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Japan's AI gamble: Can technology offset the cost of an ageing society? Beneath the business towers of Tokyo's Otemachi district, a test is taking place to see whether artificial intelligence can help solve one of Japan's biggest economic challenges: a shrinking workforce. Deep underground, Marunouchi Heat Supply Company operates a 30km (18.6-mile) network of heating and cooling pipelines serving offices, commercial buildings and transport facilities in one of Japan's most important business areas. The company is now using AI to manage this complex infrastructure with the goal of moving towards more automated operations by 2027. Developed with the Tokyo-based AI company Preferred Networks, the project uses PlantPilot, an AI system trained on historical operating data and the expertise of experienced engineers.

The maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, has launched legal action accusing its arch rival Eli Lilly of false advertising in suggesting its weight-loss drugs perform better. The Danish company filed a lawsuit in the US on Tuesday claiming Eli Lilly, which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound, deployed ad campaigns to create the misleading impression that Eli Lilly's medicines are superior. Novo said its rival compared the highest approved doses of its medicines for obesity and type-2 diabetes with lower doses of Novo Nordisk's, while omitting newer, higher-dose options. The BBC has contacted Eli Lilly for comment. The lawsuit comes as Novo and Eli Lilly are locked in battle to dominate the fast-growing weight-loss drug industry, especially in the US, which analysts have estimated could be worth more than $100bn by 2030.

Dongkun Lee, formerly of Hyundai, will oversee its strategy. Samsung has created a new division called RX or Robotics eXperience for all of its robotics projects. Its strategy will be headed by Dongkun Lee, who joined Samsung in May as an Executive Vice President. Before he joined Samsung, Lee led Hyundai's robotics strategy, including Boston Dynamics' . Samsung CEO TM Roh himself will oversee the new division.

What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain? Can AI systems make moral decisions in war? Artificial intelligence is reshaping how wars are fought. From autonomous drones to AI-powered command-and-control, machines are paving the way for fewer decision-makers in the war room and boots on the ground. That transformation is already reshaping conflicts by introducing new technologies in Kyiv, Gaza and Tehran.

VAT will be cut from household electricity bills, the government has announced, as part of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's pledge to help with the cost of living. The reduction from 5% VAT to zero will come into effect on 1 October, saving a typical household about £45 a year. Ministers said it would be funded by savings from the cancellation of the digital ID programme, which was going to cost £1.8bn The government estimated it will cost £850m this financial year . But Labour's Darren Jones, who was sacked as chief secretary to the prime minister on Monday, accused the government of announcing an unfunded tax cut.

Thames Water lenders offer'golden share' to head off nationalisation Image caption, Thames Water's lenders want to let local authorities have more involvement Thames Water's main lenders are offering the government a golden share and more control for local authorities in a bid to stop the troubled supplier from being nationalised. The government recently rejected a previous rescue proposal, and the BBC understands the lenders are preparing a legal challenge in case the new Andy Burnham-led government takes the firm into public hands. In his first speech as prime minister on Monday, Burnham said he wanted to see greater public control of life's essentials. The new proposal offers local authorities greater involvement in the firm, similar to the relationship between United Utilities and Greater Manchester agreed when Burnham was the city's mayor. The London & Valley Water (L&VW) consortium of lenders had already proposed a £10bn deal to prevent Thames Water from entering administration.

Chinese AI sensation Moonshot's gamble on big models pays off People visit the Moonshot AI stand, featuring the Kimi K3 model, during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday. Crowds rushed to an obscure corner of China's premier tech summit, moving past monumental booths from Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings to catch a glimpse of the hottest name in domestic artificial intelligence. Developers and users at the World AI Conference jostled for a closer look at Moonshot and its Kimi K3 -- the giant 2.8 trillion-parameter model whose release on Friday showed China was closing the gap on OpenAI and Anthropic PBC far quicker than anticipated. The startup became an instant global sensation, drawing comparisons to DeepSeek's 2025 breakout and plaudits from the likes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Such was the crush over the weekend that Moonshot blew through its entire stock of branded swag in just a few hours. Moonshot's emergence is a vindication not just for the country's AI industry, but also for founder Yang Zhilin.

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