By Helen Reid LONDON (Reuters) – IKEA is training call centre workers to become interior design advisers as the Swedish furniture giant aims to offer more home improvement services and hand run-of-the-mill customer queries to an artificial intelligence bot called Billie. In April, IKEA expanded its interior design services to the UK and United States,…
By Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine (Reuters) – When Pixar Animation Studios releases its 27th feature film in theaters on Friday, the pioneering studio behind blockbuster movies such as “Toy Story,” “Cars” and “Finding Nemo” will be under pressure to demonstrate it has not lost its Midas touch. The stakes are high for “Elemental,” a…
(Reuters) – The actor Treat Williams, known for his roles in Hair and Everwood, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Monday, his longtime agent said. Barry McPherson, Williams’ agent for 15 years, confirmed that the actor was killed when the motorcycle he was driving was involved in an accident with a car in Dorset,…
By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Pat Sajak, the enduring master of ceremonies for “Wheel of Fortune,” plans to retire at the end of his upcoming record 41st year hosting one of American television’s longest-running game shows, he said on Monday. Sajak, 76, made the announcement on Twitter, but gave no precise reason for…
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee on Monday introduced a bipartisan aviation policy bill that would boost runway safety, track high-altitude balloons and prohibit airlines from charging fees for families to sit together. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, top Republican Ted Cruz and the aviation subcommittee leaders…
(Reuters) – One man died and several people suffered minor injuries after their boat capsized during a tour of a cave system by the Erie Canal in upstate New York on Monday, local authorities said. There were 28 passengers and one employee of the Lockport Cave boat ride aboard when the boat tipped over, Lockport…
By Doyinsola Oladipo NEW YORK (Reuters) -The City of New York will delay enforcing a municipal law that Airbnb Inc said could limit the number of people who can host rentals in the city, a Friday court filing showed. The short-term rental company filed a lawsuit against the city on June 1 over the law…
By Matt McKnight OLYMPIA, Wash. (Reuters) – In the middle of a serene forest four miles from Washington state’s capital Olympia sits a vintage rotary phone. It is not connected to a telephone line and looks out of place. But it has become a literal lifeline for people to speak words out loud to lost…
(Reuters) – Sphere Entertainment said on Monday it was launching Sphere Studios in Hollywood to create immersive film content for its entertainment venue, Sphere, in Las Vegas. The live entertainment and media firm said filmmakers would work with Hollywood directors and producers at Sphere Studios to create multi-sensory films that would appear exclusively in Sphere…
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday said he told Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last week any decision to reinstate the country’s air safety rating would not be based on politics. “The rating as I emphasized to the president is a safety decision. It’s independent of any economic,…