Consumer sentiment plummeted in March, nearing one of the biggest monthly drops on record as the coronavirus pandemic shutters businesses and forces workers to stay home.

The University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment, a key indicator of how Americans feel about the economy and spending money, dropped 11.9 points from February to 89.1.

“The steepest monthly decline was barely larger at -12.7 Index-points in response to the deepening recession in October 2008, and there were two declines of 12.2 points in response to the 1980 recession and Hurricane Katrina in September 2005,” said Richard Curtin, the survey’s chief economist, in a statement.

Much of the decline, Curtin noted, took place toward the end of the survey period, setting the stage for a potentially historic drop in next month’s reading.

ADVERTISEMENT

“If the Consumer Sentiment Index were to stabilize at its most recent seven-day average, it would imply an additional decline of nearly 18.2 Index-points in April, which would amount to a record setting two-month decline of 30.1 points,” he said.

Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of gross domestic product, meaning declines in sentiment can have a profound effect on the overall economy.

Most economists say the U.S. has already entered a recession, and could face a more prolonged period of economic instability depending on the response to the coronavirus outbreak. More than 3.2 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, setting a new record, while stock markets have entered bear territory.

“Today’s dramatic drop in the Consumer Sentiment survey shows that Americans have shifted into recession mode from economic optimism just one month ago,” said Robert Frick, an economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, in a statement.

Consumers, he said, were likely to buy fewer goods and look for less-expensive options when they do shop, while putting off purchases of durable goods such as appliances or furniture.

“Given we are just at the cusp of recession, confidence and sentiment numbers will continue to fall until the economy show signs of rebounding, hopefully later this year,” he added.

Click Here: pinko shop cheap

New to FIFA 20? Find out exactly what each game mode is and how to play the world’s best-selling football game

FIFA 20 is the biggest version of the popular EA Sports football simulation series yet and has loads of different game modes to keep gamers entertained indefinitely.

For newcomers to the game, this can seem a bit daunting, but here is a complete beginners’ guide to FIFA 20 telling you everything you need to know to get started.

Contents

FIFA 20 Controls

#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ?
Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !La course contre la montre continue dans le golfe de Gascogne. L’amélioration des conditions météorologiques a permis l’installation des premiers barrages flottants, lundi 18 mars, dans la zone du naufrage du Grande America. “A partir d’aujourd’hui, on commence vraiment à avoir des conditions météo qui permettent la mise à l’eau de matériel. Des chaluts avaient déjà été mis à l’eau, les barrages flottants c’est la première fois”, a expliqué à l’AFP la préfecture maritime de l’Atlantique.Plusieurs navires mènent les opérations de lutte antipollution dans la zone, dont L’Argonaute et le Sapeur affrétés par la Marine nationale, mais aussi le Partisan et le Ria de Vigo affrétés par l’Agence européenne de la sécurité maritime (EMSA) ou encore le remorqueur espagnol Alonso de Chaves. Un second remorqueur espagnol, le Maria de Maetzu, est attendu mardi dans la zone.Des amas de fioul lourdA la verticale de l’épave, qui a sombré le 12 mars par 4 600 mètres de fond après un violent incendie, “une irisation de surface parsemée d’amas de fioul lourd est visible”, rapporte la préfecture maritime. Elle ajoute que la pollution initiale émise par le navire italien lors de son naufrage “dérive”, sans toutefois spécifier la direction. Cette pollution est “constituée d’amas de fioul lourd disséminés en surface”.Le navire italien, parti de Hambourg pour Casablanca, a coulé à 333 km à l’ouest de La Rochelle avec à son bord 365 conteneurs, dont 45 répertoriés comme contenant des matières dangereuses, plus de 2 000 véhicules, ainsi que 2 200 tonnes de fioul lourd dans ses soutes. Ses 27 occupants ont été secourus et ramenés à Brest, où une enquête pour pollution accidentelle a été ouverte.

La Moore en avion… ça secoue! Ashton Kutcher peut en témoigner. Les amoureux ont dû atterrir d’urgence suite à une surchauffe de leur avion. Ils l’ont immédiatement raconté sur leur compte Twitter, avant de décoller à nouveau sans encombre.

Un léger «tweet» vaut mieux qu’un gros crash. Les époux Moore-Kutcher ont été pris d’une frayeur vers 22 heures heure française, (16 heures heure locale) lorsque leur jet a dû atterrir en urgence peu après son décollage de l’aéroport McCarran, près de Las Vegas. Un voyant d’alerte s’était allumé, indiquant la surchauffe, et le commandant de bord a préféré faire atterrir le Hawker Beechcraft bimoteur, au bord duquel se trouvait le couple star ainsi que six membres d’équipage.

Ayant échappé à la mort, la première pensée d’Ashton Kutcher et Demi Moore, est allée vers… leurs fans bien sûr! Ils ont publié leurs impressions sur leur compte Twitter.

Le beau Ashton –habitué de cette plateforme– a ainsi informé ses quelque trois millions de «followers» (fans) sur ce réseau de micro blogs: «Mon avion a dû atterrir en urgence. Surchauffe du moteur. Des pompiers partout. Super moment!»

Au moment où le jet s’est posé sur la piste d’atterrissage, il était en effet attendu par des équipes de secours et des pompiers informés de la situation. Le chargé de communication a indiqué qu’il n’y avait eu aucun blessé, et que l’atterrissage s’était effectué sans encombre.

Mais celle qui se fait désormais appeler «Mme kutcher» sur Twitter, et ailleurs, a quand même eu un peu peur: «C’est toujours une aventure l’atterrissage d’urgence à Vegas ». Elle a même publié – les joies des nouvelles technologies- une photo de la piste au moment du «drame».

Tout s’est bien terminé, les deux amoureux ont pu reprendre la route des étoiles, et le deuxième décollage s’est parfaitement déroulé. Pour immortaliser ce moment de joie, les deux amoureux se sont autophotographiés.

Et Ashton, si heureux d’être «alive» a proposé à tous ses cyberfans de fêter ça dans un bar de New York: «Soirée au Turtle Bar à New York. Dites ‘spread’ à l’entrée. Boissons à moitié prix…». Le miracle Twitter…

C.C.

Vendredi 6 août 2009

#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ?
Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !Le tribunal de Bordeaux a reconnu, mercredi 27 mars, la maladie de Parkinson d’une ancienne ouvrière viticole comme une maladie professionnelle, rapporte France Bleu Gironde. La justice a également reconnu l’employeur de cette femme de 47 ans, le Château Vernous à Lesparre-Médoc (Gironde), responsable d’une faute inexcusable pour l’avoir exposée à des pesticides dans les vignobles.Je suis heureuse, soulagée que quelqu’un m’ait enfin entendue.Sylvie Bergerà France Bleu GirondeAtteinte de la maladie de Parkinson depuis 2016, Sylvie Berger se dit “bouleversée” par cette décision de justice. Rendue deux mois après l’audience qui s’est tenue fin janvier à Bordeaux, elle pourrait faire jurisprudence. Des dizaines d’autres dossiers du même type sont en cours de traitement dans la région bordelaise.Sylvie Berger dénonce une “omerta” dans le milieu viticole sur les dangers liés aux pesticides. Un silence d’autant plus compliqué à briser que dans ce domaine, “c’est au salarié de rapporter la preuve des manquements de l’employeur et, dans les petites structures, la charge de la preuve est extrêmement lourde”, explique à France Bleu Me Hermine Baron, l’avocate de Sylvie Berger. L’avocat du Château Vernous, se réserve la possibilité de faire appel.Click Here: Rugby league Jerseys

#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ?
Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !La hausse dramatique de la température de la planète et du niveau des océans en quelques siècles est inéluctable. Samedi 6 avril, des chercheurs alertent sur le taux de concentration dans l’atmosphère du CO2, principal responsable du réchauffement climatique : des carottes de glace et de sédiments marins prélevés à l’endroit le plus froid de la planète révèlent que le niveau actuel de dioxyde de carbone, un peu supérieur à 400 parties par million (ppm), est le plus élevé depuis 3 millions d’années. Jusqu’alors, les chercheurs estimaient que le niveau actuel de dioxyde de carbone n’était pas plus important que celui d’il y a 800 000 ans, lors d’une période marquée par des cycles de réchauffement et de refroidissement de la Terre qui se poursuivraient aujourd’hui sans le réchauffement lié aux activités humaines. Or, la barre des 400 ppm a en fait été dépassée pour la dernière fois il y a 3 millions d’années, pendant le Pliocène.Une hausse des océans jusqu’à un mètre d’ici 2100Les températures étaient alors 3 à 4°C plus élevées, des arbres poussaient en Antarctique et le niveau des océans était 15 mètres plus haut. “La fin du Pliocène est relativement proche de nous en termes de niveaux de CO2”, a expliqué Matteo Willeit, chercheur au Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) et principal auteur de l’étude publiée cette semaine. “Nos modèles suggèrent qu’au Pliocène, il n’y avait ni cycle glaciaire ni grosses calottes glaciaires dans l’hémisphère nord. Le CO2 était trop élevé et le climat trop chaud pour le permettre.”L’accord de Paris sur le climat de 2015 vise à limiter le réchauffement de la planète à +2°C, voire +1,5°C, par rapport à l’ère pré-industrielle. Mais en 2017, les émissions de gaz à effet de serre ont dépassé tous les records dans l’histoire humaine, et les engagements des Etats signataires de l’accord de Paris conduiraient le monde vers +3°C. En se basant sur les concentrations de CO2, les glaciologues prédisent par ailleurs une augmentation du niveau des océans entre 50 cm et un mètre d’ici la fin de ce siècle. 

The European Commission has decided not to appeal against a World Trade Organization ruling that the EU should scrap tariffs on imports of flat-screen displays, multi-function printers and television set-top boxes.

A spokesman for the Commission said today (21 September) that the EU had decided “after careful consideration” not to appeal against the WTO ruling on a complaint brought by the US, China and Taiwan in 2008. The ruling was shared with the parties on 16 August.

The spokesman said: “As in any dispute, there are certain aspects where we would have preferred the panel to rule differently.” He added that the EU had decided not to appeal against the report but would instead focus its efforts on implementation and on negotiations of an updated Information Technology Agreement (ITA) “fit for the 21st century”.

The parties complained that the EU applied import tariffs on three types of hi-tech goods although they were supposed to be exempt from duties under the ITA. The EU imposed tariffs on flat-panel displays, multi-function printers and television set-top boxes, saying that added functionality – which, for example, allows computer displays to be used as television sets – made them consumer goods rather than hi-tech devices.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s crackdown on political opponents following December’s presidential election has been brutal even by his standards. And he is, of course, a man with form – the EU imposed sanctions on him when four opponents ‘disappeared’ in 1999-2000, and he has a 16-year record of repression.

Still, the moniker traditionally applied to him – ‘Europe’s last dictator’ – always overplayed his record. It is hard to find a measure of authoritarianism – from body-counts to business – where his Belarus is worse than Putin’s Russia. And he has shown more regard for the average Belarusian (judged by access to a reasonable living) than Putin has for Russians. The epithet also underplayed Lukashenka’s potential for flexibility.

The EU has therefore been right to test his flexibility in recent years, by offering incentives. It also had strong reasons to do so: Belarus is undoubtedly one of the EU’s most important neighbours, a real candidate for membership in the future. The European Commission and the EU’s member states have played this game of chess with varying levels of attention, but they still played some role, albeit minor, in bringing Lukashenka to the point when his interests seemed to be moving clearly westward.

But he has now completely changed the game. Some suggest he acted under pressure from Russia, after a big, new deal; others suggest the crackdown was a product of a bureaucratic battle. A more plausible explanation – one that gives him more respect – is that he looked at the board, decided he did not need to exchange pieces with the EU, and chose to ram home the message. Better, in short, to presume this was a calculated move by a man attuned to the psyche of Moscow and a sizeable, albeit diminishing, part of his population.

With the game changed, the EU needs to change its game-plan. The crowded middle phase is over. Lukashenka has made clear the EU incentives are not enough.

The EU’s first moves do not require appraisal of his motives. Lukashenka has sent a brutal message; the EU’s response needs to be clear and strong. A travel ban suspended in 2008 should be re-imposed, as foreign ministers are proposing to do at the end of this month. But he has accrued other benefits – such as government-to-government aid and the offer of membership of the Eastern Partnership. He should lose those.

The second message needs to be clear too: that the EU will do more to build up civil society. Poland’s approach of easing ordinary Belarusians’ travel is a good example.

Will these be effective? Since Lukashenka is currently not interested in the EU, the prospects are limited. But the broader answer probably depends on whether one views sanctions as having any practical value.

Some take an a priori position that sanctions are self-defeating. But that rests on the supposition that there is something to be lost – and in Belarus’s case, there is little to lose. Different countries need different approaches, and long-term and symbolic steps matter to Belarusians.

Some EU states that are generally sceptical of sanctions now appear to accept this argument, at least partly. Sweden says it has a ‘principled’ objection to sanctions – yet it too now wants measures against Belarus. Germany has previously pushed for the travel ban on Lukashenka to be lifted, not just suspended. It now wants it re-imposed.

But Belarus is more than a challenge to thinking on sanctions; it is a challenge to the EU’s foreign policy aspirations reflected in the Lisbon treaty.

It has yet to meet those aspirations. Part of the rationale for only suspending – rather than lifting – the travel ban was so that it could be re-imposed swiftly; but when the ban is agreed, five weeks will have passed since the crackdown started. Rhetoric is one of the few tools the EU has with Belarus; but statements from Brussels have been very muted. So far, the EU is essentially asking Lukashenka to undo his most recent misdeeds; but he needs to do much more to restore any trust.

The EU’s foreign ministers and commissioners still need to show that the EU can act more swiftly, clearly and resolutely than its pre-Lisbon self.

Top Pentagon leaders on Tuesday estimated that the coronavirus outbreak could last months, as the number of military service members with confirmed cases continues to climb.

“I think we need to plan for this to be a few months long, at least, and we’re taking all precautionary measures to do that,” Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperOvernight Defense: Pentagon officials estimate coronavirus crisis could last months | Three sailors aboard carrier test positive | Trump slashes Afghan aid Top Pentagon officials estimate coronavirus crisis could last months Overnight Defense: Navy hospital ship heading to Los Angeles | Military field hospitals to deploy to New York, Seattle | Pompeo flies to Afghanistan to revive peace process MORE said during a virtual town hall meeting at the Pentagon.

“I’m fully confident that at the end of the day, in a period of months, we will get through this.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley estimated that it might be as late as July before the crisis abates.

“Call it three months, based on what we know from other countries,” Milley said alongside Esper. “We’re going to do this as long as the mission takes.”

The predictions from military officials came the same week that President TrumpDonald John TrumpWhite House, Senate reach deal on trillion stimulus package Biden hits Trump’s remarks about reopening economy within weeks: ‘He should stop talking’ New York Times editorial board calls for national lockdown over coronavirus MORE signaled he would soon work to loosen guidelines for certain areas of the United States, a move that some worry would undercut much of the advice from medical experts about steps needed to contain the spread of the virus.

As of Tuesday morning, the number of coronavirus cases in the military had surpassed 300, according to the Pentagon. Included in the tally are 174 service members, 59 civilian employees, 61 family members and 27 contractors. One contractor died Saturday.

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 46,000 Americans and killed nearly 600, with dire effects on the U.S. economy, as well.

To help stop the spread, the Pentagon on Monday put more restrictions in place for entering the building in Northern Virginia.

Asked on Tuesday how long employees will be expected to telework, Esper replied, “it’s going to be weeks for sure, maybe months.”

Click Here: Cardiff Blues Store

“We’re going to telework as long as necessary to make sure that we’re beyond the coronavirus crisis, if you will,” he added.

Passengers who went on a Carnival cruise were notified Thursday that they could have come into contact with the coronavirus after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The Carnival Freedom left Galveston, Texas, for a 6-day cruise on March 8, the day before the Centers for Disease Control and Protection issued a recommendation that people not travel on cruise ships, The Miami Herald reports.

Carnival spokesman Chris Chiames told the paper that the sick crew member was admitted to the hospital on Monday and received the positive test result on Wednesday. Passengers, who had gotten off the ship on March 14, were told by email on Thursday.

“During the cruise, we did not have any guests or crew who reported any symptoms of COVID-19 or influenza-like illness,” Dr. Grant Tarling, Carnival’s chief medical officer, told the passengers. 

Chiames also said that the crew members haven’t been allowed to disembark from the ship and that the crew has been observing social distancing. Crew members who do exhibit flu-like symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are isolated accordingly.

More than half a million people worldwide have been infected by COVID-19, with more than 83,000 confirmed cases in the U.S.

Click Here: United Kingdom Rugby Jerseys