The voice assistant “Alisa” from Yandex now has a voice assistant for VTB. She will be able to tell users about the products, tariffs and the bank’s services, explain loan applications, and also advise how to keep savings profitable. To use the service, it is enough to tell Alice: “Start the skill” VTB Assistant”. This can be done from the Yandex application on a smartphone or in the “Yandex.Station” smart column. After that, the VTB voice assistant will… Source link

As the criminal fraud trial of fallen Silicon Valley superstar Elizabeth Holmes continues on Tuesday, one legal expert says that a key question hangs over the case involving the failed blood-testing startup Theranos. Did Holmes always believe Theranos’ product was legitimate, or at some point, did she know it was never going to work but kept touting the technology anyway? “There is a difference between hoping to work out problems and covering up failure,” says Jeffrey Cohen, a former federal… Source link

In recent weeks Democratic lawmakers have formalized just how much they want climate change to be at the center of the forthcoming multitrillion-dollar budget reconciliation package. They have formally unveiled a proposal with measures that include taxes on some imported fuels, a new federal aid program for clean-energy developers, investments in electric vehicles, and more. The key driver on the supply side – i.e., insuring there are enough solar panels and wind turbines in operation to… Source link

The Biden administration is taking action to safeguard against ransomware attacks by penalizing cryptocurrency exchanges that help facilitate illegal attacks, while also laying out guidelines for companies to safeguard against said attacks. In its strongest actions to date, the U.S. Treasury will impose sanctions on Suex – a virtual currency exchange that has fronted transactions involving illegal profits for at least eight different ransomware attacks. Analysis of known SUEX transactions… Source link

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) announced promising booster data Tuesday showing 94% efficacy for its COVID-19 vaccine when given after six months of the initial dose. In addition, the initial dose of the vaccine continued to provide consistent protection against the virus, including against the Delta variant, the company said in a statement. The latter news puts the vaccine in stark contrast to mRNA vaccines, which have shown waning immunity over time. Mathai Mammen, J&J’s global head of R&D, told… Source link

The move comes even as the company embracing a hybrid work model because of the pandemic. Google said Tuesday that the new office will be an “anchor” of its sprawling city campus that houses much of its 12,000-strong regional workforce. It’s scheduled to open in mid-2023. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, wrote that the deal is the most expensive sale of a single US office building since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and ranks as one of the priciest ever in US… Source link

The thought of a Lehman Brothers-esque collapse in China sent U.S. investors running for the exits Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) sank 614 points, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 75 points and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) plunged 330 points. It was the market’s worst one-day slide in months and shattered an extended stretch of calm for stocks. The S&P 500 hadn’t fallen more than 1% since mid-August. Investors were rattled by news that the major Chinese real estate developer… Source link

Microsoft’s 85% share of the productivity business within the U.S. government market is part of a harmful “monoculture” that stifles innovation, according to a new report commissioned by Google and the Computer & Communications Industry Association. Between the lines: The report is the latest example of Google and Microsoft going after one another since the companies scrapped a pact to avoid direct attacks. The big picture: Microsoft’s huge share of the office productivity suite market isn’t… Source link

A rendering of St. John’s Terminal with Google CEO Sundar Pichai (COOKFOX Architects, Getty) Google announced Tuesday it was expanding its office inventory in the city with the purchase of 550 Washington Street for $2.1 billion. The tech giant already leased space at the property, called St. John’s Terminal, from Oxford Properties, the Wall Street Journal reported, and will be exercising an option to buy the building, which the company said it expects to do in the first quarter of… Source link

Some states are a step ahead of others in creating a “teacher-friendly” environment, according to a new study by personal finance site WalletHub revealing the best and worst states for teachers. WalletHub used 24 metrics to determine how “teacher-friendly” states are, said WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. They include starting salary, average salary, income growth, and potential change in wages over time. Pensions, workforce competition, class size, school spending, and school system quality… Source link