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☆ New China Rule Threatens to Disrupt U.S. Solar Ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sha Hua | Phred Dvorak | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—A plan by China to restrict exports of key solar manufacturing technology could delay attempts to build up a domestic solar supply chain in the U.S., industry experts say. China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology are considering adding advanced technology used in the production of ingots and wafers, some of the building blocks of solar panels, to a list of technologies that are subject to export controls.

☆ Inside the private meeting at Jack Ma's apartment where he plotted to take on Silicon Valley with a trusted 'ragtag bunch' of early employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Brian A. Wong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In one apartment, Jack, Lucy Peng, and a few other leaders worked alongside the firm's engineers. Everyone's enthusiasm flowed from their strong identification with the company's mission and Jack's vision, and if it was part of our mission, all believed, it was certainly achievable. In fact, in time, I would grow to better understand and more deeply embrace Alibaba's mission, vision, and values and the way they motivated our people. That's what Savio Kwan, Alibaba's first COO, did, codifying Jack's ideas into our company mission, vision, and values. Their efforts would form the basis of Alibaba's core mission, vision, and values statement— the guiding force or beliefs for Alibaba's development then and now.

☆ Sha’Carri Richardson says she was removed from an American Airlines plane after arguing with a flight attendant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson claims she was removed from an American Airlines plane after she had an argument with a flight attendant. In a video Richardson says was taken after the interaction with the flight attendant, she can be seen taking a video of herself. Richardson then pans the phone camera over to a flight attendant near her, who is then seen backing away. “You’re harassing me at this point so I think you should stop, I think you should stop," Richardson responds. Richardson asks to speak to the captain and also if the flight attendant she argued with will be removed from the plane as well.

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced it will eliminate 10,000 employees, reducing its workforce by 5%, and Amazon began conducting layoffs that will eventually slash 18,000 jobs. Microsoft and Amazon are joining tech industry peers including Alphabet and Meta which have also cut staff in recent months. But an underappreciated factor is how rapidly tech companies ramped up hiring over the last two years. In 2020, widespread Covid lockdowns made internet applications more important to people, supercharging business for many tech companies. Apple is a major exception: It did not appreciably increase its rate of hiring over the last two years, and also has not announced any layoffs.

Historically Black colleges and universities have been embroiled in a student housing crisis for decades. Fisk is believed to be the second U.S. higher education institution to utilize shipping containers for student housing after the College of Idaho implemented dorm-style containers in 2020. “The enrollment is growing so fast, and the shipping containers provide some sustainable flexibility. They all wanted to live in these shipping containers,” Frederiksen said. Meanwhile, other projects like the HBCU Healthy Housing (H3) Initiative from the Virginia-based advocacy group Student Housing of America are partnering with universities to build additional housing.

The coal ban reshaped energy markets and showed how Beijing’s efforts to use its economy as a foreign-policy tool can have limits. China effectively ended a ban on Australian coal that has been a centerpiece of a diplomatic dispute lasting more than two years, in the latest indication that Beijing is taking a less confrontational approach in its foreign policy as the economy struggles. Customs officials in the southern province of Guangdong on Thursday received notice from the local government that they can clear Australian coal shipments, two people familiar with the situation said. The move comes about a week after the country’s national planning agency permitted a group of large state-owned companies to buy Australian coal again. The Guangdong government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Provides Rare Acknowledgment of Covid-19 Policies’ Toll
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s leader Xi Jinping offered a rare acknowledgment of the difficulties that three years of pandemic controls—which were abruptly lifted this month—have imposed on the Chinese population. He called for more determination and promised better times ahead. “It has not been an easy journey for anyone. Everyone is holding on with great fortitude, and the light of hope is right in front of us,” Mr. Xi said during his annual New Year’s Eve speech to the nation on Saturday.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Provides Rare Acknowledgment of Covid Policies’ Toll
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ In China, Protesting Travelers Avoid Last Days of Quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Sha Hua | Rachel Liang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—Some groups of Chinese travelers have staged spot protests against being sent into still-mandatory quarantine—and they have won. China has announced an end to quarantine on arrival, but not until Jan. 8. At the Nanjing airport, about 100 travelers argued with health workers and police that it made no sense to follow a rule that was about to disappear.

He has met the emperor and welcomed President Biden to his home, but Rahm Emanuel said an equally thrilling moment as ambassador to Japan came when he was offered a ride in the conductor’s cabin of a bullet train. His eyes opened wide. The train races toward Tokyo at more than 150 miles an hour. “Yeah, I want to! If you’ll let me,” Mr. Emanuel, 63, recalled saying.

☆ A nutritionist shares the best snacks to bring on a plane to boost your immune system
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But there are steps people can take to reduce their chances of getting sick, say health specialists at Spain's SHA Wellness Clinic. Source: SHA Wellness ClinicEating a nutrient-dense diet is the top recommendation from Melanie Waxman, an integrative nutrition specialist and eating coach at SHA Wellness Clinic. Nori is alkaline and provides a good source of vitamin C, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, protein and minerals." Nori is alkaline and provides a good source of vitamin C, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, protein and minerals." Supplements, for someStudies indicate that certain supplements — such as vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, garlic, echinacea and green tea — may strengthen the body's immune response, Mera said.

☆ How to stay safe in an extreme solar flare, where the sun bombards Earth with radiation and magnetic havoc
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Stay safe during a solar storm by preparing to lose power, printing out maps, and staying off planes. What is a solar flare and how do they affect Earth? CMEs primarily affect the magnetosphere, jostling Earth's magnetic field lines in an event called a geomagnetic storm, also known as a solar storm. NASAGetting ready for the possibility of a major solar flare isn't that different from getting ready for any other disaster. If you follow the basics of disaster preparedness, you'll probably be ready for a solar flare.

☆ China Turns to Well-Worn Playbook to Keep Protesters Off Streets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sha Hua | Josh Chin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nearly a week after protests exploded across China over the country’s zero-tolerance Covid controls, Chinese authorities have restored a tense calm to the streets with a two-pronged strategy. Chinese leaders have moved to address the demands of protesters by signaling an easing of the country’s strict Covid policies. At the same time, police have deployed en masse to the sites of protests and hunted down activists, one by one, using the tools of the digital surveillance state.

☆ 'We’re having a baby today': Woman gives birth inside Atlanta McDonald's with help of employees and fiancé
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“I went into the bathroom and my water broke immediately,” Worthy told WXIA. “I thought they was joking, and I open this door, didn’t see anyone, but I saw feet [under the door],” Woodward told WXIA. Phillips made his way to the McDonald's bathroom when he thought his fiancée had been gone for too long. “She was on the toilet screaming,” Phillips told WXIA. “She’s definitely a nugget,” Phillips told WXIA.

☆ 3 McDonald's employees in Atlanta, Georgia help deliver a customer's baby in the bathroom after she goes into labor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

3 McDonald's employees in Atlanta, Georgia rushed into action when a customer went into labor. When Woodward went to check on the customer, she found her on the ground heavily breathing and shouting in pain, Woodward told ABC News. Kaigler called 911 as she and the other employees rushed to help the customer. The 911 operator talked the employees through the delivery process, while Woodward held the woman's hand as she delivered her baby. After about 15 minutes of intense labor, the woman gave birth to her baby before the paramedics arrived.

The first explosion occurred at a bus station near the entrance to Jerusalem at 7:06 a.m., injuring at least 11 people, including the teen who later died, the spokesperson said. After a second explosion almost half an hour later at the city’s Ramot junction, at 7:30 a.m., three people were evacuated with minor injuries, police added. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThe site of an explosion is pictured near a bus station at the Givat Sha'ul Junction, near the exit from the city of Jerusalem. Two paramedics from Magen David Adom, Israel’s Red Cross affiliate, said when they arrived at the bus station they found two seriously injured people lying on the ground. “We were at the MDA station by the entrance to the city when we heard a large explosion,” they said.

☆ Soccer Qatar's Bedouin roots star in World Cup opening ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said. "How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together." Then, fireworks exploded from the roof of Al Bayt stadium, 44 km (27 miles) north of the capital, Doha. Earlier, the nearly full stadium erupted in cheers when Sheikh Tamim arrived at the stadium flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The ceremony featured video footage of Sheikh Tamim as a boy playing soccer in the desert, which seemed aimed at countering the argument made by Qatar's critics that the Gulf Arab state has no soccer tradition.

☆ China’s New Daily Covid Cases Jump Above 24,000
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beijing reported more than 450 new cases, close to Monday’s record. SINGAPORE—China’s central government has laid out preparations to deal with surging Covid-19 infections, while warning local authorities against “irresponsible loosening” of pandemic-control measures. China would continue to “rectify the practice of excessive measures such as lockdowns, while also opposing irresponsible attitudes and prevent a loosening up,” said Mi Feng, spokesman for China’s National Health Commission during a briefing on Thursday.

☆ Resurrection of U.S.-China Ties Boosts COP27 Climate Talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Chao Deng | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—The revival of formal dialogue between the U.S. and China at United Nations climate talks in Egypt is injecting diplomatic momentum into negotiations that delegates say have been rife with division. Cooperation between the U.S. and China is critical if the world is to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, according to climate scientists. Without the world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide working together, they say, it will be impossible to meet the target of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius.

☆ China Continues to Relax Covid Measures Even as Local Officials Battle Record Cases
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Liyan Qi | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Several cities said they would no longer carry out mandatory mass testing. SINGAPORE—A sevenfold surge in coronavirus infections over the past two weeks is testing China’s new policy of loosened measures that aim to reduce the impact of zero-Covid restrictions. On Wednesday, China reported almost 20,000 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, with infections recorded all over the country. While below the peak in April, when nine out of 10 cases nationwide were in Shanghai, the latest wave of infections has spread more widely, with multiple regions battling their biggest outbreaks of the pandemic.

☆ China Resists Climate Pressure From West, but Makes Gains on Its Own
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Phred Dvorak | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China is sending a large delegation to the United Nations climate summit in Egypt, but it is unlikely to bow to demands to strengthen its pledge to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, China energy experts say. The country wants to appear independent, rather than in collaboration with the U.S., when it makes any new climate commitments, they say. It is facing criticism from the U.S. and other countries that its pledges to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions aren’t aggressive enough.

☆ China Investigates Central Bank Deputy Governor in First Major Probe Since Party Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s top anticorruption agency is investigating a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, in a move that signals tighter scrutiny of China’s central bank after the conclusion of a Communist Party conclave last month where Xi Jinping secured a norm-breaking third term as leader. The investigation into Fan Yifei for “suspected serious violations of laws and discipline” was announced in a single-sentence statement published Saturday by the anticorruption agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Fan was taken from his workplace on Friday afternoon, according to the Securities Times, a state-owned newspaper.

☆ Germany’s Scholz Meets Xi in Test of Europe’s Posture Toward China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with a nod to the close ties between the countries, at the start of a visit that is being closely watched for any shift in posture by Europe’s largest economy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “You’re the first European leader to visit after the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, and it’s also your first visit since you took office,” said Mr. Xi, referring to last month’s party conclave in Beijing, where he secured a fresh five-year term in power.

☆ Germany’s Olaf Scholz Puts Business First in Beijing Visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Germany and China struck business deals and reaffirmed a once-cozy relationship that has come under strain as Beijing has adopted a harder-edged stance in its dealings with the West and as political pressure has mounted within Germany to lessen economic dependence on China. On Friday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Olaf Scholz to Beijing as the German chancellor largely brushed aside calls to keep a distance from China, prioritize human-rights concerns and squeeze Beijing on its unwillingness to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Geopolitical strife and energy market turmoil have upended prospects for reaching a global agreement to accelerate efforts to limit climate change, with many big economies failing to submit faster timetables for emissions reductions ahead of next week’s United Nations summit. With only days to go before world leaders and negotiators convene in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh for COP27, few countries have followed through on the sweeping agreement struck at last year’s conference in Glasgow. That accord urged national governments to submit more ambitious plans to the U.N. by the end of this year to wean their economies off fossil fuels and take other measures aimed at limiting global warming.

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