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☆ The Orient Express is plotting a comeback as the ultra-rich ditch luxury brands for travel
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dubbed La Dolce Vita, the new Orient Express trains will start operating in Spring 2025. Travel agent Julia Carter, founder of the luxury travel agency Craft Travel, said unique experiences are higher on the priority list of wealthy vacationers than ever. Itineraries on La Dolce Vita Orient Express start at $3,800 for a one-night stay. Courtesy of Orient Express ItalyUnlike cruise travel, luxury train travel is also more exclusive, another top priority among wealthy travelers. "People want the luxury of space and privacy," Craft, the luxury travel agent, said.

Persons: Vita, —, Amrita Banta, Julia Carter, Carter, Georges Nagelmackers, Agatha Christie, Dame Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Buyenlarge, Samy Ghachem, La Dolce, COVID, let's, Ghachem, it's Organizations: Orient Express, Service, Research, Strategy, McKinsey & Company, Craft Travel, Orient, The Orient Express, Dolce Vita, Dolce Vita Orient Locations: Italy, China, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Belgian, Paris, Istanbul, Sicily, Asia, Africa, Orient Express Italy

☆ Jack Dorsey's payments company Block expands corporate card service to the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Block, the payments company owned by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey has launched its corporate card service in the U.K. in a bid to deepen its expansion into the country and take on big incumbents like American Express . In the U.K., Square Card will come up against local banking giants like Lloyds and NatWest . Hussain-Letch highlighted The Vinyl Guys as an example of an early adopter of its corporate card offering. The vehicle branding and signage printing shop based in Stafford used the corporate card as part of a testing phase with domestic U.K. customers. Once an employee is onboarded onto the Square Card program, they can begin using within their own digital wallet apps.

Persons: Jack Dorsey, Samina Hussain, Hussain, Letch, We've, Rachel Reeves, Reeves Organizations: American Express, CNBC, Citigroup, U.K, Lloyds, NatWest, Entrepreneurs, Tax Locations: Britain, North America, U.S, Canada, Stafford

☆ China aims for historic Mars mission ‘around 2028’ as it vies for space power
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The projected mission launch is more ambitious than a 2030 target announced by space officials earlier this year, though the timeline has fluctuated in recent years. It also comes as an effort by NASA and the European Space Agency to retrieve Mars samples remains under assessment amid concerns over budget, complexity and risk. Becoming the first country to return samples from Mars would be a significant accomplishment for China’s ambitious space program and leader Xi Jinping’s stated “eternal dream” to make the country a space power. A key priority of China’s Tianwen-3 mission would be to search for traces of life on Mars. “The return mission requires launch from the surface of Mars.

Persons: Liu Jizhong, Xi Jinping’s, Liu, CGTN, It’s, China's Tianwen, ”, Planitia, Mars, Bill Nelson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, NASA, European Space Agency, AP Missions, US Locations: Hong Kong, China’s Anhui, China’s, China, Soviet Union, United States

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has poured cold water on US hopefulness, though Biden officials have largely refrained from criticizing him. “In my view, the less that’s said about particular issues, the better,” a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday in response to Netanyahu’s press conference. Days later, a senior administration official who briefed reporters argued that the majority of the details of a ceasefire deal – “90%” – had been agreed to by the two parties. In a detail not previously shared, the senior official said that of the 18 paragraphs in the agreement, 14 were finished and agreed to. They need to rest and refit, in case a war in the north [with Hezbollah] is going to happen,” the second senior administration official said.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden’s, Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “, ”, Itamar, Ben, Antony Blinken, ” –, – “, Feedback Netanyahu, CNN Biden ‘, Hersh Goldberg, Polin, it’s, Israel, Haniyeh, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh’s, —, ” Biden, –, Bill Burns, I’ve, John Kirby, “ I’m, ” Kirby Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, Defense Ministry, IDF, White House Locations: Gaza, Israel, ” – Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Tehran, London, White

Stars from Hollywood's golden age are being reborn through celebrity estate AI voice cloning deals, a sign of how some of the "Wild West" concerns about unauthorized AI impersonation are being addressed by new business models. Safeguards include active moderation of content, accountability enforceable with bans, and special provisions for safeguarding the impact of AI voice on the 2024 election. Among the current generation of actors, there remains significant anxiety surrounding the use of AI in generating voice content. Voice actors for video games have raised concerns, and last year's film and television strike had significant roots in anxieties over the use of AI. AI voice licensing could alleviate workload for voice actors, he added, without supplanting them, as they "intercede in the process by focusing on offering correction or enhancement to ineffable aspects such as intonation, warmth, and emphasis, which still present challenges."

Persons: Burt Reynolds, Andreessen Horowitz, Judy Garland, James Dean, Sir Laurence Olivier, ElevenLabs, Sam Sklar, Scarlett Johansson, " Sklar, Frito, Tom Waits soundalike, Waits, Lovo, Steve Cohen, Pollock, Cohen, Bette Davis, Sklar, Nauman Dawalatabad, Dawalatabad, Michele Cobb Organizations: Golden Globe, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Sequoia, New York Times, Washington Post, Disney, Google, Apple, MIT Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Audio Publishers Association, CNBC

☆ Nvidia preparing version of new flagship AI chip for Chinese market, Reuters reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nvidia is working on a version of its new flagship AI chips for the China market that would be compatible with current U.S. export controls, four sources familiar with the matter said. The AI chip giant in March unveiled its "Blackwell" chip series, which is due to be mass-produced later in the year. A version of a chip from Nvidia's Blackwell series for the Chinese market would boost the U.S. firm's efforts to fend off those challenges. Expectations are high that the U.S. will continue to keep up the pressure on semiconductor-related export controls. The U.S. wants the Netherlands and Japan to further restrict chipmaking equipment to China, sources have said.

Persons: Blackwell, Inspur, Nvidia's Blackwell, Biden Organizations: MWC Shanghai, Nvidia, Reuters, Huawei, Bloomberg News Locations: Shanghai, China, Washington, U.S, Netherlands, Japan

☆ Dr. Sanjay Gupta: There are still key questions about Trump’s injuries after attempted assassination
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Dr. Sanjay Gupta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A full public assessment of Trump’s injuries is necessary, for both the former president’s own health and the clarity it can provide for voters about the recovery of the man who could become president of the United States once again. US Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House physician, said during an interview Monday on “The Benny Show” podcast, that he “checked out” the wound to Trump’s ear and bandaged it himself. We have worked with the Secret Service in the past and local and federal law enforcement to come up with plans about if an incident like this happened,” Rottinghaus told CNN. In the Monday interview, Jackson said Trump’s injury was “dressed up. Rottinghaus, the Butler Memorial physician, told CNN that after all the preparation for the unthinkable, “the unexpected happened” on Saturday.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Donald Trump’s, Corey Comperatore, Trump, we’ve, aren’t, “, wasn’t, Ronny Jackson, Trump’s, ” Jackson, ” Trump, David Rottinghaus, ” Rottinghaus, Rottinghaus, Butler, Jackson, It’s, he’s, Eric Trump, I’ve, ”, Kenji Inaba, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Nadia Kounang, Deidre McPhillips, Maya Davis, Jamie Gumbrecht Organizations: CNN, Republican, Truth, Sunday, Butler Memorial Hospital, Service, US, White House, Hospital, CBS News, Republican National Convention, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, Trump, CNN Health, Staff Locations: Butler , Pennsylvania, United States, Butler, Milwaukee, University of Southern California

☆ Work from home could lead to more homes in vacant offices
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

At first glance, The Crosby, an apartment building that opened in 2020 in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood, seems like a typical luxury high-rise. And most office buildings have central air conditioning, so the system needs to be replaced with individual cooling and heating systems for each unit. “Only about 15% of office buildings here in the markets that we’re based in are potentially good candidates for office-to-housing conversions,” Sherman said. While that may initially seem like a positive, apartment units need to have access to windows facing the exterior. Local governments aren’t only pushing for office building conversions, though.

Persons: CBRE, Crosby, West, ”, Jaime Lee, “, we’ve, ” Lee, Chris Sherman, ” Sherman, Sherman, you’re, Jason Ward, Ward, Eric Adams, John Watson, ” Watson, Watson, Kelly Wilkinson Organizations: CNN, Moody’s, Texaco, Jamison Group, ”, Jamison, Sherman Associates, “, Local, RAND, Housing, Homelessness, New York City, Pfizer, Indianapolis Star Locations: United States, Los Angeles, Koreatown, West Coast, Minneapolis, New York, New, Indianapolis, “, Indiana University's

☆ Sunny Days in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Nanna Heitmann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not gone as quickly as the Kremlin once predicted, but a recent visit by a group of military students to a park in Moscow was a much speedier affair. Ukraine had hoped that the vaunted American- and German-made war machines would help turn its fortunes on the battlefield. “The word ‘victory’ is everywhere in Moscow these days,” a New York Times Russia correspondent, Valerie Hopkins, reported recently. The students’ tour came just three days before Russia celebrated Victory Day, which commemorates the Nazi defeat in World War II. It also displays military equipment from the Second World War.

Persons: ”, Valerie Hopkins, Napoleon, Abrams, Eric Nagourney Organizations: Kremlin, Abrams, Leopard, New York Times, Victory, NATO, Leopards Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, New York Times Russia, Ukrainian

☆ Morgan Stanley picks global stocks to play a $100 billion AI boom, giving one 40% upside
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The analysts project that over $100 billion will be channeled toward such "potential investments propel[ling] AI and spur[ring] power demand growth in Asia." Here are three of Morgan Stanley's overweight-rated stock picks with more than 35% upside potential over the next 12 months. Morgan Stanley has a target price of 7.20 Singapore dollars ($5.35) on the Singapore Exchange -listed shares, giving them 36.9% potential upside. GDS Holdings Another Morgan Stanley favorite is Chinese data center developer and operator GDS Holdings . Morgan Stanley has a target price of $13.30 on the Nasdaq-listed stock, which translates to 40% potential upside.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley's, Tenaga Nasional Morgan Stanley, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Tenaga Nasional, Tenaga, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, U.S, Global X FTSE, Asia, Malaysian, Industries, Sembcorp, Morgan, Singapore, Sembcorp Industries, GDS, GDS Holdings, ASEAN, Nasdaq Locations: Asia, U.S, Malaysian, Tenaga Nasional, Bursa Malaysia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambria, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia

☆ Starbucks just had a ‘disappointing’ quarter. Here’s how it plans to turn things around
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Starbucks is brewing a turnaround plan that involves speedier service and expanding the number of promotions after its most recent quarter was “disappointing,” in the words of its own chief executive. “Let me be clear from the beginning, our performance this quarter was disappointing,” said CEO Laxman Narasimhan on the earnings call. Same-store sales in the United States fell 3%, a sharp reversal from the same quarter a year ago, when they grew 12%. In China, the chain’s second-largest market, sales fell a staggering 11%, with the company blaming competition from “value players” in the country. Starbucks is now forecasting revenue to grow in the low single digits, a steep decline from its previous forecast of 7% to 10%.

Persons: ”, Laxman Narasimhan, ” Narasimhan, “ Headwinds, Narasimhan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks, East, Alshaya Locations: New York, United States, China, Gaza

☆ Chipotle says its service is much faster now, and it means fewer people are bothering to order ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chipotle's CFO said that says that fewer customers are ordering ahead as its service speeds up. A key metric for the chain is how many entrées each restaurant makes in its peak 15 minutes. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementChipotle says that its service is becoming so much speedier that fewer customers are bothering to order ahead on its app. During the pandemic, many fast-food and fast-casual chains rolled out ways for customers to order ahead so that customers could skip the line.

Persons: —, Chipotle, Jack Hartung, Brian Niccol, Niccol, Hartung Organizations: Service, Business, Boston

☆ What it’s really like to live in Macao
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Macao, the Chinese special administrative region (SAR) often twinned with Hong Kong, is known as the Las Vegas of Asia. But travelers who are willing to dig in a little deeper can explore Macanese culture, which mixes Portuguese, Chinese and Southeast Asian heritages. Macao is comprised of two islands – the north one, Macao itself, and its southern neighbor Taipa. “In Asia, [people] think that Macao is full of casinos, and I think they do not understand the other parts of Macao,” says Lai. That means that they can live in Macao without a work visa and do not need a company sponsoring them.

Persons: CNN — “, ”, Vivian Lai, Taipa, Lai, ” Marina Fernandes, Michael Maslan, “, it’s, Uber, Fernandes, Eduardo Leal, Ricardo Balocas, Balocas, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Las, Macanese Association, Bloomberg, Macao International Airport, Joseph’s University, Macao, Henley Locations: Macao, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Asia, China, Taipa, “, ”, Europe, Portuguese, Zhuhai, Macao’s, Singapore, Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok, Beijing, North America, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Bay Area, Portugal, Macao's, Lisbon, St, Philippines, ‘ Little Lisbon, it’s

☆ Opinion: What gun laws can’t stop
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Opinion Latika Bourke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The videos (of the attack) speak for themselves don’t they?” Webb told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Steven Saphore/AAP/ReutersCauchi’s father Andrew Cauchi — who appeared devastated — believes his “monster” son may have deliberately set out to kill women, he told Australian media. He enacted strict gun control laws and initated a massive buyback scheme. “The evidence consistently shows that the underlying causes of violence directed toward women are rigid gender stereotypes, sexism and disrespect. Joel Cauchi had a fixation with blades and kept a collection of them, his father told the newspaper The Australian.

Persons: Latika Bourke, ”, Read, Latika Bourke Louis Douvis “, Julia Hartley, Brewer, Hartley, Karen Webb, Joel Cauchi, ” Webb, Webb, Steven Saphore, Reuters Cauchi’s, Andrew Cauchi —, —, John Howard, Australia’s, Julia Gillard, Bondi, Patty Kinnersly, Patty Kinnersly “, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, Roman Quaedvlieg, “, X Quaedvlieg, they’d, Howard Organizations: Sydney Morning Herald, Love, CNN, New South Wales Police, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, Reuters, Port, Conservative, Global Institute, Women’s Leadership, Good Shepherd, Australian Jewish Association, X Locations: Australian, India, Sydney, British, Bondi’s, Westfield, Bondi, Port Arthur, London, Australia, United States

☆ Canada's First Nations are building the densest neighborhood in the country by reclaiming their ancestral land and defying NIMBYs
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

AdvertisementMindy Wight, CEO of the Squamish development group building Sen̓áḵw, called it "the creation of a modern Squamish village" in an interview with Business Insider. Canada's federal auditor general recently condemned a "distressing and persistent pattern of failure" by federal programs designed to support First Nations housing and infrastructure, among other services. The housing projects aren't the only major developments underway on indigenous land in Canada. There are no housing or infrastructure developments on US tribal land that match the scale of the First Nations projects in Canada. While some Native American tribes have spearheaded significant housing projects, most indigenous-owned land in the US isn't in the most valuable housing markets.

Persons: —, it's, Mindy Wight, Sen̓áḵw, Brennan Cook, Cook, Heather, reaps, Elisa Campbell, Jericho, Campbell, Heather Lands, Sen̓áḵw, Gordon Price, Price, Tyler Harper, aren't, Michelle Cyca, Alex Armlovich, Armlovich, Noah Smith Organizations: Service, Nations, First Nations, Business, Nation, MST, Corporation, MST Development Corporation, Vancouver City, Canada Lands Company, Energy, Technologies, British Columbia, CBC Vancouver, Bates, Niskanen Locations: Canada, Vancouver, Squamish, Squamish Nation, Wight, Jericho, British, American, MacLean's, Canadian

☆ In wake of AT&T outage, consumer advocates say you should always ask for money back if there’s a blackout
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The outage affected tens of thousands of customers in cities across the country whose phones lost signal overnight. It was the result of an internal company error — not a cyberattack — as AT&T worked to expand its network, it said. AT&T is crediting consumers and small business customers "most impacted by the outage" to "compensate them for the inconvenience they experienced," company CEO John Stankey wrote in a letter Sunday. watch now"This is not our first network outage, and it won't be our last — unfortunately, it's the reality of our business," he wrote. The credit doesn't apply to AT&T Business Enterprise and Platinum accounts, AT&T prepaid or Cricket, its low-cost service, the company said.

Persons: Eric Thayer, John Stankey, Stankey, John Breyault Organizations: Getty, T Business, Cricket, National Consumers League Locations: Redondo Beach , California

Djokovic, Norrie and Fruhvirtova were not prepared to blame the ever-changing types of tennis balls used year-round at the sport's highest levels, but they weren't necessarily ready to absolve that issue completely, either. He said when the ATP asks male players at the end of each season what they think can be improved about the sport, he always mentions the fluctuations among the fuzzy tennis balls. Ten brands of tennis balls — and 19 distinct types — were used across the WTA in 2023. "It does change week by week." One significant difference between tennis and some other sports is that surfaces change, prompting ball changes.

Persons: Novak, Cam Norrie, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Norrie, Fruhvirtova, “, Milos Raonic, Taylor Fritz, didn’t, I’ve, ” Fritz, “ It’s, It’s, it’s, Katie Boulter, Carlos Alcaraz, Fritz, Alcaraz, Victoria Azarenka, ” Azarenka, AP Sports Writers John Pye, Andrew Dampf, ___ Organizations: Australian, Melbourne Park, WTA, ATP, ”, Wimbledon, NHL, Major League Baseball, FIFA, U.S ., U.S, Victoria, AP Sports Writers Locations: California, Melbourne, British, Australia, Turin, Italy

☆ Chicago museum covers up Native American displays as new rules go into effect
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewThe Field Museum in Chicago has covered up several displays featuring Native American cultural items as new federal regulations go into effect. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was established in 1990 to facilitate the protection and return of Native remains and cultural objects. AdvertisementFor years, tribal officials and repatriation activists have called for the speedier return of Native remains and objects. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, which still holds onto thousands of Native American remains, has not announced how it will respond to the latest regulations. The new rules are the latest effort by the federal government to ensure museums are giving tribes the proper consideration over Native objects.

Persons: —, Bryan Newland Organizations: Service, Museum, Business, Protection, Field Museum, Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Harvard University, Association, American Indian Affairs, New York Times Locations: Chicago

☆ From FedEx to airlines, companies are starting to lose their pricing power
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-29 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Andrew Kelly | ReutersAfter years of unbridled consumer spending on everything from home improvement to dream vacations, some companies are now finding the limits of their pricing power. Nike last week lowered its annual sales growth forecast and unveiled plans to cut costs by $2 billion over the next three years. "Goods companies don't have the pricing power they did in the pandemic, and some in the hotel and travel [industries] — they don't have the pricing power they did in the immediate post-Covid," he added. Sales growth for companies in the S&P 500 is on track to average 2.7% this year, according to mid-December analyst estimates posted by FactSet. Consumer spending on apparel and groceries rose 2.4% and 2.1%, respectively, from the year-earlier period, according to the survey.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Mills, Joe Cavaretta, David Kelly, FactSet, Kelly, isn't, airfare, John F, Bob Jordan, Jordan, Ohsung Kwon Organizations: FedEx, Reuters, Shipping, Airlines, Target, Nike, Spirit Airlines, Hasbro, Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Tribune, Service, Getty, Florida Sun, Morgan Asset Management, FactSet, Mastercard, Starbucks, Airline, U.S . Department of Labor, Kennedy International, Southwest, CNBC, Detroit automakers, Toyota, Cox Automotive, Bank of America Locations: New York, speedier, Fort, South

Helping these countries, which face some of the biggest risks from climate change, access these will be a key aim during the COP28 climate talks underway in Dubai. Ambitions for results at COP28 got off to a good start on the opening day on Thursday when countries approved plans for the climate disaster fund, after months of negotiations. About 60% of low-income countries are either in or at high risk of debt distress, the CDP said. The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, for example, aims to agree a disaster relief bond issuance and a regional risk transfer facility, the ADB's Principal Disaster Risk Insurance and Finance Specialist, Thomas Kessler, told Reuters. "We are ready to scale up climate protection through early warning systems, anticipatory cash, climate insurance and community-based resilience projects," said Gernot Laganda, director of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction at the United Nations World Food Programme.

Persons: COP28, Ekhosuehi Iyahen, IDF's Iyahen, Michèle Plichta, Lydia Poole, Odile Renaud, Basso, Thomas Kessler, Otis, Gernot Laganda, Alessandro Parodi, Simon Jessop, Libby George, Karin Strohecker, Susan Fenton Organizations: Insurance, Forum, PAF, Disaster, European Bank for Reconstruction, Global, Swiss, Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, Finance, Reuters, UN, University of Cambridge's Institute for Sustainability Leadership, United Nations, Food, Thomson Locations: GDANSK, LONDON, Dubai, London, Mexico

☆ How self-checkout took over our favorite stores — and how it's upending the way we shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The kiosks are usually a help for both shoppers and retailers, but there's much room for improvement. AdvertisementSince the introduction of self-checkout more than 30 years ago, the technology has become ubiquitous in stores across the US and around the world. Meanwhile, those anti-shoplifting measures are frustrating some customers who say they are fed up with systems flagging them as potential criminals. AdvertisementI tried Walmart's self-checkout to see if it was as frustrating as some shoppers say. More than 100 Walmart stores nationwide have a new look.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Walmart, Costco, Lowe's, Tractor Supply, Giant, San Francisco Safeway, Amazon

☆ Tencent shrugged off a new US AI chip ban, saying it's stockpiled enough Nvidia processors for 'a couple more generations'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tencent president Martin Lau said on Wednesday the company is holding a vast stockpile of chips. Its inventory is enough to last its AI development a "couple more generations," Lau said. The US issued a new AI chip export ban to China in October, sparking fears that Tencent could be hit. But Lau also said Tencent will eventually have to pivot toward China-made AI chips. "Going forward, we have to figure out ways to make usage of our AI chips more efficient," Lau said.

Persons: Martin Lau, Lau, —, Tencent, Biden Organizations: US, Service, Nvidia, Baidu, Financial Times Locations: China

☆ Can Voters Fire Their Power Companies? Maine Is About to Find Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Jon Kamp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The proposed consumer-owned utility would take over power delivery, including thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines the two current utilities collectively own. Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/Associated PressMaine’s voters will decide Tuesday whether to take a rare step: a hostile takeover of their biggest electric companies. A measure on the ballot there would create a consumer-owned replacement called “Pine Tree Power” by buying out two investor-owned companies that currently serve nearly all Mainers. Proponents, which include some environmental groups, politicians and a nursing union, say wresting control from the for-profit companies will eventually lead to lower bills, better customer service and a speedier shift to renewable power. Utilities and Maine’s governor say takeover would saddle the state with debt.

Persons: Robert F Organizations: Press, Utilities, Maine’s

☆ Walmart beefs up its third-party marketplace as it challenges bigger online rival Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In this article WMTAMZN Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTWalmart hosted its first seller summit for its third-party marketplace this summer. Walmart leaders gave third-party marketplace sellers an early gift, too: Waiving extra fees for storing merchandise during the peak season. Already, the company is using the third-party marketplace to try to drum up early business. About 70% of items included in Walmart Plus Week, which coincided with Amazon Prime Day in July, were marketplace items. There are signs Walmart's growing third-party marketplace could help the company defy slower spending patterns and capitalize on inflation-wary shoppers.

Persons: Doug McMillon, Santa Claus, Sam Walton, Walmart's, Tom Ward, Rick Watson, Watson, Melissa LaCognata, Jaré Buckley, Cox Organizations: Walmart, Amazon's, Amazon, Walmart U.S, eBay, RMW Commerce Consulting, Federal Trade Commission, Disney, Reebok, Lucky Locations: Las Vegas, Amazon

☆ HS2: Britain's high-speed rail fiasco reflects grim economic reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Our plan will drive far more growth and opportunity here in the north than a faster train to London ever would,” he said Wednesday. Some of the alternatives Sunak highlighted were predicated on the delivery of HS2, said Henrietta Bailey, CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. “This is the biggest and most damaging U-turn in the history of UK infrastructure,” the High Speed Rail Group, which represents companies such as Siemens, Hitachi and Bombardier, said in a statement. “The decision … sends a hugely disappointing message about our commitment to completing major infrastructure projects in the UK,” said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, which represents manufacturing firms. The country must hope that his latest policy reversal doesn’t deter investors and further undermine a struggling UK economy, perpetuating a doom-loop of weak growth and underinvestment.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, ”, Henrietta Bailey, Stephen Phipson, Mark Allen, ” Sunak, —, Liz Truss, he’s, Sunak blinked, James Mason, ” — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN —, Leeds, Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, HS2 —, Conservative, Speed Rail Group, Siemens, Hitachi, Bombardier, Make, Investors, Treasury, Business Locations: England, United Kingdom, London, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Britain, West, North Yorkshire

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