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Zhao has been replaced by Richard Teng, a senior Binance executive who joined in 2021, the company said. "Binance has seen significant exchange outflows since the announcement, but relative to their total holdings, it's quite small," Nansen analysts said. By comparison, investors pulled around $1.43 billion from the crypto exchange and its U.S. affiliate in June after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued the companies. Lawyers for Zhao, who founded Binance in 2017, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Zhao paid a $175 million bail bond, with another $15 million held in a trust account, a court filing showed.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Changpeng Zhao, Binance, Zhao, Richard Teng, Nansen, ransomware, Arthur Hayes, Hayes, Sam Bankman, Fried, Daniel Silva, Buchalter, Luc Cohen, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Nansen, U.S, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Islamic, Binance, Prosecutors, Justice, Reuters, Thomson Locations: al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, Dubai, Seattle, United States

☆ Binance sees $956 mln in outflows after Zhao steps down to settle U.S. probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smartphone with displayed Binance logo and representation of cryptocurrencies are placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken, June 8, 2023. Zhao has been replaced by Richard Teng, a senior Binance executive who joined in 2021, the company said. "Binance has seen significant exchange outflows since the announcement, but relative to their total holdings, it’s quite small," Nansen analysts said. Investors pulled around $1.43 billion from the crypto exchange and its U.S. affiliate in June after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued the companies. While authorities have probed Zhao and Binance for years, Zhao's exit marks a dramatic development for one of the most powerful figures in the crypto industry.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Nansen, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Teng, Binance, Zhao's, Lisa Pauline Mattackal, Jonathan Stempel, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Investors, U.S, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Nansen, Dubai, Seattle, United States, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Who are OpenAI's new board members as Sam Altman returns?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Tuesday said it reached an agreement for Sam Altman to return as CEO days after his ouster, and also agreed in principle to partly reconstitute the board of directors that had dismissed him. Bret Taylor, formerly co-CEO of Salesforce and Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, along with Quora CEO and current director Adam D'Angelo will be part of the board, OpenAI said. Here's what we know about them:* Taylor, 43, is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur, who is also a board member at Shopify (SHOP.TO). Taylor will chair the OpenAI board* Summers, 68, is an American economist who has served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001* A professor at Charles W Eliot University, Summers is also President Emeritus at Harvard* Summers is also on the board of Jack Dorsey's Block Inc (SQ.N) and Skillsoft Corp (SKIL.N)* D'Angelo, 39, is an American internet entrepreneur, best known as founder of California-based social question-and-answer website and online knowledge market Quora* A Computer Science graduate, D'Angelo was previously CTO of Facebook for nearly two years till June 2008(Sources: TechCrunch, Reuters reporting and LinkedIn)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Altman, Carlos Barria, OpenAI, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, Taylor, Charles, Summers, Jack Dorsey's, D'Angelo, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury, Quora, Treasury, Charles W Eliot University, Harvard, Skillsoft Corp, Science, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, American, Shopify, California, Bengaluru

☆ White House needs to talk turkey about inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Nov 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Hey, White House. The release noted that lower inflation was among the things that Americans should be thankful for. Gasoline prices, for example, are down a quarter from their high in June 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The price of the average Thanksgiving meal has dropped from last year, too. Meantime food prices in the average U.S. city are up a fifth since December 2020, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

Persons: they’ll, paychecks, Joe Biden, Biden, ”, he’s, Jonathan Guilford, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Louis Federal Reserve, American Farm Bureau Federation, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, White, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Soccer clashes, Taylor Swift fan death tarnish Rio de Janeiro ahead of G20
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TV images showed Rio state cops beating Argentina fans with truncheons as chairs rained down upon them. On Wednesday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and Rio's state military police traded blame over arrangements for the mixed seating section of Brazil and Argentina fans where the trouble erupted. Rio's policing of high-profile soccer matches was already under scrutiny after the Copa Libertadores final this month. In October, three doctors enjoying a late-night beer along one of Rio's beaches were brutally murdered after being confused for rival gangsters. A few days later, militias set fire to dozens of Rio buses after police killed one of their bosses in an operation.

Persons: Ricardo Moraes, Taylor, Nilton Santos, Daniel Scioli, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gabriel Stargardter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Soccer, Estadio Maracana, REUTERS, DE, Police, year's, Olympic Games, Nilton, Argentina, Brazilian Football Confederation, CBF, Copa Libertadores, Boca Juniors, Fluminense, Thomson Locations: Brazil, Argentina, Rio de Janeiro, DE JANEIRO, Maracana, Rio, Copacabana, India, Rio's

☆ Lowe's sees steeper drop in annual sales as DIY demand stumbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mark Makela/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos (LOW.N) on Tuesday projected a bigger drop in annual same-store sales than previously expected, as inflation-hit consumers cut spending on home-improvement projects, hitting the company's key do-it-yourself (DIY) business segment. Lowe's saw a "greater-than-expected pullback in DIY discretionary spending" particularly in categories including appliances, home decor, kitchen and bath where customers even postponed some purchases, CEO Marvin Ellison said. Average spending at Lowe's - particularly on big-ticket items - was under pressure in the quarter, resulting in a 7.4% drop in same-store sales while analysts expected a 5% decline, according to LSEG IBES data. Meanwhile, larger rival Home Depot's (HD.N) bigger customer base of "Pro-customers" like builders and contractors helped the retailer ride out the weakness in DIY spending and beat expectations for quarterly results. It expects full-year comparable sales to decline 5%, compared with its prior outlook for a 2% to 4% drop.

Persons: Mark Makela, Cos, Lowe's, Marvin Ellison, Ellison, John Tomlinson, Deborah Sophia, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, U.S, Lowe's, Bengaluru

☆ Broadcom plans to close $69 billion VMWare deal on Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the VMware cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Broadcom (AVGO.O) said it planned to close its $69 billion acquisition of cloud computing firm VMWare (VMW.N) on Wednesday, wrapping up one of the biggest takeover deals in the technology industry that was closely scrutinized by regulators globally. Some investors in the companies had feared about the outcome of the deal after reports said last month that rising Sino-U.S. tensions could lead China's regulator to scuttle the deal. Broadcom shares were down more than 1%, while VMware was down 4.6%. The deal was previously expected to close by Nov. 26.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Biden, Bernstein, Zaheer Kachwala, Mary Varghese, Siu, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Organizations: VMware, REUTERS, Broadcom, VMWare, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Washington, Bengaluru, Hong Kong

☆ Lowe's sees steeper drop in annual comparable sales on weak demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shoppers load a box of merchandise into a truck after visiting a Lowe's hardware store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mark Makela/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos (LOW.N) on Tuesday projected a bigger drop in annual comparable sales than previously expected and trimmed its profit forecast as inflation-hit consumers cut back spending on home-improvement projects, sending its shares down 6%. Lowe's saw a "greater-than-expected pullback in DIY discretionary spending, particularly in bigger ticket categories" in the third quarter, CEO Marvin Ellison said. The company reported a 7.4% drop in same-store sales for the three months ended Nov. 3, compared with analysts' average estimate of a 5% drop, according to LSEG IBES data. Lowe's now expects full-year comparable sales to decline 5%, compared with its prior outlook for a 2% to 4% drop.

Persons: Mark Makela, Cos, Lowe's, Marvin Ellison, Deborah Sophia, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Home, Thomson Locations: Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, U.S, Lowe's, Placer.ai, Bengaluru

Ford said it would restart construction of the factory near Marshall, Michigan, after being paused two months ago. Ford is pushing for the U.S. Treasury Department to approve lithium-iron, or LFP, batteries made at the Michigan factory to qualify for Inflation Reduction Act EV subsidies. Ford now plans to cut the Michigan battery plant's capacity to 20 gigawatt hours and reduce hiring to 1,700 jobs. Ford said in October that it would cut future electric vehicle investments overall by $12 billion compared to previous plans. The company has previously postponed construction of a battery factory in Kentucky and another in Turkey.

Persons: Ford, CATL, Mark Truby, Truby, Joe White, Anil D'Silva Organizations: DETROIT, CATL, United Auto Workers, U.S . Treasury Department, Ford, Blue, Battery Park Michigan, Michigan, Thomson Locations: Michigan, U.S, Marshall , Michigan, Kentucky, Turkey

☆ Election victory of Argentina's Milei greeted globally by mix of hostility and support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Steven Grattan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asked for his reaction on Tuesday, Mexico's leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he respected the voters' verdict, but added that he believed Milei's win is unlikely to alleviate Argentina's problems. But other leftist Latin American leaders were more supportive. Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva both extended best wishes to Milei. Lula's congratulations came despite Milei's harsh criticism of the Brazilian leader on the campaign trail, where at one point Milei labeled Lula an "angry communist" and corrupt. Milei found enthusiastic support among right-wing populists, including former U.S. President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who Lula narrowly defeated last year.

Persons: Javier Milei, Alberto Fernandez, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Milei's, Lopez Obrador, Evo Morales, Gustavo Petro, Gabriel Boric, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Milei, Lula's, Lula, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, I'm, Argentina's, Nayib Bukele, Bukele, Steven Grattan, David Alire Garcia, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Peronist, Colombian, Ukraine, U.S, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: China, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Venezuela, Colombia, Chilean, Moscow, Russia, Beijing, Sao

☆ Petrobras CEO replacement being discussed within Brazil gov't, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has shown dissatisfaction with certain actions taken by CEO Jean Paul Prates. Lula asked the CEO to tweak Petrobras' investment plan to prioritize local job creation, Reuters reported last week. "There should be changes" in the presidency of Petrobras, one of the sources said. Last week, Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira said it was past time for Petrobras to reduce diesel and gasoline prices at its refineries. Reporting by Sabrina Valle and Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jean Paul Prates, Lula, Prates, Alexandre Silveira, Sabrina Valle, Lisandra, Peter Frontini, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras, HOUSTON, Petrobras, PETR4, Reuters, Mines, Energy, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA

The startup's newly appointed interim head moved quickly to dismiss speculation that OpenAI's board ousted Altman due to a spat over the safety of powerful AI models. It was not clear why Murati had stepped down as interim CEO. [1/4]Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. Some of those joining Altman at Microsoft include senior researchers Szymon Sidor and Jakub Pachocki, according to Brockman. Microsoft had supported a return by Altman to the startup, according to sources, a move that seemed likely only hours prior to Monday's announcements.

Persons: OpenAI, Emmett Shear, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, OpenAI's, Altman, Shear, Ilya Sutskever, we've, Sutskever, Mira Murati, reinstates Altman, Brockman, Bret Taylor, Will Hurd, Murati, Carlos Barria, Richard Windsor, Satya Nadella, Szymon Sidor, Jakub Pachocki, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Nadella, Jeffry Dastin, Anna Tong, Krystal Hu, Akash Sriram, Aditya Soni, Urvi, Shubham, Stephanie Kelly, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Miyoung Kim, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Chizu Nomiyama, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, FRANCISCO, Google, OpenAI, Reuters, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Radio Free Mobile, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Texas, Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Franciso, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Wells Fargo employees at two branches mount unionization campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Wells Fargo logo is seen in New York City, U.S. January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo (WFC.N) employees at two of the bank's branches filed for union elections on Monday, laying the groundwork for potential unionization in an industry that has largely been immune to such labor campaigns. In a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), bankers and tellers at Wells Fargo branches in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Bethel, Alaska declared their intent to join the Communications Workers of America's Wells Fargo Workers United (WFWU). "While we are the first Wells Fargo workers to file for union elections, we will not be the last," said Sabrina Perez, a senior premier banker at Wells Fargo's Albuquerque branch. "We have a deep commitment to invest in and support everyone who works at Wells Fargo ... have significantly improved compensation and benefits for our lower paid employees in recent years," he said.

Persons: Stephanie Keith, Wells, Sabrina Perez, Wells Fargo's Saul Van Beurden, Niket, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Organizations: REUTERS, National Labor Relations Board, Communications Workers, America's Wells Fargo Workers United, Labor, Detroit Three, Wells, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wells Fargo, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Bethel , Alaska, America's Wells, United States, Wells, Albuquerque, Bengaluru

☆ Who is Emmett Shear, OpenAI's new interim CEO replacing Sam Altman?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Twitch CEO Emmett Shear speaks in a still image taken from a video interview with Reuters in San Francisco, U.S. which was broadcast in May 2018. REUTERS TV via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has named ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear as its interim chief executive officer after the startup ousted former head Sam Altman in a move that rocked the tech industry. Shear, who was part of the first batch of startup accelerator Y Combinator along with Altman, is known as an outspoken advocate of safety in the development of artificial intelligence. Some facts about Emmett Shear:* Shear, 40, stepped down as CEO of Amazon.com (AMZN.O)-owned Twitch this March after more than 16 years at the live video streaming platform* The platform was co-founded by Shear as Justin.tv in 2006, before its name was changed to Twitch in 2011. The platform quickly gained traction in the gaming community and was acquired by Amazon for just under $1 billion in 2014.

Persons: Emmett Shear, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Shear, Justin Kan, Emmett, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Amazon, Yale University, LinkedIn, Forbes, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , U.S, Seattle, Bengaluru

☆ Brazil's Lula wishes luck and success to new Argentine president
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva extended best wishes to the newly elected government in Argentina, without making direct mention of President-elect Javier Milei, who has previously criticized Lula and labeled him an "angry communist." Brazil will always be available to work together with our Argentine brothers," he wrote on Sunday on X, formerly Twitter. On Tuesday, leftist Lula had said that Argentina, the country's third-largest trading partner, should choose a president who supports democracy and the Mercosur trading bloc. He has also criticized the South American common market Mercosur and said Argentina would "follow its own path." He met with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Brasilia earlier this year to discuss mechanisms to secure imports by Buenos Aires.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Javier Milei, Lula, Argentine, Sergio Massa, Fernando Haddad, Haddad, Marcela Ayres, Lisa Shumaker, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Twitter, Mercosur, Economy, Brazilian Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Argentina, Brazil, Argentine, Mercosur, Brasilia, Buenos Aires

☆ Exclusive: Venezuela close to approving offshore gas license with Trinidad, Shell
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The installations of liquified natural gas producer Atlantic LNG are pictured in Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago, December 10, 2022. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Venezuela is close to approving a license for Shell (SHEL.L) and the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago to develop a promising offshore natural gas field and export its production to the Caribbean country, two people close to the matter said. The license could set in motion a long-running effort by Trinidad to boost its gas processing and petrochemical exports, while providing Venezuela with a much-needed extra source of cash. Venezuela, which holds Latin America's biggest gas reserves, and neighboring Trinidad, the region's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, would complement each other's needs to produce and export gas. Trinidad and Tobago has the capacity to process 4.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) into LNG, petrochemicals and power, but its gas production is about 2.7 bcfd.

Persons: Andrea De Silva, PDVSA, Stuart Young, Curtis William, Marianna Parraga, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Atlantic, REUTERS, Shell, National Gas Company, U.S, Trinidad's Energy, NGC, Thomson Locations: Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Caribbean, Trinidad, U.S, Venezuela's, Caracas, Trinidad ., Guiria, Houston

The McDonald's company logo stands on a sign outside a restaurant in Bretigny-sur-Orge, near Paris, France, July 30, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - McDonald's (MCD.N) said on Monday it would acquire investment firm Carlyle's (CG.O) 28% stake in a partnership that manages its business in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, as the burger chain looks to simplify its structure in the region. Reuters reported in April that Carlyle was discussing various options with financial advisers for its stake in McDonald's China, including setting up a continuation fund for the asset. There was "no better time to simplify our structure" given the benefits of China's long-term potential, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said. Reuters reported in August that Trustar Capital, formerly known as CITIC Capital, was also planning to raise a continuation fund that would allow the Chinese private equity firm to sell down its stake in McDonald's China.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Carlyle, Chris Kempczinski, Jim Sanderson, Granth, Deborah Sophia, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Dasgupta, Shweta Agarwal Organizations: REUTERS, CITIC, HK, Reuters, CITIC Ltd, Northcoast, Thomson Locations: Bretigny, Paris, France, China, Hong Kong, Macau, McDonald's China, Bengaluru

☆ Silicon Valley saw OpenAI with eyes wide shut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Silicon Valley’s weekend episode with artificial intelligence company OpenAI seems much like the technology: the input is a mishmash, so the output is flawed. The Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O) company’s board fired boss Sam Altman, and now, according to reports, may bring him back. OpenAI has been the leader in AI technology, which is bolstering valuations in the face of slowing growth in Silicon Valley. By September, OpenAI was seeking a valuation of nearly triple that, according to Reuters. Yet with or without Altman, OpenAI’s issues are clear and abundant.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, ’, OpenAI’s, chipmaker, chatbot, Brockman, Greg, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, Stanford, UC Berkley, OpenAI’s, San Francisco, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: Silicon Valley, U.S

☆ Global leaders react to Milei's Argentina victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ARGENTINE PRESIDENT ALBERTO FERNANDEZ"I am a man of democracy, and I value nothing more than the popular verdict. I trust that tomorrow we can start working with Javier Milei to guarantee an orderly transition." FORMER ARGENTINA PRESIDENT MAURICIO MACRI"I congratulate Javier Milei for bravely representing the will to advance and prosper that lives in the hearts of Argentines. WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JAKE SULLIVAN"I congratulate Javier Milei on his election as president of Argentina and to the people of Argentina for holding free and fair elections. FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP"Congratulations to Javier Milei on a great race for president of Argentina.

Persons: Javier Milei, ALBERTO FERNANDEZ, MAURICIO MACRI, JAKE SULLIVAN, DONALD TRUMP, ILAN GOLDFAJN, LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, SANTIAGO PENA, GUSTAVO PETRO, Milei, GABRIEL BORIC, Sergio Massa, LUIS LACALLE POU, DINA BOLUARTE'S, JAIR BOLSONARO, Javier Milei's, ARGENTINA DMITRY FEOKTISTOV, Brendan O'Boyle, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese Organizations: ARGENTINE, IDB, PARAGUAYAN, America, URUGUAYAN, Thomson Locations: ARGENTINA, Argentina, Argentine, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentine Republic, South America, United States, Brazil, RUSSIAN, BRICS

☆ MGM's Detroit Casino Workers Reject New Labor Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Workers at MGM Resorts International's Detroit casino have rejected a tentative five-year labor contract and will continue with their month-long strike, union officials said on Monday. However, about 2,100 union members at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MotorCity Casino voted on Monday to ratify the new contract, ending a 34-day strike. The council reached a tentative agreement on Nov. 17 for a new contract covering 3,700 workers at MGM Grand Detroit, Hollywood Casino at Greektown operated by Penn Entertainment and MotorCity Casino. Despite the continuation of the strike at MGM Grand, operations will continue as usual, the casino said. About 40,000 hospitality workers in the Las Vegas Strip also reached a tentative labor deal with casinos operated by Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and MGM earlier this month.

Persons: Ananta Agarwal, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Reuters, Workers, MGM Resorts, Detroit Casino Council, MGM, Hollywood, MotorCity, MGM Grand Detroit, Penn Entertainment, United Auto Workers, UAW, Teamsters, Las Vegas, Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment Locations: Detroit, Greektown

OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken, February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - OpenAI's staff has threatened to quit the artificial intelligence startup and join former boss Sam Altman at Microsoft's (MSFT.O) new division unless the board resigns, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Apart from Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, Chief Data Scientist Ilya Sutskever and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap, about 500 members of OpenAI staff said they would resign, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shweta Agarwal and Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sam Altman, Mira Murati, Ilya Sutskever, Brad Lightcap, OpenAI, Akash Sriram, Shweta Agarwal, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Microsoft's, Bengaluru

☆ Brazil's Lula Wishes Luck and Success to New Argentine President
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva extended best wishes to the newly elected government in Argentina, without making direct mention of President-elect Javier Milei, who has previously criticized Lula and labeled him an "angry communist." Brazil will always be available to work together with our Argentine brothers," he wrote on Sunday on X, formerly Twitter. On Tuesday, leftist Lula had said that Argentina, the country's third-largest trading partner, should choose a president who supports democracy and the Mercosur trading bloc. He has also criticized the South American common market Mercosur and said Argentina would "follow its own path." He met with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Brasilia earlier this year to discuss mechanisms to secure imports by Buenos Aires.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Javier Milei, Lula, Argentine, Sergio Massa, Fernando Haddad, Haddad, Marcela Ayres, Lisa Shumaker, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Reuters, Twitter, Mercosur, Economy, Brazilian Finance Locations: BRASILIA, Argentina, Brazil, Argentine, Mercosur, Brasilia, Buenos Aires

The Pantanal holds thousands of plant and animal species, including 159 mammals, and it abounds with jaguars, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In the dry season, wildlife enthusiasts flock to see the normally furtive jaguars lounging on riverbanks, along with macaws, caimans and capybaras. Political Cartoons View All 1256 ImagesMuch of the Encontro das Aguas (Meeting of the Waters) park, located at the border of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states — known for its large jaguar population — had turned from emerald green to dark brown. “This is so atypical,” said Renata Libonati, who coordinates the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's alert system for fires in the Pantanal. The neighboring state of Mato Grosso said it had also strengthened its workforce, with about 200 federal and state firefighters on the ground.

Persons: —, they’ll, Leonisio da Silva, ”, Renata Libonati, ” Libonati, Angelo Rabelo, Mato Grosso, Enderson Barreto, “, ” Barreto, Barreto Organizations: — Firefighters, Facebook, Federal University of Rio, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, World Wildlife Fund, Mato Grosso, Associated Press, ” Jaguars, Firefighters, El, Environment, Federal Highway Police, Waters, ” Locations: POCONE, BRAZIL, Brazil's, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Waters, Mato Grosso, Mato, Sul, Brazil, Porto Jofre

☆ See the best evening gowns at the 2023 Miss Universe competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Alex Rees | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Benjamin Askinas/Courtesy Miss Universe Miss Bolivia, Estefany Rivero. Benjamin Askinas/Courtesy Miss Universe Miss Brazil, Maria Brechane. Benjamin Askinas/Courtesy Miss Universe Miss Bulgaria, Yuliia Pavlikova. Benjamin Askinas/Courtesy Miss Universe Miss Slovakia, Kinga Puhová Benjamin Askinas/Courtesy Miss Universe Miss South Africa, Bryoni Govender. The 2023 Miss Universe pageant also marks longtime Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart’s last year.

☆ Brazil's economy enters negative territory in Q3, shows central bank data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The Brazilian economy ended the third quarter in negative territory, central bank data showed on Friday, reversing a performance that had been surprisingly positive due to a booming farming sector. The IBC-Br index, a key predictor of gross domestic product (GDP), posted a seasonally adjusted 0.64% decline in the third quarter. The Finance Ministry last estimated a 3.2% gross domestic product (GDP) growth for this year after a robust first-half performance, a figure expected to be revised next week. Meanwhile, private economists surveyed weekly by the central bank project a 2.89% increase in GDP for this year. The September IBC-Br index was in line with a negative performance of the service sector, which accounts for roughly 70% of the country's activity, said Nova Futura economist Nicolas Borsoi.

Persons: Fernando Haddad, Nicolas Borsoi, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Marcela Ayres, Steven Grattan Organizations: IBC, Reuters, Finance, Finance Ministry, Nova Futura, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazilian

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