Sales of new homes fell by 11.4% in April, measuring at a rate of 569,000, according to the Commerce Department. Although new home sales dropped below expectations during the month, they were still up 0.5% year-over-year.
Tami Fricks, founder of Sassy Bitch Wines, has turned a $500 investment into a million-dollar business. Frustrated by the difficulty of choosing a good wine, she created her own brand and set it apart from the competition with a catchy name and label intended to create a connection with women consumers.
Public-sector workers who already are part of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program will not have that benefit taken away under President Donald Trump's budget proposal to eliminate the program, education department officials said. If the proposal is approved, the benefit no longer would be available to students taking out loans after July 1, 2018.
Moody's Investors Service has lowered its rating for China's government debt to A1 from Aa3, responding to the likelihood that the debt load will increase. This is the first time the credit rating agency has downgraded Chinese debt since 1989.
Albertsons is bulking up its digital team, hiring Karl Varsanyi to lead its product management and user experience efforts and Ramiya Iyer to lead digital, marketing and merchandising. The move is part of the retailer's larger digitally-focused strategy that also includes bolstering its digital loyalty offerings and its digital marketing and e-commerce efforts, and expanding home delivery and data usage.
A report from the Ponemon Institute and Metalogix found that in the past two years, 49% of about 1,400 health care organizations surveyed have experienced one or more confirmed file-sharing data breaches. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported that their organization does not do enough to see that users of Microsoft SharePoint handle confidential or sensitive data appropriately, and 79% questioned existing tools' ability to safeguard sensitive data from a targeted breach or unintentional exposure, the report found.
Pepsi is launching a limited-edition drink called Pepsi Fire that's flavored with cinnamon and features Snapcodes on the bottles and cans. Consumers can scan the codes to access sponsored lenses, exclusive geofilters and a mobile game, "Pepsi Summer Quest," on Snapchat.
Adidas is launching an initiative to remove slavery from its supply chain by encouraging workers to speak up. The company has worker hotlines to call or to text questions and concerns, but it also has created apps for anonymously reporting concerns.
Government requests to Apple for user data for national security purposes jumped from between 2,750 and 2,999 in the first half of 2016 to between 5,750 and 5,999 in the second half, according to Apple's latest transparency report. The company also received 30,184 requests for technical information on devices from global law enforcement agencies.
The FDA has granted accelerated approval to Merck's Keytruda, or pembrolizumab, as a treatment for patients with solid tumor cancer who have the microsatellite instability-high biomarker or mismatch repair deficient, and who are not eligible for surgery. The decision marks the first approval of a cancer drug based on genetic traits.
Elizabeth Moss will star in and executive produce upcoming BBC miniseries "Fever." Annapurna TV will produce the series, which is based on Mary Beth Keane's novel and tells the story of the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever.
With the unemployment rate below 4% in nearly one-third of the metropolitan areas tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it can be difficult for many companies to find qualified workers. "Our companies are saying, 'We could grow faster, we could produce more product, if we had the workers,' " said Utah Manufacturers Association President Todd Bingham.
President Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposal includes ending a program under which the federal government shares revenue from Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas royalties with four of the states with Gulf shorelines -- Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. "Eliminating Gulf state revenue sharing for offshore energy production would punish coastal states that support and host the development of home-grown energy and jobs," Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association said.
UPS will create 100 jobs over the next five years near Kansas City, Kan., as it invests $220 million in area facilities. "Kansas is at the center of the reliable UPS network to keep packages rapidly moving in all directions across the country," said Fern Shaw of UPS.
The Auriga Spa at Capella Marigot Bay resort in St. Lucia is set among lush greenery and even boasts a spa treehouse. The Auriga Spa signature treatment offers a choice of four treatments that represent the energies of the lunar cycle, whether you want to rise to your full potential or renew yourself.