Inkhabar webdesk

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The European Union's financial risk watchdog called on Thursday for urgent safeguards on stablecoins only partly issued in the bloc, echoing a warning from the European Central Bank, which is worried that their failure could induce a run on reserves. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value by being pegged to a reserve asset such as a currency or basket of assets. The EU has put in place one of the world's strictest regimes on crypto assets but policymakers worry that issuers originating from outside the bloc enjoy easier regulation and could import financial risk. "The General Board stressed that third country multi-issuer schemes – with fungible stablecoins issued both in the EU and outside – have built-in vulnerabilities which require an urgent policy response," the European Systemic Risk Board, headed by ECB President Christine Lagarde, said in a statement. EU rules require stablecoins to be fully backed by reserves. Lagarde said the bloc should hold companies that issue stablecoins both in the EU and abroad to the same standards. In "multi-issuer" schemes, an EU and a non-EU entity jointly issue stablecoins, and the strict EU regulation does not extend to the non-EU issuer, tilting the playing field. The main worry is that in the event of a run on the asset, investors will choose to redeem in the EU, since it has the strongest safeguards. However, reserves held in the EU may not be sufficient to meet concentrated demand, creating a liquidity squeeze in the bloc and potentially forcing the ECB to respond. "Multi-function groups may operate under regulatory regimes which are much more lenient than for financial conglomerates, raising the question of divergent prudential standards," the ESRB added. (Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Corrects name from Arm Holdings to Arm in paragraph one) By Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Arm said on Tuesday it planned to appeal a judge's ruling in a licensing dispute against Qualcomm that left the chipmaker's jury victory intact.  Qualcomm secured a key win in U.S. federal court in Delaware last year, with a jury finding that central processor units made by its subsidiary Nuvia were properly licensed under an agreement with Arm.  The jury reached a verdict on two out of three counts, and deadlocked on the third count, which resulted in a mistrial.  Arm had asked Judge Maryellen Noreika to either throw out the verdict on the two counts where Qualcomm won, or have a new trial. The judge declined both of Arm's requests. "Arm remains confident in its position in its ongoing dispute with Qualcomm and will immediately file an appeal seeking to overturn the judgment," Arm said in a statement. Qualcomm said the decision affirmed its position that it did not breach its agreement with Arm. "Our right to innovate prevailed in this case and we hope Arm will return to fair and competitive practices in dealing with the Arm ecosystem," Ann Chaplin, Qualcomm's general counsel, said in a statement. Arm supplies Qualcomm and other chip firms such as Apple and Taiwan's MediaTek with key technologies used in their chip designs. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Jamie Freed)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

London (PA Media/dpa) – Burning wood indoors could cause damage in a similar way to cigarette smoke, researchers have warned, after a new study linked the growing popularity of domestic wood burning to lung damage. Wood burning stoves have grown in popularity in Europe, and experts say domestic wood burning is a major source of a type of air pollution known as PM2.5, tiny particles that penetrate deep into the lungs. Researchers from University College London examined health data on 11,000 people taking part in the English Longitudinal Study Of Ageing, property level energy performance certificates, also known as EPCs, and UK census data. They found that wood burning appliances are more likely to be used among white people in affluent neighbourhoods in cities, even within Smoke Control Zones, they told the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam. Measurements of lung function were assessed three times over an eight year period among a smaller group of more than 1,700 people. Researchers used a test to see how much air people could blow out in one second after a deep breath in, also known as forced expiratory volume in one second or FEV1. They found that declines in FEV1 were larger among people who used indoor wood burners. For example, among people aged 70 to 79 who took part in the study, their FEV1 decreased by an average of 0.12 litres among those using solid fuels, such as indoor wood burners, compared to 0.07 litres among those not exposed. The research team found that self-reported wood fuel use increased from 10% in 2004/05 to 18% in 2021/22. Dr Horsfall told the Congress: “We know wood burning at home emits harmful air pollution both indoors and outdoors including known carcinogens. “Despite this, air pollution from this source has approximately doubled in the UK since 2009 as more people install and use wood stoves. “However, the link with health outcomes in high-income countries is not well understood and residential areas with high emissions are hard to identify using existing air quality monitoring networks.” She added: “We found that people using solid fuel had lower rates of smoking and lung disease, which can mask the true effects of solid fuel exposure. “However, using repeated lung function measurements over an eight-year period, we found that lung function declined faster among solid fuel users compared to non-users, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and housing factors. “This suggests an important link between solid fuel use and respiratory decline, despite the healthier baseline of the exposed group. “Our study suggests that high levels of particulate matter from stoves damage respiratory tissues, causing inflammation in a similar way to cigarette smoke.” The researchers will now investigate whether people living in or near areas with a high concentration of wood stoves, such as the wealthier parts of London, also show increased rates of respiratory issues, such as inhaler prescriptions and hospital visits for lung conditions. Commenting on the new study, Sarah Sleet, chief executive at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “The findings of this research aren’t surprising, but do help to add to the body of evidence of the impact of air pollution from wood burners on our lungs. “It’s concerning that the numbers of homes with a wood burner is increasing and primarily the reason for having a wood burner is the aesthetic of it. “Hopefully this research causes people to question if the payoff of having a wood burner is worth it, for the detrimental impact it could have on you and your family’s lungs. “It would be good to see increased awareness on the impact of wood burners, with clearer information and guidance from the Government on the health impact, as well as increased regulation around domestic wood burning.” Professor Ane Johannessen, head of the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on epidemiology and environment, added: “In Europe, we are seeing a growing trend for using wood-burning stoves at home. “Research in other parts of the world, where traditional wood burning is used in the home, has shown that this is harmful and causes asthma, COPD and lung cancer. “These findings suggest that wood burners used in European homes may have similar effects and should be considered a potential environmental risk factor when assessing respiratory health, especially in patients with unexplained lung function decline or chronic respiratory symptoms. “Although new eco-design European wood-burners are generally considered cleaner and safer than more traditional wood stoves, many European homes still employ older wood burners, and even the newer stoves may not be entirely risk-free. “This study underscores the need for clearer public health guidance and regulation around domestic wood burning. “People should be aware that these stoves could be harming them and their families, and doctors should be asking their patients about whether they are using stoves at home.” The following information is not intended for publication pa dpa coh

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Krystal Hu (Reuters) -Artificial intelligence (AI) startup DualEntry has raised $90 million in a Series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Khosla Ventures to take on established enterprise resource planning (ERP) software providers, the company said. GV (Google Ventures) also participated in the round, valuing the New York-based company, launched a year ago, at $415 million. The deal underscores investor appetite for AI-driven enterprise software and for startups that have found early product-market fit. DualEntry targets a segment long dominated by Oracle's NetSuite, Sage and Acumatica. The company argues that many legacy systems rely on outdated technology, are costly to implement and often require months-long, expensive migrations that can lock in customers. Its core product is an AI-native platform designed to automate financial workflows. The startup says it enables "NextDay Migration", which can transfer a company's historical financial data from an old system to DualEntry's platform within 24 hours, a process that can otherwise take months and incur significant consulting fees. Rapid implementation is central to DualEntry's go-to-market strategy. The company is focusing on mid-market firms that have outgrown entry-level accounting software such as QuickBooks but are reluctant to undertake a large-scale migration to a traditional ERP. CEO Santiago Nestares told Reuters his own experience of attempting an ERP migration at his previous company highlighted the burden of legacy systems. The "clunky" process, he said, inspired him to build a platform that could get businesses "live in 24 hours." DualEntry said it has signed customers ranging from startups to a publicly listed company. It plans to use the new capital to expand its roughly 40-person team and speed up product development, as well as expand internationally.  Investors see AI as a key enabler in what they estimate is a $500 billion ERP market, which has largely remained unchanged since the sector shifted from on-premise to cloud-based software. Many incumbents rely on networks of third-party implementation consultants paid by the hour. The push toward automation also comes amid a looming talent crunch in the accounting industry. "It takes understanding of what this complex process of migration is and training AI technology to essentially act as the data consultants that would perform the migration to drastically accelerate the process," said Ravi Mhatre, partner at Lightspeed. (Reporting by Krystal Hu in San Francisco; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)