Summary List PlacementUK retail sales rose for a sixth month in October, smashing expectations, as some consumers stocked up ahead of lockdowns and others started buying for Christmas, encouraged by stores holding early sales, the Office For National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday. The ONS said retail sales rose by 1.2% in October compared with September, marking their sixth month of expansion. The pace was slower than September's 1.4% increase, but well above expectations for a reading of 0%. As lockdowns took effect in parts of the country, such as Wales, along with a number of large English cities, closing non-essential stores, as well as pubs and restaurants, and consumers prepared for wider restrictions in the weeks ahead, online shopping witnessed a rise of 52.8%. This compares wi...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I know you have recommended moving away from others who choose not to wear masks during the pandemic. What is the proper response to retail or other service providers who wear their masks hanging below their noses? This has happened to me twice lately. At a car lot, three salesmen were lingering by the showroom door, and one had his mask below his nose. I stopped and said, “You know that mask doesn’t work if it’s not covering your nose.” He gave me a slightly perturbed look, pulled up his mask and opened the door for me. Was I out of line? Today, a bank clerk was opening an account for me wearing a stylish mask that was clearly too large for her. It kept dropping below her nose. After trying a few times to pull it up, she gave up and left it hanging below her nose. Relat

Summary List Placement Michael Burry, whose famous bet against the housing market in 2008 was depicted in "The Big Short" movie, dumped all, or some, of his holdings in five stocks from his portfolio in the third quarter this year. Burry's largest holding is still Google parent Alphabet, but he ditched 50% of his call position in tbe company, according to a 13F filing.  He also sold 50% of his Facebook position, 38% of GameStop, and completely sold out from Booking Holdings and Bed Bath & Beyond. Burry's Scion Asset Management has $336 million worth of assets under management. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. "Big Short" money manager Michael Burry ditched about 50% of his bullish options positions in Alphabet and Facebook in the third quarter, according to a 13...

DEAR ABBY: I can’t travel too far by myself because I’m agoraphobic. I’m having my house painted, and I asked my brother if he could pick up some paint because I needed more. He brought the paint to me and I reimbursed him. He then accused me of being needy and using him because I mentioned I was short on gas money for the trip. Jeanne Phillips Abby, when I ask him to do things for me, I pay him 90% of the time. I don’t ask for his help often, but that time, he argued with me about gas money. Needless to say, I gave him $20. My brother isn’t struggling financially. He has money. He’s supposed to be a deacon in his church and calls himself a good Christian. Related Articles Dear Abby: My best friend thinks things have gotten weird with me Dear Ab

Someone threw a brick through Ald. Ray Lopez’s office Nov. 19, 2020, the 4th attack on his properties this year. | Ald. Raymond LopezLopez said his office has surveillance video of the incident and he is working with detectives to identify the individuals involved. He believes the vandalism was gang related. Someone threw a brick through the front window of Ald. Ray Lopez’s (15th) Southwest Side office Thursday night, the fourth instance of vandalism targeting his properties this year. About 10:50 p.m. a male threw a brick through the front window of an office in the 2700 block of West 47th Street, and three males were seen running from the scene, according to Chicago police. Lopez’s office, 2736 W. 47th St., was previously vandalized twice in July, with bricks thrown through the front...

A teenage boy was injured by gunfire Nov. 20, 2020, in the 4700 block of South Vincennes Avenue. | Sun-Times file photoThe boy, 17, was hit in the right leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. A teenage boy was injured in a shooting early Friday in Bronzeville on the South Side. The 17-year-old was walking on the sidewalk about 1:10 a.m. in the 4700 block of South Vincennes Street when he heard gunshots and realized he was hit, according to Chicago police. He was hit in the right leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. No one is in custody as Area One detectives investigate. Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides. ...read more Source:: Chicago Sun Times...

Summary List PlacementJoin the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: What makes 'Parasite' so shocking is the twist that happens in a 10-minute sequence ...read more Source:: Business Insider...

Summary List PlacementGood morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday. Sign up here to get this email in your inbox every morning. Have an Amazon Alexa device? Listen to this update by searching "Business Insider" in your flash briefing settings. And for the biggest stories in politics, sign up here for 10 Things in Politics You Need to Know Today — launching soon! Roblox is going public. The gaming platform has skyrocketed in popularity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 30 million active users per day. Apple hit out at Facebook. In a letter defending the delayed rollout of its IDFA privacy feature, Apple slammed Facebook and said the firm was only interested in hoovering up data about its users. Apple's rivals are furious at the App Store fee re...

Summary List PlacementSen. Mitt Romney ripped into President Donald Trump over his latest efforts to try and undermine the results of the election. "Having failed to make even a plausible case of widespread fraud or conspiracy before any court of law, the President has now resorted to overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the American people and overturn the election," Romney said in a statement posted to Twitter.  Trump has made baseless claims of election fraud and waged lawsuits in several states. In recent days, however, the Trump campaign's strategy seemed to move toward efforts to stop individual counties from certifying their election results, and trying to influence state legislators and local officials, The Associated Press reported. Romney's commen...

Summary List PlacementTwo New York fraud investigations into President Donald Trump have expanded to include consulting fee write-offs, some of which appeared to be paid to the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, The New York Times reported. The write-offs were uncovered by a Times investigation conducted earlier this year into the president's long-sought-after federal income tax returns. The findings of the investigation included $26 million in consulting fees paid to unidentified companies that were listed as write-offs by the Trump Organization, reducing the president's taxable income. One of those payments, which reportedly paid for consulting on developments in Hawaii and Canada, was for $747,622, The Times reported. In a separate document reviewed by The Times, Ivanka Trump listed...

A pedestrian was struck and killed on Thursday evening by a vehicle whose driver fled the scene in a residential area of Van Nuys. The collision occurred at about 7:15 p.m. in the area of Natick Avenue and Burbank Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer William Cooper. A description of the vehicle was not available. Detectives remained at the scene at 9:10 p.m., but further information was not immediately released. Related Articles Motorcyclist suspected of injuring 6-year-old in Sylmar hit-and-run sought by police Suspect in El Sereno hit-and-run turns himself in ...read more Source:: Los Angeles Daily News...

Law enforcement officials throughout Southern California said they do not plan on arresting people or issuing fines to those who do not comply with the state’s new late evening curfews, which were ordered to begin Saturday amid a surge of coronavirus infections. Instead of incarceration or fines, the region’s largest law enforcement agencies said they plan to work with residents in educating them on the public health rules and are asking for people to voluntarily comply. “Throughout the pandemic, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has taken an education-first approach with regard to public health orders,” Sheriff Don Barnes said in a statement posted shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new public health order. The order applies to 90% of the state’s population, covering all c

Summary List PlacementAs the rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane were set to begin their long-awaited "Verzuz" music battle at the famed Magic City strip club in Atlanta on Thursday, a surprise guest was scheduled to kick off the event. Suddenly, Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, popped onscreen at the event, beaming at the two rappers, who welcomed her with open arms. "Thank you guys for letting me crash before what I know is the battle to end all battles," she said. "Thanks for giving me some street cred[ibility] with my nieces and nephews." Verzuz, the popular webcast created by the producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, began during the coronavirus pandemic as a response to people being quarantined in their homes and away from music venues and clubs. It can ...

PACIFICA – A 26-year-old San Francisco man was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale in Pacifica last week, authorities said. Shortly before 10 p.m. on Nov. 12, an officer stopped a vehicle for equipment violations, the Pacifica Police Department said in a news release Thursday. The driver, police added, tossed a plastic bag out of the window as he was being pulled over. Police said an officer retrieved the bag and found that it contained rifle ammunition. The driver was on parole and is prohibited from possessing ammunition, said police, adding that a search turned up a large amount of marijuana and currency indicative of drug sales. Police said the man was arrested and booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of felon in possession of ammunition, evidence destructio...