HONG KONG (AP) — Taiwan’s leading computer chip maker, TSMC, said Thursday that its net profit surged nearly 40% in the last quarter, boosted by the surge in use of artificial intelligence. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. is the world’s biggest semiconductor manufacturer. It reported a net profit of a record 452.3 billion new Taiwan dollars … Read more

Nestlé is cutting 16,000 jobs globally as the Swiss food giant cuts costs as part of its efforts to revive its financial performance. Nestlé, which makes Nescafé, KitKats, pet foods and many other well-known consumer brands, said Thursday that the job cuts will take place over the next two years. The Swiss company also said … Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Two bright green comets are streaming through the skies and are visible to skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere. Both hail from the outer edges of our solar system — possibly what’s known as the Oort Cloud, well beyond Pluto. Comet Lemmon will have its closest brush with Earth on or around … Read more

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the mountaineering expedition team that first conquered Mount Everest, died early Thursday, according to the Nepal Mountaineering Association. Kanchha died at age 92 at his home in Kapan in the Kathmandu district of Nepal, confirmed Phur Gelje Sherpa, the association president. “He passed away … Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have sharply increased their use of artificial intelligence to deceive people online and mount cyberattacks against the United States, according to new research from Microsoft. This July, the company identified more than 200 instances of foreign adversaries using AI to create fake content online, more than … Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI is partnering with Walmart to let shoppers make purchases directly within ChatGPT, furthering the artificial intelligence company’s push to turn its chatbot into a virtual merchant as it seeks to boost revenue. In an Tuesday announcement, Walmart said the new offering will give customers the option to “simply chat and … Read more

NEW DELHI (AP) — From the Andes to the Himalayas, a new wave of protests is unfolding across the world, driven by generational discontent against governments and anger among young people. This week, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina was forced out of power and out of the country after a military mutiny, the culmination of weeks … Read more

TARASIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, scattering families across the country and abroad. For many, heavy fighting in the east means crowded shelters, borrowed beds and fading hope. About 400 miles west of the front line, however, a privately-built settlement near Kyiv offers a rare reprieve: stable housing, personal … Read more

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia battered Ukraine’s energy facilities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in its latest heavy bombardment of the country’s power grid, authorities said Thursday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to ask President Donald Trump at a White House meeting for more American-made air defenses and long-range missiles. Eight … Read more