China Increases Worker Retirement Ages
China’s legislature recently approved a policy that raises the retirement age for workers. The new policy raises the retirement age of men from 60 to 63. The retirement age changes for women are based upon the type of work they do. The retirement age for women with professional careers will change from age 55 to […]
Longshoreman’s Strike Deal Prevents a Major Economic Ripple Effect
Nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) reached an agreement to end their strike on Friday, October 4, 2024. These union members are dockworkers at the cargo ports on the nation’s East Coast and Gulf Coast. The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) which represents ocean shipping companies and port operators offered 62 percent […]
Japan’s New Currency
For the first time in 20 years, Japan has new banknotes (paper currency). On July 3, 2024, the Bank of Japan introduced new 10,000-yen, 5,000-yen, and 1,000-yen bills. They showcase three important figures in Japan’s history. They also include new features to limit counterfeiting, or illegally making fake money. Another new feature of the banknotes […]
Severe Drought in Kenya Leads to Cultural Shifts
Kenya is a country in East Africa that is roughly the land area of the state of Texas but with almost two times as many inhabitants. The country’s varied geography includes dry regions in its northeast and a fertile highland region in the west and south and along its Indian Ocean coast. Agriculture is a […]
Growth and Challenges for World’s Busiest Airports
A growing number of passengers, especially international passengers, are keeping airports around the world busy. In fact, the total number of people who traveled by airplane in 2023 increased by 27 percent from 2022. A Return to Pre-Pandemic Air Traffic The international travel and tourism market is driving the aviation industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 […]
Revitalizing Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District
Greenwood is a neighborhood in north Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early twentieth century, it was referred to as the “Black Wall Street” of America because of its successful African American business district. This nickname was a reference to the prosperous Wall Street financial district in New York City. In 1921 and again in the early […]
Layoffs in the Tech Industry
In 2023, more than 260,000 jobs in the United States were lost in the technology industry. During the first four weeks of 2024, nearly 100 technology companies laid off about 25,000 employees combined. This included workers from Google, Amazon, TikTok, and Microsoft. Why are employees being let go in an industry that continues to innovate? […]
The New FAFSA: Faster to Complete But Frustrating Delays
Are you a high school senior who plans to attend college or career school after you graduate? Or maybe you have a sibling, relative, or friend who attends or is planning to attend college next school year? If so, you may have heard about the changes to Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. […]
Soaring Food Prices in India
In India, high inflation has combined with weather-related and other events to cause a steep increase in food prices. Inflation is a general rise in price levels. As inflation has raised prices, many basic food items, such as tomatoes and onions, are too expensive for many Indian families to afford. Inflated Food Costs Food costs […]
United Auto Workers’ Strike Intensifies
On Friday, September 15, 2023, thousands of autoworkers went on strike. The work stoppage included nearly 13,000 workers at three auto plants in the Midwest. A strike is when union members stop working in order to get their employer to meet their demands. Members of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) organized a strike against […]