Good Morning, it’s Monday, November 1st. And You’re listening to Ausum’s Morning News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

The COP 26 climate conference has begun. The Guardian reported that at these climate talks, leading figures have said that the recent G20 summit in Rome failed poor and vulnerable countries by not creating a climate plan to ensure their survival.

The New York Times announced that in the run-up to COP26 the EU and US promised to cut their emissions roughly 50% below 2005 levels by 2030, however, the countries have not put in place any sufficient policies so far.

Forbes has noted that Biden has expressed disappointment towards China and Russia for their absence from the G20 summit.

Within the G20 summit, The Washington Post reports that Biden sought to reverse key policies and approaches created by former president, Donald Trump. For example, the current president lifted the steel and aluminium tariffs which caused tension between the US and the EU.

An NBC poll released on Sunday claims that support for Biden is declining. News Week announced that it showed that 71% of Americans believe the US is going in the wrong direction.

Business Insider stated that a Military Jury said that the military tactics used by the CIA on a convicted terrorist were on par with the “most abusive regimes in modern history”.

Apple’s app tracking policy, which required apps to ask permission before tracking users data, is reported in The Verge to have cost social media platforms nearly $10 billion.

The former CEO of Google has said that Facebook’s Metaverse is 'not necessarily the best thing for human society'. Business Insider reports that the former CEO expressed concerns about the safety of AI technology.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, make sure to download the Ausum app. Catch us, every weekday, morning and afternoon.

Good Afternoon, it’s Friday, October 29th. And you’re listening to Ausum’s Afternoon News Briefing, where we round up the latest articles that everyone is talking about.

The Washington Post just reported that the FDA approved a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, following a review by the CDC and its experts, the vaccine will likely be available next week.

While children will start getting the covid vaccine, Forbes reported that According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor and rapper Ice Cube has withdrawn from Sony Pictures' anticipated comedy film, Oh Hell No, after rejecting the producers' request that he get vaccinated with Covid-19.

The Wall Street Journal published new government statistics that indicated that consumer prices climbed at the quickest rate in 30 years in September, while employees received the largest pay raises in at least 20 years. On top of that, despite the expiry of unemployment benefits, consumer spending increased in September. According to the reports, recovery is trapped between strong consumer demand and critical supply constraints.

According to Newsweek, the Biden administration is considering paying migrant families that were separated in 2018 as a result of former President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. Over 5,600 children were separated from their parents after illegally crossing the United States and Mexican border. The overall value of the program's rewards might exceed $1 billion.

According to the Guardian, President Joe Biden's almost $3 trillion domestic plan remains unfulfilled after an 11th-hour drive to gather Democrats around a scaled-back package he described as historic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to postpone a vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure measure for the second time in a month, as progressives wanted further assurances that a compromise of $1.75 trillion social policy proposal would also pass. A disappointment for Democratic leaders who wanted to close the deal in time for the G20 conference in Rome.

According to the Financial Times, President Emmanuel Macron warns that the world's post-pandemic recovery is threatened by an energy catastrophe. Macron has called on G20 leaders to collaborate to stabilize supply ahead of the G20 conference in Italy. The French president is pushing for more financial commitments to combat global warming by developing a more varied gas supply and a faster transition away from fossil fuels to combat climate change.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, be sure to download the Ausum app. Catch you next time for the Ausum News Briefing every weekday, morning, and afternoon.

Good morning! And Welcome to Ausum’s Daily Business, Finance and Tech news briefing. Today is Friday, October the 29th.

Facebook has renamed itself, Meta. The New York Times reports that this is part of Zuckerberg’s plan to refocus the company on the unification of disparate digital worlds. This change also distances Facebook from the controversies it is facing.

Business Insider announced that following Facebook’s rebrand, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said that the company was a “cancer to democracy”.

Biden’s new budget deal has unveiled the biggest climate investment in the history of the United States. The Washington Post noted that the plan had a $555 billion package of tax credits, grants and other policies focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Guardian stated that the CEO of Exxon has been accused of lying about climate science to the congressional panel. Exxon is an oil and gas corporation.

Apple and Amazon have both reported disappointing quarterly results. Bloomberg suggests this is a sign that the global supply chain crisis is affecting even the strongest of companies.

News Week has announced that this global supply chain has reached a point where Los Angeles ports have started fining shipping companies that linger at marine terminals. About 40% of all shipping containers that enter the U.S. go through the port of Los Angeles or Long Beach.

Within the United States, Axios reported that in the early stages of the pandemic over 3 million baby boomers retired. This early retirement will be impacting the current worker shortage.

In the first half of 2021, US road fatalities reached the highest level since 2006. Forbes noted that an estimated that this year there was an 18.4% increase from the previous year.

The Next Web reports that China has claimed to have a quantum computer a million times more powerful than Google’s.

Finally, The MIT Tech Review announced that Silicon Valley is working on a way to make blood into artificial eggs. This could rewrite the rules of human reproduction.

Tune in this afternoon to Raquel’s briefing and have an Ausum Friday.

Welcome to Ausum's Afternoon Business and Tech News Briefing. Today is Thursday, October 28th.

Well, it's official, Bloomberg reports that Facebook is rebranding as Meta, detaching its business identity from the eponymous social network. The name change is the clearest indication yet of the company's desire to bet its future on the metaverse. People will congregate and communicate in virtual spaces, according to Meta's concept.

According to the Washington Post, Some parents were eager to get their hands on the coronavirus vaccine. However, many have reservations about vaccinating children. What those parents finally decide may have an impact on the course of the pandemic in the United States. The benefits of the shots for children aged 5 to 11 outweighed the dangers, according to FDA advisers.

The White House announces a $1.85 trillion framework for social policy and climate change, publishes the Wall Street Journal. Top House Democrats hoped that would be enough to persuade progressives to abandon their opposition. Later in the day, a parallel $1 trillion infrastructure bill is anticipated to be passed.

The Guardian updates live on the reconciliation bill framework by stating that as Kyrsten Sinema walked out of the Capitol, she refused to accept questions from reporters. Sinema is one of two Democratic senators who oppose the budget reconciliation bill. Throughout her term in the Senate, the Arizona senator has been silent on the reconciliation proposal.

The top developing story from Newsweek covers former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly facing criminal charges for forceful touching as part of an ongoing investigation into sexual harassment allegations leveled against him. Cuomo was charged with a Class A misdemeanor by the sheriff's department. More than a dozen women have come out with sexual harassment complaints against the former governor since December 2020.

We announced last week that Trump Media and Technology Group went public via SPAC, but according to Forbes, it was a short sell game. When released, stocks rose 550% in a week. Hedge funds that invested early were sitting on serious profits, as they quickly bought and sold. On the other hand, it's most likely Trump supporters and day traders who are buying up the stock and staying for the long haul, appear doomed to lose big.

According to Axios, Apple reported quarterly revenue that fell just short of forecasts while setting a new record for a September quarter, while profitability was broadly in line with what experts expected. Apple, like other businesses, is suffering from supply chain challenges as a result of a semiconductor shortage and other pandemic-related interruptions. In after-hours trade, Apple's shares plunged over 5%.

That's all for today, catch Jena's morning briefing tomorrow, only on Ausum.

Good morning! And Welcome to Ausum’s Daily Business, Finance and Tech news briefing. Today is Thursday, October the 28th.

The first commercial test flight using plants for fuel has taken off. WIRED reported that this could lead to more green jet fuels which don’t use petroleum.

In response to Facebook’s recent controversies including misinformation, extremism and election fixing, The Next Web announced that Zuckerberg, head of Facebook, has responded by saying that the media is trying to “paint a false picture”.

Following Biden’s billionaire tax proposal, one of the world’s wealthiest people, Elon Musk, has replied by slamming it. Newsweek reported that Musk claimed the ultra-wealthy would “run out of other people’s money”, in a tweet responding to a template designed to be sent to lawmakers opposing the tax.

A study has found the anti-depressant Fluvoxamine may reduce the risk of hospitalisation from Covid-19. Forbes declared that this inexpensive drug may be an accessible alternative to the current therapies like monoclonal antibodies.

Within Biden’s campaign, he promised increased family and medical leave for workers, however, Business Insider states that Democrats are now removing these benefits from his social-spending package.

Bloomberg noted that Lonsdale, a founder of Palantir Technologies Inc. and a prolific venture capitalist, has said that any prominent man who takes 6 months of parental leave off with a newborn is a “loser”. This obviously faced criticism due to its enforcement of outdated stereotypical gender roles.

China recently conducted a test of a hypersonic weapon system. The Guardian reported a US general saying this event was close to a Sputnik moment.

France has seized a British fishing vessel claiming that the boat did not have a licence. Forbes noted that is amid escalating tensions between the two countries about fishing rights after Brexit.

Tune in this afternoon to Raquel’s briefing and have an Ausum Thursday.

Welcome to Ausum's Afternoon Business and Tech News Briefing. Today is Wednesday, October 27th.

A follow-up on Jena's update on the Billionaire tax, Bloomberg reports that according to the chairman of the House tax-writing committee, a proposal to levy billionaires' assets has been rejected in negotiations over revenue measures. Instead, the House and Senate consider introducing a 3% surtax on top of the highest income rate for people earning more than $10 million.

According to the Washington Post, disputes over the long-delayed spending package to overhaul the nation's health-care, education, climate change, and tax laws are largely due to the Senate's two moderate holdouts, but Democratic leaders say they are getting closer to finalizing the initiative, which some lawmakers estimate will cost about $1.75 trillion over ten years.

According to the Financial Times, Royal Dutch Shell is under pressure to split apart after activist hedge fund Third Point, led by Daniel Loeb, purchased a significant stake and accused the oil giant of being obstructed by an inconsistent strategy. Third Point advocated for Shell to be divided into "several autonomous entities."

Newsweek reports that diplomats from Afghanistan's neighbors, including China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan, met for the second time this week in Tehran. They talked about the humanitarian, economic, and security difficulties that Afghanistan is facing. The advent of extremist groups such as the Islamic State has been one of the most alarming developments for these countries (ISIS).

Yesterday we discussed China's climate plan pre-COP26. The Wall Street Journal investigated the world's greatest emitter of greenhouse gases. While China vows to take significant efforts to transition away from fossil fuels, pledging to net-zero emissions by 2060, reports show that it may not be possible. Claiming that carbon emissions would continue to climb in the ensuing decade, peaking before 2030.

We reviewed Apple's M1 chip last week, and in related news, The Verge reports that Intel has introduced the 12th generation Alder Lake processors. Today's announcement reflects the culmination of those efforts in the form of actual hardware. The Core i9-12900K is the company's top processor, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads.

The Independent provides an update on Alec Baldwin and the inquiry into the death of Halyna Hutchins. The press conference held today in Sante Fe shared that charges could be made at a later date if probable cause is discovered. Since the incident, there have been calls to improve control of firearms on movie sets, or even to prohibit them entirely and replace them with computer-generated pictures.

That's all for today, catch Jena's morning briefing tomorrow, only on Ausum.

Good morning! And Welcome to Ausum’s Daily Business, Finance and Tech news briefing. Today is Wednesday, October the 27th.

A report has emerged stating that lower-income countries spend five times more on debt than on tackling the climate crisis. The Guardian suggests that this shows debt impedes these countries’ ability to respond to the crisis.

Tiktok and Snapchat appeared before congress for the first time. The Verge reported that this was an attempt to distance themselves from Facebook and its controversy.

Democrats have unveiled a new corporate minimum tax. Bloomberg states that this would require some US companies to pay a minimum 15% rate on profits.

Axios announced that Deborah Birx, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator under former President Trump, said Trump could have reduced the number of Covid-19 deaths by 30 to 40% with improved rules like mask mandates.

This publication also stated that The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidelines which now allow some immunocompromised people who received either Pfizer or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines to get a fourth shot.

Brazil’s senators have recommended that their president receives a series of criminal indictments for actions and omissions while handling the country’s Covid-19 outbreak. Brazil had the second highest Covid-19 death toll in the world.

The World Food Programme director has said that a single $6billion from billionaires could save 42 million people from starvation. Business Insider noted that this donation would only be around 0.36% of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk’s net worth.

Despite Biden’s efforts to prevent supply chain bottlenecks, The Washington Post reported that there are still backlogs of ships. For example, a Californian port has announced new fees as offshore traffic jams resume.

Tune in this afternoon to Raquel’s briefing and have an Ausum Wednesday.

Welcome to Ausum's Afternoon Business and Tech News Briefing. Today is Tuesday, October 26th.

According to the Financial Times, China, the world's largest energy consumer, has laid out a strategy to reach peak greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, prior to UN’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Australia established net zero emissions targets on Tuesday, while Saudi Arabia did the same over the weekend, joining dozens of other countries in making new climate pledges in the run-up to the Glasgow summit. According to the newest UN Environment Programme research, existing climate policies put the world on track for 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100, considerably beyond the goals of the Paris climate treaty.

The Washington Post reports that extreme weather occurrences in 2021 have broken records. According to the Nature Climate Change journal, at least 85 percent of the world's population has been affected, and the destruction in the last 10 months alone has surprised climate specialists. The Paris climate conference has pledged to keep global warming "far below" 2 degrees Celsius. However, commitments have not come close to meeting that target.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index shows that more than $5 trillion is held by Americans worth at least $1 billion, the 800-person group's aggregate net worth has more than doubled in the last five years. A "billionaire's tax" would be a one-time annual fee on the financial gains of the wealthiest Americans. This is an ongoing, heated "tax the rich" debate. The proposal is currently being drafted, hopefully, finished by the end of the week, though Nancy Pelosi disclosed that the proposal could generate $200 billion to $250 billion in income over ten years.

TechCrunch reported that today, Snap, YouTube, and TikTok appeared before Congress to discuss children and online safety. The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security held the hearing. All three companies agreed that parents should be able to delete all internet data for their children.

Business Insider reports that former home employees are suing Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan over allegations of harassment and discrimination by one of his assistants. The employees claim they were harassed by a key aide to Zuckerberg and that they were subjected to labor law violations. An internal review revealed no indication of misconduct, according to Zuckerberg's spokesperson.

According to Newsweek, the so-called "Facebook Papers" have revealed a host of troubling details regarding Facebook. The materials were discovered by Frances Haugen, a former employee turned whistleblower. They detail how Facebook struggled to prevent misinformation and how it was unable to prevent human traffickers from using its platform.

The Independent updates us on the Alec Baldwin incident with new evidence that came out via, Ian Hudson, who played an outlaw in Rust, stating that he was subjected to gunfire while filming. Since the incident, it has come to light that the assistant director who handed Baldwin the gun that murdered Hutchins was fired from a film in 2019 after a prop gun unintentionally discharged on the set of the film Freedom's Path, injuring a crew member. The investigation into Hutchins' death is still ongoing.

That's all for today, catch Jena's morning briefing tomorrow, only on Ausum.

Good morning! And Welcome to Ausum’s Daily Business, Finance and Tech news briefing. Today is Tuesday, October the 26th.

Ahead of the Cop26 UN Climate Summit in Scotland, The Washington Post reports that it has been said that US-China tensions need to improve to effectively tackle climate change. This can be observed by Xi-Jinping’s choice not to attend the conference in person.

Regarding Sudan’s coup, The Guardian has announced that the US has condemned the military take over while pro-democracy protesters take to the country’s streets.

In California, an atmospheric river released record-setting rains which flooded central and northern California on Sunday. The Washington Post announced that 170,000 were without power as a result on Sunday and two people were sadly killed by a falling tree.

Forbes stated that employees of Amazon warehouses in Staten Island have filed a petition to form a union. Amazon responded by saying that Unions were not the most effective method of improving worker conditions.

Due to the pandemic’s travel restrictions, The New York Times noted that within the US these missing foreign workers are adding to the country’s labour shortage. Hopefully, as the restrictions ease, some of these workers will return.

Despite no local outbreaks, Hong Kong is tightening its Covid rules. Forbes suggested that this was an attempt to get quarantine free travel with China. However, such a move could affect Hong Kong’s status as a financial hub.

Digital Trends reported that Tesla has received “an initial order” of 100,000 vehicles from the car-rental giant Hertz. This has increased Tesla’s market value beyond $1trillion.

Bloomberg announced Toronto to be the world’s top business city for women. However, this analysis also exposed the gender inequalities within the top cities and how they still fail women.

Finally, the heir to Samsung has been fined $60,000 for taking the sedative propofol. Business Insider states that the heir’s lawyers claimed the drug was used for medical purposes.

Tune in this afternoon to Raquel’s briefing and have an Ausum Tuesday.

Welcome to Ausum's Afternoon Business and Tech News Briefing. Today is Monday, October 25th.

According to Bloomberg, Hertz, only four months out of bankruptcy, orders 100,000 Teslas as the first step in an ambitious plan to electrify its rental-car fleet. It is the single largest purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) ever made and represents around $4.2 billion in revenue for Tesla. Teslas will appeal to Hertz rental clients looking for a green option. In response, Tesla shares soared 9.8 percent intraday, the most since March 9, to a record $998.74, making it one of just five publicly traded U.S. corporations with valuations above $1 trillion.

Washington Post reported that Mark Zuckerberg chose to cooperate with Vietnam's ruling Communist Party demands to restrict anti-government dissidents, personally deciding to tighten Facebook's censoring of "anti-state" posts in the run-up to Vietnam's party congress in January. Former Facebook COO Sheryl Haugen's documents presented to Congress contradict his public assertions on a variety of problems. According to the allegations, Zuckerberg's role in the Vietnam decision demonstrates his steadfast commitment to ensuring Facebook's dominance, even if it means sacrificing his proclaimed beliefs.

The New York Times reported that President Biden and Democratic leaders discussed key components of the massive social spending and climate plan, such as boosting access to health care, paid leave, and how to pay for the package. President Biden is scheduled to visit Europe at the end of the week for the Group of 20 summits and a climate conference, and he hopes to get an agreement before leaving. Senator Joe Manchin stated that a deal was possible.

According to Newsweek, international air travelers will be allowed to enter the United States beginning November 8, if they follow a new set of criteria unveiled by the Biden administration on Monday. Before entering the United States, travelers will be asked to provide proof of vaccination. Children under the age of 18 and those with certain medical conditions are exempt. Passengers who haven't been vaccinated must test negative for the virus within 24 hours of their departure date. Children under the age of two will not be subjected to virus testing.

Axios reports that athletes, staff members, and media who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus would be asked to quarantine for three weeks at the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, according to the International Olympic Committee "playbooks." Because the quarantine period is longer than the Games, immunizations or an earlier arrival date will be required to participate in or cover the Games.

We discussed Alec Baldwin's unintentional prop pistol incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Friday. According to the Independent, Baldwin had been practicing a weapon firing technique known as "cross-draw." An unintentional shooting occurred during a scene, according to Rust director Joel Souza and cameraman, and Serge Svetnoy, the chief electrician on Rust, adds that the unintentional shooting was the result of "negligence and unprofessionalism" on the part of those in charge of ensuring gun safety on set.

That's all for today, catch Jena's morning briefing tomorrow, only on Ausum.