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Jo Critcher

Latest from Jo Critcher

  • That Roomba in your Amazon cart? Today might be the day.
    Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

    Happy Prime Day(s)! Why do retailers have big savings events for seemingly no reason? We’ll discuss. Plus, sportswashing in the golf world and an incoming indicator for interest rates.

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  • To be, or not to be?
    Getty Images

    Some regional theaters aren’t getting a choice. With pandemic funding running dry and attendance way down, companies across the country are cutting back spending in drastic ways. Plus, how much capital does a bank really need?

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  • Chips are down as Foxconn bails on India venture
    AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Apple supplier Foxconn has pulled out of a $19.5bn deal with Indian mining giant Vedanta to build a chip making plant. Less than a year ago, the companies announced plans to set up the facility in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. Plus, how the state of Spain’s economy is dominating the forthcoming general election. And, we take a peek inside Charlie Watts’ treasure trove. The late Rolling Stones drummer amassed a horde of collectibles, from first editions to jazz memorabilia, which will be sold off at auction later in the year.

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  • Oil, oil and more oil
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    In Cuba, gas shortages leave the country leaning on private Russian firms who may give some short-term relief. Meanwhile, OPEC’s efforts to drive up gas prices have been thwarted by higher-than-expected oil production in the U.S..

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  • Skin in the Game: Sideshow car stunts go virtual
    Marketplace

    A group of Bay Area students are bringing sideshows — car stunts and tricks that came out of Oakland — to the virtual world. Plus, what could happen if UPS workers go on strike at the end of the month.

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  • A bus charges fuel at a gas station in Havana, on October 27, 2022. - The long lines continued this Thursday at gas stations in Cuba, one day after the state-run Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) announced "a deficit in the availability of fuel" and "difficulties" in its transportation. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP) (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

    From the BBC World Service: Cuba is in the grip of a crippling fuel crisis. People are having to queue for days for gas as well as endure widespread blackouts. Now the Cuban leadership has turned to an old ally for help: Russia. Plus, President Biden arrived in London today. The war in Ukraine is likely to be the main focus but they are expected to cram a lot in, particularly around the trade of minerals key to the green energy transition. And, South Korean pop sensation BTS has launched an eagerly-awaited book to mark their tenth anniversary.

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  • Jul 7, 2023

    Feeling the heat

    Feeling the heat
    Brandon Bell/Getty Images

    Three million customers had their electricity shut off last year, mostly during the summer. Researchers say this utility shutoff crisis is only made worse by extreme heat. Plus, a promising jobs report and a moolah doula.

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  • Yellen looks for common ground in China
    Nancy Farghalli/Marketplace

    Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal calls in from Beijing to give an update on the treasury secretary’s visit, and her goals when it comes to future U.S.-China economic relations. Plus, some states are raising their minimum wage.

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  • U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen
    Getty Images

    It’s Janet Yellen’s first trip to China as US Treasury chief. The visit comes as tensions between the two countries are running high and China’s economy is struggling to mount a post-pandemic recovery. The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry says more than 60,000 women will lose their jobs after the Taliban’s decision to shut all female beauty salons in the country. Could robots be the answer to our social care problem and a way of combating loneliness in older people?

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  • Not your grandpa’s Pong
    Getty Images

    A quarter of video gamers in the U.S. are 50 and older, and no, they don’t just want to play “brain games.” Plus, the latest on Meta’s Twitter-like platform, and a look at the markets.

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