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Aunty M serves up laughs and ad tips in Google SEA’s first YouTube creator series

Google Southeast Asia has taken a fresh, humorous approach to marketing its ads solutions with the launch of its first-ever YouTube creator series Marketing unfiltered with Aunty M.

The series stars Singaporean YouTube personality Annette Lee in her alter ego role as Aunty M, a straight-talking, no-nonsense host who breaks down complex marketing jargon while learning to promote her fiery sambal belacan business.

This marks a strategic shift for Google, moving beyond traditional, often dry B2B content to engage marketers and entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia in a format that’s relatable, entertaining and culturally relevant.

Don’t miss: YouTube Shopping lands in SG amid demand for content-driven experiences

The series, created by The Carrot Collective with creator strategy support from VIRTUE Asia, debuts across Google’s regional YouTube channels in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, backed by a paid social media campaign.

The first episode showcases Aunty M’s regional journey, where she chats with marketing professionals on how to get the most out of Google and YouTube ads solutions. By blending character-driven storytelling with practical insights, the series demystifies digital advertising in a way that resonates with Southeast Asia’s diverse entrepreneurial community.

“Marketers don’t need more boring B2B content,” said Samit Malkani, group marketing creative manager at Google Southeast Asia and South Asia frontier.

“Our products are constantly evolving, so it was time our storytelling did too. This series lets us speak to marketers and entrepreneurs on their terms, in ways that feel accessible, local, and culturally relevant,” added Samit.

The content format takes inspiration from US talk shows, mixing full episodes to drive engagement, mid-form segments to build relevance, and short-form highlights to increase frequency and reach.

David Webster, CEO and co-founder of The Carrot Collective, said the goal was to reframe B2B marketing content from product explainers to a narrative universe rooted in the real frustrations and ambitions of regional entrepreneurs. “By anchoring the series in character, humour and cultural insight, we’ve created a platform that doesn’t just inform, it builds affinity, earns attention, and drives deeper engagement at scale,” said Webster.

In tandem, VIRTUE Asia’s strategy director Zoe Chen highlighted the importance of authenticity and regional relevance in the series, praising Annette Lee’s role in bringing Aunty M to life. “Annette is beloved across Southeast Asia for her relatable comedic characters that capture the cultural diversity of the region. As an entrepreneur herself, she was the perfect bridge between complex ad solutions and entertainment,” Chen said.

Marketing unfiltered with Aunty M will roll out episodes throughout 2025, marking Google’s bold move to reshape how ad products are presented in the region, combining education with entertainment to better connect with marketers and SMEs navigating the digital economy.

This new series aligns with a growing trend in Southeast Asia where brands are shifting from traditional product-heavy messaging to purpose-driven, creator-led content that resonates culturally and emotionally with audiences.

In a similar move, Samsung Singapore last year leveraged local comedy legends Jack Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia in a series of humorous shorts showcasing its AI-powered features in its Galaxy S24 campaign. The shorts see the three artists leveraging different functions of Galaxy AI to break the boundaries of communication and creation.

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July 3, 2025
Blood from a stone – Newspaper

THE chairman FBR has been in the news lately, as the fiscal year closes and we tally up the revenue performance of his department to see how much blood they were able to draw from the stone that is this country’s base of compliant taxpayers. A few things stand out.

First is the sharp increase in tax collections in FY25 despite very heavy headwinds. Revenue increases in a year of anaemic growth and slowing inflation are very hard to fetch, but they seem to have found a way to do it nonetheless, a fact the chairman went to great pains to highlight. In one of his public presentations, he showed that FBR tax collection increased by Rs2.4 trillion from last year.

The final figure was still below the target, despite the latter having been revised downward multiple times during the year. But that is not the big story here. That is a matter between the government and the IMF and does not really concern the rest of us.

What we have to ask is this: where did all this incremental tax revenue come from? The chairman has emphasised that this year much of the revenue increase was not due to what they call ‘autonomous growth’, which is revenue increase that comes from raw inflation and economic growth alone. That revenue increase does not lead to an increase in the ‘purchasing power’ of the government, since its spending rises correspondingly, especially when inflation is the driver of revenue growth.

This year, according to him, the bulk of the revenue increase came from what they call ‘new tax measures and rates’, as well as ‘improved compliance’. Between these two heads, something like Rs1.67tr was collected, according to FBR figures, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total incremental revenue collection.

Even the ‘people’s representatives’ were more worried about the rights of non-filers and fraudsters than of compliant taxpayers.

So far so good. New tax measures and heightened tax rates alone brought in something like Rs805 billion, but nowhere can one find a breakdown of this figure to learn which revenue heads contributed the bulk of this increase. But take a quick look at the July to March figures released by the finance ministry on its website. In the July to March period, the data there shows an increase of Rs1.7tr in FBR tax collection, of which Rs863bn comes from ‘direct taxes’. Based on reporting from earlier this year, you can be certain that an appreciable portion of this increase comes from taxes paid by salaried individuals.

And therein lies the rub. The chairman is keen to tell us that he has performed a great feat and raked in incremental revenues under very difficult conditions. But he is not willing to give us a breakdown of where this money has come from. If he were to do so, the data would most likely show that the FBR has pulled off this great feat by squeezing more from a few, rather than increasing the base of taxation. They have succeeded in pulling blood from a stone. If this is not the case, they should release a breakdown, which shows the largest revenue heads that have contributed to the Rs805bn increase in collection from ‘new taxes and rates’.

Their one initiative to try and broaden the base was the so-called Tajir Dost Scheme, and although the finance minister went on record as late as February saying that he stood by the scheme, despite its rather dismal performance till then, they had to admit defeat and abandon it barely a month later. Revenue collection under that scheme was then replaced with withholding taxes on unregistered retailers, which they say led to a large increase in retailers registering themselves, and in some cases even a net positive tax liability.

This is the crux of the problem that needs to be highlighted over and over again. Salaried people have seen their purchasing power burn in the inflationary fire that raged ferociously from 2021 to 2024. As soon as that fire was doused they saw a raft of taxes. First, they had to pay for the state’s excesses in pushing growth via reckless money supply creation. Then they had to pay for bridging the state’s fiscal deficit.

At least some of the money they have been forced to contribute has gone to increase compensation for government servants (including military officers) and ministers. The state shields itself and its personnel from the effects of its own excesses and incompetence. And compliant salaried people, who belong to all sections of the middle class, have to foot the bill.

What makes this possible is the near total absence of any voice that salaried people have in the country’s policy conversation. When the Finance Bill 2025 came up for discussion in the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, objections were raised on the tax on solar panels, the powers of arrest for FBR officers and the provisions that would make it more difficult for non-filers to buy and sell high-value assets.

But there was barely a whisper about salaried people or taxes on business income, which hits small and medium enterprises harder than large manufacturers. Even the so-called people’s representatives were more worried about the rights of non-filers and tax fraudsters than the massive burden placed on compliant, honest payers.

Now begins round two of this charade. For the fiscal year which began this week, they have to pull this feat off one more time. FBR revenues have to rise by Rs2.4tr all over again, but already, the stone has nearly been bled to death. Some amount of this will come from ‘autonomous growth’ though that amount will be smaller due to lower inflation. And the rest, dear reader, will land on your doorstep, regardless of how you feel, and irrespective of what magic trick they are claiming they intend to pull off next year. Happy new fiscal year to all my readers.

The writer is a business and economy journalist.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025
Scientists discover proteins that could help fight cancer, slow aging-Xinhua

SYDNEY, July 3 (Xinhua) — Australian scientists have identified a group of proteins that could transform approaches to treating cancer and age-related diseases.

Researchers at the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in Sydney have discovered that these proteins play a crucial role in controlling telomerase, an enzyme responsible for protecting DNA during cell division, according to a recent statement by the CMRI, which led the research.

This breakthrough clarifies how telomerase both supports healthy aging and fuels cancer cell growth, highlighting new possibilities for treatments that slow aging or stop cancer by targeting these newly identified proteins.

Telomerase helps maintain the ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres, which are vital for genetic stability. While telomerase is essential for the health of stem cells and certain immune cells, cancer cells often exploit this enzyme to grow uncontrollably, said the study published in Nature Communications.

The team discovered that three proteins — NONO, SFPQ, and PSPC1 — guide telomerase to chromosome ends; disrupting them in cancer cells prevents telomere maintenance, potentially stopping cancer cell growth.

“Our findings show that these proteins act like molecular traffic controllers, making sure telomerase reaches the right destination inside the cell,” said Alexander Sobinoff, the lead author of the study.

Hilda Pickett, head of CMRI’s Telomere Length Regulation Unit and the study’s senior author, noted that understanding how telomerase is controlled opens new possibilities for developing treatments targeting cancer, aging, and genetic disorders linked to telomere dysfunction. ■

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July 3, 2025
Dyslipidemia Associated With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Strong Predictor of ICU Admission in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Comparative Study

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July 3, 2025
111 more Palestinians martyred by Israeli forces in Gaza – RADIO PAKISTAN
1. 111 more Palestinians martyred by Israeli forces in Gaza RADIO PAKISTAN
2. LIVE: Israel forcibly displaces more than 80% of south Gaza’s Khan Younis Al Jazeera
3. Israeli forces kill 25 across Gaza, including 12 in shelter for displaced: rescuers Dawn
4. 95 Palestinians martyred amidst continued Israeli aggression Ptv.com.pk
5. Report: U.S., Iran to Hold Nuclear Talks in Iran Next Week Haaretz
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July 3, 2025
In situ construction of Cs3Bi2I9/WO3 0D/1D Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for photochemical CO2 reduction under visible light
In the face of growing global energy demands and environmental concerns, developing sustainable technologies for energy conversion and carbon dioxide (CO₂) utilization is crucial. Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, which leverages solar energy to convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals, stands out as a promising solution. However, existing photocatalysts face challenges such as insufficient light absorption, poor charge separation, and high energy barriers for CO₂ reduction.

Metal halide perovskites (ABX₃) have shown potential in photocatalysis due to their excellent light absorption and charge transport properties. Lead-containing perovskites, however, face issues like degradation and toxicity, prompting researchers to explore lead-free alternatives like bismuth (Bi)-based materials. Cs₃Bi₂I₉, a lead-free halide perovskite, has attracted attention for its high optoelectronic performance but is limited by aggregation and insufficient oxidation ability.

A research team led by Jie Chen from Xi’an Jiaotong University has developed a novel visible-light-driven (λ > 420 nm) Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst composed of 0D Cs₃Bi₂I₉ nanoparticles on 1D WO₃ nanorods for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. The catalyst was synthesized using an in situ growth approach, where Cs₃Bi₂I₉ nanoparticles were grown on WO₃ nanorods. The research team conducted extensive experiments and characterizations to evaluate the catalyst’s performance and understand its underlying mechanisms.

The 0D/1D Cs₃Bi₂I₉/WO₃ Z-scheme heterojunction demonstrated remarkable photocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance. Key findings include:
1. Enhanced CO₂ Reduction Activity: The catalyst achieved a CO production rate of 16.5 μmol/(g·h), approximately three times higher than that of pristine Cs₃Bi₂I₉ (5.3 μmol/(g·h)), with a CO selectivity of 98.7%.
2. Stability: The catalyst maintained stable performance after three cycles of 3-hour reactions, with no significant structural changes observed.
3. Charge Transfer Mechanism: In situXPS and ESR measurements revealed a Z-scheme charge transfer pathway, where electrons transfer from WO₃ to Cs₃Bi₂I₉ under light illumination, facilitating efficient charge separation and reducing recombination.
4. Photophysical and Photoelectrochemical Properties: The heterojunction exhibited efficient charge carrier transfer and separation, as evidenced by surface photovoltage spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements.
This work provides valuable insights into the design of efficient heterojunctions for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. The successful construction of the 0D/1D Z-scheme heterojunction not only enhances the performance of lead-free halide perovskites but also offers a promising strategy for developing advanced photocatalysts. By combining morphological engineering with the Z-scheme heterojunction design, this study paves the way for more efficient and stable photocatalytic materials, contributing to sustainable energy solutions and carbon emission reduction efforts.

Original source: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fie/EN/10.1007/s11708-025-0989-1
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July 3, 2025
Pakistan says enhancing small and medium enterprises’ lending portfolio to increase jobs, exports

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced on Wednesday it would hold a nationwide movement against the government after the Islamic month of Muharram, days after Pakistan’s top court denied the party reserved seats for minorities and women in parliament.

The announcement followed a meeting of the PTI’s parliamentarians in Islamabad. The party’s lawmakers discussed several issues such as the political situation after the Supreme Court’s verdict last week which denied the party reserved seats in parliament, launching a movement to demand the release of Khan and PTI supporters from prison.

The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on June 27 ruled that former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI is not entitled to reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies, upholding an earlier verdict by the Peshawar High Court. The dispute arose after PTI lost its electoral symbol ahead of the February 8 national polls and its candidates contested as independents.

Despite its candidates winning the most general seats, the PTI was denied reserved seats for women and minorities, which are allocated to parties based on proportional representation, by the ECP. The government lost its two-thirds majority in parliament in July 2024 when the top court reversed the ECP’s decision, terming it unconstitutional and ordering the reserved seats to be allocated to PTI. The ECP and the political parties had filed a review petition, which were accepted by the top court last week.

“We [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] are starting a movement after Muharram,” Ali Amin Gandapur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and a senior PTI leader, told reporters after the party’s meeting.

“This will be a Pakistan-wide movement, god willing. We will protest peacefully, politically, like we always do. We will proceed and take it forward but if they [government] fire bullets, we will plan for that as well.”

The government rejects the PTI’s allegations that the February 2024 polls were rigged, accusing Khan’s party of disrupting its efforts of ensuring the sustainable economic growth.

RULING COALITION GETS TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY

The ECP’s latest notification granting parties other than the PTI reserved seats for women and minorities means the ruling coalition government now has two-thirds majority in parliament. The electoral authority also withdrew its earlier notifications of July 24 and July 29, 2024 on Wednesday, which declared the successful candidates on general seats in the national and provincial assemblies as PTI-returned candidates.

Sixteen reserved seats for women and three for minorities in the National Assembly were allocated to various parties, with the lion’s share going to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the PTI’s chief rival. The PML-N were allocated 13 seats, while four were allocated to the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and two to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-F).

In this file photo, taken and released by Pakistan’s Press Information Department on October 21, 2024, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) shakes hands with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, key coalition partner and former foreign minister, at the National Assembly in Islamabad. (PID/File)

With this development, the ruling coalition has crossed the two-thirds majority mark, securing 233 seats in the 336-member National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. A political party or a coalition government needs 224 seats to reach the threshold.

As per the notification, 21 reserved seats for women were reinstated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, with eight allocated to the JUI-F, six to the PML-N and five to the PPPP. One seat each was also allotted to the PTI Parliamentarians and the Awami National Party (ANP).

Meanwhile, out of the four reserved seats for minorities in KP Assembly, two were given to the JUI-F and one each to the PML-N and the PPPP.

The ECP restored 24 reserved seats for women in the Punjab Assembly, of which the PML-N received 21, while one seat each was allocated to the PPPP, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).

Additionally, three minority seats were allocated–two to the PML-N and one to the PPPP.

Two reserved seats for women and one for minorities were reinstated in the Sindh Assembly, with two allotted to the PPP and one to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

‘GRAVE INJUSTICE’

Political analysts noted the development would further weaken the PTI’s position at the center.

“This move is likely to further undermine democracy in Pakistan and encourage horse-trading, as the ruling coalition may try to woo legislators particularly in KP,” Mazhar Abbas, a political analyst and journalist, told Arab News.

The PTI has a large support base in KP, where it has been emerging as the largest party since the 2013 polls.

Zahid Hussain, another political analyst, said the move has given the ruling coalition government the much-desired two-thirds majority, enabling them to make constitutional changes as per their will.

“The government and [military] establishment appear intent on securing a two-thirds majority to push through legislation and constitutional amendments of their choosing,” he noted.

Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) said the move would further strengthen the ruling PML-N as it would reduce the party’s reliance on the PPP.

“In National Assembly, PML-N-led coalition has come closer to having a simple majority without the PPP,” Mehboob said.

He added that after securing the reserved seats, the PML-N-led coalition needed only 11 seats to secure a simple majority on its own.

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July 3, 2025
Rain-wind/thundershower expected in Kashmir, ICT, Punjab, KP – RADIO PAKISTAN
1. Rain-wind/thundershower expected in Kashmir, ICT, Punjab, KP RADIO PAKISTAN
2. Monsoon currents, westerly wave to bring more rain across Pakistan: PMD The Express Tribune
3. Met Office predicts hot, humid weather in most parts of country nation.com.pk
4. Sindh to remain hot and humid, likely rain in southeastern districts ARY News
5. Thundershower forecast for Sindh Associated Press of Pakistan
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July 3, 2025
Arnaud Chastaingt, director of Chanel Watchmaking, on the creation of J12 Bleu

Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio, describes the new blue as “too blue to be black, too black to be entirely blue”—a colour that shifts with the light and mood. The J12 Bleu collection debuts with nine models, some set with vivid blue sapphires.

What does the 25th anniversary of the J12 mean to you?

Firstly, I realise how fast time flies! When I discovered the J12 at the end of my studies, it was like an electric shock, making me aware that watchmaking is a vast creative sphere. It has been a constant source of fascination ever since, and the J12 remains my muse. Guiding it into unexpected territory is still an exercise that inspires me, and I’m particularly proud that this cherished project has come to fruition just as the J12 celebrates its 25th anniversary.

See also: Watches and Wonders 2025: This is how Chanel used a secret watch to seal time with a kiss

How did you come up with this combination of material and colour?

Chanel is a maison where exceptional expertise is crucial across all its fields, from jewellery to fashion, fragrances, and, of course, watchmaking. This deep commitment to craftsmanship is reflected in Chanel timepieces through the mastery of ceramics at our manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Chanel elevated ceramic to the status of a precious material when we first introduced it in 2000, and that’s very inspiring.

In recent years, I’ve worked more closely with this highly specialised unit to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation, both aesthetically and technically. Gabrielle Chanel showed time and again through her creations that the combination of blue and black could work beautifully, contrary to what some believed. I found this blue-black duality captivating, as well as the interplay between the matte, muted ceramic and the precious blackened gold set with sapphires of a very distinctive hue.

It took countless tests and nearly five years of research to achieve the emotional impact we wanted from this blue. After this long dialogue on colour, we achieved exceptional finishes, such as polished chamfers on the matte case, as well as the side and centre links.

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July 3, 2025
The fatal mutation that lets cancer outsmart the human immune system

New research from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has uncovered an evolutionary change that may explain why certain immune cells in humans are less effective at fighting solid tumors compared to non-human primates. This insight could lead to more powerful cancer treatments.

The study was published in Nature Communications. It revealed a tiny genetic difference in an immune protein called Fas Ligand (FasL) between humans and non-human primates. This genetic mutation makes the FasL protein vulnerable to being disabled by plasmin, a tumor-associated enzyme. This vulnerability seems unique to humans and is not found in non-human primates, such as chimpanzees.

“The evolutionary mutation in FasL may have contributed to the larger brain size in humans,” said Jogender Tushir-Singh, senior author for the study and an associate professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. “But in the context of cancer, it was an unfavorable tradeoff because the mutation gives certain tumors a way to disarm parts of our immune system.”

Tumor environment neutralizes key immune protein

FasL is an immune cell membrane protein that triggers a programmed cell death called apoptosis. Activated immune cells, including CAR-T cells made from a patient’s immune system, use apoptosis to kill cancer cells.

The UC Davis team discovered that in human genes, a single evolutionary amino acid change — serine instead of proline at position 153 — makes FasL more susceptible to being cut and inactivated by plasmin.

Plasmin is a protease enzyme that is often elevated in aggressive solid tumors like triple negative breast cancer, colon cancer and ovarian cancer.

This means that even when human immune cells are activated and ready to attack the tumor cells, one of their key death weapons — FasL — can be neutralized by the tumor environment, reducing the effectiveness of immunotherapies.

The findings may help explain why CAR-T and T-cell-based therapies can be effective in blood cancers but often fall short in solid tumors. Blood cancers often do not rely on plasmin to metastasize, whereas tumors like ovarian cancer rely heavily on plasmin to spread the cancer.

Plasmin inhibitors may enhance immunotherapy

Significantly, the study also showed that blocking plasmin or shielding FasL from cleavage can restore its cancer-killing power. That finding may open new doors for improving cancer immunotherapy.

By combining current treatments with plasmin inhibitors or specially designed antibodies that protect FasL, scientists may be able to boost immune responses in patients with solid tumors.

“Humans have a significantly higher rate of cancer than chimpanzees and other primates. There is a lot that we do not know and can still learn from primates and apply to improve human cancer immunotherapies,” said Tushir-Singh. “Regardless, this is a major step toward personalizing and enhancing immunotherapy for the plasmin-positive cancers that have been difficult to treat.”

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July 3, 2025