsensical” and “delusional”.
The suspect had also admitted to being turned down himself, claiming it was down to his age and lack of fighting experience.
Prosecutors have argued that he remain in custody pending his trial, saying he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Routh also has an arraignment hearing scheduled for 30 September, where is he is expected to either plead guilty or not guilty to the charges.
Across southern Lebanon, families scrambled together belongings and headed north in cars and trucks and on motorcycles as the Israeli military struck targets it said were linked to the Lebanese Shia armed group Hezbollah.
Some residents reported receiving warnings in the form of text messages and voice recordings from the Israeli military to leave areas near the Iran-backed group’s positions.
Zahra Sawli, a student in the southern town of Nabatieh told the BBC's Newshour programme the bombardment was intense.
"I woke up at 6am to the sound of bombing. By noon it started to get really intense and I saw a lot of strikes in my area."
"I heard a lot of glass shattering."
Unlike many, she and those she was with did not leave the house - they didn't dare, she said.
"Where are we supposed to go? A lot of people are still stuck on the streets. A lot of my friends are still stuck in traffic because a lot of people are trying to flee," she said.
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By the middle of the day roads north towards Beirut were clogged with traffic, with vehicles heading towards the capital on both sides of a six-lane coastal highway.
Other images showed people walking along the beach in the southern city of Tyre as smoke rose from air strikes in the countryside inland.
The BBC spoke to one family of five who had arrived in Beirut on a single motorbike.
From a village in the south, they were heading to Tripoli in the north. They were exhausted.
"What do you want us to say? We just had to flee," the father said.By Monday evening the Lebanese health ministry reported that 492 people had been killed and more than 1,600 injured in the bombardment. It said at least 35 children were among those killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had carried out 1,100 strikes over the previous 24 hours.
That included an air strike in southern Beirut that the IDF said had targeted a senior Hezbollah commander.
In Beirut too there was widespread anxiety. As people from the south arrived in the capital in cars with suitcases strapped to the top, some of the city's residents were themselves leaving.
Israel has warned people to evacuate areas where it says Hezbollah is storing weapons - but it also sent recorded warnings to people in Beirut districts not considered Hezbollah strongholds including Hamra, an area home to government ministries, banks and universities.
Parents rushed to pick up their children from school after receiving more warnings to leave the area.
One father, Issa, took his son out of school, telling Reuters news agency: "[We're here] because of the phone calls.
"They’re calling everyone and threatening people by phone. So we’re here to take my boy from school. The situation is not reassuring," he said.Mohammed, a Palestinian man on the road with his wife, spoke to the BBC on the way out of Beirut.
When asked if he would stay in the capital he said: "In Lebanon nowhere is safe, Israel is saying they are going to bombard everywhere. Now they threatened this neighbourhood, so where should we go?"
"It’s scary, I don’t know what to do - work, go home, no idea what to do."
Meanwhile as a BBC crew set up on one side of the road, a taxi driver called out asking if they knew of a fuel crisis unfolding. “Too many people are coming to Beirut,” he said.
Schools have been hastily converted into shelters for the streams of evacuees coming from the south. On a government order, schools in Beirut and Tripoli as well as eastern Lebanon were established as shelters.The was at a classroom at a public school in Bir Hasan, west Beirut on Monday which was being prepared for people coming from the Bekaa Valley - a Hezbollah stronghold in north-eastern Lebanon which Israel said it was targeting too.
The classrooms were stacked with mattresses but would be fully occupied by the end of the day, workers said.
China's central bank has unveiled a major package of measures aimed at Speaking at a rare news conference alongside officials from two other financial regulators, Mr Pan said the central bank would cut the amount of cash banks have to hold in reserve - known as reserve requirement ratios (RRR).
The RRR will initially be cut by half a percentage point, in a move expected to free up about 1 trillion yuan ($142bn; £106bn).
Mr Pan added that another cut may be made later in the year.
Further measures aimed to boost China's crisis-hit property market include cutting interest rates for existing mortgages and lowering minimum down payments on all types of homes to 15%.
The country's real estate industry has been struggling with a sharp downturn since 2021.
Several developers have collapsed, leaving large numbers of unsold homes and unfinished building projects.
The PBOC's new economic stimulus measures come just days after the US Federal Reserve lowered interest rates for the first time in more than four years with a bigger than usual cut.
In Asia afternoon trading hours, major stock indexes in Shanghai and Hong Kong were more than 3% higher.reviving the country's flagging economy.
People's Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Pan Gongsheng announced plans to lower borrowing costs and allow banks to increase their lending.
The move comes after a series of disappointing data has increased expectations in recent months that the world's second largest economy will miss its own 5% growth target this year.
Stock markets in Asia jumped after Mr Pan's announcement.
Travelling can be uncomfortable for neurodivergent people, including those on the autism spectrum. Increasingly, hotels, restaurants and cities are working to welcome these visitors.
From long security lines and delayed flights to packed trains and bumper-to-bumper traffic, travelling can be an uncomfortable ordeal. But for some people, the stresses of travel can be even more acute. Crowded noisy spaces, complicated social interactions and sudden changes in routine are particularly trying for neurodivergent travellers, including those on the autism spectrum.
Autism is a complex condition marked by differences in communication, social interactions and sensory input. According to the World Health Organization, it affects approximately 1% of children worldwide. The range and severity of symptoms vary, which means the specific accommodations needed by travellers need can also differ.
Travel can also be very rewarding for autistic people, especially when their needs and sensitivities are taken into consideration. "I think one of the greatest advantages of travelling is it gives us the opportunity to expand on the idea of what autistic people are capable of," said Kerry Magro, a best-selling author and speaker who was diagnosed as autistic at the age of four. "[It can help with] social abilities, communication, adaptability and also just self-awareness of who they are as individuals and what they like to do."
Some basic knowledge and simple accommodations can make all the difference in autistic people's travel experiences, and destinations are increasingly working to provide these to their visitors. For more than 20 years, the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) has been providing training to hotels, travel professionals and visitor bureaus across the globe who are interested in becoming more welcoming to autistic and other neurodivergent visitors. Currently more than 300 businesses are listed as Autism-Certified Centres, as well as three fully certified destinations, though there are a few more currently in the process of becoming certified, including Dubai and the Greater Palm Springs area in the US."We incorporate best practices from experts in the field, as well as autistic and neurodivergent individuals themselves [in our trainings]," Meredith Tekin, president of IBCCES,"So, you'll see individuals sharing their lived experience and sharing their recommendations in the trainings."
IBCCES offers trainings focused on sensory awareness and general sensitivity towards autistic people. They also occasionally conduct on-site visits to hotels and partnering cities to help identify additional opportunities to accommodate autistic travellers. The organisation's goal is to help destinations become more autism-friendly and help employees in the travel space to better understand accessibility needs. Once the trainings are completed, the organisation offers certification and lists businesses on the site Autism Travel, which compiles destinations and attractions that IBCCES deems are "autism certified".
IBCCES offers autism certifications for restaurants, shops and attractions (called "Autism Certified Centers"), as well as destinations and cities. "Certified Autism Destinations" are places where most tourism-related organisations in the area have received training, whereas "Autism Certified Cities" are given to places where organisations and businesses across the city have been certified.
The most recent destination to receive certification is Traverse City, Michigan, which earned certification in August 2024. Traverse City is known for its beautiful natural landscape and proximity to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. According to Whitney Waara, chief operating officer of Traverse City Tourism, the impetus for becoming an autism-certified destination was simply the wish to have more people able to enjoy the city. "We were really working on trying to make sure that our destination is welcoming to all," said Waara. "Making sure that we're ready to meet all the travellers that are coming with whatever needs that they have [has] been an important priority for us for the last several years."The initiative was a particularly exciting project for Craig Hadley, executive director of Traverse City's Dennos Museum, whose son is on the spectrum and appears in the city's promotional video highlighting its recent certification. "It seems like a simple thing, but as a parent, it means a lot knowing that the person that you're speaking to understands kind of where you're coming from and why that resource is important for that family," Hadley told the BBC.
The museum participated in the certification process, training employees and implementing autism-friendly amenities like quiet spaces, sensory maps and several sets of noise-cancelling headphones available for visitors who are particularly sensitive to sound, as many autistic people can be. The Dennos Museum has also planned a few autism-friendly events, such as its sensory-friendly Halloween For All.
Traverse City took inspiration from Mesa, Arizona, which became the US's first autism-friendly city in 2019 when it was certified by IBCCES. What began as an initiative by the city's tourism board, started by the CEO's experience as the parent of an autistic child, quickly grew to a citywide movement when the mayor got wind of the plans. More like this:
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In order to get the entire city certified, Mesa was required to have at least three businesses and organisations in several sectors – specifically tourism, education and healthcare – go through the process. However, many more businesses across the city signed up – so many, in fact, that Mesa now offers a "Live Life Limitless" passport that lists all the city's certified centres, including hotels, restaurants and attractions. The Autism Travel page on Visit Mesa's website also offers free sensory guides to seven of the city's most popular destinations that can be downloaded and viewed online before visitors leave home."Almost every day I run into somebody that didn't know that [the city] was certified," said Brooks. "But whenever I speak with a resident… it's just this sense of pride that they get."
For Magro, seeing the increasing willingness of cities and destinations to educate themselves about autism and become more accommodating to neurodivergent travellers is a positive sign. "I really hope this is not a fad," he said, "but a [new] reality that more of our community will be embraced with open arms."
sorce:BBC
