Tag: STATE

EU Wants to Extend Looser State Aid Rules for Virus-Hit Companies to Mid-2022

BRUSSELS—The European Commission on Thursday proposed extending looser state aid rules for virus-hit companies for six months to June 2022 in a bid to slowly wean them off the billions of euros provided by governments across the European Union. The EU executive, tasked with ensuring a level playing field in the 27-country bloc, also proposed…


Lufthansa Launches $2.5 Billion Capital Increase to Repay State Bailout

FRANKFURT—Lufthansa said on Sunday it would launch a capital increase that was expected to raise 2.14 billion euros ($2.51 billion) to pay back part of a state bailout Germany’s top airline received during the coronavirus crisis. The subscription period for the widely-expected rights issue, involving the issue of about 597.7 million new shares, would run…


California Lawmakers Approve First State-Funded Guaranteed Income Plan in Nation’s History

California lawmakers on Thursday approved the nation’s first state-funded guaranteed income plan that would distribute $35 million in monthly cash payments to eligible pregnant people and young adults who recently left foster care. The taxpayer-funded plan was approved unanimously in both chambers—36–0 in the Senate and 64–0 in the Assembly—and now heads to Gov. Gavin…


State Department Offers a $10 Million Bounty for Information on Foreign Hackers Targeting Critical Infrastructure

The State Department announced Thursday it will offer rewards up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of foreign actors who launch cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Tipsters will be able to contact the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program through a secure channel on the Tor browser, the department announced in a…


Orange County Cities Sue State Over Housing Mandates 

A lawsuit filed by an association of Orange County cities alleges California’s housing mandate violated the state local planning laws. The Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG) filed the lawsuit June 21 against the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) regarding the 1.34 million home mandate in Southern California; about 183,000 of those units…


Berlin State Hospitals Pause AstraZeneca Shots for Women Staff Under 55

BERLIN—Berlin’s state hospital groups Charite and Vivantes have stopped giving women under the age of 55 shots of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, spokeswomen for the hospitals said on Tuesday. The moves follow reports of rare but serious blood clots, bleeding, and in some cases death after vaccination, mainly in young women. “From the Charité’s point of…


Manhattan Judge Refuses to Dismiss New York AG’s Lawsuit Against NRA

A New York state judge ruled Thursday that state Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA) can go ahead. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen on Thursday denied the NRA’s motions to dismiss the case, pause it, or transfer it to another court. “The attorney general is the chief…


Former Texas State Senate Candidate Says She Was ‘Gagged, Bound, Tortured’ in Attack

A former Texas State Senate candidate said she was beaten and tortured at a hotel, and officials said three people were arrested in connection with the attack. Vanessa Tijerina, a Republican who lost in the Nov. 3 election, said she was called to the Texas Inn in Raymondville about “something very important regarding her safety,” according…


Ecuador Declares State of Emergency Amid Violent Clashes

QUITO—Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso on Monday declared a state of emergency and night curfews in three coastal provinces, amid a wave of violence over the weekend in the Andean country that left at least eight people dead. Mr. Lasso declared the state of emergency in the provinces of Manabi and Los Rios and in the…