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According to CNBC analysis of state media reports, 7.7 million people took the civil service exam in the 2023 application round, vying for more than 200,000 government jobs at the national and provincial level. Qilai Shen | Corbis Historical | Getty ImagesA record number of people in China took the civil service exam this year, as unemployment among young people soared. According to CNBC analysis of state media reports, 7.7 million people took the civil service exam in the 2023 application round, vying for more than 200,000 government jobs at the national and provincial level. China's National Civil Service Administration could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts by CNBC. However, Xi and other senior leaders did not need to take the civil service exam to gain their current roles.

☆ Strikes at German regional airports ground majority of flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The majority of flights at Germany's Duesseldorf and Cologne Bonn regional airports were grounded by a 24-hour strike by the Verdi trade union on Monday, the airports said. Of Monday's usual 136 daily passenger flights scheduled for Cologne Bonn airport, only two were set to operate as scheduled. The union brought air traffic to a standstill earlier this month with one-day strikes at seven major airports, including the Frankfurt and Munich hubs, affecting nearly 300,000 passengers. Cities across the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, including Cologne, Leverkusen and Bonn, were also affected by public service worker strikes on Monday. Verdi and the German Civil Service Association are demanding 10.5% more pay for state employees, or at least 500 euros ($527.75) more a month.

Here are some key moments in the months ahead:FEB. 1The Treasury Department will release a quarterly document next week laying out how it plans to fund the government over the next three months. The document, which includes information on debt the Treasury will issue, could shed light on the timing of a possible default. Data regarding government income could be an important factor in determining the so-called "X date," or the day when the government will stop paying its bills. Normally, these funds would be reinvested, but the Treasury Department has said it could use the proceeds to help make needed payments. JULY-OCTOBERMost analysts see the true X date occurring somewhere between July and October.

☆ Factbox: The U.S. Treasury's tools to avoid breaching debt limit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here's a rundown of the Treasury's tools to keep borrowing under the limit. Slugs issues, which count against the debt limit, have recently averaged $6 billion per month, but monthly volumes vary. Savings bond sales increased the federal debt by just $5.7 billion since the start of the 2023 fiscal year last October. SWAP FEDERAL FINANCING BANK DEBTThe Federal Financing Bank can issue up to $15 billion in debt on behalf of other government agencies that is not subject to the debt limit. So the Treasury could exchange FFB debt for other debt to reduce the total amount subject to the limit.

☆ Zelenskyy fired 9 top officials after reports that members of his government went on vacation to Spain and France and took bribes during the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired a slew of senior officials on Tuesday. In December, Symonenko went on holiday to Spain using a Mercedes owned by a prominent Ukrainian businessman, The Guardian reported. "Of course, now the main focus is the issue of defense, this is the issue of foreign policy, this is the issue of war," he said. On Monday, Zelenskyy banned officials from traveling abroad until the end of the war, except for when performing government duties. Zelenskyy's press office and Ukraine's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Treasury tells Congress it will suspend some federal retirement funding after debt limit breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Treasury will suspend full funding of a federal retirement program, the latest in a string of actions it has taken to prevent default after the government hit its debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told congressional leaders Tuesday. The Treasury is taking so-called extraordinary measures to keep paying its bills after it breached its $31.4 trillion borrowing limit Thursday. Lawmakers are trying to strike a deal to lift the U.S. borrowing limit and prevent a first-ever default on U.S. debt. Some members of the new Republican House majority have pushed to tie spending cuts to an increase in the borrowing limit. Yellen on Tuesday said interest-bearing securities for the Government Securities Investment Fund, or the so-called "G Fund," will be underfunded until the debt limit is increased or suspended.

☆ Here’s what will happen to the economy as the debt ceiling drama deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Minneapolis CNN —After the United States hit its debt ceiling on Thursday, the Treasury Department is now undertaking “extraordinary measures” to keep paying the government’s bills. And Americans — many people — would lose their jobs and certainly their borrowing costs would rise.”Dire warnings of debt ceiling trouble aren’t new. “2011 was the first time in a long time that we came close to a debt ceiling breach,” he said. “I think you would be hard pressed to say [the debt ceiling debacle] was a positive thing,” he said. Considering the potential consequences in the United States and abroad, Sheiner believes the debt ceiling will be lifted or suspended — eventually.

☆ The U.S. hit the debt ceiling — here's what that means for your money
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. hit the debt ceiling on Thursday, which forced the Treasury Department to begin taking so-called "extraordinary measures" to continue paying the government's bills. Read on for the answers to the most relevant questions about the debt ceiling, and why, as a long-term investor, you shouldn't be paying too much attention to the headlines. Remind me — what's the debt ceiling again? Where does the debt ceiling stand now? Aside from stock market volatility, you'd see ramifications across the economy.

☆ U.S. Treasury launches debt limit cash management measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday began using extraordinary cash management measures to continue borrowing under the federal debt limit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told congressional leaders. She said she took similar measures for the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. "As I stated in my January 13 letter, the period of time that extraordinary measures may last is subject to considerable uncertainty, including the challenges of forecasting the payments and receipts of the U.S. Government months into the future. I respectfully urge Congress to act promptly to protect the full faith and credit of the United States." Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yellen says Treasury is taking extraordinary measures to avoid default as U.S. hits debt limit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen holds a news conference in the Cash Room at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, U.S. July 28, 2022. The Treasury Department started taking so-called extraordinary measures to keep paying the federal government's bills as the U.S. hit its debt limit Thursday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. The Treasury secretary told lawmakers Friday that she believes the extraordinary steps could allow the government to pay its obligations until early June. The Treasury secretary warned last week that the U.S. government would hit the statutory debt ceiling on Thursday, after which extraordinary measures would be taken to keep the government from defaulting on its debt obligations. The U.S. government has not defaulted on its debt, but the debt ceiling has been raised 22 times from 1997 to 2022, according to the Government Accountability Office.

CNN —The Department of Energy official responsible for nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is no longer employed by the federal agency after two alleged airport baggage theft incidents, according to local reports and court records. Sam Brinton, the former deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy, was charged in December for grand larceny in Nevada. Brinton was accused of stealing luggage from Harry Reid International Airport, according to a report from KLAS. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters,” a department spokesperson said. Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Brinton served in roles at several think tanks, including the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Breakthrough Institute and Third Way.

☆ Factbox: What is happening in Sudan?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Under an August 2019 agreement, the military agreed to share power with officials appointed by civilian political groups ahead of elections. But that arrangement was abruptly halted by a military coup in October 2021, which triggered a campaign of frequent pro-democracy mass rallies across Sudan. Another is an investigation into the killings of pro-democracy protesters on June 3, 2019, in which military forces are implicated. Several of its neighbours, including Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan have been affected by political upheavals and conflict. Talks stalled and Ethiopia started filling the reservoir behind the dam, which Sudan says could put its citizens, dams and water facilities at risk.

☆ Analysis: As economy stutters, China's youth seek safety of civil service
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The wishes of Lau's parents that she had a "safe" civil service career suddenly made more sense. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, says the preference for civil servant jobs has surged. On social media, young Chinese refer to the civil service as "the end of the universe," meaning the safest place around in such an environment. "Being a civil servant gives you a lot of stability," she said. “The present state of the job market has definitely increased my desire to become a civil servant," she said.

☆ Atlanta to pay $1M to Rayshard Brooks’ family after deadly police shooting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | The Associated Press | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Brooks was fatally shot by an officer amid national unrest over police brutality after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd. Two officers located Brooks and bodycam footage showed they had a calm conversation with him for almost 40 minutes. In the footage, Brooks could be seen holding a stun gun he had grabbed from an officer as he ran away. “While we are disappointed that prosecutors didn’t pursue a criminal case against the officers involved in Mr. Brooks’ death, we continue to hold out hope that the Dept. of Justice will intervene in this matter,” Brooks' family's attorneys said on Monday, according to WXIA.

☆ Younger Chinese are spurning factory jobs that power the economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

For his father's generation, factory work was a lifeline out of rural poverty. For Zhu, and millions of other younger Chinese, the low pay, long hours of drudgery and the risk of injuries are no longer sacrifices worth making. Factory bosses say they would produce more, and faster, with younger blood replacing their ageing workforce. But offering the higher wages and better working conditions that younger Chinese want would risk eroding their competitive advantage. Yet young workers are vital to keep production moving.

☆ James Webb Space Telescope: No evidence linking namesake to firings of LGBTQ staff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Despite numerous calls from astronomers to rename its powerful new telescope, NASA officials stood by the naming of the James Webb Space Telescope before its launch. With the telescope nearly a year into its stint in space, the agency has released its chief historian’s investigation into the namesake of the telescope. Earlier this summer, Dr. Jane Rigby, the operations project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, tweeted that “a transformative telescope should have a name that stands for discovery and inclusion.”Officials at NASA have refused to rename it, though, citing an investigation into Webb’s career. The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope ever built. NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterNo evidence links Webb to any action that followed those discussions, Odom said.

☆ Hong Kong leader John Lee delivers his maiden policy address
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HONG KONG, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's new leader John Lee delivered his maiden policy address annual policy address on Wednesday, mapping out his priorities for the former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. - To set aside HK$30 billion from the Future Fund to establish the Co-Investment Fund for attracting enterprises to set up operations in Hong Kong and investing in their business. ECONOMY- To set up a new Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (HKIC) to further optimise the use of fiscal reserves for promoting the development of industries and the economy, and to attract and support more enterprises to develop their business in Hong Kong. - To develop Hong Kong into an international carbon market. - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has begun the preparatory work for issuing "e-HKD" (e-Hong Kong dollar) and is collaborating with the Mainland institutions to expand the testing of "e-CNY" (e-Chinese yuan) as a cross-boundary payment facility in Hong Kong.

☆ France begins nationwide strike amid soaring inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Juliette Jabkhiro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

French students block the entrance of the Lycee Montaigne high school to protest as part of a nationwide day of strike in Paris, France, October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - French trade unions began a nationwide strike on Tuesday, asking for higher salaries amid decades-high inflation and posing President Emmanuel Macron one of his stiffest challenges since his reelection in May. French public railway operator SNCF said that traffic on local connections was down 50% but that there were no major disruptions on national lines. Civil service workers' unions have also called for joining Tuesday's strike, with possible disruptions in schools and other public facilities. The leader of hard-left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), Jean-Luc Melenchon, marched alongside this year's Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Annie Ernaux.

☆ BTS performs emotional concert in Busan, Korea, as uncertainty hovers over group's future
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“It feels a little strange to be in my hometown,” said Jimin, one of the two band members from Busan. The South Korean government grants exemptions to some athletes, classical and traditional musicians, ballet and other dancers who have won top prizes like Olympic medals. While some fans are hoping for a last-minute exemption, Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, said last week it is “desirable” for BTS members to serve. BTS performs in Busan, South Korea, on Saturday. Bighit MusicThe streets, bridges and beachfronts of Busan turned purple, the band’s signature color, in the days leading up to the concert.

☆ After high profile sacking, UK civil servants fear for jobs under Truss
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"(It) creates a sense of fear inside the civil service at senior level which will prevent them for giving the honest advice to ministers that they need to hear," he told Reuters. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, the largest trade union representing British civil servants, agreed. "I think the whole attitude towards civil servants from the political side is worsening," said one former civil servant on condition of anonymity. Former civil servants such as Kerslake fear for its future. "I call it the 'how high' phase, which is ministers saying jump and civil servants say how high," Kerslake said.

☆ At a Google all-hands meeting, employees questioned executives about Project Nimbus, a controversial $1.2 billion contract with Israel's government. Management's answers left staff skeptical.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Tom Dotan | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Google spokesperson said the contract is for Israeli government ministries like healthcare. Google executives recently tried to assure employees that its controversial $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with Israel's government will not provide support to the country's sensitive military work. "The Nimbus contract is for workloads running on our commercial platform by Israeli government ministries," Fox-Martin said at the meeting on Tuesday. Some employees who attended Tuesday's meeting said the assurances from Google executives about Project Nimbus contradict what the company has said elsewhere. They pointed to earlier statements that a Google spokesperson made to WIRED acknowledging the contract will provide Israel's military access to Google technology.

☆ Drastic pay inequities persist for Black and Latino NYC workers, especially women
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A new pay equity report from the New York City Council shows “persistent, large pay gaps” in the city’s municipal workforce, particularly among Black, Latino and white employees — a divide that gets worse when comparing men and women workers. Black city employees make just 71 cents on average for every dollar made by their white counterparts, according to the report, which was released Thursday. For Black women and Latinas, the gap is even larger, dropping to 69 cents for every dollar made by white male employees. On the whole, female city employees make 73 cents for every male dollar. Pay equity reports are mandated by a New York City law passed in 2019 that aimed to “find and eliminate” wage gaps in public employment.

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