PRAGUE (AP) — Keepers at Prague Zoo used tons of ice on Thursday to give its animals some much-needed relief as yet another heat wave hit Europe.
Polar bears Aleut and Gregor wasted no time and were rolling in the beds of ice cubes after entering their outside enclosure.
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Polar bear cools down on a pile of ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bear cools down on a pile of ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bears cool down as an ice bath and a pile of ice was brought to theirs enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bears cool down on a pile of ice that was brought to theirs enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bears cool down on a pile of ice that was brought to theirs enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
The twins looked to have fun with the ice treat that was meant to keep them cool amid the extreme temperatures forecast to soar to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) later in the day.
“The bears cool off with it and at the same time it's an enrichment of their life in the zoo,” said zoo spokesperson Filip Mašek.
The zoo began providing ice to some of the animals two years ago in response to climate change and the increasing number of days with extreme temperatures.
The polar bears, who were born in Nuremberg, Germany, 16 years ago and have adapted to the European climate, were the ones who enjoyed it the most.
This year, the plan was to order ice for the animals in July and August, which are traditionally the hottest months. But the first heat wave struck early and the Czech Republic experienced its hottest day ever with 41.9 C (107.4 F) on June 28.
“The weather keeps surprising us,” Mašek said. He said the ice will be ready sooner next year. “We’ve been taught a lesson.”
Other animals that have benefited from the provision of ice to keep cool in previous years include otters, elephants and parrots.
Some animals in the zoo are used to heat, others could stay in the shade or inner enclosures and use various pools to keep cool. Gorillas were given pieces of ice with frozen fruits in the previous years.
Polar bear cools down on a pile of ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bear cools down on a pile of ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bears cool down as an ice bath and a pile of ice was brought to theirs enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bears cool down on a pile of ice that was brought to theirs enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Polar bears cool down on a pile of ice that was brought to theirs enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are bouncing back Thursday after Microsoft leaped on hopes that its big spending on artificial-intelligence technology will be worth it, while computer-chip companies clawed back some of their big recent losses.
The S&P 500 rallied 1.2% and recovered three-quarters of its drop from the prior day, which was its worst in seven weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 265 points, or 0.5% as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite, which is full of AI stocks, jumped 2.5% a day after it fell 9.8% below its record set last month.
Microsoft led the way and leaped 15.7% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Growth was strong for its Azure cloud business, and CEO Satya Nadella said it reflects how customers are using Microsoft to move into AI.
Perhaps just as importantly for Wall Street, Microsoft did not announce a big increase in how much it plans to spend on AI investments, something that several other Big Tech rivals have done. Worries are high that such spending is eating into companies’ cash flows and may not ultimately be worth it if AI does not produce as much productivity and profits as promised.
Meta Platforms helped demonstrate such fears after falling 9%. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, even though it made slightly more in revenue than expected. It also raised the lower end of its forecasted range for spending on investments this year.
Companies involved in the making of the computer memory and processors that such “hyperscalers” are buying rose Thursday, recovering some of the big losses they’ve taken on worries that their stock prices shot too high in the euphoria around AI.
Micron Technology jumped 15.5%, for example, to trim its loss for the week to 7.3%. It was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 after Microsoft.
Lam Research, a supplier to the semiconductor industry, soared 22.3% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Chip giant Advanced Micro Devices rallied 14.8%.
Stocks broadly got some help from a calming of longer-term Treasury yields following their big accelerations Wednesday. They had jumped after the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, gave few clues about what the central bank will do to combat the painfully high inflation that continues to hurt the country.
Higher yields can keep a lid on inflation, but they can also slow the economy and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.66% from 4.67% late Wednesday. The 30-year Treasury yield edged up to 5.21% from 5.20%, a day after it shot up from 5.09%. They move with investors’ expectations for inflation and economic growth in upcoming years.
Warsh reaffirmed on Wednesday the Fed wants to get inflation back down to 2%, even though the central bank decided not to raise interest rates despite its remaining higher than that. He also implied the bond market may already be doing some of the Fed’s work to restrain inflation, and he pointed to how yields have climbed since the central bank’s last meeting six weeks earlier.
That leaves investors questioning whether the Fed is prepared to act if inflation worsens, or whether it is relying on financial markets to achieve the same outcome, according to Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management.
“If investors conclude that the latter is true, the credibility of the Fed’s inflation-fighting commitment could come under increasing scrutiny. Arguably, it already is.”
Reports released Thursday suggested the U.S. economy’s growth slowed by more during the spring than economists expected. A measure of Inflation, meanwhile, remained significantly worse last month than the Federal Reserve’s target but slowed from May.
In the oil market, prices eased back.
Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.2% to $87.07 per barrel. It had swung as low as $72 early this month and as high as $102 last week on uncertainty about whether the United States and Iran could reach a deal to allow oil tankers to move freely again from the Middle East to customers worldwide.
In stock markets worldwide, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. South Korea's Kospi fell 1.2%, and France's CAC 40 rose 1.1% for two of the world's bigger moves.
Seoul's market has been at the center of the huge recent moves for AI stocks because it's dominated by two tech titans, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. After more than doubling through this year's first six months, the Kospi plunged 34% in July.
Its drop on Thursday came as Samsung Electronics dipped 0.7%. The tech giant reported a record profit for the spring and said demand for its chips continues to outpace supply, but its earnings nevertheless fell shy of analysts' high expectations.
AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.
FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange on May 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is seen in New York, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
A screen shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader talks on the phone at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
