Suspect in Gaudreau deaths pleads not guilty, rejects plea deal

The New Jersey man suspected of driving drunk in the crash that killed Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother pleaded not guilty to six charges on Tuesday. Sean Higgins, 44, entered the plea at a hearing in Salem County, N.J., where the brothers were riding bikes on the evening of Aug. 29 when they were struck and killed. Higgins, who has been in custody since his arrest, also rejected a plea … Read more…

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Factbox-What Trump said about Canada, Mexico, NATO and Gaza hostages at news conference

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held a press conference on Tuesday and spoke about a range of issues including NATO, Israeli hostages in Gaza, his wish for the U.S. to buy Greenland and take control of the Panama Canal. He also discussed Elon Musk and speculation about Canada becoming a U.S. state. Here are some of his key quotes, ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. CANADA Asked about his idea that Canada … Read more…

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Amazon, MercadoLibre to benefit from Mexico import tariffs, Itau BBA says 

SAO PAULO/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – E-commerce giants Amazon.com and MercadoLibre stand to benefit from new tariffs on low-cost imports into Mexico over Asian retailers like Shein and Temu, according to analysts at Itau BBA. Mexico this month imposed a 19% tax on imports via courier services from countries with which it does not have a free-trade agreement, which includes China. Imports from the U.S. and Canada, part of a regional trade agreement with Mexico, will … Read more…

FDA approves injectable version of Bristol Myers Squibb’s cancer drug Opdivo

(This Dec. 27 story has been corrected to say Opdivo Qvantig has been approved to treat most previously approved tumor indications, not all previously approved tumor indications, in paragraph 5) By Sneha S K and Sriparna Roy (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that it has approved an injectable version of Bristol Myers Squibb’s blockbuster cancer drug, Opdivo. Opdivo is part of a class of drugs called PD-1 inhibitors, which … Read more…

Anthropic to raise $2 billion in deal valuing AI startup at $60 billion, WSJ says

(Reuters) -AI startup Anthropic is in advanced talks to raise $2 billion in a deal valuing the OpenAI rival at $60 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners is leading the funding round, the report said. Anthropic was valued at around $18 billion in a fundraise led by Menlo Ventures in 2024. Anthropic, known for its generative AI chatbot Claude, said it … Read more…

Tech group urges US to halt rule that would limit global access to AI chips

By Karen Freifeld (Reuters) – A technology industry group on Tuesday urged President Joe Biden’s administration to refrain from issuing a last-minute rule that would control global access to AI chips, warning the restrictions would jeopardize U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence. The Information Technology Industry Council, representing companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Meta, said the rule, which could come out as soon as Friday, would place arbitrary constraints on U.S. companies’ ability to sell computing … Read more…

AI startups drive VC funding resurgence, capturing record US investment in 2024

By Krystal Hu (Reuters) – Artificial intelligence startups have contributed significantly to the recovery of U.S. venture capital funding from market lows, with the total capital raised in 2024 nearly 30% higher year-on-year, according to PitchBook data released on Tuesday. AI startups also captured a record 46.4% of the total $209 billion raised last year, compared to less than 10% a decade earlier. The enthusiasm for AI technology, largely sparked by the breakout success of … Read more…

Trump denies report that his team is eyeing pared-back tariffs

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday denied a newspaper report that said his aides were exploring tariff plans that would only cover critical imports, deepening uncertainty among business leaders about future U.S. trade policies. Trump responded on his Truth Social platform after the Washington Post cited three sources familiar with the matter as saying that Trump aides were exploring a narrower approach to tariffs, focused on certain critical sectors. “The … Read more…

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Chip firms surge on hopes of strong AI-led demand

By Medha Singh and Purvi Agarwal (Reuters) -Shares of chipmakers jumped on Monday as Microsoft’s plan to invest $80 billion in AI-enabled data centers in fiscal 2025 spurred bets that semiconductor demand would remain strong. Micron was the biggest gainer among semiconductor stocks with a 10.6% rise, while chip-making equipment companies like Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp rose between 5.1% and 5.5%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index hit its highest since mid-October and was … Read more…

Deere boosts bet on autonomous tractors with new machines

(Reuters) – Deere & Co strengthened its bet on autonomous machinery by unveiling new tractors and industrial equipment, capable of operating without the need for a human being in the cab, at the CES trade show in Las Vegas on Monday. The world’s largest farm equipment maker is making strides towards automating manual work amid a shortage of skilled workers and high labor costs. In the agricultural sector, the challenge of finding workers to operate … Read more…