open | Common News Update

Apr62021 by adminNo Comments

New Zealand and Australia to open quarantine-free travel bubble

World

April 6 (UPI) -- New Zealand announced Tuesday it will be re-opening its borders with Australia later this month after slamming them shut to travel a year ago in an effort to stymie the spread of the coronavirus. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced during a press conference Tuesday that conditions in both countries to permit quarantine-free travel between them had been met and the trans-Tasman travel bubble will be open starting April 19. Advertisement The announcement came hours after the nation's Cabinet had been informed that travel would be safe and that the director-general of health assessed the risk of transmission between the two countries was low. "One sacrifice that has been particularly hard for many to bear over the past year has been not be able to see friends...

Mar142021 by adminNo Comments

Dow futures rise as stocks point to strong open on Monday

Finance

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.Source: NYSEU.S. stock futures moved higher in overnight trading and pointed to gains at the open on Monday, continuing last week's rally that led the Dow and S&P 500 to record highs.Dow futures rose 60 points. S&P 500 futures gained 0.16% and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.14%.Stocks rose last week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 4% and the S&P 500 gaining 2.6%. The S&P 500 and the Dow both closed at record highs Friday.The Nasdaq Composite advanced 3% last week, despite a sell-off on Friday spurred by rising interest rates. The jump in bond yields has challenged growth stocks in recent weeks and sent investors into cyclical pockets of the market. The Nasdaq is up less than 1% this month, while the Dow and S&...

Mar82021 by adminNo Comments

Japan open to deploying soldiers to Senkaku Islands, report says

World

March 8 (UPI) -- Japan may not be ruling out troop deployment to the disputed Senkaku Islands if conflict arises with rival forces, according to a recent press report. A Japanese official speaking on the condition of anonymity told the South China Morning Post Tokyo will not tolerate Chinese breaches of Japan-claimed territory, after Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Japanese ships will be allowed to fire at foreign boats "preemptively." Advertisement "Under our domestic law, the self-defense forces can use weapons as law enforcement against unlawful activities on behalf of our coast guard if the Chinese coast guard enters our territorial waters including ... the Senkaku Islands without permission," the Post's source said. Japanese wariness of Chinese activity in the Ea...

Mar82021 by adminNo Comments

Sen. Joe Manchin open to party-line vote on future bills with voting rights legislation now in focus

Finance

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WVA) removes his mask to speak as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for fresh coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 1, 2020.Kevin Lamarque | ReutersSen. Joe Manchin, the moderate Democrat from West Virginia, said he would consider passing legislation through a party-line vote again but only in a situation where Democrats have tried to engage Republicans.Manchin's comments come as the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers look toward other top priorities, including voting rights legislation, after they passed a $ 1.9 trillion Covid relief bill without any Republican support in the evenly divided Senate this weekend.The massive stimulus package was ...

Feb242021 by adminNo Comments

Streaming bosses defend models but seem open to exploring change at inquiry

Entertainment

Spotify, Apple and Amazon bosses have defended their music streaming models to a government inquiry investigating how revenue is distributed - but agreed they would potentially be willing to "get together" as an industry to explore options.The trio appeared virtually before MPs at the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) committee's latest session on the impact of streaming on Tuesday afternoon. Artists including Nile Rodgers, Elbow's Guy Garvey, Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien and singer-songwriter Nadine Shah have already given evidence, as have executives from the UK's "big three" major labels - Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music - and representatives from licensing bodies. Image: Nile Rodgers is among the artists ...