(Reuters) -CoreWeave has signed a $14 billion deal with Meta to supply computing power, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
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LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's competition regulator has recommended replacing a legacy EU-era exemption for technology licensing agreements with a UK-specific framework, in a move aimed at modernising post-Brexit competition rules. The Competition and Markets Authority said on Tuesday it had advised the government to scrap the Assimilated Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER), which is due to expire in April next year, and replace it with a new 12-year UK exemption order. The TTBER allows companies to share and license technology, such as patents or software, under certain conditions without breaching competition law. "Technology transfer agreements can often be pro-competitive and can benefit innovation, investment and growth… but certain clauses within such agreements can also have negative effects on competition," the CMA said in its final recommendation to business and trade minister Peter Kyle. Britain retained the TTBER after leaving the European Union, but it was under review as part of the government's efforts to tailor its regulatory regime to boost economic growth. Nokia, patent firm Sisvel International and independent licensing marketplace Avanci were among companies who responded to the CMA's consultation. The CMA said the proposed changes would give businesses greater clarity and flexibility, while ensuring that licensing deals do not harm competition. The watchdog wants to remove outdated references to "utility models" and include newer rights such as database copyrights. Under the proposed framework, agreements could qualify for exemption either by meeting existing market share thresholds or by demonstrating the presence of at least three competing technologies. (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Sarah Young)
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli defence technology startup Commcrete said on Tuesday it raised $29 million in early stage funding rounds, as the country's defence sector faces supply challenges from abroad. Commcrete develops handheld satellite communication systems, which are already deployed by defence, special operations, and emergency response teams, it said. One of its products converts any radio, from military-grade hardware to off-the-shelf walkie-talkies, into a satellite-enabled system. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spooked investors when he acknowledged Israel's growing isolation over the two-year war against Hamas militants in Gaza and said the country should reduce its dependence on foreign trade and become more self-reliant, especially in defence. Some European countries have begun to hold back on military supplies to Israel. Commcrete's latest funding, which includes $21 million in a Series A round, was led by Greenfield Partners, with participation from Redseed Ventures and existing investors, building on a seed round backed by Amnon Shashua, founder of Mobileye, together with Q Fund and others. The funding, Commcrete said, will support global expansion as its ultra-compact SATCOM systems gain adoption by defence, security, and emergency organizations in Europe, North America, East Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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(Reuters) -Spotify said on Tuesday its founder-CEO Daniel Ek will shift to executive chairman role from January 1, while Gustav Soderstrom and Alex Norstrom will become co-CEOs. Shares of the company fell around 4% in premarket trading. The move formalizes a structure in place since 2023, with the co-presidents leading strategy and operations, the company said. Ek will focus on capital allocation and long-term strategy in a European-style chairman role. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
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Could eating more fruit protect your lungs from air pollution? A new study suggests that antioxidants in fruit may help reduce the harmful effects of fine particulate matter on lung function. London (PA Media/dpa) – Eating more fruit could reduce the impact of air pollution on the lungs, a study has suggested. This could be down to the antioxidants naturally present in fruit, according to researchers. The effect was also more pronounced in women who consumed four portions of fruit or more a day. To explore the links between a healthy diet and better lung function, academics from the University of Leicester looked at UK Biobank data from 207,421 people. Researchers compared their diets, including intake of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains, with lung function – or FEV1, the amount of air exhaled in one second. Air pollution was measured as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the concentration of tiny particles released into the air by the likes of cars and factories. The team found that for every exposure to PM2.5 of five micrograms per cubic metre of air, FEV1 reduced by 78.1ml in people who did not eat a lot of fruit. This compared with a 57.5ml reduction in women who consumed a lot of fruit. Researchers said men generally reported eating less fruit than women, which could explain why the protective effect was seen in females. Pimpika Kaewsri, a PhD student from the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability at the University of Leicester, presented the findings at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam. She said: “Our study confirmed that a healthy diet is linked to better lung function in both men and women regardless of air pollution exposure. “And that women who consumed four portions of fruit per day or more appeared to have smaller reductions in lung function associated with air pollution, compared to those who consumed less fruit. “This may be partly explained by the antioxidant and anti-inflammation compounds naturally present in fruit. “These compounds could help mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation caused by fine particles, potentially offsetting some of the harmful effects of air pollution on lung function.” Professor Sara De Matteis, chairwoman of the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on occupational and environmental health, said it “confirms the potential respiratory health benefits of a healthy diet, especially rich in fresh fruit intake”. “However, access to a healthy diet is not equally distributed in the population and, even if the authors adjusted for socio-economic-status, some residual confounding cannot be ruled out,” she added. “A healthy plant-rich diet should be promoted in the population starting from primary school, not only for preventing chronic diseases, but also to reduce the carbon footprint of meat-rich diets.” Sarah Sleet, chief executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: "We know that a high fruit diet supports lung function, but it’s an interesting step forward in this study to see that it could also counteract the effects of air pollution on our lungs. "Fruit and vegetables, particularly those high in vitamin C and K, can really help support our lungs to function well. While eating more fruit isn’t a replacement for taking your medication as prescribed, enjoying fruit as part of a balanced diet looks like it can help our lungs when they’re faced with external pressures like air pollution. "However, it is important to remember that there is unequal access to healthy foods, largely driven by cost. In addition, air pollution continues to hit people who are the poorest and from an ethnic minority background the hardest." The following information is not intended for publication pa dpa coh
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(Reuters) -Spotify on Tuesday became the latest company to adopt a co-CEO structure, naming Gustav Soderstrom and Alex Norstrom to the top job as billionaire founder Daniel Ek takes on executive chairman role. The leadership change comes as the music streaming company expands into podcasts and audiobooks amid doubts over how it would balance growth and profitability. Its shares fell around 5% in premarket trading. Several high-profile firms such as Oracle and Netflix have adopted a co-CEO model to better manage their operations as they become more complex and globally diversified. Spotify's founder-CEO Ek will take over the role of executive chairman from January 1 next year. He has been a board member since 2008. The co-CEOs will report to Ek and will also serve on the board upon receiving shareholder approval. Co-CEO arrangements are rare among large listed firms. They can offer complementary leadership but have also raised concerns about divided authority. Norström, as chief business officer, oversees subscriber and advertising businesses and all licensed, distributed and owned content on Spotify across music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Söderström, who is co-president and chief product & technology officer, leads global tech strategy and oversees product, design, data and engineering teams. The move formalizes a structure in place since 2023, with the co-presidents leading strategy and operations, Spotify said. Ek will focus on capital allocation and long-term strategy in a European-style chairman role, the company said. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
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(Reuters) -Companies are increasingly opting for a co-CEO structure as their operations become expansive, diverse and complicated. Notably, Oracle, Comcast and Spotify have recently appointed joint CEOs to oversee their business operations, reflecting the growing trend among high-profile firms to share top leadership roles. Below is a list of companies that have adopted such a structure: Spotify The audio streaming platform announced Gustav Söderström, currently co-president and chief product and technology officer, and Alex Norström, currently co-president and chief business officer, as co-CEOs, effective January 1, 2026. COMCAST The media and telecom major appointed Michael Cavanagh as its first co-CEO on Tuesday, effective January 2026. He will serve alongside existing CEO Brian Roberts. Cavanagh will also be named to Comcast's board. Oracle The enterprise software maker named insiders Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia as co-CEOs, replacing Safra Catz, who was named vice chair of the board after 11 years at the helm. NETFLIX The streaming giant transitioned to a dual CEO model in July 2020 when Ted Sarandos was promoted to the top job alongside then-CEO Reed Hastings. In January 2023, Hastings stepped down, and Greg Peters was promoted to join Sarandos. Sarandos leads content, marketing and legal affairs, while Peters focuses on technology, product development and operations. KKR The private equity firm appointed co-presidents Scott Nuttall and Joseph Bae as co-CEOs in 2021, succeeding the company's billionaire co-founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts. Bae focuses on private markets and Asia expansion, while Nuttall leads on credit, capital markets, insurance and the firm's overall balance sheet. LENNAR The U.S. homebuilder's current chief executives are Stuart Miller and Jon Jaffe. Miller was appointed as co-CEO to join Jaffe when Rick Beckwitt decided to step down. Both executives shape the company's strategy, overseeing homebuilding operations and leading initiatives like mergers and acquisitions. GENSLER Architecture and design firm Gensler is led by Elizabeth Brink and Jordan Goldstein, both of whom were appointed in 2024, succeeding the previous pair Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins. Brink and Goldstein share responsibilities of day-to-day operations. SERES THERAPEUTICS The drug developer in July appointed Thomas Desrosier and Marella Thorell as co-CEOs, taking over from Eric Shaff. Shaff remains in the company as a director. SHARPLINK GAMING The online marketing company appointed Joseph Chalom as co-CEO in July alongside Rob Phythian, who co-founded the company in 2019. SharpLink has been raising funds to acquire cryptocurrencies, including ether, to work as a crypto treasury vehicle, mimicking the playbook of Michael Saylor's Strategy. IREN Bitcoin miner IREN is run by co-founders Daniel Roberts and Will Roberts. The brothers serve as co-CEOs. MONSTER BEVERAGE The energy drinks maker in January 2021 named Hilton Schlosberg as co-CEO alongside Rodney Sacks. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala, Kritika Lamba and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Anil D'Silva)
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Washington (dpa) – People born between 1960 and 1975 and living in high-income countries are increasingly likely to show signs of being hooked on highly processed food that they were the first generation to be exposed to as children. A University of Michigan (UM) team found that 21% of women and 10% of men in this age bracket "meet criteria for addiction to these ultra-processed foods" after carrying out a study of around 2,000 people aged between 50 and 80. "Ultra-processed food addiction appears to be prevalent among older adults in the United States, particularly among women who were in adolescence and early adulthood when the nutrient quality of the US food supply worsened," the team said in a paper published in the journal Addiction. "Today’s older adults were in a key developmental period when our nation’s food environment changed," said Lucy Loch of UM. Those at the upper end of the age bracket were far less likely to be addicted to snacks, sweet drinks and junk food, the team found. "Among adults age 65 to 80, just 12% of women and 4% of men meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction," the researchers said. The team used a scale based on responses to questions about "13 experiences with ultra-processed foods and drinks," such as experiencing cravings, repeatedly falling short with attempts to cut down, being hit by withdrawal symptoms and dodging social events for fear of being seen as eating too much. "With other research showing clear links between consumption of these foods and risk of chronic disease and premature death, it’s important to study addiction to ultra-processed foods in this age group," Loch said. The researchers believe that aggressive 1980s advertising for so-called diet food, much of it ultra-processed, is likely a factor in explaining some of the addiction among older women. "Low-fat cookies, microwaveable meals and other carbohydrate-heavy products were promoted as weight-control solutions, but their engineered nutrient profiles may have reinforced addictive eating patterns," the team claimed. The following information is not intended for publication dpa spr coh
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(Reuters) -Spotify said on Tuesday its founder-CEO Daniel Ek will shift to executive chairman role from January 1, while Gustav Soderstrom and Alex Norstrom will become co-CEOs. Shares of the company fell around 4% in premarket trading. The move formalizes a structure in place since 2023, with the co-presidents leading strategy and operations, the company said. Ek will focus on capital allocation and long-term strategy in a European-style chairman role. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
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(Reuters) -Wolfspeed shares surged more than 25% before the bell on Tuesday, after the chipmaker successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a substantially reduced debt load. The move has restored investor confidence in the company's prospects to become a leading provider of silicon carbide semiconductors, known for their superior energy efficiency, to electric-vehicle makers amid growing electrification and increasing chip content in automobiles. "Wolfspeed has emerged from its expedited restructuring process, marking the beginning of a new era," CEO Robert Feurle had said on Monday. "We are well positioned to capture rising demand in end-markets, such as AI, EVs, industrial and energy, that are rapidly growing and recognizing silicon carbide's potential," Feurle said. Wolfspeed had filed for bankruptcy protection in June due to deepening economic uncertainty stemming from changing U.S. trade policies and weakening demand. Since then, it has restructured, worked toward extending debt maturities and made significant leadership changes, including naming industry veteran Van Issum as its chief financial officer. The company said on Monday it had achieved its goal of reducing overall debt by about 70%. Wolfspeed, however, has canceled all legacy shares in its bankruptcy restructuring, issuing just 1.3 million new shares to existing investors at a steep exchange ratio of less than 1% per old share. This reduces prior shareholders' stake since the bulk of the new equity goes to creditors and backstop investors, leaving legacy holders with only a sliver of ownership. Owing to analysts' expectations of continued losses at Wolfspeed, the company carries a negative multiple. That compares with the 12-month-forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17.9 for Onsemi and 16.7 for NXP, according to data compiled by LSEG. (Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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