Visa agrees to buy AI-focused enterprise tech firm Featurespace

(Reuters) -Visa has agreed to buy AI-focused Featurespace, which develops enterprise technology preventing fraud and financial crime, for an undisclosed amount, it said on Thursday. Top tech companies are racing to build artificial intelligence into their products and services, leading to surging demand for AI chips, services and machine learning technology. Visa said Featurespace’s AI-enabled…

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Costco Wholesale misses quarterly revenue estimates on still-muted spending

(Reuters) -Costco Wholesale missed market expectations for fourth-quarter revenue on Thursday on cautious spending by budget-conscious customers at its membership-only stores, as well as an impact from lower gasoline prices. Shares of the company were down about 1% in extended trading. They have gained about 37% so far this year. While ultra-low prices on groceries…

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Texas approves plan to boost oil and gas drillers’ power grid access

By Georgina McCartney HOUSTON (Reuters) – A Texas commission unanimously on Thursday approved the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, which is designed to expand power grid infrastructure in the United States’ largest oilfield to accommodate rapidly growing demand from the oil and gas industry. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) directed the Electric Reliability Council…

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US House passes stopgap spending bill to avert government shutdown

By Richard Cowan and Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown beginning next week, even as a large number of Republicans revolted against their leadership for failing to achieve new federal spending cuts. The stopgap funding bill, which passed in the…

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US prepares $8 billion in arms aid packages for Zelenskiy visit, sources say

By Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States plans to announce more than $8 billion worth of military assistance for Ukraine on Thursday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to Washington, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s administration has been engaged in urgent discussions with Congress to…

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