EU moves to ban products made with forced labor
BRUSSELS — (AP) — The European Union unveiled plans Wednesday to ban products made with forced labor, in an effort to crack down on a modern-day form of slavery that a U.N. agency estimated affects more than 27 million people worldwide. The European Commission, which proposes EU laws, said the policy would remove from the 27-nation bloc’s markets all products made with forced labor. “Our aim is to eliminate all products made with forced labor from the EU market, irrespective of where they have been made. Investigations would be launched if national authorities believe forced labor may have been used. If a product made with forced labor is already sold in the EU, the company involved would be required to pull it off the market and dispose of it.
wftv.comOfficial: Gang kills, burns former Haitian senator, nephew
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A former senator who worked for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor was killed in an upscale neighborhood near Haiti's capital and his body set on fire along with his nephew, Government Commissioner Jacques Lafontant told The Associated Press on Sunday. The bodies of Yvon Buissereth and his unidentified nephew were found Saturday afternoon in the community of Laboule.
news.yahoo.comUS stocks open higher following 7 straight weeks of losses
Financial Markets Wall Street Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange floor in New York City on Friday, May 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) (Ted Shaffrey)NEW YORK — (AP) — Major indexes are opening broadly higher on Wall Street Monday following seven weeks of declines that nearly ended the bull market that began in March 2020. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which helps set mortgage rates, rose to 2.81%. Yet it has been a brutal stretch for major markets in the U.S. and globally. It’s a sharp turnaround from the powerful run Wall Street enjoyed after emerging from its last bear market in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
wftv.comWall Street poised for gains after flirting with bear market
Financial Markets Wall Street Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange floor in New York City on Friday, May 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) (Ted Shaffrey)NEW YORK — (AP) — Wall Street pointed toward gains before markets opened Monday after dipping close to the edge of a bear market to close the week Friday. Yet it has been a brutal stretch for major markets in the U.S. and globally. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.1% in midday trading, while Germany's DAX gained 0.8% and the CAC 40 in Paris picked up 0.3%. It’s a sharp turnaround from the powerful run Wall Street enjoyed after emerging from its last bear market in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
wftv.comWorld shares mixed as Wall Street hovers near bear market – WFTV
Hong Kong Financial Markets A woman wearing a face mask walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong, Monday, May 23, 2022. Shares are mixed in Asia in cautious trading after Wall Street rumbled to the edge of a bear market Friday. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) (Kin Cheung)World shares were mixed in cautious trading Monday after Wall Street dipped once again to the edge of a bear market. U.S. futures and oil prices rose. It’s a sharp turnaround from the powerful run Wall Street enjoyed after emerging from its last bear market in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
wftv.comAsian shares mixed as Wall Street hovers near bear market
Hong Kong Financial Markets A woman wearing a face mask walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong, Monday, May 23, 2022. Shares are mixed in Asia in cautious trading after Wall Street rumbled to the edge of a bear market Friday. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) (Kin Cheung)Shares were mostly higher in Asia in cautious trading Monday after Wall Street dipped once again to the edge of a bear market. Tokyo and Sydney gained Monday while Hong Kong declined. It’s a sharp turnaround from the powerful run Wall Street enjoyed after emerging from its last bear market in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
wftv.comAsian shares mixed after Wall St barely misses bear market
Hong Kong Financial Markets A woman wearing a face mask walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong, Monday, May 23, 2022. Shares are mixed in Asia in cautious trading after Wall Street rumbled to the edge of a bear market Friday. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) (Kin Cheung)Shares are mixed in Asia in cautious trading after Wall Street rumbled to the edge of a bear market on Friday. Tokyo and Sydney were higher Monday while Hong Kong and Shanghai declined. It’s a sharp turnaround from the powerful run Wall Street enjoyed after emerging from its last bear market in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
wftv.comFauci says U.S. in 'active communication' with South African scientists about Covid variant
The U.S. will speak Friday with scientists from South Africa to "get the facts" on the emerging, heavily mutated Covid-19 variant detected there in a small number of samples, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's "New Day." Reviewing South Africa's research will help the U.S. better understand whether the novel B.1.1.529 variant can evade the antibody protection against the virus provided by vaccines and previous infection, Fauci said. Fauci emphasized that the U.S. is in "very active communication" with South African scientists, and is working to get the molecular makeup of the variant in order to conduct lab tests. B.1.1.529 contains even more mutations than the world's most dominant Covid strain, the highly transmissible delta variant. The new variant features roughly 50 mutations according to data presented by the South Africa Department of Health at a media briefing Friday.
cnbc.comUS bars disposable gloves from Malaysia over forced labor
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The U.S. government ordered a halt Wednesday to imports of disposable gloves from a Malaysian company and its subsidiaries after determining they rely on forced labor. The agency identified the subsidiaries as Maxter Glove Manufacturing, Maxwell Glove Manufacturing and Supermax Glove Manufacturing. In response, Malaysia’s government pledged to take steps to eliminate forced labor. The U.S. lifted a similar order against another Malaysian glove manufacturer, Top Glove Corporation Berhad, after the company addressed indicators of forced labor at its manufacturing facilities. Supermax Corporation, which says it sells its products in 165 countries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
wftv.comConservative PM concedes defeat as in Norway's elections
(Marit Hommedal/NTB via AP) (Marit Hommedal)COPENHAGEN, Denmark — (AP) — Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg, in power for eight years, conceded defeat in Norway's general election Monday as the Scandinavian country swung leftward. “Now we can say it: We did it,” the head of the Labor Party, Jonas Gahr Stoere, told a cheering and clapping crowd. As Norway’s largest party, Labor will try to form a coalition government and its chief, 61-year-old Jonas Gahr Stoere, is poised to become Norway’s next leader. Any post-election horse trading is likely to be fraught for the Labor Party and Gahr Stoere. Gahr Stoere is a former civil servant who was elected to the Stortinget in 2009.
wftv.comTop Glove hopes to resolve U.S. seizure of its rubber gloves
Malaysia's Top Glove Corp., the world's largest rubber glove maker, said Wednesday it hopes to swiftly end a U.S. ban on its products due to allegations of forced labor after one of its shipment was seized at a U.S. port. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday it had seized a shipment of 3.97 million nitrile disposable gloves from Top Glove worth an estimated $518,000 at Cleveland port, Ohio.
news.yahoo.comIsraeli voters poised to send first Reform rabbi to Knesset
Gilad Kariv is poised to make history this month as the first Reform rabbi to win a seat in Israel's parliament. He first encountered Reform Judaism during a high school trip to the United States. He’s at the lectern, wearing a kippah as an Israeli," said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the Reform movement in the U.S. who has lobbied the Knesset with Kariv, his Israeli counterpart, for nine years. They see Reform Judaism as a threat unlike secularism, said one expert. “Reform Judaism conveys an alternative interpretation of Judaism," said Shmuel Rosner, senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem.
U.S. could start vaccinating young kids in early 2022, Dr. Fauci says
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. The U.S. could begin vaccinating older kids against Covid-19 this fall while elementary-aged children may start getting their shots early next year, White House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony Fauci told lawmakers on Wednesday. "For high school students, it looks like they will be available to get vaccinated in the beginning of the fall, very likely for the fall term," Fauci told lawmakers during a hearing with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Fauci said researchers will likely have enough data on immunizations for younger children — 12 and under — to begin giving them shots in the first quarter of 2022, Fauci said. The Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's for people ages 18 and older, while Pfizer's vaccine can be used in people as young as 16.
cnbc.comMexico's ex-oil boss quits; Fuel oil burn to increase
Romero Deschamps will finally be resigning from his symbolic post as a worker at Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex, President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador announced Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Ismael Rojas, File)MEXICO CITY – The former leader of Mexico’s oil workers’ union will finally be resigning from his symbolic post as a worker at the state-owned oil company Pemex, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced Tuesday. The resignation marks an end to the decades-long career of Carlos Romero Deschamps, once considered one of the most powerful and corrupt figures in Mexico. AdThis week, the beleaguered oil company has reportedly reached a deal with the state-owned electrical power utility to offload stocks of fuel oil that Pemex can't get rid of. The utility will take the heavily polluting fuel oil to burn at power plants, and return natural gas that Pemex cannot produce enough of.
Fauci warns U.S. Covid cases may 'plateau again at an unacceptably high level'
"Which means we might plateau again at an unacceptably high level." White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that Covid-19 cases in the United States may plateau again at a very high level, even as the nation rapidly administers three vaccines. Top U.S. officials, including Fauci, say rolling back restrictions too soon may reverse the downward trajectory in infections and delay the nation's recovery from the pandemic. Last week, Fauci said the Biden administration was taking the emergence of the New York strain "very seriously." He said U.S. officials would need to "keep an eye" on the strain, including the possibility that it could evade the protection of antibody treatments and vaccines.
cnbc.comHouse panel advances $15 minimum wage as Democrats try to include it in Covid relief bill
A House committee early on Wednesday approved a portion of the Democratic coronavirus relief proposal which includes a $15 per hour minimum wage. However, the minimum wage hike may not survive due to rules governing what lawmakers can put in reconciliation bills. "We're trying to work as well as we can with the [Senate] parliamentarian to get minimum wage to happen," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Tuesday. The agency also projected a $15 minimum wage would increase the federal budget deficit by $54 billion over a decade. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has argued the budget effect means "we can clearly raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour under the rules of reconciliation."
cnbc.comBiden talks economic recovery, introduces labor and commerce nominees
Biden talks economic recovery, introduces labor and commerce nominees President-elect Joe Biden held a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware, Friday to introduce his nominees to head the Labor and Commerce Departments. He also spoke about his plans for economic recovery amid the pandemic. Watch his remarks.
cbsnews.comBiden talks economic recovery, introduces labor and commerce nominees
Biden talks economic recovery, introduces labor and commerce nominees President-elect Joe Biden held a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday to introduce his nominees to head the Labor and Commerce Departments. He also spoke about his plans for economic recovery amid the pandemic. Watch his remarks.
cbsnews.comWhen will the $300 unemployment benefit start? Officials don’t know
More than 20 million Americans are eagerly anticipating a $300 boost to their weekly unemployment benefits. More from Personal Finance:Covid relief bill gives $400 a week to some unemployed workersHow an extra $300 will affect unemployment benefits in your stateSome might not receive a $600 stimulus check this time around. Some state labor officials are also warning of a gap in benefits for millions of workers in unemployment programs set to expire this weekend. Trump adds uncertaintyTiming of the $300 subsidy also hinges on how soon President Donald Trump signs a Covid relief bill into law. For example, the relief bill offers 11 extra weeks of benefits to self-employed and gig workers and people collecting state unemployment insurance.
cnbc.comDepartment of Justice Announces Joint Final Rule Regarding Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations in Department-Supported Social Service Programs
This rule ensures that religious and non-religious organizations are treated equally in DOJ-supported programs, and it clarifies that religious organizations do not lose their legal protections and rights just because they participate in federal programs and activities. “This joint final rule is another in a long line of steps this Administration has taken to restore and protect religious liberty and ensure equal treatment for people of faith.”This final rule ensures equal treatment for faith-based organizations, consistent with the Constitution and other federal law. It removes requirements in prior regulations that placed unequal burdens on religious organizations, cast unwarranted suspicion on them, and were in tension with their religious liberty rights. The final rule was drafted in response to Executive Order 13831, issued in May 2018. The Agencies considered those comments, modified their regulations to address concerns raised in the comments, and drafted responses included in the final rule.
justice.govDr. Anthony Fauci says U.S. is in a 'bad position' as daily coronavirus cases hit record highs
White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that the United States is in a "bad position" as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge in many parts of the nation. After Memorial Day, new cases began to climb again, surging to about 70,000 cases a day in July before plateauing at around about 40,000 in September. "We should have been way down in baseline and daily cases, and we're not," he said. Fauci's comments came after the U.S. reported its third consecutive record in average daily Covid-19 cases. Fifteen states hit record highs in hospitalizations.
cnbc.comFauci says public health measures to curb coronavirus spread could dampen flu season
The flu can kill between 12,000 and 61,000 people and hospitalize up to 810,000 people in the U.S. every year, Fauci said. A CDC study published in mid-September found that the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere between April and July was far more subdued compared with previous years. "They had a very, very light flu season," Fauci said, adding that the U.S. could "have the same thing" if people are vaccinated and practice public health measures. Commonly suggested public health measures to curb Covid-19's spread along with a flu vaccine "could substantially reduce influenza incidence and impact" this upcoming season, the researchers said. "Get yourself and your family vaccinated," Fauci said.
cnbc.comCDC director says more than 90% of Americans remain susceptible to the coronavirus
A majority of the U.S. remains susceptible to a coronavirus infection, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told lawmakers Wednesday. One state said almost a quarter of its residents have had the coronavirus sometime this year, he added. He said the CDC is in the process of a "very large" study that seeks to more precisely determine how widely the virus has spread across the country. Further complicating the herd immunity approach is the matter of how antibodies against the coronavirus behave. Health officials have said there is not enough data yet to indicate that coronavirus antibodies ensure immunity against the virus or to determine how long any protection might last.
cnbc.comFauci tells Congress the U.S. could have enough coronavirus vaccine doses for every American by April
White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress on Wednesday "it might take some time" for FDA-approved inoculations for Covid-19 to become available because of the "rigorous clinical testing required" to develop a safe and effective vaccine. President Donald Trump has insisted that the U.S. could have a safe and effective vaccine by the end of October and have enough vaccine doses to inoculate every American by April. On Wednesday, Fauci shared a similar timeline for when vaccine doses could be available to all Americans, saying vaccine doses will be rolled out over the coming months and the U.S. should have 700 million doses by April. "In November you'll probably be maybe 50 million doses available. Fauci has previously said there is "no guarantee" that scientists will find a safe and effective vaccine.
cnbc.comAs election nears, Boris Johnson tries to keep distance from President Trump
For years, Trump has publicly praised Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose Conservative Party is hoping to win a parliamentary majority in Dec. 12 voting. And the president is an unabashed proponent of Brexit, the planned split with the European Union that Johnson has vowed to bring to fruition. But the last thing Johnson wants during this visit is an open show of support from Trump. The Labor leader last week claimed that a leaked government dossier on preliminary U.S.-British trade discussions pointed to post-Brexit peril for the National Health Service, Britains much-criticized but beloved universal healthcare system. That drew an angry response from the family of one of the victims, who accused the prime minister of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.
latimes.com