China’s Baidu beats earnings estimates as chatbot awaits govt approval

By Eduardo Baptista and Yuvraj Malik (Reuters) – Search engine giant Baidu Inc beat first-quarter revenue and profit estimates on Tuesday as businesses spent more on advertising amid China’s post-COVID reopening, and said it was awaiting regulatory approval to launch its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot. Business momentum in China is building after it dropped most of…

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Five Germans handed jail sentence for Green Vault jewel heist

DRESDEN, Germany (Reuters) – A German court on Tuesday sentenced five men to several years behind bars for their involvement in a jewel heist in 2019 at a museum in Dresden which houses one of Europe’s greatest art collections. The pieces stolen from the break-in at the Gruenes Gewoelbe (Green Vault) museum in Dresden contained…

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UK’s competition boss: We do not want a hostile environment for tech

LONDON (Reuters) – The head of Britain’s anti-trust regulator said it was not seeking to create a “hostile environment” for tech companies with its decision to block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently from government, caused shockwaves in April when it said the deal could…

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Stellantis recalls 219,000 Jeep SUVs over fire risks

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Chrysler-parent Stellantis said on Tuesday it is recalling 219,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide for fire risks and warned owners to park outside until repairs are made. The recall covers 2014 through 2016 model year Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a power liftgate. An electrical short in the power liftgate module…

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Russia’s war on Ukraine latest: Kyiv says it destroys incoming missiles

(Reuters) – Ukraine said it had shot down six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in a single night, thwarting a weapon Moscow has touted as a next-generation hypersonic missile that was all but unstoppable. FIGHTING * Ukraine said the missiles shot down included six Kinzhal ballistic missiles fired from aircraft. * “The work of air defences…

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Republican allies form Super PAC to back Pence presidential bid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Allies of Mike Pence launched a Super PAC on Tuesday to garner support for the former vice president as he moves toward an expected run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The political action committee will be led by former U.S. Representative Jeb Hensarling and longtime Republican strategist Scott Reed, the group…

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Fed’s Barkin: ‘Comfortable’ with more hikes if needed – Bloomberg TV

(Reuters) – Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin on Tuesday he likes the “optionality” implied in the central bank’s latest policy statement, but he is “comfortable” with raising interest rates further if that is what is needed to lower inflation. “I think the message sent in the last statement was one of optionality, it wasn’t…

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Cryptoverse: Every frog has its day as pepe pops 7,000%

(Our weekly analysis of the wild world of cryptocurrencies) By Lisa Pauline Mattackal and Medha Singh (Reuters) – Move over dogecoin? “Memecoins” – a hyper-speculative, ultra-volatile and somewhat peculiar class of crypto – are back in the spotlight after the latest digital token hit the market with stratospheric gains. Pepe, a coin inspired by an…

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