September 30, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to approve a Senate-passed measure that avoids a partial government shutdown by funding federal agencies into the new fiscal year that begins on Friday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign the […]
Exclusive-Some 1,900 Colombian guerrillas operating from Venezuela, says Colombia military chief
September 30, 2021 By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) – About 1,900 fighters belonging to Colombian rebel and crime groups are operating from Venezuela, where they plan attacks and participate in drug trafficking, the commander of Colombia’s armed forces said. The Colombian government has long said Venezuela’s leadership grants safe harbor to Colombian armed groups, […]
S.African president Ramaphosa eases COVID-19 restrictions to lowest level
September 30, 2021 CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has eased restrictions aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic to the country’s lowest alert level, the second such loosening this month as the country looks to open up its economy ahead of the summer holiday season. In a televised address, Ramaphosa announced the […]
Kosovo, Serbia agree deal to end border tensions
September 30, 2021 By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Kosovo agreed on Thursday to withdraw police units from its northern border with Serbia to end a mounting dispute over vehicle licence plates that briefly escalated into violence and prompted NATO to step up patrols. The accord negotiated in Brussels calms the latest flare-up in a decades-old […]
Pro-EU Dobrev wins first round of opposition primary to take on Hungary’s Orban
September 30, 2021 By Krisztina Than and Anita Komuves BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Klara Dobrev, a 49-year-old lawyer who favours closer ties with the European Union, won the first leg of an opposition primary contest on Thursday to pick Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s challenger in a 2022 national election. Dobrev, who would be the first […]
Aurora shines spotlight on autonomous truck tech, strategy ahead of SPAC merger
On Interstate 45 in Texas, a billboard with “Aurora” emblazoned at the top in giant white letters offers a cryptic message: “A new way to drive is on the horizon.” It’s hard to know just how many of the thousands of drivers on this stretch of road know what that means or what Aurora is; […]
Facebook research shows company knew of Instagram harm to teens, senators say
September 30, 2021 By Sheila Dang and Paresh Dave (Reuters) – U.S. senators on Thursday grilled Facebook Inc on its plans to better protect young users on its apps, drawing on leaked internal research that showed the social media giant was aware of how its Instagram app harmed the mental health of teens. The hearing […]
Analysis: From chips to ships, shortages are making inflation stick
September 30, 2021 By Dhara Ranasinghe and Sujata Rao LONDON (Reuters) – Soaring gas prices, staff shortages, a lack of ships — price pressures globally may be picking up faster than anticipated, challenging the view that inflation will prove transitory. Central bankers, while adamant inflation will subside, are starting to concede it may stay higher […]
Biden prepares to scale back lofty goals as signature spending plan under threat
September 30, 2021 By Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and his senior Democratic allies in Congress are preparing to lower their ambitions for a signature legislative achievement on their top social priorities. Faced with increasingly stiff odds of passing their $3.5 trillion social-spending proposal, Biden and his aides are […]
FAA to review safety concerns raised by former Blue Origin employee
September 30, 2021 (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Thursday it will review safety concerns raised by a former Blue Origin employee about billionaire Jeff Bezos’ space company. Alexandra Abrams, former head of Blue Origin Employee Communications, and 20 other unnamed Blue Origin employees and former employees, said in an essay they had […]
Activist investor Elliott owns “significant” stake in Toshiba as review conducted
September 30, 2021 By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Makiko Yamazaki NEW YORK/TOKYO (Reuters) – Hedge fund Elliott Management said it owns a “significant” stake in troubled Japanese industrial conglomerate Toshiba Corp, which is conducting a strategic review amid pressure from other investors that could include a sale of the company. Elliott, one of the world’s most […]
While Britney Spears rejoices, her father’s attorney calls conservator suspension ‘wrong’
September 30, 2021 By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A lawyer for Jamie Spears on Thursday denounced a Los Angeles judge’s decision to suspend him as conservator of his daughter Britney Spears’ $60 million estate. LA Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny removed Jamie Spears https://ift.tt/3DfGIxR from the role on Wednesday and set a November […]
Lethal kids games drive viral fame of Netflix series “Squid Game”
September 30, 2021 (Corrects a word in headline from “Games” to “Game”) By Sangmi Cha SEOUL (Reuters) – The hit Netflix series “Squid Game” from South Korea has gone viral across the world and online by morphing childhood games popular before the digital era such as “Red Light, Green Light” into deadly survival challenges. The […]
TikTok starts flirting with NFTs
The NFT space has had quite the year, and while it can be difficult to separate the billions of dollars in crypto speculation from the potential infrastructure shifts, plenty of mainstream tech companies are dipping their toes into the space and signaling future interest. This time it’s TikTok’s turn. The fast-growing social media platform which […]
Colombia central bank raises interest rate to 2%
September 30, 2021 By Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s central bank board raised the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2% on Thursday, its first change to borrowing costs in a year, as it seeks to control inflation. The decision – backed by four of the seven […]
Aces’ Kelsey Plum wins WNBA Sixth Player of the Year
September 30, 2021 Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum was named the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year on Thursday. The award, given to the top reserve, is a first for Plum, 27. Her teammate, forward Dearica Hamby, won it in 2019 and ’20 and was second in voting this season. Plum received 41 of […]
Continental restructures technology unit, downsizes board
September 30, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – German car parts maker Continental announced plans for a restructuring that will combine from the start of next year business activities around connectivity, mobility, and high-performance computers, it said on Thursday. Its tires business and the ContiTech division, focused on rubber technologies, will become independent group sectors, while its […]
Gramercy says it added Evergrande exposure as bond prices crater
September 30, 2021 NEW YORK (Reuters) – Gramercy said on Thursday it “added a small position” in China Evergrande Group bonds as prices have fallen to where there is a “compelling risk/reward.” The emerging markets specialist investment manager said the decision was made given bond prices dropping to the 30 cents on the dollar area […]
United Airlines cuts number of workers facing termination over vaccine noncompliance
September 30, 2021 CHICAGO (Reuters) – United Airlines on Thursday trimmed the number of employees who are facing termination for defying the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Chicago-based carrier said only 320 U.S.-based staff are now not in compliance with its COVID-19 vaccination policy, marking a 46% drop in the past two days. Excluding those […]
Allianz must face investor claims over funds’ collapse, U.S. judge rules
September 30, 2021 By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. judge said Germany’s Allianz SE must face investor claims it wrongly “abandoned” the investment strategies it promised to use on hedge funds that suffered massive losses as the COVID-19 pandemic shook markets early last year. In an 81-page decision, U.S. District Judge Katherine […]
