Category: 3. Business

  • A mobile app intervention to support nutrition education for heart failure management: co-design, development and user-testing | BMC Nutrition

    A mobile app intervention to support nutrition education for heart failure management: co-design, development and user-testing | BMC Nutrition

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  • Crypto investors look ahead to policy wins, propelling bitcoin to record high

    Crypto investors look ahead to policy wins, propelling bitcoin to record high

    Crypto investors are betting that a slew of long-sought policy wins for the industry, expected next week, could invite new investment in the asset class.

    Those hopes helped propel bitcoin to another high on Friday and gave a boost to U.S.-listed crypto stocks.

    Starting on Monday, the House of Representatives will debate a series of crypto bills to provide the digital asset industry with the U.S. regulatory framework it has long demanded. Those demands have resonated with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called himself the “crypto president” and urged policymakers to revamp rules in favor of the industry.

    Crypto Tracker

    Trump himself is involved in several crypto ventures, including World Liberty Financial, a platform that his sons Eric and Don Jr. run. Members of Congress are set to vote on the Genius Act, the Clarity Act, and the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act during “crypto week,” as the industry’s strained ties with Washington continue to thaw. The most significant bill is the Genius Act, which would create federal rules for stablecoins.


    “Even if final passage stalls, the optics of legislative engagement are bullish,” said Jag Kooner, head of derivatives at crypto exchange Bitfinex. Bitcoin’s surge has triggered a broader rally in the crypto market, with strong and sustained inflows into the related spot exchange-traded funds driving prices higher, said Nicolai Sondergaard, research analyst at Nansen. The world’s largest cryptocurrency was last up 3.3% at $117,333.32, taking its gains for the year to 26%. The digital asset has surged nearly 41% in the last three months.

    Bitcoin buyer and holder Strategy rose 1.9%, while crypto miners Riot Platforms, Hut 8, and Mara Holdings gained between 0.7% and 1.6%.

    “Investors are racing to take positions ahead of the extra publicity this event could attract,” said Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, referring to “crypto week.”

    Rising confidence in bitcoin is resulting in investors chasing higher returns in smaller tokens. Ether, the second-largest token, was last up 5.13%, while XRP and solana gained 9.7% and 0.8%, respectively.

    The sector’s total market value has swelled to about $3.67 trillion, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

    CRYPTO WEEK

    The House of Representatives is set to pass a series of crypto-related bills next week, including a bill that would establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins after Trump subsequently approves it.

    Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value, usually a 1:1 dollar peg, are commonly used by crypto traders to move funds between tokens. Their use has grown rapidly in recent years, and proponents say they could be used to send payments instantly. The bill, dubbed the Genius Act, received bipartisan support in the Senate, with several Democrats joining most Republicans to back the proposed federal rules. It is expected to pass the House and would then head to Trump, who has said he will sign the bill into law.

    The bill would require tokens to be backed by liquid assets – such as U.S. dollars and short-term Treasury bills – and for issuers to publicly disclose the composition of their reserves on a monthly basis.

    Crypto proponents say those rules could legitimize stablecoins, making banks, retailers, and consumers more comfortable with using them to transfer funds.

    The House next week is also expected to pass a bill that aims to develop a regulatory regime for cryptocurrencies and would expand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s oversight of the digital asset industry.

    That bill, called the Clarity Act, has yet to be considered in the Senate, where it would need to pass before heading to Trump for final approval.

    If signed into law, the bill would define when a cryptocurrency is a security or a commodity and clarify the Securities and Exchange Commission’s jurisdiction over the sector, something crypto companies disputed during the Biden administration.

    Crypto companies have argued that most crypto tokens should be classified as commodities instead of securities, which would enable platforms to more easily offer those tokens to their customers.

    SKEPTICS RAISE RED FLAGS

    Bitcoin’s sharp rally has drawn caution from some corners of the market.

    As crypto gets embedded in the traditional financial system, some analysts warned the hype may be outpacing reality.

    “The (regulatory) backdrop has supported prices, and attention has turned to bitcoin’s role in portfolios, with some likening the crypto-asset to ‘digital gold.’ This moniker is likely premature,” said Dirk Willer, Citi’s global head of macro, asset allocation, and emerging market strategy.

    With likely volatility ahead, some analysts have cautioned investors to pause and weigh their time horizons before jumping in.

    “It’s hard not to be optimistic about bitcoin at this moment in time, but the risk of a fall in price or short-term pullback still exists,” said Simon Peters, crypto analyst at online brokerage eToro.

    Critics have argued the Trump administration is conceding too much to the crypto industry at the expense of protecting consumers and retail investors.

    “I’m concerned that what my Republican colleagues are aiming for is another industry handout that gives the crypto lobby exactly its wish list,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said this week. Trump has faced criticism from political rivals and ethics experts over the potential for conflicts of interest regarding his family’s crypto ventures.

    The White House has said there are no conflicts of interest present for Trump and that his assets are in a trust managed by his children.

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  • Federal judge says voiceover artists AI lawsuit can move forward

    Federal judge says voiceover artists AI lawsuit can move forward

    A federal judge in New York has allowed a lawsuit to move forward from two voice-over artists alleging their voices were stolen by an AI voice startup.

    The judge dismissed artists Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage claims that their voices were subject to federal copyright.

    But claims from the artists of breach of contract and deceptive business practices, as well as separate copyright claims alleging that the voices were improperly used as part of the AI’s training data, will, however, move forward.

    California-based Lovo Inc. had asked for the case to be dismissed entirely. The company has not yet responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

    The judge’s decision comes after a flood of cases from artists against artificial intelligence companies alleging misuse of their work to train AI models.

    The artists’ attorney, Steve Cohen, has called the decision a “spectacular” victory for his clients, saying he was confident a future jury will “hold big tech accountable”.

    Lawyers for Lovo had called the artists’ allegations a “kitchen sink approach” saying the artists’ claims failed to make an actionable claim against the company.

    The artists, a couple living in New York City, filed a proposed class action lawsuit in 2024 after learning alleged clones of their voices were for sale via Lovo’s text-to-speech platform Genny.

    The couple claim they were separately approached by anonymous Lovo employees for voice-over work through the online freelance marketplace Fiverr.

    Lehrman was paid $1200 (around £890). Sage received $800 (almost £600).

    In messages shared with the BBC, the anonymous client can be seen saying Lehrman and Sage’s voices would be used for “academic research purposes only” and “test scripts for radio ads” respectively.

    The anonymous messenger said the voice-overs would “not be disclosed externally and will only be consumed internally”.

    Months later, while driving near their home in New York City, the couple listened to a podcast about the ongoing strikes in Hollywood and how artificial intelligence (AI) could affect the industry.

    This episode had a unique hook – an interview with an AI-powered chatbot, equipped with text-to-speech software. It was asked how it thought the use of AI would affect jobs in Hollywood.

    But, when it spoke, it sounded just like Mr Lehrman.

    “We needed to pull the car over,” Mr Lehrman told the BBC in an interview last year. “The irony that AI is coming for the entertainment industry, and here is my voice talking about the potential destruction of the industry, was really quite shocking.”

    Upon returning home, the couple found voices with the names Kyle Snow and Sally Coleman available for use by paid Lovo subscribers.

    They later found Sage’s alleged clone voicing a fundraising video for the platform –while Lehrman’s had been used in an advertisement on the company’s YouTube page.

    The company eventually removed the voices, saying both voices were not popular on the platform.

    The case is now set to move ahead in the US District Court in Manhattan.

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  • Donald Trump could trigger another market shock, investors warn – Financial Times

    Donald Trump could trigger another market shock, investors warn – Financial Times

    1. Donald Trump could trigger another market shock, investors warn  Financial Times
    2. Trump is sowing confusion in the markets  Financial Times
    3. Market Thoughts: To infinity and beyond!  J.P. Morgan Private Bank
    4. Trump’s Economic Renaissance Promise: Potential Impact on Key Industrial Stocks and ETFs  TipRanks
    5. The Major Lesson to Be Learned From Recent Market Action  TheStreet Pro

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  • Google to pay $2.4 billion in deal to license tech of Windsurf, WSJ reports – Reuters

    1. Google to pay $2.4 billion in deal to license tech of Windsurf, WSJ reports  Reuters
    2. OpenAI left behind as Windsurf’s stars defect to Google DeepMind  The Express Tribune
    3. OpenAI’s Windsurf deal is off — and Windsurf’s CEO is going to Google  The Verge
    4. Who is Varun Mohan, the Windsurf CEO Google beat ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to hire?  The Economic Times
    5. Google hires Windsurf CEO and researchers to advance AI ambitions  Yahoo Finance

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  • The solar battery rebate has arrived – here’s how to steer clear of scammers | Solar power

    The solar battery rebate has arrived – here’s how to steer clear of scammers | Solar power

    This month the new federal battery rebate kicked off.

    It reminded me of 2008. I was working at the CSIRO and watching the solar boom take off thanks to the new $8,000 solar rebate for 1kW of panels. Consumers were excited, but most had no idea what they were buying or who to trust.

    The rebate triggered an influx of dodgy operators who would whack 1kW of cheap, nasty panels on your roof paired with a rubbish inverter, charge $500 total and still make a profit.

    Sometimes they charged $0 and threw in a Myer voucher to seal the deal. Yes, they’d pay you to go solar. It was the wild west. Those cheap 1kW systems were sometimes ineffective, often dangerously installed and dumped in landfills way too soon.

    Sixteen years later, it’s happening again. The approximately $350 a kilowatt hour battery rebate has triggered a rush. I’ve already seen ads offering 46 kWh of battery storage “FREE” when you buy solar.

    They’ve clearly found a way to get batteries from wholesalers for less than the rebate. Personally, I wouldn’t go near these deals.

    Batteries are serious gear. They store huge amounts of energy. They need proper installation and careful configuration. Most importantly, when feed-in tariffs shift (as they constantly do), you need a relationship with your installer to update how the battery works with the grid to maximise your savings.

    So here’s my advice, based on 16 years watching what happens when rebates attract cowboys:

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    • Choose well-known brands. Be extremely wary of mystery batteries that popped up yesterday and cost half as much as anything else.

    • Use a local installer with a solid track record – someone who has been around and will still be around when you need them.

    • Read the 1-star reviews. They often reveal the stuff that really matters: ghosting customers, shoddy work, or warranty nightmares.

    • Slow down. The rebate isn’t vanishing tomorrow. Yes, it reduces on Jan 1 but things are mad right now. You might get a better result waiting a few months.

    • Think about sizing. A battery that’s too small will frustrate you, and one that’s too big may never fill. For most households (unless you’re planning to gamble on Amber), 15-20 kWh is the sweet spot.

    • Check your solar capacity. There’s no point having a giant battery you can’t fill. If you want to reduce your reliance on your electricity retailer, ensure your solar is up to the job.

    • Reward good installers. If the crew that did your original solar were great and they sell the battery you want, go back to them. If not, get multiple quotes.

    This rebate could help thousands of households get batteries that work well, and more than pay for themselves over at least the next 15 years. But only if those households choose carefully. Don’t let history repeat itself.

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  • How can Hong Kong’s MTR Corp get back on track amid funding, manpower woes?

    How can Hong Kong’s MTR Corp get back on track amid funding, manpower woes?

    Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu was stern-faced and did not mince his words as he took the MTR Corporation to task for “inadequacies” in the way it responded to emergencies and planned for disruptions.

    He spelled out what he expected of the city’s rail operator when he spoke on May 27, five days after the third service disruption in four months due to technical failures.

    He demanded action to prevent incidents, which could affect thousands of the rail system’s 5 million daily riders. But if such incidents still happened, it had to do better in responding and minimising inconvenience to commuters.

    The most recent five-hour breakdown on May 22 affected the entire Tseung Kwan O line during the evening rush hour, leaving tens of thousands of people scrambling to find their way home.

    Lee told the MTR Corp to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire rail network, strengthen its emergency response and contingency handling capabilities, and improve alternative transport arrangements for commuters when services were suspended.

    Experts and observers welcomed the dressing down by the city leader, but also highlighted a number of issues the rail operator had to grapple with, not least its daunting funding challenges and a persistent shortage of skilled technical staff.

    Despite a near-perfect punctuality rate of 99.9 per cent and a net profit of HK$15.8 billion (US$2 billion) last year, the MTR Corp has been plagued by a series of management crises and safety incidents since 2018.

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  • China has 60 drugs under trial to rival Ozempic in US$150 billion weight-loss market

    China has 60 drugs under trial to rival Ozempic in US$150 billion weight-loss market

    When Hong Kong office worker W.K. Chang began putting on weight as a teenager, her doctor said it was due to hormonal imbalances that slowed her metabolism. She reached a peak weight of 100kg about a year ago, but has since lost 25kg.

    The secret to losing a quarter of her weight? Chang, who asked not to be identified by her full name, was one of the city’s first 200 chronic obesity patients to receive access to a new weight-loss drug, originally developed for diabetes. At a cost of HK$2,700 (US$344) each month, it was not cheap.

    “I’m lucky since my family pays for my drug bills, but my friends who want it can’t afford it,” she said. “My doctor said I can reduce the dosage and the costs provided I keep up with my low-sugar diet and do cardiovascular exercises to maintain my weight.”

    Chang’s friends and others with similar health problems may soon have better and more affordable access to the drugs that treat both diabetes and obesity, analysts said.

    That is because the patent on semaglutide – the drug that mimics the naturally-produced hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion – expires in China next year. In other markets, the patent will expire in 2031 or 2032. Semaglutide is sold by Novo Nordisk as Ozempic.

    A combination image shows an injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, and boxes of Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk. Photo: Reuters

    Analysts said cheaper generic versions of the drug could then be launched by rivals, bringing down prices. Up to 20 generic drug players in China will vie for market share and exert downward pressure on prices, according to a report published in May by Boston-based L.E.K. Consulting.

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  • Independent shops devastated as brand pulls supply

    Independent shops devastated as brand pulls supply

    Alison McCabe A woman with short white hair, a blue and white patterned shirt, and glasses on the top of her head stands, smiling, next to a large display of Jellycat plush toys including rabbits and fishAlison McCabe

    Alison McCabe said she was devastated by Jellycat’s decision

    Jellycat plush toys have been lining the walls at Rumours in Whitby for more than two decades.

    At times, they’ve taken up a third of the North Yorkshire gift shop’s total shelf space. “They’ve always been a good seller,” said manager Joe Orrell, whose father owns the store.

    But last month, Mr Orrell received an email he “couldn’t quite believe”.

    Jellycat, the British soft toy company, told him it would no longer be supplying Rumours. It did not provide a reason.

    “We were absolutely gutted,” Mr Orrell said. Sales of the brand’s toys made up a “significant portion” of the shop’s income.

    Joe Orrell Joe Orrell standing in his shopJoe Orrell

    The BBC spoke to owners and managers from four independent shops who said they had been hurt and surprised when Jellycat abruptly told them it would stop supplying them.

    “Unfortunately we’re not able to support every shop that wants to stock our products and, after very careful consideration, we recently reviewed our relationship with some stores,” Jellycat said in a statement. It put this figure at 100 stores in the UK.

    “We’re truly grateful for their historic support and wish them all the best for the future,” it said, adding it still supplied about 1,200 independent stores.

    Puddleducks, a children’s clothing store in Diggle, near Oldham, had been selling Jellycat toys for close to 20 years.

    The brand had “really taken off” in popularity over the past year, said owner Alison McCabe, and some weeks she sold hundreds of items. She would be “inundated” with messages from customers asking which items her shop had in stock, she said.

    But, after what she described as months of difficulty getting hold of stock, Jellycat contacted her in mid-June telling her it would no longer supply her.

    The emails to stockists who were being cut off were sent on 18 June and appear to be identical in content, apart from the name of the shop. The owners and managers were not addressed by name, with the emails instead addressed to a “Jellycat stockist”.

    “We’re sorry to let you know that, after careful consideration, we’ll no longer be supplying Jellycat products to Rumours,” the email to Mr Orrell, viewed by the BBC, said. This was related to its “brand elevation strategy”, it added.

    “Please do not place more orders as they will not be fulfilled,” the email continued. “Our decision to conclude the business relationship is final and not open to negotiation.”

    Jellycat did not explain in the emails why it cut the businesses off.

    “We can only think that we’re not good enough,” Mrs McCabe said, adding she did not know if she could make any changes to encourage Jellycat to start supplying her again.

    Another group of store owners, who Jellycat says are among the 1,200 still being supplied, were told they would not be what Jellycat called an “official stockist” but their accounts would be “unaffected”. The BBC understands this means Jellycat would still supply them with stock, where available, but would not give them an Official Jellycat Stockist sticker to display in their shop window.

    Included in this group was Erica Stahl, owner of Pippin, a gift shop in Edinburgh. She told the BBC she was “speechless” when she read the email and that she chose to close her account.

    Jellycat told the BBC: “We select our stockists carefully so that we know customers will receive a joyful experience in their stores, and so Jellycat characters can be found throughout the country.”

    Jellycat became a TikTok hit

    Shop owners told the BBC Jellycat’s toys had always been a stable seller, bought as gifts for newborns or by children saving up pocket money. Then, last summer, the brand boomed in popularity.

    The store owners credited this to the toys becoming hugely popular on TikTok and Instagram, with collectors showing off their displays.

    Jellycat toys have also been a growing trend among “kidults” – adults with a strong interest in toys and childish ephemera, such as Lego and Sonny Angels dolls.

    In recent years, Jellycat has become increasingly focused on the theatricality of presenting its products, with big “immersive” displays at some large department stores.

    At Selfridges in London, toys are displayed around a pretend fish and chip van and wrapped up like a take-away by staff.

    Jellycat also opened a “diner” in New York City and a “patisserie” in Paris – all in gentle shades of blue, with shelves of neatly arranged toys, which fans began to post about on social media.

    The brand said presentation was just one factor it considered when reviewing partnerships with stores. Jellycat also told the BBC it had visited all its independent stores in person.

    ‘Dribs and drabs’ of stock

    However, with Jellycat’s rise in popularity, came changes to the availability of stock, the shop owners said.

    Over approximately the last 12 months, since the toys became more of an online trend, Mr Orrell said stock would only arrive in “dribs and drabs” and his shop had had to reduce the size of its Jellycat display. Collectors visiting his store were getting “more and more disappointed” with what was available.

    Andrew Kenyon, co-owner of JAK Hanson, a department store near Wigan, said he would wait months for some orders, or they would arrive incomplete. Customers would travel from around the UK to buy Jellycat toys from his store, but he couldn’t advise customers on when stock was arriving as he didn’t know.

    Shop owners and managers said they felt Jellycat was prioritising its relationships with bigger retailers.

    “It became nearly impossible to even order any of the bestselling stock,” said Miss Stahl.

    “Small independents like myself are only allowed to order from a list of random mismatched odds and ends that the big shops clearly didn’t want,” she said.

    Erica Stahl A composite image: A selfie of a woman, smiling, with shoulder-length brown hair, dark glasses, a green cardigan and a floral green and white top, sat inside a room with walls painted green; A display of soft toys, books and bibs in a gift shopErica Stahl

    Jellycat told Erica Stahl her shop, Pippin, did not qualify as an “official stockist”

    Charlotte Stray, of Keydell Nurseries in Hampshire, agreed. Independent stores were “pushed to the back of the queue” for stock, she said.

    When Keydell Nurseries got the letter in June saying Jellycat would no longer be supplying it, “we weren’t happy, but we’d been disappointed in the last six, eight months over the supply anyway,” Mrs Stray said.

    “We’ve been increasing our supply to both types of stores – small independents and national retailers – at the overall same rate,” Jellycat told the BBC. “Keeping all our partners well stocked remains a challenge, and we’re constantly working behind the scenes to improve how we plan, allocate and deliver stock as fairly and thoughtfully as we can.”

    The company said independent stores would continue to be “as important in our future as they’ve been in our past”.

    ‘It’s left a really sour taste in my mouth’

    Mrs Stray said that by cutting off some stockists, Jellycat was “crushing independent stores”, who had supported the brand from the start and relied on it for a big portion of their sales.

    Customers have said they are not happy about how Jellycat has treated independent stores, with negative comments flooding the brand’s recent social media posts. A post by Miss Stahl on her shop’s Instagram account about Jellycat telling her she did not qualify as an “official stockist” has nearly 50,000 likes, with many commenters criticising the brand’s conduct.

    “I think they’ve really let themselves down,” Bex Christensen, 38, a photographer from North Yorkshire, told the BBC. She’s been collecting Jellycat toys for more than 20 years and “it’s always been from independent shops”, she said.

    Bex also buys the toys for her two children and estimates that, between them, they have about 100 Jellycat toys at home.

    “As a purchaser, it’s made it really difficult because my kids love it – but it’s left a really sour taste in my mouth,” she said. “Jellycat grew off independent businesses.”

    Jellycat told the BBC it was doing more than ever to support the independent stores it works with, and was planning new initiatives and campaigns.

    The stores the BBC spoke to said they were going to stock different plush toys instead.

    Mr Orrell is optimistic about the future of his business.

    “We’ll certainly survive,” he said. “We’ve been going a lot longer than Jellycat have. We’re not too concerned.”


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  • PIA’s shortlisted bidders to begin due diligence next week

    PIA’s shortlisted bidders to begin due diligence next week



    The representational image shows a PIF plane taking off. — PIA/File

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has moved a step closer to offloading its loss-making national carrier, as all four shortlisted investor consortiums are set to begin buy-side due diligence next week with access to PIA’s Karachi headquarters for in-depth briefings, officials said.

    This is a critical phase and a step in the competitive and transparent privatization process of the national carrier. It will provide potential bidders with firsthand insight into PIA’s operations. According to sources familiar with the matter, representatives of the four consortiums will receive comprehensive briefings at the PIA head-office, covering operational, financial, and strategic aspects of the airline. Topics will include PIA’s fleet size, domestic and international routes, employee structure, revenue streams, and operational challenges.

    The PIA management has been directed to remain fully prepared to present official records and respond to queries from the visiting investors. The government intends to ensure a transparent and well-informed bidding process by granting access to the airline’s business plans and internal data during this due diligence phase.

    On July 8, the Privatization Commission board has pre-qualified four groups including two consortia: one comprising Lucky Cement Limited, Hub Power Holdings, Kohat Cement Company, and Metro Ventures; the other made is Arif Habib Corporation, Fatima Fertilizer, City Schools, and Lake City Holdings. The remaining two prequalified bidders are Fauji Fertilizer Company and Air Blue (Pvt.) Limited.

    These visits and briefings are seen as a crucial step before the submission of final bids, allowing investors to assess risks, liabilities, and growth potential. Officials believe that informed decision-making through access to real-time operational data will result in competitive and credible offers.

    The privatization of the loss-making national carrier is part of the government’s broader economic reform agenda aimed at offloading underperforming state-owned enterprises and attracting private sector efficiency and investment. If completed successfully, it could mark a turning point for the aviation sector in Pakistan and revive PIA’s fortunes under a new management.


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