Evergrande: The rise and fall of the property giant's billionaire founder

Hui Ka Yan, the founder of a crisis-hit Chinese property giant, is under police surveillance.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/oxtMpXz

Letter: the US SEC told Bolt the startup likely won't face enforcement action after a 15-month probe into whether Bolt violated securities laws when fundraising (Forbes)

Forbes:
Letter: the US SEC told Bolt the startup likely won't face enforcement action after a 15-month probe into whether Bolt violated securities laws when fundraising  —  In a letter viewed by Forbes, the SEC said that it does not intend to recommend any action against the startup following …

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New York City: State of emergency declared over flash flooding

Subway systems in New York City have flooded and a terminal at LaGuardia Airport is closed.

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Sources: Jasper, which offers AI writing tools for marketers, has cut its $140M 2023 ARR projections by 30%+ and slashed internal valuation by 20% from $1.5B (Natasha Mascarenhas/The Information)

Natasha Mascarenhas / The Information:
Sources: Jasper, which offers AI writing tools for marketers, has cut its $140M 2023 ARR projections by 30%+ and slashed internal valuation by 20% from $1.5B  —  Jasper AI, an early darling of the generative artificial intelligence boom, has cut the internal value of its common shares 20% …

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MakerDAO has passed a proposal that will allow it to invest up to $6B in short-term US Treasuries, double the current limit; MKR token is up almost 3x in 2023 (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
MakerDAO has passed a proposal that will allow it to invest up to $6B in short-term US Treasuries, double the current limit; MKR token is up almost 3x in 2023  —  - MakerDAO can now invest up to $6 billion in Treasuary Bills  — The project's MKR is 2023's best-performing major token

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BeReal says its app has 25M+ DAUs, up from 20M in October 2022, disputing a Similarweb report estimating that BeReal's MAUs declined to 16.06M in August 2023 (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
BeReal says its app has 25M+ DAUs, up from 20M in October 2022, disputing a Similarweb report estimating that BeReal's MAUs declined to 16.06M in August 2023  —  Just under a year ago, the buzzy new social app BeReal looked to be on the rise, with reportedly 20 million users launching the app every day to snap their candid photos.

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Women found in lorry in France face deportation

Six women were rescued from a lorry on Wednesday after a BBC journalist helped alert French police.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/JCFZxk6

France's competition authority raided a "graphics cards sector" company on September 27 as part of a cloud-computing inquiry; sources say the target was Nvidia (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
France's competition authority raided a “graphics cards sector” company on September 27 as part of a cloud-computing inquiry; sources say the target was Nvidia  —  France's competition authority has expressed concerns that established companies in the sector could exclude smaller ones

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Trump loses bid to delay New York civil fraud trial

Mr Trump and three of his adult children are among witnesses who are expected to be called in the case.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/nMiCS7r

A New York state judge rejects a bid by Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub to block NYC's law setting a minimum pay of $17.96/hour for app-based delivery workers (Daniel Wiessner/Reuters)

Daniel Wiessner / Reuters:
A New York state judge rejects a bid by Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub to block NYC's law setting a minimum pay of $17.96/hour for app-based delivery workers  —  A New York state judge on Thursday rejected a bid by Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N), DoorDash Inc and other gig economy firms to block …

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NYC-based IYK, which lets brands, musicians, and creators build "digi-physical experiences", including through NFTs, raised a $16.8M seed led by A16z Crypto (Yogita Khatri/The Block)

Yogita Khatri / The Block:
NYC-based IYK, which lets brands, musicians, and creators build “digi-physical experiences”, including through NFTs, raised a $16.8M seed led by A16z Crypto  —  - IYK has raised $16.8 million in seed funding led by A16z Crypto.  — The startup helps brands …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/5g8rcbd

Mark Zuckerberg announces that Xbox Cloud Gaming is "coming to Quest in December", letting users play hundreds of titles on "a massive screen, anywhere you go" (Darrell Etherington/TechCrunch)

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Mark Zuckerberg announces that Xbox Cloud Gaming is “coming to Quest in December”, letting users play hundreds of titles on “a massive screen, anywhere you go”  —  The next-generation of Meta Quest hardware is here, and Meta announced a bunch of software news alongside the Quest 3 VR headset hardware reveal.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/BNwgz1L

Iraq wedding fire: How the blaze unfolded

At least 93 people have died and 101 others injured after a fire broke out during a wedding in Iraq.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/NZGw7iH

Meta debuts the $500 Quest 3, featuring a 30% higher resolution than the Quest 2, double the processing power, new lenses, a thinner design, and new controllers (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Meta debuts the $500 Quest 3, featuring a 30% higher resolution than the Quest 2, double the processing power, new lenses, a thinner design, and new controllers  —  - New mixed-reality headset to start at $500, a $200 increase  — Apple to launch rival device, Vision Pro, early next year

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Sources: Meta VP of Infrastructure Alexis Black Bjorlin, who oversees the company's efforts to develop AI chips, plans to step down at the end of September 2023 (Reuters)

Reuters:
Sources: Meta VP of Infrastructure Alexis Black Bjorlin, who oversees the company's efforts to develop AI chips, plans to step down at the end of September 2023  —  A Meta Platforms (META.O) executive overseeing the company's efforts to develop its own chips for artificial intelligence work …

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The US FCC announces plans to reinstate net neutrality and "return to the successful rules the Commission adopted in 2015" (Devin Coldewey/TechCrunch)

Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
The US FCC announces plans to reinstate net neutrality and “return to the successful rules the Commission adopted in 2015”  —  Net neutrality is back on the menu, citizens.  After a long, long battle ending in eventual defeat during Trump's presidency, the FCC is set to reinstate rules …

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Eddie Cue's US v. Google testimony: Cue said Google was the only "valid" search choice for a deal; the DOJ noted Apple railed against Google's privacy policies (David Pierce/The Verge)

David Pierce / The Verge:
Eddie Cue's US v. Google testimony: Cue said Google was the only “valid” search choice for a deal; the DOJ noted Apple railed against Google's privacy policies  —  Eddy Cue, in a dark suit, peered down at the monitor in front of him.  The screens in the Washington, DC …

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JP Morgan settles Epstein lawsuits with US Virgin Islands and Jes Staley

It will pay the US Virgin Islands to resolve a lawsuit over its alleged ties with the convicted sex offender.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/KBVvIlE

The FTC and 17 US states sue Amazon for allegedly using monopoly power to keep its prices artificially high, push sellers to pay fees, and harm its rivals (CNBC)

CNBC:
The FTC and 17 US states sue Amazon for allegedly using monopoly power to keep its prices artificially high, push sellers to pay fees, and harm its rivals  —  - Amazon is facing its first set of antitrust charges from the U.S. federal government after the Federal Trade Commission filed …

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US-China rivalry spurs investment in space tech

The race to get back to the moon is fuelling US investment in private sector space firms.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/qdN9Pvg

Memos: Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith is retiring effective December 4 and will be replaced by outgoing Amazon SVP of Devices and Services Dave Limp (CNBC)

CNBC:
Memos: Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith is retiring effective December 4 and will be replaced by outgoing Amazon SVP of Devices and Services Dave Limp  —  KEY POINTS  — Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin will replace CEO Bob Smith with outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp, CNBC has learned.

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Taylor Swift attends Kansas City Chiefs game

Swift attended the game on invitation of Chiefs player Travis Kelce and watched it seated next to his mother.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/KWCtUMT

LG unveils Gram Fold, its first foldable-screen laptop, weighing just 2.76 lb, launching on October 4 in South Korea for ~$3.7K, rivaling Asus, Lenovo, others (Scharon Harding/Ars Technica)

Scharon Harding / Ars Technica:
LG unveils Gram Fold, its first foldable-screen laptop, weighing just 2.76 lb, launching on October 4 in South Korea for ~$3.7K, rivaling Asus, Lenovo, others  —  LG's 17-inch foldable OLED arrives October 4 for 4.99 million won (~$3,726).  —  Lenovo launched the first foldable laptop in 2020 …

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South China Sea: Philippines Coast Guard cuts barrier

The Philippines says it has executed a "special operation" to remove a floating barrier in the South China Sea.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/BhmQZlX

Gripped by worker shortages, some security companies are using robots developed by 1X, Knightscope, Ava Robotics, Ascento, and others to augment human labor (Leke Oso Alabi/Financial Times)

Leke Oso Alabi / Financial Times:
Gripped by worker shortages, some security companies are using robots developed by 1X, Knightscope, Ava Robotics, Ascento, and others to augment human labor  —  Most androids focus on repetitive tasks, augmenting human labour, say executives  —  In the world of security services where companies …

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Electric car rules could cost carmakers billions

New Brexit trade rules could push up the price of electric cars, manufacturers warn.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/Ux5Jcpz

Q&A with Kevin Systrom about Artifact's Links discovery feature, moderation, the bear case and bull case for Threads, the current state of Instagram, and more (Jody Serrano/The Messenger)

Jody Serrano / The Messenger:
Q&A with Kevin Systrom about Artifact's Links discovery feature, moderation, the bear case and bull case for Threads, the current state of Instagram, and more  —  Kevin Systrom hopes a fresh jolt of growth to his Artifact app allows it to compete better with the industry's bigger relics

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/arwRoeg

Kosovo and Serbia row over monastery gun battle

A Kosovan policeman and three ethnic Serb gunmen are dead after a siege of a monastery in Kosovo.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/s3EM4QP

The shadowy Chinese firm that owns chunks of Cambodia

It secured a deal to control a fifth of Cambodia's coastline - 15 years on, it has barely got started.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/lUKVSdO

Ukraine war: Training to clear the world's most heavily mined country

How British military bomb disposal teams are helping Ukrainian engineers clear Russian minefields.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/GXx3YeN

A profile of Hank Asher, the "father of data fusion" who died in 2013 after initiating a vast shift in privacy norms through his data mining software companies (McKenzie Funk/New York Times)

McKenzie Funk / New York Times:
A profile of Hank Asher, the “father of data fusion” who died in 2013 after initiating a vast shift in privacy norms through his data mining software companies  —  Hank Asher was a drug smuggler with a head for numbers — until he figured out how to turn Americans' private information into a big business.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/PFDJR4n

Niger coup: Macron says France to withdraw troops and ambassador

French president says ambassador will leave and all military cooperation will end in "the months to come".

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/UNikHby

Three major US voting equipment makers grant some researchers access to their software and hardware, to fight conspiracy theories with greater transparency (Sean Lyngaas/CNN)

Sean Lyngaas / CNN:
Three major US voting equipment makers grant some researchers access to their software and hardware, to fight conspiracy theories with greater transparency  —  Major US voting equipment manufacturers are enlisting cybersecurity experts to provide additional stress-tests of their systems …

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Rare 'Dumbo' octopus filmed on deep sea live stream

The octopus with ear-like fins resembling the Disney character was filmed at a depth of more than 1,000 metres.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/WZji6hN

TikTok frenzies 'putting police and schools under strain'

The warning comes after a BBC investigation into disruption driven by the social media platform's algorithms.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/bPXvfjU

A look at the flood of near-identical YouTube obituary videos, where men read obituaries scraped from funeral homes, newspapers, and other authorized publishers (Kate Knibbs/Wired)

Kate Knibbs / Wired:
A look at the flood of near-identical YouTube obituary videos, where men read obituaries scraped from funeral homes, newspapers, and other authorized publishers  —  If you Google someone who recently died, you might see a flood of near-identical videos of men reading obits.  Here's why.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/IE5hRe8

A leaked promo video for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro reveals camera features, including an Audio Eraser, the ability to swap faces, manual controls, and more (Sanket Vijayasarathy/91mobiles)

Sanket Vijayasarathy / 91mobiles:
A leaked promo video for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro reveals camera features, including an Audio Eraser, the ability to swap faces, manual controls, and more  —  - A new promo video focuses on the many camera features of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.  — Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will get a 50MP primary camera.

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Walmart-backed PhonePe, which leads India's UPI-based payments market, launches the Indus AppStore on Android with zero platform fees and no commission on IAP (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Walmart-backed PhonePe, which leads India's UPI-based payments market, launches the Indus AppStore on Android with zero platform fees and no commission on IAP  —  PhonePe launched the Indus AppStore Developer Platform on Saturday, promising zero platform fee and no commission on in-app purchases …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/24Plmg8

A look at the UK NHS' plans for a federated data platform and the doctors, privacy campaigners, and others concerned that Palantir could win the £480M contract (Wired)

Wired:
A look at the UK NHS' plans for a federated data platform and the doctors, privacy campaigners, and others concerned that Palantir could win the £480M contract  —  US-based Palantir is favored to win a $595 million NHS contract, but activists and doctors worry about its controversial ties …

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Ukraine war: Moment missile hits Russia's Black Sea fleet HQ

Video verified by the BBC shows a Ukrainian missile hitting Russia's Black Sea fleet HQ in Crimea.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/nq2boR3

Ukraine hits HQ of Russia's symbolic Black Sea navy

The attack comes as Ukraine's president made an unannounced visit to meet Canada's PM in Ottawa.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/J9LBWe5

Sources: The White House is weighing requiring cloud companies to disclose when a client buys computing resources above a set threshold, as part of an EO on AI (Louise Matsakis/Semafor)

Louise Matsakis / Semafor:
Sources: The White House is weighing requiring cloud companies to disclose when a client buys computing resources above a set threshold, as part of an EO on AI  —  The White House is considering requiring cloud computing firms to report some information about their customers to the U.S. government …

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Unity apologizes and says games made with Unity Personal will be exempt from its Runtime Fee, which will only apply to games made with Unity versions from 2024 (Bryant Francis/Game Developer)

Bryant Francis / Game Developer:
Unity apologizes and says games made with Unity Personal will be exempt from its Runtime Fee, which will only apply to games made with Unity versions from 2024  —  Unity's updated Runtime Fee will no longer apply to games made on Unity Personal, and will only apply beginning with the next LTS version of Unity.

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