CATEGORIES

U.S. PRODUCTIVITY RISES A RECORD 10.1% IN SECOND QUARTER

U.S. productivity rose at a 10.1% rate in the second quarter as the number of hours worked declined by the largest amount since the government started compiling the data more than 70 years ago.

SWISS REGION TO TAKE CRYPTOCURRENCY FOR TAX PAYMENTS IN 2021

A Swiss region that has billed itself as a hub for high-tech finance said that it plans to accept cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ether for tax payments starting next year.

STUDY: ELECTRONICS COULD STOP 40% OF BIG TRUCK REAR CRASHES

Safety features such as automatic emergency braking and forward collision warnings could prevent more than 40% of crashes in which semis rear-end other vehicles, a new study has found.

STILL TOO SOON TO TRY ALTERING HUMAN EMBRYO DNA, PANEL SAYS

It’s still too soon to try to make genetically edited babies because the science isn’t advanced enough to ensure safety, says an international panel of experts who also mapped a pathway for any countries that want to consider it.

IN ‘TENET,' A TIME-BENDING THRILLER FOR BENDED TIMES

I went in fresh to “Tenet.” I didn’t have any real sense of the plot, yes, but it’s more that it had been some five months since I was last in a movie theater. That’s a long hiatus — a dark ages for sitting in the dark — for someone, anyone, used to going to the movies more days than not. The last film I had seen in a cinema, back in March, was the Vin Diesel vehicle “Bloodshot,” so you can imagine my eagerness for a new aftertaste.

FED SURVEY FINDS WIDESPREAD PESSIMISM ABOUT ECONOMIC FUTURE

The latest Federal Reserve survey of U.S. economic activity found generally modest gains in August but also pessimism about the future given the threats posed by the coronavirus.

EU SHARE OF ELECTRIC CARS GREW DURING VIRUS LOCKDOWN MONTHS

The market share of electric cars in Europe increased during and immediately after the worst of the pandemic lockdowns, industry figures showed Thursday, even as overall sales of vehicles of all types plunged during the second quarter. The new figures come as automakers ramp up electric car production under pressure to meet tough new emissions limits next year.

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY SPIKE AMID OUTBREAK AND TURBULENT TIMES

Mental health therapists’ caseloads are bulging. Waiting lists for appointments are growing. And anxiety and depression are rising among Americans amid the coronavirus crisis, research suggests.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN'S DEATH LEAVES SADDENING MARK ON ROUGH 2020

Kobe Bryant. Rep. John Lewis. And now, Chadwick Boseman.

GOOGLE LOCATION-TRACKING TACTICS TROUBLED ITS OWN ENGINEERS

Google’s own engineers were troubled by the way the company secretly tracked the movements of people who didn’t want to be followed until a 2018 Associated Press investigation uncovered the shadowy surveillance, according to unsealed documents in a consumer fraud case.

SCIENCE FOUNDATION DISCUSSES FUNDING GIANT HAWAII TELESCOPE

The National Science Foundation has launched an informal outreach to Hawaii about possible funding efforts for the stalled Thirty Meter Telescope project.

TIKTOK CEO RESIGNS AMID US PRESSURE TO SELL VIDEO APP

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Thursday amid U.S. pressure for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk.

SOMETIME SOON, YOUR CAR WILL PARK ITSELF IN URBAN GARAGES

So after the coronavirus threat has passed, you head downtown for a baseball game.

MORE THAN 1 MILLION AMERICANS FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT, AGAIN

Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse.

MILITARY'S TOP CYBER OFFICIAL DEFENDS MORE AGGRESSIVE STANCE

The U.S. military’s top cyber official is defending the government’s shift toward a more aggressive strategy in cyberspace, saying the mission has evolved over the last decade to become more proactive and offensive in order to keep pace with sophisticated threats.

EUROPEAN FLIGHT SAFETY AGENCY TO START 737 MAX TEST FLIGHTS

Europe’s flight safety authority said it had scheduled the first flight tests for the Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes revealed design issues with the jet.

HUAWEI, ZTE LOSE PATENT APPEAL CASES AT UK SUPREME COURT

Britain’s Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE over mobile data patent disputes.

FACEBOOK: APPLE PRIVACY CHANGES WILL MUCK UP ONLINE ADS

Facebook is pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices — and putting app developers in the middle.

DOES A FACE MASK PROTECT ME, OR JUST THE PEOPLE AROUND ME?

Does a face mask protect me, or just the people around me?

NOW PLAYING AT THE MALL PARKING LOT: MOVIES, DRAG SHOWS

Angel Dougherty went to the mall last month — not to shop, but to watch a drive-in drag show in the parking lot.

ZERO G: SOME GERMAN MOBILE USERS STILL WAITING FOR A SIGNAL

From his home on a former East German army base, Jens Raeder can power up a carefully restored Soviet shortwave transmitter and communicate with military radio enthusiasts around the world.

WEATHER CHANNEL APP TO CHANGE PRACTICES AFTER LA LAWSUIT

The operator of The Weather Channel mobile app has agreed to change how it informs users about its location-tracking practices and sale of personal data as part of a settlement with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, officials.

STATES WRESTLE WITH PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL AMID COVID

As heat waves rose from the crackling grass next to a cotton field that stretched far into the distance, Rick Porter watched his young football players struggle through a preseason practice.

RISE IN JOBLESS CLAIMS REFLECTS STILL-STRUGGLING US ECONOMY

The coronavirus recession struck swiftly and violently. Now, with the economy still in the grip of the pandemic five months later, the recovery looks fitful and uneven — and painfully slow.

PANDEMIC PUSHES EXPANSION OF ‘HOSPITAL AT-HOME' TREATMENT

As hospitals care for people with COVID-19 and try to keep others from catching the virus, more patients are opting to be treated where they feel safest: at home.

CHINESE ELECTRIC CAR BRAND NIO LOOKS AT EXPANSION ABROAD

Chinese electric car brand NIO plans to start expanding to Western markets next year and might export a battery-swapping service that could help it compete with rival Tesla, the company’s chairman said Thursday.

HIGH-ALTITUDE AIRSHIPS COMPANY PICKS NEW MEXICO FOR BASE

A technology company aiming to send up high altitude airships to monitor crops and bring broadband has chosen New Mexico for its U.S. production center, state Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced this week.

AIRBNB FILES PRELIMINARY PAPERWORK FOR PUBLIC STOCK OFFERING

Airbnb filed preliminary paperwork to sell company stock on Wall Street, undaunted by a global pandemic that has taken some wind out of its home-sharing business.

TELEMEDICINE SHINES DURING PANDEMIC BUT WILL GLOW FADE?

Imagine more contact with doctors or nurses but fewer trips to the office.

AMC TO OFFER 15-CENT TICKETS ON FIRST DAY OF REOPENING

AMC Theatres, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, will reopen in the U.S. on Aug. 20 with retro ticket prices of 15 cents per movie.