UN: Invasive Species a Threat to Biodiversity, Economy The UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on Monday revealed that 37K alien species have been released by humans into the wild worldwide – with more than 3.5K of those proving to be harmful.... Social issues
US to Probe Chips Used in Huawei's New Smartphone White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that the US is trying to obtain details about the computer chip powering Huawei's newly-released Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which has been touted as a PRC chip breakthrough despite US restrictions.... Science & Technology
Alan Joyce Steps Down as Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who has helmed Australian airline Qantas for 15 years, has announced that he will be resigning from his post on Wednesday — two months ahead of schedule. This comes amid mounting controversy over the airline's service quality and reputation. Australia
Report: Hollywood Strikes Cost California Economy $5B After four months, the joint Writers Guild of America (WGA)-Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike has reportedly cost the California economy an estimated $5B, exceeding initial estimates made by experts. Social issues
Biden Discusses Trump, the Economy, and Unions on Labor Day Pres. Joe Biden gave a Labor Day speech in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, criticizing former Pres. Donald Trump and touting his administration's economic policies. Politics
Europe's Automakers Seek to Match PRC EV Prowess During Munich's IAA ("Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung") mobility show, European carmakers, including Volkswagen, Renault, Mercedes Benz, and BMW, announced plans to rival Chinese companies in making affordable electric vehicles (EVs). Europe
CNN Names Former NYT, BBC Exec Thompson as CEO Former New York Times and BBC leader Mark Thompson has been named as CNN's next chairman and CEO, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday. Media
Google Tests Watermarks to Identify AI Images Google's DeepMind is testing out its new artificial intelligence (AI) technology, dubbed SynthID, which it says will be able to label images that have been generated by AI. The labels, however, will be invisible to the human eye to not ruin the picture. Social issues
Rising Caffeine Levels in Energy Drinks Prompts Calls for Sales Ban to Minors Pediatricians and parents across the US are calling for new high-caffeine energy drinks to be treated like alcohol and cigarettes, and for their sale to minors to be banned. Social issues
US Commerce Secretary Visits China US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Monday started three days of meetings in China by meeting in Beijing with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, explaining to him it’s “profoundly important” for there to be stable relations between the two nations. Money
'Technical Issue' Grounds Flights Across UK At least 500 flights leaving and flying to the UK were grounded following a "technical issue" with air traffic control systems, the National Air Traffic Services said Monday. United Kingdom
SpaceX Sued Over Hiring Discrimination Against Refugees In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the US Justice Department (DOJ) accused Elon Musk's SpaceX of violating federal law by refusing to hire foreign nationals who were granted work permits as refugees or asylum seekers. Social issues
US Fed Suggests Further Interest Rate Hikes On Friday, US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell suggested that further interest rate hikes may be needed as the economy continues to stay hot and inflation remains above target. United States
US Mortgage Rates at Highest Since 2001 Data published Thursday by Freddie Mac shows that the average 30-year mortgage in the US has an interest rate of 7.23%, the highest since 2001. Rates have risen far beyond the yield of the 10-year Treasury bond, which mortgage rates are typically benchmarked to. Money
Maui County Suing Hawaii Electric Company On Thursday, Maui County filed suit against Hawaiian Electric Company and its local subsidiaries for failing to shut down the county’s power despite extreme winds and dry conditions — connecting the company’s negligence to this month’s devastating wildfires. Hawaii
Nvidia Sales Surge as AI Boom Lifts Earnings Nvidia shares rose in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the company surpassed estimates in both earnings and revenue for the second quarter of 2023 ending July 30. United States
US Treasury Cracks Down on Crypto Mixer The US Justice Department on Wednesday cracked down on the founders of virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash. Money
North Korean Airline Makes First International Flight Since COVID On Tuesday, North Korea completed its first international commercial flight since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020. North Korea
Teamsters Ratify New Five-Year Contract With UPS The Teamsters ratified Tuesday a new five-year deal with UPS, removing the threat of a strike that could have caused major supply chain disruptions across the US. Social issues
Syria: Protests Erupt Over Economy, Living Conditions Protesters gathered in dozens of towns and villages in Syria's southern Sweida governorate on Tuesday, chanting anti-government slogans in demonstration against the country's economic situation. Syrian authorities have not commented on the protests as of yet. Syria
Target Sales Drop Following Pride Merchandise Backlash Target's quarterly sales have fallen for the first time in six years, reportedly due to a decrease in consumers' discretionary spending and a right-wing backlash to Target's Pride Month collection released in June. United States
Argentina's Frontrunner Milei Hold Talks With IMF Argentina's anti-establishment presidential candidate Javier Milei, who emerged as the biggest winner in national primaries last week, met virtually with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials on Friday to lay out his economic proposals. Politics
Lab Owner Jailed for 27 Years Over $463M Medicare Fraud A Georgia man who owned LabSolutions LLC — a genetic testing lab registered with Medicare — has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in a $463M fraud, the US Justice Department said on Friday. United States
Disney Files Another Lawsuit Against DeSantis' Oversight Board While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he's "moved on" from the legal feud with Disney, the company has now reportedly filed counterclaims — including a breach of contracts claim against the board of supervisors picked by DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World’s special tax district. Politics
China Property Giant Evergrande Files for US Bankruptcy Protection Property developer China Evergrande Group filed for bankruptcy protection in a Manhattan bankruptcy court on Thursday. In its filing, the company seeks recognition of restructuring talks ongoing in Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands, and the British Virgin Islands. United States
