This is Ray Hou. She’s a — — at Repair Sisters. Repair Sisters is an all-female home repair company in the city of Chengdu, the first of its kind in China. In China, if you needed something fixed, most likely a man would show up at your door. Ray and her colleagues are changing that. And they’re not just doing repairs. They’re building a brand. Going viral. And discovering that China’s growing population of single women need their service. Ray once managed a shopping mall in Xi’an, but as the economy slowed, her hard work stopped paying off. She was craving something real, work where she could actually see what she’d accomplished at the end of the day. So, at 40, Ray made a bold pivot. And studied for two months to become an electrician. Without any experience, Ray needed to find a skilled worker willing to take her on as an apprentice. So she packed her bags, got a one way ticket — “OK, let’s go to Chengdu.” And moved hundreds of miles to apprentice with Repair Sisters. There, Ray found a community of women willing to share their skills. One of Ray’s first solo jobs was to mount a cat furniture set on the wall. Ray’s clients, most of whom are women, tell her that they prefer female technicians because they’re easier to talk to. And, for single women in particular, a handywoman feels like a safer option. By 2030, around 35 million Chinese women in their 20s and 30s are expected to be living alone. This population is growing as more women are delaying marriage to pursue education and careers. More than half of the Repair Sisters had office jobs before joining. It’s not just about following their passion either. While traditional office salaries stagnated, blue-collar wages have been climbing at a faster pace. The Repair Sisters have managed to build a social media brand by telling their startup story. Their more than 600,000 followers means steady work, as well as partnerships with brands that want more female consumers. But their success and social media fame have also brought pushback. Income from Ray’s new career covers her expenses, but is still less than her manager salary.
MBW Explains is a series of analytical features in which we explore the context behind major music industry talking points – and suggest what might happen next. Only MBW+ subscribers have unlimited access to these articles. MBW Explains is supported by Reservoir.
Spotify announced on Thursday (October 16) that it plans to develop “responsible” AI music products in partnership with all three major music companies, as well as Believe and indie rep Merlin.
The streaming giant stated that it is “making significant investments in AI research and product development” and has already begun building a “state-of-the-art” generative AI research lab and product team. Spotify aims to onboard additional rightsholders and distributors over time.
The announcement arrives just over two weeks after Spotify unveiled a suite of new policies for managing AI-generated content on its service as part of a crackdown that resulted in the deletion of 75 million “spammy” tracks from its platform over the past year.
Rival platform Deezer revealed in September that fully AI-generated music now constitutes 28% of all tracks delivered to its platform each day – over 30,000 fully AI-generated tracks daily.
According to Spotify, all products developed through its newly announced collaboration with major and indie rightsholders “will put artists and songwriters first” through four key principles: partnerships with record labels, distributors, and musicpublishers; choice in participation; fair compensation and new revenue; and artist-fan connection.
While Spotify’s announcement focused heavily on artist protection and responsible AI development, several elements of the company’s plans suggest the streaming platform may be laying the groundwork for new revenue streams that could potentially tie into rumored superfan tiers and higher-priced subscription offerings.
Here are three things you might have missed about Spotify’s AI announcement:
Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash
1. Spotify promised ‘wholly new revenue streams’ – not just incremental improvements
When discussing fair compensation principles, Spotify made a specific commitment that goes beyond simply protecting existing revenue models.
“We will build products that create wholly new revenue streams for rightsholders, artists, and songwriters, ensuring they are properly compensated for uses of their work and transparently credited for their contributions,” the company stated.
“We will build products that create wholly new revenue streams for rightsholders, artists, and songwriters, ensuring they are properly compensated for uses of their work and transparently credited for their contributions.”
Spotify
The emphasis on “wholly new revenue streams” – rather than improvements to existing streaming royalties – suggests Spotify is developing AI-powered features that could generate fresh income beyond the traditional per-stream payment model.
This language aligns with recent reports around a higher-priced “super–premium” or “MusicPro” subscription tier.
Spotify has made recent Premium upgrades, including a playlist mixing tool and the launch of lossless audio for paid subscribers – but not as part of a rumored higher-priced “super–premium” or “MusicPro” tier as suggested in reports earlier this year.
Spotify also launched a direct message feature inside its app for both Free and Premium users last month.
The unspecified AI-powered products in development could potentially be gated behind a higher-priced tier, but they could also carry additional one-off purchase or recurring subscription fees.
It’s worth looking at how Spotify monetizes its other audio formats for an idea of potential revenue models it could use.
Take audiobooks, for example. Some Spotify Premium plans include 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening time, but the platform lets you purchase additional listening time via a) Audiobooks+, a recurring add-on subscription that gets added to your bill, and b) a one-off audiobook ‘top-up’ purchase.
Spotify also lets podcast creators offer exclusive content that’s only available for paid subscribers to that specific podcast. Subscriber-only episodes have a lock icon next to the play button in the Spotify app.
Credit: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com
2. The focus on “artist-fan connection” could point toward interactive features
Spotify’s fourth principle centers on deepening relationships between creators and listeners through AI technology.
“AI tools we develop will not replace human artistry,” the platform stated. “They will give artists new ways to be creative and connect with fans. We will leverage our role as the place where more than 700 million people already come to listen to music every month to ensure that generative AI deepens artist-fan connections.”
The emphasis on connection and creativity, rather than purely consumption, suggests Spotify could be exploring interactive AI features to appeal to superfans willing to pay more for enhanced engagement with their favorite artists.
“AI tools we develop will not replace human artistry. They will give artists new ways to be creative and connect with fans.”
Over in China, Tencent Music Entertainment‘s Super VIP tier – which costs approximately 2.5 times more than a standard premium subscription – offers a glimpse of how platforms are monetizing superfans through tiered features.
3. Major labels endorsed the approach immediately – suggesting commercial terms could already be in place
The speed and enthusiasm of major and key independent music company endorsements for Spotify’s AI announcement are notable.
All three major music companies issued statements on the same day as Spotify’s announcement, with language suggesting substantive commercial discussions have already taken place.
“This is an acknowledgement that direct licensing in advance of launching new products is the only appropriate way to build them and demonstrates how a properly functioning market benefits everyone in the ecosystem and fuels innovation,” said Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Group. “We appreciate and applaud Spotify’s leadership at this critical period.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, added: “It is essential that we work with strategic partners such as Spotify to enable Gen AI products within a thriving commercial landscape in which artists, songwriters, fans, music companies and technology companies can all flourish.”
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl stated: “We’ve been consistently focused on making sure AI works for artists and songwriters, not against them. That means collaborating with partners who understand the necessity for new AI licensing deals that protect and compensate rightsholders and the creative community.”
“AI is the most consequential technology shift since the smartphone, and it’s already reshaping how music is created and experienced. At Spotify, we want to build this future hand in hand with the music industry, guided by clear principles and deep respect for creators, just as we did in the days of piracy.”
Gustav Söderström, Spotify
The coordinated messaging and references to licensing deals suggest commercial frameworks are already being negotiated or established – potentially including how revenue from AI-powered features would be split between Spotify and rightsholders.
Spotify emphasized that the company “will develop new products for artists and fans through upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later” and that “artists and rightsholders will choose if and how to participate to ensure the use of AI tools aligns with the values of the people behind the music.”
With major labels now publicly supporting Spotify’s AI development approach – and emphasizing the importance of upfront licensing agreements – the streaming platform appears to have cleared a significant hurdle toward launching new AI-powered features that could form part of higher-priced subscription offerings.
Gustav Söderström, Co-President and Chief Product and Technology Officer, Spotify, said: “AI is the most consequential technology shift since the smartphone, and it’s already reshaping how music is created and experienced.
“At Spotify, we want to build this future hand in hand with the music industry, guided by clear principles and deep respect for creators, just as we did in the days of piracy. Our company brings deep research expertise to this opportunity and we’re actively growing our AI team and capabilities to drive the continued growth of the entire music ecosystem.”
***Sorry for the audio quality, we made a technical error when capturing some of them***
After not being very satisfied with her first two races of the World Cup stop in Westmont, Kate Douglass came into the final day of competition on a mission. After seeing her friends break world records left and right, Douglass wanted to put together a race she was proud of as well. The UVA grad did just that, swimming 50.19 to break the 7-year-old world record in the 100 free.
HOW TO WATCH THE WORLD AQUATICS WORLD CUP
A comprehensive look at television and streaming options for the meet can be found here.
U.S. viewers can watch both prelims and finals on the USA Swimming Network and Peacock, Canadians can stream every session on CBC, and the source for the majority of European nations will be the Eurovision Sportplatform.
The competition will also be streamed live and on-demand with the World Aquatics Recast channel. A three-day pass requires 590 credits, which costs $8.26 USD.
Airbnb Experiences are like the holy grail of tours: they are unique, off-the-beaten path, and run by locals who just want to share something they love. They aren’t cookie cutter walking tours or activities lead by a guide holding an umbrella. I absolutely love Airbnb Experiences. They are one of my favorite things to do in any city and, frankly, I don’t think nearly enough travelers do them. Whenever I run polls about them, half usually say they have never heard of them!
Now, I am telling you about them and urging you to add them into your itinerary on your next visit to Paris. Paris has a huge amount of Airbnb experiences and I’ve probably done between 20-25 of them. Here is my list of the top Airbnb Experiences in Paris:
Jacqueline Marval was an impressionist painter who hung around Matisse, influenced Picaso, and was then largely forgotten to history. This exclusive gallery tour hosted by Paris-born curator Camille showcases her family’s 40-year effort in collecting Marval’s art and showcasing her legacy to the world. She tours you through their gallery, telling you about Marval’s life story and the history behind each piece. I didn’t know anything about Marval before this and it was really interesting to learn about her story and see her beautiful paintings. She was super talented. The experience also culminates with champagne served on a secluded terrace. All in all, this is an amazing experience to learn about a forgotten artist in the beautiful setting. Plus, Camille is well integrated into the Parisian art scene and can give you suggestions on what galleries and temporary exhibits to visit.
This was an amazing and intimate wine and cheese tasting hosted by certified expert, Erwan. In this cozy, no-classroom atmosphere, you’ll sample six unique French wines paired with six cheeses and fresh bread. Erwan shares the stories behind each bottle, making this experience both educational and delightful. I’ve taken a lot of wine and cheese classes in Paris and this was one of the best. The wines and cheeses are super unique and tasty and Erwan really gives you a detailed but easy to understand overview of wine and cheese in France. He’s super personable and funny and I think this is one of the best wine and cheese experience in Paris.
If you want something more high end, check out this tasting experience at Altro Frenchie by Greg Marchand. He’s a famous chef from Chef’s Table. You start at Frenchie Caviste with a sparkling aperitivo on the terrace, before a head sommelier guides you through a tasting of three distinctive wines from the cellar. Then you’ll move next door for a chef-curated tasting lunch. I think gives you a lot of value for the price. You get four glasses of wine, cheese, and a flatbread to start followed by a huge tasting menu (six courses) with even more wine. It’s really, really good value if you’re looking for a high-end food experience.
In this experience, you join Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, a filmmaker and direct descendant of Gustave Eiffel, at the base of the Eiffel Tower for a look at the building of the Eiffel tower through his family’s eyes. You’ll uncover the scandalous debates that surrounded its creation, view rarely seen family photos, sketches, and heirlooms from a private Eiffel archive. I think this a really interesting way to learn about the Effiel Tower. Not only do you get the historical information that every other tour is going to give you but you get added insider family perspective you are definitely not going to find anywhere else. (Note: You don’t go up the tower on this tour.)
This is a wonderful tour that teaches you about the contributions of Black people in France, a subject not a lot of standard history walks touch upon. Beginning at the Panthéon, the host, Binkady, shares the lives of trailblazers like Josephine Baker, Félix and Eugénie Éboué, and a formerly enslaved man who triumphed over Napoleon. Along the way, you’ll uncover the influence of Black women writers at the Sorbonne, then finish outside the Luxembourg Palace, where you’ll hear about pioneering Black leaders such as Severiano de Heredia and Gaston Monnerville. I learned a lot on this tour and X is areally engageing and interesting tour leader. He used to work for the Opera so has a lot of insight into seeing shows throughout the city.
I think this is an excellent Experience that ticks all the right boxes. It’s unique (first microbrewery in Paris), in an area of the city most tourists don’t visit, and led by a passionate local (the owner, Antoine). Antoine tells you about his story, the story of microbreweries in Paris, the brewing process, and what they sell and why. He was engaging, funny, and told good stories. We also got a good sampling of beer. This is a 5-star experience and the exact kind that exemplifies what makes Airbnb Experiences so special.
While there’s tons of walking tour and experience options in Paris, I think you do yourself a disservice if you don’t take at least one Airbnb Experience while you visit. To me, these ones are the top of the top!
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Book Your Trip to Paris: Logistical Tips and Tricks
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Harsh, eco-unfriendly synthetic herbicides are definitely one of those things that you shouldn’t be using if you don’t have to. Japanese researchers are thus now developing a green alternative, derived from the leaves of a humble walnut tree.
For many years now, scientists have noticed that other large plants don’t grow near the Manchurian walnut tree (Juglans mandshurica). This phenomenon comes thanks to a li’l thing known as allelopathy, an offensive mechanism in which plants (or other organisms) release biochemicals that kill off other competing plants in the immediate vicinity.
Other types of walnut trees also practice allelopathy, and the “allelochemical” that they primarily utilize is called juglone. In the case of the Manchurian walnut tree, however – which is particularly good at allelopathy – its main allelochemical has remained unknown.
Scientists from Japan’s Kyushu University recently teamed up with colleagues in Juntendo University in Japan and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, in order to find out.
In lab experiments simulating Manchurian walnut tree leaves falling on the ground and releasing their allelochemicals into the ground, the scientists isolated various chemicals from the leaves; added those chemicals to separate pieces of filter paper; added tobacco plant seeds to those papers; placed the papers on layers of wet soil; then observed the resulting tobacco seedlings as they grew under the influence of the different allelochemicals.
Asst. Prof. Poomraphie Nuntawong observes the effect of Manchurian walnut leaf extracts on seedling growth
Associate Professor Seiichi Sakamoto, Kyushu University
Interestingly, it was found that the most growth-stunting of the compounds – a chemical known as 2Z-decaprenol – actually contained no juglone. In fact, this was the first time that the substance had been shown to act as an allelochemical.
“To develop 2Z-decaprenol into a viable bioherbicide, we must conduct extensive safety and toxicity testing for humans and animals, further clarify its precise mechanism, and overcome challenges in producing the compound on a large scale,” says Kyushu University’s Assoc. Prof. Seiichi Sakamoto, senior author of the study.
“Our ultimate goal is to continue searching for potent, biodegradable compounds from nature that can contribute to a more sustainable future for agriculture.”
US President Donald Trump said the deal had been negotiated over the last four to five months.
Published On 20 Oct 202520 Oct 2025
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United States President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed an agreement on rare earth and critical minerals as China tightens control over global supply.
The two leaders signed the deal on Monday at the White House.
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Trump said the agreement had been negotiated over four or five months. The two leaders will also discuss trade, submarines and military equipment, Trump said.
Albanese described it as an $8.5bn pipeline “that we have ready to go”.
A copy of the agreement, provided by the prime minister’s office, said the two countries will each invest $1bn over the next six months into mining and processing projects. They also set a minimum price floor for critical minerals, a move that Western miners have long sought.
China has the world’s largest rare earths reserves, according to the US Geological Survey data, but Australia also has significant reserves.
The two leaders also planned to discuss the $239.4bn agreement, reached in 2023 under then-US President Joe Biden, in which Australia is to buy US nuclear-powered submarines in 2032 before building a new submarine class with Britain.
US Navy Secretary John Phelan told the meeting the US and Australia were working very closely to improve the original framework for all three parties “and clarify some of the ambiguity that was in the prior agreement”.
Trump said these were “just minor details”.
“There shouldn’t be any more clarifications, because we’re just, we’re just going now full steam ahead, building,” Trump said.
Australian officials have said they are confident it will proceed, with Defence Minister Richard Marles last week saying he knew when the review would conclude.
China’s rare earth export controls
Ahead of Monday’s meeting between the two leaders, Australian officials have emphasised Canberra is paying its way under AUKUS — a trilateral military partnership between the US, Australia and the United Kingdom, contributing $2bn this year to boost production rates at US submarine shipyards, and preparing to maintain US Virginia-class submarines at its Indian Ocean naval base from 2027.
The delay of 10 months in an official meeting since Trump took office has caused some anxiety in Australia as the Pentagon urged Canberra to lift defence spending. The two leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
Australia is willing to sell shares in its planned strategic reserve of critical minerals to allies including Britain, as Western governments scramble to end their reliance on China for rare earths and minor metals.
Top US officials last week condemned Beijing’s expansion of rare earth export controls as a threat to global supply chains. China is the world’s biggest producer of the materials, which are vital for products ranging from electric vehicles to aircraft engines and military radars.
Resource-rich Australia, wanting to extract and process rare earths, put preferential access to its strategic reserve on the table in US trade negotiations in April.
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Hamas has handed over a body that it says is a hostage, the Israeli military has said.
The body was transported by the Red Cross to Israeli forces in Gaza, and will now be returned to Israel for formal identification.
Before Monday, Hamas had handed over all 20 living hostages and 12 out of 28 deceased hostages under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal that began on 10 October.
There has been anger in Israel that Hamas has not yet returned all the deceased hostages, with the Israeli military saying the Palestinian armed group “is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages”.
Hamas has said it faces difficulty finding bodies under rubble in Gaza.
Under the agreement, Israel has also freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, and returned 15 bodies of Palestinians in return for every Israeli hostage’s remains.
The first phase has also seen an increase of aid into the Gaza Strip, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a halt in fighting – though deadly violence flared up on Sunday as both sides accused one another of breaching the deal.
Israel said it struck dozens of Hamas targets across the Strip after accusing Hamas of an attack that killed two of its soldiers in Rafah. Hamas had said it was “unaware” of any clashes in the area, which is under Israeli control.
At least 45 Palestinians were killed in the strikes, local hospitals said.
On Sunday evening, Israel said it was resuming enforcement of the ceasefire, adding that it would “respond firmly to any violation of it”. Hamas had earlier said it remained committed to the agreement.
US President Donald Trump said the truce remained in place, as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner travelled to Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) currently holds about half of Gaza, demarcated by a so-called Yellow Line.
With Palestinians expressing confusion about the exact location of the line, the IDF has put out a video showing bulldozers towing yellow blocks into place to mark it out.
On Monday, Palestinian health officials said Israeli fire killed three people east of Gaza City. The IDF said its troops fired towards “several terrorists” who crossed the Yellow Line in the Shejaiya area.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.
At least 68,216 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.
In just under 10 minutes, thieves stole “priceless” jewelry from the Apollo Gallery after using a truck-mounted ladder to break into a second-floor window of the Louvre Museum.
Sources: Google Earth (basemap); Paris prosecutor
The New York Times
The Break-In
To get to the second floor, two robbers climbed up a monte-meubles, a truck-mounted electric ladder that is a common sight on the streets of Paris, where it is used to ferry bulky furniture through the windows of apartments.
Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP
They then used power tools to break the glass of the balcony window and enter the gallery, setting off a security alarm.
Photo by Kiran Ridley/Getty Images
Grabbing the Jewels
Once inside the gallery, the thieves smashed two display cases and snatched eight precious objects, setting off additional alarms. The items included a royal sapphire necklace, a royal emerald necklace and a diadem worn by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, France’s 19th-century ruler.
The Apollo Gallery in 2020.
Photo by Stephane De Sakutin / AFP
In their haste to leave, the robbers dropped a ninth item, which the authorities recovered later: Empress Eugénie’s crown, which features 1,354 diamonds, 1,136 rose-cut diamonds and 56 emeralds.
Five museum staff members were either in or near the gilded Apollo Gallery. Following the Louvre’s security protocol, they contacted the police, “prioritizing the protection of people,” according to a statement by the French ministry of culture.
Security guards evacuated the museum.
@gregraspoutine via Reuters
The Escape
The thieves left the museum by climbing back down the ladder, where they made their getaway with two other members of the team who were waiting on motor scooters.
Police were still searching for the thieves on Monday. Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said that 60 investigators were questioning witnesses, combing through forensic evidence and reviewing footage from surveillance cameras in the museum and on the street.
