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Company guilty over New Zealand volcano disaster
Company guilty over New Zealand volcano disaster
by  AFP

The New Zealand firm that managed a volcanic island which erupted killing 22 people in 2019, was on Tuesday found guilty of failing to adequately protect visitors. A court in Auckland found Whakaari Management failed to "assess risk" to visitors sufficiently, or provide them with protective equipment.

Brazil's booming ag sector draws cash and controversy
Brazil's booming ag sector draws cash and controversy
by  AFP

With its massive output of soybeans, beef, cotton and now corn, Brazil has become one of the world's top agricultural powers. It is also the world's top supplier of chicken and beef, and second in cotton, after the United States.

China's electric bus revolution glides on
China's electric bus revolution glides on
by  AFP

On a rainy afternoon in Shenzhen, damp passengers jostle their way onto the megacity's buses, the quiet foot soldiers of an electric revolution for coal-guzzling China's public transport network. Shenzhen ditched diesel buses and went fully electric in 2017 -- a world first -- with its taxi fleet not far behind.

Stocks mixed, oil subdued as traders eye Mideast and central banks
Stocks mixed, oil subdued as traders eye Mideast and central banks
by  AFP

Asian stocks were mixed Tuesday, with traders tracking developments in the Middle East crisis as Israel presses on with its ground incursion of Gaza, while hopes the conflict will not spill over regionally kept oil prices subdued. With worries about supplies from the crude-rich Middle East subsiding for now, both main oil contracts edged up slightly Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics says Q3 operating profits down 77.57%
Samsung Electronics says Q3 operating profits down 77.57%
by  AFP

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that its operating profits for the July to September period were down 77.57 percent from the year before, even as new smartphone releases boosted revenue. The company said net profit dropped 37.7 percent year-on-year to 5.8 trillion won -- though it represents a rebound from the second quarter's 1.7 trillion won.

Panama tribunal rejects holding mine deal referendum
Panama tribunal rejects holding mine deal referendum
by  AFP

Panama's electoral tribunal on Monday dismissed the idea of organizing a referendum in December on a mining contract that has ignited countrywide protests. "At this time, the conditions are not in place to organize a... popular consultation," the court's president Alfredo Junca told reporters Monday, in reference to the very unrest the referendum was meant to quell.

US auto workers union reaches tentative deal with GM
US auto workers union reaches tentative deal with GM
by  AFP

The US auto workers union reached a tentative agreement with General Motors on a new labor contract Monday, a source close to negotiations told AFP, paving the way to ending a six-week strike at major car manufacturers. The in-principle pacts still need to be ratified by workers in a vote, in a process that could take two weeks, a source close to negotiations earlier said.

HSBC profits surge on higher interest rates
HSBC profits surge on higher interest rates
by  AFP

Banking giant HSBC on Monday posted surging profits for the third quarter as lenders pass on interest-rate hikes carried out by central banks. The London-listed lender added Monday that third-quarter revenue jumped 40 percent to $16.2 billion in the third quarter year-on-year.

Musk pulls plug on paying for X factchecks
Musk pulls plug on paying for X factchecks
by  AFP

Elon Musk has said that corrections to posts on X would no longer be eligible for payment as the social network comes under mounting criticism as becoming a conduit for misinformation. Musk warned against using corrections to make X users ineligible for receiving payouts.