Author: franperez66q@protonmail.com
More than a decade ago, before we were talking about “AI agents,” Amazon launched its digital voice assistant Alexa and the smart speaker branded Echo.I remember using one and thinking there was definitely a future here for these kinds of devices. Fast forward to now, with huge leaps in AI models, Alexa has received an upgrade and Amazon is thinking about a world where its voice assistant can be with you everywhere.Driving the current gadget and AI push is Amazon’s hardware and services chief, Panos Panay, who’s the latest guest on The Tech Download. Panay laid out his vision of Alexa+,…
Europe shares at record highs on cool U.S. data, geopolitical progress Source link
The European Central Bank’s Christine Lagarde has declined to rule out an early end to her term as president, as she mulls a foray into French politics. Lagarde, whose term as ECB President ends in October 2027, told French newspaper Les Echos an early departure is “possible” ahead of the country’s presidential elections that year. “I think a European voice must be heard in the French presidential debate,” Lagarde said. “If this debate were to present a perspective that diminishes France’s place within Europe, I think it would be necessary to explain why this would be a painful path for…
Alibaba to ban employees from using Anthropic’s coding tool, source says Source link
Gold bars are stored in a safe deposit room in Munich, Jan. 28, 2026.Angelika Warmuth | ReutersSpot gold prices rose by 1.4% on Friday morning, putting the precious metal on track for its first weekly gain in five weeks after coming under sustained pressure this year. By 4:30 a.m. ET, spot gold was trading at around $4,182.28 an ounce and on course for a 2.3% weekly gain – which would be its first weekly rise since late May. Front-month U.S. gold futures were up by 1.5% on an intraday basis. Stock Chart IconStock chart iconSpot goldGold prices have fallen this year,…
Russian fuel crisis prompts rush for Chinese electric cars Source link
Commercial vessels remain anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos around Qaboos Port on June 21, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.Elke Scholiers | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesOman’s reputation for neutrality has earned it the nickname the “Switzerland of the Middle East.”But the country, which sits to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, is employing a deliberately opaque diplomatic strategy in discussions about tolls for the critical waterway, and markets have a “blind spot” for what could happen next, analysts tell CNBC.Oman has served as a key intermediary in regional crises and remains one of the few countries trusted by both…
The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building on a day with an extreme heat warning in New York City on July 2, 2026, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty ImagesA prolonged and dangerous period of extreme heat across the central and eastern U.S. is poised to continue into the Independence Day weekend, exposing pressure points for power markets and transport.Temperatures of up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 degrees Celsius) are expected, according to the National Weather Service, with some daily, monthly and all-time…
Pirelli shares up on report of Czech billionaires eyeing Sinochem stake Source link
During the 2023 leadership contest, Yousaf defended his decision to miss the final vote on Scotland’s equal marriage legislation after it was claimed he had arranged a meeting as cover.Yousaf insisted he had an “unavoidable” engagement about a death row prisoner in Pakistan, adding: “I support equal marriage. I supported it then, support it now.”Asked earlier this week if he would have attended the ARC event, First Minister John Swinney replied: “I certainly wouldn’t speak at a conference like that because I’m going to have nothing to do with Reform.”In response to a separate question about political disquiet, Forbes said…