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☆ Serbia School Attack Is a Rare Mass Shooting Outside the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jenny Gross | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A mass shooting on Wednesday, in which eight students and a security guard were killed at a school in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, was a reminder that such attacks are far less common outside the United States. Serbs are known to have stockpiles of weapons left over from the Balkan wars of the 1990s, and there have been other mass shootings in the country. In 2013, a veteran of the Balkan wars shot and killed 13 people in a village near Belgrade. In 2007, a man fatally shot nine people in the village of Jabukovac, in eastern Serbia. The study found that among countries with more than 10 million people only Yemen had a higher rate of mass shootings per capita.

☆ Exclusive: India, China propose 'multiple pathways' on cutting use of fossil fuels-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Sarita Chaganti Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple pathways for energy transition would enable countries to choose resources, even coal, while working towards plans on net zero emissions. Officials said it was the first time India used the phrase 'multiple pathways' in global climate negotiations against repeated demands by Western nations to end coal usage. At the G20 meeting last month, India kept the focus on fossil fuels, rather than singling out coal, the third official said. India and China, the world's two most populous countries, have often taken common positions at international climate change negotiations, despite long-standing border disputes. The G20 includes the G7 countries as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.

Importantly, smaller firms are also starting to raise pay even as many of them face a margin crunch. Big firms offered pay hikes of 3.8% this year in annual wage talks with unions that ended in March, the largest increase in three decades. Attention has now shifted to whether small firms, which employ seven out of 10 workers in Japan, would follow suit. The BOJ's tankan business sentiment survey showed last month that small firms' current profits fell 2.7% in the last fiscal year to March, while big firms' earnings rose 11.5%. Less than half of small firms said they were able to pass on rising costs to customers as of last September, government data showed.

☆ Louis Vuitton dazzles luxury-seeking Seoul with first pre-fall show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, April 29 (Reuters) - LVMH's (LVMH.PA) top fashion brand Louis Vuitton held its first-ever pre-fall fashion show on Saturday on a bridge in Seoul, the capital of a leading luxury market. In one of the highest profile events since chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari started at Louis Vuitton earlier this year, the runway on the lower level of the double-decker Jamsu bridge that spans the Han River was bathed in blue shadows. Models walked the 795 metre (2,608 feet) bridge, where traffic was stopped for 24 hours, wearing fitted, sporty designs with geometric patterns designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections at Louis Vuitton. They strode out of a tunnel on chunky-heeled shoes in slick windbreakers, miniskirts that flared out and striped suits. On Saturday the creator and director of 2021's Netflix hit drama "Squid Game" Hwang Dong-hyuk participated in the show scenography.

So how did India’s population get so big, and how long will it last? The rise in population despite a drop in the fertility rate can be explained by “demographic momentum.”“When the fertility rate drops, the population continues to grow for several decades. So, even with a replacement or sub-replacement fertility rate, India’s population will continue to grow slowly because of the considerable number of women entering their reproductive years. India’s population growth is slowing downIndia may have overtaken China in total population, but UN data also shows that its growth rate has slowed. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, is home to 17% of India’s population but has only 9% of its industrial jobs.

☆ These are the 7 best large U.S. cities for starting a new business—New York and D.C. don't fare well
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Launching a small business is a challenge, especially these days. The top four cities on the ranking are all Floridian, largely due to criteria like low unemployment and relatively low corporate tax rates. Florida ranked 11th on CNBC's own list of the top U.S. states for businesses in 2022, for similar reasons. For those who don't want to move to Florida, cities like Durham and Boise offer bona fide alternatives. Join CNBC's Small Business Playbook virtually on May 4th, where entrepreneurs will share advice and tips on how to handle economic uncertainty, inflation and more so your business can succeed for the short-term and the long-term.

☆ Column: Poland's pushback on EU climate goals no surprise, but a worry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

(Related column: Europe raises green energy climate hurdles with red tape revamp)GREEN MOMENTUMPoland's main objections to the more aggressive EU climate goals are mainly about timing rather than any disagreement over the merits of reducing emissions. A key gauge of energy intensity measures the total amount of energy needed to generate one unit of gross domestic product (GDP), using a ratio of primary energy consumption over GDP. In 2021, Poland's energy intensity ratio was 0.086, according to data firm Enerdata. That compares with Germany's energy intensity of 0.070, and an average for the whole European Union of 0.074. A key worry for EU lawmakers is that the burden of compliance with the EU's new stiffer emissions standards acts as a drain on Poland's energy transition ambitions.

☆ These are the best—and worst—U.S. states for retirees based on health care, wellness, safety and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There is plenty of guidance out there about the best places in the United States—and even around the world—for retirees to spend their golden years. But if health care and overall wellness are top of mind, there is a list for you as well. "Wellness" focuses on things like air quality, food insecurity for the elderly, access to nature and climate change. Surprisingly Florida, a destination for American retirees, didn't make the top 10. Here are the states that topped the list, and the states that landed at the very bottom.

☆ US woman arrested in Sydney after airport staff find a golden gun in her luggage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An American woman has been arrested in Sydney after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles with 24-carat gold-plated handgun packed in her luggage. Depending on the outcome, she could be removed from the country, according to the ABF. Australian Border Force officers detected the gun in the woman's luggage. Gun violence has reached record levels in the United States, which is the only nation in the world where civilian firearms outnumber people. The US also has more deaths from gun violence than any other developed country per capita.

☆ Maybe millennials didn't get screwed by the economy after all
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There's a common perception that millennials have gotten screwed by the economy. But a recent article makes a convincing case for why the common idea of broke millennials is a myth. By 2019, households headed by Millennials were making considerably more money than those headed by the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Generation X at the same age, after adjusting for inflation." While 69% of baby boomers owned their own home at 40, the same is true for 62% of millennials, a seven-percentage-point gap. Per data from the St Louis Fed, the Millennial/Gen Z wealth is currently tracking with Gen X after initially getting off to a tough start.

☆ Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’ In his most extensive interview yet, Anthony Fauci wrestles with the hard lessons of the pandemic — and the decisions that will define his legacy. But when people say, “Fauci shut down the economy” — it wasn’t Fauci. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. We also had a public-health system that we thought was really, really good. But it was really, really antiquated.

☆ Morgan Stanley says regional theme parks may be a great investment and have 2 favorite picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Morgan Stanley is bullish on regional theme parks and believes two names in particular are poised to outperform: Cedar Fair and SeaWorld. Lastly, regional theme park earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization multiples are down 15% to 20% compared to pre-Covid levels. In particular, Cedar Fair has well-invested properties and a strong recurring visitor base, which speaks to its underlying pricing power, Yeh wrote. While there are concerns about a potential recession, he believes the regional theme parks can weather a downturn. Cedar Fair is up just over 2% year to date, while SeaWorld is little changed.

☆ Chinese people say they don't care that India is taking over as the world's most populous country: 'No one even wants 1st place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

India's population is set to hit 1.428 billion, while China's drops to 1.425 billion, per the UN. "No one even wants first place for this," one user wrote on the social media platform. India's population boom also marks a shift in China's long-held identity of bursting growth — China has been the world's most populous country for decades. But people on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, say the title is inconsequential, and some are even happy to see it go. "No one even wants first place for this," one user wrote in a top comment as news broke of the UN estimates last week.

☆ Will This Be the ‘Indian Century’? Four Key Questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Alex Travelli | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Annual population growth 3% Growing population Projected Projected 2% India’s population is projected to grow until the 2060s. 1% 0 Declining population -1% 1960 2000 2040 2080 3% Projected 2% China’s population declined for the first time in 2022. Fertility rate 8 children per woman Projected Projected 6 India 4 India’s fertility rate ensures a roughly stable population. Age 100+ Male Female Male Female 95–99 90–91 85–89 80–81 75–79 70–71 Nearly 80% of India’s population is younger than 50. 20–21 15–19 10–11 5–9 0–4 Age 100+ Male Female 95–99 90–91 85–89 80–81 Nearly 80% of India’s population is younger than 50.

☆ Australia unveils roadmap to boost uptake of electric vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, April 19 (Reuters) - Australia on Wednesday released its first national electric vehicle strategy, aimed at ensuring the country has a better choice of electric vehicles and improved affordability in a bid to boost the uptake of cleaner vehicles. Apart from Russia, Australia was the only developed country to either not have or be developing fuel efficiency standards, which encourage manufacturers to supply more electric and no-emission vehicles. Transport is the third largest source of carbon emissions in Australia - one of the world's biggest emitters on a per capita basis. Australia's centre-left Labor government last year flagged it had plans to introduce new regulations targeting vehicle carbon emissions to increase sales of electric cars, as it looks to catch up with other developed economies. "Fuel-efficient and electric vehicles are cleaner and cheaper to run - today's announcement is a win-win for motorists," Bowen said in a statement.

☆ UN predicts Afghan economy would contract if aid drops 30%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 18 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's economy will contract, inflation will rise and liquidity will fall if there is a 30% drop in international aid as feared, according to an analysis by the United Nations' development agency released on Tuesday. International officials say aid to Afghanistan, the recipient of the world's largest humanitarian program, will drop sharply this year as donors assess global crises and because of restrictions on female aid workers imposed by the Taliban administration. The United Nations' Development Programme (UNDP) analysed the impact of a 30% drop in aid and found gross domestic product for the already struggling economy would shrink 0.4% this year. "We may find ourselves in a larger drop in aid than 30%," said Al Dardari. Taliban officials have said their decisions on female aid workers are an "internal issue" and that foreign governments should reduce restrictions and unfreeze central bank assets to alleviate the economic crisis.

SYDNEY, April 19 (Reuters) - Australia said on Wednesday it would introduce new standards targeting vehicle emissions to boost the uptake of electric cars, as it looks to catch up with other developed economies. "Fuel-efficient and electric vehicles are cleaner and cheaper to run - today's announcement is a win-win for motorists," Bowen said in a statement. "Fuel efficiency standards would require more affordable electric vehicles to be sent to Australia," he said. Transport is the third largest source of carbon emissions in Australia - one of the world's biggest emitters on a per capita basis. Australia's centre-left Labor government last year flagged it had plans to introduce new regulations targeting vehicle carbon emissions to increase sales of electric cars.

☆ Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan holds Manhattan hearing to blast DA's record on crime despite 73% higher murder rate at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Jim Jordan held a Manhattan hearing criticizing its 'soft-on-real-crime' DA. The House Judiciary Committee hearing was met with pushback about crime in red states like Jordan's. NYPD stats show that the first three months of 2023 have seen a decline in Manhattan crime compared with the first three months of last year. The chairman is doing the bidding of Donald Trump," Nadler said. Bragg responded by suing Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee; his lawsuit seeks to block the subpoena and to stop Jordan's investigation.

SYDNEY, April 16 (Reuters) - Fifty climate change activists were charged with unlawful protest near Australia's biggest coal export port on Sunday after protesters climbed on a coal train. Climate activist group Rising Tide, which claimed responsibility for the protest, said arrests were made when people were "occupying the train". "Twenty of the group scaled the train and used shovels to unload coal from the laden wagons," it said in a statement. Climate change is a divisive issue in Australia, the world's top exporter of coal. The protest group posted an image on Twitter showing protesters in front and on top of a coal train.

☆ Takeaways from Biden's trip to Ireland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden’s trip came as he nears a decision on running again for president. “I own property in Ireland, I’m not going to Ireland,” former President Donald Trump said during Biden’s trip. Patrick Semansky/APDiplomatic legacy: ‘Keep the peace’White House officials made little attempt at ascribing major policy objectives to Biden’s trip. Kevin Lamarque/ReutersBiden makes Ireland visit a family affairMore than anything, Biden’s trip this week had the feeling of a family spring break. Throughout the sometimes-rainy trip, Biden kept his head dry with a baseball cap from the Beau Biden Foundation.

☆ Biden basks in Ireland’s welcome as he highlights personal and political ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A day earlier, Biden jokingly questioned why his predecessors left Ireland for a better life as he visited a local market and deli in Dundalk. In his talks with Irish leaders Thursday, Biden is expected to discuss a number of global issues, including the war in Ukraine. Later, Biden will address the Irish Parliament in a speech expected to touch on the close ties between the US and Ireland, both political and personal. Three years later, Ireland voted decisively to end what, at the time, was one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the world. The Irish identity Biden is exploring this week with visits to two ancestral hometowns is intrinsically linked to his own Catholicism.

☆ These are the 9 most expensive states to start a business—No. 1 isn't New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Louisiana, the ranking's third-most expensive state, has the least amount of commercial space available per 100,000 people of any state. It also has a relative dearth of available talent: Louisiana is bottom three among all U.S. states in terms of labor force participation rate, at 69.2%, and only 26.4% of its post-college-age workers have at least a bachelor's degree. And the state's business environment appears to leave something to be desired. Its business survival rate of 0.54 is the country's fifth-worst, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Something like labor force participation rate may be less obvious: Having a large population of eligible workers at your disposal can save you time and money when recruiting new employees.

☆ These are the 9 least expensive states to start a business—none of them are in the northeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Nevada tops this ranking as the least expensive U.S. state to start a small business, due to factors like an abundance of available commercial space and the state's lack of corporate income tax. Small business loans were also widely available in those two states in 2020, the most recent year with complete Small Business Administration data. Arkansas small businesses received nearly $43 million in loans per 100,000 residents that year, the sixth-highest of any state. Some states offer tax credits for businesses in specific industries, which could help some startups and not others. "For entrepreneurs who have the ability to pick and choose where they want to start their business, it's clear that certain states will allow you to save money," the ranking noted.

The latter could slam global growth back to about 1% this year, effectively a recession on a per-capita GDP basis. 'PERILOUS' RISKSThe IMF's Global Financial Stability Report warned of a "perilous combination of vulnerabilities" in financial markets, saying that some participants had failed to adequately prepare for the impact of interest rate increases. Despite the warnings, the IMF's chief economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, said inflation is still the bigger problem and that price stability should take precedence over financial stability risks for central banks' monetary policy. Only in the event of a very severe financial crisis should those priorities be reversed, he said in a news conference. She added that the global financial system was also resilient due to reforms enacted after the 2008 financial crisis.

☆ IMF warns deeper financial turmoil would slam global growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The IMF's U.S. outlook improved slightly, with growth in 2023 forecast at 1.6% versus 1.4% forecast in January as labor markets remain strong. "Our advice is for monetary policy to remain focused on bringing down inflation," IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told reporters. The report included two analyses showing financial turmoil causing moderate and severe impacts on global growth. This "moderate tightening" of financial conditions could slice 0.3 percentage point off of global growth for 2023, cutting it to 2.5%. This scenario could slash 2023 growth by as much as 1.8 percentage points, reducing it to 1.0% - a level that implies near-zero GDP growth per capita.

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