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On February 4th, Amazon (AMZN.O) officially launched an upgraded version of Alexa in the US, offering an AI-enhanced digital assistant to paid Prime members. Last February, Amazon announced a revamped digital assistant built on a large language model, capable of generating instant answers to questions. Previous versions of Alexa relied on pre-written, fixed responses for common questions. During the 11-month early access period, US Prime members paying an annual fee of $139 can apply for the software and receive access in batches. Daniel Rausch, Amazons vice president in charge of the Alexa and Echo smart speaker team, stated that as of January, tens of millions of people were already using Alexa+. Starting Wednesday, non-Prime users can also subscribe to Alexa+ separately for $19.99 per month, which translates to approximately $100 more per year than a Prime membership.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that Toyota Motor Corporation has filed a recall request for 141,286 vehicles in the United States.February 4th - The World Gold Council published an article stating that perceptions of gold have changed dramatically over the past two decades, reflecting rising wealth in the East and a growing global emphasis on golds role in institutional portfolios. Golds unique properties as a scarce, highly liquid, and uncorrelated asset enable it to serve as a risk diversification tool in the long term. Its status as both an investment and a luxury item has resulted in an annualized return of 9% since 1971, comparable to stocks and even higher than bonds and commodities. Golds traditional role as a safe-haven asset means it will be effective during periods of high risk. However, its dual appeal as both an investment and a consumer good means it can also generate positive returns during prosperous times. This dynamic is likely to continue, reflecting ongoing political and economic uncertainty, as well as economic concerns about stock and bond markets.On February 4th, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology and the Chongqing Municipal Finance Bureau jointly released the "Several Policies of Chongqing Municipality on Promoting the Integration of Real Data and Driving Artificial Intelligence + Manufacturing", proposing 20 specific support measures in six aspects, with a maximum single subsidy of 5 million yuan, forming a comprehensive and multi-level policy incentive system. The "Several Policies" mentions that enterprises and third-party professional institutions that create high-quality datasets and build a trustworthy data space in the industrial field will receive a maximum reward of 3 million yuan; enterprises that develop vertical large-scale models and intelligent agents for the industrial field and promote their application will receive a maximum reward of 2 million yuan; enterprises whose AI cases are selected as typical cases by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will receive a reward of 500,000 yuan; and the construction of innovation platforms will receive a reward of 2 million yuan.February 4th - In a report, Kit Juckes of Societe Generale stated that the euro may weaken against the dollar in the second half of 2026, as its recent appreciation has exceeded what interest rate differentials could explain. Over the past year or so, the euros gains have consistently outpaced what the two-year interest rate differential suggests, and this trend is expected to continue into early 2026. This indicates that the market is cautious about confronting Trumps stance of wanting a weaker dollar. In this context, overseas investors may choose to hedge against the risk of a weaker dollar, but this is more likely to occur in the first half of this year.

Meta Loses Appeal in Russian Court Over ‘Extremist Activity’ Tag

Jimmy Khan

Jun 21, 2022 12:06

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According to the TASS news agency, a Moscow court on Monday dismissed Meta Platforms Inc's appeal after the company was found guilty of "extremist activities" in Russia in March.


Following the deployment of tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24, Russia restricted access to Meta's flagship platforms Facebook and Instagram, as well as fellow social network Twitter, a move critics have interpreted as an attempt by Russia to exert greater control over information flows.


Russia stated in March that its extremist decision will not apply to Meta's WhatsApp communication program, instead concentrating on Facebook and Instagram.


Meta did not reply to an emailed request for comment right away. Meta's lawyer, Victoria Shakina, told a judge in March that her client was not engaged in extremist activities and was opposed to Russophobia.


After Meta said it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages urging violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the troops Moscow sent there, Russia banned Facebook.


Instagram was then targeted after Meta said it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages urging violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the troops Moscow sent there.


Meta's advise was later adjusted to forbid calls for the killing of a head of state and said that it should never be understood as supporting violence against Russians in general.


Russia has also taken issue with the way Western platforms treat its own media, some of which are labeled as'state-controlled.' Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, has punished social media sites for failing to remove information that Russia considers unlawful on a frequent basis.


According to a Kommersant reporter in the courtroom, a lawyer defending Meta told the court on Monday that refusing to prevent access to content and labeling state-controlled media as radical were not behaviors that qualified.


That account could not be independently verified by Reuters, and the lawyer could not be located immediately.


Because Meta's WhatsApp service remained operational after the verdict, there was some misunderstanding in March. Prosecutors also stated that people would not be prosecuted merely for utilizing Meta's services, which are still available over virtual private networks (VPNs).


Organizations and people must incorporate the disclaimer that Meta's operations are prohibited on Russian territory when referring to Meta in the public domain, according to the order.