All posts tagged: 4year

SAG-AFTRA Ratifies 4-Year Deal With Studios

SAG-AFTRA Ratifies 4-Year Deal With Studios

Published by Daniella Wilson

Members of SAG-AFTRA have ratified the four-year deal with studios and streamers that union negotiators reached in early May. 91.42 percent of voters of voted to approve the contract, while 8.58 percent were opposed. 19.25 percent of eligible members turned out in the vote. SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said in a statement, “I’m proud of our SAG-AFTRA membership and the strength they continue to show when we move together with a shared purpose. This agreement builds on the foundation members fought to establish and carries that work into the next chapter of our industry. It delivers meaningful gains in compensation, strengthens protections around artificial intelligence and digital identity, reinforces the long-term security of members’ benefit plans and recognizes the realities of how performers work today.” “Our members have always understood that protecting the future of this profession means preparing for change before it arrives. This agreement reflects that commitment and the collective power of this union,” Astin concluded. The vote concludes a relatively uneventful negotiations period for the union, at least compared with its 2023 talks, …

Japan’s core inflation hits 4-year low, rebound eyed on energy shock

Japan’s core inflation hits 4-year low, rebound eyed on energy shock

Published by Sam Flores

TOKYO, May 22 : Japan’s annual core inflation slowed to a four-year low in April due to the effect of subsidies on fuel and education, data showed on Friday, though analysts expect surging fuel costs from the Middle East war to accelerate price growth in coming months. While government measures are offsetting some of the price pressure from the energy shock, Bank of Japan policymakers are dropping hawkish comments signalling the chance of an interest rate hike in June as they focus on broadening inflation risks. Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI), which strips away the effect of volatile fresh food costs, rose 1.4 per cent in April from a year earlier, much slower than a 1.8 per cent rise in March and falling short of the median market forecast for a 1.7 per cent gain. The increase was the slowest since March 2022, with a 10.6 per cent drop in education fees weighing on service-sector inflation and offsetting steady increases in a range of other items including food, the data showed. A separate index …

Japan’s factory activity growth hits 4-year high on stockpiling, PMI shows

Japan’s factory activity growth hits 4-year high on stockpiling, PMI shows

Published by Sam Flores

TOKYO, May 1 : Japan’s manufacturing activity grew at its strongest pace in over four years in April, as companies ramped up production and stockpiled goods amid supply chain disruptions caused by the Middle East war, a private-sector survey showed on Friday. • The final S&P Global Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 55.1 in April from 51.6 in March, marking the biggest expansion since January 2022. A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion, while below that level signals contraction. • Manufacturing output surged at the fastest rate since February 2014, up sharply from March, driven by higher new orders and efforts to build inventories due to uncertainty over the war in the Middle East. • New orders rose at the quickest pace since January 2022, compared with a slower rate in March. Companies said concerns over future supply chain delays and price increases due to the Middle East conflict prompted customers to place new orders, with some also noting greater demand for AI-related technology. • However, supply chains deteriorated at the steepest rate …

Russia to return to iconic Venice art exhibition after 4-year absence – POLITICO

Russia to return to iconic Venice art exhibition after 4-year absence – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Italy’s Ministry of Culture said the foundation “decided entirely independently on the Russian Federation’s participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition in Venice, despite the Italian government’s opposition.” Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the decision, telling Italian media that the exhibition is “a space of truce” where art prevails over geopolitics. He confirmed that Russia, Iran, Israel, Ukraine and Belarus will all be present. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special representative for international cultural cooperation, told media that Russia’s participation was “further proof that Russian culture is not isolated, and that attempts to ‘cancel’ it — undertaken for the past four years by Western political elites — have not succeeded.” Ksenia Malykh, co-curator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the Biennale, told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that Russia’s return to major international art events did not come as a surprise to Ukraine’s cultural community. “Everyone who has been involved in international cultural projects over the past four years is not very surprised, unfortunately, because Russia has been finding ways to get into important venues in …