Jul 17, 2023 By Ap 7 min read

Actors and writers on strike are united and determined in the face of a long summer standoff

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Solidarity and stamina are themes on picket lines in New York and Los Angeles as striking actors and writers are bracing for a long standoff with studios. Writers who have been on strike since May and actors who are only on their second day Monday emphasized that they are energized by picketing together. Kevin Bacon was on the picket line in New York and said he was there to support the members of his union who have to struggle to get by. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Monday’s press briefing that the president believes all workers, including writers and actors, deserve fair pay.

China’s economy misses growth forecasts, raising the odds of more support for its tepid recovery

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economic growth missed forecasts in the second quarter of the year amid a slowdown in consumer spending and weakening global demand. Worries over a faltering recovery after the disruptions of the pandemic and surging unemployment among young Chinese have raised the likelihood of more government support to prop up growth. The economy grew at a 6.3% annual pace in April-June, much slower than analysts’ forecast for growth topping 7%. In quarterly terms, the usual measure for most major economies, growth slipped to 0.8% from 2.2% in January-March. China’s economy has been slowing in the long term, a trend that has accelerated due to the pandemic and a slump in the real estate sector.

Russia halts landmark deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain at time of growing hunger

LONDON (AP) — Russia has halted a breakthrough wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed people into poverty. A Kremlin spokesman announced Monday that Russia would suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative until its demands to get its own agricultural shipments to the world are met. While Russia has complained that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its agricultural exports, it has been shipping record amounts of wheat. It’s the end of an accord that the U.N. and Turkey brokered to allow food to leave the Black Sea region after Russia invaded its neighbor.

Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia’s war matters to the world

LONDON (AP) — Russia has suspended a wartime deal brokered by the U.N. and Turkey that was designed to move food from Ukraine to parts of the world where millions are going hungry. The Black Sea Grain Initiative has allowed 32.9 million metric tons of grain to be exported from Ukraine since last August. The group that facilitates the initiative says more than half of that has gone to developing countries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the part of the deal related to Russia has not been fulfilled. Moscow has complained that its own agricultural shipments have faced hurdles. That’s despite Moscow shipping record amounts of wheat.

Microsoft and UK regulators win more time to resolve blocked $69 billion Activision deal

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft and British regulators won more time from a court Monday as the U.S. tech company uses a rare second chance to overcome opposition to its $69 billion bid for video game maker Activision Blizzard. The judge conditionally approved their joint request to delay the appeal that Microsoft set in motion after watchdogs initially rejected the deal. The regulator later pushed back its final decision so it can consider Microsoft’s argument that new developments mean its blockbuster purchase of the Call of Duty game maker should go through. The merger has already won approval in the European Union and a slew of countries but has faced opposition from antitrust regulators in Britain and the United States.

Biden and Sanders meet union organizers amid labor turmoil

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders met with labor organizers at the White House on Monday to talk about ways to boost union membership. The organizers represent industries and workplaces that have not traditionally been represented by unions, such as Starbucks coffee shops and video game companies. The meeting took place as strikes have been launched and threatened around the country. Entertainment unions representing actors and writers have shut down film and television production, and UPS drivers could also walk off the job.

Union Pacific railroad to renew push for 1-person crews by testing conductors in trucks

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific will renew its push for one-person train crews later this summer when the railroad tests out the idea of having a conductor in a truck respond to problems on trains in Nebraska and Colorado. Union Pacific will continue using two crew members on its trains during the test, but railroad officials believe this could bolster their case in future negotiations for cutting crew size if it is successful. A UP executive confirmed the plan Monday when he testified against a proposed Kansas rule that would require two-person crews. All the rail unions have long opposed cutting train crews down to one because of safety concerns, but the conductors’ union agreed to let Union Pacific test this idea.

How Benjamin Franklin laid groundwork for the US dollar by foiling early counterfeiters

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Benjamin Franklin, the colonial inventor, publisher, diplomat and U.S. founding father, was so busy that it’s easy to lose track of his accomplishments. Add to those his early work in printing colonial paper currency, which was plagued by constant counterfeiting. Franklin was an early innovator of printing techniques that used colored threads, watermarks and imprints of natural objects such as leaves to make it far harder for others to create knockoffs of the paper bills he printed. A team at the University of Notre Dame used advanced scanning techniques to reveal some of Franklin’s methods — and one more reason his face appears on the $100 bill.

Stock market today: Wall Street pushes higher as earnings season ramps up

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street pushed higher ahead of a week full of updates about where profits for U.S. companies are heading. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Monday. The Dow added 76 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.9%. Stocks elsewhere around the world slipped after China reported weaker economic growth for the spring than expected. While that’s diluted a main engine of growth for the world’s economy, it’s also helped to limit inflation. In the U.S., earnings reporting season is accelerating after beginning last week. Bank of America, Netflix and Tesla are among the companies reporting this week.

Meta faces $100K daily fine from Norway regulator over privacy concerns in user advertising

NEW YORK (AP) — Meta will face a hefty fine over advertising practices that violate user privacy, Norway’s data protection authority said Monday, unless the Facebook and Instagram owner takes action to comply with the law. Norwegian regulator Datatilsynet says that behavioral advertising — a common marketing model that profiles users by collection information like their physical locations, among other data — without consent is illegal. Because of this, Datatilsynet imposing a “temporary ban” of such practices on Facebook and Instagram. During the ban, which starts August 4, Meta risks a fine of up to one million Norwegian kroner (nearly $100,000) each day. Meta said that the company will review Datatilsynet’s decision — and added that there is “no immediate impact” to its services.