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US Retail Sales Rise Moderately; Economy Plodding Along

WASHINGTON—U.S. retail sales rose less than expected in June as receipts at service stations and building material stores declined, but consumers boosted or maintained spending elsewhere, which likely kept the economy on a solid growth path in the second quarter. Overall, the mixed report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday painted a picture of consumer…


MPs Overturn Attempts to Scrap Offender Immunity in Legacy Bill

MPs have overturned attempts to remove a conditional immunity provision from contentious legislation aimed at halting post-conflict prosecutions in Northern Ireland. The House of Lords had voted to tear up an element of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, which offers those accused of Troubles-related crimes immunity from being prosecuted if they cooperate…


Worrying About CCP Interference, Australian Councillor Calls for Severing Sister-City Relations With Chinese City

A Western Australian city is considering severing its sister-city relationship with its Chinese counterpart amid concerns that Beijing is using the ties for foreign interference. On July 12, Albany city councillor Thomas Brough sent a notice of motion, calling on Albany to terminate its sister city relationship with Linyi City, Shandong Province in China, which…


Santa Clara University Students Must Take COVID Vaccines or Withdraw

Health Viewpoints College COVID vaccine mandates remain some of the most coercive mandates ever declared. While most colleges have rescinded their mandates, some refuse to let go, and Santa Clara University (SCU) in California is one of the most oppressive. In late April 2021, after most incoming freshmen had committed, SCU announced that all students were required to get…


Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Odesa Port for a 2nd Night in Row

KYIV—Russia launched an extensive air attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a second night in row on Wednesday. The attack was “very powerful, truly massive,” Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said in a voice message on his Telegram channel on Wednesday. “It was a hellish night,” he said, adding that…


Israeli-Owned Spyware Firms Blacklisted by US Commerce Department Over National Security Risks

The U.S. Commerce Department has placed two European-based Israeli-owned spyware companies on its trade blacklist, citing national security concerns. Intellexa S.A. in Greece and its entity Intellexa Limited in Ireland, and Cytrox AD in North Macedonia, along with its entity Cytrox Holdings Crt in Hungary, were added to the technology export blacklist, the Commerce Department…


Jan Six at Home: Amsterdam’s House of Six Collection

In the city of Amsterdam, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) continues to reign as its artistic sovereign. Many of his masterpieces hold court at the Rijksmuseum, the Dutch State Museum that contains the world’s largest collection of Rembrandt paintings, offering a characteristic and wide-ranging overview of his works. The city is also home to the Rembrandt…


Senior Doctors’ Strike to Bring NHS to Standstill

A 48-hour strike by senior doctors in England will start on Thursday and will see major disruption to NHS services and patient appointments. NHS England has warned that planned industrial action, which follows five days of strikes by junior doctors, could have the most “severe impact.” Senior doctors will not be seeing patients from 7am…


Pound Slides After Cooler Inflation Data, Yen Under Pressure Again

LONDON/SINGAPORE—Sterling slid on Wednesday after lower-than-expected British inflation data suggested the Bank of England might not have to raise rates quite as high as expected, while the latest dovish comments from the Bank of Japan caused the yen to soften. The pound dropped as much as 0.8 percent against the dollar to $1.2931, and also…


Cosmetics Giant Estee Lauder Hacked, Disrupting Business Operations

A hacker was able to gain access to cosmetics company Estee Lauder’s internal system, prompting the makeup and beauty giant to launch an investigation into the incident, it announced on July 18. In a statement, the New York-headquartered company said it had identified the cybersecurity incident, which involved an “unauthorized third party that has gained access to some…