AP-US-ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT

US employers add a weak 194,000 jobs as delta maintains hold

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added just 194,000 jobs in September, a second straight tepid gain and evidence that the pandemic still has a grip on the economy with many companies struggling to fill millions of open jobs. Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate fell sharply to 4.8% from 5.2% in August.  

AP-AS-AFGHANISTAN-

Taliban official: At least 100 dead, wounded in Afghan blast

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban police official says at least 100 people have been killed or wounded in a mosque explosion targeting Shiite Muslims in northern Afghanistan. The official says the “majority of them have been killed,” in reference to the victims. There was no immediate claim for the blast on Friday in the city of Kunduz, the provincial capital of Kunduz province, but Islamic State militants have a long history of attacking Afghanistan’s Shiite minority. If confirmed, a death toll of dozens would be the highest since U.S. and NATO forces left Afghanistan at the end of August and the Taliban took control of the country. 

AP-EU-NOBEL-PEACE-PRIZE

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to journalists Ressa and Muratov

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace. Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that the committee said has focused critical attention on President Rodrigo Duterte regime’s “controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign.” Muratov was one of the founders of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta in 1993. The committee said the paper is “an important source of information on censurable aspects of Russian society rarely mentioned by other media.”

BC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHIROPRACTORS

Anti-vaccine chiropractors rising force of misinformation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — An investigation by The Associated Press has found that a vocal group of chiropractors has become an influential force in stirring up anti-vaccine misinformation during the pandemic. Some of them have been lobbying against vaccine mandates and capitalizing on the pandemic by sowing fear and mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines. An anti-vaccine convention in Wisconsin attended by people from around the country was organized by chiropractors, and those who attended were allowed to earn continuing education credits in 10 states. Most members of the profession are pro-vaccine and focus their work on traditional efforts like spinal adjustments. But anti-vaccine chiropractors have taken an outsized and vocal role in spreading misinformation about masks and immunizations.

AP-US-AP-POLL-MISINFORMATION

Americans agree misinformation is a problem, poll shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly all Americans agree that the rampant spread of misinformation is a problem. Most also think individual users, along with social media companies, bear a good deal of blame for the situation. But relatively few are very concerned that they themselves might be responsible. That’s according to a new poll from The Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Ninety-five percent of Americans identified misinformation as a problem. About half put a great deal of blame on the U.S. government, and about three-quarters point to social media users and tech companies. Only 2 in 10 Americans say they’re very concerned that they have personally spread misinformation, though about 3 in 10 say they’re somewhat concerned.

AP-FINANCIAL-MARKETS

Global stocks rise ahead of closely watched US hiring data

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets have risen as investors wait for U.S. jobs data that might influence a Federal Reserve decision on when to roll back stimulus. That comes after lawmakers in Washington averted a possible government debt default. London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Investors are watching to see whether U.S. hiring in September was strong enough for Fed officials who are discussing when to withdraw bond purchases and other stimulus that is boosting stock prices but say they want to see a strong job market recovery. Lawmakers agreed to extend Washington’s borrowing ability into December.

AP-EU-GLOBAL-MINIMUM-TAX

Ireland buckles to pressure, joins global corporate tax deal

LONDON (AP) — Ireland has agreed to join an international agreement establishing a minimum corporate tax of 15% around the world, ditching the low-tax policy that has led companies like Google and Facebook to base their European operations in the country. The Irish government initially refused to join the agreement. But it said Thursday it would join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s global minimum tax accord after compromises that will protect the country’s economic interests. A 12.5% corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of Ireland’s economic policy since 2003. The announcement came before a meeting Friday where representatives of 140 countries are expected to approve the agreement.

AP-EU-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FINLAND

Finland joins other Nordic nations in curbing Moderna shots

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Finland has joined other Nordic countries in suspending or discouraging the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in certain age groups because of an increased risk of heart inflammation, a rare side effect associated with the shot. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said Thursday that authorities won’t give the shot to males under age 30. They will be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine instead. The government agency said it found that young men and boys were at a slightly higher risk of developing myocarditis. The move by Finland followed similar decisions by Sweden, Denmark and Norway on Wednesday.

AP-EU-GOOGLE-ADS-CLIMATE-

Google cracks down on ads promoting climate change denial

LONDON (AP) — Google will no longer allow digital ads promoting false climate change claims to appear next to the content of other publishers, hoping to deny money to those making such claims and to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform. The company said Thursday in a blog post that it was rolling out a new policy will also apply to YouTube, which last week announced a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation. Google says other publishers on the platform have grown increasingly uneasy when climate denial ads appear next to their content. 

POSTAL SHOOTING-PENNSYLVANIA

Postal worker fatally shot on route; former neighbor charged

COLLIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — A federal official says a former neighbor of a U.S. Postal Service worker in Pennsylvania confessed that he fatally shot him because he believed the mail carrier previously poisoned him and his family with cyanide. The acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania says in a release that 53-year-old Eric Kortz turned himself in Thursday for the shooting death of Louis Vignone in Collier Township. Kortz told authorities that he and Vignone used to be neighbors, and he believes Vignone and his family poisoned Kortz and his family with cyanide. Kortz has been assigned a public defender. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the public defender’s office in Pittsburgh has a policy of not giving comments to news outlets.

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