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☆ More than half of German companies report labour shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The proportion of companies facing difficulties hiring was at its highest ever level, the DIHK found in its survey of 22,000 companies, with 53% reporting shortages. The labour market's resilience did not mean companies were doing well, he added. Staff shortages, high energy prices and the shift towards climate neutrality were a "dangerous mix" that could lead firms to move production abroad. The survey found that 67% of electrical equipment manufacturers were unable to fill vacancies and 67% of mechanical engineering companies. In carmaking, 65% of companies reported labour shortages.

The presence of police in schools actively jeopardizes the safety of Black students compared to their counterparts of other races, according to a report published this month. Black students were subjected to more than 80% of the incidents of police violence accounted for in the survey, which analyzed more than 285 incidents over a decade. The report also cited 24 cases of sexual assault on students and five student deaths as a result of police force in schools. Whittenberg said: “In general, Black students are often viewed as the problem and as needing some sort of disciplinary treatment in order to act correctly. Whittenberg said he hopes the report creates change in the conversation surrounding removing police from schools.

☆ The Michigan lawyer pushing Trump’s voter-fraud fictions in U.S. court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

Lambert started in her home state of Michigan, joining four lawsuits on behalf of Trump supporters. As Trump zeroed in on vote-rigging allegations in Michigan, Lambert emailed the White House, according to her July 2021 video interview with two right-wing websites. Cotton and Penrose also were involved in examining breached voting machines in Michigan for DePerno and Lambert, according to the Michigan attorney general investigation. In the process, the commissioners were accused of flouting a court order by allowing a forensics company to inspect county voting equipment. In August 2021, a federal judge reprimanded Lambert, Powell and seven other lawyers who joined the failed lawsuit seeking to overturn Michigan’s vote after Trump’s 2020 defeat.

☆ Russia wants 'hundreds' of ballistic missiles from Iran and is offering 'unprecedented' military support in return, UK envoy says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia wants more weapons from Iran, including "hundreds" of ballistic missiles. A top UK envoy said Friday that Russia is offering Iran "unprecedented" military support in return. In return, Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support," Barbara Woodward, the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters after a Security Council meeting. Woodward did not elaborate or specify on what, exactly, the military and technical support — or advanced components — might look like. Earlier this week, however, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a Facebook post that it shot down 14 Shahed-136 drones.

The Labor Department announced a final rule first proposed last year after Biden, a Democrat, ordered government agencies to assess climate-related risk to retirement and pension investments. The rule will make it easier for retirement plans to invest in socially responsible funds and companies, though it requires investment decisions to be based on traditional financial factors. Biden's administration rescinded regulations adopted in 2020 under Trump, a Republican, that allowed retirement plans to consider only financial factors and not social responsibility in making investment decisions and exercising shareholder rights. The new rule also allows plan fiduciaries to consider ESG factors when proxy voting on behalf of shareholders. Funds adhering to ESG principles oversee an estimated $6.5 trillion in assets, though they have experienced an unprecedented drop in investments this year amid the market downturn.

☆ Tight World Cup Turnaround Jeopardizes Hopes for Injured Soccer Stars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As Bayern Munich striker Sadio Mané hobbled off the field in Munich on Tuesday night, there shouldn’t have been much cause for immediate concern. In any normal season, the effects of a November knock in a 6-1 rout of Werder Bremen wouldn’t ripple further than a few weeks. But this isn’t a normal season. This is the one and only year in soccer history with a World Cup smack in the middle of the fall. And as Mané knows too well, kickoff with the Senegalese national team in Qatar is only 12 days away.

☆ Arizona's Proposition 309 could make voter IDs a requirement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Proposition 309 would require mail-in voters to provide their voter ID and date of birth. A "yes" on Proposition 309 would require extra identification requirements for in-person and mail-in voters. Support and oppositionArizonans for Voter ID is leading the campaign in support of Proposition 309. The coalition argues that requiring voter ID will make elections more secure and argue that other states already have these requirements. They also add that requirements will make it more difficult for those without a Voter ID to vote.

SummarySummary Companies Money to help farmers adapt to climate impactsTo share tech innovations, help women farmersAdaptation finance a key focus of COP27 talksSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1.4 billion to help smallholder farmers cope with the impacts of climate change, part of efforts at global climate talks in Egypt to scale up supply of so-called adaptation finance. The world is currently not doing enough to help poorer nations withstand the effects of global warming, the United Nations said last week. The Gates Foundation's commitment, announced at the COP27 conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, will help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia build resilience into their work practices and improve food security. "The climate crisis is causing enormous harm every day as it jeopardizes entire regions of people and economies," Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement. The foundation said its funding would go towards climate smart agriculture projects, new applications of digital technologies and other innovations, and to support women farmers.

☆ Iran Turns Against West, as Russia Uses Its Drones on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( David S. Cloud | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iran’s decision to send armed drones to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine jeopardizes years of engagement with the West and marks a risky gambit by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to disrupt an international system that he sees as stacked against Tehran, analysts said. Siding with Moscow threatens to deepen Iran’s isolation at a time when Iran’s rulers are facing widespread internal unrest and an economy crippled by U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program. Already the European Union has imposed new sanctions on Iran in response to its supplying Russia with drones and crackdown on protests.

☆ U.S. sets March date for Gulf of Mexico drilling auction
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday said it will hold a Gulf of Mexico drilling auction in March of next year to satisfy a requirement in the government's new climate change law. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe sale would be the first Gulf of Mexico oil and gas auction mandated under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which President Joe Biden signed into law in August. Biden paused drilling auctions on federal lands and waters shortly after taking office as part of a climate change agenda. The IRA requires that BOEM now hold offshore auctions in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska that the administration canceled earlier this year. It is also in the process of finalizing a five-year proposal for offshore oil and gas development.

☆ Putin's nuclear threats are stirring fears of a nightmare scenario. Here's what's in his arsenal and what could happen if he orders the unthinkable.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The use of a nuclear weapon is "directly tied to Russia's fate on the battlefield," one expert recently told Insider. Putin, who claimed to have placed Russia's nuclear deterrent forces on high alert just days later, has continued to remind the world of Russia's nuclear might in the months since. There are tactical nuclear weapons that are more than four times as powerful. At best, a single tactical nuclear weapon could destroy about a dozen tanks, Podvig said. Kristensen said during the ACA webinar on Tuesday that he believes it's unlikely that Russia employs nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Whether Mozambique and its allies can stamp out the insurgency altogether is a question that has global repercussions as countries hunt for new sources of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Mozambique has huge natural gas reserves which, if managed effectively, could transform its fortunes. With already more than 100 trillion cubic feet of proven offshore natural gas reserves, one industry insider likened its future potential equal to Russia – a natural gas giant. The Mozambican forces, as had happened multiple times in smaller towns, were unable to stop them. Fighting between the terrorist group and the Mozambican army and Rwandan Security forces has left its mark on the town.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFILE PHOTO - Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, speaks during general session at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, U.S., August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Go NakamuraSept 19 (Reuters) - MyPillow Inc Chief Executive Mike Lindell must face a defamation lawsuit brought by a voting machine company that the Trump ally falsely accused of rigging the 2020 U.S. election, a Minnesota federal judge ruled on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to inquiries Monday. Smartmatic operated voting machines in Los Angeles County in 2020 and says there were no irregularities in its tallies. The London-based company alleged in its January complaint that Lindell knowingly made false election-rigging claims to boost MyPillow's sales and made Smartmatic "synonymous with election fraud."

A majority of Americans said last month that price increases were causing financial hardship for their households, a Gallup survey released this week found. It includes 12% of respondents who described the hardship as "severe" and 44% who called it "moderate." Upper-income Americans, too, have seen a double-digit increase in financial hardships: up 12 points to 40%. Although the increase in the hardship rate among lower-income Americans was smaller, about three-quarters of that group reported hardships. Reports of financial hardship also differed by political party.

☆ Trans Floridians sue to block Medicaid rule excluding gender-affirming care
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Advocacy groups sued Wednesday to block a new Florida rule that bars Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming health care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration adopted the rule last month after it issued a report that claimed gender-affirming procedures have the “potential for harmful long term affects.” The rule took effect Aug. 21. in the lawsuit, said the new Medicaid rule will prevent her and her husband, Joshua, from being able to access puberty-blocking medication prescribed by K.F.’s doctors. They are also represented by two health advocacy groups, the Florida Health Justice Project and the National Health Law Program. Accredited medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — say gender-affirming medical care is safe and medically necessary.

Saving for retirement as a couple may seem easier if both people are bringing home a paycheck. But many dual-income couples aren't taking advantage of tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s, according to data reported in an article on MarketWatch. Only about half of private sector workers have access to a workplace retirement plan, but experts say those who do should be maxing it out. The study looked only at married couples who save in a workplace retirement plan. Dual-income couples with one person contributing to a 401(k) are saving just 5% of their total household earnings.

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