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Retail sales rose 0.6% in August, compared with a revised 0.5% increase in July, according to a report issued by the Commerce Department on Thursday. The surge in gas prices is coursing through the economy and could slow down shoppers' momentum heading into the critical holiday shopping season. Excluding gas sales, retail sales were just up 0.2% for August, according to the Commerce Department report. Sales at gas stations rose a robust 5.2%, while furniture and home furnishings stores saw a 1% drop in sales. August's uptick in retail sales, which marks the fifth straight monthly gain, reflects the economy’s resiliency despite a still tough economic environment.

Persons: August's, ”, Michael Pearce, “, Anne Hatfield, They’re, Kendra Scott, Chris Rugaber, Anne Organizations: Commerce Department, U.S . Labor Department, Labor Department, Federal Reserve, AAA, Amazon Prime, U.S, Oxford Economics, ”, Walmart, Pride, AP Locations: Washington

[1/5] Oze Makvala, 19, a homeless teenager who has slept rough on the streets for years, sings at the studio of Mokili Na Poche cultural centre, a Congolese arts refuge that helps street children, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo September 5, 2023. "It really makes me happy when I sing," said 19-year-old Osé Mavakala, who has slept on the streets for years like more than 20,000 other homeless children in Kinshasa, according to U.N. agency UNICEF. Other teens looked on with pride as Mavakala rapped intently into the microphone at a session in late August. Founder Cedrick Tshimbalanga hopes these skills and the routine will help the children find their feet and their voices. Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Makvala, Justin Makangara, Mavakala, Lil Wayne, Fally, Cedrick Tshimbalanga, Tshimbalanga, Alessandra Prentice, Aurora Ellis, Emelia Organizations: Democratic, REUTERS, Rights, UNICEF, Thomson Locations: Congolese, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rights KINSHASA

☆ In parched Uruguay, tensions rise as water levels fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Water used to cover everything you can see." The South American country of 3.5 million people is reeling from its worst drought in 74 years, pushing frustrated residents to depend on bottled water. Low rainfall has forced water authorities to use water from a saltier part of the Santa Lucia river, which supplies most of Uruguay's drinking water, leaving tap water undrinkable for many. Earlier this month, Uruguay's government declared a water emergency, exempting taxes on bottled water and ordering the construction of a new reservoir. "The issue is real," said musician Frank Lampariello, after stocking up on bottled water at a supermarket in Solymar, on Montevideo's outskirts.

Persons: Alejandro Obaldia CANELONES, Mario del Pino, Adrian Dias, OSE, Federico Kreimerman, Kreimerman, Gerardo Amarilla, Frank Lampariello, Alejandro Obaldia, Brendan O'Boyle, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Canelones, Uruguay, Montevideo, Santa Lucia, Solymar, Montevideo's

☆ Putting salt in tap water and drilling wells in parks: one city’s desperate quest to avoid running dry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The situation has become so bad that residents are being forced to drink salty tap water and workers are drilling wells in the center of the capital to reach the water beneath the ground. Another, the Paso Severino, which normally serves 60% of the country’s population with fresh water, has seen the largest decrease in water levels on record. Water levels could be depleted completely in early July, according to local media reports. Low water levels at the Canelón Grande reservoir on March 13, 2023. As well as tasting salty, Uruguayan officials say the tap water also has a high level of chlorides, sodium, and trihalomethanes.

Persons: Luis Lacalle Pou, It’s, Paso Severino, Ernesto Ryan, Carlos Santos, “, ”, Karina Rando, Lacalle Pou, Santos, Eitan Abramovich, ‘, Daniel Panario, Panario, OSE, Ana Ferreira, ” Friederike Otto, Miguel Doria, hydrologist, Uruguay “, Doria, ” Gerardo Amarilla, ” Doria Organizations: CNN —, National Commission, Defense of Water, University of, CNN, of Public Health, ”, Getty, Parque, of Ecology, University of the, Bloomberg, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Uruguay’s Ministry of, United, Montevideo don’t Locations: CNN — Uruguay, American, Uruguay, country’s, Montevideo, Republic, la Plata, Paso, South America’s, San, ”, University of the Republic, America, Argentina, Caribbean, United Nations

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Airbnb Inc FollowNEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - The City of New York will delay enforcing a new municipal law that Airbnb Inc (ABNB.O) said could limit the number of people who can host rentals in the city, a Friday court filing showed. Under the law, hosts must be permanent occupants of the units being rented and must register with the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement (OSE) before posting rentals. The office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Airbnb said that in the first week of July, more than 5,500 short-term rentals are reserved to host more than 10,000 guests in New York City. The case is Airbnb Inc. v New York City Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Persons: Eric Adams, Airbnb, Karen Dunn, Paul, Weiss, Doyinsola Oladipo, Richard Chang Organizations: Airbnb, Mayor's, Special Enforcement, New York City, Inc, New York, New York City Mayor's Office, Enforcement, Court, Thomson Locations: New York, New York City, Manhattan

City councils around the United States are increasingly introducing ordinances to regulate short-term rentals, which in some cases will require hosts to obtain licenses and pay registration fees or limit the number of short-term rentals in business districts. The short-term rental company is requesting that the court blocks the enforcement of "Local Law 18". Airbnb said that in the first week of July, more than 5,500 short-term rentals are reserved to host more than 10,000 guests in New York City. The company said in the filing a previous law which went into effect in 2021 prompted 29,000 hosts to leave the short-term rental market in New York. Airbnb’s annual net revenue in New York City in 2022 was $85 million, according to the filling.

Persons: Airbnb, Doyinsola Oladipo Organizations: Airbnb, New York, New, New York City Mayor's Office, Special Enforcement, Thomson Locations: New York City, City, United States, New York's, New York

[1/5] Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. Rail workers, on strike since March 2, have extended their walkout until Friday. "We could have been there, we could have been on that same train," Aria Laska, 23, told Reuters. Three more railway workers were detained and accused of disrupting public transport leading to deaths, the semi-state Athens News Agency reported. "We are together in this trial," Mitsotakis said, adding that young people and their parents had "every right to be angry".

Summary At least 46 killed in Greece's worst train disasterGovernment promises to fix ailing rail systemRailway workers walk off job in safety standards protestLARISSA, Greece, March 2 (Reuters) - The death toll from Greece's deadliest train crash was set to rise even higher, with 46 confirmed dead but ten people still missing, authorities said on Thursday. As many in Greece demanded answers, rescuers continued to comb through charred and buckled rail carriages to try and find more victims. [1/5] Rescuers operate on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 2, 2023. INVESTIGATIONThe station master of Larissa train station was arrested on Wednesday and appeared before a local magistrate on Thursday. The Italian operation has responsibility for passenger and freight, and the Greek state-controlled OSE for infrastructure.

☆ Greek rescuers comb through train crash wreckage as hopes fade
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lefteris Papadimas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Rescuers operate on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 2, 2023. The high-speed passenger train with more than 350 people on board crashed head-on with a freight train near the city of Larissa late on Tuesday, and hopes of finding anyone still alive in the wreckage more than 34 hours later appeared slim. The station master of Larissa train station was arrested on Wednesday as authorities probed the circumstances that led to the passenger train, en route to the northern city of Thessaloniki, colliding with another train carrying shipping containers coming in the opposite direction on the same track. Nikos Tsouridis, a retired train driver trainer, said drivers involved in the crash had died "because there were no safety measures. The Italian operation has responsibility for passenger and freight, and the Greek state-controlled OSE for infrastructure.

☆ Hours after deadly train crash, Greece agonises over what went wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Angeliki Koutantou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] A general view of the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. There have been widespread media reports electronic signal software was not working, meaning signalling was done manually. OSE, the country's state-owned operator for rail infrastructure, did not respond to calls requesting comment nor did it issue a statement. Within hours, Greek police had arrested the station master at a provincial train station, accusing him of death through negligence. Hellenic Train, a unit of Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato which acquired passenger and freight operations, said it was working with authorities on the investigation.

☆ Lawsuit alleges Jeffrey Epstein sent JPMorgan Chase exec photos of young women
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley allegedly exchanged sexually suggestive emails with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, some of which included photos of young women, according to newly unsealed passages of a federal lawsuit. He isn’t a defendant in the lawsuit and has not been charged criminally with any activities related to Epstein. The lawsuit alleges JPMorgan Chase “had a more than close-up view of Epstein’s sex-trafficking” and “ignored obvious red flags relating to Epstein’s accounts.”Both JPMorgan Chase and Barclays declined to comment on the newly unsealed passages. I have few so profound.”One month later, Staley allegedly sent another email to Epstein: “I realize the danger in sending this email. JPMorgan Chase did not flag any of the emails between Epstein and Staley in connection with risk reviews, according to the lawsuit: “Moreover, JP Morgan Chase allowed Staley to remain a decision-maker on Epstein’s accounts.

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