The average retail price for propane is $1.91 per gallon, down 1.8 cents from last week’s price, and down 48.6 cents from a year ago, based on the residential heating fuel survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Propane prices in the Midwest region averaged $1.51 per gallon, down 3.1 cents from last week, and down 27.4 cents from a year ago.

The average retail price for home heating oil fell by 14 and a half cents from last week to $2.45 per gallon. That’s down 76.9 cents from a year ago, based on the residential heating fuel survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Heating oil prices in the New England region are at $2.38 per gallon, down 12.3 cents from last week, and down 79.7 cents from a year ago.

The average retail price for propane is $1.87 per gallon, down 3.3 cents from last week’s price, based on the residential heating fuel survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Propane prices in the Midwest region averaged $1.46 per gallon, down 4.4 cents from last week.

The average retail price for home heating oil fell by 2.6 cents from last week to $2.42 per gallon, based on the residential heating fuel survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Heating oil prices in the New England region are at $2.36 per gallon, down 2.8 cents from last week.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is forecasting that U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) will decrease by 7.5% in 2020, driven by the economic slowdown and restrictions on business and travel activity related to COVID-19. This follows a 2.7% decrease in emissions in 2019. EIA forecasts that energy-related CO2 emissions will then increase by 3.6% in 2021. In its April Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA estimates that in 2020, CO2 emissions from petroleum will decrease 7% and from coal will decrease 18.4%. EIA creates estimates of energy-related CO2 emissions based on energy consumption and on the amounts of CO2 that are released when different fuels are burned. Total CO2 emissions depend on total energy consumption and the fuel mix of the energy consumed. When it is burned, coal creates the most CO2 of the major fossil fuels. However, because more petroleum products (such as motor gasoline) are consumed than coal, petroleum is the largest source of CO2 emissions in the United States. Natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel, but in recent years, because of its increasing consumption, it generates more U.S. CO2 emissions than coal. Non-fossil fuels such as nuclear power and renewable generation emit no direct CO2 at the end use. As these noncarbon generation sources increasingly enter the fuel mix, energy demand can be met without a proportional increase in energy-related CO2.

As a result of the global economic slowdown related to COVID-19, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that global petroleum and liquids consumption will average 95.5 million barrels per day in 2020, down 5.2 million barrels per day from 2019. EIA forecasts that U.S. oil consumption will decline 6.5% in 2020 to average 19.1 million barrels per day, which would be the largest percentage decline in U.S. consumption since 1980. At the same time, in its April 2020 Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA expects global oil supply to increase in the coming months from first-quarter 2020 levels. Total world liquids supply will average 98.7 million barrels per day through the third quarter of 2020. These supply and demand developments are contributing to a significant increase in liquid fuels inventories. EIA estimates that second-quarter 2020 global petroleum inventories will increase an average 11.4 million barrels per day. Within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the most stocks recorded in historical data were in July 2016 at 3.1 billion barrels. EIA forecasts inventories will surpass this level as production continues to outpace consumption. EIA expects these large stock builds will put downward pressure on crude oil prices for several months. Brent crude oil prices averaged 32 dollars per barrel in March, the lowest monthly average since January 2016. EIA forecasts Brent crude oil to average 23 dollars per barrel during the second quarter of 2020 before increasing to an average 46 dollars per barrels in 2021.

For members of Australia's start up community, Adelaide is fast growing the reputation of a national entrepreneurial hub.

Australia dropped six places to 15th position - the largest drop out of the 27 OECD countries measured.

Greater Sydney generates 23% of the Nation's GDP and will be a city of 8 million, up from 4 million, in the next 40 years.

Australia has fallen back to pre-2007 performance on female economic empowerment with one of the biggest annual declines among OECD countries according to PwC's annual Women in Work index.

Nvidia today announced its plans to acquire Cumulus Networks, an open-source-centric company that specializes in helping enterprises optimize their data center networking stack. Cumulus offers both its own Linux distribution for network switches, as well as tools for managing network operations. With Cumulus Express, the company also offers a hardware solution in the form of […]

AWS today announced the launch of the Elemental Link, a small hardware device that makes it easy to connect a live video source to the AWS Elemental Media Live service for broadcast-grade live video processing in the cloud. The $995 Link, which weighs in at less than a pound, is meant to allow Media Live […]

Under different circumstances, GitHub would be hosting its Satellite conference in Paris this week. Like so many other events, GitHub decided to switch Satellite to a virtual event, but that isn’t stopping the Microsoft-owned company from announcing quite a bit of news this week. The highlight of GitHub’s announcement is surely the launch of GitHub […]

Google today announced that it is extending the preview period of Android 11 by about a month. So instead of launching a beta this month, as it had previously planned, it’ll release a fourth developer preview today instead. The first beta will officially launch on June 3, during an Android -centric online event it’ll hold […]

Google today launched an update to its Duo video chat app (which you definitely shouldn’t confuse with Hangouts or Google Meet, Google’s other video, audio and text chat apps). There are plenty of jokes to be made about Google’s plethora of chat options, but Duo is trying to be a bit different from Hangouts and […]

On Monday, April 20, 2020, New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil front-month futures prices fell below zero dollars per barrel (b)—at one point, trading at -$40.32/b (Figure 1)—and remained below zero for part of the following trading day. Monday marked the first time the price for the WTI futures contract fell below zero since trading began in 1983. Negative prices in commodity markets are very rare, but when they occur they typically indicate high transactions costs and significant infrastructure constraints. In this case, the WTI front-month futures contract was for May 2020 delivery, and the contract was set to expire on April 21, 2020. Unless they have made other arrangements ahead of time, market participants that hold WTI futures contracts to expiration must take physical delivery of WTI crude oil in Cushing, Oklahoma. Typically, most market participants close any futures contracts ahead of expiration through cash settlement in order to avoid taking physical delivery, and only about 1% of contracts are physically settled. The extreme market events of April 20 and April 21 were driven by several factors, including the inability of contract holders to find other market participants to sell the futures contracts. In addition, in this case, the scarcity of available crude oil storage meant several market participants sold their futures contracts at negative prices, in effect paying a counterparty to close out of the contracts. ...

Facebook is today rolling out a tool that will allow users in the U.S. and Canada to export their Facebook photos and videos to Google Photos. This data portability tool was first introduced in Ireland in December, and has since been made available to other international markets. To use the feature, Facebook users will need […]

Facebook is expanding its Community Help hub to better serve local communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The hub has already seen significant usage by those requesting food, supplies and information about local resources, as well as use by volunteers and groups willing to lend a hand. Now, Facebook is adding more features to the hub […]

Peanut, an app that began as a tool for finding new mom friends, has evolved into a social network now used by 1.6 million women to discuss a range of topics, from pregnancy and parenthood to marriage and menopause, and everything in between. On the heels of significant growth in online networking fueled by the […]

Tinder will add a video dating feature in the second quarter of this year, parent company Match announced on Tuesday as part of its Q1 2020 earnings report. The company also detailed the coronavirus impact, which slowed Tinder user growth in the quarter, as social distancing requirements and government lockdowns went into effect. Match didn’t […]

A video about the coronavirus featuring a well-known vaccine conspiracist is spreading like wildfire on social media this week, even as platforms talk tough about misinformation in the midst of the pandemic. In the professionally-produced video, a solemn interviewer named Mikki Willis interviews Judy Mikovits, a figure best known for her anti-vaccine activism in recent […]

1. New antiviral drug combo shows promise against Covid-19: Study  Times of India
2. Cocktail of three antiviral drugs helps coronavirus patients recover faster, says study  ThePrint
3. Coronavirus treatment: Triple antiviral drug combo shows promise against COVID-19  Times Now
4. Coronavirus | Phase-2 trial with three drugs offers hope  The Hindu
5. Coronavirus: 3-drug regimen proved effective for COVID-19  Deccan Herald
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Promising coronavirus vaccine candidate from China in talks to be tested globally  Times Now
2. China conducts first successful coronavirus vaccine test on monkeys  Times of India
3. Inactivated PiCoVacc vaccine found safe, efficacious in animal study  The Hindu
4. Chinese drugmaker in talks to test coronavirus vaccine globally: Report  Hindustan Times
5. Covid-19: The race to develop coronavirus vaccines is heating up  Times of India
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1. Blood thinners may boost survival rates of Covid-19 infected patients: Report  Top Live News
2. Coronavirus blood-clot mystery intensifies  Nature.com
3. Blood thinners could improve survival chances for sickest coronavirus patients, study says  USA TODAY
4. Evidence Builds Linking Anticoagulation to COVID-19 Survival  Medscape
5. Doctors may have found a way to reduce the risk of death in severe coronavirus cases  BGR
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1. Virender Sehwag would've easily crossed 10,000 Test runs had he played for another country: Rashid Latif  India Today
2. Sehwag would’ve had 10k runs if he played for another team; was under Sachin, Dravid’s shadow: Ex-Pak...  Hindustan Times
3. Ex-Pak skipper believes Sehwag couldve achieved more had he played for another country - Republic World  Republic World
4. Sehwag would’ve crossed 10,000 Test runs if he played for another country, says Pakistan’s Latif  Scroll.in
5. Virender Sehwag remained under shadows of other players: Rashid Latif  Jimmys Post
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It’s like 2nd innings of Test match: Kumble on fight against COVID-19  Hindustan TimesView Full coverage on Google News

1. England Cricket Board Teasing Kohli's Unique Dismissal by Rashid Has Riled up Desi Fans  News18
2. The best you’ve ever faced Virat Kohli?: ECB posts video of India captain’s dismissal to Adil Rashid  Hindustan Times
3. Virat Kohli picks his favourite match other than 2011 World Cup final  India Today
4. "The Best Ball You've Ever Faced?": ECB Asks Virat Kohli, Posts Throwback Video  NDTV Sports
5. The home giants: Time we stop scoffing at Indian cricket’s greatest strength  Scroll.in
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1. Dhoni turns up in video with daughter, his appearance inspires memes on social media  The Indian Express
2. ‘Please do not use it’: Matthew Hayden reveals MS Dhoni’s reaction on his ‘mongoose bat’  India Gone Viral
3. Watch: MS Dhoni's New Look Sends Twitter Into A Frenzy  NDTV Tamil
4. WATCH: A grey-bearded MS Dhoni enjoys playtime with Ziva Dhoni inside his Ranchi farmhouse  DNA India
5. MS Dhoni makes fun of Suresh Raina in this priceless video posted by CSK; watch - Republic World  Republic World
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1. Amitabh Bachchan Remembers Sridevi And Irrfan In One Frame; See Pic  News18
2. Deepika Padukone & Amitabh Bachchan remember Irrfan Khan  NEWS9 live
3. Deepika Padukone recalls late Irrfan Khan with a throwback video of their tennis game; Says ‘please come back’  PINKVILLA
4. Deepika Padukone Remembers Irrfan Khan With A Sweet Memory From The Sets Of Piku  NDTV
5. Amitabh Bachchan remembers Sridevi, Irrfan Khan  Zee News
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1. Two Indians brought back from Gulf test Covid positive in Kerala  Times of India
2. 2 Indians Flown Back From Gulf To Kerala Test Coronavirus Positive  The Newsopedia
3. 100 days after its 1st case, Kerala has only one new Covid-19 patient  Livemint
4. 2 people flown back from Gulf to Kerala test positive for COVID-19  The News Minute
5. Only 16 Active COVID-19 Cases In Hospitals, Kerala Says "Curve Flattened"  NDTV
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1. India will not face serious coronavirus COVID-19 situation like some developed countries: Health Minister H...  Zee News
2. Health ministry says learn to live with coronavirus as India's COVID-19 count crosses 56,000  Livemint
3. ‘We’re prepared for the worst’: Health minister on Covid-19 crisis  Top Live News
4. 80 per cent of Telangana will be rid of coronavirus soon: Eatala  The New Indian Express
5. Do not anticipate worst case situation like developed countries in India: Harsh Vardhan  Times of India
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1. Covid-19: New cases top 3k for 3rd day in a row, total nears 60k-mark  Times of India
2. Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 526 Fresh Cases, 4 Deaths Reported in Tamil Nadu in Last 24 Hours  News18
3. 526 new COVID-19 cases in TN as number of infected in state crosses 6500  The News Minute
4. Coronavirus India Updates Live: India's testing capacity for COVID-19 scaled up to 95,000 per day  Economic Times
5. Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Chennai accounts for 279 of 526 new cases reported in Tamil Nadu today; total infections reach 6,535, toll climbs to 44  Firstpost
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1. Riyaz Naikoo’s killing a shock, says Hizbul Mujahideen boss Syed Salahuddin  Hindustan Times
2. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin claims responsibility for Handwara attack, says `India has upper ha...  Zee News
3. DSP among six injured in Budgam as cops, residents clash over lockdown violation  Times of India
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The proliferation of data breaches based on leaked passwords, and the rising tide of regulation that puts a hard stop on just how much user information can be collected, stored and used by companies have laid bare the holes in simple password and memorable-information-based verification systems. Today a startup called Persona, which has built a […]

A new data set from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) details how startups are reacting to the post-unicorn era as COVID-19-related disruptions upset the global economy and remake the risk tolerance of private investors. What SVB’s new report shows is unsurprising: venture capital deal volumes are falling, startups are tapping existing debt capacities to add cash […]

Countingup, the business current account that “automates” your accounting, has raised £4 million in self-described bridge funding. Leading the round is ING Ventures, with co-investment from Triple Point, CVentures, and BiG Start Ventures. Founded by Tim Fouracre, who previously founded cloud accounting software Clear Books, and now boasting 20,000 business customers, Countingup’s long term vision […]

Stilt, a Y Combinator alum that provides financial services for immigrants without Social Security numbers or credit reports, announced today that it has closed a $7.5 million seed round. It also launched FDIC-insured pre-approved global bank accounts today. The startup has raised equity from investors including Liron Petrushka; Hillsven Capital; Streamlined Ventures; Gokul Rajaram; Bragiel […]

Let's take a look at why the SaaS cohort is the apple of Wall Street's eye.

A German research institute that’s involved in developing a COVID-19 contacts tracing app with the backing of the national government has released some new details about the work, which suggests the app is being designed as more of a “one-stop shop” to manage coronavirus impacts at an individual level, rather than having a sole function […]

Germany has U-turned on building a centralized COVID-19 contacts tracing app — and will instead adopt a decentralized architecture, Reuters reported Sunday, citing a joint statement by chancellery minister Helge Braun and health minister Jens Spahn. In Europe in recent weeks, a battle has raged between different groups backing centralized vs decentralized infrastructure for apps […]

The UK has this week started testing a coronavirus contacts-tracing app which NHSX, a digital arm of the country’s National Health Service, has been planning and developing since early March. The test is taking place in the Isle of Wight, a 380km2 island off the south coast of England, with a population of around 140,000. […]

A UK parliamentary committee that focuses on human rights issues has called for primary legislation to be put in place to ensure that legal protections wrap around the national coronavirus contact tracing app. The app, called NHS COVID-19, is being fast tracked for public use — with a test ongoing this week in the Isle […]

When every new business is launching digitally, you need these things to stand out.

U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions declined by 2.8% in 2019 to 5,130 million metric tons (MMmt), according to data in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Monthly Energy Review. CO2 emissions had increased by 2.9% in 2018, the only annual increase in the past five years. Because of continuing trends in how much energy the U.S economy uses and how much CO2 that energy use generates, energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 fell more than energy consumption, which declined by 0.9% in 2019, and gross domestic product, which increased by 2.3% in 2019.

Recent business shutdowns and changes to normal routines related to mitigation efforts for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have caused daily, weekday electricity demand in New York state to decrease by 11%–14% in March and April compared with expected demand, after accounting for seasonal temperature changes. Electricity demand changes in New York state and in New York City, in particular, have been more pronounced than in other parts of the country, which may partly be caused by differences in electricity consumption across regions and the varying effects of COVID-19 mitigation efforts on these sectors.

Recent business shutdowns and changes to normal routines related to mitigation efforts for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have caused daily weekday electricity demand in the central region of the United States to decrease by 9%�13% in March and April compared with expected demand, after accounting for seasonal temperature changes. This decrease is similar to declines seen in New York. In contrast, other areas of the country, such as Florida, have not experienced significant changes, which may partly be caused by regional differences in how much electricity each end-use sector consumes and the varying effects of COVID-19 mitigation efforts on the sectors.

Talk to these three people -- who are more likely to tell you 'no' -- before handing over your hard-earned cash for a franchise business.

Invest in an industry that can withstand an economic downturn.

The time to start a cleaning company is now.