Kyoto, Japan's beautiful old imperial capital, is going broke fast
CBSN
Tokyo — The glorious ancient monuments, Zen temples and soaring pagodas of Kyoto have made it a major tourist draw for decades. The Japanese city's population is only about 1.5 million, yet it boasts 17 individual UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But the bucolic scenery belies a painful reality: Japan's magnificent imperial capital city is running on empty.
Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa minced no words at a shocking news conference last year: "We're facing a crisis situation, with the prospect of bankruptcy within a decade."
Without steep cuts in public services, it was forecast that the city will fall $2 billion into debt, with all reserve funds exhausted, within just five years.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways, leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai and grinding traffic at the city-state's huge international airport briefly to a complete halt. Meanwhile, the death toll from separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18, with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
Paris — Five years have passed since Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. The iconic spire and timber roof were destroyed in the blaze. People around the world were shocked at the scale of the fire and the damage it caused, but work to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory continues.