Projects focuses on industrial and logistics occupiers

Work to create a huge industrial shed on the outskirts of Wigan has finished.

Building firm Glencar has completed construction at Martland Park of a 102,000 sq ft industrial and logistics unit commissioned by commercial property developer Hillwood UK.

The builder said the high-specification unit has been developed to ‘meet the requirements of modern industrial and logistics occupiers, with a strong focus on sustainability, operational efficiency, and long-term performance’.

The completed warehouse. close to the M6 and the Heinz complex at Kitt Green, has first-floor office accommodation and a range of sustainability measures including photovoltaic panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Works also included groundworks and drainage infrastructure to support the site.

Glencar said the completed building provides ‘high-quality, future-ready industrial space, supporting employment and inward investment in Wigan’.

It said the building sets ‘a new benchmark for sustainable industrial and logistics development at Martland Park’.

No occupier for the massive space has been announced as yet.

Tom Kearsley, north regional director at Glencar said: “The completion of Martland Park is a strong example of what can be achieved through close collaboration with a committed client and consultant team.

“We are proud to have delivered a high-quality, sustainable facility for Hillwood UK that meets the demands of modern industrial and logistics occupiers.”

Mark Wright, vice president at Hillwood UK, said: “The development reflects our commitment to providing sustainable, well-designed industrial and logistics space and represents an excellent addition to our portfolio in the North West.”

To find all the planning applications, traffic diversions, road layout changes, alcohol licence applications and more in your community, visit the Public Notices Portal.

In this review of the U.K.’s top digital marketing agencies, NP Digital stands out because of the way it combines SEO, paid media, content, digital PR, analytics and AI search optimisation within a single performance marketing offering.

Other notable options include Jellyfish for enterprise-integrated media, Brainlabs for data-led paid media, Croud for international campaign delivery, Found for AI-first search visibility, and Passion Digital for search-led growth in B2B and professional services.

Best digital marketing agencies in the UK at a glance

It’s impossible to rank one agency as the best choice for every company. Brands need to take into account the specifics of their brief, such as the channels they’re targeting, the markets where they desire increased visibility, their campaign’s scale and if specialist expertise is required.

How we selected these agencies

We assessed each of the agencies according to the following criteria:

• Service coverage: The extent of their services, such as SEO, paid media, content creation, creative, digital PR and analytics.
• Performance focus: The agency’s ability to deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Data and technology: The use of proprietary tools, analytics or technology to support campaign performance.
• UK market relevance: The ability to support businesses operating in the UK.
• Demonstrated expertise: Evidence such as recognised clients, industry awards, platform partnerships and established specialist services.

Our intention is not to create a definitive ranking. Each agency has its strengths and weaknesses, and will be better suited to different types of marketing briefs.

1. NP Digital: Full-funnel performance marketing

NP Digital is a global performance marketing agency founded by Neil Patel and Mike Kamo, working with enterprise and mid-market brands across multiple markets.

It is one of the more comprehensive options on this list for businesses that want several digital disciplines managed together, rather than through separate specialist agencies.

Its service offering includes:

• Search engine optimisation
• Paid search
• Paid social
• Content marketing
• Digital PR
• Media planning and buying
• Performance creative
• Data and analytics
• Generative Engine Optimisation and Answer Engine Optimisation

A key aspect of NP Digital’s current positioning is its focus on visibility across both traditional search and AI-driven discovery.

Its GEO and AEO approach covers areas such as entity optimisation, content clarity and structure, brand mentions, technical SEO, and E-E-A-T. The agency also has AI visibility capabilities associated with Ubersuggest, while AnswerThePublic supports question and search-intent research.

This means NP Digital offers a much broader search proposition than traditional SEO alone, with services designed to ensure visibility in search engines as well as AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.

The agency has also earned recognition from marketing industry publications including Campaign, Performance Marketing World and AdAge.

Who is NP Digital best suited for?

NP Digital is particularly relevant for brands looking for a broad performance marketing partner that can combine SEO, paid media, content, digital PR, analytics and AI search optimisation.

Businesses looking for a highly specialised paid-media agency or a smaller boutique partner may find other options on this list more suitable.

2. Jellyfish: Enterprise integrated media

Jellyfish is a global digital agency with a strong presence in enterprise media, technology, creative and data.

It has become a popular choice for large organisations running complex international campaigns, due to its extensive experience across major advertising and technology platforms.

Its capabilities span media, creative, data and technology, while its Share of Model product is designed to measure how brands are ranked by AI chatbots and assistants.

Jellyfish has also worked with dozens of international brands across multiple industries.

Who is Jellyfish best suited for?

Jellyfish is known for partnering with large organisations on long-running, integrated media campaigns executed at international scale. It’s also popular with brands looking for deep platform expertise.

But for businesses that need a heavier emphasis on organic search and digital PR, or a more deeply integrated earned-and-paid strategy, there may be better agencies on this list.

3. Brainlabs: Data-led paid media

Brainlabs offers data-led digital marketing services and is known for excelling in areas such as paid media optimisation and measuring campaign effectiveness.

Its approach is heavily focused on using testing and data to improve media performance across major advertising platforms.

Proof of the success of its methods can be found in its client list, which spans dozens of well-known brands, including many with significant paid-media budgets.

Some of its best-known clients include the financial giant American Express, travel firm Expedia, Formula 1, Harrods, TUI and Domino’s.

Who is Brainlabs best suited for?

Brainlabs is often hired by brands in need of paid media services and creative experiments that prove the effectiveness of their campaigns.

However, the company has quite a narrow focus. Its core offering is centred around media performance, however, with much less emphasis on generative AI search or earned-media-led marketing.

4. Croud: International campaign delivery

Croud is a UK-based agency known for outsourcing expertise to an international network of marketing specialists who live in its clients’ target markets.

It also has a strong in-house team and, therefore, a distinct model that enables it to scale its campaigns globally, with everything directed by a local, centralised management team.

Its services include media, strategy, social media, creative solutions and data analytics. Croud counts brands including AllSaints, Compare the Market, Timberland, Amazon Prime Video, Aston Martin and Nespresso on its list of publicly revealed clients.

Who is Croud best suited for?

Croud appears to be a solid partner for brands seeking flexible digital marketing execution across multiple regions, countries, and languages. Its use of an international network makes it an especially appealing choice for companies that require localised support on the ground within their target markets.

5. Found: AI-first search visibility

Found is a UK digital agency with a strong emphasis on search visibility across a broader range of discovery platforms.

Rather than treating Google as the only search environment, its approach includes AI assistants, marketplaces, social platforms and traditional search engines.

Its services include:

• SEO
• PPC
• Paid social
• Content
• Data science
• Ecommerce marketing
• AI search optimisation

Found also operates Luminr, a platform designed to monitor brand visibility across search and AI environments, including ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Who is Found best suited for?

Companies that are looking for specialised search partners to enhance their AI visibility and stay on top of emerging discovery trends are best suited to Found.

However, Found is heavily focused on the UK market and lacks the expertise to enhance a brand’s global visibility, so those looking to boost their position in international markets through large-scale paid media campaigns would be better off talking to a full-service agency.

6. Passion Digital: B2B and professional-services growth

Another niche operator, Passion Digital, is primarily focused on search-based visibility tailored for organisations in B2B, professional services, finance, travel, and other specialised sectors.

For these clients, it offers a comprehensive range of services designed to get them noticed, spanning SEO, paid social media, pay-per-click, digital PR, content strategy, AI search optimisation, and more, along with deep analytics capabilities.

Like NP Digital and Found, it offers a dedicated proposition around generative search and AI visibility.

Its publicly named clients include organisations such as Knight Frank, OneTrust, Mazda, Nutanix and Octopus Investments.

Who is Passion Digital best suited for?

It’s one of the more relevant agencies for B2B and professional-services companies that want to boost their discoverability across search platforms. It bundles SEO, paid media, content, and GEO capabilities into a single offering.

Passion Digital won’t be for everyone, though, as its positioning is laser-focused on the above audiences. Bigger brands that require greater reach may be more satisfied with the larger, global-scale agencies on our list.

Which UK digital marketing agency is right for your business?

Businesses should base their choice on the specific marketing challenge they face:

• NP Digital is the obvious choice for brands that require a full gamut of marketing services spanning  SEO, paid media, content, digital PR, analytics and AI search optimisation.
• Jellyfish may be a better choice for larger organisations that want to focus on integrated media and require technology expertise and regional or global scale.
• Brainlabs is the agency to call when paid media, experimentation and measurement are the main areas of focus.
• Croud should be of interest to companies that require local expertise to tailor their campaigns for multiple specific global markets.
• Found stands out for brands focused specifically on AI search visibility and changing search behaviour.
• Passion Digital is well-suited to B2B and professional services organisations looking for a search-led digital marketing partner.

Frequently asked questions

What are some of the best digital marketing agencies in the UK?

NP Digital is one of the best all-round options on this list, followed by  Jellyfish, Brainlabs, Croud, Found and Passion Digital.

The choice is complicated by the fact that each campaign is unique, and an agency that’s well suited to one may struggle with another. Each agency has its own strengths. For NP Digital, its combination of multiple performance marketing disciplines and AI visibility gives it a significant advantage over many of its rivals. The others are more specialised, with Jellyfish known for its strength in enterprise media, Brainlabs providing expertise in paid media, Croud targeting international results, and Foud strictly focused on AI-search consulting.

Which UK digital marketing agency is best for full-funnel performance marketing?

Brands that prefer to keep their SEO, paid media, content, digital PR, analytics and AI search optimisation activities under a single umbrella will likely be impressed by the vast scope of NP Digital’s services. However, other agencies may be the best option in cases where organisations have a much narrower brief or a much tighter budget. For instance, if a campaign specifically requires paid-media expertise, Found and Passion Digital could be more attractive service providers.

Which digital marketing agencies in the UK offer GEO or AI search optimisation?

Several agencies on this list now offer dedicated services related to generative search or AI visibility.

These include NP Digital, Found, and Passion Digital, all of which have established offerings in Generative Engine Optimisation, Answer Engine Optimisation, or AI search optimisation.

What should businesses look for when choosing a digital marketing agency?

The most critical thing is that the agency can provide credible evidence that its work translates into measurable business outcomes.

Important areas to compare include:

• Relevant channel expertise
• Service breadth
• Measurement and analytics
• Technology
• Market experience
• Client work
• Specialist capabilities
• Experience in AI search visibility

In most cases, brands will first look at their marketing brief and the expertise they require before signing a contract with any agency. Once they’ve established their goals, they will know what’s required from their marketing partner and be able to identify which agency best fits their needs.

Final thoughts

Digital marketing can be a huge money pit due to the large number of good and not-so-good advertising agencies operating around the country. There are established players like NP Digital that cover almost every aspect of marketing, as well as multiple smaller niche operators and AI search-focused providers.

NP Digital stands out for its technological innovation, its enormous scale spanning more than 30 countries, and its ability to verify the impact of its work and provide insights.

As for alternatives, many brands consider Jellyfish for integrated media experiences, Brainlabs for paid media campaigns, Croud for when they want to reach global scale, and Passion Digital for professional services and B2B industries. Just remember that no two organisations are the same, and one firm’s golden ticket could turn out to be another company’s albatross. Always consider your marketing brief and select the best digital marketing agency that fits your requirements.

Andrew Eriksen
Allele Capital Partners, LLC

All right. I think we’re live now, so let’s jump in. Thank you, everyone, for joining today, Scinai Immunotherapeutics corporate overview and 2026 midyear business update. My name is Andrew Eriksen. I’m a Managing Director here at Allele Capital, who works directly with the Scinai team, and we’re helping kind of put on this event today. So we’re going to run through a bit of the first half results that you might have noticed Scinai published just yesterday, review some of those financials, some of those business updates, and then Amir is going to give us a bit of an outlook for the rest of 2026 and why the team is ultimately really excited about what’s to come.

So without further ado, we’ll get into it, and then we’ll save the questions at the end. If you’re watching on LinkedIn or YouTube, there’s chat boxes for both of those platforms, so submit your questions, and we’ll get to those at the end of the conversation. So without further ado, let’s jump into the call here, Amir. Maybe what you can do is, I’m sure a lot of people on the call are familiar with who you are, but maybe just a quick background on yourself and your role at Scinai and then we can get into some of the first half details.

Amir Reichman
CEO & Director

Thank you very much, Andrew, and welcome, everybody, to our webinar today. I’m Amir Reichman. I have a biotechnology engineering master’s degree and an MBA from the Wharton School of Penn University. My background goes back more than 20 years

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded SpaceX owner Elon Musk one of the country’s highest state honors, the Order of Freedom, as Kyiv continues seeking to expand its use of Musk’s Starlink satellite internet terminals amid the ongoing war with Russia, according to a presidential decree published Wednesday.

The decree, published on the Ukrainian presidential website, praised Musk “for outstanding personal contributions to protecting human life and freedom, and for developing relations between the peoples of Ukraine and the United States of America,” according to Reuters.

Starlink has played a central role in Ukraine’s military operations since the earliest days of the war. Musk switched on the satellite internet service over Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, and the system has since become a critical component of Ukraine’s battlefield communications infrastructure, as well as a key tool used for piloting military drones.

The relationship between Musk and Ukraine’s government has not been without tension. Earlier this year, Musk agreed to turn off thousands of Russian “grey-market” Starlink terminals operating within Ukraine, a move that created significant operational problems for Russian forces relying on that unauthorized access. That decision came at the request of Ukraine’s former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was dismissed from his post in July.

Ukraine has now formally asked to expand its use of Starlink specifically to cover Russian territory, as Kyiv seeks to strike targets including launchers used to fire ballistic missiles that have caused extensive destruction across Ukrainian cities. According to Reuters, Zelenskyy said he had been told that Musk initially opposed extending Starlink’s coverage into Russian territory, viewing the move as a “major escalation” of the broader war. However, Zelenskyy indicated the situation may be shifting, saying Ukraine had “started to receive a different, more encouraging feedback” on the request more recently.

Zelenskyy argued that expanding Starlink’s operational coverage into Russian territory could meaningfully reduce capabilities Russia has relied on to prolong the conflict, framing the potential expansion as a significant strategic tool in Ukraine’s broader effort to counter continued Russian missile strikes against its cities and civilian infrastructure.

The awarding of Ukraine’s Order of Freedom to Musk reflects the country’s continued reliance on Starlink as an essential piece of wartime infrastructure, even as the underlying relationship between Musk and Ukrainian officials has periodically shown signs of friction, particularly around questions of how far Musk is willing to go in supporting more escalatory uses of the satellite network. The honor comes at a moment when Kyiv appears to be actively working to secure Musk’s continued cooperation and goodwill, given how directly Ukraine’s request to expand Starlink coverage into Russian territory depends on Musk’s own willingness to authorize that expanded use.

Starlink’s broader significance to Ukraine’s war effort extends beyond battlefield communications and drone operations alone. The satellite network has provided a resilient communications backbone for large portions of the country throughout the war, helping maintain connectivity for military and civilian users alike even amid sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s conventional telecommunications infrastructure. That resilience has made Starlink one of the most strategically significant pieces of foreign technological support Ukraine has received since the war began, alongside more conventional forms of military and financial assistance from Western governments.

Musk’s relationship with the war has evolved considerably since Starlink’s initial 2022 activation over Ukraine. His decision earlier this year to disable unauthorized Russian access to the network, taken at the request of Ukrainian officials, demonstrated a continued willingness to support Ukraine’s position in specific circumstances, even as his more recent reported reluctance to authorize Starlink use directly over Russian territory suggests continued caution regarding steps he views as carrying meaningful escalatory risk within the broader conflict.

Ukraine’s Order of Freedom ranks among the country’s most significant state honors, typically reserved for individuals who have made substantial contributions to Ukraine’s sovereignty, security or international standing. The decision to bestow the award on Musk specifically, at a moment when Ukraine is actively seeking his cooperation on an unresolved and strategically significant request regarding Starlink’s operational scope, underscores the practical diplomatic dimension of the honor alongside its symbolic recognition of Musk’s contributions to Ukraine’s wartime communications capabilities over the preceding three years.

As of this report, neither Musk nor SpaceX had issued a public statement responding to the award or directly addressing Ukraine’s specific request to expand Starlink coverage into Russian territory. With Zelenskyy describing recent signals from Musk’s camp as more encouraging than the initial opposition reportedly expressed, further developments regarding whether and how Starlink’s operational footprint might expand to support Ukraine’s efforts to target Russian missile launch sites are likely to remain a closely watched element of the broader war’s trajectory in the weeks ahead, given how directly any change in Starlink’s coverage could affect the operational balance between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF. — Stan Stuka has returned to Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, in the newly created role of vice president, commercial.  

As vice president, commercial, Stuka will lead sales and marketing to help drive commercial growth and strengthen brand performance, the company said.

Prior to returning to Dole, Stuka was director of consumer and HCP at Amgen, where he spent approximately six years in various consumer roles.

In his earlier years at Dole Packaged Foods, Stuka was senior director of marketing for the company’s shelf-stable fruit and juice business and previously was director of marketing for fruit bowls as well as canned fruit and jars.

“Stan brings a strong combination of institutional knowledge, commercial expertise, and proven leadership,” said Hidehiro Tanabe, president of Dole Packaged Foods, US. “By bringing sales and marketing closer together, we’re better connecting consumer insights, brand building, and marketplace execution to drive growth and deliver Sunshine For All.”

Before his roles at Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, and Amgen, Stuka spent approximately six years Dole Food Co. holding several management positions. 

Keeping a construction project on schedule depends on more than having enough workers on site. Materials need to arrive at the right time, in the correct quantities and, where necessary, prepared to the required specifications.

A contractor may have the labour, equipment and approvals ready, but work can still come to a halt if essential materials are unavailable. A delayed steel beam, reinforcement order or concrete delivery can affect not only one task but several stages that depend on it.

This is why reliable material supply should be treated as part of project planning rather than simply a purchasing function. For construction businesses, choosing the right suppliers can make the difference between maintaining the programme and dealing with costly delays.

Material Delays Can Affect the Entire Construction Programme

Construction projects involve a sequence of interconnected activities. Foundations need to be completed before structural work can progress, structural elements need to be in place before certain installations can begin, and finishing trades often depend on earlier stages being completed on time. When an important material arrives late, the impact therefore rarely stops with one contractor.

Consider a project where structural steel is scheduled for installation on Monday. The installation team has been booked, lifting equipment is available and subsequent work has been planned around the steel being installed. If the steel does not arrive until Thursday, the business may have to reschedule workers and equipment while pushing later activities further down the programme.

Repeated problems of this kind can quickly turn a manageable construction schedule into a difficult one.

The UK government publishes regular statistics covering building materials and components, including price indices, production and the import and export of construction products. This data highlights how closely the wider construction sector is connected to the availability and movement of building materials.

Reliable Suppliers Make Project Planning Easier

Contractors cannot control every part of the supply chain, but they can reduce uncertainty by working with suppliers that understand construction deadlines.

Price will naturally influence purchasing decisions, particularly on projects where margins are tight. However, choosing a supplier purely because they offer the lowest quote can prove expensive if materials regularly arrive late or orders are incomplete.

A dependable supplier should provide realistic information about stock availability and delivery times. If something cannot be supplied by the required date, the contractor needs to know early enough to make alternative arrangements.

Communication becomes particularly important when specifications change. Construction projects do not always progress exactly according to the original plan. Measurements can change, engineers may revise requirements and contractors may suddenly require additional materials. Having a responsive supplier makes these situations much easier to manage.

Local and Well-Stocked Suppliers Can Reduce Lead Times

Long and complicated supply chains create additional opportunities for disruption. Imported products may have to pass through manufacturers, freight companies, ports, distributors and local transport providers before reaching a construction site.

There is nothing inherently wrong with sourcing internationally, and many construction products depend on global supply chains. However, contractors should understand the lead times and potential risks involved when building their procurement schedules.

For frequently required materials, using established UK stockholders can provide more flexibility. This is particularly useful when a project requires an additional quantity at short notice or when specifications change after work has started.

Structural steel is a good example. A project may require universal beams and columns, reinforcement, steel sections, plates or sheets at different stages of construction. Contractors also need to consider whether materials require cutting, drilling or fabrication before they can be delivered to site.

Working with a supplier that can handle several of these requirements can make procurement easier. Steel Stock Direct supplies structural steel products including beams, columns, channels, angles, hollow sections, steel plates and sheets, rebar and reinforcing mesh, alongside cutting and fabrication services. Bringing more of these requirements under one supplier can reduce the amount of coordination required between purchasing, processing and delivery.

Fabrication and Processing Should Be Considered When Ordering

Availability alone does not mean a material is ready to use. A steel beam sitting in stock, for instance, is of limited use if the project requires it to be cut, drilled or otherwise fabricated before installation. Contractors therefore need to consider the complete journey from placing an order to having a usable component arrive on site.

This is an area where procurement teams can prevent unnecessary delays. Specifications should be confirmed as early as possible, and drawings or schedules should be supplied to the relevant company with enough time for processing. If bespoke fabrication is required, this should be incorporated into the project programme rather than treated as an additional step after materials have been purchased.

The same principle applies to other construction materials. Ordering the correct product is only part of the process. It also needs to arrive in a condition and specification that allows the site team to use it.

Better Procurement Reduces Last-Minute Purchasing

Last-minute orders are sometimes unavoidable, but they should not become the normal way a construction project operates.

Reactive procurement leaves a business with fewer options. The preferred product may be unavailable, the normal supplier may not have enough stock, or expedited delivery may significantly increase costs.

Planning purchases around the construction programme gives procurement teams more time to compare suppliers, confirm specifications and arrange deliveries for appropriate dates.

This does not necessarily mean ordering every material at the beginning of a project. Doing so can create storage, security and cash-flow problems. Instead, businesses can establish when key materials will be required and work backwards from those dates to determine sensible ordering deadlines.

Materials with longer lead times should receive particular attention. These should be identified during the planning stage and monitored throughout the project.

Delivery Timing Matters as Much as Availability

A supplier may have everything in stock and still cause problems if delivery is poorly coordinated.

Construction sites often have limited storage space. Large quantities of materials arriving too early can obstruct working areas and create unnecessary handling. Arriving too late creates the opposite problem, leaving workers waiting for something they need. The goal should be to coordinate deliveries with actual site requirements.

For structural materials, this can be particularly important because unloading may require lifting equipment or designated access. If a delivery misses its allocated window, reorganising cranes, forklifts, workers or traffic management can create additional costs.

Project managers should therefore communicate delivery requirements clearly and confirm them with suppliers before important dates.

Reliable suppliers also need to communicate when circumstances change. An early warning that a delivery will be delayed gives the site manager an opportunity to adjust the schedule. Finding out when the delivery was supposed to arrive provides far fewer options.

Avoid Depending on a Single Source for Critical Materials

Building good supplier relationships is valuable, but construction companies should still understand where their biggest supply risks are.

If one material is essential to the critical path and only one supplier can provide it, any disruption affecting that supplier becomes a project risk.

Contractors can reduce this exposure by identifying alternative suppliers for important materials before they are needed. This doesn’t mean splitting every order between several businesses. It simply means knowing where equivalent materials could be sourced if the normal route becomes unavailable.

Specifications should also be documented properly so that alternative suppliers can quickly understand what is required.

For particularly large projects, procurement teams may want to review critical materials regularly alongside the construction schedule. Changes in availability, lead times or prices can then be identified before they become site problems.

Strong Supplier Relationships Have Long-Term Value

Construction businesses often focus on individual project costs, but reliable suppliers can create value across multiple projects.

Over time, a supplier becomes familiar with the contractor’s typical requirements, delivery expectations and working practices. The contractor also develops a better understanding of what the supplier can realistically provide.

This can make future procurement quicker and more predictable. Strong relationships can be especially useful when urgent requirements arise. A supplier that understands the business and has previously handled similar orders may be able to respond more effectively than a company being contacted for the first time.

That does not mean contractors should stop comparing prices or assessing performance. Supplier relationships work best when they are supported by consistent service, transparent communication and competitive commercial terms.

Reliable Supply Is Part of Good Project Management

Construction delays are not always preventable. Weather, planning issues, labour shortages and unexpected site conditions can all affect a programme.

Material-related disruption, however, is one area where careful planning can make a significant difference.

Construction companies should know which materials are critical, understand their lead times and communicate requirements with suppliers well before they are needed. They should also consider processing, fabrication and delivery requirements rather than looking only at whether a product is technically available.

Ultimately, a reliable material supply chain gives project managers greater control over the construction programme. When the right materials arrive at the right place and at the right time, teams can keep working, equipment can be used as planned and contractors have a much better chance of delivering projects on schedule.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRAILIA — Funday Natural Sweets, a confectionery manufacturer based in Australia, is launching in the United States.

The company’s gluten-free gummy snacks are formulated with natural colors, natural flavors and are free from added sugar and sugar alcohols, according to the company. The gummies contain up to 9 grams of fiber per serving.

The candy is available in flavors such as strawberry and cream, Aussie mix (pineapple, vanilla and raspberry), peaches and creams, fruity kangaroos (green apple and tropical), and fruity koalas (blueberry, strawberry and peach).

The snacks will launch at Target stores nationwide starting in September.

Bill Gates, long regarded as one of technology’s leading optimists, issued a strikingly sober warning Wednesday about artificial intelligence, arguing in a nearly 6,000-word essay that governments and societies are not adequately preparing for the sweeping disruptions AI will bring to employment, security and human relationships.

“Even under the best circumstances, the transition to this new AI era will be one of the most turbulent times in human history,” the Microsoft co-founder and Gates Foundation chair wrote in the essay, published Wednesday on his website. “Right now, we are not preparing for it. I don’t see evidence that leaders, experts and communities are confronting the challenges adequately. There is no plan to ease the entry into the AI era.”

Gates framed the stakes of the moment in stark, binary terms. “AI will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice,” he wrote, according to Fortune, which had reviewed the essay ahead of publication. He argued that which outcome ultimately materializes depends heavily on choices made by governments, institutions and business leaders now, rather than in the years ahead.

On the question of jobs, Gates argued that AI represents a fundamentally different kind of technological disruption than earlier revolutions, because unlike previous innovations that simply created new categories of work requiring human thought, AI can perform much of that cognitive work directly. Earlier transformations, such as the long historical shift away from agricultural labor, unfolded slowly enough that workers and institutions had time to gradually adapt. Gates predicted that fields including law, medicine, customer service, software development and manufacturing would face significant disruption within the next decade, with workers in junior and intermediate roles facing the greatest exposure in the near term.

Gates was particularly direct about the human cost of that disruption falling hardest on those with the fewest resources to absorb it. “The people who need the most time are the ones who have the least — the accounting worker who’s replaced by a bot or the $20-an-hour worker who loses their job to a $10-an-hour robot,” he wrote, according to CNBC. He warned that competitive pressure could accelerate the pace of AI and robotics adoption, as companies race to cut costs and prices, forcing rivals to follow suit or risk falling behind. “Robots and AI combined can create a vicious cycle,” he wrote, cautioning that the resulting need for mass retraining and job transitions would cause significant social turmoil.

Gates went further than simply warning about disruption, proposing a specific policy response: designating certain jobs as “human reserved” to explicitly protect them from AI replacement. According to the Irish Times, Gates called for global coordination on this front, including cooperation with China, while acknowledging that difficult questions would inevitably arise over who gets to decide which jobs are reserved for humans and how governments should respond if some countries choose to permit greater automation than others. “Many jobs will disappear forever,” Gates wrote, while suggesting policymakers could “set aside certain things for only people to do,” partly as a measure to protect the labor force from being fully displaced.

Beyond employment, Gates identified AI-enabled cybersecurity and biological risks as a second major area of concern. According to Fortune, Gates warned that AI would dramatically lower the resources and skills required to carry out sophisticated cyberattacks, including attacks targeting hospitals, and would empower criminals of even limited technical ability to target victims “at every scale: individuals, companies, and governments” through AI-enabled fraud, disinformation, deepfakes and surveillance.

A third area of concern Gates raised centered on human relationships and child development, reflecting on his own upbringing as he described broader worries about young people’s social development in an AI-saturated world. “When I was growing up in Seattle, I didn’t have that many friends aside from a few other boys who were like me,” Gates wrote, according to the Irish Times, using that personal reflection to frame broader concerns about how AI companionship tools and technology more broadly might reshape childhood social development going forward.

Gates’ warning marks a notable and explicit shift from his own previous public commentary on AI’s economic impact. According to Semafor, Gates had written just three years earlier that the coming AI-driven job disruption would be “bumpy” but ultimately “manageable,” and that the technology would primarily help people work more efficiently. In an interview with Semafor accompanying the new essay, Gates described his own surprise at finding himself sounding an alarm that others in the industry have not yet raised as forcefully. “I am in a state of shock that I’m sort of the first one saying, ‘This is crazy. This is insane,’” Gates said. “I’m just deafened by the silence.”

Gates called for the creation of new national institutions specifically equipped to coordinate AI policy across a wide range of areas, including national security, employment, education, taxation and public health, alongside a new international organization carrying elements of existing frameworks such as nuclear weapons inspections and international aviation regulation. According to Axios, Gates argued the scale of institutional response required to manage AI’s transition would need to rival, or exceed, the scope of government reorganization that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Not everyone in the technology industry shares Gates’ level of concern regarding AI’s net effect on employment. According to Semafor, Microsoft President Brad Smith argued in June that while AI “will displace some jobs, even as it creates others,” historical precedent suggests that “when technology increases supply, human ambition often generates more demand,” reflecting a broader, more optimistic view among some technologists and economists that previous waves of technological disruption ultimately created more jobs than they eliminated. The central unresolved question separating that optimistic view from Gates’ newly cautious one, according to Semafor’s analysis, is whether the current AI transition is unfolding so much faster than prior technological revolutions that historical patterns of eventual job creation may not hold this time.

As governments, businesses and workers continue grappling with AI’s accelerating capabilities, Gates’ essay adds a significant and unusually blunt voice to the ongoing debate over how quickly, and how forcefully, policymakers need to respond, given his standing as one of the technology industry’s most prominent and historically optimistic figures now warning that, absent meaningful intervention, the transition ahead could prove genuinely destabilizing rather than smoothly manageable.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s newly launched Operation Economic Outcast against Iran could take anger toward the regime to a “boiling point” and force Tehran into the one situation it “fears the most,” experts tell FOX Business. 

The aggressive strategy, labeled as an “Economic D-Day” and initiated under the direction of President Donald Trump, aims to “tighten the noose and block every potential source of revenue that funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime,” according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Trump administration also will implement secondary sanctions to pressure nations into severing ties with Tehran, while simultaneously blacklisting nearly 60 people, businesses and vessels involved in illicit trade. 

“Anger is simmering just below boiling point,” Kasra Aarabi, the director of IRGC Research at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told FOX Business, referencing the mass protests that unfolded inside Iran earlier this year. “And these economic measures, that tightening the economic noose, could take it to boiling point.” 

“The regime wants to absolutely avoid a situation whereby protests take place against it, and the U.S. has military assets in the region. Because it fears — the one thing it fears the most — is protests with air cover,” he added. 

US AIMS FOR ‘ECONOMIC ASPHYXIATION’ OF IRANIAN REGIME WITH NEW WAVE OF SECONDARY SANCTIONS

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, is seen during a press conference at the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, as he announced a new set of sanctions against Iran. On the right, ships are anchored in the Stra (Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images; Ali Saeedi/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Aarabi said the Iranian regime had already been “suffering economically” prior to the launch of Operation Economic Outcast, with the U.S. military blockading Iranian ports. 

“The blockade, the U.S.-imposed blockade, is working, and their oil exports are next to none; they’re zero… that is affecting their ability to, first of all, fund the military in the regime,” he continued. “The senior officials of the Islamic Republic have been absolutely clear that any money that comes into their hands will go to the military. The military is the top priority. So tightening the noose is exactly what the U.S. should be doing. And the regime is panicking. 

“I have that from sources in Iran itself. Prior to ‘Economic D-Day,’ they were scrambling,” he added. “They were scrambling to look for alternative avenues, given the fact that the southern corridor, the Persian Gulf, was completely shut off for their oil exports, for the transportation of other key goods.” 

Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told FOX Business that “Operation Economic Outcast is a different iteration of the maximum pressure campaign which has been ongoing for many years now.” 

“This has been an unprecedented situation because right now there’s the synchronization of economic and military power from the United States with the launching of an unprecedented economic blockade against the Iranian regime,” he said. “So all of this is going to be contributing to the dire financial situation and picture that the Iranian regime confronts.” 

‘ECONOMIC D-DAY’ ON IRAN PUTS TRADING PARTNERS IN CROSSHAIRS AS TEHRAN THREATENS RETALIATION

Tanks are seen during an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground forces military drill in the Aras area of Iran on Oct. 17, 2022. Bessent vowed this week that “the actions of Treasury and other agencies will tighten the noose and block every (IRGC/WANA/Reuters / Reuters)

“Without a doubt, the Treasury Department’s Operation Economic Outcast will deprive the Iranian regime of resources that it would use to otherwise fund its terror proxies throughout the region,” Brodsky added. “I’m talking Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Iraqi Shia militias, so that actually saves lives if the Iranian regime is not able to foment and pay its terror apparatus. And that’s why it’s fundamentally in the U.S. national security interest for Operation Economic Outcast to be carried out robustly and to the fullest extent.” 

UANI on Wednesday also released its 10 recommendations for Operation Economic Outcast, which Brodsky described as policy recommendations “aimed to provide some meat on the bones” of the U.S. Treasury’s campaign. 

They call for the U.S. to “sanction every Iranian bank, financial institution, and exchange house, including all foreign branches that provide material support to the IRGC, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, or designated terrorist proxies,” and to “fully target Iran’s ‘Ghost Armada’ of foreign-owned vessels,” among other measures. 

The developments come as Iran continues to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz during Operation Epic Fury, which the U.S. launched against Tehran on Feb. 28. 

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said Monday that an oil tanker was left disabled after an “unknown projectile” struck the vessel while it was traveling in the Strait of Hormuz. 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that incident, but Iran has been blamed by Middle Eastern countries for recent attacks on tankers affiliated with the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned energy company. 

Brodsky said Wednesday that Iran has been “attacking ships for many years, long before the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury.” 

People gather during a mass protest on Jan. 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.  (Getty Images / Getty Images)

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“Iran has been trying to sabotage commercial vessels within the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz area. So this has been a long history of Iranian sabotage. And, ultimately, it’s going to have to come to regime change in Iran for the Iranian government to behave differently. Unfortunately, that’s the reality we’re confronting,” he said. 

FOX Business’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.