Financial Markets and Economy
This Is What the Demise of Oil Looks Like (Bloomberg)
From giant companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. to OPEC members such as Saudi Arabia, oil producers say their industry will enjoy decades of growth as they feed the energy needs of the world’s expanding middle classes.
Your Coffee Is From Where? California? (NY Times)
About two dozen farms between San Diego and here, just outside Santa Barbara, are nurturing coffee bushes under the canopies of old avocado trees, in what may be the first serious effort in the United States to commercialize coffee grown outside Hawaii, home of Kona coffees.
Route to Air Travel Discomfort Starts on Wall Street (NY Times)
Relentless pressure on corporate America is creating an increasingly Dickensian experience for many consumers as companies focus on maximizing profit. And nowhere is the trend as stark as in the airline industry, whose service is delivered in an aluminum tube packed with up to four different classes, cheek by jowl, 35,000 feet in the air.
More Than 1,500 Injured in Panic After Soccer Game (Associated Press)
More than 1,500 people were injured when panic swept through a crowd of Juventus fans watching the Champions League final in a piazza in the northern Italian city of Turin, authorities said Sunday.
Financial institutions in the UK have taken a reputational beating in the years since the financial crisis, with trust in bankers and their employers hitting rock bottom among the general public after billions of pounds of bailouts and accusations of widespread misconduct in the pre-crisis years.
The champions of the Trump trade are on life support (Business Insider)
The KBW Bank Index underperformed the S&P 500 for the fifth straight day on Wednesday, the longest such streak since March 2016, according to data compiled by Barclays.
Quant Manager of $6 Billion Backs Stocks Hidden From Front Pages (Bloomberg)
At least for investors seeking stable returns, it’s better to buy companies that aren’t in the spotlight. To exploit a so-called low-volatility anomaly, the head of quantitative equity management at BNP Paribas SA invests in stocks that seldom get any attention in the media.
Insurance companies have made it crystal clear how Trump could send Americans' healthcare costs soaring (Business Insider)
Insurers have submitted their 2018 plans in seven states and Washington DC for the Obamacare individual insurance exchanges, giving us the first glimpse of how they are digesting the outlook for the healthcare industry under Trump.
U.S. considers possible sanctions against Venezuela oil sector – officials (Reuters)
The Trump administration is considering possible sanctions on Venezuela’s vital energy sector, including state oil company PDVSA, senior White House officials said, in what would be a major escalation of U.S. efforts to pressure the country’s embattled leftist government amid a crackdown on the opposition.
Technology
The Future of European Transit: Driverless and Utilitarian (NY Times)
On the outskirts of Berlin, Michael Barillère-Scholz is testing a driverless vehicle that is neither sleek nor futuristic. The machine is boxy and painted white. Its top speed barely reaches 20 miles per hour.
Amazon’s Robot War Is Spreading (Bloomberg)
Quiet Logistics, which ships apparel out of its Devens, Mass., warehouse, had been using robots made by a company called Kiva Systems. When Amazon bought Kiva in 2012, Quiet hired scientists.
New artificial intelligence system can tell if a sheep is in pain (CNN)
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have created an artificial intelligence system that uses five different facial expressions to diagnose if a sheep is in pain. It can also estimate the severity of the pain.
Watch a Navy robot submarine launch a drone (Popular Science)
On the water’s surface, a robot talks to an underwater robot and tells it to launch a flying robot. Together, the three autonomous machines scouted for the U.S. Navy in a demonstration, showcasing autonomy, communication, and sensors all in mobile, robotic packages.
Google has been bringing Android Pay to new regions in an attempt to expand its limited availability. After landing in the UK last year and in Canada more recently, the mobile payment system has now made its wayto Taiwan, where you can use it in places that have contactless payment terminals and to pay for online purchases from local stores.
From Botnet to Malware: A Guide to Decoding Cybersecurity Buzzwords (The Conversation)
Now that we communicate, work and entertain ourselves on the internet, these familiar terms start to take on new meaning. They're just a few of the cybersecurity threats we face.
Latest Pedego Electric Bicycle Is Inspired By Iconic Airstream Trailers (Digital Trends)
California-based Pedego is the biggest electric bicycle brand in the U.S., and it’s about to get bigger thanks to its newest bike, the Airstream. The company is attempting to capture the essence of the summer with an electric bike model that’s inspired by the popular Airstream brand of luxury trailer campers.
Hop On The Sea Sider With Your Lunch And Your Surfboard And Head To The Sea (Digital Trends)
Here’s the simplest take on the Sea Sider: It’s a lightweight motorbike with select bicycle parts and custom-built front basket and surfboard rack. The bike’s purpose is clear, carry one or two people and a surfboard to and from the water. Once you mention its origin, custom bike shop Deus Ex Machina, however, the story gets more complicated.
Politics
Meet the GOP senator who wants to bridge the Obamacare divide (Politico)
Sen. Bill Cassidy got cheers on late-night television for calling for an Obamacare replacement plan that would pass what he calls "the Jimmy Kimmel test" — that is, cover children like the comedian's son recently born with a congenital heart defect.
Theresa May: We must defeat 'Islamist extremism' and stop the internet companies who give it 'the safe space it needs to breed' (Business Insider)
Prime Minister Theresa May, standing outside No.10 Downing Street this morning, made a strong statement against “Islamist extremism” and the internet services companies who offer it “the safe space it needs to breed.”
May Warns of New Terrorism Trend After London Attack Kills Seven (Bloomberg)
Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. faces “a new trend” in terrorism, with Islamist attackers inspiring each other, after seven people were killed and 48 injured in a Saturday night rampage in London — days before the general election.
Learn from us on democracy, Taiwan tells China on Tiananmen anniversary (Reuters)
Taiwan's president on Sunday offered to help China to transition to democracy, on the 28th anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, as thousands gathered in Hong Kong for an evening vigil.
Trump responds to terror attacks by bashing political correctness, gun control, and London's mayor (Business Insider)
President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Sunday morning to respond to the terror attacks that killed seven people and wounded dozens more in the heart of London late Saturday night.
Trump administration concerned about U.S. firms giving financial 'lifeline' to Venezuela (Reuters)
The Trump administration is concerned about any action by U.S. companies that provides a financial lifeline to Venezuela's government, senior White House officials told Reuters, after Goldman Sachs Group Inc came under fire for purchasing $2.8 billion of state oil company bonds at a steep discount.
Vietnam's White House lobbying coup secures strategic gains (Reuters)
When Vietnam's prime minister sat down with President Donald Trump at the White House last week, it reflected a concerted Vietnamese lobbying effort unmatched by most Asian peers.
Vice President Pence urges Congress to complete Obamacare repeal (Reuters)
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday urged the Republican-controlled Congress to complete the job of dismantling Obamacare this summer and move on quickly to another big-ticket item on President Donald Trump's agenda: tax cuts.
Health and Biotech
AstraZeneca's Lynparza Slows Spread of Inherited Breast Cancer (Bloomberg)
AstraZeneca Plc showed that its drug Lynparza slowed progression of a devastating, inherited form of breast cancer that typically strikes younger women, potentially opening up a new market for a pill originally approved to treat ovarian tumors.
Life on the Home Planet
URGENT: The Latest: 12 People Arrested Over London Attack (Associated Press)
British police say they have arrested 12 people in east London over London Bridge attack.
Police said in a statement that the arrests were made Sunday morning in Barking by counterterrorism officers.
London Terror Attack Before Vote Leaves 7 Dead, Many Hurt (Bloomberg)
Seven people were killed in an attack on a popular London nightlife spot as terrorism struck Britain for the second time in as many weeks, just days before a national election.
Tracking Climate Change Through a Mushroom's Diet (The Atlantic)
The mushroom Amanita thiersii dots American lawns from Texas to Illinois, a small white button on the grass’s emerald expanse. Unlike similar mushrooms, A. thiersii does not live in a symbiotic relationship with nearby trees; instead, it gets its energy by feasting on the corpses of its neighbors—that is, dead grasses.
The Ghost of Climate-Change Future (The Atlantic)
For the second time in a month, Hawaii’s coastlines have been swamped by epic tides. The phenomenon, known as a king tide, is actually a convergence of a few different factors: high lunar tides, rising sea levels associated with last year’s strong El Niño and climate change, swirling pockets of ocean eddies, and a robust south swell—that is, big waves rolling onto south-facing shores.
Some Major Attacks in Europe in Recent Years (Associated Press)
The deadly vehicle and knife attack on London Bridge and in nearby Borough Market is the latest attack in Europe in recent years.
Scientists are trying to confirm the existence of a giant ringed planet (Popular Science)
There’s a big eclipse coming up. No, not the total solar eclipse in August that we’re all really excited about. This one will happen in September around a star 1,000 light years away. Sure, it will be much more difficult to observe than our Moon passing in front of the Sun, but it could give us clues about a distant solar system.
Gunfire during ceasefire stops civilians fleeing fighting in Philippines (The Guardian)
Thousands of civilians hoping to flee fighting in the Philippine city of Marawi remained trapped on Sunday after a four-hour ceasefire to evacuate residents was marred by gunfire.
Iraqi forces retake key town of Baaj from Isis (The Guardian)
Iraqi forces have retaken an area near the Syrian border from Islamic State as part of operations to expel the jihadis from strongholds in the country’s north.
‘Wonder Woman’ tops U.S. box office on its opening night (Market Watch)
Warner Bros. “Wonder Woman” is off to a strong start, garnering $38 million in the U.S. in its opening night Friday to take top spot in the rankings, according to Box Office Mojo.
Indebted gambler behind Philippines casino attack: police (Reuters)
Philippine police on Sunday identified the gunman behind an attack on a casino that killed 36 people as a heavily indebted local man addicted to gambling, ruling out any involvement by Islamic militants.
Residents trapped as gunfire mars ceasefire at Philippines city (Reuters)
Thousands of civilians hoping to flee fighting in the besieged Philippines city of Marawi remained trapped on Sunday after a four-hour ceasefire to evacuate residents was marred by gunfire.
