Sudan refugees in Ethiopia battle rising cost of living

As more people move to Addis Ababa for an opportunity, space gets limited, taller buildings are built and housing prices go up.

Rising living costs are putting the squeeze on those who have taken refuge in Ethiopia.

Al Jazeera’s Leah Harding met a Sudanese refugee trying to make ends meet in the capital Addis Ababa.

US factory activity growth weakest in June since 2016

This is the best economy for small business in 50 years: NFIB CEO

NFIB CEO Juanita Duggan on the current economic environment for small business in America.

The U.S. economy's manufacturing sector expanded in June but at a slower pace than the previous month and the slowest pace overall since October 2016, according to an industry report released on Monday.

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The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity fell to 51.7 from 52.1 the month before. The reading was just above expectations of 51 from a Reuters poll of 77 economists.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

The employment index rose to 54.5 from 53.7 a month earlier. Expectations called for a reading of 52.8.

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The prices paid index fell to 47.9 from 53.2, compared to expectations of 53.0. It was the lowest reading since February 2016 and marked the third time in six months that the prices-paid measure has dropped into contraction.

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New orders dropped to 50.0 from 52.7.

Kaley Cuoco’s new project takes a dramatic turn from ‘The Big Bang Theory’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kaley Cuoco is making a big move after wrapping 12 seasons with “The Big Bang Theory,” with a new production deal and a pivot from comedy to drama.

Cuoco has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, the company said Monday. The agreement keeps Cuoco in business with the studio that produced “The Big Bang Theory,” the CBS comedy in which Cuoco played Penny. It ended its hit run last May.

In a statement, Cuoco said she was excited to continue an “incredibly collaborative and gratifying relationship” with Warner, adding, “They’re stuck with me now!”

Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

‘I am already, like, losing it’: Kaley Cuoco on the end of ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Her first announced project is the hour-long series “The Flight Attendant,” a thriller based on the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It will be made for the WarnerMedia streaming service set to launch for consumers in early 2020.

Under the deal, Cuoco and her production company will develop ideas for original TV projects through various Warner TV group divisions. The projects will be aimed at platforms including broadcast, cable and streaming, the company said.

A holding agreement for Cuoco’s acting services is part of the overall deal, with Warner developing new series with her in mind. The company and Cuoco, 33, signed a previous deal in 2017.

Footwear chain Office could close stores as part of restructure

The footwear chain Office is considering a restructure that could result in some store closures in the latest sign of tough times on the high street.

The retailer, which has about 100 UK stores and 20 concessions in other stores including Topshop, House of Fraser and Selfridges, suffered a 3% fall in UK sales in the six months to December 2018 as it closed six outlets.

Sources said Office was considering plans for a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), an insolvency process which companies including the Topshop owner, Arcadia, Mothercare and Carpetright have all used to close stores and cut rents.

A CVA is one of a number of options being considered after Office’s owner, the South African retailer Truworths, appointed advisers from the turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal.

A plan for the UK group, which employs nearly 3,000 people according to accounts filed at Companies House, is expected to be finalised in coming weeks, according to Sky News, which first reported the appointment of Alvarez & Marsal.

Truworths, which is listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange, said online sales rose 7.2% during the six months to 30 December 2018 so that they now made up a third of Office’s sales, reflecting the industry-wide switch to shopping on the internet.

In its interim financial report, Truworths said the UK had a fragile retail economy which was expected to remain under “extreme pressure” amid uncertainty over Brexit but that staff morale at Office was high as sales had risen in the first weeks of the new year.

Clearway Energy To Pilot Blockchain-powered Renewable Energy Trading

U.S.-based Clearway Energy Group, dealing in solar and wind energy, is teaming up with Australia’s blockchain-powered energy trading company Power Ledger to develop a platform to trade Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in the U.S.

RECs are tradable commodities serving as proof that one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy resource. The use of blockchain technology will make it more efficient, secure, and provide greater transparency to track the data and properly allocate the RECs.

RECs can be tracked on a blockchain ledger system from the point of creation, sale and transfer to the buyer.

Electricity companies in at least 29 U.S. states are required to supply a portion of their electricity from renewable sources each year. Many companies purchase RECs as a way of meeting their mandatory clean energy quotas.

The market for RECs in the U.S. covers both compliance and voluntary markets and is estimated to be worth over $3 billion annually.