Author: OMN AI

BP faces mounting pressure to end a turbulent period as it prepares to publish full-year results this week. Analysts expect weaker profits after oil prices fell for a third straight year, with forecasts of about $7.5bn, down from nearly $9bn in 2024. The decline follows a sharp drop in crude prices late last year. Incoming chief executive Meg O’Neill is expected to outline a clearer strategy as investors question BP’s recent shift back toward fossil fuels. Activist shareholders, including groups linked to pension funds, want the company to explain how it will manage future oil and gas spending as long-term…

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 planned to send 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 how it happened. The company said it quickly noticed the mistake and recovered almost all missing tokens. It restricted trading and withdrawals for 695 affected customers within 35 minutes of the glitch. Exchange Recovers Nearly All Mistaken Transfers Bithumb said it recovered 99.7 percent…

Plans in Italy and Germany Abandoned Automotive Cells Company (ACC) has officially dropped its plans to build electric vehicle battery gigafactories in Italy and Germany, the Italian metalworkers’ union UILM confirmed. ACC management told the union that the Termoli plant is definitively off the table, with a similar decision made for the German site in Kaiserslautern. These projects had already been on hold since 2024. Slower EV Growth Forces Strategic Shift ACC, backed by Stellantis, said the slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles has made it difficult to justify the factories. The company is also exploring cheaper battery technologies, which contributed…

Researchers say menstrual blood testing could offer a simple alternative to cervical screening.A sanitary pad fitted with a blood strip can detect HPV, which causes most cervical cancers.Women could use the test at home without a clinical examination. A large study in China compared menstrual blood samples with clinician-collected cervical samples.Researchers studied more than 3,000 women with regular menstrual cycles.They published the findings in BMJ. The pad-based test detected serious cervical cell changes with similar accuracy to clinical sampling.It showed a sensitivity of 94.7% for detecting high-risk abnormalities.Researchers said the method could improve screening access for non-attenders. Cancer Research UK…

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that threatens new tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Iran. The order does not set a fixed rate but uses 25 percent as an example. It says the tariff could apply to goods imported into the United States from any nation that directly or indirectly buys goods or services from Iran. Trump did not comment directly on the order but repeated that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons. He spoke from Air Force One while senior US and Iranian officials held talks in Oman after weeks of escalating threats.…

A major review finds most statin side-effects are not caused by the medication.Researchers published the analysis in The Lancet after reviewing 19 trials with 124,000 participants.The study found strong 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 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 risks.Experts said drug labels should be updated to reflect the evidence.

The European Union has warned TikTok to change its platform design or face heavy financial penalties. The European Commission said the video platform breached EU online safety legislation. Officials reached this conclusion after an investigation launched in February 2024. Regulators focused on how TikTok’s design influences user behaviour. The Commission said TikTok failed to properly assess risks to mental wellbeing. Investigators examined autoplay and continuous content delivery. They said these features can harm users, particularly children. Regulators also said TikTok failed to introduce effective safeguards. TikTok rejected the findings through a company spokesperson. The firm described the conclusions as inaccurate…

Lawmakers Push for Consistent Standards Starting January 2027, companies importing oil and gas into the European Union will be required to meet strict monitoring, reporting, and verification standards for methane emissions. A group of 24 US lawmakers has now urged the EU not to grant exemptions to American energy producers if domestic standards are weak or poorly enforced. In a letter obtained by Euronews, the lawmakers described the EU’s methane rules as a “critical tool” to prevent the wasteful venting and flaring of natural gas. Methane is a short-lived but extremely potent greenhouse gas—up to 30 times more damaging than…

Alphabet Drop Sparks Broad Market Decline Wall Street fell sharply on Thursday after Alphabet, Google’s parent company, lost more than 4%, pulling major indexes lower. The S&P 500 dropped 1.2%, the Dow Jones fell 606 points, and the Nasdaq slid 1.5%. Despite beating profit expectations for the latest quarter, Alphabet’s announcement that its spending on equipment and investments could reach $180 billion this year alarmed investors, overshadowing strong earnings. US Job Market Adds Pressure Bond markets also reacted as reports showed a rise in unemployment claims and planned layoffs, signaling potential weakness in the labor market. Treasury yields fell, with…

Hidden sellers promote unlicensed weight-loss drugs through WhatsApp and Telegram giveaways.They offer powerful injectable medicines as competition prizes. The Guardian found groups advertising retatrutide, an experimental drug without approval.Posts pressure users to enter within 24 hours. Experts warn these promotions pose serious health risks.They say marketers misuse social media tactics for unlicensed medicines. One group offered retatrutide, Glow pens, and melanotan II as prizes.None of these injectable products hold UK approval. UK law allows weight-loss injections only with valid prescriptions.Unapproved drugs cannot be legally sold or advertised. Another seller disguises drug sales as fitness coaching programmes.Researchers warn these tactics bypass…