China’s decision in April to halt exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets disrupted global supply chains, affecting industries from automotive and aerospace to semiconductors and defence read more China said Saturday (June 7) it is prepared to accelerate the approval process for rare earth exports to European Union companies and […]
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China said Saturday (June 7) it is prepared to accelerate the approval process for rare earth exports to European Union companies and will issue a final ruling on its trade probe into EU brandy imports by July 5.
The developments come amid broader efforts to resolve ongoing trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels. Talks were held earlier this week in Paris between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement.
Price commitment discussions on Chinese-made electric vehicles exported to the EU have also reached the final phase. “Efforts from both sides are still needed,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that China “was willing to establish a green channel for qualified applications to speed up the approval process” for rare earth exports.
It also noted that Beijing recognised rising demand for rare earth materials across sectors including electric vehicles and robotics and that it “was willing to further strengthen communication and dialogue with relevant countries” on the matter.
China’s decision in April to halt exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets disrupted global supply chains, affecting industries from automotive and aerospace to semiconductors and defence. The move has become a flashpoint in EU-China trade relations.
The ministry said it “attached great importance to the EU’s concerns” and indicated it would work to resolve the bottleneck in a timely manner.
China’s anti-dumping duties of up to 39 per cent on European brandy, particularly French cognac, were implemented shortly after the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The Chinese measures have impacted major French producers including LVMH’s Hennessy, Pernod Ricard’s Martell, and Remy Cointreau.
French President Emmanuel Macron previously accused Beijing of “pure retaliation” over the duties.
Beijing had initially planned to announce a final decision on the brandy investigation in January, later postponing it to April and now July 5. On Saturday, the Commerce Ministry confirmed that French firms and industry associations had submitted price commitment proposals and that investigators had reached agreement on key terms.
“Chinese authorities are now reviewing the complete text on those commitments and will issue a final announcement before July 5,” the statement said.
The European Commission said in April it was working with Beijing to consider a minimum price framework for Chinese electric vehicles in lieu of the tariffs imposed in 2023. China’s Commerce Ministry said the EU also proposed examining “new technical paths” related to electric vehicles, and that China was now evaluating those ideas.
Wang also told Sefcovic that China hoped the EU would “meet us halfway and take effective measures to facilitate, safeguard and promote compliant trade in high-tech products to China.”
With inputs from agencies
Best Prime Day Apple Deals on Day 4: Apple doesn’t typically offer discounts across its tech line-up, which means that you’ll need to head to third-party sites like Amazon to find them. With thousands of products now discounted across the site for Prime Day, it’s one of the best opportunities of the year to land […]
Best Prime Day Apple Deals on Day 4:
Apple doesn’t typically offer discounts across its tech line-up, which means that you’ll need to head to third-party sites like Amazon to find them. With thousands of products now discounted across the site for Prime Day, it’s one of the best opportunities of the year to land savings on the tech giant’s offerings, and there’s already plenty of Prime Day Apple deals to bank across AirPods, Apple Watches, Beats headphones and more. This opportunity to save money on Apple isn’t going to hang around much longer though, with the sale drawing to a close this evening.
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If you’re thinking about upgrading your smartwatch or fitness tracker, there’s discounts on all three of the latest Apple Watch models. The flagship Apple Watch Ultra 2 (read our review here) is a hefty £140 off, down from to £799 to £659, the everyday powerhouse Apple Watch Series 10 (read our review) has dipped under £300 – now just £295, down from £399. The latest entry-level Apple Watch SE is also discounted, with £34 slashed off its ordinary price this Prime Day.
There’s also plenty of opportunities for an audio upgrade. You can now grab the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 for less, reduced by £50 and £30 respectively. Because Beats is owned by Apple, we’ve also included deals on the new workout-friendly Powerbeats Pro 2 (read our review) – down from £249.99 to £185.25 – and the older, but still excellent, Beats Fit Pro, which are over £110 off at £108.30. Here’s a round-up of the all these, plus more of the best Apple Prime deals we’ve found so far, including more offers on iPads, iMacs and iPhones.
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If you’ve been holding out for a bargain before picking up a new Apple smartwatch, tablet, smartphone or earbuds, the clock is now ticking. You had 96 hours from the start of the sale to make the most of these deals before it ends at midnight on Friday 11 July.
Yes. To make use of these Apple Prime Day deals, plus all the other offers included in the event this week, you’ll need to either already be a Prime member or you can join for free by signing up to a 30-day free trial, which you can cancel for no fee once the sale ends after midnight on Friday.
Prime Day Deals 2025 | Prime Day Headphone Deals | Prime Day Garmin Deals | Best Apple Watches | Apple Watch Ultra 2 Review | Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Review | Beats Fit Pro Review | Best Beats Headphones | Best Gym Headphones
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In a bid to make Uttar Pradesh a leading state in wine production, the Excise Department, in collaboration with Invest UP, has launched efforts to attract top wine manufacturers from Maharashtra and Karnataka. Companies like Sula Vineyards and Good Drop Wine Cellars Pvt Ltd have already begun exploring opportunities in the state. Good Drop Wine […]
In a bid to make Uttar Pradesh a leading state in wine production, the Excise Department, in collaboration with Invest UP, has launched efforts to attract top wine manufacturers from Maharashtra and Karnataka. Companies like Sula Vineyards and Good Drop Wine Cellars Pvt Ltd have already begun exploring opportunities in the state.
Good Drop Wine Cellars, a prominent Maharashtra-based wine manufacturer, is setting up a production plant in Rania, Kanpur Dehat. This marks a significant step as Uttar Pradesh has traditionally lagged behind states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa in wine production, mainly due to the absence of grape cultivation.
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However, recent innovations in fruit-based winemaking using mangoes, guavas, jamun, mulberries, bananas, and honey have opened new avenues. These successful experiments have sparked fresh interest among wine producers to invest in UP.
Currently, wine is being produced by companies like Surbhi Wine in Noida, KD Green in Muzaffarnagar, Varni in Saharanpur, and Ambrosia Nature Living near Lucknow in Malihabad. The revival of wine production in Malihabad is particularly noteworthy. MD Singh, whose father had set up a wine plant in 1975 but had to shut it down due to a lack of government support, has now restarted the initiative. His company is producing wine from mangoes, mulberries, cloves, cinnamon, and honey and plans to launch the product next month.
Ashwin Rodrigues, Director of Good Drop Wine and Secretary of the Wine Growers Association of India, stated that their new plant aims to begin production within six months using alternative fruits and honey.
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Excise Commissioner Dr Adarsh Singh said the government is actively supporting the industry by offering a five-year exemption on excise duty and permitting wine companies to set up retail outlets.
With these efforts, Uttar Pradesh is set to establish itself as a promising hub for fruit-based wine production in India.
Home » HEALTH/MEDICINE » IIT Delhi launches MRI research facility to foster innovation in medical imaging New Delhi, July 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) on Saturday announced the launch of a cutting-edge Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) research facility to boost innovations in medical imaging. Established under the Institute of Eminence (IoE) […]
New Delhi, July 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) on Saturday announced the launch of a cutting-edge Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) research facility to boost innovations in medical imaging.
Established under the Institute of Eminence (IoE) initiative, the facility is equipped with a 1.5 Tesla clinical-grade MRI scanner.
It is the first of its kind among leading engineering and technology institutions in India, dedicated exclusively to research and teaching.
Unlike conventional MRI setups embedded within hospital ecosystems, this facility is designed to foster unrestricted innovation in medical imaging, particularly in the field of MRI.
This facility will enable cutting-edge research in various areas across applications in MR imaging, including the development of new contrast agents, acquisition sequences, optimisation of imaging protocols, development of MR-compatible devices, and integration of artificial intelligence in image processing.
“This new research MRI facility will enable research and innovation in imaging and support IIT Delhi’s efforts to create new knowledge at the interface of science, engineering, and medicine to make an impact in healthcare,” said Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi.
Located within the Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME) at IIT Delhi, the facility will initially support research using phantoms and, with appropriate regulatory approvals, will extend to clinical studies involving volunteers.
It will also serve as a hands-on training platform for students enrolled in IIT Delhi medical imaging courses, enhancing their practical exposure to advanced imaging technologies.
According to CBME’s Prof. Anup Singh and Prof. Amit Mehndiratta, who led this visionary initiative, the dream to establish such a facility “was visualised five years ago”.
The facility will offer a new dimension to teaching and learning in medical imaging at the varsity.
It was initiated on July 9 and the first MRI safety session was conducted by the B-MEC Imaging Pvt. Ltd., who installed the MRI scanner.
“This advanced imaging facility will help several researchers from different disciplines at IIT Delhi. This will also open up several opportunities for research collaborations with medical institutes in NCR and across India,” said Prof. Vivek Buwa, Dean of Planning, IIT Delhi.
Source: IANS
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz
It feels like trying to keep pace with everything happening in tech is more challenging than ever – which is why we put together this ‘In Case You Missed It’ round-up each and every week, to bring you right up to speed with everything that’s been going on. And this week has been particularly busy: […]
It feels like trying to keep pace with everything happening in tech is more challenging than ever – which is why we put together this ‘In Case You Missed It’ round-up each and every week, to bring you right up to speed with everything that’s been going on.
And this week has been particularly busy: Samsung launched new foldables and smartwatches, Amazon discounted a vast swathe of products for Prime Day, and Google pushed out even more AI updates for us to make use of.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the company hadn’t yet figured out how to warn users who “are on the edge of a psychotic break.” Something troubling is happening to our brains as artificial intelligence platforms become more popular. Studies are showing that professional workers who use ChatGPT to carry out tasks might lose critical […]
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the company hadn’t yet figured out how to warn users who “are on the edge of a psychotic break.”
Something troubling is happening to our brains as artificial intelligence platforms become more popular. Studies are showing that professional workers who use ChatGPT to carry out tasks might lose critical thinking skills and motivation.
People are forming strong emotional bonds with chatbots, sometimes exacerbating feelings of loneliness. And others are having psychotic episodes after talking to chatbots for hours each day. The mental health impact of generative AI is difficult to quantify in part because it is used so privately, but anecdotal evidence is growing to suggest a broader cost that deserves more attention from both lawmakers and tech companies who design the underlying models.
Meetali Jain, a lawyer and founder of the Tech Justice Law project, has heard from more than a dozen people in the past month who have “experienced some sort of psychotic break or delusional episode because of engagement with ChatGPT and now also with Google Gemini.”
Jain is lead counsel in a lawsuit against Character.AI that alleges its chatbot manipulated a 14-year-old boy through deceptive, addictive, and sexually explicit interactions, ultimately contributing to his suicide. The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, also alleges that Alphabet Inc.’s Google played a key role in funding and supporting the technology interactions with its foundation models and technical infrastructure.
Gen Z and Millennials are in agreement: their obsession with Pokémon may never let up. Despite the Japanese franchise nearing its 30-year anniversary, young men in particular continue to be on a lifelong mission to “catch ‘em all”—and are spending hundreds, sometimes even millions of dollars, collecting trading cards. Part of the “boy math” is […]
Gen Z and Millennials are in agreement: their obsession with Pokémon may never let up.
Despite the Japanese franchise nearing its 30-year anniversary, young men in particular continue to be on a lifelong mission to “catch ‘em all”—and are spending hundreds, sometimes even millions of dollars, collecting trading cards.
Part of the “boy math” is that investing in cards could yield significant returns, and there might be some truth to the matter.
Pokémon cards have seen the largest long-term increase in value among all card categories: up 3,261% over 20 years, according to data provided to Fortune from Card Ladder. Even looking at a one-year investment, the average Pokémon card is increasing at nearly 46%—a pace far exceeding hot stocks like Nvidia so far in 2025 or the S&P 500’s average 12% annual return rate.
While cards have to be rare and in pristine condition to make significant profit, the industry frenzy has left the shelves of retailers like Walmart and Target bare—and even caused some stores to enact limits or pauses on selling altogether. And online, it’s pushing the resale market to new heights.
Users on eBay searched for “Pokemon” nearly 14,000 times per hour in 2024, according to Adam Ireland, VP and GM of global collectibles at eBay. And pairing the Pokémania with continued demand in the sports card world (thanks to athletes like Caitlin Clark and Michael Jordan), it’s created a perfect storm of opportunity for the trading card industry. The total gross value of cards on eBay has increased for nine consecutive quarters.
“The trading card hobby has entered a new era, driven by technology, innovation, community, and a great balance of modern creativity–with new sets, storylines and characters–alongside good old nostalgia,” Ireland tells Fortune.
No other influencer may have driven continued interest in Pokémon cards in particular than Logan Paul. The YouTuber, who is also known for his ventures into professional wrestling, boxing, and entrepreneurship, has spent millions of dollars purchasing cards—and then profiting off the millions of views generated from his content.
“Nostalgia + business = the new art,” he wrote on social media after spending $200,000 on cards.
“These things are appreciating like crazy as collectibles are becoming very low supply, high demand art pieces.”
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Logan Paul wearing a Charizard Pokemon card chain as he entered the ring for a 2021 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather.
In 2022, he broke a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale with the purchase of a PSA Grade 10 (essentially perfect condition) Pikachu Illustrator card for $5.275 million.
“This card cost me more than my ranch. My 84-acre ranch,” Paul said at the time.
Other social platforms, including TikTok, are full of content creators who have dedicated their lives to the purchasing, opening, and reselling of cards.
But for some, the joy of collecting or making a profit doesn’t work out as much as planned, with a recent call into Dave Ramsey’s personal finance vodcast showing just how bad the obsession is gotten for some young men.
“I messed up big. I went behind my pregnant wife’s back and racked up $26K in credit card debt in four months,” the caller said.
“What did you jack up $26K on?” Ramey asked.
“Pokemon cards—trying to buy a bunch and sell them online, but it didn’t work out.”
Like other collectables, trading cards can be considered a “commodity” and even art, according to Jason Howarth, SVP of marketing and athlete relations at Panini America, a sports card company. But whether to consider it a true investment opportunity depends largely on your intentions.
“For some people, they (collect) because they view it as an investment. Others do it for the pure fun of it,” he says.
By and large, most collectors are not going so off the deep end and being overly financially irresponsible, and instead see the hobby as a guilty pleasure. That includes Ryan Hoge, the president of PSA, one of the biggest companies that evaluates the condition and authenticity of trading cards. He said he personally has tens of thousands of cards, but like many, he enjoys collecting them, even if they are stored up in a closet.
“I think sometimes people want to break from the digital, and this is a good outlet for it,” Hoge tells Fortune. And not only do you get to hold something in your hand, but you also get to interact with a community of like minded people that have similar interests.”
Last month, nearly 125,000 fans attended Fanatics’ (which owns trading card company Topps) second annual convention centered around all things sports and collectibles. And the event notably saw influencer and former gymnast Livvy Dunne purchase a card of her professional baseball player boyfriend for $2,850. The National Sports Collectors Convention, which also brings over 100,000 fans, is set for later this summer outside of Chicago.
While the trading card industry was on the brink of extinction following overproduction in the 1990s, it’s since recovered and is booming. Sports cards bring in $1 billion in annual revenue for manufacturers and retailers, according to The Athletic. Pokémon alone brought in a similar number, and was the only toy to surpass $1 billion in sales last year, says Circana data.
And even though over 75 billion Pokémon cards have been produced (enough to wrap around Earth end-to-end 165 times), demand is still skyhigh, according to Barry Sams, vice president of game development and community engagement at The Pokémon Company International.
“With explosion in demand, we’re printing at maximum capacity to deliver the greatest amount of cards possible to fans for current expansions while ensuring we maintain quality standards,” he tells Fortune.
“Those who grew up with Pokémon now have children of their own to share that passion with, and oftentimes, that means revisiting old Pokémon card collections and recreating fond childhood memories as a parent.”
The opportunity within the card industry is causing retailers like GameStop to pay greater attention. The electronics store said in the first quarter of 2025, collectibles, such as Pokémon and sports cards, made up 29% of the company’s sales—outselling video game software.
“We’re focusing on trading cards as a natural extension of our existing business,” GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting last month. “The trading card market, whether it’s sports, Pokémon or collectibles, is aligned with our heritage. It fits our trade and model. It appeals to our core customer base. And it’s deeply embedded in physical retail.”
The industry continues to fascinate even world leaders. During this year’s Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, President Donald Trump was seen with a graded trading card that depicted the assassination attempt on him last year.
And in a recent meeting with a young student, Pope Leo XIV didn’t shy away from the trading card frenzy and was more than happy to sign a “Popplio” Pokemon card.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are, when you get a pack of cards in your hand, the first thing you want to do is rip it open and you hope that you’re going to get that hot rookie, or you’re going to get a player from your favorite team,” says Panini’s Howarth. “If any one of those things happens, you’re ecstatic.”
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