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Universal Music Group revenue rises 13.3% on streaming prices

Universal Music Group reported second-quarter revenue of 3.29 billion euros ($3.79 billion) on Thursday, up 13.3% year-on-year at constant exchange rates, helped by the consolidation of Downtown Music and higher streaming prices.The results underscore the importance of pricing and acquisitions to UMG's growth strategy as the world's largest music company looks to diversify its revenue base beyond traditional subscription streaming.• Seconds quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) came in up 1.5% year-on-year at constant currency to €674 mi

OpenAI's Sam Altman to discuss voluntary AI safety tests with Trump officials after agent went rogue

Coinbase beats much of customer lawsuit over US token sales

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OpenAI cuts prices on smaller models as businesses scrutinize AI spend

OpenAI slashed prices of its low- and mid-tier AI models on Thursday, a move that may intensify competition in the industry as U.S. companies battle cheaper Chinese rivals for customers increasingly wary of the technology's ballooning costs.The ChatGPT maker lowered the cost of its smaller GPT-5.6 Luna model by 80% and its mid-tier Terra by 20%, while leaving the price of its biggest and flagship Sol model unchanged.The cuts show that rising cost scrutiny by businesses facing hefty AI bills is forcing American labs to rethink pricing. Many tech CEOs have also said in recent months that cheape

Hyatt slides as room-growth outlook disappoints, Mideast and Mexico pressures linger

Drone strike in Egypt sparks security concerns about Suez oil exports

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Nigeria says subsidy savings absorbed by debt costs, higher spending

Nigeria's finance minister said on Thursday that savings from the removal of fuel subsidies and foreign-exchange market reforms had largely been absorbed by higher debt-servicing costs and increased government spending, as officials sought to defend reforms blamed for worsening living conditions.President Bola Tinubu's 2023 reforms won backing from investors and international lenders, but drove up living costs for millions of Nigerians, raising scrutiny of how the resulting savings have been used.• At the African Emerging Markets Forum in Abuja, Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said fuel subs

FIFA’s plan to inject private money into the World Cup hit with abrupt UEFA boycott

Americans feel the sting of high prices every day, so why does the Fed need so many ways to measure inflation?

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Pope Leo says his ancestors were both ‘slaves and slave owners’

Pope Leo XIV has delved into his family history, revealing his ancestry included both enslaved people and slave owners.“I come from a family that my grandparents were immigrants,” the first American pontiff told NBC news in the Vatican Gardens of Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday. “On my mother’s side, we have people who were both slaves and slave owners.”Leo spoke about his family’s historical links to the transatlantic slave trade on Wednesday in response to a reporter’s question about his American heritage.Asked what he loves about his homeland, the pope also said he highly values

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White House nominee for CDC director advances to full Senate vote

Two nominees to lead public health at the Health and Human Services Department cleared a committee vote Thursday, moving them closer to being confirmed into the roles after extended talks between federal officials and senators about vaccine misinformation.Sen. Bill Cassidy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Thursday morning that he will support the nominations of Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Sean Kaufman, nominee to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. He said his decision came aft

Former Chargers linebacker Billy Ray Smith Jr. dies at 64, family announces

The Latest: Trump says he may pull Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination for now

US economy’s growth was weaker than expected in the second quarter

The world’s largest economy lost steam heading into summer as red-hot demand for AI infrastructure widened the trade deficit, dampening growth.Meanwhile, Americans ramped up their spending in the quarter, a welcome sign for an economy that relies so strongly on consumption for growth.US gross domestic product, which captures all the goods and services produced in the economy, expanded at an annualized rate of 1.5% from April through June. That was well below the 2.1% rate in the prior quarter and lower than the 2.1% economists predicted in a poll by data firm FactSet. GDP is adjusted for sea

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Trump invites heroic teen lifeguard to White House after Santa Cruz rescue

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KSBW) -- A teenage lifeguard at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz is being celebrated for rescuing a young boy caught in rough surf, an act that has drawn national attention and praise.California State Parks expressed pride in the lifeguard’s actions, highlighting the extensive training that prepared him for the moment."It's great to see our lifeguards out there working. This is what we train them to do, and this is what they train for all year long," said Tyler Leamer, a California State Parks Peace Officer Lifeguard.President Donald Trump ackn

US-Iran conflict enters new phase as Saudi Arabia helps hit proxies and diplomacy stalls again

Who is Elon Musk calling a ‘traitor’?

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The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge cooled in June. It might not last

The temporary truce in the war with Iran sent gas prices – and thus inflation – lower in June, providing some fuel for a crucial economic engine: the American consumer.The welcome readings, however, are likely temporary.Overall inflation fell in June for the first time in six years. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index – the gauge used by the Federal Reserve for its target inflation rate – dropped 0.1% from May, bringing the annual rate to 3.7% from 4.1%, Commerce Department data showed.That reprieve helped to buoy household finances. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending r

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ABC says FCC seeks to intimidate network over news coverage

Walt Disney-owned ABC said on Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission's threat to revoke the network's broadcast licenses is part of an unprecedented campaign of intimidation over broadcast content the Trump administration dislikes.ABC said that the Trump administration agency's nearly unprecedented decision to order an early license review of the eight Disney-owned ABC stations is a warning from the government to other media companies."The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the administration’s view of what news coverage shoul

Police describe a father's horror as he realizes then-wife Lindsay Clancy killed their 3 kids

The Michelin Guide has awarded stars for 100 years. These dishes tell its story

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Father who gave gun to Apalachee High School shooter sentenced to serve 15 years in prison

A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray’s sentencing comes days after his son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. Colt Gray had pleaded guilty to murder and other charges. Judge Nicholas Primm, who also sentenced Colt Gray earlier this week, was blunt in addressing Colin Gray: “It is clea

Europe|Political|World

Poland blames Russia for firing missile into its territory as Moscow unleashes deadly attack on Ukraine

NATO and Poland scrambled military aircraft when a missile apparently fired by Russia landed deep inside Polish territory, as Moscow launched deadly long-range attacks across Ukraine that killed at least nine people.The missile landed and exploded about 90 kilometers (55 miles) into Polish territory early on Thursday, leaving a massive crater in the middle of a field, local authorities said.“We were prepared to shoot down the missile if it had continued its flight,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk told an emergency government meeting, according to his office on X. “All indications

A Black teen was fatally shot after reporting a possibly armed person. His death prompts calls for police accountability

'There's nothing left': French wildfire survivors return to burnt homes

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Taco Bell sales fell after cyclospora outbreak

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In record heat, a warming world has come to rely on China to stay cool

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CNN Poll: A third of Democrats now identify as democratic socialists

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New York City has paused construction at several office-to-apartment conversions since Pfizer tower structural problems

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Trump unveils another project as polling shows his DC construction is unpopular

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Poland blames Russia for firing missile into its territory as Moscow unleashes deadly attack on Ukraine

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The Trump admin wants to test paint patches on an iconic DC building this week. Preservationists are trying to stop it.

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Why Anthony Fauci might not be safe after pleading the Fifth

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New Secret Service emails reveal how case was built against James Comey

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Warsh-led Fed leaves rates on hold and a bond market scratching its head

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From LA to Scottsdale: The Founder Behind AdDynamix Is Building the Bridge Between AI and Business Tools

An LA digital advertising veteran of 28 years has moved to Scottsdale and is building what he calls the missing piece between business software and the AI assistants people now use every day. SCOTTSDALE, AZ. When Benoit Pecqueur talks about his latest company, he sounds less like a founder pitching a product and more like an operator who got tired of watching the same problem repeat itself. “Most small business owners are watching the AI revolution from the sidelines,” he says. “Not because they don’t want it. Because their tools don’t talk to ChatGPT or Claude. Their accountant still pulls