# TRENDING

Optus new AI tool

Optus announces a new AI-powered speech feature, Optus Call Effects, which is the latest innovation on the Optus Living Network, designed to be fun and evolve the way friends and family connect over the traditional phone call. Optus Call Effects will help Australians add some joy to their everyday phone calls with playful skills. Whether you're tossing a coin to decide who should book the concert, asking the crystal ball if you'd like to attend on that date, or just wanting to quickly decide what to order for takeout on Saturday night - Optus Call Effects helps clients make simple decisions.

US inflation below 5% Ulster Bank to shut down

Prices for milk, airline tickets and new cars fell in the US last month, helping to push inflation to its lowest level in two years. Official figures show that inflation, the rate at which prices are rising, was 4.9% in the 12 months to April. That was down from 5% in March and marks the 10th consecutive month that price increases have slowed. The decline comes after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates sharply in a bid to bring inflation under control. US inflation peaked at 9.1% last June - the highest since 1981. It is likely that the central bank will pause further interest rate hikes.

Ulster Bank will close its entire branch network in the Republic of Ireland. In 2021, the bank's parent company, Nat West, announced it was withdrawing from the Republic of Ireland. Since then, the bank has sold its loan portfolio to other banks and financial institutions. The move will not affect the banks' separate operations in Northern Ireland. The bank has 63 branches in the republic. The bank says 99% of its personal accounts and 91% of business accounts are now either closed or inactive. The bank's performance did not properly recover from the impact of the banking crisis.

The Xiaomi TV Box S is now available in the UK and EU via AliExpress. The 4K Ultra HD Streaming Media Player supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ visual formats and Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD audio technology. Compared to the older model, the new streaming hub uses Google TV rather than Android TV, providing the same access to streaming services such as Disney+ and Apple TV. Alternatively, users can use Chromecast to share content from their smartphone to the TV.