GOOD DAY FOR: A hasty retreat, after Starbucks said it’s closing three-quarters of its locations in Australia in the next five days. Starbucks opened the first of its 84 Australian stores eight years ago, entering a market with an existing European-style cafe culture. Starbucks said the 61 Australia store closures were not indicative of its otherwise strong international operations. (Bloomberg)
BAD DAY FOR: Taking a victory lap, as the recent drop in U.S. gas prices is due in large part to a drop in driving. The collective cutback in driving was so effective that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters warned of gas-tax-funded highway and bridge money shortfalls. A report Monday said that Americans drove 3.7 percent fewer miles in May than in May 2007, the seventh straight monthly decline. (Los Angeles Times)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
