Author: OMN AI
BP faces growing pressure from shareholders as it prepares to publish full-year results. Analysts expect weaker profits after oil prices fell for a third straight year, marking the sharpest decline since the Covid pandemic. City forecasts put BP’s annual profit at about $7.5bn, down from nearly $9bn in 2024, after crude prices dropped below $60 a barrel late last year. Incoming chief executive Meg O’Neill will face demands to set out a clear new strategy. Investor groups want BP to explain how it will manage spending as long-term demand for fossil fuels declines. Shareholders led by the Australasian Centre for…
A South Korean cryptocurrency exchange accidentally sent customers more than 40 billion dollars in bitcoin. The mistake briefly turned some users into multimillionaires. The company had planned to give a small reward of 2,000 won, worth about 1.37 dollars. Instead, it sent 2,000 bitcoins to customers on Friday. The platform Bithumb apologised for the error and explained the incident. The company said it quickly noticed the mistake and recovered nearly all missing tokens. It restricted trading and withdrawals for 695 affected customers within 35 minutes of the glitch. Exchange Recovers Nearly All Misplaced Bitcoin Bithumb said it retrieved 99.7 percent…
Italy and Germany Projects Dropped Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a major European battery venture, has officially abandoned plans to build electric vehicle battery gigafactories in both Italy and Germany. The decision follows weaker-than-expected growth in demand for electric vehicles, according to Italy’s metalworkers’ union UILM. The union said ACC management confirmed that the proposed factory in Termoli, Italy, will not go ahead, and that plans for a similar facility in Germany have also been scrapped. Both projects had already been on hold since 2024 as the company reassessed its strategy. EV Demand Falls Short of Expectations ACC, which is backed…
Researchers say menstrual blood testing could provide a convenient alternative to cervical screening.A sanitary pad fitted with a sample strip can detect human papillomavirus, which causes most cervical cancers. The test allows women to collect samples at home without a clinician.This could help reach millions who currently skip cervical screening. Scientists in China compared menstrual blood samples with clinician-collected cervical samples.The study involved more than 3,000 women with regular menstrual cycles. Results, published in BMJ, showed high accuracy for detecting serious cervical abnormalities.Pad-collected samples detected CIN2 lesions with 94.7% sensitivity. This matched the performance of clinician-collected samples.Researchers called the method…
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order threatening tariffs on countries that continue trading with Iran. The order does not set a fixed rate but uses 25 percent as an example. It states the tariff could apply to goods imported into the United States from any nation that directly or indirectly purchases goods or services from Iran. Trump did not comment directly on the order but emphasized that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons. He spoke from Air Force One while senior US and Iranian officials held talks in Oman after weeks of escalating threats. Trump had already…
Most side-effects listed for statins are not caused by the drugs, a major review finds.Researchers published the analysis in The Lancet after reviewing 19 trials with 124,000 participants.The study found evidence for muscle pain, diabetes risk, and four minor effects only.These included liver test changes, mild liver abnormalities, urine changes, and tissue swelling.Researchers found no strong evidence linking statins to memory loss, depression, sleep problems, or nerve damage.The benefits of statins in preventing heart attacks and strokes far outweighed the small risks.Lead author Christina Reith said statins did not increase common complaints compared with no treatment.Experts called for updated drug…
The European Union has warned TikTok to change its platform design or face massive financial penalties. The European Commission said the video app violated EU online safety rules. Officials reached this conclusion after an investigation launched in February 2024. Regulators analysed how TikTok’s features affect user behaviour. The Commission said TikTok failed to properly assess risks to mental wellbeing. Investigators focused on autoplay and endless content feeds. They said these features can harm users, particularly children. Regulators also said TikTok did not implement sufficient safeguards to reduce these risks. TikTok rejected the findings through a company spokesperson. The firm called…
Pressure Builds to Apply the Same Standards to All Suppliers From January 2027, companies importing oil and gas into the European Union will have to meet strict monitoring, reporting and verification rules tied to methane emissions from their suppliers. Now, a group of US lawmakers is urging Brussels not to weaken those requirements or carve out exemptions for American energy producers if US standards fall short. In a letter seen by Euronews, 24 members of Congress argue that the EU’s methane regulation is a vital tool to curb gas flaring and venting. Methane, they note, is a powerful climate pollutant…
Alphabet Slide Sets the Tone Wall Street moved sharply lower on Thursday after shares in Alphabet fell more than 4%, pulling major US indexes into the red and unsettling markets well beyond equities. The S&P 500 dropped 1.2%, marking its sixth loss in seven sessions since hitting a record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 606 points, while the Nasdaq slid 1.5% by mid-morning in New York. Alphabet weighed heavily on the market despite reporting quarterly profits that beat expectations. Investors instead focused on the company’s warning that spending on equipment and other investments could surge to about $180…
Hidden sellers promote unlicensed weight-loss drugs through WhatsApp and Telegram giveaways.They offer injectable medicines as competition prizes. The Guardian found groups advertising retatrutide, an unapproved experimental drug.Posts pressure users with short entry deadlines. Experts warn these promotions pose serious health risks.They misuse aggressive marketing tactics for unlicensed medicines. Some sellers disguise drug sales as fitness coaching programmes.Authorities say platforms ban illegal drug sales.
