Selfie stick bans go into effect at French, UK attractions

PARIS — "Selfie sticks" have now been banned at a French palace and a British museum, joining a growing list of global tourist attractions to take such measures.

The devices are used to improve snapshots, but critics say they are obnoxious and potentially dangerous. Officials at Palace of Versailles outside Paris, and Britain's National Gallery in London, announced the bans Wednesday, saying they need to protect artworks and other visitors.

Other places that have put limits on the selfie-stick craze:

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FRANCE

Unlike Versailles, the Louvre and Centre Georges Pompidou art museums have not banned selfie sticks — yet. The Pompidou — the contemporary art museum whose exterior of colorful tubes and scaffolding looks like a building turned inside out — is studying what, if anything, needs to be done about the phenomenon, Le Monde reported.

Musee d'Orsay, which houses an Impressionist art collection, bans not just selfie sticks, but any photography whatsoever.

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ITALY

Rome's Colosseum banned selfie sticks last month as a security measure, both for the objects on exhibit inside and for the 16,000 daily visitors to the 2,000-year-old monument.

"The twirling around of hundreds of sticks can become unwittingly dangerous," Colosseum spokesman Christiano Brughitta said.

Two American tourists were arrested last week after carving their names into the Colosseum's wall — and then taking a photo with a selfie stick.

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UNITED STATES

The Smithsonian museums in Washington banned selfie sticks last week. Cameras and pictures are still allowed, but selfie sticks, tripods and monopods are not. Smithsonian officials say this is a preventative measure to protect visitors and museum objects.

Other U.S. museums that ban selfie sticks include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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AUSTRIA

Vienna's Albertina, one of the city's top art museums, prohibits selfie sticks. Museum spokeswoman Sarah Wulbrandt says visitors must check-in the sticks before entering.

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BRITAIN

Besides the National Gallery, some English soccer teams have banned the selfie stick from their stadiums.

The National Portrait Gallery, adjacent to the National Gallery, says the sticks are allowed, but "anything that may prove disruptive is reviewed on an ongoing basis." The British Museum is "currently reviewing" its selfie-stick policy.

Some art-lovers praised the idea of a ban.

"If you go into an exhibition, surely the purpose is to see what is on show and not to take umpteen photographs of yourself?" said Bill Doig, a retired doctor visiting the National Portrait Gallery.

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BRAZIL

Soccer stadiums in the South American country have also banned selfie sticks because of their potential use as weapons in fights between rival fans, police say. Selfie sticks were also banned from Brazil's recent Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro.

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Jill Lawless in London, Bradley Brooks in Rio de Janeiro, George Jahn in Vienna, Beth Harpaz in New York, and Trisha Thomas in Rome contributed to this report.

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Follow Greg Keller on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Greg_Keller

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Suit: Scratch sales to minors

A public health advocacy group has sued Star Market, claiming the supermarket chain makes it easy for minors to buy scratch tickets, after a Cambridge youth was able to buy two tickets.

"Encouraging or facilitating youth gambling is oppressive and unconscionable, and in contrast to the legislature's and society's desire to debar them from gambling while they are of minor age," the complaint says. "Star Markets lacks effective controls to prevent the sale of lottery tickets from Lottery Ticket Vending Machines to minors."

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Craig Kelley of Cambridge and his son, Cooper, the Public Health Advocacy Institute claims the lottery machines are placed close to kid-friendly food and drink, including candy and soda. The suit claims Cooper Kelley was able to buy a Mega Millions ticket and a "$500 Frenzy" scratch ticket in two Star Market locations without supermarket workers intervening. The ultimate aim of the lawsuit is to change lottery machine practices beyond Star Market.

"The goal is ideally to get these vending ticket machines out of supermarkets, because they can't really be monitored there," said Andrew Rainer, a lawyer for the Public Health Advocacy Institute. "There is a surprising number of kids gambling, and gambling is not as bad as drug usage, but it is a problem, it is a societal problem."

The Public Health Advocacy Institute is seeking an order to require Star Market to verify the age of everyone purchasing a lottery ticket through the machine, as well as damages, citing Massachusetts' Consumer Protection Act.

The Lottery said its compliance unit does regular testing to ensure tickets are not sold to minors, and that automated machines can only be installed in locations within eyesight of a manager. A spokesman for Star Market declined to comment.

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Scammers target over-50 set

Impostor scams topped the list of consumer complaints in Massachusetts last year, and people 50 or older were among the most common victims, according to a new report.

Con artists posing as other people led the list, accounting for 5,250, or 14 percent, of the 37,422 complaints filed by consumers in the state. Scam complaints followed consumer gripes about telephone service; banks and lenders; vehicles; prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries; shop-at-home and catalog sales; Internet services; television and electronic media; and credit cards, according to the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book.

"Impostor scams — such as callers posing as IRS auditors, claiming you owe money — are the most prevalent," said Mike Festa, state director of AARP Massachusetts. "These are people who have no conscience and prey on vulnerable people, often with modest incomes, who may be isolated and like that conversation, and it leads to harsh results."

People in their 50s filed the most complaints — about one in five — followed by people in their 40s and 60s, and people 70 or older.

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Bay State job growth hits fifth straight month

Massachusetts added 2,600 jobs in January, the fifth straight month the state has added more than 2,500 jobs — prompting optimism from economists.

"Finally we've reached escape velocity from the recession," said Robert Nakosteen, an economist and professor at UMass Amherst. "All systems seem to be go."

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said yesterday the economy added 2,600 jobs in January, with six of nine sectors seeing job growth. Some of the largest gains came in the trade, transportation, utilities, and construction sectors.

The last time the state lost jobs was in August, but even that decline was largely explained by economists as a ripple effect of the temporary Market Basket kerfuffle.

"The indications are that the trends are moving in the right direction," said Ronald Walker, secretary of the department. "There are indications that jobless residents who had given up are now feeling more confident about finding a job."

The labor force also grew in January, a sign that people are feeling more confident about their chances of getting a job. Still, Massachusetts has room for more improvement, Nakosteen said.

"We still have a ways to go before we have a real, healthy, tight labor market," he said. "If the trajectory we're on continues even through the rest of the year, and I think there's a good chance it will, I think you'll see that start to turn around."

The unemployment rate also fell 0.2, to 5.1 percent, the lowest the rate has been since May 2008.

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Study: Boston renter spending at $12.2 billion

Metro Boston's apartment industry has been a boon to the local economy, emerging as one of the strongest sectors to come out of the Great Recession, according to a new study.

"In the darkest depths of the downturn in 2007-08, a lot of developers knew Boston is still a desirable place to live," said Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. "It's smaller than New York, but becoming more cosmopolitan. It's not far from the beach and from great shopping. And it's easy to get around without a car."

Apartment construction and operations as well as renter spending contributed $17.7 billion locally and supported more than 147,000 jobs in the metro area in 2013, the most recent year for which statistics were available, according to research commissioned by the National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association.

"It's the volume of what it means to the economy in terms of jobs and money that comes back into the community," Vasil said.

At $12.2 billion, renter spending accounted for the vast majority of the contribution to the local economy, followed by apartment operations at $2.8 billion and apartment construction at $2.7 billion, the study found.

Vasil summed up the driving force behind the rental boom in one word: demand. The city's positive features contributed to an influx of Millennials into the rental market, many of whom went to college here and decided to stay, he said.

And the rental boom has not been confined to the city.

Statewide, the apartment industry and renters contributed $21.4 billion to the economy and supported 189,500 jobs, the study found, while nationally, they contributed $1.3 trillion and supported 12.3 million jobs.

But in Boston, which a Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland study called the fastest-gentrifying city in the nation, many of the apartments being built are beyond the grasp of low- and middle-income people, said Kathy Brown, coordinator of the Boston Tenant Coalition.

"The overwhelming majority of apartments being built has been on the luxury side," Brown said. "So it's not low- and middle-income people who are benefiting from this boom. Instead, they're being pushed out of the communities they grew up in."

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The Ticker

Suffolk Downs sues Maine track

The Scarborough Downs harness racing track has been sued by Suffolk Downs for allegedly failing to pay nearly $180,000 in simulcast bets placed at the Maine track.

The Portland Press Herald reported that Suffolk Downs filed the breach of contract lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday. Scarborough Downs entered a contract with Suffolk Downs in 2012 so bettors at the tracks could make wagers on races remotely.

Dunkin' Donuts to remove titanium dioxide from powdered doughnuts

Canton-based Dunkin' Donuts will change its powdered doughnut recipe so it no longer includes titanium dioxide, a whitening agent, according to a statement yesterday from a Dunkin' Brands official.

The change comes after an Oakland, Calif.-based environmental advocacy organization, As You Sow, said it found titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the white powdered sugar used in Dunkin's doughnuts based on independent laboratory tests in 2013. The group said the small size of nanomaterials makes it more likely to enter cells, tissues and organs and cause damage.

Titanium dioxide is also used in sunscreen.

Jury: Pharrell, Thicke copied for 'Blurred Lines' song, awards $7.4M

A jury awarded Marvin Gaye's children nearly $7.4 million yesterday after determining singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams copied their father's music to create "Blurred Lines," the biggest hit song of 2013.

Gaye's daughter Nona Gaye wept as the verdict was read and was hugged by her attorney.

"Right now, I feel free," she said outside court. "Free from ... Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke's chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told."

The verdict could tarnish the legacy of Williams, a reliable hit-maker who has won Grammy Awards and appears on NBC's music competition show "The Voice."

He and Thicke are "undoubtedly disappointed," said their lead attorney, Howard King. Thicke and Williams earned more than $7 million apiece on the song, according to testimony. King has said a decision in favor of Gaye's heirs could have a chilling effect on musicians who try to emulate an era or another artist's sound.

• LPL Financial LLC has hired Matthew Peterson as senior vice president, chief wealth strategist. Peterson will be based in Boston and will develop investment analysis tailored to financial advisers serving high-net-worth clients, and help to optimize the wealth platform. Peterson, who brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, helped found Lydian Wealth Management, and joins LPL from GM Advisory Group.

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European stocks rebound after Wall Street inspired sell-off

LONDON — European markets rebounded strongly Wednesday from a big sell-off when investors fretted over a looming U.S. interest rate hike.

KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany's DAX was up 1.7 percent at 11,697 while the CAC-40 in France rose 1.8 percent to 4,971. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares underperformed its peers, trading only 0.1 percent higher at 6,708. Wall Street was poised for a solid opening, with both Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures up 0.2 percent.

ANALYST TAKE: "Bargain hunters appear to be out in force, as once again corrections in equity markets are being viewed as buying opportunities," said Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG. "Yesterday's triple-digit falls seen in European equity markets appear to have been quickly forgotten, with many viewing this as a buying opportunity rather than a precursor to tougher times."

FED FEARS: On Tuesday, stocks in Europe and the U.S. took a battering as investors worried about the prospect of the Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in nine years. Those odds got a boost after recent data revealed a strengthening job market. Low interest rates and other monetary stimulus have supported stocks for several years but a rate hike from the Fed will foreshadow a return to more levels for credit costs.

EURO SLIDE: The euro has been one of the financial assets most affected by the prospect of higher U.S. rates. That's because the European Central Bank is embarking on a distinctly different path. On Monday, months after the Fed brought its last stimulus to an end the ECB started buying certain government bonds in the markets. The hope is the 18-month 1.1 trillion-euro ($1.12 trillion) monetary stimulus will shore up the economic recovery in the 19-country eurozone and get inflation back into the system. On Wednesday, it fell to $1.0560, its lowest level since April, 2003. "The next target sits at 1.0500 the March 2003 lows and it remains a very short hop from there to parity," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets.

CHINA FOCUS: Investors examined the latest batch of monthly economic data on China for clues on the state of the world's No. 2 economy. Industrial output for January and February rose 6.8 percent, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The number was less than analysts expected. Retail sales and fixed-asset investment also disappointed. China's economy is expected to slow further after growing 7.4 percent last year, the lowest growth rate in nearly a quarter-century. The government issues the figures for both months together to smooth out distortions from Lunar New Year, which can fall in either month.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.3 percent to close at 18,723.52, getting some relief from the regional down trend as the dollar strengthened against the yen. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.2 percent to 1,980.83 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.8 percent to 23,717.97. The Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China swung between gains and losses before edging up 0.2 to close at 3,290.90.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude rose, climbing 18 cents to $48.47 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose 44 cents to $57.32 in London.

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3 workers killed in West Texas oil field rig explosion

RANKIN, Texas — An oil field rig has exploded in West Texas, killing three workers.

Investigator Dusty Kilgore of the Upton County Sheriff's Office said the accident happened Tuesday morning at a well site near Rankin, about 40 miles south of Midland.

Kilgore says one other person working at the well survived the blast and was not taken to a hospital.

He did not release the names of those killed.

The well is owned by Parsley Energy of Midland. Kilgore said a pulling unit crew was working at the site when the explosion happened, but he provided no other details.

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AP sues State Department, seeking access to Clinton records

WASHINGTON — The Associated Press filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the State Department to force the release of email correspondence and government documents from Hillary Rodham Clinton's tenure as secretary of state.

The legal action comes after repeated requests filed under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act have gone unfulfilled. They include one request AP made five years ago and others pending since the summer of 2013.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, comes a day after Clinton broke her silence about her use of a private email account while secretary of state. The FOIA requests and lawsuit seek materials related to her public and private calendars, correspondence involving longtime aides likely to play key roles in her expected campaign for president, and Clinton-related emails about the Osama bin Laden raid and National Security Agency surveillance practices.

"After careful deliberation and exhausting our other options, The Associated Press is taking the necessary legal steps to gain access to these important documents, which will shed light on actions by the State Department and former Secretary Clinton, a presumptive 2016 presidential candidate, during some of the most significant issues of our time," said Karen Kaiser, AP's general counsel.

"The press is a proxy for the people, and AP will continue its pursuit of vital information that's in the public interest through this action and future open records requests," she said.

State Department spokesman Alec Gerlach declined to comment. He had previously cited the department's heavy annual load of FOIA requests — 19,000 last year — in saying that the department "does its best to meet its FOIA responsibilities." He said the department takes requests "first in, first out," but noted that timing depends on "the complexity of the request."

Michael Oreskes, a senior managing editor at AP, said the news agency was planning to file additional requests under FOIA following the disclosure last week that Clinton used a private email account run on a server on her property outside New York while working at the State Department.

Clinton on Tuesday said she sent and received about 60,000 emails from her personal email address in her four years as President Barack Obama's secretary of state. She said roughly half were work-related, which she turned over to the State Department, while deleting tens of thousands more that were personal in nature.

The department says it will take several months to review the material Clinton turned over last year. Once the review is complete, the department said, the emails will be posted online.

The AP had sought Clinton-related correspondence before her use of a personal email account was publicly known, although Wednesday's court filing alleges that the State Department is responsible for including emails from that account in any public records request.

"State's failure to ensure that Secretary Clinton's governmental emails were retained and preserved by the agency, and its failure timely to seek out and search those emails in response to AP's requests, indicate at the very least that State has not engaged in the diligent, good-faith search that FOIA requires," says AP's legal filing.

Specifically, AP is seeking copies of Clinton's full schedules and calendars from her four years as secretary of state; documents related to her department's decision to grant a special position to longtime aide Huma Abedin; related correspondence from longtime advisers Philippe Reines and Cheryl Mills, who, like Abedin, are likely to play central roles in a Clinton presidential campaign; documents related to Clinton's and the agency's roles in the Osama bin Laden raid and National Security Agency surveillance practices; and documents related to her role overseeing a major Defense Department contractor.

The AP made most of its requests in the summer of 2013, although one was filed in March 2010. AP is also seeking attorney's fees related to the lawsuit.

Other organizations have also sued the State Department recently after lengthy delays responding to public record requests.

In December, the conservative political advocacy group Citizens United sued the State Department for failing to disclose flight records showing who accompanied Clinton on overseas trips. Last week, the National Security Archive, an organization that gathers declassified government records, filed a lawsuit after waiting more than seven years for the State Department to release of details of former secretary of state Henry Kissinger's telephone conversations.

Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive, predicted the State Department would speed up its review facing legal action, particularly given that Clinton has said that her email correspondence doesn't include classified material.

"When the government is under a court deadline, or really wants to review, they can whip through thousands of pages in a matter of weeks, which they should do here," Blanton said.

The State Department generally takes about 450 days to turn over records it considers to be part of complex requests under the Freedom of Information Act. That is seven times longer than the Justice Department and CIA, and 30 times longer than the Treasury Department.

An inspector general's report in 2012 criticized the State Department's practices as "inefficient and ineffective," citing a heavy workload, small staff and interagency problems.

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Follow Steve Peoples on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/sppeoples

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Apple iTunes, App stores unavailable

NEW YORK — Apple's iTunes and app stores are suffering outages for all users on Wednesday.

A system status notification page showed the iTunes store, iBooks Store Mac App store and App store services were offline as of 11 a.m. E.T. The problems appear to have begun early Wednesday morning.

The cause of the problems is unclear. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

They come after Apple announced Monday new details about its Apple Watch and MacBook products.

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