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☆ ChatGPT Secret Training Data: the Top 50 Books AI Bots Are Reading
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

To figure out what GPT-4 has read, they quizzed it on its knowledge of various books, as if it were a high-school English student. One way to answer the question is to look for information that could have come from only one place. Genre — sci-fi, mystery, romance, horror — is, broadly speaking, more interesting, partially because these books have plots where things actually happen. Bamman's GPT-4 list is a Borgesian library of episodic connections, cliffhangers, third-act complications, and characters taking arms against seas of troubles (and whales). See what a bot makes of Gene Wolfe's "The Book of the New Sun," maybe, or Sheri Tepper's "Grass."

☆ Wall Street Journal insiders are bracing for more changes under its new top editor, including layoffs that could hit as early as this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoff news as early as this week and other changes under its new EIC. Emma Tucker has shaken up the top editor ranks, and insiders expect changes to the editing process. Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoffs and broader changes under new top editor Emma Tucker. People expect Tucker to overhaul the cumbersome front-page editing process for top enterprise stories and deemphasize commodity news in favor of more investigative pieces, with specifics to come as early as June. "She's not afraid to ask questions that are challenging Wall Street Journal orthodoxy," a second insider said.

☆ South African rand hits new low amid dollar strength, poor outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 30 (Reuters) - The South African rand hit a record low on Tuesday on the back of a strengthening dollar and souring local investor sentiment that has seen massive capital outflows from the country. At 1518 GMT, the rand traded at 19.690 against the dollar , about 0.09% weaker than its previous close. Greg Davies, head of wealth at asset manager Cratos Capital, said South Africa was now a less desirable investment destination for international investors due to the local power crisis. "We've had poor results coming from Tiger Brands and Pepkor; two companies closely followed by foreigners," said Casparus Treurnicht, analyst and portfolio manager at Gryphon Asset Management. Tiger Brands shares crashed by more than 16%, while major retailer Pepkor (PPHJ.J) lost over a tenth of its market value.

Persons: Warren Venketas, Greg Davies, We've, Casparus Treurnicht, Alexander Winning, Tannur Anders, Rachel Savage, Sonia Cheema, Alison Williams Organizations: greenback, Cratos, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Tiger Brands, Gryphon Asset Management, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Johannesburg

☆ Newsroom insiders are bracing for changes at The Wall Street Journal under its new top editor, including layoffs that could hit as early as this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoff news as early as this week and other changes under its new EIC. Emma Tucker has shaken up the top editor ranks, and insiders expect changes to the editing process. Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoffs and broader changes under new top editor Emma Tucker. One audio staffer was laid off last week, in keeping with Journal practice to quietly shed people in small numbers. "She's not afraid to ask questions that are challenging Wall Street Journal orthodoxy," a second insider said.

Toyota's board on Wednesday recommended that shareholders vote against the resolution, to be put to the company's annual general meeting in June. On Wednesday Toyota said it expects a five-fold jump in pure electric vehicle (EV) sales this business year. "We need concrete policy changes and a better annual review drawing on independent data to calm international investors." LONG ENGAGEMENTIt will be the first time that Toyota faces such a climate-related resolution at its annual general meeting, the funds said. It first planned to submit a shareholder proposal in 2021, but withdrew that after it received assurances that Toyota would review its climate lobbying.

☆ South African rand pauses after steep fall; focus on U.S. CPI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 10 (Reuters) - The South African rand was little changed in early trade on Wednesday after a steep fall the previous day, with global market attention firmly pinned on U.S. inflation figures due later in the day. At 0545 GMT the rand traded at 18.6425 against the U.S. currency , not far from its previous close of 18.6375. The risk-sensitive rand lost more than 1.6% against the greenback on Tuesday, as caution built ahead of Wednesday's U.S. Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) print scheduled for 1230 GMT. Economists expect the headline CPI to hold steady at an annual 5% and core CPI to moderate very slightly to 5.5%, though anything stickier could confound bets interest rates will fall. Among local drivers, South Africa's central bank governor Lesetja Kganyago will from 0900 GMT deliver a lecture on the topic: "Challenges facing the global economy: A South African Perspective".

May 9 (Reuters) - Digital stablecoin tether is winning the race for the title of the crypto world's "least risky" asset. Tether is already the top performer among stablecoins -- digital tokens pegged to some fiat asset like the dollar -- and has seen its market value soar since March. Buying tether and bitcoin is really a vote against the U.S. system," says Jensen. On CoinMarketCap's database of 23,891 tokens, tether has risen to number 3 with a market cap of $82 bln and a share of 6.83%. NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWSTo be sure, tether has long been dogged by doubts about its peg being backed by dollar reserves.

☆ South Africa's Redefine reports 9.2% fall in distributable income
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 8 (Reuters) - South African commercial property group Redefine (RDFJ.J) reported on Monday that its half-year distributable income fell 9.2% and declared an interim divided of 20.32 cents, down 14.2% from the previous period. The group said its distributable income per share - the primary measure of underlying financial performance in the listed property sector - fell to 23.91 cents in the six months ended Feb. 28, from 26.33 cents a year earlier. But revenue was capped by negative rental reversions - when a tenant pays a lower rental on a lease than they did before - and disposals. The company said it expects full-year 2023 distributable income per share of between 48 cents per share and 52 cents per share. ($1 = 18.3833 rand)Reporting by Tannur Anders Editing by Nqobile DludlaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italians judge Spanish pizzeria as the best in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Enter 50 Top Pizza, an international guide run by Italians that produces a series of annual rankings rewarding some of the best pizzerias on the planet. The 2023 European list has just been published – and, according to 1,000 anonymous “inspectors” across the continent, the best pizza in Europe is in… Spain. The entity – a pizza guide, which has been ranking restaurants since 2017 – has separate listings for the 50 best pizzerias in the cradle of pizza. The best pizza was judged to be Panatieri's "Salsa de tomates cherry asados, mozzarella y holandesa de albahaca." Today this is not the case.”As for the Italy rankings, they will be revealed in Rome on July 12.

☆ Skanska CEO: It's been a weak quarter for residential developments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSkanska CEO: It's been a weak quarter for residential developmentsAnders Danielsson, CEO of Skanska, says buyers are "hesitating a lot."

☆ Equinor CEO: Europe needs more gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEquinor CEO: Europe needs more gasAnders Opedal, CEO of Equinor, discusses first-quarter earnings and the company's efforts in energy security.

☆ He's played chess with Peter Thiel, sparred with Elon Musk and once, supposedly, stopped a plane crash: Inside Sam Altman's world, where truth is stranger than fiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

But, "you do at some point need to start having contact with reality," he told Insider. The plan was still only a rough sketch, Blania told Insider, but that didn't seem to matter to his host. "He always wanted to understand everything at a very deep level," Thrun told Insider in an email. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ Sam Altman is building his utopia, whether you want it or not
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

Altman told Insider, "We debate our approach frequently and carefully." "I don't think anyone can lose your dad young and wish he didn't have more time with him," Altman told Insider. Altman told Insider that his thinking had evolved since those posts. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ Russia has a plan to sabotage European wind farms, gas pipelines, and internet cables, report say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has been using ships to spy in Nordic waters, a joint investigation by four countries' public broadcasters found. They are collecting intel on wind farms, gas pipelines, and power and internet cables, report said. Norway's NRK reported at least 50 Russian ships gathered intelligence there in the last ten years. DR reported that intercepted Russian navy communications showed Russian ships who had turned off their transmitters sailing in Nordic waters. One of the ships, Russian marine research vessel "Admiral Vladimirsky," sailed near current and future offshore wind farms, and stayed there for a few days, the outlets found.

JOHANNESBURG, April 19 (Reuters) - South African inflation rose for the second month in a row in March to 7.1% year on year, driven by a steep increase in food prices, data showed on Wednesday. Economists said the pickup in inflation, from 7.0% in February, meant the central bank would probably raise interest rates again next month. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has hiked interest rates nine times in a row since November 2021 to try to tame inflation. First National Bank senior economist Koketso Mano said it appeared that power constraints were exacerbating local food inflation. Consumer inflation rose to 1.0% month on month in March from 0.7% in February.

☆ South Africa targets $111 billion investment goal in tough investor climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on as he delivers the opening address at the 5th Investment Conference to showcase opportunities available in the country to local and international companies, in Sandton, South Africa, April 13, 2023. Jairus Mmutle/Government Communication Information System (GCIS)/Handout via REUTERSJOHANNESBURG, April 13 (Reuters) - South Africa needs to urgently fix energy, transport and security challenges if it is to reverse souring investor sentiment, executives said on Thursday as President Cyril Ramaphosa targets 2 trillion rand ($111 billion) in new investments over the next five years. "The way we see it for the future of South Africa, international investment is so important and these challenges make it difficult for us to position the potential of South Africa as an attractive investment destination while there is uncertainty on when reforms will be implemented," Brown said. South Africa has experienced its worst power cuts on record, leaving businesses and households in the dark for up to 10 hours daily. The South African Reserve Bank estimates these blackouts have shaved off at least 2 percentage points from growth.

☆ From black to green: How an oil-and-gas company pivoted to embrace wind energy — and is now raking in billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Like Sykes, it made a transition from black to green — and in doing so, it demonstrated it's possible for big energy companies to pivot to clean energy. To limit the influence of climate change, those emissions need to rapidly decrease — which means that big energy companies need to change their operations. A 2022 study found that 51% of the world's biggest publicly listed energy companies had not set out a strategy to reduce their emissions. Shell, for example, says it has about 50 gigawatts of renewable energy in operation, under construction, or in development. "If we could do the energy transition without them, I wouldn't be doing this," van Baal added.

☆ NHL roundup: Islanders beat Habs, clinch playoff berth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Apr 12, 2023; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Brock Nelson (29) brings the puck up ice against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at UBS Arena. New York holds a one-point lead over the Florida Panthers, who host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in their regular-season finale. With his team short-handed, Suzuki beat Islanders defenseman Samuel Bolduc to a puck and handcuffed Sorokin to trim New York's lead to 3-2 with 3:22 remaining in the second period. Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who won their fifth straight game. Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz also scored, and Scott Wedgewood earned the victory with 16 saves.

☆ NHL roundup: Claude Giroux reaches 1,000 points in Senators' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Giroux entered the game with 998 points but reached the milestone before the first intermission. Giroux followed up with a backhand shot at the 9:37 mark for his 34th goal of the season, his 1,001st career point and his 52nd career game-winning goal. Jets 6, Sharks 2Defenseman Erik Karlsson reached 100 points this season but couldn't spark his team to victory as host Winnipeg beat San Jose. Stars 6, Red Wings 1Roope Hintz had a goal and three assists to help Dallas earn a road win over Detroit. Wild 4, Blackhawks 2Marcus Johansson scored two of Minnesota's three goals over the final six minutes in its win over host Chicago.

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - A member of a United Nations-backed coalition of insurance firms and pension funds seeking to tackle climate change told Reuters it was considering quitting after disagreements about curbing investment in the oil and gas sector split the group. The row is the latest in a string of policy splits among major climate coalitions of financial firms. AkademikerPension wanted the position paper to state that NZAOA members should only invest in public equities or corporate bonds when the companies involved are no longer investing in exploration for new oil and gas. German insurer Munich Re (MUVGn.DE) said earlier on Friday it was withdrawing from another alliance of insurers focused on reducing carbon emissions to avoid antitrust risks. "I think it's going to be extremely difficult for a plaintiff, even a government enforcer, to prevail on an antitrust theory of harm," said Mitnick.

[1/2] Dressmaker Faieza Caswell from Mitchells Plain sews under candlelight in her workplace, on the Cape Flats due to South Africa's struggling power utility company Eskom, implementing regular power cuts - called 'load-shedding', in Cape Town, South Africa February 11, 2023. South Africa's relatively wealthy, developed economy and nearly three decades of political stability helped drive industry growth and draw in reinsurers. And they are now tightening the conditions of their agreements with insurance companies. Reinsurers are also pushing insurance companies to include so-called "named perils" in policies rather than offering blanket cover for catastrophes. Grid failure would plunge South Africa into a nationwide blackout that could last weeks.

☆ NHL roundup: Alex Ovechkin hits 40 goals for record 13th time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY SportsMarch 22 - On a night he was honored for passing one NHL legend, Washington's Alex Ovechkin made history by eclipsing another. Before the game, Ovechkin was honored in a 20-minute on-ice ceremony for passing Gordie Howe for second place on the all-time NHL goals list on Dec. 23. On Tuesday, Ovechkin scored his 40th goal of the season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history with his 13th. Barrett Hayton scored the lone goal for Arizona (27-33-11, 65 points), which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Alex Chiasson and Filip Zadina scored regulation goals for the Red Wings, who earned just their third victory in their last 13 games.

☆ Equinor sees "a lot of interest" in long-term gas deals, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Equinor ASA FollowBERGEN, Norway, March 17 (Reuters) - Equinor (EQNR.OL) has seen significant interest among gas buyers in Europe for entering into long-term supply contracts lasting between three and 10 years, the Norwegian company's CEO told Reuters on Friday. "Long-term contracts for us means three to 10 years and we see that there is a lot of interest for long-term contracts at the moment," Equinor CEO Anders Opedal told Reuters. The visit underlines the importance of the relationship between the European Union and non-EU Norway when it comes to energy, Opedal said. "It shows how important it is that we focus both on security of supply and the security on the installations," he said. Troll alone supplies 11% of all gas consumed in the EU, according to Equinor.

☆ In show of unity, NATO and EU heads visit North Sea gas platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Equinor CEO Anders Opedal visit the Troll A gas platform in the North Sea, Norway March 17, 2023. Ole Berg-Rusten /NTB/via REUTERSTROLL A PLATFORM, North Sea, March 17 (Reuters) - The heads of NATO and the European Commission flew on Friday to a North Sea platform to discuss the security of supplies and infrastructure, a visit underlining Norway's importance for gas shipments since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Troll A platform extracts gas from Norway's biggest gas field. After a drop in Russian flows, the Nordic country last year became the largest gas supplier to the EU. The field accounts for one third of daily Norwegian gas exports to Europe.

☆ South African court orders striking healthcare workers to end walkout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) march during a strike over wage disputes, at the Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Vosloorus outside Johannesburg, South Africa, March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, March 13 (Reuters) - The South African Labour Appeal Court on Monday ordered striking state healthcare workers to end a week-long walkout that has affected services in some of the country's major hospitals, the health department said. National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) members went on strike last week after wage talks with the government failed. The labour relations act prohibits essential workers from engaging in strike action which is detrimental to healthcare services with a risk of loss of life, he told a press briefing. The South African military said it had deployed medics to help in the affected hospitals at the request of the health department.

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