Encore AI, a startup using interaction mining to train AI voice agents for customer support and sales, raises $30M in Series A led by Team8, expanding its platform for enterprise clients.
Greggs reports a 7.2% increase in total sales to £1.1bn for the first half of 2026, attributed to new store openings, successful menu adaptations (iced matcha lattes, salads, chicken rolls), and controlled price increases, despite UK heatwaves.
AstraZeneca's Q2 net profit rose 2% to $2.51 billion, beating analyst expectations, driven by strong cancer medicine sales. Shares rose 1.4% in European trading despite a recent trial failure, with the company reconfirming its $80bn 2030 revenue goal.
Jack Link's transformed a struggling Wisconsin slaughterhouse into a multibillion-dollar meat snacks empire through innovation, strategic acquisitions, and effective marketing, riding protein-focused diet trends.
Beijing has tightened rules to ban the sale of decommissioned military equipment through unauthorized channels, citing security risks and adverse impacts from open online and offline sales.
Syngenta will stop selling paraquat in Australia due to new regulations making it commercially unviable, despite the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) finding no increased Parkinson’s disease risk from approved uses. The decision follows June's restrictions to mitigate acute exposure and animal risks.
Small businesses in the US are leveraging AI to streamline operations, reduce errors, and enhance employee productivity, contrary to fears of job replacement. With a declining workforce and labor shortages, AI is seen as a tool to support, not supplant, human workers.
The World Cup brought a significant boost to UK pubs, with 30m extra pints sold and £150m in added sales, outperforming previous tournaments like Euro 2024, though benefits were uneven across the hospitality sector.
Moody's warns that the trillion-dollar annual spending on AI infrastructure by hyperscalers (Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Oracle, CoreWeave) is eroding their free cash flow and increasing balance-sheet risk, despite robust demand for AI computing.
Company refutes market shutdown rumors, confirms record-breaking Phone (4b) sales, and announces restructuring with AI-native unit and regional hubs, impacting certain positions.
Major auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's achieved nearly $10 billion in sales in the first half, marking a record start to the year. This surge is attributed to massive wealth creation from the AI boom, IPOs, and rising stocks, attracting new, younger collectors to diverse categories from fine art to dinosaur bones.
Luis Rosales Fouz, hijo del poeta Luis Rosales, descubrió un baúl con documentos inéditos de su padre en un trastero de su antigua casa en Madrid. El hallazgo incluye cartas de Octavio Paz, bocetos de poemas y papeles de su trabajo en el Instituto de Cultura Hispánica, arrojando nueva luz sobre su vida y su relación con Federico García Lorca.
Corporate Bitcoin holdings, often financed by convertible notes and preferred shares, face maturity and dividend pressures that can force companies like Strategy and Bitdeer to sell BTC, impacting market supply regardless of long-term price beliefs.
Volkswagen reported a 9.5% drop in Q2 operating profit and cut its annual revenue forecast by up to 3% due to a significant sales slump in China. The German carmaker is implementing a cost-cutting program, including plans to axe up to 100,000 jobs globally, facing union opposition.
Bitcoin mining pool Poolin Technology filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, owing $163.7 million in IOUs to wallet users. Its Texas affiliates seek court approval to sell assets for an initial $52 million, covering only 31.8% of the IOUs, with final recovery for unsecured creditors uncertain due to various unresolved factors.
Donald Trump has endorsed Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor, but the state's Republican Party chairman, Alex Plechash, expressed surprise and slammed Lindell's credentials, citing financial issues, electability concerns, and his past promotion of election conspiracy theories.
German farmer Michael Stucke's "Rainbow Wool" project rescues gay rams from slaughter, using their wool for fashion. Profits support the LSVD+ foundation, aiding LGBTQ+ refugees in Europe, and challenges the notion of sexual orientation as a choice.
German farmer Michael Stucke, with Nadia Leytes and late Johan, founded "Rainbow Wool" to save "unprofitable" gay rams from slaughter, using their wool for fashion. Profits support the LSVD+ foundation, aiding nearly 2000 LGBTQ+ refugees in Europe, advocating for animal and human rights.
Online sales in Great Britain reached a five-year high in June, rising 1% month-on-month, driven by a heatwave boosting demand for air conditioners and outdoor products, and World Cup spending, according to the ONS.
The US Senate Commerce Committee approved the "Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026," which bans vehicles from companies with over 15% Chinese ownership. This legislation could bar Mercedes-Benz (due to 20% Chinese investment) and Polestar (majority-owned by Geely) from the American market, prompting concerns from European automakers.
Hong Kong's life insurance industry recorded HK$141.1 billion (US$18 billion) in new policies in the first quarter, a significant increase from the previous year. This marks the third consecutive record-breaking first quarter since the Insurance Authority's establishment in 2016, following Manulife's redomiciliation to the city.
Volkswagen reported weaker-than-expected Q2 operating profits of 3.5 billion euros, a nearly 10% drop, and revised its 2026 sales revenue forecast from growth to a potential 3% decline. The company is undergoing a radical overhaul, including potential job cuts and cost reductions, due to tariff costs and intense competition from Chinese car brands.
Irene Rosales se pronuncia tras el segundo ictus de Kiko Rivera, afirmando que no hará declaraciones públicas sobre su estado de salud. Rosales subraya que su única conexión con la noticia es a través de sus hijas en común, buscando desvincularse del asunto.
Sony's decision to cease physical game disc sales by 2028 is supported by Circana data showing a steep decline in US physical game unit sales from 297 million in 2009 to 37 million in the last year. Digital-only console sales and consumer preference for downloads have driven this shift, despite a slight recent aggregate spending increase attributed to Nintendo Switch.
