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[1/2] A view of signage at a FedEx Ground distribution center in Carson, California, U.S., September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File PhotoLOS ANGELES, June 20 (Reuters) - FedEx (FDX.N) on Tuesday said it will merge its contractor-based Ground delivery operations in Canada into its company-operated Express unit and convert contractors into employees. FedEx made a similar change in the U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii last year. Still, the company said there will be U.S. markets where packages shift from Express to Ground, its outsourced delivery arm. In those cases, the company said it would continue to use delivery contractors as part of its "hybrid" worker model.

Persons: Bing Guan, D.E, Shaw, Lisa Baertlein, Leslie Adler, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: FedEx, REUTERS, United Parcel Service, Company, Thomson Locations: Carson , California, U.S, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Memphis , Tennessee, Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, June 16 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service (UPS) (UPS.N) union employees have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike should contract talks break down after the current agreement ends in two weeks, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said on Friday. The vote is a standard practice in union contract campaigns designed to give leverage to the union representing some 340,000 UPS workers. Tancredi, a partner at consultancy West Monroe, said interdependence between the Teamsters and UPS reduces strike risk. "They get what they pay for," Schreiner said of UPS adding that company delivery drivers, who make about $150,000 annually including base pay and benefits before overtime, "earn it." UPS shares fell as much as 1.5% after the news but quickly pared losses to trade down 0.6% in midday trade.

Persons: Sean O'Brien, Jeremy Tancredi, Tancredi, Rikki Schreiner, Schreiner, Lisa Baertlein, Shivansh, Jamie Freed Organizations: United Parcel Service, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters, UPS, West, Reuters, FedEx, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, West Monroe, Eagan , Minnesota, Los Angeles, Bangalore

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group declined comment. Manufacturers, automakers and food producers which import or export goods also rely on the West Coast ports. "We urge the parties to quickly ratify the tentative agreement to bring certainty back to the West Coast ports," Shay said. Many of the ports' customers shifted a portion of their cargo to ocean trade gateways on the East Coast and Gulf Coast to avoid potential slowdowns from the Pacific Coast labor talks. After 72 hours, the ILWU and PMA hammered out a deal and credited Su with assisting in the efforts.

Persons: Labor Julie Su, Joe Biden, Suzanne Clark, Matthew Shay, Shay, Su, Lisa Baertlein, Barbara Lewis, Grant McCool, Deepa Babington Organizations: ANGELES, U.S ., Labor, Wall Street, Warehouse Union, Pacific Maritime Association, Biden, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Walmart, Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, Pacific, PMA, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S . West Coast, West Coast, U.S, COVID, West, East Coast, Gulf, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Washington

June 14 (Reuters) - The Longshore union and employers of 22,000 dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports on Wednesday said they have reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, ending 13 months of talks and easing supply chain worries. "The tentative agreement delivers important stability for workers, for employers and for our country's supply chain," Su said in a statement on Wednesday. The tentative deal comes as retailers like Walmart (WMT.N) and Target (TGT.N) are starting to land merchandise for the critical back-to-school, Halloween and Christmas retail shopping seasons. Manufacturers, automakers and food producers who import or export goods also rely on the Pacific Coast ports. West Coast port market share dipped after some customers shifted cargo to rival East Coast and Gulf Coast ports to avoid potential labor disruptions during the negotiations.

Persons: Julie Su, Joe Biden, Su, James McKenna, Willie Adams, Gene Seroka, Lisa Baertlein, Kanjyik Ghosh, Christopher Cushing, Michael Perry, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: ., U.S, Labor, Warehouse Union, Pacific Maritime Association, ILWU International, West Coast, Los Angeles, Walmart, Manufacturers, East, Port of Los Angeles, Twitter, Thomson Locations: . West Coast, San Francisco, California, Washington State, Long, United States, West Coast, East Coast, Gulf Coast, Panama, China, Port of, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ These National Parks Are Welcoming Stargazers This Summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Johnny Diaz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s hard to escape the glare from big cities and metro areas to see all the wonder that the skies have to offer, but several national parks are looking to serve as better windows into the cosmos. Light pollution obscures the views of the stars and planets, making it more challenging for people to marvel at them in the dark skies. To celebrate such cosmic views, several national parks are organizing stargazing festivals or “star parties” that can help visitors enjoy the pristine glittering skies this summer and fall. Several national parks have been designated so-called dark-sky sites, which means they have exceptionally high-quality night conditions to see the stars without the glare from nearby cities. Ann Congdon, president of Sky’s the Limit Observatory & Nature Center, which helps organize the Night Sky Festival at the Joshua Tree National Park in California, said: “It’s critical to make people aware that the dark night sky is a precious natural resource that can’t be taken for granted.”

Persons: Ann Congdon, Joshua, “, ” Organizations: Sky Association, Nature Center Locations: Tucson, Ariz, California

☆ Russia-Ukraine War Updates: Flooding Subsides, Revealing Scale of Dam Disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | Matt Surman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Floodwaters in a residential neighborhood after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, on Friday, in Kherson, Ukraine. Russian troops controlled the dam, and engineering and munitions experts have said that a deliberate explosion inside the dam probably caused its collapse. Moscow’s accusations that the government in Kyiv was responsible for the disaster have been met with scorn in Ukraine. The dam disaster has poisoned water supplies and, over time, it will deplete groundwater levels upstream — creating a long-term problem for a population well beyond those living in the immediate flood zone. The flooding has “severely disrupted this primary water source,” according to a report issued on Sunday by Britain’s defense intelligence agency.

Persons: ”, Ruslan Strilets, Vladimir Saldo Organizations: Emergency Service, Russian, Facebook Locations: Kherson, Ukraine, Dnipro, American, Russia, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Crimea

REUTERS/Carlos BarriaJune 9 (Reuters) - The largest U.S. business group on Friday urged President Joe Biden him to intervene immediately and appoint an independent mediator to address a protracted West Coast ports labor dispute. West Coast ports stretching from California to Washington state are critical to U.S. supply chains and the nation's economy. U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark in a letter to Biden cited "continued and potentially expanded service disruptions at these ports heading into peak shipping season." Workers reported for duty on Thursday and Friday at the Port of Los Angeles, officials said. "Operations going into the weekend seem to be the most normal they've been" since labor disruptions started late last week, Los Angeles port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said, adding that the port has limited weekend hours.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Joe Biden, Suzanne Clark, Biden, Phillip Sanfield, David Shepardson, Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Potter Organizations: Shipping, Port, REUTERS, . Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Maritime Association, Warehouse Union, Workers, Retailers, Thomson Locations: Oakland, Oakland , California, U.S, West Coast, California, Washington, Seattle, Tacoma, Los Angeles, Long, Port of Los Angeles, San Francisco, East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Asia, Panama

The flooding has already killed 300 animals at the Nova Kakhovka zoo, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Satellite images show a close-up view of the Nova Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power facility before and after the dam collapse on June 6, 2023. Satellite images show homes along the Dnipro River before and after the Nova Kakhovka dam collapsed. Several Ukrainian regions that receive some of their water supply from the reservoir of the Nova Kakhovka dam are making efforts to conserve water. Local residents carry their personal belongings on a flooded street after the Nova Kakhovka dam collapsed, in Kherson, Ukraine, on June 6.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Ihor Syrota, ” Syrota, ” Olena, Alina Smutko, Ruslan Strilets, Strilets, António Guterres, Vladyslav Musiienko, Martin Griffiths, Griffiths, ” Griffiths, Zelensky, Oleksandr Prokudin, Maxar Technologies Griffiths, Mohammad Heidarzadeh, Heidarzadeh, Vladimir Saldo, Rafael Grossi, ” Grossi Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Reserve, Nova, Ukrainian Defense Ministry . United Nations, ”, UN Security, Dnipro, Maxar, Maxar Technologies, University of Bath, Science Media, Russian Foreign Ministry, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, UN Locations: Nova, Ukraine, Russian, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Dnipro, Kherson, Reuters Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, England, Dnipropetrovsk, Kryvyi

"(This) creates a very good defending position for Russians who expect Ukrainian offensive activity,” Matysiak said. Russia has denied responsibility and accused Ukraine of sabotaging the dam to deflect from what Moscow said were Ukrainian military failures. "For Russians the reason to do it would have been to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive, obviously. For Ukraine, the breach might have provided a way of distracting the Russians while Kyiv launches its counteroffensive, she added. Patricia Lewis, Research Director for International Security at the Chatham House think tank, said the situation helps Russia even if the Ukrainian counteroffensive later makes inroads.

Persons: Ruslan Strilets, Ben Barry, Maciej Matysiak, ” Matysiak, Strilets, Mohammad Heidarzadeh, Heidarzadeh, Dmytro Kuleba, Marina Miron, Patricia Lewis, they're, Aiden Nulty, Ben Tavener, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kyiv, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Stratpoints Foundation, University of Bath, Civil, Engineering, University of Warwick, Reserve, Nova Kakhovka, King's College, International Security, Chatham House, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Dnipro, Kyiv, Nova, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Kherson, Crimea, Britain, London

The Port of Long Beach is the second-busiest U.S. container terminal and a key driver of economic activity. That industry accounts for about half of the volume at the nation's container ports and is gearing up for back-to-school, Christmas and key sales events. That facility is majority owned by container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC). Pacific Container Terminal, owned by Carrix Inc's SSA Marine, was closed on Monday for normal operational reasons having nothing to do with labor, terminal general manager Randy Galosic told Reuters. Many West Coast terminals are fully or partly owned by those shipping companies.

Persons: Biden, dockworkers, David French, TTI, Lee Peterson, Randy Galosic, Lisa Baertlein, Will Dunham, Chizu Organizations: National Retail Federation, Mediterranean Shipping Company SA, Warehouse Union, Coast, Container, Carrix, SSA, Reuters, ILWU, Long, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, West Coast, Southern California's Port, Long, Oakland , California, California, Washington, TTI, Los Angeles, Oakland, Long Beach, West

The West Coast is home to the busiest U.S. container port complex at Los Angeles/Long Beach. Pacific Coast ports are an important engine of the U.S. economy and handle everything from apparel and furniture to agricultural products and automobiles. Some Port of Los Angeles terminals were affected by labor shortages, a spokesperson there said. Meanwhile, West Coast ports have lost cargo to rival ports on the East and Gulf Coasts as shippers worry that a breakdown in talks could strand cargo on ships or in docks. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Will Dunham and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Willie Adams, Adams, Mario Cordero, Cordero, Friday's, Lisa Baertlein, Will Dunham, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . West, Pacific Maritime Association, Warehouse Union, ILWU, Twitter, Long Beach, Walmart, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S . West Coast, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, California, Tacoma, Seattle, Washington, Coast, Pacific Coast, U.S, Port, Long, West Coast, Gulf Coasts

[1/5] An eight-year-old male African lion rests on the plains of Kafue National Park, Zambia, September 19, 2020. In the recent assessment, scientists found that more lion cubs were born into Kafue prides from 2018 to 2021. A half-century of intensive poaching has decimated wildlife populations in Africa's third-largest national park, as it has across much of the continent, with Kafue's free-roaming big cats among the victims. Bushmeat poachers have targeted the lions' grass-eating prey, leaving too little behind for the park's 200 or more of these hungry carnivores. "African white-backed vultures will come in really large numbers," said Corinne Kendall, curator of conservation and research at North Carolina Zoo which is leading the program.

Persons: Sebastian Kennerknecht, Kim Young, Overton, Panthera's, Andrew Loveridge, Corinne Kendall, It's, it's, Kendall, Gloria Dickie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Leopards, Africa Parks, Zambia's Department of National Parks and Wildlife, North Carolina Zoo, Thomson Locations: Park, Zambia, Handout, Kafue, Africa, West Africa, London

In the recent assessment, scientists found that more lion cubs were born into Kafue prides from 2018 to 2021. A half-century of intensive poaching has decimated wildlife populations in Africa's third-largest national park, as it has across much of the continent, with Kafue's free-roaming big cats among the victims. [1/5] An eight-year-old male African lion rests on the plains of Kafue National Park, Zambia, September 19, 2020. But the carcasses also attract the critically endangered white-backed vultures, whose population has declined by more than 90% across West Africa in the past 40 years, largely due to poisoning. "African white-backed vultures will come in really large numbers," said Corinne Kendall, curator of conservation and research at North Carolina Zoo which is leading the program.

Persons: Kim Young, Overton, Panthera's, Andrew Loveridge, Sebastian Kennerknecht, Corinne Kendall, It's, it's, Kendall, Gloria Dickie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Leopards, REUTERS, Africa Parks, Zambia's Department of National Parks and Wildlife, North Carolina Zoo, Thomson Locations: Kafue, Park, Zambia, Handout, Africa, West Africa, London

☆ I dropped out of college to live out of my car. My lifestyle has taught me more than college ever could.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Robert French | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since then, I've built far more skills and become far more independent than I could've in college. So I dropped out and decided to live out of my car instead. It became clear to me that college was not preparing me to be an independent adultFor me, college was basically summer camp. There are national grasslands, national forests, and huge tracts of unused scrubland managed by various federal agencies. I've gained a lot from being voluntarily homelessDon't get me wrong; it's lousy to live out of your car for many reasons.

Persons: I've, —, irresponsibly, Mount Elbert —, Lady Hercules, It's Organizations: Service, AmeriCorps, Rockies Locations: Steamboat Springs , Colorado, Rocky, Vail, Mount, Midwest, buttes, Nebraska, Wyoming, Pennsylvania

☆ 6 National Parks You Don’t Know About (But Should)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Emily Pennington | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MAKE WAY FOR A MOOSE A hiker in Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park yields the right-of-way on the Minong Ridge Trail. Photo: Jim West/imageBROKER/ShutterstockWITH THEIR mile-deep sandstone canyons, glacier-polished granite domes and herds of charismatic megafauna, it’s no wonder that America’s national parks received nearly 312-million visits in 2022. A staggering 25% of those visitors descended upon just nine of the Park Service’s 424 designated areas. Too often, these crowds funnel into narrow byways, creating headaches and traffic jams—and negating the very thing most parkgoers crave: solitude.

Persons: Jim West Locations: Isle

☆ A Climactic Opening
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Lauren Jackson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Today is something of a curtain raiser for the U.S. National Parks system, ushering in its busiest season. Last year, nearly 312 million people visited the parks, hiking across the Grand Canyon, posting Instagram stories from Joshua Tree and waiting for Old Faithful by Yellowstone’s rainbow pools. On Memorial Day last year, so many people headed to the sites that many of their parking lots were full by midmorning. At Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, home to 50-million-year-old rock formations, park rangers start clearing the way for visitors weeks ahead of the busy season. Similar preparation plays out at the system’s parks around the country.

☆ Get ready to see millions of Americans lose their jobs if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling in the next few days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Madison Hoff | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US could default on its debt as soon as June 5 if the debt ceiling isn't raised by then. That would translate to "7.8 million jobs lost from peak to trough," Yaros said. Other industries would see over half a million jobs lost in this scenario, including construction. "It's something closer to the 2001 recession that we had after the dot-com bubble, and you get about 1.5 million jobs lost from peak to trough," Yaros said. And 1.5 million jobs lost — that's still a huge human toll that was unnecessarily incurred."

☆ Bison calf euthanized after a Yellowstone visitor lifted it out of a river, causing the herd to reject it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Park rangers were forced to euthanize the animal after its herd rejected it, officials said. Visitors later reported seeing the calf follow cars and other people, the park service said. "Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd. The statement added that the newborn calf was not a good candidate for quarantine, as it would not have been able to care for itself. Human interference with wild animals can "drastically affect their well-being," the park service said, reiterating the importance of giving them space.

The majestic peaks, desert blooms and geological wonders of the United States’ national parks have beckoned to billions since Yellowstone was established in 1872. Nearly 312 million people visited last year, signaling a return to prepandemic levels. Spring and summer months are particularly packed at the hundreds of sites managed by the National Park Service. To prepare for peak season at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah — essentially, an island of crimson rock spires perched at about 8,000 feet — rangers begin restoring trails and training staff before the snows even melt.

☆ From bears to sharks to orcas, here's what to do if you find yourself up against these apex predators
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Here's what to do if you run into a bear, a shark, an orca, or other potentially dangerous mammals. Here's what you should do if you encounter any of these apex predators and how you can avoid an attack. REUTERS/Jim UrquhartThere are two kinds of bears you're likely to run into while outdoors in North America, depending on where you are: grizzly bears and black bears. The park service says you should try to find a safe place like a car or building. Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone, one of the country's most visited national parks, than any other animal, according to the National Park Service.

Seventy percent of Million Dollar Baby's demand is on the U.S. East Coast, executives said. During the first three months of 2023, West Coast ports handled 40% of U.S. container import volume. Extrapolating that first-quarter data over 12 months would show that more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) moved away from the West Coast ports annually, starting in 2021, said Chris Jones, an executive vice president at Descartes Systems Group. Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N) routed 25% of containers away from West Coast ports and has already begun reversing some of that, said Francisco Rodriguez, Colgate toothpaste maker's director of global logistics. Importing to Mexico opens a legal loophole that enables Million Dollar Baby to sell those products to U.S. customers without a 25% tariff.

CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. supply chain is healing from early pandemic shocks that sent shipping costs skyrocketing and squeezed supplies of everything from toilet paper to pasta, but more than three years later, material shortages and hiring woes linger. Speakers from Walmart (WMT.N), Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N), Toyota (7203.T) and other companies will discuss their supply-chain strategies at the Reuters Events supply chain conference in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday, as inflation and interest rate hikes threaten to tip the economy into recession. "Freight costs, logistics, have gone down significantly," said Mario Guerendo, who oversees global supply chain for vehicle engine maker Cummins Inc (CMI.N). After spending whatever it took to keep store shelves stocked during the early days of the pandemic, supply chain executives now are wringing out costs to shelter profits from eroding demand, said Alan Amling, distinguished fellow at the University of Tennessee's Global Supply Chain Institute. "That's a really good thing for the supply chain."

Speakers from Walmart (WMT.N), Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N), Toyota (7203.T) and other companies will discuss their supply-chain strategies at the Reuters Events supply chain conference in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday, as inflation and interest rate hikes threaten to tip the economy into recession. "We've still got certain sectors that are up and some that are down, which was a feature of the pandemic," Croke said. That's even true within sectors, Croke added, pointing to recent manufacturing data, which remained depressed even as segments like motor vehicles reported gains. After spending whatever it took to keep store shelves stocked during the early days of the pandemic, supply chain executives now are wringing out costs to shelter profits from eroding demand, said Alan Amling, distinguished fellow at the University of Tennessee's Global Supply Chain Institute. "That's a really good thing for the supply chain."

BOGOTA, May 16 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia during 2022 is forecast to have fallen by up to 10% versus the previous year, Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Tuesday, citing significant decreases in the country's Amazon. Deforestation in Colombia in 2021 rose 1.5% versus the previous year to 1,741 square kilometers (430,218 acres), representing an area twice the size of New York City. A 10% decrease in deforestation would take the total area of forest destroyed during 2022 in Colombia to below the 1,589 square kilometers registered in 2019, the first full year of the administration of former President Ivan Duque. Between 2001 and 2021, more than 31,000 square kilometers of forest were destroyed in Colombia, of which some 18,600 square kilometers were deforested in the country's Amazon. Colombia's government will publish full deforestation figures for 2022 in June, Muhamad said.

☆ Platypus returns to Australian national park for first time in half a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( James Redmayne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A platypus is released by CEO of Taronga Zoo Cameron Kerr and Scientists back into Sydney's Royal National Park for the first time in over fifty years, in Sydney, Australia, May 12, 2023. ... Read moreSYDNEY, May 14 (Reuters) - The platypus, a species unique to Australia, was reintroduced into the country’s oldest national park just south of Sydney on Friday in a landmark conservation project after disappearing from the area more than half a century ago. Four females were released on Friday into the Royal National Park, which was established in 1879 and is the second oldest national park in the world. No confirmed platypus sightings have been reported in the park, located about 35 kilometres or one hour’s drive south of Sydney, since the 1970s. The platypuses, which live along Australia's east coast and in Tasmania, were collected from various locations across south-eastern New South Wales state and subjected to various tests before relocation.

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