EXCLUSIVE: Spotify Debuts Carousel Ads and Branded Playlist Takeovers
Spotify is introducing interactive carousel ads that let brands display up to six swipeable product cards within the Now Playing screen, with Priceline and GNC among early testers. The service also launches branded playlist takeovers on high‑traffic lists such as Rap Caviar and New Music Friday, giving a single sponsor exclusive visibility. New performance tools—including A/B testing and machine‑learning‑driven automated bidding—are embedded in Ads Manager. Together, these moves aim to shift Spotify from a primarily upper‑funnel audio channel to a full‑funnel advertising platform.
Vodafone Idea Is Using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme to Modernise Transport Network
Vodafone Idea (VIL), India’s third‑largest telecom operator, has deployed Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) to upgrade its transport network. The rollout achieved a 1.6 Tb/s capacity on a meshed Data Center Interconnect (DCI) fabric, aimed at meeting surging bandwidth demand. VIL expects the...
A Chat with Wio Bank, a Fully Digital, Platform-Based Bank
Wio Bank, launched in Abu Dhabi in 2022, is the region’s first fully digital, platform‑based bank backed by ADQ and FAB. It began with a focus on SME and creator banking and now serves over 400,000 customers, achieving profitability in...
Morpheus Research Report Alleges 'Anti-Competitive' Practices by MakeMyTrip Despite CCI Order
Morpheus Research released a report accusing MakeMyTrip of continuing anti‑competitive price‑parity practices despite a 2022 Competition Commission of India fine of $26 million. The activist short‑seller alleges the platform uses an internal “price competitiveness score” to indirectly enforce parity, while also...
Cheshire Fire Authority Chooses New Command System
Cheshire Fire Authority has signed a six‑year contract worth £1.11 million (approximately $1.41 million) with Motorola Solutions UK to deliver a new incident command system software. The digital platform will be deployed across the authority’s operations in Warrington, enhancing coordination and decision‑making...
North East Lincolnshire Expands Case Management System
North East Lincolnshire Council has gone live with System C’s Education Case Management Early Years module, extending its digital platform that already supports Children’s and Early Help case management. The new module will run alongside the legacy system for the current...
Proactive AI for EV Charging
Denmark‑based Monta has embedded an AI layer into its EV charging platform, analyzing data from over 260,000 charge points and 3 million monthly sessions. The system continuously surfaces anomalies, recommends actions such as firmware updates, and even answers natural‑language queries about...
Hong Kong: A City of Moments” Featuring Lola Hubner
Travel commerce platform BYRDLI announced its first international destination partnership in Asia, launching a Hong Kong‑focused Travel Club with Australian creator Lola Hubner. Hubner built a fully bookable itinerary in real time, showcasing the city as both a 48‑hour stop‑over and a...
Embry-Riddle Provides UAS Training Programs for Drone Professionals
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University has launched comprehensive UAS certificate programs covering ground school, multirotor, fixed‑wing, and advanced air mobility training. The curriculum aligns with FAA requirements and prepares pilots for the General Knowledge Test and real‑world commercial missions such as inspection,...
Google's 200M-Parameter Time-Series Foundation Model with 16k Context
Google Research released TimesFM 2.5, a decoder‑only time‑series foundation model with 200 million parameters, down from 500 million in version 2.0. The new model supports a 16 k context window, far exceeding the prior 2 048 limit, and adds an optional 30 million‑parameter quantile head for continuous...
LeapXpert’s Sofia Event Explores the Future of the Engineering Role
By early 2026, roughly two‑thirds of companies generate most code with AI, with some aiming for 90% within the year. LeapXpert, a US‑based enterprise communication platform, is hosting its inaugural Sofia event, “Same Title, New Job,” to discuss how AI...
World Backup Day 2026: A Telecom B2B Guide to Data Protection in the AI Age
World Backup Day on March 31 highlights telecoms’ need for robust data protection amid AI‑driven growth. AI adoption has surged, with 77% of telecom executives citing operational benefits and 61% using AI for analytics, but it also inflates data volumes and...
Hydrogen Set to Be Broad Demand, Strong Growth Sector, Valterra Platinum Highlights
South Africa’s Valterra Platinum says platinum‑group metals are critical catalysts for the expanding hydrogen economy, which is seeing strong global growth despite short‑term challenges. The company highlighted the role of PGMs in fuel‑cell trucks, electrolyzers and green‑hydrogen projects, while noting...
Service Quality and Consumer Protections to Improve in Proposed Changes to NBN Regulation
The ACCC released a draft determination that will set NBN Co’s regulatory framework from 1 July 2026, proposing lower capital spending, reduced weighted‑average cost of capital, and tighter benchmark service standards. It also upgrades the entry‑level broadband offering to a 25 Mbps download/10 Mbps...
99.92% Villages in India Covered with Banking Outlets Within 5 Km Radius: Govt
The Finance Ministry reports that 99.92% of Indian villages now have a banking outlet—branch, business correspondent or India Post Payments Bank—within a 5 km radius, based on Jan Dhan Darshak data as of March 6, 2026. The government’s GIS‑based monitoring system tracks coverage and highlights...
Redefining In-Line Inspection for High-Volume Manufacturing
AM‑Quality, the world’s first fully automated in‑line metrology system, uses eight high‑speed 3D laser line CMMs to scan parts in seconds and compare them against digital CAD models. Certified to ISO 10360‑13, the solution delivers spherical accuracy of 50 µm and planar...
How the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks Shaped ICE’s Immigration Strategy
The September 2001 terrorist attacks prompted the 2002 Homeland Security Act, which created the Department of Homeland Security and spun off Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a security‑focused agency. Since then, immigration enforcement has been recast from a civil matter into...
Critical Manufacturing Brings Real-Time Intelligence to the Shopfloor
Critical Manufacturing is demonstrating its Industrial Operations Platform at Hannover Messe 2026, positioning the solution as more than a traditional Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The platform unites execution, an enterprise data layer, AI copilots and a partner ecosystem to create...
CNS Modernization Client Testing Plan to Begin July 13, 2026
The National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) announced that client testing for its CNS modernization will commence on July 13, 2026 in the Production Simulation Environment (PSE). The testing covers Machine‑Readable Output (MRO) files, the Intraday ISO 15022 message, and the transition...
CIMM Is Out To Prove That All Media Isn’t Equal
The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) is releasing a paper that challenges the industry’s assumption that all media is interchangeable, especially in the fast‑growing CTV space. It argues that media quality can be objectively measured using probabilistic signals such...
Apple Releases iOS 26.5 Beta 1 Update: Check Top New Features, How to Download and More
Apple has rolled out the iOS 26.5 beta 1 update, introducing new emojis, keyboard enhancements, and early hints of upcoming features. The beta adds a "Suggested Places" section in Apple Maps that will later host ads, and finally enables RCS end‑to‑end encryption for cross‑platform...
Volvo, Daimler Truck and Toyota Unite on Fuel Cell Venture
Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and Toyota have signed a non‑binding memorandum of understanding to make Toyota an equal, third shareholder in cellcentric, the fuel‑cell joint venture owned by Volvo and Daimler. Toyota will contribute more than three decades of fuel‑cell...
VOC Port Authority Commence Generation of Carbon Credit From Renewable Energy
V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority has begun generating carbon credits from its renewable energy portfolio, registering five projects with a combined 12.4 MW capacity. The mix includes rooftop solar, ground‑mounted solar, and wind farms ranging from 400 kW to 6.3 MW. Over the next...
As IPL Fever Rages, Qcomm Players Fire up Big Discounts
Quick‑commerce giants Amazon Now, Flipkart Minutes and Instamart are rolling out "match‑ready" promotions with discounts exceeding 40% on food and beverage items as the Indian Premier League (IPL) gains momentum. The discounts aim to offset recent LPG shortages and supply...
Over 47,000 Cabbies Adopt Octopus, Card Readers Ahead of E-Payment Regulations
More than 47,000 Hong Kong taxi drivers have installed the commercial Octopus app or mobile POS devices ahead of new e‑payment regulations that require each cab to offer at least two digital payment options. The Transport Department opened service stations...
Ride-Hailing Is Everywhere. State and Local Taxes Are Still Evolving.
Philadelphia is proposing a $1‑per‑ride fee on Uber and Lyft to fund its cash‑strapped school district, projecting $192 million in revenue over five years and averting 240 staff layoffs. The plan, initially a 20‑cent charge, now faces City Council skepticism and...
Beauty Briefing: How Fragrance Is Winning on TikTok Shop
Fragrance brand Snif saw explosive sales on TikTok Shop after influencer Mikayla Nogueira livestreamed a product demo, highlighting the platform’s power for scent categories. The surge underscores how live video and creator seeding can turn traditionally tactile products into impulse...
Stitch Fix Is Targeting People Mid-Transition, From GLP-1 Users to Newly Divorced Men
Stitch Fix is pivoting to hyper‑targeted life‑stage segments, focusing on GLP‑1 weight‑loss drug users and recently divorced men who need rapid wardrobe updates. The company posted Q2 revenue of $341.3 million, a 9.4% year‑over‑year increase, and a record $577 revenue per active...
The 10 Hashtags Driving the Most Beauty Sales on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop’s beauty category generated more than $670 million in sales over the past year, driven primarily by hashtag‑centric video content. The #skincare hashtag alone accounted for roughly $142 million, making it the top revenue generator. K‑beauty tags such as #Koreanskincare and...
Why The Guardian’s First Reader-Facing AI Product Isn’t a Chatbot
The Guardian has introduced its first reader‑facing AI product, called Storylines, which surfaces AI‑generated narrative clusters on a handful of tag pages. Rather than a chatbot, the tool analyzes the latest 200 headlines per tag to identify three dominant storylines,...
The Trade Desk Shakes up Identity Alliance Payouts, with a New Focus on Incrementality
The Trade Desk is revamping its Identity Alliance compensation, moving from a volume‑based payout to an incrementality‑focused model that rewards unique identity signals. The change, slated for early 2026, includes a temporary revenue guarantee and new APIs to help partners...
Time Pitches GEO Insights Into a New Brand Offering
Time is launching a new GEO product that audits how AI search engines portray brands and sells tailored branded content to correct mismatches. The service leverages tools from TollBit, ScalePost and Mobian to analyze up to 100 prompts across ChatGPT,...
Blitz Franchise Partners with Crêpe Delicious to Accelerate National Expansion
Blitz Franchise has partnered with Crêpe Delicious to accelerate the brand’s national expansion across Canada. Crêpe Delicious, a fast‑casual crêpe and café concept with over 60 locations, is now actively recruiting franchise partners. Blitz will manage franchise recruitment, site selection, and development...
Engagement with Digital Mental Health Interventions Remains Poorly Understood
Digital mental‑health interventions (DMHIs) are touted as scalable solutions, yet real‑world engagement remains elusive. Recent systematic reviews reveal that trial participants use DMHIs up to four times more often than everyday users, highlighting a gap between efficacy and adoption. Researchers...
One Year Later: Raising the AI Fluency Bar for Every Zapier Hire
Zapier has released version 2 of its AI Fluency Rubric, raising the hiring bar for every new employee. Candidates must now demonstrate AI embedded in core work, repeatable systems, and measurable impact on quality or efficiency. The rubric expands evaluation to...
HMRC Is Watching You…
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has purchased advanced phone‑scanning hardware and analysis software to extract data from seized mobile devices, bolstering its electronic intelligence capabilities. The move signals a shift toward digital surveillance in tax enforcement, aligning the agency with...
What Is Terrain Relative Navigation, and Why Is It Important?
NASA’s Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) lets spacecraft compare live images with onboard maps to pinpoint safe landing zones. First proven on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, TRN reduced landing uncertainty from miles to roughly 50 meters. The system’s compact camera‑computer design has...
Malibu Taps Creator Sabrina Brier for ‘Get Ready With Me’ Campaign to Promote New Pink Spirit
Malibu has introduced Malibu Pink, a rum‑based spirit flavored with guava, coconut and pineapple, and is launching it through a "Get Ready With Malibu Pink" campaign. The brand partnered with comedian‑creator Sabrina Brier to produce #GRWM videos and a stop‑motion...
Inside Pixel Moda’s Human-Led Approach to AI-Powered Fashion E-Commerce
Pixel Moda, a global e‑commerce content producer, uses generative and assistive AI to accelerate fashion visual asset creation. By combining AI with human creativity, the company can generate up to 15 high‑quality images per SKU within 24‑48 hours, cutting image costs by...
Family Businesses Race to Embrace AI, but Digital Gaps Threaten Long-Term Competitiveness
Family-owned firms are rapidly moving AI from pilot projects to core operations, with 86% reporting some level of use. However, 48% say their current technology spend is only moderate or insufficient for future demands, highlighting a digital maturity gap. The...
What Are The Biggest Limitations Of Supercomputers?
Supercomputers such as LLNL’s El Capitan and ORNL’s Frontier excel at massive parallel workloads, powering climate modeling, AI, and jet‑engine analysis. Their performance is constrained by four core issues: workload scaling, data‑transfer latency, power consumption, and hardware reliability. While they can...
Ollama Is Now Powered by MLX on Apple Silicon in Preview
Ollama announced a preview that leverages Apple’s MLX framework to deliver the fastest local inference on Apple Silicon Macs. The integration taps the GPU Neural Accelerators of M5‑series chips, boosting both time‑to‑first‑token and token‑per‑second rates, especially with the Qwen3.5‑35B‑A3B model...
Levi Strauss & Co Appoints New MD to Lead Greater China Business
Levi Strauss & Co has named Anita Fung as managing director of its Levi’s brand in Greater China, a market the company deems strategically vital. Fung, who brings over 20 years of luxury fashion experience from Burberry and Alexander McQueen, will...
Transmission Superhighways Will Revolutionise Energy, but Distribution Network “Roads” Will Drive the Transition
Australia’s energy transition is being driven by massive transmission projects, but Ausgrid argues that existing distribution networks hold untapped value. By leveraging sub‑transmission assets in the Hunter‑Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, 1 GW of renewable capacity is set for delivery by...
Agility Robotics Secures Commercial Deal with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada
Agility Robotics has signed a Robots-as-a-Service agreement with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada to place seven Digit humanoid robots at the Woodstock, Ontario plant that builds RAV4 SUVs. The robots will automate repetitive logistics tasks such as loading and unloading totes...
Podcast with Tom Darras, CEO and Co-Founder, Welinq
Welinq, led by CEO Tom Darras, is building a full‑stack quantum networking solution that interconnects quantum processors across data centres. The offering spans qubit‑photon interfaces, optical‑network hardware, high‑efficiency quantum memories, and the AraQne compiler that partitions algorithms across heterogeneous QPUs....
SwitchedOn Podcast: The Plug-In Solar Hack That’s Now Booming in Germany
Balcony solar plug‑in systems have exploded in Germany, now used by millions of households. The growth is driven by cheap panels, micro‑inverters, regulatory reforms allowing self‑installation, and high energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The market has shifted from...
Home Battery Rebate Numbers Surge Past 300,000 as Storage Shields Grid From Overseas Shocks
Australia’s federal "Cheaper Home Batteries" rebate has crossed the 300,000‑installation threshold, prompting a final push before a tiered discount structure takes effect on May 1. The new scheme will slash the 30% upfront rebate for batteries larger than 14 kWh, scaling down...
Peak Load Tipped to Double as Industries Flock to Australia’s World-First 100 Pct Renewables Grid
South Australia’s peak electricity demand is projected to more than double, rising from 3.3 GW today to over 6.5 GW within 15 years, as mining, steel, defence, AI and other industries flock to the state’s 100 percent net‑renewables grid. The region already generates...
LNG vs Pumped Hydro: Will NZ Choose to Import Risk or Build Cleaner Resilience?
New Zealand is weighing two contrasting projects to secure its electricity supply amid a global fuel shock. The fast‑track LNG import terminal in Taranaki would cost over NZ$1 billion (≈US$600 million) and deliver power at roughly US$120‑150 per megawatt‑hour, a price deemed uneconomic...