Demolishing high rise council towers preferable says housing minister

GAS PRICES SHATTER RECORD HIGHS… USA TODAY: Gas prices are now the most expensive in US history, breaking record from 2008 After days of dramatically rising gas prices in wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the national average for a gallon of gas is now the highest in United States history, breaking the record that stood for nearly 14 years. As of Tuesday morning, the cost of regular gas in the U.S. is $4.17, according to AAA, up from $4.06 on Monday. Last week, the average cost was $3.60. The previous national average high was $4.11, set on July 17, 2008, according to AAA. The cost for diesel is also nearing the record of $4.84, which was also set in July 2008. The current price for a gallon of diesel is $4.75, over double what it was in October 2020. WORSE THAN HOLLYWOOD COULD IMAGINE… ‘I Am Legend’ Set A Prediction For Gas Prices In The Apocalypse. Prices In Beverly Hills Just Surpassed It In one rich pocket of the country, gas is officially more … [Read more...] about Editor Daily Rundown: Gas Prices Shatter Record Highs

With the Democrats' $437 billion climate and tax package poised for passage, businesses may want to give some more thought to the second part of that description: taxes. In a Friday vote, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed the House of Representatives along party lines. The legislation, which already passed the Senate and now makes its way to President Biden for a signature, aims to clamp down on record high inflation by reducing the federal deficit and lowering drug prices, while also making a sprawling $369 billion investment in clean energy. It's the largest investment in fending off climate change to date. Taxes on wealthier individuals and large corporations, along with a reform on prescription drug pricing, will largely fund the law. Notably, lawmakers claim the IRA does not raise taxes on small businesses. But that doesn't mean that entrepreneurs are unaffected by the law. Here's some key changes to look out for. A Stronger IRS The Internal … [Read more...] about House Passes Democrats’ $437 Climate Bill. 4 Ways Your Taxes Could Change in Its Wake

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Online search interest in phrases like “heat wave” hit an all-time peak this summer as record-breaking high temperatures and extreme weather events across the U.S. are increasingly drawing public attention to the climate crisis. Key Facts According to U.S. Google Trends data, online searches hit an all-time peak in July this year as several cities across the U.S. broke decades-old or all-time temperature records. With the exception of 2020—when most of the focus was on the Covid-19 pandemic—search interest in the phrase “heat wave” has consistently peaked higher every summer for the past five years. Extreme temperatures across the U.S. have led to unprecedented droughts in parts of the country and this is reflected in Google Trends data showing searches for “drought” peaked twice in the last five years—in June 2021 and July 2022. U.S.-wide search interest in the term “floods” for the … [Read more...] about Google Searches For Extreme Weather Events Peaked This Summer As U.S. Battled Floods And Heatwaves

As China’s economic ties to Africa entrench further, one small, semi-autonomous African region is resisting Chinese advances in a move that mirrors Taiwan’s efforts to maintain autonomy from China, according to The Wall Street Journal. Somaliland , one of two remaining African political regions with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, broke away from Somalia over 30 years ago but has yet to achieve recognition as an independent state at the United Nations, according to the WSJ. Beijing offered to build infrastructure projects in Somaliland if it would distance itself from Taiwan, but Somaliland refused, instead sending a delegation to Taiwan in February. Somaliland is “open to all bilateral relations we can have with any country, but it has to be unconditional, no strings attached,” Essa Kayd, Somaliland’s foreign minister, told the WSJ. “We’re not going to allow anyone to dictate who we can have a relationship with.” Taiwanese companies now have greater … [Read more...] about Bucking The Trend, One Small African Region Is Taking Sides With Taiwan

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Making the [New York] City & State 2022 Construction Power 100 is no easy feat. Deborah Bradley, president of Deborah Bradley Construction & Management Services (DBC), did it by building solid relationships, participating in mentorship programs, leveraging minority- and women-owned (M/WBE) certification programs, and her ability to learn on the job fast and well. Bradley's path into the construction industry was accidental and rocky. She worked for Deloitte Touche as a CPA before moving to New York to go to Columbia Business School for her MBA. She worked her way through school. But, when she needed surgery to get tumors removed from her ovaries, the small finance firm she worked for fired her. Having $150,000 of school debt, she didn't have the money nor the inclination to sue. However, her firing was a clarion call. It was the early 1990s and corporations didn't have parental-leave policies or the … [Read more...] about Relationships, Mentorship, And Certification Help A Woman-Owned Construction Firm Grow

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin People betting that the U.S. dollar’s slide will continue might want to pay more attention to what’s afoot in Asia. Or, perhaps more to the point, what’s not afoot here. Take China, where officials have been hinting all year about a pivot away from giant growth-killing “ zero Covid ” lockdowns. Myriad times, chatter about a more “dynamic” approach prioritizing vaccinations and testing over shutting down major metropolises excited investors. Then, new lockdowns ended the party. This pattern played out again this week in Hainan , an island province dependent on tourism. And for investors, it was a reminder that the forces behind the near-zero growth China produced in the April-June quarter—just 0.4% year-on-year—might not be an aberration. Odds are, the People’s Bank of China will remain in supporting-growth mode. Asia’s biggest economy, remember, has a bit of a property crisis on its hands. The strains that saw … [Read more...] about China’s ‘Zero-Covid’ Fiasco Will Give Dollar Rally New Life

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline A severe heatwave is spanning parts of western Europe and the British Isles, sparking several destructive forest fires in some regions that have caused at least two deaths in Spain—experts say it highlights the impact of climate change on the region which is likely to get no respite on Tuesday. Key Facts Due to the high temperatures, two massive forest fires have continued to rage on in southwestern France’s Gironde region for the past five days , according to France 24. Authorities have been unable to contain the fires, despite deploying more than 1,200 firefighters and multiple aerial firefighting planes. In Spain, a forest fire in the Zamora province has claimed at least two lives, including a firefighter and a farmer, the Associated Press reported . Spain has already reported at least 537 heat-related deaths this month while neighboring Portugal—which has faced its own string of … [Read more...] about Photos: Extreme Heat Leaves Parts Of Europe Engulfed In Forest Fires, No Respite Expected Today

MULTI-AWARDED This year Caroline Ong became the first creative to receive the Pamana ng Pilipino Award from Malacañang. —Contributed photos While most Filipinos dream of living the life of an expat in Western countries, Caroline Ong wanted to try her luck in a country closer to home and her heart. “I want to work in China.” This is what she manifested to the universe even before she became a global advertising creative and paved the way for the brand of Filipino creativity to be recognized in the world stage. Carol, who hails from Bacolod City, is a third-generation Chinese-Filipino. In order to come full circle with her Chinese roots, she wanted to study Mandarin so she could work in Shanghai. “I dreamed of coming to Shanghai way before it became hip. To my dismay, I couldn’t afford to pay for the tuition and living expenses without work. I couldn’t find scholarships. I looked for job opportunities, but why would anyone hire an English copywriter in a non-English speaking … [Read more...] about China-based Pinay creative now a trailblazing entrepreneur