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Sunday, October 31, 2021
Musk would liquidate Tesla shares to 'solve world hunger' if UN can explain how money would be spent - Fox Business
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Elon Musk, the founder of Telsa whose net worth is approaching $300 billion, responded Sunday to calls from social media users to sell some stock to solve world hunger.
Musk responded to a repost of a CNN article that quoted David Beasley, the director of the UN’s World Food Program, who said billionaires need to "step up now"—namely Musk and Jeff Bezos.
"Six billion dollars to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated," he said.
Musk indicated that it is not that simple. He responded to a post from an AI researcher who pointed out that the WFP raised $8.4 billion in 2020. He asked why it "didn’t solve world hunger" then. The WFP's website said it was still $5.3 billion short of the amount needed. The agency did not immediately respond to an email from Fox News.
ELON MUSK ANNOUNCES TESLA IS MOVING ITS HEADQUARTERS TO AUSTIN
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, stands in the foundry of the Tesla Gigafactory during a press event in Grünheide near Berlin from the end of 2021. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Musk tweeted that if the UN program can "describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it." He called on transparent and open accounting.
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The post stirred online debate as some Democrats look to billionaires to help fund Biden’s Build Back Better bill and pay their "fair share."
There are food crises in countries like Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan and in many instances, the act of delivering food to those in need are met by resistance from governments. Last week, the UN said an aide flight into Tigray was forced to turn around due to airstrikes on the region’s capital, Mekelle.
A group of people from Tigray, Ethiopia outside Leinster House, Dublin, ahead of expected protests from members of Extinction Rebellion. Picture date: Wednesday September 15, 2021. (Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)
Just 14% of needed aid has entered Tigray since the blockade began, according to the U.N., and almost no medicine at all.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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American Airlines cancels hundreds of flights, some at Bay Area airports - San Francisco Chronicle
American Airlines canceled nearly 1,600 flights this weekend, including more than 800 on Sunday, due to bad weather and staffing shortages, the company said.
About 20 of the flights canceled Sunday by midday were at two of the Bay Area’s largest airports — San Francisco International and Mineta San Jose International — according to airport officials and flight tracking website FlightAware.
The American Airline cancellations began Thursday after severe winds struck the Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport, a major hub for the airline, and cut available runways from five to two, according to airline spokesperson Shannon Gilson. As a result, some crews were stuck out of position, further disrupting flight schedules.
“With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,” Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said in a letter to staff members, which Gilson provided to The Chronicle. “To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operation for the last few days this month by proactively canceling some flights.”
A total of 1,591 American Airlines flights had been canceled nationwide since Friday, Gilson said Sunday morning. The 809 flights canceled by late morning Sunday constituted nearly a third of the airline’s schedule for the day, according to FlightAware.
Two of the Bay Area’s three major airports reported an impact from the American Airlines cancellations.
At San Francisco International Airport, 12 American Airlines flights were canceled Sunday morning and six on Saturday, said Bob Rotiski, an airport duty manager.
At Mineta San Jose International Airport seven American Airlines flights had been canceled by late Sunday morning and five on Saturday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. A spokesperson for the airport did not immediately confirm the cancellations to The Chronicle.
Oakland International was unaffected by the disruptions —American Airlines has not operated flights at Oakland’s airport since the start of the pandemic, said spokesperson Kaley Skantz.
Airlines have experienced periodic disruptions since the spring as they ramp up operations from a severe pandemic slowdown, according to the New York Times.
The cancellations came weeks after Southwest Airlines also scratched more than 1,900 flights nationwide, including in the Bay Area. The airline blamed “disruptive” weather and air traffic control problems, with staffing also an issue, the Associated Press reported.
Seymour said in his letter that American will be prepared for holiday travel,with nearly 1,800 flight attendants coming back from pandemic leave Monday, “the remainder” returning Dec. 1 and at least 600 new hires in place by the end of December. The airline is also hiring more pilots, reservations agents and other workers, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for further information.
Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
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The video game platform Roblox is still down, but the company says it has a fix - NPR
The gaming platform Roblox is displayed on a tablet, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021 in New York. Leon Keith/AP
The massive online video game platform Roblox appears to still be down, the result of an outage that started last week.
The California company first tweeted about problems with the popular service on Friday. On Sunday afternoon, it said it was "incrementally bringing regions back online."
The company said earlier that it had identified the root cause of the outage and had a solution to fix it.
A Roblox spokesperson told The Verge that the outage was not due to an "external intrusion."
Roblox is not a video game. Rather, it's a digital platform that lets users create video games using simplified development tools and allows players to play any game for free.
"Players can build the ultimate theme park, compete as a professional race car driver, star in a fashion show, become a superhero, or simply design a dream home and hang out with friends," the California company says on its website.
According to Roblox, the platform has 9.5 million developers and 24 million "experiences." More than half of U.S. kids under age 16 play Roblox, the company told The Verge in July 2020.
Although Roblox is free to play, users can spend money upgrading and accessorizing their avatars using the platform's virtual currency, Robux.
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F.D.A. Is Reviewing If Moderna Vaccine Causes Heart Problems in Adolescents - The New York Times
The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing reports suggesting the coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna can cause heart problems in some adolescents, the company said on Sunday.
Moderna requested authorization from the F.D.A. for use of its vaccine in children ages 12 to 17 years in June. The adolescents would receive 100 micrograms of the vaccine — the same dose given to adults 18 and above. But the agency has not yet made a ruling on the application, prompting speculation about reasons for the delay.
In a statement on Sunday, Moderna said the F.D.A. “requires additional time to evaluate recent international analyses of the risk of myocarditis after vaccination.”
The European Medicines Agency approved the vaccine for use in adolescents in July. But since then, several European countries have paused the vaccine’s use in people 30 and younger, citing concerns about myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle.
Moderna said more than 1.5 million adolescents worldwide have received its coronavirus vaccine, and the data thus far do not suggest an increased risk of myocarditis. But studies from Israel and the United States have linked both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to rare and transient cases of myocarditis, with a higher risk from the Moderna vaccine.
The F.D.A. notified Moderna on Friday that it would need more time to assess the vaccine’s safety and may not deliver a decision until January 2022, the company said in a statement on Sunday. The agency took roughly a month to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 years. That vaccine has been available to adolescents in the United States and Europe since May.
Even with the heightened risk, myocarditis as a result of the vaccine is rare, mild, and resolves quickly, noted Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the F.D.A.’s vaccine advisory committee.
Covid-19 is much more likely to cause myocarditis, Dr. Offit noted, because the virus can infect and damage the lining of the heart. “That would be the decision point I would make for my child,” he said.
In studies from Israel and the United States, the incidence of heart problems among people who had received Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine is highest in males aged 16 to 29 years. The risk appears to decline in children 12 to 15, and is expected to be even lower in younger children, Dr. Offit said.
The F.D.A. in July asked Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to enroll more children in their clinical trials in order to detect less common side effects. Last week, after reviewing data from a clinical trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 5 through 11 years, the F.D.A. authorized the vaccine for that age group.
Results from Pfizer’s vaccine trial in children under 5 are not expected till the fourth quarter of this year at the earliest. Last week, Moderna said its vaccine produced a potent immune response in children ages 6 through 11 who received half the adult dose. The company plans to request authorization from the F.D.A. for the vaccine’s use in this age group.
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Unhappy Halloween: Gaming platform Roblox crashes - Fox Business
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To the dismay of millions of children -- and the parents trying to keep them busy and cope with their anguish -- the popular gaming platform Roblox crashed Friday, and the company was still trying to restore service Saturday.
"The scariest part of Halloween this year is Roblox being down,’’ lamented Twitter user @NikilisRBX.
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In a statement Saturday, Roblox said: "We believe we have identified an underlying internal cause of the outage with no evidence of an external intrusion. We are in the process of performing the necessary engineering and maintenance work to get Roblox back up and running as soon as possible.''
Roblox said on Friday that the outage was "not related to any specific experiences or partnerships on the platform.’’ This was apparently meant to quash rumors that the trouble was caused by a free burrito giveaway at a digital Chipotle on the Roblox platform.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBLX | ROBLOX CORP. | 84.02 | +1.27 | +1.53% |
For its part, Chipotle tweeted: "Miss u Roblox.’’
On the Roblox platform, players can create their own games and play with other users. It became wildly popular after the coronavirus pandemic closed schools and kept children indoors looking for something to do.
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According to numbers compiled by the social media consulting firm Backlinko, Roblox has more than 43 million active users a day (up from 14 million in 2016), 40 million games and 9.5 million developers. The most popular game on Roblox, according to Backlinko, is "Adopt Me!’’ -- which allows users to raise digital pets.
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Moderna says FDA needs more time to review its Covid vaccine for teens - CNBC
Moderna said the Food and Drug Administration will need more time to complete its assessment of the biotech company's Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 17.
The agency is looking specifically at the risk of myocarditis in kids, Moderna said in a statement Sunday, and the review may not be completed before January 2022. Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle.
"The company is fully committed to working closely with the FDA to support their review and is grateful to the FDA for their diligence," Moderna said.
Moderna also said it will delay filing a request for emergency use authorization for a smaller dose of the vaccine for younger kids ages 6 to 11 while the FDA completes its review.
Moderna said on May 25 its Covid vaccine was 100% effective in a study of 12-to-17-year-olds. The company then applied to expand the emergency use of its vaccine for adolescents in June.
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Elon Musk Wants Proof $6 Billion Can Solve World Hunger - Bloomberg
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, challenged a United Nations official’s claim that just a small percentage of his wealth could help solve world hunger.
Musk was responding to comments by David Beasley, director of the UN’s World Food Programme, who repeated a call last week following an earlier tweet this month asking billionaires like Musk to “step up now, on a one-time basis.”
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Why is American Airlines canceling flights? Weather, staffing shortages blamed for over 1,500 flight cancelations; some at O'Hare - WLS-TV
The Fort Worth-based airline canceled more than 740 flights as of Sunday at noon ET, accounting for 27% of its schedule, according to tracking service FlightAware. Nearly 170 of AA's Sunday flights were delayed.
Two days of severe winds in Dallas-Fort Worth, its largest hub, sharply reduced its arrival capacity, the company said. Flights were also affected at its Charlotte, North Carolina, hub.
RELATED: American Airlines cancels hundreds of flights, cites labor shortages
"With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences," American said in a statement to CNN.
As of Saturday night, FlightAware, an aviation tracking program, showed 499 flights, or 18% of the airline's operations, were canceled. Another nearly 300 flights, or 11% of its operations, were delayed.
On Friday, FlightAware showed 738, or almost a quarter, of American's operations were delayed, and it had 342 flight cancelations.
American reported 4,967 flights had been scheduled on Saturday.
"To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operation for the last few days this month by proactively canceling some flights," American said.
Thousands of passengers are traveling during the Halloween weekend right now, many of them tweeting their grievances to the company.
In comparison, Southwest, which has fewer flights per day, has canceled 86 flights and delayed 473.
At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, 17%, or 53, American Airlines flights have been canceled so far Saturday, with another 33 delayed, according to Flightaware.com. Another 34 were also canceled from O'Hare Friday.
As air travel plunged in early 2020, airlines offered buyouts and early retirement packages to employees in order to cut costs. As they try to hire, or rehire, workers, service disruptions have become more frequent.
American expects more in-flight teams will return during the holiday season. The airline said 1,800 flight attendants will return Monday and the rest will be back by Dec. 1. The airline said it is also increasing hiring in the fourth quarter.
As travel ramps up after all but shutting down during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, other airlines also have had difficulty returning to normal operations. Southwest had an operational meltdown during one weekend in October, canceling more than 2,000 weekend flights.
The company blamed the move on air traffic control problems and limited staffing in Florida as well as bad weather, saying getting its operations back to normal was "more difficult and prolonged" because of schedule and staffing reductions it instituted during the pandemic.
ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.
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Tesla’s Elon Musk responds to UN World Food Program director’s call to “solve world hunger” - Teslarati
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A few days ago, United Nations World Food Program (WFP) director David Beasley told CNN that a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals such as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could help solve world hunger with just a fraction of their net worth. Musk’s net worth currently stands at $311 billion thanks to a recent rally in TSLA stock, effectively making the CEO the world’s wealthiest individual today.
While speaking at CNN’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson, Beasley called for billionaires to “step up now, on a one-time basis.” He also noted that even just 2% of Musk’s current net worth could solve world hunger. This translates to roughly about $6 billion. “$6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated,” the UN WFP director said.
Musk has now responded to Beasley’s statements. While responding to a post on Twitter which highlighted that the UN World Food Program actually raised $8.4 billion in 2020, Musk noted that if the WFP could explain exactly how $6 billion would solve world hunger, then he would be more than willing to sell some TSLA stock right now. This is a key point as most of Musk’s net worth is tied to his majority stake in Tesla. This means that for Musk to have $6 billion in cash, he’d have to sell TSLA stock, which would then be taxed.
Musk had a condition of sorts for the UN WFP director, however. In a follow-up post on Twitter, the Tesla CEO noted that the United Nations World Food Program must be open to open-source accounting. This way, the public could see exactly how the $6 billion would be spent and how the funds would effectively end world hunger.
What is rather interesting with this situation was that the UN WFP director did not really elaborate if the $6 billion he quoted during the CNN interview could solve hunger permanently, or if the amount was only enough for a band-aid solution of sorts. In the grand scheme of things, after all, $6 billion seems quite small to solve an issue that has been so prevalent for a very long time.
Countries also spend far larger amounts on things like the military on a yearly basis. During the fiscal year 2020, the US spent a very substantial $725 billion on national defense. Beasley’s $6 billion estimate to solve world hunger would only be 0.8% of this budget. The United States is also spending a total of $13.3 billion to build the USS Ford, its most advanced aircraft carrier to date. If the UN WFP director’s estimate is accurate, then solving world hunger would be equivalent to about half the cost of one aircraft carrier in the US armed forces.
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American Airlines cancels more than 600 flights on Sunday - CNN
(CNN)American Airlines canceled another 634 flights on Sunday, nearly one in every four of its flights for the day, according to data from flight tracking website FlightAware.
The airline has now canceled more than 1,500 flights since Friday, as it deals with weather issues and staffing shortages that started last week.
"With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences," American said in a statement to CNN on Saturday.
Two days of severe winds in Dallas-Fort Worth, its largest hub, sharply reduced arrival capacity, the company said.
The airline canceled 543 flights Saturday according to FlightAware, roughly 20% of its operation. American reported 4,967 flights had been scheduled on Saturday.
On Friday, FlightAware showed 738 flights, almost a quarter of American's operations, were delayed, and 342 flights were canceled.
As air travel plunged in early 2020, airlines offered buyouts and early retirement packages to employees in order to cut costs. As they try to hire, or rehire, workers, service disruptions have become more frequent.
American expects more flight crews will return during the holiday season. The airline said 1,800 flight attendants will return from leave Monday and more will be back on the job by December 1. The airline said it is also increasing hiring in the fourth quarter.
As demand for air travel ramps up, other airlines also have had difficulty returning to normal operations. Southwest had an operational meltdown one weekend earlier in October, canceling more than 2,000 weekend flights.
The company blamed the move on air traffic control problems and limited staffing in Florida as well as bad weather, saying getting its operations back to normal was "more difficult and prolonged" because of schedule and staffing reductions implemented during the pandemic.
This is a developing story.
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Saudi Aramco posts 160% rise in third quarter profit, chairman calls for 'stable' energy transition - CNBC
Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at the oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019.
Maxim Shemetov | Reuters
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia's oil giant Aramco has posted a 158% increase in third quarter net income to $30.4 billion, as the world's largest oil companies continue to benefit from the reopening of the global economy and soaring oil and gas prices.
The result beat expectations, with analysts expecting a median net income of $29.1 billion for the quarter. Aramco reported net income of $11.8 billion in the third quarter of 2020.
"Our exceptional third quarter performance was a result of increased economic activity in key markets and a rebound in energy demand," Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said on Sunday.
"Some headwinds still exist for the global economy, partly due to supply chain bottlenecks, but we are optimistic that energy demand will remain healthy for the foreseeable future," Nasser added.
Aramco said the increase in net income was the result of higher crude oil prices and volumes sold, and stronger refining and chemicals margins in the quarter, as the company benefits from rebounding global energy demand and increased economic activity in key markets.
Market windfall
WTI crude oil has soared above $85 in recent weeks, a level not seen since 2014, as the market shifts focus from demand recovery to supply scarcity. Natural gas prices are up around 130% this year, meaning the full extent of the global energy crisis is more likely to be felt in the fourth quarter results.
Aramco declared a significant dividend of $18.8 billion to be paid in the fourth quarter. The payout can be covered by a jump in free cash flow to $28.7 billion in the third quarter, up from $12.4 billion for the same period in 2020. Gearing, a measure of the company's debt position, also improved to 17.2% from 23% due to higher oil prices and stronger cash flows.
Aramco also said it would "invest for the future" with capital expenditure of $7.6 billion in the third quarter, representing a 19% increase, compared with the same period in 2020. Aramco said it expected 2021 capital expenditure to be approximately $35 billion.
The results confirm a bumper quarter for "Big Oil," a term used to refer to the world's largest oil and gas companies. U.S. oil majors ExxonMobil and Chevron also benefited from rising prices, reporting profit that soared to multiyear highs in the quarter. Royal Dutch Shell reported record cash flow, while TotalEnergies also saw a sharp rise in performance.
Profit and pressure
The strong numbers come as the sector faces renewed scrutiny from activists and cynicism over its climate ambitions. Companies, including Aramco and the UAE oil giant Adnoc, have launched climate initiatives just days ahead of the COP26 climate summit, while simultaneously planning to invest to increase oil production in the coming years.
"I think most people would agree that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing society," Aramco Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan told CNBC via email.
"We need a transition that does not ignore that petrochemicals are essential building blocks to modern life — including the smartphones we all use and the products we rely on to fight COVID," he added.
Aramco aims to achieve net zero emissions from its wholly-owned operations by 2050, and simultaneously plans to increase oil output to 13 million barrels a day by 2037. A separate pledge from Saudi Arabia to invest almost $190 billion to achieve net zero emissions by 2060 received both praise and skepticism from oil industry observers.
"The reality is that the energy transition will be long and complex, and therefore oil and gas will continue to play a key role," Al-Rumayyan said, while also offering commentary on the recent energy crisis and its link to the energy transition.
"Recent energy disruptions around the world are evidence of the need for a stable and inclusive energy transition," Al-Rumayyan said. "We need a transition that provides a reliable, affordable and low-cost supply of energy that leaves no one behind," he added.
Aramco said it would disclose further details on how it plans to navigate the energy transition and achieve its net zero strategy in its Sustainability Report due out in the second quarter of 2022.
"We fully recognize that we have a long way to go, and that the journey will not be easy," Al-Rumayyan said. "We are confident that we can meet the challenges and provide the leadership, expertise, and tools to support global progress towards a low-emissions future."
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American Airlines cancels more than 1,000 flights over Halloween weekend - New York Post
American Airlines canceled over 1,000 flights over the Halloween weekend, blaming weather woes and staffing issues.
On Sunday, the airline canceled 527 total flights, or 19 percent of all of its planned flights that day, accounting for nearly one-third of all of the country’s cancelations, according to data from aviation tracking website FlightAware. Another 31 flights, or 1 percent, were delayed.
American canceled an additional 543 flights, or 20 percent of its total planned flights, on Saturday. Another 407 flights, or 15 percent of its flights, were delayed, according to data.
In a note to staff on Saturday, American COO David Seymour blamed the delays on poor weather conditions around the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the airline’s base of operations, that had displaced staff around the country, according to CNBC.
“With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,” Seymour said.
“To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operation for the last few days this month by proactively canceling some flights,” American said.
After massive staff cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, American announced that 1,800 flight attendants will be returning from leave on Nov. 1 in preparation for the holiday travel season, with more expected to return on Dec. 1, according to CNBC.
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Virtual reality cryptocurrency soars following Facebook's rebrand - New York Post
MANA-mania sweeps the worldwide cryptocurrency market, on the heels of Facebook’s “Meta” rebrand.
The price of Decentraland’s MANA — a decentralized 3D virtual reality platform supported by the Ethereum blockchain — soared to a high of $4.33 at 6:30 p.m. Saturday evening, a 164 percent gain in just 12 hours, according to the trading site Coinbase.
A week ago the price of the asset hovered around $0.80, but it began its rapid ascent on Thursday after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg announced his embattled company would create a “metaverse” — a virtual reality world where users can socialize, work, play games and create art.
The move by the social network, which is used by nearly 3 billion people a month, signaled a potential huge upside in the virtual world market, experts said.
Decentraland’s metaverse — where users can buy digital art or create a virtual social world — can be accessed with the digital tokens, which are also worth an increasing amount of real-world cash.
“MANA’s leading position in the metaverse ecosystem will likely be solidified further by Facebook’s move to rebrand and focus on building its own extension to the digital world,” said Denis Vinokourov, head of research at Synergia Capital, according to Coindesk.
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American Airlines Cancels Over 800 Flights Due To Staff Shortages, Bad Weather - NDTV
Most travellers affected by the cancellations were able to rebook for the same day. (Representational)
American Airlines has had to cancel hundreds of flights this weekend due to staffing shortages triggered by weather-related disruptions, according to FlightAware data on Saturday.
The website, which tracks delays and cancellations in the US skies, showed that American Airlines cancelled more than 800 flights on Friday and Saturday and expects more than 400 cancellations on Sunday.
American Airlines CEO David Seymour said in a memo to staff on Saturday that the difficulties began on Thursday with strong wind storms that blocked capacity at the company's Dallas hub and delayed staff positioning for upcoming flights.
The company boss said that with additional weather issues, staffing "begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences."
He said he hoped that operations will be restored "quickly with the start of a new month."
He also announced the return of 1,800 flight staff who have been on standby since the pandemic and the hiring of another 600 by the end of December, as well as 4,000 airport employees.
Most travellers affected by the cancellations were able to rebook for the same day, said the airline, which operates 6,700 daily flights worldwide to 350 destinations in 50 countries.
American Airlines is not the first airline to suffer a staffing shortage as travel demand picks up with vaccinations and the lifting of restrictions.
Last week Southwest had to cancel more than 2,000 flights, costing it $75 million.
The problems were triggered on a Friday afternoon by bad weather and a temporary lack of air traffic controllers in one area of Florida. But the situation was quickly exacerbated by limited staffing levels and then snowballed over several days.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Saturday, October 30, 2021
John Deere, UAW reach tentative agreement - KCCI Des Moines
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- John Deere, UAW reach tentative agreement KCCI Des Moines
- John Deere reaches agreement with labor union following strike Fox Business
- Deere, UAW agree on new 6-year contract subject to union vote Reuters
- Tentative deal reached between John Deere & union leaders, strike will continue until vote ktvo.com
- John Deere and the United Auto Workers Union reach tentative agreement following two-week strike CNN
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American Airlines cancels more than 1,000 flights over Halloween weekend | TheHill - The Hill
American Airlines has canceled more than 1,000 flights since Friday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.
The flight cancellations have occurred in part due to staffing shortages, according to internal tallies obtained by CNBC.
High wind gusts around the airline's busy Dallas/Fort Worth hub were also blamed; a memo sent to American Airlines employees on Saturday by COO David Seymour noted that the winds prevented crew members them from reaching flights they were scheduled to work, according to CNBC.
FlightAware shows that more than 500 of the flights canceled were on Saturday. American Airlines has already canceled 285 flights scheduled for Sunday as well, citing staffing shortages.
“With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,” Seymour said in his memo, according to CNBC.
Most of the passengers whose flights were canceled were able to secure replacement flight on the same day, he noted.
He said operations should become more stable in November, as 1,800 flight attendants will be coming back to work.
Due to the decline in travel during the pandemic, airlines have had to cut many employees in order to make up for lost revenue.
The resulting staffing shortages, as well as weather and other issues, have led airlines to cancel flights in large numbers recently. Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 2,000 flights in a two-day period and a regional airline carrier that operates flights for airlines including Delta and American had to cancel hundreds of flights because of a technical issue.
Vaccine mandates implemented by airlines have also given rise to staffing concerns. The Allied Pilots Association, a labor union representing thousands of American Airlines pilots, has told pilots not to let looming vaccine deadlines distract them in the cockpit.
“The latest hazard we face may be the hardest, regardless of your personal views concerning the vaccine mandate. We are seeing distractions in the flight deck that can create dangerous situations,” the union said in a memo.
“We must eliminate distractions in the flight deck to ensure that we continue to operate at the highest levels of safety,” it added.
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Thousands of NYC workers still refusing vaccine despite mandate; vaccines protect more than infection, study says: Live COVID updates - Yahoo News
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Lisa Taddeo Went All in on Depravity and Hollywood Came Knocking
Phillip Faraone/Getty for Goop“I signed up to be a writer, you know? Like a mole in a hole—I like being in total darkness—and now I’m doing this TV show stuff and it’s lots of meetings, lots of not-writing. You know? We already wrote the scripts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally grateful, I’m totally excited about all of the opportunities, it’s just—personality-wise—I’d rather be in a hole.”Lisa Taddeo laughs often as she speaks, gesticulating and brushing her thick, raven-colored hair from her f
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Deere & Co., UAW reach tentative contract agreement - KWQC-TV6
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MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) - Deere & Company and the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America have reached a second tentative agreement on a new six-year labor agreement, the company said in a media release.
The contract will cover approximately 10,100 production and maintenance employees at 12 facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas.
Deere and the UAW have also reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year labor agreement covering nearly 100 production and maintenance employees at Deere parts facilities in Denver and Atlanta, according to the release.
The UAW will call for a vote on the new tentative agreement, according to the release.
UAW President Ray Curry and UAW Vice President Chuck Browning confirmed that a tentative agreement has been reached and said union workers will remain on strike throughout the ratification process.
“Our UAW John Deere national bargaining team went back to our local members after the previous tentative agreement and canvassed the concerns and priorities of membership,” Curry said. “We want to thank the UAW bargaining team and striking UAW members and their families for the sacrifices they have made to achieve these gains. Our members have enjoyed the support of our communities and the entire labor movement nationwide as they have stood together in support and solidarity these past few weeks.”
Chuck Browning, UAW vice president and director of the Agricultural Implement Department, said the agreement contains enhanced economic gains and continues to provide the highest quality healthcare benefits in the industry.
“The negotiators focused on improving the areas of concern identified by our members during our last ratification process,” he said.
The UAW in a media release said it will not release details of the tentative agreement until members at all John Deere locations have an opportunity to meet and review the terms of their proposed contract.
Members should reach out to their local unions for more information about the time and location of meeting and subsequent ratification votes, according to the release.
On Oct. 10, the union rejected a proposed six-year collective bargaining agreement. The union began to strike on Oct. 14 and has continued to picket facilities ever since.
This is a developing story. TV6 will provide updates on-air and online.
Copyright 2021 KWQC. All rights reserved.
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UPDATE: Vote set for Nov. 2 on new agreement between Deere and UAW - kwwl.com
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- UPDATE: Vote set for Nov. 2 on new agreement between Deere and UAW kwwl.com
- Deere & Co., UAW reach tentative contract agreement KWQC-TV6
- John Deere and union reach tentative agreement but strike continues for now NPR
- Deere, UAW have reached a tentative six-year agreement. The UAW says it includes economic gains and quality healthcare. Quad City Times
- UAW announces tentative agreement with John Deere, to remain on strike WQAD.com
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Parents should be patient about getting COVID vaccines for kids, White House says - NPR
A syringe is filled with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. While the vaccine has now been authorized for children between ages 5 and 11, it may take several weeks for shots to become widely available. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Within minutes of the Food and Drug Administration's decision Friday to authorize the lower-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, teams began packing up the vaccines to be shipped. The vials are being packed with syringes, dry ice and tracking labels and are being loaded into shipping containers that were specially designed for the pediatric vaccine.
But a top White House official is cautioning that parents shouldn't expect to be able to get their kids vaccinated the very next day if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine, as it is expected to on Tuesday. Patience may be needed, as it could take several days before shots are readily available.
"We're talking about a specialized vaccine for children," said Jeff Zients, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, in an exclusive interview with NPR. "We are hard at work, planning the logistics and making sure that vaccines will be available at tens of thousands of sites that parents and kids know and trust."
The process isn't as simple as just opening up appointments at pharmacies, as it was when adult boosters were authorized in recent weeks. Younger children will be getting a smaller dose delivered via smaller needles for smaller arms. It's a different formulation, in different packaging — a new program for a new population that requires greater sensitivity.
"We urge parents to get ready and make a plan, and the program will be fully up and running the week of November 8th," Zients said.
Last week, the administration asked states, pharmacies and pediatricians to put in orders for vaccine doses, and the administration and Pfizer are now working to get the supplies pre-positioned.
"Our goal is to get as much vaccine as possible pre-positioned, as we await CDC's decision mid next week," Zients said.
Zients said vaccines are being shipped to 20,000 locations around the U.S. and the process of packing and shipping will take time. He said pending the CDC's decision, parents should be able to start finding appointments late next week (locations offering vaccines for children will be listed on vaccines.gov).
"While we hope to see the first set of kids start to get vaccinated at the end of next week, the bulk of vaccines will be in their locations by the week of Nov. 8," Zients said. "Between now and then, the program will be ramping up to its full strength."
In the U.S., 28 million children are ages 5 to 11, and the White House is starting by pushing out 15 million vaccine doses, with more to come. It has enough doses ordered to vaccinate every eligible child in the country, though it doesn't expect every one of them to roll up their sleeves.
While some parents will be racing to vaccinate their elementary-age children as fast as possible, the Biden administration is anticipating many others will have questions or not want to go first. Zients says the government will launch a campaign of paid advertising, as well as efforts to get out the word through trusted local leaders and doctors and high-profile nationally known figures.
The FDA granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 based on a study of approximately 4,700 children. The vaccine was found to be safe and 90.7% effective at preventing symptomatic disease.
A key part of the Biden administration's plan for vaccinating kids is getting vaccines into places that parents already take their children to for health care: pediatricians and family doctors, children's hospitals and neighborhood pharmacies. There will also be pop-up and mobile clinics and eventually school-based clinics, on evenings or weekends, when families are free.
For pediatrician Nicole Baldwin, this moment is both exciting and daunting. "We love these kids and we want to vaccinate them," she said, adding that a pediatrician's office will be a familiar place for young patients who already come in for well visits and other childhood vaccines.
"Pediatricians' offices are so strapped and overwhelmed right now," Baldwin said, whose practice is in Ohio. "How do we get these patients in? How do we do these clinics? How do we have time to document all of this? So I think that needs to be realized and pediatricians need to be given a little bit of grace."
NPR's Allison Aubrey contributed reporting to this story.
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GameStop chief operating officer Owens leaves after 7 months - Reuters
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A GameStop store is seen in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. January 27, 2021. Picture taken January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Nick Zieminski/File Photo
Oct 29 (Reuters) - GameStop Corp (GME.N), the company whose stock became a sensation with day traders this year, said on Friday that Jenna Owens agreed to leave, just seven months after joining the video game retailer as its chief operating officer.
It is the first major executive departure at GameStop since the company hired a new chief executive officer, Matt Furlong, in June.
Owens, who was a top executive at Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google, joined GameStop in March. She was one of the technology veterans recruited by Ryan Cohen, the co-founder and former CEO of online pet food retailer Chewy Inc (CHWY.N), as he laid the groundwork to transform the moribund brick-and-mortar retailer into an e-commerce powerhouse.
GameStop did not provide a reason for Owens' departure, which is effective immediately. The company said in a regulatory filing that it and Owens had reached a "separation agreement," which is typically negotiated when companies and their executives do not see eye-to-eye.
GameStop also used separation agreements when it parted ways with its chief financial officer Jim Bell and chief executive officer George Sherman earlier this year. They were replaced by Furlong as CEO and Mike Recupero as CFO.
Owens will be entitled to a severance package, the filing said. Her duties will be taken up by other senior GameStop managers.
The company declined to comment beyond the filing. Owens could not immediately be reached for comment.
Cohen and two other former Chewy executives joined the GameStop board in January, right before retail investors piled into the company's stock and drove it up more than 2,500%. The shares have given up some of their gains and GameStop is now valued at roughly $14 billion.
Since becoming chairman in June, Cohen has pushed aggressively to improve customers' experience but has not offered a detailed plan about how GameStop will achieve its digital transformation. read more .
The Grapevine, Texas-based company's business of selling video games for consoles faces competition from streaming services such as those of Apple Inc (AAPL.O), which allow users to play video games on their TV sets without a console required.
Cohen recruited a number of executives from Amazon, including Furlong and Elliott Wilkie who joined as chief growth officer in March.
Public records and filings show the company has hired dozens of new executives with supply chain and technology backgrounds from companies including Chewy and ecommerce company Zulily.
Cohen and Furlong have also let go several senior employees in recent months who have not fit their system, the two sources said.
(This story has been refiled to fix typo in lede)
Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston Editing by Greg Roumeliotis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Israeli study: COVID booster shots 92% effective at preventing serious illness - The Times of Israel
A large-scale Israeli study published Friday showed that a third booster shot was 92% effective in preventing serious illness compared to those who received only two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
The study conducted by Israel’s largest HMO Clalit Health Services, with funding from Harvard Medical School, was published in the Lancet medical journal based on a study of 728,321 people who received the third shot compared to a control group of a similar number who received only two shots at least five months before.
According to the report the third dose of 93% effective at preventing admission to the hospital, with the health service recording 231 instances of hospitalization for the two-dose group, compared to 29 for those who got a booster shot.
Similarly, the rate stood at 92% for severe disease with 157 cases in the control group compared to 17 among those in the third shot category.
The study also found the booster shot was 81% effective in preventing COVID-related deaths, with just seven recorded among those who got the booster shot compared to 44 deaths for those without.
The study period was July 30, 2020, to September 23, 202 and participants had a median age of 51 years old. Israel has almost exclusively used the Pfizer shot.
Both groups reported significantly lower numbers of hospitalizations and deaths than those who were not vaccinated at all.
“The results demonstrate in a very convincing way that the third dose of the vaccine is extremely efficient,” said Ran Balicer, Clalit’s chief innovation officer.
Israel was the first country to widely adopt the booster and the end of Israel’s fourth wave has been credited at least in part to its booster vaccine campaign, which began among those over 65 in August and was quickly rolled out to the rest of the population. As of Friday, almost 4 million Israelis — more than 42% of the total population — have received a third dose of the COVID vaccine. Close to 67% of the total population has received at least one shot.
Israelis over 60 receive their third-dose booster of the COVID-19 vaccine at a Clalit HMO clinic in Jerusalem, on August 8, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Around 650,000 people who are eligible for vaccines have not received any of the shots, while about 1.1 million Israelis eligible for the booster have yet to receive it.
Since then the US and other countries have followed suit, although some have approved the booster only for the elderly or those with preexisting conditions.
The booster shots have been widely credited with helping Israel overcome a fourth wave of the virus.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Israel has dropped below 10,000 for the first time in over three months, according to figures released on Thursday and Friday by the Health Ministry.
As the Delta outbreak continues to wane, active cases stand at 9,030 as of Friday night, after passing 90,000 in early September. The data also showed 656 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, down from between 5,000 and 6,000 daily almost two months ago. On Thursday, active cases stood at 9,551.
Serious cases were down to 222 as of Friday evening, including 127 on ventilators and 148 in critical condition. The death toll was up by 10 since Thursday morning for a total of 8,085.
Israel’s COVID-19 positivity rate has also steadily declined in recent weeks, reaching a low in recent days not seen since the beginning of July, according to Health Ministry statistics.
Just 651 people tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, out of close to 77,000 tests, marking a positivity rate of 0.92 percent, up slightly from Wednesday’s 0.81%. At the peak of Israel’s fourth wave in early September, the positivity rate surpassed 8%.
But ahead of the expected approval of vaccinations for ages 5-11, health officials have been warning against dropping the ball on vaccines that could stave off future waves.
On Wednesday, the government voted to cancel the restrictions on outdoor gatherings, which until now had been capped at 5,000 people.
As of Friday, open-air gatherings that require a Green Pass will be able to have an unlimited number of attendees.
Overall, all indicators point to the ending of Israel’s fourth COVID wave, which began in July and at its height saw more than 10,000 new cases reported each day.
Empty beds in the intensive care unit at the coronavirus ward of Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem on October 14, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Under Israel’s traffic light program — which ranks localities as red, orange, yellow or green depending on their number of new cases, rate of positivity, and growth rate of cases — just one town is currently listed as red: the Beit El settlement outside Jerusalem. Eleven towns are ranked as orange, and the rest of the country is either yellow or green.
A key Health Ministry advisory panel is set to meet next week to begin the approval process for vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds, after the US Food and Drug Administration approved it earlier this week. Health Ministry director-general Nachman Ash said he expects a fair amount of hesitancy among parents, but that the ministry is aiming to make the approval process as transparent and clear as possible to alleviate any concerns.
13-year-old Tomer Zarfati receives his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary Clalit health care center in Jerusalem, August 29, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel is still awaiting a shipment of the Pfizer COVID doses for children, which are one-third of the dose given to adults. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reportedly ordered health officials to hurry along the shipment, which is slated to arrive in mid-November.
Starting Monday, Israel will be opening up its borders — somewhat — allowing in vaccinated tourists who have received a second or third dose, or recovered in the past six months. Despite the restrictions, experts say that reopening Ben-Gurion will pose a risk of new variants and a spike in cases.
According to Channel 12 news, tourists caught violating quarantine will be deported and banned from re-entry for three years. And those caught violating quarantine while COVID-positive will be deported and banned for five years.
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