Brands

• V47 Entertainment, via its agency VIRTUE Asia, announced a partnership with COL Group on June 17, 2026, to expand microdrama and vertical-first entertainment in South East Asia. • The collaboration aims to provide brands with increased access to short-form storytelling, leveraging COL Group's expertise as a pioneer in the vertical video format. • This move matters as it allows brands to engage audiences through a rapidly growing medium of bite-sized, mobile-centric content tailored for the regional market.

• Indian startups across deeptech, space, AI, healthtech, and consumer brands experienced a surge in funding and strategic partnerships. • Bengaluru-based Biodimension secured ₹8 crore in a funding round led by the IAN Angel Fund to advance healthcare and life sciences. • New developments in the space sector aim to strengthen India's launch vehicle ecosystem and reduce strategic reliance on imported propulsion technologies.

• Press Gazette released its monthly ranking of the top 50 most popular English-language news websites globally, utilizing data from Similarweb. • The BBC saw a significant traffic increase in May, with visits rising 9% from April to reach a total of 1.1 billion. • In contrast, Indian news brands were the most negatively impacted group, experiencing the sharpest drops in traffic during the same period.

• Major brands are launching ambitious advertising campaigns featuring high-profile stars like Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet, and Susan Boyle ahead of the World Cup. • Rather than focusing on athletic heroism, some campaigns are pivoting toward humor and relatability, highlighting the "ridiculous" logistical struggles and financial irresponsibility of fans. • This shift reflects a broader strategic move by advertisers to prioritize entertainment and cultural connection over traditional direct sales pitches.

• A new analysis by Press Gazette, utilizing Similarweb data, reveals that 80% of the top 50 US news websites experienced a traffic decline in May. • More than half of these major newsbrands saw double-digit year-on-year traffic drops, indicating a significant downward trend in digital readership. • This decline occurred despite consistent reporting and updates regarding the ongoing US conflict in Iran, which typically drives high engagement.

Amazon and Sony among firms that may have sourced coltan, used in phones, from supply chains controlled by the M23 rebels, says Global WitnessLeading global brands including Amazon, Ericsson and Sony are “likely” to have sourced minerals linked to a militia accused of widespread sexual violence, summary executions and torture, a new investigation claims.The companies allegedlybut unknowingly, acquired coltan smuggled from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that are occupied by the M23 militia, which has committed myriad atrocities in eastern DRC. Continue reading...

Republican states rebrand June as ‘nuclear family month’ or ‘fidelity month’ in latest attack on LGBTQ+ communitiesJune is widely marked as gay Pride month – when LGBTQ+ communities march to protest discrimination and celebrate their identities in the month that the modern US gay liberation movement was born out of the 1969 uprising at New York’s Stonewall Inn – although not so much in certain Republican-led states this year.Some Republican governors have suddenly come up with alternative labels for the month, which both supporters and opponents view as counterprogramming. Continue reading...

Utz issues voluntary recall for certain varieties of Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips over contamination linked to seasoningSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailUtz has issued a voluntary US recall of two potato chip brands after concerns that they could be contaminated with salmonella, a type of bacteria that can lead to food-borne illness.Certain varieties of Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips may contain contamination linked to the seasoning used on the products, according to the US Food and Drug Administration in a recall issued on Monday. The recall applies to three flavors of Zapp’s chips sold in various bag sizes, along with three flavors of Dirty chips packaged in 2-ounce bags. Continue reading...

Marine biologists step up criticism of privately funded operation to release stranded humpback whale off Germany’s Baltic CoastMarine biologists and whale experts have stepped up their criticism of a privately funded operation to release a humpback whale that was stranded for weeks off Germany’s Baltic Coast after it emerged that a tracker fitted to the whale was not working.The whereabouts and health of the young male whale – nicknamed Timmy after one of the sandbanks that it was stranded on – remain unknown three days after it was transported in a water-holding barge pulled by a tugboat to waters off the coast of Denmark. Continue reading...

Jimmy Wales remembers a toxic internet even before social media and says AI is ‘not a disaster’ for the free – and freely edited - online encyclopaediaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, has branded the Australian social media ban an “unmitigated disaster” and an “embarrassment” that is teaching kids to accept surveillance from tech companies when they go online.The online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit was born in a world before social media, in 2001. But Wales told Guardian Australia that many of the ills of social media existed even in the earlier stages of the internet. Continue reading...

Australian PM also welcomes a conditional two-week ceasefire deal that will reopen the strait of Hormuz to global shippingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has welcomed a two-week ceasefire deal between the US and Iran that is set to temporarily reopen the strait of Hormuz, as he issued a rare criticism of Donald Trump for threatening a “whole civilization will die”.The prime minister said news of the conditional ceasefire was “very positive” and was hopeful it would lead to the permanent end to a conflict that has sent global fuel prices soaring. Continue reading...

• MarqVision's 2026 State of Brand Integrity Report reveals AI-driven counterfeits impose a 10% 'AI tax' on annual revenue for US brands over $10M. • Survey of 96 US companies shows 85% prioritize revenue protection, but only half measure takedown impact effectively. • Counterfeiters exploit viral marketing with AI-generated fakes, eroding trust in fashion, electronics, and consumer goods.