"The last couple of weeks we've seen a slight uptick in those rates, certainly not because stores are reopening," USAA CEO Wayne Peacock told CNBC.

Consumers reined in spending faster than expected in the first quarter, probably even before states issued stay-at-home orders.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index is poised for a continuation of its downtrend — with a downside target near 25,200, Daryl Guppy writes.

There was a contradiction when Australia's stock market was making new 10-year highs but the currency was posting significant lows. A big question has now been answered, Daryl Guppy writes.

U.S. rail carloads in April—at 980,535—were off 25.2%, or 329,693 carloads, annually, and intermodal containers and trailers—at 1,095,423—slipped 17.2%, or 227,165 units.

Heavy declines for imports at United States-based retail container ports, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, are expected to continue in the coming months, according to the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday expressed confidence that Mumbai will see a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the next 15 to 20 days. Speaking to PTI, Tope said joint secretary of the Union Health Ministry Lav Agarwal was in the city on Thursday to discuss the situation here. "All ward officers were present at the meeting, which was also attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. We discussed corrective measures that were being taken," the minister said.

Agarwal suggested that containment zones be properly demarcated and contact tracing, testing and treatment of positive patients should be done in these areas, Tope said. Early detection will bring down the mortality rate, the minister said, adding that the government plans to increase institutional quarantine facilities. "The Centre wants us to increase disease surveillance in the congested areas to stop the spread of the virus," he said.

With the steps taken by the government, the pandemic will be contained in the next 15 to 20 days in Mumbai, the minister assured. The state government plans to rope in workforce from other departments if the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation falls short of manpower, the minister said, clarifying that there was no shortage of funds.

Of the 17,974 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, 11,394 were reported from Mumbai alone and the city had recorded 437 deaths from the toll of 694 in the state.

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In a relief to the makers of Vir Das' latest web series "Hasmukh", the Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant an interim stay on the streaming of the show on the OTT platform Netflix. The stay had been sought after allegations that the show makes disparaging comments against lawyers, particularly in episode four of season one, titled "Bambai Main Bambu".

"The very essence of democracy is that a creative artist is given the liberty to project the picture of the society in a manner he perceives. One of the prime forms of exposing the ills of the society is by portraying a satirical picture of the same," said a single judge bench of the High Court presided by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva.

"Stand-up comedians perform that very purpose. In their portrayal they use satire and exaggerate the ills to an extent that it becomes a ridicule. In the humorous portrayal of the ills of the society the stand-up comedians use satire," the bench observed.

While dismissing the application, the court stated that the "plaintiff has not been able to show that the impugned comment in any manner refers to the plaintiff or refers to a definite group of individuals or lawyers out of the entire class of lawyers to which the plaintiff belongs".

The plea filed by Advocate Ashutosh Dubey sought the court's directions to the web series producers, directors and writer to tender unconditional apology online, saying that the web series had "maligned the image of the lawyers' community, which includes judges as they too had been lawyers at one point of time".

The plea further read: "The said remarks have caused utmost damage to legal profession and impugn the image of lawyers in the eyes of millions of viewers/ subscribers who visit the streaming website where the show is being streamed."

The plea also sought deletion or removal of certain objectionable content from the series, especially from season one, episode four.

The plea alleged that in the said episode, the makers have alleged lawyers to be "thieves, scoundrels, goons and have had the indecency to address, lawyers as rapists".

Advocate Priyanka Khimani, who represented defendant in the case, seemed extremely happy and welcomes the court's decision.

"This is a welcome decision that reinforces artistic and cinematic freedom of speech and expression, without which the world of storytelling would not survive. The content universe today thrives on its ability to express and communicate freely, as it rightly should in any free-thinking and free-speaking nation. So this decision is a gentle reminder of the fact that that freedom and ability are still, very much, intact," Khimani said

"Hasmukh" also stars Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Ravi Kishan and Amrita Bagchi.

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People living in urban areas with increased air pollution levels were found to score less on memory and thinking tests and lose cognitive skills faster

Women who disengage from goals after they retire are at an increased risk of cognitive decline as they age, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

People who experienced relatively high blood pressure during young adulthood also experienced significant declines in cognitive function and gait in middle age, according to a new study.

Number of people showing up at U.S. hospitals with stroke symptoms has dropped almost 40 percent, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published

Several people who experience strokes may not be seeking potentially life-saving medical care during the coronavirus pandemic as a new study finds a decline in the number of people evaluated for stroke.

Gains made towards slowing health expenditure growth in the United States in recent years could be negated by price increases associated with the continuing economic recovery unless more efforts are made to contain spending, says a new OECD paper published in The Lancet.

Between 2000 and 2010, US manufacturing experienced a nightmare. The number of manufacturing jobs in the United States, which had been relatively stable at 17 million since 1965, declined by one third in that decade, falling by 5.8 million to below 12 million in 2010 (returning to just 12.3 million in 2016). Certainly, the 2007–08 recession accelerated the disruption, but the causes were also structural, not simply financial.

Income tax and social security contributions declined slightly for the average worker across the OECD in 2018, driven by major reforms in a handful of countries, according to a new OECD report.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly turning to alternative sources of financing, while new bank lending is declining in a number of countries. Many SMEs remain over-reliant on bank credit, however, and the take-up of instruments other than straight debt varies greatly from one country to another, according to a new OECD report.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly turning to alternative sources of financing, while new bank lending is declining in a number of countries. Many SMEs remain over-reliant on bank credit, however, and the take-up of instruments other than straight debt varies greatly from one country to another, according to a new OECD report.

This paper describes developments in real long-term interest rates in the main OECD economies and surveys their various determinants. Real long-term government bond yields declined from the 1980s to very low levels in the recent period, though they have not reached the historical lows of the 1970s.

Statistical agency warns of increased volatility in official data due to virus challenges

How the coronavirus outbreak has accelerated the demise of US department stores

Largest US meat company forecasts further upheaval in months ahead

PMI rises to 8-month high on reduced uncertainty but downturn continues

Investment strategies have failed to prepare the country for the technology shock

Apple’s earnings show the impact of COVID-19, NVIDIA’s top scientist shares an open source ventilator design and Amazon anticipates big spending in the coming months. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 1, 2020. 1. iPhone sales are down, ahead of uncertain times for the industry Apple device sales have taken a hit, but the company’s […]

India has emerged as one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the last decade, reporting growth each quarter even as handset shipments slowed or declined elsewhere globally. But the world’s second largest smartphone is beginning to feel the coronavirus heat, too. The Indian smartphone market grew by a modest 4% year-over-year in the quarter […]

Apple’s earnings show the impact of COVID-19, NVIDIA’s top scientist shares an open source ventilator design and Amazon anticipates big spending in the coming months. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 1, 2020. 1. iPhone sales are down, ahead of uncertain times for the industry Apple device sales have taken a hit, but the company’s […]

Apple’s earnings show the impact of COVID-19, NVIDIA’s top scientist shares an open source ventilator design and Amazon anticipates big spending in the coming months. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 1, 2020. 1. iPhone sales are down, ahead of uncertain times for the industry Apple device sales have taken a hit, but the company’s […]

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that U.S. dry natural gas production will average 95.3 billion cubic feet per day in 2020, up 3% from 2019. However, EIA expects monthly production to generally decline through 2020, falling from an estimated 96.3 billion cubic feet per day in January to 92.3 billion cubic feet per day in December. Most of the decline in production will occur in the Appalachian and Permian regions. In the Appalachian region, low natural gas prices are discouraging drilling for natural gas. In the Permian, low oil prices are expected to reduce the associated production of natural gas from wells drilled to produce oil. In its March Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA forecasts that U.S. dry natural gas production will average 92.6 billion cubic feet per day in 2021, down 3% from 2020. This would be the first decline in average annual natural gas production since 2016.

In its April Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that U.S. electricity generation will decline by 3% in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 related economic slowdown. Most new generating capacity built in 2020 will use renewable energy sources. EIA expects renewable generation to grow by 11% in 2020. Although EIA expects renewable energy to be the fastest growing source of U.S. electric generation in 2020, the economic slowdown will reduce the total amount of new generating capacity over the next few months. The electric power sector will add 19.4 gigawatts of new wind capacity and 12.6 gigawatts of utility-scale solar capacity in 2020. These annual wind and solar capacity additions are 5% and 10% less, respectively, than EIA forecast in its March outlook. This update combined with EIA's forecast lower overall electricity demand, leads to a decline in U.S. fossil fuel generation, especially at coal-fired power plants. EIA expects that coal generation will fall by 20% in 2020.

In the April 2020 update of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), released on April 7, and before a recently announced agreement by oil producing countries to limit production, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that U.S. crude oil production will average 11.8 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2020, a 4% decline from the 2019 production levels. Crude oil production will average 11.0 million b/d in 2021, a 6% decline from 2020 (Figure 1). If realized, the STEO 2020 production decline would mark the first annual decrease since 2016. The majority of the forecasted production decline occurs between the first and fourth quarters of 2020, dropping from 12.7 million b/d to 11 million b/d (13%) and remaining around that level through 2021. The forecast did not incorporate the April 12 joint announcement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and several other non-OPEC countries to reduce crude oil production. These production reductions may significantly affect global balances and could provide upward price pressure that would affect U.S. crude oil drilling and production. ...

Transportation fuel demand in the United States has decreased since mid-March 2020, as a result of reduced economic activity and stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). With low demand and a decrease in profitability, as measured by crack spreads, U.S. refineries have reduced gross inputs (runs), which dropped to 12.8 million barrels per day (b/d) for the week ending April 17, 3.8 million b/d lower than the previous five-year (2015–19) average and the lowest level since 2008 (Figure 1). Gross inputs increased slightly to 13.2 million b/d the week of April 24. ...

This afternoon Airbnb, a well-known private company that connects travelers with places to stay, announced that it was laying off around a quarter of its workforce. The company cited revenue declines and a need to curtail costs in a memo that TechCrunch viewed. In the note, written by Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky, the […]

Transportation fuel demand has decreased since early March 2020 as a result of reduced economic activity and stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). U.S. refineries have reduced the amount of crude oil and other inputs that they process (also known as refinery runs). U.S. refinery runs fell for four consecutive weeks, reaching 12.8 million barrels per day (b/d) in the week ending April 17, and increased slightly to 13.2 million b/d for the week ending April 24, or nearly 21% lower than the previous five-year average for this time of year.

Calvin, who is the world's highest paid DJ, was 'really interested in Sophie and made a beeline for her as soon as he got inside', according to sources.

With six World Cup wins between them, Germany and Argentina need little introduction. Ahead of their friendly, ALEC FENN examines what has gone wrong with both nations, and what the future holds.

In an eagerly-awaited document, Francis did not even refer to recommendations by Amazonian bishops to consider the ordination of married men and women deacons.

Frustrated London punters trying to catch buses and Tubes took to Twitter to complain that their payment method had been rejected - leaving some at a loss what to do.

Experts are predicting that the July heatwave and Met Office forecasts for above-average temperatures in August might mean that the common blue butterfly has its 'best ever summer',

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: When the idea of a world golf tour surfaced once more last week, the mind wandered back to Greg Norman's original concept 25 years ago.

KUWAIT, May 9 (Reuters) - The decline in oil prices and the value of investment assets since the start of the coronavirus outbreak will have an adverse...

ICICI Bank’s fourth-quarter core operating profits are in the green at ₹1,221.36 crore, a jump of 26% over the Jan-March quarter. For the entire year, the bank’s profit after tax grew by 136% to ₹7,931 crore.Even though many expect the ratio of bad loans to increase in the near term once the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) moratorium on repayment of loans ends, ICICI Bank’s net non-performing assets (NPAs) decreased from 2.06% in March 2019 to 1.41% in March 2020.

ALAN SHEARER AND CHRIS SUTTON: All good things must come to an end, and so it proved with Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton's prolific partnership at Blackburn.

Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, 'declined the invitation' to present an award at the Oscars in LA on Sunday night, a source told HELLO! magazine.

The NSW government wrote to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle last year asking if the Rural Fire Service could call their new 737 firefighting plane after their son Archie

Until this study by McGill University, research suggested that even those who take anti-retroviral therapy had a higher risk of brain disorders than the general population.

Formula One's most prominent woman, Claire Williams, has criticised the sport's 'disgraceful 19th Century' accusation that her becoming a mother has caused her team's decline.

Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential campaign on Thursday but is not endorsing either of the two remaining candidates - Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders - at least not yet.

President Donald Trump questioned Joe Biden's cognitive capabilities, which the former vice president's campaign called the latest in a series of 'desperate smears.'

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: When the idea of a world golf tour surfaced once more last week, the mind wandered back to Greg Norman's original concept 25 years ago.