Latest from EVN Report
Belfast Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
NIFL Board set for new look: ‘A number of key skill sets are missing'
The Northern Ireland Football League Board is set for a new look going forward with Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor declaring that having a make-up of more 'Independents' than officials connected to clubs for the first time is a 'progressive' step and will bring key skill sets into the game. With Board members Keith Boyd (Dungannon Swifts) and Nigel Lecky (Dergview) not seeking re-election following the end of their term, earlier this month at NIFL's AGM members voted overwhelmingly in favour of appointing 'new key independent industry professionals'.
Edinburgh Live
32 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Brit gobsmacked by prices in 'unreal' Spanish supermarket and warns 'we've been had'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Brits have become all too accustomed to forking out a small fortune for groceries in UK supermarkets, but venturing abroad can be a real eye-opener. For Cavan O'Grady, a trip to Spain with his mum to celebrate her 63rd birthday was a wake-up call. While staying with his aunt in La Línea de la Concepción, near Gibraltar, it was a visit to a local Carrefour supermarket that left him speechless. Basking in the 30-degree sunshine was a bonus, but what really caught Cavan's attention was the staggering difference in food prices compared to back home. The 27 year old from Birmingham took to social media, captioning a clip: "Spanish supermarkets are a different level". READ MORE - Chris Tarrant savages Phillip Schofield as he points out 'nasty little trick' READ MORE - Brooklyn Beckham's decision could leave sister Harper 'devastated' amid family feud As he wandered the aisles, he exclaimed: "TikTok, I'm going to tell you something, Spain knows how to do it in these supermarkets." Cavan was blown away by the sheer scale of the store and the freshness of the produce on offer. "This would make you want to eat like a king out here. And do you know what, price-wise, it's so much cheaper here than it is back home.", reports the Mirror. For Cavan, this was just another reason to love visiting Spain – a clear "win" in his books. One local expressed gratitude, saying: "Thank you very much for saying what no one ever says, there is good agriculture, livestock, fishing, we have everything in our country." Another person enthused: "Mercadona is one of the crown jewels." Sharing her experience, one woman said: "I live in Spain, it's a lot cheaper to live there than in the UK, the bills are cheaper too,". There were some comments suggesting that "Spain was a paradise not long ago," but lamented that now it's become "too expensive" relative to incomes. (Image: Jam Press) (Image: Jam Press) (Image: Jam Press) Cav revealed his realisation about UK prices by stating: "It showed me how we're getting absolutely had on products in the UK. I was genuinely overwhelmed by the quality and prices on offer in that Spanish supermarket." Beyond the grocery shopping experience, he was also blown away by the local gym facilities, rating them a perfect "10/10". Describing his fitness pursuits, he said: "I wanted to find a proper bodybuilding gym, which I found, and the gym is sick, the equipment's sick, and the locals are really nice and friendly," and assured that he'd be returning to that gym during his stay with his mum. In a further video comment, Cav suggested a change might be on the horizon: "TikTok, I might actually move to Spain [...] This is the life for me... Might have to be a quick move here, lads".
Mint
32 minutes ago
- Business
- Mint
The stock-market rally is moving beyond Big Tech and investors are thrilled
The summer stock rally is broadening beyond big tech. Megacap technology stocks such as Nvidia, Microsoft and Broadcom led the market's rapid, tariff-spurred selloff earlier this year, only to rebound just as quickly a few weeks later when trade fears eased. Now, with economic fears diminished and optimism growing that the Trump administration will take a milder stance on trade, the recovery has expanded to include stocks across a more diverse group of sectors, such as financials, industrials and utilities. The number of stocks in the benchmark S&P 500 closing above their 50-day moving average has climbed recently to levels last seen in the fall, before Donald Trump's election victory launched an end-of-year rally. And in another sign of breadth, a measure that tracks the number of stocks rising versus those declining notched a new high on Friday. While the so-called Magnificent Seven tech stocks still hold investors' attention—and sway over the market—a broader participation in the recovery has helped propel the Nasdaq composite and the S&P 500 to all-time-highs in June. It could also signal that stocks will keep climbing through the summer, analysts say. 'We've seen this before: big tech leads and the market follows," said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial. 'It seems like we are dusting off that playbook." Wall Street generally views improving breadth as a signal of a healthy stock market and a sustained advance. Whether the trend continues will depend on a few uncertainties still looming in the second half of the year: potential conflict in the Middle East, the path of interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve and the final outcome of President Trump's tariff plans. 'As long as things can stay stable, then this market is not exhausted by any stretch of the imagination," said Tom Essaye, founder of the Sevens Report, a market analysis firm. Market breadth has improved as investors who missed out on tech stocks' historic rebound search for new opportunities in different industries, Essaye said. He called it the 'FOMO trade," referencing the acronym for 'fear of missing out." Others have made longer-term bets in less popular industries. Jamie Cox, a managing partner at Harris Financial Group in Richmond, Va., didn't increase his proportion of big-tech holdings over the past few months even as prices dipped. But in recent weeks, his strategy—which includes a blend of defense, financial and large-cap international shares—has started to pay off. 'I'm surprised it took this long," he said. 'It's been a long time coming." Cox, who manages $1.2 billion at Harris, said that, in recent months, he has heard from clients looking to diversify the stocks in their portfolios. 'That lends itself to owning different things than just the most effective of the tech stocks," he said, such as shares of defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp. 'You buy the less-aggressive, more tried-and-true, boring stocks." The recovery hasn't worked its way through every corner of the market. Small-cap stocks still lag behind major indexes. It might take a significant shift in the outlook to change that, said George Pearkes, macro strategist at Bespoke Investment Group. 'We would have to see a change in risk appetite." Some investors think that a confidence boost could come sooner than expected. Eric Teal, chief investment officer at Comerica Wealth Management, said he is adding midcap, small-cap and even microcap companies. He is buying shares of domestic banks that he thinks won't be affected by future tariffs, and said the Fed's rate cut could also boost smaller firms. 'The broadening out that we've seen over the last number of months is not something that's going to be short-lived," Teal said. It is unlikely that the market's biggest tech names will fade into the background soon, analysts said. Optimism for artificial intelligence, which powered tech stocks' ascendance to new highs, is still top-of-mind for professional and individual investors alike. But as tech shares have rebounded, so have valuations: Some large-cap names traded at more than 30 times their expected earnings over the next year last week, compared with an S&P 500 average of about 22 times. Those rich prices could be another nudge for traders to start snapping up shares in different industries, said Brian Buetel, a managing director at UBS Private Wealth Management. 'Nobody disagrees that the Mag Seven are just extremely expensive," he said. 'People forget there are sectors of the market that are on sale—that are cheap." Write to Hannah Erin Lang at and Roshan Fernandez at
Al Bawaba
32 minutes ago
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Mobily Recognized Among the World's Top 5 Telecom Operators, Showcasing Continued Market Leadership and Innovation Strategy
Saudi Arabia's Mobily has entered the ranks of the world's top 5 telecom operator value creators, according to the Boston Consulting Group's (BCG) 2025 Telco Value Creators Report. The milestone is attributed to $7 billion in value creation from 2020 to 2024, representing a successful transformation driven by digital innovation and strategic BCG report, titled "Returns May Be Declining, but Opportunity Is Calling," advocates for transformative growth in the telecommunications sector, despite prevailing industry challenges. According to the analysis, Mobily ranks 4th based on its five-year Total Shareholder Return (TSR) from 2020 to 2024, which stands at 19%. This achievement signifies a market capitalization of $11 billion. The competitive edge for six of the top ten telecom performers from emerging markets stems from regulatory conditions and investment approaches that successfully yield a Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) outpacing the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) by 60 basis Wagle, Managing Director & Partner, BCG said: "Developments in network structures and the introduction of innovative products, driven by the adoption of AI, have paved the way for significant value generation for telecommunications companies such as Mobily. These technological advancements harness AI's capabilities to significantly enhance the telecom sector, marking a pivotal moment for operators globally to re-evaluate their conventional approaches, considering the prospects that lie ahead towards the 2025 outlook. The research shows that by adopting progressive strategies, leading telecom firms illustrate a practical plan for substantial value growth, providing a model for others to follow in achieving success within the current market environment."The report underscores the critical necessity for telecom operators to enhance value generation through a multifaceted approach: optimizing physical and network assets, adopting new cost-efficient network architectures, and innovating with next-generation products and marketing GCC Telcos Are Leading the ShiftAI and digital services are emerging as pivotal elements in the transformation toward smarter, more efficient enterprises. Investments by operators in automation, customer intelligence, and tailored AI solutions for enterprises underscore this pivotal shift. This is further propelled by strategic alliances with both hyperscale cloud providers and local startups, driving scalable, bespoke enterprise AI parallel, sovereign cloud and data security initiatives are important within the GCC region. Operators are forging partnerships with global technology corporations to establish compliant, local cloud infrastructures, reinforcing data residency and sovereignty—critical components for adherence to compliance standards and the monetization of AI and analytics in regulated industries. "For telecom companies, it's crucial to act quickly and with insight, utilizing AI as a key enhancer of innovation, operational effectiveness, and customer interaction. Mobily's success underscores the value of adopting a forward-thinking and innovation-led investment strategy, highlighting the significance of transformative mergers and acquisitions as well as the adoption of cutting-edge marketing strategies,' added David Panhans, Managing Director and Senior Partner at deployment of next-generation networks, such as 5G and Open RAN, are geared toward achieving operational efficiencies and incubating new revenue streams, including low-latency services integral to smart city and IoT frameworks. Efforts in edge computing and low-earth-orbit satellite partnerships aim to extend connectivity, granting telcos the opportunity to exploit untapped monetization, the focus on enterprise modernization, the bundling of AI-driven services, and an infrastructure aligned with AI optimization are key components for maximizing the returns from investment in next-generation technologies. Further investments in next-gen network infrastructures align with the GCC's ambition to advance smart cities and assert digital Path Forward: A New Model for Value CreationTelecommunications operators could benefit from a proactive approach to optimizing their strategic assets. This involves the monetization of infrastructural assets and the simplification of business models. By exploring shared-models and cloud-based solutions for non-core assets like fixed-line networks and data centers, telecommunications operators can enhance efficiency. Additionally, mergers and acquisitions are pivotal in solidifying market presence and achieving operational synergies, driving industry consolidation towards increased profitability and market and Capital Expenditure (CapEx) optimization remains at the heart of this transformative agenda, with AI and automation serving as principal levers. AI enables significant CapEx efficiency through infrastructural innovations such as Open RAN, which mitigates vendor lock-in and lowers associated expenditures while additional network-sharing arrangements can generate substantial annual cost savings. As 5G deployments mature, redirecting cash flows from these efficiencies to facilitate growth or shareholder dividends underscores a disciplined CapEx development of next-generation network architecture takes center stage, featuring cloud-native systems, Open RAN, and edge computing. These technologies are essential to reducing costs, fostering technological flexibility, and enabling advanced applications for smart cities and the Internet of Things. In concert with this architectural evolution, sales and marketing strategies are undergoing a transformative shift towards AI-empowered personalization, enhancing interactions across both B2C and B2B domains. The blend of automated and human-driven sales interactions represents a hybrid model where AI-addressable inquiries streamline customer service, reserving high-value interactions for expert human is playing a dual role, reducing operational costs and accelerating growth, enabling personalized consumer offerings and sector-specific B2B tools. The telcos poised for superior performance are those merging these strategies: modernizing network and operational infrastructure, refining asset portfolios to concentrate on areas with the highest potential, and innovating customer engagement through data-driven insights. As per BCG's report, embracing cloud-native technologies, facilitating edge computing for IoT applications, and executing on network-sharing agreements, have clear-cut implications for the evolution of the telecom sector's operational and competitive dynamics.
NDTV
32 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Why Katrina Kaif Can Give Honest Feedback To Vicky Kaushal But Not Accept His In Return
New Delhi: Vicky Kaushal recently completed 10 years in the film industry. In a candid conversation with Kareena Kapoor Khan who also completed 25 years in the industry, he spoke about how Katrina Kaif always gives him honest feedback about his work. However, she is not okay with him doing the same with her, as the first reaction has to be that of encouragement. What's Happening Vicky Kaushal spoke about how his wife, actress Katrina Kaif is always blunt when it comes to giving feedback about his work. During his interaction with Kareena Kapoor Khan for The Hollywood Reporter, Vicky said, "She is very honest. She will say how it is. But sometimes, she will be a little careful because whatever it is, there is a lot of hard work that has gone into it. You have to be sensitive towards that, and I can't just sometimes she is sensitive about it, but mostly she is straightforward, which I actually love. After a film screening, it is very rare to find that kind of feedback. This was good, this was bad, this you could have done better." When Kareena expressed how she wished that her husband, actor Saif Ali Khan was also open to such positive criticism, Vicky Kaushal interrupted and said that Katrina is the same. He said, "But it's the same over here. She wouldn't want that either. The first step has to be encouragement." How Reddit Reacted The internet was in splits as they reacted to Vicky Kaushal's statement. One social media user shared, "If you're dishing it out, you ought to be able to take it too." Another added, "Lol, Katrina has always been very sensitive about any kind of negative feedback." Someone else was a bit harsh when they wrote, "She's that person in a friend group who can dish out roasts but can't take it themselves and get angry if you say something about them." Work Vicky Kaushal's last release was the blockbuster Chhaava at the beginning of 2025. While Katrina Kaif was last seen in Sriram Raghavan's Merry Christmas with Vijay Sethupathi in 2024. In A Nutshell Social Media had the funniest reaction to Vicky Kaushal revealing that while he gets honest feedback from Katrina about his work, the same can't be done when he has to return the favour.
