Kate Middleton’s trusty sidekick bids farewell to royal role
After 15 years of devoted service, Natasha “Tash” Archer, Kate Middleton’s personal assistant and confidante, is leaving Kensington Palace to start her own private consultancy.
The news was exclusively revealed by People magazine, and the Prince and Princess of Wales’ household has wished Archer all the best for her future endeavours.
Archer joined the royal household in 2010 as a personal assistant to both Kate and Prince William. Over time, she became Kate’s go-to stylist, curating her wardrobe for numerous royal engagements and international tours.
Her impeccable taste in British fashion helped transform Kate into a style icon, showcasing high-end designers like Alexander McQueen and Jenny Packham.
Archer’s influence on Kate’s wardrobe has contributed significantly to the “Kate Middleton Effect,” a phenomenon where fashion items sell out after she wears them, injecting an estimated $1.27 billion into the UK economy annually.
Her role extended beyond styling, as she managed Kate’s diary, clothing, and projects. She was instrumental in planning royal tours, ensuring Kate’s outfits paid homage to the visited countries’ cultures.
In 2019, she persuaded Prince William to wear a traditional sherwani to a reception in Pakistan, showcasing her cultural sensitivity.
Archer was more than just a staffer; she was present for some of Kate’s most intimate moments, including the birth of Prince George in 2013.
Her dedication earned her the Royal Victorian Order in 2019, and she was promoted to senior private executive assistant in 2022.
As Archer embarks on her new venture, Kate is thoughtfully easing back into public life after her cancer diagnosis.
Recently, Kate visited Colchester Hospital, where she shared her thoughts on life after cancer treatment, saying, “You have to find your new normal — and that takes time.”
MTN Group has embarked on an exciting journey to leverage responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reshape Africa at the leading edge of technology, igniting change, inspiring progress and creating a brighter future for generations to come.
“AI is no longer an enabler — it’s the engine reshaping businesses, redefining value creation and rewriting the rules of global innovation and competitiveness,” says MTN Group Digital Infrastructure CEO and GCTIO Mazen Mroué. “AI is not just about automation — it’s about boosting human potential, increasingly becoming seamlessly embedded into our daily activities, decisions and experiences, transforming how we live and work.”
He says AI is augmenting human intelligence like never before and “we at MTN are developing AI for Africa by Africans, unlocking sustainable value for all”.
According to PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study, AI can transform global productivity and economic activity and is predicted to add US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
Assuming Africa captures 10% of the global AI market, a recent SAP report projects that AI could add US$1.5 trillion to the continent’s economy by 2030. The SAP report also predicts that 230 million new digital jobs will be created in Africa by 2030. Statista projects that the AI market in Africa could reach US$4.51 billion in 2025 and grow to US$18.7 billion by 2030.
As AI adoption accelerates, the GSMA says it is crucial that it is designed, developed and deployed with ethical considerations in mind. As a result, the industry association collaborated with a group of operators and others to co-create a Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap, supporting the advancement of innovative and trustworthy AI applications.
MTN’s AI journey is designed around three key principles, in line with global best practice. These encompass a comprehensive governance structure aspiring to achieve ethical, effective and safe AI adoption; an agile and scalable operating model for measured AI implementation; and targeted use cases that deliver tangible value.
MTN has developed a world-class Responsible AI Policy to guide AI deployment and usage. It has also set up a special sub-committee of the Executive Committee to provide oversight, execution governance and impact management of the Group’s IT governance, with a special focus on AI.
As data quality, talent excellence, strategic partnerships and robust infrastructure are all essential to a successful AI implementation journey, MTN has designed an appropriate operating model and established an in-house AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) alongside a Cloud CoE to co-ordinate AI activities across the Group, supported by an internal Software Solutions team equipped with more than 300 engineers.
Driven to deliver tangible value for customers, communities and the business, MTN has identified numerous AI use cases across key business domains including Network, Finance, HR and Commercial functions.
“At MTN Group, under the group-wide transformation programme branded as ‘MTN Genova’, we are operationalising AI at scale to boost productivity, elevate customer experience, reduce costs and accelerate revenue generation,” says Mroué.
Through our strategic partnerships, we have adopted enterprise-grade Open AI and cloud-native services to implement AI and generative AI solutions powered by large and small language models (LLMs and SLMs). In parallel, we are promoting innovative collaborations with start-ups focused on local language LLMs to elevate customer experience solutions.
In the network domain, MTN is promoting interesting use cases like intelligent AI-enabled fuel consumption savings for data centres in South Africa; AI-driven cell site dynamic energy management in Benin; AI-driven fibre cut sensing in Côte d’Ivoire; and network traffic balancing and optimisation in Nigeria.
Having covered Amazon Prime Day for as long as we have, we know what to expect. One thing that’s almost always certain — Amazon is going to drop prices on their Kindle e-readers. The longest Prime Day ever is now underway (through July 11), and we’re seeing lots of discounts roll in on the popular reading devices, especially when it comes to bundles.
SEE ALSO:
Best Prime Day book deals: Save up to 80% on hardcovers, paperbacks, and Kindle editions
Check out our favorite Kindle deals from the Prime Day 2025 sale below, and keep checking back, because more offers are sure to pop up over the next few days.
Best Kindle Deal
Why we like it
The Amazon Kindle Scribe is the brand’s only e-reader that offers note-taking abilities. So if you’re an annotator, this is certainly the right e-reader. With a 10.2-inch screen, it has plenty of space for taking notes in the margins in both PDFs and e-books. Plus, the notebook feature allows you to write out pages and pages of writing that convert from handwritten notes to text. However, keep in mind that among the Kindles we’ve tested, this is Amazon’s slowest-performing device. The Amazon Kindle Scribe is also the most expensive Kindle in Amazon’s line-up, but during Prime Day, you can snag the Essentials Bundle for just $352.97, which is $217 off the original price.
Of course, Cunha is honoured to be United’s no.10, calling it ‘a dream’ to have been given the coveted shirt number.
Matheus was presented with his new jersey after the group training session at Carrington on Tuesday.
The Brazilian reacted with pride and deference to those who have come before him, name-checking some of United’s most celebrated forwards of recent years.
“Yeah, wow. It’s something that you always dream about,” he told us.
“I can mention many players that use this shirt. It’s so easy for me.
“Of course, I think the one that I always think about when I see this number in this shirt for me was Wayne Rooney. He was someone that I grew up to watch him play and I have [watched] many games now.
“Then I swapped shirts with Marcus [Rashford, after a game] also, I have his shirt in my home. But, of course, we know many players used this shirt – [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic.
“It’s the dream not only to use the shirt, but with all the history they have around the number, it’s something beautiful that I have the privilege to do it.”
July 10 2025, 3:12 pm | BY Adam Shaw | No Comments
Maybelline New York, in collaboration with Posterscope India, has launched its Super Stay Teddy Tint – Nude Drop collection. Featuring 11 exclusive shades, the campaign blended emotion, relevance, and digital storytelling to create an unforgettable CGI-led moment across Mumbai.
Executed by Posterscope, the Out-of-Home (OOH) specialist from dentsu India, the activation brought the product’s soft-yet-bold personality to life through a digital-first strategy. The striking CGI visuals showcased Maybelline’s commitment to innovation, reimagining how product launches can come alive in a city’s cultural fabric.
Mumbai was chosen as the launchpad for its emotional resonance and nostalgic energy. The creative leaned into the legacy of the city’s iconic Dabbawalas – everyday heroes who represent trust, tradition, and local pride – aligning them with the comfort and relatability of the globally loved Teddy Tint range. The CGI execution, which took seven days, culminated in a high-impact digital moment that seamlessly brought together technology, beauty, and culture.
Imtiyaz Vilatra, CEO, Posterscope India, said: “This campaign was built on insight-led storytelling that connects emotionally and visually. CGI gave us the flexibility to craft an experience that felt both imaginative and rooted in local emotion. Bringing together a global beauty icon and an everyday Mumbai symbol allowed us to tell a story that was personal, timely, and unforgettable.”
MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will visit Washington this month, the Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Friday, making this the first trip of a Southeast Asian leader since Donald Trump took office.
The trip, which follows Trump’s tariffs announcement earlier this week, will take place from July 20 to 22, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, adding that details of the visit are not yet finalized.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez told reporters that Marcos is the “first ASEAN head of state invited by Trump,” referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Trade and security will likely be the focus of discussions, according to Prof. Ranjit Sing Rye, president of OCTA Research.
“I think it’s a very significant meeting of both leaders of the Philippines and the US, especially at this time when there’s so much dynamics in the … South China Sea,” Rye told Arab News.
“It signifies and symbolizes the broadening and deepening of US-Philippine relations under the Trump administration.”
Tensions have continued to run high between the Philippines and China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which billions of dollars of goods pass each year.
Manila and Beijing have been involved in frequent maritime confrontations in recent years, with China maintaining its expansive claims of the area, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling the historical assertion to it had no basis.
The US has a seven-decade-old mutual defense treaty with the Philippines and Washington has repeatedly warned that a Chinese attack on Filipino ships could trigger a US military response.
Philippine and US forces have increasingly upped mutual defense engagements, including large-scale combat exercises in the Philippines.
Manila is also sending trade officials to the US next week to hold further negotiations on tariffs, after Trump raised a planned tariff on Philippine exports to the US to 20 percent from 17 percent.
It is not immediately clear if the Marcos visit will coincide with that of Manila’s tariff-negotiating team.
“Over the next three years, there will be, in my view, a broadening and deepening of US-Philippine relations on many levels, not just economic, not just socioeconomic, but also in trade, but also in security relations,” Rye said.
“And maybe some of these details will be threshed out during that meeting.”
This will be Marcos’ third visit to the US since he became president in 2022.
His last trip was in April 2024, when he met with then President Joe Biden and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the first trilateral summit among the treaty allies.
From left, Jonas Fredberg, Studio Engineer, Peter Reuterberg, Senior Chief Advanced Designer, Jenny Arnell, Group Manager, and Nina Augustsson, Design Director, from Volvo Group
A global team of Volvo engineers and designers picked up a Red Dot Product Design award for the L120 Electric at an awards ceremony on Tuesday July 8. The sleek shape of the battery-electric machine symbolizes a new era of electromobility – in contrast to the industry’s ‘boxy’ diesel wheel loaders. The thoughtful design supports improved visibility, safety and sustainability and is the first of its kind within Volvo’s broad portfolio of electric solutions.
The quality and design of the L120 Electric wheel loader won over an international judging panel to scoop a coveted Red Dot Product Design award at the annual ceremony in Essen, Germany this week. The Red Dot is one of the world’s largest and most respected design competitions and recognizes outstanding achievements in product and industrial design.
The machine’s modern look was the result of a year of bold thinking by technology and design teams from Jinan in China, and Eskilstuna and Gothenburg in Sweden. This award achievement is therefore a testament to the power of global collaboration.
A new look for a new era of electric
Peter Reuterberg, Senior Chief Advanced Designer for Volvo CE, said: “I’m happy we won this award but I’m especially happy that we won it for this machine. The change from diesel to electric gave us the opportunity to think differently and strive for big impact. Our hope is that this new silhouette will be instantly recognizable as electric.”
The streamlined frame of the electric loader is made possible because of the removal of a combustion engine. The result is a transformation from a boxy’ rear end common to diesel machines into a sleeker shape for the new era of electric.
The new look L120 Electric captured the attention of Red Dot’s panel of judges.
Unique electric design for enhanced visibility
If designers replaced the combustion engine with larger-in-size batteries, this would have not only created a ‘bulkier’ shape but would have also reduced visibility from the cab. As wheel loaders are designed to be driven both forwards and backwards in equal measure, all-round visibility is crucial to their safe and efficient operation.
Instead, engineers and designers worked together on a more thoughtful solution and agreed to integrate the batteries into the counterweight of the machine. The heavy weight of a battery is often seen as a problem in electric machine design, but in this case, the battery is being used to replace a concrete counterweight required for wheel loaders.
The result is a machine that not only looks great, but provides enhanced visibility, safety and sustainability compared to traditional diesel variants.
Annie Gao, Product Platform Engineer at the Jinan Technology Center, Volvo CE China, said: “When we debuted the machine it marked a significant breakthrough, truly capturing the spirit of an electric vehicle. It is our relentless pursuit of innovation, close attention to detail, and commitment to quality that made this possible.”
The new shape ensures excellent all-round visibility for the operator.
Ben Barnes weighs in on Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ adaptation
Ben Barnes broke his silence on Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Chronicles of Narnia adaptation.
The Shadow and Bone star, who is known for his role as Prince Caspian in 2008 and 2010 in the fantasy film, shared excitement over the new Netflix version.
The actor had appeared for the premiere of Stephen King’s The Institute, in Los Angeles.
“With classic literature, there’s no end to the ways they can be adapted as long as it’s being fresh and it’s speaking to a new generation,” the Dorian Gray actor told Variety in a conversation.
“I think that those stories have this one, some fantasy really allows you to tell beautifully allegorical stories about hope and goodness and faith.”
The 43-year-old artist revealed that “it’d be really interesting” to see Gerwig’s take on it, noting that he was “thrilled that [Narnia] is getting retold.”
Gerwig, after the success of Barbie film, is writing and directing the adventure fantasy, which reportedly follows The Magician’s Nephew, the sixth novel in the series by author C.S. Lewis.
The cast will include Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep and Emma Mackey. Carey Mulligan is also said to be in talks to join the project.
According to Deadline, Chronicles of Narnia will release in IMAX on November 26, Thanksgiving Day 2026 and debut on streaming platform on December 25, Christmas Day 2026.
The new shape ensures excellent all-round visibility for the operator.