The price of bitcoin fell by more than 10% after the chair of the Federal Reserve told Congress that Facebook’s planned cryptocurrency raises “many serious concerns.”
Bitcoin, the world’s top cryptocurrency by market capitalization has surged this year, in part because of Facebook’s announcement of its own proposed virtual currency, Libra. Experts say Facebook’s momentous entrance could accelerate the adoption of alternative currency and payment systems, lifting the prospects of other cryptocurrencies in the process.

The United States has decided not to impose sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for now, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, in a sign Washington may be holding a door open for diplomacy.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on June 24 had said Zarif would be blacklisted that week, an unusual public stance because the United States typically does not preview such decisions to keep its targets from moving assets out of US jurisdiction.
Blacklisting Iran‘s chief negotiator would also be unusual because it could impede any US effort to use diplomacy to resolve its disagreements with Tehran over Iran‘s nuclear program, regional activities and missile testing.

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Volkswagen’s iconic Beetle car rolled off the production line in Mexico for the final time this week. The sendoff ceremony was accompanied by a Mariachi band.

 
The Volkswagen factory in Puebla was the only one left in the world making the original Beetle cars and more recently the only one making the modern version.
The limited, 65-unit run of the ‘Beetle Final Edition’ will be sold in Mexico on the internet for a base price of $21,000 per vehicle. It can be reserved with a $1,000 payment.

Google contractors regularly listen to and review some recordings of what people say to artificial-intelligence system Google Assistant, via their phone or through smart speakers such as the Google Home.
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Chicago police investigators have cracked the case: A 4-5 foot alligator is living in a lagoon at one of the city’s most popular parks.
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says Tuesday that investigators went to Humboldt Park Lagoon on the city’s West Side and confirmed that the unusual resident is there as reported on social media.

Construction crews discovered a massive safe buried under the parking lot of a synagogue on Chicago’s North Side, presenting a challenge to locksmiths and a mystery as to what’s inside.
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4-year-old in moderate condition after glass crashes onto Seatara eatery; police open investigation

Stéphane Alzraa, who was extradited from Israel, convicted of organized fraud and aggravated money laundering for involvement in $57 million 'scam of the century'

Jewish director wrote three films, never produced, in the 1950s -- the 'least understood period' of his career -- focusing on marital woes