• Reuters

    Russia jails hypersonics scientist for seven years in treason case

    A Russian scientist who worked on hypersonic technologies was handed a seven-year jail sentence on Thursday for treason after he was accused of passing state secrets to foreign nationals. A representative for St Petersburg's court system said Alexander Kuranov, 76, would be sent to a high-security prison and fined 100,000 roubles ($1,000). At the time of his arrest in 2021, Kuranov was the general director of St Petersburg-based Hypersonics Systems Research Facility, where he oversaw work on a new version of a Soviet-era hypersonic aircraft dubbed Ayaks.

  • Associated Press

    Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson is first Native American to represent the US solo at Venice Biennale

    Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft, which is immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground dominated by a riot of gigantic red podiums. Gibson, a Mississippi Choctaw with Cherokee descent, is the first Native American to represent the United States solo at the Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest contemporary art show. For context, the last time Native American artists were included was in 1932.

  • Reuters

    Genuine Parts lifts profit forecast as US prospects brighten

    Automotive parts distributor Genuine Parts raised its 2024 profit forecast on Thursday, hinging on strong demand for parts and improving automotive sales in the United States. In the past months, the company has been implementing pricing initiatives and strategic sourcing programs to perk up slowing sales in its U.S. automotive segment that was hurt by high costs and other inflationary pressures. It reaffirmed its sales growth forecast of 3% to 5% for the full year.