Новости за 19.10.2023

Federal regulators on Thursday approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest over the protest of environmental groups and top West Coast officials. The project aims to expand the capacity of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline by about 150 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. The pipeline runs more than 1,300 miles through Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The owner of the pipeline, TC Energy, says the project is needed due to growing demand. It’s opposed by environmental... Читать дальше...

Film and TV actors are still on strike in what has become the longest walk-off in their history. The strike by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists hits its 100th day on Saturday, while writers are busy back at work after ending their strike. There is no end in sight for actors. Their talks abruptly ended Oct. 11 when studios walked away from the negotiating table saying the two sides were too far apart to go on. The prolonged strike means films and TV shows will remain sidelined indefinitely... Читать дальше...

More than 300 people were arrested for illegally demonstrating and three people were charged with assaulting police after protesters descended on Capitol Hill to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds of demonstrators from Jewish advocacy groups poured into a congressional office building on Wednesday. They wore shirts that read “Jews say cease fire now” and they chanted “let Gaza live” and “not in my name” before they were detained by Capitol Police. Demonstrations aren't allowed inside Capitol buildings... Читать дальше...

Birds nesting in agricultural settings were significantly less likely to successfully raise their young during extreme heat events than birds nesting in forests under the same weather conditions, a new study finds. A study published in the journal Science on Thursday examined a database of decades of bird nesting attempts observed by citizen scientists.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed’s target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market. Powell noted that inflation has cooled significantly from a year ago. But he cautioned that it’s not yet clear whether inflation is on a steady path back to the Fed’s 2% target. “A few months of good data are only the beginning of what it will take to build confidence that inflation is moving down sustainably toward our... Читать дальше...

Federal authorities say that thousands of information technology workers contracting with U.S. companies secretly sent millions of dollars of their wages to North Korea for use in its ballistic missile program. The Department of Justice said Wednesday that IT workers dispatched by North Korea to work remotely with companies in St. Louis and elsewhere in the U.S. used false identities to get the jobs. FBI leaders said during a news conference in St. Louis that the money they earned was funneled to the North Korean weapons program. Читать дальше...

A man accused of bringing guns to the Wisconsin state Capitol building is free on a signature bond but can't come near the governor. Joshua Pleasnick made his initial court appearance Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of openly carrying a gun in a public building. According to online court records, Dane County Court Commissioner Scott McAndrew entered a not guilty plea for Pleasnick and allowed him to go free on a signature bond. McAndrew also barred him from possessing weapons, entering the Capitol... Читать дальше...

Israeli airstrikes have pounded locations across the Gaza Strip, including parts of the south that Israel had declared as safe zones. The attacks on Thursday have heightened fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe. With authorities working out logistics for a delivery of aid from Egypt, overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for diesel generators to keep their equipment running. A doctor at the territory's largest... Читать дальше...

Lawyer Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty to reduced charges over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a ban on certain hair-straightening chemicals that have been used by Black women for years. Recent studies show the chemicals may increase the risk of uterine cancer. Hair stylists say Black women have largely moved away from chemical straighteners and smoothers because of the potential health risks. The FDA recently took its first step in the process by adding the notice of a possible rule to its regulatory agenda.

Applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in eight months last week as businesses continue to retain workers despite elevated interest rates meant to cool the economy and labor market. Jobless claim applications fell by 13,000 to 198,000 for the week ending Oct. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the fewest since January. Jobless claim applications are considered a proxy for layoffs. The four-week moving average of claims, which flattens out some of the week-to-week volatility... Читать дальше...

The European Union has ratcheted up its scrutiny of Big Tech companies with demands for Meta and TikTok to detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war. The 27-nation bloc’s executive branch on Thursday formally requested that the social media companies provide information on how they’re complying with sweeping new digital rules aimed at cleaning up online platforms. Meta and TikTok were asked to explain what they've done to reduce the risk of spreading and amplifying terrorist and violent content... Читать дальше...

A bottle of what is being called “the most-sought after Scotch whisky” is set to be auctioned next month at Sotheby's in London. Sotheby’s said Thursday that the 96-year-old bottle of single malt from distiller Macallan — The Macallan Adami 1926 — will come under the hammer in London on Nov. 18, with the price estimated between 750,000 pounds and 1.2 million pounds ($900,000 and $1.4 million). Advance bidding will begin Nov. 1. A version of The Macallan 1926 was sold by Sotheby’s in 2019 for 1.5 million pounds... Читать дальше...

Telecom gear maker Nokia says it's planning to cut up to 14,000 jobs worldwide, or 16% of its workforce, as part of a push to reduce costs following a plunge in third-quarter sales and profit. The Finnish wireless and fixed-network equipment provider said Thursday that the planned measures are aimed at reducing its cost base and increasing operational efficiency “to navigate the current market uncertainty." Nokia says it's aiming to lower its cost base by between 800 million euros and 1.2 billion euros by the end of 2026. Читать дальше...

Shares have tumbled in Asia following a retreat on Wall Street after big U.S. companies delivered mixed profit reports and Treasury yields added pressure on stocks. Worries about war in the Middle East also have been dragging on markets. Benchmarks in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul fell about 2%. Japan reported its exports swung into positive territory in September as vehicle shipments surged. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 1.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1%. The Nasdaq composite fell... Читать дальше...

Japan has reported its exports climbed 4.3% in September from a year earlier while imports sank 16.3%, leaving a positive balance of 62.4 trillion yen ($410 billion), the first monthly trade surplus in three months. Provisional customs data released Thursday showed strong exports of vehicles and machinery. In Japan's fiscal first half, from April-September, exports edged up just 1.4% from a year earlier, to a record 50.2 trillion yen ($330 billion) while the trade deficit shrank by three-quarters... Читать дальше...

San Francisco police are set to release new details and video of an incident earlier this month in which a man crashed a car into the Chinese Consulate before he was shot and killed by police. A virtual town hall is scheduled Thursday afternoon to update people on the investigation into the Oct. 9 crash that ended with the death of Zhanyuan Yang. The 31-year-old San Francisco resident rammed the car into the consulate's visa office. Investigators haven't released a possible motive or provided details of the shooting... Читать дальше...

The chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway has admitted to killing her. New details in the killing emerged Wednesday as Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty to extorting money from Holloway’s mother. He confessed in submitted court filings to bludgeoning Holloway to death on a beach in Aruba before dragging her body out to sea. He had sought a quarter of a million dollars from Holloway's mother in exchange for information about the location of her daughter’s remains. His confession... Читать дальше...

After the deadly wildfire that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina this summer, people across the world focused their attention on the green leaves sprouting from a scorched, 150-year-old banyan tree as a symbol of hope. Teams rushed to save it. But arborists are also trying to save another set of trees, ones with greater significance in Hawaiian culture, such as breadfruit and kukui nut trees introduced to the island by Polynesian voyagers long ago. They hope that as Lahaina recovers, residents... Читать дальше...

Donald Trump is crushing his Republican presidential rivals in the contest to raise campaign cash, putting the other White House hopefuls in an unenviable position before the first votes are cast in January. Those who have amassed a nest egg will have the resources to last for the foreseeable future, while those without will face hard choices in the coming days, weeks and months. Trump’s political operation has spent at least $20 million this year on legal expenses, but he still has more money socked away than his top rivals — combined. Читать дальше...

Most Americans see southern neighbor Mexico as having at least a friendly relationship with the U.S., with a sizable majority also saying both countries should be responsible for stopping drug trafficking. A new poll from the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that U.S. adults are more likely to have an unfavorable view of Mexico’s leadership than a favorable one. The poll comes as several... Читать дальше...

The Biden administration has announced $3.5 billion for 58 projects across the country to strengthen electric grid resilience as extreme weather events such as the deadly Maui and California wildfires continue to strain the nation’s aging transmission systems. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says Wednesday's announcement marks the largest federal investment ever in grid infrastructure. Funding will support projects to harden electric systems and improve energy reliability and affordability. The federal spending... Читать дальше...

Economy Minister Sergio Massa and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich adapted shrewdly over their combined seven decades in Argentine politics. But experience may not be an asset in the 2023 election. Javier Milei is a mop-topped freshman lawmaker who leads most polls. He has pointed to Massa and Bullrich as embodiments of an entrenched establishment. He garnered the most votes in August primaries, sending shockwaves through the nation. Massa and Bullrich have responded by conveying themselves... Читать дальше...

Two suicide drones launched at a base hosting U.S. troops in Iraq have been intercepted, according to a defense official. 

ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) — Costco announced Wednesday that CEO W. Craig Jelinek will step down in January. He’ll be succeeded by the company’s president, Ron Vachris, who has been with Costco for more than 40 years.