Europe Set to Move a Step Closer to Halting Russian Gas Imports
The European Union is expected to take a major step next week toward curbing Russian gas imports starting next year with aims to sever ties with its former top supplier by the end of 2027.
The European Commission is set to propose on June 17 a measure to end the bloc's reliance on pipeline and liquefied natural gas supplies from Moscow, according to people familiar with the matter. The regulation aims to help achieve Europe's yearslong goal of halting dependence on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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Tens of thousands rally in Dutch Gaza protest
Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague Sunday to demand more action from the Dutch government against what they termed a "genocide" in Gaza. Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organised the demonstration through the city to the International Court of Justice, creating a so-called "red line". Many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting "Stop the Genocide", the demonstrators turned a central park in the city into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon. One of the organising groups, Oxfam Novib, estimated that 150,000 people had taken part in the march. Dutch police generally do not estimate demonstration turnouts. Protesters brandished banners reading "Don't look away, do something", "Stop Dutch complicity", and "Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die". Organisers urged the Dutch government -- which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition -- to do more to rein in Israel for its military offensive on the Palestinian territory. "People in Gaza cannot wait and the Netherlands has a duty to do everything it can to stop the genocide," they said in their call to action. Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP: "It has to stop. Enough is enough. I can't take it anymore." "I'm here because I think it's maybe the only thing you can do now as a Dutch citizen, but it's something you have to do," she added. A previous protest in The Hague on May 18 drew more than 100,000 people, according to organisers, who described it as the country's largest demo in 20 years. Police also did not give an estimate for that demonstration. The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas. That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 54 are still thought to be held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a case brought by South Africa against Israel, arguing its actions in Gaza breach the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Israel strongly rejects the accusations. ric/jhb
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an hour ago
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Can GameStop Stock Rise From the Ashes?
CEO Ryan Cohen has helped stabilize GameStop's business. Meanwhile, the company has sold equity to build a large cash hoard and is buying up Bitcoin. What Cohen does with GameStop's cash will determine whether he can transform the company. 10 stocks we like better than GameStop › Under the stewardship of CEO Ryan Cohen, GameStop (NYSE: GME) is looking to rise from the ashes. Cohen himself recently said the company was a "piece of crap" when he took over in the fall of 2023. At the time, the company was losing money and facing structural challenges. At its core, GameStop is still a global retailer of new and pre-owned video games and video game hardware, operating thousands of stores across North America, Europe, and Australia. The video game industry, meanwhile, has seen a shift from physical games to digital downloads and subscription models. There also hasn't been a major new gaming console release to drum up consumer demand since 2020. The bright spot for GameStop has been its foray into the collectibles market, which it started to pursue around 2016. While the collectibles business has had its ups and downs over the years, the company seems to have found its niche with the buying and selling of graded trading cards for popular games such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Magic: The Gathering. Last fall, it also became an authorized dealer for grading company PSA, allowing collectors to drop off cards at GameStop locations to be sent in for grading. While GameStop continued to see large declines in its video game and hardware sales last quarter, collectibles was a bright spot. Overall sales sank 17% in its fiscal 2025 Q1 to $732.4 million, but collectible sales soared 55% to $211.5 million. Upon taking over GameStop, Cohen called for "extreme frugality," saying every expense must be examined and all waste eliminated. That frugality was also on display last quarter as the company was able to flip its year-ago loss of $32.3 million into a $44.8 million profit, despite the overall decline in sales. GameStop also generated $189.6 million in free cash flow in the quarter and ended the period with $6.4 billion in cash against nearly $1.5 billion in debt in the form of a 0% convertible note. And here is where the story gets really interesting. During its meme stock days, GameStop was able to take advantage of its high stock price and issue equity at attractive prices to raise a lot of cash. Though its share price has come down from the levels seen in 2021, the stock has remained elevated enough that Cohen decided to issue additional equity last year through at-the-market (ATM) offerings, contributing to its current cash holdings. That much cash gives Cohen, who also owns just over 8% of the company through his RC Ventures investment vehicle, the means to transform GameStop. While Cohen has helped stabilize the GameStop business and even made it profitable, that is not where its potential lies. At the end of the day, there are just too many structural headwinds working against it for it to become a strong and growing retail business. With over $6 billion in cash, though, Cohen has options. His first step was using some of the company's cash hoard to buy 4,710 Bitcoin between May 3, 2025 and June 10, 2025. At current prices, that would be worth around $518 million. Cohen said the company added Bitcoin to "hedge against global currency devaluation and systemic risk." However, just buying Bitcoin is not going to transform the company. If that is the company's strategy, it would just be better for investors to buy Bitcoin themselves. That said, Cohen hasn't indicated that this is his long-term plan, and Bitcoin could just be a place to store some of GameStop's cash for now. A potential move for Cohen would be to either acquire a fast-growing business or turn GameStop into a holding company like Berkshire Hathaway. People often forget that Berkshire was a struggling textile company that Warren Buffett bought and eventually had to shut down before it became the massive conglomerate it is today. Cohen has proven he can successfully run and turn around a struggling business, but now, he needs to expand beyond GameStop's legacy model. With an enterprise value of over $8.5 billion, GameStop's current value is worth way more than the intrinsic value of its retail business. Note that enterprise value takes into consideration its sizable cash position. That's why one Wall Street analyst recently said the company is relying on the "greater fools" theory, meaning that the only way the stock price would go up from here is if someone else was dumb enough to buy it at a higher price. That's a bit harsh, and given GameStop's cash hoard, Cohen does have the resources necessary to transform the company. However, I would agree that investors shouldn't be buying the stock at these overvalued levels based only on the hope that he comes up with a viable turnaround plan. Before you buy stock in GameStop, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and GameStop wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,702!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $870,207!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 988% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Geoffrey Seiler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Can GameStop Stock Rise From the Ashes? was originally published by The Motley Fool
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Black Book Research Names 18 European Healthcare IT Startups to Watch at HLTH Europe 2025
Independent Investor Poll Highlights Top-Ranked Startups Based on Strategic Growth Potential, Regulatory Readiness, and Clinical Impact Across the Continent AMSTERDAM, NL / / June 15, 2025 / Black Book, the independent healthcare IT research firm, today unveiled a critical resource designed specifically for investors, technology decision-makers, and media professionals ahead of the HLTH Europe 2025 event in Amsterdam. This guide, based on rigorous evaluations from 407 leading European investors including venture capitalists, private equity analysts, and investment bankers, pinpoints the top healthcare IT startups that demonstrate exceptional potential to significantly impact European healthcare markets. Strategic Evaluation Methodology Each of two hundred attending European healthcare IT startups was independently scored across these ten highly targeted qualitative KPIs, with each criterion rated on a 0-10 scale, resulting in a total highest possible score of 100 points. Each KPI directly correlates to the probability of sustainable success within the complex European healthcare technology landscape: • Clinical Impact Potential: Capability to materially enhance healthcare outcomes, diagnostics, or preventive care, addressing pressing European health concerns. • Scalability Across Health Systems: Demonstrated capacity for rapid and efficient integration into Europe's diverse healthcare infrastructures. • Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Fit: Established alliances indicating readiness for expansive market deployment and ecosystem synergy. • Regulatory Trajectory & Readiness: Evidence of accelerated regulatory processes facilitating swift adoption and clinical use across Europe. • Patient Adoption or Demand: Confirmed user engagement, proving the solution's relevance and traction within the patient community. • AI/Tech Differentiation & IP Moat: Unique proprietary technologies offering competitive advantages and defensibility in dynamic markets. • Health Economics & ROI Enablement: Demonstrable cost-effectiveness enabling adoption in cost-sensitive European healthcare environments. • Market Readiness & Commercialization Stage: Immediate readiness for operational deployment, translating swiftly into tangible healthcare benefits. • Unmet Needs Alignment & Policy Relevance: Solutions addressing Europe's urgent healthcare policy priorities, unlocking institutional support and funding opportunities. • Team Strength & Execution Capability: Experienced leadership with proven capabilities to execute strategies effectively and adapt to evolving market conditions. Top European HealthTech Startups for Investor and Buyer Focus Startup Country Score European Market Significance & Strategic Advantage "These European healthcare IT startups represent advanced, market-ready solutions strategically engineered to resolve critical healthcare challenges and align with stringent regulatory frameworks across Europe," stated Doug Brown, Founder of Black Book Research. "Their proven scalability, robust adherence to evolving European regulatory standards, and measurable clinical outcomes and patient engagement uniquely position them as essential opportunities for strategic investments and high-value partnerships. For investment professionals and analysts attending HLTH Europe 2025, these startups not only offer substantial growth potential but also provide pivotal leverage in securing competitive advantages and driving transformative change across Europe's dynamic healthcare landscape. We highly recommend engaging directly with their leadership teams to fully understand their innovations and strategic potential." Key Insights from the Survey Robust European healthcare innovation ecosystem with 34 startups scoring above the high-performance threshold of 81 of 100 points. Strong market preference for AI-enabled technologies, highlighting Europe's strategic emphasis on AI solutions. Regulatory readiness and CE marking as essential differentiators for market entry and investor confidence. Broad geographic distribution of healthcare innovation, notably driven by leading markets such as the UK, Spain, and the Nordics. Market readiness and existing deployments clearly distinguishing market leaders from other competitors. Additional noteworthy startups exceeding scores of 81 include Ada Health's AI-driven patient symptom assessment solutions, Koa Health's scalable digital mental health platform, Withings' advanced remote patient monitoring technologies, Thymia's robust mental health diagnostic tools, Helios X's rapid-growth teledermatology services, Tilak Healthcare's pharma-aligned digital therapeutics, Selfapy's validated digital psychotherapy programs, HelloBetter's evidence-based mental healthcare platform, Vivolta's AI-enhanced elderly care monitoring systems, Hello Inside's innovative digital biomarker tracking, Mediktor's EU-compliant symptom checker, Awell's care pathway automation, Pulsenmore's user-adopted home ultrasound solutions, and FibriCheck's mobile cardiac arrhythmia detection, each meriting significant strategic positioning and high innovation potential. For comprehensive insights or to license the detailed report, please contact Black Book Research at research@ About Black Book Research Black Book Research is Europe's premier independent healthcare market research firm, providing vendor-neutral insights critical to healthcare IT decision-making, investment strategies, and market expansion planning. Visit for further information. Black Book is not a sponsor of any vendor or the HLTH event organization but rather conducts "Independent Investor Polls" as to position Black Book clearly as a third-party evaluator, not a promotional source. More information is available at Contact Information Press Office research@ SOURCE: Black Book Research View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
