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(Reuters) -Juul Labs said on Wednesday it was seeking U.S. authorization for a new e-cigarette that has age-verification capabilities and prevents the use of unauthorized refill cartridges.The vaporizer, which has a unique Pod ID chip to prevent the use of counterfeit cartridges and an app to restrict underage access, is already on sale in Britain after its launch in 2021 as JUUL2 System.

K-pop music label that brought the world hit boy group BTS are using artificial intelligence to meld a South Korean singer's voice with those of native speakers in five other languages. The technology enabled HYBE, South Korea's largest music label, to release a track by singer MIDNATT in six languages — Korean, English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese in May.

This week, the UK will see rail strikes as workers demand significantly higher pay raises. From Sunday, workers on London’s fabulous metro are threatening industrial action. Earlier this month, it was the turn of doctors of the National Health Service (NHS), who rejected Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s offer of a 6% salary hike and are demanding 35% to catch up with what in developed-world terms has been runaway inflation.

Microsoft Corp. has taken a strategic step in its pursuit of acquiring Activision Blizzard by extending the agreement for the $69 billion acquisition until October 18, 2023. The extension aims to overcome remaining regulatory obstacles and create one of the largest video game developers globally. Negotiations led to revised terms, including termination fees, in case the deal does not go through after specific dates. The original deadline for the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft was set for July 18. However, to address regulatory concerns and ensure a smooth merger process, both companies have agreed to extend the deal deadline until October 18, 2023. This extension allows them to navigate and resolve any remaining hurdles.

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial suggested Canada should sit at the kiddies table in the NATO alliance instead of with the adults. This is because as a share of GDP our defence spending is seventh lowest among NATO’s 31 member nations. It’s also lowest among the G7, which prompted the Journal to question whether we are still willing to accept our responsibilities as a member of the G7. It concluded that if this country “doesn’t want to play that role, then the G-7 should consider a replacement.”

By Herbert Lash

An independent candidate for a U.K. Parliament has turned to artificial intelligence to come up with his campaign promises

Crypto memes may amount to criminal offenses if they don’t comply with existing financial promotion rules, warned the United Kingdom’s top financial regulator on Monday. 

Netflix originals such as Wednesday Season 1, Jennifer Lopez's 'The Mother', Chris Hemsworth's 'Extraction 2'. Fans are eager to know the list of the most-watched Netflix Originals released on the streaming giant so far in 2023. WhatsOnNetflix has created a list of top 10 most watched Netflix originals so far this year based on key metrics such as Netflix hourly data and Netflix views. Most Watched Netflix Originals So Far

Brent futures were up 63 cents at $80.26 a barrel by 1325 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 51 cents at $76.26. China's top economic planner pledged on Tuesday to roll out policies to «restore and expand» consumption in the world's second-largest economy, which could boost oil demand.

81% of the 262 managers polled in July predicted a further economic slowdown in Europe, up from 70% last month

Funding of Web3 firms from venture capitalists has dropped 76% in the second quarter this year as compared to the same quarter in 2022, Crunchbase data revealed. 

Chinese livestreamers have set their sights on selling to TikTok shoppers in the U.S. and Europe

Computer chip and software maker Broadcom’s $61 billion plan to buy cloud technology company VMware has cleared another hurdle after Britain’s competition regulator gave the deal provisional clearance

India’s Tata Sons has confirmed plans to build a 4-billion-pound, or $5.2-billion, electric car battery factory in the U.K. The plant is expected to become one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing sites when it begins production in 2026

Inflation in the U.K. has fallen by more than anticipated to a 15-month low in a development that may ease the pressure for the Bank of England to raise interest rates sharply over the coming months

GAM reiterated it continues to 'strongly recommend' Liontrust’s offer.

The pound fell back below $1.30, UK government bond yields dropped sharply and London’s equity futures jumped after data showed Britain’s inflation has dropped to its lowest in more than a year.

British spies are already using artificial intelligence to hamper the supply of weapons to Russia, the head of Britain’s MI6 agency said Wednesday, predicting that Western spies will increasingly have to focus on tracking the malign use of AI by hostile states. In a rare public speech, Richard Moore also urged Russians who oppose the invasion of Ukraine to spy for Britain, saying others had already done so since the war began.

Stubborn inflation and a rising interest rate environment have driven a tighter and more expensive lending environment.

'We would not push back against market pricing of a 6% terminal Bank Rate and think rate cuts are unlikely until late 2024.'