MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - There is about a 40 percent chance of concluding the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) before Mexico’s presidential election on July 1, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Friday. FILE PHOTO: Mexico's Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo speaks to the media during a news conference at Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City, Mexico May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero “After July 1 and before the U.S. (mid-term) elections (in November), I would place the probability at another 40 percent,” he told Mexican television. That meant there was about an 80 percent chance of being able to conclude the deal before the U.S. mid-terms, he said. For a deal to be reached between Mexico, the United States and Canada on reworking the 24-year-old trade accord, U.S. negotiators would need to show flexibility, he said. Talks, which have ground on over nine months, have been stalled over U.S. demands … [Read more...] about Mexico minister: 40 percent chance of NAFTA deal before July election
40 percent rule
Massachusetts city, town employee wages grew 40 percent in 10 years
City officials are firing back at Airbnb after the company criticized plans for regulations in Boston — proposing a ban on all so-called “investor units” where the host does not live in the building where rooms are rented — as the battle over short-term rentals in the Hub intensifies.After initially proposing regulations earlier this year, Mayor Martin J. Walsh filed new, stricter restrictions on short-term rental services yesterday. The new law would allow owners who live in their homes to rent out rooms without limit, and would let owner-occupants of two- and three-family properties rent one unit for up to 120 nights a year. However, it would bar people who own a property but do not live there from renting out so-called “investor units,” which housing advocates have criticized as being quasi-hotels that skirt existing laws and drive up rents. The law would requires booking firms like Airbnb to sign agreements with the city to “actively … [Read more...] about Massachusetts city, town employee wages grew 40 percent in 10 years
Calif., 16 other states sue over 2022-2025 mpg rules
Washington — California and 16 other states are suing the Trump administration over its effort to overturn stringent gas mileage rules that would have required automakers to produce car fleets that averaged over 50 miles per gallon by 2025. The lawsuit, filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and spearheaded by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, alleges that that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s effort to roll back the stringent gas mileage rules that were adopted by former President Barack Obama’s administration is “unlawful.” Becerra was joined by his colleagues from Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia. Minnesota also joined the lawsuit through its Pollution Control Agency and Department of Transportation. Becerra said Tuesday that that states … [Read more...] about Calif., 16 other states sue over 2022-2025 mpg rules
The 2019 Porsche GT3 RS Is The Exception To The Rules Of Physics
For those who say a Porsche 911 Carrera S, GTS, Turbo or Turbo S are simply not enough, there are the GT2 and GT3 models. They’re insane, overpowered, meant for the race track and come with the six-figure price tags to match. And the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, somehow, is on a whole other level. (Full Disclosure: Porsche needed me to drive the new GT3 RS so badly had me at the Nürburgring, which I’ve been to once or maybe twice before, I can’t remember, and paid for the usual stuff.) What Is It? You’ve probably seen the video by now. Hot shoe extraordinaire, Kevin Estre, behind the wheel of wheel of the 2019 Porsche GT3 RS lapping the Nürbrurging Nordschleife in an absolutely epic 6:56.4. Now I’ve done more than a few laps on this circuit in Porsche’s full blown GT3 Cup race car. The first thing I noticed when I saw the video was that Estre was using the same braking points and carrying similar cornering speeds to what I would have in a GT3 … [Read more...] about The 2019 Porsche GT3 RS Is The Exception To The Rules Of Physics
Sunroofs Are Growing in Size and Popularity. Rules Haven’t Kept Up.
Supported by Business Day Wheels By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN FEB. 22, 2018 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story After 18-year-old Liza Hankins was thrown through the closed sunroof of her sport-utility vehicle during a crash and paralyzed, her family sued the truck’s maker, claiming it had failed to live up to its safety responsibilities.The carmaker, Ford, won the case after it pointed out that no government regulations required a sunroof — even a closed one — to keep someone inside a vehicle in a crash.Today, more than a dozen years after Ms. Hankins’s crash, there are still no government regulations meant to prevent the hundreds of sunroof ejections that happen every year — even as more buyers are ticking the box for the sunroof option and more carmakers are stretching the size of the glass overhead with larger, panoramic sunroofs.Some automakers have already taken … [Read more...] about Sunroofs Are Growing in Size and Popularity. Rules Haven’t Kept Up.