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Meta to raise Quest VR headset prices in US on rising component costs

Meta Platforms said on Thursday it would increase the prices of its virtual reality headsets from April 19 in the United States due to rising costs of memory chips.Its entry-level Quest 3S headset with 128 gigabytes of storage will now cost $349.99, compared with $299.99 earlier, the Facebook parent said. The price of its higher-end Quest 3 headset with 512 gigabytes of storage will increase by $100 to $599.99.The 256-gigabyte headset will be priced at $449.99, up $50 from its previous level.The rapid build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure by companies such as OpenAI, Alphabet's

House rejects effort to withdraw US forces from the Iran war as Republicans stick with Trump

Gucci can no longer treat China like a 'trash bin', Kering CEO says

Business|Economy|Health

CVS distribution center workers plan to go on strike

More than 500 CVS Health drivers and warehouse workers at the healthcare conglomerate's Fredericksburg, Virginia distribution center have voted to authorize a strike on May 1, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said on Thursday.• The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 592, are demanding a fair agreement and rejecting the healthcare conglomerate's concessionary demands, the union said.• "If CVS keeps pushing concessions and refusing to take bargaining seriously, we will be forced on the picket line May 1," said Chris Donald, a 38-year-old warehouse worker and member of Local 5

Cuba's president says island does not wish for US aggression but ready to fight if needed

Army secretary praises general who was fired by Hegseth

Calm judgment will prevail over haste at ECB, Rehn says

The European Central Bank still has a chance to look past the current inflation shock and calm judgment must prevail over haste, Finnish central bank chief Olli Rehn said on Thursday. Euro zone inflation jumped well above the 2% target last month as oil prices surged, prompting policymakers to debate whether to raise interest rates to prevent the shock from triggering a broader inflation spiral. "What matters most is not the immediate increase in prices, but whether the shock has persistent effects on inflation and the general price level," Rehn told a conference in Washington. "Right now, th

US SEC seeks comment on contentious trading database

Fed chair nominee Warsh's disclosures 'not in compliance,' US Senator Warren says

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US|World

Judge: Trump can’t claim that entire White House ballroom project is needed for national security

A federal judge has again ordered President Donald Trump to pause construction of a massive new ballroom at the White House, rejecting the president’s “disingenuous” bid to circumvent an earlier ruling against the project by claiming that it needed to proceed for national security reasons.The ruling Thursday from senior US District Judge Richard Leon is the latest episode in a winding legal saga around the controversial ballroom, which the judge said last month was being built unlawfully since Congress hadn’t expressly approved it.Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush,

Crime|Political|US

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax kills his wife, then himself

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a once-rising star in the Democratic Party whose tenure was marred by sexual assault allegations, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, inside their home and then killed himself, police said.The couple’s two teenage children were inside the home when the shootings occurred, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, noting their son had placed the 911 call.Fairfax County police responded to the home in Annandale, Virginia, shortly after midnight Thursday, where they found a man and woman dead inside, police said earlier.The shooting stemmed fro

Federal agency approves concept for Trump's plan for a Triumphal Arch in Washington

Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire

Business|Political|Sports|US|World

USOPC 'closely monitoring' reaction to Wasserman but sidesteps questions about his LA28 leadership

The chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said the board has shared its concerns about LA Olympic leader Casey Wasserman with that organizing committee's board and that the USOPC is “closely monitoring the impact on our community.” Wasserman put his talent agency up for sale in February, shortly after the release of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation that included flirtatious emails between Wasserman and Epstein's confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, from more than 20 years ago. USOPC chair Gene Sykes said the federation's boar

‘Everything will fall apart’: Republicans confront how to shift midterm strategy amid Iran war

The White House had long circled Tax Day as the unofficial start to a critical midterm campaign meant to highlight how much money the administration was putting back in voters’ pockets.Then President Donald Trump launched a costly war in Iran, sent gas prices soaring and singlehandedly upended months of careful political planning — raising the odds of an electoral wipeout that could cost Republicans control of Congress.Now, Trump officials are scrambling to salvage their strategy on the fly, hoping they can still convince skeptical Americans that they’re doing better under Trump than bef

Ex-Trump election lawyer John Eastman disbarred in California

DNI Tulsi Gabbard sends criminal referral over Trump’s 2019 impeachment to Justice Department

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Crime|MidEast|Political|Technology|World

‘Wait for death’: Inside Iran’s psychological war against its enemies

“You must report immediately in case of any security incident,” read a text message sent to phones in the United Arab Emirates from “MOI” during the Iran war. But the country’s Ministry of Interior never sent such an alert. It later cautioned residents against acting on the “fake” message.In a country that bore the brunt of Iranian attacks as Tehran retaliated against Israel and the United States, authorities say the nation also faced barrages of a more insidious nature.The UAE had already noticed a sharp spike in cyberattacks weeks before the war, Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, the head of

Economy|Environment|Health|World

Hospitals overwhelmed and communities destroyed: Lebanon reels from Israel’s unprecedented attacks

At the doors of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the human cost of Israel’s weeks-long assault on Lebanon was etched onto the faces of desperate families waiting for news of their loved ones. Ambulance doors were opened right at the entryway in an attempt to shield the scene. Body bags, one after another, were swiftly carried inside.“There are many martyrs. Unfortunately, a number of them are still waiting to be identified,” the hospital’s director, Mohammad Zaatari, told CNN. Despite being the largest public hospital in Lebanon, and operating at full capacity, the facility

Pope warns of world ravaged by ‘tyrants’ in the wake of Trump attacks

Wall Street holds near its record high even as oil prices climb

Political|World

Trump says Lebanon and Israel have agreed 10-day ceasefire

By Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Alexander Cornwell and Katharine JacksonBEIRUT/TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5 p.m. EST (2100 GMT), signalling a pause in Israel's conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has raged in parallel to the war with Iran.Trump's statement, posted on Truth Social, did not specify which day the ceasefire would begin but a U.S. official said it would start on Thursday.Pakistan had earlier said that peace in Lebanon was essential for talks it is mediat

Arts|Celebrity|Entertainment|Lifestyle|World

Harry and Meghan address toll of royal life, as duchess says she was the ‘most trolled person in the world’

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, both revealed more of the unhappiness they experienced as working royals on Thursday, with Harry saying he didn’t want “this job” after his mother died and Meghan claiming she “was the most trolled person in the entire world.”The couple’s comments came on a four-day quasi-royal trip to Australia where they are attending a mixture of public engagements and commercial events.Speaking at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne on Thursday, Harry recalled the grief he felt after his mother Princess Diana died in a car crash when he was jus