September 30, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States condemns Ethiopia’s expulsion of United Nations officials and will not hesitate to use sanctions against those who obstruct humanitarian efforts in the country, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday. Earlier on Thursday, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was expelling seven […]
Expo 2020 Dubai kicks off with lavish opening ceremony
September 30, 2021 DUBAI (Reuters) – The first world fair to be held in the Middle East, Expo 2020 Dubai, opened on Thursday with a lavish ceremony of fireworks, music and messaging about the power of global collaboration for a more sustainable future. Stars headlining the opening ceremony, which was projected in public spaces around […]
Clubhouse adds clips, replays for asynchronous listening, better search, and spatial audio for Android
Clubhouse announced today that it is unveiling four new features: Clips, Replay, Universal Search, and spatial audio for Android (which already exists on iOS). All of these features will launch today, except for Replay, which will roll out in October. These additions will help expand Clubhouse’s reach by making content available even after a live […]
South Korean ISP SK Broadband counterclaims against Netflix for bandwidth usage fees
South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband, a subsidiary of South Korean telco company SK Telecom, has filed a counterclaim against Netflix to demand payment for the bandwidth the streaming platform has used for the last three years. This case comes in the wake of the South Korean court siding against Netflix in June in […]
Facebook grilled in Senate hearing over teen mental health
Last night, Facebook published two annotated slide decks in an attempt to contextualize the documents that the Wall Street Journal published this month, which reported evidence that the company is aware of its negative impact on teen mental health. These documents were released in anticipation of today’s Senate hearing on the mental health harms of […]
Polish court delays ruling on primacy of EU law for the fourth time
September 30, 2021 WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal on Thursday delayed for a fourth time a ruling on whether the country’s constitution or European Union treaties take precedence, with critics saying Warsaw may be stalling to try to put pressure on Brussels. The Tribunal started hearing the case in July but had already adjourned […]
U.S. and Russia say they held ‘substantive’ arms control talks in Geneva
September 30, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and Russia said in a joint statement on Thursday that they had held “intensive and substantive” talks in their second meeting within a framework that is aimed at easing tensions between the world’s largest nuclear weapons powers. The two countries have agreed to set up two working […]
Ethiopians in three regions vote in delayed election
September 30, 2021 By Ayenat Mersie NAIROBI (Reuters) – Ethiopians in three regions where elections had been delayed finished voting for their representatives in a peaceful exercise on Thursday, officials said, and one area also voted on whether to form its own regional state. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will form the next government regardless of […]
Ecuador seeks to restore order after prison riot kills more than 100
September 30, 2021 By Yury Garcia and Alexandra Valencia GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (Reuters) -Ecuador on Thursday sought to restore order at one of its largest prisons after a riot this week killed at least 116 inmates in the latest bout of violence authorities have linked to gangs vying for control of drug trafficking routes. The national […]
Soccer-Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold ruled out of Man City game
September 30, 2021 (Reuters) – Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Sunday’s home Premier League game against champions Manchester City due to a muscle injury, manager Juergen Klopp said on Thursday. The 22-year-old was absent for Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Porto in the Champions League and omitted from England’s squad for World Cup qualifiers […]
Public inquiry into London Grenfell fire turned into play
September 30, 2021 By Marie-Louise Gumuchian LONDON (Reuters) – In a rehearsal room in west London, actor Derek Elroy delivers a powerful monologue about the devastating 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower, a social housing block just a short distance away. In the role of barrister Leslie Thomas, Elroy’s lines are taken from the public inquiry […]
Left-winger aims to become Hungary’s first female prime minister
September 30, 2021 By Anita Komuves BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Klara Dobrev’s first political campaign two years ago earned her leftist party a better-than-expected four seats in the European Parliament. Now she is one step closer to her next goal: ousting nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. After the first round of opposition primaries the 49-year-old lawyer […]
Current and former employees raise major safety concerns, allegations of sexual harassment at Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos just can’t get away from labor issues. The beleaguered billionaire, who has faced repeated and persistent criticism over working conditions at the company he formerly led, Amazon, is now facing allegations of a hostile work environment at his space company Blue Origin. An essay jointly composed by 21 current and former employees paints […]
TikTok new ad products invite users to interact with taps, swipes, likes and more
TikTok this week presented its new plan to ramp up advertiser investment in its video platform with the expansion of e-commerce, a new promise of “brand safety,” and the launch of several new and interactive ad formats, ranging from clickable stickers to choose-your-own-adventure ads to “super likes” and more. The additions, the company says, will […]
Wall Street rises, but tracks steep monthly losses
September 30, 2021 By Devik Jain and Ambar Warrick (Reuters) – Wall Street’s main indexes rose on Thursday at the end of a bruising month as investors kept a close watch on funding negotiations in Washington to prevent a government shutdown. The benchmark S&P 500 was still on course to snap its seven-month winning streak, […]
Italian carrier ITA to buy 28 Airbus jets, lease 31 from Air Lease
September 30, 2021 MILAN (Reuters) – Alitalia successor ITA has signed a memorandum of understanding with France’s Airbus to buy 28 new jets, the carrier said on Thursday, adding the first new aircraft will start flying in the first three months of next year. The new Italian carrier has also signed a deal with Air […]
Oil prices little changed on report China ready to buy more
September 30, 2021 By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices erased most of their losses and were trading little changed on Thursday following reports China was prepared to buy more oil to meet growing demand. Brent futures for November delivery fell 11 cents, or 0.1%, to $78.53 a barrel by 11:43 a.m. EDT […]
Major EU airlines agree to refund passengers after pandemic flight cancellations
September 30, 2021 By Marine Strauss BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A group of European airlines agreed on Thursday to refund passengers whose flights were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and committed to provide better information on passengers’ rights in future. After talks with the European Commission, 16 airlines agreed to clear refund backlogs, to better inform […]
BlackRock requires over half its workers return to office on Nov 1 – memo
September 30, 2021 (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc will require more than half of its employees to work from the office for three days a week on average starting November, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Thursday. Some businesses may require employees to be in the office more frequently, the memo from Chief […]
GM expects renewable energy-powered U.S. sites by 2025, ahead of plan
September 30, 2021 (Reuters) – No.1 U.S. automaker General Motors Co said on Thursday it plans to have its sites in the United States run on renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of its original goal. The company also said it was working with U.S power grid operator PJM Interconnection and energy firm TimberRock […]