Business

Asian shares mostly lower, extending Wall Street losses

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Monday after Wall Street logged its worst week since the pandemic began in 2020. Benchmarks declined in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Sydney but rose in Shanghai. U.S. futures were higher. Investors have been growing increasingly worried about how aggressively the Federal Reserve, which holds a policy meeting this week, might act to cool rising inflation. Historically low rates, dubbed quantitative easing, or QE, have helped support the broader market as the economy absorbed a sharp hit from the pandemic in 2020 and then recovered over the last two years. “The FOMC (Fed) meeting dominates the macro calendar this week and is likely to keep risk sentiment on the hesitant side with an end to QE and imminent rates hikes likely to be announced," economists N

Business

Meet your 2022 Jacksonville Image Awards finalists

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

The votes are in for the 3rd annual Jacksonville Image Awards. The annual awards recognize difference makers in the African American community, whether they’re lifelong educators who have found unique ways to reach students or young people leveraging social media into real social progress. Graham Media Group, CW 17 and News4JAX started collecting your nominations in November and narrowed down the list of nominees to three finalists for seven categories. The public were then allowed to vote for their favorite in each category from Jan. 3 through Jan. 23. The winners will be announced at a live in-person gala sometime in the third quarter of 2022. The original awards ceremony was scheduled to take place on Feb. 5 but has been postponed due to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in North...

Business

PG&E’s criminal probation to end amid ongoing safety worries

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

Pacific Gas & Electric is poised to emerge from five years of criminal probation, despite worries that nation’s largest utility remains too dangerous to trust after years of devastation from wildfires ignited by its outdated equipment and neglectful management. The probation, set to expire at midnight Tuesday, was supposed to rehabilitate PG&E; after its 2016 conviction for six felony crimes from a 2010 explosion triggered by its natural gas lines that blew up a San Bruno neighborhood and killed eight people. Instead, PG&E; became an even more destructive force. Since 2017 the utility has been blamed for more than 30 wildfires that wiped out more than 23,000 homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. “In these five years, PG&E; has gone on a crime spree and will

Business

Mugler, French fashion icon known for sculpted designs, dies

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73. He died Sunday, his official Instagram account said. “May his soul Rest In Peace,” it said in a post that was all black with no image. It did not give a cause of death. Mugler, who launched his brand in 1973, became known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist. The use of plastic-like futuristic fabric in his sculpted clothing became a trademark. He defined haute couture over several decades, dressing up Diana Ross and Beyonce at galas, on red carpets and runways. His designs weren’t shy about being outlandish, at times resembling robotic suits with protruding cone shapes. Mugler also had a popular per...

Business

What you need to know before filing taxes this year

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

Tax season is here and it’s early this year. You can start filing electronically on Monday, but will the returns be bigger or smaller this year? Everyone wants money back when they file their taxes, and this year you can file electronically on Jan. 24. Some may be weary after delays from previous years due to COVID-19. Mark Steber, a chief tax information officer, said the IRS may have some staffing issues, but they have adjusted to tax processing during a pandemic. “The IRA is still challenged by the pandemic as many companies are. So, as they have been messaging file early and electronically because as we may experience this year last year. There were upward of 30 million returns,” said Steber. Some people are hesitant to file electronically, but Steber said it’s an easy process that co

Business

Monthlong pandemic lockdown lifted on China’s Xi’an

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

Authorities have lifted a monthlong pandemic lockdown on the northern Chinese city of Xi’an and its 13 million residents. The announcement Monday followed the restart of commercial flights from the city the day before. Xi’an has been a cornerstone of the ruling Communist Party’s “zero tolerance” strategy toward COVID-19 that mandates lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing whenever a case is discovered. Xi’an is about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Beijing, where the Winter Olympics open Feb. 4. Access to the city was suspended Dec. 22 following an outbreak attributed to the delta variant of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the 2 million residents of one Beijing district have been ordered to undergo testing following a series of infections. The government told people in...

Business

UAE says it intercepts 2 ballistic missilles over Abu Dhabi

Usanewsposts

January 24, 20220

The United Arab Emirates intercepted two ballistic missiles targeting Abu Dhabi early Monday, its state-run news agency reported, the latest attack to target the Emirati capital. The attack on Abu Dhabi, after another last week killed three people and wounded six, further escalates tensions across the Persian Gulf as Yemen's yearslong civil war grinds on. That war, pitting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition, has become a regional conflict as negotiations continue over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers. The collapse of the accord has sparked years of attacks across the region. The state-run WAM news agency said that missile fragments fell harmlessly over the capital, Abu Dhabi. The Emirates “is ready and ready to deal with any threats and that it tak...