UK regulator proposes letting developers steer users off Apple and Google payments
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority proposed allowing app developers to direct users toward payment methods outside Apple and Google's app stores. The change would let developers promote cheaper subscription options that the platforms currently prohibit them from mentioning within their applications.
How cricket mothers control the developmental timing of their offspring
Cricket mothers regulate offspring development timing through diapause, a dormancy state that allows eggs to survive harsh seasons. This reproductive strategy enables temperate insects to delay development until environmental conditions become suitable for survival.
How embryonic cells 'read' their boundaries to organize themselves
Mammalian embryonic cells detect their boundaries and position within the cluster to self-organize into defined structures during development. Cells use this spatial information to determine their orientation and establish where the fluid-filled cavity will form, a critical step in early embryonic organization.
Quant funds just suffered their most crippling trading rout this year as momentum stocks flopped
Quantitative trading funds experienced significant losses this week as momentum stocks declined sharply. Despite the recent downturn, quant funds remain substantially ahead of both the S&P 500 and U.S. Treasury returns for 2026.
Straiker raises $64M to secure the AI agents running your company
A startup called Straiker raised $64 million to develop security tools specifically designed to monitor AI agents operating within companies. The funding brings the company's total capital to $85 million as AI agents increasingly enter corporate environments without existing security infrastructure to track them.
Meta AI Releases Brain2Qwerty v2: A Non-Invasive MEG Brain-to-Text Pipeline Decoding Typed Sentences at 61% Word Accuracy
A non-invasive MEG brain-to-text pipeline achieved 61% word accuracy in decoding typed sentences. Meta AI released Brain2Qwerty v2 with open training code available.
The Supreme Court just made it harder for police to track your phone
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that police must obtain a warrant before conducting geofence searches that track phone location data. Geofence searches identify all phones in a specific geographic area during a particular time period, a practice previously used by investigators without judicial approval.
Plasma Wants to Be the First Stablecoin Bank
Plasma is positioning itself as the first stablecoin bank rather than focusing on payments adoption in developed markets. Hundreds of billions of dollars in stablecoins currently circulate globally, though consumer payment adoption at checkout remains limited.
Green Dot Says Embedded Finance Needs Better Math
Embedded finance programs face difficulty measuring customer retention beyond initial attraction. Green Dot's vice president of product argues executives need better analytical methods to evaluate whether embedded finance customers remain engaged.
Entersekt Reframes 3D Secure as a Revenue Recovery Tool
Entersekt repositions 3D Secure technology to recover declined transactions rather than solely prevent fraud. The company shifts focus from measuring security by fraud prevention toward using authentication tools to identify and recover legitimate transactions that were incorrectly rejected.
Household Bills Turn Optimism Into Deferred Purchases
Rising household bills have forced consumers to defer purchases despite maintaining strong spending desire. PYMNTS Intelligence research indicates that financial pressures constrain budgets while purchase appetite remains intact among consumers.
Liquidity Management Becomes the Next Test for Real-Time Payments
Real-time payment networks from The Clearing House and Federal Reserve have expanded access to hundreds of financial institutions. The primary challenge now involves managing liquidity, funding, risk, and cash positioning to support rapid money movement without creating operational strain.
How People Without Degrees Are Snagging Corporate Jobs in the U.K.
People without university degrees are securing corporate positions in the U.K. tech sector. Bruce Devlin, 26, advanced to senior quality engineer at software testing company 2i after two promotions in four years without holding a degree.
23% of Bridge Millennials Use 4 or More Financial Coping Tactics
Twenty-three percent of Bridge Millennials employ four or more financial coping tactics to manage rising living costs. The finding comes from a PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 2,747 U.S. consumers examining how younger people are adapting to higher expenses.
Invest Now, Win Later: How Buy Now, Pay Later Became a Merchant Growth Strategy
Buy now, pay later services have become a significant payment method affecting customer behavior and merchant revenue. Shoppers using BNPL spend more, purchase more frequently, and return at higher rates than other customers.
Tiny new marsupial species, not seen in two decades, confirmed from museum specimens
A new marsupial species weighing just a couple of grams has been confirmed from museum specimens in Australia's Northern Territory and named the Arnhem Plateau planigale. The tiny rock-dwelling carnivore, which is among the world's smallest marsupials, was identified from specimens not observed in the wild for two decades.
Scientists may have finally found how Alzheimer's spreads through the brain
A brain protein transports toxic Tau proteins from damaged neurons to healthy ones, potentially explaining how Alzheimer's spreads. Researchers propose that blocking these harmful protein packages could slow the disease's progression through the brain.
Visa Brings Card Acceptance to SMB Smartphones
Smartphone payment acceptance capabilities were added to Visa Pay, Visa Accept, and Visa Direct for small businesses in emerging markets. The offerings allow financial institutions, wallet providers, and platform partners to facilitate card transactions through mobile devices.
How DR Congo’s football team became a rare source of national unity
The Democratic Republic of Congo qualified for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 52 years after winning 3-1 against Uzbekistan with two goals from Yoane Wissa. The team will face England in the last 32 round.
Every World Cup needs a cult hero: 2026 has given us touchline dreamboat Sebastián Beccacece
# Summary Sebastián Beccacece, Ecuador's manager, has become a notable figure at the 2026 World Cup tournament, characterized by his energetic demeanor and stylish presence on the sidelines. World Cup spectators enjoy observing managers' distinct personalities and coaching styles, with Beccacece representing one of several memorable touchline personalities alongside figures like Carlo Ancelotti and Luis de la Fuente.
Scientists say creatine may help fight depression
A review of five clinical trials involving 238 participants examined whether creatine could treat depression by boosting brain energy. Two studies showed that adding creatine to standard treatment improved symptoms in women with major depressive disorder, while three studies found no meaningful benefit.
Bangladesh unveils sweeping EV incentives to cut emissions and pollution
Bangladesh eliminated heavy taxes on electric vehicles and replaced them with incentives to reduce emissions and pollution. Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury announced the new EV policy in his June 11 budget speech for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
‘I’d do it again’: Ronald Koeman defiant in defeat after the Netherlands sent home
The Netherlands were eliminated from the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Morocco decided by penalty shootout in the last-32 tie. Coach Ronald Koeman said he would reflect on his future after they lost despite leading at the start of added time.
Meituan open sources LongCat-2.0, the 1.6T, near-frontier agentic coding model that's been leading OpenRouter — trained entirely on Chinese chips
Meituan released LongCat-2.0, a 1.6-trillion-parameter coding model with a 1-million-token context window, under an MIT license. The model previously ranked top on OpenRouter as "Owl Alpha" and offers promotional pricing of $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens.
How SpaceX wants to fuel Starship’s next phase with a Texas pipeline
SpaceX will build an eight-mile pipeline next month to supply natural gas to its Starbase complex for converting into liquid methane fuel. The pipeline aims to support the company's goal of 25 or more Starship launches annually by reducing fuel transportation time and costs.
Binance to Limit Crypto Services for EU Users After Withdrawing MiCA License Bid in Greece
Binance will restrict cryptocurrency services for EU users starting July 1, 2026, after withdrawing its bid for authorization under the EU's Markets in Crypto Assets regulation in Greece. The exchange cited regulatory challenges and the need to focus resources on existing licensed operations.
‘I am not someone who runs away’: Nagelsmann will not quit after Germany exit
Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann announced he will not resign following the team's penalty shootout loss to Paraguay in the World Cup last 32. Nagelsmann stated he would continue in the role if the German Football Association wants him to remain.
Private Credit Is Enabling BNPL Adoption Despite Mounting Debt Concerns
Private credit firms are investing billions to fund buy now, pay later services, enabling rapid sector expansion despite regulatory and analyst concerns about consumer debt risks. BNPL platforms allow shoppers to split purchases into smaller installments with more flexible payment terms.
JPMorgan Executives Say Banking Rules Should Apply to Digital Assets
JPMorgan executives stated that banking safeguards should be included in any digital assets framework established by the United States. Umar Farooq, global co-head of J.P. Morgan Payments, and Peter Muriungi, CEO of Digital Assets and Blockchain Solutions, published an article on June 29 advocating for durable protections in digital asset regulation.
He hid a marriage proposal in a Game Boy game. It took his girlfriend 4 years to find it.
A man embedded a marriage proposal in a Game Boy game cartridge, which his girlfriend did not discover for four years. She eventually found the hidden message while playing the game after he repeatedly encouraged her to use the device.