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Anthropic is nearing a deal to raise between $3 billion and $5 billion in funding, valuing the large language model developer at $170 billion, Bloomberg reported. Iconiq Capital is leading this funding round, but there’s a possibility of a second lead investor joining the deal. The company has also been in talks with Qatar Investment Authority and GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, according to the report. If finalized, the deal would nearly triple Anthropic’s valuation, which was $61.5 billion after a $3.5 billion funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners announced in March. Other participants in the startup’s last round…

The U.K. government is reportedly backing down from its earlier demand that Apple build a secret backdoor allowing its authorities access to customer data worldwide, following a harsh rebuke from the U.S. government. But one U.S. senator wants to know if other tech giants, like Google, have also received secret backdoor demands from the U.K. government.  Google refused to answer the lawmaker’s questions but has since told TechCrunch that the technology giant has not received a backdoor demand, marking the first time that Google has confirmed it is not subject to a similar U.K. order. Earlier this year, The Washington…

AI chip startup Groq is in talks to raise a fresh $600 million at a near $6 billion valuation, sources tell Bloomberg, although the deal isn’t yet final and terms could change.  Groq raised $640 million at a $2.8 billion valuation in August 2024, making this double the valuation in about a year. Groq previously raised about $1 billion. The new round is led by Austin-based firm Disruptive, Bloomberg reports. The November round was led by BlackRock, with participation from Neuberger Berman, Type One Ventures, Cisco, KDDI, and Samsung Catalyst Fund. Groq was founded by Jonathan Ross, who previously worked…

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — In the heart of Kathmandu’s tourist hub, Thamel, many cycle rickshaw drivers wait eagerly to take tourists on rides in the vibrant neighborhood.But Babu Tamang’s rickshaw comes with an added twist: a wagging tale and tufts of orange and white fur that delight passengers, with many leaving an extra tip for the hardworking man and some ear scratches for his eight-year-old pup.Tamang, 57, has always been fond of dogs. Babu Tamang speaks with his apartment mate as his canine Shyam sits beside him in their small rented house in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP…

Audley Travel’s Cathy Kusuma Bennis and Alicia Bettano at GTM North America. (Source: Audrey Travel)Audley Travel is underscoring its commitment to agents with the introduction of the “Audley Loves Travel Advisors” campaign.Initiatives include higher commissions, strong sales and marketing support, and ongoing training sessions. The tour operator, which creates customized FIT vacations, is also cementing its relationships with advisors through industry events, such as GTM North America, which was held in Fort Lauderdale earlier this month.The company is also attending this week’s GTM Luxury event in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. At the GTM North America event, Audley Travel’s Cathy Kusuma Bennis, vice president of trade sales…

American warfighters need jam-proof communications, and the Space Force is planning to spend hundreds of millions to ensure they have them. As part of that effort, the service established the Protected Tactical Satcom program to build out secure battlefield communications via satellites. The Space Force has already awarded contracts to defense primes Boeing and Northrop Grumman to develop prototype payloads for satellites heading to far-away geostationary orbit. Now, the program is entering a new phase. On Tuesday, the Space Force awarded five additional contracts for the design and demonstration of purpose-built satellites to provide jam-resistant comms to tactical forces. The…

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — They wandered through the museum, listening attentively as their guide explained the antiquities in display cabinets. It could have been any tour group, anywhere in the world. But there was something unusual about this one.The group of foreigners visiting the National Museum of Afghanistan was made up only of women. Its guide was a woman, too — one of the first Afghan female tour guides in a country whose Taliban rulers impose the severest restrictions on girls and women anywhere in the world.Somaya Moniry, 24, hadn’t known that tour guides existed, as a profession or even…

by Lacey Pfalz Last updated: 12:10 PM ET, Tue July 29, 2025 Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Celebrity and more, released its second quarter financial report, and while it was lower than expected, the cruise corporation is confident in better financials for the rest of the year. The group reported an Earnings per Share (EPS) of $4.41. Total revenue reached $4.5 billion, with net income at $1.2 billion. EPS is up about a full dollar from 2024.  According to Reuters, Royal Caribbean’s stock has increased about 53 percent this year. After its second-quarter report was released…

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fans of the Grateful Dead are pouring into San Francisco for three days of concerts and festivities marking the 60th anniversary of the scruffy jam band that came to embody a city where people wore flowers in their hair and made love, not war. Dead & Company, featuring original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, will play Golden Gate Park’s Polo Field starting Friday with an estimated 60,000 attendees each day. The last time the band played that part of the park was in 1991 — a free show following the death of concert…

Budget travelers will have a wealth of new flight options for getaways this fall, thanks to Allegiant Air’s latest route expansion. The low-cost carrier just announced seven new routes that will launch in November and connect the Midwest and East Coast with Florida, with introductory one-way fares as low as $49. Allegiant will also add a new destination in Florida to its route map this fall: Fort Myers, which sits on the southwest coast of the Sunshine State. The airline will launch three new routes to Fort Myers via Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). Starting November 13, Allegiant will operate nonstop…