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☆ One in seven Britons faced hunger in 2022, says food bank charity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Peter NichollsSummarySummary Companies 11.3 mln Britons faced hunger in 20223 mln food parcels provided by Trussell Trust in 2022/23 yearIneffective social security system blamedLONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - One in seven people in the United Kingdom faced hunger last year because they did not have enough money, according to a report published on Wednesday by food bank charity the Trussell Trust. Government forecasters estimate UK households are in the midst of the biggest two-year squeeze in living standards since comparable records started in the 1950s. "This consistent upward trajectory exposes that it is weaknesses in the social security system that are driving food bank need, rather than just the pandemic or cost of living crisis," it said. The charity said that 7% of the UK population was supported by charitable food support, including food banks, yet 71% of people facing hunger had not yet accessed any form of charitable food support. Soaring food prices have contributed to the biggest squeeze on living standards in Britain since records began in the 1950s, and prompted questions about who is responsible.

Persons: Jerald, Aryee, Daniel Kennett, Brown, Peter Nicholls, Rishi Sunak's, they've, James Davey, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Volunteers, REUTERS, Trussell Trust, LONDON, Trussell, Department for Work, Soaring, Trade, Thomson Locations: Greenwich, London, Britain, United Kingdom, Scotland

[1/2] Workers lift a solar panel onto a roof during a residential solar installation in Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California, U.S. October 14, 2016. "This historic boost in solar investments will advance millions of residential solar projects nationwide, protect people and the planet, deliver environmental justice," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Regan announced the launch of the "Solar for All" grant program in Vermont, where he joined Independent Senator Bernie Sanders to tour a residential solar project. The awards will help communities develop low-income solar programs that will provide financing and technical assistance like workforce development and ensure that low-income households receive the benefits of rooftop solar, including household savings, community ownership and energy resiliency. The program will guarantee a minimum 20% total electricity bill savings for households.

Persons: Mike Blake, Biden, Michael Regan, Regan, Bernie Sanders, Valerie Volcovici, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Workers, Scripps, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Environmental Protection Agency, Wednesday, Alaska Natives, Reduction, Independent, Clean Investment Fund, Communities Investment, Thomson Locations: Scripps Ranch, San Diego , California, U.S, Americans, Vermont

CNN —Huge pieces of the doomed submersible Titan were hoisted onto a Canadian pier Wednesday nearly a week after authorities announced a “catastrophic implosion” had killed all five men onboard the minivan-sized vessel, according to the company leading the effort and photos of the task. Titan debris brought up from the ocean floor is unloaded Wednesday from the Horizon Arctic ship at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's. Pelagic Research Services deferred questions to the US Coast Guard, adding its team cannot comment on or provide any information related to the investigation into the Titan’s demise. The company will hold a news conference at its East Aurora, New York, operations base after “our team has regrouped,” it said. A Transportation Safety Board of Canada spokesperson declined to comment to CNN, saying more information about its investigation is forthcoming as warranted.

Persons: Canadian Press ’ Paul Daly, John's, Paul Daly, Titan’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Press, Research, Crew, US Coast Guard, Transportation Safety Board, Canada Locations: St, John’s, Newfoundland, Labrador, Aurora , New York

[1/5] Volunteers give electrolyte drinks to asylum seekers while they camp near the border in an attempt to cross into the U.S. without an appointment, in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico June 27, 2023. "We are clear-eyed about the limits of our ability to control the security situation in any town outside of the United States," a senior CBP official told Reuters. When asked about the potential for continued extortion in Nuevo Laredo, the CBP official said migrants could apply for appointments elsewhere, and come to the city just for their appointments. But reaching Nuevo Laredo can pose its own risks. Three migrants told Reuters that men who appeared to be cartel members told them to stay orderly, but had not been extorting recently arrived migrants for money.

Persons: Daniel Becerril, Joe Biden's, Stephanie Leutert, Biden, Gerson Bravo, Jose, Daina Beth Solomon, Laura Gottesdiener, Stephen Eisenhammer, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Volunteers, REUTERS, U.S, Customs, Borders Protection, . Customs, Border Protection, CBP, University of Texas, Reuters, Nuevo Laredo, Thomson Locations: Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Daniel Becerril NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico's Nuevo Laredo, United States, Laredo, Texas, U.S, Austin, Matamoros, Venezuela, Venezuelan, Michoacan, Mexico City

☆ Shein sent American influencers to China. Social media users are furious
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A group of American fashion influencers and creators has received online backlash after they visited a model factory in China as part of a tour sponsored by Shein, an internet shopping giant, and posted glowing reviews. Kenya Freeman, a designer who has sold clothing on Shein, traveled to China and Singapore, where Shein is now based, as part of the junket and shared videos on her Instagram account. In a statement, Shein said the social media videos posted by the influencers were authentic. But its meteoric rise has come with scrutiny, especially as relations between the United States and China have deteriorated. In April, a US congressional commission said Shein, online superstore Temu and others in China were potentially linked to the use of forced labor, exploitation of trade loopholes, product safety hazards or intellectual property theft.

Persons: Kenya Freeman, ” Freeman, ”, Freeman, Shein, Gen, Dani Carbonari, “, Destene Sudduth, Instagram, Kelly Kellen, Z, ‘ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Shein, CNN, Securities and Exchange Commission, Bloomberg, United, United Nations Environment Programme, Aurora University Locations: New York, China, Guangzhou, Kenya, Singapore, Atlanta, United States, Xinjiang

☆ Online's share of UK grocery market dips as heat pushes shoppers to stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Online was 10.4% of total UK grocery market in JuneStores saw extra 34 mln visits year-on-yearM&S is fastest growing grocer after discountersLONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - Online's share of Britain's grocery market slowed further in June as hot weather encouraged shoppers to visit stores for drinks and refreshments, industry data showed on Tuesday. Online's share of the total grocery market in Britain was about 7% before COVID-19. "It’s no surprise that online grocery sales have taken a bit of a hit as there was less of a need to order in a big grocery shop." Total grocery sales rose 12.4% over the four weeks, with sales in the week to June 17 hitting 2.9 billion pounds - the second strongest week this year behind Easter. Marks & Spencer's (MKS.L) sales rose 15.4%, keeping its spot as the fastest growing after the discounters.

Persons: NIQ, Mike Watkins, NIQ’s, Kantar, James Davey, Aurora Ellis Organizations: LONDON, Aldi, Lidl, British Retail Consortium, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ The sun's activity could peak 2 years early, frying satellites and causing radio blackouts by the end of this year, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jessica Orwig | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The sun is becoming more active and may reach peak activity sooner than expected. We're currently approaching solar maximum, when the sun reaches peak activity, which experts have previously predicted should happen in 2025. NASAFor example, already this year a powerful solar flare caused widespread radio blackouts that disrupted high-frequency radio signals in North America, Central America, and South America. In the past, powerful solar storms have surged the Quebec power grid, causing blackouts that lasted up to eight hours. Why experts think solar maximum will hit soonWhen the sun's magnetic field is weak, its surface gets a lot more interesting to look at.

Persons: —, We're, Alex James, that's, NASA Goddard, Joy Ng Organizations: Service, University of College London, NASA, YouTube, Dynamics, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, CME Locations: North America, Central America, South America, Quebec, Arizona

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - Over $200 billion from the U.S. government's COVID-19 relief programs were likely stolen, a federal watchdog said on Tuesday, adding that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) had weakened its controls in a rush to disburse the funds. The SBA disputed the more than $200 billion figure put forward by the watchdog and said the inspector general's approach had significantly overestimated fraud. The agency said its experts put the likely fraud estimate at $36 billion and added that over 86% of that likely fraud took place in 2020, when the administration for former President Donald Trump was in office. The fraud estimate put forward by the inspector general for the EIDL program stood at more than $136 billion while the PPP fraud estimate was $64 billion. Earlier this year, a separate watchdog report said the U.S. government likely awarded about $5.4 billion in COVID-19 aid to people with questionable Social Security numbers.

Persons: government's, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Kevin Chambers, fraudsters, Kanishka Singh, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Small Business Administration, SBA, Force, U.S . Justice Department, U.S . Labor Department, Social, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, COVID, Washington

☆ Sierra Leone's President Bio leads presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country's electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted. His biggest rival is All People's Congress' (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Augustine Sorie, hasn't, Marrah, Cooper Inveen, Anait Miridzhanian, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sierra, African, APC, Electoral Commission Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Electoral Commission Sierra Leone

☆ As Canada's wildfires intensify, recruiting firefighters is tougher
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

That's roughly 2,500 firefighters short of what is needed, said Mike Flannigan, a professor at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia and wildfire specialist. "It's hard work, it's hot work, it's smoky work, and there are real issues with health impacts longer-term," Flannigan said. Applications were down in British Columbia and Nova Scotia, and Alberta had to do several rounds of recruitment to fill its ranks, officials said. As more wildfires threaten communities, provincial agencies are also increasingly leaning on structural firefighters to help protect homes. Since 2009, Canada has been spending more on fighting and suppressing wildfires than on maintaining its firefighting personnel and program.

Persons: Mike Flannigan, Flannigan, Scott Tingley, Rob Schweitzer, Ken McMullen, David Ljunggren, Ismail Shakil, Denny Thomas, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Reuters, Thompson Rivers University, Nova, Wildfire, BC Wildfire Service, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, Emergency Preparedness, Thomson Locations: BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada, Yukon, British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Canada's, Manitoba, Lithuania, Quebec, Ottawa

☆ UAW rips Biden administration on US loan to Ford joint venture battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The $9.2 billion low-cost government loan for the BlueOval SK joint venture is the biggest ever from the government auto lending program that will help finance construction of three plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. The joint venture is building battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. The UAW and Senator Bernie Sanders in April criticized a General Motors (GM.N)/LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) joint venture battery plant for paying workers much less than GM assembly plant employees even though it benefits from hefty U.S. government tax credits. Union workers at a nearby Ohio GM assembly plant that closed in 2019 made at least $32 an hour. The Energy Department last year awarded $2.5 billion to help finance construction of Ultium's new lithium-ion battery plants, including Warren, from the same program used for the Ford loan.

Persons: Francois Lenoir, Shawn Fain, Fain, Joe Biden’s, Ford, Biden, Bernie Sanders, Warren, David Shepardson, Aurora Ellis, Mark Porter Organizations: Ford, REUTERS, United Auto Workers, UAW, U.S . Energy Department, Ford Motor, Korea's SK, JV, Detroit Three automakers, BlueOval SK, SK, South Korea's SK Innovation, Motors, LG Energy, JV Ultium, Ohio GM, The Energy Department, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Francois Lenoir WASHINGTON, Kentucky, Tennessee, South, America, Warren , Ohio, Ohio

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Every country in the world will see rates of diabetes rise in the next 30 years without action, according to a new global study. There are currently 529 million people in the world with diabetes, the study led by researchers at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington found. The majority of the cases are type 2 diabetes, the form of the disease that is linked to obesity and largely preventable, the researchers said. For example, prevalence rates are expected to reach 16.8% in North Africa and the Middle East and 11.3% in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2050, compared to an estimated 9.8% globally. The study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is part of a wider series on diabetes published on Thursday in The Lancet medical journal.

Persons: ”, Liane Ong, Bill, Melinda Gates, Jennifer Rigby, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Institute of Health, University of Washington, Melinda Gates Foundation, Thomson Locations: North Africa, East, America, Caribbean

☆ Wall Street extends sell-off as Powell hints at further rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

All three major U.S. stock indexes notched their third straight daily declines, with megacap tech- and tech-related shares weighing most. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), along AI-related stocks such as Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) were the heaviest drags. "There could be one more rate hike, but I don’t think anyone's buying the fact that there will be two. "A big portion of today’s weakness is because Tesla had one of its worst days in a while," Detrick added. "After a record win streak some kind of weakness is perfectly acceptable and normal."

Persons: Tesla, Jerome, Ryan Detrick, Powell, Detrick, Stephen Culp, Shubham Batra, Johann M Cherian, Ankika Biswas, Aurora Ellis Organizations: FedEx, Barclays, NEW, Federal, Carson Group, Tesla, Microsoft Corp, Nvidia Corp, . House Financial Services, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Tesla Inc, United Parcel Service Inc, Thomson Locations: Omaha, Bengaluru

☆ Brazil watchdog offers plea deals to Americanas employees in fraud probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, June 20 (Reuters) - The president of Brazil's securities watchdog CVM on Tuesday urged employees from Americanas (AMER3.SA) with information about the retailer's alleged multi-billion-dollar fraud to give testimony in exchange for potential plea deals. Americanas last week admitted to a large-scale accounting fraud with current top managers slamming former executive, banks and auditors for their alleged involvement in "fraudulently altered" financial statements. Americanas filed for bankruptcy protection in January after uncovering an over $4 billion accounting scandal. The report issued on Tuesday accused ex-CEO Miguel Gutierrez and half a dozen other former executives and employees of committing fraud. Reporting by Patricia Vilas Boas; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah Morland and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: CVM, Joao Pedro Barroso, Nascimento, Americanas, Miguel Gutierrez, Patricia Vilas Boas, Carolina Pulice, Sarah Morland, Aurora Ellis Organizations: SAO PAULO, Federal, Thomson Locations: Americanas

☆ Wall Street ends lower, pausing rally as Powell testimony looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

All three major U.S. equity indexes ended the session in the red but off session lows, with oil super-majors Exxon Mobil Corp weighing on the S&P 500 and the Dow. Including Tuesday's loss, the benchmark S&P 500 has advanced 14.3% so far this year. Of the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500 all but consumer discretionary stocks (.SPLRCD) ended in negative territory. The S&P 500 posted 14 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 68 new highs and 87 new lows. Volume on U.S. exchanges was 11.15 billion shares, compared with the 11.36 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.

Persons: Jerome, Robert Pavlik, Pavlik, We've, Rivian, Morgan Stanley, Daniel Zhang, Eli Lilly, Stephen Culp, Shristi Achar, Shubham Batra, Johann M, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Fedex, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal, Exxon Mobil Corp, Dakota Wealth, U.S . House Financial, Dow Jones, Energy, Rivian Automotive Inc, Tesla Inc, PayPal Holdings, KKR & Co, Nike, Alibaba Group, Adobe Inc, Dice Therapeutics, Fedex Corp, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Fairfield , Connecticut, China, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ S&P 500 ends lower, pausing rally with Powell testimony in view
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's congressional testimony Wednesday looms as a potential market mover. All three major U.S. equity indexes ended the session in the red but off session lows, with oil super-majors Exxon Mobil Corp weighing on the S&P 500 and the Dow. The broad sell-off comes on the heels of the Nasdaq's longest weekly winning streak since March 2019, and the S&P 500's longest since November 2021. As of Friday's close, the benchmark S&P 500 had advanced 20% in the last twelve months, and over 14% so far this year. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 20.79 points, or 0.47%, to end at 4,388.80 points, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) lost 22.28 points, or 0.16%, to 13,667.29.

Persons: Jerome, Robert Pavlik, Pavlik, We've, Morgan Stanley, Daniel Zhang, Eli Lilly, Stephen Culp, Shristi Achar, Shubham Batra, Johann M, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Federal, Exxon Mobil Corp, Dow, Dakota Wealth, U.S . House Financial, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Rivian Automotive Inc, Tesla Inc, Rivian, PayPal Holdings, KKR & Co, Nike, Alibaba, Adobe Inc, Dice Therapeutics, Fedex Corp, Thomson Locations: Fairfield , Connecticut, China, Europe, Bengaluru

The new rule highlights how governments are reassessing their reliance on India's $42 billion pharmaceutical industry since the contamination came to light last year. India's industry supplies nearly half of the pharmaceuticals used in Africa. In April, India’s government said its officials had held meetings in Africa to ensure its drug exports did not suffer after at least 70 children died in Gambia after ingesting the cough syrup last year. "Quntrol shall conduct document verification, physical inspection of the consignment and sampling, for laboratory testing for each shipment," the letter said. Since June 1, India has made tests mandatory for all cough syrups before they are exported.

Persons: India’s, Janneh Kaira, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Raghuvanshi, Krishna N, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Reuters, Medicines Control Agency, MCA, Quntrol Laboratories, Bank, World Health Organization, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Gambia, India, Africa, Mumbai

☆ What is Juneteenth? History of US federal holiday and its celebration explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Juneteenth, long a regional holiday in the U.S. South, rose in prominence following protests in 2020 over police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other African Americans. Juneteenth, a combination of the words June and 19th, is also known as Emancipation Day. Connecticut, Minnesota, Nevada and Tennessee have made Juneteenth a permanent public holiday for the first time this year, according to the Pew Research Center. In Alabama and West Virginia, Juneteenth has been authorized as a state holiday for this year by a governor’s proclamation. People are also celebrating the holiday by organizing for civil rights, reading books about African American heritage and history, attending festivals and musical performances, and dining at Black-owned restaurants.

Persons: Crystal Howard, Read, Joe Biden, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Abraham Lincoln's, Juneteenth, Aurora Ellis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Black Americans, U.S, District, Columbia, Pew Research, The U.S, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Texas, U.S, Nashville , Tennessee, United States, Connecticut, Minnesota, Nevada, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, America, The

☆ 2 American tourists attacked in Germany are identified as recent college graduates from Illinois
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Andy Rose | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two American tourists who police say were attacked – one fatally – while hiking in Germany were identified as recent graduates of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, according to the school. A friend who was with her, Kelsey Chang, 22, attempted to rescue Liu but was pushed down a steep slope. After fleeing the scene, he is now in police custody on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and attempted sexual offense, according to authorities. View from the Marienbruecke bridge into the Pollat gorge, near the Neuschwanstein castle, in Schwangau, Germany, on Friday. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AP“Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms. Liu and the attack on Ms. Chang,” said Robin Kaler, associate chancellor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Persons: –, Eva Liu, Neuschwanstein, Kelsey Chang, Liu, Chang, Karl, Josef Hildenbrand, Ms, ”, Robin Kaler, ” Liu, “ Eva, Tami J, Armstrong, “, ” Armstrong, Kelsey Organizations: CNN, University of Illinois, “ Our University of Illinois, “, Illinois, Science Academy, US Embassy Locations: Germany, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, Bavarian, American, Schwangau, Aurora

☆ Family sues Akron and 8 officers who shot Jayland Walker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A spokeswoman for the city told the Akron Beacon Journal that there would be no comment on the litigation from the city. The officers pursued Walker on foot after an attempted traffic stop in June 2022 and shot him dozens of times, including five times in the back, police officials said. "Only then did the officers fire believing Mr. Walker was firing again at them," said Yost, whose office was asked by local prosecutors to investigate the shooting. State law allows officers to use deadly force against a deadly threat to themselves or others, he added. A media lawsuit seeking the names of the officers is pending before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Persons: Jayland Walker, Daniel Horrigan, Stephen Mylett, Bobby DiCello, Walker, DiCello, Dave Yost, Yost, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Walker's, Pamela Walker, Rich McKay, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Northern, Northern District of, Police, Reuters, Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, of Justice, DOJ, Ohio Supreme, Thomson Locations: Akron , Ohio, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of Ohio, City, Akron, State, United States, Minneapolis, Louisville , Kentucky, Ohio, Atlanta

The department said its investigation found that the Hostess could have prevented the amputation injury a 29-year-old worker suffered while reassembling a pump at a company facility in Chicago. The investigation was launched after the company, which makes popular snacks like Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Donettes, reported the injury to the Labor Department. A Hostess spokesperson said on Friday that the company was reviewing the Labor Department's allegations, but declined to comment further on "pending investigations." The Labor Department has alleged that Hostess "failed to make sure shafts, sprockets and moving parts on equipment ... had required guarding in place to protect workers from contact with pinch points and moving parts." The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference, or contest the Labor Department findings.

Persons: Ding Dongs, Sukhvir Kaur, Ismail Shakil, Kathrine Jackson, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Labor Department, Hostess Brands, Labor Department, Labor, Safety, Health Administration, Employers, OSHA, Thomson Locations: Chicago, Ottawa, Washington

June 16 (Reuters) - Iowa's highest court did not revive a 2018 ban on most abortions on Friday, meaning that abortion will remain legal in the state up to 20 weeks of pregnancy for now. Iowa passed a law banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks, in 2018. The law was blocked because of the U.S. Supreme Court's longstanding 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. The Supreme Court overturned Roe last year, and Reynolds immediately sought to revive the 2018 law. The trial court judge said there was no legal mechanism for doing that, and three Supreme Court justices agreed.

Persons: Kim Reynolds, Roe, Wade, Alexis McGill Johnson, Chris Schandevel, today's, Reynolds, Thomas Waterman, Christopher McDonald, inequitable, Waterman, McDonald, Dana Leanne Oxley, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Republican, Planned, U.S, Thomson Locations: Iowa, U.S ., Roe, New York

The referendum, which comes amid a wider reckoning over race relations, proposes to change the constitution and establish an advisory body called the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to give Indigenous Australians a direct say in policies that affect them. Five of those polled were funding or planned to fund the "Yes" campaign, while none endorsed nor were contributing to "No". Commonwealth Bank told Reuters it plans to fund the "Yes" campaign and had hosted two panel discussions with Indigenous speakers. Rio Tinto, which faced criticism in 2020 for destroying Indigenous rock shelters, said the Voice would bring an "additional lens" to government decision-making. Aurora Milroy, a lecturer in Indigenous affairs at the University of Western Australia, said supporting the Voice was easy publicity for companies.

Persons: Rita Wright, Loren Elliott, Anthony Albanese, Intifar Chowdhury, Albanese, Meg O'Neill, Ross Piper, Baker McKenzie, Thomas Mayo, Kate Gillingham, Peter Dutton, Coles, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Aurora Milroy, Byron Kaye, Praveen Menon, Melanie Burton, David Crawshaw, Devayani, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Sujith Pai Organizations: Australian, REUTERS, Australia's, BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Labor, Voice, National, Nine Entertainment, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank, Ethical Investment, Qantas, Australian Financial, Liberal, Fair Australia, Miners, Fortescue Metals, University of Western, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Rio, Western Australia, Woodside, Queensland, University of Western Australia, Melbourne

☆ Are You Up For a ‘Soft’ Adventure? 3 Vacation Ideas for the Mildly Outdoorsy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Nina Molina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

EASY DOES IT A trek to Haida Gwaii includes a hike to old-growth forests. Photo: Entrée CanadaWREN HUDGINS has “always been an outdoorsy person”—but while still drawn to the planet’s wilder locales, the retired psychologist from Issaquah, Wash., has been taking fewer risks since entering his 70s. In recent years, Hudgins and his wife, Leigh, have embarked on a handful of trips with Aurora Expeditions, a travel company based in Surry Hills, Australia, specializing in cruises and tours to places like Svalbard, Norway, where the couple experienced “adventure in small doses.”

Persons: WREN HUDGINS, Hudgins, Leigh Organizations: Aurora Expeditions Locations: Issaquah, Wash, Surry Hills, Australia, Svalbard, Norway

June 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed civil rights lawyer Nusrat Choudhury to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, making her the first Bangladeshi-American and female Muslim federal judge in the United States. Choudhury, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, was confirmed on a 50-49 vote. She will also be the first Bangladeshi-American federal judge. Biden also appointed the first Muslim judge in U.S. history, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi. The Senate confirmed him to the New Jersey federal trial court in 2021.

Persons: Nusrat Choudhury, Choudhury, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, litigator, Biden, Zahid Quraishi, Jacqueline Thomsen, David Bario, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S, Senate, Eastern, of, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Top, Republicans, Princeton University, Southern District of, Appeals, Thomson Locations: of New York, United States, Illinois, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York , Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Washington

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