new video loaded: Thai Court Dismisses Prime Minister Over Ethics Violation
By Monika Cvorak•
Recent episodes in Asia Pacific
This week, Sony Pictures’ animated film KPop Demon Hunters officially became Netflix‘s most-watched movie of all time, accumulating 236 million views since its June 20 release, surpassing Red Notice’s previous record of 230 million views.
Meanwhile, BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld spoke exclusively to MBW to discuss the company’s H1 2025 results. BMG’s organic revenue dipped 4.4% YoY to EUR €424 million in the first half of the year, but the firm said underlying streaming revenue climbed by high single digits.
Elsewhere, MBW reported that AI music generator Suno filed a bold motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit from independent artists. The AI company is that none of the millions of tracks created on its platform contain anything resembling a “sample” from existing recordings.
Also this week, Spotify rolled out in-app direct messaging to make sharing music and content easier among friends and family, while a UK tribunal rejected Blur drummer Dave Rowntree’s class action lawsuit against PRS for Music over black box royalty distribution.
Here are some of the biggest headlines from the past few days…
Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters has officially become the streaming platform’s most popular movie ever, accumulating 236 million views since its June 20 release and adding another 25.4 million views in the week ending August 24.
Netflix’s previous record holder, Red Notice, accumulated 230 million views during its first 91 days on the platform after being released in 2021. KPop Demon Hunters has 24 days remaining before surpassing the same 91-day premiere window.
The film’s remarkable performance shows no signs of slowing, with the movie exhibiting nearly 0% audience decline for three consecutive weeks after two straight intervals of 26 million views each.
The Sony Pictures production is building on the unprecedented success of its music, with KPop Demon Hunters becoming the first soundtrack to claim four simultaneous Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100… (MBW)
BMG reported its H1 2025 results on Wednesday (August 28), with the Bertelsmann-owned company’s organic revenue dipping 4.4% YoY to EUR €424 million in the period, while underlying streaming revenue climbed by high single digits.
Meanwhile, BMG’s EBITDA margin jumped significantly to 28.7% – impacted by what Bertelsmann called a “strategic scaling back of lower-margin activities.”
For Thomas Coesfeld, BMG’s CEO since 2023, these results represent progress toward a more focused, efficient operation. Speaking exclusively to MBW, Coesfeld also addressed Spotify’s recent price increases, stating that “compared to audiovisual, music has historically been slower to adjust pricing and remains undervalued relative to the value it delivers”… (MBW)
AI music generator Suno is fighting back against copyright infringement claims from independent artists with a bold legal argument that could reshape the AI music debate.
In a motion to dismiss filed in federal court on August 18, Suno argued that the indie artist lawsuit “fails as a matter of law” and should be dismissed. The company claims that music made on Suno doesn’t actually “sample” existing recordings – regardless of what music was used to train its AI model.
This represents a potentially game-changing legal strategy: Suno claims that even if its AI learned from copyrighted songs, the outputs it generates are entirely new sounds that cannot infringe existing recordings under US copyright law… (MBW)
Spotify has started rolling out a direct message feature inside its app, which the platform says is meant to make sharing music and other content easier. The new feature, announced on Tuesday (August 26), will be available on mobile devices “in select markets” to both Free and Premium users, but only to those aged 16 and over.
To use the new DM feature, Spotify users can tap the share icon while listening to content in the ‘Now Playing’ view, which will bring up a list of people the user has interacted with before through Spotify.
Spotify’s DMs support text and emojis, but the company is quick to point out it’s not aiming to replace other social media platforms. DM chats are not fully end-to-end encrypted, but Spotify says they are protected with “encryption in transit and at rest….” (MBW)
A UK judicial tribunal has rejected a proposed class action lawsuit against performance rights organization PRS for Music over how it distributes “black box” royalties – royalties owed on songs whose rightsholders haven’t been properly identified.
In a judgment issued on Wednesday (August 27), the Competition Appeal Tribunal dismissed the proposed class-action lawsuit that had been brought on behalf of PRS’s 165,000 songwriter members by Blur drummer Dave Rowntree.
The tribunal concluded that because songwriters are not “owed” black box royalties, the class doesn’t have a legitimate claim under UK law. It also concluded that Rowntree’s lawyers hadn’t proposed an alternative to PRS’s method of distributing black box royalties, and doubted that the “cost-benefit” ratio of the lawsuit made sense, given that PRS is a not-for-profit owned by its publisher and songwriter members… (MBW)
Partner message: MBW’s Weekly Round-up is supported by BMI, the global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. Find out more about BMI here. Music Business Worldwide
Palestinians in Gaza City are facing new threats to their lives after Israel announced the suspension of ‘humanitarian pauses’ in its assaults. Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al-Khalili has been to Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, where displaced people are preparing to leave under fire.
Published On 29 Aug 2025
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Jonathan HeadSouth East Asia correspondent in Bangkok
Getty ImagesThailand’s Constitutional Court strikes again, removing yet another prime minister from office.
The country’s notoriously interventionist panel of nine appointed judges has ruled that Paetongtarn Shinawatra violated ethical standards in a phone call she had in June with the veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which he then leaked.
In it, Paetongtarn could be heard being conciliatory towards Hun Sen over their countries’ border dispute, and criticising one of her own army commanders.
She defended her conversation saying she had been trying to make a diplomatic breakthrough with Hun Sen, an old friend of her father Thaksin Shinawatra, and said the conversation should have remained confidential.
The leak was damaging and deeply embarrassing for her and her Pheu Thai party. It sparked calls for her to resign as her biggest coalition partner walked out of the government, leaving her with a slim majority.
In July, seven out of the nine judges on the court voted to suspend Paetongtarn, a margin which suggested she would suffer the same fate as her four predecessors. So Friday’s decision was not a surprise.
Paetongtarn is the fifth Thai prime minister to be removed from office by this court, all of them from administrations backed by her father.
This has given rise to a widespread belief in Thailand that it nearly always rules against those seen as a threat by conservative, royalist forces.
The court has also banned 112 political parties, many of them small, but including two previous incarnations of Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party, and Move Forward, the reformist movement which won the last election in 2023.
In few other countries is political life so rigorously policed by a branch of the judiciary.
Getty ImagesIn this case, it was the leaked phone conversation that sealed Pateongtarn’s fate.
It is not clear why Hun Sen chose to burn his friendship with the Shinawatra family. He reacted angrily to a comment by Paetongtarn calling the Cambodian leadership’s use of social media to push its arguments “unprofessional”.
Hun Sen described it as “an unprecedented insult”, which had driven him to “expose the truth”.
But his decision caused a political crisis in Thailand, inflaming tensions over their border, which last month erupted into a five-day war that killed more than 40 people.
The Thai constitution now requires members of parliament to choose a new prime minister from a very limited list.
Each party was required to name three candidates before the last election, and Pheu Thai has now used up two, after the court’s dismissal of Srettha Thavisin last year.
Their third candidate, Chaikasem Nitisiri, is a former minister and party stalwart, but has little public profile and is in poor health. The alternative would be Anutin Charnvirakul, the former interior minister whose Bhumjaithai party walked out of the ruling coalition, ostensibly over the leaked phone call.
Relations between the two parties are now strained, and Anutin would have to rely on Pheu Thai, which has many more seats, to form a government, which is hardly a recipe for stability.
The largest party in parliament, the 143 MPs who were formerly in the now-dissolved Move Forward and have reformed as The People’s Party, has vowed not to join any coalition, but to remain in opposition until a new election is held.
A new election would appear to be the obvious way out of the current political mess, but Pheu Thai does not want that. After two years in office it has been unable to meet its promises to revive the economy.
Getty ImagesFor all of her youth, the inexperienced Paetongtarn failed to establish any real authority over the country, with most Thais presuming that her father was making all the big decisions.
But Thaksin Shinawatra seems to have lost his magic touch. Pheu Thai party’s signature policy at the last election, a digital wallet which would put B10,000 ($308; £178) in the pocket of every Thai adult, has stalled, and been widely criticised as ineffective.
Other grand plans, to legalise casinos, and to build a “land-bridge” linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, have gone nowhere.
At a time when Thai nationalist sentiment has been fired up over the border war with Cambodia, the Shinawatra family’s long-standing – though now broken – friendship with Hun Sen has heightened suspicion in conservative circles that they will always put their business interests before those of the nation.
The party’s popularity has plunged, and it is likely it would lose many of its 140 seats in an election now.
For more than two decades it was an unbeatable electoral force which dominated Thai politics.
It is hard to see how it will ever regain that dominance.
Dell stock price target raised to $155 from $145 at UBS on AI momentum
new video loaded: Protesters and Police Clash in Indonesia
By Shawn Paik•
Recent episodes in International
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International video coverage from The New York Times.
The average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate conforming mortgage loan in the U.S. is 6.548%, according to data available from mortgage data company Optimal Blue. That’s up approximately 2 basis points from the prior day’s report, and down approximately 8 basis points from a week ago. Read on to compare average rates for a variety of conventional and government-backed mortgage types and see whether rates have increased or decreased.
Note that Fortune reviewed Optimal Blue’s latest available data on Aug. 28, with the numbers reflecting home loans locked in as of Aug. 27.
If it feels as though 30-year mortgage rates have been stuck on the verge of 7% for an extended period, that’s not too far off. Many observers anticipated that rates would soften when the Federal Reserve started reducing the federal funds rate last September, but there was no sustained decrease in mortgage rates. There was a short-lived dip preceding the September Fed meeting, but rates rapidly climbed afterward.
By January 2025 the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage surpassed 7% for the first time since last May, as indicated by Freddie Mac data. That’s a big jump from the historic average low of 2.65% recorded in January 2021, when the government was still working to stimulate the economy and ward off a pandemic-induced economic downturn.
Absent another major crisis, experts agree we won’t have mortgage rates in the 2% to 3% range in our lifetimes. Nevertheless, rates around the 6% mark are entirely possible if the U.S. manages to tame inflation and lenders feel optimistic about the economic prospects.
In fact, rates had a modest decline at the end of February, dropping nearer to the 6.5% mark than had been seen for some time. There was even a brief point in early April where rates dipped below 6.5%, but they rose immediately afterward.
At present, with uncertainty as to the extent to which President Donald Trump will pursue policies such as tariffs and deportations, some observers worry the labor market could constrict and inflation could resurface. Against this backdrop, U.S. homebuyers face high mortgage rates—although some can still find options for making their purchase more manageable, like negotiating rate buydowns with a builder when purchasing newly constructed property.
While economic conditions are beyond your control, your financial profile as an applicant also has a substantial impact on the mortgage rate you’re offered. With that in mind, aim to do the following:
Check Out Our Daily Rates Reports
An important bit of context for the discussion about high mortgage rates is that today’s rates around 7% feel high because of the recent memory of rates between 2% and 3%. Those rates were possible due to unprecedented government action aimed at preventing recession as the country grappled with a global pandemic.
However, under more typical economic conditions, experts agree we’re unlikely to see such exceptionally low interest rates again. Historically, rates in the vicinity of 7% are not unusually high.
Consider this St. Louis Fed (FRED) chart tracking Freddie Mac data on the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage average. From the 1970s through the 1990s, such rates were more or less the norm, with a significant spike in the early 1980s. In fact, September, October, and November of 1981 all saw mortgage interest rates exceeding 18%.
Nevertheless, this historical perspective offers little consolation to homeowners who may want to move but are locked in with a once-in-a-lifetime low interest rate. Such situations are common enough in the current market that low pandemic-era rates keeping homeowners from moving when they otherwise would have become known as the “golden handcuffs.”
The U.S. economy may well be the single largest driver of mortgage rates. When lenders fear inflation, they can raise rates to protect their long-term profits.
Plus, the national debt is another significant factor. When the government has to borrow large sums to cover what it spends, that can drive interest rates higher.
Demand for home loans is key too. If few people are borrowing, lenders might lower rates to attract business. But if loans are in high demand, they might raise rates to cover their costs.
In addition, the Federal Reserve’s actions play a role. The Fed can sway rates for mortgages and other financial products by changing the federal funds rate and by managing its balance sheet.
The federal funds rate gets a lot of media attention. When it changes, mortgage rates often follow suit. But remember, the Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates directly, and they don’t always move in perfect sync with the fed funds rate.
Perhaps even more importantly, the Fed influences rates through its balance sheet. In tough times, it can buy assets like mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to boost the economy.
But recently, the Fed has been shrinking its balance sheet, choosing not to replace assets as they mature. This tends to push interest rates up. So while everyone focuses on cuts or hikes to the fed funds rate, what the central bank does with its balance sheet might be even more important for your mortgage rate.
Comparing rates on different types of loans and shopping around with various lenders are both essential steps in obtaining the best mortgage for your situation.
If your credit is excellent, opting for a conventional mortgage might be the ideal choice for you. However, if your score is below 600, an FHA loan may give you an opportunity that a conventional loan would not.
When it comes to exploring options with different banks, credit unions, and online lenders, it can make a significant difference in your overall costs. Freddie Mac research indicates that in a market with high interest rates, homebuyers may be able to save $600 to $1,200 annually if they apply with multiple mortgage lenders.
By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam
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Tyler Porter from San Jose, California, has made a verbal commitment to Arizona State University for the 2026-27 school year and beyond. He wrote on social media:
“I’m incredibly proud and honored to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic journey at Arizona State University! First and foremost, I want to thank my family for their unwavering support and for shaping me into the person I am today. To my coach Andre and current teammates, thank you for constantly pushing me to be my best, both in and out of the pool. A special thank you to Coach Herbie Behm for believing in me and blessing me with the opportunity to become a Sun Devil. And above all, I give all the glory to God. None of this would be possible without His grace, guidance, and the amazing people He’s placed in my life. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait for what’s ahead. Go Devils! #forksup”
Porter is a rising senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory. He swims year-round with Quicksilver Swimming and specializes in sprint freestyle. We considered him an “Honorable Mention” recruit in our latest ranking of top 20 boys from the high school class of 2026.
Porter first made a name for himself at 2024 Winter Juniors West, when he dropped .85 in the 50 free to place 2nd behind Maximus Williamson with 19.49. That performance rocketed him to the top of the class of 2026 in the 50 free. He broke 20 seconds 3 times at Winter Juniors (19.58 in prelims, 19.49 in finals, and 19.94 leading off the 4×50 relay), but has not done it since. The closest he came was a 20.07 in prelims and 20.08 in finals at the 2025 CIF State Championships, where he came in 3rd place.
This summer, Porter placed 7th in the 50 free (23.24), 36th in prelims of the 100 free (53.16), and 15th in the 50 fly (25.50) at his championship meet, Sacramento Futures.
Best SCY times:
Porter will suit up for the Sun Devils in the fall of 2026 with fellow verbal commits Brennan O’Neil, Henry Lyness, Ian Disosway, London Rising, Caleb Kattau, Dillon Albertyn, Jack Culberson, and Onur Oksuz.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.
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Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2026 “Honorable Mention” Tyler Porter Verbals to Arizona State for 2026-27
Scientists have identified a protein that acts as a kind of traffic controller for fat inside cells, revealing a mechanism that could help explain how the body regulates energy storage and why things go wrong in metabolic disease. The discovery provides a new avenue for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes
Researchers from The University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found that the protein CHP1 is essential for both producing fat molecules and directing them to where they need to go. But first, we need to understand a bit more about how our cells store fat.
Inside cells, fat is tucked away in lipid droplets, which act like tiny storage units that house reserve energy but also play a key role in building and repairing cell membranes. To fill the droplets, cells use a production line known as the glycerol-3-phosphate (G-3-P) pathway. This line makes two important products: triacylglycerols, the main form of stored fat, and glycerophospholipids, which form the scaffolding of cell membranes.
The first step on this line is the most critical, and it’s carried out by enzymes known as microsomal GPATs. Two of these – GPAT3 and GPAT4 – do most of the work in fat-making tissues. Scientists knew these enzymes were key players in cellular function, but until now it wasn’t clear how they were switched on or guided to the right place in the cell.
The UNSW team discovered that CHP1 is the protein that regulates this. It acts as both a stabilizer and an activator of GPAT3 and GPAT4, ensuring they fill their natural roles. But just as importantly, CHP1 also helps guide them to lipid droplets, so they can actually channel new fat molecules into storage. Without CHP1, lipid droplets became significantly smaller, because the machinery that fills them is no longer in place.
Essentially, removing CHP1 led to a dramatic reduction in the size of the lipid droplets, suggesting that this protein is a key regulator of fat metabolism within a cell.
“Our findings provide a clearer picture of the intricate machinery that controls how cells store fat,” said lead author Guang Yang from UNSW’s School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science. “Understanding this process is a critical step towards developing new strategies to address a range of metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes.”
While it’s a long way from these findings to treatment, by uncovering how CHP1 drives the activation and direction of these key enzymes gives researchers a promising new target in combatting metabolic disorders.
The study also highlights that lipid droplets – once thought to be inert fat stores – are in fact active organelles that manage how fat is stored and used in cells. Dysfunctional lipid storage underlies a wide range of health conditions, with obesity and diabetes just two of them.
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: The University of New South Wales via Scimex
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