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LONDON (AP) — Books about the perilous state of our world, our food and our relationship with technology are in the running for Britain’s leading nonfiction book award, the Baillie Gifford Prize. Best-selling American author David Grann is nominated for the stirring seafaring yarn “The Wager,” while physician-writer Siddhartha Mukherjee is in the running with “The Song of the Cell.”British journalist Hannah Barnes is on the list for “Time to Think,” which charts the demise of Britain’s controversial Tavistock gender clinic for children. Founded in 1999, the prize recognizes English-language books from any country in current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. It has been credited with bringing an eclectic slate of fact-based books to a wider audience. Last year’s winner was Katherine Rundell’s poet biography “Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne.”

Persons: Britain’s, Baillie Gifford, longlist, John Vaillant’s, Chris van, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, David Grann, ”, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Hannah Barnes, Tania Branigan’s, Katja Hoyer’s, Katherine Rundell’s, “, John Donne Organizations: Prosperity, “ Locations: British, Tavistock, East Germany

☆ TikTok hires Britain's NCC for auditing data security
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies NCC Group PLC FollowSTOCKHOLM, Sept 5 (Reuters) - TikTok has hired British cybersecurity firm NCC (NCCG.L) to audit its data controls and protections, and provide independent verification, as part of the social media company's data security regime, nicknamed "Project Clover". As part of the regime, TikTok is opening three data centres - two in Ireland and one in Norway to store user data in Europe. The first Irish datacenter is already online and TikTok has started to migrate data. In the coming months, TikTok and NCC said they will engage with policymakers across Europe to explain how the system will work in practice. TikTok announced Project Clover in March amid growing pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic over data security.

Persons: Mike Blake, TikTok, Elaine Fox, Clover, Supantha Mukherjee, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, NCC, Thomson Locations: U.S, Culver City , California, STOCKHOLM, British, Ireland, Norway, Europe, Stockholm

The January-June operating loss at the privately held (BNPL) fintech, which last made a full-year profit in 2018, was 2.01 billion crowns ($185 million) against a year-earlier loss of 6.17 billion. "We feel very confident that we'll be posting a profitable quarter very soon and then eventually also a full profitable year." Klarna Bank is a unit of Klarna Holdings, which has attracted investment from the likes of Sequoia, Permira and Silver Lake. Siemiatkowski said Klarna, whose biggest market by revenue is the U.S., now has more than 30 million users. In the second quarter, gross merchandise volume (GMV) - the value of goods purchased through Klarna - was up 14%, and revenue growth was 17%.

Persons: Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Siemiatkowski, Klarna, Supantha Mukherjee, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Klarna Bank, Reuters, Klarna, Klarna Holdings, Sequoia, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Ukraine, Silver, U.S, Klarna

REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Advocacy group Noyb on Thursday filed complaints against Google-owned Fitbit in Austria, the Netherlands and Italy accusing the fitness tracking company of violating the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy regime. Vienna-based Noyb (None Of Your Business), the digital rights group founded by privacy activist Max Schrems, has already filed hundreds of complaints against big tech companies ranging from Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google to Meta over privacy violations, some leading to big fines. Fitbit forces its users to consent to data transfers outside the EU and does not provide the possibility to withdraw their consent, violating GDPR's requirements, Noyb said. Fines for violating GDPR rules can reach up to 4% of a firm's global annual revenue. While GDPR allows every person to withdraw their consent, Fitbit's privacy policy states that the only way to withdraw consent is to delete an account, which means losing their previously tracked workouts and health data, Noyb said.

Persons: Michele Tantussi, Max Schrems, Noyb, Fitbit, doesn't, Bernardo Armentano, Supantha Mukherjee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: IFA, REUTERS, Rights, Google, European, Data Protection, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights STOCKHOLM, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Vienna, Stockholm

☆ PrEPVacc: HIV vaccine trial that could be ‘the last roll of the dice’ this decade is underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Tom Page | Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

CNN —A novel trial that has been described as “the last roll of the dice” for a generation of HIV vaccines has entered its latter stages. Nearly 40 years since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, and 36 years since the first HIV vaccine trial, the medical community still does not have a working vaccine. But that is not necessarily why they were chosen to participate, said Eugene Ruzagira, PrEPVacc trial director. Evaluating the combination of a trial HIV vaccine and PrEP is a first, say organizers. “I did my very first HIV vaccine trial in 1991,” recalled Weber.

Persons: PrEPVacc, ”, Jonathan Weber, Frank, Helena Herholdt, Eugene Ruzagira, Ruzagira, “, Weber, ” Ruzagira, “ We’ve, Mark Runnacles, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Galileo, Win McNamee, Humphry Davy, JEAN, SEBASTIEN EVRARD, Haydn West, Joe Raedle, ANNE, CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, Alexander Fleming, Fleming, wasn't, Louise Joy Brown, Sandy Huffaker, Daniel Acker, James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Watson, Crick, Raphael GAILLARDE, Sean Gallup, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Thomas Edison's, INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Descovy, Luwano Geofrey, Dr, Luke Dray, Geofrey, Nishanta Singh, Sharon Lewin, Lewin, “ it’s, it’s, ” Lewin, ” Geofrey Organizations: CNN, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, PrEPVacc, Medical Research, Uganda Virus Research Institute, European Union, Smithsonian National Museum of, Cleveland Clinic, Volvo, Bayer, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Getty, Keystone, — Farmers, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Bloomberg, PANTHAKY, PrEP, US Centers for Disease Control, Independent, The University of Melbourne, International AIDS Society, Muhimbili University of Health, Allied Sciences, Dar Locations: Entebbe, Uganda, Thailand, London, Mbeya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ugandan, Durban, Masaka, Salam, African, Africa, China, FPG, AFP, United States, America, U.S, Peoria , Illinois, Europe, “, Dar es Salaam, Rwanda

People in Mumbai celebrate the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the Moon on August 23. Chandrayaan-3’s journeyAs Chandrayaan-3 approached the moon, its cameras captured photographs, including one taken on August 20 that India’s space agency shared Tuesday. India’s lunar lander consists of three parts: a lander, rover and propulsion module, which provided the spacecraft all the thrust required to traverse the 384,400-kilometer (238,855-mile) void between the moon and Earth. The lander, called Vikram, completed the precision maneuvers required to make a soft touchdown on the lunar surface after it was ejected from the propulsion module. A view of the moon as viewed by the Chandrayaan-3 lander during Lunar Orbit Insertion on August 5, 2023.

Persons: Vikram, India’s, ”, Somanath, Abhishek Chinnappa, “, Ashish Kumar Verma, Charvi Katare, Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, “ Humble, Ursula von der Leyen, Narendra Modi, Russia’s Luna, Indranil Mukherjee, Modi, Jaishankar, Sergey Lavrov, ” Lavrov, Somnath, Bill Nelson Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Wednesday, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisation, of Scientific, Industrial Research, Twitter, European Union, Russia –, Soviet Union, Workers, Getty Images, ” India’s, NASA Locations: New Delhi, India, Sikh, Mumbai, ”, Russia, United States, China, Washington, assertiveness, Ukraine, Delhi, Moscow, South Africa, Johannesburg

☆ Opinion: India’s moon landing shines an uncomfortable light on Russia’s failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Opinion Leroy Chiao | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The milestone marks a huge accomplishment for its nascent space program, which has made steady progress over the years. China also boasts a human spaceflight program with an operational space station, including crew and cargo transport spacecraft. Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty ImagesIn the International Space Station (ISS) partnership, the US, Europe, Japan and Canada also continue to move forward with space exploration. Instead of expanding, its space program has been in decline for several years. The lamentable state of Moscow’s space program is just the latest confirmation of that.

Persons: Leroy Chiao, Yuri Gagarin, John F, Vladimir Putin, Putin, —, Luna, Indranil Mukherjee, Artemis, Jeff Bezos, Sergei Krikalev, Dmitry Rogozin, Nick Hague, ” Organizations: NASA, Russian Soyuz, International, CNN, Leroy Chiao CNN, Sputnik, Republicans, Russian Luna, Getty, Space, SpaceX, Soviet Union, ISS, Expedition, Space Shuttle, Twitter, Facebook, Progress, Soyuz, Luna Locations: Russian, what’s, India, Delhi, Soviet Union, United States, Moscow, Russia, America, Ukraine, Asia, China, Mumbai, US, Europe, Japan, Canada, West, Soviet, Columbia

☆ Chandrayaan-3 landing: India could become the fourth country ever to land a spacecraft on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —India is on the brink of a historic attempt to land its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon that could make it only the fourth nation ever to accomplish such a feat. India’s space agency will livestream the landing attempt starting at 5:20 p.m. IST (7:50 a.m. Previously, only the United States, China and the former Soviet Union have completed soft landings on the lunar surface. Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft crashed into the moon on August 19 after its engines misfired, ending the country’s first lunar landing attempt in 47 years. Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty ImagesIndia’s mission has taken on even greater significance since Russia’s failed Luna 25 landing attempt.

Persons: nation’s, Russia’s Luna, Vikram, Angela Marusiak, she’s, Marusiak, “, ” Marusiak, Satish Dhawan, Indranil Mukherjee, Luna, landers, Artemis, Bill Nelson, India’s Organizations: CNN, Indian Space Research Organization, Soviet Union, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, Satish Dhawan Space, YouTube, Getty, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, United, NASA Locations: India, United States, China, France, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, Israel, Japan, Artemis, Russia

Leading the round alongside BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, were Canada Pension Plan, Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and, as previously reported, pension investor Investment Management Corporation of Ontario. The fresh funds will help the firm expand its factory footprint, Hartman said. Separately, Northvolt has assembled its first energy storage system products in Poland and expects to start customer deliveries from later this year. "We have a business plan... we always want to make sure we have access to the markets," Hartman said. Reuters has previously reported, citing sources, that Northvolt was preparing for an initial public offering that could value the company at more than $20 billion.

Persons: Helena Soderpalm, IMCO, Northvolt, Alexander Hartman, Goldman Sachs, Baillie Gifford, Swedbank, Singapore's, Chow, Hartman, Supantha Mukherjee, Simon Jessop, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, BlackRock, Reuters, Management Corporation of Ontario, Volkswagen, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, BMW, Volvo, Thomson Locations: Vasteras, Sweden, BlackRock, Canada, STOCKHOLM, LONDON, Swedish, Europe, North America, Ontario, Hong Kong, Germany, United States, Scania, Poland, Stockholm, London

Here, workers in black uniforms churn out a brand-new electric scooter every 90 seconds, while executives review the company’s skyrocketing sales. Mehta is the 33-year-old CEO of Ather Energy, an electric scooter manufacturer that has enjoyed a recent explosion of demand. “That’s an incredible jump.”The push has been fueled by strong state support, particularly through a policy known as “FAME,” or the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles. Electric two-wheelers on display at the Hero Electric Vehicles headquarters in Gurgaon, India, in 2021. BluSmart is an Indian ride-hailing startup that uses an all-electric fleet, relying heavily on charging infrastructure.

Persons: Tarun Mehta, Mehta, ” Mehta, pedaling, MotoCorp, ”, Brajesh Chhibber, “, Bain, That’s, Anindito Mukherjee, Anmol Singh Jaggi, Fadnavis, Chhibber, ” Chhibber, Jaggi Organizations: India CNN —, Ather Energy, “, CNN, McKinsey, Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles, EV, Economic, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Hero Electric Vehicles, Bloomberg, Getty, ” Locations: Hosur, India, Indian, Bangalore, New Delhi, Delhi, Gurgaon, Gurugram

☆ S.African municipalities' unpaid dues to Eskom rise to $3.3 bln-minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The amount of unpaid dues that South African municipalities owe debt-laden power company Eskom has risen to more than 63.2 billion rand ($3.33 billion) and is increasing exponentially, risking even longer power cuts around the country, the electricity minister said on Sunday. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the figure had risen by 4.7 billion rand since the start of this year. Eskom supplies power to 238 municipalities with the top 20 of them accounting for 77% or 48.9 billion rand of the total overdue debt, Ramokgopa said. The government is exploring ways to resolve the municipal debt crisis and is looking at funding from various means to upgrade the distribution infrastructure, Ramokgopa said, without giving any timeline. ($1 = 18.9890 rand)Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Ramokgopa, Eskom, Promit Mukherjee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

KYIV/STOCKHOLM, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Sweden on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month. The visit will start at Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, about 120 kilometres from Sweden's capital Stockholm. As Zelenskiy reached Sweden, he said people had been killed and wounded in a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. Zelenskiy said he would thank Sweden for supporting Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Kristersson will hold a joint press conference at Harpsund in the afternoon.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ulf Kristersson, grinds, Zelenskiy, Pal Jonson, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Olena Zelenska, Kristersson, Dan Peleschuk, Supantha Mukherjee, Simon Johnson, Frances Kerry, Toby Chopra, David Holmes Organizations: Russian, Swedish, Harpsund, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Harpsund, Swedish, Sweden's, Stockholm, Zelenskiy, Russian, Ukrainian, Chernihiv, Ukraine, Stenhammar

☆ 'Unrealistic' global offshore wind expansion target would require $27 billion by 2026, says Wood Mackenzie
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Wood Mackenzie Ltd FollowAug 17 (Reuters) - Government targets to increase wind power installations would see annual capacity additions reach 80 gigawatts (GW) per year by 2030, requiring $100 billion in secured investment in the supply chain by 2026, Wood Mackenzie said in a report. The research and consultancy firm forecast annual capacity is more likely to increase by 30 gigawatts (GW) a year by 2030, which would require $27 billion of secured investment by 2026. "The supply chain is struggling to scale up and will be an impediment to achieving decarbonisation targets if change does not happen," said Chris Seiple, vice chair, power and renewables at Wood Mackenzie. Wood Mackenzie noted that the low profit margins on offshore wind production and uncertainty about project timings resulting in very different supply-chain needs are making it hard to drum up investment in the sector. Target setting and plans for power market infrastructure to support offshore wind need to extend beyond 2030 to scale up the offshore wind supply chain, analysts at Wood Mackenzie said.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Wood Mackenzie, gigawatts, Chris Seiple, Seiple, Anushree Mukherjee, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Wood, World Energy, Thomson Locations: Viana, Castelo, Portugal, Wood, Bengaluru

☆ California grid warns heat wave will stoke power demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

High tension power lines with winter storm clouds behind them are seen in Sacramento County following multiple winter storms in Sacramento, California, U.S. January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Fred GreavesCompanies California Independent System Operator Corporation FollowAug 13 (Reuters) - California's Independent System Operator (ISO) warned of high temperatures and increased electricity usage during the coming week as the grid operator prepares for tight conditions works to ensure adequate supply. In a notice released on Saturday, ISO said it is closely monitoring the power grid as widespread heat waves can cause supply shortages, with resources stretched thin across multiple Western states. But if weather or grid conditions worsen, it may issue emergency notifications to secure additional resources, and prepare for potential shortages and conservation. Current demand stood at 35,472 megawatts as of Sunday evening in California, compared with an available capacity of 43,873 MW, the ISO website showed.

Persons: Fred Greaves, Anushree Mukherjee, Swati Verma, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Fred Greaves Companies, Thomson Locations: Sacramento County, Sacramento , California, U.S, Fred Greaves Companies California, California, Bengaluru

☆ Verizon signs technology deal with HCLTech
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Signage is seen at a Verizon store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 22, 2021. 1 U.S. telecom company by subscribers, said on Thursday it had signed a technology deal with India's HCLTech (HCLT.NS) to help manage networks for business customers in a bid to stem a decline in its wireline business. Verizon's wireline business, which includes selling to business customers, has been a drag on its revenue for several years. Under the terms of the deal, Verizon Business will lead sales and development, while HCLTech will take care of post-sale network roll-out and support. Some Verizon employees will also move to HCLTech.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, India's, Scott Lawrence, HCLTech, Lawrence, Supantha Mukherjee, Mark Potter Organizations: Verizon, REUTERS, Verizon Business, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Stockholm

☆ S.African lender Nedbank posts 11% rise in half year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Customers perform transactions on Nedbank automated teller machine (ATM) at the Trade Route Mall, in Lenasia outside Johannesburg, South Africa, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, Aug 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's Nedbank Group (NEDJ.J), amongst the top five lenders in the country, recorded an 11% rise in interim profit as it gained from high interest rates, even as its bad loans grew. For the half year ended June 30, the bank's headline earnings per share, a profit measure, was at 15.25 rand ($0.8121), up from 13.70 rand posted a year earlier. But a combination of inflation, high interest rates and regular power cuts are taking a toll. ($1 = 18.7778 rand)Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Promit Mukherjee, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Nedbank, Thomson Locations: Lenasia, Johannesburg, South Africa, Siphiwe, JOHANNESBURG

☆ South Korea's Hyundai to launch more EVs in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Hyundai Motor Company is pictured at the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File PhotoBENGALURU, Aug 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group said on Tuesday it plans to launch more electric vehicles (EVs) under the Hyundai (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) brands in India, in a sign that it is betting big on the world's third-largest auto market. Hyundai has already laid out plans to invest $2.45 billion to beef up EV production in the country, and is bullish on the local appetite for EVS. "The country is becoming an increasingly important center for electric vehicle production and sales," Hyundai said. That could include Teslas, with the Elon Musk-run company (TSLA.O) planning to sell locally made EVs, starting at $24,000.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Kia, Hritam Mukherjee, Nandan, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Hyundai Motor, New York, REUTERS, Hyundai, Kia, EV, Hyundai Motor Group, Elon, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, BENGALURU, India, Bengaluru

☆ Reliance Retail to launch $200-laptop to replicate phone success
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, July 31 (Reuters) - India's Reliance Retail will launch a $200 laptop next month as the Mukesh Ambani-owned retailer looks to repeat the success of its low-cost cell phone. The 4G-enabled laptop, called JioBook, is priced at 16,499 rupees ($200.63) and will be available for purchase through the company-run retail outlets and online platform Reliance Digital from Aug. 5. Last October, Reuters had reported citing sources that JioBook will be produced locally by contract manufacturer Flex. Its wireless venture Jio Infocomm upended the Indian mobile market with cheap internet plans in 2016. ($1 = 82.2350 Indian rupees)Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Infocomm, Hritam Mukherjee, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Reliance, Reuters, Flex, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Bengaluru

☆ US grid operator PJM declares level one emergency amid scorching heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A general view of electric lines as demand for power surges during a period of hot weather in Houston, Texas, U.S. June 27, 2023. REUTERS/Callaghan O’HareCompanies PJM Interconnection LLC FollowJuly 27 (Reuters) - PJM Interconnection, the biggest U.S. electric grid operator, issued a level one emergency alert for Thursday as people crank up air conditioners to stave off the heat wave. The operator issued an Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 late on Wednesday for July 27, signaling that it had available resources to meet firm load and reserve commitments, and was concerned about sustaining its required Contingency Reserves. PJM oversees supply in a 13-state region, managing and paying on-call generators to keep power systems running. Demand is forecast to reach 153,286 MW as of 5:00 EPT on Thursday, and has approximately 186,000 MW of generating capacity.

Persons: Callaghan, Seher Dareen, Anushree Mukherjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Callaghan O’Hare, U.S, PJM, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, Texas, Arizona, Bengaluru

☆ Sweden says it's target of Russia-backed disinformation over NATO, Koran burnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Police stand guard near the Iraqi embassy ahead of a demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden July 20, 2023. "We can see how Russia-backed actors are amplifying incorrect statements such as that the Swedish state is behind the desecration of holy scriptures," he said. "That is, naturally, completely false," Bohlin said, adding that such state actors tried to "create division and weaken Sweden's international standing." "The Swedish state does not issue permissions to burn copies of the Koran. Denmark and Sweden have said they deplore the burning of the Koran but cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.

Persons: Supantha Mukherjee, Sweden's, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Mikael Ostlund, Susanna Trehorning, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Anne Kauranen, William Maclean Organizations: Police, REUTERS, NATO, Civil Defence, Facebook, Psychological Defence Agency, SVT, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, STOCKHOLM, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Swedish, Denmark, Baghdad, Turkey, Helsinki

The number of monthly active users rose to 551 million in the second quarter, beating Spotify's guidance and analysts' forecast of 526.8 million. Premium subscribers, who account for most of the company's revenue, rose 17% to 220 million, topping estimates of 216.6 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. However, quarterly revenue was 3.18 billion euros ($3.51 billion), below analysts' estimate of 3.21 billion euros. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo"If we have user growth, the revenue growth eventually comes - that's the lesson been learned at Spotify and we have seen it over and over," Ek said. Spotify expects premium subscribers to reach 224 million this quarter and revenue of 3.3 billion euros.

Persons: Daniel Ek, Brendan McDermid, Ek, Paul Vogel, Supantha Mukherjee, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: Spotify, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, New York, U.S, Stockholm

Let's do this," tweeted Yaccarino, who also posted a picture of the logo projected onto the company's offices in San Francisco. loadingloadingBoth Yaccarino's and Musk's Twitter handles feature the X logo, although the Twitter blue bird is still visible across the platform. He also referred to the "interim X logo," and tweeted that "soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds". In response to a tweet asking what will tweets be called under X, Musk replied "x's". loadingThe original Twitter logo was designed in 2012 by a team of three.

Persons: Carlos Barria STOCKHOLM, Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Yaccarino, Musk, adieu, Martin Grasser, Matt Rhodes, Drew Benvie, Battenhall, Supantha Mukherjee, Martin Coulter, Aiden Nulty, Bharat Govind Gautam, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, PayPal, NBCUniversal, SpaceX, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco, Elon Musk's, Stockholm, London, Bengaluru

☆ OpenAI's head of trust and safety steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, July 21 (Reuters) - OpenAI's head of trust and safety Dave Willner is leaving the company, he said in a LinkedIn post on Friday, citing the pressures of the job on his family life and saying he would be available for advisory work. Willner took over his role at OpenAI in February last year, after working at Airbnb and Facebook. He attributed his decision to quit to growing demands from his job affecting his family life. Microsoft-backed OpenAI, whose AI chatbot ChatGPT, has stormed the world, has said it depends on its trust and safety team to build "the processes and capabilities to prevent misuse and abuse of AI technologies". Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm and Fanny Potkin in Singapore; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dave Willner, OpenAI, Willner, I've, Supantha Mukherjee, Fanny Potkin, Barbara Lewis Organizations: OpenAI, Facebook, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Stockholm, Singapore

☆ Ericsson investigates reports of Iraq revoking work permits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, July 21 (Reuters) - Ericsson (ERICb.ST) is investigating reports Baghdad has suspended employees' work permits in Iraq and the potential implications for customers and staff in the country, the Swedish telecom gear company said on Friday. On Thursday, Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador in protest at a planned burning of the Koran in Stockholm that prompted protesters to storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. Two protesters in Stockholm on Thursday kicked and partly destroyed a book they said was the Koran but did not set it alight. Ericsson, which has around 30 full-time employees in Iraq, said the safety of its staff, partners, and customers was its top priority. Iraq is a relatively small market by sales for Ericsson.

Persons: Supantha Mukherjee, Anna Ringstrom, Jason Neely, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Ericsson, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Baghdad, Iraq, Swedish, Stockholm, Sweden

The South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) monetary policy committee (MPC) kept rates at 8.25% as inflation forecasts came in lower than previous ones and economic conditions improved. Kganyago said future rate decisions would continue to depend on economic data and risks to the inflation outlook. The bank expects inflation to fall back to the midpoint of the target range sustainably only by the third quarter of 2025. Jason Tuvey, deputy chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said in a note that rate cuts were likely to materialise only early next year. "The split vote suggests that inflation concerns continue to linger and it is likely to take some time before a majority on the MPC are in favour of rate cuts," Tuvey said.

Persons: Lesetja Kganyago, Kganyago, Jason Tuvey, Tuvey, Kuben Naidoo, Nellie Peyton, Tannur Anders, Kopano, Anait Miridzhanian, Promit Mukherjee, Rachel Savage, Alexander Winning, Olivia Kumwenda, Frances Kerry Organizations: South, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Capital Economics, MPC, Thomson Locations: PRETORIA

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