Friday, February 13, 2026

👀 What you missed this week

Karaoke wars test Vietnam's tolerance for noise

Also today: A tunnel to transform Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo battles drought and floods together in climate paradox.
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Karaoke has long been a staple in Ho Chi Minh City, but it's also one of the many things in the urban soundscape that's crowned the booming commercial hub one of the world's noisiest metropolises. Public nuisance complaints from residents yearning for an end to the near-constant cacophony of off-key singing and beer-fueled chants have bombarded officials, write John Boudreau and Cao Ban. In response, the city imposed in December a round-the-clock ban on excessive noise, hitting violators with fines as high as 160 million dong, or about $6,100.

The crackdown reflects a broader social shift in Vietnam, where rising affluence is reshaping expectations of comfort, privacy and control over one's environment, Boudreau and Ban write. It also highlights a widening class divide as the national government aims to promote a vision of the country that is not only modern, but also livable. Today on CityLab: Vietnam's Karaoke Wars Are Forcing a Reckoning Over Urban Noise

— Linda Poon

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Texas Airspace Closure Fallout Grows, Senators Seek Answers
A lack of clarity and dueling narratives are causing confusion surrounding the sudden closure of airspace around El Paso earlier this week.

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👀 What you missed this week

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