The Ambassador of Ireland to Sierra Leone, Aidan Fitzpatrick, paid a farewell courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio, marking the end of his two-year diplomatic mission in the country.
In his remarks, Ambassador Fitzpatrick expressed his sincere gratitude to President Bio for receiving him and used the opportunity to congratulate the President on his recent election as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Reflecting on his time in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Fitzpatrick commended the significant progress made under President Bio’s leadership, particularly in advancing women’s rights. He also praised the warmth and hospitality of the Sierra Leonean people and acknowledged the increasing international recognition the country has gained under President Bio’s tenure.
He further revealed that Ireland is exploring opportunities to expand investment in Sierra Leone, underscoring the deepening of bilateral relations between the two nations.
In response, President Bio thanked Ambassador Fitzpatrick on behalf of the Government and people of Sierra Leone for his service, dedication, and unwavering support throughout his mission.
He noted that Sierra Leone recently established an embassy in Ireland, reflecting the long-standing and cordial relations between the two countries.
“Your leadership and diplomatic style will be missed. You were always present and supportive at diplomatic meetings,” the President recalled. “I wish you success in your future endeavors.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.
More people can access Myra-Bellevue Park and safely enjoy one of the most scenic sections of the historic Kettle Valley Rail Trail as several infrastructure upgrades are nearing completion.
The Myra Station parking lot has been expanded with 60 new spaces and 12 spaces for buses and trailers to accommodate the growth in visitors. Six new accessible toilets have also been added to the day-use area at the trailhead, near Kelowna.
“Myra-Bellevue Park is a gem in B.C.’s Okanagan region, offering a blend of natural beauty, outdoor adventure and historical significance,” said Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks. “Investing in infrastructure upgrades at Myra-Bellevue Park ensures this natural treasure remains safe and accessible for everyone who comes to explore the trails, history and biodiversity of this special region in B.C.”
The upgrades are part of a $2.1-million project that began in 2021 and includes removing and replacing the old decking of all 18 trestles along the Myra-Bellevue section of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. The trestle decks have also been widened from 1.5 to 2.75 metres to improve accessibility and accommodate safe two-way traffic for hikers and cyclists. Work on the trestles was completed in the summer of 2024.
“For over two decades, the Friends of the South Slopes (FOSS) has protected and maintained the trail networks in Okanagan Mountain Park and Myra-Bellevue Park, including recently the Myra Canyon trestles. We do so under the leadership of a stellar team at B.C. Parks with whom we enjoy a great working relationship and friendship,” said Cam Kourany, FOSS president. “FOSS and its 70-plus volunteers are proud to support our community and the Ministry of Environment and Parks. Their investments in the trestles and amenities greatly improve usability and safety.”
At Monashee Park northwest of Vernon, the bridge at Little Peters Lake is being replaced to restore access to several alpine recreation areas, including Big Peters Lake. The bridge was damaged by heavy snow and removed in 2024 due to safety concerns.
In addition to the bridge replacement, the Big Peters Lake backcountry campground is being expanded from 10 to 18 raised wooden tent platforms. The cost of the project is an estimated $445,000 and includes replacing one pit toilet and adding another one, along with adding a secure storage container to protect food and other items from wildlife.
“Monashee Park is such a gem that is great for hiking, swimming, camping or a leisurely stroll,” said Steve Morissette, MLA for Kootenay-Monashee. “Replacing the bridge at Little Peters Lake and adding more campsites at Big Peters Lake means more people, whether visitors or locals, can enjoy the beautiful Monashee Mountains.”
Backcountry camping is available at four locations in Monashee Park: Spectrum Lake, Little Peters Lake, Big Peters Lake and Margie Lake. Big Peters Lake is the largest campground in the sub-alpine and is located 13 kilometres from the Spectrum Creek trailhead and parking lot.
The upgrades at Monashee Park are part of a five-year, $21.5-million investment to increase and improve access to outdoor recreation in B.C. Upgrades include new campsites and trails, improvements to existing facilities and accessibility improvements. The upgrades at Myra-Bellevue Park are funded through the B.C. Parks capital budget.
Learn More:
For more information about Myra-Bellevue Park, visit: https://bcparks.ca/myra-bellevue-park/
For more information about Monashee Park, visit: https://bcparks.ca/monashee-park/
Gore’s brown trout statue has become the latest victim of dairy industry pollution. On Tuesday night, the iconic statue was given cartoon-style crosses for eyes – Greenpeace Aotearoa’s way of spotlighting the town’s drinking water crisis and the role of dairy pollution in poisoning it.
Greenpeace has also rebranded the ‘Welcome to Gore’ sign, which now reads ‘Welcome to Gore – where dirty dairy wrecked the water’.
Last Friday, residents of Gore were issued a do-not-drink notice after their town water supply exceeded 11.3 mg/L of nitrate, which is the legal limit set in the 1950s to avoid blue baby syndrome. While this notice has since been lifted, Greenpeace warns that it is only a matter of time before this happens again.
Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says “The dirty dairy industry has wrecked Gore’s drinking water, putting people’s health at risk due to nitrate contamination. It is unacceptable that this community is increasingly unable to drink the water coming out of their kitchen taps. Gore’s giant brown trout statue is now a beacon of the industry’s pollution of drinking water.”
A growing body of scientific evidence has linked several health risks with long term exposure to nitrate at levels below the current legal limits. Long-term exposure to nitrate in drinking water at levels as low as 1 mg/L has been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer, and this risk increases with higher levels of nitrate. At levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L, the New Zealand College of Midwives advises pregnant people to consider an alternative source of drinking water, because of an increased risk of preterm birth.
Appelbe says, “Two years ago, we offered free nitrate tests to Gore residents, and found that 45% of the samples we tested from the town supply were above 4 mg/L of nitrate. Since then, levels of nitrate contamination have more than doubled, to above 10 mg/L.
“This problem isn’t going to go away simply by diluting the water – for many rural communities, nitrate contamination will get worse unless action is taken to address the source of the pollution: the intensive dairy industry, led by Fonterra.
“There are too many cows and the industry is using too much synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Nitrate contamination across the country is increasing as a result, particularly in rural areas.
“We need regional councils and the Government to take action now. But instead of protecting people’s drinking water, Luxon’s Government is attempting to weaken freshwater protections. They’ve proposed removing the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, which will enable dairy expansion. That means more cows, more fertiliser, and ultimately more contaminated drinking water.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Government to scrap its proposed changes to the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management and the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater, which are currently going through consultation. The organisation says that these changes will make freshwater pollution worse, impacting lakes, rivers, and drinking water across the country.
DURHAM, N.C., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aspida Life Re Ltd (“Aspida Re”), a Bermuda-based life and annuity reinsurance company, announced the execution of its second reinsurance transaction in Japan, effective June 1, 2025. This milestone marks a significant step in Aspida Re’s ongoing strategy to expand its global footprint and deliver innovative reinsurance solutions to life and annuity insurance partners worldwide.
The transaction was completed with a highly rated Japanese life insurance carrier (“Company”). Aspida Re, rated A- (Excellent) by AM Best, will reinsure new or incoming flow business. The reinsured product is a Japanese yen (JPY) denominated fixed annuity, highlighting Aspida Re’s ability to manage foreign exchange risk and deliver tailored solutions to its cedents.
“This transaction is highly strategic for Aspida Re,” said David Florian, CEO of Aspida Re. “It reflects our deep commitment to the Japanese market and our broader vision of supporting insurers around the world with innovative, capital-efficient reinsurance solutions.”
Aspida Re’s continued growth in Asian markets demonstrates its agility and expertise in navigating complex regulatory and financial environments, while reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in the global reinsurance landscape.
“We are excited to secure our second Japanese reinsurance agreement,” said Jon Steffen, President and Chief Actuary of Aspida Re. “Our flexibility and customized solutions allow us to provide significant advantage to clients and partners, no matter their location.”
To learn more about Aspida Re, visit aspidare.bm.
About Aspida Re
Aspida Life Re Ltd (“Aspida Re”), a Bermuda-based reinsurance platform, is focused on providing efficient and secure life and annuity reinsurance solutions to its global clients. Aspida Re seeks to be a trusted partner in its clients’ long-term financial growth by delivering creative, customized solutions while driving business by doing good for the communities it serves. Aspida Re is part of Aspida Holdings Ltd, with over $23.1bn in total assets as of March 31, 2025. A subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) acts as the dedicated investment manager, capital solutions, and corporate development partner to Aspida Re. For more information on Aspida Re, please visit www.aspidare.bm or follow them on LinkedIn.
DURHAM, N.C., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aspida Life Re Ltd (“Aspida Re”), a Bermuda-based life and annuity reinsurance company, announced the execution of its second reinsurance transaction in Japan, effective June 1, 2025. This milestone marks a significant step in Aspida Re’s ongoing strategy to expand its global footprint and deliver innovative reinsurance solutions to life and annuity insurance partners worldwide.
The transaction was completed with a highly rated Japanese life insurance carrier (“Company”). Aspida Re, rated A- (Excellent) by AM Best, will reinsure new or incoming flow business. The reinsured product is a Japanese yen (JPY) denominated fixed annuity, highlighting Aspida Re’s ability to manage foreign exchange risk and deliver tailored solutions to its cedents.
“This transaction is highly strategic for Aspida Re,” said David Florian, CEO of Aspida Re. “It reflects our deep commitment to the Japanese market and our broader vision of supporting insurers around the world with innovative, capital-efficient reinsurance solutions.”
Aspida Re’s continued growth in Asian markets demonstrates its agility and expertise in navigating complex regulatory and financial environments, while reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in the global reinsurance landscape.
“We are excited to secure our second Japanese reinsurance agreement,” said Jon Steffen, President and Chief Actuary of Aspida Re. “Our flexibility and customized solutions allow us to provide significant advantage to clients and partners, no matter their location.”
To learn more about Aspida Re, visit aspidare.bm.
About Aspida Re
Aspida Life Re Ltd (“Aspida Re”), a Bermuda-based reinsurance platform, is focused on providing efficient and secure life and annuity reinsurance solutions to its global clients. Aspida Re seeks to be a trusted partner in its clients’ long-term financial growth by delivering creative, customized solutions while driving business by doing good for the communities it serves. Aspida Re is part of Aspida Holdings Ltd, with over $23.1bn in total assets as of March 31, 2025. A subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) acts as the dedicated investment manager, capital solutions, and corporate development partner to Aspida Re. For more information on Aspida Re, please visit www.aspidare.bm or follow them on LinkedIn.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DebitMyData™, Inc.—the powerhouse has closed a seed round at more than twice its original target. This surge of investor confidence paves the way for a bold, billion-dollar global rollout of DebitMyData™’s Human Energy Grid, setting a new standard for individual data ownership, ethical monetization, and human-centric AI innovation.
Preparing to launch a U.S and global expansion round, DebitMyData™ is already attracting top-tier venture capitalists—some of whom previously backed OpenAI alumni Ilya Sutskever and Mira Murati. Their attention is now focused on founder Preska Thomas and her breakthrough vision for a decentralized, human-led future in Adtech, AI, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty.
“We’re advancing AI frameworks including Fuzzy Logic, ML, NLP, and robotic networks—but the Human Energy Grid ensures we embed ethics, skills, and human vision at the algorithmic core,” said Preska Thomas, Founder & CEO.
Agentic Logos, Nodes, and Verified Digital Identity
Integral to DebitMyData™ ‘s technology are Agentic Logos—cryptographically validated identity tools that combat fraud, impersonation, and deepfakes.
Core LLM Features:
Verified Ownership: Every identity is cryptographically bound to an authentic user or brand.
Real-Time Security: Proprietary consensus mechanisms eliminate spoofing and fakes.
Plug-and-Play APIs: Enterprises and large language models (LLMs) can easily verify and interface with Agentic Nodes.
By embedding identity-driven trust into content and advertising, DebitMyData™ transforms audience engagement. Brands and individuals alike benefit from frictionless, permission-based experiences that foster credibility and prevent misuse.
The Human Energy Grid: An Ethics-Powered Digital Ecosystem
DebitMyData™’s signature innovation—the Human Energy Grid—places people at the center of the digital economy.
Key Components:
Digital Ownership: Users control and protect their digital footprints via DID-LLM (Digital Identity LLM).
Agentic Avatars: AI agents trained and owned by users, supporting monetization through sponsorships, licensing, and personal branding.
Ethical AI Training: Decentralized Agentic Avatars contribute to safe, human-aligned AI development.
NFT-Backed Security: Blockchain-protected digital creations ensure transparent royalties and rights.
Quantum-Resistant Privacy: Federated learning and next-generation encryption secure all interactions.
This ecosystem empowers individuals to earn from their data and digital identity, marking a shift from extractive models toward equitable participation in the digital economy.
Global Expansion and Ecosystem Integration
Building on its momentum, DebitMyData™ is launching a global initiative to:
Open subsidiaries in the EU, Asia, and the Middle East
Advance Agentic Avatar technology for LLMs, APIs, and user-controlled AI
Partner with NFT platforms and creator-centric brands like AnimeGamer, MemeShorts (“The TikTok of America”), and Monetize YourSelfie
The roadmap includes further integration across decentralized marketplaces for data, content, and avatar-based economies.
Institutional & Government Alignment
DebitMyData™ is engaged in advanced discussions with regulatory bodies, family offices, and public sector partners worldwide, reinforcing its commitment to compliance, transparency, and leadership in large-scale data solutions.
Image by DebitMyData™
About DebitMyData™, Inc.
DebitMyData™, Inc. enables users to reclaim, verify, and monetize their digital identities through Agentic Logos and Agentic Avatars. Its scalable platform ensures GDPR compliance and AI alignment via the Human Energy Grid and DID-LLM, meeting evolving demands in ethical AI, cybersecurity, and digital equity.
“This is our moment—not just to advance AI but to protect what makes us human. The Human Energy Grid ensures humanity stays present, empowered, and valued in the algorithms that shape the future,” said Preska Thomas, Founder & CEO.
Washington, D.C. — Today, Western Montana Congressman and former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (MT-01), with Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Representative Riley Moore (WV-02), and Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the bicameral Protecting America’s Treasures by Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists in Parks Act (PATRIOT Parks Act), which would authorize a surcharge for most foreign tourists visiting national parks. If implemented, the bill would ensure foreign visitors contribute their fair share to the upkeep and preservation of America’s most treasured places.
“National Parks are Americas best idea and maintaining that legacy for future generations means making smart investments in the management of the parks,” said Zinke. “Americans already pay for parks in our tax dollars as well as at the gates. It’s unfair to American taxpayers to foot the bill for millions of foreign visitors. Almost every other country charges foreign visitors more, it’s common sense. President Trump and Secretary Burgum did the right thing directing the National Park Service implement a foreign visitor fee. This legislation will codify the policy and ensure Americans are put First in our own parks.”
“From the New River Gorge in my home state to Shenandoah, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Everglades, and the Grand Canyon – God blessed our nation with a tremendous natural heritage. We owe it to future generations to ensure these natural marvels are protected, said Moore. “Unfortunately, the National Park System currently faces a backlog of more than $23 billion in deferred maintenance, including more than $200 million on properties across the Mountain State. Our commonsense legislation keeps entry fees static for Americans while charging more for foreigners visiting our National Parks. This will allow us to finally start tackling this extensive maintenance backlog.”
“Our national parks drive Montana’s tourism economy by bringing in visitors from all over the world and define our way life by offering an experience you can only find in America,” said Sheehy. “Implementing a foreign visitor fee is an America First, commonsense way to secure affordable access for American families, improve our national parks for all visitors, and better manage our treasured public lands. It’s not too much for Americans to ask that their government puts them first, and that’s why I’m proud to support the PATRIOT Parks Act so more American families can enjoy our national parks for generations to come.”
The National Park Servicehas $23 billion deferred maintenance infrastructure backlog. NPS relies on appropriated funds from tax dollars, Great American Outdoors Act funds from energy leasing, and entrance fees to address infrastructure needs. Every park will benefit from this program regardless of if they collect fees or not. By law, under the current formula for entrance fees, 80% of the fees collected at a park stay in the park where they are collected. The remaining 20% of entrance fees collected is distributed to non-fee collecting parks to improve infrastructure and visitor experience. The foreign visitors surcharge will use the same formula ensuring all parks benefit from this funding.
According to a report by Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a surcharge of just $40 per foreign visitor would raise $528 million for our park system.
“People travel from around the world to experience America’s national parks, and now they can help conserve them too,” said PERC CEO Brian Yablonski. “A surcharge on international visitors is a common practice globally and offers a smart, reliable way to fund better trails, cleaner campgrounds, modernized water systems, and desperately needed restoration work in our parks. We appreciate Rep. Zinke’s support for strengthening America’s national parks.”
Virtually all other countries do this already. Foreign tourists visiting the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador pay a $200 surcharge, South Africa charges as much as 500% more for foreign visitors, many European Union nations charge non-EU citizens surcharges at museums and cultural sites.
The foreign visitor would only apply to National Parks units that already collect entrance fees. If a park does not currently collect an entrance fee, the surcharge will not apply. Canadian citizens visiting Glacier National Park would be exempt from the surcharge in recognition of our joint stewardship of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Fee-collecting monuments in Washington, D.C., are also exempted.
The bill codifies an executive order signed by President Trump directing the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture to implement a foreign visitor surcharge to support public lands and rural communities.
As plans for missions to Mars accelerate, so do questions about how the human body might cope. A return trip to the red planet would give more than enough time for someone to become pregnant and even give birth. But could a pregnancy be conceived and carried safely in space? And what would happen to a baby born far from Earth?
Most of us rarely consider the risks we survived before birth. For instance, about two thirds of human embryos do not live long enough to be born, with most losses happening in the first few weeks after fertilisation; often before a person even knows they’re pregnant. These early, unnoticed losses usually happen when an embryo either fails to develop properly or to implant successfully in the wall of the womb.
Pregnancy can be understood as a chain of biological milestones. Each one must happen in the right order and each has a certain chance of success. On Earth, these odds can be estimated using clinical research and biological models. My latest research explores how these same stages might be affected by the extreme conditions of interplanetary space.
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Microgravity, the near-weightlessness experienced during spaceflight, would make conception more physically awkward but probably wouldn’t interfere much with staying pregnant once the embryo has implanted.
However, giving birth, and looking after a newborn, would be far more difficult in zero gravity. After all, in space, nothing stays still. Fluids float. So do people. That makes delivering a baby and caring for one a much messier and more complicated process than on Earth, where gravity helps with everything from positioning to feeding.
At the same time, the developing foetus already grows in something like microgravity. It floats in neutrally buoyant amniotic fluid inside the womb, cushioned and suspended. In fact, astronauts train for spacewalks in water tanks designed to mimic weightlessness. In that sense, the womb is already a microgravity simulator.
But gravity is only part of the picture.
Radiation
Outside Earth’s protective layers, there’s a more dangerous threat: cosmic rays. These are high-energy particles – “stripped-down” or “bare” atomic nuclei – that race through space at nearly the speed of light. They’re atoms that have lost all their electrons, leaving just the dense core of protons and neutrons. When these bare nuclei collide with the human body, they can cause serious cellular damage.
Here on Earth, we’re protected from most cosmic radiation by the planet’s thick atmosphere and, depending on the time of day, tens of thousands to millions of miles of coverage from the Earth’s magnetic field. In space, that shielding disappears.
When a cosmic ray passes through the human body, it may strike an atom, strip its electrons, and smash into its nucleus, knocking out protons and neutrons and leaving behind a different element or isotope. This can cause extremely localised damage – meaning that individual cells, or parts of cells, are destroyed while the rest of the body might remain unaffected. Sometimes the ray passes right through without hitting anything. But if it hits DNA, it can cause mutations that increase the risk of cancer.
Even when cells survive, radiation can trigger inflammatory responses. That means the immune system overreacts, releasing chemicals that can damage healthy tissue and disrupt organ function.
In the first few weeks of pregnancy, embryonic cells are rapidly dividing, moving, and forming early tissues and structures. For development to continue, the embryo must stay viable throughout this delicate process. The first month after fertilisation is the most vulnerable time.
A single hit from a high-energy cosmic ray at this stage could be lethal to the embryo. However, the embryo is very small – and cosmic rays, while dangerous, are relatively rare. So a direct hit is unlikely. If it did happen, it would probably result in an unnoticed miscarriage.
Pregnancy risks
As pregnancy progresses, the risks shift. Once the placental circulation – the blood flow system that connects mother and foetus – is fully formed by the end of the first trimester, the foetus and uterus grow rapidly.
That growth presents a larger target. A cosmic ray is now more likely to hit the uterine muscle, which could trigger contractions and potentially cause premature labour. And although neonatal intensive care has improved dramatically, the earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk of complications, particularly in space.
On Earth, pregnancy and childbirth already carry risks. In space, those risks are magnified – but not necessarily prohibitive.
But development doesn’t stop at birth. A baby born in space would continue growing in microgravity, which could interfere with postural reflexes and coordination. These are the instincts that help a baby learn to lift its head, sit up, crawl, and eventually walk: all movements that rely on gravity. Without that sense of “up” and “down,” these abilities might develop in very different ways.
And the radiation risk doesn’t go away. A baby’s brain continues to grow after birth, and prolonged exposure to cosmic rays could cause permanent damage – potentially affecting cognition, memory, behaviour and long-term health.
So, could a baby be born in space?
In theory, yes. But until we can protect embryos from radiation, prevent premature birth, and ensure babies can grow safely in microgravity, space pregnancy remains a high-risk experiment – one we’re not yet ready to try.
Arun Vivian Holden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The last year has highlighted a political divide between young men and women. Data from elections in several countries shows that women aged 18-29 are becoming significantly more liberal, while young men are leaning more conservative. And a recent 30-country study found generation Z more divided than other generations on key questions around gender equality.
At the same time, there is growing evidence that this cohort is turning away from traditional dating and long-term romantic relationships. According to the National Survey of Family Growth, in the US between 2022 and 2023, 24% of men and 13% of women aged 22-34 reported no sexual activity in the past year.
This is a significant increase on previous years. And American teens are less likely to have romantic relationships than teenagers of previous generations.
In the UK, surveys over the past decades reveal a trend in reduced sexual activity, in terms of both frequency and number of partners, among young people. Dating apps are also losing their lustre, with the top platforms seeing significant user declines among heterosexual gen Z users in the last year.
Is the gendered political divide making dating harder? As sociologists of intimacy, our work has shown how relationships are affected by larger social, economic and political trends.
Our research on enduring gender inequality has shown that it can affect the perceived quality of intimate relationships and relationship stability. For example, heterosexual relationships are often underpinned by unequal divisions of emotional and domestic labour, even among partners with similar incomes.
Dating today can feel like a mix of endless swipes, red flags and shifting expectations. From decoding mixed signals to balancing independence with intimacy, relationships in your 20s and 30s come with unique challenges. Love IRL is the latest series from Quarter Life that explores it all.
These research-backed articles break down the complexities of modern love to help you build meaningful connections, no matter your relationship status.
Some commentators and researchers have identified a trend of “heteropessimism” — a disillusionment with heterosexual relationships, often marked by irony, detachment or frustration. Anecdotally, women have widely expressed weariness with the gender inequality that can emerge in relationships with men.
But heteropessimism has been identified among men too, and research has found that women are, on average, happier being single than men.
Take domestic labour. Despite progress towards gender equality in many areas, data shows that women in mixed sex relationships still shoulder the majority of housework and care. In the UK, women carry out an average of 60% more unpaid work than men. This gap persists even among couples who both work full-time.
In Korea, persistent gender inequality is thought to be behind the 4B movement. Young Korean women, fed up with sexist stereotypes which tie women to traditional roles, have declared their rejection of marriage, childbirth, dating and sex with men.
Beyond Korea, young women have declared themselves “boy sober”. Harassment, abuse and “toxic behaviour” on dating apps has reportedly driven young women away from wanting to date at all.
Others have embraced voluntary celibacy. One reason is that, for some women, the erosion of reproductive rights, such as the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US, sharpens the political stakes of intimacy. Political disagreements that may once have been surmountable in a relationship are now deeply personal, affecting womens’ bodily autonomy and experiences of misogyny.
Of course, gender inequality does not just negatively affect women. In education, evidence suggests boys are falling behind girls at every level in the UK, though recent research shows this has reversed in maths and science. Men report feeling locked out of opportunities to care for their children through old-fashioned parental leave norms, which offer minimal opportunities for fathers to spend time with their children.
Some influencers capitalise on real and perceived losses for men, pushing regressive and sexist views of women and relationships into the social media feeds of millions of boys and young men.
Given all of the above, it is not entirely surprising that young men are more likely than young women to report that feminism has done more harm than good.
Anxiety and uncertainty
But there are wider political and economic issues that affect both young men and women, and how (or whether) they date each other. Gen Z are coming of age in a time of economic depression. Research shows that those experiencing financial stress have difficulties in establishing and maintaining intimate relationships.
This may partly be because early stages of romance are strongly associated with consumerism – dinner out, gifts and so on. But there is also a lack of mental space for dating when people are under pressure to make ends meet. Insecure finances also affect young people’s ability to afford their own homes and have access to private spaces with a partner.
There are, additionally, growing rates of mental ill health reported by young people worldwide. Anxieties abound around the pandemic, economic recession, the climate and international conflict.
These anxieties play out in the dating scene, with some feeling that entering into a romantic relationship is another risk to be avoided. Research with UK-based heterosexual dating app users aged 18-25 found that they often saw dating as a psychological stand-off – where expressing care too soon could result in humiliation or rejection.
The result was that neither young men nor women felt safe expressing genuine interest. This left people stuck in the much-lamented “talking stage”, where relationships fail to progress.
As sociologist Lisa Wade and others have shown, even when casual sex is part of the picture, emotional attachment is often actively resisted. The proliferation of “hook-up culture” – characterised by casual sexual encounters that prioritise physical pleasure over emotional intimacy – may partly be a response to a cultural discomfort with vulnerability.
Gen Z’s turn away from dating doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of desire for connection, but perhaps a heightened sense of vulnerability related to larger trends in mental ill-health and social, economic and political insecurity.
It may not be that young people are rejecting relationships. Rather, they may be struggling to find emotionally safe (and affordable) spaces where intimacy can develop.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The UK’s home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has announced a full inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave, a large, violent clash between the National Union of Mineworkers and South Yorkshire police that took place over 40 years ago.
The clash was a flashpoint of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, in which mining communities fought to protect jobs and industry from closure. It descended into a violent confrontation between miners and police, with injuries and accusations of misconduct on both sides.
The announcement of an inquiry has been a long time coming for miners’ groups. Comparisons have been made to the Hillsborough tragedy and inquiry – another incident involving accusations of mistreatment by South Yorkshire Police.
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The Battle of Orgreave took place on June 18 1984, outside Orgreave coking plant in Rotherham. The miners’ strike had been raging since March 1984, with both sides looking for opportunities to turn the tide in their favour.
Before ascending to the presidency of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in 1982, British trade unionist Arthur Scargill had gained notoriety during the 1972 miners’ strike. He developed the “flying pickets” tactic. This approach saw large numbers of strikers from around the country descend on an industrially sensitive target, to pressure it into closing. These tactics successfully closed Saltley Gate gasworks in Birmingham, forcing the taxpayer-owned National Coal Board and Edward Heath’s government to concede the 1972 strike to the NUM.
In 1984, realising that British Steel’s furnaces would be vulnerable without coking coal, Scargill planned to repeat the 1972 victory at Orgreave.
On June 18, around 8,000 miners began assembling as early as 4am. They were met by 6,000 police in full riot gear. As lorries began arriving to collect coking coal, the conflict began around 8am. This unfolded in waves: mounted police would cavalry charge miners, splitting their lines, with “snatch squads” then swarming miners who had failed to retreat in time, arresting them.
This continued until the afternoon, when miners retreated into Orgreave village. Police continued trying to disperse miners, even cavalry-charging the village.
Miners’ groups allege that the police charged their lines despite their picket being peaceful in nature, and there was no trigger for violence. They claim only once police started charging did they retaliate in defence, throwing rocks and other missiles. Controversially, footage of these incidents was allegedly shown in reverse order by the BBC, painting the strikers as the aggressors.
Orgreave is considered a turning point, both in the strike, and in policing of protest. With the “flying pickets” strategy in tatters, the NUM struggled to maintain pressure and lost momentum as the months dragged on. The strike ended in March 1985 with a full, unconditional return to work.
The aftermath
Ninety-five miners were arrested that day, with 55 subsequently charged with riot. This was a serious charge, carrying the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Many more reported injuries and accused South Yorkshire Police of being unnecessarily violent and heavy handed.
One of the most famous images from the day shows Lesley Boulton, a woman there to document the strike with her camera, with a mounted policeman swinging his truncheon at her head. This photo sums up the brutality of the day. Accusations also emerged of police removing their collar numbers, so as not to be identified.
Sensationally, the 1985 trial for riot collapsed after evidence from South Yorkshire Police was found to be unreliable. It was later revealed through archival material that officers were given direction or guidance in their statements.
It was also revealed that Margaret Thatcher herself attended a drinks reception for police chiefs involved in the strike, thanking them personally for “all they did and their forces did to maintain public order”. Even though the 55 miners were cleared of the charges, many were financially ruined, and unable to return to the coal industry.
Thirty-nine of those involved subsequently took legal action against South Yorkshire Police for unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution, settling for a payment of £425,000 and no admission of liability. Not a single police officer was prosecuted or punished for their role in Orgreave.
Calls for an inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave, as well as the general standard of policing during the strike, have been ongoing for decades. As early as January 1985 (with the strike ongoing), the then home secretary, Leon Brittan, was resistant to any public inquiry into the conduct of police officers during the strike, fearing it would descend into a “witch-hunt”. John Major’s government similarly resisted such calls in 1991, believing them unnecessary.
In 2015, the Independent Police Complaints Commission declined to mount a formal investigation, despite finding evidence to suggest officers had indeed assaulted miners at Orgreave and other forms of misconduct. The commission argued that too much time had passed for the investigation to have any meaning.
Theresa May’s government rejected calls for an inquiry in 2016. The then home secretary Amber Rudd claimed an inquiry was not in the public interest, arguing policing standards had changed substantially since the 1980s and that the event had simply occurred too long ago. Rudd also said that many involved in the strike would have died, and most officers involved would no longer be employed by South Yorkshire Police.
The volunteer-run Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign has long campaigned for a public inquiry, arguing that Orgreave was a serious miscarriage of justice that needs to be adequately addressed. They believe that a full inquiry will provide accountability and clarity regarding the role of the police and the state in such a tumultuous time period.
The Hillsborough inquiry shows what successful (and persistent) community action can achieve. Accusations made against South Yorkshire Police then were eventually proven correct. While there has yet to be any significantly successful legal action taken against officers involved in Hillsborough, the inquiry itself brought closure (and, crucially, the truth) to families involved. Mining communities will be hoping for similar closure with the Orgreave inquiry.
Steven Daniels consulted the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign on archival findings from his wider research in 2017.
England’s privatised water industry may one day be considered a textbook case study of failed corporate responsibility, regulation and governance. The Cunliffe review, the recent report into England’s privatised water industry, concluded that the financial regulator, OfWat, needs to be disbanded and a new water regulator will be introduced.
For that to work effectively, better pollution monitoring and more clearly defined pollution incident criteria are essential. While politicians and water companies have claimed to be reducing pollution incidences, they might not strictly be tackling sources of pollution, so communications must be carefully scrutinised for disinformation.
The UK’s environment minister Steve Reed MP has described the water industry as “broken”. The public have rising water bills. Water companies owe over £60 billion in debts and have left the country with uncertain water security in the face of climate change.
The Environment Agency (EA) in England recently announced that serious pollution incidents in 2024 rose by 60% to 75 from 47 in the previous year. The EA classifies pollution incidents using a four-point scale called the common incident classification scheme. Trained EA officers consider the evidence reported via their incident hotline to assess its credibility and severity.
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Category 1 is for major incidents, 2 for significant, 3 for minor incidents and 4 for no impact. Category 1 and 2 typically involve visible signs of dead fish floating. For salmon, if more than 10 adult or 100 young fish are dead, this is category 1. With fewer than ten adult and 100 young fish dead, it’s category 2.
No dead fish, no serious problem? The EA can also record damage on protected habitats as “pollution incidents” but these are harder to substantiate without investigative research that takes time and money.
Last year, more than 450,000 sewage discharges were recorded by event duration monitors. These are devices fitted to the end of overflow pipes that indicate when and for how long they have been discharging.
These discharges represent 3.6 million hours of untreated sewage going into our rivers and coasts. These contain chemical contaminants including pharmaceuticals, detergents and human pathogens. Only 75 incidents were recorded as serious or significant in 2024. Another 2,726 were classed as minor.
So lots of sewage discharges are not being classified as pollution incidents, despite containing pollutants. The EA advises its investigating officers to “record substantiated incidents that result in no environmental impact, or where the impact cannot be confirmed, as a category 4”.
The EA has been criticised for turning up late to 74% of category 1 and 2 pollution incidents and for being pressured to ignore low-level pollution – all claims that they have denied. However, they admit they are constrained by finances. Any new regulator must be adequately resourced and independent.
Pollution isn’t always classified as an official pollution incident. YueStock/Shutterstock
In their recent report into pollution incidences, the EA states that they respond to all category 1 and 2 (serious and significant) water industry incidents and will be increasing their attendance at category 3 (minor) incidents. They highlight that more inspections will identify more issues. This shows some acceptance that the more incidents they attend, the more would be substantiated or recorded appropriately.
Most sewage discharges would not have been reported to, or recorded by, the EA as pollution incidents because they were permitted discharges from combined stormwater overflows. Water companies are allowed to discharge untreated wastewater under exceptional rainfall or snowfall conditions to prevent sewage backing up through the pipes.
Extra water flow in rivers from rainfall is meant to dilute chemical contaminants in wastewater. However, some discharges can last days or weeks. The EA is currently investigating whether water companies have been breaching their permits and discharging untreated wastewater when there is low or even no rainfall.
What counts as pollution?
The UN classifies pollution as “presence of substances and energy (for example, light and heat) in environmental media (air, water, land) whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesirable environmental effects”. This definition differs markedly from the EA’s working definition of pollution incidents.
Many sewage discharges containing low concentrations of pollutants won’t kill fish but might still be harmful to fish larvae or small insects, for example.
However, the broad picture from EA data is that invertebrate communities at least are in a better state than they were three decades ago before wastewater treatment plants were upgraded following the EU’s Urban Wastewater Directive.
Some pollutants bioaccumulate through the food chain, so they become concentrated in top predators such as orcas. Some chemicals mimic reproductive hormones even in low concentrations and can feminise fish, for example. High levels of nutrients from agriculture and sewage in rivers can cause fungal diseases in seagrass meadows.
Other families of chemicals build up in wildlife and people, such as persistent “forever chemicals”, much of which comes from wastewater discharges. Continued discharges of antibiotics into waterways might not be classified as pollution incidents but still pose a substantial risk to human and ecosystem health through bacteria developing antibiotic resistance.
The government has just committed to cut sewage pollution by 50% by December 2029 based on 2024 data. But it’s not yet clear whether these involve cutting the frequency of discharges, the duration or both.
This data could also be manipulated so that a large number of small discharges can be consolidated into one official discharge event. Currently, the volume of discharges from stormwater overflows isn’t known. Without this vital data we can’t ascertain the risk posed by their contaminants.
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If something online promises to cure everything, it’s probably too good to be true. One of the most dangerous examples? Chlorine dioxide is often marketed under names like “Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)” or “aerobic oxygen”, buzzwords that hint at health and vitality.
But in reality, these products can make you violently ill within hours – and in some cases, they can be fatal.
Despite what the name suggests, MMS is not just bleach. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, whereas MMS contains sodium chlorite – a different but equally toxic chemical.
When ingested, sodium chlorite can cause methemoglobinemia, a condition where red blood cells lose their ability to carry oxygen. It can also trigger haemolysis (the rupture of red blood cells), followed by kidney failureand death.
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When sodium chlorite mixes with acid (such as stomach acid), it converts into chlorine dioxide, a bleaching agent. This compound has strong antimicrobial properties: it can kill bacteria, fungi and even viruses like SARS-CoV-2. For that reason, it’s commonly used in sanitising dental equipment and hospital tools like endoscopes. Its effectiveness at killing over 400 bacterial species makes it useful in cleaning – but not in humans.
While the mouth and oesophagus are lined with multiple cell layers, offering some protection, the stomach and intestines are far more vulnerable. These organs have a single-cell lining to absorb nutrients efficiently – but this also means they’re highly sensitive to damage.
Using MMS as an enema is equally dangerous. Chlorine dioxide can trigger an overproduction of reactive oxygen species – unstable molecules that damage cells and contribute to chronic gut conditions. This cellular stress may explain both the immediate symptoms and the long-term injuries seen in reported cases.
It doesn’t make a good mouthwash, either
Some sellers claim MMS can be used safely in the mouth because it’s found in dental cleaners. But clinical trials show it’s no more effective than other mouthwashes, and its oxidising power doesn’t distinguish between harmful microbes and healthy cells.
Chlorine dioxide doesn’t just attack the gut. It also affects the cardiovascular system. Documented risks include low blood pressure, fainting, and cardiac damage – including stroke and shock.
Chlorine dioxide is also a respiratory irritant. Inhalation can inflame the nose, throat and lungs, and in severe cases, cause respiratory distress – particularly with repeated exposure in workplaces.
Studies of factory workers show that even low doses can lead to nasal inflammation, coughing and breathing difficulties. And some patients who drank chlorine dioxide to “treat” COVID-19 ended up with severe chemical lung injuries.
It doesn’t stop there. Some people who consume chlorine dioxide also develop cerebral salt wasting syndrome, a condition where the kidneys lose too much sodium, leading to excessive urination, dehydration and dangerously low blood volume.
Skin contact isn’t safe either. Chlorine dioxide can irritate the skin, and lab studies show it can kill skin cells at high concentrations. People who’ve used it to treat fungal infections have ended up with chemical dermatitis instead.
Chlorine dioxide can be useful for disinfecting hospital tools, dental equipment and water supplies. But that doesn’t mean it belongs in your body. Many of its supposed “benefits” come from lab studies or animal research – not from safe, approved human trials.
There’s no evidence that drinking it cures any disease. There’s overwhelming evidence that it can harm or kill you.
So, if you’re tempted by a product that promises miracles with science-y language and zero regulation, take a step back. The risks are very real – and very dangerous.
Adam Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Representatives from 175 countries will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, in August for the final round of negotiations on a legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution. Non-governmental organisations, academics and industry lobbyists will also be in the room. They will all be hoping to influence what could be the world’s first truly global agreement on plastics.
The summit, known as “INC-5.2”, follows a failed attempt to reach agreement in Busan, South Korea, late last year. That meeting ended without resolving important issues, despite hopes that it would conclude the treaty process. Now, it’s crunch time in Geneva.
Either countries bridge their political divides, or risk the whole process falling apart.
I’ve been researching the effects of plastic for more than a decade and have been involved in the UN treaty process since 2022. I’ve attended several of the negotiations and will be in Geneva next month. The science is clear: we need ambitious action which tackles every stage of the plastics lifecycle, from production through to disposal. But the question is, will countries deliver?
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In 2022, the UN Environment Assembly agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. Since then, progress has been slow. Negotiations have repeatedly stalled over issues such as whether the treaty should limit plastic production or regulate chemicals, how to define terms, and how to fund implementation.
Industry lobbying has also played a powerful role throughout. At the last round of talks, lobbyists for the petrochemical and plastics industries made up the single largest delegation. They outnumbered representatives from the EU, all of Latin America, the Pacific islands, independent scientists and Indigenous communities. This imbalance threatens to weaken the science-based action that is urgently needed.
Although countries failed to reach agreement in Busan, a foundation was laid. They agreed to continue negotiations using the “chair’s text”, which is a draft treaty with multiple options still on the table. That document forms the starting point in Geneva. But it remains uncertain whether enough common ground can be found to finalise the text.
What’s at stake?
This treaty is a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle one of the world’s most urgent environmental crises. More than 450 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year. That figure is expected to double by 2045 if current trends continue.
Only around 9% of plastic is ever recycled. The rest is landfilled, incinerated or ends up polluting the environment.
An estimated 139 million tonnes of plastics pollute marine and fresh water. But that could be significantly higher when considering leakages of plastics to land, and from microplastics, which are plastics smaller than 5mm in diameter.
Plastic is found in the deepest oceans, the remotest mountains and inside the human body. While scientists are only beginning to understand the long-term implications for human health, biodiversity and climate, studies show harmful effects of plastics and their chemicals on animals and ecosystems.
Plastic pollution doesn’t respect national borders. It moves through rivers, oceans and air, and gets carried across continents. Global supply chains and waste exports have made this a problem no country can solve alone. That’s why a global treaty is essential.
Crossroads
Despite this growing urgency, a disparity in positions has hindered progress and continues to divide delegations.
Some, such as members of the High Ambition Coalition, a group of countries committed to progressive climate action, want strong rules to cap plastic production, phase out toxic chemicals and hold polluters accountable. Others, often with prominent petrochemical industries, argue for a weaker, voluntary approach focused mainly on recycling and waste management.
If these divisions aren’t resolved, there’s a real risk the treaty will end up being too watered down to make a difference. A patchy, fragmented agreement would fail to curb rising plastic production and could undermine the integrity of global action.
Between December’s meeting in Busan and next month’s talks, countries have been holding smaller meetings to try to find compromise. That momentum must now be carried into the final negotiations.
Important articles in the draft treaty, including those on chemicals and products, plastic production and finance, remain contested. Whether those provisions are strengthened or diluted will shape the treaty’s effects for decades to come.
Flexibility will be needed. But leadership is also crucial. Countries that support an ambitious outcome must stand firm and bring others with them.
As we approach what may be the final negotiating round, we’re at a critical crossroads. The world has the chance to take meaningful action on plastic pollution. Let’s not waste it.
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Winnie Courtene-Jones is an unpaid member and working-group lead of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Treaty; an International network of independent scientific and technical experts contributing robust scientific evidence to the Treaty process.
But my research suggests that the country might not be so reliant on tourism in the future, as it looks to become a major player in global maritime trade. The island’s numerous harbours and enviable location along international sea routes have led to major investment from China and the US, as they seek to extend their strategic influence in the region.
Key to this has been improved logistics and port infrastructure. Business at the port of Colombo, the country’s largest, is booming, aided in part by global shipping disruptions, including the Red Sea crisis, which rerouted vessels through the Indian Ocean.
But international maritime ambitions can be a complex affair, and Sri Lanka needs to be wary of becoming just a well-positioned commodity for the world’s economic superpowers.
Balancing these interests is a delicate act. While foreign investment is crucial for infrastructure development, Sri Lanka needs to protect its sovereignty and ensure that port operations serve national, not just international, interests.
My research suggests that one way of building a resilient and diverse Sri Lankan economy would be to focus on its surrounding waters. Sri Lanka’s vast “exclusive economic zone”, an area of sea where it controls marine resources, holds massive untapped potential.
Blue economy
This potential lies in traditional sectors like fisheries and tourism, but also emerging industries such as marine biotechnology.
This growing field offers opportunities in things like bioengineering and marine-based pharmaceuticals. With other countries rapidly advancing in these sectors, Sri Lanka is well-positioned to follow suit and become a regional leader in the blue economy (economic activities associated with the sustainable use of ocean resources).
But there is still a complex web of geopolitical interests and economic pressures to navigate, as well as environmental challenges.
At the moment for example, the Sri Lankan government is making plans for the deep natural port at Trincomalee to become a major marine repair and refuelling centre between Dubai and Singapore. Other proposed projects include offshore wind farms and oil rig facilities.
The country also needs to compete with the likes of Malaysia, which is investing heavily in AI-driven port operations. To stay competitive, Sri Lanka must modernise infrastructure and streamline processes.
And despite the progress, challenges persist. Poverty in Sri Lanka has doubled since 2021, while youth unemployment remains high.
Sri Lanka faces rising maritime threats like piracy and illegal fishing, requiring stronger maritime surveillance. Simultaneously, port expansion risks damaging marine ecosystems. Green technologies and stricter environmental regulations are essential for long-term security and sustainability.
Sri Lanka’s strategic location and maritime heritage offer a foundation for economic renewal. With wise governance, sustainability, and balanced geopolitics, its ports could once again become vital gateways to regional prosperity and global trade.
Hemamali Tennakoon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
With hosepipe bans in force across several English regions and more restrictions likely to follow, gardeners face some tough choices. When every drop counts, which plants deserve your precious water from the water butt, and which should you leave to fend for themselves?
As someone who has researched how British gardeners need to adapt to respond to our changing climate, I can tell you that not all garden plants are created equal when it comes to water needs. Some plants will bounce back from a summer scorching, while others may never recover.
Top plants to prioritise for watering
1. New woody plants
Any woody plant installed in the last 12-18 months should be your absolute priority. These haven’t yet developed the deep root systems needed to find moisture reserves and going without enough water the first year or so after planting could kill them.
Water thoroughly and add a deep mulch of wood chips to help the soil hold water. For young trees you can install a watering bag around the trunk but you still need to top it up.
2. Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas adopt a conservative strategy when it comes to drought. They shut their stomata (leaf pores) rapidly when they sense dry soil, and keep them closed until consistent moisture returns. They often drop their leaves too.
This can mean many weeks without growth, after even a relatively short drought period. So if you want to keep them looking at their best, they need consistent watering. You can cut growth back to reduce water loss, and save the the plant at the cost of flowers.
Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), along with other moisture-loving trees like birch and beech, are prone to serious die-back during summer droughts. Their shallow root systems and large leaves make them particularly vulnerable to water stress. Water and mulch them.
4. Soft herbaceous plants
Astilbe, dicentra, filipendula, heuchera, primula, trollius and many other soft herbaceous plants require good moisture levels and may not survive prolonged drought.
5. Shallow-rooted shrubs
Rhododendrons and azaleas are shallow-rooted shrubs particularly susceptible to drought stress, especially the large-leaved evergreen species which are also prone to wind damage when stressed.
6. Clematis
Many clematis varieties struggle with drought. Since they’re often grown for their spectacular flowering displays, maintaining adequate moisture around the roots is crucial, especially for autumn-flowering varieties, or spring-flowering varieties which flower on the previous year’s growth.
A gravel mulch can help keep the roots cool and damp. However, clematis orientalis, terniflora, and evergreens such as C. cirrhosa can be surprisingly tolerant of a hot dry period.
7. Ripening vegetables
If you’re growing vegetables, prioritise crops approaching harvest and those that split when moisture returns after drought, such as carrots. Runner beans and courgettes need moist soil to keep cropping and potato yields are heavily influenced by water levels.
8. All the pots
Anything in pots has limited access to soil moisture reserves and will need regular attention. Move containers to shadier spots if possible. Always use a pot saucer to hold water and prevent it draining away.
Plants that can survive without extra water
Research into plant water-stress shows that many common garden plants are surprisingly resilient.
Forsythia adopts a risk-taking strategy. It keeps growing and photosynthesising even when soil moisture becomes limited, gambling that it can regrow after damage. This makes it remarkably drought-tolerant. It is also tolerant of heavy pruning which can save it in severe conditions.
Mediterranean shrubs like lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme are naturally adapted to dry conditions. Their grey, hairy or waxy leaves are evolved to conserve moisture. Soil conditions are crucial though. If the plants are deep rooted they will draw water up, but if your soil is shallow or compacted they might well be less drought tolerant.
Sedums, sempervivums and other succulents store water in their fleshy leaves and can survive extended dry periods. RHS research identifies Sedum spectabile as particularly reliable under stress.
Buddleja can cope better than you might think in dry spells. Steidi/Shutterstock
Ornamental grasses generally have efficient root systems and many species actually prefer drier conditions once established.
Established shrubs including cistus, phlomis, buddleja, cotoneaster, berberis and viburnum have deep roots and proven track records for drought survival. The RHS report identifies these as garden stalwarts, with high stress resilience.
Grass lawns are thirsty and can be left to go dormant. If you have a newly seeded or turfed lawn from this year, some limited watering may be justified. But in general, embrace the golden colour of water-stressed lawns. As long as you don’t create too many bare patches from over-use, the green colour and growth will come back when it rains.
Annual bedding plants like busy lizzies and begonias have shallow root systems and high water demands. However, they are only there for one season and are easily replaceable, so prioritise them for watering only if they’re particularly important to your garden’s summer display and you can spare the water. You could save some by potting them up and enjoying a display that needs less water.
When you do water, research shows that technique is crucial. Water thoroughly but less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Focus water at the base of plants rather than on leaves, and water in early morning or evening to reduce evaporation.
Consider “split-root” watering for established shrubs – water one side of the plant thoroughly, then switch to the other side two to three weeks later. This keeps plants hydrated while chemical signals from the dry side’s roots prevent excessive new growth that would increase water demands.
This drought is a taste of Britain’s gardening future. The plants struggling most in this year’s drought are likely to become increasingly unsuitable for British gardens without intensive irrigation.
Be willing to swap out plants that suffer in drought for new plants that are more tolerant. Refresh plantings to adapt to the new climate.
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Alastair Culham is affiliated with the Royal Horticultural Society through the RHS Science & Collections Group as a voluntary member. Opinions expressed here are his and do not represent the RHS.
With a few exceptions, philosophers have had little to say about clothes. Maybe this is because the topic seems frivolous, or feminine, unworthy of the attention of a predominantly male collection of thinkers.
Perhaps, too, the transience of fashion, and the fact that clothes belong – quite literally – to the domain of mere appearance, also has something to do with it. In A Philosopher Looks at Clothes, an engaging and informative book, Kate Moran, philosophy professor at Brandeis University in the US, urges us to think again.
As Moran points out, clothing looms large in life. Every day we dress, deciding how many layers to wear and whether we need a coat – or might a cardigan suffice? We gaze critically at other people’s choices (“OMG, those shoes!”). We wonder how to rise to the challenge of an imminent Eurovision-themed party.
From a historical point of view, also, our species-specific recourse to clothes stretches back to the earliest human society. In mythical time, it begins with Adam’s and Eve’s discovery, in shame, that they were naked. If fashion is transient, clothes, per se, are not.
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Clothes, Moran tells us, serve three basic purposes: protection, modesty and decoration. At once, these introduce questions of deep philosophical interest. Are the purposes equally important? Why, throughout human history, have we refused to settle merely for protection, desiring for example that a hat should be of some favoured colour or shape? To what extent do our decorative choices express our personal identity? Do clothes ever qualify as works of art? Why is modesty an abiding concern, given that we all know the contours of the unclothed body?
In many contexts, and especially today, clothes invite ethical and political assessment. Clothes communicate a great deal of information about us, including our social position and the causes we espouse.
We may knowingly exploit this, choosing to flaunt an obviously expensive garment or to wear our football team’s scarf. In other cases the meanings are imposed. The uniforms forced on prisoners, for example, emphasise subordination and erase their individuality.
Poignantly, research into textile history has uncovered a streak of resistance in even the most ill-treated captives. In concentration camps during the second world war some prisoners altered their uniforms, or mended them, or added pockets. As Moran remarks, these actions were not just practical; their aim, too, was to “recover some sense of identity and dignity”.
We need more books like these, to counteract the entrenched pretence of disinterestedness in philosophy. (Nietzsche, exceptionally, saw through it, denouncing philosophers as “advocates who do not want to be seen as such … sly spokesmen for prejudices that they christen as ‘truths’”.)
Knowledge of the significance, in an author’s life, of her subject-matter enriches the reader’s imaginative experience of a book. Describing herself as an “ardent hobbyist” who sews her own clothes, Moran provides an additional facet to her account of today’s fashion industry and its scandalous environmental costs.
The reader knows that Moran herself has found an alternative. This lends a certain authority to her judgement that, however futile it may seem for any one person to step off the fast-fashion bus: “There is an important moral difference between being inefficacious and being innocent.”
Moran shows how many areas of philosophy can illuminate the phenomenon of clothes: not only ethics and political thought, but also aesthetics, theories of communication, of personal identity, of gender and cultural appropriation.
For readers unfamiliar with academic philosophy, these forays offer a path into a rich conceptual landscape. Along the way, we are offered a multitude of riveting facts. Who would have guessed that pink has not always been for girls, and blue for boys? And there are pictures, too. My highlight was the “revenge dress” that Princess Diana wore to a gala dinner in the midst of hostilities with Charles, in a successful bid to divert press attention from his appearance on TV.
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Sarah Richmond does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felicia Liu, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Sustainability, University of York
Throughout history, people have viewed seasons as relatively stable, recurrent blocks of time that neatly align farming, cultural celebrations and routines with nature’s cycles. But the seasons as we know them are changing. Human activity is rapidly transforming the Earth, and once reliable seasonal patterns are becoming unfamiliar.
In our recent study, we argue that new seasons are surfacing. These emergent seasons are entirely novel and anthropogenic (in other words, made by humans).
Examples include “haze seasons” in the northern and equatorial nations of south-east Asia, when the sky is filled with smoke for several weeks. This is caused by widespread burning of vegetation to clear forests and make way for agriculture during particularly dry times of year.
Or there is the annual “trash season”, during which tidal patterns bring plastic to the shores of Bali, Indonesia, between November and March.
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At the same time, some seasons are disappearing altogether, with profound consequences for ecosystems and cultures. These extinct seasons can encompass drastically altered or terminated migratory animal behaviour, such as the decline of seabird breeding seasons in northern England.
Climate change is also calling time on traditional winter sport seasons by making snow scarcer in alpine regions.
Nature’s new rhythms
Perhaps more common are “syncopated seasons”. The changes are akin to new emphases on beats or off-beats in familiar music that capture the listener’s attention.
The timings of key seasonal events, like when leaves fall or certain migratory species arrive, are becoming more unpredictable. We coined the term “arrhythmic seasons”, a concept borrowed from cardiology, to refer to abnormal rhythms which include earlier springs or breeding seasons, longer summers or growing seasons, and shorter winters or hibernating seasons.
Changing seasonal patterns throw the interdependent life cycles of plants and animals out of sync with each other, and disrupt the communities that are economically, socially and culturally dependent on them.
In northern Thailand, human activity has reshaped nature’s rhythms and affected the supply of water and food in turn. Communities along the Mekong river’s tributaries have relied on the seasonal flow of rivers to fish and farm for generations.
At first, upstream dams disrupted these cycles by blocking fish migration and preventing the accumulation of sediment that farms need for soil. More recently, climate change has shifted rainfall patterns and made dry seasons longer and rainy seasons shorter but more intense, bringing fires and further uncertainty to farmers.
Let’s rethink time
How we react to changing seasonal patterns can either worsen or improve environmental conditions. In south-east Asia, public awareness of the “haze season” has led to better forecasting, the installation of air filters in homes and the establishment of public health initiatives.
These efforts help communities adapt. But if society only uses adaptive fixes like these, it can make the haze worse over time by failing to tackle its root causes. By recognising this new season, societies might normalise the recurrence of haze and isolate anyone who demands the government and businesses deal with deforestation and burning.
Powerful institutions like these shape narratives about seasonal crises to minimise their responsibility and shift blame elsewhere. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to fostering accountability and ensuring fair responses.
The shifting seasons require us to rethink our relationship with time and the environment. Today, most of us think about time in terms of days, hours and minutes, which is a globalised standard used everywhere from smartphones to train timetables. But this way of keeping time forgets older and more local ways of understanding time – those that are shaped by natural rhythms, such as the arrival of the rainy season, or solar and lunar cycles, rooted in the lives and cultures of different communities.
Diverse perspectives, especially those from Indigenous knowledge systems, can enhance our ability to respond to environmental changes. Integrating alternative time-keeping methods into mainstream practices could foster fairer and more effective solutions to environmental problems.
Seasons are more than just divisions of time – they connect us with nature. Finding synchrony with changing seasonal rhythms is essential for building a sustainable future.
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The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Majdi Faleh, Academic Fellow & Lecturer in Architecture and Cultural Heritage, Nottingham Trent University
The Sidi Yati mosque in Djerba, which dates back to the 10th century, has been damaged by coastal erosion.Mehdi Elouati, CC BY-NC-ND
Nestled in the southern Mediterranean, off the south-east coast of Tunisia, lies the island of Djerba. With a rich cultural and religious history, it has been a crossroad of many civilisations, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, and is home to many unique architectural sites. These include the Sedouikech underground mosque, St Joseph’s Church and the El Ghriba Synagogue.
But, for many years, Djerba’s cultural heritage has been in danger. This is due to a combination of over-tourism, environmental change and human neglect.
By the 1990s to early 2000s, when Djerba was at the height of its popularity, the island was attracting between 1 million and 1.5 million visitors each year. It is one of Tunisia’s most popular tourist areas, with more hotels than any other destination in the country.
Tourism has resulted in excessive tourist traffic in Djerba, particularly during the summer. It has also contributed to other problems such as water stress and waste generation. According to figures from 2020, hotels alone generate between 35% and 40% of all the waste on the island.
But the development of tourism has, above all, altered Djerba’s cultural landscape. In some areas of the island, Djerba’s traditional housing – houmas, menzels and houchs – have given way to more modern tourist infrastructure.
This has accelerated since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, when long-time dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted. Weak institutional oversight has led to vandalism, illegal construction on archaeological sites and unauthorised demolitions.
The development of tourism on Djerba has also eroded traditional ways of life. The island has experienced significant changes due to tourism, with the development of roads, ferries, an airport and the internet leading to a decline in traditional activity. Livelihoods like agriculture, fishing and artisanal crafts have declined and are often now showcased only in tourist areas.
Climate change has worsened Djerba’s problems. Rainfall patterns have changed across the island over recent decades, with models suggesting that annual precipitation rates could drop 20% by the end of the century. More frequent and prolonged droughts are expected.
At the same time, rising sea levels and increasingly common storm surges are affecting the island. Research from 2022 found that 14% of Djerba’s beaches are now highly vulnerable to submersion and coastal erosion.
Several historical monuments on Djerba have already experienced periodic flooding and saltwater intrusion. The ruins of Sidi Garous and the shrine of Sidi Bakour are now entirely underwater and have been replaced by memorials.
Other archaeological sites located near the coast like Haribus, Meninx, Ghizene and Edzira, some of which date back to the Roman era (eighth century BC to fifth century AD), are now partially or fully submerged. Studies by Tunisia’s National Institute of Heritage suggest that many of these sites have been lost permanently to the encroaching sea.
World heritage site
Significant portions of Djerba’s cultural heritage have already been erased by sea-level rise and coastal erosion. Future losses could be even more severe. The island’s cultural heritage will only grow more precarious without meaningful preservation and climate adaptation efforts.
However, many of Djerba’s monuments, historical buildings and traditional dwellings have suffered from years of neglect. A chronic lack of local and international funding, as well as weak institutional frameworks for heritage management, mean some of the island’s historic structures have been abandoned. Many other buildings have deteriorated due to a lack of protective measures and maintenance.
Community organisations such as the Association for the Safeguarding of the Island of Djerba have tried to step in to fill the void left by weak institutional frameworks. Their work ranges from delivering public awareness campaigns to local young people to efforts like re-purposing ancient rainwater tanks to manage periods of drought.
But these grassroots efforts alone are not enough to stop Djerba’s cultural heritage from deteriorating at its current pace.
The ruins of a Housh, a traditional dwelling, on the island of Djerba. Ahmed Bedoui, CC BY-NC-ND
In September 2023, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) announced that it was adding Djerba to its list of world heritage sites. Tunisia’s culture ministry welcomed the decision. It followed years of efforts by local groups and government officials to add Djerba to the list.
Djerba’s inclusion offers hope for the long-term preservation of the island’s heritage. A world heritage site designation increases global recognition and enables improved access to sources of funding.
And since Djerba’s classification, there has been some progress. The culture ministry has established a task force to monitor the construction of buildings and other infrastructure, collect data on designated protected areas, and prepare projects to preserve heritage sites.
But Djerba’s cultural heritage remains in danger. Improved preservation of these sites will require continuous funding and stringent regulation of tourism and construction activities.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Headline: Microsoft Sentinel data lake: Unify signals, cut costs, and power agentic AI
You can’t protect what you can’t see. Security operations teams have long been faced with the challenge of managing massive, fast-growing datasets, and the cost of scaling traditional data management tools to handle these data volumes has become unsustainable. We’re evolving our industry-leading Security Incidents and Event Management solution (SIEM), Microsoft Sentinel, to include a modern, cost-effective data lake. By unifying all your security data, Microsoft Sentinel data lake, now in public preview, accelerates agentic AI adoption and drives unparalleled visibility, empowering teams to detect and respond faster. With Sentinel data lake, you’re no longer forced to choose between retaining critical data and staying within budget.
Learn more about Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel started on this journey five years ago with the introduction of the first cloud-native SIEM to simplify data onboarding and bring the power of AI to threat detection.¹ Since then, we’ve integrated Sentinel with Microsoft Defender and enriched it with real-time threat intelligence, guided recommendations, and automated response capabilities. Microsoft Sentinel data lake is the next step in that journey—built to help security leaders break through the limitations of traditional SIEMs by putting security data at the center of the security operations center (SOC), at scale, and without compromise. Now, you can continue your own journey and onboard Microsoft Sentinel data lake.
Breaking down data silos for better security
WHAT is SIEM?
Learn more
With security log volumes growing fast, teams are forced into making painful tradeoffs: reduce logging by risking blind spots, shorten retention by compromising forensic depth, or absorb unsustainable costs when aiming to manage all their security data within a SIEM. This is the paradox of modern security: the more data you have, the harder it becomes to use it effectively. And without unified, long-term visibility, even the most advanced AI models can’t deliver to their full potential. Siloed data means missed cyberthreats, delayed investigations, and underutilized tools.
Microsoft Sentinel data lake was purpose-built to solve this challenge and provides the foundation for agentic defense. It brings together all your security data, from Microsoft and third-party sources, into a single, cost-effective data lake, with more than 350 native connectors. With data retention priced at less than 15% of traditional analytics logs, it enables seamless enrichment with threat intelligence and AI-powered detection across your entire environment. This isn’t just a new product, it’s a new architecture for security operations—one that empowers security teams to hunt cyberthreats across months or years, reconstruct incidents with precision, and unlock the full value of AI.
Microsoft’s vision for Sentinel data lake reflects what matters most in cybersecurity: clarity, scale, and real-world impact. With more than 1,200 Sentinel deployments worldwide, BlueVoyant has seen the need firsthand. Large scale data challenges are now the norm. Sentinel data lake marks a natural evolution of the SIEM and SOAR model, one that critically supports modern analytics, data science, and flexible ingestion strategy. It is a critical step forward for customers looking to modernize their security operations.
—Milan Patel, Chief Revenue Officer at BlueVoyant
To further help defenders get the most out of their data, we’re democratizing threat intelligence by converging Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence (MDTI) capabilities into Defender XDR and Sentinel at no additional cost; this means that security teams will no longer need to buy a separate SKU to access these powerful features. MDTI value will be merged in Sentinel and Defender XDR over time, starting in October 2025 when all Microsoft first-party threat reports, including intel profiles and indicators of compromise (IoCs), will be available in Defender XDR. Additionally, IoCs will be incorporated into Sentinel case management so customers can collaborate and share threat intelligence across teams within their organization. The remaining features will become available over time.
With this change, security teams can easily tap into a powerful repository of frontline threat intelligence, sourced from 84 trillion daily signals and backed by the expertise of more than 10,000 Microsoft security specialists. Read more about how this added value in Sentinel and Defender will greatly enhance capabilities with real-time, high-quality threat data.
Empowering security teams to do more
The promise of AI in cybersecurity has always been bold: faster detection, smarter response, and the ability to outpace even the most sophisticated cyberattackers. But most security teams are held back by fragmented data and incomplete context. Centralizing your data in a threat intel-enriched data lake eliminates silos and ensures AI models like Security Copilot have the full context they need to detect subtle cyberattack patterns, correlate signals across time and space, and surface high-fidelity alerts. This creates the foundation for the future of agentic defense where AI doesn’t just assist, it acts. This shift now empowers security teams to:
What are indicators of compromise?
Learn more
Uncover cyberattacker behavior going back years without worrying as much about storage limits
Address pre-breach and post-breach use cases by correlating asset, activity, and TI data
Utilize real-time threat intel to triage faster and retroactively hunt over historical data
Trigger detections automatically based on the latest IoCs and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)
Use Kusto Query Language (KQL) and Apache Spark to query across extended time horizons and detect subtle cyberattack patterns
Support regulatory and compliance needs with scalable, cost-efficient data retention
These are the jobs that matter most in modern security operations and now they’re easier, faster, and more cost-effective to execute.
For cyber teams, the massive proliferation of data can misdirect focus or delay responses to genuine [cyber]threats. Microsoft Sentinel data lake can be a valuable tool for data centralization and visibility and for historical analysis across large volumes of datasets. Together with Microsoft, Accenture can help our clients leverage the data lake to extend the power of Microsoft Sentinel to supercharge attack detection and proactive remediation.
Microsoft Sentinel data lake simplifies data management with a flexible, centralized experience in the Microsoft Defender portal—bringing your security data together alongside the tools your defenders use to prevent, detect, and respond to cyberthreats every day. Analysts can move seamlessly between the analytics and data lake tiers, enabling real-time response and deep investigation from a single interface. While doing that all your data stored in the analytics tier is automatically available in the data lake tier, and because it’s built on open formats, organizations can tailor analytics workflows, build custom machine learning (ML) models, and leverage familiar tools, over a single copy of their security data, to extend the value of the data lake to meet their unique needs. Whether you’re consolidating tools, scaling your SOC, or preparing for AI-powered defense, Sentinel data lake adapts to your security strategy and journey.
Sentinel data lake enables SOC teams into the next era of security operations. Being able to ensure coverage of your security estate—across all security data sources and vast time horizons—enables security teams to proactively detect latent cyberattacks, detect emerging cyberthreats with AI-powered models, reconstruct cyberattack timelines in forensic detail, and retroactively uncover indicators of compromise that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The [cyber]attack surface is expanding with every application and AI application deployed across hybrid cloud environments, and AI-powered attacks are evolving just as fast. What many organizations still lack isn’t just better tools—it’s real-time visibility of their IT estate, their configurations and business context. To understand their full exposure, organizations need the right asset intelligence and a shared industry effort. The new Microsoft Sentinel data lake represents a valuable step in that direction; IBM is committed to working across the ecosystem to help solve that challenge.
—Srini Tummalapenta, IBM Distinguished Engineer, Chief Technology Officer for IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services
What is extended detection and response?
Learn more
This launch marks more than a product evolution enabling security operations teams to respond faster and with maximum visibility. Microsoft Sentinel is continuing to push the boundaries with a scalable architecture that combines SIEM, extended detection and response (XDR), and threat intelligence into a single, integrated experience. Sentinel data lake is the foundation of this evolution, enabling security teams to reason over more data, more intelligently, and more affordably than ever before.
Get started today
Microsoft Sentinel data lake is now in preview. Join us as we redefine what’s possible in security operations:
To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
The U.S. steel industry is back under President Donald J. Trump. After languishing under a Biden-era stranglehold — plagued by unfair foreign competition, job losses, and weakened national security as imports flooded the market and domestic production stalled — the steel industry is quickly roaring back to life.
U.S. steelmakers are proving that strong leadership and protective tariffs are the keys to revitalizing American manufacturing.
Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs announced record steel shipments in Q2 2025.
CEO Lourenco Goncalves: “Cliffs is a major supplier of steel to the automotive manufacturers, and the Trump Administration continues to show strong support to both the domestic steel and the domestic automotive sectors. We have started to see the positive impact that tariffs have on domestic manufacturing, protecting domestic jobs and national security. We expect this trend to continue, promoting the resurgence of the American automotive industry supported by a thriving domestic steel industry.”
Indiana-based Steel Dynamics saw a 39% increase in operating income and a 19% increase in adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2025.
North Carolina-based Nucor expects its Q2 2025 earnings to be approximately four times higher than the preceding quarter.
President Trump’s perpetual Golden Share as part of the investment in Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel protects the iconic American company’s financial health and ensures its jobs cannot be exported — a win-win for American workers and industry.
Four wines received the 2025 Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Excellence in Nova Scotia Wines during a ceremony at Government House in Halifax today, July 22.
“Nova Scotia’s wine industry is a dynamic fusion of innovation and tradition, where winemakers create distinctive, expressive wines that truly embody the spirit of the Atlantic coast,” said Lt.-Gov. Mike Savage. “I am proud to congratulate this year’s award recipients, who exemplify the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship.”
2019 Blanc de Blanc, Domaine de Grand Pré, Grand Pré
2017 Small Lot Trio Brut, Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards, Wolfville.
The award is administered annually by Wine Growers Nova Scotia and Taste of Nova Scotia in partnership with the Office of the Lieutenant-Governor.
Wineries across the province submitted up to three commercially available wines made with 100 per cent Nova Scotian grapes. An independent panel of experts participated in a blind tasting of all wines to select the top submissions for the award.
Quotes:
“The Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Excellence in Nova Scotia Wines is a prestigious recognition and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our province’s exceptional farm wineries. The award not only celebrates the excellence of individual producers, but also symbolizes the remarkable growth of the farm wine industry in Nova Scotia. As our region continues to craft world-class wines, it’s clear that we are making our mark on the global wine scene. We are incredibly proud of the 2025 award winners, whose passion and commitment continue to elevate Nova Scotia as a premier wine destination.” — Karl Coutinho, President, Wine Growers Nova Scotia
“Nova Scotia’s farm wine industry is driven by excellence, creativity and a deep connection to place. Rooted in our distinct cool climate and coastal terroir, each bottle tells a story of innovation, resilience and craft. Our grape growers and winemakers are not only producing wines that compete on the world stage – they’re defining what’s possible in cool-climate winemaking. The Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Excellence in Nova Scotia Wines continues to shine a light on the people, passion and place behind this remarkable industry.” — Emily Haynes, Executive Director, Taste of Nova Scotia
Quick Facts:
the award program was established by former lieutenant-governor J.J. Grant in 2014 to recognize locally sourced and produced wines
33 wines from 12 wineries were submitted this year for adjudication by a panel of independent judges
each winning winery is presented with a gold medal and a certificate; they may advertise that the wine is an award recipient
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)
July 22, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX) Young Kim (R-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ed Case (D-HI), Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Bill Foster (D-IL), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL)’s Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment to Enhance Relations Act, or the PARTNER Act, which extends diplomatic privileges and immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act to a group of international organizations critical to U.S. leadership and foreign policy priorities, passed markup in House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) with bipartisan support.
The bill amends the International Organizations Immunities Act to authorize the President to extend diplomatic privileges and immunities to officials of three important regional international organizations, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
It additionally authorizes the President to extend such diplomatic privileges and immunities to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), an international organization that is engaged in cutting edge physics research. CERN is currently engaged in a major research project in the United States, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). This legislation would enable stronger scientific collaboration between U.S. researchers and CERN.
The PARTNER Act also authorizes the extension of diplomatic privileges and immunities to the African Union’s Observer Mission to the United Nations, which addresses a gap in the current law that provides the African Union such privileges and immunities but not its Observer Mission to the United Nations.
“Diplomacy is about building trust and showing up,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “If the United States wants to lead in the 21st century, we need to be present, engaged, and invested in the institutions that shape global cooperation. The PARTNER Act strengthens our ability to collaborate with organizations that are essential to solving global challenges—from scientific innovation at CERN to regional stability in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.”
This legislation builds on efforts by a bipartisan group of members of Congress through different legislative initiatives, including H.R.3865 – PARTNER with ASEAN Act of 2025, H.R. 4319 – Strengthening Science Through Diplomacy Act of 2025, H.R.3332 – Pacific Partnership Act, H.R.3678 – Strengthening US-Caribbean Partnership Act, and H.R.4196 – African Union Diplomatic Parity Act.
Similar legislation was introduced to extend diplomatic privileges and immunities to ASEAN, CERN, and PIF.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)
July 22, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35) and Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) praised the passage of H.R. 672 by the House of Representatives. The bill requires the U.S. Postal Service to designate a single, unique ZIP Code for the city of Eastvale, in addition to other communities across the country. The bill now moves on to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Reps. Calvert and Torres both represent portions of the city of Eastvale in the House of Representatives.
“The passage of this bill is a major victory for the City of Eastvale,” said Congresswoman Norma Torres. “Our community has dealt with challenges and avoidable disruptions—from delayed mail to confusion in public services—because Eastvale lacks its own ZIP Code. I’m proud to have partnered with Congressman Calvert on this bipartisan effort to bring us one step closer to the long-overdue recognition for Eastvale. This is about more than a number—it’s about representation, accuracy, and making sure that one of the fastest-growing cities in Inland Empire receives the full support it deserves.”
“The passage of this bill moves Eastvale residents and small businesses closer toward the single, unique ZIP Code they have been seeking,” said Congressman Ken Calvert. “As we have heard, establishing a single, unique ZIP Code for Eastvale is important for the city’s identity, GPS directions, insurance rates, the collection of sales taxes, and other factors. I’m thankful for the bipartisan efforts of Rep. Torres and my House colleagues who have supported this legislation.”
Earlier this year, Reps. Calvert and Torres reintroduced legislation, H.R. 1225, to establish a unique ZIP Code for the city of Eastvale. That bill was incorporated into H.R. 672, an omnibus ZIP Code bill introduced by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26).
Currently, the city of Eastvale is split between two ZIP codes, 91752 and 92880. The 91752 ZIP code is shared between Eastvale and the city of Jurupa Valley. The City of Eastvale was incorporated in 2010 and has a population of approximately 70,000.
The IAM is proud to announce that Brian Shanahan, IAM Railroad Coordinator, has been appointed to the Metra Board of Directors in the Chicagoland area. This appointment marks a significant milestone for labor representation in regional transit leadership, and a homecoming for Shanahan, who began his railroad career with Metra more than 17 years ago.
Shanahan’s deep knowledge of the rail industry comes from decades of service and leadership. He started as a clerk with Metra in 2008 and became a member of Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) Local 829. Over the course of his career, he has held numerous leadership roles, including Local Chairman, Assistant National Representative, National Representative and National Vice President. In January 2023, he was appointed IAM Railroad Coordinator, where he now helps lead national rail strategy and advocacy on behalf of IAM Rail Division members.
“This is a tremendous honor,” said Shanahan. “Metra is where I got my start, and I’ve spent my career fighting for the rights of the people who keep our trains running. I’m proud to now represent both workers and the riding public on the Metra Board. I’m committed to ensuring the voices of working people are part of every decision that shapes the future of rail in Illinois.”
Shanahan is currently a member of the Illinois High Speed Rail Commission and was also appointed to the Will Kankakee Regional Development Authority by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“I’m extremely excited,” Shanahan told the Daily [Arlington Heights, Ill.] Herald. “I have a long lineage of railroading in my blood. Public transportation has been such a key ingredient to my life. I can’t wait to for the opportunity to contribute.”
Josh Hartford, IAM Special Assistant to the International President for the IAM Rail Division, praised Shanahan’s appointment as a win for working families and public transit users.
“Brian’s appointment is more than just well-deserved—it’s exactly what Metra needs,” said Hartford. “He understands the challenges rail workers face every day, and he brings a deep commitment to safety, service, and fairness. Having Brian at the table ensures that working families and riders alike will have a strong advocate in the decisions that affect them most.”
The post IAM Union’s Brian Shanahan Appointed to Metra Board, Bringing Worker Perspective to Chicagoland Transit Leadership appeared first on IAM Union.
Mahe, Seychelles, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
BitMart, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, announced the launch of BitMart Crypto Loans service, the lending product that allows users to stake their digital assets as collateral, borrow instantly, and continue earning interest — all without selling their holdings.
As the digital asset market evolves rapidly, users are increasingly seeking flexible and efficient ways to manage their assets. In the current market environment, liquidity has become a major challenge for crypto asset holders. Traditional solutions often require selling assets to unlock funds — but this also means giving up the potential for future appreciation, particularly for long-term holders of major assets like BTC, ETH, or the platform token BMX. For these users, selling their holdings could mean missing out on future opportunities. Therefore, the market urgently needs a solution that provides liquidity without liquidating assets.
Key Highlights of BitMart Crypto Loans
Flexible Loans Without Selling Assets — Users can pledge their digital assets as collateral to borrow loans without having to sell. This is especially attractive to long-term holders.
Earn Interest on Collateralized Assets — Users can continue earning yields on your pledged assets via BitMart Earn.
Flexible Repayment — No fixed terms or late fees; repay anytime at your convenience.
Multi-Asset Support — Borrow and pledge in USDT, USDC, BTC, ETH, BMX, and more.
Transparent, Low Costs — Competitive hourly interest rates that adjust with the market.
BMX, BitMart’s native token, plays a pivotal role in this ecosystem. It can be used both as collateral and as a borrowed asset, further enhancing liquidity and utility. BMX holders also enjoy additional perks, including trading fee discounts, VIP benefits, and participation in BitMart’s growth through airdrops and rewards — creating a vibrant, user-driven ecosystem.
Launch Benefits: Interest Rebates and USDC Rewards
To celebrate the launch, BitMart is offering exclusive promotions:
Interest Subsidy — New users receive a 50% rebate on interest paid; VIP users enjoy a full 100% rebate, achieving “zero-interest” borrowing.
Leaderboard Rewards — The top 50 borrowers by total loan amount will share in generous USDC prizes, with first place taking home 1,000 USDC.
As the digital asset market matures and evolves, traditional asset management models can no longer meet modern users’ demands for flexibility, efficiency, and diversification. The launch of BitMart Crypto Loans not only brings a fresh liquidity solution to the market but also opens up new possibilities for the application of crypto assets. Without sacrificing the long-term appreciation potential of their holdings, users can easily allocate funds while earning transparent and sustainable yields through financial tools. This innovative model undoubtedly represents the future of the industry: smarter, more flexible, and more efficient asset management is set to become the new norm in the crypto market.
About BitMart
BitMart is the premier global digital asset trading platform. With millions of users worldwide and ranked among the top crypto exchanges on CoinGecko, it currently offers 1,700+ trading pairs with competitive trading fees. Constantly evolving and growing, BitMart is interested in crypto’s potential to drive innovation and promote financial inclusion. To learn more about BitMart, visit their Website, follow their X (Twitter), or join their Telegram for updates, news, and promotions. Download BitMart App to trade anytime, anywhere.
Disclaimer:
Use of BitMart services is entirely at your own risk. All crypto investments, including earnings, are highly speculative in nature and involve substantial risk of loss. Past, hypothetical, or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The value of digital currencies can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk in buying, selling, holding, or trading digital currencies. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital currencies is suitable for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal, or tax advice.
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Syncfusion®, Inc., the enterprise technology provider of choice, today announced that its e-signature solution, BoldSign®, has been named a finalist in the 2025 SaaS Awards in multiple categories. Additionally, BoldSign has secured five Leader badges in G2’s Summer 2025 Grid® Reports.
BoldSign is a SaaS Awards Finalist in the Highest Customer Satisfaction with a SaaS Product and Best SaaS for Sustainability and Ethical Impact categories.
In the latest reports from leading review platform G2, BoldSign earned the following recognitions:
Additional information can be found on the BoldSign blog.
“BoldSign removes friction from everyday agreements while giving developers full control,” said Daniel Jebaraj, CEO of Syncfusion®. “Recognition from the SaaS Awards judges and hundreds of verified G2 reviewers affirms that BoldSign delivers real, measurable value through its thoughtful feature set, robust security, and developer-friendly approach.”
The SaaS Awards, operated by global cloud computing awards body The Cloud Awards, spotlight the most innovative and impactful cloud software worldwide. BoldSign is backed by enterprise-grade SOC 2®-certified security, industry-recognized customer support, qualified electronic signature support, and extensive integration capabilities. These enable development teams to embed modern, paper-free signing in any application while helping organizations reduce paper waste and meet sustainability goals.
BoldSign offers simple, flexible pricing (as well as a free plan), straightforward APIs, and a growing feature set, giving teams a faster, more affordable path to legally binding e-signatures. For more information or to start a free trial, visit boldsign.com.
About Syncfusion®, Inc. Headquartered in the technology hub of Research Triangle Park, N.C., Syncfusion, Inc. delivers an award-winning ecosystem of developer control suites, embeddable BI platforms, and business software. Syncfusion was founded in 2001 with a single software component and a mission to support businesses of all sizes—from individual developers and start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Though its pilot product, the Essential Studio® suite, has grown to over 1,900 developer controls, its mission remains the same. With offices in the U.S., India, and Kenya, Syncfusion prioritizes the customer experience by providing feature-rich solutions to help developers and enterprises solve complex problems, save money, and build high-performance, robust applications.
Irvine, CA, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Blue Navy Recovery, a professional unclaimed property recovery firm, announced today the expansion of its service operations in Georgia to manage a growing volume of state-held asset claims. This move reflects growing demand for unclaimed property recovery in Georgia—delivering trusted, no-upfront-cost recovery assistance for individuals and families.
Blue Navy Recovery expands service operations to address growing unclaimed property recovery needs in Georgia.
With experience navigating Georgia’s complex claims process, Blue Navy Recovery offers full-service handling—from eligibility checks and paperwork to agency communication and verification. Clients don’t need to interact with government agencies or decipher procedural forms; the firm takes on the entire burden. This expansion comes as Blue Navy continues to see success through a growing number of client-reported outcomes on Google, demonstrating how its personalized service model helps claimants navigate the system efficiently.
“We’ve seen a spike in demand across Georgia, and this expansion is about meeting that need with speed and integrity,” said David Dorfman, Managing Partner at Blue Navy Recovery. “Every successful recovery tells a story—and we’re here to make sure more Georgians are part of that success.”
The firm’s model is performance-based, meaning clients owe nothing unless their claim is successfully paid. Each case is personally managed by trained recovery specialists—not automated systems—ensuring accuracy and personal support. Client experiences shared on platforms such as Google and Yelp reinforce the impact Blue Navy is making across the Southeast. The company recently celebrated their 200th successful unclaimed property recovery case alongside their 40th 5-star review, a story that was picked up by media outlets like Yahoo! Finance, Business Insider, and Globe Newswire.
Blue Navy’s personalized guidance and support materials make it easy for residents to determine eligibility and understand the Georgia claims process. Clients can explore the process, read relevant user studies, and get started at the official website.
Logo of Blue Navy Recovery, a trusted leader supporting unclaimed property claims across Georgia.
About Blue Navy Recovery
Blue Navy Recovery is a professional unclaimed property recovery firm that helps individuals and families recover lost or forgotten funds held by the state. With deep experience navigating the claims process in California and Georgia, we’ve helped return millions of dollars to rightful owners. We handle the paperwork, follow-ups, and filing — so you don’t have to. Our team only collects a percentage of the recovered amount, with no upfront cost.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) — China’s non-bank financial sector saw cross-border capital inflows of $127.3 billion in the first half of 2025, maintaining the trend of net inflows that began in the second half of last year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said Tuesday.
According to the agency, non-bank financial institutions, including enterprises and individuals, recorded cross-border income and expenses of $7.6 trillion, a historical maximum for the same period. Notably, the yuan accounted for about 53 percent of cross-border settlements.
The agency said China’s balance of payments remains balanced and the country’s foreign exchange market continues to operate stably and orderly. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
This is the only sustainable path to global security, he told ministers at a high-level open debate of the Security Council on Tuesday.
The Secretary-General emphasised that the UN Charter’s tools – negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and more – remain a lifeline when tensions escalate, grievances fester and states lose trust in each other.
These tools are needed now more than ever, he stressed, as conflicts rage and international law is violated with impunity.
“The cost is staggering – measured in human lives, shattered communities and lost futures. We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza – with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.”
The risk of starvation looms and aid operations are being denied the space and safety to function. UN premises, such as the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Health Organization (WHO)’s main warehouse, have been hit despite parties being notified of their locations.
“These premises are inviolable and must be protected under international humanitarian law – without exception,” Mr. Guterres reiterated.
Peace is a choice – make it
From Gaza to Ukraine, from the Sahel to Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar, “conflict is raging, international law is being trampled, and hunger and displacement are at record levels,” he continued, adding that terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crime also remain “persistent scourges” pushing security further out of reach.
“Peace is a choice. And the world expects the Security Council to help countries make this choice.”
Mr. Guterres pointed to the UN Charter’s bedrock obligation in Article 2.3 that “all Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means”, and to Chapter VI, which empowers the Security Council to support “negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.”
Action 16 of last year’s Pact for the Future urges states to recommit to preventive diplomacy, he said, commending Pakistan – the Council President for July – for tabling a resolution encouraging fuller use of those tools, which was adopted unanimously at the meeting.
UN Photo/Manuel Elías
Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Security Council high-level open debate.
P5 must overcome divisions
Security Council members – “in particular its permanent members” – must overcome divisions, the Secretary-General said, reminding them that even during the Cold War, Council dialogue underpinned peacekeeping missions and humanitarian access, and helped prevent a third world war.
He urged members to keep channels open, build consensus and make the body “more representative” of today’s geopolitical realities with more inclusive, transparent and accountable working methods.
Mr. Guterres also urged deeper cooperation with regional and subregional organizations.
Mediation can work even amid war, he said, noting the third anniversary of the Black Sea Initiative and a related memorandum with Russia that enabled grain movements during the conflict in Ukraine.
Renew commitment to multilateralism
States must honour their obligations under the Charter; international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, and the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence, Mr. Guterres said.
“As we mark the 80th anniversary of our Organization and the Charter that gave it life and shape, we need to renew our commitment to the multilateral spirit of peace through diplomacy,” he said.
“I look forward to working with you to achieve the international peace and security the people of the world need and deserve.”
Security Council open debate
A signature event of the Pakistani presidency, Tuesday’s open debate was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
The session aimed to assess the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for pacific dispute settlement, examine best practices and explore new strategies for tackling protracted conflicts.
It also sought to enhance cooperation with regional organizations, boost capacity-building and resource mobilisation, and align future efforts with the conflict-prevention vision outlined in the Pact for the Future.
At a time when the international community seeks to regulate the rich tapestry of the planet’s ocean floors while countries and corporations speed towards deep-sea mining opportunities, here’s what you need to know about ISA and why it matters now:
What does it do?
ISA manages the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, which covers 54 per cent of the world’s oceans, for “the shared benefit of all humankind”.
Created by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1994, ISA is aims to ensure that all economic activities in the deep seabed, including mining, are regulated and responsibly managed.
Mandated to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities, its work also contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Seabeds contain rich fauna and an array of rare earth minerals.
Why it matters now?
As the world’s only international body that focuses on the deep-sea area beyond national borders, ISA aims to address pressing concerns, from plastic waste littering oceans to the race to secure rare earth minerals to quench the world’s insatiable thirst for lithium batteries and a range of tech items.
What kind of rare earth minerals are on the ocean floor? Copper, cobalt, gold, lanthanum, neodymium, nickel, silver, yttrium and zinc to name a few.
Right now, countries can pursue deep-sea mining within their own territorial waters or “exclusive economic zones”. But, under international law, the deep seabed belongs to no single country or corporation, ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho wrote in a recent op-ed.
“It is our common heritage,” she said.
An active volcano on the ocean floor.
What’s the draft mining code?
Right now, nations are looking for ever more sources of rare earth minerals to meet demand for renewable energy technologies and such items as mobile phones and computers. The deep-sea contains a plethora of supplies. That’s where the draft mining code comes in.
During its 30th session, ISA members are working on a draft code that would protect the marine environment and build a foundation for ensuring that any activities in the deep-sea area are conducted responsibly and in line with environmental sustainability principles as well as benefitting all of humanity.
A food container seen resting at 4,947m on the slopes of an underwater canyon near the North Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Tackling the ‘missing plastics paradox’
Plastic pollution is another part of the problem. To address this and other pressing issues, ISA members adopted a global research agenda in July 2020, serving as an action plan for marine scientific research with six strategic priorities that include advancing knowledge of deep-sea ecosystems, promoting data sharing and providing insights into the scientific landscape of plastics in the deep-sea.
This latter growing global challenge has potential consequences for the sustainable use of oceans. In 2019, the plastics industry produced over 450 million tonnes of plastic, a figure expected to rise in the coming decades and is likely to increase pressure on marine environments and species. Yet, a portion of plastics entering the oceans remains unaccounted for, a phenomenon known as the “missing plastics paradox”.
Some researchers suggest that the deep sea may act as a sink for plastic debris, where their prolonged persistence could pose risks to these environments.
Acorn worms were one of the many types of fauna observed in the deep-sea around the North Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The world’s new deep-sea biobank
ISA has also just begun filling its new biobank, launched in June on the margins of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. The Deep-Sea Biobank Initiative (DBI) aims to enhance access to deep-sea biological samples and genetic data collected from the international seabed area.
Designed to promote deep-sea research and inclusive scientific collaboration, particularly for developing States, the initiative will establish a global repository of biological samples and develop standard operating procedures to enhance data quality, sharing and use by stakeholders.
“The DBI is ISA’s response to a growing need to advance research, share data, build capacity and facilitate access to deep-sea knowledge, particularly for developing States,” said the authority’s chief Carvalho. “We aim to create standardised and equitable pathways for scientific collaboration, empowering countries and institutions to explore, understand and protect the ocean’s most remote ecosystems.”
The International Seabed Authority has emerged as a central institution of global ocean architecture, charting a course towards responsible and sustainable use.
‘DeepData’ diving
The wealth of data and information ISA has collected has been critical to shaping environmental management plans. Every data byte collected through deep-sea exploration adds critical new information about life in the ocean and assists with decision making.
In launching the DeepData database in 2019, ISA made publicly available for the first time the biggest and most complete global repository of environmental data and information on the deep-sea area.
Exactly how much data has been collected? As of May 2023, DeepData contained over 10 terabytes, roughly equivalent to 6.9 million Instagram uploads. Widely used around the world, it had about 2.4 million hits from visitors in 2022 alone and more than 160 citations in scientific publications.
