By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Public backlash against deadly overseas drone strikes may undermine promising uses of such technology for anything from disaster response to mail delivery, a top U.S. industry group said as it launched a lobbying effort to “demystify” unmanned planes. The Aerospace Industries Association wants to prevent misperceptions and regulatory roadblocks from cutting into a market it says could be worth $89 billion over the next decade, according to a report the trade group will release on Thursday. …

Read more here: U.S. industry touts 'drone' promise as public debate flares

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s factory activity shrank for the first time in seven months in May as new orders fell, a preliminary survey of purchasing managers showed, adding to concerns that a recovery in the world’s second-largest economy is sputtering. The flash HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index for May fell to 49.6, slipping under the 50-point level demarcating expansion from contraction for the first since October. The final HSBC PMI stood at 50.4 in April. A sub-index measuring overall new orders dropped to 49. …

Read more here: China May HSBC flash PMI slips to 7-month low on weak demand

Independent game developers who are excited about selling new games on the Xbox One got some bad news on Wednesday. Microsoft confirmed to ShackNews that independent developers cannot self-publish their own games on Xbox Live Arcade, and are instead required to partner with Microsoft Game Studios or a third-party publisher. The policy is completely different from those employed by Sony and Nintendo. Sony embraces independent developers and welcomes them to create and self-publish content on the PlayStation Network. Microsoft’s upcoming console matches up with Sony’s PlayStation 4 on paper, however there are still some questions that have been left unanswered, such as the ability to play used games.

Read more here: Microsoft confirms indie developers can’t self-publish games on Xbox One

“Unfortunately, one of the reasons we got into this mess is because a lot of Republicans were complicit in this spending spree.”

Read more here: Sen. Ted Cruz Refuses to Play the Game: ‘Let Me Be Clear, I Don’t Trust the Republicans’

A federal law requires companies to tell responders of chemicals on their properties.

Read more here: Report: Frefighters unprepared for Texas blast

By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed him for his charm and political skill as marshal of her vision of a 'green revolution' in Europe's biggest power market. A year on, Peter Altmaier finds himself spurned by many environmentalists, disdained by industry and viewed cooly by a public wary of the costs. Now, the chancellor herself seems to be turning her back on him, an increasingly isolated figure, as September polls near. …

Read more here: Merkel protege struggles with Germany's green revolution

Every school that participates in the federal loan program reports figures like these to the Department of Education. The following interactive plots every school with at least 1,000 undergraduates by two values: Net cost of attendance after grants and the percentage of students with loans.

Read more here: How many students from your school take out loans?

LONDON (AP) — Two men with butcher knives hacked another to death Wednesday near a London military barracks and one then went on video to explain the crime — shouting political statements, gesturing with bloodied hands and waving a meat cleaver. Soon after, arriving police shot and wounded the unidentified assailants and took them into custody.

Read more here: Brutal attack in London heightens terror fears

By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Merck & Co's experimental insomnia drug moved a step closer to U.S. approval on Wednesday after a panel of medical experts said it is effective and safe at lower doses. The advisory panel was convened to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decide whether to approve the drug, suvorexant, which would be the first in a new class of sedatives that block chemicals in the brain called orexins that help keep people awake. The drugs are designed to help people fall asleep and stay asleep. …

Read more here: Merck's insomnia drug moves a step closer to U.S. approval

By Karen Jacobs (Reuters) – Delta Air Lines is letting a wave of orders for the newest planes on the market roll by, giving the jets time to prove themselves before buying, its chief executive told Reuters on Wednesday. While other airlines have ordered more than 3,000 of the next generation narrow-body models, the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo, Delta says it is playing it safe. …

Read more here: Delta will wait for new planes to mature: CEO