Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Foreign Ministers joint statement on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
Joint statement:
“Today, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions and other measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
“Settler violence is incited by extremist rhetoric which calls for Palestinians to be driven from their homes, encourages violence and human rights abuses and fundamentally rejects the two-state solution. Settler violence has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.
“We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.
“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable. We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric.
“The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas. Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world. We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future.
“Today’s measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. We will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two state solution.”
IAM Union leadership and members joined community advocates and immigrant rights organizations in a rally outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma Wash., demanding the immediate release of Maximo Londonio, a longtime IAM Local 695 (District 160) member who is being wrongfully detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Londonio, a lead forklift driver at Crown Cork & Seal in Olympia, Wash., has been a member of the IAM for more than seven years. The 42-year-old green card holder and father of three was arrested by immigration agents on May 16 after returning from a trip to the Philippines to visit family. He has since been transferred to the Tacoma detention facility, where he remains separated from his wife and children.
“I want Maximo and his family to know that his union fully supports him,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “We will be here for whatever it takes for as long as it takes. We want Max free now!”
HOW YOU CAN HELP:Donate to help with Maximo’s legal fees and support his family
“Maximo belongs at home with his family,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “We are asking everyone to stand with our brother and help bring him home.”
The IAM Union has been actively working to provide support to the Londonio family and continues to speak out against politically motivated immigration enforcement and will continue fighting for the rights and dignity of all workers.
To view photos from the event, click here.
The post IAM Union, Allies Rally for Release of Wrongfully Detained Member Maximo Londonio appeared first on IAM Union.
American Rebel (NASDAQ: AREB) CEO Andy Ross to Headline Patriotic Concert at Fort Campbell | American Rebel Light “Tall Boys” to be Served at the Army 250th Birthday Celebration
Nashville, TN, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB), through its American Rebel Beverages subsidiary and America’s Patriotic Beer, American Rebel Light Beer (www.americanrebelbeer.com) proudly announces that it is hosting the Week of the Eagles Concert as part of the 101st Airborne Division’s Week of the Eagles Celebration, marking the 250th birthday of the United States Army on June 14, 2025. As America’s Patriotic Beer, American Rebel Light Beer will be served at all concession stands, and the Company’s CEO and Patriotic-rock artist Andy Ross will headline a special patriotic concert at the event.
COMBAT TACTICAL DEMOSTRATION, LIVE MUSIC, AND AMERICAN PRIDE
The day kicks off with an intense live air assault demonstration led by the Screaming Eagles at the Sabalauski Air Assault School, showcasing their elite tactical expertise. Following this powerful display, American Rebel presents a high-energy concert featuring Andy Ross, bringing an electrifying mix of patriotism and music to honor our troops. This exclusive event is free and open only to Active Duty service members, their families, and Veterans with base access, celebrating the dedication, service, and sacrifice of America’s military.
“The 101st Airborne Division is the tip of the spear—our frontline defenders of liberty,” said Andy Ross, CEO of American Rebel Holdings, Inc.” There’s no greater honor than standing on that stage, guitar in hand, to say ‘thank you’ to these heroes on the 250th birthday of the Army.”
Todd Porter, President of American Rebel Beverage and a U.S. Army Veteran who served with the 101st during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, added: “This isn’t just sponsorship—it’s a homecoming. Celebrating the Screaming Eagles and the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army is a true privilege. It’s about family, sacrifice, and standing strong together as Americans.”
CELEBRATING 250 YEARS OF ARMY EXCELLENCE
Founded in 1775, the U.S. Army has served as the backbone of our nation’s defense. The 101st Airborne Division—known worldwide as the “Screaming Eagles”—played pivotal roles in WWII (D-Day, Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge), and every major conflict since, including Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
At the heart of the action is The Sabalauski Air Assault School, Fort Campbell’s elite training ground where Soldiers earn the prestigious Air Assault Badge—a symbol of tactical excellence and warrior toughness.
A LEGACY OF VALOR: 101STAIRBORNE DIVISION
The 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles, has a legendary history of valor and excellence. From D-Day to Desert Storm, Vietnam to Afghanistan, they’ve remained the U.S. Army’s premier air assault force. Today, the Sabalauski Air Assault School at Fort Campbell trains elite warriors who embody tactical precision and readiness.
Event Information – Annual Week of the Eagles, Special Celebration United States Army’s 250thBirthday.
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell proudly announce our annual Week of the Eagles, June 9th-15th, 2025, with a special celebration marking the United States Army’s 250th Birthday.
For two and a half centuries, the U.S. Army has stood as a beacon of strength, service, and sacrifice— “This We’ll Defend”. The Screaming Eagles, who have played a vital role in the nation’s defense since World War II, will honor the Army’s legacy with a week of commemorative ceremonies, competitions, and tactical demonstrations.
Location: Sabalauski Air Assault School – 6883 Assault St, Fort Campbell, KY 42223
Air Assault Demonstration: 10:00AM (prior to the concert)
Concert Time: Immediately Following the Air Assault Demonstration
Beverage Service: American Rebel Light Beer “Tall Boys” available at all beer-selling concession locations
“This milestone serves as a reminder of the Army’s unwavering dedication to protecting and defending our great nation,” said Col. Martin Meiners, spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell. “There is no better way to celebrate the Army’s 250th Birthday than through our annual celebration known as the Week of the Eagles.”
RAISING A TALL BOY FOR THE TROOPS
American Rebel Light Beer, America’s Patriotic Beer, will be available throughout the event—allowing attendees to enjoy a crisp, all-natural light lager while celebrating our nation’s military might. With no corn, no rice, and no additives, American Rebel Light Beer delivers bold flavor and all-American values in every sip.
MWR: Supporting Our Troops & Their Families
The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) program plays a vital role in enhancing the quality of life for service members and their families. At Fort Campbell, MWR provides:
Fitness & Sports Programs: Access to gyms, swimming pools, organized sports leagues, and outdoor recreation.
Entertainment & Leisure: Bowling alleys, movie theaters, gaming centers, and arts & crafts workshops.
Travel & Tickets: Discounted tickets for amusement parks, concerts, and travel packages through Information, Tickets & Travel (ITT).
Outdoor Recreation: Hunting, fishing, camping, and boating opportunities, often with rental equipment available.
Libraries & Education: Military libraries offer books, digital resources, and study programs for service members and families.
Child & Youth Services: Programs for children, including daycare, summer camps, and youth sports leagues.
Single Service Member Programs: Special events and activities tailored for young, single service members to foster camaraderie.
MWR ensures that Soldiers and their families have access to essential services, recreation, and community-building activities, strengthening their resilience and well-being while they serve our nation.
About American Rebel Light Beer
American Rebel Light Beer is America’s Patriotic, God Fearing, Constitution Loving, National Anthem Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer.
American Rebel Light is more than just a beer—it’s a celebration of freedom, passion, and quality. Brewed with care and precision, our light beer delivers a refreshing taste that’s perfect for every occasion.
Since its launch in September 2024, American Rebel Light Beer has rolled out in Tennessee, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Florida and Indiana and is adding new distributors and territories regularly. For more information about the launch events and the availability of American Rebel Beer, please visit americanrebelbeer.com or follow us on our social media platforms.
Produced in partnership with AlcSource, American Rebel Light Beer (americanrebelbeer.com) is a domestic premium light lager celebrated for its exceptional quality and patriotic values. It stands out as America’s Patriotic, God-Fearing, Constitution-Loving, National Anthem-Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer.
American Rebel Light is a Premium Domestic Light Lager Beer – All Natural, Crisp, Clean and Bold Taste with a Lighter Feel. With approximately 100 calories, 3.2 carbohydrates, and 4.3% alcoholic content per 12 oz serving, American Rebel Light Beer delivers a lighter option for those who love great beer but prefer a more balanced lifestyle. It’s all natural with no added supplements and importantly does not use corn, rice, or other sweeteners typically found in mass produced beers.
For more information about American Rebel Light Beer follow us on social media @AmericanRebelBeer
American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB) has operated primarily as a designer, manufacturer and marketer of branded safes and personal security and self-defense products and has recently transitioned into the beverage industry through the introduction of American Rebel Light Beer.. The Company also designs and produces branded apparel and accessories. To learn more, visit www.americanrebel.com and www.americanrebelbeer.com. For investor information, visit www.americanrebel.com/investor-relations.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. American Rebel Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: AREB; AREBW) (the “Company,” “American Rebel,” “we,” “our” or “us”) desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “forecasts” “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include benefits of our continued sponsorship of high profile events, such as the 2025 Week of the Eagles Concert is proudly hosted by American Rebel Beer and Fort Campbell MWR (Sponsorship does not imply DOD endorsement), success and availability of the promotional activities, our ability to effectively execute our business plan, and the Risk Factors contained within our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2025. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tessell, the leading next-generation multi-cloud database-as-a-service (DBaaS) that enables enterprises and startups to accelerate database, data, and application modernization journeys at scale, today announced its selection to the 2025 InfraRed 100, Redpoint Ventures’ annual list spotlighting the 100 most promising private companies in cloud infrastructure.
This marks the second consecutive year Tessell has been honored, further validating its momentum, technical excellence, and fast-growing customer adoption across Fortune 1000 enterprises. Tessell will celebrate the recognition alongside fellow honorees at the InfraRed Summit 2025 on June 10th in San Francisco and participate in the Nasdaq Closing Bell Ceremony.
Each year, the InfraRed 100 highlights the companies poised to reshape the cloud ecosystem based on their innovation, growth, and long-term potential. Tessell stood out again for its continued product expansion, enterprise traction, and multi-cloud innovation that helps organizations simplify and accelerate their data and application modernization journeys.
“We’re honored to be named again to the InfraRed 100,” said Bakul Banthia, Co-founder of Tessell. “This recognition reflects the trust our customers place in us and the dedication of our team to building the most flexible, performant, and enterprise-ready DBaaS platform in the market. We look forward to continuing our momentum and empowering our customers to modernize faster, innovate with confidence, and unlock the full value of their data.”
Tessell’s inclusion highlights the platform’s growing traction among enterprises modernizing their infrastructure and adopting AI-centric workflows. On April 9th, Tessell announced a $60 million Series B led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, B37 Ventures, and Rocketship.vc. The funding is being used to accelerate go-to-market expansion and enhance AI-driven features—including vector search, conversational query interfaces, and intelligent workload automation.
Tessell is a cloud-native DBaaS platform that supports major engines including Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, and Milvus. Operating across AWS and Azure, Tessell provides customers with self-service provisioning, DevOps integration, and complete lifecycle management—all while allowing customers to bring their own cloud accounts, identities, and keys to retain control and reduce vendor lock-in.
Key differentiators of Tessell’s cloud infrastructure solution include:
AI-Driven Automation – Intelligent lifecycle management, performance tuning, and fault remediation, allowing teams to focus on innovation over infrastructure.
Conversational Data Management (CoDaM) – A next-gen interface enabling teams to manage and query databases through natural language, dramatically simplifying access and insight generation.
Multi-Cloud Flexibility – Native integrations with AWS, Azure, OCI, and Google Cloud, allowing organizations to avoid vendor lock-in.
Unified Data Ecosystem – Native connectivity across data lakes, warehouses, and real-time pipelines, enabling cross-functional data flow and governance.
Enterprise-Grade Security & Compliance – Including end-to-end encryption, zero RPO/RTO disaster recovery, and certifications for SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA.
For more information about Tessell’s DBaaS platform, visit www.tessell.com.
About Tessell Tessell is a multi-cloud DBaaS platform redefining enterprise data management with its comprehensive suite of AI-powered database services. By unifying operational and analytical data within a seamless data ecosystem, Tessell enables enterprises to modernize databases, optimize cloud economics, and drive intelligent decision-making at scale. Through AI and Conversational Data Management (CoDaM), Tessell makes data more accessible, interactive, and intuitive, empowering businesses to harness their data’s full potential easily.
Media Contact Len Fernandes Firecracker PR for Tessell len@firecrackerpr.com
RESTON, Va., June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Regula, a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification (IDV) solutions, has made its inaugural appearance in theKuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Identity Verification 2025. Mentioned in the Innovation Leaders category, the company is recognized for its 100% in-house R&D, forensic-grade technology, global document coverage, and advanced liveness detection capabilities.
Specializing in IDV and cybersecurity industry analysis, KuppingerCole forecasts that the global IDV market will grow from $18.4 billion in 2025 to $50.07 billion by 2030, driven by increasing identity fraud, compliance requirements, user expectations, and technological advancements.
As identity verification rapidly shifts toward fully remote and automated environments, innovation has become a key differentiator. According to KuppingerCole, innovation leaders in IDV are defined by taking a customer-oriented upgrade approach, delivering customer-requested and forward-thinking features, while ensuring seamless compatibility with existing systems.
Positioning Regula in the Innovation Leaders category, KuppingerCole analysts highlight: “Regula’s products are mature and often used to supplement other identity verification vendors’ offerings. While not as feature complete as other offerings, Regula is a best-of-breed document and biometric verification solution with strong global coverage. With expertise across diverse industries and a global reach, Regula is positioned as a verification provider with in-house expertise for adaptable and scalable solutions.”
In their Leadership Compass, KuppingerCole analysts pay special attention to the fact that IDV vendors have in-house technology development, strong data privacy policies, wide geographical coverage for their ID databases, and automation and machine learning (ML) to facilitate processes and user experience. On these fronts, Regula stands out by:
Best-of-breed on-premises document and biometric verification solution.
A mature organization with products often used to supplement other IDV vendor offerings.
At the heart of Regula’s recognition are its flagship software products, which serve clients in finance, government, healthcare, education, aviation, and more. Regula Document Reader SDK provides automated reading and comprehensive verification of all types of identity documents. It reads data in all document zones, verifies security features—including dynamic ones such as holograms—and cross-checks all the data to spot forgery.
For biometric checks, Regula Face SDK enables real-time face matching, image quality assessment, and both passive and active liveness detection—the latter tested and certified under iBeta’s Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) Level 1 and 2. The solution supports 1:1 face matching and 1:n face identification with advanced spoof detection via texture and movement analysis, using both 2D and 3D methods.
Importantly, Regula’s solutions are designed for privacy-first deployments. All biometric templates are managed locally by the customer, with no data processed or stored by Regula. The face-matching algorithms undergo continuous testing and are benchmarked through programs like the NIST Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT).
“Being named an Innovation Leader by KuppingerCole is a significant milestone for us. It highlights our decades-long commitment to building all our solutions in-house, from document verification to biometrics, and doing so with the precision and trustworthiness that customers demand. As identity verification principles and standards rapidly evolve, our focus remains the same: delivering technology that’s not only robust but also deeply practical, scalable, and privacy-conscious,” says Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula.
Recently, Regula has:
The full copy of the KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Identity Verification is available on the official website. To learn more about Regula’s technologies, visit the company’s website.
About KuppingerCole
Founded in 2004, KuppingerCole is a global, independent analyst organization headquartered in Europe. We specialize in providing vendor-neutral advice, expertise, thought leadership, and practical relevance in Cybersecurity, Digital Identity & IAM (Identity and Access Management), Cloud Risk and Security, and Artificial Intelligence, as well as technologies enabling Digital Transformation. We assist companies, corporate users, integrators, and software manufacturers to address both tactical and strategic challenges by making better decisions for their business success. Balancing immediate implementation with long-term viability is central to our philosophy.
For further information, please contact clients@kuppingercole.com.
About Regula
Regula is a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions. With our 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the most comprehensive library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies for document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security, or speed. Regula has been repeatedly named a Representative Vendor in the Gartner® Market Guide for Identity Verification.
WARSAW, Ind., June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lake City Bank is pleased to welcome back Gregory C. Brown as Senior Vice President, Commercial Elkhart Regional Manager. Brown will lead the newly formed Commercial Elkhart Region, serving commercial clients in Elkhart and surrounding communities. The new region was strategically created to better serve the growing business community in Elkhart.
“Since arriving in Elkhart in 1990, Lake City Bank has remained consistently dedicated to the entrepreneurial businesses that define the community. The decision to create a team solely dedicated to Elkhart is reflective of the success we’ve had in Elkhart over the last 35 years and of our continued growth in the market,” said David M. Findlay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Greg’s deep knowledge of the Elkhart market, combined with his leadership experience and commitment to relationship banking, make him the ideal person to lead this new region.”
Brown will lead a team of three Commercial Banking Officers based in Elkhart, while Todd A. Bruce, Senior Vice President, will continue to lead the Commercial North Region team. The Commercial North Region will focus on serving commercial clients in St. Joseph County and the surrounding Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan communities.
“Greg’s return is a win for Lake City Bank and for our clients,” said Eric H. Ottinger, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Banking Officer. “He understands the unique dynamics of the Elkhart community and has a proven track record of building strong client relationships. We’re confident he will continue our strong growth momentum in Elkhart. We’re also excited for the new opportunities that our regional realignment will allow Todd’s team to pursue in South Bend and the surrounding area.”
Brown has 30 years of experience in financial services, including his previous tenure with Lake City Bank as a Commercial Banking Officer from 2016-2021. He has volunteered with many organizations in Elkhart, including serving as a previous board chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Elkhart County, board treasurer of the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, and board treasurer of Elcona Country Club.
“I’m excited to be back at Lake City Bank and to lead the new Commercial Elkhart Region,” said Brown. “Elkhart has been my home since moving here in 2003. It’s a vibrant and resilient community, and I look forward to working with our experienced team to help local businesses grow and thrive.”
Lake City Bank, a $6.9 billion bank headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, was founded in 1872 and serves Central and Northern Indiana communities with 54 branch offices and a robust digital banking platform. Lake City Bank’s community banking model prioritizes building in-market long-term customer relationships while delivering technology-forward solutions for retail and commercial clients. The bank is the single bank subsidiary of Lakeland Financial Corporation (Nasdaq Global Select/LKFN). For more information visit www.lakecitybank.com.
Contact Luke Weick Vice President Marketing Manager (574) 267-9198 x47279 office (260) 431-7061 mobile luke.weick@lakecitybank.com
The Narendra Modi Government has completed eleven years in the Centre. As has been the trend in the past, the government is now going to the people to request an honest assessment of their work. The mobile app of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts a Jan Man Survey, which has witnessed over 500,000 participants in the 26 hours since it was published.
Aimed at collecting public feedback on the Modi government’s performance as it completes one year of its third term, the survey reflects strong citizen engagement through its user-friendly interface on the NaMo App.
Covering key areas like governance, economic reforms, infrastructure, and social welfare schemes, it seeks to understand public priorities and opinions on government initiatives. BJP leaders hailed the overwhelming participation as a testament to the trust in PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, emphasizing the survey’s role in fostering participatory and responsive governance.
The NaMo App, a flagship platform for the party, facilitates this outreach with features like updates on schemes, PM Modi’s speeches, and interactive campaigns. A majority of the participants are from Uttar Pradesh (over 140,000), followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (over 60,000 responses). More than 40,000 responses were received from Gujarat. The questions encompass the achievements of the Modi Government, and also how they impact the lives of 140 Crore citizens.
Over the past decade, India’s counter-terrorism approach has shifted from strategic restraint to proactive retaliation, emphasizing zero tolerance for terrorism.
Key developments include the 2019 amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, empowering the National Investigation Agency to designate individuals as terrorists, and high-profile operations like Balakot and Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Enhanced intelligence coordination, deradicalization efforts, and international cooperation, particularly with the U.S., have bolstered India’s multi-pronged strategy against diverse terror threats.
Clearly, the citizens feel far more safer today than before. India’s response to terrorism has been complemented by stellar diplomacy, and the responses and sentiment of the diaspora are a testament to this achievement of the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare policies have significantly transformed rural India, uplifting millions through targeted schemes. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has provided over 4 crore pucca houses, ensuring dignified living for rural families, particularly empowering women as homeowners.
The Ujjwala Yojana has delivered clean cooking fuel to 10 crore households, reducing health risks from smoke and enhancing women’s safety and convenience.
The Jal Jeevan Mission has brought piped water to millions, improving health and reducing the burden on women fetching water. Financial inclusion via the Jan Dhan Yojana has integrated over 53 crore people into the banking system, enabling access to credit and insurance. The PM-KISAN scheme, disbursing ₹3.68 lakh crore to 11 crore farmers, has bolstered agricultural livelihoods.
The Swachh Bharat Mission has made villages open defecation-free, improving sanitation and dignity, especially for girls. Ayushman Bharat has offered free healthcare to millions, easing financial burdens. These initiatives, coupled with rural electrification and road connectivity, have reduced poverty, with over 250 million lifted out of it, fostering vibrant, self-reliant villages and aligning with Modi’s vision of inclusive growth.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India’s digital infrastructure has undergone a transformative overhaul, positioning the country as a global digital powerhouse.
The Digital India initiative, launched in 2015, has driven unprecedented connectivity and digital inclusion. The BharatNet project has connected over 2.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-speed broadband, bridging the rural-urban digital divide.
The expansion of 4G and ongoing 5G rollout by 2025 has made India’s telecom network one of the world’s largest, with over 1.2 billion mobile subscribers.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), handling over 50% of global digital transactions by volume, has revolutionized payments, empowering small businesses and rural economies. Aadhaar, linking 1.3 billion citizens, has streamlined welfare delivery, ensuring transparency and reducing leakages.
Initiatives like DigiLocker and e-Governance platforms have digitized services, enhancing accessibility for millions. The National Digital Health Mission is creating a robust digital healthcare ecosystem. Investments in data centers and cybersecurity, alongside policies promoting digital literacy, have empowered citizens, with 80% internet penetration by 2025.
These efforts have spurred innovation, created millions of jobs, and attracted global tech investments, aligning with Modi’s vision of a self-reliant, digitally empowered India driving inclusive growth and global competitiveness.
The Jan Man Survey intends to capture the sentiment across the nation when it comes to this overall transformation of the country. As the government completes eleven years, people will have a lot to talk about, a lot to look back at, and a lot to look forward to. For the Modi Government, the task is cut out. Ushering in changes and reforms that take India towards the goal of a ten trillion-dollar economy.
(Tushar Gupta is a Delhi-based journalist and a political commentator)
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Equine therapy at the heart of an award-winning, veteran-led community hub in the Rhondda Valley
Equine therapy is at the heart of an award-winning, veteran-led community hub in the Rhondda Valley.
Paul Bromwell standing with a horse. Copyright: RFCA for Wales
Around 20 years ago the charity Valley Veterans was founded by Falklands War veteran Paul Bromwell, initially as an informal support group for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Having served in the Welsh Guards during the Falklands Conflict 40 years ago, Paul was all too aware of the effects of returning to civilian life after leaving the Armed Forces. He himself suffered from PTSD as a result of his time in the South Atlantic, and on his return home to the Rhondda Valley, initially struggled to get the support he needed.
It was that struggle that led him to set up an informal support group for PTSD sufferers that has now grown into a vibrant, veteran-led community hub with more than 140 active participants.
In the latest in a series of accolades, Paul recently won the Community Champion category in the prestigious St David Awards – the national awards for Wales which recognise exceptional achievements by Welsh citizens. The award was presented by First Minister Eluned Morgan in a ceremony at the Senedd.
The award recognised how Valley Veterans provides weekly support for vulnerable veterans which benefits their mental and physical health. For the first 15 years Paul personally funded the group by remortgaging his home to purchase land to build stables for equine therapy services.
Over the years, the support at the hub has widened and the group now holds a breakfast club every Thursday in the Ton Pentre Community Centre that attracts up to 60 veterans each week, a Wednesday morning paperwork session, and daily equine and horticultural activities on nearby land.
Founder and CEO Paul Bromwell explained that the idea for equine therapy as part of the Valley Veterans hub came about because he wanted to offer the same opportunity to others that had been given to him.
Paul said:
I went away horse trekking with Combat Stress and it helped me so much that when I came home, I bought a horse and on the days that I couldn’t sleep, I’d be up on the mountain with my horse and it would calm me down.
I just thought if this is working for me that it will help others. By then I was looking after a couple of lads that were good friends of mine and were also feeling a bit of stress and had problems caused through active service.
And from those early days of a few friends and one horse, Valley Veterans now links many support groups and more than 100 veterans across the Valley.
When people need help, we are always here – it’s never that dark place with no-one to help, there’s always somebody here,
said Paul.
Being outside has been a game changer for many of the people that come here – it could be working in the gardening, mucking out the stables or grooming the horses –the benefits are clear to see.
They can come and get help with their paperwork on a Wednesday, socialise at the breakfast club on a Thursday and any day of the week, work outside in the gardens and the equine area.
Gary Pethig (64) from Gelli, who served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, said,
This group has changed my life – it has literally been a godsend for me because without it I’d just be sitting at home watching television – instead I come here and have made lots of new friends.
I get practical face-to-face help from various organisations who help me fill in all sorts of paperwork which otherwise I would find very difficult or impossible to complete by myself online or over the phone – and this means I can access the help that I need and am entitled to.
I also enjoy getting outside by going outside into the garden and growing crops.
Stephen Roberts (55) from Williamstown, who served in the Royal Engineers and now works for the Welsh Blood Service, said,
I first came here six years ago as I was struggling with PDSD, I’d shut myself away from society and was struggling to get out. I knew about this place but I didn’t have the guts to come up here until eventually I arranged to meet someone here that I knew and have been coming ever since.
I have met a brilliant bunch of friends that I’m close to and have had support off them ever since. It has changed my life, I was withdrawn from society before but coming up and spending time here and socialising has helped me hugely and I can now go out to social events such as birthday celebrations and fundraisers that I wasn’t able to before.
Des Sparey (79) from Caerphilly, who served in The Welch Regiment, said:
This group has changed my life totally, without it I’d be lost. There is nothing better than coming up and talking to the guys here – I love it and won’t be without it. There are charities here that will help you if you have problems with things like healthcare, your finances or even finding somewhere to live.
Veteran support agencies, mental health organisations, local authority representatives and other community groups attend the Thursday and Wednesday sessions to provide support and advice on areas ranging from housing support to employment and benefits advocacy.
Sian Sexton, Money Advice Advocate for MIND said:
We are here building relationship, doing the groundwork and providing consistency. We are able to provide practical face-to-face help for people such as filling in forms when they need it and how they need it so they can access help more easily and more quickly.
Stephen Sullivan, Strategic Pathways Development Officer, Adferiad Change Step said:
I use this hub on a weekly basis and I bring in other projects – it’s all about collaboration and networking and making the referral pathways easier.
Suffolk County, NY — Congressman Nick LaLota (Suffolk County)proudly announced Kerry Yeung, a student at Half Hollow Hills High School East, as the 2025 winner of the Congressional Art Competition for New York’s First Congressional District. This year’s theme, “Service Above Self,” called on students to honor those who dedicate their lives in service to others. Kerry’s work is inspired by the true story of Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved 669 innocent children during WWII.
“Kerry’s artwork is more than a display of exceptional talent—it’s a powerful tribute to Sir Nicholas Winton’s bravery and humanity,”said Rep. LaLota. “By honoring a man who saved hundreds of Jewish children from the horrors of the Holocaust, Kerry’s piece reminds us that the fight against antisemitism requires both courage and compassion. Her work captures the spirit of ‘Service Above Self’ and reflects the enduring values of justice, empathy, and moral leadership that our district proudly upholds.”
2025 Congressional Art Competition Winner, entitled “669,” by Kerry Yeung, Half Hollow Hills High School East
Background:
Kerry Yeung’s winning piece, entitled “669,” is inspired by the true story of Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved 669 innocent children during WWII. She used colored pencils to sketch his face and body and then overlaid this with acrylic paints. Additionally, she printed articles about his story and glued them onto the canvas to highlight his significance as an unsung hero.
As the First District’s winner, Kerry’s artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year, alongside winners from across the country. The winning artwork is featured onHouse.gov‘s Congressional Art Competition webpage, https://www.house.gov/educators-and-students/congressional-art-competition. Kerry was also recently honored in a national reception in Washington, D.C.
The Congressional Art Competition is an annual nationwide initiative that gives high school students the opportunity to showcase their creativity and express their perspectives through visual art. Since 1982, the competition has celebrated the artistic achievements of young artists across the country. Each spring, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives host district-wide contests to recognize and encourage local talent. The winning artwork from each district is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year, where it is viewed by thousands of visitors, lawmakers, and staff. The 2025 competition continues this tradition of highlighting student talent and fostering creativity in the next generation of American artists.
South Africa is closely monitoring the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, known as Nimbus or NB.1.8.1, associated with a rise in cases in certain regions of Asia.
This is according to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who addressed the 4th Health Working Group meeting of the Group of 20 (G20), which is underway in Johannesburg.
Motsoaledi said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated this “a variant under monitoring” due to its growing presence.
India is the latest country to experience a surge in new COVID-19 cases due to the emergence of the new variant, NB.1.8.1.
According to the Independent, infections have been confirmed in several Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and China.
In addition, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency reported the first 13 cases of this variant in England last week.
“I wish to reassure this esteemed gathering that South Africa has robust surveillance systems in place.
“Our National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) manages a comprehensive sentinel surveillance programme that systematically tests for key respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV. Currently, our data show very low SARS-CoV-2 activity,” Motsoaledi explained.
South Africa is currently experiencing a seasonal rise in influenza, but the country is well-prepared to manage the situation, he said.
“Crucially, the new variant remains a descendant of the Omicron lineage. This means that current recommendations for updated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are still effective. Therefore, at this stage, no specific new public health actions are required from the public.”
Motsoaledi said government continues to promote good hygiene practices, including handwashing, covering coughs, and staying home when feeling unwell.
“These simple measures are effective in reducing the spread of all respiratory illnesses. We will continue to monitor the situation closely through our established networks and will report any significant changes.”
Meanwhile, he called on the attendees of the meeting to work together with “renewed urgency and unwavering resolve”.
“Let us build a future where solidarity, equity, and cooperation are the cornerstones of our global health architecture.”
The week-long Health Working Group meeting began on Tuesday and will conclude on Friday.
It brings together health leaders, experts, and policymakers from the world’s largest economies, invited nations, and international organisations.
The plenary sessions will build on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and address ongoing barriers to accessing countermeasures, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
There will be a focus on prioritising the expansion of local and regional manufacturing capacity, especially in regions like Africa.
Delegates will also explore opportunities for technology transfer, sustainable financing, and regulatory alignment to ensure timely and equitable access to life-saving tools during health emergencies. – SAnews.gov.za
The video of a Los Angeles police officer shooting a rubber bullet at Channel Nine reporter Lauren Tomasi is as shocking as it is revealing.
In her live broadcast, Tomasi is standing to the side of a rank of police in riot gear. She describes the way they have begun firing rubber bullets to disperse protesters angry with US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
As Tomasi finishes her sentence, the camera pans to the left, just in time to catch the officer raising his gun and firing a non-lethal round into her leg. She said a day later she is sore, but otherwise OK.
Although a more thorough investigation might find mitigating circumstances, from the video evidence, it is hard to dismiss the shot as “crossfire”. The reporter and cameraman were off to one side of the police, clearly identified and working legitimately.
The shooting is also not a one-off. Since the protests against Trump’s mass deportations policy began three days ago, a reporter with the LA Daily News and a freelance journalist have been hit with pepper balls and tear gas.
British freelance photojournalist Nick Stern also had emergency surgery to remove a three-inch plastic bullet from his leg.
In all, the Los Angeles Press Club has documented more than 30 incidents of obstruction and attacks on journalists during the protests.
Trump’s assault on the media
It now seems assaults on the media are no longer confined to warzones or despotic regimes. They are happening in American cities, in broad daylight, often at the hands of those tasked with upholding the law.
But violence is only one piece of the picture. In the nearly five months since taking office, the Trump administration has moved to defund public broadcasters, curtail access to information and undermine the credibility of independent media.
International services once used to project democratic values and American soft power around the world, such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, have all had their funding cut and been threatened with closure. (The Voice of America website is still operational but hasn’t been updated since mid-March, with one headline on the front page reading “Vatican: Francis stable, out of ‘imminent danger’ of death”).
The Associated Press, one of the most respected and important news agencies in the world, has been restricted from its access to the White House and covering Trump. The reason? It decided to defy Trump’s directive to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
Even broadcast licenses for major US networks, such as ABC, NBC and CBS, have been publicly threatened — a signal to editors and executives that political loyalty might soon outweigh journalistic integrity.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is more used to condemning attacks on the media in places like Russia. However, in April, it issued a report headlined: “Alarm bells: Trump’s first 100 days ramp up fear for the press, democracy”.
A requirement for peace
Why does this matter? The success of American democracy has never depended on unity or even civility. It has depended on scrutiny. A system where power is challenged, not flattered.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution – which protects freedom of speech – has long been considered the gold standard for building the institutions of free press and free expression. That only works when journalism is protected — not in theory but in practice.
Now, strikingly, the language once reserved for autocracies and failed states has begun to appear in assessments of the US. Civicus, which tracks declining democracies around the world, recently put the US on its watchlist, alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Serbia and Pakistan.
The attacks on the journalists in LA are troubling not only for their sake, but for ours. This is about civic architecture. The kind of framework that makes space for disagreement without descending into disorder.
Press freedom is not a luxury for peacetime. It is a requirement for peace.
Peter Greste is Professor of Journalism at Macquarie University and the Executive Director for the advocacy group, the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom.
In reality, the competition is the latest chapter in FIFA’s long-running quest – going all the way back to 1960 – to create a global championship that would determine which club really is the best in the world.
As always, the litmus test for success will come from the fans. So far, things are not going well on that front. Falling prices on Ticketmaster bode ill for the competition. Just days before the games were due to begin, FIFA slashed prices for the opening match: MLS club Inter Miami against Egypt’s Al-Ahly. Reports suggest that less than a third of tickets at the 65,000-seat venue for the opener, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, had sold – despite the likely presence of soccer superstar Lionel Messi.
Of course, the declining number of tourists coming to the U.S. since the second inauguration of Donald Trump – and the president’s recently announced travel ban affecting 19 countries – hasn’t helped encourage fans of the global game to the U.S., even if none of the competing clubs come from one of those countries.
FIFA vs. UEFA
So, given all the problems and controversies, why is FIFA so invested?
As someone who has long researched the nexus of soccer, money and power, I see the World Club Cup as part of a struggle between UEFA, the European governing body that runs the Champions League – currently seen as the pinnacle of soccer club competition – and FIFA, which wants to supplant the Champions League with its own competition.
UEFA’s power stems from hosting the world’s biggest clubs. Only one club from outside Europe appears in soccer data website Transfermarkt’s list of the 50 most valuable squads – with Palmeiras from Brazil squeaking in at 50.
Top players in their prime rarely quit Europe to play on another continent – the high-profile names that opt to play in the U.S. or Saudi leagues tend to be veterans cashing in on their name.
Meanwhile, the world’s soccer talent flocks to European clubs. It’s not just that big clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool or Bayern Munich that can pay top dollar for the star players – less storied clubs like Brentford, Real Sociedad or VfB Stuttgart have the wherewithal to fish in the global player market.
The wealth and status of these clubs form the muscle behind UEFA. And the jewel in the UEFA crown is the Champions League, an annual competition that brings together the best clubs in Europe.
A game of two halves
While UEFA also has its own national competition, the Euros, its pull is nowhere near as great as FIFA’s World Cup.
This division – with FIFA dominating the international team competition and UEFA the club competition – dates back to the 1960s and the early years of mass television.
When the 1966 World Cup was hosted by England, it was one of the very first global sports events, watched by an estimated audience of 400 million people worldwide.
The 1970 World Cup, a legendary event in the eyes of boomer soccer fans, established the four-year ritual that surpasses even the Olympics as a global sporting event.
At this time, UEFA’s Euros were barely a competition at all. The 1968, 1972 and 1976 editions – played in Italy, Belgium and Yugoslavia, respectively – each had only four teams and only four or five games.
UEFA had by then established its role in club competition. The European Cup, as the Champions League was then called, started in 1955.
Ferenc Puskas of Real Madrid scores his team’s sixth goal during the European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 18, 1960. Keystone/Getty Images
Witnessed by a crowd of 128,000 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, the more important statistic was the estimated 70 million television audience in Europe.
The 1968 final at London’s Wembley Stadium, when Manchester United overcame Benfica in honor of the “Busby Babes” – Manchester players who died in a 1958 Munich air disaster while traveling home from a European Cup game – saw a TV audience of 270 million.
A history of failure
The ambition to create a club world cup to rival the European Cup goes back to the 1950s. Soccer powerhouses Brazil and Argentina in particular promoted the idea that the top clubs in Europe should face off against the top South American teams.
The resulting Intercontinental Cup ran from 1960 to 2004, with the top teams from UEFA and CONMEBOL, the South American soccer federation, taking part.
But played in midseason, it barely made an impression on the fans.
In 2000, FIFA created the Club World Championship, with eight teams drawn from the five international federations.
It also attracted little love, and the 2001-to-2004 editions had to be canceled for lack of financial backing.
In the early years, it seemed like an excuse to emulate the Intercontinental Cup, and the first three winners were South American. However, since 2006, all the winners bar one – Brazil’s Corinthians in 2012 – have been European.
Europe is ‘on the beach’
Then, in 2017, Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, announced plans to expand the competition and move it to the summer. With 32 teams, the competition will look more like the World Cup and will receive a lot of TV coverage.
The fact that it will be free to watch will help. So too will the presence of Messi.
Yet the overwhelming feeling going into the competition is that, like its predecessors, the revamped FIFA club competition is destined for failure.
With the European domestic leagues all completed and the Champions League final – the unofficial marker of the end of the soccer season – having taken place on May 31, players and fans appear to be “on the beach,” to use a favorite phrase of soccer commentators.
Ultimately, FIFA’s revamped World Club Cup faces the same issues that beset its forerunners: European teams are overwhelmingly tipped to win.
Rather than the global soccer “solidarity” that FIFA hopes, the competition sets to reinforce the dominance of European clubs – and of Europe’s governing body when it comes to club competition.
Stefan Szymanski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the G20 Summit on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
On June 5, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It marked the first direct conversation between the two leaders since Trump began his second term — and the first since tensions sharply escalated in 2025’s U.S.-China trade war.
After the call, Trump was quick to frame it as a success for his administration, posting on social media that it led to “a very positive conclusion for both Countries.” He later told reporters that Xi had agreed to resume exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the U.S. — allaying the fears of the auto industry, which had previously warned that parts suppliers were facing severe and immediate risks to production.
The presidential phone call also yielded an invitation for Trump and first lady Melania to visit China, an invitation that Trump reciprocated.
But aside from the easing of some trade tension and surface-level niceties, the call conveyed subtle messages about an imbalance in the bilateral dispute. As an expert on U.S.-China relations, I believe these subtleties point to Xi having the upper hand in U.S.-China talks and also using Trump as a foil to burnish his own image as a strong leader at home and abroad.
A rare earths ace
The Trump-Xi call should not distract from the fragile state of China-U.S. relations — and the willingness of Beijing to play its “rare earth materials card.”
Although China and U.S. delegations reached a 90-day tariff truce in Geneva on May 12, negotiations between the two countries remain ongoing. As many observers have noted, deep-rooted and structural differences — such as disputes over currency manipulation, export subsidies and other nontariff barriers — continue to cast a long shadow over the prospects of U.S-China trade talks.
Beijing, in turn, accuses the U.S. of breaking the Geneva agreement first and blames Washington for rolling out a wave of discriminatory measures against China after the talks, including new export controls on artificial intelligence chips, a ban on selling electronic design automation software to Chinese companies, and plans to revoke visas for Chinese students.
Trump’s order banning American companies from using AI chips by China-based Huawei — issued just one day after the Geneva agreement on May 12 — was seen by many in Beijing as directly countering the spirit of the agreement. Indeed, it may well have prompted Beijing to delay the resumption of rare earth exports to the U.S. in the first place.
Aside from the actual effect of the resumption of rare earth exports, Trump’s apparent priority given to the issue signals to Beijing just how reliant the U.S. is on China in this regard — something that would not have gone unnoticed by Xi.
Xi never came calling
Just one day before the June 5 call, Trump wrote on social media: “I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!”
His conversation with the Chinese leader would have further reinforced Xi’s tough image — not just for a Chinese audience, but for international observers as well.
This was certainly encouraged by how China described the call. According to China’s official statement, Xi “took a phone call from U.S. President Donald J. Trump” – the subtle implication being that it was Trump who initiated the call.
This framing promotes the idea that Xi holds the upper hand. The Chinese statement also highlighted that the Geneva talks were “at the suggestion of the U.S. side,” implying that China did not back down in the face of Trump’s trade pressure — and that it was Trump who ultimately blinked first.
China’s message is particularly significant given that, as the U.S.-China trade war intensified in April, Washington believed it could gain “escalation dominance” by imposing tariffs on Chinese goods — perhaps underestimating China’s ability to retaliate effectively and assuming Beijing would be eager to negotiate.
Throughout the trade standoff, Xi refrained from initiating contact with Trump, and in the end, it was Trump who reached out.
This undoubtedly enhanced Xi’s image back home — and potentially undermined Trump’s negotiating posture.
The official Chinese statement following the talks noted: “The Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles. The Chinese always honor and deliver what has been promised. Both sides should make good on the agreement reached in Geneva.”
Those words appear aimed at signaling to the international community that it is the U.S. — not China — that failed to uphold its end of the Geneva agreement.
The second-to-last paragraph of the Chinese statement on the phone call noted: “President Trump said that he has great respect for President Xi, and the U.S.-China relationship is very important. The U.S. wants the Chinese economy to do very well. The U.S. and China working together can get a lot of great things done. The U.S. will honor the one-China policy. The meeting in Geneva was very successful, and produced a good deal. The U.S. will work with China to execute the deal. The U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America.”
While much of this language may be standard diplomatic rhetoric, it clearly aims to box in Trump as the supplicant in the current dispute and implies that he is moving closer to China’s positions, including key nontrade issues like U.S. visas for Chinese students.
A game of telephone?
Aside from the optics or broader question of who is “winning” the dispute, the Trump-Xi call has certainly eased some tensions on both sides — at least temporarily.
For the U.S., concerns over rare earth supplies were alleviated. Since the call, it has been reported that China has issued temporary export licenses to companies that supply rare earth materials to America’s three largest automakers.
For China, Trump’s remarks seemingly helped reduce anxiety over issues such as Taiwan and student visa restrictions.
But given the deep and fundamental differences between the two countries on trade and economic matters — and recalling how trade negotiations repeatedly stalled and restarted during Trump’s first term — there is good reason to believe that future talks could face similar setbacks.
But what is clear now, especially compared with the trade war during Trump’s first administration, is that Beijing appears better prepared and more skilled at leveraging its rare earth exports as a bargaining chip.
In many ways, Trump faces the greater pressure in his handling of Xi. Should talks collapse, any resulting supply chain disruptions could lead to rising inflation, market volatility and economic woe for the U.S. — with the associated risks of political fallout ahead of the midterm elections. Xi will know this and, in rare earth materials, has an ace up his sleeve to pull out when needed.
Indeed, Trump may find himself needing to reach out to Xi again in the future in an effort to revive troubled trade negotiations. But doing so would only reinforce Xi’s image as the tougher and more dominant figure.
Linggong Kong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Newman, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Sustainability Assessment at the Grantham Centre, University of Sheffield
Tomatoes could be grown at an industrial scale using heat generated from burning household waste in Essex, UK. Jenoche/Shutterstock
A new project in Bradwell, Essex, aims to change how we grow food and how we deal with our rubbish. Slated to begin operations in 2027, the Rivenhall greenhouse project could become Europe’s largest low-carbon horticulture facility.
The idea is to close two loops at once. By processing most of Essex’s household waste, the region’s reliance on landfill can be reduced – this cuts the amount of biodegradable waste decomposing to release methane (a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide). Also, by diverting the energy from that waste to grow food locally, less produce will need to be imported from regions increasingly vulnerable to climate-related stresses like drought and water scarcity.
The giant greenhouse will sit next to the Rivenhall integrated waste management facility, operated by waste company Indaver. Household waste will be incinerated on site, producing steam. Some of that steam will drive turbines to generate electricity and power the greenhouse. The rest of the steam will heat the greenhouse at a constant temperature all year round.
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To further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a carbon capture system (separates CO₂ from other gases in exhaust streams) will extract around 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from the incinerator’s flue gases. Rather than releasing this into the atmosphere, the captured carbon dioxide will be piped into the greenhouse to enhance plant growth.
Still, the scale of carbon capture is modest and not a quick fix. The 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide expected to be captured annually represents less than 10% of typical emissions from similar-scale waste facilities.
The facility will include 13 hectares of artificially lit greenhouse space for winter growing and a vertical farm (growing crops in stacked layers) converted from a former RAF hangar to grow leafy greens. In theory, this creates a resilient, year-round food production system largely decoupled from fossil fuels and climate-sensitive imports.
Burning waste to grow tomatoes might sound counterintuitive. Incinerators still release emissions after all. As a method of electricity generation, incineration of waste has a higher carbon footprint than burning coal. But in the context of current waste management and food import practices, it may make sense.
According to the UK government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, around 30.8% of England’s household waste went to landfill in 2023 (around 8 million tonnes). Landfill emissions (primarily methane) are not just large – they’re long-lived and hard to capture.
Rivenhall’s model claims to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 20% compared to landfill. When electricity, heat, and food outputs are factored in, and carbon capture included, emissions per kilogram of tomato could be substantially lower than those from conventional imports or fossil-powered greenhouses.
But low-carbon status is not a badge that companies claim, it’s a result that needs to be verified. In lifecycle assessment (a method for measuring the environmental impacts of a product, service, or system, and the focus of my research), low-carbon status only applies if net emissions per kilogram of tomato are demonstrably lower than those from the realistic baseline.
That baseline, be it landfill, composting, anaerobic digestion, or recycling, must be clearly defined. If incinerated waste includes material better suited to recycling, the claimed benefits narrow or vanish.
The success of this particular project hinges not just on technical integration, but on accurate emissions accounting and efficient performance of carbon capture systems.
According to the waste hierarchy, the most sustainable strategy for reducing waste-related emissions is not incineration, but waste prevention and reduction. Energy recovery is better than landfill, but less preferable than eliminating waste altogether.
The bigger picture
In the Netherlands, greenhouses often run on combined heat and power systems. In Canada, some horticultural operations use industrial waste heat. But Rivenhall’s scale and its tight integration with waste management infrastructure makes it unusual. If it works, it could serve as a blueprint for how regions can simultaneously tackle food security and waste while keeping the environmental cost of consumption closer to home.
Beyond greenhouse gas emissions, there are other environmental considerations. Even modern incinerators produce air-polluting nitrogen oxides and particulates, which must be rigorously controlled to avoid human health problems such as lung disease. To comply with the UK’s biodiversity net gain rules, natural habitats and wildlife populations around this site must be enhanced, not degraded.
While delivering on its technical promises, Rivenhall must also prove that its low-carbon credentials are more than just hot air. Even so, projects like this are no substitute for upstream solutions like waste prevention, reduced consumption and circular design.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Alex Newman 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.
President Donald Trump’s promise to eliminate taxes on tips may sound like a windfall for service workers — but the fine print in Congress’ latest tax bill tells a more complex story.
The idea started getting attention when Trump raised it during a 2024 campaign stop in Las Vegas, a place where tipping is woven into the economy. And the headlines and press releases sound great — especially if you’re a waiter, bartender or anyone else who depends on tips for a living. That may be why both Democrats and Republicans alike broadly support the concept. However, like most of life, the devil is in the details.
I’m a business-school economist who has written about tipping, and I’ve looked closely at the language of the proposed laws. So, what exactly has Trump promised, and how does it measure up to what’s in the bills? Let’s start with his pledge.
The promise of money that’s ‘100% yours’
Back in January 2025, Trump said, “If you’re a restaurant worker, a server, a valet, a bellhop, a bartender, one of my caddies … your tips will be 100% yours.” That sounds like a boost in tipped workers’ income.
But when you look at the current situation, it becomes clear that the reality is far more complicated.
First, the new tax break only applies to tips the government knows about — and a lot of that income currently flies under the radar. Tipped workers who get cash tips are supposed to report it to the IRS via form 4137 if their employer doesn’t report it for them. If a worker gets a cash tip today and doesn’t report it, they already get 100% of the money. No one really knows what percentage of tips are unreported, but an old IRS estimate pegs it at about 40%.
What’s more, the current tax code defines tips only as payments where the customer determines the tip amount. If a restaurant charges a fixed 18% service charge, or there’s an extra fee for room service, those aren’t tips in the government’s eyes. This means some tipped workers who think service charges are tips will overestimate the new rule’s impact on their finances.
How the new bills would affect tipped workers
The “Big Beautiful Bill” would create a new tax code section under “itemized deductions” This area of the tax code already includes text that creates health savings accounts and gives students deductions for interest on their college loans.
What’s in the new section?
First, the bill specifies that this tax break applies just to “any cash tip.” The IRS classifies payments by credit card, debit card and even checks as “cash tips.” Unfortunately for workers in Las Vegas, noncash tips, like casino chips, aren’t part of the bill.
While the House bill limits the deduction to people earning less than US$160,000 the Senate bill caps the deduction to the first $25,000 of tips earned. Everything over that is taxed.
Second, the current House bill ends this special tax-free deal on Dec. 31, 2028. That means these special benefits would only last three years, unless Congress extends the law. The Senate bill does not include such a deadline.
Third, the exemption is only available to jobs that typically receive tips. The Treasury secretary is required to define the list of tipped occupations. If an occupation isn’t on the list, the law doesn’t apply.
I wonder how many occupations won’t make the list. For example, some camp counselors get tips at the end of the summer. But it’s unclear the Treasury Department will include these workers as a covered group, since counselors only make up a proportion of summer camp staff. Not making the list is a real problem.
And while the new proposal gives workers an income tax break, there’s nothing in either bill about skipping FICA payments on the tipped earnings. Workers are still required to contribute slightly more than 7% in Social Security and Medicare taxes on all tips they report, which won’t benefit them until retirement. This isn’t an oversight — the bill specifically says employees must furnish a valid Social Security number to get the tax benefits.
There are a few other ways the legislation might benefit workers less than it seems at first glance. Instituting no taxes on tips could mean tipped employees feel more pressure to split their tips with other employees, like busboys, chefs and hosts. After all, these untipped workers also contribute to the customer experience, and often at low wages.
The specifics of any piece of legislation are subject to change until the moment Congress sends it to the president to be signed. However, as now written, I think the bills aren’t as generous to tipped workers as Trump made it sound on the campaign trail.
Jay L. Zagorsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stewart Edie, Research Geologist and Curator of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution
Even bivalves looked different during the time of the dinosaurs, as these fossils of an ultra-fortified oyster, left, and armored cockle show.Smithsonian Institution
The fallout was immediate and severe. Evidence shows that about 70% of species went extinct in a geological instant, and not just those famous dinosaurs that once stalked the land. Masters of the Mesozoic oceans were also wiped out, from mosasaurs – a group of aquatic reptiles topping the food chain – to exquisitely shelled squid relatives known as ammonites.
But bubbling away on the seafloor was a stolid group of animals that has left a fantastic fossil record and continues to thrive today: bivalves – clams, cockles, mussels, oysters and more.
What happened to these creatures during the extinction event and how they rebounded tells an important story, both about the past and the future of biodiversity.
Surprising discoveries on the seafloor
Marine bivalves lost around three-quarters of their species during this mass extinction, which marked the end of the Cretaceous Period. My colleagues and I – each of us paleobiologists studying biodiversity – expected that losing so many species would have severely cut down the variety of roles that bivalves play within their environments, what we call their “modes of life.”
But, as we explain in a study published in the journal Sciences Advances, that wasn’t the case. In assessing the fossils of thousands of bivalve species, we found that at least one species from nearly all their modes of life, no matter how rare or specialized, squeaked through the extinction event.
Statistically, that shouldn’t have happened. Kill 70% of bivalve species, even at random, and some modes of life should disappear.
Most bivalves happily burrow into the sand and mud, feeding on phytoplankton they strain from the water. But others have adopted chemosymbionts and photosymbionts – bacteria and algae that produce nutrients for the bivalves from chemicals or sunlight in exchange for housing. A few have even become carnivorous. Some groups, including the oysters, can lay down a tough cement that hardens underwater, and mussels hold onto rocks by spinning silken threads.
We thought surely these more specialized modes of life would have been snuffed out by the effects of the asteroid’s impact, including dust and debris likely blocking sunlight and disrupting a huge part of the bivalves’ food chain: photosynthetic algae and bacteria. Instead, most persisted, although biodiversity was forever scrambled as a new ecological landscape emerged. Species that were once dominant struggled, while evolutionary newcomers rose in their place.
The reasons some species survived and others didn’t leave many questions to explore. Those that filtered phytoplankton from the water column suffered some of the highest species losses, but so did species that fed on organic scraps and didn’t rely as much on the Sun’s energy. Narrow geographic distributions and different metabolisms may have contributed to these extinction patterns.
Biodiversity bounces back
Life rebounded from each of the Big Five mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history, eventually punching through past diversity highs. The rich fossil record and spectacular ecological diversity of bivalves gives us a terrific opportunity to study these rebounds to understand how ecosystems and global biodiversity rebuild in the wake of extinctions.
The extinction caused by the asteroid strike knocked down some thriving modes of life and opened the door for others to dominate the new landscape.
The rebound from the extinction wasn’t so straightforward. Some modes of life lost nearly all their species, never to recover their past diversity. Others rose to take the top ranks. Genera is the plural of genus. Adapted from Edie et al. 2025, Science Advances
While many people lament the loss of the dinosaurs, we malacologists miss the rudists.
These bizarrely shaped bivalves resembled giant ice cream cones, sometimes reaching more than 3 feet (1 meter) in size, and they dominated the shallow, tropical Mesozoic seas as massive aggregations of contorted individuals, similar to today’s coral reefs. At least a few harbored photosymbiotic algae, which provided them with nutrients and spurred their growth, much like modern corals.
An ancient fossil of a rudist from before the last mass extinction. These bivalves could grow to a meter high. Smithsonian Institution
Today, giant clams (Tridacna) and their relatives fill parts of these unique photosymbiotic lifestyles once occupied by the rudists, but they lack the rudists’ astonishing species diversity.
Mass extinctions clearly upend the status quo. Now, our ocean floors are dominated by clams burrowed into sand and mud, the quahogs, cockles and their relatives – a scene far different from that of the seafloor 66 million years ago.
New winners in a scrambled ecosystem
Ecological traits alone didn’t fully predict extinction patterns, nor do they entirely explain the rebound. We also see that simply surviving a mass extinction didn’t necessarily provide a leg up as species diversified within their old and sometimes new modes of life – and few of those new modes dominate the ecological landscape today.
Like the rudists, trigoniid bivalves had lots of different species prior to the extinction event. These highly ornamented clams built parts of their shells with a super strong biomaterial called nacre – think iridescent pearls – and had fractally interlocking hinges holding their two valves together.
An ancient fossil of a pearly but tough trigoniid bivalve from the last mass extinction. The two matching shells show their elaborate hinge. Smithsonian Institution
But despite surviving the extinction, which should have placed them in a prime position to accumulate species again, their diversification sputtered. Other types of bivalves that made a living in the same way proliferated instead, relegating this once mighty and global group to a handful of species now found only off the coast of Australia.
Lessons for today’s oceans
These unexpected patterns of extinction and survival may offer lessons for the future.
The fossil record shows us that biodiversity has definite breaking points, usually during a perfect storm of climatic and environmental upheaval. It’s not just that species are lost, but the ecological landscape is overturned.
Many scientists believe the current biodiversity crisis may cascade into a sixth mass extinction, this one driven by human activities that are changing ecosystems and the global climate. Corals, whose reefs are home to nearly a quarter of known marine species, have faced mass bleaching events as warming ocean water puts their future at risk. Acidification as the oceans absorb more carbon dioxide can also weaken the shells of organisms crucial to the ocean food web.
Findings like ours suggest that, in the future, the rebound from extinction events will likely result in very different mixes of species and their modes of life in the oceans. And the result may not align with human needs if species providing the bulk of ecosystem services are driven genetically or functionally extinct.
The global oceans and their inhabitants are complex, and, as our team’s latest research shows, it is difficult to predict the trajectory of biodiversity as it rebounds – even when extinction pressures are reduced.
Billions of people depend on the ocean for food. As the history recorded by the world’s bivalves shows, the upending of the pecking order – the number of species in each mode of life – won’t necessarily settle into an arrangement that can feed as many people the next time around.
Stewart Edie receives funding from the Smithsonian Institution.
The 1,100-page bill would slash incentives for green technologies such as solar, wind, batteries, electric cars and heat pumps while subsidizing existing nuclear power plants and biofuels. That would leave the country and its people burning more fossil fuels despite strong popular and scientific support for a rapid shift to renewable energy.
The bill may still be revised by the Senate before it moves to a final vote. But it is a picture of how President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans want to reshape U.S. energy policy.
As an environmental engineering professor who studies ways to confront climate change, I think it is important to distinguish which technologies could rapidly cut emissions or are on the verge of becoming viable from those that do little to fight climate change. Unfortunately, the House bill favors the latter while nixing support for the former.
However, the House bill rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries.
Deployments would be hit even harder. Wind, solar, geothermal and battery projects would need to commence construction within 60 days of passage of the bill to receive tax credits.
In addition, the bill would deny tax credits to projects that use Chinese-made components. Financial analysts have called those provisions “unworkable,” since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible.
Wind turbines and solar panels generate renewable energy side by side near Palm Springs, Calif. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Efficiency and electric cars
Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The bill repeals aid for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows and energy audits. Homeowners would also lose tax credits for installing solar panels and batteries.
For vehicles, the bill would not only repeal tax credits for electric cars, trucks and chargers, but it also would impose a federal $250 annual fee on vehicles, on top of fees that some states charge electric-car owners. The federal fee is more than the gas taxes paid by other drivers to fund highways and ignores air-quality and climate effects.
For new nuclear plants, the bill would move up the deadline to 2028 to begin construction. That deadline is too soon for some new reactor designs and would rush the vetting of others. Nuclear safety regulators are awaiting a study from the National Academies on the weapons proliferation risks of the type of uranium fuel that some developers hope to use in newer designs.
The House-passed bill would protect government subsidies for existing nuclear power plants, like the one in the background, while limiting support for wind turbines. Scott Olson/Getty Images
The bill would end tax credits for hydrogen production. Without that support, companies will be unlikely to invest in the seven so-called “hydrogen hubs” that were allocated a combined $8 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. Those hubs aim to attract $40 billion in private investments and create tens of thousands of jobs while developing cleaner ways to make hydrogen.
The repealed tax credits would have subsidized hydrogen made emissions-free by using renewable or nuclear electricity to split water molecules. They also would have subsidized hydrogen made from natural gas with carbon capture, whose benefits are impaired by methane emissions from natural gas systems and incomplete carbon capture.
As Congress deliberates on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the nation’s energy agenda is one of many issues being hotly debated. Kevin Carter/Getty Images
Summing it up
The conservative Tax Foundation estimates that the House bill would cut the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits by about half, saving the government $50 billion a year. But with fewer efficiency improvements, fewer electric vehicles and less clean power on the grid, Princeton’s Jenkins projects American households would pay up to $415 more per year for energy by 2035 than if the bill’s provisions were not enacted. If the bill’s provisions make it into law, the extra fossil fuel-burning would leave annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 1 billion tons higher by then.
No one expected former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to escape unscathed with Republicans in the White House and dominating both houses of Congress. Still, the proposed cuts target the technologies Americans count on to protect the climate and save consumers money.
Daniel Cohan receives funding from the Carbon Hub at Rice University.
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Spokesperson Tammy Bruce leads the Department Press Briefing at the Department of State, on June 10, 2025.
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The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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When LGBTQ+ patients are unsure if they can be open about their identity and related health needs, it becomes more difficult for them to access high-quality health care.
In our recently published research, my colleagues and I found that how LGBTQ+ people are treated at the doctor’s office has a measurable effect on whether they stay up to date with lifesaving preventive care like flu shots, colorectal cancer screenings and HIV testing.
Results of affirming care
We examined how LGBTQ+ adults rated their health care provider across three areas: LGBTQ+ cultural competency, such as if providers used inclusive language on forms and in person; LGBTQ+ clinical competency, such as their doctor’s knowledge on all aspects of their health; and experiences of discrimination, such as being told to seek care elsewhere.
After analyzing survey data on the experiences of more than 950 LGBTQ+ adults from across the U.S., we saw that three clear patterns emerged.
First, 34% of participants reported having positive health care experiences – meaning their providers were culturally and clinically competent about LGBTQ+ health needs, and did not discriminate against them. These patients were more likely to be up to date on at least one preventive service recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, compared to those receiving neutral or discriminatory care.
Second, 60% of participants reported having neutral experiences, when their providers were clinically competent about LGBTQ+ health needs and didn’t discriminate against them, but were not culturally competent. These patients were 43% less likely to get an HIV test compared to patients reporting affirming care.
Third, 6% of participants reported experiencing discrimination, when their providers were neither culturally nor clinically competent on LGBTQ+ health. These patients were 24% less likely to get a colorectal cancer screening compared to patients reporting affirming care.
Most LGBTQ+ adults in our study reported neutral or even discriminatory care, which leads to avoidable health risks and higher costs for the health system. This provides additional evidence that being supportive of LGBTQ+ patients has measurable improvements for health outcomes.
Fear of discrimination can lead to delayed and missed diagnoses.
Why preventive care matters
Preventive care saves lives and saves money. When diseases like colorectal cancer or HIV are caught early, treatments are often simpler, more effective and less expensive.
When LGBTQ+ patients are made to feel unwelcome or unsafe, we found that they are less likely to get routine preventive care, ultimately driving up long-term costs across the health system. States like North Carolina and Georgia that have more health systems participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index, which evaluates policies and practices around LGBTQ+ care, had higher rates of LGBTQ+ patients reporting positive care experiences compared to states with few participating health systems, such as Tennessee and Alabama.
Our team has continued the work independently to ensure that the over 1,250 participants who already shared their experiences and data would not have this information sit idly.
Our findings reinforce what many LGBTQ+ patients already know – nonjudgmental and competent care is not a luxury, but a public health necessity.
Nathaniel M. Tran received funding from the National Institute on Aging and Vanderbilt University.
Older adults have large digital archives that can be hard to access after their deaths.picture alliance/Getty Images
From family photos in the cloud to email archives and social media accounts, the digital lives of Americans are extensive and growing.
According to recent studies by the password management companies NordPass and Dashlane, the average internet user maintains more than 150 online accounts. Individuals produce hundreds of gigabytes of data each year. But few people have plans for what happens to that digital legacy after they die.
Unlike physical possessions, online assets often don’t pass smoothly from one generation to the next. Loved ones struggle to access important accounts or recover treasured photos. Many families face these challenges while already overwhelmed with grief.
Most tech companies haven’t kept up with this reality. Fewer than 15% of popular online platforms have clear systems for handling a user’s death, and customer support is often limited, according to our new study. As people’s “digital footprints” expand, the lack of planning has become both a practical and emotional burden for families. This is especially true for older adults who may not be aware of the steps required to manage their digital estate.
We realized there was no organization or comprehensive website to help people navigate the technical, privacy or practical challenges they were facing. In response, we launched what we believe is a first-of-its-kind solution: the Digital Legacy Clinic.
Our clinic opened in late 2024. The free clinic offers support both to people planning for the end of their digital lives and to those managing the digital estates of loved ones who have died.
Led by students and housed in the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Information Science department, the clinic operates much like a pro bono law clinic. Community members in the Denver and Boulder areas, as well as from across the country, can contact the clinic for help.
First, a person interested in getting support fills out a simple form. Then, a member of the clinic will send a follow-up email to clarify and offer preliminary advice. Since every case is different, often clinic workers will then meet via Zoom with a client to create a personalized plan for them and their family.
How the clinic helps
The clinic offers guidance on a wide range of digital estate concerns, including setting up digital legacy tools such as trusted contacts on Google and Apple or legacy contacts on Facebook – someone you choose to manage your main profile after you’ve died. People can also get guidance on how to memorialize or delete social media or other online accounts after a loved one has died.
For example, Facebook allows you to either memorialize an account or request its removal. To memorialize it, you’ll need to submit a form with the person’s name, date of death, proof of passing, such as an obituary, and verify your relationship to the deceased. Including these steps can help your loved ones manage a digital legacy with clarity and care.
The clinic also helps people recover and preserve digital assets. That includes photos, videos, emails and other important documents, such as legal documents stored on a Google Drive.
For those who are planning for after they die, the clinic can guide them in creating a digital estate plan. That plan might include inventorying online accounts, documenting login credentials and leaving instructions for account closure, or determining steps to email the documents to your lawyer.
Students supporting their community
The ongoing work of the clinic is run entirely by undergraduate and graduate students, who build and maintain the clinic’s website, manage the client intake process and research solutions tailored to each case.
For the students, it’s a hands-on learning opportunity that connects academic work to real-world needs. The experience is also professionally valuable. Students learn how to communicate complex tech topics with empathy, navigate privacy laws and manage sensitive data responsibly.
A resource for older adults
While the Digital Legacy Clinic is available to people across the country, its location in Boulder makes it especially accessible to older adults in the Boulder and Denver areas who may prefer or benefit from in-person support.
For older adults, the Digital Legacy Clinic can help them organize their digital lives and make passing their digital archives on to their families easier. Robert Alexander/Getty Images
For older adults, the clinic can play a crucial role in helping them organize their digital lives while they’re still alive. This can reduce confusion for loved ones later and even help prevent issues such as identity theft or account misuse. Many older adults now maintain extensive online presences, but they may not have the tools or knowledge to ensure their accounts are secure and accessible to people they trust.
Jed Brubaker currently receives research funding from the National Science Foundation and Google. In the past he has recieved research funding from Facebook and Mozilla. During 2014-2020 he worked as a research for the Legacy Contact and Memorialized Profile features at Facebook.
Dylan Thomas Doyle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on news that the UK government is investing in a nuclear plant at the Sizewell C site and a small modular reactor programme.
Prof Patrick Regan, Professor of Nuclear Metrology, University of Surrey, said:
“The announcement that the UK government has committed £14.2bn of investment to build European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) at the Sizewell C site will contribute to the UK tackling the delicate balance between ever-increasing secure energy requirements and our commitment to achieving net-zero. The EPRs planned at Sizewell C represent Generation 3+ technology and build on more than 70 years of operational reactor experience worldwide to provide the cleanest, safest and most efficient form of nuclear power yet.
“This large investment, however, brings with it the obvious need to produce and maintain a highly skilled, expert workforce related to all phases of the Sizewell C project. Science and Engineering Apprentice, Graduate and Post-Graduate training in areas such as chemical engineering, material science, nuclear physics & radiochemistry, environmental monitoring, radiation measurement and health physics will be key in enabling ‘life-long’ UK-based careers in this industry, in line with such a far horizon project. This is a long-term investment in the UK’s national infrastructure, and it needs a skilled workforce to ensure its ultimate success.”
Dr Phil Johnstone, Principal Research Fellow, University of Sussex Science Policy Research Unit, Patron of Nuclear Information Service, Member of Sussex Energy Group, and Member of Nuclear Consultation Group:
Is this a good move?
“The decision on Sizewell C is a bad move. It will likely lead to increasing costs for UK electricity consumers and represents a significantly slower means of combatting climate change than alternative options. The announcement comes alongside the decision to select submarine reactor manufacturer Rolls Royce as the winning bidder to develop Small Modular Reactors. These are part of the same underlying goal: to sustain the UK military nuclear industrial base via subsidies from civil nuclear power, with democratic scrutiny of this strategy almost entirely absent.”
Prof Andy Stirling, professor of science and technology policy at the University of Sussex Science Policy Research Unit:
Is this a good move (or not) when it comes to energy and fossil fuels?
“It is well acknowledged behind the scenes (but denied in public), that this move is more intended to support the kind of nuclear industrial base needed for military than for climate reasons. Nuclear power stations like Sizewell C are so slow and expensive compared to renewables and storage strategies, that they erode rather than enhance climate action.”
What does this mean for UK energy production? Is there overspeculation?
“This will make UK energy production needlessly more expensive, less secure and less effective in climate terms, than if the same money had been spent on renewables and energy storage.”
What does the science say?
“On this as on many other policy issues, what counts as ‘the science’ is more uncertain and context-dependent than any side typically implies. If either nuclear advocates or critics claim their arguments to be uniquely or unequivocally science-based then that is a sign that they are seeking to mislead.”
Dr Sarah Darby, Emerita Research Fellow, Energy Programme, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, said:
“The argument that building Sizewell C will be markedly cheaper and quicker than Hinkley C is weak. Hinkley C is ‘first of a kind’ in the UK but has the same design as Olkiluoto in Finland and Flamanville in France. These two have been, respectively, over 10 years late and almost four times over budget [1] and over 12 years late and over four times over budget in real terms [2,3]. Neither is yet working reliably [4,5].
“The unfinished Hinkley C was reported by EdF last year as already 90% over budget and 7 years late – and EdF do not expect it to be finished before 2029-31.
“In the light of these figures from three power plants of the same design as SZC, Ed Miliband’s forecast of a 10-year build time looks wildly optimistic. Where cost and complexity are concerned, there is the additional concern about the SZC site being on a flood-prone and eroding coastline, with sea levels on the rise.
“EdF are now wholly owned by the French government, following their extreme financial difficulties, and it is unclear whether they will take any stake at all in SZC. This is hardly a vote of confidence in the prospects of their own design.
“The argument that nuclear build helps with climate goals is similarly weak. New nuclear would arrive too late to assist – renewables already supply over half of UK generation [6] – and are on the rise. The massive sums involved are money not spent on quicker and more effective moves towards energy transition. Bloomberg NEF’s latest assessment of energy transition investment trends* refers to renewables, energy storage, electric vehicles, and power grids as ‘proven, commercially scalable [and with] established business models’, yet categorises nuclear power as an ‘emerging’ technology, with investment held back by lack of affordability and technology maturity [7].
“Nuclear is being presented by the Government as complementary to renewables, for ‘when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow’. But what we need for these times – and for times of abundant renewable supply – is flexibility from storage and demand-side response, not large-scale inflexible power plants that cannot easily be turned down or up and that can be shut down at a moment’s notice [5,8].
“As so often, the debate is focused on supply rather than demand – what we use energy for. The government are citing figures of a doubling of demand by 2050 that are certainly not set in stone and likely to be exaggerated. AI demands are the new kid on the block but, as DeepSeek has shown, they need not be nearly as high as is often made out. There is still plenty of scope to improve energy security through energy efficiency, allied with storage and demand-side response, without compromising quality of life [9].
“Successive governments have already sunk £6.4bn of taxpayers’ money into Sizewell C, but this is no reason to compound the error. A further £14.2bn is substantial but falls a long way short of the £40bn ‘overnight’ cost estimated by the FT [10]. Further, this £40bn estimate does not take into account the costs of capital, decommissioning and disposal of waste. The last of these is itself a topic of major concern to the Public Accounts Committee [11].
“It is not too late to avoid a FID for Sizewell C and to steer funding in more productive directions, including modernisation of the electricity grid, energy efficient buildings and transport systems, and storage. Such investment could create jobs and improve living conditions around the country.”
Stephanie Baxter, Head of Policy, Institution of Engineering and Technology, said:
“The £14.2 billion of funding announced today for the development of Sizewell C, alongside selecting Rolls-Royce SMR as the preferred bidder to develop the UK’s first small modular reactors, marks an important step forward towards nuclear playing a significant role in the UK’s energy mix.
“Nuclear infrastructure, both large and small, will be needed in our energy system if the UK is to have a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system for 2030 and beyond. However, the Government must also take a whole system view of the wider energy system to ensure new nuclear infrastructure compliments other energy generation and distribution resources currently deployed and being developed.
“Significant infrastructure projects such as these rely on long-term stability – in the supply chain, regulations and the skills pipeline. That is why today’s announcements must be backed up by clear plans for delivery, including engagement with local communities.
“These ambitions will also not be met without the skilled engineering and technician workforce that will be critical to delivering and maintaining new nuclear infrastructure.
“Great British Energy must work closely with Skills England to ensure that these plans are backed by a long-term workforce strategy to deliver skilled job opportunities across the country – both by training up new workers in schools and colleges, and upskilling/reskilling the existing workforce through flexible funding in the Growth and Skills Levy.”
Will Davis, Nuclear Expert and a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Sustainability and Net Zero Policy Centre, said:
“Today’s announcements are a clear demonstration of the government’s long-term commitment to low-carbon energy security, extending beyond the 2030 clean power target and taking concrete steps toward achieving net zero by 2050.
“To meet our net zero ambitions, we must significantly scale up electricity generation – by two to three times current levels – and this will only be possible through large-scale projects like Sizewell C and the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme.
“While these developments are both welcome and necessary, the UK nuclear industry must address its ongoing credibility challenges around delivering projects on time and within budget. Unlike the UK’s Hinkley Point C, nuclear projects in countries like China and the UAE have avoided major delays. Learning from these international examples is essential if we are to attract private investment and reduce reliance on gas-fired power stations.
“The selection of a preferred bidder for the SMR fleet is a long-awaited milestone – over a decade in the making – and we’re pleased to see it finally progressing.
“The clarification of roles between Great British Energy and Great British Energy – Nuclear, with NESO overseeing the critical upgrades to our national electricity infrastructure is welcomed. These upgrades are vital and must be properly funded, not treated as an afterthought.
“With the announcements on Sizewell C and SMRs, we urge the government to clarify its position on future gigawatt-scale nuclear projects, such as the previously proposed development at Wylfa.
“New nuclear power stations require a high-tech supply chain and a highly skilled workforce. Investment in key manufacturers like Sheffield Forgemasters is encouraging, but broader supply chain investment hinges on project certainty – contracts must be signed.
“The IET continues to support the sector through initiatives like the Nuclear Skills Taskforce. We’re also pleased to see continued investment in STEP, the UK’s prototype fusion power plant. A £2.5 billion commitment is significant and deserves more visibility.
“However, we note the absence of updates on advanced nuclear technologies, which could play a crucial role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking and hydrogen production. We hope to see further clarity on this soon.”
Dr Lewis Blackburn, Lecturer in Nuclear Materials, University of Sheffield, said:
“Today the UK government demonstrated a clear and renewed commitment to nuclear fission as a means to achieve Net Zero, a key goal that was outlined in the 2024 White Paper “Civil Nuclear: Roadmap to 2050”. This comes in the form of an approximately £14B commitment to the Sizewell C project, comprising two EPR (European Pressurised Reactors) delivering a total of 3.2 GWe. The project is forecast to support 70k jobs and produce enough energy to power 6M UK homes. Today’s news also comes alongside an announcement that Rolls-Royce have been identified as the preferred bidder to construct the UK’s first Small Modular Reactors (SMR) – a fleet of smaller fission reactors designed to be built ‘modular’ on a production line, prior to shipping and assembly on-site.
“The UK faces a potential skills challenge in the field of nuclear engineering and projects like Sizewell C and Rolls-Royce SMR offer an exciting opportunity to build a skills pipeline, increasing the number and diversity of people entering the nuclear workforce, and bolstering the supply chain.
“In order for the UK to maintain its international reputation as a leader in civil nuclear, it must continue to invest heavily in new infrastructure, the wider industrial supply chain and R&D. Thus, producing the next generation of nuclear expertise in both the industrial and academic sectors, equipping them with the skills required for the UK to continue to utilise nuclear fission, safely, for generations to come.
“An important aspect of this is ensuring that highly radioactive waste, generated as a by-product of nuclear fission, is not passed onto future generations and is permanently disposed of. In this area, the UK is in the process of siting a geological disposal facility – a dedicated site wherein intermediate and high-level radioactive waste will be isolated from the wider environment permanently. The international consensus in the wider scientific and technical community is that this is the only feasible way to safely manage such wastes, ensuring passive safety. This is the focus of significant R&D in both the technical and academic space.”
Dr Mark Foreman, Associate professor of Nuclear Chemistry / Industrial Materials Recycling, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, said:
“Building a new power plant based on light water reactors at Sizewell is a good idea, it will provide a reliable supply of electric power which will help society reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. I hold the view that it will be a safe means of providing for the energy needs of society. Many critics of nuclear power use the example of the Chornobyl accident to argue that all nuclear power plants are unsafe. This is unreasonable, operating the Chornobyl reactor in the same way as it was just before the accident can be thought of as like roller blading along the M1. While running modern (or even a 1980s era) light water reactor is like calmly driving a Volvo equipped with all the latest safety features along the M1.”
Prof Robin Grimes FRS FREng, Professor of materials physics, Imperial College London, said:
“Large plants such as Hinckley, currently under construction and this announced plant at Sizewell are very good at providing constant base load electricity capacity. They are also good for supporting grid stability and providing inertia. Of course they offer generation diversity and energy security. They will offer these benefits for many decades. As we turn to more electricity use to reduce carbon emissions we will need more nuclear electrify. However, large plant are less good at helping with the inherent intermittency of renewables. For this we need the greater flexibility as provided by small modular reactors or the higher temperatures of advanced modular reactors which offer access to more technology options for decarbonisation. I therefore see this announcement as part of the systems approach by which we progress to greater energy security and decarbonisation.”
Prof David Armstrong, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering (Department of Materials), University of Oxford, said:
“This is excellent news for the UK energy landscape. As the UKs aging AGR fleet retires new baseload energy is required. Sizewell C will sit alongside Hinkley Point B to provide sustainable emission free baseload energy complementing the growing wind and solar power and making a significant contribution to UK energy security.”
Dr Iain Staffell, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, said:
“Today’s decision is an important one, but even with Hinkley C and Sizewell C, the UK’s nuclear capacity in the 2030s will still be below its 1990s peak.
“After a decade of dithering, Sizewell C is a litmus test of the UK’s ability to deliver complex infrastructure on schedule.
“This deal lives or dies on its delivery. Sizewell C must be built on time and on budget, learning from the (many) mistakes from Hinkley Point C and other UK mega-projects.
“Nuclear power offers a strong energy security hedge. Fuel and key parts can be stockpiled, insulating consumers from foreign instability and gas price spikes.
“Sizewell C won’t start generating for nearly a decade if it is built on time, so it only just contributes towards the Government’s 2035 clean-power goal. But, it is building for the long-term, and will deliver carbon-free electricity well into the 2080s.
“People are rightly concerned by the environmental impacts and emissions from the enormous construction project, but compared to the scale of energy production over the next six decades, nuclear remains one of the cleanest power sources we have.
“The upfront cost is undoubtedly high. £14 billion could fund around 10 GW of offshore wind versus just 3.2 GW of nuclear. But, these reactors will run day and night, especially valuable when the wind is not blowing.”
Louis Barson, the Institute of Physics Director of Science, Innovation and Skills said:
“It is good to see this decision made about developing Sizewell C. New nuclear will play a vital role in bringing reliable, secure and affordable power to new markets, decarbonising industry and helping countries meet their net zero commitments – as part of our future low-carbon energy mix.
“But we need to make sure we also pay attention to the desperate need for hundreds of thousands of skilled workers to support both this project and the development of smaller, modular, nuclear reactors.
“Signing off on Sizewell C is only half the picture, we need the nuclear-ready scientific workforce to make it a reality: that means more physics teachers, well-funded physics departments in universities and a healthy pipeline of physics talent.”
Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive, Nuclear Industry Association, said:
On Sizewell C Given Go-Ahead from Government
“This is a momentous day for Sizewell C and for the British nuclear programme. Sizewell C is one of Britain’s most important clean power projects, and will give the country the jobs, the economic growth and the energy security we need to ensure a secure and reliable power supply for the future. This record investment confirms the government is serious about building new nuclear and all the economic benefits that come with it, and will be welcomed in communities the length and breadth of Britain.”
On Rolls-Royce SMR Winning the UK SMR Competition
“This is a hugely significant moment for Rolls-Royce SMR and for the British nuclear programme. These SMRs will provide essential energy security and clean power alongside large scale reactors, all the while creating thousands of well-paid, skilled jobs, opportunities for growth right across the country and significant export potential. We look forward to working with Rolls-Royce SMR and all other potential SMR vendors, including those not successful today, on making Britain the best place to build new nuclear anywhere in the world.”
Prof Mark Wenman, Professor in Nuclear Materials, Imperial College London, said:
“This is a big step forward. Since the 1990s the amount of nuclear energy the UK produces has been steadily declining from around 12 to 4.5 GWe today. Sizewell C will help reverse this trend and further provide the UK with energy security. It will help balance the grid with the increase of renewables, replace fossil fuel plants and protect us against potential blackouts, as recently seen in Spain. Whilst the costs may seem high initially, this needs to be balanced against the fact that these reactors will produce low carbon electricity for 80 or possibly 100 years, 24/7, providing around a tenth of the current UK electricity needs. Once paid for, nuclear reactors produce the cheapest electricity of any kind, so this investment should be seen as future proofing the UK electricity system.”
Prof Adrian Bull,Chair in Nuclear Energy and Society, Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of Manchester, said:
“It’s very welcome news to see the announcements today of Government support for a new wave of nuclear power in this country. We’ve known for decades that reliance on imported gas could ruin the environment – but recent years showed us that it can ruin the economy too. Nuclear gives much-needed resilience against global fossil fuel prices, without emitting the gases that cause climate change, so it’s excellent news that we are going to see new plants – both large and small – built.
“I’m especially pleased that we have finally got over our national phobia of replicating a previous project. We’ve never done that in our UK nuclear fleet before, but the rest of the world learned ages ago that series construction is the route to certainty over the time and budget for such projects. Doing the same things at Sizewell which we have already done at Hinkley Point is much easier than starting from scratch to build a massively complex plant for the first time.
“The announcement of Rolls Royce as the winner of the SMR competition is a welcome sign of progress, but it’s disappointing to see only one winner selected, when we had all anticipated more. Government has long been supporting the Rolls Royce SMR project – with over £200m of public funds provided already – so it was inconceivable they would not be on the podium at the end of the race. Seeing them there alone makes the two years spent by Great British Nuclear on running a competition look like time and effort that could have been better spent.
“Overall though, these nuclear plants – whilst not cheap – will produce reliable, low carbon electricity around the clock and will most likely do so for the best part of a century. This is an investment in our grandchildren’s future as well as helping towards our 2050 climate goal.”
Prof Dame Sue Ion GBE FREng FRS, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“It’s really good news that the Government is finally taking steps to ensure that nuclear energy plays the vital role it should in achieving significant quantities of stable low carbon electricity. Perhaps as importantly, if not more so, is the news that Rolls Royce’s Small Modular Reactor has been selected as the technology of choice to progress the opportunity presented by SMRs. These systems are designed from the outset to be modular, with modern construction techniques using much more factory fabrication, so they will be faster and easier to build.”
Prof Tom Scott, Professor in Materials, University of Bristol, said:
“This is an extremely important strategic step for the UK towards achieving net zero carbon emissions. Nuclear energy is a safe, secure and reliable form of electricity generation. With the lessons learnt from the Hinkley Point C project, and with the experienced workforce and supply chain that has been established because of it, my expectations are high for the delivery of Sizewell C at a much lower cost and shorter timescale.
“The announcement about Government investment in Sizewell C and more excitingly, about the investment in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), really shows the Government’s understanding and commitment towards nuclear as a key part of the solution towards achieving zero carbon emissions in the UK.
“SMRs offer the potential for providing new nuclear power stations much faster and more cheaply than conventional large-scale light water reactors like Hinkley Point C. Ultimately, the roll-out of SMRs delivered by British companies like Rolls-Royce will help to keep our electricity prices low whilst also generating high-value jobs across the U.K. This is a smart investment for the UK.”
Dr Mark Foreman, Associate professor of Nuclear Chemistry / Industrial Materials Recycling, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, said:
“Building a new power plant based on light water reactors at Sizewell is a good idea, it will provide a reliable supply of electric power which will help society reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. I hold the view that it will be a safe means of providing for the energy needs of society. Many critics of nuclear power use the example of the Chornobyl accident to argue that all nuclear power plants are unsafe. This is unreasonable, operating the Chornobyl reactor in the same way as it was just before the accident can be thought of as like roller blading along the M1. While running modern (or even a 1980s era) light water reactor is like calmly driving a Volvo equipped with all the latest safety features along the M1.”
Prof Adrian Bull: “I am a (paid) part time Professor at the Dalton Nuclear Institute, part of the University of Manchester; I am a (paid) consultant for US nuclear communications consultancy Full On Communications; I am an (unpaid) Board member of the Northern Nuclear Alliance; I am an (unpaid) Trustee of the Nuclear Institute; and am also the President-Elect, taking over in Jan 2026.”
Prof Dame Sue Ion: “Sue is Honorary President of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear.” “Sue is also a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Task Force.”
Prof Tom Scott: “In terms of interests, I am Director of the Spur West Nuclear Hub and Professor of Nuclear Materials at the University of Bristol sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
The nuclear hub is a consortium of academic, industrial and governmental partners coalescing around the requirement for research, skills and innovation in the UK nuclear sector.”
Dr Mark Foreman: “I have worked on advanced nuclear reprocessing for years and have also have worked on nuclear reactor safety issues. I have done and supervised research on the chemistry of nuclear accidents.”
Prof Mark Wenman “I have previously received funding for research from EDF Energy, Rolls-Royce, the UK National Nuclear Lab”
Tom Greatrex “The NIA is funded by its 320 member companies from across the civil nuclear industry.”
Dr Iain Staffell “I receive industry funding from a several companies in the UK and European energy sector, I try to keep this balanced so as not to over-represent any one technology or organization. Recent funding sources include: Drax, Octopus, SSE, HM Government, NESO (National Grid), EWE, Aurora, Baringa, Shell, Uniper, SLB, and the World Bank.”
Prof David Armstrong “I’ve had funding from UKAEA, Rolls Royce and EdF for research and students over the last 20 years.”
Prof Robin Grimes “I am a non-executive director of UKAEA and receive research funding from the UK national nuclear laboratory.”
Dr Mark Foreman “I do not currently get any money from the nuclear industry, I do not stand to make any money from the sales of nuclear products / technology. I have not been employed by the nuclear industry. I think that in terms of conflicts of interest I have none.”
Dr Lewis Blackburn“He receives funding from industry via Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, National Nuclear Laboratory, and Nuclear Waste Services”
Stephanie Baxter “No conflicts of interest.”
Will Davis “No conflicts of interest.”
Prof Andy Stirling “no conflicts of interest to declare.”
Dr Phil Johnstone “no conflicts of interest to declare.”
Dr Sarah Darby “I have no conflicts of interest to declare.”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) will launch the exhibition “The Pride of Hong Kong: Three Preeminent Collections of Ancient Paintings and Calligraphies” from June 11 to October 7, converging for the first time treasures from three world-class collections – Xubaizhai, established by the late renowned local collector Low Chuck-tiew; Chih Lo Lou, by Ho Iu-kwong; and Bei Shan Tang, by Lee Jung-sen, which are highly revered locally and internationally. Ninety-three sets of masterpieces from the Tang to the Qing dynasties will be exhibited, showcasing Hong Kong’s golden age of collecting.
The exhibition, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is jointly organised by the HKMoA and the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Addressing the opening ceremony held today (June 10), the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan, said that in the mid-20th century, Chinese national treasures were featured in a large quantity in Hong Kong. Foreign art dealers and collectors were highly enthusiastic to acquire these treasures. With the resolve to retain these embodiments of Chinese heritage on home soil, the three collectors were determined to collect ancient Chinese masterpieces. The three world-class private treasured collections, namely Xubaizhai, Chih Lo Lou and Bei Shan Tang, were thus built up. Moreover, the three collectors and their families donated their invaluable collections to the HKMoA and the Art Museum of the CUHK for exhibition and educational purposes, providing the public with the opportunity to appreciate Chinese painting and calligraphy. The three collectors and their families, committed to preserving and promoting Chinese culture, have demonstrated their honourable generosity.
An international group of physicists, including two UConn faculty, have published a white paper representing a major step forward in developing our understanding of one of the smallest units of our world, and with it, the basic laws of physics.
Thomas Blum, professor, and Luchang Jin, associate professor, in the Department of Physics are authors on this paper and members of the Muon g-2 Theory Initiative.
The group which includes more than 100 scientists from around the world formed in 2017.
The white paper deals with muons, a type of elementary particle. Muons are a lot like electrons, negatively charged subatomic particles, but they are about 200 times heavier.
Compared with many other elementary particles the muon is easier to study because it’s a kind of “Goldilocks” particle. It doesn’t interact too strongly nor too weakly with other particles.
Quarks, for example, interact so strongly with other particles they are difficult to isolate for study. But if a particle interacts too weakly with others this is also a problem, because the technology used to measure a particle’s properties actually depends on particle interactions.
Because of this, dark matters and neutrinos are difficult to study. Scientists need to build very large detectors in order to have a chance of capturing just a handful of particles. This makes the muon’s unique advantages important for probing the unknown.
“We’re interested in the muon because it presents an opportunity for something that we can measure extremely precisely in the lab and we can also calculate extremely precisely from our most fundamental theory of nature,” Blum says.
This white paper presents the theoretical side of this group’s work, which uses cutting-edge calculations to determine the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon.
A particle’s magnetic moment is usually described by the g-factor (g), which is theoretically predicted to equal two. But, particles are constantly interacting with other particles, changing this value – this is the anomalous magnetic moment, or g minus two (g-2).
This quantity is critical for evaluating the Standard Model, a description of the fundamental forces and particle types that make up the entire known universe.
The value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon is a part of the Standard Model but it has some uncertainty associated with its calculation. Hence, doing a better calculation will strengthen the Standard Model overall.
The theoretical calculations published in this white paper will then be compared to the value from an experiment conducted at Fermilab outside of Chicago.
The agreement or disagreement between these two results could alter our understanding of particle physics as we know it.
“If they don’t agree, we know that the Standard Model is not quite right and we have to improve it, we have to change it to include this new effect,” Blum says. “Even if we don’t find a discrepancy, it’s important to test our most fundamental theories as precisely as we can and know when or if they break down.”
This latest development builds upon decades of scientific advancement, including the work of Blum and Jin.
Blum was the first to calculate the contribution of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) – one of the three essential forces in the Standard Model – to the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment using a numerical technique called lattice QCD.
Since that first calculation Blum,Jin, and their collaborators have calculated the contribution of the hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, producing one of the most precise values at that point using lattice QCD.
“Groups all over the world are doing these calculations and improving the precision and the accuracy of those calculations to the point where, now we believe those are the most robust parts of the HVP calculation and now we can make an accurate comparison of the Standard Model to the experiment,” Blum says.
Jin contributed significantly to improving the precision of another hadronic contribution (i.e., arising from QCD) known as light-by-light scattering.
“We made some methodological developments which greatly improved the efficiency and reduced systematic errors,” Jin says.
This work is a testament to both advances in computing, as these calculations rely on state-of-the-art supercomputers housed in national laboratories, alongside theoretical advancements.
“We need both,” Blum says. “We need the improved algorithms and methods, and we need the most powerful computers we can get our hands on.”
Professor of anthropology Dimitris Xygalatas is a scientist and self-declared rational thinker. But he’s also a lifelong soccer fan, and he fully admits that when his Greek home team finally won their league in 2019, he cried tears of joy.
“Not what you might call a rational organism’s behavior,” he jokes.
But his reaction is in keeping with his latest study, published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which shows that the intense feelings of joy, unity, and excitement fans experience surrounding sports can be less about the game and more about the ritual of coming together.
“Rituals are the kinds of things that, at first glance, don’t make any sense in terms of human behavior, but are deeply meaningful to people,” says Xygalatas.
With the cooperation of a die-hard Brazilian soccer (actually, it’s “football,” Xygalatas grudgingly reminds us Americans) fan club, Xygalatas and his team tracked the physiological arousal of fans before, during, and after a state championship final in Minas Gerais between local rival teams.
Using wearable heart monitors, they measured the emotional reactions of fans during the ritual of Rua de Fogo (Street of Fire), where crowds gather near the stadium to welcome the team’s bus. As it arrives, fans light flares, smoke bombs, and fireworks, wave flags, and chant to boost team morale and unify supporters.
The scientists outfitted participants with EKG monitors hidden beneath their clothing. The devices measured heart rate fluctuations, which is a proxy for emotional arousal, as fans participated in the pre-game celebration, entered the stadium, and watched the match unfold.
What they found was striking: The levels of shared excitement, or what the scientists call “collective effervescence,” peaked not during the game, but during the pre-game fan rituals.
Only when the home team scored a goal did those physiological markers exceed the emotional high of the pre-match gathering.
“What we see is that, in fact, the pre-game ritual generates more emotional synchrony than the game itself,” Xygalatas says. “There’s a single moment in the entire game when they have more collective emotional synchrony than the pre-game ritual, and that’s when they scored a goal.”
The findings underscore Xygalatas’ broader work to understand how ritual shapes human behavior and identity.
Xygalatas’ past research has taken him to remote firewalking ceremonies and intense religious festivals. But soccer, he says, offers a unique laboratory: It’s a global obsession that’s rich in ritual and pageantry, but largely free from political or religious ideology.
“People attribute a lot of meaning to sports,” Xygalatas says. “Sports generate billions and billions of dollars globally, and they take up so much of people’s attention. And the reason they do that is not just because of what’s happening on the pitch. It’s because of these ritualized interactions that occur among the fans.”
The implications, the paper argues, extend beyond sports. Ritualized group behaviors like concerts, religious ceremonies, or political rallies, may powerfully shape people’s emotions and even their beliefs.
“By going to these events, we’re actually shaping our beliefs,” he says. “So, sports is not just an excuse for people to get together. It’s a driver of identity.”
Xygalatas speaks from experience. As a young man growing up in Thessaloniki, Greece, he was a member of a soccer fan club. One day, while wearing his team’s scarf in the wrong neighborhood, he was ambushed by four men and brutally attacked, an incident that echoes the fatal beating of a 19-year-old in his hometown years later, also over team allegiance.
“I felt a blow to my head from behind, and next thing I knew, there were four men beating me, kicking me on the head, everywhere,” remembers Xygalatas. “The reason I was able to escape is that another group of men was turning the corner, wearing my insignia, so they chased them away.”
Football, he says, is the only sport that regularly leads to deadly violence, a fact that leagues and governing bodies like FIFA should take seriously.
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He says it’s in soccer clubs’ best interest to strike a balance between building loyalty, which Europeans and South Americans are excellent at doing, and making it safe for people to participate in.
Still, Xygalatas is clear that he’s not advocating for less passion. He hopes his work helps people understand why they care so deeply in the first place.
“If we look at what makes us human, we realize that it’s our ability and our need to derive meaning from things that seem meaningless,” he says.
Xygalatas’ co-authors on this paper are Mohammadamin Saraei, graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences; Vitor Leandro da Silva Profeta, professor in the Departamento de Educação Física at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; and Gabriela Baranowski-Pinto, professor in the Department of Human Movement Sciences at the Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais.
In almost the same way the rope aboard the Pequod “folds the whole boat in its complicated coils,” so too have the details of the 14th International Melville Society Conference around UConn’s Mary K. Bercaw Edwards.
Who knew planning a weeklong event at UConn Avery Point for 150 Herman Melville scholars from lands as far away as those along the route in the hunt for Moby Dick would imitate passages from the English professor’s favorite chapter in the novel by the same name?
The whaling line, Melville writes of the rope, is both “magical, sometimes horrible.”
But once the scholars arrive and the opening plenary address begins on Monday, June 16, Bercaw Edwards says she’ll settle in and enjoy what the week has to offer as the UConn campus and southeastern Connecticut show off their maritime heritage.
“It’s going to be an amazing conference. The talks look outstanding, and everyone is so excited to be in this location,” Bercaw Edwards says.
Titled “Oceanic Melville,” the conference follows a 2022 gathering in Paris and other global destinations through the years including Poland in 2007, Israel in 2009, Italy in 2011, and Japan in 2015. The first was held in Greece in 1997, with gatherings planned generally biennially.
The latest exhibition, “Oceanic Melville,” at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art features artwork inspired by Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick,” including artist Robert Del Tredici’s mixed media print, “Torn Body, Gnashed Soul.” The exhibition at UConn Avery Point is open through June 19. (Kimberly Phillips/UConn Today)
Bercaw Edwards says The Melville Society, an international organization dedicated to the study of the author, asked her to arrange a conference at Avery Point in part because of its proximity to Mystic Seaport Museum just 15 minutes down the road where the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world, is on display.
The Morgan was launched in 1841 from New Bedford, Massachusetts, built seven months after and 7 miles away from the Acushnet, the whale ship on which Melville served as a crewmember in the Pacific Ocean before writing “Moby-Dick,” making the Morgan as identical as possible to the Acushnet.
While several days of panel discussions and other academic talks (some are open to the public) on topics ranging from Melville in popular culture to Melville and his animals are the centerpiece of the conference, Bercaw Edwards says a daylong trip to the Museum, where she works in the summer, and the chance to get up close with the Morgan is a highlight.
“They’ll see us raise sails, lower and raise the whale boat. They’ll get to pull on the halyards, which will give them a visceral feeling of what it’s like to set sail,” she says of conference attendees. “We’re also going to give them an opportunity to actually row in whale boats.”
Participants’ day at the Museum also will include the daily activities available to the public, including a concert by staff musicians playing and singing the songs mentioned in “Moby-Dick” and a 35-minute play with three actors using Melville’s words to tell the story of Ahab and the whale.
“Monstrous: Whaling and its Colossal Impact,” the Museum’s newest exhibition that opened in late May and runs through Feb. 16, 2026, by happenstance coincides with the conference.
The exhibition has been built around Mexican American artist Jos Sances’ scratchboard mural, “Or, The Whale,” a 51-foot-long artwork the same size as a juvenile sperm whale. Bercaw Edwards says Sances created the piece after reading and finding inspiration in “Moby-Dick.”
“Sances is a screen printer and a scratchboard artist who’s from Mexico and lives in California – and then he read ‘Moby-Dick’ and was driven to make this mural,” she says. “With his background, there was nothing that would have drawn him naturally to reading a book by a white New England author, but he did just like so many others do.”
‘Deep and Important Questions’
From the perspective of Pequod crewmember Ishmael, “Moby-Dick” tells the story of Captain Ahab’s trek across the globe for vengeance against the albino sperm whale Moby Dick, which took off his leg during a previous encounter.
Some chapters are incredibly dense with precise details about whaling and sailing, while others are so action-packed the story moves quickly. It’s considered among the greatest American novels and for many English majors might be considered their very own white whale.
“Quenchless Feud (Ahab)” from artist Jos Sances is on display as part of “Oceanic Melville” at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art at UConn Avery Point. (Kimberly Phillips/UConn Today)
Bercaw Edwards says she’s oftentimes amazed that today’s audiences are so interested in something written in 1851 – that’s nearly 175 years ago – especially given that it’s authored by a dead, white male and features the killing of whales.
“It seems as politically incorrect as it can possibly be, and yet it feels as if it’s still on the ascendancy,” she says. “It’s a long, dense, tough book, and yet it’s immensely popular. There are graphic novels, movies, plays, concerts, memes, and T-shirts about it.”
She says she once witnessed a colleague who writes about Melville in popular culture mention the word “tattoo” during a talk, and afterward a throng of people gathered around to show him the Melville-inspired artwork on their biceps, forearms, and calves.
“It’s just amazing to me that Melville is so popular. I think it’s because he asks all kinds of deep and important questions: Is there truth? Is there justice? Is there anything beyond our human existence? How do we go about life? And he doesn’t give us any answers. Every time you think ‘OK, that’s the answer,’ he undercuts it. He wants you to realize there are no answers, but he’s asking these great questions. I think that’s part of why it’s still eternal,” she says.
Never mind the beauty of Melville’s writing.
“At the end of Chapter 1, Melville writes, ‘It is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in.’ I’ve always loved that. We should all get along,” Bercaw Edwards says. “I also love, ‘Ignorance is the parent of fear.’ People are afraid of things they don’t know. It’s so true.”
Pequod third mate Flask fears butter – yes, a stick of butter – Bercaw Edwards continues, noting the humor in the book. He feels as if he’s not entitled to the spread: “So when they’re all eating with Ahab – Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask – they’re always really quiet because they’re kind of nervous around Ahab, and Flask, of course, never dares to take butter. Then Melville writes, ‘For Flask is a butterless man.’”
Reading ‘Moby-Dick’
Every time “Moby-Dick” appears on a syllabus in one of Bercaw Edwards’ classes, she says she gives it a fresh read, no specific routine around it, no tableside requisite cup of black tea to share with Ahab.
She’s delighted in its humor during her at least 35 times rereading it through the years – so many instances that she finds herself quoting it as she goes along. And when she gets to her favorite chapter – number 60, “The Line” – she knows she’ll get the best Melville has to offer.
“He’s describing the whale line, which is attached to the harpoon and thrown into the whale. He has really basic information about the line, about rope, and then it’s infused with all kinds of humor,” she says, quoting his description of hemp: “Hemp is a dusky, dark fellow, a sort of Indian; but Manilla is as a golden-haired Circassian to behold.”
Melville then builds to what Bercaw Edwards calls a “metaphysical lift,” explaining that the whale-line surrounds the boat, crisscrossing it and traveling by each of the crewmembers. He then notes that we’re all surrounded by ropes, and no one knows when it will take you to eternity.
“It’s set up like a sermon,” she says of the chapter. “Sermons pick apart a line from biblical text. This does the same thing. It just does it with real line rather than a line of text.”
Then again, Bercaw Edwards can relate to Melville and journeys around the world better than most.
As her friends shifted into high school upperclassman status at 16 years old, she and her family went to sea, she says. The family of five – Mom and Dad, sister and brother, and her – sailed around the globe on a journey that took 3½ years.
“When I went to college, I knew I wanted to be an English major, but I was thinking I would study Henry James,” she says of the American British author. “Then my professor suggested that with my sailing background I should be a Melville scholar – and now I can’t imagine anything else. All my scholarship has been on Melville, with a little on Joseph Conrad and Jack London, but always centered on Melville.”
She acknowledges, though, that for some, reading “Moby-Dick” might be daunting, to which she offers four words of advice: Visit Mystic Seaport Museum.
Seeing the whale boat demonstrations and getting onboard the Morgan to imagine sleeping in its belly every night for between two and five years oftentimes help people get through those challenging whaling chapters.
She further recommends listening to the story as an audio book.
“When people hear it read aloud, they’ll often see how funny it is. I mean, it’s full of humor, and that’s often lost when people get stuck on the fact that this is The. Great. American. Novel,” she says.
From July 31 to Aug. 1, Mystic Seaport Museum will host its 40th annual “Moby-Dick” Marathon reading of the book to coincide with Melville’s Aug. 1 birthday. Readers gather onboard the Morgan and take about 24 consecutive hours to get through the 135 chapters.
“One of the things I always notice is people listening and then they start to laugh and feel embarrassed, like they’re not supposed to. This is The Great American Novel, but of course we’re supposed to laugh,” she adds.
Public Events and AVS Exhibition
With grant funding from Connecticut Humanities and the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, several events during The Melville Society conference will be open to the public, Bercaw Edwards says.
The opening plenary talk at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, June 16, “Other Seas: Sailing Without Ahab,” will come from St. John’s University English professor Steve Mentz, who’s figured prominently in the field of blue humanities. He will discuss how humans engage with water, along with the history and theory of water-centric thinking.
“The Pod” from artist George Klauba is on display as part of “Oceanic Melville” at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art at UConn Avery Point. (Kimberly Phillips/UConn Today)
Then, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18, “Does the Whale Diminish? – Will He Perish? Cross-Disciplinary Currents in Conversation” will offer a panel discussion with Anne Cohen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, conservation biologist and author Joe Roman, and Portuguese marine researcher Rui Prieto.
The closing plenary address at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, also is open to the public. It features Lenora Warren from Cornell University, one of the leading scholars about Melville and race. Her talk, “Melville’s Ghosts,” dovetails with the day also being Juneteenth.
At the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art at Avery Point, the exhibition “Oceanic Melville” comes together thanks to curator and gallery director Jeanne Ciravolo, along with Bercaw Edwards and Robert K. Wallace from Northern Kentucky University.
Ciravolo says she mentioned during a campus faculty meeting more than a year ago that she enjoys making the gallery’s exhibitions interdisciplinary experiences and afterward Bercaw Edwards asked if she was interested in working together on a show to dovetail with the conference.
“I absolutely was,” Ciravolo says. “I’m a reader. I once thought I’d be an English teacher, but I became an artist, so to have the opportunity to marry literature plus art is very unusual for me and special.”
About two dozen framed artworks on loan from The Melville Society, which houses its collection at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts, are part of the show, along with several artists’ books, Ciravolo says, noting that most of the pieces relate to “Moby-Dick.”
This includes three full-color pieces from artist George Klauba, prints from sculptor and graphic artist Leonard Baskin, and an abstract piece, “Skin’s Path/Moby Dick,” from artist Aileen Callahan, a charcoal on paper that depicts the damaged skin of a whale that’s been beaten with time.
“The idea is to always get a mix of things, a variety of style and media, into the gallery,” Ciravolo says, explaining she and Bercaw Edwards visited the New Bedford Museum to pour through The Melville Society’s full collection, as well as the Museum’s Elizabeth Schultz Collection, and select the most powerful artworks from watercolor to printmaking.
“The scholars who are coming are going to appreciate seeing these artworks,” Ciravolo says. “I love that it will be a generative experience for them and that the public will have the chance to see this very interesting show. We’re here on Long Island Sound, near the whaling center of New England, so it’s a perfect place for this.”
The AVS Gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. in the Branford House at UConn Avery Point. It will have extended hours from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17, during the Melville conference for both participants and the public. The “Oceanic Melville” exhibition is open now through Thursday, June 19.
We are announcing the launch of a new website created to support UConn’s international students, scholars, and employees. It will serve as a central hub for key information, guidance, and resources to help navigate and understand federal immigration updates, as well as related university policies.
The site was created in response to the evolving landscape of immigration policy, and reflects our commitment to keeping you informed and supported.
We encourage you to explore the site and share it with colleagues or students who may find it helpful. The site, Support for UConn’s International Community, will be updated regularly with new information and resources as they become available.
If you have suggestions or additional needs, please reach out to any of the following offices:
In recent weeks, there have been several significant immigration developments affecting institutions of higher education. These include a reported pause in expanding visa appointment availability for international students; new executive branch vetting procedures that may apply to international employees, including potential Requests for Evidence (RFEs) for biometric data such as photographs, fingerprints, and signatures; a public statement regarding possible visa revocations for certain Chinese students; and most recently, a presidential proclamation limiting travel and entry from 19 countries.
We want to reassure our community that we are actively monitoring these developments and are working diligently to provide timely communication and support to those who may be affected.
International Student and Scholar Services, Human Resources, the Dean of Students office, and UConn Health’s International Office will host an informational webinar to review the recent executive actions in greater detail. We invite you to join us on Tuesday, June 10, from noon to 1 p.m. You can access the webinar here.
UConn is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for all our faculty, staff, students, and visiting scholars. We hope this resource will help you stay informed as we continue to navigate these evolving challenges together.
Yaoundé, May 8, 2025 – Cameroon has taken a major step toward ocean protection by signing, on May 2, 2025, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). This agreement aims to establish a global, legally binding framework for the preservation of biodiversity in the high seas.
The news comes just weeks before the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), strengthening Cameroon’s position on the international stage in ocean governance. “The Cameroonian government’s signature is a glimmer of hope for the future of our oceans,” says Dr. Aliou Ba, Oceans Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Africa. “We now hope for swift ratification so that this commitment can become reality.”
The signed agreement is part of a global movement to close the legal gap surrounding international marine areas. It establishes binding rules to protect species, regulate human activities on the high seas and enhance scientific cooperation.
However, vigilance remains crucial at the national level. A recent Mongabay investigation, published in April 2025, revealed serious threats to the Manyange na Elombo Campo Marine Park —the first marine protected area in Cameroon. This site, located near Kribi, is currently under threat from a controversial iron mining project.
“This example highlights the contradictions between political commitments and on-the-ground realities,” notes Dr. Ba. “The treaty’s signature alone is not enough. It must be followed by strong measures to protect coastal areas and marine resources.”
With 500 kilometers of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, Cameroon is home to remarkable marine biodiversity: over 500 fish species, marine mammals, and plankton-rich ecosystems. These vital resources are now under threat from industrial exploitation, pollution and the effects of climate change.
Greenpeace Africa is urging Cameroonian authorities to turn this signature into concrete action: strengthening conservation mechanisms, monitoring marine activities and honoring international commitments.
“We applaud Cameroon’s example and call on other African nations to follow suit. This treaty is a historic opportunity for Africa to play a leading role in ocean protection—for the benefit of communities, biodiversity, and future generations.” concludes Dr. Ba.
Media Contact:
Luchelle Feukeng, Communication and Storytelling Manager, [email protected], +237 656 46 35 45
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01)
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02) and Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20) introduced the Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith Glioblastoma Parity Act, which amends the PACT Act to ensure Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange can access critical benefits for glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.
The bill, named in honor of Specialist Fourth Class (SP4) Keith Smith, was inspired by a letter Congresswomen Hinson and Cherfilus-McCormick received from his widow, Linda Smith, an Iowa resident. SP4 Smith, a Vietnam veteran exposed to Agent Orange, died from glioblastoma—a condition not currently recognized under the PACT Act for Agent Orange exposure. As a result, he was denied critical benefits. Linda Smith now advocates to ensure no other veteran or family faces the same injustice.
“This was Keith’s wish─to help other Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange. Adding glioblastoma to the list of presumptive conditions as part of the PACT Act would help fulfill that wish.” – Linda Smith.
“Ensuring our veterans receive the benefits they have earned remains a top priority for me. I was proud to support the PACT Act to expand access to care for those exposed to toxic substances, but more work remains. Glioblastoma is not recognized as a presumptive condition under the PACT Act for Agent Orange exposure, despite mounting evidence. I had the honor of speaking with Linda Smith of Independence, Iowa—the widow of Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith, who tragically passed away from Glioblastoma. SP4 Smith served our country with pride and honor, but under the current PACT Act, he was still unable to receive the health care he deserved. I’m humbled to co-lead this bipartisan effort to update the law and ensure all veterans have access to the highest quality care. Naming this bill in SP4 Smith’s honor is a deserving tribute to his life and service, and an opportunity for Iowans and all Americans to help save lives while honoring one of our own.” –Congresswoman Ashley Hinson
“When our veterans serve, we make a promise to stand by them—not just in war, but long after they return home. Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith answered that call with courage in Vietnam, risking everything in service to our nation. This bipartisan bill is more than legislation—it’s a solemn commitment to honor his legacy, uplift his memory, and ensure that no veteran is forgotten. By recognizing his sacrifice, we reaffirm our duty to all those who have served and continue to serve, and we take a meaningful step toward keeping the promises we’ve made.” – Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick
“The Military Aviator Coalition for Health (MACH) is proud to endorse this critical piece of legislation. Glioblastoma claims far too many veteran lives annually. This bill is a huge step in rectifying past disparities and honoring the tremendous legacy of SP4 Smith.” – COL. Vincent Alcazar, USAF (ret.), Founder and Director of MACH
“The Invisible Enemy proudly supports the Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith Glioblastoma Parity Act introduced by Congresswomen Cherfilus-McCormick and Hinson. Glioblastoma has affected many servicemembers, whether due to Agent Orange on the battlefield or radiation at the Nevada Test and Training Range (HB 1400). We are deeply grateful to the Members of Congress who continue to support veterans by recognizing glioblastoma as a presumptive condition related to their service. These efforts bring hope and long-overdue recognition to those who have sacrificed in silence.” – David Tilem, Executive Director of the Invisible Enemy
NEW YORK, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brag House Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBH) (“Brag House” or the “Company”), the media-tech platform at the intersection of gaming, college sports, and Gen Z engagement, today announced that it plans to develop a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) initiative that is designed to help student-athletes of all backgrounds monetize their personal brand. The Company is exploring developing such initiatives through digital collectibles and blockchain-backed experiences.
This initiative builds on Brag House’s creation of a new digital sports medium through its strategic partnership with Learfield, which partnership provides the Company with the opportunity to deliver interactive events and branded campus experiences across more than 200 NCAA college campuses, most of which are Division 1. While the NCAA’s 2021 ruling enabled student-athletes to profit from their NIL rights, the Company believes that the vast majority of the active NCAA athletes do not receive meaningful NIL compensation.
“We’ve created a new lane where college gaming and school spirit intersect,” said Lavell Juan Malloy II, CEO and Co-Founder of Brag House. “As a former student-athlete, I deeply understand the value of building a personal brand, but also how few athletes truly get to benefit. Brag House was built on the idea of inclusivity, and we believe it’s time to level the playing field.”
A New Kind of NIL Model
The Company’s NIL initiative would aim to empower student-athletes to connect directly with fans and generate new revenue. One route the Company is considering is to offer authenticated digital collectibles and unique fan experiences. Through this, student-athletes could create and share digital assets like signature highlight reels, exclusive game-day access passes, and personalized memorabilia. They will benefit by retaining a majority of the earnings from initial sales and receiving a share of revenue from any future fan-to-fan resales.
Brag House’s aim would be to simplify the creation process of digital collectibles and blockchain-backed experiences through a no-code interface, while incorporating compliance tools tailored to NCAA, state, and school guidelines to ensure ease of adoption.
Considerations for implementation include utilizing a smart contract infrastructure and blockchain technology to deliver transparency, efficiency, and secure payments directly to student e-wallets.
Brag House may further consider implementing its NIL platform using a treasury strategy such as one built on Ethereum. This approach could support athlete education, loyalty rewards, and long-term platform sustainability through yield-generating digital assets. It should be noted, that Brag House recognizes that there are alternative blockchains that may offer lower fees and faster transactions. Ultimately, Brag House will focus on maturity, security, and post–Proof-of-Stake sustainability given the need for trust and transparency in student-athlete programs.
Regardless, this initiative would ultimately use secure digital ledger technology to ensure transparency, efficiency, and direct payments straight to student wallets, which means a clear, streamlined process for athletes to share their unique moments and experiences with fans.
Potential Significant Market Tailwinds
Brag House’s expansion comes at a time of rapid growth in both the NIL and digital ownership markets. According to Opendorse, the NIL market reached approximately $917 million in 2022 and is projected to surpass $1.5 billion by 2027. Simultaneously, global NFT trading volume exceeded $24 billion in 2023, with sports collectibles and creator-driven assets representing a fast-growing segment.
With over 20 million college students and half a million NCAA athletes in the U.S., the opportunity to connect student-athletes directly with fans through verified, blockchain-backed assets could be significant. By enabling personalized fan experiences and recurring royalty income, Brag House’s platform aligns with Gen Z’s appetite for authenticity, access, and digital innovation.
“This isn’t about chasing trends,” said Malloy. “It’s about responding to real demand and undeniable data. Our platform already fuels and encourages engagement across Gen Z campuses, and this initiative ensures student-athletes are empowered to share in the value they help create.”
Next Steps: Empowering the Future of NIL
The NIL initiative is currently aimed to pilot with several activations for select campuses in late 2025. The Company expects to release additional updates and invite student-athlete collaborators as it advances its infrastructure and smart contract capabilities.
Brag House plans to continue delivering innovative NIL opportunities through its expanding slate of campus activations, including the Brag Gators Gauntlet Series and branded loyalty token integrations, all designed to empower Gen Z through authentic digital sports experiences.
About Brag House Brag House is a leading media technology gaming platform dedicated to transforming casual college gaming into a vibrant, community-driven experience. By seamlessly merging gaming, social interaction, and cutting-edge technology, the Company provides an inclusive and engaging environment for casual gamers while enabling brands to authentically connect with the influential Gen Z demographic. For more information, visit www.braghouse.com.
Media Contact: Fatema Bhabrawala Director of Media Relations fbhabrawala@allianceadvisors.com
SINGAPORE, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Primech AI Pte. Ltd. (“Primech AI” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Primech Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: PMEC), today announced that it has been named Winner in the Robotics category at the prestigious Singapore Business Review (SBR) Technology Excellence Awards 2025. This recognition underscores Primech AI’s commitment to innovation and leadership in the robotics industry and its ongoing efforts to drive technological advancements that enhance productivity and transform industries.
The SBR Technology Excellence Awards celebrate the achievements of Singapore’s top technology companies and innovators, highlighting organizations that have made significant contributions to the nation’s digital transformation journey. As detailed in the official SBR announcement, this year’s ceremony recognized outstanding projects and solutions shaping the future of technology in Singapore and beyond.
Primech AI’s award-winning robotics solutions have set new benchmarks for efficiency, reliability, and intelligent automation. HYTRON model incorporates the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Super, a state-of-the-art System-on-Module (SoM) designed for robust edge AI and robotics applications. Known for its compact size and powerful AI capabilities, the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Super facilitates high-energy efficiency and superior AI processing at the edge, empowering HYTRON to deliver enhanced performance in autonomous toilet cleaning. By leveraging cutting-edge artificial intelligence, Primech AI continues to develop advanced robotic systems that address the evolving needs of businesses across multiple sectors.
“We are honored to be recognized by the Singapore Business Review for our contributions to robotics and technology innovation,” said Charles Ng, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Primech AI. “This award is a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of our team, and it motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of what robotics can achieve for our clients and the community.”
For more information about the SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2025 and the full list of winners, please refer to the official announcement by Singapore Business Review.
About Primech AI Primech AI is a leading robotics company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation in technology. With a team of passionate individuals and a commitment to collaboration, Primech AI is poised to revolutionize the robotics industry with groundbreaking solutions that make a meaningful impact on society. For more information, visitwww.primech.ai.
About Primech Holdings Limited Headquartered in Singapore, Primech Holdings Limited is a leading provider of comprehensive technology-driven facilities services, predominantly serving both public and private sectors throughout Singapore. Primech Holdings offers an extensive range of services tailored to meet the complex demands of its diverse clientele. Services include advanced general facility maintenance services, specialized cleaning solutions such as marble polishing and facade cleaning, meticulous stewarding services, and targeted cleaning services for offices and homes. Known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology, Primech Holdings integrates eco-friendly practices and smart technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and client satisfaction. This strategic approach positions Primech Holdings as a leader in the industry and a proactive contributor to advancing industry standards and practices in Singapore and beyond. For more information, visit www.primechholdings.com.
Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about completing the acquisition, anticipated revenues, growth, and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure that such expectations will be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
