Google AI systems make headway with math in progress toward reasoning

By Kenrick Cai Alphabet’s Google unveiled a pair of artificial intelligence systems on Thursday that demonstrated advances in solving complex mathematical problems, a key frontier of generative AI development. The current class of AI models, which work by statistically predicting the next word, have struggled with abstract math, which requires greater reasoning capabilities resembling human intelligence. DeepMind, the company’s AI unit, published results showing that its new AI models in development, called AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry … Read more…

U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase adds three board members, including OpenAI executive

By Stephanie Kelly NASHVILLE (Reuters) – U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has added three new members to its board of directors, including an executive from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, as the company steps up its efforts to sway U.S. crypto policy, Coinbase told Reuters on Thursday. The new members are Chris Lehane, a member of the executive team at OpenAI; Paul Clement, former U.S. Solicitor General under President George W. Bush; and Christa Davies, chief financial officer for … Read more…

Renault sticks to 2024 outlook as first-half profit beats estimates

By Nick Carey and Gilles Guillaume LONDON (Reuters) – Renault posted a better-than-expected operating profit for the first half of the year on Wednesday due to strong pricing and new vehicle launches, and stuck to its full-year profit-margin forecast. The French automaker last week reported that its first-half sales volume rose 1.9% versus the same period in 2023 due to the strong performance of hybrid models in Europe, its key region. Renault posted a higher … Read more…

US spot ether ETFs see net inflows of $106 million on first day

By Suzanne McGee (Reuters) – The nine exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to the spot price of ether, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, scooped up net inflows of $106 million on Tuesday as they began trading on U.S. stock exchanges, according to data from CF Benchmarks and several trading firms. The funds that pulled in most of those assets were sponsored by the same firms that emerged as the biggest winners following January’s debut of spot bitcoin … Read more…

EU countries look to extend freeze on Russian assets to secure G7 loan to Ukraine

By Jan Strupczewski and Julia Payne BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union member states discussed options for extending the renewal period of sanctions on Russian central bank assets to secure a major Group of Seven loan to Ukraine, an EU draft document showed and diplomats said on Wednesday. Leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies and the EU agreed in June to use the interest on frozen Russian assets to underpin a $50 billion loan for … Read more…

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KKR-backed OneStream surges in market debut

By Pritam Biswas and Echo Wang (Reuters) -Shares of financial software maker OneStream, backed by private equity firm KKR, rose nearly 30% in their Nasdaq debut on Wednesday, valuing the company at nearly $6 billion. Investors have shown optimism for new listings in 2024 on hopes of a soft landing for the economy, after two years of a sluggish U.S. IPO market fueled by geopolitical tensions and high borrowing rates. OneStream’s shares began trading at … Read more…

Exchange operator CME’s profit beats estimates on record trading volumes

(Reuters) – CME Group reported its second-quarter profit above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday as uncertainty in markets helped the exchange operator notch record trading volumes. Latest economic data showing signs of easing inflation has fueled hopes of a possible rate cut in the current half of the year that has helped markets reach new highs. “As escalating uncertainties drove an increased need for risk management across all asset classes, CME Group achieved record Q2 … Read more…

ASEAN seeks to tackle Myanmar crisis, South China Sea tension

By Stanley Widianto and Martin Petty (Reuters) -The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN met in Laos on Wednesday as it seeks to advance a stalled bid to resolve a crisis in Myanmar and cool tensions in the South China Sea, days ahead of a gathering of top diplomats from the world’s biggest powers. The meeting of the foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be followed by two summits in Laos on Saturday … Read more…

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Israel’s Netanyahu to meet separately with Biden, Harris on Thursday, White House says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday to discuss progress towards a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release, the White House said. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet separately with Netanyahu, it said on Wednesday. The Israeli leader is addressing the U.S. Congress later on Wednesday amid protests and discontent among some U.S. lawmakers over the conduct of the war in … Read more…

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Russia says US election upheaval shows schism in American society

By Dmitry Antonov MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Wednesday that the upheaval surrounding the U.S. election, including an assassination attempt against Donald Trump and the exit of President Joe Biden from the race, showed the divisions in an American society in danger of “falling into a nosedive”. Former president Trump, the Republican candidate, was shot in the ear at a campaign rally on July 13, while Biden abandoned his reelection bid on Sunday and … Read more…

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