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Next Miss Universe Pageant to Be Broadcast from New Orleans

Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza, right, crowns India's Harnaaz Sandhu as Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP)
Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza, right, crowns India's Harnaaz Sandhu as Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP)
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Next Miss Universe Pageant to Be Broadcast from New Orleans

Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza, right, crowns India's Harnaaz Sandhu as Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP)
Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza, right, crowns India's Harnaaz Sandhu as Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP)

New Orleans will be the site of the 71st Miss Universe contest, bringing together nearly 90 women contestants from around the world in January, the Miss Universe Organization said.

“The City of New Orleans and the Miss Universe Organization share common values of celebrating inclusion, culture and the empowerment of women,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Monday.

She noted in a news release that former contestants and winners have gone on to become surgeons, diplomats, politicians and business leaders, adding “they all champion social causes that are important to them.”

The competition will be aired on Jan. 14, 2023 — a Saturday — at the city’s convention center, according to the statement. The live broadcast will culminate with the 70th Miss Universe — Bollywood actress Harnaaz Sandhu of India — crowning the winner.

“There is no place like New Orleans. This vibrant city has been at the top of our list to host for quite some time due to its rich cultural history, as well as its unique arts, entertainment, and culinary scene,” said Paula Shugart, president of The Miss Universe Organization.

Last year’s pageant in Eilat, Israel, was held in the middle of the night to accommodate the US primetime TV schedule.

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Varieties

China to Offer Childcare Subsidies in Bid to Boost Birth Rate 

People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)
People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)
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China to Offer Childcare Subsidies in Bid to Boost Birth Rate 

People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)
People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)

China's government will offer subsidies to parents to the tune of $500 per child under the age of three per year, Beijing's state media said Monday, as the world's second most populous nation faces a looming demographic crisis.

The country's population has declined for three consecutive years, with United Nations demography models predicting it could fall from 1.4 billion today to 800 million by 2100.

The nationwide subsidies apply retroactively from January 1, Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV said, citing a decision by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, China's cabinet.

"This is a major nationwide policy aimed at improving public wellbeing," CCTV said.

"It provides direct cash subsidies to families across the country, helping to reduce the burden of raising children," it added.

There were just 9.54 million births in China last year, half the number than in 2016, the year it ended its one-child policy, which was in place for more than three decades.

The population declined by 1.39 million last year, and China lost its crown as the world's most populous country to India in 2023.

Marriage rates are also at record low levels, in a country where many young couples have been put off having children by high child-rearing costs and career concerns.

Many local governments have already rolled out subsidies to encourage childbirth.

In March, Hohhot, the capital of China's northern Inner Mongolia region, began offering residents up to 100,000 yuan ($14,000) per newborn for couples with three or more children, while first and second children will be eligible for 10,000 and 50,000 yuan subsidies.

In Shenyang, in northeastern Liaoning province, local authorities give families who have a third child 500 yuan per month until the child turns three.

Hangzhou, in eastern Zhejiang province, offers a one-time payment of 25,000 yuan to couples who have a third child.

More than 20 provincial-level administrations in the country now offer childcare subsidies, according to official data.

Premier Li Qiang vowed to provide childcare subsidies during the government's annual work report in March.

The country's shrinking population is also ageing fast, which has sparked worries about the future of the country's pension system.

There were nearly 310 million aged 60 and over in 2024.