Eurozone inflation is accelerating again at the worst possible moment for Europe. Consumer prices rose 3% in April compared to 2.6% the previous month, driven primarily by surging energy costs tied to the Iran conflict and fears surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Energy inflation alone jumped 10.9% year-over-year. At the same time, economic growth across the eurozone has nearly stalled. Europe now faces rising prices alongside weakening economic activity, and that combination becomes extraordinarily difficult for central banks to manage. The European Central Bank is trapped. If it raises rates aggressively, it risks crushing already fragile economies. If it eases…
Author: Staff Writer
Google Fi has been around for north of a decade now and it still feels like the weird, smart kid in the back of the wireless-carrier room. It’s not quite a major carrier, but it’s much more than just a budget MVNO. And it’s one of the only tech services I’ve been using for years and years that hasn’t changed all that much or arbitrarily and routinely jacked up its prices. My bill has looked the same for a long, long time. So if you’re tired of the Big Three and you’re thinking about jumping ship, here’s the reality of…
The U.S. Treasury has now frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency tied to Iran, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who announced sanctions targeting multiple digital wallets allegedly connected to Tehran. Most people will view this story narrowly through the lens of sanctions on Iran or Middle East politics. The larger issue is far more important. Governments are proving in real time that cryptocurrency is not outside the system and never truly was once governments decide to intervene aggressively enough. Crypto enthusiasts promote the fantasy that digital assets exist beyond government reach. Blockchain transactions themselves are permanently recorded publicly. The moment…
On a March afternoon, artificial intelligence detected something resembling smoke on a camera feed from Arizona’s Coconino National Forest. Human analysts verified it wasn’t a cloud or dust, then alerted the state’s forest service and largest electric utility. One of dozens of AI cameras installed for the utility Arizona Public Service had spotted early signs of what came to be known as the Diamond Fire. Firefighters raced to the scene and contained the blaze before it grew past 7 acres (2.8 hectares). As record-breaking heat and an abysmal snowpack raise concerns about severe wildfires, states across the fire-prone West are adding AI to their wildfire detection…
Forget AI replacing human artists—The Devil Wears Prada 2 just proved that human artists can replace AI. The new movie, a long-awaited sequel to 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, sees the return of star Meryl Streep as iconic fashion editor Miranda Priestly. It begins with Priestly in a PR crisis, sparking a slew of online hate. That includes memes like an image of Priestly dressed as a fast-food worker captioned, “Would you like lies with that?” The image is only briefly on screen, and at first glance, many moviegoers assumed it was AI-generated. After all, on the internet of 2026,…
Fashion’s biggest night out returns to New York City this evening as the Metropolitan Museum of Art prepares to welcome couture-wearing celebrities back to its steps. But as tech billionaires buy their way into the mainstream, the event is making headlines even before the kickoff—not for who might be the best dressed, but who is underwriting the festivities. Held the first Monday of every May, the Met Gala is an invitation-only benefit fundraiser in support of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The gathering has become an iconic event, synonymous with status and fashion, with its organizer, Anna Wintour,…
Hours before Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos take their places as sponsors and honorary chairs of the Met Gala—fashion’s glittery annual fundraiser in support of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute—a different kind of fashion event was unfolding across town. Ahead of the gala, hundreds of workers, organizers, and advocates gathered in the Meatpacking District in downtown New York for the Ball Without Billionaires, a worker-led fashion show designed to contrast the one at the museum. Organized by a coalition of labor groups including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Strategic Organizing Center, and the Amazon Labor…
The glory days of self-serve fountain drinks at McDonald’s are almost over, and people are not happy. Self-serve soda fountains have been a staple of fast food restaurants like McDonald’s for decades, allowing visiting customers to self-pour, refill, and even customize their order by mixing all available soda options. But as fast food chains look to optimize their operations, not all beloved features are making the cut, and fountains are quietly disappearing. In September 2023, McDonald’s announced it was eliminating the self-serve soda fountains, with a goal to remove them all by 2032, a decision made to drive consistency for…
It’s been a busy month for Hugh Jackman. Between headlining New Born on Broadway and starring in an upcoming mystery-comedy called The Sheep Detectives, the X-Men actor stopped by Ball State University to deliver a commencement speech for the graduating class. “I’ve been asked [countless times] to give a speech like this over the years, and I have always said no, because the money just was never really good enough,” the actor joked. Jackman reportedly first visited Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana last year with his Broadway costar turned romantic partner, Sutton Foster—a longtime faculty member of the school’s…
ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: • NIKKEI 225 closed • Shanghai closed • Hang Seng increased 319.35 points or 1.24% to 26,095.88 • ASX 200 decreased 32.70 points or -0.37% to 8,697.10 • SENSEX increased 355.90 points or 0.46% to 77,269.40 • Nifty50 increased 121.75 points or 0.51% to 24,119.30 The major Asian currency markets had a mixed day today: • AUDUSD decreased 0.0031 or -0.43% to 0.71674 • NZDUSD decreased 0.00259 or -0.44% to 0.58711 • USDJPY increased 0.172 or 0.11% to 157.195 • USDCNY increased 0.00164 or 0.02% to 6.83215 The above…