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Mexico City — "That's it, dude! Done!" exclaimed Eliezer López as he jumped up and down, throwing his arms to the sky and drawing a sign of the cross across his chest. His joy was so contagious, his friends started to emerge from nearby tents to celebrate with him. López, a 20-year-old Venezuelan migrant in Mexico City, had reason to rejoice: After several frustrating attempts, he was able to secure an appointment to seek asylum in the U.S. He is one of thousands of migrants whose U.S.-bound journey has landed them in the Mexican capital, the southernmost point until recently from which migrants can register to request an appointment to seek asylum through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's mobile app known as CBP One. Since June, when the Biden administration announced significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum, the app became one of the only ways to request asylum at the Southwest border. This U.S. asylum policy and its geographic limits are a driving force behind the emergence of migrant encampments throughout the Mexican capital where thousands of migrants wait weeks — even months — in limbo, living in crowded, makeshift camps with poor sanitation and grim living conditions. From point of transit to temporary destination Historically, Mexico City has not been a stop for northbound migrants. They try to cross the country quickly to reach the northern border. But the delays in securing an appointment, coupled with the danger that plagues cartel-controlled northern Mexico border cities and the increased crackdown by Mexican authorities on migrants have combined to turn Mexico City from a point of transit to a temporary destination for thousands. Some migrant camps have been dismantled by immigration authorities or abandoned over time. Others, like the one where López has lived for the past few months, remain. Like López, many migrants have opted to wait for their appointment in the somewhat safer capital, but Mexico City presents its own challenges. Shelter capacity is limited, and unlike large U.S. cities like Chicago and New York, which rushed last winter to find housing for arriving migrants, in Mexico City they are mainly left to their own devices. Andrew Bahena, coordinator of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA, said that up until late 2023 many migrants were contained in southern Mexican cities like Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala. Many tried to disguise their location to defeat CBP One's geographic limits, but when U.S. authorities took notice, more migrants began aiming for Mexico City to make their appointments from there, he said. As a result, there has been an increase in the migrant population living in the Mexico City camps. "We talk about this as border externalization and it's something the United States and Mexico have been jointly implementing for years," said Bahena. "The CBP One app is probably one of the best examples of that today. "These folks are asylum seekers, they're not homeless people living in Mexico," he added. A maze of tents and tarps When López first arrived in Mexico City at the end of April, he thought about renting a room only to realize it was not an option. He earned $23 a day working three times a week at a market. Rent was $157 per person to share a room with strangers, an arrangement that has become commonplace in Mexican cities with migrant populations. "The camp is like a refuge," said López. Migrants can share space with people they know, avoid the curfews and strict rules of shelters and potentially stay longer if necessary. The camps are a maze of tents and tarps. Some call their space "ranchito," or small ranch, assembled from wood, cardboard, plastic sheets, blankets and whatever they can find to protect them from the chilly mountain air and intense summer rains that pound the city. At another camp in La Merced neighborhood, hundreds of blue, yellow and red tents fill a plaza in front of a church. It's one of the capital's largest camps and just a 20-minute walk from the city center. "This is a place where up to 2,000 migrants have been living in the last year," said Bahena. "About 40% are children." Migrants in La Merced have organized themselves, building an impromptu pump that moves water from the public system and distributes it on a fixed schedule, with every tent receiving four buckets of water every day. "At the beginning there were a lot of problems, lots of trash and people in Mexico didn't like that," said Héctor Javier Magallanes, a Venezuelan migrant, who has been waiting nine months for a CBP One appointment. "We made sure to fix those problems little by little." As more migrants kept arriving at the camp, he set up a task force of 15 people to oversee security and infrastructure. Despite efforts to keep the camp clean and organized, residents haven't been able to avoid outbreaks of illnesses, exacerbated by drastic weather changes. Keilin Mendoza, a 27-year-old Honduran migrant, said her kids constantly get colds, especially her 1-year-old daughter. "She's the one that worries me the most, because she takes the longest to recover," she said. Mendoza has tried accessing free medical attention from humanitarian organizations at the camp, but resources are limited. Israel Resendiz, coordinator of Doctors Without Borders' mobile team, said the uncertainty of life in the camps weighs heavily on migrants' mental health. "It's not the same when a person waiting for their appointment [...] can get a hotel, rent a room or have money for food,” Resendiz said. “The majority of people don't have these resources." The secretary of inclusion and social welfare and the secretary of the interior in Mexico City didn't respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about the camps. Press representatives of Clara Brugada, the incoming mayor of Mexico City, said the issue must first be discussed at the federal level. Meanwhile, tensions between camp residents and neighbors have increased, sometimes leading to mass evictions of the camps. In late April, neighbors from the trendy and central Juárez neighborhood blocked some of the city's busiest streets, chanting, "The street is not a shelter!" Eduardo Ramírez, one of the protest organizers, said it's the government's job to "help these poor people that come from their countries in search of something better and have the bad luck of traveling through Mexico."

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U.S. election campaigns are some of the longest in the world. See how they compare to other countries.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world, but the industry has made fewer strides in advancing and promoting minorities. In the uptown neighborhood of Harlem, a program is tapping into community talent, led by a local who almost missed out on the industry entirely. Tina Trinh reports. Videographer: Ting-Yi Hsu

Nairobi — Kenyan officials have long pushed for milk to be pasteurized before it reaches the marketplace, but much of the milk sold is not pasteurized because small-scale vendors and producers can’t afford the expensive machines used in the process. Now, Canadian university graduates have developed a portable, affordable pasteurization machine that could help African farmers cheaply sterilize the dairy product and reduce milk-related disease. In Kenya, smallholder farmers produce 56% of the milk, with five million dairy cattle generating five billion liters annually. According to Kenya's Dairy Board, only 28% of that milk is processed by dairy companies, which pasteurize it to kill harmful bacteria. The remaining 72% is sold directly to consumers by vendors who traditionally heat and reheat the milk over a fire, a method that fails to ensure complete safety. To address the challenge faced by millions of farmers in Africa and around the world, a group of recent university graduates from Canada has developed a portable pasteurizer machine to help farmers sterilize milk cheaply and in a healthy way. Miraal Kabir is the head of the startup Safi, which means "pure” in Swahili. She said her technology provides health and economic benefits to users and milk consumers. "It solves two problems. The main one being the problem of unsafe milk. It allows all of the milk being sold in the market to be safe, which isn't the case right now. That's leading to a lot of deaths, a lot of diseases, especially for children under five. And then on a secondary problem that it's solving, right now in the dairy supply chain, the people who are winning the most are these large processors," she said. "They sell milk extremely cheap to these processors who then sell it at a huge premium. And so by allowing small scale farmers to pasteurize the milk themselves and earn the premium of pasteurized milk themselves, we're actually empowering them financially as well." The device is placed on top of a pot. It has a whisk to stir the milk and ensure that it is heated uniformly. It also has a screen and LED lights, which guide the user through pasteurization. A temperature sensor tells the user when the milk is ready. Moses Sitati is a dairy farmer in western Kenya. His cows produce 60 liters of milk per day, of which 10 liters spoil, meaning it is not suitable for human consumption. The 40-year-old farmer has been using the pasteurizer for the past 12 months. "I can sell milk, people can just buy milk and take it at the same time without going and boiling it fast. Now you know when you boil, wait until again by tomorrow so you boil, you are losing the milk, the first thing and also the nutrients. Now the pasteurizer helps to at least store the milk, it helps at least to preserve the milk for a long time," he said. In addition to farmers losing their income, raw and unpasteurized milk contains harmful bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, Brucella, tuberculosis, and Q fever. Sitati is among the 20 farmers and vendors in Kenya and Rwanda who have purchased the pasteurizer. The father of three happened to get the first product developed by the Safi team, which didn't satisfy him, but he says he is happy with the final product for its safety and energy consumption. "The first one could pasteurize milk from two to 10 liters, but this one pasteurized milk from two to 20 liters. The first one didn't have a lid, so when pasteurizing the milk, it could spill out, so they improved this to put a lid so that there is no milk spilling out when you are pasteurizing. The first one used electricity, and this one uses solar energy. When you charge, you can use it for four hours," he said. Last month, the Safi company said it partnered with the Rwandan government, which helped them open for commercialization after taking part in pilot programs. Kabir said the device tracks pasteurization data, letting farmers prove milk safety and helping regulators monitor it. "We've also incorporated the data software side of things. Our device is actually able to capture all the key pasteurization data and provide it to the farmer themselves or the vendors so that they can prove that they have pasteurized their milk to their customers, but then we're also able to aggregate all of this data and provide it to governments. Governments and regulators, they're able to see where milk has been pasteurized, when it was pasteurized, where safe milk is being sold," said Kabir. The innovators say they hope to find a good manufacturer to start producing the device next year and make billions of liters of milk disease-free.

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BEIRUT — Lebanon's controversial former central bank governor was detained Tuesday after being questioned in several corruption cases, according to three judicial officials. Riad Salameh served a 30-year term as central bank governor beginning in 1993. Although he was widely celebrated for his role in Lebanon's economic recovery after a 15-year civil war, Salameh left his post last year under a cloud, with several European countries probing his alleged financial crimes. He was blamed by many in Lebanon of being responsible for the country's financial crisis since late 2019. Salameh has repeatedly denied allegations of corruption, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. He insists that his wealth comes from inherited properties, investments and his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Salameh was questioned Tuesday by the top public prosecutor, Judge Jamal Hajjar, for over three hours, according to the three officials who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the case with the media. Salameh was interrogated over several financial matters, including a case in which he allegedly hired a company called Optimum to manipulate financial statements and conceal Lebanon's hemorrhaging financial losses. The officials said that Lebanon's Internal Security Forces transferred Salameh to a more secure prison but did not disclose further details. He is expected to remain in custody while he is interrogated. Hajjar is expected to file charges against Salameh in the next few days, after which his case will be transferred to an investigative judge. Salameh has been among the officials most blamed for policies that led to the country's economic crisis, which has decimated the value of the Lebanese pound by around 90% against the U.S. dollar and sparked triple-digit inflation. The United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have sanctioned Salameh and his close associates, and France issued an international arrest warrant against him, although Lebanon does not extradite citizens. France, Germany and Luxembourg also are investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million. Salameh has criticized the European investigation and said it was part of a media and political campaign to make him a scapegoat. Lebanon has not appointed a new central bank governor, but a vice governor, Wassim Mansouri, has been named acting governor. The crisis-hit country has also been without a president for almost two years and is run by a caretaker Cabinet with limited functions.

Seoul, South Korea — Lee Jang-mi, a 34-year-old Seoul office worker, laughs with a hint of embarrassment as she acknowledges fitting the stereotype of a single, childless South Korean woman. “I’m one of those people who doesn’t want kids,” says Lee with an exaggerated grin, rolling her eyes and gesturing toward herself. Though she’s currently in a relationship, Lee is unmarried and hesitant to start a family, citing financial stress as a major concern. “Raising a child well seems like an enormous burden,” she adds. But Lee’s perspective changed after stumbling into a pop-up store in Seoul's trendy Seongsu district, where she learned more about egg-freezing, a medical procedure meant to preserve a woman’s fertility. “It actually sounds like a good idea,” says Lee, after exploring the exhibits. “Because if you someday regret your decision [to not have kids], then it’s too late to change your mind.” Egg-freezing is gaining popularity among South Korean women who want to keep their family planning options open. At Maria Hospital, the Seoul fertility clinic behind the pop-up store, the number of egg-freezing procedures more than tripled from 2019 to 2023 — a trend that mirrors a nationwide surge, according to South Korea’s health ministry. Birth rate crisis This rise in demand may be partly because of government subsidies, with the Seoul city government covering about half of egg-freezing costs for women aged 20-49. It's one of several steps South Korean officials are taking to address the country’s rapidly declining birth rate, which they have labeled a national emergency. South Korea’s fertility rate, already the world’s lowest, fell to a record 0.72 last year. This means the average woman is expected to have far fewer children than the 2.1 required to sustain the population. On its current track, South Korea’s population will be reduced by half by the end of the century. Among other challenges, officials fear the country will not have enough workers to pay for rising health care costs as society rapidly ages. Preserving fertility Lim Tae-won, vice president of Maria Hospital, says he hopes egg-freezing becomes part of the solution to South Korea’s demographic crisis. “Basically, we think that many people would like to have children, just not right now,” says Lim, who says he understands why many young women prioritize their own lives over having kids. South Korean women often cite high child care costs, demanding work hours, and workplace gender discrimination as barriers to starting families. “In the end, [women] de-prioritize marriage and childbirth,” says Lim. “And later, when they do want to have children, they’ve become less fertile.” By freezing eggs at or near peak fertility, women can then use them, at least in theory, to become pregnant later via in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Lee Chae-rin, a 31-year-old Seoul resident, froze her eggs two years ago and says it has given her greater freedom to enjoy life as a single person. “Maybe it’s just because I really enjoy my life right now. But I think people naturally want to follow their passions — whether it’s studying, working more, or pursuing hobbies. For me, it’s surfing,” Lee says. Lee works at Maria Hospital, most recently at the pop-up store, where she provided fertility-related consultations. Broad appeal Single women like Lee were the target audience for the pop-up store, which was located in a neighborhood known for its stylish cafes, art galleries, and clothing boutiques. According to organizers, upwards of 10,000 people visited the store over a two-week period, though many were initially unaware it was run by a fertility clinic. The store attracted visitors with the appeal of free, customizable ice cream. Visitors could create their own flavors and mix-ins through a multi-station interactive process that highlighted different lifestyle choices. Only after getting the ice cream were visitors made aware of the egg-freezing sales pitch. Many passersby appeared interested, though some expressed concerns that the procedure was still too expensive. “I’m not ruling out the possibility of having a baby later, so I would consider doing it — but only if the government provided more support,” said Goh Bo-min, a 32-year-old academic researcher. Drawbacks Many experts say egg-freezing alone, however, is unlikely to significantly affect South Korea’s demographic decline. Jeong Yeon-bo, an associate professor of social sciences at Seoul’s Sungkonghoe University, argues this is because the approach does not address broader, systemic issues in South Korean society. “The cause of the low birth rate is that young people are experiencing challenges including wealth inequality, sexism, long working hours, and insufficient child care support. But [egg-freezing] doesn’t tackle these underlying problems — it merely offers a medical solution to the problem,” Jeong says. Additionally, egg-freezing in South Korea is likely only useful for women who eventually marry, as most fertility clinics require a marriage certificate before initiating procedures like IVF. And since South Korea does not allow sperm donation or surrogate mothers, as Jeong points out, only heterosexual couples may be able to benefit from egg-freezing. But many women say it can make a difference on an individual level, at least temporarily relieving the pressure to marry and have children. “I don’t know when I’ll get married, but I can’t turn back the clock on aging,” says Lee, who chose to freeze her eggs. “So, I invested for the future and froze my eggs.”

Migrant-related crime in New York has many residents on edge, with some blaming the influx of undocumented migrants into the city over the past two years. Aron Ranen and Igor Tsikhanenka spoke to law enforcement officials, politicians, activists and migrants about the controversy in this story narrated by Aron Ranen.

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania, Hungary, Georgia and Azerbaijan launched a joint venture Tuesday to install a power line under the Black Sea aimed at bringing more renewable energy into the European Union from the eastern Caucasus. The project, approved by leaders of the four countries in 2022, gained momentum after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and spotlighted the EU's reliance on Russian energy as prices sharply rose. The 27-nation bloc has since pushed to wean itself off Russian energy. The cable would link Azerbaijan, which is seen as having substantial potential to generate power at Caspian Sea wind farms, to EU members Romania and Hungary via Georgia. Government ministers from the four countries launched the joint venture at a meeting Tuesday in Romania's capital, saying the project would help strengthen energy security and drive down electricity prices for consumers. Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said the project was of strategic importance for his country and the EU. "If you look at the energy map of Europe over the past few months … you see that on the eastern flank essentially we are paying a very high price recently — and that's because there is not enough diversification," Burduja said. Azerbaijanian Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said the harnessing of renewable energy would help tackle climate change issues. The undersea line is important for energy security, he said, "but at the same time it is going to provide the green energy ... which is very high on the agenda of the international community." Bulgaria's deputy energy minister also joined Tuesday's meeting, and there were discussions about the EU member joining the infrastructure project. Burduja and Shahbazov said the next meeting on the project would be at a U.N. climate change meeting later this year in Azerbaijan.

Berlin, Germany — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has made her first picks for her top team, with the key economy vice-president job going to Italy's far-right nominee, German newspaper Die Welt reported Tuesday. Von der Leyen, who secured a second term as commission chief in July, is expected to unveil her proposed lineup following a Friday deadline for states to name their nominees. Die Welt, citing senior EU diplomats and European Commission insiders, said she is set to give Raffaele Fitto from the far-right Brothers of Italy party the executive vice-president portfolio in charge of the economy and post-pandemic recovery. The job would oversee how the bloc's pandemic recovery fund worth hundreds of billions of euros is deployed. Fitto is Rome's minister for European affairs. Others to be named EU vice presidents include Valdis Dombrovskis, from Latvia and currently EU's trade chief. His role will be EU expansion and Ukraine reconstruction, according to the report. France's Thierry Breton, the bloc's internal market commissioner, will take on industry and strategic autonomy according to Die Welt. Spain's Environment Minister Teresa Ribera has been chosen for a "transition" portfolio which will include ecology and digital affairs.  The nominee for the EU's foreign policy chief, Estonia's outgoing leader Kaja Kallas, will also be named an executive vice president.   Each European member state put forward nominees for von der Leyen's 26-person team. Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic, currently an executive vice president, is set to remain as a commissioner in charge of inter-institutional affairs. Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela will be in charge of energy, while Poland's ambassador to the EU, Piotr Serafin, will handle budgetary issues. After the Commission president names her line-up, the candidates undergo confirmation hearings in the European Parliament in September and October. 

paris — The mayor of a French coastal town being used in a rescue operation says 13 migrants are dead after their boat ripped apart Tuesday during an attempted crossing of the English Channel. Dozens of people plunged into the treacherous waters. "Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open," said Olivier Barbarin, mayor of Le Portel near the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where a first-aid post was set up to treat victims. "It's a big drama." The English Channel is a busy and often treacherous waterway. At least 30 migrants have died or gone missing while trying to cross to the U.K. this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. At least 2,109 migrants have tried to cross the English Channel on small boats in the past seven days, according to U.K. Home Office data updated Tuesday. The data includes people found in the channel or on arrival. Europe's increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants have been pushing them north.

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Algiers, Algeria — Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who assumed Algeria's presidency during mass pro-democracy protests, is touting his achievements as he seeks another term. Yet, five years after the movement faded, some say real change remains elusive. The Hirak protests, which led to the ousting of longtime autocratic president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019, aimed for a comprehensive political overhaul. Tebboune, a minister under Bouteflika, took over as president in December that year after widely boycotted elections, as the movement was stifled and its leaders were imprisoned. Now, as he campaigns for the September 7 election, Tebboune says he has succeeded in rectifying the country's past wrongs with broad achievements and is promising more if re-elected. Despite more than 100 weeks of demonstrations, Tebboune "dismissed the democratic transition demanded by millions of citizens", said Hasni Abidi, an Algeria analyst at the Geneva-based CERMAM Study Center. Abidi said a change in leadership alone was insufficient to bring about a "new era", despite Tebboune's frequent references to a "new Algeria." Even as his first term nears its end, Tebboune still faced the "difficulty of bringing about profound change," he said. Algeria-based political commentator Mohamed Hennad said this change should primarily be political. "As long as political questions are not legitimately resolved, any economic, cultural, or diplomatic discourse is pure diversion," he told AFP. The Hirak movement withered away with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with a sweeping crackdown on protesters. Hundreds were arrested, and dozens remain behind bars or are still being prosecuted, according to prisoners' rights group CNLD. 'We suffered a lot' Since taking office, Tebboune has claimed to have put Algeria back on track, frequently referring to Bouteflika's last years in power as the "mafia decade" where control of the oil-rich country was concentrated in the hands of a "gang." During his tenure, several businessmen, ministers and political figures from that era, including Bouteflika's brother Said, were convicted on corruption charges and imprisoned. Tebboune also says he has successfully transformed Algeria into an emerging economy, now Africa's third-largest. Abidi, however, points out that Tebboune's success has been aided by a "favourable international setting", with the Ukraine-Russia war driving up natural gas prices to the benefit of Algeria, the continent's top exporter. This economic windfall has allowed Tebboune to deliver "local-interest speeches steeped in populism", said Abidi, with promises of free housing, raising the minimum wage and higher social pensions. At a recent rally in Oran, Tebboune pledged to create 450,000 jobs and increase monthly unemployment benefits if re-elected. Launched in 2022, unemployment benefits now provide 13,000 dinars ($97) to people aged 19 to 40, and Tebboune has promised to raise this to 20,000 dinars — currently the minimum wage. Despite these pledges, critics have said social and economic progress under Tebboune has been slow. But the president often defends his record by saying his achievements have come despite "a war against Covid-19 and corruption" following the Hirak movement. Abdelhamid Megunine, a 20-year-old student in Algiers, recalls that period with bitterness. "We suffered a lot," he told AFP. "Prices and the cost of living have since increased." Although Algeria's economy has grown at a rate of about 4% over the past two years, with foreign exchange reserves reaching $70 billion, it remains heavily dependent on oil and gas. Hydrocarbon exports account for about 95% of the North African country's hard currency revenues, which are crucial for sustaining social assistance programs. Diplomacy On foreign policy, Tebboune's tenure has seen a mix of successes and challenges. Algeria gained international attention in January when it became a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, where it has been a strong advocate for Palestinian rights. However, relations with neighboring countries, especially Morocco, have worsened, largely due to the ongoing dispute over Western Sahara. Algeria, a strong supporter of the territory's pro-independence Polisario Front, severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in August 2021 following escalating tensions over Western Sahara and Rabat's decision to normalize relations with Israel. Similarly, relations with France, already strained due to a history of colonialism, recently suffered a blow. Last month, French President Macron said Morocco's autonomy plan was the only solution for Western Sahara, which the United Nations still considers as a "non-self-governing" territory. In response, Algiers withdrew its ambassador to France, condemning the move as a "step that no other French government had taken before."

Washington — A decision on whether to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in the U.S. won't come until after the November presidential election, a timeline that raises the chances it could be a potent political issue in the closely contested race. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration last week set a hearing date to take comment on the proposed historic change in federal drug policy for Dec. 2. The hearing date means a final decision could well come in the next administration. While it's possible it could precede the end of President Joe Biden's term, issuing it before Inauguration Day “would be pretty expedited,” said cannabis lawyer Brian Vicente. That could put a new spotlight on the presidential candidates' positions on marijuana. Vice President Kamala Harris has backed decriminalizing the drug and said it's “absurd” to have it in the DEA's Schedule I category alongside heroin and LSD. The Democratic nominee's position has shifted over the years; she once oversaw the enforcement of cannabis laws and opposed legalized recreational use for adults in California while running for attorney general in 2010. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, signaled support for a Florida legalization measure on Saturday, following earlier comments that he increasingly agrees that people shouldn't be jailed for the drug now legal in multiple states, “whether that's a good thing or a bad thing." During his run for president in 2016, Trump said that he backed medical marijuana and that pot should be left up to the states. But during his first term, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions lifted an Obama-era policy that kept federal authorities from cracking down on the pot trade in states where the drug is legal. Trump's campaign didn't immediately respond to a query about his position on rescheduling the drug. The Justice Department proposed reclassifying it in May, saying the change would recognize marijuana’s medical uses and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. The proposal, which would not legalize marijuana for recreational use, came after a call for review from Biden, who has called the change “monumental.” The DEA has said it doesn’t yet have a position on whether to go through with the change, stating in a memo that it would keep weighing the issue as the federal rulemaking process plays out. The new classification would be the most significant shift in U.S. drug policy in 50 years and could be a potent political issue, especially with younger voters. But it faces opposition from groups such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Its president, Kevin Sabet, argues there isn't enough data to move cannabis to the less-dangerous Schedule III category, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids. The DEA's move to hold the hearing is “a huge win in our fight to have this decision guided by medical science, not politics,” he said in a statement, adding that 18 states' attorneys general are backing his opposition. The hearing sparked some consternation among pot industry players, though little surprise about the DEA decision to hold one. “While the result ultimately may be better, I think we’re so used to seeing delays that it’s just a little disappointing,” said Stephen Abraham, chief financial officer at The Blinc Group, supplier of cartridges and other hardware used in pot vapes. “Every time you slow down or hold resources from the legal market, it’s to the benefit of the illicit market.” The proposal, which was signed by Attorney General Merrick Garland rather than DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, followed a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Federal drug policy has lagged behind that of many states in recent years, with 38 having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use. Lawmakers from both major political parties have pushed for the change as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted. A Gallup poll last year found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level yet recorded by the polling firm and more than double the roughly three in 10 who backed it in 2000. The marijuana industry has also grown quickly, and state-licensed pot companies are keen on rescheduling partly because it could enable them to take federal business-expense tax deductions that aren’t available to enterprises involved in “trafficking” any Schedule I or II drug. For some of Vicente's clients, the change would effectively reduce the tax rate from 75% to 25%. Some legalization advocates also hope rescheduling could help persuade Congress to pass legislation aimed at opening banks’ doors to cannabis companies. Currently, the drug's legal status means many federally regulated banks are reluctant to lend to such businesses, or sometimes even provide checking or other basic services. Rescheduling could also make it easier to research marijuana, since it’s difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances. Some medical marijuana patient advocates fear that the discussion has already become deeply politicized and that the focus on rescheduling's potential effect on the industry has shifted attention from the people who could benefit. “It was our hope that we could finally take the next step and create the national medical cannabis program that we need," said Steph Sherer, founder and president of Americans for Safe Access. The organization advocates for putting cannabis in a drug category all its own and for creating a medical cannabis office within DHS. The immediate effect of rescheduling on the nation’s criminal justice system, though, would likely be more muted, since federal prosecutions for simple possession have been fairly rare in recent years.

NEW YORK — Parisa Imanirad, a scientist and cancer researcher from San Francisco, is married and has a wide circle of friends. But once or twice a week, she goes to a restaurant by herself. Imanirad said dining alone gives her time to think or read. She tries not to touch her phone and relishes the silence. “It’s like a spa, but a different type,” Imanirad said during a recent solo lunch at Spruce, an upscale restaurant in San Francisco. Imanirad isn’t alone in her desire to be alone. In the United States, solo dining reservations have risen 29% over the last two years, according to OpenTable, the restaurant reservation site. They’re up 18% this year in Germany and 14% in the United Kingdom. Japan even has a special term for solo dining: “ohitorisama,” which means “alone” but with honorifics spoken before and after the word to make parties of one feel less hesitant. In a recent survey, Japan’s Hot Pepper Gourmet Eating Out Research Institute found that 23% of Japanese people eat out alone, up from 18% in 2018. As a result, many restaurants in Japan and elsewhere are redoing their seating, changing their menus and adding other special touches to appeal to solo diners. “Even so-called family restaurants are increasing counter seats for solitary diners, and restaurants are offering courses with smaller servings so a person eating alone gets a variety of dishes,” said Masahiro Inagaki, a senior researcher at the institute. OpenTable CEO Debby Soo thinks remote work is one reason for the increase, with diners seeking respites from their home offices. But she thinks there are deeper reasons, too. “I think there’s a broader movement of self-love and self-care and really … enjoying your own company,” Soo said. The pandemic also made social interactions less feasible and therefore less important while eating out, said Anna Mattila, a professor of lodging management at Penn State University who has studied solo dining. And smartphones help some restaurant patrons feel connected to others even when they’re by themselves, she said. “The social norms have changed. People don’t look at solo diners anymore and think, ‘You must be a loner,’” Mattila said. More people live and travel solo The growth comes as more people are living alone. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 38% of U.S. adults ages 25 to 54 were living without a partner, up from 29% in 1990. In Japan, single households now make up one-third of the total; that’s expected to climb to 40% by 2040, according to government data. Increasing interest in solo travel — particularly among travelers ages 55 and over — is also leading to more meals alone. On a recent solo trip to Lucerne, Switzerland, Carolyn Ray was stunned when the hostess led her to a beautiful lake-view table set for one, complete with a small vase of flowers. Ray, the CEO and editor of JourneyWoman, a website for solo women travelers over 50, said other restaurants have tried to seat her toward the back or pointedly asked if someone will be joining her. Ray counsels women planning to dine alone to go somewhere else if they’re treated rudely or given a bad table. “It’s almost like the world hasn’t caught up with this idea that we are on our own because we want to be on our own and we’re independent and empowered,” she said. “We can go into any restaurant we want and have a table for one and feel good about it.” Shawn Singh, a Houston-based content creator and restaurant reviewer, said he eats alone about 70% of the time. If the idea of venturing out for a solitary meal is intimidating, he suggests going to lunch instead of dinner — when tables are usually more crowded with groups — or going early on a weekday. “The best way to see a restaurant you’ve been wanting to see for a long time is definitely going solo,” Singh said. “If I go at 5 p.m. and alone, I haven’t been denied at one place ever.” Restaurants aren’t always thrilled to seat a single diner at a table that could fit more. A Michelin-starred London restaurant, Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal, caused a stir last year when it started charging solo patrons the same price as two customers. Its eight-course dinner tasting menu, which includes caviar and Cornish squid, costs 215 pounds ($280) per person. The restaurant, which has only 34 seats, didn’t respond to a request for comment. But its website doesn’t allow reservations for fewer than two people. 'Playing the long game' Other restaurants say it’s worth seating one person at a table made for two because solo diners tend to be loyal, repeat customers. “While there may be a short-term loss there, I think we’re kind of playing the long game and establishing ourselves as a place that’s truly special,” said Drew Brady, chief operating officer at Overthrow Hospitality, which operates 11 vegan restaurants in New York. Brady has seen an increase in solo diners since the pandemic, and says they're evenly split between men and women. At the company’s flagship restaurant, Avant Garden, they make up as much as 8% of patrons. In response, the restaurant teamed up with Lightspeed, a restaurant tech and consulting company, to develop a solo dining program. Avant Garden now has a spacious table designed for solo diners, with a $65 four-course menu fashioned like a passport to enhance the sense of adventure. If solo diners order a cocktail, a bartender mixes it tableside. Mattila, at Penn State, said restaurants might want to consider additional changes. Her research has found that solo diners prefer angular shapes — in lights, tables or plates, for example — to round ones, which are more associated with the connectedness of groups. They also prefer slow-tempo music. Jill Weber, the founder of Sojourn Philly, a Philadelphia company that owns two restaurants and a wine bar, said she adds a communal table at special events such as wine tastings so individuals have a place to gather. She also doesn't offer specials designed for two. Weber, who is also an archaeologist, loves dining alone when she's traveling. “There’s something about not having to agree on where to go and everything that goes with that. You have the freedom to stay as long as you want, order what you want and sit with those things," she said. “It also feels brave sometimes.”

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