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☆ Baidu Scrambles to Ready China’s First ChatGPT Equivalent Ahead of Launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Karen Hao | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Baidu plans to roll out Ernie Bot in stages, first opening it up for public testing to a restricted pool of users. A week away from the March 16 launch of Baidu Inc.’s ChatGPT equivalent, employees at China’s biggest search-engine operator said they are racing to meet the deadline with the chatbot still struggling to perform some basic functions. To develop the artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot, dubbed Ernie Bot, hundreds of people have been working around the clock, people familiar with the project said. Other teams have been asked to lend their staff and their powerful computer chips, which Chinese companies can no longer buy because of U.S. sanctions, they said.

A CHINESE COMPANY? Those rules followed a regulatory crackdown that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese companies to a trickle. Chinese companies raised only around $230 million in U.S. listings last year, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021, according to Refinitiv data. It was not immediately clear if SHEIN is planning to officially seek Chinese regulatory approval for its IPO. The moves were designed so that SHEIN could bypass seeking Chinese regulatory approval for the listing, sources have previously said.

The credit line from the sovereign wealth fund could be increased to $5 billion, the sources said, citing a memo that was circulated to participants as highlights of a three-day investor roadshow that ended on Wednesday. The identity of the sovereign wealth fund was not disclosed in the memo. A third person familiar with the matter said Adani's management told investors it was from the Middle East. The news comes a day after Adani management told bondholders that it expected to prepay or repay share-backed loans worth $690 million to $790 million by the end of March. Reporting by Xie Yu in Hong Kong and Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee, Jason Neely and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korean startup rival to Nvidia seeks $400 million valuation and plans new A.I. chip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sapeon was spun off from South Korea's SK Telecom in 2022 and is raising outside investment. BARCELONA, Spain — Sapeon, a South Korean artificial intelligence chip startup headquartered in California, is raising a funding round that puts its valuation above $400 million, its CEO told CNBC. The startup is backed by massive South Korean firms SK Telecom, memory-chip maker SK Hynix and SK Square, an investment company spun off of SK Telecom. But a number of established players such as AMD and startups like Sapeon, are looking to challenge Nvidia. Analysts at Bernstein expect ChatGPT to be a multi-billion dollar boon for chipmakers looking to fuel these AI models.

☆ Analysis: Bed Bath's novel deal is no universal dodge-bankruptcy card
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Shankar Ramakrishnan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It's unclear whether Bed Bath can capitalize on the breathing room to turn around its business, which has been battered by competition from other online and brick-and-mortar retailers. A spokesperson for Hudson's Bay declined to comment, while Bed Bath & Beyond did not respond to requests for comment. To secure the Hudson's Bay investment, Bed Bath offered a deal that guarantees the hedge fund a lucrative return in most circumstances. It is not clear how much of the stock Hudson's Bay has converted and sold since it inked the deal with Bed Bath on Feb. 6. The deal is very dilutive for other Bed Bath investors, who will end up owning 80% less if the company survives.

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☆ The DOJ's antitrust case against Google is ambitious but risky
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

But alongside the possibility of great reward comes significant risk in seeking to push the boundaries of antitrust law. "All antitrust cases are an uphill battle for plaintiffs, thanks to 40 years of case law," said Rebecca Haw Allensworth, an antitrust professor at Vanderbilt Law School. But, Allensworth added, the government's challenges may be different than those in many other antitrust cases. Like all antitrust cases, this one is unlikely to be concluded anytime soon. "This is clearly the blockbuster case so far from the DOJ antitrust division," Francis said.

☆ CFPB Weighs Tougher Rules for Overseas Money Transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Andrew Ackerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The CFPB is studying whether fees on overseas money transfers are adequately disclosed to users, including immigrant workers who send billions of dollars a year abroad. WASHINGTON—The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is weighing new restrictions tied to the fees money-transfer companies charge for wiring money abroad, as the bureau scrutinizes fees across the financial system. Bureau officials say they are studying whether differences in the way providers of overseas money transfers disclose exchange rates and certain fees can make it difficult for consumers to choose the lowest-cost option. Immigrants and other workers send billions of dollars from the U.S. to other countries each year in transfers known as remittances.

☆ Why is Ovidio Guzmán one of Mexico’s most wanted men?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MEXICO CITY — Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán, son of incarcerated kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, the country’s defense minister said. Guzmán, known by nickname as “The Mouse,” became a high-level leader in the Sinaloa Cartel after his father’s arrest in 2016 and extradition in 2017. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador months later said he personally ordered Guzmán’s release to protect the population. While López Obrador took office in 2018 promising to trade a hard-on-crime security approach for one that tackles the root causes of violence, homicides are near record levels. Guzmán’s arrest Thursday could signal the government is willing and able to stand up to them.

☆ Explainer: Why Ovidio Guzman is one of Mexico's most wanted men
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Brendan O'Boyle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Raquel CunhaMEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, son of incarcerated kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the country's defense minister said. Guzman's detention in Culiacan, the capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the heartland of Mexico's drug trade, follows his short-lived detention in 2019. Guzman, known by nickname "The Mouse," became a high-level leader in the Sinaloa Cartel after his father's arrest in 2016 and extradition in 2017. WHAT DOES GUZMAN'S ARREST MEAN FOR THE GOVERNMENT? Guzman's arrest Thursday could signal the government is willing and able to stand up to them.

They promoted and delivered vaccines, developed prevention strategies, monitored data and did a million other unheralded things to help weave a stronger public health safety net. Meanwhile, top health officials are warning that persistent vaccine misinformation remains a serious public health threat. Particularly in vulnerable communities where access to vaccines, therapeutics and good information are lacking, there is much work to be done. And this common-sense principle is still true: When you enact and maintain good policies, good things happen. In the past two weeks, deaths from Covid are up 63%, a possible harbinger of things to come in 2023.

Now, with the fraud charges filed earlier this week against Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the bankrupt FTX exchange, Williams has further solidified his office's growing role in prosecuting financial crimes involving cryptocurrency, according to interviews with a half-dozen former prosecutors. Bankman-Fried, 30, has acknowledged risk management failures at FTX but said he does not believe he has criminal liability. In the wake of Bankman-Fried's arrest, Williams has made clear he would plow on with cryptocurrency enforcement. On Wednesday, he announced wire fraud conspiracy charges against the founders of two separate cryptocurrency mining and trading companies he called Ponzi schemes. On Tuesday, Williams told reporters more charges in the FTX probe were possible.

That compares with a valuation of about $9 billion in its maiden external fundraising last year. In doing so, it joins a growing list of Chinese automakers looking to launch or expand sales of EVs in the region. The automotive group led by founder Li Shufu now houses seven brands manufacturing electric vehicles, of which three are high-end brands. According to two of the sources, Zeekr also considered Hong Kong as its listing venue but picked New York in the hope of achieving a higher valuation. Zeekr was established by Geely, formally known as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (GEELY.UL), in April 2021 to tap into increasing Chinese demand for premium EVs.

HONG KONG, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Zeekr, Chinese automaker Geely's upmarket electric car brand, has confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering, aiming to raise more than $1 billion, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. That compares with a valuation of about $9 billion in its maiden external fundraising last year. In doing so, it joins a growing list of Chinese automakers looking to launch or expand sales of EVs in the region. According to two of the sources, Zeekr also considered Hong Kong as its listing venue but picked New York in the hope of achieving a higher valuation. It said in October it would spin Zeekr off but did not identify a listing venue or the likely value of an offering.

☆ FTC likely to file lawsuit to block Microsoft's $69 bln bid for Activision - Politico
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is likely to file an antitrust lawsuit to block Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) $69 billion takeover bid for video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc (ATVI.O), Politico reported on Wednesday. However, the FTC staff reviewing the deal are skeptical of the companies' arguments, the report said. The FTC and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. The proposed bid is also facing EU scrutiny as regulators opened a full-scale investigation earlier this month and warned about the impact of the deal. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NHL roundup: Devils dump Habs for 10th straight win
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights, who took their second straight loss following a nine-game winning streak. Boone Jenner added two goals and Eric Robinson contributed one goal and one assist for the Blue Jackets. Canucks 5, Sabres 4Bo Horvat notched a goal and two assists as Vancouver ended a three-game losing streak with a win in Buffalo. Predators 2, Wild 1Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist for Nashville in a win against visiting Minnesota. Dylan Strome and John Carlson scored for the Capitals, who got 38 saves from Darcy Kuemper.

☆ Andrew Young, McGraw Hill link for new HBCU scholarship program
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A new scholarship program for students at historically black colleges and universities bears the name of former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young. Young, along with Georgia legislators, civil rights leaders, students and others gathered Friday on the steps of the Woodruff Library at Atlanta University Center to celebrate the creation of the new Andrew Young HBCU Scholarship program. McGraw Hill Education, an arm of McGraw Hill publishing, put an initial $50,000 into the program, which will fund 10 first-year students next fall who plan to attend an HBCU. The idea behind the scholarship program came from Matt Daniels, the chair of the law and human rights division at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. And it’s certainly a good investment for us.”Follow NBCBLK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

☆ Apple chipmaker TSMC reportedly considers Japan expansion as China tensions continue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited at Hsinchu Science Park. Shares of the world's largest chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company rose as much as 5% on Wednesday morning in Asia after Morgan Stanley recommended the stock. Computer chip manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is weighing a potential expansion in Japan as tensions between China and the West continue to create challenges for the company, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The factory currently under construction in Japan is meant to focus on less-advanced chips used in automobiles, for example, but additional capacity could focus on more-advanced technology, the Journal reported. The U.S. has sought to reduce its reliance on foreign chip manufacturing by passing funding to help promote domestic production facilities.

☆ Olivia Wilde’s salad dressing isn’t the only celeb recipe we crave
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —By now you may have heard something about Olivia Wilde’s salad dressing. Internet detectives have been furiously trying to figure out her recipe after it was mentioned in a story published Monday by the Daily Mail. There is even a theory that Wilde previously shared the recipe for the dressing with the Food Network awhile back. Emily Blunt’s take on ‘engagement chicken’Blunt endorsed Food Network star Ina Garten’s roast chicken in a podcast conversation last year. Her recipe has made it to People magazine and includes unsweetened chocolate squares, butter, chopped walnuts and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.

☆ London, Paris, Frankfurt and beyond: CNBC names Europe's best hotels for business travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-04 | by ( Monica Buchanan Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

CNBC Travel and the market data firm Statista today release a ranking of the "Best Hotels for Business Travelers" in Europe. FrankfurtSofitel Frankfurt Opera JW Marriott Hotel Frankfurt Best Western Premier IB Hotel Friedberger Warte Le Meridien Frankfurt Steigenberger Airport Hotel FrankfurtSofitel Frankfurt Opera Source: Sofitel Frankfurt OperaThe Sofitel Frankfurt Opera is on Opera Square, or the Opernplatz, near the city's famed opera house. ParisLe Bristol Paris Les Jardins du Faubourg Kimpton - St Honore Paris Pullman Paris Center-Bercy Le MeuriceLe Bristol Paris Source: Le Bristol Paris | Claire CocanoGuests of Le Bristol Paris can count President Emmanuel Macron as a neighbor — Elysee Palace, the official residence of France's president — is just steps away. StockholmGrand Hotel Stockholm Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel Stockholm Hotel At Six Bank Hotel Lydmar HotelGrand Hotel Stockholm Source: Grand Hotel StockholmTying for No. ViennaPalais Coburg Hotel Residenz Hotel Sans Souci Wien The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna The Harmonie Vienna Grand Hotel Wien This grand hotel built in 1845 is the former home of Austrian royalty.

Swedish Coast Guard/Handout via TT News Agency/via REUTERSBRUSSELS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - EU leaders will discuss next week what the bloc has denounced as sabotage on the subsea Nord Stream gas pipelines, an EU official said on Thursday, adding that the incident had changed the nature of the conflict in Ukraine fundamentally. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"The attack on strategic infrastructure means that the strategic infrastructure in the entire EU has to be protected," an EU official in Brussels said. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were not supplying gas to Europe when the leaks were first detected on Monday but still had gas in them. Russia had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, saying Western sanctions had hampered operations. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial operations.

A gas leak from Nord stream 1 is seen in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken from the Swedish Coast Guard aircraft on September 28, 2022. The European Union is investigating the cause of the leaks in the Gazprom-led (GAZP.MM) Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage. "The attack on strategic infrastructure means that the strategic infrastructure in the entire EU has to be protected," the EU official in Brussels said. Russia had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, saying Western sanctions had hampered operations. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial operations.

FILE PHOTO - Maersk CEO Soren Skou answers questions from the press after publishing the company's quarterly accounts, in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 2, 2021. Moller-Maersk's (MAERSKb.CO) chief executive said on Thursday he expects a "modest" pick-up in trade for the upcoming holidays this year amid concerns about the slowing global economy and consumer demand. "Volumes headed into the Christmas season are lower than a normal year," Soren Skou said in a Reuters Newsmaker interview. Ocean freight volumes will be flat or lower this year, though there is still congestion in global supply chains, he said. Maersk has raised its 2022 profit guidance twice this year as high freight rates persisted longer than expected.

☆ Capital One Spark Cash Select for Good Credit card review: Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no annual fee, and you don't need perfect credit to qualify
▼ + stars: | 2021-09-29 | by ( David Mcmillin | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

Read our review Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing rightReview: Is the Capital One Spark Cash Select for Good Credit the best credit card for you? Insider's Featured Small Business Credit Cards U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®Ink Business Cash® Credit CardInk Business Unlimited® Credit Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Apply now A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.8 out of 5 Stars Editor's Rating A tooltip OUR EDITOR'S RATINGS ARE PRIMARILY BASED ON 3 THINGS: SIMPLICITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND VALUE. Apply now A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.6 out of 5 Stars Editor's Rating A tooltip OUR EDITOR'S RATINGS ARE PRIMARILY BASED ON 3 THINGS: SIMPLICITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND VALUE. Apply now A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 5 out of 5 Stars Editor's Rating A tooltip OUR EDITOR'S RATINGS ARE PRIMARILY BASED ON 3 THINGS: SIMPLICITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND VALUE.

☆ Amex Blue Business Cash card review: A solid small-business credit card for earning cash back with no annual fee and a rare welcome bonus offer
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-27 | by ( Eric Rosenberg | Freelance Writer | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

Small-business owners can earn 2% cash back on up to $50,000 in spending per calendar year with the American Express Blue Business Cash Card. With the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, you can earn unlimited cash back on your spending with no annual fee. Insider's Featured Small Business Credit Cards U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®Ink Business Cash® Credit CardInk Business Unlimited® Credit Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Usually, a major drawback of the American Express Blue Business Cash Card is that it doesn't offer a welcome bonus offer. Be sure to have a look at other small-business cards, like the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, which offer substantial intro bonuses and also don't charge an annual fee.

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