A year after shuttering it's ultra-premium Maybach brand, Mercedes is taking another shot at topping Rolls-Royce and Bentley by building the $1 million Mercedes-Benz S-Class Pullman. The new ultra-luxurious version of the company's flagship S-Class will be the most expensive sedan in the world when it hits showrooms next year, reports Bloomberg. 

In addition to the traditional lineup of premium hides, woodgrain accents, and plush carpeting, the S-Class Pullman will also feature a litany of must-have features for world's elite buyers including lounge-style seating and armor plating. At 21 feet long, the S-Class Pullman is nearly a foot and a half longer than the extended wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantom and twice the cost as well. 

Mercedes has yet to announce the powertrain options for its newest sedan, though it is expected that boast a lineup of the company's finest supercharged or naturally aspirated V8 and V12 powerplants. Since the S-Class Pullman will effectively cost nearly twice as much as the nearest comparable Rolls or Bentley, we expect the mad scientists from Stuttgart to include the best of their techno goody bag. 

Mercedes had made plans to build an ultra-premium sedan as far back as the mid-'90s. Those plans were hastened when the company's German rivals, BMW and Volkswagen-Audi, gained control of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, spurring Mercedes to get its Maybach brand up and running.

Instead of designing and building a new car from scratch, the company based the car that would become Maybach on the venerable W140 S-Class Mercedes that debuted in 1991. While they were as opulent as their half-million-dollar price tags would suggest, the Maybach 57 and 62s already looked and felt dated by the time they hit the market in 2002, compared to rivals from Rolls and Bentley.As for the latest Pullman, Mercedes hopes it will remind customers of the company's luxury heritage, which didn't exist with the obscure Maybach brand.

"[Mercedes] are trying to evoke the very famous old 600 Pullman that was used by people from dictators to John Lennon," an IHS automotive analyst told Bloomberg. "They want to show that Mercedes still stands for an absolute elite, luxury, and opulence. There's symbolic value to this kind of car."

SEE ALSO: The 10 Fastest Street-Legal Cars On The Market

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GM has announced yet another recall, this time of over seven million vehicles. There have been 22 other days this year on which GM has recalled vehicles, and we wanted to take a look back at how the recall situation has developed.

The chart below shows the cumulative number of vehicle recalls in the United States made by GM since the start of 2014, using the timeline GM provided in this press release for the mid-June recalls, along with press releases for the two recalls occurring after that release.

Some of the largest and most dramatic recalls, including today's, involved problems with keys or ignition systems in the recalled vehicles. These recalls are marked in red:

Today's recalls are the largest to happen on a single day since the start of the year, and the total number of recalls passed 25 million.

All of these recalls have had a limited effect on GM's stock price. Here's GM's closing price on each day of this year, according to Yahoo Finance. As above, the ignition-related recalls, along with the days before and after the recall announcements, are marked in red: 

Here's GM's table of recalls through the middle of June:

The company also announced a set of four recalls on June 27, adding another 428,211 cars.

And here's the table provided by GM showing the details of today's recalls:

SEE ALSO: GM RECALLS ANOTHER 7.6 MILLION VEHICLES, MODELS GOING BACK TO 1997

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A disgruntled Tesla owner took delivery of his brand new Model S last week and promptly smashed its windshield with a wrench, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The owner, Yu Xin Quan, a Chinese e-commerce entrepreneur, reportedly destroyed his $170,000 car's windshield to protest what he called "Tesla's arrogance." 

For the past few months, Mr. Yu has been the outspoken leader of a group of Chinese Tesla customers who had their orders delayed due to a series of production, logistical, and legal issues. While most were placated by a meeting with the company's CEO, Elon Musk, in April, Mr. Yu continued to voice his dissatisfaction.

The disgruntled owner expected to be one of the first in China to take delivery of the Model S when he placed his order last October. He became furious with Tesla earlier this year when he discovered that his car had not even been built when others in the country had already received their cars.

To ameliorate the situation, Tesla offered to put special edition decals on the car and install charging equipment at his home free of charge. The company even offered Mr. Yu the use of one of its showroom display vehicles for a month while he awaited the arrival of his bespoke Model S.

But Yu rejected the proposal, telling the WSJ that the showroom car just wouldn't be the same as his own. "I feel like I just married a woman who has been married," said Yu. 

Though most will view such behavior with utter incredulity, the purposeful destruction of expensive toys is not so uncommon in China. It can be attributed to variety of causes, from the growing demand of Chinese consumers on customer service to the entitled mindset of China's elite, to the inadequacy of the country's civil litigation process.

Whatever the reason, here are a couple of the more famous examples where Chinese owners of expensive cars have destroyed them in protest:

Maserati Quattroporte: May 2013

Last year, a Maserati owner in northeastern China hired a group of men with sledgehammers to pummel his $423,000 Quattroporte sedan in front the exhibition hall at the Qingdao auto show. The man was reportedly upset over a botched repair at the company's dealership. The owner accused the shop of overcharging him while using second-hand parts.

Lamborghini Gallardo: March 2011

Two year before the Maserati incident, a new Lamborghini Gallardo met a similar fate after the cars disgruntled owner hired a group of sledgehammer wielding men to demolish the malfunctioning supercar. According to GT Spirit, the Gallardo, which retailed in China at the time for $529,000 to $757,000, failed to start on delivery and suffered damage to its bodywork and suspension during delivery. The owner was unsuccessful in his attempts to resolve the issue by contacting Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann. 

SEE ALSO: The 10 Fastest Street-Legal Cars On The Market

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Vehicle sales hit an annualized rate of 16.98 million units in June, reports Wards Auto's John Sousanis.

Bloomberg is reporting a pace of 16.92 million.

Both numbers were much stronger than analysts' expectations for sales to slip to 16.38 million, down from 16.7 million in May.

"The report signals that consumers are willing to make big-ticket purchases, and should ease fears generated by the sluggish tone of recent consumer spending data," said Barclays' Dean Maki.

General Motors saw its U.S. auto sales rise 1% in June, despite what seemed to be an endless stream of negative headlines regarding product recalls.

Analysts' had been forecasting a 6.3% drop in GM sales.

“June was the third very strong month in a row for GM, with every brand up on a selling-day adjusted basis,” said GM VP Kurt McNeil. “In fact, the first half of the year was our best retail sales performance since 2008, driven by an outstanding second quarter.”

This follows better-than-expected results from the rest of the Detroit 3.

Chysler saw its June U.S. auto sales jump 9.2%, beating expectations for a 5.9% gain. This is the company's 51st straight month of growth.

Ford sales fell 5.8%. However, this wasn't as bad as the 6.3% drop expected.

Throughout the day, the world's big auto makers will be announcing their June sales results.

Click Here For Updates »

Here's our tally:

• Chrysler: +9.2% (+5.9% Estimated)
• GM: +1% (-6.3% Est.)
• Ford: -5.8% (-6.6% Est.)
• Toyota: +3.3% (+3.5% Est.)
• Nissan: +5.3% (+3% Est.)
• Honda: -5.8% (-5.8% Est.)
• Hyundai: +4%
• Subaru: +5%
• Mitsubishi: +13.7%
• Mercedes-Benz: +8.2%
• Audi: +23.1%
• Porsche: +11%

SEE ALSO: 27 Facts About The Global Economy That Every Investor Should Know

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Despite the unfavorable press following an ongoing series of recalls, experts and investors agree that General Motors is far from the end of the road.

GM announced this week that it would recall an additional 8.4 million vehicles in North America, running its tally up to more than 28 million cars recalled in the last year.

For the latest round of recalls, the automaker cited problems stemming from unintended ignition key rotation to faulty electrics inside the cabin and under the hood.

The scale and magnitude of GM's recalls are simply unprecedented. At no time in recent history has any major automaker in the United States ever recalled so many cars for so many different types of defects.

As investigators and CEO Mary Barra delve deeper into GM's history, more and more of the company's past sins have come to light. These revelations of past missteps, along with repeated recall announcements, could severely erode both consumer and investor confidence in the company, said Professor John Allan James, Chairman Emeritus of the Center for Global Governance, Reporting, and Regulation at Pace University's Lubin School of Business. 

"This isn't the last of it. Odds are there will be more recalls," James told Business Insider. "GM's management have repeatedly shown themselves to the world to be screwups. They knew about the risk for years and yet model after model, year after year, they put out the same cars with the same defective part." 

While the company could indeed suffer in the long run, short-term metrics indicate that the recalls have not impacted the bottom line.

Minimal Market Impact

With GM shares trading around 3% higher level than just before its latest recall, the market has responded in a surprisingly blasé manner to the company's attempt to rectify its quality control standards.

Industry experts and car buyers share this sentiment. Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer said that "all of KBB's metrics indicate that the recalls have had little to no effect on GM sales."

KBB's measurements mesh with the latest sales figures, which actually grew in June.

Financially, the recall will not be the kind of black hole for the company that some had initially projected. Based on the latest figures from UBS, the total cost of the recall repairs will amount to roughly $2.5 billion for a company that is estimated to generate around $4.7 billion in profits this year. 

Different Than Other Recalls

GM, it appears, has emerged relatively unscathed, especially when compared to past scandals like Toyota's unintended acceleration recall.

When Toyota recalled more than 10 million cars for issues related to unintended acceleration, the company's sales plummeted and its corporate leadership was axed. But unintended acceleration is particularly terrifying for consumers. When such a failure occurs, a car's throttle fails to react to driver inputs, effectively transforming a family sedan into a runaway train. A tragic 911 call that captured a family's last moments in their runaway Toyota further damaged the company's image.

GM's faulty ignition systems have been connected to fatal accidents, but are overall less dangerous. "The engine shut-off that results from the failure is perfectly manageable in most situations," said KBB's Brauer.  

Toyota's recall also affected popular models, like the Prius and Camry, which were on sale in dealerships. GM's recall, on the other hand, consists mostly of nameplates that have either been discontinued or replaced by new models. As a result, GM dealers are less affected by the recall when selling new cars.

Recall aside, GM has actually made great strides in improving the design, quality and engineering of its new cars, which has helped buyers forget about the recalled vehicles, said Tom Mutchler, senior automotive engineer at Consumer Reports.

In terms of corporate response, Toyota's management team was seen as culpable for the company's failures. Mary Barra and her team at GM are perceived differently. Much of GM's wrongdoing occurred before the Barra administration. Industry insiders like Brauer and Mutchler said they appreciate Barra's candor with respect to her company's past failings, and see her as a positive figure trying to a fix a broken system. 

It remains to be seen how GM's latest round of recalls affects the company. Even Brauer conceded that expanding the recall from 20 to 28 million cars could be a tipping point for buyer sentiment. But Mutchler said he believed that like Toyota, GM would continue to improve its vehicles, and that consumers would eventually put this latest scandal out of their collective consciousness.

SEE ALSO: A Chinese Man Smashed His Brand New Model S To Protest 'Tesla's Arrogance'

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GM's recall 2014 vehicle count now tops 28 million, and investors aren't breaking a sweat. 

On Tuesday, GM stunned everyone by reporting a 1% increase in U.S. vehicle sales. Analysts were forecasting a 6% drop.

In a new note, Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas offers a potential explanation for why: The recalls are leading to new sales during a time when there usually aren't many.

GM is taking control of its US commercial position, showing real market share resiliency despite the very negative PR surrounding the recall. This is thanks to dealers flooded with hundreds of thousands (ultimately untold millions) of customers they would have never normally seen at this part of the cycle who are coming in with recall slips. Additionally, GM is benefiting from Ford's F-150 changeover and its pre-production run out. We think this creates ideal conditions to support GM's stock price through the summer or well into the fall. 

Jonas also recently discussed another unusual factor that has pushed industry-wide receipts to record levels: Dealers are back-loading contracts, spreading out the terms of contracts over unusually long periods of time in order to record a sale. This has occurred in part thanks to loosening credit conditions.

Jonas now wonders whether we are actually seeing a sell signal.

"17mm is one of the classic sell signals we've been waiting for this cycle," he said referencing the annualized pace of vehicle sales, or SAAR. "It's too early to call the top (which we see at 18m or more by 2017), but it's just as much as sell signal as 9mm SAAR was a buy signal in early '09. 

GM shares were up 0.5% Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: The Disturbing Conversation Taking Place At Dealerships Around America

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It's official. Jerry Seinfeld knows how to make good ads. 

The comedian has written eight new Acura commercials with the help of Boston agency Mullen and director Barry Sonnenfeld. They're set to air during season four of Seinfeld's web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," which kicked off June 19. 

Seinfeld is no stranger to writing scripts for car commercials. He penned these intentionally corny, retro Acura MDX and RLX ads last year for the show's sole sponsor. He told the New York Times he wanted the ads to capture the essence of a 1960's car commercial, while also making fun of some of the more over-the-top spots. 

The latest spots aren't quite as absurd as the last. There are no massive bowls of egg salad wiping out an entire family or game-show style presentations of a car's automatic windows. Instead, Seinfeld created his ideal car salesman, who is refreshingly blunt and spews out facts a mile a minute.

Seinfeld spoke with Adweek about the campaign and the ads' new spokesperson:  

"He's a car salesman life coach. He's the guy who is the antidote to the usual car commercial, which is all about what this is going to do for your lifestyle, how this car is going to change your social standing, and I thought it worked for Acura and for my personal perspective. To me, what you want when you buy a car is a great car, and it's not about what the neighbors think, or how you'll look at yourself because you have it..."

The face of the new ads dishes out tons of great life advice including, "You give out a fake number, make sure it's a working number. At least somebody answers,""You want a stunning supermodel? Car's not gonna do it. Try being yourself," and "Don't knock on hotel room doors with keys and repeatedly yell, housekeeping." All valid advice. He can even recite important facts in Spanish, as seen in the ad below.  

The point of the ads, according to Seinfeld, is to show that a car can't change your life and it won't give you everything you want, even if it's an Acura. You should buy a car because you like, not because you want to impress other people.

The ads all point to that fact that the car comes in seven colors because as Seinfeld says, "We're saying, you don't have to worry about the car; the car is great. Just figure out what color you like." 

You can find all of Seinfeld's Acura spots here. 

SEE ALSO: Jon Stewart and Sarah Jessica Parker Ride With Seinfeld In Season 4 Trailer Of 'Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee'

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New York is an anomaly among most U.S. cities in that its residents don't rely on motor vehicles as their primary mode of transportation.

Data from the fitness app Human shows how people get around in major cities across the world, and New Yorkers spend more time walking than traveling in motor vehicles or on bicycles.

The app runs in the background of users' phones and automatically detects activities like walking, cycling, running, and motorized transport, according to Human's website.

Human created dozens of charts and maps that are based on aggregated data from people who use the app.

Check out how New York City compares to other cities:

Walking is New Yorkers' preferred method of transportation, followed by motorized vehicles. While walking accounts for only 37% of transportation activity on average in other cities Human looked at, in New York, it accounts for 50%.

New Yorkers run more than those in other cities, but cycle less.

Here are the maps based on this data (Human notes that it didn't use street maps to create the white pixels, but rather used the data from the app to plot where people were moving):

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Dodge has been teasing the automotive world for months with tales of its mythical Hellcat HEMI engine and the prodigious amounts of power it produces.

But we were simply blown away when the automaker finally announced the engine's astronomical 707 horsepower and 650 ft/lbs of torque rating. Dodge achieves this incredible power by mounting a supercharger on its venerable 6.2 liter HEMI V8. 

With the Hellcat engine, the Challenger moves into some unfamiliar real estate, squarely in the middle of supercar territory. As the most powerful muscle car ever produced, the Hellcat's 700 plus ponies out-muscle several iconic members of the supercar club, like the 700 hp Lamborghini Aventador, 650 hp Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and even the company's own 640 hp Viper.

In addition to its awesome engine, the Challenger SRT HEMI Hellcat will also come with an all-new interior inspired by the vintage 1971 Challenger.

Not everyone will be able to access the Hellcat's earth-shattering horsepower. Much like Bugatti, which givers owners a special key to access top speeds, Dodge will give owners a red key fob to access up to 500 hp and a black key fob to access all 707 hp.

The introduction of the Hellcat engine should be a welcomed boost for the Challenger, as sales are down 12% so far this year and lag significantly behind its two main competitors: the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang.

Since its introduction in 2008, the Challenger has always been a product full of old-world muscle car charm built around the mystique of its HEMI motor. But the 375 hp HEMI had found itself outgunned in recent years with Ford and Chevy have both releasing special high performance editions of their respective muscle cars.

Now , the Challenger can finally retaliate. The new engine's 707 horsepower will allow Dodge's muscle car to finally close up any performance gaps between it and the 505 hp Camaro Z/28, the 580 hp Camaro ZL1, and the 663 hp Shelby Mustang GT500.

Dodge has yet to announce pricing for the Hellcat-equipped Challenger, but expect it to fall somewhere in the same territory as Ford's $55,000 Shelby Mustang and Chevy's $72,000 Camaro Z/28.

SEE ALSO: GM Recalls 28 Million Cars — Here's Why Investors Aren't Breaking A Sweat

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Amsterdam is the most active city in the world, with its residents spending about 70% of their time moving doing walks, runs, or bicycle rides, according to data from fitness tracking app Human.

Human runs in the background of users' phones and automatically detects activities like walking, cycling, running, and motorized transport. Human aggregated data from users to create dozens of maps and charts that show how people across the globe get around.

Check out the ranking:

There's one caveat — the chart only counts the amount of time spent doing walks, runs, or bicycle rides, so some exercise might not be included in the data.

Washington, D.C. is the most active city in the U.S., followed by New York and San Francisco.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Los Angeles is at the bottom of the list. Residents of the West Coast city also spend more time in cars than people in any other city included in Human's data. Los Angeles is notorious for its traffic and lack of public transportation.

The high activity level in Amsterdam is largely thanks to cycling. Residents spend about 40% of their time moving by taking bicycle rides, which is far more than any other city.

Check out the other charts:

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Nike co-founder Phil Knight recently spent $7.6 million on a 29,000-square-foot private jet hangar at Hillsboro Airport near Portland, Ore. reports the Portland Business Journal. 

According to the Journal, the new hangar will be for Knight's personal use and will house his new Gulfstream G650 jet (registration N1KE). While the new hangar is under construction, the $65 million jet is parked at Nike Inc.'s adjacent corporate jet hangar, where the company's executives have access to Knight's personal jet along with two other Nike-owned jets.

In fact, the philanthropic mogul and 44th wealthiest man in the world, with an estimated fortune valued at $19.2 billion, has even been known to allow company employees to hitch rides on his private jet. 

The Gulfstream G650, made famous by Far East Movement's chart-topping 2010 hit "Like a G6," is world's fastest private jet. With the a maximum range of over 8,000 miles and room for 18 passengers in its fully customizable cabin, the G650 is coveted by corporate executives around the world.While the $7.6 million hangar and luxury jet are certainly extravagant, Knight and his family are far from showy. The self-made billionaire and his wife Penny have support various charitable and academic institutions to the tune of $1 billion. The most famous recipient of Knight's charitable giving is his beloved University of Oregon, whose signature duck feather design adorns the wings of his newest jet. 

SEE ALSO: A Chinese Man Smashed His Brand New Model S To Protest 'Tesla's Arrogance'

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The Palmer Johnson World is one of the most advanced superyachts ever conceived. Co-designed by Rolls-Royce Marine and the master shipbuilders at Palmer Johnson, the 267-foot-long World will feature some of the world's most advanced and environmentally friendly marine technology.

With the World's "ice operating" capability, the mega-yacht will be able to operate in just about any environment, including the Arctic and Antarctica, while coddling its occupants in supreme luxury. Currently under construction in Norway, the World has room for 12 guests and a crew of 27. 

The yacht's broker, Moran Yacht & Ship, has not listed an official price, but CNN reported the price to be around the $150 million mark a couple of years ago. 

The Palmer Johnson World is less a yacht than it is a floating palace. Highlights from its long list of features include a cinema, a beauty salon, and a submarine docking station with room for a 6-passenger submarine.

To protect its well-heeled owners, the yacht is equipped with a thermal imaging system to spot pirates and a pair of water cannons to deter them. The World can even be equipped with an LRAD or Long Range Acoustic Device that can be used as a sonic weapon.

The World is powered by a set of 4 Rolls-Royce Marine Bergen diesel generators giving it a top speed of 16.5 knots.

An unfinished highway overpass being built for the World Cup in Brazil collapsed in the city due to hold a semifinal match, killing at least two people and injuring 19.

The tragedy in Belo Horizonte turned the fervor gripping the nation as it prepared for quarter finals Friday to mourning.

Large-screen TV public gatherings to watch the game Friday against Colombia in another city, Fortaleza, were scratched. President Dilma Rousseff expressed sadness over the accident.

Globo television footage showed the front of a yellow bus crushed under a large stretch of the fallen highway, which is about five kilometers (three miles) from the southeastern city's World Cup stadium and was being built as part of delayed infrastructure improvements for the world's premier sporting event.

"It was like an earthquake. The ground shook violently," Daniel Magalhaes, who was near the site at the time of the accident, told Globo. "I heard a deafening sound. I looked and saw the collapsed overpass."

Two people were killed and 19 injured, the mayor's office said. One of the fatalities was the bus driver. Three other vehicles, two trucks and a car, were also hit.

- Part of infrastructure rush -

The unfinished project was part of Brazil's frenzied and not completedly successful rush to get infrastructure ready for the World Cup. Some stadiums were incomplete when games started.

Over the past year the $11-billion price tag for staging the Cup angered Brazilians who took to the streets, clamoring that so much money might be better spent to improve things like schools and hospitals.

Brazil will also host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

The overpass had been due to carry an express bus service through the city. After the delay, it had been due to be completed at the end of July.

Belo Horizonte will host a semi-final match on Tuesday between the winners of the Brazil-Colombia and France-Germany games. The latter is also to be played Friday.

A spokesman for the fire service said 13 people were rescued from the bus unscathed.

It was not immediately known how many people were inside the car that was crushed, firefighter spokesman Edgard Estevo da Silva told reporters.

"The vehicle is completely under the overpass," he said.

The two trucks that were hit were empty at the time Silva said.

A total of 14 firefighting teams were at the scene.

Rousseff expressed "sadness" on Twitter.

"In this time of pain, I express my solidarity with the families of the victims," she wrote.

The structure, which was begun last year, is in the Sao Joao Batista district of the city.

"The overpass was in the final stages of construction and they were taking down the scaffolding when the accident happened," a fire brigade spokesman told AFP.

Belo Horizonte's Mineirao Stadium has hosted five World Cup matches so far.

The Brazil World Cup has been dogged by delays to stadiums and infrastructure, and there were several accidents during construction of the stadiums.

Three days before the World Cup began on June 12, another accident in Brazil's business hub Sao Paulo killed one worker and injured two when an unfinished monorail collapsed.

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Good morning! Here are the top headlines around the world right now. 

1. Hurricane Arthur makes landfall on the North Carolina coast. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season slammed into the Outer Banks as Category 2 storm on Thursday night, forcing thousands of vacationers to scrap their July fourth holiday plans. Arthur is expected to lose strength as it moves up the northeastern U.S. on Friday, bringing rain to the East Coast. (Continue reading at Reuters)

2. Two people killed after an unfinished highway overpass collapses in Brazil. Twenty others were also hurt after a bridge collapsed in Belo Horizonte, where the first World Cup semi-final will be held next Tuesday. The front of a bus, two trucks, and car were crushed. The tournament has been plagued by construction delays and chaotic preparations. Brazil spent over $11 billion on the World Cup, but several stadiums and other infrastructure projects were incomplete at the start of the games. (Continue reading at The Financial Times)

3. New video appears to show the moment a murdered Palestinian teenager was kidnapped. Relatives of Mohamed Abu Khdeir, the 17-year-old believed to have been killed by Israeli extremists in retaliation for the killing of three Israeli teenagers, claim that CCTV footage shows the youth being snatched outside a mosque while sitting alone. The body of the teen will be buried on Friday. (Continue reading at The Guardian)

4. Former editor of News Corp.’s News of the World Andy Coulson jailed for 18 months. Coulson, 46, was sentenced on Friday for conspiring to hack phones. Former News of the World executive Rebekah Brooks was cleared of charges in the phone-hacking scandal last week. (Continue reading at BBC News)

5. The Dow Jones closed above 17,000 for the first time. This comes after a better-than-expected jobs report and is seen as a the result of a combination of "economic recovery and central bank support." The Dow rose 1.3%  to 17,068.26 before the market closed for the holiday weekend. (Continue reading at Bloomberg)

6. Google restores "forgotten" search links after widespread criticism. After a European Union ruling in May that gave citizens the "right to be forgotten" by removing web links to articles on Google, the tech giant has made articles that were removed from The Guardian's website earlier this week searchable again. The change comes after public complaints from the newspaper. (Continue reading at NBCNews.com)

7. Putin sends Obama an Independence Day message. In a statement published on the Kremlin website on Friday to the U.S. president, Russian President Vladamir Putin said he hoped that the two countries could "successfully develop relations on pragmatic and equal grounds." Tensions between the U.S. and Russia continue to run high over the crisis in Ukraine. (Continue reading at the Associated Press)

8. The Iraq army forces Islamist rebels out of Saddam Hussein's home village.  The victory is part of an effort to prevent the jihadist militant group, Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, from continuing to overtake territories in Iraq and Syria. (Continue reading at Reuters)

9. Experts will attempt to tow away the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner within 10 days. The ship, which sunk off the Italian coast in 2012, was righted last September and experts have been waiting for calm summer weather to remove the vessel. (Continue reading at The Independent)

10. The Pope gives his blessing to exorcists in the Catholic church. The Vatican officially recognized the International Association of Exorcists. The practice of saving those believed to be possessed by demons is now recognized under canon law. (Continue reading at Agence-France-Press)

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Pickup trucks customized to spew black smoke into the air are quickly becoming the newest weapon in the culture wars. 

"Coal Rollers" are diesel trucks modified with chimneys and equipment that can force extra fuel into the engine causing dark black smoke to pour out of the chimney stacks. These modifications are not new, but as Slate's Dave Weigel pointed out on Thursday, "rolling coal" has begun to take on a political dimension with pickup drivers increasingly viewing their smokestacks as a form of protest against environmentalists and Obama administration emissions regulations.

Last month, Vocativ noted many coal rollers focus their fumes on "nature nuffies," or people who drive hybrids, and "rice burners," or Japanese-made cars. 

"The feeling around here is that everyone who drives a small car is a liberal," a roller named Ryan told Vocativ. "I rolled coal on a Prius once just because they were tailing me."

Weigel spoke to a seller of coal rolling customization equipment who described why some drivers see spewing smoke as a political protest.

"I run into a lot of people that really don’t like Obama at all," the salesperson said. "If he’s into the environment, if he’s into this or that, we’re not. I hear a lot of that. To get a single stack on my truck—that’s my way of giving them the finger. You want clean air and a tiny carbon footprint? Well, screw you."

As coal rollers have become a form of conservative protest, their popularity seems to be exploding. Vocativ found Facebook pages dedicated to the phenomenon have about 16,000 followers and over 100,000 rolling coal posts have appeared on Instagram and Tumblr. According to Google Trends, there were virtually no internet searches for "rolling coal" prior to February 2011. Since then, search volume for the term has increased over 700%.

With this explosion in online attention, the battles between coal rollers and their environmentalist enemies are playing out in social media pages, Youtube videos and internet comment sections. Many of the rolling coal Facebook pages feature memes (like the one pictured on the right) that mock hybrid drivers and liberals. Coal rollers have also posted videos showing their trucks blasting more environmentally efficient cars with smoke. 

Opponents of the practice have also taken to the internet. Weigel noted "a mid-June surge of comments" from progressives attacking coal rolling social media pages in the wake of the Vocativ article. In 2012, one outraged YouTube user posted a video entitled "Victim Of Coal Rolling" that showed a pickup shooting fumes at his car.

"Blow your smoke at me you son of a bitch," the driver says in the video.

Though the clip seemed designed as a criticism of coal rollers, it attracted a slew of comments from people who were clearly on the side of the pickup driver.

"What a loser you are, ain't nothing wrong with rolling some confederate coal," one person replied.

"Stupid ricers. what were you gonna do you bitch?" another said.

Check out some videos of coal rollers hitting the road and blasting other motorists below. 

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Pilots averted a catastrophic situation on Saturday when two planes nearly collided at Barcelona Airport.

The video shows an Utair Boeing 767-300 from Moscow on final approach to a runway, just as an Aerolineas Argentineas Airbus A340-300 prepares to take off.

The Utair pilots quickly abort the landing, pulling up and clearing the plane on the ground.

The maneuver is risky because the plane has to unexpectedly re-enter the air, which is populated with other planes.

The Utair pilots close the landing gear doors and circle around for another landing attempt.

Meanwhile, other planes are taking off.

Eventually, the Utair flight lands safely on its second attempt.

A very scary close call.

"Even if the aircraft did not come too close each other, such an incident could have had a much different outcome in case of bad weather and scarce visibility," BI contributor and aviation expert David Cenciotti wrote about the incident. "Needless to say, in both military and civil aviation, failure to comply with the 'hold short' instruction by the Tower can be extremely dangerous, to say the least."

Here's the full video:

via Paul Thompson of Jalopnik/Flight Club

SEE ALSO: Plane Landings On This Caribbean Island Are Insane

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MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Three airplane fuselages that slid down a steep embankment into the Clark Fork River following a train derailment in western Montana could take until Tuesday to remove, railroad officials said Sunday.

"The progress is going extremely slow," Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost said. "If we get one up today, it would appear it will take one day each to get them out."

She said a crew of 50 with eight heavy-equipment machines was working together to hoist up the three Boeing 737 fuselages, the large, central portions of planes that hold passengers.

Six fuselages were aboard a westbound train when 19 cars derailed Thursday about 10 miles west of Alberton. The three remaining plane sections also fell off but stayed on land. No one was injured in the derailment, which is under investigation.

Boeing said in a statement that it has experts at the scene to assess the damage. Marc Birtel, director of media relations, said Sunday that he didn't have information on what the experts have decided.

The fuselages were traveling from a Spirit AeroSystems plant in Wichita, Kansas, to a Boeing facility in Renton, Washington, to be assembled into airliners.

Ken Evans, senior manager for Spirit AeroSystems, said the company ships 42 of the 737 fuselages each month to Washington state.

"We're at a record rate right now," he said. "We've been doing this for decades, and this is exactly how they've been shipped for decades."

None of the companies involved offered an estimate of the damage.

Frost of Montana Rail Link said insurance considerations won't be decided until the investigation is complete. She said the train was traveling well under the 35 mph speed limit for that section of track.

Meanwhile, rafters on the popular Clark Fork River have a surreal view as they pass the fuselages near a river feature called Mermaid Rock.

"They really get to see the enormous size of those aircraft," said Josh Flanagan of Wiley E. Waters, a rafting company. "It's not something you expect to float past when you're on a river trip."

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Three Boeing 737 fuselages remain sitting in Montana's Clark Fork River after sliding down a steep embankment following a train derailment.

Photos provided by Wiley E. Waters Rafting show the portions of the passenger planes sitting in the water and at the edge, making for an interesting scene for people on the river.

A crew of 50 with eight heavy-equipment machines are now working to assess damage and hoist up the three the large parts.  

"Once we determine the extent of damage we will assess what, if any, impact there will be to production," the Boeing spokesman said.

A fourth fuselage seems to have been torn apart during the derailment and remains by the tracks.

Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost spokeswoman said that the the train was traveling at 31 mph when it derailed.

Here are a couple of others from over the weekend:

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Manchester United has a shockingly American new look and so far, people don't seem to like it. 

For the 2014-2015 season, Man United players will sport a giant Chevy logo on their chests to represent the English Premier League team's new sponsor. 

Chevy apparently paid about $560 million to make the partnership happen for seven years. Judging by the massive size of the logo on the jersey, the company is intent on getting its money's worth.  

The team tweeted an image unveiling the new kit Monday morning. 

New era, new shirt. This is how Louis van Gaal's #mufc will look in 2014/15. #MUFCkitpic.twitter.com/bNRchqw8Vt

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 7, 2014

By contrast, here's last season's jersey featuring the less intrusive logo of the British insurance and risk management company Aon:

Fans on Twitter don't seem pleased with either the new look or the new sponsorship. 

That Chevy logo on the Manchester United kit is unspeakably ugly and way, way too big.

— Matteo Bonetti (@TheCalcioGuy) July 7, 2014

Just when I thought the ManU kit couldn't get any uglier, I'm proven wrong!! #ManU#LFC

— Ryan Kuketz (@Kukes5) July 7, 2014

The new #MUFCkit should be recalled like all the #chevy cars #uglylogo

— Caleb Zokoe (@calebzokoe) July 7, 2014

As much as I am excited about the new jersey,I don't have much expectations just because of that ugly Chevrolet logo at the front. #MUFCkit

— Ramos (@rrojodiablo) July 7, 2014

Previous kits have featured logos for companies like the British telecommunications company Vodafone and the U.S.-based insurance company AIG, the latter of which wound up being something of a disaster following the company's $180 billion bail out in 2008.

SEE ALSO: Tiny Detail In New Charlotte Hornets Uniforms Hints That We're Very Close To Seeing Ads On NBA Jerseys

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In the first six months since the Cuban government implemented a policy that would allow average citizen to buy cars without special permits, the country's 11 million inhabitants bought a grand total of just 50 cars and four motorcycles from government-sanctioned dealerships, reports Reuters. 

Why? Because cars in Cuba are insanely expensive. While the average Cuban state worker makes roughly $20 a month in salary, one Peugeot dealership in Havana is asking $91,000 for a discontinued 206 economy car and a whopping $262,000 for a new 508 family sedan. 

For perspective, at $262,000, the Havana Peugeot dealer is asking more for a family sedan than its American counterparts are asking for a Bentley Continental GT ($180,000) or Ferrari 458 ($234,000), and a price on par with a new Rolls-Royce Ghost ($263,000). 

In comparison, a new 508 can be had for a little as $29,000 in the UK, with some used 206 models available for little more than $1,000. The new law, implemented as a means to raise funds to bolster the country's antiquated public transportation system, has led to a staggering 400% mark up over prices before it took effect in January.

"We're speechless, it's a big surprise. I don't know what the government's strategy is," Antonio, a Cuban car buyer, told the BBC in January. "Maybe this is just a test phase, but the prices are excessive."

Suzanne, another shopper, remarked to the BBC, "The prices are crazy. No Cuban who works for the state can afford to buy at that price. They have zero chance of getting a car."

So far, the Cuban government has generated $1.28 million in revenue from the sale of cars and motorcycles with an average transaction cost of $23,700. However, it should be noted that a large portion of these sales have been in the form of second-hand ex-rental cars. 

The 508 in question is Peugeot's latest mass market mid-sized model available throughout the world(except the U.S.) in sedan and wagon form. In production since 2010, power for the practical 508 comes from a variety of gasoline and diesel hybrid power plants that range from an economical 1.6 litre four cylinder to the range topping 2.2 turbodiesel. 

SEE ALSO: Dodge Just Revealed The Most Powerful Muscle Car Ever Produced

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