Month: September 2021

Thousands of Australian Delivery Workers Strike Across the Country for Job Security

Thousands of delivery workers at Australian courier company StarTrack have walked off the job for 24 hours from midnight Sept. 23 after negotiations over job security and pay broke down. Around 2,000 StarTrack employees are striking across the country after the Fair Work Commission approved the industrial action while rejecting StarTrack’s claim that it would…


DHS Looking to Hire Private Contractor ‘Fluent in Haitian Creole’ for Guantánamo Bay Migrant Operations Center

The Biden administration is looking to hire a private contractor to provide security officers to oversee a Migrant Operations Center at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, according to a recent government advertisement. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has a continuing need to contract for services to provide unarmed custody and security officers to provide…


Hong Kong Tycoon Sells Shanghai Property for $540 Million

Hong Kong’s richest man has sold a 24-story commercial building in Shanghai for $540 million, further reducing his assets on the Chinese mainland. Hysan Development announced last Friday it would acquire the commercial project in Shanghai from CK Asset Holdings Ltd., a Hong Kong-based investment holding company founded by business magnate Li Ka-shing. The newly…


Taiwan Moves to Join Pacific Trade Pact Before China

Taiwan has formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Sept. 20, following China’s bid last week. Taiwan submitted its application to New Zealand, who handles the paperwork for the trade bloc, but warned that if China’s application were approved, it would struggle to join the CPTPP. Taiwan has…


Australian Federal Court Overturns Ban on Live Aerial Broadcasts of Melbourne Protests

A temporary restriction on Australian media flying helicopters over Melbourne to live broadcast unrest in the city over mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and health restrictions has been overturned by the Federal Court on Thursday, according to local media. On Wednesday, Victoria Police applied to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to temporarily restrict air space above Melbourne’s…


Amtrak to Require Employee COVID-19 Vaccinations

Passenger railroad Amtrak said on Tuesday it will require nearly all of its 18,000 employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 22. The railroad said in an email to employees that it will only allow regular coronavirus testing in lieu of vaccines for medical and religious accommodations.


Disney’s Chapek Says Program Production Delayed as Delta Variant Spreads

Walt Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek said on Tuesday the resurgence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus was delaying production of some of its titles. “Our TV group has hundreds of new programs in production … but the resurgence of COVID and Delta did impact some of our productions so that we’ve got…


Asian Shares, Wall Street Hold Gains After Fed Signals It May Taper Soon

Asian shares were mostly higher on Thursday after the Federal Reserve signaled it may begin easing its extraordinary support measures for the economy later this year. Shares rose in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Australia, and Taiwan but fell in South Korea and Malaysia. U.S. futures were higher. Markets were closed in Tokyo. The U.S. central bank…


Malaysia Seeking Beijing’s ‘Views’ on New Australia, US, UK Nuclear Submarine Pact

Malaysia’s Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is contemplating a trip to China to discuss the newly minted AUKUS alliance between Australia, the United States (U.S.), and the United Kingdom (UK). Malaysian and Indonesian authorities have raised concerns about a potential arms race in the region, which is in contrast to the Philippines government who backed the…


Rookie NFL Quarterbacks Struggling Through First 2 Weeks

The rookie class of quarterbacks that entered the season full of fanfare is finding the adjustment to the NFL is not very easy. Top two picks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson lead the league with five interceptions after opening the season with back-to-back losses. Trey Lance has barely seen the field and Mac Jones is…