Remote workers quietly take ‘workations’ without telling the boss
Remote work has allowed for the rise of hush “workations,” when employees work remotely, often from a holiday location, without telling their boss. The COVID-19 pandemic helped drive the trend, not only because it prompted the rise of telework, but…
Biden releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from Northeast reserve in bid to lower prices at pump
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve established after Superstorm Sandy in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer. The sale, from storage sites…
China launches anti-dumping probe into EU, US, Japan, Taiwan plastics
Beijing — China’s commerce ministry on Sunday launched an anti-dumping probe into POM copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, imported from the European Union, United States, Japan and Taiwan. The plastics can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc…
Russian court freezes assets of two German banks in gas project dispute
VIENNA — A court in the Russian city of St. Petersburg has ordered the seizing of assets of Germany’s Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank in the country, the Russia state news agency Tass says. The order is in response to a…
US bike shops boomed early in pandemic, now facing bumpy ride
For the nation’s bicycle shops, the past few years have probably felt like the business version of the Tour de France, with numerous twists and turns testing their endurance. Early in the pandemic, a surge of interest in cycling pushed…
China property shares jump on report of government plans to buy homes
HONG KONG — Shares of Chinese property developers rallied on Thursday after a report that China was considering a plan for local governments across the country to buy millions of unsold homes from distressed companies to ease a protracted property…
Beijing vows retaliation against Biden’s hikes of tariffs on Chinese imports
Chinese officials angrily promised retaliation after the announcement by the White House on Tuesday that the Biden administration would be increasing tariffs on certain imports from China, including a quadrupling of the surcharge on electric cars to 100%. “This will…
Many master’s degrees aren’t worth the investment, research shows
Nearly half of master’s degrees have a negative financial return, according to new research by the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, an economic research organization. The study indicates that many graduate degree programs do not increase lifetime earnings enough…
Biden quadruples tariffs on Chinese EVs
WASHINGTON — In a bid to revive domestic manufacturing, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he is imposing a drastic tariff increase on Chinese electric vehicles and new levies on computer chips, solar cells and lithium-ion batteries. “We’re not going…
UN report: Illegal wildlife trafficking is stubbornly prevalent
Illegal trafficking of plant and animal wildlife remains stubbornly prevalent, according to a U.N. report on Monday, and it is critical governments focus on more than just “iconic” species like elephants, where progress had been made. While seizures reported in…