LOS ANGELES, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lingokids, the #1 interactive app for children ages 2–8, has announced a new partnership with Animaj, the next-generation media company behind the globally beloved preschool brand Pocoyo. Through this collaboration, Pocoyo and his friends are now featured in a dedicated content hub within the Lingokids app, combining entertainment and learning for young children.
Narrated in English by the acclaimed British actor Stephen Fry, Pocoyo is an iconic Hispanic brand with broad international appeal. This partnership marks only the second time Lingokids has partnered with an external intellectual property, further expanding its mission to offer families engaging, guilt-free screen time.
Lingokids users can now enjoy original Pocoyo episodes and exclusive interactive games developed by the Lingokids team. Additional content will be added in the coming months, all designed to support key developmental areas such as vocabulary, creativity, numeracy, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence.
“Lingokids and Animaj both believe that learning should be fun,” said Cristóbal Viedma, Founder and CEO of Lingokids. “By welcoming Pocoyo into the Lingokids universe, we’re offering families even more meaningful and playful experiences that support children’s growth.”
All Pocoyo games within the app are built around Lingokids’ Playlearning™ methodology—an approach that blends educational outcomes with active, engaging play. The content is personalized to each child’s age and developmental stage, creating an immersive and safe learning environment.
“We’re thrilled to bring Pocoyo to Lingokids,” added Lise Cosentino, Head of Brand Management and Communications at Animaj. “Their Playlearning™ philosophy aligns beautifully with our values, and we’re excited for families to discover the exclusive new games featuring our characters.”
This launch follows Lingokids’ successful collaboration with Moonbug Entertainment and further establishes the brand’s commitment to enriching its platform with high-quality, third-party children’s content that is both fun and educational.
Animajrecently raised $85 million to fuel its mission of transforming iconic children’s IPs into global, multi-format franchises using its proprietary AI-driven production pipeline.
About Animaj Animaj is a next-generation media company that revitalizes iconic kids’ IPs into global franchises using an AI-driven, digital-first approach. Reaching 242 million unique monthly viewers on YouTube, Animaj commands the fifth-largest digital kids’ audience globally (source: Tubular Labs).
About Lingokids Lingokids is the EdTech and media company behind the world’s #1 interactive learning app for kids ages 2–8. With over 165 million downloads worldwide, the app features thousands of games, videos, and songs that support academic and life skills development in a safe, ad-free environment. Learn more at www.lingokids.com.
BOISE, Idaho, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SSDs are vital to enhancing user experience and system performance for PCs and client devices. Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) today announced the Micron 2600 NVMe™ SSD, a value client storage solution designed for OEMs. Built with the industry’s first 9th-generation QLC NAND in an SSD, the 2600 SSD features Micron’s innovative Adaptive Write Technology™ (AWT) to deliver exceptional PCIe Gen4 performance with QLC economics.1 The Micron 2600 SSD achieves up to 63% faster sequential write and 49% faster random write speeds than competing value QLC and TLC SSDs,2 offering a best-in-class user experience for demanding client users.
“The Micron 2600 QLC SSD achieves superior performance compared to competitive value TLC drives,” said Mark Montierth, corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile and Client Business Unit at Micron Technology. “Micron’s unparalleled combination of high-performance G9 NAND and innovative Adaptive Write Technology unlocks the performance previously only considered possible with TLC drives and is in qualification with Micron’s OEM customers. This Micron innovation milestone allows for broader commercial adoption of QLC NAND.”
Optimized QLC NAND performance
Micron AWT improves the write performance of QLC NAND by delivering an industry-first multi-tiered SLC, TLC and QLC dynamic caching architecture to improve sequential write speeds. Improved write performance provides up to four times faster sequential write speeds while continuously writing up to 800GB of data to a 2TB SSD.3
The cutting-edge six-plane NAND architecture of Micron’s 2Tb G9 QLC NAND allows for higher degrees of parallelism and increases read and write commands issued to the NAND simultaneously to improve performance. With speeds up to 3.6 GB/s, the 2600 SSD offers the fastest NAND I/O rate now shipping in a client SSD.4
Storage matters Powerful PC storage solutions enable improved application productivity and optimized user experience. The Micron 2600 SSD transforms everyday computing experiences, significantly boosting productivity for commonly used applications.
Enhanced performance: The 2600 SSD accelerates data access, along with read and write speeds, leading to quicker boot times, faster application launch time and enhanced system responsiveness. Reduced OS image installation time ensures more efficient manufacturing process and fast commercial PC drive imaging for IT departments.
AI PC applications: Storage performance is a key contributor to advancements in AI-driven applications. The 2600 SSD’s fast read access allows AI models to be loaded quickly, enabling seamless transitions between tasks.
User experience: AWT helps ensure active data is optimally stored in the SSD, resulting in smoother performance for content creation, casual gaming and everyday computing. In PCMark® 10 testing, the 2600 SSD achieved up to 44% better scoring and 43% better bandwidth versus competitive value TLC SSDs, helping demonstrate the excellent user experience provided by the 2600 SSD.5
The Micron 2600 NVMe SSD is now shipping to OEMs globally in 22x30mm, 22x42mm, and 22x80mm form factors, with capacities ranging from 512GB to 2TB. The variation of smaller form factors, capacity options and a single-sided design is perfect for handhelds, ultra-thin laptops and workstations. For example, the compact 2TB, 22x30mm form factor is ultra-small and high-capacity for use in limited-space designs such as handheld gaming devices.
“The Micron 2600 QLC SSD is one of the best examples of client storage, bringing high-capacity, efficient and responsive performance to modern computing. As AMD advances processor technology, Micron’s innovations help users get the best possible user experience for everyday applications,” said Joe Macri, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Compute and Graphics at AMD.
“Building upon Micron’s legacy of NAND innovation, the Micron G9 QLC NAND has the potential to set a new level of performance for QLC NAND. As part of our ongoing collaborative efforts, IBM is eager for the opportunity to integrate this exceptional NAND into our products,” said Alistair Symon, vice president of Storage Systems Development at IBM Storage.
“The Micron 2600 SSD is a groundbreaking product that showcases the power and potential of Intel’s latest technology. We are excited to see this innovative solution transform the industry and drive new levels of performance for value SSDs on Intel Platforms. Furthermore, the Micron 2600 SSD is now included on Intel’s Platform Component List (PCL),” said Todd Lewellen, vice president of the Client Ecosystem Group at Intel.
“The Micron 2600 SSD, powered by Phison’s industry-leading E29T controller, supports high NAND flash speeds, redefining user experiences for value-based client SSDs. In the data center storage realm, Micron’s G9 QLC NAND marks a significant technological advancement that will bolster our lightning-fast Pascari enterprise drives,” said K.S. Pua, chief executive officer at Phison.
“Micron G9 QLC NAND is a substantial leap forward in QLC NAND technology. Pure Storage continues to lead the way in QLC NAND deployment for the enterprise, and now for hyperscale customers. The initiation of the testing and implementation phases for the innovative Micron G9 QLC NAND marks a significant milestone for both companies,” said Bill Cerreta, vice president and general manager of Hyperscale at Pure Storage.
Additional resources:
About Micron Technology, Inc. Micron Technology, Inc. is an industry leader in innovative memory and storage solutions, transforming how the world uses information to enrich life for all. With a relentless focus on our customers, technology leadership and manufacturing and operational excellence, Micron delivers a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products through our Micron® and Crucial® brands. Every day, the innovations that our people create fuel the data economy, enabling advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and compute-intensive applications that unleash opportunities — from the data center to the intelligent edge and across the client and mobile user experience. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), visit micron.com.
1 AWT is available on select 2600 SSD SKUs and may not be available from every OEM.
2 SSD comparisons are based on currently in-production, commonly available 2TB QLC & value TLC NAND client SSDs from the top five competitive suppliers of OEM SSDs by revenue (using 1TB where the supplier does not offer 2TB), excluding consoles and Apple® products, as per Forward Insights analyst report, “SSD Supplier Status Q1/25”. Performance comparisons are based on publicly available data sheet information.
3 Refers to rated capacity, formatted capacity will be less, 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. AWT accelerates large file transfers for 40% of the SSD capacity based on internal Micron testing results.
4 Statements are based on publicly available information and Micron lab testing results available at the time of product announcement. NAND analysis based on production NAND from the top five competitive NAND suppliers, as noted in the Forward Insights analyst report, “NAND Quarterly Insights Q1/25.” SSD analysis is based on currently in-production, commonly available 2TB QLC & value TLC client SSDs from the top five competitive suppliers of OEM SSDs by revenue (using 1TB where the supplier does not offer 2TB), excluding consoles and Apple® products, as per Forward Insights analyst report, “SSD Supplier Status Q1/25.”
5 The PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark suite uses a wide-ranging set of real-world traces from popular applications such as Adobe and Microsoft, along with PC games such as Call of Duty, to fully test common tasks and performance of the fastest modern drives.
BOISE, Idaho, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SSDs are vital to enhancing user experience and system performance for PCs and client devices. Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) today announced the Micron 2600 NVMe™ SSD, a value client storage solution designed for OEMs. Built with the industry’s first 9th-generation QLC NAND in an SSD, the 2600 SSD features Micron’s innovative Adaptive Write Technology™ (AWT) to deliver exceptional PCIe Gen4 performance with QLC economics.1 The Micron 2600 SSD achieves up to 63% faster sequential write and 49% faster random write speeds than competing value QLC and TLC SSDs,2 offering a best-in-class user experience for demanding client users.
“The Micron 2600 QLC SSD achieves superior performance compared to competitive value TLC drives,” said Mark Montierth, corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile and Client Business Unit at Micron Technology. “Micron’s unparalleled combination of high-performance G9 NAND and innovative Adaptive Write Technology unlocks the performance previously only considered possible with TLC drives and is in qualification with Micron’s OEM customers. This Micron innovation milestone allows for broader commercial adoption of QLC NAND.”
Optimized QLC NAND performance
Micron AWT improves the write performance of QLC NAND by delivering an industry-first multi-tiered SLC, TLC and QLC dynamic caching architecture to improve sequential write speeds. Improved write performance provides up to four times faster sequential write speeds while continuously writing up to 800GB of data to a 2TB SSD.3
The cutting-edge six-plane NAND architecture of Micron’s 2Tb G9 QLC NAND allows for higher degrees of parallelism and increases read and write commands issued to the NAND simultaneously to improve performance. With speeds up to 3.6 GB/s, the 2600 SSD offers the fastest NAND I/O rate now shipping in a client SSD.4
Storage matters Powerful PC storage solutions enable improved application productivity and optimized user experience. The Micron 2600 SSD transforms everyday computing experiences, significantly boosting productivity for commonly used applications.
Enhanced performance: The 2600 SSD accelerates data access, along with read and write speeds, leading to quicker boot times, faster application launch time and enhanced system responsiveness. Reduced OS image installation time ensures more efficient manufacturing process and fast commercial PC drive imaging for IT departments.
AI PC applications: Storage performance is a key contributor to advancements in AI-driven applications. The 2600 SSD’s fast read access allows AI models to be loaded quickly, enabling seamless transitions between tasks.
User experience: AWT helps ensure active data is optimally stored in the SSD, resulting in smoother performance for content creation, casual gaming and everyday computing. In PCMark® 10 testing, the 2600 SSD achieved up to 44% better scoring and 43% better bandwidth versus competitive value TLC SSDs, helping demonstrate the excellent user experience provided by the 2600 SSD.5
The Micron 2600 NVMe SSD is now shipping to OEMs globally in 22x30mm, 22x42mm, and 22x80mm form factors, with capacities ranging from 512GB to 2TB. The variation of smaller form factors, capacity options and a single-sided design is perfect for handhelds, ultra-thin laptops and workstations. For example, the compact 2TB, 22x30mm form factor is ultra-small and high-capacity for use in limited-space designs such as handheld gaming devices.
“The Micron 2600 QLC SSD is one of the best examples of client storage, bringing high-capacity, efficient and responsive performance to modern computing. As AMD advances processor technology, Micron’s innovations help users get the best possible user experience for everyday applications,” said Joe Macri, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Compute and Graphics at AMD.
“Building upon Micron’s legacy of NAND innovation, the Micron G9 QLC NAND has the potential to set a new level of performance for QLC NAND. As part of our ongoing collaborative efforts, IBM is eager for the opportunity to integrate this exceptional NAND into our products,” said Alistair Symon, vice president of Storage Systems Development at IBM Storage.
“The Micron 2600 SSD is a groundbreaking product that showcases the power and potential of Intel’s latest technology. We are excited to see this innovative solution transform the industry and drive new levels of performance for value SSDs on Intel Platforms. Furthermore, the Micron 2600 SSD is now included on Intel’s Platform Component List (PCL),” said Todd Lewellen, vice president of the Client Ecosystem Group at Intel.
“The Micron 2600 SSD, powered by Phison’s industry-leading E29T controller, supports high NAND flash speeds, redefining user experiences for value-based client SSDs. In the data center storage realm, Micron’s G9 QLC NAND marks a significant technological advancement that will bolster our lightning-fast Pascari enterprise drives,” said K.S. Pua, chief executive officer at Phison.
“Micron G9 QLC NAND is a substantial leap forward in QLC NAND technology. Pure Storage continues to lead the way in QLC NAND deployment for the enterprise, and now for hyperscale customers. The initiation of the testing and implementation phases for the innovative Micron G9 QLC NAND marks a significant milestone for both companies,” said Bill Cerreta, vice president and general manager of Hyperscale at Pure Storage.
Additional resources:
About Micron Technology, Inc. Micron Technology, Inc. is an industry leader in innovative memory and storage solutions, transforming how the world uses information to enrich life for all. With a relentless focus on our customers, technology leadership and manufacturing and operational excellence, Micron delivers a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products through our Micron® and Crucial® brands. Every day, the innovations that our people create fuel the data economy, enabling advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and compute-intensive applications that unleash opportunities — from the data center to the intelligent edge and across the client and mobile user experience. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), visit micron.com.
1 AWT is available on select 2600 SSD SKUs and may not be available from every OEM.
2 SSD comparisons are based on currently in-production, commonly available 2TB QLC & value TLC NAND client SSDs from the top five competitive suppliers of OEM SSDs by revenue (using 1TB where the supplier does not offer 2TB), excluding consoles and Apple® products, as per Forward Insights analyst report, “SSD Supplier Status Q1/25”. Performance comparisons are based on publicly available data sheet information.
3 Refers to rated capacity, formatted capacity will be less, 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. AWT accelerates large file transfers for 40% of the SSD capacity based on internal Micron testing results.
4 Statements are based on publicly available information and Micron lab testing results available at the time of product announcement. NAND analysis based on production NAND from the top five competitive NAND suppliers, as noted in the Forward Insights analyst report, “NAND Quarterly Insights Q1/25.” SSD analysis is based on currently in-production, commonly available 2TB QLC & value TLC client SSDs from the top five competitive suppliers of OEM SSDs by revenue (using 1TB where the supplier does not offer 2TB), excluding consoles and Apple® products, as per Forward Insights analyst report, “SSD Supplier Status Q1/25.”
5 The PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark suite uses a wide-ranging set of real-world traces from popular applications such as Adobe and Microsoft, along with PC games such as Call of Duty, to fully test common tasks and performance of the fastest modern drives.
VILNIUS, Lithuania, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTCC, one of the world’s longest-operating cryptocurrency exchanges, releases its June 2025 roof-of-Reserves (PoR) report, demonstrating a strong 135% total reserve ratio as of June 15, 2025. The report reinforces BTCC’s commitment to transparency and user asset security during a period of heightened market volatility.
The comprehensive June PoR report reveals robust reserve ratios across all major cryptocurrencies:
Bitcoin (BTC): 131%
Ethereum (ETH): 133%
Ripple (XRP): 161%
Tether (USDT): 120%
USD Coin (USDC): 134%
Cardano (ADA): 116%
These figures significantly exceed the industry standard of 100%, providing users with enhanced security and confidence in their cryptocurrency holdings.
“Despite the impact of global macroeconomic events in June causing significant fluctuations in crypto market sentiment, overall market confidence continues to recover,” said Alex Hung, Head of Operations at BTCC Exchange.
“In terms of asset security, BTCC has always adhered to the principle of steady operation. Currently, our overall reserve ratio is at 135%, consistently higher than the industry benchmark of 100%, which fully safeguards user asset security.”
This latest PoR report continues BTCC’s monthly transparency initiative, following strong performances in previous months, with May 2025 showing a 152% total reserve ratio and April 2025 demonstrating a 161% asset backing ratio.
BTCC’s commitment to transparency and user protection comes as the exchange celebrates its 14th anniversary this year, marking over a decade of trusted service in the cryptocurrency industry. As part of the anniversary celebrations, BTCC has launched its first-ever user badge program, offering users the opportunity to earn the “14 Years of Momentum” badge and claim exclusive rewards.
The complete June 2025 PoR report and detailed verification instructions are available on BTCC’s official website, underscoring the exchange’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of transparency and user asset protection.
About BTCC
Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the world’s longest-serving cryptocurrency exchanges, offering secure and user-friendly trading services to millions of users globally. With a commitment to security, innovation, and community building, BTCC continues to be a trusted platform in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape.
Some prescription drugs affect our ability to sweat, which is an important cooling mechanism.Doucefleur/ Shutterstock
As temperatures rise, so does the risk of heat-related illness – especially for people taking certain prescription drugs.
The body uses several mechanisms to regulate temperature: sweating, blood flow to the skin and fluid balance. But some commonly prescribed drugs interfere with these processes, making it harder to stay cool.
Both these antidepressants are believed to partly work by affecting neurotransmitter levels in the brain – primarily serotonin and noradrenaline. However, they may also affect other neurotransmitters.
For instance, TCAs can block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter important for sweating. This may cause some patients to sweat less. On a hot day, this could make it hard to cool down.
However, TCAs also increase noradrenaline levels, a neurotransmitter that stimulates sweat glands. This can increase sweating. In fact, both SSRIs and TCAs can increase sweating in users. Data shows up to 14% of antidepressant users experience this side-effect.
SSRIs may also interfere with the hypothalamus – the brain region that controls body temperature and tells the sweat glands to start producing sweat. But this signal may be affected by the increased serotonin levels.
Since sweating is a key cooling mechanism, any disruptions to this process can lead to heat-related illness. Excess sweating may also cause dehydration if fluids aren’t replaced.
2. Antipsychotics
Antipsychotics are used to treat psychosis, which can occur in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They do this by blocking the neurotransmitter dopamine – which in turn affects levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This can disrupt the hypothalamus’s ability to sense and respond to body temperature changes.
As a result, someone taking an antipsychotic might not feel overheated or thirsty when it’s hot out. This can cause low blood pressure and reduced heart function. The body then tries to compensate by narrowing the blood vessels and holding in heat. This in turn reduces sweating and makes it harder to cool down properly.
Additionally, antipsychotics have anticholinergic properties. This means they block the action of acetylcholine, making it harder to sweat.
3. Heart medications
Beta-blockers are used to manage heart failure and arrhythmias. They do this by lowering heart rate and reducing how forcefully the heart pumps. But this can limit blood flow to the skin – making it harder for the body to release heat on hot days.
Diuretics are also commonly used in the treatment of high blood pressure or heart failure. But as these drugs increase urine output, this may lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances during hot weather. With less fluid available, the body may struggle to sweat properly. If you become severely dehydrated, you might actually stop feeling thirsty. Blood pressure can also drop, which may cause dizziness or fainting – especially when standing up.
Various heart medications can increase risk of dehydration in hot weather. pics five/ Shutterstock
Ramipril and losartan, also used to manage blood pressure, can increase the risk of dehydration as well. These drugs block a system in the body that helps control blood pressure, fluid balance and thirst. This may reduce your natural urge to drink, increasing dehydration risk when it’s hot.
4. Stimulants
Stimulants – such as the amphetamines used for ADHD – affect many brain chemicals, including dopamine and noradrenaline. This can increase body temperature, boost metabolism and change how the body sweats – all of which can make it harder to cool down, especially when exercising or in hot weather. This can also potentially lead to dehydration, overheating or even heatstroke. Stimulants may also reduce the feeling of tiredness, which can cause people to overexert themselves without realising the danger.
However, some recent research shows people with ADHD who take stimulants may actually have a lower chance of heat-related illnesses – but larger trials are needed to investigate further. The researchers hypothesise that this protective effect may be due to factors such as lower body weight and users staying hydrated.
5. Insulin
Warm temperatures cause the body’s blood vessels to dilate (widen) in order to help us cool off. But this action means insulin is absorbed into the bloodstream faster as there’s enhanced blood flow to the area where insulin is injected – making blood sugar drop more quickly. This can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood glucose level), which may lead to dizziness, shaking, sweating, irritability and even potentially loss of consciousness or seizures.
Faster insulin absorption can also make it harder for people with diabetes to notice signs of low blood sugar in the heat, since common symptoms may be mistaken for being hot.
Heat can also degrade insulin, reducing its effectiveness and making it unsafe. This is why insulin should be stored in the fridge until use – especially in summer. Damaged insulin will change appearance – turning cloudy or changing colour.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to stay safe during summer if you’re taking one of these common prescription drugs.
First, check labels for storage instructions. Avoid leaving medications in hot places, such as in cars or on windowsills. Insulin isn’t the only drug affected by heat – inhalers and EpiPens can also malfunction or become less effective.
Second, stay hydrated when it’s hot – unless your doctor has advised otherwise. Dehydration can actually worsen the effects of many medicines. For example, anti-inflammatory painkillers (such as ibuprofen) are more likely to cause kidney problems and bipolar medicines (including lithium) can become toxic if you’re dehydrated.
Avoid peak heat hours and stay in cool environments when possible. Watch for warning signs of heat-related illness – such as dizziness, confusion, nausea or excessive sweating.
Last, don’t stop taking your prescriptions medication without medical advice. If it’s affecting your ability to cope with the heat, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
Dipa Kamdar 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.
In Pride and Prejudice (1813), when heroine Elizabeth Bennet arrives at Netherfield Park with “her petticoat six inches deep in mud”, she walks not only through the fields of Hertfordshire, but into one of literature’s most memorable images of women’s independence.
Her decision to walk alone, “above her ankles in dirt”, is met with horror. “What could she mean by it?” sneers Miss Bingley. “It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence.” And yet, in that walk – unaccompanied, unfashionable, unbothered – Elizabeth reveals more about her spirit and autonomy than any parlour conversation could.
For Austen’s heroines, independence – however “abominable” – often begins on foot. Elizabeth may be the most iconic of Austen’s pedestrians, but she is far from alone. Across Austen’s novels, women are constantly in motion: walking through country lanes, walled gardens, shrubberies, city streets and seaside resorts.
These are not idle excursions. They are socially legible acts, shaped by class, decorum, and gender – yet often quietly resistant to them.
This article is part of a series commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Despite having published only six books, she is one of the best-known authors in history. These articles explore the legacy and life of this incredible writer.
Fanny Price, the often underestimated heroine of Mansfield Park (1814), is typically seen as timid and passive. Yet beneath her reserved exterior lies a quiet but determined spirit.
“She takes her own independent walk whenever she can”, remarks Mrs Norris disapprovingly. “She certainly has a little spirit of secrecy, and independence, and nonsense about her.” Austen’s choice of “nonsense” here is revealing: Fanny’s desire for solitude and self-direction is not revolutionary, but it is gently subversive. In a world offering women little room for self-assertion, her steps become acts of resistance.
When Jane Fairfax, constrained by class and circumstance in Emma (1815), declines a carriage ride, she asserts: “I would rather walk … quick walking will refresh me.” It’s a seemingly modest decision, but one layered with significance. To walk is to control your own movement, to maintain autonomy and resist the genteel suffocation of being constantly observed or helped.
In Persuasion (1817), Anne Elliot’s story shows walking as a path to renewal. Reserved and long burdened by regret, Anne finds restoration in the coastal air of Lyme Regis. As she walks along the Cobb, Austen notes that “she was looking remarkably well … having the bloom and freshness of youth restored by the fine wind … and by the animation of eye which it had also produced”.
Her emotional reawakening is framed as a physical one. Walking becomes not only therapeutic but transformative – a way back to herself.
Not all of Austen’s walks are reflective or restorative. Some are decidedly social. Lydia and Kitty Bennet’s frequent walks to Meryton in Pride and Prejudice, for example, are driven as much by shopping as by the hope of romantic encounters.
Austen notes the “most convenient distance” of the village, where “their eyes were immediately wandering up in the street in quest of the officers”. These girls were more interested in uniforms than in bonnets.
Yet even this behaviour hints at something subtler. For young, unmarried women, shopping and social errands were among the few socially sanctioned reasons to move independently through public space. These excursions offered moments of visibility, mobility, and the possibility of courtship – however frivolously pursued.
Kitty and Lydia walk to Meryton in order to encounter the officers.
Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey (1817), a devoted reader of gothic fiction, fuses her walks with imagination. As she strolls along the Avon River with the Tilneys, she muses: “It always puts me in mind of the country that Emily and her father travelled through in The Mysteries of Udolpho.” Walking becomes an act of imaginative projection, where the boundaries between fiction and reality blur in the mind of a heroine learning to navigate both the world and herself.
Jane Austen the walker
Austen’s fiction draws much of its vitality from her own experiences. She was, by her own admission, a “desperate walker”, rarely deterred by weather, terrain or propriety.
A watercolour of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra, showing her looking out to sea. It was painted while they were on holiday in Lyme Regis in 1804. Wiki Commons
Her letters, written from Bath, Steventon, Chawton and elsewhere, capture the physicality and pleasure of walking in vivid, often playful detail. These glimpses into her daily life reveal not only her attachment to movement but also the quiet autonomy it afforded her.
In 1805, Austen writes from Bath: “Yesterday was a busy day with me, or at least with my feet & my stockings; I was walking almost all day long.” Several years later, in 1813, she reports with unmistakable relief: “I walked to Alton, & dirt excepted, found it delightful … before I set out we were visited by several callers, all of whom my mother was glad to see, & I very glad to escape.”
Perhaps most revealing is an earlier letter from December 1798, in which Austen describes a rare solitary excursion: “I enjoyed the hard black frosts of last week very much, & one day while they lasted walked to Deane by myself. I do not know that I ever did such a thing in my life before.” The comment registers the novelty and boldness of a woman walking alone.
In an age where walking is once again praised for its physical and mental benefits, Austen’s fiction reminds us that these virtues are not new. Her characters have been walking for centuries – through mud, across class boundaries and against expectation.
They walk in pursuit of clarity, connection, escape and self-hood. Their steps – measured or impulsive, solitary or social – mark turning points in their lives. And in a world designed to keep them stationary, their walking remains a radical act.
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from this website, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Nada Saadaoui 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.
VIRAC, Philippines – Pacific Partnership 2025 successfully concluded its mission in Virac, Philippines, marking the end of a series of intensive training exercises and collaborative engagements aimed at strengthening disaster response capabilities and fostering lasting partnerships, June 12, 2025.
The U.S. Navy is bringing Navy Week back to Duluth, Minnesota, from June 30-July 6, 2025. As part of a nationwide outreach effort, Duluth Navy Week will connect Sailors with the community through a variety of performances, educational events, and service projects.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Eran Ben-Joseph, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The U.S. Housing Corporation built nearly 300 homes in Bremerton, Wash., during World War I.National Archives
In 1918, as World War I intensified overseas, the U.S. government embarked on a radical experiment: It quietly became the nation’s largest housing developer, designing and constructing more than 80 new communities across 26 states in just two years.
These weren’t hastily erected barracks or rows of identical homes. They were thoughtfully designed neighborhoods, complete with parks, schools, shops and sewer systems.
Few Americans are aware that such an ambitious and comprehensive public housing effort ever took place. Many of the homes are still standing today.
But as an urban planning scholar, I believe that this brief historic moment – spearheaded by a shuttered agency called the United States Housing Corporation – offers a revealing lesson on what government-led planning can achieve during a time of national need.
Government mobilization
When the U.S. declared war against Germany in April 1917, federal authorities immediately realized that ship, vehicle and arms manufacturing would be at the heart of the war effort. To meet demand, there needed to be sufficient worker housing near shipyards, munitions plants and steel factories.
So on May 16, 1918, Congress authorized President Woodrow Wilson to provide housing and infrastructure for industrial workers vital to national defense. By July, it had appropriated US$100 million – approximately $2.3 billion today – for the effort, with Secretary of Labor William B. Wilson tasked with overseeing it via the U.S. Housing Corporation.
Over the course of two years, the agency designed and planned over 80 housing projects. Some developments were small, consisting of a few dozen dwellings. Others approached the size of entire new towns.
For example, Cradock, near Norfolk, Virginia, was planned on a 310-acre site, with more than 800 detached homes developed on just 100 of those acres. In Dayton, Ohio, the agency created a 107-acre community that included 175 detached homes and a mix of over 600 semidetached homes and row houses, along with schools, shops, a community center and a park.
Designing ideal communities
Notably, the Housing Corporation was not simply committed to offering shelter.
Its architects, planners and engineers aimed to create communities that were not only functional but also livable and beautiful. They drew heavily from Britain’s late-19th century Garden City movement, a planning philosophy that emphasized low-density housing, the integration of open spaces and a balance between built and natural environments.
Milton Hill, a neighborhood designed and developed by the United States Housing Corporation in Alton, Ill. National Archives
Importantly, instead of simply creating complexes of apartment units, akin to the public housing projects that most Americans associate with government-funded housing, the agency focused on the construction of single-family and small multifamily residential buildings that workers and their families could eventually own.
This approach reflected a belief by the policymakers that property ownership could strengthen community responsibility and social stability. During the war, the federal government rented these homes to workers at regulated rates designed to be fair, while covering maintenance costs. After the war, the government began selling the homes – often to the tenants living in them – through affordable installment plans that provided a practical path to ownership.
A single-family home in Davenport, Iowa, built by the U.S. Housing Corporation. National Archives
Though the scope of the Housing Corporation’s work was national, each planned community took into account regional growth and local architectural styles. Engineers often built streets that adapted to the natural landscape. They spaced houses apart to maximize light, air and privacy, with landscaped yards. No resident lived far from greenery.
In Quincy, Massachusetts, for example, the agency built a 22-acre neighborhood with 236 homes designed mostly in a Colonial Revival style to serve the nearby Fore River Shipyard. The development was laid out to maximize views, green space and access to the waterfront, while maintaining density through compact street and lot design.
At Mare Island, California, developers located the housing site on a steep hillside near a naval base. Rather than flatten the land, designers worked with the slope, creating winding roads and terraced lots that preserved views and minimized erosion. The result was a 52-acre community with over 200 homes, many of which were designed in the Craftsman style. There was also a school, stores, parks and community centers.
Infrastructure and innovation
Alongside housing construction, the Housing Corporation invested in critical infrastructure. Engineers installed over 649,000 feet of modern sewer and water systems, ensuring that these new communities set a high standard for sanitation and public health.
Attention to detail extended inside the homes. Architects experimented with efficient interior layouts and space-saving furnishings, including foldaway beds and built-in kitchenettes. Some of these innovations came from private companies that saw the program as a platform to demonstrate new housing technologies.
To manage the large scale of this effort, the agency developed and published a set of planning and design standards − the first of their kind in the United States. These manuals covered everything from block configurations and road widths to lighting fixtures and tree-planting guidelines.
A single-family home in Bremerton, Wash., built by the U.S. Housing Corporation. National Archives
The standards emphasized functionality, aesthetics and long-term livability.
Architects and planners who worked for the Housing Corporation carried these ideas into private practice, academia and housing initiatives. Many of the planning norms still used today, such as street hierarchies, lot setbacks and mixed-use zoning, were first tested in these wartime communities.
And many of the planners involved in experimental New Deal community projects, such as Greenbelt, Maryland, had worked for or alongside Housing Corporation designers and planners. Their influence is apparent in the layout and design of these communities.
A brief but lasting legacy
With the end of World War I, the political support for federal housing initiatives quickly waned. The Housing Corporation was dissolved by Congress, and many planned projects were never completed. Others were incorporated into existing towns and cities.
Yet, many of the neighborhoods built during this period still exist today, integrated in the fabric of the country’s cities and suburbs. Residents in places such as Aberdeen, Maryland; Bremerton, Washington; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Watertown, New York; and New Orleans may not even realize that many of the homes in their communities originated from a bold federal housing experiment.
Homes on Lawn Avenue in Quincy, Mass., that were built by the U.S. Housing Corporation. Google Street View
The Housing Corporation’s efforts, though brief, showed that large-scale public housing could be thoughtfully designed, community oriented and quickly executed. For a short time, in response to extraordinary circumstances, the U.S. government succeeded in building more than just houses. It constructed entire communities, demonstrating that government has a major role and can lead in finding appropriate, innovative solutions to complex challenges.
At a moment when the U.S. once again faces a housing crisis, the legacy of the U.S. Housing Corporation serves as a reminder that bold public action can meet urgent needs.
Eran Ben-Joseph 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: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
Photo from Nikita Zhuravlev’s personal archive
The first university rafting teams (men’s and women’s) appeared at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and a graduate of the program became their coach.Media communications” Faculty of Creative Industries, President of the Moscow Rafting Federation and founder of the rowing club “Akademiya” Nikita Zhuravlev. This season, the team will have six important starts in the amateur league. The coach told “Vyshka.Glavnoe” why this can be considered a unique event.
For a wide range of people
— We are holding the first amateur rafting competitions in Russia under the auspices of the federation. Until now, during the 25 years of the existence of the Rafting Federation, competitions were held exclusively in the sports variation. These are technically complex competitions with many disciplines and a high entry threshold. People who are currently involved in rafting are students of sports schools or Olympic schools who have dedicated their entire lives to this sport. Despite the fact that the federation has existed and developed for a long time, there is a very small influx of new people here. It is difficult to master a raft on rough water, and in the competition format it becomes almost impossible.
We have completely rewritten the rules of sport rafting, adapted them for people who are not involved in sports. Now we want to attract university teams, as well as participants in the Moscow government project “Moscow Longevity” – older people who have never encountered rowing or active sports in their lives. They have the opportunity to touch our favorite business and compete with each other on equal terms.
Unique competition venues
— We will hold all stages of the amateur rafting league at the facilities of the Moscow Sports Committee, the Ministry of Sports, including the Olympic rowing facilities, which are not accessible just like that. For example, on May 24, we held competitions at the Olympic rowing canal, which took 10 years to build, was put into operation only last year and is still a facility exclusively for training and performances of the Russian Olympic teams. We received the unique right to be the first to represent our sport on the rowing canal, after us the facility will be put into full operation for amateur, professional, sports and commercial rafting.
Contribution to the development of sports
— At the moment, I am the president of the Moscow Rafting Federation and the founder of the rowing club “Academy”. I have been working towards the position of president of the federation for a long time, without even knowing it. And I got it due to my investments in professional sports, performances in the professional arena as a member of the Russian national team and due to social activities – creating conditions and infrastructure for sports. Now my club “Academy” has five branches, and in each of the branches we have created infrastructure opportunities for people to come and do rafting without buying their own equipment, without investing in any special preparation processes, trips, logistics, and so on. That is, we have given people the opportunity to do sports due to the fact that the water areas are currently fully prepared, we have written down all the regulations, formed a coaching staff and a methodological basis for training.
Rafting for students
— The first stage of the amateur league was attended by teams from top universities — the Higher School of Economics, RUDN, Bauman University, MGIMO. In the near future, we will organize a separate student amateur league. This is an opportunity to show the results of the university’s activities in comparison with other universities, its achievements and how the university cares for its students, what support it provides them.
At the moment, I am a coach and trustee of the Higher School of Economics rafting team. I have maintained a fairly strong connection with the university, I am grateful to it for the education I received, for its contribution to my development as an individual, as a professional in my field. And I am very close to the attitude of the university, when you are perceived not only as a labor unit, but also as an individual. Therefore, when I had the opportunity to provide support, my choice fell on the student team. In this status, I myself was a member of the Russian national team. And in this status, I looked for sponsorship support, went to organizations, various enterprises. I know from experience how important it is for students to be accompanied by a mentor, to have someone senior, especially if he himself comes to them and offers various options for self-improvement, development, development. And all this is stretched by the red thread of our love for the university.
HSE Team
— The HSE team is made up of activists from the XSPORT sports club. Before meeting and interacting with me, the guys had been developing various volunteer activities, organizing sports events at the HSE, mass sports events both at the university’s venues and in the city environment.
At the moment, the team is actively participating in the amateur rafting league. This is a cycle of five stages, which are combined into a general team standings. That is, the team wins the league based on the results of its performances at each of the five stages. During preparation for the league, the participants practice the technical features of raft control, we develop their general physical fitness, teach water safety, rowing techniques, biomechanics, sports physiology and carry out psychological training of rowers. Thus, this year the HSE team will have six official starts, held by the Moscow Rafting Federation. These are five stages of the amateur rafting league and the Moscow championship. If the team is selected for the capital team, we will take them to the Russian championship.
Workout
— Our training takes place at the bases of my rowing club, Academy. I conduct regular training for two Vyshka teams — women’s and men’s, 12 athletes. We work with them every Tuesday and Thursday from May 1, regardless of weather conditions, air and water temperature. We prepare with them to participate in the amateur league. And our main goal is the successful preparation of the team to compete in the Moscow Championship. If successful, the athletes will receive a title, ranks, and will be selected for our Moscow team. And this will be the first student crew, entirely formed from students of one university, which, I hope, will represent the interests of our city in the framework of official competitions under the Ministry of Sports.
Why You Should Try Rafting
— Rafting is a sport that combines several areas. It is an exclusively sports component, a competitive element. It is a journey, local history, because most of the rafting stages take place in the autonomous regions of our country, in mountainous areas, in places that are impossible to get to on purpose. Most often, these are glaciers, Altai, Karelia, the Caucasus. Areas that are sparsely populated, and it is very difficult to learn about them from any popular sources.
In addition, people learn to work together. This is interaction, mutual support, motivation, sport through the prism of pleasure, when people come not only to row, but also to actively socialize.
About plans for the future
— My plan as the president of the Rafting Federation is to make this sport accessible, organize a full-fledged student league, a corporate league, combine student sports with professional sports, create a bridge between these two concepts and smoothly integrate people who have sincerely fallen in love with rowing with all their hearts into high-performance sports. If we talk about specific steps, this is filling our calendar with large, significant events, not just competitions, but sports festivals.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
The State University of Management continues to develop partnerships with business representatives and technology companies. Currently, innovative equipment of the Universal Energy Saving System NRG, developed by AERO LLC, is being tested on the university premises.
At the initiative of the company OOO “Center of Complex Engineering” and jointly with OOO “AERO”, a test connection of equipment to the internal electrical network with a voltage of 0.4 kV was organized in the State University of Management. This allows us to evaluate the efficiency of the new system in real conditions and record the technical parameters of its operation in the current environment.
The NRG system is the latest, patented (Patent RU 2 731 258 C1) development in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency for any consumers of electrical energy, such as private apartments, houses, shops, production sites, large industrial enterprises and any other consumers using alternating electric current.
“We welcome the interest of companies in cooperation with the university. It is important for us to be an open platform for innovation, especially in the field of sustainable development and energy efficiency. Such projects help improve the conditions for studying and living for students, and help employees become more familiar with modern technological solutions,” said Vitaly Lapshenkov, Vice-Rector of the State University of Management.
Effects of using the NRG system:
Reduction of energy consumption by 7–20%; Reduction of the effect of harmful electromagnetic waves; Increased service life of equipment in the electrical network; Reduction of temperature, noise and vibration during equipment operation; Release of additional capacity due to energy savings.
Testing is carried out in a technical mode, with compliance with all safety standards, under the supervision of specialists from the Center for Complex Engineering LLC and employees of the State University of Management. Based on its results, conclusions will be drawn on the possibility of large-scale use of such solutions in educational and administrative infrastructure.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav on Thursday chaired the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of Project Elephant at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) in Dehradun. The meeting convened senior officials, scientists, and field experts from elephant range states, alongside representatives from key conservation institutions, to review the progress of Project Elephant and chart the future of elephant conservation in India.
A key focus of the meeting was addressing the ongoing challenge of human-elephant conflict, which poses significant risks to both human safety and elephant conservation. Yadav emphasized the critical need to involve local communities as active partners in wildlife conservation, particularly in regions heavily impacted by such conflicts. He stressed that effective management of human-wildlife conflict is essential for the success of conservation programs and called for improved working conditions and social security for frontline forest staff and ground-level conservation workers.
The Minister urged coordinated efforts with Indian Railways, the Ministry of Power, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and mine developers to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. He also highlighted the role of institutions like the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and State Forest Training institutions in implementing awareness and outreach programs. Additionally, Shri Yadav emphasized the importance of systematic data collection and analysis on elephant deaths due to railway accidents and the need for knowledge sharing among states, institutions, and experts to replicate best practices nationwide.
The meeting reviewed significant progress in conservation efforts, including the development of Regional Action Plans for human-elephant conflict in Southern and North-Eastern India and the completion of surveys covering 3,452.4 km of sensitive railway stretches, identifying 77 high-risk areas for mitigation. DNA profiling of captive elephants has advanced, with 1,911 genetic profiles completed across 22 states. Phase-I of the synchronized elephant population estimation in North-Eastern states has been completed, with over 16,500 dung samples collected. Work on the Model Elephant Conservation Plan (ECP) for the Nilgiri Elephant Reserve is underway and expected to be finalized by December 2025.
Several important documents were released during the meeting, including a report on measures to mitigate elephant-train collisions, a comprehensive study on 23 years of human-elephant conflict in Assam, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, an advisory on safe tusk trimming practices for captive elephants, and the latest edition of Trumpet, Project Elephant’s quarterly newsletter.
Looking ahead, the Committee discussed preparations for World Elephant Day on August 12, to be celebrated in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where the Gaj Gaurav Awards will be presented. Upcoming initiatives include finalizing the Nilgiri ECP, launching a three-year elephant tracking study in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, conducting Management Effectiveness Evaluations (MEE) in Elephant Reserves with support from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), and developing an integrated conservation strategy for the Ripu-Chirang Elephant Reserve, with a focus on the Udalguri landscape.
As people make plans for the Canada Day weekend, it’s important to be prepared and stay safe as warm temperatures, dry conditions and wildfire risk continue in many parts of the province.
People are encouraged to stay vigilant and up to date on local fire bans and restrictions and have an emergency plan in place that is shared with friends and family.
People heading outdoors this weekend are reminded to plan ahead, carry safety gear and follow all instructions from local governments and First Nations. Before you head out, check ahead for road closures, evacuation alerts, evacuation orders and any fire prohibitions in effect.
British Columbia continues to face prolonged drought in many regions, and below-average precipitation is contributing to increased wildfire and water supply concerns. Everyone is encouraged to use water efficiently and follow any local watering restrictions.
Several open-burning prohibitions are in place around the province and will be updated as conditions change. People planning to have campfires should do so safely, following any local prohibitions. Avoid having a campfire when it’s windy, choose a proper fire pit or make a ring of rocks at least three metres from trees, shrubs, structures and debris, and do not leave a campfire unattended.
The BC Wildfire Service relies on the public for reporting wildfires quickly. Approximately 40% of new fires are reported by the public. If you see smoke or flames, report it immediately by calling *5555 on a cellphone or 1 800 663-5555, toll-free.
The BC Wildfire Service mobile app allows people to report new wildfires and submit photos, which helps BC Wildfire Service make informed decisions. People can use the app for the most up-to-date information on the current wildfire situation, road conditions, evacuation information and weather forecasts.
If you’re in a high-risk wildfire area, now is the time to get prepared. Create an emergency plan, pack a grab-and-go bag for each household member, including pets, and create an Emergency Support Services (ESS) profile through your BC Services Card app or at ess.gov.bc.ca. People are advised to make sure their home or tenant insurance includes wildfire protection, which can help with expenses like temporary accommodation and meals if there is a need to evacuate.
Check your insurance policy to understand what evacuation supports are available through your coverage. If you’re unsure, call your insurance provider or the Insurance Bureau of Canada at 1 844 227-5422 or visit: https://www.ibc.ca/
People are encouraged to follow instructions and evacuate immediately if a local government or First Nation issues an order. Emergency Support Services (ESS) are available to evacuees who need help covering the cost of their basic needs, such as food, lodging and other essentials.
People can also reduce risk around the home with a few simple FireSmart steps:
clear dry leaves and debris from around your property
move propane tanks and other flammables at least 10 metres from structures
keep grass cut short
close doors and windows
water trees, shrubs and plants regularly, following local water restrictions
consider more fire-resistant plants for landscaping
People travelling in B.C. are encouraged to know before they go. You can plan ahead and get the latest road conditions and updates here: https://www.drivebc.ca/
Drivers on routes throughout the province this summer should expect higher-than-average traffic volumes and plan accordingly. General tips for a safe trip include:
allowing additional time to get to your destination due to more people on roads
making sure your vehicle is ready for the drive by having a full tank of gas or charged battery, checking engine oil, washer fluid, lights and tires, including the spare
packing food and water for passengers and pets
planning breaks at rest areas: https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/restareas/?zoom=5&loc=-126.600000%2C54.589121
watching for motorcyclists and sharing the road with cyclists and other users
obeying all posted speed limits and driving with caution, especially during bad weather
leaving the phone alone while behind the wheel, and
ensuring all passengers always use seatbelts.
Learn More:
For BC Wildfire Service information and updates, visit: https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/dashboard
For more information about fire prohibitions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/fire-bans-and-restrictions
For up-to-date information about road conditions, visit: https://www.drivebc.ca/
For more information about rest areas during driving, visit: https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/restareas
For detailed guidance on what happens before, during and after an evacuation order, visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc/evacuation-recovery/evacuee-guidance
For the latest information on evacuation alerts and evacuation orders in B.C., visit: https://EmergencyInfoBC.ca Or follow @EmergencyInfoBC on X
To register with Emergency Support Services, visit: https://ess.gov.bc.ca/
For information on how to prepare for emergencies, including information about emergency kits, household emergency plans and hazard-specific guides, visit: https://PreparedBC.ca
For more information on how to FireSmart your home, visit: https://firesmartbc.ca
For backcountry safety checklists and trip planning resources, visit: https://www.adventuresmart.ca/
For more information about drought, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/drought
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
AUDIENCE: Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Cardiology ISSUE: FDA has required and approved updates to the Prescribing Information for Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured by Pfizer Inc. and Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured ModernaTX, Inc. to include new safety information about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Specifically, FDA has required each manufacturer to update the warning about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis to include information about
the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the results of a study that collected information on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) in people who developed myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
FDA also required each manufacturer to describe the new safety information in the Adverse Reactions section of the Prescribing Information and in the Information for Recipients and Caregivers. The Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers and for Recipients and Caregivers for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19, which are authorized for emergency use in individuals 6 months through 11 years of age, have also been updated to include the new safety information in alignment with the Comirnaty and Spikevax Prescribing Information and Information for Recipients and Caregivers. BACKGROUND: Information about myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) following vaccination with these mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been included in the labeling since 2021. FDA closely monitors the safety of all vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, during postmarket use. RECOMMENDATION:
Suspected adverse events may be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is co-managed by the FDA and the CDC.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
AUDIENCE: Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Cardiology ISSUE: FDA has required and approved updates to the Prescribing Information for Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured by Pfizer Inc. and Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) manufactured ModernaTX, Inc. to include new safety information about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Specifically, FDA has required each manufacturer to update the warning about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis to include information about
the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the results of a study that collected information on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) in people who developed myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
FDA also required each manufacturer to describe the new safety information in the Adverse Reactions section of the Prescribing Information and in the Information for Recipients and Caregivers. The Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers and for Recipients and Caregivers for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19, which are authorized for emergency use in individuals 6 months through 11 years of age, have also been updated to include the new safety information in alignment with the Comirnaty and Spikevax Prescribing Information and Information for Recipients and Caregivers. BACKGROUND: Information about myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) following vaccination with these mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been included in the labeling since 2021. FDA closely monitors the safety of all vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, during postmarket use. RECOMMENDATION:
Suspected adverse events may be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is co-managed by the FDA and the CDC.
The University of Connecticut has named three outstanding faculty members as Board of Trustees Distinguished Professors for the 2024–2025 academic year. This distinction is the highest honor the university confers on faculty and recognizes exceptional achievement in research, teaching, and service.
This year’s honorees are:
Dr. Peter C. Albertsen, Division of Urology, School of Medicine
Professor Anne C. Dailey, School of Law
Dr. Luyi Sun, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
The Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor title is awarded annually following a university-wide nomination process and a rigorous review by a faculty and student committee. Final selections are approved by the UConn Board of Trustees, which confirmed this year’s awardees at its June 25, 2025 meeting.
“These faculty have each made a remarkable impact not only through their scholarship, but also through their commitment to their students and colleagues,” said Anne D’Alleva, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Their work strengthens our community, advances their fields, and reflects the excellence that defines UConn.”
Dr. Peter C. Albertsen
Dr. Peter C. Albertsen is a globally respected urologic oncologist whose research and leadership have transformed the understanding and management of prostate cancer. A faculty member at UConn Health since 1987, Dr. Albertsen’s work has shaped national and international treatment guidelines and spared tens of thousands of men from unnecessary surgery and radiation.
(UConn Photo)
He earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Princeton University and his medical degree from Columbia University. He completed his surgical residency at Harvard and his urology training at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins. He also holds a master’s degree in medical administration and preventive medicine from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Albertsen was among the first to use population-based data to challenge prevailing assumptions about PSA screening and prostate cancer aggressiveness. His landmark publications, including a seminal article in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), demonstrated that many prostate cancers grow slowly and do not require immediate treatment. These findings helped launch a global shift toward active surveillance, now a widely accepted standard of care. He has played key leadership roles in major trials in both the U.S. and the U.K., including serving as Chair of the Cause of Death Committee for the PLCO and ProtecT trials.
He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and editorials, with over 17,000 citations and an h-index of 63, placing him in the top tier of urologic researchers. His research has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and other leading journals, and has been supported by more than $5 million in external funding.
As UConn’s Urology Residency Program Director for over 30 years, Dr. Albertsen has trained more than 60 residents, many of whom have gone on to leadership roles in academic medicine and beyond. He is widely praised for his dynamic and discussion-based teaching style and for his long-standing mentorship of medical students and residents.
Dr. Albertsen has served in numerous leadership roles at UConn Health and nationally, including as Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Planning, Division Chief of Urology, and Trustee of the American Board of Urology. He continues to provide exceptional patient care, including to underserved and correctional populations, and is often sought out by colleagues for their own care.
His many honors include the Eugene Fuller Triennial Prostate Award and the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Urological Association, as well as honorary membership in both the AUA and the German Urological Association. Dr. Albertsen’s research, clinical care, and mentorship have had an enduring impact on the field of urology and the lives of countless patients, making him a most deserving recipient of the University of Connecticut’s highest faculty honor.
Professor Anne C. Dailey
Professor Anne Dailey, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Intellectual Life and the Ellen Ash Peters Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, is a nationally recognized scholar whose work bridges constitutional law, family law, and psychoanalytic theory. A member of the UConn faculty since 1988, Professor Dailey has made transformative contributions to legal scholarship, education, and public service, with far-reaching influence across disciplines and institutions.
(UConn Photo)
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where she served as an Articles Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Following law school, she completed a judicial clerkship with Judge José Cabranes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. She has since become a pioneering figure in integrating psychoanalytic theory into legal analysis, most notably through her acclaimed book Law and the Unconscious: A Psychoanalytic Perspective, published by Yale University Press. This work received three prestigious honors: the Book Prize from the American Psychoanalytic Association, the Book Prize from the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis, and the Faculty Book Award from the UConn Humanities Institute.
Professor Dailey’s scholarship is widely cited and influential. Her co-authored articles The New Law of the Child and The New Parental Rights, and her sole authored In Loco Reipublicae, all published in top-tier law journals, have shaped the national discourse on children’s constitutional rights, state responsibility for families, and evolving family structures. She is a member of the American Law Institute and the Association for the Study of Law, Culture and Humanities.
She has held visiting faculty appointments at Yale, Harvard, and Penn Law Schools and has been named an Erikson Scholar at the Austen Riggs Center and a Fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Professor Dailey is a dedicated and inspiring teacher of family law and constitutional law. She is also a deeply valued mentor to students and junior faculty, and her efforts have helped elevate the national profile of the UConn School of Law.
Professor Dailey’s scholarly distinction, interdisciplinary innovation, and enduring contributions to teaching and service make her a truly worthy recipient of the University of Connecticut’s highest faculty honor.
Dr. Luyi Sun
Dr. Luyi Sun is a globally recognized materials scientist and professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut, where he also holds a joint appointment in the Institute of Materials Science. Since joining UConn in 2013, he has led an internationally renowned research program focused on nanostructured hybrid materials for functional, environmental, and energy-related applications.
(UConn Photo)
Dr. Sun’s prolific contributions to science are evidenced by over 310 peer-reviewed journal articles in high-impact publications such as Nature Communications, Science Advances, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Advanced Materials. His work has earned more than 23,000 citations and an h-index of 83, and has been highlighted by MIT Technology Review, Smithsonian Magazine, and New Scientist, among many others. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 28 issued U.S. patents and more than 50 corresponding foreign patents, seven of which have been commercialized/licensed. The materials and devices invented in his lab have been featured in global exhibitions, including at the Material ConneXion Library in New York and the Penn Museum.
Dr. Sun is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Society of Plastics Engineers. He has also been recognized with the Morand Lambla Award from the Polymer Processing Society and was elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.
A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Sun has taught rigorous and interdisciplinary courses such as Thermodynamics and Polymer Processing, and has advised dozens of Ph.D. students, M.S. students and postdoctoral researchers, and more than 160 undergraduate research assistants. His students have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry, and many have received prestigious fellowships and national honors.
Dr. Sun has also demonstrated sustained leadership in academic and professional service. As Director of the UConn Polymer Program from 2018 to 2021, he expanded faculty engagement and strengthened the program’s profile. He has held leadership roles in national scientific organizations and organized more than 80 symposia around the world. His editorial work includes serving as Associate Editor of Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials.
Due to his outstanding record of research innovation, teaching, mentorship, and professional service, Dr. Luyi Sun strongly merits recognition as a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor.
Marks Entry into a New Market Segment with Advanced Threat Detection Capabilities
Rehovot, Israel, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maris-Tech Ltd. (Nasdaq: MTEK, MTEKW) (“Maris-Tech” or the “Company”), a global leader in video and artificial intelligence (“AI”) – based edge computing technology, today announced that it has received a $100,000 purchase order for a new surveillance solution to be designed for the defense sector.
This innovative solution will be based on the Company’s Jupiter-AI edge solution and will be integrated into an advanced military surveillance system to allow real-time threat detection and monitoring. This order marks the Company’s entry into a new field, extending its technology to new market segments.
“We believe that this order is a strong indication of the market’s growing confidence in our ability to address a wide variety of operational needs,” said Israel Bar, Chief Executive Officer of Maris-Tech. “It also represents an important step into a new segment for us, which broadens the scope of our video and AI-powered edge computing solutions, as well as our presence in the defense industry.”
About Maris-Tech Ltd.
Maris-Tech is a global leader in video and AI-based edge computing technology, pioneering intelligent video transmission solutions that conquer complex encoding-decoding challenges. Our miniature, lightweight, and low-power products deliver high-performance capabilities, including raw data processing, seamless transfer, advanced image processing, and AI-driven analytics. Founded by Israeli technology sector veterans, Maris-Tech serves leading manufacturers worldwide in defense, aerospace, Intelligence gathering, homeland security (HLS), and communication industries. We’re pushing the boundaries of video transmission and edge computing, driving innovation in mission-critical applications across commercial and defense sectors.
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect”,” “may”, “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or other comparable terms. For example, the Company is using forward-looking statements when it is discussing the innovative solution to be developed pursuant to the purchase order and integration of the solution into an advanced military surveillance system to allow real-time threat detection and monitoring and the timing of delivery thereof; the Company’s expansion of its technology to new market segments; the Company’s ability to address a wide variety of operational needs; and the broadening of the scope of the Company’s video and AI-powered edge computing solutions, as well as its future presence in the defense industry. The Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: its ability to successfully market its products and services, including in the United States; the acceptance of its products and services by customers; its continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for its products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; its ability to successfully develop new products and services; its success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; its ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2025, and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Marks Entry into a New Market Segment with Advanced Threat Detection Capabilities
Rehovot, Israel, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maris-Tech Ltd. (Nasdaq: MTEK, MTEKW) (“Maris-Tech” or the “Company”), a global leader in video and artificial intelligence (“AI”) – based edge computing technology, today announced that it has received a $100,000 purchase order for a new surveillance solution to be designed for the defense sector.
This innovative solution will be based on the Company’s Jupiter-AI edge solution and will be integrated into an advanced military surveillance system to allow real-time threat detection and monitoring. This order marks the Company’s entry into a new field, extending its technology to new market segments.
“We believe that this order is a strong indication of the market’s growing confidence in our ability to address a wide variety of operational needs,” said Israel Bar, Chief Executive Officer of Maris-Tech. “It also represents an important step into a new segment for us, which broadens the scope of our video and AI-powered edge computing solutions, as well as our presence in the defense industry.”
About Maris-Tech Ltd.
Maris-Tech is a global leader in video and AI-based edge computing technology, pioneering intelligent video transmission solutions that conquer complex encoding-decoding challenges. Our miniature, lightweight, and low-power products deliver high-performance capabilities, including raw data processing, seamless transfer, advanced image processing, and AI-driven analytics. Founded by Israeli technology sector veterans, Maris-Tech serves leading manufacturers worldwide in defense, aerospace, Intelligence gathering, homeland security (HLS), and communication industries. We’re pushing the boundaries of video transmission and edge computing, driving innovation in mission-critical applications across commercial and defense sectors.
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect”,” “may”, “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or other comparable terms. For example, the Company is using forward-looking statements when it is discussing the innovative solution to be developed pursuant to the purchase order and integration of the solution into an advanced military surveillance system to allow real-time threat detection and monitoring and the timing of delivery thereof; the Company’s expansion of its technology to new market segments; the Company’s ability to address a wide variety of operational needs; and the broadening of the scope of the Company’s video and AI-powered edge computing solutions, as well as its future presence in the defense industry. The Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: its ability to successfully market its products and services, including in the United States; the acceptance of its products and services by customers; its continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for its products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; its ability to successfully develop new products and services; its success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; its ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2025, and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Glendale, California, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radcred has launched a $255 payday loan online platform that provides fast and accessible financial relief for borrowers in urgent need of cash. With same day payday loans, Radcred offers a seamless solution for those needing quick access to funds, even with poor credit histories. In addition, Radcred provides no credit check payday loans, ensuring that individuals with less-than-perfect credit can still access the funds they need.
From medical bills to car repairs or unexpected rent payments, Radcred ensures borrowers can receive the financial support they need without unnecessary delays. The simplified loan application process and the secure transactions feature of Radcred make it easier for individuals to access emergency cash when they need it most.
Why $255 Payday Loans Online Are a Lifeline in 2025
The demand for $255 payday loans online has surged in recent years due to rising living costs and financial instability. According to the Federal Reserve, over 63% of Americans would struggle to cover a $400 emergency expense without borrowing, using credit, or selling assets. This highlights the financial challenges faced by many.
As more individuals experience unexpected financial pressures, same day payday loans no credit check have become a vital resource. These loans offer quick and easy access to emergency funds, helping borrowers avoid further financial strain during urgent situations, like medical bills or car repairs.
Urgent payday loan needs have also driven the rise of no credit check payday loans. These loans offer a convenient solution for individuals with poor credit, allowing them to access the funds they need without the usual barriers. As demand for fast and reliable financial relief increases, platforms like Radcred are effectively meeting these needs.
Radcred Launches Same-Day Payday Loans Online with No Credit Check
Radcred has introduced a digital-first platform offering $255 payday loans online to help borrowers facing urgent financial needs. The platform provides same-day payday loans with no credit check, making it an ideal choice for those seeking fast and reliable financial relief. Here’s how it works:
No Credit Check Payday Loans: Radcred simplifies the loan process by removing the need for a credit check, making it accessible to individuals with poor credit histories.
Same-Day Approval: Borrowers can receive approval quickly, often within minutes, ensuring fast access to funds.
Quick Fund Transfer: Once approved, the funds are transferred directly to the borrower’s account, often on the same day, providing immediate financial relief.
Digital Platform: Radcred connects borrowers to a network of licensed lenders, offering a fast, secure, and seamless online application process.
Radcred’s platform ensures quick, secure access to emergency funds, making it easier for users to manage unexpected expenses.
Why Same-Day Payday Loans Online Are the Right Choice for Emergency Needs
When unexpected emergencies like medical bills, car repairs, or rent payments arise, waiting for traditional loans can lead to added stress and delays. Same day payday loans no credit check offer an ideal solution by providing immediate access to cash. Here’s why they’re the best option for emergency financial needs:
Fast Approval: With same-day payday loans for emergencies, the approval process is quick, often completed within minutes, so borrowers don’t have to wait long for a response.
Quick Fund Transfer: Once approved, funds are typically transferred directly to your bank account the same day, offering relief within hours.
No Credit Check: Many payday loan platforms, including Radcred, provide no credit check payday loans, making it easier for individuals with poor credit to access funds during emergencies.
Accessible for Urgent Needs: Payday loans provide the fast cash needed to cover immediate expenses, such as medical bills, auto repairs, or emergency travel.
Streamlined Application Process: Fast payday loan applications allow borrowers to apply online quickly, avoiding the long and cumbersome paperwork of traditional loans.
Same day payday loans are a reliable solution when time is of the essence and quick financial relief is needed.
How Radcred’s $255 Payday Loan Process Works?
Applying for $255 payday loans online with Radcred is quick and straightforward. The process is designed to ensure fast approval and easy access to emergency funds. Here’s how it works:
Fill out the online application: Start by completing a simple application form. Provide basic personal information such as your income, employment status, and contact details.
Soft credit check: Radcred uses a soft credit check to match you with a lender. This check does not affect your credit score, making it ideal for borrowers with poor credit histories.
Choose the best loan offer: After the soft credit check, you’ll be presented with multiple loan options. Review each offer carefully, considering the APR, repayment terms, and other details before selecting the one that suits your needs.
Receive funds directly in your account: Once you’ve chosen your offer and agreed to the terms, funds will be transferred directly into your bank account. Radcred payday loans are processed quickly, often within hours, allowing you to access emergency cash without delays.
The Radcred payday loan process is designed for efficiency, providing fast, secure access to funds when you need them most.
Common Uses for $255 Payday Loans Online
People use $255 payday loansonline for a variety of emergency needs, as they provide quick access to funds during urgent situations. Here are some of the most common uses:
Medical bills and doctor visits: Unexpected health expenses can arise at any time, and same day payday loans offer a fast solution to cover these costs before they escalate.
Car repairs: For vehicle breakdowns or emergency repairs, payday loans online same day $255 allow individuals to get back on the road quickly without worrying about out-of-pocket expenses.
Rent shortfalls: When rent payments are due and funds are low, payday loans online same day can help prevent late fees or eviction.
Utility payments: Avoid utility disconnections by using an instant online payday loan to pay overdue bills.
Unexpected travel expenses: Be it for family emergencies or business, small payday loans online can cover immediate travel needs without financial strain.
Radcred’s same day payday loan platform ensures that borrowers can quickly access the funds they need, with 1 hour payday loans no credit check options available. The easy process and fast approval make instant payday loans a reliable solution for emergency payday loans.
Key Benefits of Radcred’s $255 Payday Loans
Radcred offers $255 payday loans online with several key benefits, ensuring fast, secure, and reliable financial relief for borrowers. Here’s why Radcred is a top choice for same day payday loans:
Fast Approval: Radcred’s application process is quick, providing instant payday loan approval in as little as a few hours. This speed is crucial for those in need of emergency funds.
No Credit Check: With 1-hour payday loans no credit check, Radcred uses a soft credit pull to evaluate eligibility without impacting your credit score. This makes the platform accessible to borrowers with less-than-ideal credit histories.
Transparent Terms: Radcred payday loan benefits include clear and upfront disclosure of all fees, APR, and repayment terms, ensuring there are no hidden surprises. Borrowers can make informed decisions before accepting any loan offer.
Flexibility: Radcred offers flexible loan terms tailored to the needs of individual borrowers. 1 hour payday loans online no credit check instant approval gives you the ability to choose an option that fits your financial situation.
Radcred’s payday loans 255 no credit check solution provides borrowers with immediate access to funds without the stress of high interest rates, complex applications, or long waits.
Who Can Apply for $255 Payday Loans Online?
To apply for a $255 payday loan online, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
Be 18 years or older: Applicants must be of legal age to apply for payday loans.
U.S. citizen or permanent resident: You must be a resident of the United States to qualify for the loan.
Have a steady income or benefits: A reliable income from employment, government assistance, or other sources is needed to repay the loan.
Maintain an active checking account: Your loan funds will be deposited into your checking account, so you need to have an account in your name.
No credit score minimum is required: With no credit check payday loans, applicants are not required to meet a specific credit score threshold, making 1-hour payday loans no credit check a viable option for many borrowers.
Radcred’s Secure Loan Matching Process
Radcred ensures the security of personal and financial data throughout the payday loan process by using advanced encryption technology. The payday loan platform connects borrowers to a network of state-licensed lenders, prioritizing data protection. Radcred’s process includes a soft credit check, so your credit score remains unaffected. When applying for $255 payday loans online or same day payday loans no credit check, you receive a secure, transparent experience.
The fast, seamless application ensures funds are transferred quickly while maintaining the highest levels of security and compliance with lending laws, offering a safe instant payday loans borrowing experience for all users.
Final Thoughts: $255 Payday Loans for Immediate Relief
Radcred’s $255 payday loans online offer fast and efficient relief for those in need of urgent funds. Same-day payday loans provide the cash you need when you need it most. With a quick and easy application process, you can apply for payday loans and receive approval in minutes.
No credit check is required, and funds are often transferred the same day, ensuring fast access to the money you need. Don’t let unexpected costs hold you back and apply today for $255 payday loans online and get the relief you deserve.
Disclaimer
Radcred is not a lender and does not make credit decisions. Loan offers are based on third-party lender criteria and local regulations. Terms, APR, and loan amounts may vary by applicant. $255 payday loans online offers are subject to approval. Borrowers should carefully review all loan offers, including fees and repayment terms, before accepting.
HONG KONG, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nano Labs Ltd (Nasdaq: NA) (“we,” the “Company” or “Nano Labs”), a leading Web 3.0 infrastructure and product solution provider in China, today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors to purchase 5,952,381 Class A ordinary shares of the company (the “Ordinary Shares”) in a registered direct offering. In a concurrent private placement, the Company also agreed to issue and sell to the investor warrants to purchase up to 5,952,381 Ordinary Shares. The combined effective offering price for each Ordinary Share and accompanying warrant is $8.40. The warrants are immediately exercisable, expire five years from the date of an effective registration statement, and have an initial exercise price of $10.00 per share which is subject to customary adjustment. The gross proceeds to the Company from the registered direct offering and concurrent private placement are estimated to be approximately $50.0 million before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other estimated offering expenses payable by the Company.
Proceeds from the offering and exercise of the warrants will be used to acquire BNB (Binance Coin) as part of the Company’s digital asset strategy.
The offering is expected to close on or about June 27, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Maxim Group LLC is acting as the sole placement agent in connection with the offering.
The Ordinary Shares are being offered pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-273968), which was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 1, 2023. The offering of Ordinary Shares will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement that forms a part of such registration statement. The warrants to be issued in the concurrent private placement and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants were offered in a private placement under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and Regulation D promulgated thereunder and have not been registered under the Act or applicable state securities laws.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor will there be any sales of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. A prospectus supplement relating to the sales of Ordinary Shares will be filed by the Company with the SEC. When available, copies of the prospectus supplement relating to the registered direct offering, together with the accompanying prospectus, can be obtained at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or from Maxim Group LLC, 300 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022, Attention: Syndicate Department, or via email at syndicate@maximgrp.com or telephone at (212) 895-3500.
About Nano Labs Ltd
Nano Labs Ltd is a leading Web 3.0 infrastructure and product solution provider in China. Nano Labs is committed to the development of high throughput computing (“HTC”) chips and high performance computing (“HPC”) chips. Nano Labs has built a comprehensive flow processing unit (“FPU”) architecture which offers solution that integrates the features of both HTC and HPC. In addition, it has established Bitcoin value investment and adopted Bitcoin as primary reserve asset. Nano Labs has established an integrated solution platform covering three main business verticals, including HTC solutions and HPC solutions. The HTC solutions feature its proprietary Cuckoo series chips, which have become alternative Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”) solutions for traditional GPUs. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: ir.nano.cn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the expected completion, timing and size of the offering and concurrent private placement and the intended use of the proceeds from the offering, which can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Such statements are based upon management’s current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include, among other things: satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the offering and the sale of the securities and Nano Lab’s ability to complete the offering. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under law.
HONG KONG, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nano Labs Ltd (Nasdaq: NA) (“we,” the “Company” or “Nano Labs”), a leading Web 3.0 infrastructure and product solution provider in China, today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors to purchase 5,952,381 Class A ordinary shares of the company (the “Ordinary Shares”) in a registered direct offering. In a concurrent private placement, the Company also agreed to issue and sell to the investor warrants to purchase up to 5,952,381 Ordinary Shares. The combined effective offering price for each Ordinary Share and accompanying warrant is $8.40. The warrants are immediately exercisable, expire five years from the date of an effective registration statement, and have an initial exercise price of $10.00 per share which is subject to customary adjustment. The gross proceeds to the Company from the registered direct offering and concurrent private placement are estimated to be approximately $50.0 million before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other estimated offering expenses payable by the Company.
Proceeds from the offering and exercise of the warrants will be used to acquire BNB (Binance Coin) as part of the Company’s digital asset strategy.
The offering is expected to close on or about June 27, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Maxim Group LLC is acting as the sole placement agent in connection with the offering.
The Ordinary Shares are being offered pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-273968), which was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 1, 2023. The offering of Ordinary Shares will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement that forms a part of such registration statement. The warrants to be issued in the concurrent private placement and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants were offered in a private placement under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and Regulation D promulgated thereunder and have not been registered under the Act or applicable state securities laws.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor will there be any sales of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. A prospectus supplement relating to the sales of Ordinary Shares will be filed by the Company with the SEC. When available, copies of the prospectus supplement relating to the registered direct offering, together with the accompanying prospectus, can be obtained at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or from Maxim Group LLC, 300 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022, Attention: Syndicate Department, or via email at syndicate@maximgrp.com or telephone at (212) 895-3500.
About Nano Labs Ltd
Nano Labs Ltd is a leading Web 3.0 infrastructure and product solution provider in China. Nano Labs is committed to the development of high throughput computing (“HTC”) chips and high performance computing (“HPC”) chips. Nano Labs has built a comprehensive flow processing unit (“FPU”) architecture which offers solution that integrates the features of both HTC and HPC. In addition, it has established Bitcoin value investment and adopted Bitcoin as primary reserve asset. Nano Labs has established an integrated solution platform covering three main business verticals, including HTC solutions and HPC solutions. The HTC solutions feature its proprietary Cuckoo series chips, which have become alternative Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”) solutions for traditional GPUs. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: ir.nano.cn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the expected completion, timing and size of the offering and concurrent private placement and the intended use of the proceeds from the offering, which can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Such statements are based upon management’s current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include, among other things: satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the offering and the sale of the securities and Nano Lab’s ability to complete the offering. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under law.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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President Wavel Ramkalawan attended the foundation stone laying ceremony and unveiling of a commemorative plaque for the new Seychelles Public Transport Company (SPTC) depot on Île Eve, Baie Ste Anne, Praslin, on Thursday morning.
The new depot represents a significant government investment of approximately 15 million Seychelles Rupees, strategically designed to meet the evolving demands of Praslin’s expanding transport sector. The comprehensive facility will feature a modern administration building, enhanced staff amenities, and a fully-equipped mechanical workshop, establishing the foundation for SPTC’s operational excellence on the island. This infrastructure investment will provide essential support for improved service delivery while accommodating both current operations and future expansion initiatives.
In his welcoming remarks, Chief Executive Officer of SPTC, Mr. Geffy Zialor, highlighted the project’s importance to the company’s mission, stating that it represents a significant step forward in delivering a more reliable, efficient, and sustainable public transport system for all Seychellois. He emphasised that modernising infrastructure and improving commuter experience remain at the heart of SPTC’s long-term vision to serve the public better and support national development goals.
Addressing the ceremony, the Minister for Transport Antony Derjacques emphasized the project’s broader significance, stating that this development “signals our government’s steadfast commitment to ensuring that every island in Seychelles benefits from modern, reliable, and inclusive transport infrastructure.”
The Minister underscored the fundamental role of public transportation in connecting communities, declaring: “Public transportation is a service that touches lives daily. It provides access to schools, jobs, hospitals, and loved ones. By investing in infrastructure like this depot, we are ensuring that all Seychellois benefit from a modern, efficient, and people-centered transport network.”
The ceremonial foundation stone laying, conducted jointly by President Ramkalawan, Minister Derjacques, the SPTC CEO, and the Chairman of the SPTC Board, symbolized more than a construction milestone. It embodied the collective vision of a nation committed to equitable development and the principle that quality public services should remain accessible to all citizens.
The ceremony was enriched by cultural performances from students of Grand Anse Praslin Secondary School, creating an atmosphere of celebration and national pride that reflected the community’s enthusiasm for this vital infrastructure development.
This initiative reinforces the government’s dedication to decentralizing essential services while maintaining the highest standards of efficiency and accessibility. The project ensures that the Praslin community will benefit from world-class transport infrastructure that will serve as a catalyst for continued economic and social development.
The ceremony was attended by distinguished officials, including Minister for Land Use and Housing Billy Rangasamy, Honourable Members of the National Assembly, the Chairman and Board members of SPTC, as well as various dignitaries and community representatives.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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The Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy received a briefing yesterday from the Department of Electricity and Energy on the Battery Energy Storage System Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme from the Minister of the department, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
The Minister told the committee that the engagement with the committee was to ensure accountability and transparency especially in the light of the recent allegations concerning conflicts of interest and procurement irregularities that have been levelled by the Umkhonto weSizwe (MKP) Party regarding the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
The Minister stated that the department had nothing to hide hence it agreed to appear before the committee and brief it as per the request of the MKP that brought the allegations. The Minister said: “We welcome the scrutiny from both the members of the committee and the public regarding the procurement process for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).”
He stressed the department’s commitment to ensuring that the procurement processes are upheld with the utmost integrity and fairness. “Our commitment to transparency is paramount. We must ensure that public resources are managed responsibly and that all stakeholders are held accountable,” said Dr Ramokgopa.
The Minister and the senior departmental officials and the Independent Power Producer (IPP) officials provided a comprehensive overview of the BESS procurement process. The presentation outlined the objectives of the program, which includes enhancing energy security, promoting Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), and ensuring transparency in the procurement of private sector generation capacity.
A key point of discussion amongst some committee members was the involvement of the former Chief Operating Officer of Eskom, who has been awarded a tender under the current IPP procurement process. Some committee members expressed concerns regarding the appropriateness of awarding contracts to an individual with such a recent history in a senior position at Eskom, questioning whether this could potentially lead to perceptions of favouritism or conflict of interest.
Members of the committee highlighted the importance of maintaining public trust in the procurement process and said that stringent measures should be implemented to prevent any appearance of impropriety. The committee stressed that it is vital for the integrity of the procurement process to be upheld and for public confidence in the decisions made by the Department of Electricity and Energy to be restored.
Members of the committee sought clarification on the governance mechanisms in place to verify declarations made by bidders, emphasising the need for due diligence beyond mere declarations to ensure compliance with BEE commitments. The committee questioned whether the procurement process had adequately considered the implications of awarding contracts to individuals with recent ties to Eskom. In response to these concerns, Dr Ramokgopa reiterated the government’s commitment to fostering a diverse and competitive energy market. He said: “We acknowledge that while we have made progress, there is still much work to be done to ensure that the benefits of these projects are shared equitably among all South Africans, particularly those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.”
Regarding the BESS procurement process the committee expressed concerns about the slow pace of the current IPP processes, questioning their effectiveness in contributing to industrialisation and economic growth in South Africa. In addition, members of the committee highlighted the perceived failure of the IPP process to create genuine long-term and sustainable transformation, particularly regarding the BEE within communities.
– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Public Infrastructure and the Minister in the Presidency, Mr Rikus Badenhorst, emphasised the vitality of the role of transportation in the South African economy when the Department of Transport appeared before the committee yesterday to brief it on the department’s strategic plan for the 2025-26 financial year.
Mr Badenhorst outlined the ambitious targets of the department for increasing rail freight and commuter services. He acknowledged the financial and structural challenges faced by the department, making more emphasis on the need for efficient and effective transport systems to stimulate economic growth.
The department’s presentation, detailed the alignment of the strategic plan with the Medium-Term Development Plan. Key targets highlighted included enhancement of economic growth through private sector involvement, reduction of road fatalities by 50% by 2030, the improvement of freight movement, and infrastructure investment. The department told the committee about the necessity of increased investment in transport infrastructure to bolster economic growth and job creation.
The committee raised concerns regarding the Driving License Card Account (DLCA), particularly the backlog in card production stemming from machine issues and procurement irregularities. The projected budget for the upcoming financial year indicated a revenue expectation of R321 million against expenses of R379 million. The department shared its insights into the budget allocation, underscoring the importance of infrastructure development.
Committee members expressed concern regarding governance within public entities, the department’s reliance on consultants, and the challenges of policy implementation amid fiscal constraints. The committee requested a detailed report on the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and the state of the entity’s governance.
Members of the committee highlighted the negative consequences of governance deficiencies on public entities and proposed the development of a taxi fare index to promote balance within the taxi industry. The regulation of scholar transport, and digital driver licenses were also discussed.
On digital drivers’ licences, the department confirmed that the current backlog stands at approximately 680,000 cards while efforts are underway to clear it within three months. The complexities of transitioning to a digital identification system were highlighted.
Mr Badenhorst reiterated the committee’s commitment to oversight and accountability. He said the department serves as a catalyst for economic prosperity. He stressed the importance of collaboration of the department with other key role-players in the transport sector for further enhancement of the transportation system in the country.
– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure has called on entities within the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure portfolio to explore innovative solutions to improve their financial sustainability, rather than relying solely on the parent department for funding and bailouts.
The committee today received a briefing from four public works entities on their 2025/26 annual performance plans and budget allocations. The entities include the Independent Development Trust (IDT), Agrément South Africa (ASA), the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), and the Council for the Built Environment (CBE).
The committee expressed concerns over the absence of both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from the meeting. Members of the committee were not pleased with the Minister’s backlog in oral and written questions. In addition, the committee also raised alarm over the continued lack of transparency regarding the costs associated with the Minister’s overseas travel, which remain undisclosed.
Regarding the IDT, the committee raised serious concerns about the entity’s continued financial dependence on the department. Members of the committee questioned whether the entity has any concrete plans to improve its revenue-generating capacity and reduce its reliance on bailouts. The committee also urged the entity to promote inclusivity for categories of previously disadvantaged people, women, youth, and the people with disabilities.
The committee further expressed concern over the high legal costs incurred by the IDT and recommended that the entity strengthens its internal capacity to mitigate litigation risks, especially during ongoing projects.
The committee called on ASA to identify alternative revenue streams, as continued dependence on government funding is unsustainable. It criticised the weak transformation and job creation targets presented and called for bolder, measurable commitments. ASA’s ICT systems were also flagged and the committee encouraged the entity to work collaboratively with departments such as Human Settlements to broaden its impact. T
The committee further urged ASA to establish testing sites and laboratories to ensure compliance with technical standards, noting that current operations do not adequately support this function.
Committee Chairperson, Ms Caril Phiri, expressed concern over irregularities in contractor grading by the CIDB. She highlighted reports of contractors receiving higher grades without completing corresponding project scopes and urged CIDB to address and dispel public perceptions that grading statuses are being bought.
The committee also raised alarm over the CIDB’s claim that contractors involved in the recent collapsed building in George were not registered with them, but rather with the National Home Builders Registration Council.
The committee called for greater regulatory alignment and oversight between these entities, the national and provincial departments of human settlements, and all municipal councils to prevent such tragedies.
– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved a grant of $500,000 to undertake a feasibility study into the first phase of a cable car transport network in Kigali, that will be sub-Saharan Africa’s first aerial urban transit system.
The funds, to be sourced from the Bank Group’s Urban and Municipal Development Fund (https://apo-opa.co/45CiDm9), are expected to help pave the way for the Kigali Urban Cable Car Project, a 5.5 km mobility initiative valued at $100 million and promising to ease the city’s traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and connect underserved communities to jobs and essential services.
The Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) is a trust fund hosted by the African Development Bank, which provides direct support to cities, to mobilize funding and technical assistance, develop partnerships, city engagement, project identification and investment.
Phase 1 of the project will comprise two critical transit corridors: Nyabugogo Taxi Park to the Central Business District (CBD) Hub; and the Kigali Convention Center to Kigali Sports City, connecting public landmarks such as Amahoro Stadium, BK Arena, and the newly developed Zaria Court.
The feasibility study is expected to position the project to attract international investment, including through platforms such as the Africa Investment Forum (AIF). The UMDF provided funding for the feasibility of another project in the country, the Kigali Urban Transport Improvement project, to help attract critical investment.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, with commissioning scheduled for 2028. Once complete, the cable car will convey over 50,000 passengers a day on a 15-minute end-to-end journey, integrating into the city’s existing transport infrastructure.
African Development Bank Group president Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said: “This transformative project aligns perfectly with the Bank’s vision for sustainable, green climate-resilient urban mobility infrastructure, and with the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy, which focuses on urbanization, and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA), a global partnership initiative driven by the African Development Bank Group, Africa50 and the African Union. By financing Rwanda’s urban cable car system, we are investing in a scalable model of low-carbon, inclusive public transport that cities across Africa can emulate.”
The project is anchored in Rwanda’s Green Taxonomy, E-mobility Strategy, and Climate and Nature Finance Strategy (CNFS) and aligns closely with Rwanda’s national climate objectives, which target a 38% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
The project implementation is expected to follow a Public-Private Partnership model, according to Imena Munyampenda, the Director General of Rwanda Transport Development Agency.
The feasibility study plans to draw lessons from successful cable car systems in La Paz, Bolivia, and Singapore. The system will prioritize access for the disabled, employment opportunities for girls, women and low-income residents; and job creation, capacity building and technology transfer.
“This pioneering feasibility study is a game-changing milestone,” said Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialization. “Through the UMDF, AfDB is laying the foundation for an investment-ready green infrastructure asset that offers both impact and returns.”
Blended Financing
The $100 million funding structure will comprise a strategic mix of grants, concessional loans, blended finance, and technical assistance. The UMDF grant will fund an assessment of the project’s viability gap.
The Rwandan government, the African Development Bank Group, and other development partners, will collaborate to offer blended financing, along with commercial funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Africa50, the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), as well as private investors and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA).
– on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact: Janet Onyango African Development Bank Group media@afdb.org
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
The Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI) and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org) announced key findings of the mid-term survey from the Coffee Master Trainer Upgrade (Coffee MUG) Program, a five-year initiative helping smallholder farmers in North Sumatra and Aceh adopt sustainable coffee-growing practices.
Since its launch in October 2021, the program has trained 4,754 farmers—37% (1,781) women—across 130 villages, with 3,700 hectares now managed under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Nineteen Master Trainers and eight candidates act as local champions, guiding farmer groups on soil health, pruning, post-harvest handling, and quality control. The field midline survey conducted to the program and confirmed that average yields in the target areas rose 13.7 percent in 2023, equivalent to 78 kilograms of green bean per hectare compared to the previous year.
Capacity-building results are equally encouraging participating trainers demonstrated 91 percent competence in sustainable coffee farming and 87 percent competence in training methodologies during recent evaluations. Farmer livelihoods are beginning to reflect these gains. Average annual coffee sales reached IDR 82.95 million (US$5,100) per farmer in 2023, while average net farm income rose to IDR 71.52 million (US$4,400).
Earlier this year, SCOPI and ITFC convened twin data-utilisation workshops in Berastagi (Karo Regency) and Takengon (Central Aceh Regency). Local officials, private buyers, Master Trainers, and farmer leaders reviewed the mid-line survey results, explored a new web-based monitoring dashboard, and agreed on concrete follow-up actions—such as establishing demonstration plots that now serve as “living classrooms” for young farmers and expanding market pathways with ofi Indonesia, Louis Dreyfus Company, and Ecom/Indo Cafco.
“This survey is more than just data collection—it is a strategic tool to sharpen the program’s direction and ensure it remains responsive to farmers’ real needs” said Ade Aryani, Executive Director of SCOPI
Nazeem Noordali, Chief Operating Officer of ITFC, added: “Farmer surveys offer data-driven guidance, help identify gaps, and support the development of more impactful strategies. Programs like Coffee MUG must remain dynamic and responsive to field realities.”
At data-utilization workshops Karo Regency and Central Aceh Regency, SCOPI and ITFC joined officials, buyers, trainers, and farmers to review mid-line findings, test a new monitoring dashboard, and launch demo plots for youth training.
Looking ahead, the program is scaling its trainers network through a new recruitment drive that will bring more young people into the Master Trainer pipeline, securing generational renewal. Field trials focused on soil-health interventions will also continue, targeting a further yield increase by 2026. In parallel, fresh modules on financial literacy and digital marketing are being developed for rollout later this year, with a special emphasis on empowering women and youth farmer groups.
– on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).
ITFC Social Media: Twitter: @ ITFCCORP Facebook: @ ITFCCorp LinkedIn: International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)
SCOPI Social Media: Linkedin: Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI) Instagram: @ scopi_id Website: www.SCOPI.or.id
About the International Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC): The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) is the trade finance arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. It was established with the primary objective of advancing trade among OIC member countries, which would ultimately contribute to the overarching goal of improving the socio-economic conditions of the people across the world. Commencing operations in January 2008, ITFC has provided more than US$83 billion of financing to OIC member countries, making it the leading provider of trade solutions for these member countries’ needs. With a mission to become a catalyst for trade development for OIC member countries and beyond, the Corporation helps entities in member countries gain better access to trade finance and provides them with the necessary trade-related capacity-building tools, which would enable them to successfully compete in the global market.
About the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI): The Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI) is a leading organization dedicated to promoting sustainable coffee production and improving the livelihoods of coffee farmers. SCOPI is a platform for collaboration among key stakeholders in the Indonesian coffee industry, working towards a shared vision of a thriving and sustainable coffee sector.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Andry Rajoelina of the Republic of Madagascar on the occasion of his country’s Independence Day.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, dispatched similar messages to President Rajoelina and to Prime Minister Christian Ntsay on the occasion.
– on behalf of United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Support Group unanimously endorsed the appointment of His Excellency Ambassador Jamal Jama Al Musharakh, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, as Chair of the Support Group for the 2025–2026 term, as of August 2025.
The UAE will assume the Chairmanship from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which currently holds the position for the 2024–2025 term. This appointment marks a significant milestone, as the UAE becomes the first Arab country to assume this role.
The UAE’s leadership reflects the country’s strong commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development, and proactive engagement in tackling the rising risks posed by climate change and disasters.
Addressing the group during the meeting, H.E. Al Musharakh stated: “The UAE is fully committed to leveraging its leadership of the UNDRR Support Group to drive forward practical, long-term disaster risk reduction strategies. The UAE’s priority will be to enhance international cooperation, ensuring that disaster resilience becomes integrated into every aspect of development. Furthermore, the country is committed to working closely with all partners to protect the most vulnerable groups and mitigate the growing challenges posed by climate change and disasters.”
The UNDRR Support Group plays a pivotal role in fostering dialogue among Member States and supporting the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. It also serves as a vital platform for strengthening international coordination and cooperation to reduce disaster risks and enhance resilience to both natural disasters.
As the incoming Chair, the UAE will work to set priorities and guide discussions aimed at addressing the increasing challenges posed by such disasters, including those exacerbated by climate change.
– on behalf of United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A commemorative plenary meeting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, emphasizing its foundational importance to achieving peace, development and human rights for “we the peoples”.
Opening Segment
Musical Performance
Plenary
The President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly convenes a commemorative plenary meeting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, emphasizing its foundational importance to achieving peace, development and human rights for “we the peoples”.
A meeting of the General Assembly to observe the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. The meeting will serve as a moment to revive the spirit of San Francisco and once again embrace the ideals that united humanity during its darkest hour, reaffirming our commitment to those values into the future.
The commemoration of the 80th anniversary will include an extensive communications campaign that will spotlight the Charter and its signing, as well as highlight milestones and successes of the United Nations and its Member States over the past 80 years. This campaign will also feature video testimonials by world leaders from June to September 2025.
A High-Level meeting of the General Assembly for Heads of State and Government to mark the 80th anniversary is scheduled for 22 September 2025, during the UNGA High-Level Week.
