Author: natixis-ezine

More consumers buying organic, but US farmers still wary

natixis-ezine

Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

George Naylor looks over organic apples grown on his farm, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, near Churdan, Iowa. Naylor, along with his wife Patti, began the transition to organic crops in 2014. The demand for organics has increased so fast that the U.S. Department of Agriculture last month committed up to $300 million to help farmers switch from conventional crops. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press

CHURDAN, Iowa (AP) — In the 1970s when George Naylor said he wanted to grow organic crops, the idea didn’t go over well.

Back then organic crops were an oddity, destined for health food stores or maybe a few farmers markets.

“I told my dad I wanted to be an organic farmer and he goes, ‘Ha, ha, ha,'” Naylor said, noting it wasn’t until 2014 that he could embrace his dream and begin transitioning from standard to organic crops.

But over the decades, something unexpected happened — demand for organics started increasing so fast that it began outstripping the supply produced in the U.S.

Now a new challenge has emerged: It’s not getting consumers to pay the higher prices, it’s convincing enough farmers to get past their organic reluctance and start taking advantage of the revenue pouring in.

Instead of growing to meet the demand, the number of farmers converting to organic is actually dropping. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture committed up to $300 million to recruit and help more farmers make the switch. Continue reading

EU wants to toughen cybersecurity rules for smart devices

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks during a signature ceremony regarding the Chips Act at EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. The European Union’s executive arm proposed new legislation Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, that would force manufacturers to ensure that devices connected to the internet meet cybersecurity standards, making the 27-nation bloc less vulnerable to attacks. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, file)

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm proposed new legislation Thursday that would force manufacturers to ensure that devices connected to the internet meet cybersecurity standards, making the 27-nation bloc less vulnerable to attacks.

The EU said a ransomware attack takes place every 11 seconds, and the global annual cost of cybercrime is estimated at 5.5 trillion euros in 2021. In Europe alone, cyberattacks cost between 180 and 290 billion euros each year, according to EU officials.

The European Commission said an increase of cyberattacks was witnessed during the coronavirus pandemic and that Russia’s war in Ukraine has raised concerns that European energy infrastructure could also be targeted amid a global energy crunch.

The law, proposed as the Cyber Resilience Act, aims to remove from the EU market all products with digital elements that are not adequately protected. Continue reading

Bill Clinton: ‘The world’s on fire,’ but teamwork can help

natixis-ezine

Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is joined by daughter Chelsea Clinton and husband, former President Bill Clinton, during a late-night campaign rally at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. The first Clinton Global Initiative since 2016 is set to kick off Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in New York City, with top international leaders from politics, business, and philanthropy set to attend and collaborate to tackle world issues. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

By GLENN GAMBOA AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton is calling on governments, businesses, philanthropies and other prominent institutions to draw together and help a world that is “on fire” as he reconvenes the Clinton Global Initiative, the meeting of international leaders, for the first time since 2016.

Interest in the two-day meeting has been so intense that the Clinton Foundation had to turn away more than 1,000 potential attendees. It is convening a spectrum of luminaries, including Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and actor and water access activist Matt Damon.

Clinton, president of the United States from 1993 to 2001, said he has been amazed by the massive response.

“The world’s on fire in a lot of different ways,” he told The Associated Press in an interview. “But there are a lot of things that businesses, non-governmental groups and governments working together can do to help with a lot of these problems.” Continue reading

Queen Elizabeth is featured on several currencies. Now what?

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

Australian $5 notes are pictured in Sydney, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. As the United Kingdom’s reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II was depicted on British bank notes and coins for decades. It’s less well known that her portrait was featured on currencies in dozens of other places around the world, in a reminder of the British empire’s colonial reach. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has been depicted on British banknotes and coins for decades. Her portrait also has been featured on currencies in dozens of other places around the world, in a reminder of the British empire’s colonial reach.

So what happens next after her death this week? It will take time for the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries to swap out the monarchs on their money.

Here’s a look at what is next for the paper cash featuring the late queen:

SWITCHING MONARCHS

The queen’s portrait on British notes and coins is expected to be replaced by a likeness of the new King Charles III, but it won’t be immediate.

“Current banknotes featuring the image of Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be legal tender,” the Bank of England said. An announcement on existing paper money issued by the U.K.’s central bank will be made after the official 10-day mourning period has ended, it said. Continue reading

‘A servant queen’: World pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

natixis-ezine

Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

The Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability in a turbulent era for her country and the world, died Thursday, Sept. 8 after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Across the globe, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted reflections on the historic sweep of her reign and how she succeeded in presiding over the end of Britain’s colonial empire and embracing the independence of her former dominions.

Tributes to the queen’s life have poured in, from world leaders to rock stars to ordinary people — along with some criticism of the monarchy.

It was in Cape Town, marking her 21st birthday in 1947, that the then-Princess Elizabeth pledged that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

The British empire soon crumbled, but Elizabeth managed to maintain a regal — if ceremonial — position as the head of the Commonwealth, the 54 nations of mostly previous British colonies.

“The Queen lived a long and consequential life, fulfilling her pledge to serve until her very last breath at the age of 96,” Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, said Friday. “She was an exemplary leader of the kind seldom seen in the modern era.” Continue reading