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REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Saudi Arabia's PIF buys into Rocco Forte hotel groupPlans to help expand luxury hotel groupItalian investor CDPE checks out of chainDec 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's PIF sovereign wealth fund will buy a 49% stake in luxury hotel group Rocco Forte Hotels and help to support its expansion, the owner of Britain's Balmoral hotel said on Monday. A spokesperson for Rocco Forte Hotels declined to confirm the size of PIF's stake. Rocco Forte Hotels, founded in 1996, operates across Italy, Britain, Germany, Belgium and Russia and has 20 private villas in addition to its hotels. CDPE, which owned a 23% stake in Rocco Forte Hotels, is owned by Italy's state-backed fund CDP. Rocco Forte, which was advised by Rothschild, reported revenues of around 300 million pounds last fiscal year, with a core profit of around 60 million pounds, according to a source.

Persons: Russell Cheyne, Companies Saudi Arabia's PIF, Rocco Forte, CDPE, Olga Polizzi, Forte, Rocco Forte Hotels, Al Nowaiser, PIF, Rothschild, Yadarisa, Elisa Anzolin, Keith Weir, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Saudi Arabia's, Saudi Arabia's, Rocco Forte Hotels, Financial Times, Granada, Thomson Locations: Balmoral, Scotland, Edinburgh, Britain, Saudi, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Milan, Sardinia, Italy's, SAUDI ARABIA, Saudi Arabia, Bengaluru, London

The moon rises over the Toronto city skyline as seen from Milton, Ontario, Canada, January 23, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTORONTO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Canadian banks had a mixed fourth quarter but a common theme underlining all the reports was the rise in bad loan provisions, signalling that lenders were strapping in for a shaky economy. Impaired loans related to residential mortgages, real estate and construction were also higher from the prior quarter, indicating that the banks were also being cautious when considering underwriting new loans. He noted that despite the mixed results, the banks reported healthy capital levels, giving investors assurance that the banks remain resilient. Reuters Graphics($1 = 1.3559 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mark Blinch, Verecan, Colin White, Dave McKay, Mike Archibald, Nivedita Balu, Mark Porter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Bank of Canada, BOC, Royal Bank of Canada, CIBC, National Bank, Scotiabank, BMO, RBC, Reuters Graphics Reuters, AGF Investments, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Toronto, Milton , Ontario, Canada

☆ UK's Petrofac looking to sell some assets; warns on cash flow
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Oilfield services firm Petrofac Ltd (PFC.L) said on Monday it was in discussions over the sale of its non-core assets and that it will no longer be able to meet its full-year guidance of "broadly neutral free cash flow" due to payment delays. "While the group has made progress in reaching contractual settlements and unwinding working capital, given delays in securing advance payment guarantees, it no longer expects to receive these advances before the year-end," Petrofac said in a statement. The company added it is exploring potential new financial options across all its classes of capital, and is actively engaged in discussions with investors to take a non-controlling position in certain other components of its business portfolio. Last week, shares in London-listed Petrofac dropped to a record low as analysts flagged concerns over its balance sheet due to payment delays. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Petrofac, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Organizations: Petrofac, Thomson Locations: London, Bengaluru

☆ Indian economy to exceed growth estimates after strong Q2 beat : economists
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The country's economy expanded 7.6% in the July-September quarter, trouncing estimates of a 6.8% rise, data released on Thursday showed. He had an earlier forecast growth at 6.7%. The government stuck to its 6.5% growth forecast for the year, but chief economic advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran said he was "more comfortable with an upside to this projection than before". Reuters GraphicsCitigroup revised its growth forecast for the financial year upwards by 50 basis points to 6.7% citing a pick-up in investment activity. "This reaffirms our view of sustained investment recovery," the Wall Street bank's chief India economist Samiran Chakraborty said in a note.

Persons: Ranita Roy, Saumya Kanti Ghosh, V, Anantha Nageswaran, Gross, Samiran Chakraborty, Chakraborty, Radhika Rao, Gaura Sen Gupta, Ira Dugal, Nivedita Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, State Bank of India, Reuters Graphics Citigroup, Street bank's, DBS, IDFC, Bank Economics Research, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India

☆ Gold eyes 3rd weekly gain as lower inflation cements Fed cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Harshit Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Spot gold rose 0.3% at $2,042.58 per ounce by 0621 GMT on Friday, and is up about 2% for the week so far. The metal rose $60 in November in its second straight monthly gain. Data on Thursday showed U.S. consumer spending rose moderately in October, while the annual increase in inflation was the smallest in more than 2-1/2 years. "However, month-end flow may have also been a factor, and seasonality tends to favour gains for gold between November and December," City Index's Simpson added. Spot silver and platinum edged up 0.1% to $25.29 and $927.44 per ounce, respectively, while palladium rose 0.4% to $1,011.65.

Persons: Alexander Manzyuk, Powell, Matt Simpson, CME's, Index's Simpson, Hugo Pascal, Harshit Verma, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Mrigank Organizations: REUTERS, Federal, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Traders, U.S, Thomson Locations: Novosibirsk, Siberian, Russia, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Central banks of India, England resolve trade settlement stand-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo is seen inside its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas//o/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The central banks of India and England on Friday signed an agreement on information exchange for settlement of bond trades, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said. In India, bonds are settled through the Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL). The two central banks have also established a framework for the BoE to rely on the Indian central bank's regulatory and supervisory activities, while safeguarding the United Kingdom's financial stability, the RBI said. This meant that European banks had to settle their India-based trades through banks based in other jurisdictions.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, BoE, CCIL, Siddhi Nayak, Jayshree, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sohini Organizations: Bank of India, REUTERS, Rights, Reserve Bank of India, Clearing Corporation of India, Bank of England, United, European Securities and Markets Authority, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, England

TD said it would be challenging to meet its medium-term adjusted earnings growth target range of 7%-10% in the new fiscal year. It reported adjusted earnings of C$1.83 per share, 7 Canadian cents shy of estimates. RBC reported adjusted earnings of C$2.78 per share, comfortably beating expectations of C$2.62, according to LSEG data. CIBC also beat profit expectations as it set aside smaller-than-expected loan provisions and is slashing costs through a 5% reduction in its workforce, or about 2,400 jobs. The lender, Canada's fifth biggest, reported adjusted earnings of C$1.57 per share, compared with expectations of C$1.53.

Persons: Mark Blinch, Gabriel Dechaine, Kelvin Tran, Victor Dodig, Dave McKay, Niket, Balu, Arasu Kannagi Basil, Shinjini Ganguli, Kirsten Donovan, Mark Porter Organizations: Royal Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, RBC, National Bank, CIBC, TD Bank, Bank Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, Tuesday, Thomson Locations: Toronto, dealmaking, PCLs, Canada, United States, U.S, Bengaluru

NASA and Indian Space Research Organization logos are seen in this illustration taken May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Nov 28 (Reuters) - NASA will train an Indian astronaut for a voyage to the International Space Station as early as next year, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Wednesday, amid deepening space ties between India and the United States. "There is an opportunity to share science," Nelson said, speaking at an event in Bengaluru, where he is due to inspect the NISAR satellite on Thursday. NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a low-Earth orbit observatory system jointly developed by NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). "This is the golden age of space exploration," Nelson said at Wednesday's event.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Bill Nelson, Nelson, NASA's, Russia's Luna, Nivedita, Kanjyik Ghosh, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: NASA, Indian Space Research, REUTERS, Rights, International Space Station, ISRO, Space Research, NASA's Artemis, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: India, United States, Bengaluru, NISAR, Russia, Ukraine, China, Mumbai

The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) logo is seen outside of a branch in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2019. It also disrupted Canada's prestigious Giller Prize Gala on Nov. 14, a literary award sponsored by Scotiabank. It claims in its petition that Scotiabank is the biggest foreign shareholder in Elbit, whose weapons were heavily used during Israel's 11-day operation in Gaza in May 2021. The email said Scotiabank was "not the biggest shareholder of Elbit, nor is it the biggest foreign shareholder of Elbit. Eko said it would not comment on the protests at Scotia branches and has not taken part in the protests.

Persons: Chris Wattie, Eko, unitholders, Angus Wong, Wong, Bezhalel Machlis, Nivedita Balu, Denny Thomas, David Gregorio Our Organizations: of Nova, REUTERS, Rights TORONTO, Bank of Nova, Elbit Systems, Scotiabank . Toronto Police, Scotiabank, Global Asset Management, Management, Vanguard Group, BlackRock Institutional Trust, Israel Ministry of Defence, Israel MOD, Thomson Locations: of Nova Scotia, Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, Israel, Elbit, Gaza, Toronto, Scotia

☆ UK regulator says Adobe's $20 bln Figma deal could harm sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Adobe logo is seen on smartphone in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Tuesday said Photoshop owner Adobe Inc's (ADBE.O) $20 billion buyout of cloud-based designer platform Figma would "likely harm innovation for software used by the vast majority of UK digital designers." In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an in-depth, or phase two, investigation into the deal after Adobe said it would not offer any concessions to ease the regulator's concerns. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Organizations: REUTERS, Adobe, Markets Authority, CMA, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

A sign for The Bank of Nova Scotia, operating as Scotiabank, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 13, 2021. The lender said earnings in the 2024 fiscal year to Oct. 31 would be impacted by "slowing economic growth across its markets and increasing regulatory capital requirements" but it would also benefit from interest-earning assets. "We expect a challenging environment will persist for consumers and businesses," Chief Risk Officer Phil Thomas told analysts, citing muted Canadian economic growth, continued inflationary pressures and uncertain prospects for rate cuts. Finance chief Raj Viswanathan said deposit and loan growth were also expected to moderate from 2023 levels, noting savings levels have started coming down in Canada with inflation at multi-year highs, leaving consumers with less cash in hand. Its efforts to streamline operations resulted in a restructuring charge of C$258 million, Scotiabank said.

Persons: Carlos Osorio, Phil Thomas, Raj Viswanathan, Mike Rizvanovic, Scott Thomson, Niket, Balu, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: The Bank of, Scotiabank, REUTERS, Bank of Nova, Finance, Bank of Canada, Thomson Locations: The Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bengaluru, Toronto

☆ Chinese AI firm SenseTime refutes short-seller report allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Chinese artificial intelligence software developer SenseTime Group (0020.HK) said on Tuesday that a short-seller report by Grizzly Research LLC is 'without merit' and will review the allegations against the company. Earlier on Tuesday, the short-seller's report alleged the AI firm was artificially inflating revenue through revenue fabrication schemes. Shares of the company fell as much as 9.7% to trade at HK$1.30 per dollar, hitting its lowest since last November. Reporting by Archishma Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Archishma Iyer, Nivedita Organizations: SenseTime, HK, Grizzly Research, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

While high interest rates have boosted the banks' lending margins, residential mortgages, auto loans and commercial real estate loans have slowed as consumers and businesses pulled back. With interest rates forecast to remain high, renewal of the mortgages will squeeze household budgets. Banks are also rethinking lending to industries sensitive to high interest rates, from condo development to office space. "We want to make sure we have some kind of confidence when a project is going to go ahead," said Victoria Girardo, Canadian Western Bank's (CWB.TO) VP in real estate lending. "That is creating liquidity issues across the real estate developer space.

Persons: Carlos Osorio, Ebrahim Poonawala, Mike Rizvanovic, Rizvanovic, Banks, Victoria Girardo, Nigel D'Souza, Nivedita Balu, Mark Porter Organizations: Bank of Montreal, REUTERS, Rights TORONTO, U.S, National Bank, Bank, Veritas Investment Research, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Toronto

☆ Alberta to invoke controversial law to resist Canada's energy policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Alberta has long been at odds with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government over energy policy. "We have been trying to work collaboratively with them on aligning their targets with our targets," Smith said on Saturday said on the radio program "Your Province. We have to have an affordable grid, and we're going to make sure that we defend our constitutional jurisdiction to do that." The Trudeau government's clean electricity regulations are designed to create a net-zero emissions power grid by 2035 by putting limits on when and how emitting power sources, such as Alberta's natural gas-burning plants, can be used starting in 2035. Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Danielle Smith, Justin Trudeau's, Smith, Steven Guilbeault, Trudeau, Nivedita Balu, Leslie Adler Organizations: TORONTO, Justin Trudeau's Liberal, Alberta, Canada's, United, Thomson Locations: Alberta, Province, United Canada, Toronto

With the Canadian economy showing signs of a slowdown, money markets are pricing in the first interest rate cuts since March 2020 as soon as April, which would bring down mortgage costs. Still, more home buyers took out fixed-rate mortgages in September compared with a year ago, eschewing variable rate mortgages where the interest rate varies based on current market rates. Since then, the central bank has raised the key interest rate to a 22-year high of 5% in July. The share of fixed rate loans among five-year and three-year mortgages rose to 68% in August compared with 32% a year ago. In the first three weeks of November, 79% of mortgage seekers in Canada opted for a fixed mortgage, said Hanif Bayat, CEO of financial data firm Wowa Leads.

Persons: you've, Macklem, Sophie Tremblay, Hanif Bayat, Wowa, Carolyn Rogers, Rogers, Ryan Sims, William Coyle, Nivedita Balu, Denny Thomas, Deepa Babington Organizations: TORONTO, Bank, Bank of Canada, Montreal, NEW, National Bank analysts, BoC, The Mortgage Group Inc, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Canada, Niagara, Huntsville, Toronto

☆ Tesla ready to invest up to $2 bln to build India factory, but with riders -ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla logo is seen on the steering wheel of an electric vehicle at a dealership in Durango, northern Spain, October 30, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent West/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Tesla Inc FollowBENGALURU, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) is ready to invest up to $2 billion to set up a factory in India if the government cuts import duty on its vehicles to 15% for the first two years of operations, the Economic Times reported on Friday. The government is examining the viability of Tesla's proposal to invest $2 billion but wants to reduce the number of cars imported on a lower duty, compared to Tesla's proposal, the Economic Times said. Tesla, the department for promotion of industry and internal trade, ministry of heavy industries, ministry of road transport & highways and the ministry of finance did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vincent West, Elon, Tesla, Rama Venkat, Nivedita Organizations: REUTERS, Economic Times, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Durango, Spain, India, Bengaluru

☆ 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

"i'm looking forward to returning to openai," Altman said in a post on the X social media platform late on Tuesday. Sam Altman attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. OpenAI's previous board consisted of Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner and OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and Quora CEO D'Angelo, who is part of the revamped board. In a post on X on Tuesday, Shear said he worked "~72 very intense hours" to bring stability - and ultimately Altman - back to OpenAI. When he was out of a job, CEO Nadella said Altman could head a new research team alongside Brockman and other colleagues departing from OpenAI.

Persons: Bret Taylor, Brockman, FRANCISCO, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, D'Angelo, Altman, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell's, Satya Nadella, Kyle Rodda, Carlos Barria, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Ilya Sutskever, Steve Jobs, Greg Brockman, Sunday Altman, Emmett Shear, Shear, Nadella, Jeffrey Dastin, Aditya Soni, Shivani Tanna, Bansari, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sam Holmes, Jane Merriman Organizations: U.S . Treasury, Microsoft, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: openai, U.S, OpenAI, Asia, San Francisco , California, Valley, San Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Reaction to Sam Altman's return as OpenAI CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI and ChatGPT creator speaks during a talk at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Openai LLC FollowNov 22 (Reuters) - OpenAI said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement for Sam Altman to return as CEO days after his ouster, capping frenzied discussions about the future of the startup at the center of the artificial intelligence boom. THRIVE CAPITAL, OPENAI SHAREHOLDER"OpenAI has the potential to be one of the most consequential companies in the history of computing. "Sam Altman seems awfully powerful and it is unclear that any board would be able to oversee him. Altman and (Microsoft CEO) Nadella may have pushed to allow Altman a much freer hand."

Persons: Sam Altman, Amir Cohen, OpenAI, DANNI HEWSON, BELL, Altman, DANIELA HATHORN, Altman's, Greg, Brockman, ChatGPT's, would've, SUSANNAH STREETER, HARGREAVES LANSDOWN, Sam Altman's, KELVIN WONG, MAK, Nadella, hasn't, Supantha Mukherjee, Ankika Biswas, Bansari Mayur, Aditya Soni, Miyoung Kim, Nivedita Organizations: Microsoft, Tel Aviv University, REUTERS, BANK, OpenAI, MNC, OF, UNIVERSITY OF, UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE BUSINSS, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, OpenAI, Stockholm, Bengaluru

Bret Taylor, formerly co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, will join Quora CEO and current director Adam D'Angelo, OpenAI said. Altman said in a post on X, "i'm looking forward to returning to openai." In a statement on X, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella welcomed the changes to OpenAI's board. In a post on X, Shear celebrated the late-night outcome Tuesday, which he said followed "~72 very intense hours of work." Following this show of solidarity, Altman wrote on X: "we have more unity and commitment and focus than ever before."

Persons: Sam Altman, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, OpenAI, Altman, Satya Nadella, Altman's, OpenAI's, Emmett Shear, Sam Altman's, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, Shear, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Jeffrey Dastin, Tanna, Bansari, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sam Holmes Organizations: Microsoft, U.S . Treasury, Quora, Hargreaves, Reuters, Thomson Locations: openai, San Francisco, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - OpenAI's board of directors approached rival Anthropic's CEO about replacing chief Sam Altman and potentially merging the two AI startups, according to two people briefed on the matter. The news, reported earlier by The Information on Monday, follows various reported calls to find Altman's successor days after OpenAI's board ousted him. OpenAI declined to comment and board member Adam D'Angelo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Sunday the board offered ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to be its interim chief, who accepted. By Monday, nearly all of the startup's more than 700 employees threatened to quit, including one of its executives on OpenAI's now four-person board.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, OpenAI's, OpenAI, Adam D'Angelo, Emmett Shear, Altman, Anthropic, Claude, Jeffrey Dastin, Urvi, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Las Vegas hospitality unions ratify 5-year contract with Caesars
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is seen on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Unions representing hospitality workers in Las Vegas said on Monday that thousands of members employed at Caesars Entertainment (CZR.O) have voted to ratify a new five-year contract. loadingThe Culinary Workers and Bartenders Unions had earlier this month reached a tentative deal with Caesars for a "historic" new contract for 10,000 employees. The unions had also reached agreements with Wynn Resorts (WYNN.O) and MGM Resorts International (MGM.N), the ratification votes for which are due in the next few days. The casinos reached the agreement with the unions just in time before the strike on Nov. 10, which had threatened to shut down the Las Vegas Strip.

Persons: Darrin Zammit Lupi, Baranjot Kaur, Nivedita Bhattacharjee Organizations: Las, REUTERS, Caesars Entertainment, Culinary Workers, Bartenders, Caesars, Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Las Vegas, Bengaluru

☆ Canada tax rule curbs Airbnb deductions to ease rental shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTORONTO, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Canada introduced tax measures on Tuesday to ease a severe rental housing shortage by limiting income tax deductions on short-term rentals on services such as Airbnb Inc (ABNB.O) and VRBO, joining many countries that are enacting similar laws. The new rules apply as of Jan. 1 in provinces and municipalities that bar short-term rentals, and affect deductions such as interest expenses, the federal government said in its fall economic statement. In Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver alone, an estimated 18,900 homes were being used as short-term rental properties in 2020, the report added, noting that the number "has almost surely increased in recent years." Starting in 2024, the government will spend C$50 million ($36 million) over three years to enable municipal enforcement of restrictions on short-term rentals. Gabriel Giguère, public policy analyst at Montreal Economic Institute, criticized the government's decision to modify the tax treatment of the expenses of owners of short-term rental apartments.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Nathan Rotman, Gabriel Giguère, Giguère, Nivedita Balu, Richard Chang, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights TORONTO, Inc, Canada, Montreal Economic Institute, British Columbia, Thomson Locations: Canada, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Australia, Italy, Canadian, U.S, Florence, Byron, British

☆ Eutelsat OneWeb gets Indian go-ahead for satellite broadband services
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Eutelsat (ETL.PA) subsidiary Eutelsat OneWeb said on Tuesday it had won approval from India's space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country. Prime Minister Modi's government, which is heading for elections next year, is pushing the development of India's space industry. Investors poured $119 million into Indian space startups in 2022, up from a total of just $38 million in all the years up to 2017. In March, OneWeb partnered with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to launch 36 satellites. Amazon's Project Kuiper (AMZN.O) has also been in talks with regulators to offer satellite broadband services in India, the Economic Times newspaper reported last month.

Persons: Eutelsat OneWeb, Modi's, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Eutelsat, Mittal's, Mittal, OneWeb, Elon Musk's Starlink, Nivedita, Kanjyik Ghosh, Alexander Smith Organizations: Mittal's Bharti Enterprises, Airtel, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Reuters, Ambani's, Economic Times, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, India, Bengaluru

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