Category: Companies

EIA Slashes Natural Gas Price Forecast by 30 Percent Because of Supply Glut

American liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices are expected to tumble by almost a third this year, as milder winter weather is leading to a glut. LNG prices are dropping as supply growth has outpaced demand growth in recent months, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in its Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO), on Feb. 7. Domestic…


‘Do Anything Now’ Frees ChatGPT From Political Straitjacket—but Accuracy Is a Concern

Conservatives, libertarians, and others worry that the new ChatGPT AI chatbot is designed to make people conform to elite liberal opinion–yet creative Internet users have already learned how to trick the system into shedding that bias, though sometimes at the expense of the truth. ‘Do Anything Now,’ or DAN, is an approach for jailbreaking ChatGPT….


ChatGPT’s Alter-Ego ‘Do Anything Now’ Frees AI From Restrictions—but Accuracy Is a Concern

News Analysis Conservatives, libertarians, and others worry that the new ChatGPT AI chatbot is designed to make people conform to elite liberal opinion–yet creative Internet users have already learned how to trick the system into shedding that bias, though sometimes at the expense of the truth. ‘Do Anything Now,’ or DAN, is an approach for…


Fabuloso Recall: Federal Agency Announces Recall of 4.9 Million Bottles of Cleaners Over Bacteria

Nearly 5 million bottles of Fabuloso multipurpose cleaner were recalled on Wednesday because the products may contain harmful bacteria, manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive announced in a notice on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website. The notice stipulated that about 4.9 million bottles of the cleaner can contain species of Pseudomonas bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens….


Shoppers to Face Fresh Price Hikes as Stores, Suppliers Pass on Costs

LONDON—Shoppers around the world will pay even more for groceries this year than they did in 2022, according to retailers, consumer goods firms, and investors, unless commodity costs decline or the shift to cheaper store-brand products accelerates. Retailers and consumer goods producers have been stuck in tough price negotiations for more than a year now,…


Canada Goose Q3 Results Highlight Challenges of Doing Business in China

News Analysis Companies doing business in China were given a nasty surprise when their earnings got hit as a result of Beijing’s nearly three years of extensive lockdowns followed by a sudden reopening in early December 2022. The Epoch Times reported on Feb. 5 that with many places in China seeing 80 percent infection rates…


Airbnb Accused of Banning Parents of Political Commentator Lauren Southern

Canadian political commentator and internet personality Lauren Southern has accused Airbnb of banning her parents from using the property marketplace website simply for being related to her. Southern took to Twitter on Feb. 8 where she shared a screenshot of a message her parents allegedly received from the San Francisco-based company. “My parents just got banned…


TotalEnergies Net Profits Double to Record $36.2 Billion in 2022

PARIS—French oil major TotalEnergies posted a record net profit of $36.2 billion in 2022, double the previous year, joining in the sector’s bumper earnings thanks to higher oil and gas prices since Russia invaded Ukraine. TotalEnergies’ fourth-quarter adjusted net income was $7.6 billion, including a $4.1 billion impairment related to the deconsolidation of its stake…


America’s Trade Deficit Surged in 2022, Nearing $1 Trillion

The U.S. trade deficit hit close to record levels in 2022, nearing a total of $1 trillion. American consumers continued to spend heavily on foreign-made goods last year, widening the overall trade deficit even further by 12.2 percent, or $103 billion, in 2021. As of the beginning of the year, the goods and services deficit now…


eBay to Lay Off 500 Employees

E-commerce firm eBay Inc. said on Tuesday it will lay off 500 employees globally, representing 4 percent of its total workforce. Shares of the San Jose, California-based company rose about 1 percent in aftermarket trade. “This shift gives us additional space to invest and create new roles in high-potential areas—new technologies, customer innovations, and key…