A woman looks at her phone in front of a Verizon Fios sign in Times Square in New York March 11, 2016. Verizon is changing how it sells cable and internet by getting rid of annual contracts and letting customers pay by the month for the cable and internet plans they want, the company announced Thursday. Under the new pricing tiers, customers mix and match internet and TV plans. There are three internet plans that range from $39.99 per month to $79.99 per month, depending on the speeds available

Spy satellite imagery suggests that a Ukraine-bound Boeing passenger airliner that crashed shortly after takeoff in Iran on Tuesday was shot down by Iranian missiles, NBC News reported Thursday. Iranian officials had originally suggested that the Boeing 737-800 fell from the skies because of a mechnical failure. “It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood,” Trump said of the crash, which occurred soon after Iran launched missile attacks on bases in Iraq that house U.S. and coalition forces. “I

CES is rarely the place for big gaming announcements in the world of consoles, and CES 2020 was no exception. Here are some of our gaming highlights, and you can check out our CES 2020 awards for our best tech of the show. The PS5 logo was revealed(Image credit: Sony)The biggest non-story story of CES was the PS5 logo reveal during Sony’s keynote. To be fair to the PlayStation manufacturer, it never promised we’d see a significant PS5 presence at CES 2020, and it was clear that this was just ste

Nintendo and The Pokémon Co. have some Pokémon news for you, and you can watch a new Pokémon Direct presentation live right here to hear the latest. The roughly 20-minute Pokémon Direct will air Thursday, Jan. 9, at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT on Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. Possible topics of discussion include new content coming to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield for Nintendo Switch; Pokémon Sleep, which wants to turn your good night’s sleep into e

Pokémon Sword and Shield is getting an expansion pass, Game Freak announced during its Pokémon Direct this morning. Two different expansions, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, will be released in June and fall 2020, respectively. Players can expect new gyms, accessories, and, of course, more Pokémon — in the Pokémon Direct, Game Freak said it’ll add more than 200 creatures. The Pokémon Company and Game Freak showed off new legendaries, new Gigantamax forms of existing Pokémon (like Sword a

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX is joining the Nintendo Switch lineup on March 6, according to today’s Pokémon Direct stream. This game, as usual, has you turning into a Pokémon and joining another Pokémon of choice on a long journey. Not too much was shown about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, but it is a remake of the original Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team games from 2006. The last Pokémon Mystery Dungeon title was Super Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, which released on Nov. 20,

During this morning’s Nintendo Direct, Game Freak revealed two expansions for Pokémon Sword and Shield which, in addition to introducing totally new monsters, will also add new forms for existing fan favorites. Notably, Inteleon, Rillaboom, and Cinderace are getting beefed-up Gigantamax forms. All of these Gigantamax forms will become available via The Isle of Armor expansion pass, which drops on June 2020 for $29.99. Sword and Shield critters aren’t the only ones getting more Gigantamax forms —

The newest Galarian-form Pokémon has come to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Slowpoke. As part of a software update released on Thursday, developer Game Freak is teasing the dual expansions coming to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield with a new Galar region Pokémon. Galarian Slowpoke will be available to catch outside Wedgehurst Station after speaking with either Klara (in Pokémon Sword) or Avery (in Pokémon Shield). You won’t be able to evolve that Galarian Slowpoke, however, until the Isle of

The new Pokémon Sword and Shield expansions — The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra — will bring more than 200 Pokémon into the games. Developer Game Freak announced the expansions during a Pokémon Direct this morning, showcasing a number of creatures that’ll appear in the game, including three entirely new Pokémon: Kubfu, Urshifu, and Calyrex. Here’s the full list of Pokémon confirmed in today’s Pokémon Direct for the Sword and Shield expansions:VolcaronaLycanrocRegiceRegisteelRegirockTwo new

Sen. Cory Booker said a looming impeachment trial and other pressing issues in Washington could deal a “big, big blow” to his Democratic presidential campaign by keeping him away from Iowa in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 caucuses. “It’s going to be a challenging four weeks in the caucus for us,” Booker said in an interview on The Associated Press’ “Ground Game” podcast. “If this trial lasts two weeks, that is literally dozens of events we won’t be able to do,” Booker said. Booker said he al

Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey gestures while interacting with students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi on November 12, 2018. Twitter said on Wednesday it will test new features early this year that would allow users to control who can reply to their tweets, as it looks to limit abuse and harassment on the platform. “We want to help people feel safe participating in the conversation on Twitter by giving them more control over the conversations they start,” the Sa

China’s Vice Premier Liu He gestures as he arrives for U.S.-China trade negotiations in Washington, U.S., October 10, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri GripasChina’s Vice Premier Liu He, head of the country’s negotiation team in Sino-U.S. trade talks, will sign a “Phase 1” deal in Washington next week, the commerce ministry said on Thursday. Liu will visit Washington on Jan. 13-15, said Gao Feng, spokesman at the commerce ministry. The move could make it harder for Beijing to meet import commitments in a Phase

A Brexit deal ‘in principle’ would help UK equities, strategist saysRoger Jones, head of equities at London and Capital, discusses the implications of Brexit talks for U.K. markets.

Futures point to higher open after Wednesday gains53 Mins AgoU.S. stock index futures were higher Thursday morning as investors keep an eye on the tensions in the Middle East. CNBC’s Frank Holland reports.

The biggest black swan event in the oil market is a disruption to the most critical chokepoint in the Middle East, according to an analyst from S&P Global Platts. “The market is extremely exposed to any disruption to vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” Dave Ernsberger, the firm’s global head of commodities pricing, told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” Thursday. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial channel that oil producers use to transport crude from the Middle East to markets around the world. I

President Donald Trump could use tense relations with Iran to his advantage — as long as the situation doesn’t get out of control, an analyst told CNBC Thursday. That’s because it will look like he’s fighting “one of America’s foes,” Cedric Chehab, global head of country risk at Fitch Solutions, said. “If tensions rise a little bit, it does make Trump look strong ahead of the elections,” he told CNBC’s “Capital Connection.” On Wednesday stateside, Trump announced that the U.S. would impose more

Now 17, the London-based business owner has moved on to bigger things — sourcing sneakers for U.K. rap stars such as Dizzee Rascal and AJ Tracey. The most expensive pair of sneakers Franklin has ever bought were “Nike Air Mags”, better known as the “Back to the Future” trainers, that cost him £45,000. Franklin initially used Facebook to sell sneakers but now works out of the headquarters of underground music streaming service Keakie in London’s hipster district Shoreditch. The store is not open

The BBC reported Thursday that the royal family was “hurt” by the decision. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not consult any senior royal before making the statement, the BBC reported without naming sources. Reuters also reported that the family was hurt and disappointed, citing an unnamed royal source. The rest of their funding (95%) comes from the Duchy of Cornwall, the estate of Prince Charles (Harry and William’s father). A general view of Frogmore Cottage, the U.K. home of Prince Harry, D

The U.S. and Iran appear to have taken a step back from escalating hostilities triggered by the U.S. killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani — but analysts warn “Iran is not finished with its retaliation.” They say Iran’s vow to retaliate could take years to play out. Tensions ratcheted up this week, following an airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday. Iran retaliated on Wednesday and blasted missiles at two Iraqi bases where U.S. soldiers w

The U.S. dollar could surge in 2020, according to a strategist from HSBC, and there are two “obvious channels” that could help it to rally. Speaking to CNBC’s “Street Signs Europe” on Tuesday, Dominic Bunning, senior FX strategist at HSBC, said the dollar’s resilience amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions showed “just how good a currency the dollar is.” “The dollar is still pretty much the pre-eminent currency safe-haven, up there with the yen, but the dollar’s really what people want to own in the