Новости за 17.04.2023

Black and Latino Californians who were displaced from a neighborhood in Palm Springs are seeking $2.3 billion in compensation from the city. They allege the city pushed them out by hiring contractors to destroy homes in an area that was tight-knit and full of diversity. The area is in the heart of downtown. The effort comes as reparations efforts are underway elsewhere in the state and across the country. It follows a successful push for land to be returned to a Black family whose ancestors owned... Читать дальше...

French President Emmanuel Macron says that he heard people’s anger over raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. But Macron insisted Monday that it was needed to keep the pension system afloat as the population ages. Macron said in a televised address to the nation that “this changes were needed to guarantee everyone’s pension” after he enacted the law on Saturday. Macron added that “gradually working more means also producing more wealth for our whole country." The evening address kicks off a likely arduous battle for the French president. Читать дальше...

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are ratcheting up pressure on Walt Disney World. They announced on Monday plans to introduce legislation that would end an exemption for Disney parks, allowing the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to inspect Disney rides. The announcement is the latest in a tit-for-tat between Disney and the governor that started last year when the entertainment giant publicly opposed the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. In retaliation, Florida lawmakers passed... Читать дальше...

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is pledging to pass legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — but only if coupled with a cap on future federal spending. In a speech Monday at the New York Stock Exchange, the Republican leader lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis. McCarthy said Biden is “missing in action.” The White House, in turn, accused McCarthy of “high-risk hostage taking.” The speaker's Wall Street address comes... Читать дальше...

Ten electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles will be eligible for a $7,500 U.S. tax credit, while another seven could get $3,750 under new federal rules that go into effect on Tuesday. But under the Treasury Department rules and other provisions of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, most of the more than 60 electric or plug-in hybrids on sale in the U.S. won’t get any tax credits. The new rules govern how much battery minerals and parts can come from countries that don’t have free trade agreements with... Читать дальше...

The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been postponed again as he seeks to have the lead prosecutor removed from the case by claming he is biased. Zuma has already succeeded in getting a new judge to oversee his trial. Zuma is facing multiple counts of corruption as well as racketeering, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. Some of the charges relate to bribes he is alleged to have taken from French arms manufacturing company Thales to provide political protection... Читать дальше...

The Delaware judge overseeing a voting machine company’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News has announced a delay in the start of the trial until Tuesday, giving no reason in announcing the recess. Lawyers for Fox and Dominion Voting Systems would not comment on reports settlement talks may be in the works. The trial had drawn international interest and had been scheduled to start Monday with jury selection and opening statements. The case centers on whether New York-based Fox defamed... Читать дальше...

Scientists say many North American bats are in trouble. A report by experts from the U.S., Canada and Mexico released Monday says more than half of the continent's 154 bat species are at risk of “severe population decline” in the next 15 years. Many have been devastated by white-nose syndrome, an invasive fungal disease. Other threats include loss of habitat from forest logging and urban sprawl, plus collisions with wind turbines. And climate change is compounding the harm, with more extreme storms and drought. Читать дальше...

Republican governors and lawmakers are increasingly targeting “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives in public colleges and universities. An Associated Press analysis identified more than 30 bills in at least a dozen Republican-led states that seek to ban funding for diversity, equity and inclusion offices or prohibit the consideration of such concepts in employment decisions and student admissions. Many of the bills trace their roots to one of a half-dozen conservative or libertarian groups... Читать дальше...

While almost every sector of higher education has fewer students registering for classes, many trade programs are booming. Trade students may seek certificates and other short-term credentials, not associate degrees. Trade programs are often more affordable than a traditional four-year degree, students note, and, for many, skilled trades offer a more obvious path to a job. In Tennessee, community college has been free since 2015, but overall enrollment is declining. But at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology... Читать дальше...

Norwegian battery startup Freyr is planning its next factory in an Atlanta suburb because a new U.S. clean energy law offers generous tax credits for local production. Across Europe, companies seeking to invest in the green energy boom ranging from batteries to solar panels are making similar calculations. They're weighing up the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act’s $375 billion in benefits for renewable industries against Europe's fragmented response. Executives hail the U.S. program’s simplicity. Some... Читать дальше...

Every day, people in the U.S. donate their time, skills and energy to their communities by volunteering with nonprofit organizations. The Associated Press interviewed five volunteers who shared what motivated them to get involved and reflected on why they think more people don’t give their time. Recently released data from the U.S. Census and AmeriCorps showed that volunteer participation fell 7% between 2019 and 2021, part of a long trend in declining volunteerism.

Republicans upset with Donald Trump’s indictment are escalating their war on the prosecutor who charged him, trying to embarrass him on his home turf. The House Judiciary Committee is holding a field hearing Monday near the offices of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The committee’s Republican majority is billing it as an examination of the Democrat’s “pro-crime, anti-victim” policies. Democrats say the hearing is a partisan stunt aimed at amplifying conservative anger at Bragg, Manhattan’s first Black district attorney. Читать дальше...

As pandemic-related government aid programs end and inflation rises, nonprofits of all kinds are looking everywhere and trying everything to get volunteers. According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey, formal volunteer participation dropped 7% between 2019 and 2021. That's the largest decrease the survey has recorded since a version of it started in 2002. It’s reached the point where the lack of volunteers strains the safety net that nonprofits provide to many of society’s most vulnerable. Читать дальше...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States, South Korea and Japan will conduct a joint missile defense exercise Monday in waters near the Korean Peninsula as they expand military training to counter the growing threats of North Korea’s nuclear-capable missiles, the South Korean navy said.

Asian markets are trading mixed as worries continue about economic growth, even as some hopes were perked by a recent rise in U.S. bank issues. Traders are also focused on upcoming earnings reports from global companies. Worries continue about inflationary pressures, and how that might affect moves by the Federal Reserve and the world’s other central banks on interest rates. Shares fell in Tokyo and Seoul, but rose in Sydney, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Stocks on Wall Street dipped after a top Fed official... Читать дальше...

The final curtain came down Sunday on New York’s production of “The Phantom of the Opera,” ending Broadway’s longest-running show with thunderous standing ovations, champagne toasts and gold and silver confetti. It was show No. 13,981 at the Majestic Theatre, and it ended with a reprise of “The Music of the Night” performed by the current cast, previous actors in the show — including original star Sarah Brightman — and crew members. Andrew Lloyd Webber took to the stage in a black suit and black tie and dedicated the final show to his son... Читать дальше...

Love isn’t patient, love isn’t kind — at least if you ask the fans of Netflix’s “Love Is Blind.” Viewers had to wait more than an hour to watch the Season 4 reunion special set to stream live Sunday. “Love Is Blind: The Live Reunion,” hosted by Vanessa and Nick Lachey, was to stream from Los Angeles starting at 5 p.m. Pacific. Netflix subscribers were able to join a waiting room for the show 10 minutes before the start time — and those who did were still there an hour later. The show finally started... Читать дальше...