China will ‘firmly fight back’ US over SenseTime sanction if necessary

Print/Download

Associated Press

Top US diplomat says China needs more ambitious climate goal

China and U.S. had a “very good year” for collaboration on dealing with climate change, but Washington is still pushing Beijing to adopt more ambitious carbon reduction goals, the top U.S. diplomat in China said. David Meale, the American Embassy’s No. 2 official, said that what China does on burning coal will be crucial to whether the world can meet its target of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, as set by the 2015 Paris climate accord. China, the world’s largest energy consumer and biggest producer and consumer of coal, emits 27% of the world’s carbon dioxide, the most of any country.
Motley Fool

These Retirement Savers Are Making a Big Mistake

Investing for retirement is crucial to building a nest egg that can provide financial security in your later years. In fact, recent research from Fidelity found around a quarter of all employees who are invested in workplace retirement accounts are taking on more risk than they should. Fidelity’s data showed that in 2021, close to one in four employees had more stock than was recommended. Allocating too much money to equities is dangerous because stocks present a higher risk of loss.
AFP

False posts misrepresent report of civil service examination in China

Posts claiming that Indonesia’s civil service job vacancies have been given to Chinese citizens — and not to Indonesians — have circulated on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. However, the claim is false. According to Indonesia’s civil service agency, only Indonesian citizens are allowed to take civil service jobs in the country. The posts misleadingly referenced a headline from an Indonesian-language news report about 1.4 million people taking the 2021 civil service examination in China, not in In
Barrons.com

Deadly Tornadoes Spotlight Amazon.com Warehouse Work Rules

The collapse of an Amazon.com warehouse in Illinois over the weekend put a new spotlight on the e-commerce retailer’s workplace policies, including a ban on mobile phones on the job. Workers told Bloomberg they want access to emergency alerts such as tornado warnings while they are on their shifts. Rescue efforts continued Sunday at the warehouse, where at least six people died when powerful storms brought death and destruction across six Midwestern states. The National Weather Service sent a tornado warning about 30 minutes before the warehouse was hit, workers said.
Associated Press

Inflation is painfully high, but some relief may be coming

Consumer prices rose 6.8% for the 12 months ending in November, a 39-year high. Prices have dropped on global markets for crude oil and natural gas, which is filtering into lower prices at the pump and for home heating. To be sure, economists say inflation will likely stay higher than it was before the pandemic, even after it eases through 2022. “This is not going to be an easy fix,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.
Reuters

Germany committed to Ukraine’s gas transit role, says Scholz

WARSAW (Reuters) -Germany is committed to safeguarding Ukraine’s role as a transit route for gas into Europe, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday, as Russian troop movements along the Ukrainian border increased pressure on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Nord Stream 2, which would carry Russian gas to Germany and bypass Ukraine, has not been certified due to regulatory hurdles, while Poland and the United States have demanded a halt to the pipeline should Russia invade Ukraine.
Reuters

EU hesitates over possible Olympic boycott in China

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Lithuania’s foreign minister said on Monday he would not attend the 2022 Olympic Games in China as France and the Netherlands sought a common position on a European Union response to highlight Chinese human rights abuses. “I’m not going,” Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters, ahead of discussions among EU foreign ministers.
Reuters

Vietnam car company Vingroup starts work on $174 million EV battery plant

Vietnam’s biggest conglomerate Vingroup said on Sunday it had started building a $174 million battery cell plant for its VinFast electric vehicles business so the company can own its battery supply chain. VinFast became the country’s first fully fledged domestic car manufacturer when its gasoline-powered models built under its own badge hit the streets in 2019. It is betting on the U.S. market, where its electric SUVs and a battery leasing model are expected to make their debut next year. The battery plant, Vietnam’s first EV battery project is located in central province of Ha Tinh, on a 8-hectare (20 acre) plot.
Reuters

EU ‘in deterrent mode’, studies possible Russia sanctions over Ukraine

The European Union is discussing a possible new round of economic sanctions against Russia with the United States and Britain, but no decisions will be taken on Monday, the bloc’s top diplomat said. The EU and the United States imposed economic sanctions on Russia in July 2014, targeting its energy, banking and defence sectors, and is considering further measures if Russia tries to invade Ukraine after a troop on its borders. “We are in deterrent mode,” Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. “In any case we will send a clear signal that any aggression against Ukraine will have a high cost for Russia… We are studying together with the U.S. and the UK what (sanctions )could be, when and how, in a coordinated manner.”
People

Miss India Wins Miss Universe 2021

Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu earned the prestigious crown in Eilat, Israel, on Sunday after beating out the runners-up, Miss Paraguay and Miss South Africa