U.S. retail sales increased marginally in April as rising gasoline prices cut into discretionary spending, but consumer spending appeared on track to accelerate after slowing sharply in the first quarter. The economic outlook got a boost from other data Tuesday showing factory activity regaining momentum in May on strong orders …
your ad hereUS Senate Preps for Net Neutrality Vote
Senate Democrats are mounting a last-ditch campaign to preserve so-called “net neutrality” that has prevented certain content or users from being slowed on the internet in the United States — an effort most Republicans say is misguided and counterproductive. On Wednesday, the Senate will vote on whether to reverse the …
your ad hereSlide Continues for Brazil’s Real
Brazil’s currency is falling again against the dollar amid uncertainty over this year’s elections in Latin America’s largest economy. Brazil’s real was trading around $0.27 on Tuesday, its lowest price in more than two years. The Brazilian currency has fallen about 10 percent against the dollar this year. The slide is …
your ad hereKellogg Pulls Out of Crisis-Hit Venezuela
U.S.-based food company Kellogg said on Tuesday it had pulled out of Venezuela due to its brutal economic crisis, the latest business to end operations in the oil-rich nation heaving under hyperinflation and strict price controls. “In December of 2016, Kellogg deconsolidated its Venezuela business from the company’s results. The …
your ad hereConoco Keeps Seizing Venezuela Assets in Dutch Islands
A lawyer for a subsidiary of Houston-based ConocoPhillips said a court in the Dutch Antilles had authorized it to seize $1.94 billion worth of assets held on Bonaire island by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. Conoco is seeking to recover $2 billion in a dispute over expropriation of its oil …
your ad hereSentencing in Bill Cosby’s Sex Assault Case Set for Sept. 24
Bill Cosby will be sentenced September 24 — five months after he was convicted of sexual assault. Judge Steven O’Neill set the date on Tuesday. Cosby’s lawyers had asked to delay sentencing until December. Cosby turns 81 in July and is likely to face a sentence of up to 10 …
your ad hereTwitter Changes Strategy in Battle Against Internet ‘Trolls’
Twitter Inc on Tuesday revised its strategy for fighting abusive internet trolls,” saying it would use behavioral signals to identify harassers on the social network and then limit the visibility of their tweets. San Francisco-based Twitter, known for freewheeling discussions since it was founded in 2006, has been trying to …
your ad here‘Right Stuff,’ ‘Bonfire’ Author Tom Wolfe Dead at 87
Tom Wolfe, an early practitioner of “new journalism” who captured the mood and culture of America across five decades with books including “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” “The Right Stuff” and “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” died on Tuesday at the age of 87, his agent said. Wolfe, who had …
your ad hereDutch Government Dropping Kaspersky Software Over Spying Fears
The Dutch government is phasing out the use of anti-virus software made by Russian firm Kaspersky Lab amid fears of possible spying, despite vehement denials by the Moscow-based cybersecurity company. The Dutch Justice and Security ministry said in a statement late Monday the decision had been taken as a “precautionary …
your ad hereWedding Countdown Begins for Royal Wild Child, American TV Star
Britain’s Prince Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne, and American Meghan Markle, who is best known for her former role in the TV drama Suits, are due to marry this Saturday in Windsor, England. For many fans, it is a fairy-tale romance and Meghan breaks the mold …
your ad hereRoyal Wild Child & American Star: Countdown to Harry and Meghan’s Wedding
Britain’s Prince Harry, sixth in line to the throne, and American Meghan Markle, best known for her former role in the TV drama “Suits,” are due to marry Saturday (May 19) in Windsor, England. For many fans, it is a fairy-tale romance as a former American actress becomes a princess; …
your ad hereKenya Steps Into Space with First Satellite Launch
Kenya took its first step into space with the launch Friday of a nano-satellite made at the University of Nairobi. Engineers involved in creating the cube-shaped space capsule described it as Kenya’s joining the space club, although much remains to be done to get the Kenya space program off the …
your ad hereModigliani Painting Fetches $157M at Auction
A 1917 painting by Amedeo Modigliani of a reclining nude woman that was once considered obscene in Paris sold for over $157 million at an auction in Manhattan on Monday. “Nu couche (sur le cote gauche)” was the highlight of Sotheby’s “Impressionist & Modern Art” sale featuring Pablo Picasso …
your ad hereSpike Lee’s Electric ‘BlacKkKlansman’ Premieres at Cannes
Spike Lee’s Ku Klux Klan crime drama “BlacKkKlansman” received a rousing, lengthy standing ovation at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. Lee’s film tells true-life tale of a black police detective in Colorado who infiltrates the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. It was among the most highly anticipated titles …
your ad hereMusk Tells Tesla Staff He Is Planning ‘Reorganization’
Tesla’s chief executive officer told employees on Monday the company is undergoing a “thorough reorganization,” as it contends with questions over its production schedule and two crashes last week involving its electric, self-driving cars. CEO Elon Musk said in an email that as part of the reorganization it was “flattening …
your ad hereDecorating for Ramadan Just Got a Little Easier
As the sun sets Tuesday, Muslims will begin observing the fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest on the Islamic calendar. They abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk, pray, and recite Quran. But, there is also a fun, festive side of the observance. That’s the social gatherings for …
your ad hereDrake Announces 41-Date Tour with Migos
Drake is going on tour. The 31-year-old announced the “Aubrey and The Three Amigos Tour” on Monday. Drake will be joined by “Walk It Talk It” collaborators Migos and special guests on the North American leg through the summer and fall. The 41-date tour starts July 26 in Salt Lake …
your ad hereWenders Film Shows ‘Emotional Giant’ Pope Francis
Viewers hoping Wim Wenders’ documentary about Pope Francis will be a critical portrait of the head of the Catholic Church will be disappointed. The German director makes no excuses for the fact this is a work of love for a man he respects. Wenders, who won the Palme d’Or for …
your ad hereMargot Kidder, Lois Lane in ‘Superman’ Franchise, Dies
Margot Kidder, the Canadian actress who starred as a salty and cynical Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the “Superman” film franchise of the 1970s and 1980s, has died. She was 69. Kidder’s manager Camilla Fluxman Pines said she died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday. Police in Livingston, …
your ad hereForty Years After ‘Grease,’ Travolta’s Back in Cannes
Fans of the high school musical Grease are in for a treat if they can make it to the French Riviera this week. The movie will be screened on the beach Wednesday to celebrate its 40th anniversary. And fans might get a glimpse of its star, John Travolta, who is …
your ad hereEU Warns Britain of Poor Brexit Progress
The European Union on Monday warned Britain time was running out to seal a Brexit deal this fall and ensure London does not crash out of the bloc next March, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May. May’s spokesman, however, said the “focus is on getting this right” rather …
your ad hereRussian Bank Helps Venezuela Defy US Cryptocurrency Sanctions
Investors looking to buy Venezuela’s new cryptocurrency may want to head to a little-known Moscow bank whose biggest shareholders are President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government and two state-controlled Russian companies under U.S. sanctions. Evrofinance Mosnarbank has emerged as the only international financial institution so far willing to defy a U.S. …
your ad hereKenyan Doctors Angered by Move to Hire Cuban Physicians
Kenya’s government is pushing ahead with a plan to hire 100 Cuban doctors despite opposition from a doctors’ union that says the money could be used to employ local physicians instead. President Uhuru Kenyatta agreed the deal last year and the plan was accelerated after his state visit to Cuba …
your ad hereForget Pokemon Go, Red Cross Augmented Reality App Brings War to You
Thousands of people are using their smartphones to experience the devastation of urban conflict through an augmented reality app which aims to raise awareness of the suffering faced by millions trapped by war, the app’s developer said on Monday. Launched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in …
your ad hereWest Africa Taps Solar Energy Potential
In South Africa, workers will soon begin construction of a new 100 megawatt solar power plant near the town of Pofadder. In Morocco, expansion of a giant solar power plant near the city of Ourzazate will soon increase its capacity to 580 megawatts. Solar energy has been slower to arrive …
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