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What does the future hold for Calgary's empty office towers?

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After a year-and-a-half out of the office, many Canadians aren’t ready to go back — and they might not ever be ready.

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Moderna won't share its COVID-19 vaccine formula

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Moderna has no plans to share the recipe for its COVID-19 vaccine because executives have concluded that scaling up the company’s own production is the best way to increase the global supply, the company’s chairman said Monday.

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EU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rights

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BrexitEU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rightsFourteen countries likely to take tough stance in future talks about fisheries if access to UK waters does not improve Daniel Boffey in Brussels and Lisa O’Carroll in DublinMon 11 Oct 2021 13.38 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 17.49 EDTFourteen EU member states are preparing to issue a joint declaration accusing the British government of risking “significant economic and social damage” to their fishing communities, as wider relations appear close to breaking point.In the statement, seen by the Guardian, France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Malta and Latvia will call for the UK to act “in the spirit and the letter” of the Brexit deal struck last Christmas Eve.The governments of the UK and Jersey, a British crown dependency, have infuriated the French government in recent weeks over the reduced numbers of licences given out to small boat owners who fish in coastal waters. In a pointed sign of solidarity, the member states will make a thinly veiled threat about the likely impact on future EU-UK fisheries negotiations if the UK does not rethink its stance.The development comes at a febrile time in the EU-UK relationship, as Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner responsible for Brexit, prepares to table proposals on improving the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, warned on Monday that the EU was close to …

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Covid pandemic has pushed poor countries to record debt levels – World Bank

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World BankCovid pandemic has pushed poor countries to record debt levels – World Bank‘Tragic reversal’ has set back progress, president says, as he calls for a comprehensive plan Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Larry ElliottMon 11 Oct 2021 10.57 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 14.22 EDTThe Covid-19 pandemic has led to a “tragic reversal” in development and pushed debt in poor countries to record levels, the head of the World Bank has said.David Malpass, the bank’s president, warned the virus had widened the gap between rich and poor nations, setting back progress by years and, in the case of some countries, by a decade.Announcing new World Bank figures showing the debt burden of more than 70 low-income nations had increased by a record 12% to $860bn (£630bn) in 2020, Malpass called for a comprehensive plan to ease the debt pressures and for rich countries to make vaccines available to the less well-off.Wealthy nations must share more resources or risk crisis for billions, warns UN chiefRead moreHe said one particular problem was the lack of a bankruptcy process to help in cases where debts had become unsustainable. Under the current system, companies can declare themselves bankrupt but countries cannot.With income per head expected to rise by an average of 5% in developed countries this year compared with 0.5% in developing countries, Malpass said the problem of inequality …

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Tunisia: president appoints new government 11 weeks after power grab

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TunisiaTunisia: president appoints new government 11 weeks after power grabKais Saied will technically head administration after paring back powers of PM’s office A …

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Nobel economics prize jointly awarded to labour market expert David Card

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Nobel economics prizeNobel economics prize jointly awarded to labour market expert David CardCanadian-born academic wins prize with Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens Larry ElliottMon 11 Oct 2021 08.59 EDTFirst published on Mon 11 Oct 2021 08.57 EDTA labour market expert whose work influenced the introduction of the UK’s minimum wage has been named as a joint winner of the Nobel economics prize.David Card, a Canadian-born economist, was one of three US-based academics given the prestigious award for their work on whether economic theory is supported by real-life situations.The trio – Card, Joshua Angrist, an American, and Guido Imbens, from the Netherlands – were cited for their work on natural experiments, which is said to have revolutionised empirical research.UK’s supply chain crisis hits confidence; Nobel prize in economics awarded – business liveRead moreCard, who received half the 10m Swedish kronor (£838,000) prize fund, made his name with a paper that studied whether an increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.25 an hour in 1992 cost jobs in the fast-food industry.Contrary to previous research, Card and his fellow economist Alan Krueger found that employment in New Jersey restaurants increased after the minimum wage was raised.The widely cited paper was seized on by Gordon Brown and his then economics adviser Ed Balls to justify their plans for a UK national minimum wage, which was introduced in 1999. Although there is now cross-party support for …

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Sweatpants forever? Why the 'athleisure' fashion trend may outlast the pandemic

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Your sweatpant size isn’t the only thing that might be ballooning in this pandemic — the number of stores selling them is expanding like an elasticated waistband.

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The big idea: should we work less?

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The big ideaBooksThe big idea: should we work less? A shorter working week could benefit society, the environment – even the economy. Is it time to reassess our relationship with our jobs? Sarah JaffeMon 11 Oct 2021 03.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 03.48 EDTFor the last year and a half, most people have fallen into one of three categories: the unemployed, whose jobs disappeared during lockdown; the work from home brigade, who balanced family responsibilities or solo strain with a workday that extended even longer sans commute; and those who were still going to work but under hazardous, sometimes terrifying conditions, whether in healthcare or grocery stores or meatpacking plants. In so many of these cases, much of what made work enjoyable or at least tolerable was stripped away, and we were left with the unpleasant reality of what our jobs actually were: not a fun pastime, but something we have to do. As Amelia Horgan notes in her book Lost in Work, “We, almost always, need a job more than a job needs us. Our entrance into work is unfree, and while we’re there, our time is not our own.”Yet for all its misery, Covid-19 did show us that it was possible to radically change the way we live and work, and to do it quickly. And it’s worth remembering that working life pre-pandemic wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows for many people – a UK poll early …

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Why it’s high time to move on from ‘just-in-time’ supply chains | Kim Moody

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OpinionSupply chain crisisWhy it’s high time to move on from ‘just-in-time’ supply chains K …

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Donald Trump’s own treasury secretary blocked Ivanka World Bank role – report

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Ivanka TrumpDonald Trump’s own treasury secretary blocked Ivanka World Bank role – reportSteven Mnuchin said to have stopped move likely to have upset world leaders, which ‘came incredibly close to happening’ Martin Pengelly in New York@ …

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