Latest news with #Aura
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Aura Announces S&P Global Upgrades Outlook to Positive B+ Rating on Larger Scale and Financial Performance
ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aura Minerals Inc. (Nasdaq: AUGO) (TSX: ORA) (B3: AURA33) ('Aura' or the 'Company') today announced that S&P Global Ratings has upgraded its outlook on the Company's global and national scale credit ratings outlook to positive from stable, while affirming its B+ global scale long-term issuer credit rating and 'brAA' Brazilian national scale rating. According to S&P, the upgraded outlook reflects several key factors: (i) the U.S. listing should allow accelerated growth for Aura without any increase in leverage; (ii) Aura track record of constructing small to medium projects and successfully turning around older assets; and (iii) record high gold prices that are propelling free operating cash flow amid the company's significant expansion capital expenditure (capex) program.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Aura Announces S&P Global Upgrades Outlook to Positive B+ Rating on Larger Scale and Financial Performance
ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aura Minerals Inc. (Nasdaq: AUGO) (TSX: ORA) (B3: AURA33) ('Aura' or the 'Company') today announced that S&P Global Ratings has upgraded its outlook on the Company's global and national scale credit ratings outlook to positive from stable, while affirming its B+ global scale long-term issuer credit rating and 'brAA' Brazilian national scale rating. According to S&P, the upgraded outlook reflects several key factors: (i) the U.S. listing should allow accelerated growth for Aura without any increase in leverage; (ii) Aura track record of constructing small to medium projects and successfully turning around older assets; and (iii) record high gold prices that are propelling free operating cash flow amid the company's significant expansion capital expenditure (capex) program. Over the next 12 months, S&P also indicates the possibility of an upgrade if the company succeeds in growing its scale, namely with the ramp up of Borborema, integrating Serra Grande, and starting another project in that timeframe, while it keeps gross debt to EBITDA below 2.0x. However, there can be no assurance whether S&P will take such action with respect to our ratings in the future. The full report can be accessed on the S&P website or on the Company's investor relations website at . About Aura 360° Mining Aura is focused on mining in complete terms – thinking holistically about how its business impacts and benefits every one of our stakeholders: our company, our shareholders, our employees, and the countries and communities we serve. We call this 360° Mining. Aura is a company focused on the development and operation of gold and base metal projects in the Americas. The Company's five operating assets include the Minosa gold mine in Honduras; the Almas, Apoena, and Borborema gold mines in Brazil; and the Aranzazu copper, gold, and silver mine in Mexico. Additionally, the Company owns Era Dorada, a gold project in Guatemala; Tolda Fria, a gold project in Colombia; and three projects in Brazil: Matupá, which is under development; São Francisco, which is in care and maintenance; and the Carajás copper project in the Carajás region, in the exploration phase. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release includes certain statements and information that may constitute 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and/or 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable United States securities laws (collectively, 'forward-looking statements'). Some of the matters discussed concerning our business operations include estimates and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the Company's current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, without limitation, statements with respect to: accelerated growth for Aura without any increase in leverage; the propelling of free operating cash flow; the expansion of the Company's capital expenditure program; upside at Serra Grande; ramp up at Borborema; and new expansion projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as 'expects', 'anticipates', 'plans', 'projects', 'estimates', 'assumes', 'intends', 'strategy', 'goals', 'objectives' or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will' be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon, without limitation, estimates and assumptions relating to general business, economic and market conditions. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement or forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Axios
2 days ago
- Science
- Axios
Chatbots' new job: minding tots
Young children who directly interact with chatbots face new developmental risks, pediatricians and psychologists warn. Why it matters: Assessing the impacts early could help protect a new generation from becoming guinea pigs for tech we don't fully understand. The big picture: Most kids under five aren't using voice-based AI yet. Young kids already see AI-generated content — but on its own, that isn't necessarily a new problem. Low-quality images and videos commonly known as AI slop don't differ that much from the low end of mass-produced kids' media that's been around for decades. The real concern is interaction with live AI, which can be both powerfully engaging and confusing at the same time. Imagine "Blue's Clues," but the character answers in real time and adapts to a child's input. Talking with AI could shape children's brain development and social connections in unknown ways. Chatbot use — especially among young children — is still new. There are no long-term studies on its impact, but we do know a lot about how screen time and tech use affect child development. The amount of time kids spend on devices is disrupting or arresting other important developmental milestones, Scott Kollins, psychologist and chief medical officer at family software company Aura, told Axios. "We've seen that with older kids. And with kids between zero and five, their brains are developing faster, and they're hitting these super important social milestones more frequently." Interacting with AI chatbots, Kollins warns, has "the potential to be even that much more disruptive" — but right now, "it is all conjecture in terms of this specific type of interaction." What they're saying: Interaction with generative AI could "fundamentally change the human brain," says Dana Suskind, a pediatric physician and expert on early childhood and early language development. Suskind says teenagers and adults are already forming relationships with AI companions. The same could happen with younger kids. "The content and experience that kids are exposed to in early years isn't just sort of changing things the same way social media impacted adolescent brains," Suskind told Axios. "It is actually changing the foundational wiring of the human brain." "Children naturally anthropomorphize," Suskind wrote in an email, "but with responsive AI, we're entering uncharted territory for how this might shape their developing sense of reality and relationships." Between the lines: Some child development researchers worry that chatbots could reshape how children learn trust, empathy and connection. A small study from 2024 showed that kids ages 3-6 were more likely to trust a robot than a human, even when that robot had proven to be less reliable than the human. Trust is a particularly thorny problem for those who rely on AI, since many researchers argue that these tools might always be prone to making things up. Chatbots also tell people what they want to hear. They're trained to please, which means they're unlikely to say "no" — a word that small children need to learn to deal with. "It changes the way that kids learn about the cadence and the natural progression of interaction with others," Kollins says. "That's a problem if [young kids] don't learn how responding in a certain way or broaching particular kinds of topics might be met with certain reactions." The other side: AI can make up stories, answer questions or generate elaborate images at the whim of a creative child. Many parents are already using chatbots to ease the stress of parenting, including helping to satisfy kids' boundless curiosity. Amazon's smart home devices — now with Alexa+ boosted AI — come in styles aimed at the youngest users and promise that "kids can create unique stories they dream up with Alexa." Some early studies show that when children engage in story-based dialogues with AI, rather than just listening passively, they learn more vocabulary and comprehend content better. In some cases, researchers found these gains were comparable to those from human interactions. Kollins says that as adults our responsibility to provide our young children with all the information and content that's meaningful or stimulating will be reduced, and that's not all bad. "Why should [our children] rely just on this narrow sliver of what dad knows, versus the universe of content?" Kollins says. Yes, but: AI interactions may crowd out important human interactions and activities for young children. CNN tech reporter Samantha Murphy Kelly wrote in 2018 that because she used Amazon's voice assistant so often, "Alexa" was among the first four words her toddler understood. Some scientists also worry that even if AI tools do benefit some kids, those gains could just deepen existing educational disparities. "The one thing that makes us uniquely human," Kollins says, "whether it's for younger kids or even for older kids, is just the entire range of non-verbal communication... subtle facial expressions and body language... that you miss when you're in front of a screen."
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
IV of Spades pokes fun at past 'tampo' with Unique Salonga
The past is water under the bridge for IV of Spades. In a TikTok video posted on Zild Benitez's page, the members poked fun at their past comments about Unique Salonga leaving the band. They brought back a video of Boy Abunda asking Zild, Blaster Silonga, and Badjao De Castro, 'May tampo kayo sa kanya?' Zild answered, 'Syempre. Syempre po.' The video then cuts to photos of the four members, and a recent clip of them waving to the camera. Zild then held Unique's face. In 2018, vocalist Unique left the band and launched a solo career. In 2020, the remaining members of IV of Spades announced that they will be taking a break to pursue personal interests. The rest of the members all started their own solo or band music projects. IV of Spades was last spotted as a group in 2022 during Eraserheads' concert rehearsal. The band surprised fans with a comeback single, 'Aura,' released this week. —Nika Roque/JCB, GMA Integrated News
Mint
5 days ago
- Business
- Mint
OpenAI unveils advanced ChatGPT agent for seamless task automation
OpenAI has revealed its new and powerful ChatGPT agent, which is designed to automate complex tasks and execute multistep queries from users. This cutting-edge AI agent has started rolling out to ChatGPT's Pro, Plus, and Team users. It is a significant breakthrough in AI assistance, and here's everything about it. Unlike the regular version of ChatGPT that we use currently, which only responds to queries and engages in conversation, this new agent can actively interact with websites and connected apps in real time using a 'virtual computer' environment. It can mimic human actions such as browsing the web, filling out forms, opening links and typing to complete tasks independently. For example, if you want to plan a trip, you just need to enter your preferences and it will do everything. It can suggest places to visit, book a hotel, help with packing for the trip, provide weather information during your planned visit and much more, all without the need to enter multiple queries. ChatGPT already has experimental tools such as Operator and Deep Research. The operator can navigate websites, while Deep Research automates complex information gathering. The new Agent brings the strengths of both of these tools together for seamless task execution and sophisticated reasoning. Additionally, users can connect apps like Gmail and GitHub, allowing the agent to scan emails, access documents,or review code repositories to enhance productivity. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has highlighted that while the agent is currently in the early preview phase, it has the potential to significantly boost both personal and workplace productivity by taking over repetitive and complex workflows. Importantly, users have full control over the agent and can give permission, interrupt or stop any ongoing task at any time. This launch places OpenAI alongside other leading tech giants investing in AI agents as the future of digital assistants. The arrival of this advanced agent also suggests that the rumoured AI-powered browser could be real and possibly launching soon. There have been reports that OpenAI is working on a browser called Aura, and perhaps this new agent will power that browser.
