Money

With the coronavirus pandemic shuttering theaters for months on end and major blockbusters delayed into an unforeseeable future, 2020 was one of the worst years in domestic box office history. The domestic box office, which includes the United States and Canada, ended 2020 with $2.2 billion in revenue, according to Comscore. That’s a massive 80%

Chinese technology company Huawei is backtracking on a patent application it filed for a facial recognition system intended to identify Uyghurs from other Chinese ethnicities. Filed in July 2018 by Huawei and the government-affiliated Chinese Academy of Sciences, the patent application said the “identification of pedestrian attributes is very important” in facial recognition technology. “The

China was already outperforming every other major world economy last year as the coronavirus pandemic upended the globe. It looks like the country’s relatively sure footing also gave it the edge in its trade war with the United States. The world’s second biggest economy closed out 2020 with an overall trade surplus of $78 billion

When Chobani started selling Greek yogurt in 2007, it upended the market. Now, it wants to do the same for iced coffee. This week, Chobani is launching a new line of refrigerated, ready-to-drink coffees. The new product comes in four flavors: one black cold brew option, one with oat milk, one with sweet creamer, and

US President Donald Trump has been permanently banned from Snapchat, according to a statement by the platform Wednesday. “Last week we announced an indefinite suspension of President Trump’s Snapchat account, and have been assessing what long term action is in the best interest of our Snapchat community,” a Snapchat spokesperson said. “In the interest of

China’s leader has called on Starbucks’ former chairman Howard Schultz to help promote US-China relations, according to Chinese state media. State-run news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had written to Schultz, encouraging the American billionaire and the global coffee giant he ran for years to improve economic and trade ties.

Taco Bell knows you’re upset about losing potatoes. It’s sorry it hurt you. And it’s bringing them back. Last year, Taco Bell cut a number of items from its menu, including two dishes that featured its seasoned potato bites: Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes and the Spicy Potato Soft Taco. Those two items will be back in

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has defended his company’s decision to ban President Donald Trump, while acknowledging that the move stems from its failure to promote “healthy” conversations and sets a “dangerous” precedent. “I believe this was the right decision for Twitter,” Dorsey said in a series of 13 posts on his platform, citing “extraordinary and

Taco Bell knows you’re upset about losing potatoes. It’s sorry it hurt you. And it’s bringing them back. Last year, Taco Bell cut a number of items from its menu, including two dishes that featured its seasoned potato bites: Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes and the Spicy Potato Soft Taco. Those two items will be back in

Costco is closing its photo centers at all of its roughly 800 stores next month, ending a number of services that have a decidedly retro vibe. Four services will no longer be available to shoppers when the centers will shut down on February 14, including ink refills, the ability to take passport photos, photo restoration

The American jobs crisis is escalating again. States have ratcheted up their virus-prevention measures to combat rising infection rates, and the job market has taken it on the chin. Another 965,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits on a seasonally adjusted basis in the United States last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That was

Convenience store operators are having a moment. Canada’s Couche-Tard, the owner of Circle K, said in a statement on Wednesday that it’s offering €20 ($24.35) a share to acquire France’s biggest supermarket chain, Carrefour. The offer, which Couche-Tard expects to be mostly in cash, values Carrefour at €16.2 billion ($19.7 billion) and represents a 29%

The Voice of America has effectively demoted a reporter who tried to ask questions of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he delivered a speech praising American freedoms and condemning repressive regimes such as China and Iran. Patsy Widakuswara, who covers the White House, was reassigned on Monday hours after trying to engage with Pompeo,

Intel has named Pat Gelsinger as its new chief executive officer, replacing Bob Swan after a rocky two-year run. The chipmaker recruited Gelsinger from software firm VMWare, calling him a “highly respected CEO and industry veteran” in a release. Gelsinger, who has been VMWare’s CEO for about the past decade, will take the helm at