China manufacturing unexpectedly shrinks, services offer support
Rising COVID-19 cases in tens of cities over the summer also disrupted the manufacturing and the services sectors, though the latter is starting to bounce back as the outbreaks receded. “In September, due to factors such as low volumes of business at high energy-consuming industries, the manufacturing PMI fell below the critical point,” said Zhao Qinghe, a senior NBS statistician, in an accompanying statement. A separate private survey also released on Thursday that focuses on small and export-oriented businesses showed that factory activity in September neither expanded nor contracted. Last month, COVID-19-related restrictions drove services sector activity into sharp contraction for the first time since the height of the pandemic last year. The official September composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services activity, stood at 51.7 versus 48.9 in August.
Source:MetroXpress
September 30, 2021 01:18 UTC
Japan’s factory output extends declines on car production cuts
Separate data out on Thursday showed retail sales in August slipped for the first time in six months as households cut spending amid a coronavirus relapse, signalling lacklustre consumer sentiment. Factory output lost 3.2% in August from the previous month, official data showed on Thursday, hit by weaker production of cars and electronic machines and marking the second consecutive month of contraction after a 1.5% drop in July. The government downgraded its assessment of industrial production for the first time since April 2020, saying it was “stalling”. Separate government data on Thursday showed retail sales were weaker-than-expected, falling 3.2% in August from a year earlier, dragged down by consumer electronics and clothing. Compared with the previous month, retail sales declined a seasonally adjusted 4.1%.
Source:MetroXpress
September 30, 2021 01:18 UTC
Motorcycling-Vinales withdraws from Austin MotoGP after cousin’s death
(Reuters) – Aprilia MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales will miss this weekend’s Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, after the death of his 15-year-old cousin in a race accident in Spain last Saturday. Dean Berta Vinales, who rode for the Vinales Racing Team, died after he fell and was hit by other riders during a Supersport 300 support race of the World Superbike Championship in Jerez. “Less than a week has passed since the accident… which is not enough time to regain the serenity needed to race,” Aprilia Racing Team Gresini said in a statement on Wednesday. “Vinales, with the full and unconditional support of Aprilia Racing, has therefore decided to take a break on his journey of getting to know the bike and team. Vinales left Yamaha in August and signed for Aprilia for 2022, with his debut then brought forward this month after he tested with the team.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 22:52 UTC
Oak tree standing over historic grave in Ashland gets Planning Board's OK for removal
Oddly, in one of the submitted drawings sent to the Planning Board by Flansburgh Architects this month, there is a note to save the tree. Some of those include:The Planning Board is giving the applicant discretion as to whether it will chop down the tree. Wilson is president of the Ashland Historical Society but stressed he was speaking as an individual. In the letter, the commission outlines five recommendations it has for the town regarding the gravesite:For the project's planners to take into account the comments made by the general public along with the Ashland Historical Commission and Ashland Historical Society. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Massachusetts Historical Commission should be "contacted immediately."
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 19:30 UTC
Powell: “Tension” between jobs, inflation is the chief challenge facing Fed
(Reuters) -Resolving “tension” between high inflation and still-elevated unemployment is the most urgent issue facing the Federal Reserve right now, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday, acknowledging the central bank’s two goals are in potential conflict. The United States is more than 5 million jobs short of where it was before the pandemic. At the Fed’s most recent meeting policymakers lifted their inflation forecasts for this year to 4.2% – more than twice the targeted level of 2%. Typically the rates of unemployment and inflation are inversely related, partly due to monetary policy and the use of interest rates to either stimulate or depress the demand for goods and services, thus influencing prices and hiring. The issue now is how long that dislocation lasts, and whether inflation proves so persistent that it outruns improvement in the job market and forces the Fed to begin raising interest rates while unemployment is still high.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 18:45 UTC
'Pathetic little wheel boy:' City of Hamtramck’s attorney ruthlessly mocks local activist in a wheelchair
click to enlarge ShutterstockA local activist in a wheelchair has filed suit against a municipal lawyer over demeaning emails. Back to your regularly scheduled sit down.”• “I love to walk. And do things that others can’t. My children thank you, in fact, for the college money,” Allen wrote. I beg you, cowardly punk.”Allen also represents other municipalities, including Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, and Wayne County, according to Blackwell.couldn’t reach Allen or Hamtramck city officials.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 17:47 UTC
Natick husband and wife in their 80s are out $26,000 after credit card scam
They told him that someone from Russia was trying to steal $13,000 using his credit card through the credit union. She was told that someone from China was trying to steal $13,000 from her account using her credit card. The woman bought 10 $1,000 Apple gift cards and six $500 Macy's gift cards and provided the PIN numbers to the scammer, Rossi said. As for the couple, Rossi said it is not known if they’ll ever get the money back. “Hopefully, since the credit card company and the credit union told them to file a police report they can help,” said Rossi.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 17:03 UTC
Making workplaces safe as businesses begin reopening after COVID-19
How do we return to work environments we once knew so well? Some may start to consider health insurance surcharges. SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT:Parents demand remote learning option amid delta spikeFor some businesses, a return to an on-site office culture may not be immediately possible. Review remote work policies and determine how to set expectations about camera presence and availability on communication tools to maintain team cohesion and accountability. Plan for the return to, and maintenance of, healthy operations with flexible and supportive leave policies and practices that educate employees and make workplaces safer.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 14:03 UTC
Three Polish regions scrap 'LGBT-free zones' after EU threatens to pull funding
Three regions in Poland have voted to cancel resolutions declaring themselves to be “LGBT-free zones.”With local authorities seeing pushes for gay rights as an affront to traditional Catholic family values, nearly 100 regions in Poland passed anti-LGBTQ resolutions in 2019, which the EU said violated discrimination laws. The European Commission later threatened to pull up to $150 million in funding for five local governments if they didn’t cancel the resolutions. In response, Podkarpackie, Lubelskie and Malopolskie scrapped their declarations on Monday. In an interview with BBC, Bart Staszewski, a Polish LGBTQ activist, praised the repeals while underscoring the need for further action. I mean, they don’t want to revoke the whole resolution, they just want to replace it with another one,” he said.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 14:01 UTC
Update: State trooper on detail in Weston seriously injured after tractor-trailer crash
WESTON — A Massachusetts State Police trooper who was seriously injured late Tuesday night when his cruiser was struck by a tractor-trailer on Route 128 (Interstate 95) will be on medical leave, authorities said. The trooper, a 33-year-old man, was treated and released at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston after the 11:44 p.m. crash on Route 128 southbound in Weston. State police say the driver of the tractor-trailer, a 27-year-old man from Montreal, told them he fell asleep. But the force of the crash broke the SUV’s steering wheel off and pinned the trooper inside his cruiser. The road was closed for about two hours as drivers were detoured through Waltham on Route 20, according to state police.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 12:47 UTC
Anti-LGBTQ church minister arrested for allegedly touching young boy at bus stop
According to police, the father chased Coghill, a discipleship minister at Lakehoma Church of Christ, and attacked him, fracturing his Coghill’s skull and cracking his orbital socket. We will cooperate with authorities as needed.”Lakehoma said that church elders had voted to relieve Coghill “from all duties. He will no longer be on staff at Lakehoma.”Coghill’s former employer, the anti-LGBTQ Choctaw Church of Christ, held a prayer vigil for him on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Coghill spent five years at Choctaw as the church’s Youth, Family and Involvement Minister, before moving to Lakehoma Church in Mustang. In addition to authoring an anti-gay book, Mazzalongo also criticized gay rights in an article republished by Choctaw, LGBTQ Nation reports.
Source:MetroXpress
September 29, 2021 12:32 UTC
Harvest Fest returns to Detroit’s Palmer Park
click to enlarge Barbara Bearfeld/People for Palmer ParkHarvest Fest returns to Detroit's Palmer Park this weekend. For 10 years, residents in the Palmer Park neighborhood celebrated the season with an annual Harvest Fest. Harvest Fest, presented by People for Palmer Park, is an all-ages festival that will feature live music, storytelling, arts and crafts, pumpkin picking, and apple cider from Motor City Brewing Works. The Harvest Fest will be open to the public from 1-4 p.m., Sat., Oct. 2; 1121 Merrill Plaisance, Detroit. Subscribe to our newsletters, and follow us on Google News, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.
Source:MetroXpress
September 28, 2021 19:18 UTC
![Michigan teacher says he was 'censored' for telling class '[America] is a country built on lies'](https://media1.fdncms.com/metrotimes/imager/u/slideshow/28162872/shutterstock_1073388047.jpg)
Michigan teacher says he was 'censored' for telling class '[America] is a country built on lies'
click to enlarge Shutterstock.comThe United States of America hasn't exactly always lived up to that whole "All men are created equal" thing. Ross Randall Johnson is a substitute teacher for the Dickinson-Iron School District in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, near the Wisconsin border. "I said, 'Yes,' and framed it within the context of the subject matter we were covering in class," Johnson says. Johnson says he felt that was threatening, and maintains that he was following Michigan’s school curriculum guidelines. People of color should not feel apprehensive about walking into a school in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula whether as a student or teacher."
Source:MetroXpress
September 28, 2021 16:52 UTC
Dior brings bold splash of colour to Paris fashion week
PARIS (Reuters) -Christian Dior showcased a burst of colorful 1960s- and 1970s-flavored mini dresses as crowds returned to its hometown show at the Paris fashion week. Chiuri swapped Dior’s signature, cinched Bar jackets for short, boxy cuts, rounding the shoulders and pairing them with mini skirts and bermuda shorts. “I bring this reference in the silhouette, in the bold colour and also it’s very graphic,” said Chiuri. Patterns included neon leopard prints and pastel camouflages as well as animal images that were blown up and applied with embroidery techniques. It feels different but it also feels encouraging that we’ve figured out a way to all be together and experience the world of fashion,” said actor Rachel Brosnahan, who flew in from New York.
Source:MetroXpress
September 28, 2021 14:43 UTC
Texas students walk out of school over alleged anti-LGBTQ discrimination
Hundreds of students walked out of a Texas high school on Wednesday, claiming discrimination against queer students and teachers. Related: Indiana school sued for allegedly discriminating against Gay-Straight AllianceIn a memo to staff, the Irving Independent School District said, “We want to send a different tone this year. “They are merely a signal that a teacher feels confident in their ability to have these conversations,” she told WFAA. Additionally, students who have attended GSA meetings at MacArthur told CBS that they have been questioned by the administration. Read More:Utah school district bans ‘politically charged’ Pride flag from classroomsWATCH: Anti-LGBTQ protester punched in the face at Pride paradeJake Gyllenhaal: ‘Brokeback Mountain’ helped break ‘stigma’ of straight actors taking gay roles
Source:MetroXpress
September 28, 2021 14:15 UTC