Pakistan’s central bank held its key policy rate citing economic uncertainty after oil prices surged as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed and the US threatened to deepen a conflict that has upended energy markets. The decision was taken to keep the rate at 10.5%, the central bank said in a statement on Monday. Majority analysts predicted that the central bank will keep interest rates un...
Pakistan’s central bank held its key policy rate citing economic uncertainty after oil prices surged as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed and the US threatened to deepen a conflict that has upended energy markets. The decision was taken to keep the rate at 10.5%, the central bank said in a statement on Monday. Majority analysts predicted that the central bank will keep interest rates unchanged, according to a Bloomberg survey. Pakistan is particularly vulnerable as oil surges toward $120 a barrel, given its heavy reliance on imported fuel that widens the current-account deficit and adds to inflation, already running at 7%. A sustained spike could pressure the rupee and complicate its commitments under the IMF program aimed at stabilizing the economy. The government increased fuel prices to unprecedented level over the weekend with 55 rupees hike which further add pressure on the price gauge. “The 55 rupees hike in fuel prices will have a ripple effect and inflation may accelerate around 9.25% in the last quarter (April-June),” said Muhammad Awais Ashraf , Director Research at AKD Securities. The government has projected 4.2% growth for the fiscal year that began in July 2025, a target that now looks increasingly difficult amid the Middle East crisis, heavy monsoon floods that displaced three million people, and supply-chain disruptions linked to clashes with Afghanistan.
Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Free Report) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,089,396 shares of the chip maker's stock after purchasing an additional 48,152 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP's holdings in Intel were worth $70,099,00...
Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Free Report) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,089,396 shares of the chip maker's stock after purchasing an additional 48,152 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP's holdings in Intel were worth $70,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Get Intel alerts: Sign Up Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in INTC. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new position in shares of Intel during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Intel in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Intel by 89.2% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 946 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Insider Buying and Selling at Intel In other news, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this lin...
Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU - Free Report) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 700,872 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 55,891 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Micron Technology worth $117,270,000 at the end of...
Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU - Free Report) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 700,872 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 55,891 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Micron Technology worth $117,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Get Micron Technology alerts: Sign Up Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MU. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Micron Technology by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,318 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Micron Technology by 21.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. United Bank acquired a new position in Micron Technology in the second quarter valued at $236,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Micron Technology by 67.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 16,984 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 6,867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Micron Technology during the second quarter worth about $189,000. 80.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Micron Technology Stock Performance Micron Technology stock opened at $370.30 on Monday. Micron Technology, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.54 and a 12-month high of $455.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The com...
It’s not the heart, but the stomach that will sometimes define whether a budding romance proves food for the soul, or reaches boiling point … For Anna Jones , it’s lemons . For Ben Benton, it’s rice . For Gurdeep Loyal , it’s anchovies on pizza and, for me, it’s Yorkshire Tea in the morning. I could – did – date someone who “didn’t drink hot drinks”, but I would never have married a man I couldn’t...
It’s not the heart, but the stomach that will sometimes define whether a budding romance proves food for the soul, or reaches boiling point … For Anna Jones , it’s lemons . For Ben Benton, it’s rice . For Gurdeep Loyal , it’s anchovies on pizza and, for me, it’s Yorkshire Tea in the morning. I could – did – date someone who “didn’t drink hot drinks”, but I would never have married a man I couldn’t make tea for when I woke up, or who couldn’t make me tea in turn. These are what I’ve come to call “meal-breakers” – mouthfuls whose joys we feel our loved one must share, if we’re to share our lives with them. They are foods and drinks we cleave to as much for what they say about us and our values as we do for their smell, texture and taste. For most, it’s not so much the meal as the principle it conveys; not the anchovies on pizza so much as being with “someone who appreciates food as an act of collective joy – that embraces an ethos of all plates being communal,” says Loyal, author of the cookbook Flavour Heroes . The meticulous divvying-up of brown, salty silvers to ensure an even distribution on each pizza slice: that’s the sharing ethos he looks for in a potential soulmate. Continue reading...
Yes, we all know blueberries and kale are good for us. But what about some of the other less well-marketed food heroes that have fallen out of favour? Think of a superfood. What comes to mind? Avocado? Turmeric? Quinoa? Many of us will have a grasp of the most mainstream so-called superfoods. The ones that have become dietary superheroes thanks to savvy marketing. Larger-than-life in the public im...
Yes, we all know blueberries and kale are good for us. But what about some of the other less well-marketed food heroes that have fallen out of favour? Think of a superfood. What comes to mind? Avocado? Turmeric? Quinoa? Many of us will have a grasp of the most mainstream so-called superfoods. The ones that have become dietary superheroes thanks to savvy marketing. Larger-than-life in the public imagination, they walk among us with a sheen: blueberries with their polyphenols; kale and its vitamin K; goji berries and all their antioxidants. But what is and isn’t a superfood is actually down to trends – take the current resurgence of a previously shunned, tragically uncool food: cottage cheese . Beloved by Richard Nixon with pineapple ( the Watergate tapes weren’t just illuminating in the ways Woodward and Bernstein hoped for ) and a diet-culture favourite in the 60s and 70s, the creamy, tangy cheese curd concoction is back. And there are other supposed superfoods that are just as nutrient-rich, but that marketing hasn’t (yet) brought to our attention. Once a regular part of the UK diet, they have fallen, perhaps unfairly, out of favour. So which foods with serious nutritional chops have we forgotten? Which should we reintegrate? Continue reading...
The company’s clash with the Pentagon is a fight over the future of American privacy The US military wants to use its state-of-the-art AI tools to supercharge surveillance against Americans, making it easier than ever to monitor our movements, our search history, and our private associations. That’s one of the major takeaways from a dramatic dispute between the Department of Defense and some of th...
The company’s clash with the Pentagon is a fight over the future of American privacy The US military wants to use its state-of-the-art AI tools to supercharge surveillance against Americans, making it easier than ever to monitor our movements, our search history, and our private associations. That’s one of the major takeaways from a dramatic dispute between the Department of Defense and some of the leading AI companies in America. What this clash highlights most of all, however, is just how easily AI surveillance systems can be turned against the people in this country, and the urgent need for Congress to intervene. Last week, the Pentagon and Donald Trump announced that the government would cease using Anthropic’s AI products , asserting that the safety guardrails proposed by the company – no mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons – were unacceptable. The Trump administration went even further, claiming that these positions render Anthropic a “ supply chain risk ”, and prohibited anyone doing business with the US military from conducting commercial activity with Anthropic in their military work. Continue reading...
India received some welcome news last week about its energy supply: it had been granted permission, by the United States , to take delivery of oil it had already bought. The tankers were already at sea – Russian crude, loaded and paid for, stranded in limbo by the disruptions sweeping out of the war on Iran They needed a waiver, which US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday: a 30...
India received some welcome news last week about its energy supply: it had been granted permission, by the United States , to take delivery of oil it had already bought. The tankers were already at sea – Russian crude, loaded and paid for, stranded in limbo by the disruptions sweeping out of the war on Iran They needed a waiver, which US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday: a 30-day exemption allowing Indian refiners to receive the cargoes before American sanctions expired. Advertisement For a country that imports roughly 90 per cent of the crude oil it needs, the exemption offered a measure of relief. Yet it also showed how far Washington’s reach extends into New Delhi’s energy decisions. India and Russia are sovereign states, and their bilateral energy trade does not fall under US jurisdiction Ajay Srivastava, ex-trade negotiator “India and Russia are sovereign states, and their bilateral energy trade does not fall under US jurisdiction,” said former Indian trade negotiator Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, a Delhi-based think tank.
In ancient China, patriarchal and feudal norms limited women’s control over reproduction, forcing many to endure risky contraceptive methods. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, one of the earliest known contraceptives in China was a herb called Gurong. Its taste was extremely bitter, its leaves resembled orchids and its roots were similar to those of the balloon flower. Advertisement ...
In ancient China, patriarchal and feudal norms limited women’s control over reproduction, forcing many to endure risky contraceptive methods. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, one of the earliest known contraceptives in China was a herb called Gurong. Its taste was extremely bitter, its leaves resembled orchids and its roots were similar to those of the balloon flower. Advertisement During the pre-Qin period (2100–221), people believed that consuming Gurong, a plant that only bloomed but did not bear fruit, could prevent pregnancy, though modern science has not confirmed this. Tubular-shaped dried fish maw, above, were used as an early form of condom. Photo: RedNote Another ancient medical text, Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold for Emergencies, also mentions drinking boiled water made from purple jasmine roots, said to induce abortion.
neffy delivers $72.2 million of U.S. net product revenue in first full year Intranasal epinephrine platform advances with Phase 2b CSU data expected mid-2026 Strong balance sheet of $245.0 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments supports operating plan through anticipated cash-flow break-even Conference call to be held today, March 9, 2026, at 5:30 a.m. PT / 8:30 a.m. ET SAN D...
neffy delivers $72.2 million of U.S. net product revenue in first full year Intranasal epinephrine platform advances with Phase 2b CSU data expected mid-2026 Strong balance sheet of $245.0 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments supports operating plan through anticipated cash-flow break-even Conference call to be held today, March 9, 2026, at 5:30 a.m. PT / 8:30 a.m. ET SAN DIEGO, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRY), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients and their caregivers to better protect patients from allergic reactions that could lead to anaphylaxis, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2025, and provided an update on the commercial launch of neffy® (epinephrine nasal spray), the first and only FDA - and European Commission - approved needle-free epinephrine treatment for Type I allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. “2025 was an important year for ARS Pharma as we established neffy as a differentiated, scalable epinephrine treatment of choice. We have built a strong base business with initial prescriptions expected to begin renewing in 2026 as product reaches expiration. This shift towards renewals, combined with continued growth in new neffy patients, positions us to accelerate market share expansion,” said Richard Lowenthal, Co-Founder, President and CEO of ARS Pharma. “Progress with insurers has been positive over the past year and we continue to focus in 2026 on securing unrestricted access with the remaining major payors. In parallel, we are executing with discipline across commercial, regulatory, and clinical fronts by removing friction to scale adoption, generating real-world evidence to reinforce confidence in neffy, and expanding global approvals of neffy. With a strong balance sheet, shifting prescribing behavior, and a growing DTC platform accelerating patient and caregiver engagement, we believe we are building a durab...
Chimps' taste for fermented fruit hints at origins of human love of alcohol toggle caption Sharifah Namaganda For 11 days in late summer 2025, Aleksey Maro found himself in the Ugandan rainforest, doing whatever he could to collect chimpanzee urine. "The most consistent, predictable time is in the morning, just like people, the first thing they do when they wake up is they go pee," says Maro, a Ph...
Chimps' taste for fermented fruit hints at origins of human love of alcohol toggle caption Sharifah Namaganda For 11 days in late summer 2025, Aleksey Maro found himself in the Ugandan rainforest, doing whatever he could to collect chimpanzee urine. "The most consistent, predictable time is in the morning, just like people, the first thing they do when they wake up is they go pee," says Maro, a PhD student in integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Now, in a study published recently in Biology Letters, Maro and his colleagues explained what those urine samples reveal: Chimpanzees appear to consume a fair amount of alcohol when eating ripe, fermenting fruit. The findings may tell us something about human evolution. Sponsor Message "In primates," says Maro, "it could be that when you smell alcohol, that means that's where the sugars are." In other words, the scent of fermentation might be a shortcut to getting more calorie-dense food. Maybe it's this tendency to associate a sugary reward with alcohol consumption that explains where human attraction to inebriating substances first originated — and why we still gravitate towards it today. In biological anthropology, it's called the drunken monkey hypothesis. That is what Maro says he was intent on figuring out: "the evolutionary origins of human attraction to alcohol." toggle caption Aleksey Maro Avoiding the splash zone To be clear, monkeys and apes are not likely consuming enough alcohol to get drunk. But an ancient affinity may explain why humans are drawn to the stuff to the point of intoxication. As Maro puts it, this could represent "a profound mismatch between the way we live today and the way we evolved." Maro had already shown that many of the ripe fruits that typically make up the chimp diet in Uganda and Côte d'Ivoire contain a good amount of ethanol. But he wondered if the animals were actually consuming the alcohol — hence all the urine collection. His team used a few techniques in th...
Iran attacks Israel, Gulf states, after naming new leader on Day 10 of war toggle caption Bilal Hussein/AP Iran launched fresh attacks on Israel and several Gulf states Monday, hours after naming Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's new supreme leader. The 56-year-old is the son of the previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by airstrikes at the start of the war. He has close ...
Iran attacks Israel, Gulf states, after naming new leader on Day 10 of war toggle caption Bilal Hussein/AP Iran launched fresh attacks on Israel and several Gulf states Monday, hours after naming Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's new supreme leader. The 56-year-old is the son of the previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by airstrikes at the start of the war. He has close ties with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, signaling a continuation of his father's rule and hard-line stance. Israel, meanwhile, launched new strikes overnight it said targeted sites linked to the militant group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut and more regime-linked infrastructure in Tehran. Sponsor Message The escalation has jolted markets, with crude oil prices briefly nearing $120 a barrel Monday. The widening conflict has increased fears of supply disruptions across the region. In Bahrain, the country's state oil company Bapco declared 'force majeure' on its operations, allowing it to suspend contractual obligations amid extraordinary disruptions following a drone attack. The war has killed more than 1,200 people in Iran, nearly 400 in Lebanon and 11 people in Israel, according to figures from Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli authorities. The Pentagon said 7 U.S. service members have been killed since the war began. Six were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait and the latest casualty died after sustaining injuries during an Iranian strike in a military base in Saudi Arabia. Here's what to know about the latest developments in the conflict: Iran retaliates after Israel launches fresh attacks on Beirut and Tehran Iran launched a new round of missiles and drone attacks overnight into Monday, targeting Israel and several Gulf states. The attacks came after Israel said it carried out fresh strikes on sites linked to the militant group Hezbollah in Beirut's southern suburbs and on regime-linked infrastructure in Tehran. On Monday, ...
A Hong Kong woman who returned from Australia has been charged with carrying two laser pointers and three bottles of spray paint for illegal purposes during the 2019 anti-government protests. Ami Chan Hui-ching, 21, was escorted to Eastern Court on Monday to face charges of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing an article with intent to destroy or damage property. Chan, w...
A Hong Kong woman who returned from Australia has been charged with carrying two laser pointers and three bottles of spray paint for illegal purposes during the 2019 anti-government protests. Ami Chan Hui-ching, 21, was escorted to Eastern Court on Monday to face charges of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing an article with intent to destroy or damage property. Chan, who reportedly works as a cashier at a casino, was intercepted on a section of Oil Street between Electric Road and King’s Road in Fortress Hill on September 8, 2019. Advertisement Prosecutors said Chan moved to Australia after police decided not to charge her at the time. The court was not told when she relocated or when she returned to Hong Kong. Chan has been charged with possessing laser pointers and spray paint for illegal use during the anti-government protests in 2019. Photo: Felix Wong Prosecutors applied for a six-week adjournment to allow further police inquiries, confirm the status of witnesses and seek legal advice from the Department of Justice.
Almost a third of people in England now use private dentistry, with a sharp rise in the number of poorer households forced to pay for fillings and extractions. The scarcity of NHS care means the proportion of people turning to private dental services jumped from 22% in 2023 to 32% late last year, the health service’s patient watchdog found. The reliance on paid-for treatment is so significant that...
Almost a third of people in England now use private dentistry, with a sharp rise in the number of poorer households forced to pay for fillings and extractions. The scarcity of NHS care means the proportion of people turning to private dental services jumped from 22% in 2023 to 32% late last year, the health service’s patient watchdog found. The reliance on paid-for treatment is so significant that dental care is becoming a costly “one tier” – private-only – service for more and more people, Healthwatch England is warning. It is concerned that the percentage of people who describe themselves as struggling financially that have used private dentistry has almost doubled in recent years from 14% to 27%. Those who do are hit with a “double penalty”, the watchdog added. That is because dentists charge much more for private than NHS work, for example £64 for a check-up that costs only £27.40 on the NHS. And they may also lose out because many low-income patients, as well as all pregnant women and new mothers, miss out on free NHS dental care to which they are entitled because they cannot find a dentist to treat them as health service patients. “Our findings are a warning that for some people there’s only one-tier dental care – private,” said Rebecca Curtayne, Healthwatch England’s acting head of policy, public affairs and research. “It’s the most vulnerable people in our society who bear the brunt of the ongoing shortage of NHS dental appointments. “Too many people on low income are being forced into private care they struggle to afford, or are going without treatment altogether. The system is failing those who need it most.” Healthwatch’s findings are based on a representative survey of 2,593 adults it undertook last October and November to inform its annual report about patients’ experience of healthcare, which it is publishing later this week. Ministers should tackle the access crisis by giving everyone the right to see an NHS dentist in the same way they are entitled t...
adventtr On Saturday, China's commerce ministry raised the possibility of another global chip supply chain crisis because of "new conflicts" between Dutch chipmaker Nexperia and its Chinese unit, Reuters reported. Manufacturing across the global auto industry was disrupted after Beijing imposed export controls on Chinese-made Nexperia chips in October 2025 after the Dutch government seized the c...
adventtr On Saturday, China's commerce ministry raised the possibility of another global chip supply chain crisis because of "new conflicts" between Dutch chipmaker Nexperia and its Chinese unit, Reuters reported. Manufacturing across the global auto industry was disrupted after Beijing imposed export controls on Chinese-made Nexperia chips in October 2025 after the Dutch government seized the company from its Chinese parent Wingtech. The chip shortage has eased after diplomatic negotiations, but the conflict between Nexperia's Dutch headquarters and its China-based subsidiary has continued, with the former supporting the removal of Wingtech's control and the latter demanding this be restored. China's warning on Saturday came a day after Nexperia's Chinese packaging unit accused the Netherlands-based headquarters of disabling office accounts for all staff in China, the report added . "(This has) provoked new conflicts and created new difficulties and obstacles for (company-to-company) negotiations," said China's commerce ministry in a statement. "Nexperia Netherlands has seriously disrupted the company's normal production and operation, and if this triggers a global semiconductor production and supply chain crisis again, the Netherlands must bear full responsibility for this," said the ministry. Nexperia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha. In a statement on Friday, Nexperia's Dutch entity did not deny the IT action but disputed the Chinese unit's allegation that this had impacted production at the company's assembly and testing facility in China's Guangdong province, the report noted. Nexperia's Chinese unit responded to the removal of Wingtech's control by declaring itself independent of its Dutch parent. Both entities have since traded accusations of bad-faith negotiating, while the Dutch headquarters has halted wafer supply to the Guangdong facility, the report added. China has accused the Netherlands of not doi...