U.S. railroads reach tentative deal with workers, averting a strike

A damaged apartment building is seen in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, September 14, 2022

WORLD

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said towns and villages recaptured from Russian forces had been devastated, while a major city stepped up efforts to repair damage to its water system from missile attacks. Here’s what you need to know about the conflict right now.

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meet today in an ancient Uzbek Silk Road city to discuss the Ukraine war, tensions over Taiwan and the deepening partnership between the rising superpower of China and the natural resources titan of Russia.

Mourners from all walks of life queued to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth as she lay in state in London’s ancient Westminster Hall, paying their final respects to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch before her funeral on Monday.

The head of Sweden’s Moderate Party, Ulf Kristersson, said he would begin the work of forming a new government after Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson conceded her Social Democrats had lost the weekend’s general election.

The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, his most optimistic outlook yet on the years-long health crisis which has killed over six million people.

Venezuelan migrants stand outside St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown, Massachusetts, September 14, 2022

U.S.

A group of immigrants landed on the wealthy Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, part of a campaign by Republican governors to shift the immigration burden to Democratic areas. Florida governor Ron DeSantis took credit for the arrival of two planes of immigrants, though a Massachusetts state representative said immigrants had arrived from Texas.

Major U.S. railroads and unions reached a tentative deal on better pay and improved conditions for workers, President Joe Biden said, potentially averting a rail shutdown across the country that could have hit food and fuel supplies.

New Hampshire Republicans chose far-right candidate Don Bolduc to take on Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan in November’s election, Edison Research projected, potentially complicating Republican chances of winning a Senate majority.

An Ohio judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the state’s Republican-led ban on abortion after about six weeks following legal challenges by a Planned Parenthood affiliate and other abortion providers.

R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty on multiple charges of child pornography and luring underage girls to have sex with him but not guilty of obstructing a 2008 state case that ended with his acquittal. In his latest trial, Kelly – whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly – was found guilty by a jury on six out of 13 counts.

BUSINESS

China’s exporters – the last reliable pillar of the world’s second-largest economy as it struggled with the pandemic, weak consumption and a property crisis – are warning of hard times ahead as softer overseas markets force them to shed workers, shift to lower-value goods and even rent out their factories.

Shell has turned to the head of its gas and renewables business to drive its transition to a greener future, picking Wael Sawan to replace Ben van Beurden as chief executive. Sawan’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the oil giant, which is aiming to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.

Tesla is reevaluating the way it sells electric cars in China, its second-largest market, and considering closing some showrooms in flashy malls in cities like Beijing where traffic plunged during COVID restrictions, people with knowledge of the plans said.

The Ethereum blockchain has undergone a major software upgrade, drastically reducing its energy usage, its inventor and co-founder tweeted. The upgrade, which changes how transactions occur and how ether tokens are created, could give Ethereum a major advantage as it seeks to surpass rival blockchain bitcoin.

H&M reported lower-than-expected quarterly sales as shoppers tighten their belts with energy and food bills soaring and the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer struggles to compete with rival Zara.

British finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng is considering scrapping caps on bankers’ bonuses to boost London’s post-Brexit competitiveness against financial capitals like New York and Hong Kong, a source familiar with Kwarteng’s thinking said.