Latest news with #JenZoratti
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stablecoin bigwig Circle set to make its debut on the New York Stock Exchange
Crypto enthusiasts will be watching the stock market Thursday as the U.S.-based issuer of one of most popular cryptocurrencies makes its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Circle Internet Group issues USDC, a stablecoin that can be traded at a one-to-one ratio for U.S. dollars, and EURC, which can similarly be traded for euros. Stablecoins are a fast-growing corner of the cryptocurrency industry that offer a buffer against volatility because they are pegged to real-world assets, like U.S. dollars or gold. That makes them a much more reliable means of conducting commercial transactions than other forms of crypto. Interest in Circle's initial public offering is high. The company's underwriters priced the offering at $31 per share Wednesday, up from an expected price of $27 to $28. The number of shares being sold was raised to 34 million from 32 million. Circle will trade on the NYSE under the symbol 'CRCL.' The dominant player in the stablecoin field is El Salvador-based Tether, which has the stablecoin known as USDT that currently has about $150 billion in circulation. USDC is the second most popular stablecoin market cap, with about $60 billion in circulation. Circle said in a regulatory filing that USDC has been used for more than '$25 trillion in onchain transactions' since its launch in 2018. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Revenue-wise the company has seen tremendous growth, going from just $15 million in 2020 to $1.7 billion in 2024. Stablecoin issuers make profits by collecting the interest on the assets they hold in reserve to back their stablecoins. Circle said USDC is backed by 'cash, short-dated US Treasuries and overnight US Treasury repurchase agreements with leading global banks.' Circle's IPO comes amid a push by the Trump administration and the crypto industry to pass legislation that would regulate how stablecoin issuers operate in the U.S. A Senate bill advanced last month with bipartisan support. There is also growing competition in the stablecoin field. A crypto enterprise partly owned by the Trump family just launched its own stablecoin, USD1. Circle said its long track record and values – the company says its mission statement is 'to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value' – will help it stand apart in the field.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Two lots of birth control pills recalled because they contained too many placebos
TORONTO – Health Canada says a pharmaceutical company has recalled two lots of Seasonale birth control because the packages contain too many placebo pills. The agency says Teva Canada Ltd. received a complaint that the packages had an extra row of placebos in place of the active pills. The packages of Seasonale are supposed to contain a 91-day supply divided into three blister cards: two cards with 28 active pills, which are pink, and a third with 35 total pills — 28 active and seven placebos, which are white. Health Canada says the affected packages, which have expiry dates of Jan. 31, 2026, and Sept. 30, 2026, include a row of placebo pills on the second card as well. The agency says people who have an affected batch should return it to the pharmacy, without skipping any active pills. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Health Canada says taking additional placebo pills or taking them out of order could lead to unplanned pregnancy, and it's monitoring Teva Canada's recall and investigation. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ford recalls nearly half a million 2016-17 Explorers due to door trim that can detach while driving
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly half a million older Explorer models because part of the door trim can detach while driving and cause a dangerous road hazard, U.S. auto safety regulators said Wednesday. A notice posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recall covers 492,145 Ford Explorers, model years 2016-2017. The vehicles were produced between June 11, 2015 and April 19, 2017. Ford Motor Co. first recognized the problem as far back as 2019, but did not consider it an 'unreasonable risk to safety,' the NHTSA report said. In March of this year, the NHTSA shared with Ford dozens of vehicle owner reports of the problem, leading Ford to further investigate it, eventually leading to the recall. Ford concluded that lack of proper adhesion was causing the trim to loosen, adding that it is unaware of accidents or injuries related to the defect. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker expects to start sending notification letters to owners on June 9. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. When a remedy to fix the faulty part has been determined, owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicles into a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the trim fixed at no cost. The NHTSA recall number is 25V347. The manufacturer's recall number is 25S53.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vietnam scraps 2-child policy as aging threatens economic growth
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has abolished its long-standing two-child limit on Tuesday to try and reverse declining birth rates and ease the pressures of an aging population. The National Assembly passed amendments scrapping rules that limit families to having one or two children, state media Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday. Vietnamese families are having fewer children than ever before. The birth rate in 2021 was 2.11 children per woman, just over the replacement rate required for a population to avoid shrinking over the long term. Since then, the birth rate has steadily declined: to 2.01 in 2022, 1.96 in 2023 and 1.91 in 2024. Vietnam isn't the only Asian country with low fertility. But, unlike Japan, South Korea or Singapore, it is still a developing economy. Nguyen Thu Linh, 37, a marketing manager in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, said that she and her husband decided to have only one child because she and her husband wanted to ensure that they could give their 6-year-old son the best education and upbringing that they could afford. 'Sometimes, I think about having another child so my son can have a sibling, but there's so much financial and time pressure if you have another child.' Vietnam introduced rules blocking families from having more than two children in 1988, with the idea that women would spend less time on childcare and more time working. Vietnam's 'golden population' period — when working age people outnumber those who depend on them — began in 2007 and is expected to last until 2039. The number of people who can work is likely to peak in 2042 and, by 2054, the population may start shrinking. All of this could make it harder to grow the economy, since there will be fewer workers while the cost of supporting the needs of the elderly grows. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Birth rates in Vietnam aren't falling evenly. In Ho Chi Minh City — the country's biggest city and economic hub — the fertility rate in 2024 was just 1.39 children per woman, much lower than the national average. At the same time, nearly 12% of the city's population was over 60, putting pressure on welfare services. To help, local officials started offering about $120 to women who have two children before turning 35 last December. Vietnam is also dealing with a unbalanced gender ratio, partly because due long-standing preferences for sons. Doctors aren't allowed to tell parents the baby's sex before birth, and sex-selective abortions are banned. On Tuesday, the health ministry proposed tripling the fine for choosing a baby's sex before birth to $3,800, state media reported. China imposed a one-child policy in 1979 amid worries about overpopulation. But as the country faces growing concerns about the long-term economic and societal challenges of an aging population, it has been slowly easing the policy to allow a second child and then a third child in 2021, but with little success at boosting birthrates.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Budapest police deny LGBTQ+ march request, citing Hungary's legislative Pride ban
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Police issued an order on Tuesday denying a request to hold an LGBTQ+ event later in central Budapest, a consequence of recent steps by the right-wing populist government aimed at banning the popular Budapest Pride march. The police's decision to prohibit the planned event later this month came after Hungary's parliament passed legislation in March, and a constitutional amendment the following month, that allowed the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities — moves that legal scholars and critics have called another step toward authoritarianism by the autocratic government. In its justification for prohibiting the Budapest event, which organizers requested to take place on June 28, the city's police argued that 'it cannot be ruled out, or is even inevitable, that a person under the age of 18 will be able to engage in legally prohibited conduct' if attending the proposed march. The police also contended that the march could result in 'passive victims,' who, 'because of the assembly's march-like nature, did not wish to attend the assembly but, because of its public nature, nevertheless become a bystander.' In a statement, the organizers called the police decision 'a textbook example of tyranny.' The ban on LGBTQ+ events — which the government says ensures children's rights to moral, physical and spiritual development — allows for fines on people organizing or taking part in Pride events, and the use of facial recognition software to identify them. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Hungary's contentious 'child protection' legislation prohibits the 'depiction or promotion' of homosexuality to minors aged under 18. Hungarian officials have given contradictory statements as to whether or not the new policies amount to a full ban on Budapest Pride. In a speech to supporters in February, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán advised organizers 'not to bother organizing this year's parade,' calling it 'wasted money and time.' The Budapest Police attached photographs and videos to its statement depicting scenes from previous Budapest Pride events — ostensibly evidence to corroborate its view that the march was likely to violate the new laws banning public displays of homosexuality. France, Germany and Spain were among at least 20 European Union nations who last month called on Hungary to revise its legislation banning LGBTQ+ events, expressing concern that it runs contrary to the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights enshrined in EU treaties. Organizers of Budapest Pride, which draws tens of thousands annually and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, have vowed that the event will go on as planned despite the threat of legal sanctions.
