Young people in the Highlands can call a dedicated helpline offering expert advice to anyone receiving their full Higher, National, and Advanced results on Tuesday, 5 August 2025.
The pupils and students- along with their parents and carers – will be able to get support with their results through Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) Results Helpline, which opens from 8am on results day.
The SDS Results Helpline will once again be staffed by expert careers advisers to assist anybody that needs help with their options and next steps, providing impartial career information, advice, and guidance.
The team of qualified advisers from Scotland’s national skills agency will be at the end of the phone line to offer guidance on colleges and universities, UCAS Confirmation and Clearing, apprenticeships, jobs and other training, volunteering, or staying on at school.
The number for the 2025 SDS Results Helpline is 0808 100 8000 and will be open:
Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 August – 8am to 8pm
Thursday 7 and Friday 8 August – 9am to 5pm
Dave McCallum, Head of Career Information, Advice and Guidance Operations at SDS said: “Our message for young people and their parents and carers as their results arrive is not to panic. Everything might seem overwhelming right now but remember that this is just one step on their journey.
“Our experienced advisers are here to provide expert support and guidance, offering information on a wide range of options and opportunities. They are also trained to help young people recognise that they are more than their exam results, giving them the confidence to see their strengths and abilities beyond qualifications.”
Local SDS Careers Adviser Joan Duncan is part of the Results Helpline team who will be taking calls from young people, parents and carers from across the country. Joan said: “Whether a young person didn’t receive the results they were hoping for, or they exceeded their expectations, we are here to help them navigate the next steps and make the best decisions for their future.”
The SDS Results Helpline has been going for 33 years and has helped tens of thousands of young Scots.
There’s also an SDS careers adviser linked to every secondary school in Scotland, with almost a quarter of a million school pupils from P7 to S6 receiving careers information, advice and guidance each year*.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Young people have so many different ways to achieve their qualifications, with many eagerly anticipating their results coming through next month. It is important that no matter how they do, young people and their families have access to trusted and reliable information on potential next steps. That is what the advisers at the Skills Development Scotland helpline provide.
“I would encourage everyone looking for impartial and expert advice on the options available, whether that is in work, training or further study, to consider contacting the helpline.”
Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) helps young people get ready for the world of work by connecting them with employers and supporting them to explore a wide range of career pathways. DYW Co-ordinators are based in secondary schools across Scotland, working alongside SDS careers advisers to support pupils with their next steps.
Michelle Fenwick, Director – DYW National Projects, said: “As results are released, it’s important that young people know there are many routes to success and that support is there for them. Through our #NoWrongPath campaign, and in partnership with SDS, we’re helping young people understand that the world of work is full of opportunity. Whether a young person is going into further or higher education, training, employment or still considering their options – the Results Helpline is a great way to get guidance, reassurance, and a sense of direction.”
In addition to the dedicated SDS Results Helpline, young people and their parents or carers can also speak to an SDS adviser at a SDS centre or community venue (find out what’s close to you by visiting the Contact Us page of the SDS website), visit Scotland’s career information and advice website, My World of Work, or speak to directly to an SDS school-based careers adviser for year-round support.
Press release issued by Skills Development Scotland
LONDON — On July 14, 2025, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Commissioner Kristin Johnson convened the third annual international financial markets regulation roundtable in London. The agenda and engagement focused on rapidly evolving technologies — with emphasis on the increasing integration of artificial intelligence, the proliferation of cyber threats, and the rapid adoption of digital assets across global financial markets.[1] During the Emergent Technologies Roundtable, Commissioner Johnson explained “AI holds significant promise for making financial services more inclusive, efficient, and accessible. But its deployment must be underpinned by robust governance, ethical design, and global regulatory collaboration. For global regulatory leadership … the challenge is to balance innovation with stability, openness with security and privacy protections, and the benefits of automation with the value of human oversight.” Reflecting on the need for effective governance, Commissioner Johnson explained that “governance — at the firm level and the system level — matters more than ever. Fintechs must invest in model risk management, ethical design, and responsible data practices. Supervisory approaches must evolve to keep pace with the changes occurring in the markets subject to our supervision.” The Roundtable also explored issues of operational resilience in the face of mounting cyber attacks launched by sophisticated actors operating from dark corners in many jurisdictions around the world with the potential to severely disrupt local and global financial markets. “Cyber resilience is a critical gateway issue for protecting market integrity, and an area where we need to be ‘all hands on deck’ on both sides of the pond. Cyber resilience is only as strong as its weakest link. It is important to stay vigilant and collaborate closely on best practices and lessons learned,” Commissioner Johnson said. According to Commissioner Johnson, “convening regulators offers an exceptional opportunity for colleagues to share learning and understanding on emerging and persistent issues that directly impact market integrity, stability, and security. It has been my pleasure to coordinate an annual conversation among regulators each year of my service as a Commissioner.” Roundtable attendees included representatives of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, Banco de España (the central bank of Spain), the European Securities and Markets Authority, Deutsche Bundesbank (the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany), the Comisión National del Mercado de Valores (the Spanish Securities Market Commission),the City of London, the Financial Action Task Force, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, and the London School of Economics Law School, among others. The attendees discussed a number of issues, including regulatory responses to cyber threats and operational resilience for systemically important financial institutions and market participants; risk management concerns and effective oversight of non-financial institution third party service providers; the impact of increasing reliance on AI; and strategies to enhance integrity, stability, and accountability in global financial markets. “I extend my gratitude to the roundtable attendees,” Commissioner Johnson continued. “Hopefully, the insightful dialogue inspires harmonization, coordination, and collaboration across financial banking and market regulation.”
CONCORD – A Manchester woman plead guilty today in federal court for operating a fraudulent real estate investment scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Robynne Alexander, age 63, plead guilty in federal court to one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha D. Elliott scheduled Alexander’ sentencing for October 15, 2025.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, beginning in 2018, the defendant, previously a real estate investment coach, began raising funds from her coaching clients for a New England real estate venture, Raxx‑LeMay, LLC. Despite promising to acquire and renovate two commercial properties in Manchester she only raised $700K of the $2M minimum required by the May 2018 deadline. Among the terms of her agreement with investors, if the minimum dollar amount was not raised by that date, investors were to get their money back with interest. Despite not having raised the required minimum dollar amount, the defendant did not return investor money with interest, but instead proceeded to use investor money for purposes that were not permitted under the offering terms. Nevertheless, she completed the purchase in July 2018 using expensive hard‑money loans and improperly diverted investor funds to other entities she controlled, to repay outside investors, and to fund additional projects.
Over the next few years, the defendant used investor capital across multiple projects without proper authority or disclosure. For example, she transferred the Raxx‑LeMay properties to a new entity she controlled in early 2022, despite lacking investor approval, leaving Raxx‑LeMay with no assets and investors with total losses of about $850,000. In a separate project, Elm and Baker, LLC, Alexander solicited $750,000 to convert a Manchester property to apartments but diverted more than half of the funds to repay unrelated investors and personal loans, culminating in foreclosure on that property in 2023. Similarly, in late 2022, she solicited funds for a large‑scale resort project in Laconia receiving $250,000 from investors toward the purchase before misappropriating at least $75,000 and ultimately failing to close on the property, causing the project to dissolve. Across at least eight ventures, the defendant defrauded at least 24 investors of roughly $3,023,000.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment. The statute provides for a supervised release term of up to 3 years, and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S Attorney John J. Kennedy is prosecuting the case.
Semi-final against Italy to be shown live on the big screen
England fans will be able to support the Lionesses in their bid for Euro 2025 glory as their semi-final against Italy will be shown live on the big screen in Millennium Square on Tuesday.
Following their dramatic penalty shootout win over Sweden last night, Sarina Wiegman’s European champions are now one step away from the final as they bid to go back-to-back and repeat their historic success of winning Euro 2022.
Fans of all ages will be able to watch the semi-final on Tuesday 22 July on the screen on Millennium Square in Leeds, with free access to a fanzone from 7pm ahead of the match starting at 8pm. A licensed bar and toilet facilities will be provided, with strictly no alcohol or glass permitted.
The screening forms part of the Summer Series of events currently taking place on Millennium Square, and Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development Councillor Jonathan Pryor, said:
“Once again the Lionesses had the nation enthralled with their exciting and nailbiting comeback victory over Sweden, now we can’t wait to see them in action in the semi-final and the best place to watch will be on the big screen in Millennium Square.
“As we have seen from the fantastic Summer Series events we have hosted so far, Millennium Square makes for the perfect venue for a crowd atmosphere, so get down on Tuesday night and enjoy the tension and drama as England hopefully get through to the final.”
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachael Eastham, Lecturer in Young People’s Health Inequalities, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University
Homabay, Kenya, in February 2025.Rachael Eastham, CC BY
My phone wouldn’t stop ringing – nurses, social workers, young mothers – all begging for help. ‘I’ve lost my job,’ ‘I have no food,’ ‘What do we do now?’ I felt helpless.
These are the words of Rogers Omollo, founder and CEO of Activate Action – a youth-led non-profit organisation that supports young people with HIV and disabilities in Homa Bay, a town in west Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria.
As specialists in youth and sexual and reproductive health, we were on a field trip to learn from Omollo and others like him. We wanted to find out about the work they were doing to tackle HIV, stigma and health inequalities.
But our time there was dominated by one thing: President Donald Trump’s executive order which put almost all international spending by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on pause for a 90-day review and subsequently took a wrecking ball to all international aid programmes funded by the US.
In July, research published in The Lancet medical journal found that the US funding cuts towards foreign humanitarian aid could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, with a third of those at risk of premature deaths being children. Davide Rasella, who co-authored the report, said low- and middle-income countries were facing a shock “comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict”.
In the immediate aftermath, we saw firsthand the profound impact the “pause” had in this community. Activate Action is not directly funded by USAID, but as we followed in the footsteps of our host, Omollo, meeting the organisation’s collaborators and beneficiaries, the true extent of the funding freeze became shockingly apparent.
Places like Homa Bay relied heavily on USAID funding to keep hospitals and clinics running, to ensure access to essential medicines, and to support reproductive health and HIV programmes. The executive order, in principle, resulted in the immediate halting of over US$68 billion (£51 billion) in foreign aid, a substantial portion of which supports lifesaving reproductive health and HIV programmes worldwide.
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As we walked through abandoned offices and healthcare facilities speaking to bewildered people out of work and in need of critical services in February 2025, the chilling reality set in. Omollo reflected:
People who have spent years saving lives are now struggling to survive. The clinics are empty, the hope in their voices fading. It broke my heart. I wanted to scream, to fix it, but the truth hit hard – we can’t depend on one lifeline. If funding stops, lives should not. We must build something stronger, something that lasts.
So, before we even set off on our research trip to unite sexual and reproductive health advocates and collaborate with African partners, we knew we were swimming against this tide.
Final figures remain unclear but in early 2025, the abrupt suspension of an estimated US$500 million of funding to Kenya was suggested by Amnesty International to have led to the layoff of 54,000 community health workers – many of whom had been part of robust, locally led responses to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
The decision to do this was driven by US audit and efficiency “reevaluations” over 8,000 miles away in Washington. Decisions were made and implemented by small numbers of people within the Trump administration including Elon Musk, whose estimated individual wealth far exceeds the gross domestic product of many entire east African nations, including Kenya.
Despite years of progress in community-based healthcare systems managed by Kenyans just like Activate Action, these cuts by one external donor disrupted critical services overnight. This also demonstrated that African health systems, no matter how effective, remain subject to profound external control.
Our project was funded in October 2024, before Trump’s re-election. One week of activities in the UK, one week in Kenya. By the time Activate Action visited Lancaster, in the north of England, in January 2025, we had already started to raise eyebrows as our colleagues began receiving communications from USAID-funded initiatives about pausing projects. Two weeks later, by the time we gathered in Kenya, the immediate human cost was clear to see.
‘The field has been eviscerated’
We sat at the back of a meeting observing training for an Activate Action initiative that would see community health champions offer peer support for their neighbours on safer sex and HIV prevention. In a building that was usually busy and populated by USAID-funded staff, the lights remained on in only one room.
Before visiting Homa Bay, we knew of its reputation when it came to the so-called triple threat of gender-based violence, HIV infection and teenage pregnancy rates – all of which disproportionately affects this semi-rural county in west Kenya.
As we watched the training, a colleague based in Europe (who was instrumental in connecting some of the members of our group) texted after learning we were in Kenya, saying:
It’s terrifying. Document it. No one gets it. The field has been eviscerated.
So, what did this evisceration look like?
Staff directly affected by the order were either not permitted to talk about what was happening on the record or didn’t feel safe doing so. We spoke to at least five people who told us directly they couldn’t “speak out” and were nervous about us taking any photographs.
An Activate Action event on International Condoms Day in February 2023. Rogers Omollo, CC BY
We saw how scores of people were served their notice to cease projects, backdated and effective immediately – a stop work order, followed by (for reasons with cloudy legal foundations) official terminations to contracts. Their economic and professional futures left hanging in the balance.
As we navigated workshops and meetings, Omollo (now unexpectedly advantaged through Activate Action not being USAID-funded) continued to receive multiple texts, calls and emails from people seeking work.
A researcher we know working on a USAID supported HIV and maternity care project described doing frantic overtime in the face of uncertainty. She needed to put in hours of extra (unpaid) work to communicate with research participants as it would not be ethical to abruptly disappear on people currently engaged in an active research programme.
She had no way to manage expectations with those she spoke to and no way of knowing if they were saying a final “thank you and goodbye” to the people she had been working with for months. Despite the descriptions of USAID project funds being “paused”, she was quickly served a full termination of employment notice.
In east Africa, where this sudden and mass unemployment of vital technical and administrative staff is happening, more than half of young people aged 15-35 are unemployed. The rate is even higher among young women in rural areas (up to 66%.)
A greater horror unfolds when you consider who these unemployed workers are usually paid to help because they serve communities with some of the highest needs related to HIV, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.
The youth health facility we visited, for example, was locked up when we arrived. We sat in stunned silence in an empty three-roomed building with a youth HIV counsellor. We were shown photographs that showed how it was once a vibrant and busy place.
Locked up youth health facility. Rachael Eastham, CC BY
Here, the free services and information on HIV, contraception and mental health was being delivered by skilled and non-judgmental youth specialists. But it was closed down from January 20, 2025 and its future remains uncertain. A free condom dispenser outside lay empty, all supplies given out on closure day in a last ditch attempt to help young people remain safe over the coming weeks.
In Homa Bay, huge achievements have been made in addressing teenage pregnancy and adolescent HIV infection in recent years. There has been a remarkable decline in prevalence rates, new infections, and HIV-related deaths, aided by robust treatment programmes that contribute to better health. People have been living with HIV at undetectable levels, therefore unable to transmit infection. But this “safe” status requires ongoing treatment with antiretroviral medication.
What now in the absence of USAID?
But at the time of our visit, the delivery of antiretroviral therapy was becoming more restricted and would require collection by the user every three weeks, rather than the usual three months, therefore lasting the user a shorter time. To service providers we spoke to, this increase in the frequency of collection of medication was known to be a significant barrier for people having to travel long distances more frequently without transport to get their supply replenished.
Omollo explained to us that Homa Bay is also a medication hub, of sorts. People come here from other communities where, due to stigma, the risks of being identified as someone who is HIV positive in their own communities are much higher.
Every conversation we had yielded new information about the reality. Gender-based violence projects were also suspended, in part because of the Trump administration’s intentions to end “gender ideology”. A service provider joked despondently during a presentation how: “I got sacked for saying gender.”
In Kenya, femicide (the murder of women or girls because of their gender) has been described as a “crisis” requiring urgent action. In Homa Bay specifically, the sexual and gender-based violence statistics are higher than national averages and have been on the rise, especially among young people.
This follows alarming countrywide coverage about femicide across Kenya including high profile and horrifying cases such as that of the Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei.. Official figures are unclear but there are currently widespread protests and calls to action related to this injustice.
Activate Action had recently won one USAID award focusing on men living with HIV and substance use problems (factors that are both implicated in gender-based violence). Since the USAID funding freeze this offer has instantly been dissolved with no expectation of reinstatement.
Meanwhile, the fight against cervical cancer – the leading cause of cancer death in Kenya – has also been hit. Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination campaigns across the county have stalled, despite the fact the vaccines help prevent cervical cancer.
At one point, a 23-year-old mother of three small children asked us directly if we found it troubling (as she did) that she will not be able to receive maternal healthcare and her contraception. The list of effects is grim and feels endless.
Collateral damage
When our group convened for a workshop at a community venue with sexual and reproductive health and rights staff from across the area, the chatter was similarly focused on the effects of the USAID funding freeze, but this time in the direct shadow of operations.
Next door, four-wheel drive Jeeps had been recalled and locked behind USAID premises gates, gathering dust instead of being out in the field delivering HIV outreach services. They represented the stasis of operations more widely.
Dr Peter Ibembe, from a party of service providers visiting from Uganda, was formerly a Programme Director for the non-governmental organisation Reproductive Health Uganda where he was in charge of service delivery. He spoke to us about the atmosphere:
An eerie tone of quiet has descended on the place. Many have been suddenly rendered jobless; creating mental stress, depression, anxiety. But there has also been an indirect effect on the wider community through the entire value chain: landlords, banks and other credit institutions; food vendors; gas stations; transportation facilities and companies; hotels, restaurants and lodges; schools hospitals and the like.
Everyone has been left in limbo. Kenya, despite gradual improvements, is a lower middle income country. Poverty identified by the World Bank as a key development challenge for the nation with, in 2022, over 20 million Kenyans identified as living below the poverty line. So these knock-on effects can be drastic.
At an organisational level we also saw clearly how the boundaries of any one project running within any organisation cannot be neatly drawn, nor can projects be plucked from this matrix discretely in the way we might imagine when we hear how “USAID projects” have been suspended. This way of thinking profoundly undermines the reality of what these cuts mean because many projects are interdependent and interrelated. Omollo added:
Whilst Activate Action was not directly funded by USAID, the overall reduction in health services affects the community they serve. The lack of support for HIV prevention, mental health and economic empowerment programmes placed additional strain on grassroots organisations like us … which have had to fill gaps with limited resources.
Omollo taking a selfie with Activate Action on International Condoms Day in February 2023. Rogers Omollo, CC BY
Services the world over, especially community based services, usually operate with multiple funding streams each providing different projects. Naturally the people, resources and activities overlap. To stress, this is not evidence of the “corruption” the Trump administration claims it wants to weed out, but it is the reality of how services reliant on external funding work.
It is usual that a patchwork of project grants function together to keep the doors open and the lights on. In fact, the sharing of operational resource is what bolsters an organisation’s capacity to serve its communities most effectively.
Considering “USAID projects” as single discretely bounded entities belie the messy complexity of how community and healthcare services work.
For another example of this kind of inter-connection, look no further than “table banking”. Table banking has been described as a “microcredit movement by women and for women” – effectively a DIY bank. We saw table banking used at Activate Action’s Street Business School, an initiative that tackles HIV through training women and building economic sustainability so they do not become trapped in poverty which may force them into have transactional sex. From a seated circle under trees, we watched as the collective pay in and take out loans to support their businesses from a central informal “bank account”.
Beneficiaries from this project continue to come together every Thursday, pooling finances and taking loans to sustain their business needs for the coming week (for example, buying stock for their market stalls). They told us how they are planning to collaborate on a catering business which will mean the older, sicker members of the group remain able to work and earn.
Similarly, Omollo told us how “a bit like table banking”, among his friends and colleagues, they also pool finance on a weekly basis to tick off items on a collective shopping list. He said: “One week we buy for one person, the next week, the next person and so on, until we all have a microwave.”
These demonstrations of microfinance arguably present, however idealistic, inspiration for a more financially sustainable future whereby its principles offer a “light of hope” at grassroots level, possibilities for nations in meeting sustainable development goals and, crucially in this context, freedom from dependency on external donors.
Social dictators of health
When we planned this exchange project, we wanted to work with Activate Action because of our shared interests.
Its explicit focus on the “social determinants of health” (the non-medical factors that affect health) is a refreshing departure from so many health programmes that seek to intervene on a person’s behaviour without attending to how it may be shaped by the wider social system.
For example, in the case of Homa Bay, Activate Action works to address root causes, such as poverty. Poverty means that transactional sex (which could be sex for food or period products) is common. Unsafe sex can be a hallmark of these sexual encounters, increasing HIV risk and transmission. Helping women build businesses, earn their own money to buy food and make their own period pads, reduces the need to trade sex for necessities.
As we sat discussing the various ways the cancelling of USAID would have devastating effects on different programmes and so the lives of different people, we realised how myriad social determinants – such as income, unemployment and healthcare services – are overwhelmingly contingent on distant regimes. Regimes run by people who seem to demonstrate little regard for the lives of disadvantaged and minoritised people.
No period of consultation, no management of expectations – a profound example of how bigger systems that govern our social lives can, in fact, dictate the outcomes of our health.
Antiretroviral drugs for HIV literally keep people alive and prevent transmission to others. Efforts to critique the USAID freeze by the inspector general of USAID, Paul Martin, saw him sacked. Again, no reason was given, and the White House did not have any comment.
When we were trying to explore whether termination notices for staff in Kenya were even legal, one media report about a judicial effort to halt the USAID stop work order noted that Trump has a “high threshold for legal risk”. An insight into what type of threats we may need to consider when trying to understand risks to and protections for health in the future.
Dr Ibembe, who provided closing remarks to our workshop, highlighted how “the effect of USAID cuts on the east African development landscape has been nothing short of seismic. It has created an environment of uncertainty, fear and stress. In some instances, up to 80% of health-related initiatives are donor supported. The funding and operational gap created is almost insurmountable.”
This reliance on external financial support and limited domestic financing in Kenya and other sub-Saharan African countries is common. This makes a nation vulnerable. Kenya also experiences substantial “donor dependency” especially across the health system which makes it harder to absorb the shock of a donor pulling funds.
In other words, this is a highly precarious system that is going through a shock which it will find incredibly difficult to withstand.
The situation is a stark reminder of just how unfair the power dynamics are that dictate African health governance and sovereignty.
Conversations about reducing the dependence of countries like Kenya on external donors have been going on for a long time. Throughout it has been acknowledged that any transition away from donor dependence needs to be carefully managed to avoid upsetting all the gains that have been made through initiatives like those funded by USAID. This has been completely impossible given the pace of change since January 2025 when the USAID stop work order came into play.
African solutions to African problems
The question now is not merely how African institutions will survive these disruptions but how they will leverage them as an impetus for change. Discussions about donor dependency arguably contribute to the framing of African states and institutions that are economically vulnerable and a “risk”. This in turn creates a negative bias that has recently been identified as costing African nations billions in lost or missed investment opportunities.
While financial constraints are a reality, the dominance of stereotypes also means we may overlook the effective strategic responses and resilience demonstrated by African organisations over the years. The challenge is not simply to reduce donor reliance but to reposition African institutions as key architects of health solutions through approaches that emphasise ownership, sustainability and regional integration.
Omollo talking to The Street Business School in January 2023. Rogers Omollo, CC BY
The Afya na Haki (Ahaki) institute provides a clear example of this shift towards what they refer to as “Africentric” models of health governance. The aim is to build African solutions to African problems.
This approach is anchored on four key pillars: amplifying positive African narratives; strengthening engagement with African regional institutions; supporting and fostering collaboration among African non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other organisations; and bringing together African experts and communities to create knowledge that reflects local realities and needs.
Yet, restrictive policies that pre-date the USAID cuts such as the global gag rule which means NGOs are prohibited from receiving any US government funding if they provide, advocate for, or even refer to abortion services, have significantly disrupted this work, forcing institutions to rethink their operational strategies. An Ahaki staff member told us how their core focus on empowering Africans has been “thrown into disarray”.
Research that puts African stories and priorities front and centre is crucial – not just for shaping policies but for shifting the focus from dependence on external aid to African-led solutions and self-determination.
‘Hope hasn’t disappeared’
Within days of the USAID executive order on January 20, the USAID website was unreachable and our colleagues in Homa Bay sat reeling. By February 14, just after our visit, it was confirmed that a federal judge had successfully blocked the funding suspensions, although the relevance of this for people and projects like those we met in Homa Bay, whose contracts had already been terminated, was limited.
This executive order is one of many that has triggered global shockwaves. But for every action there is a reaction and we have also witnessed international resistance, from protests of USAID and nonprofit workers in Washington, to 500 Kenyan community workers demanding their unpaid salaries.
Musk’s company Tesla has been subject to widespread boycott and coordinated protest by “Tesla Takedown” in over 250 cities around the world. Canada has also made strides to reject American imports and strengthen its domestic markets, building greater independence from the USA, echoing desires of many African nations in relation to US donor dependence.
Musk suggested that USAID needs “to die” due to widespread corruption – an assertion that remains unsubstantiated. However, the violence and damage of this sentiment is being realised. As the sites we visited remain eerie and empty, gathering dust, our immediate concern is for the people and communities that agencies once funded by USAID represent and serve.
Omollo, and others like him, are now finding new ways to navigate these problems. The ripple effects of the USAID funding freeze have hit hard, programs have stalled, uncertainty has grown and communities are feeling the strain.
“But in the cracks, we’ve found ways to adapt,” he said. “At Activate Action, we’ve leaned on local partnerships, stretched every resource, and kept showing up for young people. Hope hasn’t disappeared; it’s just become something we fight for daily.”
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We would like to acknowledge the specific contribution of Rogers Omollo from Activate Action in developing this article.
Christopher Baguma works with Afya na Haki as a Director of Programmes.
BOSTON – The former leader of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios was sentenced today in federal court in Boston on RICO conspiracy charges.
Aaron Diaz Liranzo, a/k/a “Sosa,” 26, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Nathaniel M. Gorton to 14 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2025, Diaz Liranzo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. Diaz Liranzo was arrested and charged in February 2025 at which time he was the Leader of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios.
The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to or organize and execute violence, and undertaken extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.
In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multi-jurisdictional investigation, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members.
During a period from at least 2021 through 2025, Diaz Liranzo served as the Primera or Number One of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios. Diaz Liranzo admitted to participating in a shooting that took place in March 2019 that targeted multiple rival gang members outside of a Lynn nightclub. The victims were lured there by another member, who posed as a woman who needed a ride. Equipped with a firearm and knowledge of the victim’s whereabouts and vehicle they were driving, the defendant travelled to the nightclub and opened fire on the vehicle, discharging at least six rounds. During the incident, Diaz Liranzo shot two of the three victims seated in the car. Both victims suffered life-threatening injuries, but ultimately survived the incident.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office; the Rockingham County District Attorney’s Office (NH); and the Andover, Boston, Lawrence, Peabody and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Sovereign Base Areas Specialised Committee meeting: joint statement
Joint statement following the sixth meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Specialised Committee on issues related to the implementation of the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Cyprus
The sixth meeting of the Specialised Committee on issues related to the implementation of the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus was held on 3 July 2025, co-chaired by officials from the European Commission and the UK Government.
The Committee was established by the Withdrawal Agreement to facilitate the implementation and application of the Protocol. The co-chairs reviewed the operational phase of the implementation of the Protocol since its last meeting in December 2023. This review showed that implementation is operating well in most areas.
Both sides reaffirmed their continued commitment to the smooth implementation of the Protocol and agreed to finalise further technical discussions with the objective of reaching a common understanding on the correct implementation of the Protocol in the area of taxation (Article 3 of the Protocol) and fisheries (Article 6 of the Protocol) as a matter of priority. The Specialised Committee will revert to this issue immediately afterwards.
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl throughout Eastern North Carolina. Joshua Vines, 40, admitted to conspiring to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and pleaded guilty earlier this year.
According to court records and evidence presented at sentencing, on October 25, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents were conducting surveillance on a vehicle registered to co-defendant Nigel Gray. They observed the car parked outside a Dollar General in Elizabeth City, where a passenger and co-defendant, Omar Cardenas, exited and got into another vehicle. Both cars then left the area.
Law enforcement later stopped the vehicle, driven by Vines, in Nashville, NC. During the stop, Vines contacted Gray by phone to ask for the car’s registration information. A trained K-9 alerted to the vehicle, prompting a search. Inside, officers found approximately 30,000 pills containing fentanyl or para-fluorofentanyl, with a combined weight of 1.5 kilograms, along with an additional kilogram of fentanyl powder. Vines had texted Gray that they were being detained and requested consent to search the vehicle. The group had planned to distribute the drugs in the Raleigh area.
Gray and Cardenas have already been sentenced in federal court for their roles in the conspiracy.
Vines has prior felony convictions for discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, trafficking heroin, and trafficking cocaine by transportation.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. HSI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, the Raleigh Police Department, the Nashville Police Department, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Severo and Katherine Englander prosecuted the case.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Deborah Pain, Visiting Academic, University of Cambridge; Honorary Professor, University of East Anglia, University of Cambridge
The UK’s environment minister Emma Hardy has announced a ban on toxic lead ammunition to protect Britain’s countryside. This ban includes the sale and use for hunting of both lead shotgun ammunition (each cartridge of which contains hundreds of small lead pellets called “shot”), used mainly for hunting small game animals like gamebirds, and large calibre lead bullets, used for hunting large game animals like deer.
This is great news for Britain’s birds because the ban will eventually prevent the deaths and suffering of the vast numbers affected by lead poisoning each year after ingesting lead from ammunition.
Waterbirds and land-based gamebirds mistakenly eat these because they look like food or the grit they ingest to help grind up their food. Shot are retained in their gizzards (a muscular part of the stomach), ground up, and the lead dissolved and absorbed into the bloodstream.
Lead poisoning kills an estimated 50,000-100,000 waterbirds annually in the UK. These birds suffer considerably before they die. Many more birds are poisoned, but not killed.
While this additional “sublethal” poisoning does not kill birds directly, they may be more likely to die of other causes. This is because lead poisoning affects the immune system and behaviour.
Gamebirds will no longer be able to be killed using lead shot under a new ban in Britain. AdamEdwards/Shutterstock
The use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl and over certain wetlands is already banned in England and Wales. It is also banned for shooting over all wetlands in Scotland.
However, compliance with the regulations in England is only about 30%, and is also low in Scotland, although has not been measured in Wales. This new comprehensive ban should dramatically improve the situation across all habitats throughout Britain.
Birds of prey, including eagles, common buzzards and red kites ingest lead fragments when they scavenge flesh from animals killed by lead ammunition, or prey on animals wounded by lead ammunition. The acidic conditions in their stomachs help dissolve the lead.
Our research shows that while fewer birds of prey than waterbirds are estimated to die of lead poisoning, it can have a far greater effect on their populations, especially for species that first breed at a later age, produce fewer young, and would otherwise have higher annual adult survival rates.
The lead ban will benefit birds that live in Britain permanently or for just part of the year. But it will not entirely solve the problem for migratory species. If lead shot continues to be used elsewhere, these species may still ingest it on migration or on their breeding or wintering grounds.
Beyond borders
To protect all species, lead ammunition needs to be replaced by non-lead alternatives everywhere. The use of lead shot is already banned in many wetlands globally. Across the EU, a ban on the use of lead shot in or close to wetlands came into force in February 2023.
Now, Britain is set to become the second country to ban most uses of lead ammunition. This has been made possible by the increasing availability of safe, efficient and affordable non-lead ammunition alternatives, primarily steel shot and copper bullets.
In February 2025, the European Commission published a draft regulation banning most uses of lead ammunition and fishing weights. This awaits approval under EU processes – if successful, it will represent a major step forward.
Beyond birds
Birds are particularly susceptible to the effects of ingested lead from ammunition due to their muscular gizzards and stomach acidity. But it also puts the health of many other animals at risk, including pets and people.
The UK government based its decision to ban lead ammunition on a report by the Health and Safety Executive which highlighted risks to the health of young children and women of pregnancy age if they frequently eat meat from game hunted with lead ammunition. Children’s developing nervous systems are particularly sensitive to the effects of lead.
We recently urged the EU’s committee of member states for Reach (the chemicals regulation), the European parliament and council to fully support the European Commission’s proposal to restrict lead ammunition.
We also encouraged the European Food Safety Authority to recommend that the European Commission set a legal maximum level for lead in game meat marketed for human consumption. This maximum level should be similar to the one already set for meat from most farmed animals.
Until this happens, and more countries follow suit by banning all use of lead ammunition for hunting, the health of wildlife, domestic animals and vulnerable groups of people will continue to be threatened by the toxic effects of lead from ammunition.
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Deborah Pain is an Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia (Biological Sciences) and a Visiting Academic in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. She has been an independent scientist since April 2018. She has received no remuneration for research on lead poisoning since that time, but, along with colleagues, has received funding for the costs of research and chemical analysis from a number of sources, as acknowledged in published papers. She was a member of the UK REACH Independent Scientific Expert Pool (RISEP) and within this the Challenge Panel on Lead in Ammunition and received payment for that work. However, her published research on lead poisoning was independent of that process.
Rhys Green has received funding for research from several organisations including the RSPB, where he was principal conservation scientist until 2017. He is now retired. He is an unpaid volunteer research scientist at RSPB and Emeritus Honorary Professor of Conservation Science in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. He is a member of the UK REACH Independent Scientific Expert Pool (RISEP), which is an expert group set up by a UK government agency, the Health & Safety Executive. He receives occasional payments for work done on behalf of RISEP. He is on the Board of Trustees of Chester Zoo.
Niels Kanstrup 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.
Suaalii only switched codes from rugby league to rugby union in 2023 and has just five international caps to his name. But despite his lack of union experience, he has been catching attention lately for more than just his powerful runs and physicality. In recent weeks, Suaalii’s unusual pre-match warm-up has also sparked curiosity, most notably, his use of juggling and peripheral awareness drills to prepare his visual system.
For many spectators, seeing a player showing off their juggling skills is more suited to a circus performance than international rugby. But there is science behind his bizarre approach. This preparation could be giving him an edge the Lions should fear.
Growing evidence
Visual performance in elite sport remains an under-applied area of sport science, yet the evidence for its effectiveness is growing.
My own research has found that a county cricket team which underwent six weeks of visual training improved their basic cricket skills more than a control group which did extra cricket skills exercises. This demonstrates that we need to be looking beyond the confines of the sport itself to bring about maximal performance.
Visual skill in sport is about more than just 20/20 vision. Each sport has its own specific demands, and rugby requires skills such as peripheral awareness, depth perception, rapid eye movement, reaction speed, dynamic visual acuity and eye-body coordination.
Combining these visual skills will allow the most accurate information to be sent to the brain for processing – helping players to make the best decisions, even under intense pressure and high levels of fatigue.
By using exercises such as juggling, Suaalii is training several of these visual skills at once. Juggling requires excellent eye-body coordination, the use of the peripheral system and reaction speed. These are all skills which are also used in rugby for catching high balls kicked by opponents, reading attacking threats and spotting the movement of teammates and opposition players.
Juggling has also been shown to bring about positive structural changes in the human brain – particularly in areas linked to processing visual information – and integrating this with motor control.
This demonstrates that this relatively simple exercise can lead to improvements not only in the eyes, but also the brain. In rugby, the visual array will be constantly changing. A shift in the defensive line, a looping support run, a player slightly slow to recover from a ruck, or a spiralling high kick – the ability to spot, process and respond to these visual cues can be the difference between success and failure.
Suaalii is by no means the first rugby player to train his visual system. Former coach Clive Woodward famously brought in a visual performance coach to work with the England team – and they went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
I also worked with the Harlequins rugby team in the English Premiership as a visual performance coach. We won three trophies in my first three seasons with the team, which is known for free flowing, creative play. This style of play places extremely high demands on the players’ visual systems.
Lions test series
So what particular visual skills can you look out for over this Lions test series and how might they impact the outcome?
When defending close to their own try line, players should be scanning across the width of the pitch to ensure that they do not become outnumbered on either side of the field. Conversely, the attackers should be making rapid scans to quickly identify any mismatch (for example, a slow front row forward versus a swift and agile winger) they can take advantage of.
In these situations, players can often focus too much on the ball, allowing opposition players to craftily reposition themselves unseen. The best players will, wherever possible, be looking at everything, everywhere, all at once, improving their spatial awareness and enabling them to maintain an overview of the game in their minds.
To catch a kicked spiralling highball, a fullback or winger needs exceptional tracking ability and depth perception. Players in this situation are sometimes let down by “convergence issues”, where as the eyes track an object moving towards them, they can drift outwards or become misaligned. This can cause players to mistime their jump, or for the ball to hit their chest before being caught, wasting vital milliseconds. Training these convergence issues has been shown to bring about improvements in sports performance.
As a scrum-half is collecting the ball from a breakdown, they need quickly to scan the positions of teammates on either side of them, and be aware of the depth of the defensive line. Having this visual information will lead to better decisions and creating faster attacking opportunities.
A crunching tackle may seem like a purely strength-based skill. But to ensure it is both perfectly timed and legal, a defender must perfectly anticipate the speed and direction of the oncoming player. They can then use this information to precisely position their own body to impart their full momentum, while using their reaction speed to make last-second adjustments to ensure they do not put their opponent in danger.
Subtle visual advantages, honed through practice, can influence these moments. During this test series, they may well be the difference between winning and losing. Suaalii’s juggling may seem better suited to the circus, but it could be the secret weapon Australia need to secure the series.
Zoe Wimshurst is the owner and director of Performance Vision Ltd, a company which provides visual training and consultancy services.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cate Williams, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University
Bluetongue causes illness and death in cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants.Juice Flair/Shutterstock
A tiny midge, no bigger than a pinhead, is bringing UK farming to its knees. The culprit? A strain of the bluetongue virus that’s never been seen before.
As of July 1, the whole of England has been classed as an “infected area” due to bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3).
There are movement restrictions and testing in place in Scotland, Wales and the island of Ireland. No animals from England – or that have passed through England – are allowed to attend this year’s Royal Welsh Show on July 21-24, for example.
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The virus, which causes illness and death in sheep, cattle, goats and other ruminants, is spread by biting midges. Although it poses no risk to humans and can’t be transmitted from one animal to another, the latest outbreak is more severe than previous ones. And it could cause lasting damage to UK farming.
Bluetongue isn’t new to the UK, however. A different strain, BTV-8 was detected in 2007 and contained. But BTV-3 is a different story. First detected in the Netherlands in late 2023, it was quickly spotted in the UK, where an early containment effort initially appeared successful.
But the virus made a comeback in autumn 2024 – and this time it spread. On its second attempt, the virus was able to circulate and caused an outbreak. With little existing immunity, BTV-3 has now established itself, prompting concerns about animal welfare, food production and farming livelihoods.
What does the disease do?
Sheep tend to be the most severely affected, though all ruminants are at risk. Clinical signs are species-specific but can include swelling of the face, congestion, nasal discharge, ulcers in the mouth and nose, difficulty breathing and abortion or birth deformities.
Bluetongue can cause the animal’s tongue to swell. It can also turn blue from lack of blood flow – although this is somewhat rare.
Bluetongue disease causes suffering in animals, and while there is a vaccine, there is no treatment for the disease once it’s contracted.
BTV-3 appears to be more lethal than earlier strains. In the Netherlands, vets report that BTV-3 is causing more severe symptoms than BTV-8 did.
Vets in England reported that in some herds 25-40% of cows failed to get pregnant, and there was a high rate of birth defects and stillborn calves. One farm in Suffolk started the calving season with 25% of their cows not pregnant and ended with just 48 calves from 97 cows.
Belgium has seen a fall in calf births, reduced milk deliveries and higher mortality in small ruminants compared to the previous three years.
How is it spread?
Bluetongue virus is transmitted by midges from the Culicoides genus. These are tiny, biting insects that thrive in mild, wet conditions.
Multiple midges can bite the same animal, and it only takes one of them to carry BTV before that animal becomes a host for further transmission. When animals are transported long distances, infected individuals can be bitten again and introduce the virus to previously uninfected midge populations.
Climate change is making outbreaks like this more likely. Milder winters and cooler, wetter summers are ideal for midges, increasing both their numbers and their biting activity.
While there’s no danger to human health, the consequences of BTV-3 are far-reaching. Limitations on movement, exports and imports are being imposed to help prevent the spread of the disease, but this could also hamper farming practices and trade.
The disease and its associated restrictions pose another source of stress for farmers, 95% of whom have ranked mental health as the biggest hidden problem in farming.
Genetic pick and mix
One of the reasons bluetongue is so tricky to manage is its ability to evolve. It has a segmented genome, meaning its genetic material, in this case RNA, is split into ten segments. This characteristic is exclusive to “reassortment viruses” and means that they can easily exchange segments of RNA. It’s like a genetic pick and mix with ten different types of sweets that come in an unlimited number of flavours.
This allows BTV to create new, genetically distinct “serotypes”, which may have a selective advantage or a disadvantage. Those with an advantage will emerge and spread successfully, while those with a disadvantage will not emerge at all. This process, known as “reassortment”, is partly responsible for the numerous influenza pandemics throughout history and has even allowed diseases to jump the species barrier.
Although bluetongue doesn’t affect humans directly, its spread poses a growing threat to the UK’s livestock sector and food supply. It’s important to learn from other countries that are further along in the BTV-3 outbreak so that the likely effects can be anticipated in the UK.
Cate Williams 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: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
UKHSA issues warning over botulism
UKHSA warns public to be alert to botulism following adverse reactions to cosmetic procedures involving botulinum toxin.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is warning people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of botulism after a small number of individuals presented to NHS healthcare settings following adverse reactions after receiving cosmetic procedures involving botulinum toxin.
The cases are in addition to those recently diagnosed in the North East region and relate to procedures carried out in the East of England and East Midlands. To date, 38 cases of iatrogenic botulism have been reported between 4 June and 14 July 2025.
As yet there are no known links between the newly diagnosed cases and those in the North East.
Investigations are ongoing but evidence so far suggests the use of an unlicensed Botox-like product. It is understood that those practitioners involved in this latest incident have ceased the procedure and are co-operating with the ongoing investigation.
Reactions have included:
difficulty swallowing
slurred speech
breathing difficulty requiring respiratory support
UKHSA has issued national advice to clinicians to ensure that they look out for botulism in people who may have had a recent aesthetic procedure, in order to provide them appropriate treatment which includes giving anti-toxin.
UKHSA is also advising people to take precautions when seeking aesthetic procedures, including checking if the product being used is licensed.
Dr Gauri Godbole, Consultant Medical Microbiologist at UKHSA, said:
We are working closely with our partners to reduce the public health risk and would advise people to make sure they take precautions when seeking aesthetic procedures.
Botulism related to aesthetic procedures is rare, but it can be serious. It is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. These toxins (but not the bacteria) are the active ingredient in ‘Botox’ and similar products.
Symptoms of botulism can take up to 4 weeks to develop and if you have had a recent botulinum toxin (Botox-like) treatment and are having symptoms such as difficulty swallowing or breathing, contact NHS 111 for further advice and seek treatment.
If you are considering having a cosmetic procedure, please make sure to check that your practitioner is using a licensed product. On the NHS website there is more information on what sensible steps you can take when finding a practitioner.
Professor Meghana Pandit, Co-National Medical Director secondary care at NHS England, said:
When these procedures go wrong, there is a risk of serious infections and permanent scarring, which is why only registered professionals like a doctor, a nurse or pharmacy prescriber should be prescribing these treatments.
If you decide to undergo a cosmetic procedure like Botox or lip fillers, there is advice on the NHS.uk website on the questions to ask, including making sure that the person administering it is trained to do it.
Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer said:
Public safety is a top priority for the MHRA. Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine and should only be sold or supplied in accordance with a prescription given by an appropriate practitioner such as a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional.
Buying botulinum toxin in any other circumstances significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK. This means that there are no safeguards to ensure products meet the MHRA’s standards for quality and safety. As such, they can endanger the health of the people who take them.
Our Criminal Enforcement Unit works hard to identify those involved in the illegal trade in medicines and takes robust enforcement action where necessary. This can include criminal prosecution.
This letter and its annex serve as a written notice to improve governance, financial governance and financial management at South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust.
Joaquina Portillo is an indigenous elderly resident from the rural community of Rio Verde, Department of Canindeyú, Northeast Paraguay. She recently attended an outpatient care day hosted in her community and was very pleased with the comprehensive care that she and her family received.
“I came with my whole family. We have several ailments, but the main one is the flu. We are very happy, they treated us all very well,” said Joaquina.
The outpatient care day, one of many held locally, promotes dialogue between health care providers and indigenous and rural communities about intercultural care and provides a range of health services through outreach activities.
This activity was part of a broader project called Expanding Access to and Quality of Primary Health Care and Integrated Health Services in the XIV Health Region – Canindeyú, Paraguay, from 2023 – 2025.
Previously, indigenous communities in Northeast Paraguay have struggled to access the health services they need despite increasing rates of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare has worked closely with PAHO/WHO, through the UHC Partnership, to expand access to and improve the quality of primary health care services at the community level, with family health teams playing a major role.
The combination of applying geospatial analysis to identify health facility gaps, the training of health workers, and strategic approaches to health system policy has led to improved equity and access to services for many remote and indigenous populations.
Access to health services increases
The inter-programmatic and interdisciplinary initiative included developing and implementing a tool for monitoring and managing health services using geospatial data about family health units, training health workers especially in the control of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and strategic Health Situation Analysis to facilitate the design of effective health policies.
The initiative has enabled progress on multiple fronts to improve health services in Canindeyú including expanding access to health care for vulnerable populations, strengthening trust in public health services among indigenous and rural populations, increasing the technical capacity of health workers, and optimizing responses to health emergencies.
Across the Department from 2022-2024 health insurance coverage increased by 18.1% and access to health services increased by 25.1%. From April-June 2023 to April-June 2024 the number of primary care visits increased by 10.5%, and the number of overall medical consultations increased by 19%. In the same period, there was also a 29% increase in the proportion of pregnant women who received an HIV and Syphilis test during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Created by PAHO/WHO, the ‘Modular Essential Conditions Assessment’ methodology (VCEm in Spanish) evaluates essential factors for the provision of services in health facilities. It was implemented in 14 health regions, including Canindeyú, to drive sustainable improvement within health service networks and to empower health workers. The methodology reveals significant changes that can be made with little or no investment.
“There are many activities that do not require a large investment such as providing training to health workers on protocols which can be done virtually. I believe this benefit will be reflected in fewer patients reaching critical conditions,” said Dr Angie Duarte, Director of the Curuguaty District Hospital.
The implementation of the modular VCEm at the Canindeyú RISS facilities identified opportunities to improve and prioritize actions to promote inclusive, equitable, and culturally appropriate health services that maintain respect for traditional medical knowledge and foster intercultural dialogue.
“The implementation of the project in Canindeyú, with the valuable support of the UHC Partnership, clearly reflects our inter-programmatic and territorial approach. This initiative was aligned with the country’s efforts to advance health equity by strengthening local capacities, promoting the use of innovative technologies, and ensuring appropriate care tailored to cultural and territorial realities,” said Dr Haydee Padilla, WHO Representative to Paraguay.
“We capitalized on lessons learned from previous experiences, which allowed for a more effective and sustainable approach. Joint work with local actors and the incorporation of intercultural dialogue and community-based health care were essential in closing historical access gaps. Furthermore, the implementation of intersectoral work reinforces the positive impact of this cooperation. This experience confirms that international collaboration, aligned with national priorities, can generate real and lasting transformations in health systems,” Dr Haydee Padilla concluded.
The UHC Partnership operates in over 125 countries, representing over 3 billion people. It is supported and funded by Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and WHO.
Derby City Council recently welcomed Keith Fraser, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, to see the work of the Derby Youth Justice Service (YJS) with young people and victims.
The Derby Youth Justice Service has achieved Quadrant 1 status, signifying its position as one of the highest-performing Youth Justice Services across England and Wales.
Following his visit, Mr Fraser told the service:
There were so many positive and inspiring aspects about your service. You demonstrated practice I have not often seen in other services, for example the children that were scrutinising the stop and search processes. You are also successfully keeping fewer children in police custody and also having fewer children remanded.
Derby YJS is performing exceptionally well, consistently achieving results below national averages for the rate of First Time Entrants into the justice system, the number of young people sentenced to custody, and rates of re-offending.
Key achievements highlighted during the visit included successful early intervention, which has seen more young people diverted away from possible offending and fewer young people being seen by the service as a result of going to court. Fewer children from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities have been referred into the service following a court appearance, while none are currently serving secure remand or sentence.
The service has also achieved 100% satisfaction rates from children’s feedback, with every child reporting they had been helped by Derby YJS.
The service attributes its success to several critical factors:
Committed practitioners who understand the children and young people well and can show the positive impact they make based on individual needs
A strong Multi-Agency Board working together to provide children with access a broad range of services
Stable senior leadership providing consistent direction
Service delivery based on insights to create tailored support for children, young people, and victims
A consistent understanding of risk across all levels.
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:
We’re immensely proud of the Derby Youth Justice Service’s achievements, and it was a pleasure to welcome Keith Fraser to witness their excellent work firsthand.
The YJS consistently delivers exceptional results, creating opportunities for positive change for young people while ensuring the safety of our communities – a true testament to our passionate practitioners and strong partnership working.
According to the BBC more than 30,000 criminal cases collapsed between October 2020 and September 2024 due to lost, damaged or missing evidence.[1] It found that around one in 20 prosecutions by the Met had been dropped due to missing evidence between 2020 and 2024, compared to one in 50 across England and Wales.
Following a FOI request from the BBC and University of Leicester, the number of cases reported as missing evidence were found to be increasing: in 2020, 7,484 prosecutions collapsed due to lost, missing or damaged evidence, compared to 8,180 in 2024, a 9 per cent increase.
The BBC reported that the cases recorded included:
Physical evidence, including forensic evidence, being lost, damaged or contaminated during storage
Lost digital evidence, including victim interview footage or body worn camera footage
Witness statements or pathology reports not being provided by the police
Key evidence not collected from the crime scene.
Tomorrow, the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee will meet to question the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime on the Met’s ability to safely store and collect evidence.
The Committee will also question the Deputy Mayor about online radicalisation, the Met’s recruitment pathways and the Met’s Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Directorate.
The guests are:
Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
Kenny Bowie, Director of Strategy and MPS Oversight, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)
The meeting will take place on Wednesday 16 July 2025 from 10am in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
Sunderland has secured £490,000 lottery funding to help communities across the city get back to nature.
The City Council’s bid to the Nature Towns and Cities Programme is one of only 19, benefitting 40 towns and cities nationally, to be awarded funding.
Nature Towns and Cities is a coalition of organisations united by the ambition to enable millions more people to experience nature in their daily lives, particularly those places and communities currently lacking access to quality green space.
The first of its kind, the new programme announced by Natural England, National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to help at least 100 places across the UK to become greener, healthier, happier places for people to live and work over the next 10 years.
Welcoming the grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Councillor Michael Mordey, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this funding which is all about improving our residents’ access to nature and helping them to enjoy some of the fantastic greenspaces, coastline and riverbanks on their doorstep.
“As we all know, getting out into the fresh air can really help us to clear our minds and take time for ourselves
“This funding will help us to support our communities, making it as easy as possible to access nature, which in turn will help to create a real sense of pride in the local environment.”
“So, we’ll be looking to work with residents and partners over the coming weeks and months to help us develop the plans further and make sure that we’re making the most of this grant funding to support our residents to enjoy the nature on their doorstep.”
Sunderland’s project will bring organisations across the city together to better connect residents with local greenspaces. The funding secured will also help communities to improve their health and wellbeing by making it easier to access nature.
Led by Sunderland City Council in partnership with Durham Wildlife Trust and the voluntary sector, the project will also be supported by other key partners within the city.
Plans include a focus on linking community greenspaces, parks, transport routes and the city’s coastline and riverbanks, connecting people and creating a sense of pride in the local environment.
The project will bring together organisations citywide to work in partnership to increase understanding of the benefits of the natural environment via volunteering opportunities, outdoor activities, training and nature-based social prescribing.
This will include:
The creation of new education courses in conservation and horticulture
Undertaking ecological surveys and preparing management plans for the city’s precious Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) sites which include Tunstall Hills and Claxheugh Rocks to ensure that the city continues to preserve its natural heritage.
Working with public health commissioned services, social prescribers and anti-social behaviour organisations and supporting communities to engage in and deliver nature based activities
Distributing small grants, once the delivery stage of the project is underway, to support communities across Sunderland to develop the skills and capacity to conserve nature sustainably
The City Council will be looking to work with residents and partners over the coming weeks and months to further develop the plans and take them forward.
A number ofmajor road closures and diversions will be in place in Dundee City Centre and Waterfront for the forthcoming Discovery Festival at Slessor Gardens on Friday July 25, Saturday July 26 and Sunday July 27.
Motorists and people visiting the city centre are being advised that key routes including Thomson Avenue will be affected, with a diversion around the city centre ring road for traffic travelling from west to east at certain times.
Meanwhile,Nethergatebetween WestMarketgaitand Whitehall Street will only be available for buses and taxis at certain times.
Some city centre bus stops will be relocated during the closures. Please refer to operators for up-to-date information.
Dundee City Council has produced a map to show the closures and diversions which is available on its websitehere
Details of closures are
Friday, July 25 Ocean Colour Scene – Closures between 4pm and midnight
Saturday, July 2680sCalling! Closures from 11.30am to midnight
Sunday, July 27 Tom Jones Closures from 2pm to midnight
Alternative routes for vehicles are available via SouthMarketgait/ WestMarketgait/ NorthMarketgait/ EastMarketgait
In addition, the following roads as well as Slessor Gardens will be closed for five working days from Tuesday July 22 until Monday July 28 to allow set up and then clearing of the site.
Earl Grey Place East
Earl Grey Place West
South Castle Street
South Crichton Street
The Discovery Festival is being organised by the Liz Hobbs Group.
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Trimax Mowing Systems, a manufacturer and exporter of premium mowing equipment, has won the ExportNZ ASB Bay of Plenty Exporter of the Year Award at a gala event this evening held at the Mercury Baypark arena in Mount Maunganui.
Kiwi-made lawn mowers used by groundskeepers at Windsor Castle
Trimax has sold more than 33,000 lawn mower decks worldwide from its base in Tauranga, with revenue having tripled in the last five years. The New Zealand-made lawn mowers are trusted by groundskeepers in locations as varied as Windsor Castle in the UK to multiple PGA golf courses in the United States.
High-precision control devices sold to alternative fuel markets globally
Oasis Engineering, a manufacturer of high-pressure control devices for gases, won the Excellence in Innovation Award. The company first rose to fame in the 1980s by developing a ball valve for CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) tanks, which became the industry standard.
Today, Oasis Engineering operates a specialist high-precision turning and machining factory in Tauranga, from where it exports control devices to more than 40 countries. The company is recognised as an exemplar in the use of automation and robotics, and for outstanding product development in the global alternative fuel market.
Providingcloud-based workspaces for US healthcare professionals
The Best Emerging Business Award was won by Carepatron, a provider of secure, cloud-based healthcare workspaces for clinicians to manage clients, appointments and payments.
The company uses technology, and AI in particular, in its customer support and product development. Founded in 2021, today Carepatron is hyperscaling exports into the US market, where it is growing rapidly.
Individuals making significant contributions to export success
There were two joint winners of theExport Achievement Award, which recognises an individual who has made a material contribution to the export success of a business. These were Sarah Webb of LawVu and Karl Stevenson of Bluelab.
Sarah Webb has been a founding force behind LawVu, which provides cloud-based legal workspaces for in-house legal teams. Currently, the Chief Operating Officer, Webb has been instrumental in transforming LawVu into a globally recognised legal tech platform.
Karl Stevenson is the Head of Product at Bluelab, a manufacturer of precision instruments for measuring pH, electrical conductivity and temperature in controlled agricultural environments.
Stevenson is recognised as a champion of design thinking in New Zealand’s export sector. He has also made a lasting impact on the Tauranga business community, having co-founded local Design Thinking Meetups, which foster a culture of innovation and collaboration, and are open to everyone from entrepreneurs to engineers.
Tauranga entrepreneur Steve Saunders recognised with Services to Export Award
Finally, the Services to Export Award was presented to Steve Saunders for his outstanding contribution to the exporting success of the Bay of Plenty region. The co-founder of Robotics Plus, and numerous other exporting businesses, Saunders has served for 12 years on Priority One, the economic development organisation for the Western Bay of Plenty.
He co-founded the Newnham Park Innovation Centre, as well as Mount Pack & Cool, one of the largest and most technologically advanced packhouses in the Bay of Plenty.
Saunders champions Māori investment in agriculture and innovation, and is a long-time supporter of the Young Innovators Awards for Year 7-13 students.
Celebrating the Bay of Plenty exporting community
The awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of Bay of Plenty businesses and individuals who export goods and services to markets around the world.
The event is proudly supported by principal sponsor ASB, as well as Sharp Tudhope, Air NZ Cargo, Page Macrae, Zespri, and Orbit Travel, and supporting partners NZTE, Comvita and Port of Tauranga.
The awards are organised by the EMA on behalf of ExportNZ. EMA Chief Executive John Fraser-Mackenzie says, “The EMA is an integral part of the Bay of Plenty business community, so we’re delighted these awards showcase the inspiring businesses and individuals from the region who are succeeding in offshore markets. Well done to all the winners!
“The awards are more than just recognition, they’re a platform for sharing insights, fostering collaboration, and strengthening the network of export-focused companies that drive the region’s economic success.”
Chair of the ExportNZ BoP Executive Committee Warwick Downing says, “This year’s winners exemplify the innovation, resilience, and global ambition that define the Bay of Plenty’s export community.
“Their success is a testament to the region’s ability to compete, and thrive, on the world stage.”
Head of Trade Finance at ASB Bank Mike Atkins says, “We congratulate all the winners; they are true export champions of the Bay of Plenty region.
“At ASB, we are passionate about enabling exporters to scale up, be it through working capital funding or other advisory initiatives across productivity, sustainability, clean tech, and food and fibre. Our partnership with ExportNZ in celebrating these awards underscores that commitment.”
Executive Director of ExportNZ Josh Tan says, “These awards showcase the significant contribution this region makes to New Zealand’s exporting success.
“Congratulations to all the winners on their outstanding achievements, which highlight the export sector’s strong start to the year and reinforce our nation’s well-earned reputation for quality in products and services.”
Complete list of winners and full judges’ citations – ExportNZ ASB Bay of Plenty Export Awards
1.Exporter of the Year– in partnership withSharp Tudhope
Winner:Trimax Mowing Systems– a designer and manufacturer of tractor-powered rotary and flail mowers for commercial use.
Highly Commended: LawVu
This award recognises the outstanding success of a business that is established in its international growth journey, with more than five years of international operations and total annual revenue above $5 million.
Judges’ citation:The judges were impressed by Trimax’s continued commitment to innovate and grow in their niche but hugely valuable market. The company has built up extensive dealer networks in the United States, the UK and Australia, and Trimax mowers are trusted by groundmen in locations as varied as England’s Windsor Castle to PGA golf courses in the United States.
The company’s leadership has embedded innovation and product development throughout the enterprise, and their growth in recent times shows that this is paying divid
Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune each emit more energy than they receive from the Sun, meaning they have comparatively warm interiors. NASA’s Uranus flyby with Voyager 2 in 1986 found the planet colder than expected, which challenged ideas of how planets formed and evolved. However, with advanced computer modeling and a new look at old data, scientists think the planet may actually be warmer than previously expected.
For millennia, astronomers thought Uranus was no more than a distant star. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that Uranus was universally accepted as a planet. To this day, the ringed, blue world subverts scientists’ expectations, but new NASA research helps puzzle out some of the world’s mystique.
Uranus is unlike any other planet in our solar system. It spins on its side, which means each pole directly faces the Sun for a continuous 42-year “summer.” Uranus also rotates in the opposite direction of all planets except Venus. Data from NASA’s Voyager 2 Uranus flyby in 1986 also suggested the planet is unusually cold inside, challenging scientists to reconsider fundamental theories of how planets formed and evolved throughout our solar system. “Since Voyager 2’s flyby, everybody has said Uranus has no internal heat,” said Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “But it’s been really hard to explain why that is, especially when compared with the other giant planets.” These Uranus projections came from only one up-close measurement of the planet’s emitted heat made by Voyager 2: “Everything hinges on that one data point,” said Simon. “That is part of the problem.” Now, using an advanced computer modeling technique and revisiting decades of data, Simon and a team of scientists have found that Uranus does in fact generate some heat, as they reported on May 16 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal. A planet’s internal heat can be calculated by comparing the amount of energy it receives from the Sun to the amount it of energy it releases into space in the form of reflected light and emitted heat. The solar system’s other giant planets — Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune — emit more heat than they receive, which means the extra heat is coming from inside, much of it left over from the high-energy processes that formed the planets 4.5 billion years ago. The amount of heat a planet exudes could be an indication of its age: the less heat released relative to the heat absorbed from the Sun, the older the planet is. Uranus stood out from the other planets because it appeared to give off as much heat as it received, implying it had none of its own. This puzzled scientists. Some hypothesized that perhaps the planet is much older than all the others and has cooled off completely. Others proposed that a giant collision — the same one that may have knocked the planet on its side — blasted out all of Uranus’ heat. But none of these hypotheses satisfied scientists, motivating them to solve Uranus’ cold case. “We thought, ‘Could it really be that there is no internal heat at Uranus?’” said Patrick Irwin, the paper’s lead author and professor of planetary physics at the University of Oxford in England. “We did many calculations to see how much sunshine is reflected by Uranus and we realized that it is actually more reflective than people had estimated.” The researchers set out to determine Uranus’ full energy budget: how much energy it receives from the Sun compared to how much it reflects as sunlight and how much it emits as heat. To do this, they needed to estimate the total amount of light reflected from the planet at all angles. “You need to see the light that’s scattered off to the sides, not just coming straight back at you,” Simon said. To get the most accurate estimate of Uranus’ energy budget yet, Oxford researchers developed a computer model that brought together everything known about Uranus’ atmosphere from decades of observations from ground- and space-based telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii. The model included information about the planet’s hazes, clouds, and seasonal changes, all of which affect how sunlight is reflected and how heat escapes.
The researchers found that Uranus releases about 15% more energy than it receives from the Sun, a figure that is similar to another recent estimate from a separate study funded in part by NASA that was published July 14 in Geophysical Research Letters. These studies suggest Uranus it has its own heat, though still far less than its neighbor Neptune, which emits more than twice the energy it receives. “Now we have to understand what that remnant amount of heat at Uranus means, as well as get better measurements of it,” Simon said. Unraveling Uranus’ past is useful not only for mapping the timeline of when solar system planets formed and migrated to their current orbits, but it also helps scientists better understand many of the planets discovered outside the solar system, called exoplanets, a majority of which are the same size as Uranus. By Emma FriedmanNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
An outdoor Gaelic medium playscheme took place in Fort William last week for children who are going through Gaelic Medium Education and attend Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar.
The event was organised by the Highland Council Gaelic team and hosted by Stramash outdoor nursery in Fort William.
Mairi Duncan, the Stramash Practice Lead, went through Gaelic Medium Education herself and is passionate about using Gaelic in different settings.
The project also involved Gaelic speaking staff from BSGLA.
By partnering with Stramash, a Gaelic medium environment was created in a beautiful outdoor setting enabling the children to enjoy exploring the 50-acre site which includes woodland, fruit trees, polytunnels with crops, as well as a cosy hut to shelter and enjoy stories and song.
Mairi said: “It’s been a pleasure for Stramash and Highland Council to work together promoting the benefits of the outdoor environment through the medium of the Gaelic language and to hear the children using the language with their peers in a natural environment.
“This week of fantastic weather has been an absolute bonus.”
***
Chaidh sgeama-cluiche tron Ghàidhlig a chumail air a’ bhlàr a-muigh sa Ghearasdan an t-seachdain sa chaidh do chloinn a tha a’ dol tro Fhoghlam tron Ghàidhlig (FtG) agus a tha a’ frithealadh Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar (BSGLA).
Bha an tachartas air a chur air dòigh le Sgioba Gàidhlig Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd agus le aoigheachd bho sgoil-àraich Stramash sa Ghearasdan.
Chaidh Màiri Duncan, Ceannard Obrachaidh Stramash, tro FtG i fhèin agus tha i dealasach mu bhith a’ cleachdadh na Gàidhlig ann an diofar shuidheachaidhean.
Bha luchd-obrach Gàidhlig bho BSGLA cuideachd an lùib a’ phròiseict.
Tro bhith ag obair ann an com-pàirteachas le Stramash, chaidh àrainneachd Ghàidhlig a chruthachadh ann an suidheachadh àlainn air a’ bhlàr a-muigh, a’ toirt cothrom dhan chloinn tlachd fhaighinn às an làraich 50-acaire a tha a’ gabhail a-steach coille, craobhan mheasan, tunailean-gàrraidh le bàrr, a bharrachd air bothan seasgair far am faodadh iad fasgadh fhaighinn agus pàirt a ghabhail ann an sgeulachdan is òrain.
Thuirt Màiri: “Tha e air a bhith na thoileachas do Stramash agus do Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd obrachadh còmhla gus buannachdan na h-àrainneachd a-muigh a bhrosnachadh tron Ghàidhlig agus gus a’ chlann a chluinntinn a’ cleachdadh a’ chànain len co-aoisean ann an àrainneachd nàdarra.
“Bha sinn fortanach dha-rìribh le fad seachdain de shìde eireachdail.”
Responding to the news that Reform Mayor, Andrea Jenkyns told Times Radio that she doesn’t believe in climate change (transcript), Green Party Co-Leader, Adrian Ramsay MP, said,
Thousands of people across Derbyshire have been having their say about the future of the local councils that deliver their services.
Derbyshire’s boroughs and districts and Derby City Council have come together to develop proposals that would see all councils in the county replaced and all local services delivered instead by two new local authorities – one covering northern Derbyshire, the other serving southern Derbyshire.
The proposals for change have been developed in response to a government decision to reorganise local government across England. It wants to simplify the way councils are organised and improve their efficiency while delivering services that are better and more joined-up.
Councils have to submit detailed reorganisation proposals to government by the end of November, and the nine councils decided to ask people across the county for their views about the options before a final proposal is submitted.
This public consultation began at the end of June and lasts until 10 August, and councils are encouraging more people to come forward and have their say online via the consultation website.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derby City, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire councils said:
People and places across Derbyshire must come first when we think about the future of the councils that deliver their services.
The current structure of local government dates back to 1974 and the way we live our lives and the technologies we all use have changed drastically over half a century.
By working together, we have developed a proposal for two councils that are big enough to deliver across large areas, but close enough to meet the differing needs of a diverse county.
We’re delighted to see so many people using the consultation to respond to the ideas that we have put forward, which is a clear sign of how important this is. We would urge more people to have their say before it closes on Sunday 10 August.
There are currently eight borough and district councils in Derbyshire delivering services which include leisure, planning, waste collection and housing.
In Derby all services are provided by the City Council, which is known as a unitary authority.
Derbyshire County Council currently delivers a range of services across the whole county outside the city, such as education, social care, highways and transport, trading standards and public health.
Under the new proposals, the council for northern Derbyshire and the council for southern Derbyshire would deliver all services in their area, with the city becoming part of the council for southern Derbyshire.
The boundaries between the north and south councils have yet to be decided, with three options which could see the current Amber Valley area in the north or the south or divided between the two. The options are detailed in the online consultation.
While Derbyshire County Council was not involved in the initial development of the proposals by the boroughs, districts and the city, it decided at a meeting on 9 July that it would also look at options based on having two councils in the county.
The joint statement from the Leaders of the borough, district and city councils continued:
We acknowledge that Derbyshire County Council has now adopted a formal position in relation to its approach to government’s call for local government reorganisation, with a number of options based on a two-council approach.
We will await further information as the county council develops this approach, following the decision at its 9 July meeting.
Our priority is to achieve the best outcome for our communities, and the views of local people will help shape our final proposal to government. This must be submitted in November, so we must continue to work at pace.
As part of our ongoing work, we will continue to consider how Derbyshire’s 10 councils can work together to make sure people and places are at the heart of local government reorganisation in the county.
After final proposals are submitted, government will then review all the local government reorganisation proposals across England before making a final decision.
Under the Government’s current timeline, elections for the new shadow authorities will take place in 2027 and new councils will start to operate from April 2028.
The Labor caucus tolerates having the odd “rat” among the photos of ALP leaders on the party room wall, but Mark Latham may have now pushed it too far.
After the latest bizarre scandal surrounding the one-time federal Labor leader, who is an independent in the NSW upper house, there is a push to remove his image from the federal caucus gallery.
Discussions are underway within Labor. No comment could be obtained from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who was on his way back from China. But if the caucus women want to see the Latham photo go, that’s likely to be what happens.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Friday, “I’m sure that there are plenty of people scratching their heads about his portrait being up in the caucus room and giving consideration to whether it’s appropriate or not”.
Latham has a long record of scandal and offensive behaviour. In the most recent episode, his former partner, Nathalie Matthews, has accused him of a “sustained pattern” of domestic abuse, in a civil court application for an apprehended violence order. Among other things, she alleged he pressured her to take part in “degrading” sex acts.
Text messages between the two have also been published this week in which Latham sent Matthews photos of and disparaging comments about female members of the state parliament.
Latham has denied the Matthews’ allegations of domestic abuse and basically shrugged off a barrage of criticism of his photographing female politicians in the chamber without their consent (although he has apologised to at least one of them).
Plibersek said Latham’s behaviour would see him sacked from any other workplace.
Latham was federal Labor leader from December 2003 to January 2005. As the new leader he was considered to have a prospect of winning the 2004 election, although in the event the Coalition increased its majority. At the end of that campaign he attracted negative publicity for an aggressive handshake with then prime minister John Howard, when they crossed paths.
Latham was initially elected to the NSW parliament under the banner of One Nation but fell out with Pauline Hanson.
In 2024 he lost a defamation case brought by NSW crossbencher Alex Greenwich after Latham targeted him in a homophobic post on social media. Recently Latham revealed details, under parliamentary privilege, of a confidential psychologist report regarding Greenwich.
Plibersek said it was “extraordinary that he was elected to the New South Wales parliament in the first place with his sort of track record.
“The voters who put him there I’m sure would be really experiencing a bit of buyer’s remorse when they look at his behaviour; the way that he is spending his time in parliament certainly is not delivering value for taxpayers’ dollars.”
Plibersek said when Latham became opposition leader she had “a little cry after work”. Latham beat Kim Beazley for the post after the leadership of Simon Crean collapsed.
“I didn’t see evidence of this sort of behaviour back in the day, but I always had my doubts about him as a political figure, and I think those doubts have only increased in recent decades as his behaviour has become worse and more extreme.”
Latham was a protege of Gough Whitlam, for whom he worked as a researcher. He held Whitlam’s former seat of Werriwa.
Michelle Grattan 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: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Annual Report 2024-25 reveals progress in digital transformation and improving speed of service
Better serving our customers and the property market, our Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, is published today (18 July 2025).
HM Land Registry has today (18 July 2025) published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25, highlighting significant achievements in improving service delivery and digital capabilities.
The report reveals how the organisation has made substantial progress in building services to meet customer needs while maintaining the security and integrity of property ownership records that underpin approximately £9 trillion worth of property assets across England and Wales.
Simon Hayes, Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar, said:
We know how important it is that everyone can rely on HM Land Registry to ensure their property ownership records are secure and accurate. This is fundamental in helping people to buy homes, develop land and secure mortgages. Our role in maintaining the guaranteed record of property ownership in England and Wales is of huge economic importance to the country, supporting and enabling more than £1 billion of property market activities every day.
Our investment in digital services and focus on efficiency has allowed us to process registrations faster, although we will continue to reduce the time it takes for us to process certain applications.
Our focus on improving the speed of registration has yielded tangible results. By March 2025 we had surpassed our target to process 95% of all applications within 12 months of submission. However, we remain committed to further improving the service we provide to our customers and the industry, both by harnessing technology and through the dedication of our people.
Key highlights
HM Land Registry’s data assets continued to provide transparency, accuracy and reliability in property transactions. As part of critical national infrastructure, they underpin a nearly £9 trillion property market and enable the UK House Price Index, which is used for fiscal forecasting. Over 3,000 data users now download our datasets monthly, with uses ranging from asset management to risk analysis of potential development sites.
By March 2025, a total of 110 local authorities had successfully transferred more than 7.2 million local land charges to our digital Local Land Charges Register. The time taken to receive search results in migrated areas has reduced from days or weeks to instant availability online. Having this information earlier in the transaction process helps to speed up homebuying and planning decisions.
HM Land Registry was recognised at the 2024 AI awards for its pioneering use of artificial intelligence in document comparison. This automates the complex task of comparing application documents, significantly improving accuracy, reducing processing time and freeing up caseworkers for more complex work.
Our counter fraud group prevented more than £59 million worth of fraudulent property applications in 2024-25. They achieved this through a combination of reviewing and updating HM Land Registry’s methods for detecting fraud, working in partnership with other agencies across government and the property sector and encouraging the public to be on their guard and sign up for our free Property Alert service.
We will publish our Strategy 2025+ in the autumn to outline how we will continue to safeguard property rights, enable growth and deliver modern digital public services that meet the needs of our customers and the property market.
Jasprit Bumrah is a weapon India must use sparingly but with the five-test series against England on the line, the tourists are considering playing their pace spearhead in the fourth test in Manchester next week.
The team management has decided that Bumrah, whose workload has been carefully managed since he returned from a back surgery earlier this year, will play three of the five tests in England.
A victory in Manchester would give England an unassailable 3-1 lead. To prevent that, India are considering playing Bumrah, who skipped the second test in Birmingham, in the next match rather than preserving him for the final test at the Oval.
“We know we have got him for one of the last two tests,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters after a training session on Thursday.
“It’s pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him.”
“But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with the Oval.”
Arguably the best all-format bowler of his era, Bumrah registered five-wicket hauls in both the tests he played on this tour of England, though India lost both in Leeds and Lord’s.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who suffered a finger injury at Lord’s, did not bat in Thursday’s practice.
Ten Doeschate was confident Pant will reprise his usual roles in front of the stumps with the bat and behind them with the keeper’s gloves in Manchester.
“Look, I don’t think you’re going to keep Rishabh out of the test no matter what,” former Dutch international ten Doeschate said.
“He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third test and it’s only going to get easier and easier on his finger.”
Jasprit Bumrah is a weapon India must use sparingly but with the five-test series against England on the line, the tourists are considering playing their pace spearhead in the fourth test in Manchester next week.
The team management has decided that Bumrah, whose workload has been carefully managed since he returned from a back surgery earlier this year, will play three of the five tests in England.
A victory in Manchester would give England an unassailable 3-1 lead. To prevent that, India are considering playing Bumrah, who skipped the second test in Birmingham, in the next match rather than preserving him for the final test at the Oval.
“We know we have got him for one of the last two tests,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters after a training session on Thursday.
“It’s pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him.”
“But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with the Oval.”
Arguably the best all-format bowler of his era, Bumrah registered five-wicket hauls in both the tests he played on this tour of England, though India lost both in Leeds and Lord’s.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who suffered a finger injury at Lord’s, did not bat in Thursday’s practice.
Ten Doeschate was confident Pant will reprise his usual roles in front of the stumps with the bat and behind them with the keeper’s gloves in Manchester.
“Look, I don’t think you’re going to keep Rishabh out of the test no matter what,” former Dutch international ten Doeschate said.
“He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third test and it’s only going to get easier and easier on his finger.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
New report finds systemic water company failure and underperformance
Serious pollution incidents up 60% in 2024 from previous year
Serious pollution incidents up 60% in 2024 from previous year, new report shows
Three water companies responsible for 81% of serious incidents
Environment Agency now has greater powers and more funding than ever to hold poor performers to account
The number of water company pollution incidents across England rose sharply last year, a new report from the Environment Agency has found. The report shows consistently poor performance from all nine water and sewerage companies in the region, with serious pollution incidents in 2024 up 60% from 2023.
The Environment Agency (EA) assesses all pollution incidents, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) incidents being the most serious. In 2024, 75 category 1 and 2 incidents were recorded, a steep rise from 47 serious incidents the previous year. 81% of these serious incidents were the responsibility of just three water companies – Thames Water (33 incidents), Southern Water (15 incidents) and Yorkshire Water (13 incidents). All pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) have increased by 29%: last year water companies recorded 2,801 incidents, up from 2,174 in 2023.
The EA is particularly concerned about the increasing trend in pollution spills from pipes carrying wastewater uphill – these accounted for 20% of the serious incidents in 2024 and impacted some protected waters for wildlife and swimming.
Reasons behind the 2024 results include persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and reduced resilience due to the impacts of climate change.
Last financial year, the EA carried out over 4,000 inspections of water company assets. With more inspections, the EA discovers more non-compliance: last year 24% of sites breached their permits. The EA is clear that none of these factors, including wet weather, can excuse the unacceptable number of incidents last year, and water companies must meet their legal obligations to the environment and communities or face enforcement action.
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency said:
This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets.
The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does.
We have made significant changes to tighten our regulation of the water industry and ensure companies are held to account. With a dedicated larger workforce and increased funding, our officers are uncovering and acting on failures to comply with environmental law.
The EA’s expectations for water companies are set out in the Water Industry Strategic Environmental Requirements (WISER) guide, which states there should be a trend to zero serious pollution incidents by 2025, a reduction in all pollution incidents and high levels of water company self-reporting. It is evident that some companies are failing to meet these targets.
Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the EA will have greater powers to take swift action against polluting companies, allowing them to close the justice gap and ultimately deter illegal activity from happening in the first place. To boost funding for water regulation, the EA is consulting on a new levy on the water sector to recover the cost of enforcement activities.
It comes as last week, Defra confirmed an £189m uplift for the EA’s water regulation, coming from charges paid by the sector rather than the public purse. This represents a 64% increase in funding since 2023/2024.
So far, the EA is on track to deliver 10,000 inspections of water company assets next year and we will continue to work closely with government and fellow regulators to hold companies to account so they deliver the environmental improvements for communities and wildlife.
The Act also requires companies to produce annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans to address the root cause of persistent problems and prevent pollution incidents.
Danske Bank Bernstorffsgade 40 DK-1577 København V Tel. + 45 45 14 14 00
18 July 2025
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Good customer activity and strong credit quality led to solid results for the first half of 2025 Net profit of DKK 11.2 billion
Carsten Egeriis, Chief Executive Officer, comments on the financial results:
“In the first half-year, we continued our robust performance and delivered solid results in line with our expectations. We saw new business customer relations being established, a continued uplift in lending and a steady development in core income, and we maintained our focus on cost management. Furthermore, credit quality remained strong, resulting in a low level of loan impairments.
Our solid financial results and capital position enable us to be a strongfinancialpartner, providing expert advice and standing by our customers and society in times of volatile markets.
With our increased investments in technology and customer offerings, we continue to deliver on our Forward ’28 strategy and are well on track to meet our guidance for the full year.”
Solid performance in uncertain environment Driven by good customer activity across our business and our ongoing commitment to efficiency, we achieved a net profit of DKK 11.2 billion and a return on equity of 13% in the first half of the year. These solid financial results reflect our successful execution and strategic focus in key growth areas.
Net interest income remained steady, as the adverse effect of the sale of the personal customer business in Norway and a reduction in deposit margins was offset by enhanced lending activity and our deposit hedge strategy.
Net fee income for the first half of the year was stable year on year, supported by growing demand for everyday banking services in the first quarter, although this demand decreased in the second quarter. Fee income related to capital markets and investment activity was impacted by the decline in investment appetite caused by the market volatility.
On the basis of continued cost discipline, the cost trajectory is in line with the full-year 2025 guidance. Furthermore, credit quality remained strong, supported by favourable macroeconomic conditions, including the employment rate. Loan impairment charges remained low and amounted to DKK 266 million in the first half of the year.
With prudent asset and liability management, our capital and liquidity positions remain solid, with substantial buffers well above regulatory requirements.
“In the first half of the year, we achieved a solid financial performance, fuelled by good customer activity that led to resilient core banking income and an increase in net trading income year on year. Net profit was stable, despite the impact of rates and market volatility. Our diversified business model and operational efficiency contributed to an improved cost/income ratio of 45.4% and a return on equity of 13.0%. We are on track to meet our 2025 guidance and are progressing towards achieving our 2026 financial targets,” says Cecile Hillary, Chief Financial Officer.
H1 2025 vs H1 2024 Total income of DKK 27.9 billion (DKK 28.0 billion in the first half of 2024) Operating expenses of DKK 12.7 billion (DKK 12.8 billion in the first half of 2024) Loan impairments of DKK 266 million (net reversal of DKK 99 million in the first half of 2024) Net profit of DKK 11.2 billion (DKK 11.5 billion in the first half of 2024) Return on shareholders’ equity of 13.0% (13.1% in the first half of 2024) Total capital ratio of 22.4% and CET1 capital ratio of 18.7% (total capital ratio of 22.5% and CET1 capital ratio of 18.5% in the first half of 2024)
Resilient macroeconomic outlook amid uncertainty Despite the challenges posed by geopolitical turbulence and market volatility, the macroeconomic environment in our operating markets remains robust. The Nordic economies continue to exhibit resilience.
The economies are increasingly supported by increased household spending power and lower interest rates. However, this has not translated into improved consumer sentiment, as retail customers remain cautious and consumer confidence is low.
According to the latest macroeconomic outlook by Danske Bank Research, we continue to expect robust economies with high employment rates and single-digit growth, particularly in Denmark.
“Nordic businesses still have a cautiously positive outlook, and we share their view that growth is likely to become moderately higher, despite the uncertainty hanging over the global economy. Though conditions are in place with higher real incomes and lower interest rates, we do not expect a strong recovery. Households remain deeply worried about the economic situation, which could hold growth back, but there is also a potential for the situation to improve,” says Las Olsen, Head of Macro Research.
Personal Customers Profit before tax amounted to DKK 4,217 million in the first half of 2025 (H1 2024: DKK 5,028 million). The decrease was mainly due to a decline in net interest income caused by lower deposit margins, a decline in fee income that was mainly the result of positive one-offs in the first half of 2024 and relatively subdued refinancing activity, as well as to slightly higher loan impairment charges. These were partly offset by rising deposit volumes and the impact of deposit hedging. Both income and operating expenses were affected by the divestment of the personal customer business in Norway. Loan levels remained stable, and deposits increased 5%.
Business Customers In the first half of 2025, we saw continuously good progress in terms of customer inflow and a positive development in lending volumes, and business with existing customers remained strong across our mid-sized customer segment. Profit before tax amounted to DKK 5,085 million, an increase of 23% from the same period last year (H1 2024: DKK 4,140 million). The increase was driven by loan impairment reversals. Net fee income also increased, although the effect was offset by lower income from our leasing operations.
Large Corporates & Institutions In the first half of 2025, we achieved solid financial results. Our efforts to attract new corporate customers outside Denmark and to strengthen customer relations across our markets have improved our position within cash management. Furthermore, we maintained our leadership within sustainable finance. Profit before tax decreased to DKK 4,544 million, or 9%, from the level in the same period last year, with the decrease driven by higher loan impairment charges.
Danica Net income at Danica decreased to DKK 714 million in the first half of 2025, down 25% from the level for the same period in 2024 due to a decrease in the insurance service result, which was impacted by a strengthening of provisions related to legacy life insurance products in run-off. The insurance service result for the health and accident business for the first half of 2025 recorded a loss, however, Danica saw an improvement during the first half of 2025 supported by a positive trend in the treatment and prevention of long-term illness and injury that was driven by intensified efforts with new healthcare solutions and improved digital solutions.
Northern Ireland Residential mortgage lending volumes continued to grow, reflecting an increased market share of new business in Northern Ireland. Financial performance remained positive with profit before tax of DKK 1,110 million in the first half of 2025, 18% higher than for the same period last year.
Outlook for 2025 We maintain our guidance and expect net profit to be in the range of DKK 21-23 billion. The outlook is subject to uncertainty and depends on economic conditions.
Danske Bank
Contact: Helga Heyn, Head of Media Relations, tel. +45 45 14 14 00
