Author: Thefuturedatainsights

When Monik Pamecha co-founded AI voice startup Toma in early 2024, he hadn’t anticipated spending the summer months sweating in Bible Belt car dealerships. He and co-founder Anthony Krivonos were still focused on banking and healthcare customers when the dealers came knocking.  “They just called us up and said ‘we are drowning in phone calls,’” Pamecha described that initial contact in an interview with TechCrunch.  Seeing an opportunity to pivot into a far less-regulated space than banking or healthcare, Pamecha and Krivonos set up a test: They decided to have their voice agent call essentially every car dealership in the…

Anna Barclay | Getty ImagesThe long-running rivalry between the country’s top premium credit cards is about to heat up again.JPMorgan Chase announced last week that a refresh of its Sapphire Reserve — the travel and dining rewards card that went viral when it arrived in 2016 — was imminent.In response, American Express on Monday said that “major” changes were coming to its consumer and business Platinum cards later this year. While short on details, the New York-based card company said that its update would be its largest ever investment in a card refresh.”We are going to double down on the…

Washington, DC – After taking the oath of office for his second term in January, United States President Donald Trump said he would push to “stop all wars” and leave a legacy of a “peacemaker and unifier”. But six months in, missiles are flying across the Middle East after Israel attacked Iran, risking an all-out regional war that could drag US troops into the conflict. The Israeli strikes on Iran, which Trump has all but explicitly endorsed, are now testing the president’s promise to be a harbinger of peace. They are also dividing his base, with many right-wing politicians and commentators…

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. The US-China rivalry is reshaping global supply chains – who benefits most?Supply chain competition between China and the United States is set to intensify over the next five years, with eight developing countries – including four in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – poised to benefit from the relocation of manufacturing from China, according to a recent study.2. China’s economy weathers US tariff storm in May as consumption picks upChina’s economic data sent…

Attendees walk past the closed Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Israeli Pavillon during the 55th edition of the International Paris Air Show at the ParisLe Bourget Airport, in Le Bourget, suburb of Paris on June 16, 2025. Alain Jocard | Afp | Getty ImagesThe stands of at least two major Israeli defense firms were blocked off to attendees at the Paris Air Show on Monday, in a move Israel said was ordered by the French government following a dispute over the displays.Boards were placed around the pavilions of firms including Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which were showcasing examples…

While Silicon Valley executives like those from Palantir, Meta, and OpenAI are grabbing headlines for trading their Brunello Cucinelli vests for Army Reserve uniforms, a quieter transformation has been underway in the U.S. Navy. How so? Well, the Navy’s chief technology officer, Justin Fanelli, says he has spent the last two and a half years cutting through the red tape and shrinking the protracted procurement cycles that once made working with the military a nightmare for startups. The efforts represent a less visible but potentially more meaningful remaking that aims to see the government move faster and be smarter about…

Wing, the on-demand drone delivery company owned by Alphabet, is spreading its commercial wings with help from Walmart. The two companies announced Thursday plans to roll out drone delivery to more than 100 Walmart stores in five new cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. Walmart is also adding Wing drone deliveries to its existing market in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The expansion signals Walmart’s growing confidence in drone delivery. Greg Cathey, who is senior vice president of Walmart’s U.S. Transformation and Innovation department, said drone delivery would remain a key part of its “commitment to redefining retail.” “We’re pushing…

A 65-year-old man has been arrested in Lancashire following an incident in which two sheep were injured by a dog allowed to run off-lead on farmland.Rossendale Police confirmed the arrest on suspicion of sheep worrying and criminal damage, amid growing concern over the crime across the UK.Officers from the force’s Rural Task Force detained the man after he reportedly failed to keep control of his one-year-old German Shepherd, which attacked livestock grazing in the area.The injured sheep were treated for their wounds, while the dog was seized at the scene and remains in police care. The man has been released…

Americans are taking to the streets on Saturday to protest United States President Donald Trump’s policies in thousands of locations across the country. The “No Kings” protests will coincide with a military parade in Washington, DC, marking the US Army’s 250th anniversary, and with Trump’s 79th birthday. The demonstrations are planned after days of protests against immigration arrests in multiple US cities. What are the No Kings protests? Protesters planning to take part in the No Kings demonstrations said they oppose the Trump administration. The organisers’ website said the administration has “defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the…

The recently pardoned founder of Nikola, Trevor Milton, has been fighting a subpoena from the creditors of his bankrupt electric trucking company. The official committee of unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy case sent the subpoena to Milton’s lawyers on April 1, according to a recent filing. Milton owed Nikola nearly $100 million before it filed for bankruptcy in February, which followed an arbitration case with the company in 2023 related to his criminal conviction that he lost. The committee says Milton still hasn’t paid, and is trying to use the subpoena to determine the current state of his financial affairs.…