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In his first appearance before a congressional panel, CEO Sam Altman is set to advocate licensing or registration requirements for AI with certain capabilities, his written testimony shows. That way, the U.S. can hold companies to safety standards, for instance testing systems before their release and publishing the results. "Regulation of AI is essential," Altman said in the prepared remarks which were seen by Reuters. An OpenAI staffer recently proposed the creation of a U.S. licensing agency for AI, which could be called the Office for AI Safety and Infrastructure Security, or OASIS, Reuters has reported. She is expected to urge Congress to focus regulation on areas with the potential to do the greatest societal harm.

☆ Major investors loaded up on regional bank stocks during a turbulent first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Einhorn's Greenlight Capital took small stakes in New York Community Bancorp and First Citizens Bancshares in the first quarter, with each bet worth about $20 million, according to a regulatory filing. New York Community Bancorp's subsidiary, Flagstar, acquired Signature Bank assets after that bank was shuttered , while First Citizens bought a large portion of Silicon Valley Bank assets . New York Community shares are up nearly 20% this year, while First Citizens' stock has jumped more than 68% on the year. 'Big Short' Burry of "Big Short" fame snapped up a slew of regional banks last quarter, including New York Community Bancorp , Capital One Financial , Western Alliance , PacWest Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares during the first quarter. To make matters more confusing, the conglomerate dumped its remaining stakes in Bank of New York Mellon and U.S. Bancorp .

☆ Biden administration grants Mountain Valley Pipeline permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 16 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has approved a permit to allow the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline to run through the Jefferson National Forest straddling Virginia and West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin said on Tuesday. Manchin, a conservative Democrat of West Virgina, has introduced a bill to speed fossil fuel and renewable energy projects that calls on the administration to approve Equitrans Midstream Corp's (ETRN.N) $6.6 billion Mountain Valley pipeline. The Biden administration has supported Manchin's bill as it would help renewable energy companies reap the benefit of billions of dollars of tax credits contained in last year's Inflation Reduction Act. The Mountain Valley Pipeline has been opposed by environmental activists, but won the backing of Biden administration officials, including Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The Forest Service is part of USDA.

[1/2] A small toy figure and imitation gold are seen in front of the Newcrest logo in this illustration taken November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationMay 15 (Reuters) - Australian gold miner Newcrest Mining Ltd said on Monday it would back Newmont Corp's (NEM.N) A$26.2 billion ($17.8 billion) takeover offer in one of the world's largest buyouts so far this year. Newcrest shareholders would receive 0.400 Newmont share for each share held, with an implied value of A$29.27 a share, higher than a previous exchange ratio of 0.380 that Newcrest's board rejected in February. "This transaction will combine two of the world's leading gold producers, bringing forward significant value to Newcrest shareholders through the recognition of our outstanding growth pipeline," said Newcrest Chairman Peter Tomsett. Newcrest shareholders will be able to choose to receive New York Stock Exchange-listed Newmont shares or Australian-listed CHESS Depository Instruments (CDIs) as payment.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationMay 15 (Reuters) - Australian gold miner Newcrest Mining Ltd said on Monday it would back Newmont Corp's (NEM.N) A$26.2 billion ($17.8 billion) takeover offer in one of the world's largest buyouts so far this year. If the deal gets Newcrest shareholders' approval and other regulatory approvals, it would lift Newmont's gold output to nearly double its nearest rival, Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO), further solidifying Newmont's position as the world's biggest gold producer. Newcrest shareholders will be able to choose to receive New York Stock Exchange-listed Newmont shares or Australian listed CHESS Depository Instruments (CDIs) as payment. Newcrest said it recommended its shareholders vote in favour of the deal at a meeting expected to be held in September or October. The deal requires Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) sign off as well as Newcrest and Newmont shareholders to vote in support the transaction among other regulatory approvals.

☆ New Twitter CEO says she is excited to help to transform Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 13 (Reuters) - Newly appointed Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a tweet on Saturday that she has been inspired by owner Elon Musk's vision to create a brighter future and is excited to help to transform the social media platform. It was the first time Yaccarino has spoken publicly since the news broke Thursday that she was in talks to become the next CEO of Twitter. Musk, who has served as CEO since his $44 billion buyout of Twitter last October, announced her appointment on Friday. I'm excited to help bring this vision to Twitter and transform this business together!" Musk, who is also the CEO of electric-vehicle maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), on Friday said that bringing Yaccarino on as Twitter's new chief will help him devote more time to Tesla.

☆ Klaviyo files confidentially for U.S. IPO -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Echo Wang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, May 12 (Reuters) - Data and marketing automation firm Klaviyo Inc confidentially submitted paperwork on Friday with U.S. regulators for an initial public offering (IPO) in New York, according to people familiar with the matter. While terms of the IPO have not yet been set, the Boston-based company is mulling a raise of at least $750 million in the listing, one of the sources said. The Wall Street Journal had reported in April that Klaviyo was preparing for an IPO. With the IPO registration, Klaviyo becomes the second high-profile name in recent weeks to press ahead with an offering, even as stock market volatility and economic uncertainty has put many other IPO hopefuls off. SoftBank Group Corp's (9984.T) Arm Ltd filed confidentially for its stock market listing in April, Reuters reported.

☆ EU decision clearing $69 billion Microsoft, Activision deal expected May 15, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Activision games "Call of Duty" are pictured in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo AllegriBRUSSELS, May 10 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are set to approve Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O) next week, with May 15 as the likeliest date, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission's imminent clearance comes nearly three weeks after the UK competition authority blocked the deal, the biggest-ever deal in gaming, over concerns it would hinder competition in cloud gaming. U.S. distributor Valve Corp, owner of the world's largest video game distribution platform, Steam, declined a contract saying it trusts Microsoft. (This story has been corrected to say that Valve does not have a licensing deal with Microsoft in paragraph 4)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at the Google I/O 2023 conference, in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 10, 2023. Called the Search Generative Experience, the revamped Google can craft responses to open-ended queries while retaining its recognizable list of links to the Web. "We are reimagining all of our core products, including search," Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's CEO, said after he took the stage at the event. Generative AI can, using past data, create brand new content like fully formed text, images and software code. WHAT OUTFIT TO WEARWith the embedded AI, Google still looks and acts like its familiar empty search bar.

"Right now, the permitting process for clean energy infrastructure, including transmission, is plagued by delays and bottlenecks. The White House is backing a bill by Manchin of West Virginia, who has grown more critical in recent months of the administration's attacks on the fossil fuel industry. The White House released a detailed fact sheet outlining reform measures its seeking, including helping clean energy projects like wind and solar get on the grid faster. Manchin's legislation sets a two-year limit on environmental reviews of major federal energy projects, including ones on fossil fuels and directs the president to designate at least 25 high-level energy projects and prioritize their permitting. The White House said it is using existing authorities to speed permitting of energy projects.

[1/2] A Ford Ranger Raptor is seen at a Ford event in Michigan, U.S., May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Joe WhiteDETROIT, May 10 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) on Wednesday unveiled the latest addition to its muscle truck franchise - a Ranger Raptor midsize pickup with a 405-horsepower engine and a suspension designed for racing across the desert, made possible in part by Ford's electric vehicles. But a Ranger Raptor will start at $56,960, Ford said. Ford is also ramping up production of its Mustang Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning and Transit electric vehicles - generating credits that allow it to sell more high-performance, combustion vehicles such as the Ranger Raptor, the Bronco Raptor and the F-150 Raptor. "We're doing it through a portfolio of products" that includes electric vehicles and a hybrid Maverick pickup, Baumbick said.

[1/2] Oil tanker Kerala, chartered by Chevron, is loaded in the Bajo Grande oil terminal at Maracaibo Lake, in the municipality of San Francisco, Venezuela, January 5, 2023. To back up its license application, Chevron last year signed an oil-for-debt swap with Venezuela's state-run PDVSA. The initial exports have rapidly drained the ventures' oil inventories, which had built up for years. Chevron plans to continue pushing up heavy crude output mainly at oilfields in eastern and western Venezuela belonging to its Petropiar and Petroboscan projects, according to the sources. GOLDEN TICKETChevron's license broke a four-year U.S. prohibition on Venezuelan oil exports to the United States designed to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

☆ EU decision clearing $69 bln Microsoft, Activision deal expected May 15, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, May 10 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are set to approve Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O) next week, with May 15 as the likeliest date, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission's imminent clearance comes nearly three weeks after the UK competition authority blocked the deal, the biggest-ever deal in gaming, over concerns it would hinder competition in cloud gaming. The Commission, which has set a May 22 deadline for its decision, declined to comment. Japan approved the takeover in March while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also seeking to block it. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Google already has a Bard chatbot that competes with ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI that has generated huge excitement among users with its humanlike responses. The company says that traditional Google search should still be used for finding and seeking information, such as locating something to purchase. WHAT ARE THE UPDATES TO GOOGLE SEARCH? With the enhanced search termed the Search Generative Experience, Google's home page still looks and acts like its familiar search bar. CAN I TRY THE NEW GOOGLE SEARCH NOW?

Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA Corp (NVDA.O), OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems. Shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, the Republican National Committee produced a video featuring a dystopian future during a second Biden term, which was built entirely with AI imagery. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates. In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their AI use. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework.

☆ Occidental Petroleum misses quarterly profit estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Oil and gas producer Occidental Petroleum Corp's (OXY.N) first-quarter profit missed analysts' estimates on Tuesday, as oil prices eased amid concerns of a slowdown in global economic growth. Global oil prices pulled back during the reported quarter from the peaks reached last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Houston-based company posted adjusted earnings of $1.09 per share for the quarter, compared with analysts' estimates of $1.24 per share, according to Refinitiv data. Occidental, which is backed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), said its production during the first quarter rose to 1.22 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) from 1.08 million boepd a year earlier, helped by higher production from Permian. Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alberta wildfire shuts in at least 2% of Canadian energy production
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It added that about 50,000 boepd of production has been temporarily curtailed since the evening of May 5. Crescent Point Energy Corp (CPG.TO)Crescent Point said about 45,000 boepd of production in the Kaybob Duvernay region has been temporarily shut in with a plan to restart production once safe and permitted to do so. NuVista Energy Ltd (NVA.TO)The company said it has temporarily shut in and depressured all operations proximal to the ongoing fires in the Grande Prairie region. Vermilion Energy Inc (VET.TO)Vermilion Energy said it had temporarily shut in about 30,000 boepd of production and that it was assessing the risk to its operations. Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE.TO)Cenovus said it has shut-in production and brought plants down in some areas of its conventional business.

☆ Streaming broke the career ladder, striking Hollywood writers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

How to train and support a new generation of writers is a sticking point in contract negotiations between the WGA, which represents 11,500 film and TV writers, and Hollywood's major studios. Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) and other streaming services began crafting shorter series in "mini rooms" with fewer writers. The WGA, however, is seeking a requirement for at least six TV writers per series, with half of them being employed throughout the production. Now, half of all writers work at minimum salary levels, the WGA said. "I want to be part of fighting for a better future," Smith said while holding a "Writers Guild of America On Strike" sign.

☆ Shares rise, dollar weakens on bank sector fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, May 5 (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose, the dollar eased and gold hovered around its record highs on Friday, as jittery investors remained nervous about the U.S. banking sector following another rout in shares of regional lenders. Wall Street ended lower on Thursday after Los Angeles-based PacWest Bancorp's (PACW.O) move to explore strategic options deepened fears about the health of U.S. lenders as pressure grows on regulators to take more steps to shore up the country's banking sector. Shares of U.S. regional banks sank this week in the wake of the collapse of First Republic Bank over the weekend that has brought back fears of a financial sector crisis. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates by 25 basis points, but hinted that its marathon hiking cycle may be ending. China shares (.SSEC) rose 0.21%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index (.HSI) was up 0.6%, helping lift the region's shares.

☆ Gold flat; set for weekly jump on hopes of Fed pause, banking woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bars of gold are seen at the Krastsvetmet company, one of the world's largest producers of precious metals in Moscow, Russia on January 31, 2023. Gold prices were flat on Friday but are set for their biggest weekly gain in nearly two months, as hopes of a pause in the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hike cycle and banking worries in the country bolstered the safe-haven metal's appeal. Spot gold was little changed at $2,050.63 per ounce as of 0349 GMT, but was up 3% for the week. Mounting risks to the U.S. economy have also supported strong investor demand into gold as they sought haven assets, ANZ said in a note. The dollar index was set for a weekly drop, making gold more attractive for overseas buyers.

☆ Exclusive: Bain Capital nearing final close of Asia fund worth $6 billion - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kane Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The committed capital to the fund has exceeded the firm's initial target of $5 billion, said one of the two people and a third source with knowledge of the fundraising. Bain Capital declined to comment. About $131.6 billion in total was raised in 2022 for Asia-focused funds, about half of 2021's $251.2 billion, Preqin data showed. Fundraising so far this year has totalled just $15.5 billion, the data showed. Last year, Bain Capital closed a $2 billion "special situations fund" for Asia Pacific to cover a range of asset types but with a focus on real estate.

The Labor Department's report showed non-farm payrolls increased by 253,000 last month, higher than economists' expectations of 180,000. "This is a strong report and shows that the labor market is resilient. "It's been a tough week for the stock market, the regional banking problems have raised the fear factor, but Apple earnings came in strong. The S&P 500 has gained nearly 6% so far this year, while the S&P 500 Banks index (.SPXBK) and KBW Regional Banking index (.KRX) have lost 17% and 31%, respectively. ET, Dow e-minis were up 222 points, or 0.67%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 33.5 points, or 0.82%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 87 points, or 0.67%.

☆ SNAPSHOT Wall St opens lower as PacWest woes offset Fed optimism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday after PacWest Bancorp's move to explore strategic options deepened concerns about the health of regional banks, countering optimism from the Federal Reserve signaling a likely pause in interest rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 66.46 points, or 0.20%, at the open to 33,347.78. The S&P 500 (.SPX) opened lower by 8.20 points, or 0.20%, at 4,082.55, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 27.99 points, or 0.23%, to 11,997.34 at the opening bell. Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mohamed El-Erian slams Powell's suggestion that the bank turmoil is over – says it could be added to a list of Fed communications that eroded its credibility.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mohamed El-Erian raised doubts about Fed chair Jerome Powell's suggestion that the worst of the banking turmoil is over. PacWest is the latest bank to be hit by uncertainty, with its shares tumbling more than 50% in after-hours trading Wednesday. El-Erian said Powell's remarks may get added to a list of Fed communications that ended up eroding its credibility. It is the latest regional bank to be hit by the turmoil that started with Silicon Valley Bank's collapse in March. It's important the Fed notes that this doesn't mean the banking system as a whole is facing an existential crisis, he added.

Judges and the National Labor Relations Board have found the company violated federal labor law in several other cases. The Memphis store is one of nearly 300 Starbucks cafes in the United States to unionize since late 2021. More than 540 complaints have been filed with the labor board accusing Starbucks of illegal labor practices such as firing union supporters, spying on workers and closing stores during labor campaigns. Starbucks has argued that the Memphis workers were fired for violating company safety policies and has said it respects the unionization process. Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United, the union waging the nationwide campaign, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

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