** Striking Boeing machinists rejected a proposed contract that would have ended a costly 41-day work stoppage. The machinists, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), turned down a deal that includes a 35 percent wage increase over the next four years, a $7,000 ratification bonus and improved retirement offerings.
** Nearly 80 members of Congress, including the Senate’s top two Democrats, on Wednesday urged automaker Stellantis to honor investment commitments that are part of its contract with the United Auto Workers union.
** Carmaker Stellantis (STLA)will launch by 2026 a demonstration fleet of vehicles fitted with solid-state batteries from US startup Factorial, the two companies said on Wednesday.
** A state lawmaker who represents part of North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene said rules on the books of the state’s environmental agency will sandbag recovery. State Rep. Jake Johnson of the North Carolina General Assembly told Fox News Digital the current regulations by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will hamper rebuilding efforts after Helene ravaged parts of the state’s northwest.
** The U.S. is working with allies to build a standardized international marketplace for metals and minerals central to the ongoing energy transition, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday.
World
** Economic growth in Saudi Arabia will accelerate next year thanks to higher oil output after two years of modest performance, according to a Reuters poll of economists, who also forecast robust growth for other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
** A crumbling nuclear waste site in Cumbria is leaking thousands of litres of radioactive water into the ground every day, a report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog has warned. The so-called Magnox Swarf Storage Silo is among the most hazardous buildings at Sellafield, Europe’s largest nuclear site, with work ongoing to transfer its contents into newer, safer facilities.
** Argentina’s new market-friendly government and fears about oil supply from the Middle East and elsewhere are driving a drilling and production boom in Argentina’s Patagonian south, home to the giant Vaca Muerta shale formation, Spanish for “Dead Cow.”
** At the COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year, leaders from more than 130 nations agreed to triple renewable power capacity by the end of the decade. While the target remains achievable, current rates of clean power deployment aren’t sufficient and the rollout of wind turbines is lagging, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, reported Bloomberg.
** A $24 billion renewable energy corridor connecting Australia and Singapore inched closer to completion after developer SunCable received conditional clearance from the city-state.