Business
WASHINGTON: U.S. crude oil jumped 8.7% to $104.95 a barrel and Brent crude rose 7.4% to $102.23 in Asian trading on Monday, sending both benchmarks back above $100 after the United States said it would begin a blockade of Iranian ports. The move followed the…
NEW YORK: Gold prices fell on Monday as a stronger U.S. dollar weighed on bullion and reduced demand from buyers using other currencies, while higher oil prices and fading expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts added pressure to the non-yielding metal. Spot…
NEW YORK: Gold steadied on Friday and remained on track for a third straight weekly gain, with spot bullion holding near $4,764.54 an ounce and June U.S. gold futures around $4,787.80. The metal was up about 1.8% for the week, extending a rebound that…
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has revised U.S. Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper, lowering duties on many derivative products while keeping a 50% tariff in place for core metal imports. The White House said the changes were set out in a proclamation signed…
AUSTIN: Oracle has begun a new round of layoffs, including 491 positions in Washington state, as the software company continues to commit tens of billions of dollars to cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. A notice filed with Washington labor authorities shows the affected employees…
NEW YORK: Gold prices steadied on March 31 after a sharp monthly selloff that marked bullion’s worst month since October 2008, underscoring how quickly one of the market’s strongest trades turned lower after its record run earlier this year. Spot gold was around $4,561.68…
LOS GATOS: Netflix has raised prices across all of its U.S. streaming plans, increasing the monthly cost of its ad-supported tier to $8.99 from $7.99, its standard ad-free plan to $19.99 from $17.99 and its premium plan to $26.99 from $24.99. The company has…
MENLO PARK: Meta Platforms cut several hundred jobs across multiple teams on March 25, describing the move as part of regular restructuring and saying it was seeking other opportunities inside the company for some affected workers. The latest reductions add to a series of…
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Postal Service filed notice on March 25 with the Postal Regulatory Commission for a temporary 8% price increase on key package shipping products, citing rising transportation costs. The proposed change, if cleared by the regulator, would take effect at midnight Central…
NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs has raised its probability of a U.S. recession in the next 12 months to 30% from 25%, marking a sharper turn in its outlook as higher energy costs, tighter financial conditions and a waning lift from recent tax legislation weigh…
WASHINGTON: U.S. business activity slowed to an 11 month low in March as higher energy costs and broader supply strains linked to the Middle East conflict weighed on demand, while price pressures intensified across the private sector. Flash survey data from S&P Global showed…
NEW YORK: Gold prices fell sharply on Monday, extending a historic selloff as the conflict in the Middle East kept energy markets volatile and reinforced inflation concerns that have unsettled precious metals. Spot gold was down 2.2% at $4,388.22 an ounce by 1230 GMT…
WASHINGTON: Many U.S. households continue to face pressure from grocery, housing and utility bills even after inflation cooled, leaving a gap between improving national price data and day-to-day affordability. In his Feb. 25 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump said inflation was plummeting,…
WASHINGTON: U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 was far weaker than first reported, while January inflation remained elevated in the latest personal consumption data. The Bureau of Economic Analysis said real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.7% in…
NEW YORK: Gold prices rose on Friday, March 13, 2026, as a softer U.S. dollar and easing U.S. Treasury yields lifted demand for bullion in early trade. Spot gold was up 0.7% at $5,112.82 an ounce by 4:11 a.m. GMT. The move followed a volatile…
WASHINGTON: U.S. employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, an unexpected decline that pushed the unemployment rate up to 4.4%, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. January payroll growth was revised down to a gain of 126,000, while December was revised to…
Health
SACRAMENTO: A new analysis of California residue testing data found that 37% of conventional fruits and vegetables grown in the state carried residues from PFAS pesticides, adding new attention to a class of chemicals that has become a major issue in food and environmental oversight. The Environmental Working Group said it reviewed…
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it is investigating a multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Raw Farm brand raw cheddar cheese made by Raw Farm LLC of Fresno, California, after seven confirmed illnesses were reported in three states. Federal health officials said two people have been hospitalized and…
CALIFORNIA: Researchers reported an experimental nasal-spray vaccine that protected mice against multiple respiratory viruses, bacteria and an allergen for at least three months, according to a study published Feb. 19 in the journal Science. The intranasal formulation, called GLA-3M-052-LS+OVA, was tested in mice exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, as well…
CALIFORNIA: A California jury has awarded $25 million, to a U.S. man who said he developed a chronic lung disease after years of using a butter flavored version of PAM cooking spray. The verdict was returned Feb. 4 in Los Angeles County Superior Court in a case involving Conagra Brands, the maker…
Entertainment
CALIFORNIA: Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studio announced on February 12 that the original God of War trilogy is being remade, reviving the series’ Greek era in a project the studio said is still in…
Netflix Q3 profit fell short as a $619M Brazil tax charge cut earnings, though revenue rose 17% to $11.5B, meeting forecasts.
Apple Arcade adds NFL Retro Bowl ’26, Jeopardy! Daily, and Hello Kitty updates in a major September expansion, with new content and exclusive features.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot opens with 57 million dollars, topping Superman and tracking toward a 220 million dollar global debut.
With $1.085 billion in earnings, Deadpool and Wolverine now hold the title for the highest-grossing R-rated film.
Immutable, a leading Web3 gaming platform, has made headlines with the announcement of a groundbreaking gaming rewards program valued at an impressive $50 million. The initiative, aptly named “The Main Quest,” is…
Apple Music is set to elevate the excitement surrounding Super Bowl LVIII with a comprehensive and exclusive USHER experience, creating a vibrant buzz among fans eagerly awaiting the iconic artist’s halftime performance at Allegiant Stadium in Las…
“The Equalizer 3” tops $100 million at the global box office in just its second weekend, boasting a formidable total of $107.6 million. This impressive figure includes $61.8 million from the US…
Abu Dhabi’s bustling international airport had an air of Hollywood on Sunday when iconic actor Tom Cruise graced the newly launched Midfield Terminal for the Middle East premiere of “Mission: Impossible –…
Disney’s much-anticipated live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” is facing a staggering box office failure, falling drastically short of expectations. The film experienced a substantial decline in ticket sales, with a 58%…
Technology
MENLO PARK: Meta Platforms on Wednesday unveiled Muse Spark, the first artificial intelligence model released by its Meta Superintelligence Labs team, marking the company’s first major public model launch in about a year. Meta said Muse Spark now powers the Meta AI assistant in the Meta AI app and on its website, with the model…
CALIFORNIA: OpenAI has publicly said it is ending the Sora app, its consumer video generation product, in…
SAN JOSE: Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said he would choose a job candidate who is skilled…
SAN JOSE: NVIDIA on March 16 expanded its physical AI push at its GTC conference, unveiling new…
CUPERTINO: Apple on Tuesday introduced updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by its new M5…