Sam Altman's internal communications at ChatGPT maker are under SEC investigation for possible investor misleading. OpenAI, valued at $80B, faces antitrust scrutiny, copyright lawsuits, and a potential merger investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority. Meanwhile, OpenAI was also sued by The New York Times for allegedly using the publication's content to train its large language models.
Read More
Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT maker, was fired by his board in November but was reinstated after days of commotion at the company. Now, a report has claimed that Altman's internal communications at the company are under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission to determine whether the company's investors were misled during last November's boardroom crisis.
Citing people familiar with the matter, a report by The Wall Street Journal said that the regulator has been seeking internal records from current and former OpenAI officials and directors, and sent a subpoena to the company in December.
The SEC is responsible for ensuring investors are not misled as companies and fundraisers raise capital, and enforcement actions led to orders for nearly $5 billion in compensation in fiscal year 2023.
“The regulator has been seeking internal records from current and former OpenAI officials and directors hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities," OpenAI said at the time in a blog post.
  
BY TABOOLA 
SPONSORED LINKS 
YOU MAY LIKE

This Simple Trick Will Block All Ads On Your Windows
Safer Online Tips
Learn More
The investigation has been described as a predictable response to the former OpenAI board's claim in its November statement. Reportedly, the SEC hasn't specified any statement or communication by Altman that it has deemed misleading.
Why US probe matters
OpenAI, which is valued at more than $80 billion, has also attracted the scrutiny of antitrust regulators in the US and Europe. The company has also been under lens for investments made by Microsoft in the UK.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in December that it wants to determine if “recent developments” have created a merger situation and if a merger could affect competition in the region.
Meanwhile, OpenAI was also sued by The New York Times for allegedly using the publication's content to train its large language models. The Intercept, Raw Story, and AlterNet have also sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming that OpenAI and Microsoft intentionally removed important copyright information from training data.

LeT intel chief Cheema, 26/11 key conspirator, dies in Pak

Azam Cheema, the intelligence chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), passed away at the age of 70 due to a heart attack in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Cheema, known for his involvement in the planning and execution of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was considered a key commander in LeT operations. Indian agencies have been accused by Pakistan of being behind these killings, a charge that India denies.
ANI photo

NEW DELHI: LeT's intelliegence chief Azam Cheema (70) died following a heart attack in Faisalabad. But his death still stoked speculation galore in Pakistan's jihadi circles, especially in the wake of mysterious killings of several LeT operatives in recent months.
Pakistan has accused Indian agencies of being behind the killings of a number of LeT operatives, a charge denied by India.

TOP PICKS FOR YOU

Pakistan Elections: 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's son loses from Lahore

Though New Delhi maintained that it doesn't keep any such 'killing list', if indeed there were one, Cheema would have been on top along with JUD chief Hafiz Saeed and JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar.YOU MAY LIKE

Windows Users Didn't Know This Simple Trick To Block All Ads (Do It Now)
Safer Online Tips
Learn More
Cheema was among the chief conspirators of 26/11 terror attacks and July 2006 Mumbai train bombings besides many other terror strikes in India.
For Indian agencies, the news of his death only confirms the presence of a designated terrorist on Pak soil and brings out Islamabad's repeated denials.
Intelligence sources described Cheema as an elusive Punjabi-speaking, bearded and well-built LeT operative who spent the early 2000s in Bahawalpur in Pakistan where he lived with his wife and two children. "He was often spotted moving around in a Land Cruiser with six bodyguards. It was Cheema who had once brought former ISI chief general Hamid Gul, brigadier Riyaz and Colonel Rafiq to brainwash jehadis undergoing arms training in Bahawalpur camp. He would occasionally visit Karachi and Lahore training camps as well," said a source.

An Afghan war veteran, Cheema was known to be an expert map reader - especially that of India. "He taught the jihadis to spot vital installations of India on the map. He would also instruct LeT terrorists across India via satellite phone in the mid 2000s," said another source.
Cheema was working as the LeT commander for Bahawalpur in Pakistan in 2008 when he was appointed as an operations advisor to Lashkar's senior functionary Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi and participated in the planning and execution besides training of recruits in the 26/11Mumbai attacks.
The US department of treasury describes him as a 'key commander' in the operations of LeT which it adds had links to Usama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. LeT was designated by the US as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in December 2001, and by the UN Committee in May 2005.

More Than 100 Apparently New Species Found in Deep Sea off Chile

Using an underwater robot to explore off the coast of Chile, scientists on a recent Schmidt Ocean expedition discovered more than 100 new species living on the seamounts.

An international group of scientists has discovered what are believed to be more than 100 new species living on seamounts off the coast of Chile.
From deep-sea corals to glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods and squat lobsters, the scientists say these discoveries from a recent Schmidt Ocean expedition could be contributing to new science.
Erin Easton, an assistant professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who was involved in the expedition, said scientists collected specimens from the Nazca Ridge and Salas y Gomez Ridge — two underwater mountain chains that stretch across 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) in the southeastern Pacific — as well as from the Juan Fernandez ridge, located on the Nazca Plate off the west coast of South America.
"We want to look to see if we can identify how those benthic or seafloor communities of animals change with depth and among the different seamounts," said Easton. "And we were looking to see ... if each community of the seamount was distinct or if they were similar, so that we can inform conservation management decisions."

Scientists have discovered more than 100 new species living on seamounts off the coast of Chile. From deep-sea corals to glass sponges and more, the scientists say these discoveries from a recent Schmidt Ocean expedition could contribute to new science.
Descending into the deep ocean, the scientists used an underwater robot to explore seamounts along the Nazca and Salas y Gomez Ridge.
They hope this data can support the designation of an international high-seas marine protected area.
"On this expedition, we were able to observe over 150 species that have not been reported for the region, and we believe potentially 100 or more of those are new species to science. We observed these large urchins called cactus urchins. There they were quite tall," about a half meter, Easton said.
"We observed forests of corals, so we saw a forest of bamboo corals that were probably thousands of years old. We also saw many other species of corals that were probably on the order of thousands of years old," she said.
The scientists also mapped 52,777 square kilometers of seafloor.
Jyotika Virmani, executive director at Schmidt Ocean Institute, said, "There's a lot of areas of the world that have never been seen and never been mapped. So, in addition to the new species, they [scientists] discovered four new seamounts as well, which are basically underwater mountains."
"This part of the world is important because of its biodiversity and also because it's a very interesting geological region," said Virmani. "It's the meeting of a number of plates, tectonic plates."

Biden Deemed 'Healthy, Active, Robust' During Annual Physical Exam

U.S. President Joe Biden departs Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following his annual physical exam, Feb. 28, 2024.
WASHINGTON — 
U.S. President Joe Biden's is a "healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency," his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a statement released by the White House on Wednesday, following Biden's annual physical examination.
"The president feels well, and this year's physical identified no new concerns. He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations," O'Connor said following Biden's visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, earlier Wednesday.
The checkup included consultations with optometry, dentistry, orthopedics, physical therapy, neurology, sleep medicine, cardiology, radiology and dermatology specialists, O'Connor said.
It's Biden's third physical since taking office, amid concerns about his age as he seeks a second term.
"They think I look too young," Biden joked to reporters at the White House after his checkup. "There is nothing different than last year," he said.
According to the summary, Biden is currently being treated for several conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, arthritis and sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet. He also has atrial fibrillation with normal ventricular response, a type of asymptomatic irregularity of the heartbeat.
His doctor pronounced his conditions as "stable and well-controlled," with "three common prescription medications and three common over-the-counter medications."
The symptoms were similar to those described in Biden's 2023 physical exam report that noted the president's "stiff gait," due to "a combination of significant spinal arthritis, mild post-fracture foot arthritis and a mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet," and "occasional symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux," that made him have to clear his throat often.
President didn't undergo cognitive test
Recent events have highlighted Biden's potential age-related issues, including the president being described in a special counsel report as an "elderly man with a poor memory."
In pushing back on reporters' questions about his age, Biden insisted that his "memory is fine" but shortly after mistakenly referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi as the president of Mexico. That and two other mistaken references to world leaders' names in recent weeks fueled further attacks by his rivals.
Responding to reporters' questions during her briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden did not undergo a cognitive test as part of his physical because the president's physician, "doesn't believe that he needs one."
As president, Biden passes a cognitive test "every day," Jean-Pierre underscored.
A poll by the George Washington University shows 35% of respondents say Biden was in good enough physical health to serve effectively as president, and 38% said he has the mental soundness to serve effectively as president.
This is lower that what respondents say about the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump, who is four years younger. For Trump, the numbers are 54% and 46%, respectively.
"These figures indicate that this is a big problem for Biden," Todd Belt, professor of politics at George Washington University, told VOA. "The campaign has changed course to attack Trump on his vulnerabilities on the mental soundness issue."
Biden did exactly that during an appearance on a late-night television show earlier this week, by referencing a video in which Trump appeared to forget his wife's name.
Americans concerned about Biden's age
Trump was 70 when he took office in 2017, which made him the oldest American president to be inaugurated until Biden broke his record at 78 in 2021. The former president has also made blunders, including praising Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his leadership of Turkey, and confusing his Republican rival, Nikki Haley, with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A February ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted after the release of the special counsel report indicated concerns among 59% of Americans regarding the age and capability for a second term for both candidates, although more Americans are worried about Biden compared with Trump, said Clifford Young, president of Ipsos Public Affairs.
"Age is an Achilles' heel, is an anchor for Biden," Young told VOA. "It was four years ago. Without a doubt, it will be this year."
Though not publicly announced in advance, the timing of Biden's physical was anticipated, given the increasing focus on his age and health in the context of his reelection campaign ahead of the November election.

US Moon Lander Odysseus 'Still Kicking' a Week After Sideways Landing

The landing strut of the Odysseus lunar lander absorbs first contact with the lunar surface during its landing on the moon, as the liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine continues to throttle, Feb. 22, 2024. (Intuitive Machines via Reuters)

Odysseus, the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in half a century, was "still kicking" on Thursday but nearing shutdown, as scientists watched out for the final signals from its multimillion-dollar mission to collect data.
The spacecraft touched down on the lunar surface a week ago, and its operators had hoped it could run for up to 10 days. But an awkward sideways landing disrupted communications and affected its solar chargers.
The final word on its fate will come from Texas-based Intuitive Machines, the company that NASA paid $118 million to build the robot lander and fly it to the lunar surface. At 10:20 a.m., Intuitive said Odysseus was still operating, and flight controllers intend to download additional data and configure the lander to "phone home" if it gets more solar power following a three-week slumber through the frigid lunar night.
NASA has said it managed to extract some data from all six of its science payloads, although it remains to be seen how much information the agency and half a dozen commercial payloads lost.
The Nova-C-class lander, standing 4 meters (13 feet) tall, was launched on Feb. 15 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket supplied by SpaceX. It started orbiting the moon six days later.
The six-legged vehicle reached the lunar surface on February 22 after an 11th-hour navigational glitch and descent that ended with Odysseus landing in a sideways or sharply tilted position, immediately impeding its operations.

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander is seen on Feb. 27, 2024, at its landing near the south pole of the moon in an image taken using its narrow-field-of-view camera. (Intuitive Machines via Reuters)
Intuitive Machines said the next day that human error was to blame for the navigational issue.
Flight readiness teams had neglected to manually unlock a safety switch before launch, preventing subsequent activation of the vehicle's laser-guided range finders and forcing flight engineers to hurriedly improvise an alternative during lunar orbit.
An Intuitive executive told Reuters on Saturday that the safety switch lapse stemmed from the company's decision to forgo a test-firing of the laser system during pre-launch checks in order to save time and money.
Whether or not failure of the range finders and last-minute substitution of a work-around ultimately caused Odysseus to land askew remained an open question, according to Intuitive officials.
Nevertheless, the company said last Friday that two of the spacecraft's communication antennae were knocked out of commission, pointed the wrong way, and that its solar panels were likewise facing the wrong direction, limiting the vehicle's ability to recharge its batteries.
As a consequence, Intuitive said on Monday that it expected to lose contact with Odysseus on Tuesday morning, prematurely terminating the mission.
NASA chief Bill Nelson told Reuters on Tuesday Odysseus apparently landed beside a crater wall and was leaning at a 12-degree angle, though it was not clear whether that meant 12 degrees from the surface or 12 degrees from an upright position.
Intuitive executives said on February 23 that engineers believed Odysseus had caught the foot of one of its landing legs on the lunar surface as it neared touchdown and tipped over before coming to rest horizontally, apparently propped up on a rock.
An image from an orbiting NASA spacecraft released on Monday showed the lander as a tiny speck near its intended destination in the moon's south pole region.

These photos provided by NASA show images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team, which confirmed Odysseus completed its landing. (NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University via AP)
Odysseus became the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since NASA's last crewed Apollo mission to the lunar surface in 1972.
It was also the first lunar landing ever by a commercially manufactured and operated space vehicle, and the first under NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to Earth's natural satellite this decade.
To date, space agencies of just four other countries have ever achieved a "soft" moon landing — the former Soviet Union, China, India and, just last month, Japan, whose lander likewise tipped over on its side.
The United States is the only country ever to have sent humans to the lunar surface.