Google

Sept. 19 (UPI) — Russian fighter jets on Friday flew into Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, a move the country called a “brazen intrusion.”

Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna confirmed the “violation of Estonia’s airspace,” in a statement on X.

“Three Russian MiG-31s entered our airspace over the Gulf of Finland for 12 minutes. This is an unprecedented and brazen intrusion – clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression,” Tsahkna said in the post.

“Such actions cannot be tolerated and must be met with swift political and economic pressure.”

Tsahkna said Estonia would be summoning Russia’s top diplomat to demand an explanation.

The incursion by the Russian supersonic interceptor aircraft marks the fourth such violation of Estonian airspace so far this year.

“Russia has already violated Estonia’s airspace four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable. But today’s incursion, involving three fighter aircraft entering our airspace is unprecedentedly brazen,” Tsahkna said in a statement.

“Russia’s increasingly extensive testing of boundaries and growing aggressiveness must be met with a swift increase in political and economic pressure.”

The Russian military had not commented publicly on the report as of noon Friday.

International lawmakers quickly pledged support for Estonia.

“Russia is showing the full extent of its contempt for diplomacy and international law,”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X.

“Europe stands with Estonia in the face of Russia’s latest violation of our airspace. We will respond to every provocation with determination while investing in a stronger Eastern flank. As threats escalate, so too will our pressure. I call on EU leaders to swiftly approve our 19th sanctions package.”

The news comes as Russia overnight launched some 90 drones in a major attack on Ukraine.

Nvidia (NVDA 3.52%) enjoys great relationships with some of the biggest tech companies on the planet. Its customer base includes the three largest cloud service providers: Amazon (AMZN -0.16%), Microsoft (MSFT -0.30%), and Google parent Alphabet (GOOG 1.04%) (GOOGL 1.06%).

However, Nvidia’s reach isn’t limited to the biggest of the big. It also works closely with many rising stars. CoreWeave (CRWV 0.39%) is arguably the most prominent example, especially considering that Nvidia has a multibillion-dollar stake in the AI-focused hyperscaler.

It stands to reason that Nvidia wants all these partners to succeed. But did the GPU giant just help Amazon, Microsoft, and Google at CoreWeave’s expense?

Image source: Getty Images.

Nvidia’s retreat

Nvidia launched DGX Cloud in 2023. The company billed the new platform as a way for enterprises to get immediate access to Nvidia’s AI supercomputers so they could train generative AI and other advanced AI models.

But Nvidia appears to be retreating from this market. The Information, a website that focuses on technology industry news, recently reported that Nvidia is primarily using DGX Cloud for internal use now instead of marketing the platform to customers.

Is there other evidence that supports the view that Nvidia is shifting its strategy? Maybe. In the past, Nvidia highlighted its DGX Cloud services when discussing cloud spending commitments in its quarterly 10-Q filings. In the company’s update for the second quarter of 2025, though, DGX Cloud wasn’t mentioned in this context.

Instead of marketing the DGX Cloud platform to customers, Nvidia appears to be focusing now on its Lepton GPU rental marketplace. CEO Jensen Huang explained in the May 2025 announcement of Lepton that the new service “connects our network of global GPU cloud providers with AI developers.”

Helping the “big three,” hurting CoreWeave?

Some industry observers saw DGX Cloud as a move for Nvidia to compete against the major cloud service providers. But Nvidia rented GPUs from CoreWeave to use with DGX Cloud. Could the company’s reported move to back away from marketing DGX Cloud help Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud while hurting CoreWeave? The short answer is “no.”

For one thing, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud host DGX Cloud. Although AWS didn’t, there’s no solid proof that Nvidia’s cloud platform hurt its business.

A retreat from DGX Cloud wouldn’t hurt CoreWeave, either. CoreWeave recently disclosed that Nvidia will purchase $6.3 billion of its unused cloud computing capacity through April 13, 2032.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Nvidia might not be retreating from DGX Cloud as reported by The Information after all. According to Data Center Dynamics, Alexis Bjorlin, who is Nvidia’s vice president and general manager for DGX Cloud, said, “DGX Cloud is fully utilized and oversubscribed, and we are expanding its scale.”

Winners all around

Whatever Nvidia’s strategy with DGX Cloud is, I don’t think CoreWeave has anything to worry about. My view is that all of these stocks — Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and CoreWeave — are poised to be big winners over the long run.

The AI boom doesn’t appear to be slowing down. That’s great news for Nvidia because more of its GPUs will be needed. It’s great news for Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and CoreWeave because their cloud platforms will continue to enjoy tremendous demand.

It’s possible that the momentum could even accelerate. I think Nvidia’s technological advances will play a key role, if so. For example, the company plans to launch Rubin CPX, a new class of GPUs built for massive-context inference, in late 2026. This new technology could pave the way for an explosion in the use of AI in software development and long-form video creation.

As the smallest of the group, CoreWeave might have the most room to run. However, I expect all five of these top AI stocks will deliver tremendous gains over the next 10 years and beyond.

Sept. 18 (UPI) — Major U.S. companies are set to invest a record $205 billion in Britain over the next decade, creating thousands of jobs across the four countries of the United Kingdom, the government said in an announcement timed to coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump‘s state visit.

Investment giant Blackstone will put in the bulk of the money, about $123 billion, along with $46 billion from Microsoft, NVIDIA and Google into AI projects and data centers, according to a Business Department news release.

Prologis will pump another $5.3 billion into the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, as well as investments to support life sciences, advanced manufacturing and rail infrastructure, while tech company Palantir is set to invest $2 billion.

Hailing what he said was the largest commercial package ever secured during a State Visit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deals were a “testament to Britain’s economic strength and a bold signal that our country is open, ambitious, and ready to lead.”

“When we back British brilliance, champion our world-class industries, and forge deeper global alliances — especially with friends like the United States — we help shape the future for generations to come and make people across the country better off,” Starmer said. “Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it’s exactly what this State Visit is delivering.”

Prologis U.K. regional head Paul Weston said the move demonstrated the firm’s determination to support innovation and deliver the sustainable infrastructure base critical to the U.K.’s long-term economic growth. 

“Our investment ambitions for the expansion of Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal are backing two of the U.K.’s most critical sectors: life sciences and logistics,” said Weston.

However, the money will not all be flowing in one direction.

British firms are set to invest upwards of $73 billion in the United States over the next five years, led by pharma-giant GSK and BP, plus tech, banks and insurers.

U.K. public sector contracts with U.S. companies, mostly in the spheres of tech and defense, helping run critical services such as the National Health Service and weather forecasting, will add another $60 billion to that figure.

Meanwhile, the state visit by Trump, credited with oiling all the deals, culminated Wednesday night with a grand state banquet in his honor in Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Hall attended by 160 guests at which he was seated with King Charles on one side and Catherine, Princess of Wales, on the other.

In speeches, the king and Trump spoke at length about the special U.K.-U.S. relationship with Charles highlighting the shared history of the two nations fighting alongside each other in two world wars and praising Trump’s dedication to “finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.”

“Our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear,” said the King.

Trump said “special” didn’t even come close.

“I have such respect for you and such respect for your country for many decades. The word special does not begin to do it justice,” he said, addressing the king.

The visit was set to continue Thursday with Trump traveling to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s country residence in Buckinghamshire for bilateral talks and a summit with business leaders, while First Lady Melania Trump will remain at Windsor Castle to attend events with Queen Camilla and Princess Kate.

Sept. 15 (UPI) — Shares of Google‘s parent company Alphabet soared on Monday, pushing the tech conglomerate’s market capitalization past the $3 trillion mark for the first time.

The development puts the search engine giant among a handful of other tech companies that have reached the milestone, which include Apple and Microsoft, as well as AI chipmaker Nvidia. Shares of Alphabet were up by more than 4% and were hovering at around $250 as of Monday afternoon.

The company’s all-time high follows its precipitous stock rise that began in early September when a federal judge ruled that Google would not have to sell off its Chrome browser or Android operating system. The ruling by Judge Amit Mehta was in response to antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department accusing the company of running illegal search engine monopoly.

The ruling meant that Google dodged some of the most consequential remedies sought by federal prosecutors and Mehta still ordered the company to share some search engine data with rivals. The order also barred Google from contracts with other companies making its search engine and other products the default options on their products.

Stock market analysts anticipated the asendance of Alphabet’s stock following the ruling, and the company’s gains Monday account for nearly a third of its value this year, reported Investopedia.

The milestone for Google comes nearly two decades after the company’s first IPO when it began selling publicly traded stocks.

Sept. 12 (UPI) — Apple is postponing the release of the latest version of its iPhone in China over regulatory issues related to the company’s eSIM, a digital version of a traditional SIM card used in wireless phones.

China’s three large telecom companies have yet to obtain the necessary approval from the country’s government to sell devices using the eSIM technology.

Apple China’s website has a message that says “release information will be updated later,” for the new iPhone Air.

The California-based tech giant announced this week it would start selling the ultra-thin iPhone Air, as well as the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, on Sept. 19.

Global pre-orders for the devices began Friday.

The iPhone 17 uses the traditional, physical SIM card that can be removed from the device.

The iPhone Air does not contain the chip, with the eSIM built into the phone.

“It’s eSIM only, and so we were able to take the battery and extend the battery to areas that previously had the physical cell,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said Friday during an interview with CNBC.

The iPhone Air is the company’s thinnest so far, coming in at 0.22 inches.

The base model of the phones is expected to retail for $799.

Sept. 9 (UPI) — Ukrainian drones struck the Russian city of Sochi early Tuesday morning hours after President Vladimir Putin joined a virtual meeting with other world leaders from the Black Sea vacation destination.

Russian air defenses intercepted 31 Ukrainian drones in the attack, shooting down about half over the Black Sea in the overnight attack, military officials told the state-run TASS news agency.The attack damaged six homes and killed one person in Sochi after drone debris fell on the car he was driving, Krasnodar Region Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev, told TASS.

The strike came in response to Russia’s growing wave of drone attacks that are meant to overwhelm Ukraine‘s air defenses. The same morning, more than 20 people in Ukraine waiting in lines for pensions were killed by a Russian drone attack.

While it’s unclear if Putin was in Sochi during the attack, the Russian leader was at his residence in the city where he participated in a video conference with other leaders in BRICS, an intergovernmental organization intended to be a counterweight to the United States and Europe, according to a Kremlin readout.

Hours earlier a Il-96-300PU aircraft of the Rossiya squadron arrived in Sochi, reported the independent news outlet Agentstvo, citing flight data. That plane had the tail number RA-96024, which was the same as the aircraft Putin used to fly to Alaska to meet with President Donald Trump last month, according to the new outlet.

Russian authorities closed the airport in Sochi in response to the attacks, reported independent new outlet Meduza.

Sochi hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics and is regarded as Russia’s top resort city. Putin previously spent weeks at his residence “Bocharov Ruchey” in Sochi but has avoided visiting the city since Ukraine increased drone strikes, according to the news outlet.

In this podcast, Motley Fool contributors Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss:

• Google keeps Chrome.
• Kraft Heinz to split.
• An IPO frenzy.

To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool’s free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you’re ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy.

A full transcript is below.

This podcast was recorded on Sept. 03, 2025.

Travis Hoium: Alphabet stock is up 9% today. Did the courts save Google’s cash cow? Motley Fool Money starts now. Welcome to Motley Fool Money. I’m Travis Hoium joined by Lou Whiteman and Rachel Warren. Let’s start with the big news today, and that is Alphabet. The stock is soaring today. After the market closed on Tuesday, we learned that Google, will technically still a monopoly isn’t going to have to change a lot about its business, not going to have to spin off Chrome or Android. They can still pay to be the default on devices like the iPhone. That’s going to be a benefit for Apple as well. There were some changes. They have to share data with competitors. We don’t know exactly what those details are going to look like. The idea is to bring more competition into the market, but ironically, OpenAI and the competition from artificial intelligence may have saved Google’s massive search business. What did you take away from this, Rachel?

Rachel Warren: I think this is definitely a case that shareholders in Alphabet like myself have been watching closely for a while now, and I think the key takeaway here is, Alphabet has avoided the worst case scenario that I think a lot of investors had feared, and shareholders like myself should be happy with that. But I think there’s also been a lot of confusion around this case, trying to understand why is this so important to Alphabet’s future as a business? Well, Chrome plays a really instrumental role. Really in the ecosystem that Alphabet has, it’s a key distribution channel for its profitable Google search business, its advertising services. The Chrome browser itself isn’t directly monetized, but it has this key and dominant market position, and so that allows Alphabet to maintain control over user data, over the flow of Internet traffic. It also reinforces the dominance of Google search, because Chrome has been set historically as the default search engine. It’s also a really crucial mechanism for collecting data on user browsing habits. It serves as a really key entry point to the broader Google ecosystem. It encourages users to adopt other products, like Gmail, Google accounts, their AI product, Gemini. I haven’t wavered on my thesis for this business. We’ve seen the stock really beaten down in the last months in anticipation of this ruling. Shares soaring today. I think that this ruling reinforces the strength of the business as it moves forward in the AI revolution, and I think investors should be happy with these results.

Travis Hoium: Lou, this is one of the companies that has been the cheapest in the Mag 7 for quite a while. Earlier this year, trading for less than 20 times earnings. We’re now up to 22, 23 times earnings, but it seems like this is a sigh of relief for a lot of investors in Alphabet, given that Google, and we’re going to use these names interchangeably, but Alphabet is the parent company, Google is the business that we all probably know and use, but it’s a sigh of relief for investors right now.

Lou Whiteman: Google’s to cash cow. For these purposes, we can go ahead and talk. This is Google. It isn’t status quo. I think, the lawyers would argue with me on that, and both sides are going to appeal because that’s what they do. But as far as we need to look at it, it is the status quo, that the important tenants that have made Alphabet the business they are, that they remain. I think, Travis, the lesson for investors here is, yes, it’s underperformed. I think a lot of that has been just vague fears but antitrust. We probably were too clever for our own good beating the stock down, worrying about this stuff. Yes, we’re getting a bounce back rally here. We were probably overly worried about it before, but the Alphabet we know, this cash cow generate money making machine, there’s still threats out there, but the government isn’t going to break it up. We can just keeping on.

Travis Hoium: One of the reasons they’re not breaking it up that I thought was really interesting in the opinion was because of artificial intelligence and companies like OpenAI. They basically said, you know what? A few years ago, I believe the term was a no fly zone for investors, and then said, you know what? There’s hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into these AI companies that have explicitly said they’re going after Google’s business. Lou is, this one of these cases where disruption or the potential for disruption came out of nowhere? This suit was filed long before ChatGPT was launched. OpenAI existed at that time, but ChatGPT was not the name that it is today. Now you do have this vector of competition that has allowed Google to keep these points of strength and maybe give it a little bit of a leg up, trying to compete with these companies that everybody thinks is going to disrupt the core search business.

Lou Whiteman: Definitely. It’s a fascinating case. I guess, to the court’s credit, they did adapt at times. Because the court wasn’t stuck in the past here, which they could have been. But now, look, disruption is real. As an investor, you always have to be watching all things. We were so focused on the court case. I don’t think we’ve ignored AI, but I do think, AI is coming, whether or not that’s a threat to Google or an opportunity both, probably. But it’s funny to think about how the world has changed since this suit was first filed. I think the court appropriately reflected that change in their decision. They’re not anchored in the past, which they could have been.

Travis Hoium: Rachel, one of the companies that we probably aren’t talking enough about today is Apple. Apple is the company that is getting that $20 billion or so check from Alphabet, from Google, every single year to be the default on the search engine. That’s one of the things that was kept in place in this. They can pay for this. The logic here was pretty interesting. It wasn’t that this wasn’t going to help Google maintain its previous monopoly status. It was going to harm the ecosystem. That check that they write gets the most attention. But if you think about companies like Mozilla, I think, it’s 80% of Mozilla’s revenue comes from a similar deal with Google to be paid to be the default search engine. If that money goes away, Mozilla has a really hard time building their browser. But this is a big benefit for Apple, who’s going to continue getting this cash cow, for essentially doing nothing but saying, hey, default is Google.

Rachel Warren: Well, even though Alphabet can’t enter into deals that would prevent other search engines or browsers from being pre-installed on different devices, as you noted, it can continue to pay these fees to distributors. Apple being a key entity there to be that go to or default search engine. There is a real positive impact for Apple, which interestingly, hasn’t seemed to really respond in terms of a share price perspective, the same way that we’ve seen Alphabet shares rocket today, but that essentially secures what is something like an annual payment of $20 billion from Google for being the default search engine on iPhone. There are certainly reverberations from this ruling that go far beyond just the Alphabet ecosystem.

Travis Hoium: Final question for both of you, and just to put some numbers on Apple. Apple stocks actually down as we’re recording. We’re about an hour into trading on Wednesday. That’s a shocker to me, because I think that was really financially the biggest risk if they were deemed not able to pay that fee to Apple to be the default search engine, that could have just been money that Google kept rather than paying to Apple. But the market is not seeing it that way. Alphabet stock is up about 8% as we’re recording. We now know that this is at least for now behind us. Lou said that there are going to be appeals. Rachel, I’ll start with you. Do you own shares, and does this make you more bullish or does it change your thesis with Alphabet at all?

Rachel Warren: Interestingly, I own shares of both Alphabet and Apple. Speaking to Alphabet specifically, I think my thesis on the company remains unchanged. I had not been, perhaps, as alarmed by what we had been seeing in this particular element of the antitrust case in recent months as, perhaps, the market’s broader reflection was. I had an inkling that this would be something that would perhaps end in Alphabet’s favor, based on just the trends we’re seeing in the AI space. I think, as Lou mentioned, the judge’s ruling was very much within the context of the changes we are seeing rapidly amid the AI revolution. For Alphabet shareholders like myself, I think this really bolsters the underlying thesis that this is a business that has a really key role to play in the AI space moving forward.

Lou Whiteman: I don’t know, neither. I’m the Mag 7 through all my mutual funds, so I just don’t bother. But I will say, Alphabet still looks intriguing to me. We were caught up in this anti trust thing. We’re still caught up in the AI threat that could be an opportunity. There’s always dramas. There’s always something to worry about. Alphabet is a really well run good company. I think buy good companies for the long haul, focus on that long haul. I think it works here. I think if I was to buy a Mag 7, Alphabet would be on the top of my list.

Travis Hoium: Alphabet is another one that I own, as well. I just have not understood why this was so overlooked by the market, but maybe that sentiment is going to be changing just for a little bit of perspective. They’re still growing their revenue double digits. Apple, three-year growth rate 1.8% on a compound annual basis. Yet, Google even after today’s move is trading for about 22 times earnings. Apple’s trading for 35 times earnings. Maybe we see an inversion of those in the future, but I think Alphabet is probably much better positioned today knowing that they’re going to keep Chrome and Android in house. When we come back, we’re going to talk about the resplit of Kraft Heinz, and Lou is going to explain what dis-synergies are. You’re listening to Motley Fool Money.

Welcome back to Motley Fool Money. Kraft Heinz has plan to split again into companies that they are currently calling Global Taste Elevation and American Grocery Company, inspiring names coming out of Kraft Heinz. The other thing that they talked about was the dis-synergies of this deal. Lou, this has been, I think, probably a failure up and down. It’s hard to look at this merger, what was it a decade ago and see really any positives. But first of all, what are these dis-synergies? What are you taking of this resplit of the company?

Lou Whiteman: Those terrible names are probably the icing on the cake. They’re the perfect final chapter of this. Dis-synergy seems like the perfect term because there is no way this drives efficiency, getting smaller, doubling up back off, because everything we talk about when we talk about the advantage of M&A, they are getting rid of. They are using terms like simplicity, but for logistics, for negotiating just share in grocery stores, scale matters. Bottom line here, Travis, like you said, this has been a disaster. This has been a failure of management. The deal made sense. The compelling, if you get it right, made sense, but the execution was wrong. Now it’s back to the drawing board. They’ve already divested some assets. Honest to God, I wonder if that isn’t just a better way to go here, see what they can sell off to others, because scale does make sense, but it has to be scale in the hands of a management team that knows what to do with it.

Travis Hoium: This seemed to be, at least when the deal was initially announced, a management team that should have known what they were doing. 3G ran the deal. Buffett was involved. Rachel, how does this go so wrong for investors, because this seemed like one of those slam dunk businesses. Kraft and Heinz aren’t going anywhere. Turns out they are.

Rachel Warren: Look, I mean, the namesake brands aren’t going anywhere, even if they’re under different entities moving forward. But it’s very fair to say that this merger, which was engineered by Buffett along with 3G Capital back in 2015, it has not performed as expected. There’s been a lot of challenges for the Kraft Heinz business in particular. I mean, that’s very much been reflected in the share price of the company in recent years. There’s been a shifting consumer preference toward healthier options and away from a lot of the process products that Kraft Heinz sells. They have, as a business, had to enact significant asset write downs. All of this has created a picture of difficulty for the business, and it’s also been a difficult dynamic for Berkshire Hathaway. This is a company that is the largest shareholder of Kraft Heinz. They hold a 27.5% stake in the business. Buffett has been doing the interview rounds the last few days. He said he believes this is code a repudiation of the original vision of the 2015 merger. There’s a lot that’s gone wrong with the business the last few years. It’s really unclear, though, whether trying to turn the ship around, so to speak, from that decision made a decade ago is actually going to solve the problems that Kraft Heinz is facing.

Travis Hoium: Lou, I’m going to put you on the spot. We have two companies. I’m going to know which one you like better. Global Taste Elevation, $15.4 billion in 2024 sales, $4 billion in adjusted EBITDA. They will have Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese, Craft Mac & Cheese or you get North American Grocery, $10.4 billion in sales, 2.3 billion in adjusted EBITDA. You get craft singles and lunchables. Which one are you taking?

Lou Whiteman: Probably want to take the first one, but gosh, you can’t get enough craft singles. The world revolves on craft signals.

Travis Hoium: Which one do you want, Rachel?

Rachel Warren: I got to say, Global Taste Elevation just sounds more exciting as a business.

Travis Hoium: It just rolls off the tongue.

Rachel Warren: It really does. It’s just so easy to say. Say it 10 times fast.

Travis Hoium: When we come back, we are going to talk about the hot IPO market. You’re listening to Motley Fool Money.

Welcome back to Motley Fool Money. The IPO market has suddenly opened up again with some huge IPOs from Circle Figma and Chime already this year, and we learned that Klarna, Figure Technology Solutions and Gemini Space Solutions are pricing their offerings. Stripe and Databricks seem to be waiting in the wings. Is this a healthy IPO market? Are we entering some 2021 style frenzy, given some of these stocks? I think Circle was up almost 10X from its IPO price. What do you think is going on here, Rachel?

Rachel Warren: I think, first, it is worth noting. In July of this year, we saw the most IPOs since November of 2021. We have seen a lot of recent IPOs really focus on areas around AI, crypto. There’s been a lot of strong first day or first week’s gains. There’s been a lot of focus as well in the IPO space this year on Fintech and other service oriented business. I don’t think it’s a one-to-one with what we saw in 2021. We obviously haven’t reached those levels yet in terms of companies entering the public markets, but it’s also a very different environment for the market for investors. A lot of these companies that are going public are tech, blockchain, crypto companies. With the passage of the Genius Act, there’s been a heightened appetite for those types of businesses. I think that that is very much being reflected in the types of companies that are now entertaining public offerings. Klarna, we’ve been waiting for a long time for them to actually formally announce their IPO after they had halted those plans earlier in the year. They’re targeting a valuation of up to $14 billion in their US IPO. Figure is another blockchain lender that said they’re going to go public. They’re looking at a valuation of about four billion. Then notably, you have Gemini. That’s the crypto exchange that was co-founded by the Winklevoss Twins, and they’re looking for a valuation around 2.2 billion. I think a lot of this is hype around AI and crypto, not all of it, certainly, but as always, it’s so important to take each company on its merits. The opportunities are there, but there’s a lot of hype and excitement right now, and sometimes differentiating that from a viable business, I think, can be really tough in this market.

Travis Hoium: Lou, IPOs are good. We need to have exits for some of these companies that have been staying private for longer than we have seen historically. Amazon and NVIDIA came public in the 1990s. When they were really small businesses, we don’t really see that today, even a company like Figure, Circle very well established, if Stripe does come public, that’s been rumored for what seems like a decade at this point. But how are you thinking about the IPO market that we have today, and potentially, considering these investments?

Lou Whiteman: For some context, yes. We’ve had a couple of hundred IPOs already this year. That’s up from 154 in ’23, so we are up. But there are over 1,000 in 2021. We are not anywhere near that level. Travis, I think a lot of a frenzy, and I do think there is some frenzy. But like you say, these are names that they’re quite mature. We know the names. There is just this demand because there’s built in familiarity. We want these companies. But look, the best advice is that, two things can be true at the same time. These can be great companies, and there can be a frenzy that makes the IPO dangerous. I think both of those things are true. If you look at Figma, Figma has lost half of its value since August 1st. I welcome these companies to the public. This is much different than the SPAC boom when it was all pre-revenue. I think this is healthy. But if I’m an investor, I’m not diving in on Day 1. I’m going to let these things play out. I don’t know if all of them will do what Figma did, but I think patience is the best bet now. If these companies are as good as we think they are, you can get in after a couple of months and still do fine over time.

Travis Hoium: One example with that is CoreWeave, and this is something we need to consider as well, there’s typically some lockup period for insiders who are not selling during the IPO. Their lockup period just ended. I believe insiders sold seven million shares of CoreWeave. Lou, that may just be another reason to wait it out. It’s OK to be six months late not get in on Day 1. Even some of the best companies in the world, Facebook [Meta‘s] traded below its IPO price. That was, I think, the first few weeks, but eventually the hype cycle typically wears off, whether it’s 2022 or 2023 that you jump into those 2021 IPOs or whether it’s just a few months later.

Lou Whiteman: Exactly. Look, everybody loves the excitement on Day 1. You love the pop. You love all that, but real wealth is created over the next five, 10 years by investing in good company, so you don’t have to be in Day 1.

Travis Hoium: Even getting in late on a IPO, like Google, a few years late would have been very good for investors, so something to keep in mind with that long-term. As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talk about and the Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don’t buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows Motley Fool editorial standards, and is not approved by advertisers. Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. To see our Fool advertising disclosure, please check out our show notes. For Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren, Dan Boyd, behind the glass, and the entire Motley Fool team, I’m Travis Hoium. Thanks for listening to Motley Fool Money. We’ll see you here tomorrow.

Sept. 5 (UPI) — The European Commission on Friday fined Google $3.455 billion for violating the European Union’s anti-competitive practices in advertising technology, prompting a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose higher tariffs.

Earlier this week, a U.S. federal judge ordered the U.S.-headquartered company to hand over its search results and some data to rival companies. The Justice Department challenged Google’s dominance in online search. But Google avoided having to sell off its Chrome browser or Android operating system.

The DOJ also is suing Google in another advertising case with the trial set to start later this month.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the fine is “effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American Investments and Jobs.

“We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies.”

In a follow-up post five minutes later, Trump said Google has paid in the past “13 Billion in false claims and charged for a total of $16.5 Billion.”

On July 27, Trump reached a deal with EU in July for a 15% levy on most imports from Europe. The European bloc agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S., and invest $600 billion more in other areas.

The European Commission, which represents 27 nations, said it fined Google “for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry (‘adtech’). It did so by favoring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers,” according to a news release.

Google has 60 days how it intends to “bring these self-preferencing practices to an end and to implement measures to cease its inherent conflicts of interest along the adtech supply chain.”

The commission noted that advertisers and publishers rely on digital tools for the placement of real-time ads not linked to a search query, such as banner ads in websites of newspapers.

The EC began investigating Google in 2021. Investigators found that since 2014 Google “abused such dominant positions in breach of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.”

“Today’s decision shows that Google abused its dominant position in adtech harming publishers, advertisers and consumers,” Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s top antitrust regulator, said in a statement. “Google must now come forward with a serious remedy to address its conflicts of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies.

“Digital markets exist to serve people and must be grounded in trust and fairness. And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power. True freedom means a level playing field, where everyone competes on equal terms and citizens have a genuine right to choose.

Google plans to appeal.

“There’s nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before,” Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s global head of regulatory affairs, said in a statement to The New York Times.

A variety of businesses, small and large, advertise on Google’s search engine. Google’s automated system finds and indexes webpages. In 2024, Google began providing artificial intelligence summaries through AI Mode.

Google has an 89.93% woldwide market share of search engines with Microsoft Bing second at 3.95%, Russia’s Yandex third at 2.21% and Apollo Global Management’s Yahoo fourth at 1.48%, according to StatCounter.

Google processes approximately 16.4 billion searches per day.

In 2023, Google had $264.59 billion in ad revenue, mainly from search, according to Statista. The company’s total revenue was 305.63 billion.

Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who developed a search algorithm called “BackRub” at Stanford University. In 2021, the ad revenue was 70 million.

The name Google is a misspelling of Googol, the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Google’s parent company is Alphabet, which was formed in 2015 through restructuring. It is the world’s third-largest tech company in terms of revenue behind Amazon and Apple. Alphabet’s total revenue was $350 billion in 2024 with the market capitalization now $2.83 trillion.

In mid-day trading on Nasdaq, Alphabet’s stock was up $1.59 to $233.89.

Besides Chrome, Android and its search engine, other Google businesses include Google Cloud, Google Maps and Waze, Google Pixel, Next and YouTube.

Tech giant fined for third time in a week after being hit with multimillion-dollar penalties in US and France.

The European Union has imposed a penalty of 2.95 billion euros ($3.45bn) on Google for favouring its own advertising services, marking the fourth time the tech giant has been fined in its decade-long fight with the bloc’s competition regulators.

The European Commission accused Google of distorting competition in the 27-nation bloc after investigating a complaint from the European Publishers Council, moving to rein in the tech firm despite threats of retaliation from United States President Donald Trump.

EU competition chief Teresa Ribera had originally planned to hand out the fine on Monday, but delayed her move after meeting opposition from EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic over concerns about the potential impact on US promises to lower tariffs on European cars under a trade deal agreed in July.

The Commission said Google favoured its own online display technology services to the detriment of rivals and online publishers and that it has abused its market power from 2014 until today.

“Google abused its dominant position in adtech, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behaviour is illegal under EU antitrust rules,” Ribera said on Friday.

Regulators had been probing Google over adtech since 2021 and in 2023 recommended the company sell part of its ad services to ensure fair competition.

Google, a subsidiary of US tech giant Alphabet, criticised the EU decision and said it would challenge it in court.

Lee-Anne Mulholland, the firm’s global head of regulatory affairs, said it required “changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money”.

“There’s nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before,” she added.

Ribera said Google had to come forward with a “serious remedy to address its conflicts of interest”, warning that failure to do so would invite “strong remedies”.

The company has 60 days to inform the Commission how it plans to comply with this order.

The fine was the third imposed on the giant in a week. A US federal jury on Wednesday ordered Google to pay about $425m for gathering information from smartphone app use, even when people opted for privacy settings.

The same day, France’s data protection authority fined the search giant 325 million euros ($378m) for failing to respect the law on internet cookies.

US tech giant says jury decision misunderstands its products and it will appeal.

Google has been told by a US jury to pay $425m for violating the privacy of tens of millions of users who opted out of a feature tracking app use.

The jury in San Francisco handed down the verdict on Wednesday after a group of Google users accused the tech giant of continuing to collect data from third-party apps even when they changed their account settings to prevent the practice.

Google said the decision misunderstood how its products work and that it planned to appeal.

“Our privacy tools give people control over their data, and when they turn off personalization, we honor that choice,” Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement.

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged that Google collected and sold users’ mobile app activity data in breach of privacy assurances contained in its Web & App Activity settings.

The suit, which was filed in July 2020, covered some 98 million Google users.

During the trial, Google had argued that collected data was “nonpersonal” and “pseudonymous” and stored in “segregated, secured, and encrypted locations”.

Google has faced a number of other recent privacy-related lawsuits.

In May, the tech giant agreed to pay $1.375bn to the state of Texas over claims it had collected residents’ face geometry and voiceprints without proper consent, and tracked users’ locations even when they opted out of the feature.

Both Class A and C shares of Alphabet (GOOG 8.59%) (GOOGL 8.34%) popped about 8.4%, as of 10:48 a.m. ET today, after a federal judge ruled that the conglomerate will not have to divest its massive Chrome search business.

A big win for big tech

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a landmark lawsuit against Google for monopolistic practices in the search engine space, specifically related to its digital advertising practices. Last year, a federal judge sided with the DOJ and found that Google had run an illegal monopoly. The DOJ then requested that a judge require Google to divest its Chrome browser, a big driver of the company’s search business that makes up more than half of the company’s total revenue.

Image source: Getty Images.

While many believed this was unlikely to happen, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta made it official yesterday, ruling that Google will not have to divest Chrome. Furthermore, Google can keep paying large partners like Apple to feature it as the default search engine on web browsers like Safari. However, Mehta also ruled that Google cannot propose exclusive contracts that prevent competitors from being able to fairly compete in the space. Google will also have to share some data that will supposedly help competitors get on more of an even playing field.

“This is a monster win for Cupertino and for Google its a home run ruling that removes a huge overhang on the stock,” Wedbush’s Global Head of Tech Research Dan Ives in a recent research note, according to CNBC.

A catalyst for the cheapest Mag Seven name

This year, Alphabet has traded at the cheapest valuation in the “Magnificent Seven,” largely due to the DOJ’s lawsuit and other issues with the search business including how artificial intelligence chatbots might disrupt the business.

But within the massive tech conglomerate are several incredibly fast-growing and strong businesses like Waymo, YouTube, Google Cloud, and even a chip business. Even after the nice move today, investors can still buy the stock.

If your summer holiday saw screen time soar, you’re not alone. New research shows kids spend up to 67 per cent of their time on them while off school. Mum-of-two Hannah Britt reveals how cutting back made her feel like a better parent – and you can do it too

Our summer was full of sea, sand, sun… and screen time. K-Pop Demon Hunters, anyone? But with September now in full swing, it’s time to crack down – and fast. And I am by no means alone. In fact, the latest statistics show that, for primary-aged children, 29 per cent spend two or more hours per day on screens during the school week, but that number jumps to an eye watering 67 per cent during the holidays.

Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley explains. “School provides children with structure and built-in limits on screen use, and of course, once home, there are less hours in the day for screens, but once the holidays arrive, that structure disappears,” she says. “Parents are often juggling work, childcare, and the cost of keeping kids entertained, so screens naturally become a convenient option. On top of that, digital entertainment is designed to be engaging and hard to switch off from, so it’s no surprise children gravitate towards it when they have long stretches of free time.”

So what’s the issue? “It’s not that screens are inherently ‘bad’,” says Kirsty. “In fact, they can be educational, social, and even calming at times. However, when screen time dominates, it can crowd out other important activities like active play, real-world socialising, outdoor time, and rest. High levels of screen use are also linked to disrupted sleep, reduced concentration, and higher stress levels in both children and adults. The key issue isn’t the screen itself, but what’s being displaced when usage creeps up too high. It’s why having consistent boundaries around screen time is important, so that kids strike a healthy balance.”

Having done some serious Netflix parenting over the summer holidays, I decided to pull the plug – and go cold turkey when it came to screens. Indeed, experts agree the benefits of reducing screen time are huge. “Reducing screen time means more space for connection. Families who put healthy limits in place often find they talk more, laugh more, and feel less stressed,” advises Kirsty. “Sleep improves, behaviour often does too, and there’s more opportunity for shared activities – from board games to walks, to simply sitting around the table together.”

Looking around our home, my eyes glanced upon the TV, the iPad, various laptops, a Nintendo, the Kindle and two phones. So I booked an Airbnb, and we hopped in the car to the Lake District. And there the screen time stopped.

For our digital detox I chose Dodd’s Lee, a 17th Century farmhouse, located in the village of Dockray, near Ullswater. It was a Guest Favourite (easy to recognise as they have a special logo on the properties, and a collection of the most-loved homes on Airbnb, according to guests), and around £400 per night, with four bedrooms. It looked ideal – there was a pub at the end of the road, walks to Aira Force waterfall, Ulswater and more from the door and plenty of board games to enjoy while we were there. It was so well located, I wouldn’t even need Google maps to explore.

Once there, my partner John and I put our phones, along with Molly’s Kindle, and the TV remote in a little bag and hid them in an upstairs wardrobe. “What now”, I thought. “Can I watch Mr Bean?” asked my five-year-old, Molly. When the answer was no, she huffed. Getting out the board games, we started our digital detox by playing dominos. Then Monopoly. Molly’s grump gave way to laughter as she beat both me and her dad.

Then, it was time for a walk, for which we headed down the hill from Dockray to a little beach on the banks of Ullswater. I found myself reaching for my phone several times out of habit. Whatever I would have done on it, check Instagram, reply to a text, it could wait. Holding hands with Molly, we chatted all the way instead, and she told me stories, clearly happy her mummy was fully engaged. That evening came stories and songs, and when the children were in bed John and I set about talking away before we too hit the hay.

The next morning, Molly didn’t ask for her Kindle but to play snap. She beat us again. Lunch came in the form of a trip to the pub, where John tried in vain to teach us the rules to giant chess. We fell about laughing, getting our rooks mixed up with our pawns.

After three days, when checking out of our wonderfully cosy Airbnb, I almost didn’t want to get my phone out of its bag. And in fact, after just a few minutes of a Disney film in the car on the way home, Molly set her Kindle aside and asked for a family sing song. A complete digital wipeout might not be possible in the modern age in which we live. But a detox every now and again might be just what we need.

How to reduce your family’s screen time

Kirsty shares her advice:

OFFER ALTERNATIVES

For me, the most effective way isn’t to ban screens altogether, but to add in alternatives, and have rules and boundaries in place – they need to be fair and realistic, too. Children need things to do instead, whether that’s setting up playdates, encouraging outdoor activities, or giving them creative projects at home.

SCREEN-FREE ZONES

Having screen-free zones or times of day (like during meals or the hour before bed) also helps build natural boundaries. Start small and be realistic: shaving an hour off daily use by swapping it for something else is far more sustainable than trying to go cold turkey. Also, when creating boundaries for the kids, incorporate some as whole family rules – no screens at the table, after a certain time, in bedrooms, for instance.

SET AN EXAMPLE

Children copy what they see, so if we’re always scrolling, they’ll think that’s normal. Modelling balanced screen use is powerful. That might mean putting your phone away at dinner, not checking emails late into the evening, or choosing to read, cook, or go for a walk instead of defaulting to a device. Being honest with kids about your own screen habits can also help. If you explain, “I’m putting my phone down because I want to spend time with you,” it sends a strong message.

Hotel irons are often used for more than just smoothing out wrinkles, and travellers are being warned to avoid using them

When it comes to packing for a holiday, no matter how meticulously we fold our clothes, they always seem creased on the other side of the journey. But before you reach for your hotel’s iron to smooth out those wrinkles, you might want to think twice as it may have been used in ways you’d never imagine.

In this era of viral TikTok hacks and unconventional uses for everyday appliances, the humble hotel iron has often found itself under scrutiny – and frequently for all the wrong reasons. Oddly enough, it’s not just being used for smoothing out wrinkles anymore.

TikTok content creators promoting alternative uses for regular household appliances are, in many instances, creating these ‘hack’ videos not at home, but in hotel rooms, reports the Express.

So when you’re stepping into a freshly-booked hotel room, you’ve no idea what the provided appliances might have been used for by previous guests.

However, clothing experts Stock have unveiled information about why you should steer clear of hotel irons.

Why should you avoid hotel irons?

Hotel irons get passed around by countless guests, and not everyone uses them solely for clothes.

Some guests have resorted to using them to heat food items like pizza and sandwiches, and one TikTok user even attempted cooking a steak with one.

A swift Google search also uncovers several travel blogs advocating for this hack. It’s a startling and cautionary revelation about the potential misuse of these appliances.

A travel website even suggested using an “ironing board as a hot plate” and the iron itself as a heat source.

Beyond their unintended culinary adventures, hotel irons pose several risks.

One Stock expert explained: “They may not always be as clean as you’d hope, potentially transferring residues from previous uses onto your clothes.

“Using them for non-ironing purposes can damage the appliance and leave unsavoury smells on your garments.

“Moreover, irons can be old and rusty, risking stains that are tough to remove.”

What to do instead

Stock offers the following unconventional yet practical alternatives to hotel irons.

Steam it out

Forget the iron in the wardrobe and harness the steam from your hotel bathroom. Suspend your garments near the shower and allow the steam to work its magic in releasing creases.

Quick steam with water

Fill a spray bottle with fresh water and lightly spritz your clothing. Your body heat will help dry them swiftly, naturally smoothing out wrinkles.

Inspect before you iron

Always examine the iron’s state before using it. Check for any visible grime or corrosion.

Test it on a concealed section of your garment to ensure it’s clean and won’t harm your outfit. If the iron leaves any unpleasant marks or odours, it’s best to steer clear of using it.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — A pair of Microsoft employees were terminated for allegedly breaking into President Brad Smith‘s office.

An online group called No Azure for Apartheid announced Thursday on X that Microsoft employees Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle had been fired for “participating in a sit-in at the office of Brad Smith” at the Microsoft location in Redmond, Wash., to demand the company cut its ties to Israel.

Redmond Police announced on Tuesday that seven people were arrested that day for allegedly breaking into “an executive office” at Microsoft and refusing to leave.

All seven were taken into custody on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest and obstruction. The case remains under police investigation.

Smith held an online press conference Tuesday and confirmed that two Microsoft employees and a former Google employee were arrested in the incident.

“We need to keep our workplace safe and secure,” Smith said. “We need to keep our employees secure.”

“But obviously, as seven folks do as they did today, storm a building, occupy an office, lock other people out of the office, plant listening devices in crude form using phones, cell phones hidden under couches, behind books, that’s not OK,” Smith continued.

“When they’re asked to leave and they refuse, that’s not OK. That’s why, for those seven folks, the Redmond police literally had to take them out of the building,” Smith then said.

No Azure for Apartheid further announced that a “full campaign and press conference details” are “coming soon.”

The firings at Microsoft come after Google fired 28 employees last year in response to a series of protests that were partly focused on the company’s contract with the Israeli government, during which the office of CEO of Google’s cloud unit Thomas Kurian was breached.

About 10 million YouTube TV subscribers could lose access to Fox News and Fox Corp. channels that broadcast sports in a fee dispute that comes just days before the start of college football.

The Google-owned television service notified customers that Fox-owned channels, including Fox Business and local stations such as KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles, may be dropped from their program line-ups as soon as Wednesday afternoon if the two sides fail to reach a new distribution pact.

YouTube TV viewers would be without “The Five” and other Fox News programs. Sports fans could miss out on Friday night’s Auburn-Baylor football game and Saturday’s high-profile contest between Texas and Ohio State, along with three regional Major League Baseball games.

A prolonged blackout could interrupt the start of Fox’s NFL season that begins on Sept. 7.

“Fox is asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive,” YouTube said late Monday in a blog post. “Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers.”

The dust-up comes as YouTube TV has become one of the most formidable television providers.

Earlier this year, Nielsen ranked YouTube, including its video service, as the largest television distributor in the U.S. by share of viewership. YouTube’s popular bundle — it also offers the NFL Sunday Ticket package of out-of-market games — has dramatically cut into the business of legacy pay-TV providers, including Charter Spectrum, DirecTV and Dish Networks.

“While Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace,” Fox said in a statement, adding the dispute could force its channels to go dark “unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”

Last year, YouTube generated $54.2 billion in revenue, second only to the Walt Disney Co., according to the MoffettNathanson research firm. The analysts estimated that fast-growing YouTube TV would reach 10 million subscribers this year. That slightly trails Charter, which operates the Spectrum service, and Comcast. YouTube TV has eclipsed the once powerhouse satellite TV service providers.

Disputes between programmers and pay-TV providers have become increasingly common in recent years amid a weakening of television economics. The high cost of sports rights has become a major rub for pay-TV distributors who have been asked to pay higher fees to mitigate the loss of subscribers.

Last year, DirecTV customers lost access to Walt Disney Co. channels, including ESPN, for nearly two weeks.

The battle was costly. DirecTV acknowledged that thousands of subscribers fled — many to YouTube TV — during the blackout. Viewers who wanted to watch the U.S. Open tennis tournament, college football, “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” were upset by the outage.

In 2023, a separate dispute led to Disney channels going dark on Spectrum.

YouTube said Monday that it was “working diligently with the team at Fox to reach an agreement.”

Should the channels go dark, the company will provide customers with a $10 credit. YouTube said customers could also sign up for Rupert Murdoch’s television company’s new streaming service, Fox One, which costs $20 a month.

THERE are loads of ways for Brits to use apps to slash bills this summer.

You can easily find the cheapest prices for food, petrol, flights and parking. If you use them regularly, you could easily save hundreds a year.

8

CHEAPER PETROL

One great option for drivers is the PetrolPrices.

The name is the giveaway here. This app is designed to help you find the cheapest petrol prices in the area.

You can see the locations on a map, or find them as a list sorted by lowest price, distance, and even brands.

Site owners can upload their own prices, and users can report the fuel costs too.

It means you don’t have to drive around looking for the cheap prices – or face a price shock at the pump.

Another handy tip is using the Google Maps fuel efficiency feature.

Turn it on by going into Google Maps > Profile > Settings > Navigation > Route Options > Prefer Fuel-Efficient Routes.

“Google Maps can estimate fuel or energy efficiency for different vehicle types, including electric and combustion engine cars, as well as petrol motorcycles,” Google explained.

“The more fuel or energy efficient the route, the lower your vehicle’s fuel or energy usage.”

You should also tell Google your engine type in Google Maps > Profile > Settings > Your Vehicle.

That can give you even better fuel-efficiency.

“The most fuel or energy-efficient route can be different based on the engine type,” Google said.

“For example, diesel vehicles’ relative fuel economy advantage is generally greatest in motorway driving.

“Hybrid and electric vehicles tend to provide greater efficiency in stop-start town and hill driving where they can benefit from regenerative braking.”

8

FOOD PRICES

For food savings, you’ll want to first take a look at Trolley.

It lets you compare prices for groceries across supermarkets, with a long list of stores including:

• Asda
• Sainsburys
• Aldi
• Home Bargains
• Morrisons
• Tesco
• Boots
• Wilko
• Coop
• Waitrose
• Superdrug
• B&M
• Ocado
• Iceland
• Savers
• Poundland

8

The app says it’ll save you up to 30% on a weekly shop, but your own success will vary depending on what you buy and how much you spend.

Another option – recently tested by The Sun’s tech desk – is to use the Google Gemini chatbot.

You can use it to plan your food shop by asking the bot to find the cheapest prices.

It’s also worth noting that you can bag cheap or free food by picking up leftovers or stuff that would be otherwise thrown away.

Two apps – Olio and Too Good To Go – are packed with food bargains.

And if you want free food, Sky customers can bag a weekly treat from the Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range through the MySky app.

Just go to the Sky VIP panel (which is free to join) to claim your freebie.

We’ve seen ice lollies and pizzas so far, but there’s a new option every week.

8

FLIGHT COMPARISONS

There’s no denying that Skyscanner is a brilliant option for finding cheap flights.

But you should also take a look at Google Flights, which has some clever tricks.

For a start, when you’re searching for flights, it can show you the cheapest window to book.

“For example, these insights could tell you that the cheapest time to book similar trips is usually two months before departure, and you’re currently in that sweet spot,” Google said.

8

“Or you might learn that prices have usually dropped closer to takeoff, so you decide to wait before booking. Either way, you can make that decision with a greater sense of confidence.”

You can also turn on price tracking for specific dates (like if you’re off to a wedding) or for any dates (if you just want a holiday at some point soon).

This feature will only appear if you’re signed in to your Google account.

And right now, Google Flights is getting an upgrade with the Flights Deal feature.

8

It’s currently only in the US, Canada, and India – but it looks likely to land in the UK eventually too.

The feature works using AI with Google saying it’s “for flexible travellers whose number one goal is saving money“.

“Instead of playing with different dates, destinations and filters to uncover the best deals, you can just describe when, where and how you’d like to travel — as though you’re talking to a friend — and Flight Deals will take care of the rest,” Google said.

For example, you could search for a “week-long trip this winter to a city with great food, nonstop only”, Google revealed.

8

Then it’ll use Google Fights data to show you the latest options from loads of airlines.

CHEAP PARKING

Lastly, make sure you’re not overpaying on parking.

There’s a great app called JustPark, which you might be familiar with as a way to pay at some car parks.

But it also lets people rent out their driveways, which means you can bag some great bargains.

8

We tried it out earlier this year and found £6 for all-day parking in London on a weekday.

You can book them far in advance, and even add on insurance that covers the excess if your car ends up getting damaged.

You can easily check and amend (or cancel) your driveway parking through the app from anywhere. So you could add extra time if you’re running late.

And it’s potentially a great way to bag a bargain for sports fixtures by getting near-stadium parking.

You could also turn it into a side-hustle by renting out your own parking space.

So you wouldn’t just be saving money, but making some quick cash too.

Bridport, located on the Jurassic Coast, boasts a number of attractions, including a beach-side bar and beautiful coastal walks to a Michelin-listed restaurant and thatched brewery

As the cost of living continues to rise, more Brits are choosing staycations over foreign holidays. With this in mind, why not swap your usual holiday destinations like Spain, France or Portugal for the delightful town of Bridport on the Jurassic Coast this year?

Bridport, self-styled as ‘Dorset’s eventful town’, is a vibrant and bustling destination with plenty to offer. One of its highlights is The Watch House Cafe, a beach bar that recently made it onto Conde Nast Traveller’s list of the best beach bars in the UK. Google reviews describe it as a ‘fantastic find’ with a ‘lovely setting right on the beach’ and ‘excellent fish tacos’.

With cocktails priced at £9 and a ‘Mermaid’s Kiss’ mocktail for £5, it’s a great spot to enjoy a summer evening with family.

READ MORE: Haven holiday park in UK tourist hotspot plans major expansion

The town also boasts a variety of shopping opportunities, with two main streets filled with unique boutiques. In terms of entertainment, the Art Deco Electric Palace screens films, and live performances are held at the Bridport Arts Centre, The Lyric. And don’t forget to check out the prestigious Bridport Literary Festival, reports MyLondon.

West Bay and Burton Bradstock offer stunning coastal walks with their pebbly beaches and dramatic sandstone cliffs. After a day of exploration, there are a variety of dining options. Dorshi, a Michelin-listed East Asian diner, and the Red Brick Cafe, known for its vegetarian dishes, are among the local favourites.

For a truly unique dining experience, why not try The Station Kitchen, which offers a quirky setting inside railway carriages?

Tucked away in Bridport is Palmers, the UK’s only thatched brewery and arguably the town’s best-kept secret.

When it’s time to hit the hay, Haddon House hotel is a top choice. Just 300 yards from the harbour and boasting a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor, it’s a real gem. Guests have described the hotel as ‘excellent’, ‘faultless’, and ‘beautiful’, and some suites even feature spa baths.

Bridport has been dubbed ‘Notting Hill-on-sea’. However, this comparison isn’t entirely accurate. While both places have revamped their Electric Palace Cinemas, the property prices tell a different story.

Notting Hill, one of London’s most expensive areas, boasts an average house price of £1.6 million, according to Rightmove. In contrast, homes in Bridport average at £371K, making them over a million cheaper than their Notting Hill counterparts.

The journey from London to Bridport by car is fairly straightforward, taking around three and a quarter hours, mostly along the M3.

If you’re opting for public transport, catch a train from Waterloo to Axminster. From there, hop on an X51 Jurassic Coaster bus – a treat for all you transport enthusiasts – which will get you to Bridport in just over an hour. All in all, expect the journey to take just under four hours.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]

READ MORE: NYX’s new Wednesday range features a ‘mysterious’ £9 colour changing lip oil

Aug. 20 (UPI) — At its product event on Wednesday, Google announced new hardware, which includes the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, as well as the Pixel Watch 4 and the Pixel Buds 2a.

There are hardware improvements along with lots of new AI-powered software features.

The Pixel 10 series isn’t much different from the Pixel 9 series, sharing nearly the same design but in new colors.

But one big hardware change will shake up the smartphone accessory ecosystem: Qi2 wireless charging support. This isn’t like Samsung’s Qi2-Ready devices. Google’s new phones have magnets embedded in the back, just like iPhones, allowing new Qi2 accessories that can be shared with Apple’s MagSafe ecosystem. The Pixel 10 Pro XL supports the new Qi2 25-watt standard, allowing it to recharge even quicker.

The Pixel 10 series incorporates new AI and camera features. The base model Pixel 10 starts at $799. A more powerful Pixel 10 Pro starts at $999, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL with a larger screen and 256GB of base storage starts at $1,199. Google is also releasing an updated version of its folding phone, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which starts at $1,799.

All Pixel 10 models have the new Tensor G5 chipset, which Google says is on average 34 percent faster than its predecessor. The imaging signal processor has been upgraded for improved image and video quality, and Tensor G5 runs the latest Gemini Nano model, powering more than 20 on-device generative artificial intelligence experiences.

Soniya Jobanputra, director of product management at Google, told Wired that the Pixel 10 series is about giving you back time by “taking the mundane and boring out of your life.”

One interesting new addition to the Pixel Camera app is the Camera Coach. It’ll ask you to scan the scene you want to shoot. It’ll then ask you what you want in the photo while offering different example shots based on the subject matter. If you tap the “Get Inspired” option, it’ll offer AI-generated example photos based on the scan.

The phones are the first to launch with Android’s new Material 3 Expressive design language, which offers more fluid, springy animations, smoother interactions, and emphasized typography.

The new Pixel Watch 4 is the first smartwatch with integrated, standards-based satellite communications. Powered by Skylo’s commercial Non-Terrestrial Network and Qualcomm Technologies’ new Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Wearable Platforms, the Pixel Watch 4 offers standalone emergency messaging — without a phone or cellular plan.

The watch also claims longer battery life and better sleep tracking, issues in earlier models. It starts at $349.

“This launch isn’t just a new feature — it redefines what’s possible with satellite connectivity in everyday devices, including the one that’s in your pocket or on your wrist,” said Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO and co-founder of Skylo Technologies, in a statement. “By embedding Skylo’s service into phones and wearables, we’re making coverage accessible to people in the moments that matter most.”

Pixel Buds 2a claim to have Clear Calling, which blocks background noise so wind, external chatter or other distractions won’t interrupt conversations. It also has a tracking app to find them when they’re lost. They retail for $229.

Apple is expected to announce new iPhone models in September. Samsung just had an event in July. The next launch will be at Samsung Unpacked in January 2026, which will launch the Galaxy S26.

The Mam Tor circular in the Hope Valley has been named one of the UK’s best walks that can be easily reached by public transport, and it’s less than an hour from Manchester

A stunning walk in the Peak District, boasting breathtaking views, has been hailed as one of the UK’s best accessible by train — and it’s just a stone’s throw from Manchester.

The Mam Tor circular in Hope Valley clinched second place in a ranking of the country’s top walks reachable via public transport, according to research by outdoor specialists at Blacks. In fact, this Peak District trek was only pipped to the post by the Seven Sisters and Seaford trail in East Sussex.

To compile the list, researchers scrutinised Google search data, All Trails reviews and the proximity of each walk to the nearest railway station.

READ MORE: People warned to avoid popular Welsh beach after ‘serious public health concern’

With an impressive All Trails rating of 4.8 and a UK search volume of 1,127,000 from July 2024 to June 2025, Mam Tor scored a commendable 9.17 out of 10, narrowly missing out on the top spot to the Seven Sisters’ score of 9.38, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The circular walk kicks off in the beautiful village of Hope, which is a mere 48-minute train ride from Manchester Piccadilly train station. Taking roughly one and a half hours to complete, this moderate route leads you to one of England’s most iconic hills, Mam Tor, offering spectacular views across the Hope Valley.

After their hike, walkers can unwind with a well-deserved visit to one of historic Hope’s numerous picturesque pubs and cafes, including the dog-friendly Cheshire Cheese Inn or the Old Hall Hotel. Other notable nearby villages include Castleton and Edale.

One of the top ten walks easily accessible by train from Manchester is the Kent Estuary and Arnside Knott Circular in Cumbria. Starting in Arnside, just an hour and 20 minutes away from Manchester Piccadilly by train, this walk offers stunning views of Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland fells.

UK’s best walks that you can reach by train, as recommended and ranked by Blacks:

1. Seven Sisters and Seaford, East Sussex
2. Mam Tor Circular, Hope, Derbyshire
3. Box Hill Circular, Box Hill & Westhumble, Surrey
4. Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh
5. Whernside and Ribblehead Circular, Ribblehead, North Yorkshire
6. Kent Estuary and Arnside Knott Circular, Arnside, Cumbria
7. Dover White Cliffs Walk, Dover Priory, Kent
8. East Strand, Portrush, County Antrim
9. Cleveland Way: Scarborough to Filey, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
10. Ilkley Moor and Cow & Calf Rocks, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]

READ MORE: Regatta’s warm and water-repellant coat is slashed from £110 to £6 ready for autumn

SHOPPERS who use Apple Pay or Google Pay may be at higher risk of fraud, consumer group Which? has warned.

It said the use of one-time passcodes by banks could be making people with digital wallets an easy target for scammers.

1

A survey by the consumer champions found that the majority of banks are still using these security features, putting consumers at risk.

Unlike contactless cards, there is no £100 spending cap on cards added to Apple and Google Pay, so fraudsters can quickly drain victims’ accounts once they gain access to it.

Scammers normally trick people into divulging their card details by setting up a fake transaction, Which? said.

People will think they’re paying for a bargain product advertised online, or they might fall victim to a phishing message.

A common example is parcel delivery scams, where you’re asked to pay a nominal amount for re-delivery.

Scammers monitor the transaction in real time, inputting the victim’s card details into a digital wallet on their own phone.

Many banks will then ask for a one time passcode (OTP) to verify the cardholder, which the scammer then asks the victim for to complete the “transaction”.

The fraudsters are then able to drain the victim’s bank account.

Which? surveyed 15 banks and card providers about their digital wallet setup process between April and May this year, and found the majority still use OTPs sent through text message as one of the options for adding cards to a digital wallet.

Of the 14 providers that allow cards to be added to wallets (Capital One is the exception), just two banks confirmed they do not use OTPs, while a third appeared not to when Which? researchers tested the process.

Barclays, Co-op, HSBC (with its sister banks First Direct and M&S Bank), Santander and Virgin Money said they currently use SMS OTPs, though they are not the only verification option.

Starling said it still uses OTPs for setting up Apple Pay alongside other options, but it removed them from Google Pay in 2022.

TSB said it is working to set up in-app verification, but is using OTPs in the meantime.

American Express, Lloyds Banking Group and NewDay (which operates the John Lewis Partnership Credit Card) – did not outline which verification methods they use.

When Which? tested the set up processes for cards, Amex did use SMS and email OTPs, while Halifax did not and instead offered several “more robust methods” including in-app approval.

Chase and Monzo said they have never used OTPs for setting up digital wallets.

It comes after Cifas, UK Finance and the Cyber Defence Alliance previously warned about the link between OTP use and digital wallet fraud.

Providers can also limit how many wallets a card can be added to overall, or within a certain time period, but most banks do not implement these restrictions.

Virgin Money allows an individual card to be added to a maximum of five devices.

Starling with a total limit of 15 devices, while Monzo customers can only add their Monzo cards to a digital wallet twice in a 24-hour period and three times every 30 days.

However, Which? said that even with these limits in place, consumers can still fall victim to scammers as they only need to add one card to a digital wallet to start spending.

Which? Money deputy editor Sam Richardson said: “For millions of us, digital wallets are a quick, easy and secure way to make payments, but weaknesses in card providers’ security means they can also be a gift to scammers.

“Banks have known for years that using one time passcodes (OTPs) to verify account holders is leaving consumers vulnerable.

“It’s clear further investment is needed to make the digital wallet set-up process fit for the threats consumers face in 2025.

“In the meantime, we’d caution shoppers to always think twice before sharing their payment details – or OTPs – online.

“If you think you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact Action Fraud and your bank immediately.”

Apple told Which? it is not responsible for approving or rejecting the addition of a card to Apple Pay, or for approving or rejecting transactions.

It said that it takes users’ security seriously and Apple Pay has been designed in a way to protect users’ personal information. 

A Google spokesperson said: “Security is core to the Google Wallet experience and we work closely with card issuers to prevent fraud.

“For example, banks notify customers when their card has been added to a new digital wallet, and we provide signals to help issuers detect fraudulent behaviour so they can decide whether to approve added cards.” 

An American Express spokesperson said: “Privacy and security are a priority for American Express.

“We have controls designed to protect customer accounts and guard against unauthorised fraudulent activity, and if we identify activity that may be fraud, we will take protective actions.” 

Barclays said that the verification method used for adding a card to a digital wallet will depend on the user journey. It said it does not currently have plans to phase out use of OTPs.

Co-Op Bank said it monitors for fraudulent registrations through its fraud detection systems and has multiple strategies in place to detect digital wallet fraud. It does not currently have plans to phase out use of OTPs.

HSBC said it has no immediate plans to phase out OTP delivery for adding cards to digital wallets, however, it keeps its digital wallet provisioning process under review.

Lloyds said it has invested millions of pounds in multi-layered fraud defences, and continues to regularly review its authentication methods.

Nationwide said that it has multiple layers of protection in place to keep its customers safe from fraud including warning messaging, AI models and sophisticated internal analytics. It is currently exploring alternatives to OTPs.

Natwest said it regularly reviews its customer experience and authentication to ensure security, and said it is reviewing how it uses OTPs.

NewDay declined to comment.

Santander said it is looking at other forms of authentication, and other security measures, which may be less visible to a user than the mechanism used for two-factor authentication.

Starling said it currently only uses OTPs for Apple Pay, and removed this option from Android phones in 2022.

TSB told Which? that it is working closely with card and wallet providers to implement approval via the TSB Mobile App. In the interim, OTP verification is accompanied by the necessary risk verification, alongside fraud controls to keep customer details safe.

Virgin Money said its fraud team has heightened monitoring and controls around digital wallet fraud. It also said that it is looking at in-app verification as an option but has no current plans to phase out use of OTPs.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories