Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Ford plans to cut about 4,000 jobs in Europe, as the carmaker grapples with slowing demand for electric vehicles and fierce competition with Chinese rivals. The US company said on Wednesday the cuts would be in place by the end of 2027 and would affect about 3,000 jobs in Germany and 800 in the UK, representing about 14 per cent of its 28,000 workforce in Europe. The moves are pending discussions with unions.” (11/20/24)
Source: Engadget
“The UK government is expected to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the roll of social media in summer riots, particularly around the use of generative AI, The Guardian reported. As part of that, MPs (members of Parliament) wish to cross-examine X owner Elon Musk, along with senior executives from Meta and TikTok, as part of a Commons science and technology select committee social media inquiry. … The government is looking into the use of fake images created by generative AI, often containing Islamophobic content, which were widely shared in social media posts on Facebook and X. Such posts may have inflamed riots last August that took place after three schoolgirls were murdered. MPs are also looking into big tech business models that ‘encourage the spread of content that can mislead and harm.'” (11/20/24)
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The US has been criticised by humanitarian organisations for deciding to supply Ukraine with landmines, as the war in eastern Europe rages on. In an interview with the BBC, Human Rights Watch director Mary Wareham said the decision marked a ‘shocking and devastating development’ for those working to eradicate anti-personnel landmines. The approval from Washington is an attempt to slow down Russian troops, who have been steadily advancing into Ukraine’s east in recent months. … Ms Wareham’s stance was echoed by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which condemned the US decision ‘in the strongest possible terms.’ ‘These horrific, indiscriminate weapons were banned by the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty given the devastating impact they have on civilians’ lives and livelihoods,’ the statement from the ICBL’s director, Tamar Gabelnick, added.” (11/20/24)
Source: ABC News
“Greek public and private sector workers walked off the job Wednesday in a 24-hour general strike that is disrupting services across the country, with public transport in the capital suspended for several hours and ferries that connect the islands to the mainland tied up in port. Medical staff at state-run hospitals and teachers are also participating in the strike, called by labor unions to protest the high cost of living and demand collective wage agreements that were scaled back during Greece’s nearly decade-long financial crisis that began in 2010. Journalists at Greek media outlets held their own 24-hour strike in support on Tuesday, pulling all news broadcasts off the air for the day, so they could cover Wednesday’s general strike.” (11/20/24)
Source: Common Dreams
“A group of progressives in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders'[s] joint resolutions of disapproval that would block sales of American weapons to Israel as its troops continue to lay waste to the Gaza Strip. Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the six resolutions in September and plans to force a vote on Wednesday. In a statement led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the House members said that ‘if given the opportunity to do so, we would vote in favor of S.J. Res. 111, S.J. Res. 113, and S.J. Res. 115.'” (11/20/24)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-weapons-sales-to-israel
Source: United Press International
“Los Angeles passed a ‘sanctuary city’ ordinance Tuesday to protect immigrants from deportation, after President-elect Donald Trump vowed to deport any ‘criminals who are being illegally harbored.’ The Los Angeles City Council passed the ordinance unanimously during Tuesday’s council meeting, by a vote of 13 to 0. The ordinance, which was drafted more than a year ago, codifies the protection of migrants into municipal law and would ban the use of city resources to assist federal immigration enforcement. Under the law, no investigations, arrests, transfers or detentions of any people for the purpose of immigration enforcement would be allowed on city property or by city employees.” (11/20/24)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/11/20/los-angeles-sanctuary-city-law/1241732079428/
Source: Fox News
“Elon Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy are already looking at what parts of the government could be slashed as they team up to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Tesla CEO on Wednesday pointed to famed economist Milton Friedman’s opinion from decades ago about how bloated the government had become. ‘Milton Friedman was the best,’ Musk wrote in a post on X, sharing an interview the late Nobel laureate gave, wherein he went through a list of entire federal agencies that should never have been created in the first place, as well as those that he felt were important.” (11/20/24)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/elon-musk-shares-milton-freidmans-loathing-government-bloat
Source: Associated Press
“A Spanish court has upheld a ruling that a supermarket worker was unlawfully fired for having eaten a croquette that was going to be thrown away after not having been sold from the store’s deli section. The worker was fired in July 2023 after he had snarfed down the fried snack, which was destined for the trash after the store had closed for the day. In a verdict that The Associated Press saw on Wednesday, the Superior Court of Castilla-La Mancha recently rejected an appeal by the supermarket chain of a decision by a lower court in May 2024 in favor of the worker. The company’s policy is that workers are prohibited from consuming any product found in the store without having paid for it previously.” (11/20/24)
https://apnews.com/article/spain-croquette-fired-worker-supermarket-144244c394b1b163b5bef0b1696f9880
Source: SFGate
“A Pakistani court granted bail Wednesday to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a graft case, his lawyer said. But with a slew of other charges pending against him, the opposition leader is staying behind bars. Still, the order by a superior court in the capital, Islamabad, was a boost for Khan in the case in which he is accused, along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, of keeping and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, has denied the charge. The hearings in the trial on the graft charges started in July and are still ongoing. Khan has so far been embroiled in over 150 cases and has been sentenced in several, including to three years, 10 years, 14 years and seven years to be served concurrently under Pakistani law.” (11/20/24)
Source: CBS News
“The Biden administration will provide Ukraine with controversial anti-personnel mines in its war against Russia, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News Tuesday night. Anti-personnel mines, or APLs, are designed to be used against people, not vehicles. They can be rapidly deployed and are meant to blunt the advances of ground forces, making them useful for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s advances in Eastern Ukraine, the official said. The U.S. sought commitments from the Ukrainians on their use to further limit the risk to civilians, the official said, noting that Ukrainians are committed to not employing the mines in areas populated with their own civilians.” (11/19/24)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-to-provide-anti-personnel-mines-to-ukraine-official-says/