Author: Press Room

The advent of human-sounding robots really exposes robot-sounding humans. No machine could sound as devoid of human feeling as the Amazon memo sent at the start of the year entitled: “Update from CEO Andy Jassy on role eliminations”. After taking a sideswipe at “one of our teammates [who] leaked this information externally”, Jassy failed to give much explanation for 18,000 job cuts other than “the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years”. It is questionable how much comfort “those impacted by these reductions” took from Jassy’s attempt at consolation: “You have made a meaningful difference…

The European Union is becoming increasingly worried about the surging number of requests lodged by asylum seekers who are, in principle, ineligible for international protection, such as nationals from India, Bangladesh, Morocco, Egypt and Peru.The European Commission estimates the number of asylum applications reached 924,000 by the end of 2022 – the highest level since 2016 – while irregular border crossings tripled year-on-year to 330,000.Notably, the asylum requests included citizens from countries considered official candidates to join the bloc, like Turkey, Albania, North Macedonia and Moldova.The growing concern among member states came to the fore during a two-day informal meeting of interior ministers…

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge showed prices rose at a slower pace last month, indicating further progress in the central bank’s battle with higher prices. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, or PCE, rose by 5% in December, compared to a year earlier, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. In December alone, prices rose 0.1% from November. On a month-to-month basis, prices for goods decreased 0.7% and prices for services increased 0.5%, according to the PCE price index for December. Within those categories, food prices increased 0.2% and energy prices decreased 5.1%. Core PCE, which doesn’t include the more volatile…

Colorful cafe bars at the iconic Beale Street music and entertainment district of downtown Memphis, Tennessee.benedek | iStock | Getty ImagesDespite broad hikes in rental prices, competition is easing in some U.S. markets as inventory grows, according to a new report from national real estate brokerage HouseCanary.At the end of 2022, the median U.S. rent was $2,305, which was nearly 5% higher than a year earlier. But when compared to the end of the first half of 2022, that median rent had declined almost 6%, the report shows. Although rent prices have cooled in some markets, others have continued to…

Intel said April 5, 2022 that it has suspended all business operations in Russia.Paco Freire/Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesCheck out the companies making headlines before the bell:Intel — The chipmaker suffered a 9% loss in its shares in early morning trading after its latest financial results missed analysts’ estimates and showed significant declines in the company’s sales, profit and gross margin. The company also forecasted a loss for the current quarter.Advanced Micro Devices — Chip stocks such as Advanced Micro Devices fell as a group following Intel’s results. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices fell nearly 2.4%, while shares of Nvidia and Micro…

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Cryptofinance newsletter. Today we’re taking a look at North Korea’s activity in crypto markets.North Korea is often portrayed as a backward, economically stunted state, but if you believe US allegations it has a pretty sophisticated understanding of the crypto markets. This week the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said Lazarus Group — a North Korea-backed criminal syndicate best known for the WannaCry cyber attack of 2017 — was responsible for a $100mn crypto heist against crypto platform Horizon Bridge last summer. Like last week’s US clampdown on crypto exchange Bitzlato, the…

Videoconferencing, podcasts, and webinars surged in popularity during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 as remote work became part of the new normal. With the pandemic now in the rearview mirror, video communications techniques have shown no sign of slowing down. What’s been amusing to me is that despite the pervasiveness of video communications, how unflattering we often appear on camera using underpowered, low-resolution webcams get too little attention. Poor lighting, mainly when using video calls from home, is undoubtedly a big problem. Sub-HD resolution webcams built into most, even high-end, laptops don’t help. Without the professional assets available…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday. He was 82.Packer’s son, Mark, told The Associated Press that his father had been hospitalized in Charlotte for the past three weeks and had several medical issues, and ultimately died from kidney failure.Packer’s broadcasting career coincided with the growth of college basketball. He worked as an analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993.“He really enjoyed doing the Final…

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. You can listen to an audio version of the newsletter by clicking the same link. As the Federal Reserve continues its inflation-fighting tightrope act, market moves suggest that investors may be feeling more at ease with the central bank’s actions. That’s not necessarily a good thing. What’s happening: The Fed is widely expected to reduce the pace at which it is hiking rates to a quarter of a percentage point in its upcoming meeting in February, following a…

TOKYO: Japan’s health ministry will soon decide whether to make abortion pills available for the first time after the proposal cleared a major hurdle with endorsement by a government panel on Friday (Jan 27). Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but a surgical procedure is currently the only option and consent is usually required from a spouse or partner. British pharmaceutical firm Linepharma applied to Japanese health authorities in December 2021 for approval of its abortion pill, which can be used in early pregnancy. Similar medication is available in many countries including France, which first approved the…