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☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ What happens during a ‘credit crunch’ — and how you can prepare for one
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But what is a credit crunch and how might you prepare? Loans would be tougher to getDuring a credit crunch, banks significantly tighten their lending standards. Banks may prioritize a healthier balance sheetA credit crunch seems likely given banking woes that have unfurled over the past two weeks. A severe credit crunch isn't a foregone conclusion, though. How to prepare for a credit crunchThere are some steps consumers can take now to prepare for a possible credit crunch.

☆ 'I lost everything': Cyclone Yaku unleashes destruction in Peru
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] View of damaged houses in the aftermath of the Moche river overflowing due to torrential rains caused by Cyclone Yaku, in Trujillo, Peru, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Randy ReyesLIMA, March 13 (Reuters) - Powerful Cyclone Yaku has unleashed torrents of rain on Peru's northern region in recent days, burying homes and cars in mud and leading to the deaths of at least six people. In the northern coastal towns of Trujillo and Lambayeque, residents waded through knee-high water and cars crawled through inundated streets. "It reached us, we have lost everything, I lost everything. The cyclone is the latest crisis hitting Peru, where anti-government protests have rocked the country since Congress removed former President Pedro Castillo from power in December.

☆ Analysis: Shock of war hits a world economy at the crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But its deeper impact will be felt in how the conflict plays into shifts that were already reshaping the global economy before Russia's tanks rolled in. Economic sanctions on Moscow came as hurdles to world trade were mounting after an era of rapid globalisation. Reuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsNO ENDGAME IN SIGHTSome might conclude that means the world economy has taken the conflict in its stride. That would take the outlook for both the global economy and wider peace into uncharted territory. For the economy, the risk is that energy prices - and hence inflation - will be squeezed higher if shortfalls are not met.

☆ The Retreat of the Amateur Investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Gunjan Banerji | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amateur trader Omar Ghias says he amassed roughly $1.5 million as stocks surged during the early part of the pandemic, gripped by a speculative fervor that cascaded across all markets. As his gains swelled, so did his spending on everything from sports betting and bars to luxury cars. He says he also borrowed heavily to amplify his positions.

[1/3] Vehicle lights cause light streaks on the road along a market, during country-wide power breakdown in Karachi, Pakistan January 23, 2023. But the blackout in Pakistan on Monday was its second near-complete grid failure and the third in south Asia in three months. Grid operators attempt to keep the frequency of the grid stable at 50 hz, with deviations over 0.05 hz typically considered abnormal. "Transmission lines tripped, which resulted in isolation of north and south system," Akthar said in the note. About 11.35 gigawatts (GW) of power plants were in operation across the country when the transmission lines tripped and separated the northern and southern grid, the note read.

An outage with a federal pilot-alert system cascaded into a nationwide logjam at U.S. airports Wednesday, snarling thousands of flights and temporarily stranding travelers across the country. The breakdown of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Notice to Air Missions system, which provides safety information to pilots, led the agency to issue a nationwide “ground stop” that halted domestic departures for nearly two hours, before flights were permitted to resume shortly after 9 a.m.

☆ Inside the turmoil at Cheddar News, where an editorial 'identity crisis' and misfired social media strategy divided the newsroom and drove staffers to the exits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Reed Alexander | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

16 insiders described unrest and discord partly fueled by the site's revamped social media strategy. Malaspina's plan was for Cheddar to look and feel like a social media platform and to position its stars as influencers. Concerns inside Cheddar intensified when Malaspina, a newcomer to journalism, refocused its coverage on social media content. Multiple segments and even an entire show — "Trending" at 7 p.m. — centered on social media trends and TikTok challenges. It's very troubling to think that news professionals would inflate or distort their social media followings.

☆ A Colorado backcountry skier freed himself after an avalanche and tried to save his son. After a two hour search, his son was found dead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A father and son went skiing in Breckenridge, CO Saturday and got caught in an avalanche. The father was able to free himself and called 911, but his son was found dead two hours later. The father was able to free himself and searched for his son to no avail. Colorado Avalanche Information CenterThe two skiers' names were not publically released, but the Denver Post identified them as father and son. The son was one of two to die this season in an avalanche, according to the information center.

☆ Oil rises $3/bbl after Russia signals output cut due to price cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude settled at $83.92, up by $2.94 or 3.6%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled at $79.56 a barrel, up $2.07, or 2.7%. Russia may cut oil output by 5% to 7% in early 2023 as it responds to price caps, the RIA news agency cited Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying on Friday. "The potential cut from Russia could be giving the bulls more fuel," said Eli Tesfaye, senior market strategist at RJO Futures. Both crude oil demand and output could slump over the next few days due to shut-ins from a massive winter storm that cascaded across a broad swath of the United States. Several of the largest U.S. refineries shut down due to the extreme cold while output shut in Texas and North Dakota.

The crypto giant FTX and its affiliated companies have started the process of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with founder Sam Bankman-Fried stepping down as CEO. Bankman-Fried sent out a series of tweets on Friday stating his hope that FTX would be able to continue as a going concern following its bankruptcy. Media outlets have reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department are now investigating FTX. In the days following the report, rival crypto exchange Binance announced it was liquidating its FTT holdings. Unable to find an out, FTX announced its bankruptcy filing Friday morning.

☆ Southern California’s Notorious Container Ship Backup Ends
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-07 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The backup of container ships off Southern California’s coast that was at the heart of U.S. supply chain congestion during the Covid-19 pandemic has effectively disappeared. But the biggest gain likely has come from fewer boxes reaching the busiest U.S. seaport complex for container imports. By January 2022, only 31% of container ships arrived at ports on time, down from about 70% before the pandemic, according to Sea-Intelligence. By September 2021, the average cost for shipping a container from Asia to the U.S. West Coast exceeded $20,000, a sixfold increase from a year earlier, according to the Freightos Baltic Index. Last week, the average cost to ship a container from Asia to the U.S. West Coast had declined 84% from a year earlier to $2,720.

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