Новости за 15.11.2023

A proposed ban on noncompete agreements has come under a fierce attack by business groups in New York. An affiliate of the Business Council of New York launched a $1 million ad campaign last month in an attempt to pressure Gov. Kathy Hochul into rejecting a ban passed by the Legislature in June. Lawmakers voted to have New York join California and some other states in banning noncompete deals, which critics say can trap workers in middling jobs by preventing them from taking their skills elsewhere for better pay. Читать дальше...

A cargo plane headed from New York to Belgium had to return after a horse escaped its stall and got loose in the hold. The Air Atlanta Icelandic flight departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport on Nov. 9. The plane had just begun its flight when the pilot radioed air traffic control in Boston about the horse escaping its stall. The pilot added that he had to dump 20 tons of fuel because of the plane’s weight. The fuel was dumped about 10 miles west of Martha’s Vineyard.

Used-car shoppers won’t have it easy this year or next. Although used car prices have declined from their record levels from last year, they are still high and are coupled with the highest interest rates we’ve seen in many years. If that’s not bad enough, used cars also are currently older. There are fewer near-new vehicles for sale right now than just a few years ago. Edmunds outlines some steps you can take to get the best possible deal during these tough times.

Hunter Biden has asked a judge to approve subpoenas for documents from Donald Trump and former Justice Department officials.

Taiwan will take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco this week, a rare opportunity for the self-governing island democracy of 23 million people and its high-tech economy to break the diplomatic embargo on it imposed by authoritarian China. Taiwan will be represented by a civilian rather than a government figure or head of state, under an unwritten rule that satisfies China's contention that members of the organization participate as economic entities rather than state players. Читать дальше...

A state commission in Ohio has voted to approve fracking for oil and gas drilling in state parks and designated wildlife areas. The vote Wednesday comes amid an ongoing investigation into possibly fraudulent support for the measure in the form of identical letters urging support of fracking that over a hundred people say they did not give permission to use their names. The form letters have been traced back to multiple entities, one of whom says they are “fully cooperating” with the attorney general's office. Читать дальше...

Voting on the tentative contract agreement between General Motors and the United Auto Workers union appears to be too close to call as tallies at more factories were announced. The union on Wednesday hadn't posted final vote totals yet, but workers at five large factories who finished voting in the past few days have turned down the four year and eight month deal by fairly large margins. A factory in Arlington, Texas, with about 5,000 workers voted more than 60% in favor of the deal, however. Voting continues at Ford. Читать дальше...

The Department of Energy is making a push to strengthen the U.S. battery supply chain — the minerals and parts that go into batteries. Up to $3.5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will go to projects that can help advance lithium ion batteries and their alternatives for electric vehicles and also those used to store clean energy. The goal is to make it more affordable to mine, process, and package battery materials domestically and reduce outsourcing work than can be done in the U.S.

President Joe Biden has announced five nominees to federal judgeships, including the first Muslim-American on any circuit court. The Democratic president wants to add to more than 150 of his judicial selections who've already been confirmed. They're part of the White House’s push to nominate judges from a wide variety of professional backgrounds. The nominations include Service Employees International Union general counsel Nicole Berner for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed by the Senate... Читать дальше...

Target is reporting better-than-expected profit and sales in its third quarter, benefiting from efforts to hold down costs. Revenue slipped more than 4%, however, with customers saddled with broadly higher costs as the holiday season nears. The Minneapolis retailer has been trying to right itself after loading up with too much inventory last summer and was forced to discount heavily to clear it. Many customers are making tough decisions about what they can afford. Inflation has moderated, but a bigger... Читать дальше...

New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy has launched a bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in next year’s contest. Her candidacy announced Wednesday puts her in the running to become the first woman elected to the Senate from New Jersey. She has taken on maternal and infant health and the environment as her top issues during her time as first lady. The Democratic primary already features Rep. Andy Kim and could include Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has lost significant party support... Читать дальше...

Global shares are mostly higher, cheered by a rally on Wall Street that was one of the best days of the year following a surprisingly encouraging report on inflation. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index jumped nearly 4% and nearly all other markets advanced. U.S. futures and oil prices also rose. Investors appeared to shrug off news that Japan's economy contracted at a worse than expected 2.1% annual rate in July-September. Investors are hoping the odds have risen the Fed may refrain from further market-crunching interest rate hikes. Читать дальше...

China and the U.S. have pledged to accelerate their efforts to address climate change ahead of a major U.N. meeting on the issue. The joint announcement came on the eve of a summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. Cooperation between the world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases is considered vital to the success of the U.N. climate talks opening in two weeks in Dubai. The two countries said they would include methane emissions in their next climate actions plans. A climate expert... Читать дальше...

Inflation in the U.K. dropped sharply in October to its lowest level in two years largely because last year's steep rise in domestic energy bills dropped out of the annual comparison. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that consumer prices in the year to October were 4.6% higher than the year before, much lower than the 6.7% recorded in the previous month. The decline means that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to halve inflation this year has been met. Sunak made the pledge soon... Читать дальше...

Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are heading into their big meeting at a country estate in California on Wednesday hoping to stabilize U.S.-China relations after a period of tumult. But the White House says the U.S. president also is prepared to confront his counterpart on difficult issues such as trade, Beijing’s burgeoning relationship with Iran and human rights concerns. The two leaders last spoke a year ago. Since then, fraught ties between the two economic superpowers have been further strained... Читать дальше...

A German thinktank has reported that to prevent global warming from surpassing the critical threshold of 1.5 Celsius, major Asian economies must ensure they can get half of their total electricity from renewables by 2030. The report by researchers of Agora Energiewende released Wednesday says that 30% of that renewable energy should come from wind and solar power, compared to current levels below 6%. The study reviewed energy plans of Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Taiwan. Читать дальше...

China has reported its economic growth showed more signs of rekindling in October as retail sales and factory output picked up even though the property sector remained sluggish. The government said factory output rose 4.6% from a year earlier in October, while retail sales jumped 7.6%. But real estate investment sank 9.3%. Officials acknowledged that the property sector was still in the “midst of adjustment,” but they said consumer spending is playing an increasingly important role in driving growth. Читать дальше...

One of four women stabbed in what officials say was a random attack on a Louisiana college campus has died. Louisiana Tech University in Ruston announced that Annie Richardson died Tuesday evening, a day after the attack outside a campus recreation center. Authorities say two other women were hospitalized and a fourth was cut but declined to be treated. The suspect in the case, 23-year-old Jacoby Johnson, is expected to be charged with second-degree murder in addition to attempted murder.

Nearly nine out of 10 parents believe their child is performing at grade level despite standardized tests showing far fewer students are on track. That's according to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup and the nonprofit Learning Heroes. Many parents rely on report cards for a sense of their children’s progress, but researchers say they might be missing the whole picture. Without that knowledge, parents may not seek opportunities for extra support for their children. In a federal survey, school officials... Читать дальше...

Dozens of tiny grocery stores have sprung up around Cuba in recent months. The locals call them “mipymes” (MEE-PEE-MEHS). The name derives from the small- and medium-sized businesses that the government first allowed in 2021. They sell everything from cooking oil and cookies to shampoo, jam and toilet paper. They even stock less basic, yet desirable items like Nutella or bubbly wine. But the prices are so high they are far from affordable for everyone. Their customers are Cuban families who receive remittances from abroad... Читать дальше...

A new report has identified nearly 500 industrial fishing vessels where workers face hazardous, forced conditions sometimes akin to slavery. The research by the Washington, D.C.-based Financial Transparency Coalition is the most comprehensive attempt to date to identify the vessels and companies responsible for abuses at sea. A quarter of the suspected ships are flagged to China. But the owner of many of the vessels are unknown because of a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight in the fishing industry, the authors say.

Beyond the engineering, the athleticism, the speed, the luxury, fans love the sound of Formula One. It is no wonder the pinnacle of automotive engineering has caught the eye of musicians and music fans everywhere. As the sport continues to grow in popularity stateside, and with young people across the globe, race weekends are transforming into musical hotspots with A-list talent performing after the day's event. That's the case this week when Formula 1 heads to Las Vegas for a glitzy nighttime race Saturday. Читать дальше...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — After four failed attempts, the U.N. Security Council is trying for a fifth time to come up with a resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, but it remains to be seen whether serious divisions can be overcome to produce a consensus on wording.

President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping have swept into San Francisco and are making their final preparations for their first engagement in a year. Biden expressed hope that the talks would help put shaky U.S.-China relationship in a better place. The two leaders arrived in the city to be greeted by hundreds of demonstrators who lined up along their motorcade routes, waving Chinese, Taiwanese and Tibetan flags, as well as signs in support and opposition of the Chinese leader. Biden said his broad... Читать дальше...

Passenger numbers at Dubai International Airport this year will eclipse the pre-pandemic passenger figures in 2019, showing the strong rebound in travel after the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns that grounded aircraft worldwide. The airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, has had 64.5 million passengers pass through its cavernous concourses through the third quarter. That puts it on track to reach 86.8 million passengers for the full year, which would exceed its 2019 figure of 86.3... Читать дальше...