Source: The White House
class=”has-text-align-left”>Sixty-four years ago today, a brave American sat in the cockpit of the Mercury rocket, ready to face the unknown. After years of scientific advancement and growing competition in space exploration, Commander Alan B. Shepard undertook a dangerous mission that held the promise of groundbreaking achievement, national pride, and a future defined by American leadership in space.
With three simple words—“light this candle”—Shepard launched into the vast expanse of space, becoming the first American to break the bounds of Earth. His spacecraft, Freedom 7, was a tribute to the seven Project Mercury astronauts, and to one of our Nation’s founding principles: freedom.
That same spirit of courage, innovation, and resolve has defined American space exploration ever since. Just 8 years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the Stars and Stripes on the Moon. Last month, we saw the same strength again when I ordered the rescue of stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose 8-day mission turned into a 286-day journey aboard the International Space Station. It was the vitality of our Nation’s space programs that rose to the challenge and brought them safely home.
As we celebrate National Astronaut Day, we honor the legacy of those who have blazed the trail into the final frontier. Under my leadership, America’s space program will continue to push the boundaries of discoveries, with bold plans for lunar missions, Mars exploration, and beyond. By fostering innovation, strengthening our partnerships with private space companies, and advancing our technological capabilities, we are ensuring that the United States remains the global leader in space for generations to come.
Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Geneva/ Tunis, 5 May 2025 – At the invitation of H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, IOM Director General Ms Amy Pope arrived in Tunisia today to hold high-level meetings with Government officials and key partners to strengthen cooperation and support coordinated and effective approaches to address migration challenges and opportunities in the country.
During her visit, DG Pope will attend a thematic workshop on diaspora engagement taking place in the context of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). The GFMD event, on 6 May, will focus on boosting diaspora engagement, attracting investment, retaining skilled talent, and supporting Tunisia’s youth. With over 15 per cent of Tunisians living abroad, primarily in Europe, their remittances account for more than five per cent of the country’s GDP, supporting key sectors such as services, industry, and agriculture.
IOM works with the Government of Tunisia and key partners, including the European Union and African countries, to develop integrated solutions across key routes, managing migration and harnessing the contribution of migration for joint prosperity. This means addressing trafficking and abuse of migrants, assisting those who choose to return home, and helping them reintegrate and rebuild their lives.
In 2024, IOM supported 19,785 people in Tunisia through essential services, including assistance to vulnerable migrants, healthcare, voluntary return and reintegration, and protection efforts as well as supporting Tunisian youth find opportunity safely through regular migration pathways.
Tunisia is a key country in global migration efforts. It is crucial for donors and policymakers to work closely with the Government to support migrants and host communities, as well as the voluntary return of migrants in irregular situations to their homes with the strict respect of their human dignity.
IOM works globally to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration, supporting rights-based pathways that enable people to move and work with dignity and opportunity.
Vilnius, Lithuania / Oxylabs, a leading web intelligence collection platform, has published its 2024 Impact Report, highlighting key environmental, social and governance initiatives.
Aligned with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, the 2024 Impact Report details Oxylabs’ continued focus on three key areas: climate action, education, and innovation.
“2024 was a year of unprecedented breakthroughs in AI, reshaping the tech landscape. For Oxylabs, operating at the forefront of public web data collection, it only highlighted our belief in balancing innovation with responsibility. While advancing cutting-edge technology, we remained deeply committed to ethical data collection standards and supporting socially impactful initiatives.”- said Julius Černiauskas, CEO of Oxylabs.
In 2024, Oxylabs reached a symbolic milestone of 100 patents globally and introduced the industry’s first AI-driven scraping assistant OxyCopilot. The company was also busy sharing their knowledge with the industry – from a web scraping conference OxyCon, to numerous webinars and lectures.
“Being a technology company, we direct our efforts where they are most impactful. Therefore we put strong emphasis on promoting ethical standards around data gathering in our whole industry, and empower social initiatives with our infrastructure”, – said Urte Karkliene, sustainability manager at Oxylabs.
The year was fruitful for Oxylabs pro-bono initiative, Project 4β, which provides public web data gathering infrastructure to those driving social impact. Oxylabs broadened partnerships with NGOs, investigative journalism organizations and academic institutions. Among the most prominent new partnerships were Bellingcat, Global Witness, The Ferret, and The Pulitzer Center.
Oxylabs continued to invest in carbon removal projects, aiming to make a positive climate contribution. The company chose to support a REDD Project in Brazil Nut Concessions in Peru. It also supported and joined various environmental and social initiatives.
Established in 2015, Oxylabs is a web intelligence platform and premium proxy provider, enabling companies of all sizes to utilise the power of big data. Constant innovation, an extensive patent portfolio, and a focus on ethics have allowed Oxylabs to become a global leader in the web intelligence collection industry and forge close ties with dozens of Fortune Global 500 companies. Oxylabs was named Europe’s fastest-growing web intelligence acquisition company in the Financial Times FT 1000 list for several consecutive years. For more information, please visit: https://oxylabs.io/
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Xinhua | 05. 05. 2025
Keywords: Taiwan, earthquake magnitude, coast of Taiwan, occurred, center, degrees north latitude, degrees east longitude, Beijing time, earthquake source, point, reported, networks, Monday, coordinates, kilometers, lay
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 jolted offshore Hualien County, Taiwan Island at 18:53 Beijing time on Monday, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.
According to CENC, the epicenter of the tremors was located at 23.87 degrees north latitude and 121.94 degrees east longitude. The earthquake’s source was located at a depth of 15 kilometers. -0-
Source: Xinhua
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Taiwan A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Taiwan
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
URUMQI, May 5 (Xinhua) — The volume of fruits and vegetables exported through the Horgos port on the China-Kazakhstan border in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has grown rapidly since the beginning of this year.
According to Khorgos Customs, 179 thousand tons of fruits and vegetables were exported through the Khorgos checkpoint in the first three months of this year, which is 60.2 percent more year-on-year. The main importers of fruit and vegetable products were Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia.
“This year, our company has exported a huge batch of potatoes, especially to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan,” said Yu Chengzhong, chairman of the board of Horgos Jinyi International Trade (Group) Co., Ltd.
In order to reduce the time and costs of customs clearance of goods, the Khorgos checkpoint constantly optimizes the overall customs clearance process, closely coordinating its actions with the relevant authorities, ensuring the preservation of the freshness of exported fruits and vegetables.
According to the representative of the Khorgos Customs, Yang Qiang, a special channel has been set up at the customs, thanks to which timely registration, inspection and dispatch of batches of fruits and vegetables as they arrive at the customs point is carried out, which in turn guarantees the preservation of maximum freshness of the products.
Let us recall that Khorgos is located near the border with Kazakhstan and is the country’s first-class land port with the longest history and the largest total volume of transportation in the western region of China. Today, 87 international railway freight routes pass through Khorgos, connecting 18 countries. -0-
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force has announced the agenda and panelists for its May 12 roundtable, “Tokenization — Moving Assets Onchain: Where TradFi and DeFi Meet.”
“Tokenization is a technological development that could substantially change many aspects of our financial markets,” said Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, leader of the Crypto Task Force. “I look forward to hearing ideas from our panelists on how the SEC should approach this area.”
The roundtable, announced in March as part of a series on crypto asset regulation, will be held at the SEC’s headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. from 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. The event will be open to the public and webcast live on the SEC’s website. Doors will open at 12 p.m.
For online attendance, registration is not necessary; a link to watch the event will be available on May 12 on www.sec.gov. Please register for in-person attendance.
In addition, the date for the Crypto Task Force’s roundtable, “DeFi and the American Spirit,” has been changed from June 6 to June 9. All those who previously registered were informed of the change of date, and their registrations have carried forward to the new date. New registrations can continue to be completed.
To learn more about the Crypto Task Force and the roundtable topics, please visit the Crypto Task Force webpage.
* * *
Agenda
1 p.m. –
2 p.m.
Opening/Welcome Remarks from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Richard B. Gabbert, Chief of Staff, Crypto Task Force
Chairman Paul S. Atkins (keynote address)
Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw
Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda
Commissioner Hester M. Peirce
2 p.m. –
3:30 p.m.
Evolution of Finance: Capital Markets 2.0
Moderator:
Jeff Dinwoodie, Cravath
Panelists:
Cynthia Lo Bessette, Fidelity
Eun Ah Choi, Nasdaq
Will Geyer, Invesco
Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton
Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock
Christine Moy, Apollo Management
Johnny Reinsch, Tokenized Asset Coalition
Christian Sabella, DTCC
Alex Zozos, SuperState
3:30 p.m. –
4 p.m.
Break
4 p.m. –
5:30 p.m.
The Future of Tokenization
Moderator:
Tiffany Smith, WilmerHale
Panelists:
Hilary Allen, American University Washington College of Law
Retail prices for regular grade gasoline in California are consistently higher than in any other state in the continental United States, often exceeding the national average by more than a dollar per gallon. Several factors contribute to this high price, including state taxes and fees, environmental requirements, special fuel requirements, and isolated petroleum markets.
Taxes and fees The components of retail gasoline prices are taxes and fees, distribution and marketing, refining costs, and crude oil prices. Drivers in California pay the highest taxes at the pump, equivalent to $0.90 per gallon (gal) between local, state, and federal taxes as of March 2025.
Federal taxes—which are the same for each state—account for $0.18 of the $0.90/gal in taxes. The other $0.72/gal is made up of state excise tax ($0.60/gal), state sales tax ($0.10/gal), and an underground storage tank fee ($0.02/gal). California’s state gasoline excise tax is the highest in the United States; the average across all states is $0.28/gal.
Environmental requirements In addition to state taxes, the California Energy Commission estimates that environmental compliance costs added as much as $0.54/gal as of March 2025. The state’s Cap-and-Trade Program and Low Carbon Fuel Standard reflect costs associated with fuel supplier emissions and carbon intensity, and these costs are ultimately reflected in the price consumers pay at the pump.
Special fuel requirements California also mandates a special blend of gasoline designed to reduce pollution and improve air quality. This fuel burns cleaner but is more expensive to produce because it requires more processing steps and expensive blending components.
Refiners outside the state only make this blend to supply California’s market, meaning that California primarily relies on in-state refineries for its gasoline supply.
Isolated petroleum markets Supply side issues also contribute to higher California gasoline prices relative to the rest of the country.
Most of the gasoline consumed in California is refined within the state due to lack of petroleum infrastructure connections. California is geographically isolated from other U.S. refining centers because no pipelines supply California from across the Rocky Mountains and only a limited number of pipelines deliver to the West Coast from the Gulf Coast. Of the refineries outside of California with physical access to the state’s gasoline markets, only a few can meet California’s stringent fuel blending requirements.
California also imports gasoline from other countries, such as India and South Korea, to meet its fuel supply needs. Other countries produce California-specification gasoline, but high shipping costs usually limit imports to periods of refinery outages or the summer driving season.
In addition, West Coast refineries have historically maintained lower inventory levels compared with the U.S. average, and California refineries have been closing, with more closures on the horizon. All of these supply chain issues mean that California gasoline prices are more volatile and subject to large spikes, especially if any of the limited number of refineries go offline for maintenance or have an unexpected outage.
Principal contributors: Anne Miranda, Tara Bennett-Chirico
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
Download logo
WHO Egypt has signed a new £1 million funding agreement with the UK Government to help provide high-quality medical care for patients who have been evacuated from Gaza to receive treatment in Egypt. The project aims to support around 4000 individuals, including trauma patients and those with chronic conditions.
The new funding complements an initial £1 million grant provided a few months ago, bringing the total UK contribution to £2 million.
Earlier this year, a high-level delegation from WHO Egypt and the British Embassy in Cairo visited El Arish General Hospital, a key referral hospital receiving patients from Gaza. During the visit, the delegation spoke with Palestinian patients receiving treatment, met with hospital staff and representatives from Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population, and assessed the hospital’s medical needs.
WHO Representative in Egypt Dr Nima Abid said: “Egypt has received the highest number of medical evacuees from Gaza and continues to provide them with specialized health care on par with Egyptian citizens across 170 hospitals in 24 governorates. We deeply value our longstanding partnership with the United Kingdom and welcome this additional £1 million in funding which will help us continue supporting the Ministry of Health and Population to ensure patients and the injured from Gaza receive the lifesaving care they need. Ultimately, peace is the best medicine. WHO reiterates its call for the protection of health in Gaza, the lifting of the aid blockade, and –above all – an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
British Ambassador to Egypt Gareth Bayley said: “Egypt has played a crucial role in helping those most in need from Gaza, and the UK is proud to stand alongside our Egyptian partners and WHO in this lifesaving work. Whether it’s funding medical care in Egypt or supporting treatment for patients who have now arrived in the UK, our shared commitment is clear: to ensure the wounded and vulnerable get the care they urgently need.”
Since November 2023 Egypt has received and treated thousands of patients and wounded people from Gaza. Since the beginning of the crisis, WHO has worked closely with Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population and other partners to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response capacity. This support has included over US$ 8 million worth of medical supplies delivered to Egyptian hospitals and the training of nearly 3000 health workers across multiple governorates in emergency care and mental health and psychosocial support.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization – Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) announced today the arrest of SAMUEL GONZALEZ, a former teacher at an acting school in New York City. GONZALEZ is charged with distributing and possessing child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. GONZALEZ will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Samuel Gonzalez distributed a large volume of child pornography, including images of sexual abuse of children as young as a few months old. The lasting scars from the horrific abuse of children are deeply troubling to all New Yorkers. Together with our partners, we will relentlessly pursue those who victimize children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Samuel Gonzalez allegedly distributed thousands of pornographic images of infants and minors to an undercover federal agent over a brief period. Gonzalez’s alleged actions grossly disregarded the victims’ welfare and repeatedly violated their privacy by sharing this twisted material. The FBI is deeply committed to preventing crimes against children and will continue to apprehend any individual who supplies these explicit images.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]
GONZALEZ is an actor, dancer, theater producer, and former teacher at an acting school in New York City. In or about January 2023 and April 2023, GONZALEZ used an online messaging application to send links containing over 1,500 files of child pornography to a federal law enforcement agent acting in an undercover capacity. In addition, in or about June 2023, federal agents executed a judicially-authorized search warrant of GONZALEZ’s apartment. Pursuant to that warrant, federal agents seized and searched GONZALEZ’s phone and laptop, which were found to contain over 80 unique files of child pornography, including videos and images of infants and prepubescent adolescents who had not attained 12 years of age.
* * *
GONZALEZ, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. GONZALEZ is further charged with one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the FBI/New York City Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Cheng and Diarra M. Guthrie are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Samsung TV Plus, the ultimate destination for K-Content, is teaming up with SM Entertainment to bring K-Pop’s biggest performances to the big screen in celebration of its 30th anniversary. As part of this exclusive, Samsung TV Plus will debut a new, dedicated SMTOWN channel–enhancing its commitment to deliver the best-in-class content to K-fans around the world.
The partnership will kick off its first live event from the Los Angeles Dignity Health Sports Park on May 11th starting at 6 PM PT, with a star studded concert to remember.
The lineup includes:
TVXQ!
SUPER JUNIOR
KEY, MINHO of SHINee
SUHO, CHANYEOL, KAI of EXO
Red Velvet (IRENE, SEULGI, JOY)
NCT127
NCT DREAM
WayV
aespa
RIIZE
NCT WISH
Hearts2Hearts
SMTR25
Now K-Pop fans from around the globe can experience live performances across 18 countries, with concert replays, music videos, and playlists with additional K-Content added to the channel following the SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in L.A. concert.
“Our partnership with SM Entertainment reflects our continued commitment to leading the K-Content space through bold investments and exclusive experiences,” said Salek Brodsky, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Samsung TV Plus. “By bringing this milestone event to audiences around the globe, we’re not only celebrating K-Pop’s growing popularity, but further expanding the depth of the Samsung TV Plus K-Content offering, which remains amongst the largest in the world.”
Samsung TV Plus‘ expansion continues to solidify its position as one of the largest providers of K-Content. From premium titles across a variety of genres like K-Dramas, K-Crime, K-Thrillers, K-Romance, and now K-Pop, its expansive offering showcases the unique crossovers and cultural tie-ins that have made K-Content a global phenomenon.
For more information on Samsung TV Plus, please visit samsungtvplus.com.
About Samsung TV Plus
Samsung TV Plus is a premium global entertainment service and is the most used streaming app on Samsung Smart TVs. As a leader in FAST, Samsung TV Plus offers hundreds of channels and thousands of shows and movies on-demand in the U.S. Globally, the streaming service carries over 3,500 ad-supported linear channels in 30 countries and is accessible on over 630M active devices. Samsung TV Plus is the exclusive home of Conan O’Brien TV, Letterman TV, and hundreds of additional exclusive channels available worldwide. Samsung TV Plus is available on Samsung TVs, Galaxy devices, Samsung Smart Monitor, and Family Hub. To learn more, visit samsungtvplus.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.
Evolution has fostered many reproductive strategies across the spectrum of life. From dandelions to giraffes, nature finds a way.
One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.
In the Southeastern U.S., where I live, you know it’s spring when your car has turned yellow and pollen blankets your patio furniture and anything else left outside. Suddenly there are long lines at every car wash in town.
Even people who aren’t allergic to pollen – clearly an advantage for a pollination ecologist like me – can experience sneezing and watery eyes during the release of tree pollen each spring. Enough particulate matter in the air will irritate just about anyone, even if your immune system does not launch an all-out attack.
So, why is there so much pollen? And why does it seem to be getting worse?
2 ways trees spread their pollen
Trees don’t have an easy time in the reproductive game. As a tree, you have two options to disperse your pollen.
Option 1: Employ an agent, such as a butterfly or bee, that can carry your pollen to another plant of the same species.
The downside of this option is that you must invest in a showy flower display and a sweet scent to advertise yourself, and sugary nectar to pay your agent for its services.
A bee enjoys pollen from a cherry blossom. Pollen is a primary source of protein for bees. Ivan Radic/Flickr, CC BY
Option 2, the budget option, is much less precise: Get a free ride on the wind.
Wind was the original pollinator, evolving long before animal-mediated pollination. Wind doesn’t require a showy flower nor a nectar reward. What it does require for pollination to succeed is ample amounts of lightweight, small-diameter pollen.
Why wind-blown pollen makes allergies worse
Wind is not an efficient pollinator, however. The probability of one pollen grain landing in the right location – the stigma or ovule of another plant of the same species – is infinitesimally small.
Therefore, wind-pollinated trees must compensate for this inefficiency by producing copious amounts of pollen, and it must be light enough to be carried.
For allergy sufferers, that can mean air filled with microscopic pollen grains that can get into your eyes, throat and lungs, sneak in through window screens and convince your immune system that you’ve inhaled a dangerous intruder.
Plants relying on animal-mediated pollination, by contrast, can produce heavier and stickier pollen to adhere to the body of an insect. So don’t blame the bees for your allergies – it’s really the wind.
Climate change has a role here, too
Plants initiate pollen release based on a few factors, including temperature and light cues. Many of our temperate tree species respond to cues that signal the beginning of spring, including warmer temperatures.
Studies have found that pollen seasons have intensified in the past three decades as the climate has warmed. One study that examined 60 location across North America found pollen seasons expanded by an average of 20 days from 1990 to 2018 and pollen concentrations increased by 21%.
Anyone who has lived in the Southeast for the past couple of decades has likely noticed this. The region has more tornado warnings, more severe thunderstorms, more power outages. This is especially true in the mid-South, from Mississippi to Alabama.
Severity of wind and storm events mapped from NOAA data, 2012-2019, shows high activity over Mississippi and Alabama. Red areas have the most severe events. Christine Cairns Fortuin
Since wind is the vector of airborne pollen, windier conditions can also make allergies worse. Pollen remains airborne for longer on windy days, and it travels farther.
To make matters worse, increasing storm activity may be doing more than just transporting pollen. Storms can also break apart pollen grains, creating smaller particles that can penetrate deeper into the lungs.
Many allergy sufferers may notice worsening allergies during storms.
The peak of spring wind and storm season tends to correspond to the timing of the release of tree pollen that blankets our world in yellow. The effects of climate change, including longer pollen seasons and more pollen released, and corresponding shifts in windy days and storm severity are helping to create the perfect pollen storm.
Christine Cairns Fortuin receives funding from U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Gilead Admits to Paying Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to High Prescribers of Gilead’s HIV Drugs to Serve as Speakers at Programs and to Holding Programs at Luxury Restaurants
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Naomi Gruchacz, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”); Christopher M. Silvestro, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”), the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General (“DOD-OIG”); and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that the U.S. has settled a civil fraud lawsuit against GILEAD SCIENCES, INC (“GILEAD”), a large pharmaceutical manufacturer, that, among other things, develops, manufactures, and sells drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The settlement resolves claims that GILEAD offered and paid kickbacks in the form of honoraria payments, meals, and travel expenses to healthcare practitioners who spoke at or attended Gilead speaker events to induce them to prescribe Stribild®, Genvoya®, Complera®, Odefsey®, Descovy®, and Biktarvy® (the “Gilead HIV Drugs”) in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) and thereby caused false claims for the Gilead HIV Drugs to be submitted to and paid by federal healthcare programs in violation of the False Claims Act.
Under the settlement, which was approved yesterday by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, GILEAD agreed to pay a total sum of $202 million, of which $176,927,889.28 will be paid to the U.S. and the remainder will be paid to various states. As part of the settlement, GILEAD also made extensive factual admissions regarding its conduct.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “For years, Gilead unlawfully sought to increase sales of its HIV drugs, by using its speaker programs to funnel kickbacks to doctors. As alleged, Gilead spent tens of millions of dollars on these programs, including over $20 million in speaking fees and millions more in exorbitant meals, alcohol and travel, all in an effort to induce doctors to prescribe Gilead’s HIV drugs and drive up sales. With this settlement, Gilead has taken responsibility for its conduct and agreed to pay a significant financial penalty. The message is clear, companies that illegally drain taxpayer dollars from federal healthcare programs will be held accountable.”
HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz said: “This impactful settlement is the result of collaborative work by law enforcement partners, revealing Gilead’s unlawful practice of providing kickbacks to physicians under the guise of its HIV educational speaker programs. Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, which in this case involved expensive HIV medications, can inappropriately influence physicians’ decision-making and divert the monies of taxpayer-funded federal healthcare programs.”
DCIS Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Silvestro: “This settlement is the result of the partnership among law enforcement and the Department of Justice to aggressively investigate and hold accountable companies and their employees who value greed over healthcare. Protecting TRICARE, the healthcare system for Service members and their families, and investigating kickback schemes are priorities for DCIS.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “This settlement ensures Gilead is held accountable for their illicit use of perks and kickbacks to entice doctors to prescribe the company’s medicine. These types of schemes are not victimless – illegal kickbacks directly affect taxpayer funded healthcare programs. The FBI will continue to investigate and stop healthcare companies attempting to benefit from deceitful and illegal practices.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:
The Gilead HIV Drugs are antiretroviral drugs (i.e., drugs that act against retroviruses such as HIV) used for the treatment of HIV. These drugs are very expensive—Medicare typically paid well in excess of a thousand dollars for a one-month supply of Complera®, and significantly more for many of the other Gilead HIV Drugs.
As part of its marketing efforts and to increase sales, Gilead conducted events known as “HIV Speaker Programs” at which a healthcare provider involved in the treatment of HIV was engaged to present a slide deck (prepared by Gilead) and facilitate discussion about one of the drugs or a topic concerning HIV (an “HIV Disease State Topic”) to other healthcare providers involved in the treatment of HIV (“Attendees”). Gilead’s HIV Speaker Programs were often held in the evening at restaurants (“HIV Dinner Programs”).
From January 2011 to November 2017 (the “Relevant Time Period”), Gilead conducted HIV Speaker Programs in order to promote and increase the sales of the Gilead HIV Drugs. The HIV Speaker Programs were supposed to be educational in nature and the cost of any meals provided was supposed to be modest. But in practice, during the Relevant Time Period, Gilead’s HIV Speaker Programs provided kickbacks to healthcare providers by: holding HIV Dinner Programs at high-end restaurants that were wholly inappropriate for educational events; allowing Attendees to attend HIV Dinner Programs on the exact same topic again and again and, thereby, obtain free lavish meals for events that held minimal educational value for them; and paying for HIV Speakers to travel to speak at desirable destinations—at times at the HIV Speaker’s request. Further, Gilead’s compliance program failed to prevent these improper practices, even though Gilead knew that it had to comply with the AKS and the company’s own data should have put Gilead on notice of many of these abuses.
Many healthcare providers who received these improper kickbacks then prescribed the Gilead HIV Drugs. As a result, federal healthcare programs paid millions of dollars in reimbursements for tainted prescriptions.
As part of the settlement, GILEAD admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the U.S., including the following:
Gilead paid many high-volume prescribers of HIV drugs tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in honoraria to prepare and present as HIV Speakers. For instance, one HIV Speaker, who received over $300,000 in total honorarium payments, wrote prescriptions for Gilead HIV Drugs that resulted in over $6 million in Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE payments.
On many occasions, Gilead covered the travel costs of HIV Speakers who traveled long distances to speak at HIV Speaker Programs at desirable travel destinations, such as Hawaii, Miami, and New Orleans. This was sometimes in response to an HIV Speaker’s request to be booked for an HIV Speaker Program in that city.
Sales representatives in Gilead’s HIV therapeutic area (“Sales Representatives”) organized HIV Speaker Programs at high-end restaurants across the country. For instance, a significant percentage of the HIV Speaker Programs held in New York City were held at expensive restaurants, such as the James Beard House, Del Posto, Asiate, Palma, Vaucluse, Ilili, and Limani. In particular, Gilead held 157 HIV Speaker Programs at the James Beard House, making it one of Gilead’s most used venues for HIV Speaker Programs. A dinner at the James Beard House typically included approximately six courses with alcoholic beverage pairings.
Sales Representatives repeatedly invited numerous doctors and other healthcare providers to attend the same HIV program over and over. Many repeatedly attended HIV Speaker Programs covering the exact same topic, often within a short period of time.
Over 250 prescribers of the Gilead HIV Drugs attended HIV Dinner Programs on the same topic three times or more within a six-month period. And over 80 of them attended five or more HIV Dinner Programs on the same topic within a six-month period.
Further, many healthcare providers who were paid to be HIV Speakers on a particular topic also attended HIV Dinner Programs on exactly the same topic, often within less than six months after speaking.
In certain instances, the same group of doctors repeatedly attended the same HIV Speaker Programs together at various restaurants. In many instances, they attended a HIV Dinner Program less than two weeks after speaking on the same topic.
During the Relevant Time Period, Gilead’s policies and procedures failed to prevent Sales Representatives and Regional Directors in its HIV therapeutic area from improperly providing honoraria payments, meals, and travel expenses to healthcare providers who spoke at or attended HIV Speaker Programs to induce them to prescribe the Gilead HIV Drugs.
In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.
* * *
Mr. Clayton thanked the New York Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their extensive collaboration in the investigation and resolution of this case, and also praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, HHS-OIG and DCIS.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob M. Bergman, Allison M. Rovner, Rebecca S. Tinio, and Lucas Issacharoff are in charge of the case.
Surfshark, a cybersecurity company, has taken a step further to benefit the privacy community bylaunching a public DNS(Domain Name System). Unlike the default DNS servers provided by ISPs (Internet Service Providers), which often track and record user activity, Surfshark’s new public DNS server ensures privacy by not logging browsing history, data transfers, or any other internet behavior. Surfshark DNS was created for privacy-conscious individuals and organizations, helping them to take the first step towards privacy and security by using this tool.
“This initiative reflects our dedication to the privacy community and addresses the increasing demand for trustworthy, privacy-first DNS solutions. By offering a free, privacy-oriented DNS service, we are not only seeking Surfshark’s commitment to make the internet a safer place for everyone but also encouraging individuals, organisations, as well as NGOs to take their first steps towards enhancing online privacy. Our DNS service is designed with both stable connectivity and privacy in mind, offering a robust network that doesn’t store or track personal data, giving users a private, seamless browsing experience,” says Karolis Kaciulis, Leading System Engineer at Surfshark.
Many people rely on the default DNS provided by their ISP or other big companies, often overlooking the potential to enhance their browsing experience. A public DNS service hosted by a trustworthy entity would have a positive impact on privacy online and may even improve overall network performance. However, it’s important to note that UDP and TCP DNS queries are still sent over the internet in plaintext, making them susceptible to interception. To counter this, Surfshark’s DNS server supports secure DNS protocols such as DoT, DoH, and DoQ to keep browsing activity private.
What is a DNS server
DNS server works as a translator of domain names like bbc.com or thenewyorktimes.com, into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that computers can understand. K. Kaciulis explained that it acts as the phonebook of the internet, ensuring users can access websites using easy-to-remember names instead of numerical IP addresses.
“When a person types a domain name like ‘google.com’ into their web browser, a DNS request is created and sent out to find the corresponding IP address for the requested site. Then the internet browser uses this IP address to connect to the origin and load the website. DNS servers, which are dedicated machines that handle and respond to DNS requests, make this seamless process possible,” says K. Kaciulis.
How does a DNS work
When a request is made to access any website on the browser, the DNS resolution process is initiated. During this step, the domain name entered into a browser is converted to the corresponding IP address required to locate the desired web resource. The initial DNS query is sent to a resolver, which first contacts a root server to get information about the correct top-level domain (TLD), such as .com or .org. This TLD data then helps direct the request to the server responsible for the specific domain.
Finally, it reaches the authoritative name server, which holds the exact IP address for the website. This address is then sent back so the site can be loaded.
Benefits of using Surfshark public DNS
ISPs may collect and log users’ DNS queries for user identification. They can also monitor DNS traffic, both passively and actively, and are capable of blocking specific hostnames when necessary. Additionally, user data can be used for targeted advertising or sold to third parties. Surfshark DNS server is different, it operates under a strict no-logs policy, which means no collection, storage, or sharing of browsing activity.
Using a Surfshark DNS may lead to a positive improvement in overall network performance. Unlike default ISP DNS servers, which can become overloaded. Since the Surfshark public DNS infrastructure is spread out, it has a better understanding of geolocation, which can provide users with closer servers. As a result, it may reduce delays, connection drops, and improve overall browsing reliability.
According to K. Kaciulis, privacy is essential for this type of service. Surfshark is committed to protecting user privacy and does not process any information related to users’ online behavior. As a result, the company passed an independent no-log audit in 2023 for its VPN service and is planning to have another one conducted on its public DNS server.
ABOUT SURFSHARK
Surfshark is a cybersecurity company offering products including an audited VPN, certified antivirus, data leak warning system, private search engine, and tool for generating an online identity. Recognized as a leading VPN by CNET and TechRadar, Surfshark has also been featured on the FT1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies ranking. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Surfshark has offices in Lithuania and Poland. For information on Surfshark’s operations and highlights, read our Annual Wrap-up. For more research projects, visit our Research Hub.
DALLAS, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CSW Industrials, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSWI) today announced the renewal and extension of its existing Revolving Credit Facility, including an increase of the Facility’s commitment from $500 million to $700 million in partnership with a group of nine banks. The renewed Revolving Credit Facility has a five-year term and now matures in May of 2030.
Joseph B. Armes, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President commented, “The renewal of our Revolving Credit Facility provides us with efficient access to capital that allows the Company to be opportunistic and to act decisively on growth opportunities. I want to express my gratitude to our bank group for supporting the extension and upsizing of our Revolving Credit Facility, allowing us the opportunity to continue delivering above market growth.”
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. will serve as administrative agent. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Truist Bank acted as the joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners.
About CSW Industrials CSW Industrials is a diversified industrial growth company with industry-leading operations in three segments: Contractor Solutions, Specialized Reliability Solutions, and Engineered Building Solutions. The Company provides niche, value-added products with two essential commonalities: performance and reliability. The primary end markets we serve with our well-known brands include: HVAC/R, plumbing, electrical, general industrial, architecturally-specified building products, energy, mining, and rail transportation. For more information, please visit www.cswindustrials.com.
MIDDLETOWN, R.I., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI), will announce its financial results for the first quarter that ended on March 31, 2025, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. In conjunction with the release, the company will conduct its investor conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET, hosted by Mr. Brent Bruun, CEO, and Mr. Anthony Pike, CFO.
A live broadcast of the call will be available online at investors.kvh.com. In addition, an audio replay of the conference call will be available on the website for at least two weeks. To listen to the replay, visit investors.kvh.com starting three hours following the conclusion of the call. Investors who wish to submit questions during or following the call may do so to IR@kvh.com.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries, Inc. is a global leader in maritime and mobile connectivity delivered via the KVH ONE® network. The company, founded in 1982, is based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and more than a dozen offices around the globe. KVH provides connectivity solutions for commercial maritime, leisure marine, military/government, and land mobile applications on vessels and vehicles, including the TracNet®, TracPhone®, and TracVision® product lines, the KVH ONE OpenNet Program for non-KVH antennas, AgilePlans® Connectivity as a Service (CaaS), and the KVH Link crew wellbeing content service.
In today’s digital age, traditional qualifications alone are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of the local economy – practical skills, problem-solving abilities and technological fluency are now also essential to develop work-ready job seekers and entrepreneurs with in-demand skills needed by the local economy.
In response to this need, Samsung has – over the years through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives such as the global Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) – collaborated with esteemed academic institutions such as the Walter Sisulu University (WSU). This strategic partnership was formed in an effort to bridge the gap between traditional education and the demand for skills training tailored specifically for the current job market that requires modern tech expertise.
Importantly, Samsung recognises how essential SIC is in driving economic growth and technological advancement in South Africa and the continent as a whole. This partnership with WSU therefore, aims to provide ICT education to students from underserved communities in the Eastern Cape. This global SIC programme is designed to provide practical, cutting-edge training in digital skills and has since inception, also trained participants on a range of soft skills to foster talented youth who will go on to shape the future society. This SIC programme is a forward-thinking initiative that seeks to continue addressing the evolving demands of the modern workforce.
These are some of the reasons why Samsung has remained dedicated to making a long-term social impact by investing in education, youth skills training and technological innovation. Over the years, the company has invested in youth development and workforce skills training by equipping students with in-demand digital skills needed by the local economy.
Along with core competencies such as artificial intelligence (AI) as well as Coding and Programming (C&P) training in Python – SIC has been providing progressive knowledge to students ensuring that they are both academically qualified and industry work-ready.
These high-demand skills are positioning the country’s youth for careers in technology-driven sectors and entrepreneurship. The institution is making these incredible strides because it has long recognised that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is reshaping education, work and daily life. WSU has now also ensured that technology is integrated into its teaching, research and student development initiatives. Importantly, the university has now made sure that digital transformation has become a strategic priority, by establishing an AI Centre that will serve as a hub for advanced digital skills training, research and innovation.
For Samsung’s CSR initiatives, measurable impact on the country’s youth including young women has always been essential. This SIC programme has now touched the lives of about 71 young people at WSU – a combination of both males and females. With this programme, WSU students have now been prepared for careers in technology by creating both employment and entrepreneurial opportunities that will help them make a positive impact on society. For this reason, Samsung spoke to some alumni students about their experience in the programme and this, is what they had to say:
A graduate and an alumni from the WSU-SIC programme who is originally from Lusikisiki, Atsho Nota has a diploma in Application Development studies which she believes has given her a strong foundation in technology and problem-solving.
Atsho has always been passionate about technology and how it can be used to improve people’s lives. She added that this programme has made a significant difference in her personal and professional growth.
“It has given me the opportunity to develop hands-on technical skills”, she explained: “I’ve now gained industry experience and it has improved my confidence in working with advanced technology. Also, the practical training has enhanced my problem-solving abilities significantly and prepared me for real-world challenges in the tech industry,” she added. Atsho’s future plans include advancing her career in the tech industry, possibly specialising in software development. She hopes to use her skills to contribute to innovative solutions and maybe even start her own business in the future. Atsho also wants to continue learning and growing in the field of technology to stay updated with industry advancements.
Another impressive alumni student from the SIC programme is Lazola Leonardo Mbangata, who is currently running his own start-up company called Xero Technologies, while also pursuing a postgraduate degree – majoring in Software development. Born and raised in Butterworth, this young man has various certifications in data science and cyber security. For Lazola, this SIC programme has played a crucial role in his career and advancement in IT.
He believes that studying Python and AI has advanced his development skills and enhanced his projects for automation and usability – thus bringing him one step closer to his future goal of AI security. “I decided to sign up for the programme because of my interest in AI and Python because I believed that this would grow my mind and understanding in the field, he said. “Also, working with a big company like Samsung was potentially an opportunity for crucial doors to be opened for me.”
What Lazola found most interesting during the SIC lessons is the diversity in IT and the opportunity to not only build software but also to deal with software management and publishing. These skills that Lazola acquired have ensured that his business is on track for success. What is still a bit of a challenge is finding local clients, however he’s still quite determined and very optimistic.
For Samsung, this partnership with WSU exemplifies the kind of university-industry collaboration that has ensured that together, they can continue training the leaders of tomorrow to use AI tools and other innovative technology platforms to effectively maximise the benefits of these new and exciting emerging technologies in their future careers.
These testimonies are proof that this SIC initiative not only enhances individual career prospects, but also contributes significantly to building a group of resilient and future-ready workforce as well as technology entrepreneurs. Samsung’s efforts underscore its broader commitment to technological innovation and sustainable community development in the country.
Sinethemba Mpambane, DVC: Institutional Support and Development at WSU said: “In a country that is facing significant youth unemployment, this SIC curriculum is a game-changer as it offers students direct access to opportunities in AI, software development and digital solutions, while also fostering innovation and problem-solving. As WSU, we are now looking forward to strengthening our collaboration with Samsung, expanding these programmes and continuing to empower students with future-ready skills.”
Mpambane added that all these WSU-driven initiatives will complement this SIC programme by providing a platform for students and industry partners to engage in cutting-edge AI-driven projects. For WSU – the impact of this SIC programme is clear. Graduates are leaving with more than just certificates; they possess tangible, in-demand skills that enhance their employability and entrepreneurial potential.
And furthermore, WSU in partnership with Samsung is committed to shaping the next generation of African technology leaders. This institution is seeking to become an impactful, technology-infused African university that remains relevant in today’s digital world, while preparing its students for the future. The SIC programme is but one of the ways of ensuring that WSU achieves its vision for the future.
Samsung is excited to announce its partnership with the popular South African podcast, The L-Tido Podcast. This partnership is designed to bring the cutting-edge features of the recently launched Samsung Galaxy A series to the forefront of pop culture, while engaging viewers with candid conversations from some of South Africa’s most influential personalities. The awesome Galaxy A series, with its impressive features, perfectly aligns with the calibre of the show’s guests, with their boldness and trendsetting.
The L-Tido Podcast, hosted by renowned hip-hop artist and influencer Thato “L-Tido” Madonsela, is one of South Africa’s leading podcasts. Known for its raw, in-depth interviews with popular South African entertainers, the show covers a wide array of topics including career journeys, personal stories, current events, and controversial subjects. With its unfiltered, authentic style, The L-Tido Podcast has earned a loyal following that Samsung is excited to engage with through this strategic partnership.
Samsung Galaxy A Series: Awesome Intelligence for Everyone
As part of the collaboration, Samsung will sponsor three episodes of The L-Tido Podcast during April. The sponsorship comes in support of the Galaxy A series smartphones – the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G – which are designed to bring Awesome Intelligence to everyone. As podcasting continues to grow popular, smartphones like the Galaxy A series are one of the biggest tools viewers use to enjoy them, which comes as no surprise as they deliver impeccable viewing quality.
The Galaxy A series boasts impressive features that make it the ultimate device for modern consumers, including:
Enhanced Circle to Search: Effortlessly find and connect with people, places, and things with an intuitive search feature.
Music Search: Instantly identify and discover new music tracks, whether you’re listening to a podcast or out and about.
Awesome Camera: Capture stunning moments with the Nightography mode, perfect for low-light environments, and Object Eraser to effortlessly remove unwanted objects from your photos.
Samsung Knox: Protect your personal data with Samsung’s industry-leading mobile security, ensuring peace of mind for every user.
Exciting Giveaways
In addition to the podcast sponsorship, Samsung is giving back to viewers with exciting giveaways. Three lucky viewers will have the chance to win the latest Galaxy A series smartphones (Terms and Conditions apply) – a perfect opportunity for fans of the podcast to experience Awesome Intelligence for themselves.
Don’t Miss Out!
Tune in to The L-Tido Podcast in April 2025 to catch the exclusive Samsung-sponsored episodes and for your chance to win one of the new Samsung Galaxy A series smartphones. You won’t want to miss these engaging conversations with South African celebrities and influencers, all while discovering the amazing features of the Samsung Galaxy A series.
On a late summer day in 1906, a small group of newly arrived Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia took a streetcar across town to Fairmount Park. Several miles from the cramped row houses and oppressive sweatshops of the immigrant quarter of South Philly, the neighborhood now known as Queen Village, they enjoyed a sunny picnic.
They weren’t there to make small talk, though.
Instead, they wanted to write “revolutionary articles” that would spark the “struggle against all that degrades and oppresses humanity,” as one of the leaders of the group, Joseph Cohen, later wrote in his 1945 memoir.
More specifically, the picnicgoers wanted to start a newspaper. It would be titled Broyt un Frayheyt – Yiddish for Bread and Freedom – the anarchist reminder that to live the good life, one needs both.
I’m a professor of media and politics at Temple University in Philadelphia. For the past year I’ve been tracking the life and times of my great-grandfather Max, a radical Yiddish journalist in the early years of the 20th century.
To my surprise, I found he had lived here in Philadelphia, and his story is part of a largely forgotten moment in U.S. history: when Philly was an epicenter of the national anarchist movement, heartily supported by the city’s burgeoning Jewish immigrant community.
Beyond the Russian pale
By 1906, thousands of people like Max had made their way to Philadelphia from the Russian “pale” – the only part of the Russian Empire where they could legally reside. They fled economic isolation and state-sanctioned persecution in search of a more stable life.
South Philly was better than where they had come from, but immigrant life then, as now, was by no means easy. They had escaped a legal regime of oppression and the perpetual threat of antisemitic mob violence. But in turn they found a world of dark alleys and dead ends. Their labor was exploited, their living conditions meager.
For some, the American promise of freedom and prosperity seemed to ring hollow.
They did, however, find one freedom they had not experienced before. They were able to speak, write and publish their ideas no matter how outlandish or against the grain.
The Yiddish press in the United States was experiencing extraordinary growth at the time. In New York, Philadelphia and other cities, newspapers quickly emerged – and often disappeared – month over month.
Jewish anarchists in America
Max moved to Philadelphia in 1906 to work with another immigrant named Joseph Cohen. Cohen had arrived in Philadelphia three years earlier. He earned a scant living making cigars, but his real work was advocating anarchism.
At the dawn of the 20th century, anarchism was not the nihilistic chaos the term may bring to mind today. It was a heartfelt dream of a free and egalitarian society.
The anarchists believed that man-made hierarchies – political, economic and religious – were illegitimate and limited the full expression of humanity. They rejected the authority of the state. That particularly appealed to many Jewish immigrants, for whom laws in the old country had long served as vehicles of oppression.
Cohen had studied this philosophy of local autonomy and communal life with the Philadelphia activist Voltairine de Cleyre.
History may remember Emma Goldman, a Lithuanian-born New Yorker and perhaps the leading voice of American anarchism from that era. But de Cleyre was the heart and soul of Philadelphia’s anarchist scene.
A tireless critic of the inequities of the industrial age, de Cleyre had taught herself Yiddish to better serve as “the apostle of anarchism” in the Jewish ghetto.
While de Cleyre could often be found speaking in front of city hall, Max, Cohen and their colleagues were more likely to gather at the corner of Fifth and South streets, the hub of Philadelphia’s Yiddish press and its culture of rambunctious street debate.
By 1906, Cohen had co-founded the anarchist Radical Library in the upstairs rooms at 229 Pine St. This provided the Philadelphia anarchists a meeting space and reading room.
But “the Jewish newspaper men, the radicals and the tireless talkers,” as the Philadelphia historian Harry Boonin wrote, still congregated in the ramshackle cafes lining the 600 block of South Fifth, where they would argue over anarchism and atheism deep into the night.
Competition with NYC comrades
Cohen’s goal was to publish a nationally influential anarchist paper that would give voice to the “comrades from Philadelphia.”
That meant direct competition with the New York Yiddish press and the influential weekly newspaper Freie Arbeiter Stimme, or The Free Voice of Labor. Edited by Saul Yanovksy on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, FAS was the center of the Jewish anarchist movement and of the Yiddish intelligentsia more broadly.
“To be able to say ‘I have written for Yanovsky,’” wrote the sociologist Robert Park in 1922, “is a literary passport for a Yiddish writer.”
Although the FAS masthead said the paper was located in New York and Philadelphia, Yanovksy controlled the operation from New York, much to Cohen’s dismay.
Cohen had partnered with Yanovsky earlier in 1906 to publish a daily anarchist newspaper. He maintained a small office in the back of Finkler’s cigar store at Fifth and Bainbridge streets. But the paper was printed in New York and delivered back to Philadelphia each morning by courier train.
Cohen wrote in his memoir that he suspected Yanovsky intentionally sabotaged the effort by insisting that he personally write the daily editorial, but then turning in his copy too late for the paper to make the train. After two months the partnership, and the paper, fell apart.
For Cohen, the lesson was that to be the genuine voice of the anarchist movement, he had to print the paper locally in Philadelphia.
Bread and Freedom published its first issue on Nov. 11, 1906. The date was symbolic. It was the anniversary of the execution of the “Chicago martyrs” – the four men wrongly sentenced to death for the 1886 bombing at a labor rally at Chicago’s Haymarket Square. The Haymarket affair galvanized the anarchist movement among immigrants, even as it accelerated the wider fear of foreign-born radicalism.
Over the next three months, the newspaper offered a weekly digest of anarchist arguments. It translated into Yiddish Voltairine de Cleyre’s critique of capitalism and what she called its “moral bankruptcy” – its hunger for wealth, power and material possessions. It attacked what de Cleyre called the “dominant idea” of the times – “the shameless, merciless” exploitation of the worker, “only to produce heaps and heaps of things – things ugly, things harmful, things useless, and at the best largely unnecessary.”
Almost as soon as it began, however, Bread and Freedom ran out of money. Its rhetoric was exciting but ineffective. The paper offered no real solutions beyond an impossible demand to dismantle the capitalist state.
Although two members of the group were briefly detained by the police in Baltimore for selling a radical newspaper, their fiery propaganda lit no revolutionary spark.
Instead, it disappeared quietly, folding in January 1907.
Shifting tactics
Even then, a different kind of immigrant was arriving in the U.S. from Russia. Their radical politics were coupled with organizational acumen.
Many of the older anarchists would join forces with these newcomers, and the effort morphed into something more pragmatic. They helped build the foundations of the 20th-century labor movement, which successfully fought for once-radical ideals such as the eight-hour workday and paid sick leave.
A few years earlier, though, the streets of South Philly had been home to a vibrant space of free speech and boundless political imagination. It would not last long, but it is a moment I believe is worth remembering.
Geoffrey Baym does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Radar shows a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flying through the eye of Tropical Storm Idalia during a mission in 2023.Nick Underwood/NOAA
The National Hurricane Center’s forecasts in 2024 were its most accurate on record, from its one-day forecasts, as tropical cyclones neared the coast, to its forecasts five days into the future, when storms were only beginning to come together.
Thanks to federally funded research, forecasts of tropical cyclone tracks today are up to 75% more accurate than they were in 1990. A National Hurricane Center forecast three days out today is about as accurate as a one-day forecast in 2002, giving people in the storm’s path more time to prepare and reducing the size of evacuations.
Yet, cuts in staffing and threats to funding at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which includes the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service – are diminishing operations that forecasters rely on.
I am a meteorologist who studies lightning in hurricanes and helps train other meteorologists to monitor and forecast tropical cyclones. Here are three of the essential components of weather forecasting that have been targeted for cuts to funding and staff at NOAA.
Tracking the wind
To understand how a hurricane is likely to behave, forecasters need to know what’s going on in the atmosphere far from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Hurricanes are steered by the winds around them. Wind patterns detected today over the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains – places like Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota – give forecasters clues to the winds that will be likely along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts in the days ahead.
A meteorologist prepares to launch a weather balloon at Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. Data collected by the balloon’s radiosonde will help predict local weather that can influence fire behavior. Neal Herbert/National Park Service
That move and other cuts and threatened cuts at NOAA have raised red flags for forecasters across the country and around the world.
Forecasters everywhere, from TV to private companies, rely on NOAA’s data to do their jobs. Much of that data would be extremely expensive if not impossible to replicate.
Under normal circumstances, weather balloons are released from around 900 locations around the world at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time every day. While the loss of just 12 of these profiles may not seem significant, small amounts of missing data can lead to big forecast errors. This is an example of chaos theory, more popularly known as the butterfly effect.
The balloons carry a small instrument called a radiosonde, which records data as it rises from the surface of the Earth to around 120,000 feet above ground. The radiosonde acts like an all-in-one weather station, beaming back details of the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and air pressure every 15 feet through its flight.
For more than 80 years, scientists have been flying planes into hurricanes to measure each storm’s strength and help forecast its path and potential for damage.
Known as “Hurricane Hunters,” these crews from the U.S. Air Force Reserve and NOAA routinely conduct reconnaissance missions throughout hurricane season using a variety of instruments. Similar to weather balloons, these flights are making measurements that satellites can’t.
Hurricane Hunters use Doppler radar to gauge how the wind is blowing and LiDAR to measure temperature and humidity changes. They drop probes to measure the ocean temperature down several hundred feet to tell how much warm water might be there to fuel the storm.
They also release 20 to 30 dropsondes, measuring devices with parachutes. As the dropsondes fall through the storm, they transmit data about the temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and air pressure every 15 feet or so from the plane to the ocean.
Dropsondes from Hurricane Hunter flights are the only way to directly measure what is occurring inside the storm. Although satellites and radars can see inside hurricanes, these are indirect measurements that do not have the fine-scale resolution of dropsonde data.
That data tells National Hurricane Center forecasters how intense the storm is and whether the atmosphere around the storm is favorable for strengthening. Dropsonde data also helps computer models forecast the track and intensity of storms days into the future.
Two NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight directors were laid off in February 2025, leaving only six when 10 are preferred. Directors are the flight meteorologists aboard each flight who oversee operations and ensure the planes stay away from the most dangerous conditions.
Having fewer directors limits the number of flights that can be sent out during busy times when Hurricane Hunters are monitoring multiple storms. And that would limit the accurate data the National Hurricane Center would have for forecasting storms.
Eyes in the sky
Weather satellites that monitor tropical storms from space provide continuous views of each storm’s track and intensity changes. The equipment on these satellites and software used to analyze it make increasingly accurate hurricane forecasts possible. Much of that equipment is developed by federally funded researchers.
Forecasting rapid intensification is one of the great challenges for hurricane scientists. It’s the dangerous shift when a tropical cyclone’s wind speeds jump by at least 35 mph (56 kilometers per hour) in 24 hours.
Under the federal budget proposal details released so far, including a draft of agencies’ budget plans marked up by Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, known as the passback, there is no funding for Cooperative Institutes. There is also no funding for aircraft recapitalization. A 2022 NOAA plan sought to purchase up to six new aircraft that would be used by Hurricane Hunters.
The passback budget also cut funding for some technology from future satellites, including lightning mappers that are used in hurricane intensity forecasting and to warn airplanes of risks.
It only takes one
Tropical storms and hurricanes can have devastating effects, as Hurricanes Helene and Milton reminded the country in 2024. These storms, while well forecast, resulted in billions of dollars of damage and hundreds of fatalities.
The U.S. has been facing more intense storms, and the coastal population and value of property in harm’s way are growing. As five former directors of the National Weather Service wrote in an open letter, cutting funding and staff from NOAA’s work that is improving forecasting and warnings ultimately threatens to leave more lives at risk.
Chris Vagasky is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.
It isn’t easy to figure out how the Earth was built, because it happened 4½ billion years ago, and no one was there to watch. So scientists have had to look at what the Earth looks like now and at all of the other planets, moons and debris in the solar system.
They’ve concluded that the Earth was built in the same way that you would build a big snowball to make a snowman. The mass that would become our home rolled through planetary debris – rocks floating in space – for more than 100 million years, adding more and more material, until it grew into a full-size planet.
How do scientists like me know this is what happened? First, studies of the size, composition and location of asteroids and comets, many of which are as old as the Earth, indicate that 4½ billion years ago the solar system looked the way Saturn looks today, with rings of space rocks orbiting around the Sun. There’s still one such ring around the Sun – it’s called the asteroid belt and lies between Mars and Jupiter, with the Sun’s gravity holding the rocks in orbit.
The solar system that includes Earth formed from a spinning disk of dust and gases.
All of the other bodies that we know as planets today began as similar rings of space debris. An eddy, or area of rolling, developed in each of these rings and caused the debris to clump up in a snowball effect. But these pieces of debris were asteroids that smashed violently into the growing planets.
We can see those impacts on planets and moons whose surfaces haven’t weathered or reformed. If you look at the Moon or the planet Mercury, you can see that they are covered with craters from asteroid impacts.
When asteroids or comets struck these building planets, they crashed into their surfaces at speeds as high as 40,000 to 50,000 miles per hour (65,000 to 80,000 kilometers per hour). The impacts caused huge explosions that emitted massive amounts of dust and broken or melted rock.
In fact, scientists believe that the Moon was once part of the Earth, until a large asteroid crashed into the Earth so hard that the Moon broke away and shot into space. There, it began orbiting the Earth as it does now.
Still under construction
Most big asteroids and comets collided with the Earth when it was young, about 4½ billion years ago. The number of such collisions has steadily decreased ever since. However, at least 100 tons of dust-size space rock rains down on the Earth every day, increasing the size of our planet bit by bit.
The Earth also collides with space rocks, called meteors, that show up as shooting stars in the night sky. Some of these meteors come from an impact that struck Mars at some point, breaking away rock from the planet surface and shooting it into outer space. These rocks have been falling to Earth ever since.
What’s the difference between an asteroid and a comet? Asteroids are large space rocks, while comets are large, dirty ice balls. Meteors are smaller − typically the size of pebbles or even dust.
About 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid struck the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico. The enormous Chicxulub explosion drove large tsunamis throughout the ocean and raised so much dust into the air that it made the dinosaurs go extinct.
Another large asteroid impact, about 35 million years ago, made a huge crater in the area that is now the Chesapeake Bay, near Washington, D.C. More recently, in 1908, an asteroid likely exploded over Tunguska, Russia, flattening 830 square miles (2,150 square kilometers) of trees. Fortunately, no one lived in the area, so there were no known casualties.
Barringer Crater in Arizona was caused by a meteor strike about 50,000 years ago. It measures about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) across. D. Roddy, USGS/Wikipedia
Once a mass of space debris was assembled into the Earth, many processes continued to shape the planet’s surface. Wind, water, heat and cold cause rocks to weather and break down and soil to erode. Mountains are created as pieces of Earth’s crust collide and crack. Rivers and glaciers wear down the planet’s surface to make it smoother.
The Earth is a dynamic planet that is constantly being built, and these processes will continue for billions of years into the future.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
Alexander E. Gates 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: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China sees surge in return trips on last day of May Day holiday
Updated: May 5, 2025 20:15Xinhua
An aerial drone photo taken on May 5, 2025 shows traffic flows on Jiangyin grand bridge on Beijing-Shanghai expressway. On the last day of the May Day holiday, a peak in return trips was observed nationwide. [Photo/Xinhua]Passengers wave to their friends and family at Chongqing North Railway Station in Chongqing, southwest China, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]Passengers disembark at Yantai Railway Station in Yantai, east China’s Shandong Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]Passengers disembark at Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]An aerial drone photo taken on May 5, 2025 shows vehicles running on a section of Shanghai-Wuhan expressway in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. [Photo/Xinhua]Passengers wait for ticket checks at Fuyang West Railway Station in Fuyang, east China’s Anhui Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]Passengers prepare to get on a train at Qinhuangdao Railway Station in Qinhuangdao, north China’s Hebei Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]Passengers disembark at Jinhua Railway Station in Jinhua, east China’s Zhejiang Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]An aerial drone photo shows traffic flows on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research shows that fires in populated areas are three times more likely to lead to premature deaths than wildfires overall, informing fire mitigation efforts.
Scientists at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) led the study, published in Science Advances, which found that smoke from fires that blaze through the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has far greater health impacts than smoke from wildfires in remote areas.
“This research will support the development of advanced fire prevention strategies, improve building codes and lead to effective emergency response plans,” said Bernard Grant, a program director in the NSF Directorate for Geosciences. “It will help protect lives and homes, safeguard natural ecosystems and reduce the economic burden of wildfire disasters,”
The researchers used an advanced NSF NCAR-based computer model, the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols, to simulate pollutants from fires. Their modeling included carbon monoxide chemical tracers, which allowed them to estimate emission sources and differentiate between wildland and WUI fires.
“The health impacts are proportionately large because they’re close to human populations,” said NSF NCAR scientist Wenfu Tang, the report’s lead author. “Pollutants emitted by WUI fires, such as particulate matter and the precursors to ozone, are more harmful because they’re not dispersing across hundreds or thousands of miles.”
If there’s one thing Christopher Sancomb freely admits, it’s that he likes things like foamed aluminum, pieces of copper, chunks of iron, and sticks of ebony.
“I’ve always been a materials person,” says Sancomb, an assistant professor of industrial design in the Department of Art and Art History. “It’s always been a big part of my work.”
For 15 years before coming to UConn in 2019, Sancomb designed museum exhibitions for children, a job that required him to carefully consider each material he planned to use: Would it do what he wanted it to do? Is it environmentally friendly? How hard is it to obtain? Can it be ethically sourced?
“That began my collection and fostered a deeper interest into all the things that go along with the stuff we use in the world,” he says.
Industrial designers and engineers – really, anyone who builds something from scratch – must think about things like this when working on projects, he says, and until now UConn students studying for these professions had no place to learn about the infinite number of materials available in the world.
Sancomb has changed that.
Christopher Sancomb, assistant professor of industrial design at UConn, arranges some of the items in the Materials Library within the Fine Arts Complex on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)
UConn’s Materials Library, of which he is founder, has been a project five years in the making, stalled by the pandemic but now finishing its first year as a resource for students and faculty.
In the rear of the Art Design Center – that’s Room 108 in the Art Building – the library houses a collection of raw, manufactured, and reclaimed materials from all over the world that go into the built environment around us, he explains.
“We want to use this as a hands-on learning space, so you can see the thing, touch the thing, measure it, mark it, uncover where it comes from, learn more about it as a way to understand what we use in the world, what we put into the world as designers,” he says.
It’s a place where people can feel the weight of a brick of mycelium, the gentleness of a tuft of alpaca wool, the grooves of a crocodile pattern on a piece of bioleather, and the sturdiness of recycled plastic turned into a 1.5-inch-thick felt-like board.
It’s a place to refine ideas, develop new ones, and spark creativity.
“Let’s say you came in and were thinking of using an existing plastic that had certain qualities – maybe it needs a high breaking strength and high UV sensitivity. Maybe it needs to be washed and sanitized. Traditional plastics from the petrochemical world might work, but the library would show you there are alternative biomaterials that are just as well-suited and they’re less toxic,” he says.
Assessing Alternatives Through Hands-on Research
Samantha Wilkins ’25 (ENG) freely admits that she loves everything about airplanes, from the ailerons to the yaw string. There’s just something about them, she says.
As one of five interns at the Materials Library this academic year – each with their own research project in addition to helping Sancomb establish the library – she’s been thinking about sustainable aviation.
What alternative textiles can be used as seat covers and cushions? What plant-based products can form the cabin’s airframe?
“We have a bunch of different materials in here that I didn’t even know existed,” she says of the library.
Take hemp, for example.
“I was doing a lot of research and found an aircraft designer who made a completely sustainable, flyable aircraft out of hemp because it comes in all different forms. He made the entire fuselage structure out of it. This is just the textile version,” Wilkins, a multidisciplinary engineering major who’s concentrating in industrial design, says as she holds a fabric hemp sample in her hand.
“I’ve been researching a lot about hemp, jute, flax, things like that and the different forms they can take,” she says. “It really intrigues me that you can have so many different forms from one single material and it can serve so many different uses. I love that.”
Pamela Mackingue ’26 (SFA) says that after working as an intern this year, hemp also has become one of her new favorite things.
A pile of wool sits on a table as Christopher Sancomb, assistant professor of industrial design at UConn, arranges some of the items in the Materials Library within the Fine Arts Complex on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)
The double major in digital media and design and art with a concentration in industrial design says she’s focused her research on the fashion industry and finding materials that are more sustainable than many other products used today.
She’s growing her own leather – out of kombucha – fermenting black tea to create a biofilm that can be dried out to resemble the texture of animal leather, conditioned to restore some of its natural oils, and dyed any color in the rainbow. What she freely admits is that it’s not her own novel idea – it’s a process she came across while researching sustainable leather alternatives.
“As a designer, you have to think about the product you’re using, why you’re using it, what’s the purpose of it, how does it help your design,” she says. “It’s important information to know and getting that hands-on experience in the Materials Library is equally important.”
In addition to their research projects, Sancomb says the interns are helping him with the day-to-day work of the library – that is, cataloging each item and deciding what information is important for someone to know, then putting that information into a database, which eventually will go online.
Nonetheless, Wilkins says, “You can look at a database or inventory, but you don’t really know what you’re looking for until you get in here. The hands-on element is super important. A database can help you grasp the basics, then you can come in here to narrow down the possibilities and interact with the material you settled on.”
Personal Belongings, Donated Items, Purchased and Procured Objects
Sancomb opens the lid of an old cardboard box labeled “Constantine’s Rare Collection of the World’s Fine Woods” and carefully lifts out rectangle samples of cabinet wood veneer. They’re about 50 years old, he says, and were a donation from a friend.
Each of the 50 samples no doubt has a story, he says. Some of the wood might have been over forested and no longer is available. Some might have been the root of a humanitarian conflict. Some might be lost to forest fires and labor disputes.
“I find it really interesting the stories that can be told just from this collection and what might be in here that’s just gone,” he says.
With hundreds of items in the library, Sancomb says the collection includes some of his personal belongings like a chunk of marble with machined, cut, and polished faces brought back after a research trip to Italy, along with donated items like a bag of wool from UConn’s farm.
Other items have been purchased or procured without a cost other than a written request. No hazardous materials are part of the collection, and nothing is of significant monetary value – important things, Sancomb says, to keep the library freely open for all.
“My students are required at different times to think about the library and work with it, but we want students from other disciplines to know they can come here and access the materials,” he says.
UConn Bound in April drew dozens of prospective students and their families, and a steady stream of people came through during an open house the month prior, everyone wanting to see the library, which surprisingly isn’t something all schools have.
A variety of items sit in the Materials Library within the Fine Arts Complex on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)
The Rhode Island School of Design has a materials library, and so does the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the University of Texas at Austin, but not every school with an industrial design program boasts such a research space, Sancomb says.
Over the next decade, he says he hopes UConn’s library can outgrow its current home and move into a larger, more permanent location, maybe joining with another library on campus to bring its catalog to the UConn community.
Its hundreds of items could become thousands, with Connecticut industries and Connecticut products figuring prominently, he envisions. A larger budget would allow for more acquisitions, although donations likely will always be accepted.
“We recently got a large donation of wood and veneer,” Sancomb says, “so we’re working to catalog that collection and make it available to students through an application process. This way, if someone got an IDEA grant and needed to build some furniture, for instance, they might come to us with a proposal, and we would help supply them.”
Sancomb reaches across a table and hands off a small block of what looks like compressed soda can flip-tops.
Imagine that someone dipped a straw into a vat of molten aluminum and blew bubbles, he says. This is the solidified result, light airy panels of foamed aluminum that are sturdy enough for some structural applications, like for insulation or exterior cladding.
“They’re sound-dampening. They have a high fire retardancy because they’re made of metal, and they’re recyclable,” Sancomb says. “It’s a visually stunning material because you look at it and ask, ‘Is this what I think it is?’ And it is.”
Donations of raw, manufactured, and reclaimed items can be made to the Materials Library by emailing Sancomb at christopher.sancomb@uconn.edu. Check out @uconnindustrialdesign on Instagram for its Material Monday campaign, featuring materials that might not be in the library but have interesting backstories.
Editor’s Note: As Commencement approaches, we are featuring some of our Neag School Class of 2025 graduating students over the coming days.
Major: MA, Curriculum and Instruction Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut
Q: Why did you choose UConn?
A: UConn offered me a safe space to explore different opportunities and see which one I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life. When you are fresh out of high school and start your undergrad, all of the options seem overwhelming. UConn has a variety of courses and activities you could indulge in to find what is the right fit for you without making you feel the extra pressure of having to figure it all out. UConn has a wonderful community of both faculty and students, and it is a great resource to reach out to as you navigate the new paths in college.
Q: What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?
A: As a graduate student, I was drawn to the Neag School of Education, specifically the Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG). I always knew I wanted to be a teacher from a young age, but I completed my undergraduate degree in history to see other options. As I’ve explored different opportunities, my heart kept going back to education and choosing teaching as a career. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing something I loved, and working with children brings out the best in me. The TCPCG program allowed me to explore that passion further and learn more about how I can help mold young minds and be the teacher I have always wanted to see in my K-12 journey.
Q: Did you have a favorite professor or class?
A: My favorite professors of all time have to be in the TCPCG program. Dr. Katie Nagrotsky specifically has been a wonderful support throughout this journey. I have had two classes with her. When you see her teach a group of aspiring educators, you can feel the passion she has for education, which is inspiring to see as someone who wants to pursue the field. She gives great advice to future teachers and has taught us so much during the program. Outside of class, she is a great resource to reach out to for anything going on, and she shows that she is here to help us succeed.
Q: What activities were you involved in as a student?
A: As a student, I wasn’t as involved with UConn activities as I would have liked to be. But, even if you aren’t involved, some good advice would be to try and attend different activities. It can help you figure out where you shine — whether it is in leadership positions or coming up with great fundraising activities and trying to make a difference in the world.
Q: What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?
A: UConn surprised me with its level of support and guidance as a student, allowing me to explore different avenues and figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. I thought Storrs was in the middle of nowhere and I wouldn’t have a good time — strictly focusing on school and leaving with a degree. However, the people here really make UConn a wonderful place to be. School spirit here is unlike anywhere else, and the community gets together in the most beautiful way to support each other.
Q: What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?
A: I plan to teach social studies in a Connecticut middle or high school. Originally, I had never thought middle school would be a setting for me. I remember always saying I could teach elementary school, and I could do high school, but in no world would I do middle school. However, things have changed, and middle schoolers are actually pretty great to work with. I want to spend some years in the classroom before pursuing higher education through a Ph.D. program.
Q: How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?
A: UConn has been my rock in terms of supporting me for the next chapter of my life. I completed my undergraduate degree at UConn and, more recently, attended graduate school. The support I have received from my program is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. UConn has given me beautiful friendships that have evolved over the years, as well as great people who have had an impact on the type of person I am today. Five years later, the senior me who graduated high school would be proud of all that I have accomplished at UConn.
UConn has been my rock in terms of supporting me for the next chapter of my life. — Jainat Akther
Q: Any advice for incoming students?
A: The years will go by in the blink of an eye. It is important to find a balance between focusing on school and doing things you love, so you can look back and think of UConn as the best four years of your life. Make lots of friends. Go out and explore different things. Even if you think you won’t have the time of your life, indulge in those opportunities that present themselves to you. You might end up finding great people for life!
Q: What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?
A: Attend a basketball game! Even if it is just one. This is where the true school spirit shines through, and it is a euphoric feeling when you are watching a game, in a stadium filled with students who are all anticipating another UConn win.
Q: What will always make you think of UConn?
A: NCAA 2025 Women’s Basketball Championship. UConn has the best basketball team in the U.S., no doubt. But this season was great to watch and see them win the championship after all the work they have put into the games. It is something I couldn’t stop bragging about to my students!
Commencement is more than a ceremony—it’s a defining moment.
Read Our Stories
When the members of the Class of 2025 first arrived at UConn in the fall of 2021, they were beginning their college careers at a time when the country and the world were still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, with nothing but uncertainty in the near-term forecast.
Very quickly, it became clear that at least one thing was certain: the students of this class were determined to make their mark at UConn. Entering as the most diverse class in the history of the University, they soon established themselves as scholars, entrepreneurs, activists, and mentors.
They experienced many milestones during their four years at UConn: a new University President; the opening of Science 1, Connecticut Hall, and the Toscano Family Ice Forum; the largest philanthropic gift in the University’s history; consecutive records for fundraising at HuskyTHON; and, in case you hadn’t heard, back-to-back national championships for the men’s basketball team and a 12th national championship for the women’s basketball team.
This is a group of Huskies who refused to let adversity or uncertainty define their time at UConn, an attitude they’ll bring to whatever they pursue next – business, public service, art, professional sports, graduate education, families, military service, and more.
So congratulations, Class of 2025 – from Avery Point; from Farmington; from Hartford; from Stamford; from Storrs; from Waterbury; and from all over Connecticut, the nation, and the world. When you look back, it won’t be on what you missed four years ago, but on everything you’ve gained in the four years since. Yesterday, today, tomorrow: Huskies Forever.
Inspiring. Impactful. Unforgettable. For UConn’s Class of 2025, the last four years have been nothing short of exceptional. As this impressive class of soon-to-be brand-new Husky alumni prepares to take its next steps into the world, we look back and celebrate some of the moments that have made their time at UConn truly historic.
[embedded content]
I felt like I was a lot closer to the friends I made in college than in high school. I felt like I sort of like came into my own. – Lilian Vito ’25 (CAHNR, CLAS)
Go to a basketball game! The energy is a lot different than anywhere else on campus, and you don’t get that sort of experience on any other college campus really. I met Paige Bueckers, I think it was the first week of class, on campus, and I wasn’t entirely familiar with UConn basketball at that point. I just didn’t watch sports really. But I met her, found out she was a really good player and then just from that point on, I’ve been keeping up with both the women’s and the men’s basketball teams. – Justin Coe ’25 (ENG)
Don’t be afraid to try new things. UConn has so many opportunities, so many doors that can be opened for you. Don’t just try to stick in your lane. Try something new every week – every week, try a new club. Every week, meet someone new. – Jadon Gomez-Stafford ’25 (ENG)
There are two different things that college life prepares you for. One’s obviously the professional life. But I think what college helps with more deeply is that interpersonal connection and also finding a sense of community, finding great friends, finding great people for you to interact with. And not all of them stick with you for the rest of your life, but the ones that do can really make your life a lot easier as go forward. – Harsh Shah ’25 (BUS, CLAS)
Don’t be afraid to try things out and see what sticks. There’s a lot to this school. – Milo Barron ’25 (ENG)
As the Class of 2025 embark on the next chapter of their lives, they share their thanks for the incredible memories, lifelong friends, professors, and staff that have inspired and helped them grow into the individuals they are today.
[embedded content]
Try as many things as possible. There are many opportunities at UConn, some that you have to look very hard to find and some that are just out there. In my experience just trying different opportunities that UConn provides helped me with my soft skills, like communication and dealing with uncertainties. They also provided me with a good opportunity to meet people, to network. And I think that’s a huge part of college. – Ammar Alsadadi ’25 (BUS, CLAS)
Get involved in stuff early. I found out about a lot of the resources and programs that we have later on, that I wish I knew about earlier. So, try to get as much as you can out of the school while you’re here. – Sahana Chinthak ’25 (CLAS)
I came from a really small town; my graduating class was 96 students. So, coming to a big campus and collaborating with other students and professors that’s been very eye opening, and it’s expanded my knowledge to a point where I can communicate better with people and I’m able to work better with people. I feel like I’ll carry those values and all the stuff I’ve learned into the real world. – Braden Gutierrez ’25 (CAHNR)
I got to take a whole bunch of different classes because I’m in general studies. So, I got to take big classes, small classes, different types of majors. Creative writing is definitely my favorite. – Natalie Levy ’25 (BGS)
My number one piece of advice to anyone is join a club. You need to be involved in the campus because there are so many opportunities where you can meet your next best friend or maybe your next partner. If you get involved in a club, something that you’re interested in, you’re going to meet these people that are also interested in this thing. You can really build your network that way. – Minh Vu ’25 (BUS)
Congratulations and welcome to our newest UConn alumni!
[embedded content]
When you’re walking around campus you don’t recognize anyone, but then in your class – junior year, senior year – it’s like 10 to 15 kids, maybe 20 in your classes. So, it gets pretty small, and you get to know everyone there. – Matthew Henrickson ’25 (BUS, CLAS)
I’m originally from India but I live in-state, so a lot of the people from my high school came to UConn and actually I was a little hesitant. I really wanted to go into business, and I didn’t really know what to do, but UConn provided me with a lot of real-world experiential learning opportunities where I could actually be in the real world and learn by doing rather than being in the classroom. I never expected to be able to do that as a student, gain all that experience. – Atharva Bhatnagar ’25 (CLAS)
One thing I was looking for in a university – I wanted it to have a lot of school spirit. I didn’t realize what I was getting into coming here! It’s been really fun to be a part of this community. – Isabel Angelo ’25 (ENG)
What will always make me think about UConn is my friends and the people that I’ve met here. Also, my parents both went here, so whenever I’m with them, it just kind of reminds me of my time here. – Paige Dolyak ’25 (CLAS)
A lot of people move off campus too early, but being on campus and being constantly surrounded by thousands of people your age is the best thing that you could do. You can have such a fun, unique experience. I love it. I’m sad that I’m leaving. – Alexia Landry ’25 (CLAS)
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Michael Torres, 37, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy to financial institution fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, who is handling the case, stated that between September 2021 and February 2022, Torres was employed as a Relationship Manager at Financial Institution 1. While in this position, he misused his position to apply for loans through Financial Institution 1 in the names of individuals without their knowledge or authorization. Torres applied for 19 loans for a total of $168,000, which was deposited into bank accounts that he controlled.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
BURLINGTON, Mass., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) (“Cerence AI”), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced an expanded collaboration with its long-time partner and distributor, Code Factory, to introduce VoiceTopping, a new solution that will bring conversational AI to self-service kiosks in a variety of industries. The announcement marks an important step as Cerence AI begins its strategic expansion into new markets, bringing the power of voice interaction to user experiences beyond automotive.
VoiceTopping integrates embedded voice interaction technology into existing self-service kiosks, adding natural, spoken communication that enables users to hear and respond to on-screen information using their voice. Leveraging Cerence conversational AI, including core voice technologies and speech signal enhancement, VoiceTopping will help make engaging with kiosks simpler and more user-friendly, even in noisy environments. The solution will be particularly relevant in restaurant and hospitality, retail and self-checkout, healthcare, transportation, banking, and entertainment settings. With VoiceTopping, a typical user interaction could go as follows:
Kiosk: Hi, how can I help you today?
User: Could I see the menu, please?
Kiosk: Here you go! (Kiosk displays menu on screen.)
User: Show me the burger selection.
Kiosk showcases all burgers on screen.
User: I would like a Pulled Pork Burger – with BBQ sauce and no onions.
Kiosk: Here you go! (Kiosk adds burger to cart.) Would you like to add a drink, or anything else?
User: Add a Coke Zero, please.
Kiosk: Here you go! (Kiosk adds beverage to cart.)
User: That’s everything – I’m ready to check out.
Kiosk: Which payment method would you like to use?
User: Card, please.
Kiosk shows order total and tip options. User completes the transaction.
Kiosk: You’re all set!
“With our decades of experience in conversational AI in the car, we are well versed in the power that voice interaction has to transform user experiences across a wide variety of sectors,” said Brian Krzanich, CEO, Cerence AI. “Expanding our long-term partnership with Code Factory to work together to address the self-service kiosk market is a natural evolution of our technology. Our proven solutions are perfectly suited to transform kiosk experiences, making them faster, more intuitive, and more accessible for users across industries.”
For users, VoiceTopping will deliver an enhanced UX that enables them to quickly communicate with the kiosk via voice. In addition, as a touchless solution, VoiceTopping will enhance accessibility, a critical step as accessibility requirements, including the European Accessibility Act (EAA), are coming into effect worldwide. For kiosk manufacturers, integration and deployment will be simple – VoiceTopping is a plug-and-play solution that seamlessly integrates with the kiosk, enabling added capabilities without the need for extensive hardware modifications. Ongoing development efforts are enhancing the technology behind VoiceTopping, bringing improved experiences to users.
“Self-service kiosks are evolving to emulate more human-like interactions, closely replicating the experience of speaking with a human attendant,” said Melanie Endres, CEO, Code Factory. “By leveraging industry-leading voice technology from Cerence AI, VoiceTopping is uniquely positioned for this transformation, enhancing users’ interaction experience with kiosks while also improving manufacturers’ accessibility compliance with evolving regulations in different countries.”
About Cerence Inc. Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) is a global industry leader in creating intuitive, seamless, AI-powered experiences across automotive and transportation. Leveraging decades of innovation and expertise in voice, generative AI, and large language models, Cerence powers integrated experiences that create safer, more connected, and more enjoyable journeys for drivers and passengers alike. With more than 500 million cars shipped with Cerence technology, the company partners with leading automakers, transportation OEMs, and technology companies to advance the next generation of user experiences. Cerence is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations globally and a worldwide team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI innovation. For more information, visit www.cerence.ai.
NEW YORK, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As announced on March 05, 2025 the investment strategy for the GraniteShares 1x Short COIN Daily ETF (ticker: CONI) will be amended and result in a new fund name and a new leverage factor.
Effective May 05, 2025, CONI will aim to replicate -2 times the daily variations of Coinbase Global, Inc. The fund will be renamed the GraniteShares 2x Short COIN Daily ETF
CONI’s CUSIP, ticker and listing venue are not impacted.
TICKER SYMBOL
CURRENT FUND NAME
CURRENT LEVERAGE FACTOR
NEW FUND NAME
NEW LEVERAGE FACTOR
CONI
GraniteShares 1x Short COIN Daily ETF
-100
%
GraniteShares 2x Short COIN Daily ETF
-200
%
Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN) is a financial technology company that provides end-to-end financial infrastructure and technology for the crypto economy.
COIN offers retail users the primary financial account for the crypto economy, institutions a marketplace with a liquidity for transacting in crypto assets, and ecosystem partners technology and services that enable them to build crypto-based applications and accept crypto assets as payment.
ABOUT GRANITESHARES
GraniteShares is an entrepreneurial ETF provider focused on providing innovative, cutting-edge alternative investment solutions. It was founded in 2016 by William “Will” Rhind, a well-known figure in the ETF industry, with backing from Bain Capital Ventures and other leading ETF investors. GraniteShares listed its first ETF in the United States in 2017 and its U.S. ETF offerings include a broad-based commodity index fund, physically backed gold and platinum funds and a high-income pass-through securities index fund.
This material must be preceded or accompanied by a Prospectus. Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. Please read the prospectus before investing.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
The Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results and is intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. This Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of its underlying stock (a Leverage Long Fund).
Investors should note that such Leverage Long Fund pursues daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund magnifies the performance of its underlying stock. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.
An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Leverage Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.
This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.
Media Contact: GraniteShares Inc. Attn: Media Relations 222 Broadway, 21st Floor New York, NY 10038 844-476-8747 info@graniteshares.com
ST. PAUL, Minn., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sagitec is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) project. This achievement is a testament to Sagitec’s commitment to adhering to the vision that MainePERS has for a dynamic and user-friendly Pension Administration System (PAS).
MainePERS envisioned a PAS that would adeptly administer pension benefits while enhancing transparency, accuracy, and efficiency. The new system aims to resolve identified operational challenges, enrich user experience, ensure regulatory compliance, and offer a scalable platform that adapts alongside technological advances, organizational development, and regulatory and statutory requirements.
Sagitec’s solution, Neospin™, is designed to achieve this vision through several strategic goals and objectives:
Enhance Efficiency: Neospin will streamline and automate processes to increase direct processing of member requests and minimize manual interventions and errors.
Ensure Compliance: The system will facilitate adherence to statutory and regulatory requirements, safeguarding the interests of members, retirees, beneficiaries, and employers.
Improve Stakeholder Experience: Neospin offers improved interfaces for self-service functionalities for members, retirees, beneficiaries, employers, and MainePERS staff, ensuring accessibility, clarity, and ease of use.
Support Data Integrity and Security: The solution ensures the integrity and security of data, adhering to the highest standards of cybersecurity and data protection.
Enable Scalability: Neospin is built with the future in mind, offering a platform that is adaptable and scalable, accommodating evolving needs and technological advancements.
“We are excited to begin this partnership with Sagitec and implement the Neospin product at MainePERS. Sagitec offered the best opportunity for modernizing MainePERS’ system to best serve members, retirees, and employers and improve efficiencies for staff.”Dr. Rebecca M. Wyke, CEO MainePERS
Sagitec’s approach to security subscribes to NIST and FedRAMP standards, providing a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Additionally, Sagitec will leverage Microsoft Azure Commercial cloud as the underlying Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), ensuring robust and reliable performance.
“We are thrilled to partner with MainePERS on this visionary project. This collaboration is a significant milestone for Sagitec as it aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver innovative and efficient solutions in the pension administration space.By leveraging our Neospin™ platform,we are committed to enhancing transparency, accuracy, and efficiency in pension administration, ultimately improving the experience for all stakeholders involved. This partnership underscores our dedication to driving technological advancements and providing scalable solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients.” Subodh Murthi, Managing Director of Pension Business at Sagitec
With these strategic goals and objectives, Sagitec is poised to deliver a PAS solution that not only meets the immediate needs of MainePERS but also scales to accommodate future developments and challenges. This partnership underscores Sagitec’s dedication to improving efficiency, quality, service delivery, and member experience for MainePERS.
Since 1942, the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) has helped public employees prepare for retirement. The System’s contributing members include teachers, state, county, and municipal employees, legislators, judges, and those who work for other public entities. Upon retirement, public sector retirees or their beneficiaries receive monthly benefits from retirement plans offered by MainePERS. The System also administers Disability Retirement, Group Life Insurance, and MaineSTART, a tax-deferred retirement savings program.
About Sagitec Solutions
Sagitec is a global software provider focused on solving complex, business-rule-driven problems with proven technology. Sagitec serves some of the largest pension organizations in the world. The fully integrated, web-based pension administration Neospin™ solution is powered by Sagitec’s core platform, and supports millions of plan participants, many thousand employers, and administers multiple types of pension plans including but not limited to defined benefit and defined contribution.
In addition to serving the pension industry, Sagitec Solutions designs and delivers software solutions for unemployment insurance, paid family medical leave, disability insurance, and healthcare. With deep industry experience, Sagitec is a partner clients can trust to drive their vision into action. For more information, visit: www.sagitec.com
AUSTIN, Texas, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC), a leading provider of open, composable commerce solutions for B2C and B2B brands, retailers, manufacturers and distributors, today announced that Vipul Shah has joined the company as its new Chief Product Officer, bringing over two decades of experience building innovative products and business models at PayPal, Google, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo.
At BigCommerce, Shah leads product management, product design and product strategy groups across all three of the company’s products – BigCommerce, Feedonomics and Makeswift.
“Vipul brings an unmatched record of innovation across a range of industries. That experience will be crucial to helping us unite BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift under one holistic product strategy,” said Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce. “Beyond that proven technical expertise, he is also a great culture fit for BigCommerce and shares our vision for the company moving forward.”
Prior to BigCommerce, Shah was president and chief operating officer of venture capital-backed NEXT Trucking, where he helped digitize shipping container movement and modernize broken supply chain processes exposed during the pandemic.
Passionate about technology and its potential to help people, Shah began his career designing aircraft engines and later worked with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to improve drug development processes. Influenced by the economic disparity he observed growing up in India, Greece and the United States, Shah then tackled the world of banking and fintech with the goal of driving financial inclusion and economic empowerment. Over 20 years at PayPal, Google, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo, Shah has built innovative products and business models to help consumers and businesses worldwide capitalize on the burgeoning digital economy.
“My personal experiences have always shaped my professional work, and I’m excited to bring my perspective to BigCommerce and the broader ecommerce industry,” Shah said. “As AI ushers in a new era of ecommerce, BigCommerce, Feedonomics and Makeswift have a tremendous opportunity to deliver powerful innovation, engaging customer experiences and meaningful growth for our global community of merchants and partners.”
About BigCommerce BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC) is a leading open SaaS and composable ecommerce platform that empowers brands, retailers, manufacturers and distributors of all sizes to build, innovate and grow their businesses online. BigCommerce provides its customers sophisticated professional-grade functionality, customization and performance with simplicity and ease-of-use. Tens of thousands of B2C and B2B companies across 150 countries and numerous industries rely on BigCommerce, including Coldwater Creek, Harvey Nichols, King Arthur Baking Co., MKM Building Supplies, United Aqua Group and Uplift Desk. For more information, please visit www.bigcommerce.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.
BigCommerce® is a registered trademark of BigCommerce Pty. Ltd. Third-party trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
.jpg){kind=link}
