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REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstAug 10 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday will weigh lifting a Louisiana judge's order limiting the Biden administration's ability to communicate with social media companies to urge them to moderate information it deems harmful or misleading. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is set to hear arguments in the administration's appeal of the judge's ruling, which found that the government wrongly pushed social media firms to suppress disfavored political views. The Biden administration quickly appealed, and the 5th Circuit temporarily put the judge's ruling on hold while it heard the case. The administration denies forcing social media companies to take down any posts. The panel that will hear the Biden administration's appeal includes three judges who were all appointed by Republican presidents, U.S.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Terry Doughty's, Doughty, Donald Trump, Trump, lockdowns, Biden, Edith Brown Clement, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Don Willett, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Biden, Circuit, District, Democratic, Meta, Inc, YouTube, Twitter, X Corp, Trump, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, 5th Circuit, Republican, Thomson Locations: Arcosa, Belen , New Mexico, U.S, Louisiana, New Orleans, Missouri, Monroe, New York

☆ US NTSB cites United crew failure in Boeing 777 altitude loss incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday cited United Airlines (UAL.O) crew failure in a December 2022 flight that sharply lost altitude before recovering shortly after departing Kahului, Hawaii. The Boeing 777 (BA.N) jet lost altitude about one minute after departure in heavy rain, descending from 2,100 feet to about 748 feet above the water before the crew recovered from the descent. United Flight 1722, which was bound for San Francisco with 271 passengers and 10 crew, safely landed after the captain recovered from the descent. Both pilots recalled hearing initial warnings from the ground proximity warning system (GPWS), the NTSB said. The NTSB said United issued an "awareness campaign about flight path management at their training center."

Persons: United, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler, Aurora Ellis Organizations: National Transportation Safety, Airlines, Boeing, NTSB, United, Thomson Locations: Kahului, Hawaii, San Francisco

☆ Texas power use hits 3rd record this week in heat wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Callaghan O’Hare/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Demand for power in Texas hit a record high on Thursday for the third time this week and the tenth time this summer as homes and businesses cranked up air conditioners to escape a lingering heat wave. ERCOT said usage hit a preliminary 85,435 megawatts (MW) Thursday, which topped the record high of 83,961 MW hit on Wednesday. Thursday’s peak is 5,287 MW over last year’s demand record of 80,148 MW set in July 2022. The current demand record will likely be broken again on Friday with ERCOT forecasting usage will reach 86,621 MW. In the real-time market, prices briefly topped $4000 per megawatt hour in some Texas ERCOT hubs, according to its website.

Persons: Callaghan, ERCOT, Ashitha Shivaprasad, Rahul Paswan, Aurora Ellis, David Gregorio, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, Reliability, of Texas, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, Texas, Houston, AccuWeather . Texas, Bengaluru

The American Red Cross opened an evacuation center in Maui High School, the county said. Six people had been confirmed killed by the fires, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said at a press conference. Despite the high winds, they went on a tour to a different part of the island. Hawaii County encompasses the Big Island, which lies south of Maui. Gale warnings remained in effect for all of the Hawaiian islands, with high winds of 45 mph with gusts of 60 mph possible.

Persons: Richard Bissen, Dustin Johnson, Jolie Campbell, Conner Campbell, Alan Dickar, what's, Sylvia Luke, Mahina Martin, Hurricane Dora, Gale, Ian Martin, Marco Garcia, Rich McKay, Brendan O'Brien, Julia Harte, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, Cross, Maui High School, Lahaina, Reuters, Kahului, Honolulu Star, Reuters Graphics Reuters, National Weather Service, University of Hawaii, National Hurricane Center, NWS, Thomson Locations: KAHULUI, Hawaii, Maui County, Maui, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Europe, San Diego, West, Lahaina, Cincinnati, Dickar, Maui Counties, Kula, Lahaina . West Maui, South Maui, Hurricane, Honolulu

☆ Rapper Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Megan Thee Stallion arrives to attend the 2022 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File PhotoAug 8 (Reuters) - Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison, more than seven months after he was convicted of shooting fellow musical artist Megan Thee Stallion during an argument in 2020. Lanez was accused of shooting Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, 28, injuring her feet after a pool party in the Hollywood Hills in July 2020. Megan Thee Stallion, who was born Megan Pete, needed surgery and spent four days in the hospital before physical therapy allowed her to walk again. Megan Thee Stallion won Grammy awards for best new artist, best rap performance and best rap song in 2021.

Persons: Megan Thee Stallion, Steve Marcus, Tory Lanez, Megan Thee, Judge David Herriford, Daystar Peterson, Lanez, Megan Pete, Jose Baez, Baez, It's, Attorney George Gascon, Pete, Jane Ross, Jonathan Allen, Brendan O'Brien, Aurora Ellis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: MGM, Garden, REUTERS, Daystar, Los Angeles Superior Court, Hollywood, New York Times, Megan Thee Stallion, Attorney, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, New York

BELEM, Brazil, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Eight Amazon nations agreed to a list of unified environmental policies and measures to bolster regional cooperation at a major rainforest summit in Brazil on Tuesday, but failed to agree on a common goal for ending deforestation. The failure of the eight Amazon countries to agree on a pact to protect their own forests points to the larger, global difficulties of forging an agreement to combat climate change. Bolivia and Venezuela are the only Amazon countries not to sign onto a 2021 agreement among more than 100 countries to work toward halting deforestation by 2030. But tensions emerged in the lead up to the summit around diverging positions on deforestation and oil development. Fellow Amazon countries also rebuffed Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro's ongoing campaign to end new oil development in the Amazon.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Marcio Astrini, Lula, Luis Arce, Mauro Vieira, Ricardo Stuckert, Gustavo Petro's, Petro, Alexandre Silveira, Silveira, Jake Spring, Steven Grattan, Brad Haynes, Rosalba O'Brien, Jason Neely, Peter Graff, Aurora Ellis, Richard Chang Organizations: Climate, Reuters, Bolivian, Brazil's, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, REUTERS, Amazon, Brazil's Energy, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BELEM, Brazil, Brazilian, Belem, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela

REUTERS/Quinn GlabickiA White House spokesperson said Biden "continues to support moving away from the use of private detention facilities in the immigration detention system." One facility evaluated as part of the Biden administration review was Stewart Detention Center, a Georgia lockup operated by the private prison company CoreCivic (CXW.N). The administration has scaled back immigration detention in some ways. ICE often pays to maintain a fixed number of beds at detention centers regardless of whether they are actually used. But just six months later, the company signed a contract to reopen the same complex as a 1,900-bed immigration detention center.

Persons: Quinn Glabicki PHILIPSBURG, Joe Biden, watchdogs, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, Donald Trump, Mayorkas, lockups, Quinn Glabicki, Stewart, Ryan Gustin, Winn, Quinn Glabicki Ruben Dario, didn't, Ryan Horvath, Richwood, BIDEN, Trump, Biden's, Jose Gordo, Angela Kelley, Kelley, Boy Sonkarlay, Erika Guadalupe Nunez, Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, Kristina Cooke, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Processing, GEO Group, U.S . Immigration, Customs, REUTERS, Democratic, Immigration, Customs Enforcement, Biden, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Reuters, ICE, Companies, Republican, Trump, White, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Stewart Detention, Winn Correctional Center, LaSalle Corrections, Richwood Correctional, LaSalle, Reuters Graphics Reuters, BI, ICE Processing Center, GEO, Visitors, Thomson Locations: Philipsburg , Pennsylvania, U.S, Pennsylvania, Mexico, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, LaSalle, Argentine, Spanish, California, Liberian, Philadelphia, Philipsburg, Washington, New York

☆ Brazil central bank names its digital currency 'DREX,' scheduled for 2024 launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's central bank forthcoming digital currency, set to launch next year, will be named DREX, it announced on Monday, aiming to use the currency to boost financial services. The DREX will use distributed ledger technology (DLT) to settle wholesale interbank transactions, while retail access will be based on tokenized bank deposits. Officials from the central bank previously predicted that the adoption of the Brazilian digital currency would commence by the end of 2024, following the completion of its testing phase. During a live discussion organized by the central bank, he emphasized that the development of DREX is primarily aimed at improving access to financial services in the country. "By enabling simple and reliable access to registered values through DLT technology, we reduce costs and democratize access to financial services," Araujo stated.

Persons: Fabio Araujo, Araujo, Marcela Ayres, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil

Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara said more Indigenous people felt comfortable identifying themselves as such. Tebet told reporters the new population numbers will allow for improved budget funding for policies to help Indigenous communities, in education but mainly in health services and basic sanitation to make up for government neglect. Half of Brazil's Indigenous communities live in the Amazon region, some 867,900, with the highest urban concentration in the city of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state. But the main reason for the exponential growth in numbers, besides higher fertility rates among Indigenous communities, is the rise in visibility of Brazil's Indigenous movement, he said. "When you have strong Indigenous leaders bringing positive connotations to being Indigenous, this encourages people to begin identifying themselves," Barros said by telephone.

Persons: Vanderlecia Ortega dos Santos, Vanda, Ueslei Marcelino BRASILIA, Sonia Guajajara, Guajajara, Simone Tebet, Tebet, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula, Leonardo Barros, Barros, Anthony Boadle, Aurora Ellis, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brazilian Institute of Geography, Teatro, REUTERS, Ueslei, IBGE, Government, Indigenous, Federal University of Viçosa, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Belem, Portugal, Venezuela, Manaus, Amazonas, Minas Gerais

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Aurora got self-driving trucks on the roadTrucking is an integral part of the economy, representing over 70% of freight moved in the U.S. Yet, it is dogged by driver shortages, safety issues and supply chain challenges. Pittsburgh-based Aurora is hoping to solve these problems and more by bringing self-driving technology to trucks. While other autonomous companies such as Starsky Robotics and TuSimple have folded or scaled back efforts in the U.S., it is now delivering loads for customers such as Uber Freight and FedEx in Texas.

Persons: Aurora Organizations: Pittsburgh, Starsky Robotics, Freight, FedEx Locations: U.S, Texas

☆ Inside Aurora’s autonomous trucking operation in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Andrew Evers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Trucking is an integral part of the economy, representing over 70 percent of freight moved in the U.S. Yet, it is dogged by driver shortages, safety issues and supply chain challenges. With the Aurora Driver, you'll be able to do that in about 24 hours," says Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson. The company is training its system with safety drivers on routes between Dallas and Houston, and Dallas and El Paso. CNBC got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at its self-driving operation outside of Dallas.

Persons: you'll, Chris Urmson, Schneider, Werner Organizations: Pittsburgh, Innovation, Aurora, Starsky Robotics, Freight, FedEx, CNBC Locations: California, Dallas, U.S, Aurora, Texas, Houston, El Paso

☆ Norway fail to find balance as World Cup journey ends
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Coach Hege Riise tinkered with her side throughout the World Cup but never managed to find the lineup or tactics that would get the most out of her squad, and she faces an uncertain future after a third poor showing in four tournaments. "But (Japan) did well, we played solid defence at times but not quite good enough." Norway's defence was also shaky, with Hansen at left back and youthful central defender Mathilde Harviken targeted by opponents. If Riise, a World Cup winner with Norway in 1995, cannot mend the bridges she burned by dropping Graham Hansen, she may not have another chance to see if she can get the most out of a side that is now best known for being far less than the sum of its parts. Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Risa Shimizu, Mikalsen, Amanda Perobelli WELLINGTON, Hege Riise, Riise, Julie Blakstad, Emelie Haavi, Tuva Hansen, footers, Frida Maanum, Ingrid Engen, Vilde Boe Risa, Guro Reiten, Caroline Graham Hansen, Hansen, Mathilde Harviken, Maren Mjelde, Thea Bjelde, Ada Hegerberg, Sophie Roman Haug, Graham Hansen, Philip O'Connor, Nick Mulvenney, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Wellington Regional, Switzerland, Barcelona, Norwegians, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Wellington , New Zealand, Tuva, Philippines

☆ Spain thrashes Switzerland at Women’s World Cup despite bizarre own goal, while Japan beats Norway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Women’s World Cup 2023: Live scores, fixtures, results, tables and top scorersCNN —Spain overcame a bizarre long-range own goal to thrash Switzerland 5-1 and advance to the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, while Japan continued to impress in a 3-1 victory over Norway. Ingrid Syrstad Engen’s own goal gave Japan a well-deserved lead early on before Norway equalized soon after through Guro Reiten’s header. On paper, Norway – a team with world-class talent – looked a tricky opponent but Japan was comfortably the better side throughout. Alessandra Tarantino/APAda Hegerberg came on as a substitute in an attempt to provide Norway with some attacking thrust – but the Norwegians struggled to break down an organized Japan team. Even when it created a good opening, it found Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita in inspired form as she somehow clawed away Karina Sævik’s powerful header in the game’s dying moments.

Persons: CNN —, Laia Codina’s, Bonmatí, Ingrid Syrstad Engen’s, Risa Shimizu’s, Hinata Miyazawa, Japan's, Amanda Perobelli, –, Codina’s, Codina, Cata Coll, Saeed Khan, Gaëlle Thalmann, Redondo, bamboozling, Jennifer Hermoso, Aurora Mikalsen, – Shimizu, Vilde Bøe Risa, old’s, Miyazawa’s, Alessandra Tarantino, Ada Hegerberg, Ayaka Yamashita, Karina Sævik’s Organizations: CNN, Japan, Norway, New Zealand –, Roja, Switzerland, Getty, Alba Redondo, Norway –, Aurora Locations: CNN — Spain, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Spain, Wellington, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Melbourne, Eden, New Zealand, AFP, Reiten’s

For the second quarter, Amazon's revenue grew 11% to $134.4 billion, beating estimates of $131.5 billion from analysts polled by Refinitiv. In recent months, Amazon Web Services (AWS) saw its sales growth slow as wary businesses scrutinized their cloud bills. The unit beat estimates of around $21.7 billion in second-quarter cloud sales, increasing them 12% to $22.1 billion. Its rivals posted bigger jumps off smaller bases: 28% growth in Alphabet's June-quarter cloud revenue and a 26% quarterly increase for Microsoft's Azure. Longer-term, Amazon aims to turn one unit, its $35 billion in yearly gross business-to-business e-commerce sales, into $100 billion, Jassy told analysts.

Persons: Pascal Rossignol, Brian Olsavsky, Olsavsky, Andy Jassy, Arun Sundaram, Sundaram, Jassy, Thomas Monteiro, Investing.com, Monteiro, Refinitiv, Chavi Mehta, Jeffrey Dastin, Noel Randewich, Arun Koyyur, Aurora Ellis, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon.com Inc, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Refinitiv, Amazon Web Services, CFRA Research, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Alphabet's, Bengaluru, Jeffrey Dastin San Francisco

☆ Amazon's outlook brightens on cloud, consumer sales lift
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Facing an array of challenges, Amazon has aimed to keep its mantle as the world's biggest cloud provider and online retailer. Despite this, Amazon sped up revenue growth in the second quarter. Sales increased 11% to $134.4 billion, compared to estimates of $131.50 billion from analysts polled by Refinitiv. AWS beat estimates of around $21.7 billion in second-quarter cloud sales, increasing them 12% to $22.1 billion. The company forecast current-quarter net sales in the range of $138 billion and $143 billion.

Persons: Pascal Rossignol, Long, Andy Jassy, Refinitiv, Chavi Mehta, Arun Koyyur, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon.com Inc, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Refinitiv, Amazon Web Services, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Bengaluru

☆ Canadian wildfire emissions double previous record as flames rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The estimated Canadian fires emissions account for over 25% of the global total for 2023 to date, and are well above the previous Canadian record of 138 million tonnes registered in 2014, Copernicus said on Thursday. This year's wildfire season is also the worst on record for area burned, with about 131,000 square kilometres (50,579 square miles) already scorched across eastern and western Canada. Wildfire smoke is linked to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and more visits to emergency rooms for respiratory conditions. It's estimated that Canada's northern boreal forest stores more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon — equivalent to several decades worth of global carbon emissions. The carbon released is roughly equivalent to Indonesia's annual carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Persons: Jesse Winter, Copernicus, Mark Parrington, Ismail Shakil, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, OTTAWA, Atmospheric Monitoring Service, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, New, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Washington, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Greece, New York City, Toronto, Ottawa

☆ There's very little legal headway for our self-driving trucks, says Aurora CEO Chris Urmson
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThere's very little legal headway for our self-driving trucks, says Aurora CEO Chris UrmsonChris Urmson, Aurora CEO, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk quarterly cash raise, the future of self-driving trucks and more.

Persons: Chris Urmson Chris Urmson Locations: Aurora

☆ Brazil's Lula: Amazon countries summit to build common policy for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File PhotoBRASILIA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said that next week's summit of Amazon region nations will seek to draw up a common policy for the first time to protect the rainforest. For the first time we are going to have a common policy for the Amazon, for preservation, security, borders," Lula said. The eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) will meet Aug. 7-8 in the city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon river. ACTO was created in 1978 to promote the preservation of the Amazon basin and regulate Amazonian development through cooperation. Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Mark Porter and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Johanna Geron, Lula, ACTO, Lisandra Paraguassu, Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: EU, LAC, European Union, of, Caribbean, REUTERS, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Caribbean States, Brussels, Belgium, BRASILIA, Brazil, Amazon, Belem, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

☆ New York struggles to shelter, process asylum-seekers amid heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Recently arrived migrants to New York City wait on the sidewalk outside the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown, Manhattan, where a temporary reception center has been established in New York City, New York, U.S., August 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mike SegarNEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Knees to their chests, dozens of men from countries such as Venezuela, Mali, and Senegal sat on a dirty New York City sidewalk outside a Manhattan hotel Tuesday, awaiting asylum processing. New York state is bound by a decades-old consent decree from a class-action lawsuit to provide shelter for those without homes. Murad Awadeh, executive director of the New York Immigrant Coalition, said that this week was the anniversary of asylum seekers being bused to New York City from Texas. Dino Redzic, the owner of Uncle Paul's Pizza and Cafe next door to the Roosevelt, gives pizza daily to the men outside.

Persons: Mike Segar, Eric Adams, Adams, Hamid, Murad Awadeh, who've, Dino Redzic, Uncle Paul's, Roosevelt, Rachel Nostrant, Donna Bryson, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Roosevelt, Port Authority, . State Department, New York Immigrant Coalition, Thomson Locations: New York, midtown , Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Venezuela, Mali, Senegal, New York City, Manhattan, Mauritanian, United States, Mauritania, Texas, Yugoslav

☆ California agency probes automakers' data privacy practices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowWASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - A California state agency on Monday said it is reviewing the privacy practices of automakers and vehicle technology companies amid concerns about the growing volume of data collected by cars. The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) said its Enforcement Division is making inquiries about vehicles embedded with features like location sharing, web-based entertainment, smartphone integration, and cameras. The agency said vehicle privacy considerations "are critical because these vehicles often automatically gather consumers’ locations, personal preferences, and details about their daily lives." Regulators around the world have raised concerns about the volume of personal data collected by vehicles that increasingly gather, store and transmit information for entertainment, performance and safety purposes. Mobilisights said it would operate under strict privacy safeguards, sharing only personal data with customer consent and allowing owners to opt out even after consenting.

Persons: ”, Ashkan Soltani, carmaker, carmakers, Mobilisights, David Shepardson, Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Tesla, WASHINGTON, California Privacy Protection Agency, Regulators, Consumer Watchdog, U.S, Chrysler, Thomson Locations: California

☆ Companies double down on AI in June-quarter analyst calls
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Noel Randewich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

S&P 500 (.SPX) companies that led in discussion of AI during quarterly conference calls with analysts earlier this year have outdone themselves in their latest quarterly calls. Following Intel's (INTC.O) report late on Thursday, executives and analysts on its call mentioned AI 58 times, up from 15 mentions in its previous call in April. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsParticipants on Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) analyst call on Tuesday mentioned AI 62 times, up from 52 times three months ago. The same day, AI was mentioned 58 times on Microsoft's (MSFT.O) call, up from 35 times in its previous call. Technology heavyweights account for the conference calls with the greatest discussion of AI so far this quarter, but businesses not widely viewed as "tech companies" have also talked heavily about AI.

Persons: Aly, Equifax, Noel Randewich, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Intel, Nvidia, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Nasdaq, Reuters, Technology, Moody's Corp, P Global Inc, Travelers Companies, Omnicom, Digital Realty, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China

☆ Energize Capital just raised a $300 million fund to back growth-stage climate tech startups. Here's the 11-slide pitch deck it used to get investors on board.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chicago-based climate software fund Energize Capital just raised $300 million in growth funds. Chicago-based Energize Capital, formerly Energize Ventures, just raised $300 million to help close the growth funding gap for climate startups. The growth capital will be spread across 12 startups over a three-year investment period, with around half expected to be from Energize's earlier-stage ventures portfolio, Tough said. Currently a team of around 20, Energize expects to keep growing and have five investors on its growth fund. Check out the 11-slide redacted pitch deck Energize used to raise the fund below:

Persons: generalists, John Tough, Energize, Caprock, Tough Organizations: Energize, Energize Ventures, Aurora, Bank Credit Suisse, Mercy Investment Services, Schneider Electric Locations: Chicago, Europe

[1/5] Boards displaying the exchange rate of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar are pictured outside exchange houses in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico July 27, 2023. But emergence of the phenomenon known as the "super peso" means those dollars no longer go as far as they did. "The purchasing power of remittances has deteriorated due to peso appreciation," said Carlos Serrano, chief economist at bank BBVA Mexico. "You can see it hitting lower-income families ... in states that bring in most remittances." Georgina Cardenas, 34, said the $1,200 a month she receives from her builder husband in the United States "used to be enough for my two children" and other expenses.

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez, Adriana Sanchez, Sanchez, it's, Andres Manuel Lopez, Carlos Serrano, Pablo Lopez Sarabia, Manuel, there's, Veronica, They're, Georgina Cardenas, Lizbeth Diaz, Noe Torres, Dave Graham, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S ., REUTERS, BBVA Mexico, Reuters, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Thomson Locations: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, TLAXCALA, United States, Asia, Tlaxcala, Mexico City, U.S, California

Amazon previously said it is seeing a decrease in growth in AWS as business clients reallocated their spending to reduce costs. Investors are also looking to see how Amazon's advertising business intersects with more language models and generative AI. The company's advertising business was seeing "robust growth" due to its machine learning investment, Chief Executive Andy Jassy said in the first-quarter earnings call. Net sales of Amazon's advertising business in the first quarter were $9.51 billion. Amazon's first-quarter operating income was $4.77 billion a 74.4%% increase from $2.74 billion in the fourth-quarter and a 30.1% increase from last year.

Persons: Tom Forte, Forte, Brian Olsavsky, Andy Jassy, Arun Sundaram, China's Temu, Sundaram, Amazon's, Arriana McLymore, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Investors, Web Services, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Davidson Companies, YouTube, Thomson Locations: NY, Refinitiv, Singapore, United States, New York City

☆ 'Barbenheimer' box office sales keep rolling in second weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicholas P. Brown | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 30 (Reuters) - Warner Bros' (WBD.O) "Barbie" showed no signs of slowing down in its second weekend at the box office, and was set to haul in $93 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday, according to estimates from media analytics firm Comscore. 1 movie, and the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film directed by a woman - has made more than $351 million in the U.S. and Canada since opening on July 21, and nearly $775 million globally, Comscore reported. The two films together have been dubbed "Barbenheimer," a nod to the relative rarity of two blockbusters opening the same weekend. Their combined sales are "absolutely mind blowing," Dergarabedian said, with second-weekend numbers that "would have been hailed as opening weekend wins." Universal's Oppenheimer has made $174 million in the U.S. and Canada so far, and $400 million worldwide.

Persons: Barbie, Greta Gerwig's, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Ken, Ynon, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's, Robert Oppenheimer, Paul Dergarabedian, Dergarabedian, Universal's Oppenheimer, Robbie, Nicholas P, Brown, Peter Henderson, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Warner Bros, Mattel, Hollywood, Guild of America, SAG, Thomson Locations: U.S, Canada

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