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U.S. hiring slows in November, jobless rate dives

Published

4 years ago

December 6, 2021

ticker NEWS

U.S. employers added far fewer jobs than expected in November, as millions of unemployed Americans likely remained home. But the unemployment rate dropped sharply. Fred Katayama reports.

The pace of hiring slowed abruptly in the U.S. last month. New figures from the Labor Department out Friday show the economy added 210,000 new jobs in November – significantly below economists’ forecasts for as many as half a million, in line with the hiring surge in October.

But at the same time, the unemployment rate plunged, down to 4.2 percent – the lowest level since February 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic.

And average wages rose.

The report paints a picture of a workforce that still hasn’t fully recovered after a year of health-related restrictions. Millions who lost their jobs have not returned to work. And the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus poses a continued risk to the economic rebound.

Investors, however, initially liked the report, sending stocks higher at the market open. The less-than-stellar hiring number eased investors concerns about the Federal Reserve’s quicker tightening of monetary policy.

Analysts say the report probably won’t change the Fed’s timeline for paring back its massive bond purchases. But it could give the central bank more room to say it doesn’t have to accelerate the pace of reducing those purchases, especially amid the uncertainty posed by the Omicron variant.

Earlier this week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would consider a faster wind-down to its bond-buying program, which Wall Street saw as opening the door to earlier hikes in interest rates.

News

Fourth death confirmed due to Optus outage issues

Fourth death confirmed following Optus outage that blocked Triple Zero calls for 13 hours during network upgrade

Published

8 hours ago

September 20, 2025

Ahron Young

Fourth death confirmed following Optus outage that blocked Triple Zero calls for 13 hours during network upgrade

In Short:
– A fourth death is confirmed due to an Optus network failure affecting emergency calls for 13 hours.
– Optus CEO announced an investigation after communication failures and criticism from politicians and emergency services.

A fourth death has been confirmed following an Optus network failure that prevented emergency calls to Triple Zero for 13 hours.

Initially, Optus reported three fatalities, including an infant and two elderly individuals from South Australia and Western Australia. The latest victim is a 49-year-old man from Perth.Optus CEO Stephen Rue expressed deep sorrow over the incident and announced a full investigation into the network update that caused the outage.

He stated that approximately 600 calls to emergency services were disrupted, impacting residents across South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.

Rue confirmed that the outage stemmed from a problematic firewall upgrade and revealed details of communication failures within the company. Politicians and emergency services expressed anger at the lack of timely information during the crisis.

System Failure

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas criticised Optus for their incompetence in handling the situation.

The federal communications minister also condemned the company, highlighting that such failures are unacceptable.

The incident follows a previous outage for which Optus was fined $12 million, raising serious concerns about their emergency service handling.

News

Israel launches its new “Iron Beam” laser system

Israel’s new “Iron Beam” laser defense system to deploy by year-end, promising cost-effective missile interception.

Published

1 day ago

September 19, 2025

ticker NEWS

Israel’s new “Iron Beam” laser defense system to deploy by year-end, promising cost-effective missile interception.

Israel’s Defence Ministry says its new “Iron Beam” laser system will be deployed by year’s end. The technology is designed to destroy incoming missiles, rockets, drones and mortars with precision.

Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in partnership with Elbit Systems, Iron Beam will sit alongside existing defences such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow. Unlike traditional interceptors which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per shot, the laser comes at negligible expense.

Officials call it the world’s first high-power laser interception system to achieve operational maturity, hailing it as a game-changer for modern warfare. Military leaders expect the system to reshape air defence capabilities and cut costs dramatically.

#Israel #Defence #LaserWeapons #TickerNews

News

Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue on Jimmy Kimmel

Stephen Colbert condemns censorship and calls out Trump in powerful monologue dedicated to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspended show.

Published

1 day ago

September 19, 2025

ticker NEWS

Stephen Colbert condemns censorship and calls out Trump in powerful monologue dedicated to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspended show.

Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue is being hailed as one of the most powerful moments in modern late-night history. Standing on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, Colbert dedicated his show to Jimmy Kimmel and his team after ABC suspended Kimmel’s programme under pressure from Washington.

Colbert called the move “blatant censorship” and directly accused President Trump of acting like an autocrat. “With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch,” he warned, making clear that the stakes reach far beyond late-night comedy.

#StephenColbert #JimmyKimmel #FreeSpeech #TickerNews