India’s national investigative bureau opened a criminal case against tycoon Anil Ambani after receiving a complaint from the country’s biggest bank alleging fraud, the agency said Saturday.
Anil, the younger sibling of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, has business interests that range from power to defence.
The State Bank of India (SBI) alleged Anil Ambani and his former telecoms firm Reliance Communications “misappropriated” bank funds by entering into transactions that were in violation of the terms of the loans.
SBI claims it was hit with a loss of 29.29 billion rupees (US$335.4 million) as a result of their actions.
The Central Bureau of Investigation said it had registered a case and that the bank’s complaint would be subjected to “thorough investigation”.
The agency searched premises linked to Reliance Communications and Anil Ambani’s residence on Saturday.
Easypaisa digital bank has announced its financial results for the half-year period ended June 30, 2025. The bank reported a profit before tax of PKR 3.64 billion, reflecting a 39.4% increase from PKR 2.61 billion in the same period last year. This growth was fueled by higher markup income and strong fee-based revenues from digital lending and payments, despite the SBP discount rate decline from 20% to 11%.
Net markup income increased by 15.6%, supported by growth in digital lending, while non-markup income surged by 60.5% due to higher transaction volumes in cash deposits, withdrawals, and insurance products. Operating expenses rose by 9.6%, reflecting investments in technology and talent, with a cost-to-income ratio improving to 66.9%.
The bank’s digital ecosystem continues to thrive, with monthly active users (MAUs) reaching 18.2 million, and customer deposits growing by 41.3% to PKR 94.7 billion. The CASA ratio remains strong at 98.1%, and the loan-to-deposit ratio stands at 25.0%.
Why ‘Best Digestion Support Supplement’ Has Become a Trending Search Term in 2025 Wellness Conversations
New York, Aug. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — This press release is for informational purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). DigestiStart is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement, routine, or health program.
DigestiStart Responds to 2025 Surge in Best Digestion Support Supplement Searches With Ingredient Transparency and Clean-Label Focus
DigestiStart Responds to 2025 Surge in Best Digestion Support Supplement Searches With Ingredient Transparency and Clean-Label Focus
Digestive health is at the center of cultural conversation in 2025. From TikTok trends highlighting “gut reset routines” to Reddit forums filled with daily supplement reviews, the topic has expanded beyond clinical discussions and into mainstream lifestyle communities. Surveys reflect why: 1 in 4 Americans grade the nation’s health system poorly, while more than 1 in 3 now use digital tools and AI-driven platforms to guide health-related decisions.
Amid this shift, consumers are searching for clean-label formulas that align with their curiosity about balance, energy, and everyday wellness. DigestiStart enters that space positioned as an ingredient-first response to public demand for visibility and consumer-led choice.
Explore the full DigestiStart formula here
Why interest in “Best Digestion Support Supplement” is surging in 2025
Digestive wellness has become one of the most active health-related search categories in 2025. Google Trends shows sustained growth in phrases such as “improve digestion,” “gut health supplements,” and “digestive reset routines.” This signals how widespread curiosity has become, with audiences ranging from wellness beginners to biohackers all contributing to the surge in demand.
On Reddit, long threads on gut health routines now draw thousands of comments, while TikTok videos tagged with digestion-related content generate millions of views. These short-form discussions range from probiotic food hacks to supplement reviews, reinforcing how digestive support has entered everyday wellness conversations.
Podcasts and blogs are also amplifying the trend, often featuring guest experts who unpack ingredient lists and discuss how consumer preferences are shifting toward transparency. For many listeners, the focus has turned away from “miracle fixes” and toward practical, ingredient-centered discussions.
National surveys reinforce the rise of this curiosity. According to a July 2025 report from the New York Post, more than one in three Americans are already using AI-based tools to research health products before making decisions. Another survey from May 2025 revealed that one in four Americans give the nation’s health system a failing grade, helping explain why so many are taking wellness exploration into their own hands.
In this environment, the term Best Digestion Support Supplement has grown into a powerful search keyword. Consumers are seeking not only functional solutions but also clarity on what goes into each formula. DigestiStart is positioned within this growing demand, entering the conversation as part of a wider push for ingredient-first products that meet the public’s expectations for transparency and clean labeling.
See why DigestiStart is gaining attention in 2025 digestion trends
Digestistart’s ingredient-first response to these trends
As consumers demand clarity in wellness products, DigestiStart has aligned its presentation with an ingredient-first approach. Instead of leaning on vague claims, the formula highlights its contents openly, offering transparency that reflects broader 2025 market expectations.
The clean-label framing is central to its positioning. Many consumers are skeptical of hidden blends, artificial additives, or products that fail to disclose full ingredient details. DigestiStart steps into this environment by presenting itself within the wider cultural conversation on transparency, focusing attention on what the formula contains and why it appears in public discussion.
Equally important is the delivery format. DigestiStart is positioned as a capsule-based supplement, a form factor widely preferred by audiences who want routine-friendly options without mixing powders or altering daily meals. This convenience reflects broader consumer preferences for simplicity in supplementation.
A significant part of the public’s curiosity also revolves around what DigestiStart does not include. Transparency around avoiding unnecessary stimulants, synthetic fillers, or overcomplicated blends resonates strongly with an audience increasingly aware of label reading. In forums and across social media, discussions often emphasize “what’s left out” as much as “what’s included.”
By highlighting its formula design in a transparent way, DigestiStart is being positioned within a rising consumer movement that prizes clear labeling, recognizable inclusions, and routine-friendly design. This approach has made it part of the ongoing digestive health dialogue shaping 2025.
Ingredient spotlight – what’s inside the formula
Curiosity about what goes into digestion support supplements is driving much of the public conversation in 2025. DigestiStart has entered this dialogue by highlighting a blend of ingredients often discussed across wellness spaces, forums, and podcasts. Each inclusion reflects a broader cultural association with gut balance, nutrient absorption, or digestive wellness.
One of the ingredients frequently noted in digestion-focused products is fennel seed extract. Historically associated with digestive comfort, fennel appears often in discussions about traditional practices. Its presence in supplement formulas reflects this continued cultural association.
Licorice root extract is another inclusion that attracts public interest. Long referenced in herbal traditions, licorice root continues to be mentioned in online conversations around gut health and holistic wellness routines.
Ginger root extract is widely known in global food and wellness practices, often discussed for its warming properties and role in digestive traditions. On social media, ginger is one of the most highlighted ingredients when consumers review or compare supplements.
Papaya fruit powder and bromelain, an enzyme sourced from pineapple, are frequently included in digestion-related formulas. These are often discussed in wellness forums as natural enzyme sources, making them part of the ongoing ingredient spotlight in 2025.
Finally, probiotics and prebiotic fibers remain some of the most commonly searched components. Consumers are not only looking for “does this supplement contain probiotics?” but also exploring how prebiotics are framed as supportive inclusions. DigestiStart has been positioned within this growing interest by presenting both categories in its label design.
The formula reflects a pattern: recognizable plant-based extracts, traditional herbal ingredients, and digestive enzymes that have been discussed in cultural and consumer-driven conversations for years. This ingredient mix mirrors what audiences are already researching, contributing to DigestiStart’s place in the public dialogue about digestive health.
What Reddit, podcasts and TikTok creators are saying
Some of the most active conversations around digestion support in 2025 have shifted to platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and wellness podcasts. These spaces are no longer niche — they are now where millions of people share experiences, debate ingredient lists, and ask questions about what qualifies as the Best Digestion Support Supplement.
On Reddit, discussion threads about gut health often highlight supplement routines, comparisons between enzyme-based products, and ingredient breakdowns. Users are less focused on miracle results and more engaged in evaluating labels, asking about sourcing, and questioning which ingredients align with transparency standards.
Podcasts have taken the conversation further by dedicating episodes to digestion-focused lifestyles. Hosts often explore how wellness trends, plant-based extracts, and consumer expectations are changing the supplement space. For listeners, these discussions serve as cultural commentary on how digestion support has become part of mainstream wellness routines.
On TikTok, videos tagged with digestion-related terms showcase everything from “gut reset challenges” to unboxings of supplement bottles. Content creators are emphasizing ingredient reviews and label transparency over outcome promises, reflecting a new wave of curiosity-led content. Short clips featuring papaya, ginger, or probiotics often trend, reinforcing how specific ingredients fuel the public conversation.
The takeaway from these platforms is clear: consumer dialogue around digestion support is driven by curiosity, label analysis, and cultural trends rather than prescriptive promises. DigestiStart, introduced into this conversation, is being noticed as part of the broader public interest in transparent digestive health supplements.
See how DigestiStart is being discussed across wellness communities
Who might be drawn to this type of supplementation in 2025
The audience for digestion support has expanded beyond those with immediate concerns. In 2025, younger demographics are increasingly interested in building proactive routines around gut health. Many in their 20s and 30s are researching how to include digestion-focused products in daily wellness habits as part of long-term balance planning.
Wellness optimizers and biohackers are another group frequently drawn to formulas like DigestiStart. This community evaluates supplements by analyzing ingredient lists, comparing sourcing practices, and building stackable routines. For them, digestion support is not an isolated choice but part of a larger commitment to energy, focus, and lifestyle optimization.
Preparedness-minded individuals are also entering the conversation. In online communities dedicated to resilience and self-sufficiency, digestion support is often discussed as part of a wider toolkit to maintain independence from traditional health systems. The framing here is about preparation and building reliable routines.
Across all of these groups, the common driver is a desire for authenticity and transparency. Audiences in 2025 want to see exactly what a formula contains, understand why those inclusions are present, and decide for themselves how it fits into their wellness exploration. DigestiStart’s ingredient-first presentation aligns with these expectations, making it relevant to diverse segments of the wellness conversation.
Emerging wellness and performance innovation – 2025 market reflections
The wellness market in 2025 is being shaped by consumer-led innovation. Instead of waiting for traditional recommendations, people are turning to supplements that fit into self-guided lifestyles. Digestion support has become a core focus of this movement, reflecting how much the public values energy, balance, and routine-friendly solutions.
Analysts note that the growth of this category is less about a single product and more about an industry-wide trend. From hydration mixes to brain-boosting capsules, consumers are looking for formulas that emphasize natural inclusions and visible ingredient lists. Digestion-focused supplements are now part of this broader wave of exploration.
Performance-minded individuals are also influencing demand. Athletes, professionals, and high-output workers are paying closer attention to gut health as part of lifestyle maintenance. The connection between digestion and overall energy has become a popular theme in wellness discussions, further elevating curiosity in this space.
This rise in consumer-driven wellness reflects a deeper cultural shift. Audiences expect supplements to meet high standards of clarity, clean-label design, and ingredient sourcing. DigestiStart, positioned within this dialogue, is part of the growing trend toward transparent, consumer-first digestion support solutions.
The public debate around digestion supplements – signals, skepticism, and saturation
The rise of digestion support products in 2025 has sparked widespread debate. Supporters see this growth as a positive sign that people are more open about gut health and willing to address it proactively. For many, the surge of interest in digestion-focused supplements represents a cultural shift toward preventive wellness and lifestyle maintenance.
At the same time, skeptics point to market saturation. With so many new products entering the space, questions are being raised about whether all formulas offer true transparency or if some are leveraging trends without substance. Forums often highlight consumer frustration with supplements that rely on vague claims or fail to disclose complete ingredient details.
Neutral observers argue that this debate itself is valuable. By questioning formulations and asking tough questions, consumers help drive accountability in the supplement industry. Transparency, ingredient clarity, and clean-label design are no longer optional — they are becoming baseline expectations.
DigestiStart has been placed in the middle of this broader conversation. Instead of being seen as a final solution, it is part of an ongoing dialogue where the public is evaluating, comparing, and deciding what meets their standards in 2025. This mix of support, skepticism, and neutral analysis ensures that digestion supplements remain one of the most closely watched categories in wellness today.
About DigestiStart
DigestiStart is presented as part of the 2025 wellness conversation with a focus on ingredient transparency and consumer education. The brand does not lead with exaggerated claims but instead emphasizes clarity around what is included in its formula. This reflects a shift in consumer priorities, where audiences prefer to evaluate supplements by their labels and sourcing rather than advertising.
The mission of DigestiStart is to highlight plant-based inclusions, digestive enzymes, and recognizable components that people are already researching online. By avoiding hidden blends and emphasizing visible formulation, the product has entered discussions across social platforms and wellness communities that demand openness from supplement brands.
Within the wider 2025 supplement market, DigestiStart represents a company aligned with the broader movement toward ingredient-first products. Its role is less about prescribing outcomes and more about participating in the ongoing dialogue around digestive support and self-guided wellness practices.
Learn more about DigestiStart and its ingredient-first mission
This press release is for informational purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). DigestiStart is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement, routine, or health program.
Some links in this release may be promotional in nature and may lead to third-party websites. The publisher or author may receive compensation through affiliate commissions if a purchase is made through these links. This compensation does not affect the price you pay and helps support continued research and content publication. Results described or implied may not be typical and should not be interpreted as guarantees.
Statements made about ingredients or outcomes reflect public discussion and historical usage only, and are not endorsed by medical professionals or regulatory agencies. Always do your own research and make informed decisions.
In a recently released presentation, James Altucher pulls back the curtain on Musk’s secret AI facility, revealing details of a project that could reshape the future of superintelligence.
Baltimore, MD, Aug. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For months, rumors swirled about Musk’s next move in AI. The speculation is over.
The report reveals:
“Right here, at a remote warehouse in Memphis, TN… Elon Musk has created the AI mothership…”
“An innovation of such enormous proportion… That he has already surpassed all the leading AI developers.”
This isn’t hype. It’s a reality — a sprawling complex with computing power designed to dwarf the competition.
Breaking Past the Competition
Musk is not chasing after the pack. He is vaulting ahead of it. The research highlights:
This project is positioned as not just the next iteration of AI — but a radical new chapter in technological evolution.
What Musk Wants to Achieve
Musk has never shied away from ambition. But his goal with the mothership may be his most audacious yet.
As the document cites:
The implications are staggering. If Musk succeeds, humanity could leap generations ahead in a matter of months.
Why This Moment Matters
The report makes it clear that timing is everything. With support at the highest levels of government, and Musk’s ability to act outside the bureaucracy of Big Tech, the AI mothership may accelerate advances at breakneck speed.
Key lines emphasize the urgency:
This isn’t a decade-long horizon. The changes could arrive almost overnight.
Highlights From the Report
Musk’s AI mothership already surpasses tech titans like Microsoft, Google, and Nvidia
The project could mark the beginning of “Artificial Superintelligence.”
Musk aims to “unlock the deepest secrets of the universe”
Experts warn the world is on the cusp of an “age of exponential innovation”
A Turning Point in History
The Memphis AI mothership may be remembered as the launchpad for humanity’s first brush with true superintelligence. It is at once inspiring and unsettling.
The technology could usher in breakthroughs in science, medicine, and beyond. But it also raises urgent questions about who controls this power — and how it will be used.
One thing is certain: Musk’s AI mothership is not a footnote in technological history. It may be the chapter that defines the century.
About James Altucher
James Altucher is a legendary tech investor, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. Known for spotting transformative trends before they go mainstream, Altucher has built his reputation by identifying seismic shifts in technology and finance. His latest research zeroes in on Musk’s AI mothership — a project he believes could mark the dawn of Artificial Superintelligence.
CONTACT: Derek Warren Public Relations Manager Paradigm Press Group Email: dwarren@paradigmpressgroup.com
ANKARA, TURKIYE – APRIL 03: In this photo illustration the logos of Open AI are being displayed on both computer and smart phone screen in Ankara, Turkiye on April 03, 2025. (Photo by Betul Abali/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Image Credits:Betul Abali / Anadolu / Getty Images
In a new blog post, OpenAI warns against “unauthorized opportunities to gain exposure to OpenAI through a variety of means,” including special purpose vehicles, known as SPVs.
“We urge you to be careful if you are contacted by a firm that purports to have access to OpenAI, including through the sale of an SPV interest with exposure to OpenAI equity,” the company writes. The blog post acknowledges that “not every offer of OpenAI equity […] is problematic” but says firms may be “attempting to circumvent our transfer restrictions.”
“If so, the sale will not be recognized and carry no economic value to you,” OpenAI says.
Investors have increasingly used SPVs (which pool money for one-off investments) as a way to buy into hot AI startups, prompting other VCs to criticize them as a vehicle for “tourist chumps.”
Business Insider reports that OpenAI isn’t the only major AI company looking to crack down on SPVs, with Anthropic reportedly telling Menlo Ventures it must use its own capital, not an SPV, to invest in an upcoming round.
Jerome Powell arrives for a dinner during the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Moran, Wyoming, on Aug. 21.
(Bloomberg) — A key US inflation gauge probably ticked higher last month, underscoring the challenge Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues face in balancing rising prices and mounting risks in a fragile job market.
Most Read from Bloomberg
A report Friday is forecast to show the personal consumption expenditures price index excluding food and energy — the Fed’s preferred measure of underlying inflation — rose 2.9% in July from a year ago. That would be fastest annual pace in five months. On a monthly basis, the so-called core measure is seen climbing 0.3% for a second month.
Speaking Friday at the Fed’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Powell said there’s now a greater risk the job market could falter — although concerns over inflation persist. And while he said the effects of higher tariffs on prices are “now clearly visible,” it’s also reasonable to expect the impact will be short-lived.
Investors will monitor comments from Fed officials at public events in the coming week to gauge their appetite for a September rate cut. Governor Christopher Waller and regional Fed bank presidents John Williams, Lorie Logan and Tom Barkin are all scheduled to speak.
What Bloomberg Economics Says:
“We expect the hottest reading since February. And if economic activity is gaining steam, firms may be able to pass through more tariff costs to consumers. That raises the risk that the upcoming CPI and jobs reports for August may not necessarily support a rate cut in September.”
— Anna Wong, Stuart Paul, Eliza Winger, Estelle Ou and Chris G. Collins, economists. For full analysis, click here
Along with the July inflation data, Friday’s report is projected to show the biggest advance in household spending on goods and services since March. Economists will also look at the personal income data to gauge the ability of consumers to continue spending — a key driver of economic growth.
On Thursday, the US issues revised second-quarter gross domestic product data. The GDP report is forecast to show personal consumption picked up to a moderate pace after a sluggish start to 2025.
Further north, Canada’s second-quarter GDP figures on Friday could show the negative effects of the trade war with the US — just as Ottawa extends a tariff olive branch to President Donald Trump. Bloomberg Economics sees output falling amid a worsening trade balance and destocking of inventories. The median estimate is for a 0.7% decline.
Elsewhere, India also reports GDP for the second quarter, South Korea and the Philippines set interest rates, and Germany’s Ifo report will hint at how businesses in Europe’s largest economy are responding to trade turmoil.
Click here for what happened in the past week, and below is our wrap of what’s coming up in the global economy.
Asia
It’s a big week for central banks and major data releases that will provide a first look at activity at the start of the year’s second half.
The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday releases minutes from its August policy meeting, when officials cut interest rates for the third time in the current cycle. The Bank of Korea is set to hold rates at 2.5% on Thursday, while the Philippines is likely to cut its overnight borrowing rate by 25 basis points to the lowest level in three years.
Other major releases include second-quarter GDP for India, where activity likely slowed to a 6.6% pace. China will report industrial profits for July after the prior month’s contraction.
Inflation figures from Japan — including July producer prices for services and Tokyo CPI — will show whether price growth may nudge the Bank of Japan toward cutting rates. Japan’s jobless rate likely stayed at 2.5%.
Trade and industrial production data across the region will provide a snapshot of conditions before higher US tariffs kicked in. It begins with Thailand’s trade activity on Monday, which is likely to show a slowdown from the breakneck pace of recent months. Singapore and Taiwan report industrial production on Tuesday.
Hong Kong releases July trade figures, which have been running hot lately in the major transshipment hub. Data Thursday is likely to show India’s industrial production increased in July.
Capping the week, South Korea releases industrial production, which is seen easing from June but accelerating on the year. Japan’s equivalent activity likely declined for the fourth time this year. The Philippines also reports trade figures on Friday.
Australia releases consumer prices for July, which are likely to show a pickup, while New Zealand has retail sales and business confidence reports on the agenda.
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Germany’s Ifo indicator will kick off the week with color on how businesses are reacting to Europe’s trade pact with the US. Despite many investors souring on the deal, which locked in tariffs of 15% on most goods, private-sector activity unexpectedly picked up in August as a three-year slump in manufacturing neared an end.
Ifo’s expectations index is expected to be a little weaker, with analysts predicting a pullback to 90.5 from 90.7.
An account of the European Central Bank’s July policy meeting is due on Thursday and will likely highlight the increasingly tricky path to another rate cut. In her first comments since the trade accord with President Donald Trump was reached, ECB chief Christine Lagarde said the levies were only a little worse than the base case, and far less damaging than the scenario that her economists had drawn up.
Barring major jolts to the economy, policymakers see little reason to lower borrowing costs when they meet in September, people familiar with the matter have told Bloomberg.
Friday brings inflation numbers from Germany, France and Spain, the first since tariffs rose. While fears of a persistent undershoot in consumer-price gains appear to have waned of late, the French reading is seen remaining below the ECB’s 2% target, at 0.9%. German and Spanish inflation is seen ticking up.
Beyond Europe, Nigeria publishes GDP on Monday and Egypt sets interest rates on Thursday, with analysts expecting a cut to 23% from 24%. The same day will also see Zambia report inflation. Consumer-price figures are due on Friday from Uganda and Kenya, while Angola will provide an update on its economy’s performance.
Latin America
Brazil posts mid-August inflation data and Tuesday’s month-on-month print may have declined. A negative monthly reading would push the annual rate down below 5% from mid-July’s 5.30% reading.
Messaging by Banco Central do Brasil has been consistent: wait until next year for any policy easing. Inflation in Brazil has been above target since late 2020 save for a single month in mid-2023. Analysts surveyed by BCB don’t see it back to target before 2029.
Attention then shifts to Mexico where Banco de Mexico on Friday will post its quarterly inflation report.
Mexico watchers will be keen for policymakers’ take on the much slower-than-expected bi-weekly inflation data and downwardly revised second-quarter output data. Unpredictable US tariff policies cloud the country’s outlook, posing both upside and downside risks for Latin America’s No. 2 economy.
In Brazil, the government reports a number of debt metrics, which remain a concern for investors in the lead up to 2026 elections. Moody’s Ratings in June said it’s “difficult” to see improvements before then.
From Chile, six separate data releases are on tap, highlighted by copper production and unemployment. Job growth has been stagnant as the jobless rate held at 8.9% in June.
Mexico, Colombia and Brazil all report July labor market data in the coming week, with the headline readings expected to be at or near record lows.
–With assistance from Robert Jameson, Laura Dhillon Kane, Monique Vanek, Mark Evans, Reade Pickert and Katia Dmitrieva.
Plastics recycling rates in Australia have flatlined as the amount of waste continues to grow, the latest government data reveals.
Australians produced 3.2m tonnes of plastic waste in 2023-24, up from 3m tonnes the previous year, according to Australian plastics flows and fates data released on Friday.
About 39% of the nation’s plastic waste was from packaging.
The data, collected since 2000, showed the total amount of plastic waste had doubled since 2005 (from 1.57m tonnes) but recycling rates had barely shifted despite investments in increased capacity.
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In 2023-24 the plastics recovery rate was 14.1% compared with 14.7% in 2005, with the majority of material still being sent to landfill.
“We can’t recycle our way out of this,” said Gayle Sloan, the chief executive of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia. “It’s a supply chain challenge, not just a waste challenge.
“If you don’t design well and you don’t buy back, we cannot solve this.”
Despite promises from the government since 2023, Sloan said Australia had still not moved on mandatory design or recycled content standards.
According to the data, of the 446,000 tonnes of plastics diverted from landfill in 2023-24, about two-thirds were recycled in Australia and a third (145,000t) exported for processing overseas.
About 23,000 tonnes of the plastic recovered was sent to energy recovery (where waste was burned as a fuel substitute, or used to generate heat or electricity) in 2023-24, a figure that could increase in coming years as several states pursued waste-to-energy projects.
Plastic consumption was also increasing.
Australians used 4m tonnes of plastic products and packaging in 2023-24 – equivalent to 146kg per person – up from 3.9m tonnes the previous year.
The largest source was due to product packaging, responsible for about 1m tonnes of new plastic each year. Other large plastic users included the built environment (18%), electrical (9%) and clothing (8%).
Almost all of the plastics used in Australia were imported in the form of products and packaging, or as new plastic resins.
On Monday, the environment minister, Murray Watt, reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to tackling plastic waste, after countries failed to reach agreement on a treaty to end plastic pollution in Geneva.
“By boosting recycling capability with our state and territory partners through investments in new recycling infrastructure, we’re making real progress in recovering materials that would otherwise go to landfill,” Watt said.
“On top of this, we’re continuing to work with states and territories to phase out problematic single-use plastics and transforming Australia’s packaging regulations.”
The new data comes as a University of NSW study reviewed the extent of microplastic pollution in Australia – in indoor air, road dust, and freshwater and marine ecosystems.
While further research was needed, the study found microplastics posed a significant threat to human health, biodiversity and ecosystems, and recommended steps to limit plastic pollution.
The report recommended laws to minimise the amount of plastics in products, a ban on the use of soft plastics in restaurants and home kitchens, restrictions on microbeads in personal care, cosmetics and cleaning products, and the introduction of an extended responsibility scheme.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda attends the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s 2025 Jackson Hole Economic Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Aug. 23, 2025.
Jim Urquhart | Reuters
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said wage hikes are spreading beyond large firms and likely to keep accelerating due to a tightening job market, signaling his optimism that conditions for another interest rate hike were falling into place.
The remarks are likely to reinforce market expectations that the central bank will resume a rate hike cycle, which was put on pause due to concern over the fallout from U.S. tariffs on the export-reliant economy, later this year.
Despite Japan’s dwindling working-age population, wage growth remained stagnant for decades due to “entrenched deflationary expectations” that discouraged companies from raising prices and pay, Ueda said at a panel held on Saturday during the Federal Reserve’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Now, wages are rising and labor shortages have become “one of our most pressing economic issues,” as global inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic served as an external shock that broke Japan out of a deflationary equilibrium, he said.
“Notably, wage growth is spreading from large enterprises to small and medium enterprises,” Ueda said.
“Barring a major negative demand shock, the labor market is expected to remain tight and continue to exert upward pressure on wages,” he said.
Ueda spoke as part of a panel including Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde addressing labor market challenges developing in their economies.
Japan has seen three straight years of high wage increases in annual spring wage negotiations between companies and unions.
Labor mobility has also risen from historically low levels as the younger generation in particular searches for better-paying jobs, forcing companies to increase pay as they compete for workers, Ueda said.
“In sum, demographic shifts that began in the 1980s are now producing acute labor shortages and persistent upward pressure on wages,” Ueda said.
“They are also driving significant adjustments on the supply side of the economy – through higher participation, increased mobility, and capital-labor substitution,” he said.
Such forces will complicate the relationship between labor market conditions, wages and prices, he added.
“We will continue to monitor these developments closely and incorporate our assessment of evolving supply-side conditions into the conduct of monetary policy,” Ueda said.
After exiting a massive, decade-long stimulus last year, the BOJ raised interest rates to 0.5% in January on the view Japan was on the cusp of durably achieving its 2% inflation target.
The BOJ kept rates steady in July but revised up its inflation forecasts and offered a less gloomy outlook on the economy, keeping alive market expectations for a rate hike this year.
While consumer inflation has exceeded the BOJ’s target for well over three years, Ueda has vowed to go slow in hiking rates as underlying inflation – or price rises driven by domestic demand – remains short of 2%.
But stubbornly high food inflation and prospects of sustained wage growth have led some BOJ board members to warn of second-round price effects that could warrant another rate hike, a summary of the bank’s July meeting showed.
Nearly two-thirds of economists polled by Reuters in August expect the BOJ to raise its key interest rate by at least 25 basis points again later this year, up from just over half a month ago.
You may not know it yet, but there is a force greater than commercial AI that has the power to challenge the tech giants. It is known as decentralized AI, although not many people are aware of its existence or benefits.
While OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic build their AI empires using sprawling data centers and supercharged GPUs housed under one roof, a growing movement is proving that power can be dispersed, and still pack a punch.
How Decentralized AI Models Are Catching Up
One standout player is 0G Labs, whose DiLoCoX framework allows training of gargantuan models over slow, standard networks. And we are talking huge numbers here: 100 billion parameters or more.
By creatively layering pipeline parallelism, gradient compression, and staggered synchronization, this startup is teaching AI to thrive beyond the data center walls. In fact, DiLoCoX claims it trains “about 357 times faster” in some cases, while delivering performance that’s “almost as accurate” as its centralized peers.
Meanwhile, Flower AI and Vana joined forces to launch Collective-1, a 7-billion-parameter language model trained across hundreds of PCs connected via the internet. Again, no data center required.
And that’s just the beginning. Plans are already underway to scale up to 100 billion parameters and include multimodal inputs like text, image, and audio.
Decentralized AI Benefits
Democratizing AI Power
Leveraging spare GPUs in gaming PCs, university labs, or offices can drastically lower barriers, letting smaller teams compete with big tech.
Privacy & Control
Federated learning and edge computing keep sensitive data local and private, which is ideal for regulated industries or personal devices.
Resilience & Security
Decentralized systems are robust by design. They do not have a single point of failure and they have far better opportunities for increased transparency through blockchain-based protocols.
The Roadblocks Still Standing
Despite the promise, challenges are inevitable for a large-scale implementation. Consensus mechanisms can slow things down, while coordination overhead and fragmented compute resources make latency and speed real concerns for high-demand, real-time applications.
Yet, startups and researchers continue to refine protocols to address these issue, and the early results are quite promising.
Decentralized AI may still be under the radar, but it’s no longer second fiddle. As frameworks like DiLoCoX and Collective-1 prove their mettle, the playing field could shift from walled gardens to open-source innovation hubs. And in that world, the next AI breakthrough could originate from a home office, a university network, or even the GPU in your gaming rig, not just the biggest data centers.
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The world’s largest economies will lack the workers they need to power growth and keep prices stable in the coming decades unless they attract more foreigners, top central bankers warned.
Speaking at an annual gathering of leading policymakers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the heads of the Bank of Japan, European Central Bank and Bank of England all sought to highlight the challenge to economic growth posed by ageing populations.
Kazuo Ueda, BoJ governor, told the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s annual symposium that his country’s rapidly ageing society had made labour shortages one of the country’s “most pressing” economic issues.
While foreign workers accounted for just 3 per cent of the labour force in Japan, Ueda said, they had been responsible for half of the recent rise in labour force growth. “Further increases will surely require a broader discussion,” he said.
Across rich economies birth rates are at historically low levels, while people are living much longer. That has raised so-called dependency ratios, meaning that a far higher share of the population is no longer of working age.
ECB president Christine Lagarde said an influx of foreign workers would play a “crucial role” in countering the negative impact of demographic trends on economic growth.
Lagarde noted that without an influx of foreign workers, the euro area would by 2040 have 3.4mn fewer people of working age.
The Eurozone’s labour market came through the pandemic in “unexpectedly good shape”, partly because of more older workers, but “even more” importantly due a rise in the number of foreign workers, she said.
“Although they represented only around 9 per cent of the total labour force in 2022, foreign workers have accounted for half of its growth over the past three years,” Lagarde said. “Without this contribution, labour market conditions could be tighter and output lower.”
BoE governor Andrew Bailey said that the “acute” challenge that demographics and declining productivity posed to the UK economy had not been emphasised enough.
Attracting workers to fill labour shortages will be essential in keeping growth on track in the coming decades, economists believe — despite the rising pressures of populism and public sentiment souring on immigration.
Central bankers predict population ageing will not only lower output but also risks pushing up inflation, as workers would be able to demand higher wages in an environment where labour shortages were widespread.
By 2040, 40 per cent of the UK population will be older than the standard working age group of 16 to 64, Bailey added.
The UK has also been hit by a fall in labour force participation rates, driven by a rise in the number of people defined as “long-term sick” and a significant drop in young people in work — two factors that Bailey suggested might be intertwined.
Mental health was the most common reason, he said, describing it as “a very concerning development”.
The BoE has become “much more focused on [measuring] inactivity” than on unemployment, Bailey said — although he acknowledged that labour force participation, and the reasons for its decline in the UK, were harder to measure than headline unemployment data.
While more older women continued to work, the same was not the case for men, he added.
