A look at the stories making headlines today.
Facebook asks U.S. banks for financial info to boost user…
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc () has asked large U.S. banks to share detailed financial information about their customers, as part of an effort to offer new services to users, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Venezuela’s annual inflation hits 82,766 percent in July: congress
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan consumer prices rose to 82,766 percent in the 12 months ending in July, a member of the opposition-run congress reported on Monday, as the OPEC nation’s hyperinflation continues to accelerate amid a broader economic collapse.
Apple removes most of U.S. conspiracy theorist’s podcasts from iTunes
(Reuters) – Most of U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s podcasts from his right-wing media platform Infowars have been removed from Apple’s iTunes and podcast apps, the media news website BuzzFeed quoted a company spokesman as saying on Sunday.
Senator Paul invites Russian lawmakers to Washington: RIA
U.S. senator Rand Paul said he invited Russian senators to Washington for talks when he met Russian members of parliament in Moscow on Monday, the RIA news agency reported.
Indonesia earthquake: Thousands await rescue after quake hits resort islands Bali and Lombok
First responders are racing to evacuate hundreds of people affected by a deadly earthquake that rocked some of Indonesia’s most idyllic islands late Sunday.
How LeBron, Melania laid bare White House contradictions
Melania Trump’s split with her husband over NBA superstar LeBron James is the most glaring example of a growing trend: The President’s family and some top officials are adopting positions at odds with his most divisive statements.
Venezuela makes six arrests in alleged Maduro assassination attempt
Six people have been arrested after Saturday’s apparent assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, the nation’s interior minister said on national TV.
Facebook removes 4 pages from InfoWars and Alex Jones
The social media platform said in a statement Monday that it had “unpublished” the Alex Jones Channel Page, the Alex Jones Page, the InfoWars Page and the Infowars Nightly News Page. Facebook removed four videos from the pages last week after determining that they violated its hate speech and bullying policies.
Surgeon falsely accused of wrongdoing tries to recover his name
The lawyer who accused Dr. Ricardo Quarrie, a cardiothoracic fellow at Yale New Haven Hospital, of lying to cover up a surgical mistake has recanted.
Why so many people sleep in McDonald’s in Hong Kong
In just five years there’s been a sixfold increase in so-called McRefugees in Hong Kong — residents who spend their nights sleeping in 24-hour McDonald’s outlets across the city, a survey has found.
Charlotte Rae — Mrs. Garrett from TV’s ‘The Facts of Life,’ ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ — dies at 92
Charlotte Rae, a gregarious actress with a prodigious career on stage, screen and TV, died on Sunday at the age of 92, her son Larry Strauss told CNN.
Celebs and fans cheer Demi Lovato after she breaks silence
The support for Demi Lovato has been unwavering since her apparent overdose and now that she has spoken out even more people are rallying around her.
California fire explodes in size over weekend, is now 2nd largest in state history
Catastrophic wildfires continue to ravage California, as one blaze nearly doubled in size over the weekend, becoming fourth largest in the state’s history.
Nude golf: Naturism in full swing at Australian course
On a golf course in northern Australia everything is swinging … not least because 30 players are in the nude.
Masayoshi Son: SoftBank’s unicorn hunter – CNNMoney
Not far from the storied venture capital firms on Sand Hill Road, there’s a palatial estate where Masayoshi Son, Silicon Valley’s newest kingmaker, shapes the future. Reaching him requires driving into a leafy enclave filled with mansions overlooking Palo Alto before passing through a gated entrance into a sprawling compound where waiting attendants escort you inside.
World’s most Michelin-starred chef dies
French celebrity chef Joël Robuchon, who is credited with winning the most Michelin stars in the world, has died aged 73. Robuchon died from cancer on Monday in Switzerland, Le Figaro says, more than a year after being treated for a pancreatic tumour.
Thousands evacuated from Indonesia quake
Some 10,000 people have been evacuated on the Indonesian island of Lombok after a powerful 6.9 magnitude quake on Sunday left more than 90 people dead. Witnesses spoke of chaos and terror as buildings collapsed and power and communication lines were cut. Boats have been sent to evacuate more than 1,000 tourists from the nearby Gili islands.
How a traffic accident stopped a city of 18 million
For more than a week, Bangladesh has been gripped by mass protests triggered by the death of two children in a traffic accident. The demonstrators, overwhelmingly young people, are demanding that the government take action to improve road safety.
Trump says son met Russian for information
US President Donald Trump has admitted his son met a Russian lawyer in June 2016 “to get information on an opponent”, but argues it was legal. It is his most direct statement so far on the reason for Donald Trump Jr’s meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016.
Speeding Dubai tourist racks up £36k fines
It is not uncommon to run up some hefty bills while on holiday, but one British tourist will be feeling particularly glum this week. The unidentified man racked up tens of thousands of pounds in traffic fines in less than four hours after he rented a luxury supercar in Dubai.
Pensioners sneak out to metal festival
Think you’re too old for moshing? Then spare a thought for the two elderly gentlemen who escaped from a German care home and were found at a heavy metal music festival. Police said the pair were discovered “disorientated and dazed” in the early hours of Saturday at Wacken Open Air.
You won’t be able to pay with bitcoin at Starbucks anytime soon
Recent news that Starbucks has partnered with Microsoft, the International Exchange, and a few other companies to launch a cryptocurrency venture called Bakkt has fueled reports that Starbucks is getting ready to start accepting Bitcoin in its stores. Speaking to Motherboard, however, the company has stated that this is not true.
A wildfire in Ireland has uncovered a remarkable sight from World War II
A Second World War-era sign has been rediscovered after a gorse fire ravaged a hillside on the east coast of Ireland. The Irish Air Corps and Garda Air Support Unit spotted that a fire had exposed an old “Éire 8 sign” – a landmark dating back to World War – on Bray Head, in County Wicklow.
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Curiosity rover celebrates six cold, lonely years on Mars with a tweet
Being alone on a cold alien landscape may seem like a sad way to pass six years, but for the Mars Curiosity rover, it’s been a brilliant stretch. Sunday, Aug. 5 marked the sixth anniversary of Curiosity’s historic touchdown on the surface of Mars and the rover celebrated the way we all do: with a post on social media.
‘Black Panther’ is the third movie ever to make $700 million in the U.S.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Avatar. And now, introducing… Black Panther. As of today, Aug. 5, 2018, the February hit from Marvel Studios has officially crossed the $700 million threshold at the U.S. box office. That’s a huge achievement, one that only three movies in history – the three named above – can claim credit for.
Jean-Luc Picard is back, baby! Sir Patrick Stewart has a new Star Trek series
Well played, CBS All Access. Well played, indeed. Star Trek may be the biggest property CBS owns, and now a new Trek series is coming starring Sir Patrick Stewart once again as his Next Generation Enterprise captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Much like Star Trek: Discovery, it’s going to be a CBS All Access-exclusive series.
