HONG KONG — Asian shares were mixed on Tuesday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index regaining some of its sharp losses from a day earlier. A quarterly “tankan” survey by the Bank of Japan showed business confidence among large manufacturers remained steady at 13, indicating an improved outlook for business conditions. A positive number indicates that … Read more
Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight, … Read more
Getty Images Two new pieces of research offer insight into how Chinese people feel about their future China’s sputtering economy has its worried leaders pulling out all the stops. They have unveiled stimulus measures, offered rare cash handouts, held a surprise meeting to kickstart growth and tried to shake up an ailing property market with … Read more
MUNICH — Two students in Munich, sipping beers on their dormitory couch in 2022, chatted about a recent lecture describing the use of banana fibers in Colombia to make sustainable building materials. Wouldn’t it be great, the Technical University of Munich students joked, to do something similar with a local product here in Bavaria — … Read more
TOKYO — Business sentiment among Japan’s large manufacturers stood unchanged in the latest quarter from the previous quarter, according to a closely watched survey called “tankan” released Tuesday. The Bank of Japan survey put the benchmark index at plus-13 for the July-September quarter, the same from the previous survey conducted for April-June. A positive number … Read more
Getty Images A 10% domestic gas and electricity price rise has taken effect as debate continues over the withdrawal of additional support. A household in England, Wales and Scotland using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £1,717 a year from now, a rise to the annual bill of £149. It comes as … Read more
NEW YORK — Venue staff wore rainbow heart-shaped stickers. LGBTQ+ pride flags doubled as capes. Pink cowboy hats, a calling card for Chappell Roan fans, reached critical mass at pop-ups like Dave’s Lesbian Bar. Nearby, at a stand for the online sexual healthcare company Wisp, attendees posed in front of a glittery vulva. At New … Read more
BRUNSWICK, Maine — Maine environmental officials said all water samples analyzed so far in the wake of the state’s largest recorded accidental spill of firefighting foam are below its guidelines for potentially dangerous chemicals. A fire suppression system at a hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport discharged more than 1,400 gallons (5,300 liters) of the foam … Read more
PARIS — On an ordinary Parisian market street on an ordinary rainy fall day, Stella McCartney’s high-octane show on Monday was anything but. Guests gasped as the drizzle ceased, the clouds parted, and the sun emerged moments before the show — a heavenly metaphor, perhaps, for McCartney’s optimistic and nature-inspired display. Meanwhile, inside the storied … Read more
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor, Byron Brown, said Monday he will leave City Hall in a few weeks to lead an offtrack betting agency. “After nearly two decades as mayor, I have loved serving the people of Buffalo as mayor. But Michelle and I think the time is right to transition to a new … Read more