US authorities indicted five Russians Wednesday who allegedly shipped American electronic components to Russia arms makers, some of which have been found on the battlefield in Ukraine.. "Some of the types of electronic components obtained through the criminal scheme have been found in Russian weapons platforms seized on the battlefield in Ukraine," the Justice Department said.
After three weeks of blockades, strikes at sites owned by French oil giant TotalEnergies were starting to ease on Wednesday, although uncertainty remains over fuel supply as the country heads into the autumn holiday break.. But on Wednesday the CGT said the strike at the Donges refinery in the west of the country was suspended, as well as at two other oil sites in France, one in the north and one in the south.
Global smartphone sales have slumped this year amid a "gloomy economic outlook," prompting people to spend money on essentials instead of the latest gadgets, according to a market tracker.. "The gloomy economic outlook has led consumers to delay purchasing electronic hardware and prioritize other essential spending," the market tracker said.
Tesla reported Wednesday another quarter of sparkling earnings growth, but shares fell amid questions over the resilience of electric vehicle demand, CEO Elon Musk's embattled Twitter transaction and other issues.. Shares of Tesla have dropped more than 16 percent since Sept. 30, shortly before the company released its third-quarter delivery figures and ahead of Musk's October 4 revival of his bid to acquire Twitter and head off a trial in which he was being sued by the company for breach-of-contract.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured the iconic "Pillars of Creation," huge structures of gas and dust teeming with stars, NASA said Wednesday, and the image is as majestic as one could hope.. "By popular demand, we had to do the Pillars of Creation" with Webb, Klaus Pontoppidan, the science program manager at the Space Telescope Science Institute, said Wednesday on Twitter.
President Emmanuel Macron's government on Wednesday sought to ram its 2023 budget through parliament without a vote as it seeks to lift the country out of an economic squeeze that has sparked strikes and demonstrations.. Leery of sparking further social unrest after weeks of disruption from strikes at oil refineries and fuel depots that have caused shortages at petrol pumps, the government waited until after broader strike action and demonstrations on Tuesday before unveiling the controversial measure.
German carmaker BMW said Wednesday it will invest $1.7 billion in the production of electric vehicles in the United States. . Gas prices remain low in the United States thanks to abundant domestic production. fcz-fec/hmn/rl
Partners, competitors or rivals?. Keen to cover all bases, the EU has dubbed Beijing a "cooperation partner", "economic competitor" and "systemic rival" all at the same time.
Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion are expected to grow just one percent this year despite concerns over the impact of the energy crisis, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday, amid bumper growth for renewable energy.. Birol said the trend is due to continue "thanks to the major clean energy policy plans that have advanced around the world in recent months".
British Prime Minister Liz Truss's humiliating budget U-turn shows how markets can wield influence over government fiscal policy.. The furore "is a rather extreme example of how markets react when a change in policy does not appear to be credible", said economist Antoine Bouet at French economic forecaster CEPII. - Not the first - The Truss budget is not the first time that world governments have failed to overcome the verdict of markets.
