Blog

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivers his annual policy address at the Legislative Council on October 16, 2024 in Hong Kong, China.China News Service | China News Service | Getty ImagesHong Kong chief executive John Lee announced moves aimed at addressing the city's housing affordability crisis, calling it "an issue of great public concern" in an annual policy address on Wednesday. One keynote policy announced in his speech will look to provide an easier path to subsidized housing for citizens under the age of 40 amid mounting concerns about their ability to get a foothold in the city's crowded housing market.Under the plan, the Hong Kong Housing Authority will allocate an extra ballot number to applicants aged below 40 — a move that will increase their chances of being selec...

The Canary Wharf business district is seen in the distance behind autumnal leaves on October 09, 2024 in London, United Kingdom.Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesLONDON — Inflation in the U.K. dropped sharply to 1.7% in September, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.Economists polled by Reuters had expected the headline rate to come in at a higher 1.9% for the month, in the first dip of the print below the Bank of England's 2% target since April 2021.Inflation has been hovering around that level for the last four months, and came in at 2.2% in August.Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, came in at 3.2% for the month, down from 3.6% in August and below the 3.4% forecast of a Reuters poll.Price rises in the services sector, the dominant ...

Car batteries at a factory in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province.Str | Afp | Getty ImagesPARIS, France — The push to commercialize solid-state batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) is well underway, but analysts say auto giants could be on the cusp of turning to a different kind of transformative science.Solid-state batteries have long been billed as the "holy grail" of sustainable driving. As the name suggests, solid-state batteries contain a solid electrolyte, made from materials such as ceramics. That makes them different from conventional lithium-ion batteries, which contain liquid electrolyte.This next-generation technology theoretically packs more energy into each unit of volume than lithium-ion batteries. Proponents say it offers safer, cheaper and more powerful batteries f...

Omar Marques | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesUnitedHealth Group provided a 2025 profit forecast below Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, saying it expects pressure across its government-supported health insurance businesses, and its shares fell 9%.The largest U.S. health insurer forecast a profit of as much as $30 per share. That upper end was below analysts' estimates of $31.18 per share, according to LSEG data.CEO Andrew Witty said the company was setting next year's forecast "more conservatively than is typical" due in part to cuts in payments from the government for Medicare plans and low state payment rates for Medicaid plans for low-income people.The insurance bellwether's comments also dragged shares of rivals CVS Health, Elevance and Humana down 3% to 5%.UnitedHealth's third-quarter med...