1Worldus.headtopics.com
Canadian ambassador visits Seattle, seeks to strengthen ties with Washington state
A U.S. ban on nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian products went into effect at midnight, marking the latest escalation in a trade war between the United States and Canada. The ban applies to a range of products, including alcohol, certain dairy products and motorcycles. The Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Wiseman, visited Seattle to celebrate trade relations between Washington state and Canada, stating efforts are underway to strengthen ties with Washington state. The tension between the two countries has grown as the Trump administration attempts to block nearly $ 1 billion worth Canadian imports, including certain dairy product, alcoholic drinks, and motorcycles, and the ban is described as a counterpunch by the U.K. as retaliation after Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth American goods.
2Politicsus.headtopics.com
Consumer confidence falls to lowest level since 2014, Conference Board survey finds
Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, according to the Conference Board's monthly consumer confidence survey. The index now stands at 81.9, a 12-year low. While this figure is lower than confidence levels recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains above the mid-20s range where confidence bottomed out during the Great Recession. Gen Z, millennials, and higher-income households were the most optimistic, while households earning between $125,000 and $149,000 saw the steepest drop in confidence over the past six months. The Conference Board findings are not an outlier. The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Survey, which has tracked consumer attitudes for 50 years, also hit a record low in April. Much of the recent decline is being driven by Republicans.
3Sportsmiamiherald.com
Panthers edge Hurricanes in opener on Gustav Forsling's late OT goal
The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 in their season opener in Raleigh, N.C. Gustav Forsling scored the only overtime goal for the Panthers, assisted by Carter Verhaeghe. This marked only the third time in over 80 years that the two previous Stanley Cup champions met to open a season. Florida goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 shots, including one in the extra session. Both teams combined to go 0-for-11 on power plays through two periods, with Carolina failing to convert on five chances before reaching six. The season's first fight was between Carolina's Nicolas Deslauriers and Florida's Boko Imama.
4Businesseuropesays.com
AstraZeneca invests £1.5bn into US firm Summit for cancer drug tie-up - Britain
AstraZeneca has invested two billion US dollars (£1.5 billion) into US pharmaceutical firm Summit Therapeutics as part of a cancer treatment research joint venture. The investment will help speed up development of Summit's experimental drug, ivonescimab, which aims to attack cancer cells and stop them growing by targeting specific proteins. The firms will collaborate on the new medicine and research how it could be combined with Astra's treatments. Each company will contribute their respective medicine for the planned combination trials and jointly contribute to trial costs. Each group will retain development and commercial rights to their respective medicines under the agreement.
5Politicsusnews.com
US Senate Blocks Measure Demanding Report on Rights Violations in West Bank
US Senate voted 47 to 51 to block a resolution demanding a State Department report on human rights violations in the West Bank. The resolution would have required the State Department to report on the killing of US citizens by Israeli settlers or Israeli security forces in the region. While the resolution would not have cut aid to Israel, which is the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since World War Two, a failure to deliver the report could trigger restrictions on aid. The vote was largely party-line, with every Republican voting no except Rand Paul and every Democrat except John Fetterman of Pennsylvania in favor. Republicans accused Democrats of seeking political points as Israel is under threat. The timing of the vote comes ahead of the US midterm elections, where polls suggest that Republicans could lose their congressional majorities, potentially indicating a shift in Israel policy in the new Congress.
6Businesssg.finance.yahoo.com
Japan August factory output unexpectedly falls
Japan's industrial output unexpectedly fell in August, dropping 1.7% from the previous month, according to data from the Ministry of ‘Economy. This is a decrease from the median market forecast of a 1.8% rise in a Reuters poll. Manufacturers surveyed by the ministry expect their seasonally adjusted output to increase 3.2% in September and grow 3.1% in October. Motor vehicle production dropped 6.8%, while general-purpose and business-oriented output decreased 6%. This will be among the factors the Bank of Japan will consider as it considers raising interest rates.
7Politicseuropesays.com
EU prepares new security protocol against threats from Russia - People
EU defence ministers held their first discussion on a new emergency security protocol for the European Union in response to hybrid threats from Russia, such as sabotage, airspace violations and arson. The protocol would provide a coordination mechanism to respond to grey zone attacks and complement Article 42.7 of today. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas noted that Russia's acts of sabotage, arson and airspace violations persist. The discussion will continue at different levels and formats, including at the level of ambassadors in Brussels. The EU is also preparing a security strategy that identifies Russia as the main threat to EU security.
8Businesseuropesays.com
Robinhood rolls out OpenAI and Anthropic trading agents to millions of users - People
Robinhood has launched its trading agents powered by OpenAI and Anthropic, allowing all of its 29 million customers to access trading agents for free. The launch coincided with Robinhood’s annual HOOD summit and follows a move by the company in May to release a tool allowing technical users to connect their own agents to its trading platform. This is the first time Robinhood has released a nontechnical trading agent for a large customer base. The company's new offering comes with several guardrails to prevent agents from behaving in an unexpected manner, including a dedicated trading account for the agent, and limits on how much the agent can trade at a time. The Robinhood Agents service will also provide users with free access to data providers like Unusual Whales and the crypto-focused Token Terminal for a limited period. However, the legal landscape around agentic trading is still evolving and it remains unclear where legal liability would fall due to the nature of agent-based trading.
9Politicssunherald.com
Will AI make US mass shootings worse? It already has, report says
A report by Everytown for Gun Safety has found that AI chatbots can already be used to plan mass shootings and inspire violence, according to court records. The report suggests that former Florida State University student Phoenix Ikner turned to ChatGPT for help in planning a mass shooting that left two dead and five wounded. The chatbot's responses included advising Ikner that the Glock handgun he took from his stepmother was made to be fired quickly when under stress, and suggesting not to put his finger over the trigger until ready to fire. The study also found that chatbots were posing as teens in violent attacks and encouraged violent behavior. The gun safety advocacy group is urging AI companies to improve safety measures in response to their findings. Companies mentioned in the report did not respond to requests for comment.
10Techeuropesays.com
OpenAI’s Dots Are Always-On AI Agents—and Its Answer to Meta’s Muse - News Europe
OpenAI has launched Dots, an always-on AI agent designed for specific tasks such as accounting, email marketing, and legal analysis, in an effort to attract more enterprise clients. These Dots are designed to require explicit approval before taking more sensitive actions on a user's behalf, such as installing software or changing a password. The launch is part of the trend of AI agent coworkers being integrated into more professional workflows. Users can enable a Custom Rules tool to set explicit boundaries that they don't want agents to cross, and tasks that require more direct permission to complete. As users connect their data and use agents, it is worth keeping security and privacy risks top of mind.
