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☆ An AI-powered robot is helping install Amazon's largest solar farm
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Installing solar panels can be back-breaking work, so one of the largest renewable energy companies is using robots to do the heavy lifting. AES Corporation on Tuesday introduced "Maximo," an AI-powered robot that can lift solar panels and precisely place them into long rows. The robot will be used to construct the largest solar farm with battery storage in the US, which will help power Amazon's data centers. AES said Maximo can install solar panels twice as fast as humans and at half the cost. AES CorporationLifting 60-pound solar panels repeatedly, in some cases 200 panels a day, in desert heat takes a toll on the body.

Persons: Maximo, Chris Shelton, Biden, Ron Rodrique, Maximo isn't, Rodrique Organizations: Service, AES Corporation, Business, AES, AES Clean Energy, Amazon Locations: New York, Virginia , Ohio, Louisiana, Kern County , California

☆ Robots Are Coming, and They’re on a Mission: Install Solar Panels
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The companies racing to build large solar farms across the United States are facing a growing problem: Not enough workers. On Tuesday, AES Corporation, one of the country’s biggest renewable energy companies, introduced a first-of-its-kind robot that can lug around and install the thousands of heavy panels that typically make up a large solar array. AES said its robot, nicknamed Maximo, would ultimately be able to install solar panels twice as fast as humans can and at half the cost. After months of testing, AES will put Maximo to work in the California desert later this year to help install panels at the largest solar-plus-battery project under construction, meant to power Amazon data centers. If all goes well, the company aims to build hundreds of similar A.I.-powered robots.

Persons: Maximo Organizations: AES Corporation, AES Locations: United States, California

☆ Olympic moment of the day: Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, tennis’ new favorite double act
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Roland Garros, Paris CNN —After all these years, Rafael Nadal is still finding new ways to win matches on his favorite tennis court. The victory against two seasoned doubles players was by no means easy, likely a sign of the limited time that Nadal and Alcaraz have spent training and playing together. But it was nonetheless an entertaining introduction to tennis’ new favorite double act. Another break of serve followed two games later, which Alcaraz had engineered with a cross-court backhand, before Nadal was able to serve out for the match. And who can blame him when he’s still winning on his favorite court, all to the applause of thousands of fans?

Persons: Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Philippe, Chatrier, Alcaraz’s, Nadal, Alcaraz, “ It’s, ” Nadal, Carlos, Clive Brunskill, ”, “ allez, Molteni, Lebanon’s Hady Habib, it’s, Rafa, Carlos Moyá, Hungary’s Márton, Novak Djokovic, “ Who, he’s Organizations: Paris CNN —, Paris Olympics, Nadal, France, Wimbledon, Olympics Locations: Paris, Philippe, France

☆ Rohan Bopanna: At the age of 43, Indian tennis star is making history – with a little help from Iyengar yoga
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Rohan Bopanna is set to become the world’s oldest No.1 tennis player in history at the age of 43 – with a little help from Iyengar yoga. Bopanna and Ebden defeated Tomas Machac of Czech Republic and Zhang Zhizhen of China on the 12th day of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2024. Bopanna attributed yoga, which he started practising during the Covid-19 pandemic, as helping improve his tennis in recent years. But with a local studio near his home, Bopanna tried Iyengar yoga, which he practiced four times a week for 90 minutes. Next, second-seeded Bopanna and Australian Ebden will face Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassor as the Indian seeks his first major title, and the Australian his second.

Persons: CNN — Rohan Bopanna, –, Matthew Ebden, Maximo Gonzalez, Andres Molteni, Tomas Machac, Zhang Zhizhen, “, ” Bopanna, you’re, Bopanna, ”, Ebden, Andy Cheung, Eric Butorac, Iyengar, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassor, Max Purcell, Matt it’s Organizations: CNN, Iyengar, Melbourne Park, Los Angeles, Indian, Wimbledon, Asian, Paris Olympics Locations: Czech Republic, China, India, Australian

☆ Codelco says reassessing mine costs, will maintain capex
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Pratima Desai | Julian Luk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Chile’s Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, is reassessing the cost structure at its mine projects, its chairman said on Friday, given recent overruns. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, is seen at their headquarters in downtown Santiago, Chile March 29, 2018. The company, which has some of the highest input costs for miners in Chile, said in July direct production costs during the first six months of the year jumped 41.3% to hit about $2.12 per pound, from $1.506 the year before. In response, Codelco said it had a solid financial position and broad access to financial markets. The South American country has the world’s largest lithium reserves.

Persons: Codelco, Ivan Alvarado, Maximo Pacheco, Pacheco, ” Pacheco, Alejandro Rivera, Rivera’s, Rodrigues, Blaine J, Maximo Pacheco’s Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, London Metal Exchange, for Copper, Mining Studies, Moody’s Investor Services Locations: Santiago, Chile, London, China

☆ Da’vian Kimbrough: Soccer player makes historic debut at age 13
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Soccer player Da’vian Kimbrough made his debut for the Sacramento Republic on Sunday at the age of 13, marking a historic moment for US sports. The match was played in front of a capacity crowd at Heart Health Park, according to the Sacramento Republic website. Aged 13 years, seven months, and 13 days, Kimbrough also became the youngest professional soccer player to make their debut in a competitive match. Sacramento Republic plays in the USL Championship, the second-tier of US soccer. Da’vian Kimbrough makes his professional debut at 13 years, 7 months, 13 days with his hometown club.

Persons: Da’vian Kimbrough, Kimbrough, Axel Kei, Maximo Carizzo Organizations: CNN — Soccer, Sacramento Republic, Sunday, Las Vegas, Heart Health, Real Monarchs, Colorado Springs, New York City FC, USL Championship, Western Conference . Historic, Republic FC, Sacramento, MLS, League Soccer’s, –, Republic, Western Conference Locations: Sacramento, @SacRepublicFC

☆ Chile's Codelco to meet obligations as financials deteriorate -JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, is seen at their headquarters in downtown Santiago, Chile March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSANTIAGO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Chile's Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, will meet its financial obligations despite headwinds from a series of operational problems and from high levels of debt and investments, JPMorgan said on Tuesday. Codelco's copper production fell in 2022 to its lowest level in 25 years, exacerbated in part by delays to key projects for extending the lives of its mines. The company cut its production estimate for this year to between 1.31 billion and 1.35 billion metric tons of the red metal. Earlier this month, Codelco's Chairman Maximo Pacheco told lawmakers that the company was "financially solid" and described CESCO's forecast as "nonsense."

Persons: Ivan Alvarado, Codelco, Ian Snyder, Maximo Pacheco, Natalia Ramos, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, JPMorgan, Chile's, for Copper, Mining Studies, Thomson Locations: Santiago, Chile

☆ Chile's Codelco to hand over 24,000 hectares for glacier park
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An aerial view of Olivares glacier in the Andes Mountain range, near Santiago city, Chile November 17, 2014. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSANTIAGO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Chilean state-owned mining firm Codelco will give up some 24,000 hectares of land it holds concessions to near the Andes mountain range for a new national glacier park, the chair of the board announced on Monday. The move is "a strategic initiative to face the challenges of climate change," Codelco chair Maximo Pacheco said at an event. The glacier park sits along the upper part of the Olivares and Colorado river basins, to the east of the capital. Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olivares, Ivan Alvarado, Codelco, Maximo Pacheco, Maximiliano Proano, Fabian Andres Cambero, Valentine Hilaire, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Santiago city, Chile, Chilean, Santiago, Colorado

[1/10] People attend to cast their vote at a polling station during the first round of Guatemala's presidential election in Chinautla, Guatemala, June 25, 2023. She is up against more than 20 other candidates, including Edmond Mulet, a career diplomat, and Zury Rios, daughter of the late dictator Efrain Rios Montt. "All the young people right now will have a role in politics in Guatemala in 20 years time ... "(The next) four years won't allow time to undo how poorly managed the government has been for so many years," said Andres Nolasco, a 25-year-old accountant from Guatemala City. Reporting by Sofía Menchú in Guatemala City and Diego Oré in Mexico City; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Chizu Nomiyama and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sandra Torres, Edmond Mulet, Zury Rios, Efrain Rios Montt, Maximo Santacruz, Julio Valenzuela, Alejandro Giammattei, Carlos Pineda, Pineda, Carolina Jimenez, San Jose del Golfo, Irma Palencia, Andres Nolasco, Torres, Alvaro Colom, Sofía Menchú, Diego Oré, Isabel Woodford, Daniel Wallis, Chizu Nomiyama, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, GUATEMALA CITY, Young, European Union, Washington, Central American, Thomson Locations: Chinautla, Guatemala, Josue, GUATEMALA, United States, America, WOLA, San Jose, Guatemala City, Mexico City

☆ Chile's Codelco must kick-start lithium industry while reviving copper output
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Fabian Cambero | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At the same time, Codelco wants to boost its output of copper which has slumped to its lowest in a quarter-century. Some analysts have questioned whether the copper company with no experience as a lithium miner can tackle both challenges at once. But industry insiders told Reuters Codelco will probably focus its own resources on copper while negotiating contracts for lithium operations and letting other miners do the work. The sources said the lithium strategy was being led by executives including Jaime San Martin, manager of new business development, known by some within Codelco as "lithium man". "But I think lithium is an excellent opportunity for Codelco to help them navigate their very difficult copper situation."

Persons: Ivan Alvarado, SANTIAGO, Gabriel Boric, Codelco, Reuters Codelco, Albemarle, Jaime San Martin, Alejandro Rivera, Maximo Pacheco, Minera, SQM, Pacheco, Juan Carlos Guajardo, Plusmining, Guajardo, Andre Sougarret, Fabian Andrés Cambero, Alexander Villegas, Adam Jourdan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Tesla, BMW, Finance, Salares, Thomson Locations: Chile, Australia, Albemarle, Indonesia, Freeport, McMoRan, Chile's, Berlin, Beijing, Codelco, Santiago

FBI agents flew with van der Sloot on a US Department of Justice plane to an airport in Birmingham, Alabama, where he landed Thursday afternoon. Van der Sloot was seen leaving the Ancón 1 prison in Lima early Thursday, as he was driven away in a black van while in the custody of law enforcement. Peru initially agreed to extradite van der Sloot to the US to face those charges only after he serves his murder sentence. “I want to go to the US,” van der Sloot told Altez in a letter. Holloway was last seen alive with van der Sloot and two other men leaving a nightclub in Aruba 18 years ago.

Persons: Joran van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway, van der Sloot, Holloway’s, Beth Holloway, John Kelly, van, Sloot, –, Van der Sloot, Daniel Maurate, ”, Joran Van Der Sloot, Elizabeth Ann Holloway, Maximo Altez, Altez, ” van der Sloot, Stephany Flores, Holloway, – van der Sloot, Deepak, Satish Kalpoe Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Dutch, FBI, US Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, Agents, Peru’s Air Force Base Grupo, ”, CNN en Espanol, Police Locations: United States, Aruba, Birmingham , Alabama, Northern District, Netherlands, Holloway’s, Alabama, Peru, Lima, Lima , Peru, America

“I want to go to the US,” Van der Sloot told Altez in a letter. Van der Sloot was convicted in 2012 of murdering Stephany Flores, 21, in his Lima hotel room and sentenced to 28 years in prison. Peru initially agreed to extradite Van der Sloot to the US to face those charges only after he serves his murder sentence. Peru agreed to Van der Sloot’s “temporary relocation to the United States, because he is condemned here and he must serve his sentence here,” Justice Minister Daniel Maurate said. Police in Aruba arrested and released the three men – van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe – multiple times in 2005 and 2007 in connection with Holloway’s disappearance.

Persons: Joran Van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway, Maximo Altez, Altez, ” Van der Sloot, Van der Sloot, Stephany Flores, he’s, Van der, Daniel Maurate, ” Holloway, – van der Sloot, Deepak, Satish Kalpoe Organizations: CNN, Joran, CNN en Espanol, ”, Aruba . Police Locations: Alabama, Peru, Lima, United States, Aruba, An Alabama

☆ Natalee Holloway case suspect Joran van der Sloot beaten in Peruvian prison, attorney tells ABC News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Tatiana Arias | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, was “severely” beaten in a Peruvian prison, his attorney told ABC News on Monday. It may be connected to gang rules inside the Challapalca Prison where van der Sloot is being held, Altez said. Natalee Holloway was last seen alive with van der Sloot and two other men 18 years ago leaving a nightclub in Aruba. The three men – van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe – were arrested in 2005 and released due to insufficient evidence. They were rearrested and charged in 2007 for “involvement in the voluntary manslaughter of Natalee Holloway or causing serious bodily harm to Natalee Holloway, resulting in her death,” Aruban prosecutors said at the time.

☆ Chile's state miner launches subsidiaries to manage lithium takeover plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTIAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - Chilean state miner Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Friday it had created two subsidiaries to run a newly mandated lithium business amid a government plan to increase state control over the industry. The government instructed Codelco in April to begin talks with companies running lithium mining operations in Chile's Atacama salt flats as part of a new lithium strategy that will see the state take majority stakes in all "strategic" projects. As well as talks with the world's two largest lithium miners, Albemarle (ALB.N) and SQM (SQMA.SN), Codelco has also been tasked by President Gabriel Boric's government with developing new alliances. On Thursday, SQM said it expected to begin talks with Codelco in the coming weeks. Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bitcoin just hit a 2-month low and posted its worst week of the year. Here's what analysts say happens next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The largest crypto asset by market cap lost 11.25% for the week, its worst since November, according to Coin Metrics. Coin Metrics measures a week in crypto, which trades 24 hours a day, from the 4:00 p.m. "Bitcoin has switched between the narrative of a risk asset and the narrative of a flight to safety asset. BTC.CM= 5D mountain Bitcoin (BTC) this week For the past few days, bitcoin has ended down to flat. Bitcoin is still up 59% for the year, but down about 7% for the quarter so far, according to Coin Metrics.

☆ World food prices rise for first time in a year, UN food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points last month against 126.5 for March, the agency said on Friday. "As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices," said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero. While the meat index rose 1.3% month-on-month, dairy prices dipped 1.7%, vegetable oil prices fell 1.3% and the cereal price index shed 1.7%, with a decline in world prices of all major grains outweighing an increase in rice prices. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.780 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22. World cereal stocks by the close of the 2022/2023 seasons are expected to ease by 0.2% from their opening levels to 855 million tonnes.

☆ World food prices fall for 12th month running in March - FAO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, April 7 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in March for a 12th consecutive month, and is now down 20.5% from a record high hit one year ago following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.9 points last month against 129.7 for February, the agency said on Friday. The FAO cereal price index fell 5.6% month-on-month in March, with wheat registering a 7.1% drop, maize a 4.6% decline and rice easing 3.2 percent. FAO also raised its forecast for world cereal production in 2022 to 2.777 billion tonnes, just 1.2% down from the previous year. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.779 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22.

☆ Tiny homes, big problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Beyond their star appeal, low-cost tiny homes like Casitas have real-world utility. The homes have been seized upon as a solution for cities like Los Angeles to house the homeless. They showed off their homes' transportability by hitching several of them to a Tesla and filming drag races between Teslas and trucks that were hooked to trailers carrying the homes. So far, though, after a little more than a year of building, the company has fabricated only about 400 homes. Even if it were churning out thousands of units, Boxabl hasn't yet received the certifications required to sell them in most states across the country.

☆ War and drought drove global food prices to record high in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, dipped by 1.9% in December from a month earlier, the Rome-based organization said Friday. “Calmer food commodity prices are welcome after two very volatile years,” FAO chief economist Maximo Torero said in a prepared statement. With critical Black Sea supplies disrupted, food prices rose to record highs, increasing inflation, poverty and food insecurity in developing nations that rely on imports. The organization’s Vegetable Oil Price Index hit an all-time high last year, even as it tumbled in December to its lowest level since February 2021. For all of 2022, the FAO Dairy Price Index and Meat Price Index also were the highest since 1990.

☆ World food prices hit record high in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 143.7 points in 2022, up 14.3% from 2021, and the highest since records started in 1990, the agency said on Friday. Food prices surged after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year on fears of disruptions to Black Sea trade. "Calmer food commodity prices are welcome after two very volatile years," FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said. Still over the whole of 2022, four of the FAO's five food sub-indexes - cereals, meat, dairy and vegetable oils - had reached record highs, while the fifth one, sugar, was at a 10-year high. The FAO Cereal Price Index index rose 17.9% in 2022 due to factors including significant market disruptions, higher energy and input costs, adverse weather and continued strong global food demand, the FAO said.

“The magnitude of the flow is unprecedented and unheard of,” said Jorge Duany, director of Florida International University’s Cuba Research Institute. Over 6,000 Cuban migrants were interdicted at sea in 2021 while attempting to cross the Florida straits in makeshift boats. Recent migrants have been staying with relatives until they’re able to find work and a room or efficiency to rent. “It’s basically chaos,” said Angel Leal, an immigration attorney in Miami with a large volume of Cuban clients. But previous waves of Cuban migrants, like those who came in the 1990s during the rafter crisis, also leaned Democratic and then ultimately turned Republican.

Puerto Rican singer and musician Lalo Rodríguez, best known for his salsa megahit "Ven devórame otra vez" (Come devour me again) has died. As fellow musicians and fans grapple with the uncertain circumstances surrounding his death, they're remembering Rodríguez as a talented artist who helped lift salsa music to new heights. Light and progress Lalo," salsa music icon Willie Colón, who is also credited for helping popularize the genre, lamented in Spanish on Twitter. Salsa music enthusiast Juana Peña described Rodríguez as a "versatile singer, capable of getting into any rhythm and doing it well" in a tweet. Puerto Rican writer Sandra Guzmán mourned the singer's passing with a touching post saying, "A virtuoso goes to music heaven to join Puerto Rican salsa Gods.

This is one of the reasons why Derbez is telling the story of a fictional resort using both English and Spanish. “I was always criticizing movies where I was seeing 007 (referring to the character James Bond) in Brazil and everyone speaks in English,” Derbez, who's also an executive producer of the show, said in an interview with NBC News. And that’s not the way it is.”The same goes for many TV shows being filmed in Mexico, Derbez said, which also show characters speaking only in English. He wants “Acapulco” to stand out by depicting the multilingual reality that he sees and lives in both countries. Episode nine of season two releases Friday on Apple TV+.

☆ Russia's exit from grain deal could raise food prices: U.N.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRussia's exit from grain deal could raise food prices: U.N.Maximo Torero of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization discusses the consequences of Russia's exit from its grain deal with Ukraine.

☆ IBM salaries revealed: Engineers can earn nearly $200K. See how much analysts, managers, and others at the tech giant make.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

IBM is among the oldest and largest computer companies in the world and has more than 350,000 employees. These offers must be equal to what US employees earn making them a great guide to employee salaries at the company. When Insider analyzed IBM salary data in 2021, the highest offer was to an engineering program director, earning $335,000. A technical team lead, for instance, earned $57,500 in Monroe, LA, and as much as $114,500 in Parsippany, NJ. Insider has also compiled a database of salaries across other big tech companies like Google, Apple, Tesla, Amazon, and more.

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