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OPEC+ move reignites Americans’ top worry ahead of November midterms

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OPEC+ move reignites Americans’ top worry ahead of November midterms

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) – A manufacturing reduce by the OPEC+ oil cartel is reigniting U.S. voters’ No. 1 worry – excessive inflation – and handing a possible increase to Republican candidates lower than 5 weeks earlier than the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

President Joe Biden’s White Home has condemned the introduced reduce to manufacturing targets by the Saudi Arabia-led cartel, which despatched power costs larger after they’d eased from summer time highs.

The transfer late within the marketing campaign season unsettled a rising consensus that Biden’s Democrats might stem their losses within the U.S. Home of Representatives — although they’re nonetheless anticipated to lose their slim majority. Democrats are nonetheless favored to carry their razor-thin Senate majority.

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However political strategists from each events say Democrats’ hopes in both chamber might take a success as voters throughout the nation discover themselves forking over extra money on the pump.

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“No Democrat needs an surroundings the place folks need to spend extra money,” mentioned Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who labored on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign.

Republicans have pounced on the problem.

“Beneath Biden – OPEC controls our future fairly than American power independence,” Pat Harrigan, a Republican Home candidates in North Carolina, mentioned in a tweet.

Republicans have hammered Democrats all yr over inflation, which has reached four-decade highs as gasoline costs surged with Russia’s March invasion of Ukraine. Moscow can be a member of OPEC+ and performed a job within the cartel’s determination this week to chop output.

LAGGING APPROVAL

Inflation is a significant cause that Biden’s public approval score has remained under 50% for greater than a yr, weighing on his social gathering’s congressional candidates. Management of both chamber of Congress might enable Republicans to carry Biden’s legislative agenda to a halt and launch doubtlessly damaging investigations.

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Republicans argue for loosening authorities restrictions on U.S. power manufacturing as a option to decrease prices. Biden’s Democrats have responded to excessive inflation with a $430 billion bundle signed into legislation in August which lowers healthcare prices and encourages clear power.

Payne, the Democratic guide, mentioned the social gathering ought to attempt to blunt the unfavorable affect of the power shock by displaying voters they’re making an attempt to handle the problem.

Biden mentioned on Wednesday he’ll proceed releasing oil “as needed” from the federal government’s inventory of reserves to fight excessive costs, and has referred to as on Congress to seek out methods to scale back OPEC+’s energy over costs.

“OPEC have to be held chargeable for this motion,” mentioned U.S. Consultant Mike Thompson, a reasonable Democrat from California who has voted for proposals that will open OPEC to antitrust lawsuits however which have but to win full congressional approval.

Voters, together with Biden’s Democrats, overwhelmingly cite inflation as their prime concern, an echo of the Seventies power disaster that helped Republican Ronald Reagan unseat Democratic President Jimmy Carter within the 1980 presidential election.

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A Reuters/Ipsos ballot accomplished Oct. 3 confirmed inflation was the No. 1 concern for 30% of registered voters, together with a fifth of Democrats and two fifths of Republicans. A lot smaller shares mentioned their prime fear was unemployment, crime or immigration.

Respondents cited inflation as their greatest private concern eight instances extra usually than they cited worries about somebody of their family shedding their job.

Furthermore, 41% of registered voters mentioned Republicans had the most effective method for dealing with inflation, in contrast with 30% who picked Democrats.

Within the weeks earlier than the OPEC+ determination to chop output, U.S. gasoline costs had been trending decrease as oil merchants grew involved in regards to the prospects of a world recession.

However the U.S. nationwide common for gasoline costs on Thursday was as much as $3.87 a gallon, about six cents larger than two days earlier, earlier than the OPEC+ announcement, in keeping with information from the American Vehicle Affiliation.

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Forecasters don’t count on gasoline costs to surge again to summertime highs. Some elements of the nation — primarily California and elements of the Midwest that skilled a latest surge on account of refinery outages — might see costs ease within the weeks forward.

The worth of U.S. crude has risen greater than a greenback since Tuesday to about $88 a barrel, the very best since mid-September.

“That is dangerous information for Democrats,” mentioned Douglas Heye, a Republican strategist. “The Democratic argument three weeks in the past was, basically, issues are much less dangerous, which is not an important argument. They will’t even use that one now.”

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Reporting by Jason Lange and David Morgan in Washington and Joseph Ax in Princeton, New Jersey, further reporting by David Gaffen; Modifying by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell

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Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.

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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25. 

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico. 

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January. 

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families. 

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations. 

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner. 

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple. 

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with. 

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence. 

Coquito

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source. 

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before. 

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast. 

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo. 

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico. 

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com. 

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

Woman Wrapping Christmas Gifts

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

 

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Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season. 

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades. 

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

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Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.

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Memes, Jokes and Cats: South Koreans Use Parody for Political Protest

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Memes, Jokes and Cats: South Koreans Use Parody for Political Protest

As South Koreans took to the streets this month demanding the ousting of their president, some found an unexpected outlet to express their fury: jokes and satire.

They hoisted banners and flags with whimsical messages about cats, sea otters and food. They waved signs joking that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law had forced them to leave the comfort of their beds. Pictures of the flags spread widely on social media.

The idea was to use humor to build solidarity against Mr. Yoon, who has vowed to fight his impeachment over his ill-fated martial law decree on Dec. 3. Some waved flags for nonexistent groups like the so-called Dumpling Association, a parody of real groups like labor unions, churches or student clubs.

Video by Yu Young Jin/The New York Times

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Photos by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times

“I just wanted to show that we were here as part of the people even if we aren’t actually a part of a civic group,” said Kim Sae-rim, 28, who waved the flag of the dumpling group at a recent protest she went to with friends. Some groups referred to other local favorites like pizza and red bean pastries.

Kwon Oh-hyouck, a veteran protester, said that he had first seen such flags emerge during demonstrations in 2016 and 2017 that ultimately resulted in the removal of President Park Geun-hye. Mr. Kwon said that satire was part of the Korean spirit of protest.

“People satirize serious situations, even when those in power come out with guns and knives,” he said. “They are not intimidated.”

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In the past month, protesters have come up with a wide range of unorthodox groupings. Some were self-proclaimed homebodies. Still others came together as people who suffered from motion sickness.

Video by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Photos by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times

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Video by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times

Photo by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Lee Kihoon, a professor of modern Korean history at Yonsei University in Seoul, said that he believed the flags at this month’s protests were an expression of the diversity of people galvanized by the president’s attempt to impose military rule.

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“They’re trying to say: ‘Even for those of us who have nothing to do with political groups, this situation is unacceptable,’” he said. “‘I’m not a member of a party or anything, but this is outrageous.’”

Some held signs ridiculing Mr. Yoon, saying that he had separated them from their pets at home and disrupted their routine of watching Korean dramas. One group called itself a union of people running behind schedule, referring to the idea that the need to protest over martial law had forced them to reschedule their appointments.

Photo by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times

Photo by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

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And of course, there were animals, both real and fake.

Photos by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times

South Koreans have shown that protests for serious causes — like the ousting of a president — can still have an inviting, optimistic and carnival-like atmosphere.

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“I don’t know if the protesters realize it, but even though they’re angry, they haven’t gotten solemn, heavy or moralistic,” Mr. Lee said. “The flags have had an effect of softening and relaxing the tension.”

On the day that lawmakers voted to impeach Mr. Yoon, protesters who were K-pop fans brought lightsticks to rallies and danced to pop songs blasting from speakers. “Even though this is a serious day,” said Lee Jung-min, a 31-year-old fan of the band Big Bang, “we might as well enjoy it and keep spirits up.”

Video by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

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