Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
Stash house in Vancouver, WA used by defendant contained seven pounds of fentanyl, 43 pounds of methamphetamine, an assault rifle & grenade launcher
Tacoma – A 49-year-old Vancouver, Washington resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 10 years in prison for drug and gun trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Juan Onofre Flores Carrillo, 49, and his co-defendant Jesus Daniel Valenzuela Ayala, 24, were arrested in March 2024 when law enforcement raided their stash house and seized more than seven pounds of fentanyl, 43 pounds of methamphetamine and an assault rifle equipped with a grenade launcher. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “These controlled substances create significant problems for the community. There are individuals who overdose and die from these substances and those who don’t become addicted and become a drain on everyone.”
According to the criminal complaint, Flores Carrillo aka “El Cholo,” was identified in early 2023 as a significant fentanyl pill dealer in southwest Washington. For over a year, working with confidential informants, law enforcement made a series of significant drug buys from Flores Carrillo. In one instance Flores Carrillo sold an informant 3,000 fentanyl pills. On another occasion he sold the informant a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine. Twice Flores Carrillo sold the informant high-powered firearms: an AR-type rifle that was a “ghost gun” with no serial number, and a Norinco Mak-90 rifle.
In January and February 2024, law enforcement worked to identify the stash house where Flores Carrillo kept his drugs. Flores Carrillo continued to make drug sales of heroin as well as fentanyl. On March 13, 2024, Flores Carrillo agreed to sell 10,000 fentanyl pills. Shortly after he turned over the drugs he was arrested.
On November 13, 2024, Flores Carrillo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
In asking for a ten-year sentence prosecutors wrote to the court, “Firearms are a tool of the drug trade, and the danger of drug trafficking comes not only from the effect of drugs on users but from the violence associated with drug trafficking. The firearms that Flores Carrillo possessed and sold to…a person he believed to be a drug trafficker, are highly dangerous and not intended to be in the hands of drug users or drug traffickers.” In imposing sentence, Judge Estudillo commented, “If there’s firearms involved [in drug trafficking], violence could occur among drug dealers and innocent people could get hurt.
Codefendant Valenzuela Ayala was the only occupant of the stash house and was arrested. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. Both men are citizens of Mexico who will likely be deported following their prison terms.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Dillon and Max Shiner.
CLEVELAND, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OnStation, the leading provider of live digital stationing solutions for the heavy highway industry, announced today at World of Asphalt 2025 a new integration with TransTech Systems, Inc. The integration empowers shared customers to seamlessly transmit non-nuclear density test gauge readings to their OnStation Portal using TransTech Systems’ innovative product, TransTech Connect. This advancement not only eliminates the reliance on manual documentation but also significantly reduces data entry errors, thereby establishing a reliable project record that optimizes revenue.
Contractors, Departments of Transportation, and inspection firms who use TransTech Systems’ PQI380 Plus gauge with a TransTech Connect subscription can use their device to seamlessly transmit a density reading directly to their project in OnStation. The density reading data is meticulously timestamped, geotagged, and contextualized, then recorded as a “flag” within the OnStation App, complete with its station and offset location automatically included. This enables project managers to access live data via their OnStation Portal, allowing them to make real-time adjustments as paving operations advance.
The integration is facilitated by a simple API key, and requires an OnStation license and integration subscription, a TransTech Connect subscription, and a compatible non-nuclear gauge unit. The one-time setup allows users to send selected density reading data across multiple projects, from multiple gauge devices, to be viewed by any OnStation data portal user with appropriate permissions.
“This is a turning point for anyone involved in the process of taking dozens of density readings across miles of paving. The current process today is manual, cumbersome, and error prone,” says John Lamond, Sales Manager at TransTech Systems. “Density techs don’t always have enough time to capture the level of detail they need on every reading. The OnStation integration makes it easy for them to ditch the clipboard and go faster—with better data integrity,” continued Lamond.
The number of in-place density tests taken with the PQI non-nuclear asphalt density gauge will vary depending on the tonnage laid, the specific project guidelines, and the paving contractors standard Quality Control procedures. Currently, each density test is manually recorded, the location found and noted and then the test data is uploaded at the end of the day onto some form of reporting database by each technician to be analyzed later. On some large paving projects this can be 10’s if not 100’s of density data points. By streamlining the data entry process, the OnStation integration is projected to cut technical test time by up to two-thirds which will bring significant cost savings and critical time efficiencies to this important testing process.
About OnStation
OnStation is a collaborative digital stationing platform that offers location-based project records from bid to close. Specifically designed for the heavy highway industry, OnStation’s mobile app centralizes communication, boosts productivity, enhances worker safety, and improves project quality. Users benefit from live jobsite stationing, milepost, and LRS capabilities. They can overlay design layers on the project map and communicate via a custom chat platform that organizes and records project events at their locations. OnStation is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and is supported on all desktop systems.
About TransTech Systems, Inc.
TransTech Systems is the original developer of non-nuclear electromagnetic impedance technology to determine the in-place density measurement of asphalt by way of the PQI 380 asphalt density gauge.
With over 30 years’ experience of continual development of this technology, the current TransTech Systems model offers fast, reliable, repeatable and accurate measurement of asphalt density in less than 3 seconds for a single test. Using technology that does not require any special safety and health precautions or licensing for the use, storage or transportation of the measurement device, it offers a very cost effect and safe solution to the on-site density measurement of hot mixed or warm mixed asphalt as it is being laid.
TransTech Systems has cemented its place in the road construction industry over the years by developing the innovative use of electromagnetic impedance technology and continuously working to support the asphalt paving industry.
On March 25, 2025, H.E. Mrs. Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank (NDB) met with President of Indonesia H.E. Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Presidents discussed potential collaboration opportunities. During the meeting, President Subianto announced that Indonesia will join the New Development Bank.
President Rousseff said that it is a great honor to have Indonesia as a new member country, recognizing the importance of Indonesia for the region, for the world, and for the BRICS.
“We are a bank from the Global South, for the Global South. NDB respects the sovereignty of each member country and for that we are demand-led. We rely on the guidance of the strategies, plans, projects and priorities of each country to do a better job. Indonesia has all of these laid down in its Development Strategy: 2025 – 2045, its National Medium-Term Development Plan: 2025 – 2029, and its National Strategic Projects List, with 77 projects that provide investment opportunities,” said President Rousseff, adding that Indonesia’s participation in the NDB would open an enormous potential for a long-term partnership.
President Rousseff added that NDB and Indonesia share the same priorities, mainly logistics infrastructure (railways, roads, ports and airports) and digital connectivity. We both aim to invest in sustainable development, energy transition, especially in renewables, and in urban modernization (water and sanitation, treatment of waste and electricity distribution). Our common commitment also includes projects that address inequality, overcome hunger and extreme poverty, and enhance education, health and housing.
“Development is crucial for all EMDCs to reduce their dependency on commodities and avoid the middle-income trap. Catching up to the advanced economies, in the era of fourth industrial and technological revolution, requires investment in technology and innovation, which are a common objective of NDB and Indonesia,” said President Rousseff.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
Novocaine, a new action movie starring Jack Quaid, introduces a fresh take on the superhero genre. It features a hero whose superpower actually exists.
Mild-natured Nathan “Novocaine” Caine (Nate) is catapulted into the criminal underworld when his love interest is kidnapped by bank robbers. On his quest to save her from almost certain peril, he absorbs blades and bullets. He even manages to retrieve a gun from a scorching-hot deep-fat fryer that he then uses to shoot a baddy.
The movie’s tagline is: “Meet Nathan Caine, he can’t feel pain.”
Nate’s “superpower” is a syndrome called congenital analgesia, or congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP). As the name suggests, it’s an inability to feel pain. But those who have it really do suffer. Being able to feel pain has many advantages.
Congenital insensitivity to pain is something of a misnomer. Technically speaking, you aren’t sensitive to pain – pain is the sensation that the brain constructs from sensory information obtained from the body.
This sensory information might include mechanical injuries, such as a prick from a pin or cut from a knife. Or the extremes of hot and cold temperatures, or irritant chemicals like acids coming into contact with the skin. We call these sorts of stimuli “noxious” – meaning potentially damaging to the body.
The nerve cells (neurons) that detect these stimuli are hence called nociceptors. They have an essential role in protecting the body from harm. If you step on something sharp, say, you’ll automatically move your foot away. Or if you spill something corrosive on your hand, you’ll rush to a sink to wash the substance off.
If nociceptors weren’t there or didn’t function properly, your body wouldn’t be able to generate pain and respond to it accordingly. And your hand, foot or other appendage would remain impaled, burning or sizzling away in the fryer, while you carry on, blithely unaware of the evolving damage.
This is the main reason that CIP is so dangerous, though fortunately, it is extremely rare. There are different variants of CIP, and the prevalence varies by sub-type. Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (Cipa), for instance, has an estimated incidence of one in 125 million.
The official Novocaine trailer.
What causes the condition? In some, problems arise with the microscopic ion channels in the endings of nociceptors. These allow neurons to become activated by noxious stimulation. You could think of them as on-switches to the generation of pain. When they don’t work properly, pain cannot be perceived. In other conditions, nociceptors may fail to develop properly or die off prematurely.
The problem with CIP is that the body becomes insensitive not only to large injuries but smaller ones too. For instance, if you get bits of grit in your eyes, the natural response is to release tears and rub or blink your eyelids to clear them. If there were no pain or irritation, the debris would build up, damaging the sensitive outer regions of the eye like the cornea, potentially causing sight-threatening ulcers to develop.
And our bodies don’t just detect external dangers – they are also sensitive to what is going on inside us. If we have an inflamed appendix, a kidney stone, or a broken bone, our nervous system lets us know by generating pain.
We sense something is wrong, seek medical assistance, and are treated with antibiotics, surgery and, of course, pain relief. But the consequences of overlooking illness – should you be unable to evoke pain – can be extremely dangerous.
CIP also affects people’s ability to sense temperature, since nociception and thermal information reach the brain via the same route: the spinothalamic tract. This affects the body’s ability to detect and, therefore, respond to temperature changes. This means that patients may overheat, especially as it can affect their ability to lose heat by sweating too. This is the case in patients with Cipa.
No cure
There is no cure for the condition, but there are ways in which CIP can be managed. People with the condition need to be extremely vigilant for any signs of injury, like wounding, and to monitor their temperature to spot any hidden infections. Regular medical check-ups are also required to look for unnoticed illness and damage.
The future is uncertain, but given that the condition is genetic, gene and stem cell therapies might also be potential treatments.
So, while Nate might make the most of not feeling pain, his ability is far from being a superpower. Pain may not feel nice, but it saves lives.
Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
Legislation would restore laid off National Park and U.S. Forest Service workers who were illegally fired by the Trump admin
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Mark Kelly, Tina Smith, Ruben Gallego, Jeanne Shaheen, and Chris Van Hollen introduced the Protect Our Parks Act of 2025 and the Save Our Forests Act of 2025 to restore the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) workers who were illegally fired by the Trump administration to make sure our national parks and forests remain accessible, safe, and well-maintained.
“We’re all for rooting out real government waste and abuse,” said Hickenlooper. “The Trump administration’s mass layoffs of public servants who care for our public lands and help prevent wildfires is not the way to do it. Colorado – and our economy – depend on the people who carry out this vital work.”
Specifically, the Protect Our Parks Act of 2025 and the Save Our Forests Act of 2025 will:
Restore staffing levels at the NPS and USFS to improve visitor experience and ensure the safety and upkeep of public lands
Rehire recently terminated employees to address staffing shortages
Keep critical projects moving, including those funded under the Great American Outdoors Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
Following the Trump administration’s reckless decision to fire 3,400 USFS employees, Hickenlooper sounded the alarm and called on Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to reinstate them. He also wrote a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to resolve the staffing shortages caused by the mass layoffs of 2,300 NPS workers.
Hickenlooper invited Amelia Hoffman, a veteran who was recently fired from her jobs as a USFS worker in Fort Collins, as his guest to President Trump’s Joint Address to uplift her story showing how these dangerous cuts impact Colorado.
Full text of the Protect our Parks Act of 2025 is available HERE. Full text of the Save our Forests Act of 2025 is available HERE.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
More funding to combat rural and wildlife crime
Funding boost for specialist rural and wildlife crime units.
Rural communities will be better protected from the scourge of crimes such as equipment theft, livestock theft and hare coursing which can devastate countryside communities, farming and wildlife, through a funding boost to dedicated police units.
The National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit will receive over £800,000 to continue their work tackling rural and wildlife crime, which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.
Funding to the National Rural Crime Unit will enable the unit to continue to increase collaboration across police forces, harnessing the latest technology and data to target the serious organised crime groups involved in crimes like equipment theft from farms.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit will strengthen its ability to disrupt criminal networks exploiting endangered species both in the UK and internationally. Enhanced data analysis and financial investigation will help the unit track illegal wildlife profits and ensure offenders face justice.
The funding comes as the government works with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the new Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, to ensure the entire weight of government is put behind tackling rural crime.
Minister for Crime and Policing Dame Diana Johnson said:
When you report a crime, it should be properly investigated, with victims having faith that justice will be delivered and criminals punished.
But too often victims of crime in rural communities have been left feeling undervalued and isolated, whether it be famers having equipment or livestock stolen, or villages targeted by car thieves and county lines gangs.
This new funding, alongside the forthcoming Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy and our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will help deliver the change rural communities deserve, ensuring no matter where you live your streets are safe and police responsive to your local needs as we continue to deliver on our Plan for Change.
The government is determined to ensure its Safer Streets Mission applies to all communities no matter where they live with rural communities set to benefit from more visible local policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
This will deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers by the end of the Parliament as part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said:
For too long, rural crime has gone unpunished. Organised crime, fly-tipping and farm theft blight our countryside.
This government will crackdown on these criminals and bring them to justice with specialist rural policing units to protect farmers and our rural communities.
The new funding follows the government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill, which gives police and local authorities new powers to tackle crime, including crimes that do real damage to rural communities.
This includes new statutory guidance for local authorities to support them to make full and proper use of their fly-tipping enforcement powers.
New warrantless powers of entry for police to enter premises identified by electronic mapping will give officers a valuable tool to tackle equipment and machinery stolen from farms and agricultural businesses.
The government is committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 which will make it harder for criminals to sell stolen agricultural equipment. Secondary legislation is due to be introduced later this year.
Superintendent Andrew Huddleston, Head of National Rural Crime Unit said:
This funding is critical and will enable information sharing and joint operations to continue across the UK facilitated by the National Rural Crime Co-Ordinator.
The contribution to the replacement of the operational team vehicles is equally important as it will allow the continued support of forces on the ground and recovery of stolen equipment which since the inception of the team in 2023 stands at over £22 million.
Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, Head of UK Wildlife Crime said:
This funding is a significant step forward in the fight against wildlife crime. By enhancing our intelligence capabilities and strengthening enforcement, we will be better equipped to protect endangered species and disrupt the criminals who exploit them.
The UK is seen as a centre of excellence in tackling this global issue, working closely with international partners to ensure a safer future for our planet’s wildlife.
The funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit will reinforce the UK’s leadership in global wildlife crime prevention, through the unit’s work with INTERPOL and global enforcement agencies to combat the illegal wildlife trade on a worldwide scale.
Wildlife crime not only threatens biodiversity but also fuels organised crime and corruption.
Country Land and Business Association (CLA) President Victoria Vyvyan said:
Rural crime blights the countryside, so we welcome the news of more funding as well as the upcoming launch of the new national strategy.
Farmers and communities – many already struggling with isolation – have had enough of criminals and violent organised gangs targeting them. They deserve to feel safe and protected.
As recent CLA analysis found, some police forces lack dedicated rural officers and basic kit. This new funding is a step in the right direction in the fight against rural crime, and must be used to equip more officers as well as improve training for call handlers.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
This recall involves removing certain devices from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it. Affected Product
For affected lots, see full list of affected devices below. What to Do
Do not use affected ORAL/NASAL Endotracheal Tubes.
On February 13, 2025, Smiths Medical sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Correction recommending the following actions:
Check inventory and stop use of affected products. Destroy all affected products. If destruction is not possible, quarantine until the product can be disposed of. Share this notification with all potential device users of the device, including users at other locations. Complete and return the customer response form included with the letter to smithsmedical6767@sedgwick.com within 10 days of receipt. DISTRIBUTORS: If affected products were distributed, immediately forward this notice and request the recipients complete the response form and return it.
Reason for Recall Smiths Medical is recalling ORAL/NASAL Endotracheal Tubes after becoming aware that certain sizes of ORAL/NASAL Endotracheal Tube products may have a smaller diameter than expected. If the diameter of the device is smaller than expected, it may not provide enough ventilation to the patient. The use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including lack of oxygen (hypoxia) that may to organ failure, swelling of the larynx (laryngeal edema), cardiopulmonary arrest, and death. There have been eight reported injuries. There have been no reports of death. Device Use ORAL/NASAL Endotracheal Tubes help keep air flowing through a patient’s airway. They are inserted in the mouth (oral) and/or the nose (nasal) when someone needs to be intubated to maintain airway patency and support ventilation. Contact Information Customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall should contact Smiths Medical at smithsmedical6767@sedgwick.com or 1-877-877-0317. Full List of Affected Devices Affected Products Lots 100/105/025 3911500 4110012 4308451 3986480 4222894 4255323 3954958 4159071 3927026 4135634 4337267 4014665 4284465 4062708 4345413 100/105/030 3880748 4121698 3990354 3904782 4282245 4354054 6025898 6054524 3891668 4214842 4062709 3955939 4264607 6001192 4337268 6018580 100/105/035 3874397 4269334 3986481 3904795 4370803 4059423 6010588 4222896 3931215 100/111/020 3927050 4112845 4308454 3969650 4135636 4304616 4195285 4358010 4029076 4217899 4347850 4047362 4241691 4361583 4337269 3990360 4059424 4271735 4414897 4068624 4282247 4433466 3973460 4144618 4433467 4427307 4206539 4412425 6001190 6003054 6003050 6018576 6018589 4433469 100/111/025 3874369 4166621 4392320 3880750 4080553 4403653 4195302 4414383 3930096 4214848 4424550 3936648 4222902 4427318 4412427 3918122 3949085 4220271 4433469 3955901 4241695 4433470 3895055 4187126 3962938 4255331 4433471 3990368 4292828 4461704 3986487 4304618 4026789 4337270 6001189 4047364 4337271 6003050 4465594 4007486 4053371 4354057 6018576 4059426 4343025 4141293 4308455 6001190 4065680 4345418 4135622 4110009 4356222 4147623 4153140 4370806 4110010 4368783 100/111/030 3891574 4228827 4138429 3895035 4260297 4147624 4292829 4169644 3901349 4262331 4161530 3904790 3908090 4290034 4187132 3933578 3949086 4304621 4206541 3946325 4304620 4200189 4337276 4214850 3955988 4337275 4225676 3969651 4340965 4452151 3973463 4269339 4000829 4358015 4456323 4014666 4347854 4461702 4452150 3981461 4018136 4351770 4465589 4026786 4379014 6001208 4343026 4454684 4036208 4392322 4465590 4047356 4403654 6010602 4414889 4118068 4085821 4417662 4127351 4103890 4425920 4138428 6010603 4065678 4091975 4433473 4446988 4433474 6031562 6013487 4062712 4406592 4433472 100/111/035 3874375 4192162 4461701 3897982 4206542 4456324 4220276 6001197 3921049 4217903 6010605 3939719 4247562 6010606 4465586 3918158 3936640 4274653 6010608 3955906 4271738 6013488 3911479 4214852 3969652 4295329 6027710 3973454 4306894 6055167 4036210 4347856 4014667 4351771 4038587 4392324 4059427 4377386 4000831 4343030 4053384 4394899 4080556 4417660 4100450 4414384 3990363 4340968 4091976 4424548 4110003 4427310 4112854 4433476 4169636 4187134 4141294 4433475 4144599 4446989 4159072 4452143 4166606 4452144 100/126/025 3874389 3966169 4124776 4290040 4385674 4347863 4062719 4217908 3891578 3986493 4147630 4343051 4445290 4373213 4192138 3939723 3918145 4047359 4452134 100/126/030 3891631 4047361 4222910 4358021 4347864 6018600 4169648 4343053 3918169 4059422 4247568 4380606 4198116 4461697 4135632 4036209 3949087 4107078 4269345 4433492 4287239 4456321 3955961 100/126/035 3867283 4364622 4204344 4091971 3954950 4065676 3933571 6018590 3884332 4427325 4277416 4124773 4000836 4175618 4042230 4345430 3911489 4456327 4326705 4150620 100/127/025 3895053 4445291 4351776 4241703 4135609 6055170 4326704 4198085 3911512 4446994 4380607 4262334 4150621 3986494 6031543 4416396 3942625 100/127/030 3897978 4465579 4308456 3969659 3955989 4225686 6051961 4412423 3927028 100/127/035 3874374 3946346 4228833 4356229 4380608 6010610 3997428 4347866 3921055 100/141/025 3877721 4018140 4169669 4290041 4430791 4032458 4230673 4394925 3904766 4088780 4187130 4290042 4454685 3981483 3966170 4121693 3923790 4097361 4192164 4337277 4465596 4159074 6031570 6051980 3936661 4115482 4214857 4377393 6003052 4241704 4217909 4380610 3939725 4110011 100/141/030 3872612 3931212 4121704 4217911 4287243 4445297 4271747 4195299 3877722 3936629 4147632 4222912 4380611 4433497 4394926 4121706 3880755 3969660 4144626 4233557 4392329 4445299 4187158 4260304 3891596 3981479 4153129 4164141 4406609 4448467 4445296 4287242 3891597 4065679 4166602 4243803 4445295 4456314 4175579 4250644 3927046 4100443 4115490 6027719 6027720 100/141/035 3874416 4053381 4144612 4250647 4380612 4454686 4144611 4047360 3874417 4075491 4150624 4269347 4392331 4456315 4225683 4042224 3897969 4097371 4164146 4287244 4394927 6001193 3981482 4141279 3908113 4062721 4166604 4282270 4430792 6003053 4247572 6060009 3933576 4115492 4192135 4274658 4220291 6018577 4214860 4379007 3939726 4109996 4195273 4377394 4220289 6027730 3969662 4138434 4050233 Additional FDA Resources
Additional Company Resources (listed in order of most to least recent):
Unique Device Identifier (UDI) The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from manufacturing through distribution to patient use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified, and problems potentially corrected more quickly.
How do I report a problem? Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
Defendant orchestrated a sextortion scheme to produce sexually explicit images of a minor
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Versailles, Ky., man, Austin David Stafford, 31, was sentenced on Friday to a total of 540 months in prison, by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, for production of child pornography.
The sentence is the result of two separate court cases against Stafford. According to his plea agreement from the first court case, Stafford and his co-defendant and girlfriend, Crystal Campbell, now deceased, used a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating visual depictions of that conduct on two occasions, once at the couple’s trailer and once in an outdoor setting. Stafford’s Facebook records contained two instances of Stafford distributing the videos.
According to his plea agreement from the second court case, law enforcement was alerted to Stafford because of a minor victim’s father seeing a group message on Facebook Messenger that contained nude photos of the minor victim. An investigation revealed that Stafford was using a fake persona, “Craig Wright,” on social media to lure the minor victim into an online romance. Under this persona, he obtained intimate details and visual depictions of the minor victim. He then created additional fake personas and used the information that he had learned about the victim to extort and manipulate the minor victim. The “sextortion” scheme led the minor victim to send more sexually explicit visual depictions to Stafford and to engage in sexual acts with him. Eventually, Stafford communicated with James Campbell, 26, of Versailles, Ky., Stafford’s co-defendant, and on June 10, 2022, coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct with Campbell and film it, under the guise that one of his fake personas would hurt her family if she didn’t comply. Stafford admitted to orchestrating the sexual exchange with the victim and Campbell, and that Campbell knowingly and willingly aided and abetted the product of the June 10th series.
Campbell is scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2025.
Under federal law, Stafford must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 30 years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by FBI and KSP. Hart Megibben, Commonwealth Attorney for the 53rd Judicial Circuit, and Assistant Commonwealth Attorney, Jon Fee, also provided significant assistance to the investigation and prosecution of Stafford’s second case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lexington, Ky., woman, Abigail Hall, 51, was sentenced on Monday to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, for tampering with a consumer product.
According to her plea agreement, between January 2023 and August 2023, Hall worked as a contract registered nurse at several facilities in Kentucky, including a health care facility in Lawrenceburg, Ky., that focused on care for the elderly and infirm. Hall admitted that on August 27, 2023, she took morphine that had been prescribed for three patients that she was treating at the healthcare facility, all of whom had significant disease and pain concerns. Hall replaced the stolen morphine with water and blue food coloring, to resemble the real medication. Ultimately, Hall took at least seven syringes of stolen morphine and administered the tampered morphine to at least one of the patients.
Under federal law, Hall must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and George A. Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by FDA-OCI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Smith is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
SINGAPORE, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — aiCraft.fun, a rising star in the AI and Web3 space featured on Bitcoin.com, is making significant strides as the leading AI Agent Launchpad on Monad, a high-performance Layer-1 blockchain. With a user base approaching 500K+ in just one month, and a notable presence at the PLS 369 Conference in Las Vegas, the platform is positioning itself as a key player in the intersection of AI, blockchain, and real-world business applications.
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Firstly, I would like to thank Your Majesty for being present at today’s King of Spain Prize in Economics award ceremony and for gracing this institution with your attendance once again.
The King of Spain Prize in Economics was established in 1986 by the Fundación José Celma Prieto. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the foundation’s president, Javier Celma, for continuing the generous patronage his father began.
For this twentieth edition of the award, it has been my honour to preside the prize jury, made up by Álvaro Rodríguez Bereijo as vice-president, José Ramón Álvarez Rendueles, José Luis Feito Higueruela, Julio Segura, Carmen Reinhart and Carmen Herrero Blanco.
Following its deliberations on 29 October last year, the panel resolved to award the King of Spain Prize in Economics to Roberto Serrano for his brilliant academic and research trajectory, reflected in the quantity and quality of his publications. The prize winner is also an example of personal merit and dedication to the community as an economist.
Roberto Serrano was born in Madrid in 1964 and holds a degree in Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid, where he started his teaching career as an assistant lecturer. He was subsequently awarded a Fundación Ramón Areces Fellowship and a Fulbright Fellowship, which enabled him to pursue his M.A. and PhD studies at Harvard University. He completed his PhD there in 1992 under the direction of professors Mas-Colell, Maskin (2007 Nobel Prize in Economics) and Green. Serrano became a professor of economics at Brown University in 1997, when he was only 33 years old, and is currently the Harrison S. Kravis Professor at Brown University.
Professor Serrano defines himself as an economic theorist. Economic theory works with abstract and mathematical models to shed light on the functioning and behaviour of the economy. And within economic theory, Serrano has specialised in microeconomics, which focuses on the behaviour of individuals and firms as economic agents. Microeconomics is often overshadowed by macroeconomics, which deals with large aggregates and dominates economic news. This is why microeconomists often receive less attention and recognition. This prize rightfully acknowledges the centrality (which I believe is growing) of microeconomics in economic science. As the availability of microdata and the computational capacity for processing them has grown, not only has it become necessary to develop new empirical instruments to analyse them, but also new microeconomic conceptual models to understand the logic and fundamentals of the results obtained.
In the realm of microeconomics, professor Serrano is recognised globally as a leading authority in game theory, which studies strategic decisions made by individuals or “players” in situations where each participant’s outcome depends on the decisions of others.
Among his numerous research contributions are his studies on the non-cooperative aspects of cooperative game theory and his work on designing mechanisms that steer players’ behaviour towards achieving the best outcome for everyone involved, even without mutual cooperation. He also made a significant contribution to risk measurement by developing a risk index in 2008 in collaboration with Nobel laureate Robert Aumann.
Roberto Serrano has published over 80 papers on economics, game theory, operational research and applied mathematics in high-impact academic journals. Ten of these articles have appeared in some of the most prestigious economics journals.
Roberto’s primary concern is improving our understanding of economic reality, thereby fostering societal development. His aim is to better comprehend market mechanisms and economic agents’ incentives in order to help design policies that increase social well-being.
Teaching and sharing knowledge are also integral to his work. He has authored two textbooks, on intermediate microeconomics and welfare economics, which are widely used in universities around the world. As a professor, he has won high praise from his students and has received several awards for his excellence in teaching.
He was included in “The Best 300 Professors”, a guidebook published by The Princeton Review for “finding teachers with the power to change your life”. In it, the 300 highest-rated professors are selected from 60 different academic fields based on interviews with millions of undergraduate students in the United States.
Roberto was elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society in 2013 and a Fellow of the Game Theory Society in 2017. Among his editorial work, his role as editor-in-chief of Economic Letters between 2011 and 2017 is noteworthy.
Roberto Serrano has achieved all this after overcoming great challenges, as he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was a teenager, which made him progressively lose his sight until he became completely blind. Thanks to his determination and the support of his father, Carlos, he was able to finish his university studies with excellent grades. Indeed, the tribute paid to Carlos Serrano by the Complutense University in 2005, with the attendance of his son, was entirely fitting. Fourteen years later, Roberto himself was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa by his alma mater, as a testament to his exceptional merit and personal dedication to the good of the community.
Your Majesty, thanking you once again for your presence at this ceremony, it only remains for me, with your permission, to ask the prize winner to step up to receive the 20th King of Spain Prize in Economics.
Thank you for inviting me to open today’s conference. It is taking place at a particularly dynamic and challenging moment for both the global and the Bulgarian economy. Such forums are extremely useful for the exchange of analyses, opinions and ideas at a time when the need to adapt economic processes to new realities is becoming increasingly clear.
Let’s start with the geopolitical context. In my opinion, at least for the last 35 years, it has not been as important for the economic and financial, but also for the political development of Bulgaria, as it is now.
The key words for today’s geopolitical context are uncertainty and unpredictability about what lies ahead or, as the President of the ECB very well put it these days, quoting Paul Valéry: “The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.”
The obvious question is, what to do in such an environment? Politicians are facing it, but not only them. It is not my job to give advice on what should be done on the political front, at least not in my capacity. I shall therefore confine myself to one sentence: Active participation in strengthening and developing the European project in today’s geopolitical context is the surest guarantee for Bulgaria’s good prospects.
I will focus more on the economic and financial aspects.
Developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, the increasing trade conflicts between leading economies and the process of geopolitical fragmentation, as well as the boom in digital technology development are triggering significant structural transformations in global supply chains with uncertain duration, depth and consequences.
These developments are already having a tangible impact on international trade, leading to increased volatility in commodity prices and forcing a number of countries to adapt their economic and, in particular, industrial policies to rising protectionism worldwide. In pursuit of economic security, many economies are reviewing their dependence on external suppliers and taking measures to localise critical industries, restructuring their production chains.
These developments are likely to have an increasing impact on Europe, which remains one of the most vulnerable economies in the context of global geopolitical uncertainties, especially with regard to energy resources. For us, this vulnerability is an even more serious risk factor, given that our country remains one of the most energy-intensive economies in Europe. Breaking long-standing energy dependencies, soaring gas and electricity prices and the need for accelerated energy transformation pose serious challenges to European economies. Energy costs continue to be significantly higher than in the US and some Asian economies, creating serious structural challenges for the competitiveness of European industry.
In this complex global environment, Bulgaria’s starting macroeconomic position is actually not at all bad. In 2024, the country’s real GDP grew by 2.8%, i.e. above expectations, and according to the latest BNB forecast, economic growth will remain stable on positive territory, standing at 2.5% this year and 3.0% in 2026. Growth will be supported primarily by domestic demand in a context of historically very low unemployment and the absence of macroeconomic imbalances.
The performance of our banking sector remains robust, with capital buffers, liquidity coverage and profitability above the EU average.
Despite the deterioration of fiscal indicators in recent years, our country still has manoeuvrability, both in terms of the fiscal space available and in terms of the opportunities to restore the fiscal buffers exhausted by the recent budgets.
Last but not least, our country currently fulfils unconditionally all nominal convergence criteria, including the price stability criterion, with which we have had problems in recent years.
For a small and open economy like ours, which is highly integrated into global supply chains, geopolitical developments also pose a number of risks, mostly related to:
a continued decline in foreign demand for Bulgarian goods and services, especially in view of the deepening structural challenges faced by some of our main euro area trading partners; and
increased fluctuations in the prices of key energy and non-energy raw materials, which affect business production costs and household disposable income.
In an environment of such risks, it is essential that the economy is well prepared for unexpected shocks affecting the aggregate supply of goods and services. Macroeconomic preparations mainly consist of maintaining sufficient buffers in the banking and fiscal sectors. On the one hand, the existence of such buffers would contribute to cushioning the effect of materialisation of risks and, on the other hand, to adapting to and potentially benefiting from changes in the global economy, such as the restructuring of global production chains. A good example in this regard in recent years is the relatively smooth transition of the Bulgarian economy through the COVID crisis. The high levels of fiscal reserve and bank capitalisation maintained at that time allowed our country to recover relatively quickly from the crisis and without the need for external financial support.
In such an environment, it is extremely important to break the momentum of quantitative and structural deterioration of our fiscal position and restore fiscal buffers. I will give the following example. By the end of 2024, the fiscal reserve reached its historical low, both as a percentage of GDP (4.7%) and as a percentage of total budgetary expenditure under the Consolidated Fiscal Programme (12.3%). For comparison, the average values of these indicators for the last two decades amounted to 8.8% and 24.4%, respectively. The consolidation of the fiscal stance will remain a serious medium-term challenge against the objective need for higher public investment and military expenditure.
Let me also say a few words about the role of the BNB. In this uncertain environment, the BNB will continue to apply conservative supervisory and regulatory policies, introducing preventive measures to ensure the resilience of the banking system. The consistency and predictability of the policies we pursue are key to the confidence of the banking sector, businesses and investors.
Our approach will continue to include:
maintaining high capital and liquidity buffers that ensure the resilience of the banking system;
strict supervision of lending to avoid the accumulation of excessive risks on banks’ balance sheets; and
policy flexibility so that we can respond adequately to new challenges, including in terms of anticipatory economic growth objectives.
In other words, we not only want to ensure stability, but also to create a predictable environment in which economic actors can plan and invest with greater confidence.
Finally, of course, I will also touch on the subject of the country’s accession to the euro area.
This topic unites more strongly than before the current issues we are discussing from geopolitics to economics and finance.
We have, indeed, one final step left. I am convinced that we are able to do it with dignity and self-confidence. It is not by chance that I emphasised that at the moment our country meets all the convergence criteria.
As a central bank, we are focused both on the successful implementation of this final step and on our full readiness to work in the context of the shared monetary sovereignty of the euro area. This includes two main groups of tasks.
The first relates to the operationalisation of the existing capacity to operate in the euro area, including the performance of functions that we cannot perform in a currency board environment. These functions relate both to the participation in defining the Eurosystem’s monetary policy, which required the building of strong analytical capacity, and to the implementation of the common monetary policy at national level through its main instruments, including the conduct of open market operations, the preparation of conditions for participation and the technical provision of access for Bulgarian banks to the ECB’s standing facilities. In addition to our participation in the process of creating and distributing the money supply, the BNB will also act as a lender of last resort, providing extraordinary liquidity support to Bulgarian banks in case of need.
The second task is related to logistics and technical preparation of the process of exchange and functioning of the banking system in the context of the euro area. What has been done so far is truly unprecedented for the bank and the country in terms of scale and technical complexity. It includes construction and renting of areas; supply of machinery, equipment and materials; providing in practice a new fleet of armoured and security vehicles; creation of a qualitatively new payment and IT infrastructure; development and approval of transport schemes and security systems; full readiness to mint Bulgarian euro coins and deliver the necessary euro banknotes; obtaining the necessary licences and certificates; carrying out a large number of public procurements. I am making this incomplete enumeration to underline two things: first that we have been working hard on this topic and not since yesterday or today; and second, that the BNB and the banking sector are very ready to join and operate within a euro area context.
Allow me to finish with a few conclusions:
First, geopolitical uncertainty is one of the main risks to the country’s economy and finances and requires the maintenance of buffers in the banking and fiscal spheres and readiness to implement adaptive policies;
Second, the banking sector is well prepared to face the risks stemming from the external macroeconomic environment and can play an important role in the materialisation of potential development opportunities for key sectors of the economy by channelling credit resources to them;
Third, unlike the banking sector, public finances need to restore fiscal buffers in the medium term while preserving the long-term sustainability of government debt; and
Fourth, joining the euro area has enormous potential to become a catalyst for the country to navigate successfully in the face of global uncertainty. And this potential needs to be exploited.
Thank you for your attention and I wish you interesting and fruitful discussions!
Headline: Airbus lance une étude sur les émissions non-CO2 des avions avec des partenaires canadiens de l’aérospatiale
Airbus et d’importants organismes universitaires et de recherche canadiens du secteur aérospatial ont lancé un projet visant à mesurer les émissions non-CO2 produites par différents carburants d’aviation, y compris le carburant d’aviation durable (CAD ou SAF) 100 % .
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has elected a woman as its president for the first time ever. Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry is also the youngest ever IOC president and the first from an African country, becoming a symbol of the IOC’s drive to diversify its leadership and image.
Sports management scholar Davies Banda was part of a global research team that compiled an IOC-commissioned report on the roles of women in the organisation. He traces Coventry’s journey as a swimming star, politician and sports administrator.
Who is Kirsty Coventry?
She is Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time. She won seven medals across the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games.
Born in Harare, she is not only Zimbabwe’s best known sports star but also the politically troubled country’s sports minister. The IOC presidency makes her one of the most powerful figures in world sports.
Coventry is driven. She set her sights on the Olympics at the age of nine. She achieved her dream through hard work and a profound understanding of what a results-oriented athletic career looks like. She believes true success lies in sharing knowledge and skills, extending her impact beyond athletics into social activism and a political career in Zimbabwe.
Her Olympic journey began at the 2000 Sydney Games, where she competed in two swimming events but failed to qualify for the finals. Her breakthrough happened at the 2004 Athens Games, where she won the first of her two gold medals in the 200-metre backstroke. She successfully defended this title at the 2008 Beijing Games.
She retired from swimming competitively after her final Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games, holding the joint record for the most individual women’s swimming medals in Olympic history. By then her sports administration dreams had begun to pay off.
In 2012 she was elected to the IOC’s powerful Athletes’ Commission. Thanks to her extensive experience of being an Olympic athlete, she became a significant voice within the body. She was elected chair of the commission in 2018 and held the post until 2023, when she was elected to the IOC’s executive committee under Thomas Bach, also a former athlete and the outgoing IOC president.
At the same time, Coventry transitioned into government service as an independent member of parliament in Zimbabwe. She was first appointed as the country’s Minister of Sport, Art and Recreation in 2018, and re-appointed in 2023.
She’s a member of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, previously serving as its vice president. She’s also a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.
Why has it taken so long to have a female president?
In 1997 the IOC set targets for National Olympic Committees to achieve at least 10% female representation in executive decision-making positions by the end of 2000. This was followed by a goal of at least 20% by 2005 and 30% by 2020.
The IOC reported that female representation on its commissions doubled between 2013 and 2023, reaching 50% by the latter year.
These deliberate measures can be seen as foundational to Coventry’s election. Globally, National Olympic Committees have seen a rise in female executive board members and leaders, increasing the pool of qualified candidates. An IOC report highlighted co-mentoring of female members on a governance leadership development initiative.
Policies promoting the recognition of women’s leadership in sport and communities have nurtured leaders capable of competing for the highest IOC roles.
However, considering that women were first allowed to participate in the 1900 Paris Games, it’s taken 124 years to see the election of a female IOC president.
Despite the extended time frame, the IOC’s progressive initiatives, particularly its gender equality targets, have yielded tangible results.
Some observers believe that Bach’s legacy, particularly in promoting gender equality, will be continued by Coventry, given their shared values and aspirations for the Olympic movement.
What would a female president bring to Olympic sports?
There is a drive for gender equality in Olympic sport. Coventry’s extensive experience as an athlete representative and her continued involvement with the Athletes’ Commission provide her with a deep understanding of athletes’ concerns. These include gender eligibility, a threat to the integrity of the Games due to doping, climate change, and athlete advocacy.
Her relatively young age, 41, further strengthens her connection with athletes, the Olympic Games’ most valuable stakeholders, who are much younger than the administrators. This unique perspective allows her to engage with athletes in ways that previous IOC leaders could not. Her predecessors were close to or past their 60th birthdays when elected.
So she is also likely to connect with younger generations more effectively than her predecessors, through modern technologies.
Coventry is poised to lead the Olympic movement’s focus on sport for social change, given her experience of life in the global south, where she has been a social activist for underprivileged youth.
The substantial growth of sport-for-change initiatives in the global south and beyond fuels the hope among scholars, including myself, that sport and athlete advocacy can achieve greater visibility. It can make an impact on global challenges, moving them from the sidelines to the heart of major sporting events.
Coventry’s political career, conducted in Zimbabwe’s challenging economic climate, suggests a potential for using sport as a catalyst for positive social transformation.
That said, while she may champion athlete advocacy on certain issues, her stated commitment to neutrality, particularly regarding the games, indicates a potential reluctance to engage with politically charged issues. The IOC’s status quo, the apolitical stance of the games, is likely to continue to limit the potential impact of athlete activism.
What will be closely watched will be her approach to the contentious issue of transgender athletes in women’s events. Her current position advocates for their exclusion from female categories. She’s emphasised the protection of women’s sport and the enforcement of gender eligibility standards.
It remains to be seen how closely her policies will align with, or diverge from, those of her predecessor. But for the IOC she no doubt represents a more diverse, gender equal movement.
Davies Banda is affiliated with University of Edinburgh in Scotland and University of Lusaka in Zambia as a Senior Visiting Scholar
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University
For nearly 15 years almost no information was available on the population status of Uganda’s large carnivores, including those in its largest national park, Murchison Falls. These species represent a critical part of Uganda’s growing tourism economy. The country is home to the famed tree-climbing lions, which are much sought after for this unique behaviour. Together, lions and leopards generate tens of thousands of dollars annually from safari viewing and allied activities.
Keeping an eye on the proverbial prize could not be more critical for the country. When wildlife isn’t monitored rigorously, populations can disappear within just a few years, as tigers did in India’s Sariska tiger reserve.
But many people working in conservation discourage monitoring. They argue that a “bean counter” approach to conservation overlooks the funds and actions that save animals. Others simply say that it is a hard thing to do at scale and particularly for animals that are naturally shy, have big home ranges (sometimes over multiple countries), and occur in very low numbers.
Even in a comparatively small African country – Uganda ranks 32nd in size out of 54 countries – how does one cover enough ground to see how populations of carnivores are faring? This has been the challenge of our work in Uganda for nearly a decade now, monitoring African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas.
Our two recent studies in Murchison Falls and six protected areas across the country sought to address the problem by drawing on a wide range of local and international experts who live and work in Uganda. Working with the Ugandan government’s Uganda Wildlife Authority research and monitoring team, we set out to identify and bring together independent scientists, government rangers, university students, lodge owners and conservation managers in the country’s major savanna parks.
We hoped to cover more ground with people and organisations that wouldn’t traditionally work together. Doing so exposed many of these individuals for the first time to the science and field skills needed to build robust, long term monitoring programmes for threatened wildlife.
The result is the largest, most comprehensive count of African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. We found spotted hyenas to be doing far better than we expected. But lions are in worrying decline, indicating where conservation efforts need to be focused. Beyond that, our count proved the value of collaborating when it comes to generating data that could help save animals.
Our unique approach
Inspired by Kenya’s first nationwide, science-based survey of lions and other carnivores in key reserves, the first important step of this study was to secure the collaboration of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s office of research and monitoring. Together, we identified the critical conservation stakeholders in and around six protected areas. These are Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kidepo Valley, Toro Semliki, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Leopards and hyenas occur in some other parks (such as Mount Elgon and Rwenzori National Park) but resource constraints prevented us from surveying these sites.
We had no predisposed notions of who could or would participate in our carnivore surveys, only that we wanted people living closest to these species in the room.
We shortlisted lodge owners, government rangers, independent scientists, university students from Kampala, NGO staff and even trophy hunters. All came together for a few days to learn about how to find carnivores in each landscape, build detection histories and analyse data. We delivered five technical workshops showing participants how to search for African lions in the landscapes together with mapping exactly where they drove.
how to identify lions by their whisker spots in high-definition photographs – these are the small spots where a cat’s whiskers originate on their cheeks
how to determine identity in camera trap images of leopard and spotted hyena body flanks
post data collection analysis techniques
a technique to estimate population densities and abundance.
More than 100 Ugandan and international collaborators joined in the “all hands on deck” survey, driving over 26,000km and recording 7,516 camera trap nights from 232 locations spanning a year from January 2022 to January 2023.
Our scientific approach focused on how to achieve the best possible counts of carnivores. In the process we identified some of the biggest shortcomings of previous surveys. These included double counting individual animals and failing to incorporate detection probability. Even worse was simply adding all individual sighted animals and not generating any local-level estimates.
What our results tell us
As expected, our results painted a grim picture in some areas, but marked hope for others.
In the majestic Murchison Falls national park, through which the River Nile runs east-west, we estimated that approximately 240 lions still remained across some 3,200km² of sampled area. This is the highest number in Uganda and at least five to 10 times higher than in the Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth parks.
In Queen Elizabeth national park, home to the tree-climbing lions, we found a marked decline of over 40% (just 39 individuals left in 2,400km²) since our last survey in 2018.
In the country’s north, Kidepo Valley, the best estimate is just 12 individual lions across 1,430km², in stark contrast with the previous estimate of 132 lions implemented nearly 15 years ago.
In contrast, leopards appeared to continue to occur at high densities in select areas, with Lake Mburo and Murchison Falls exhibiting strong populations. Pian Upe and Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector recorded the lowest densities.
Spotted hyenas have proven far more resilient. They occur at densities ranging from 6.15 to 45.31 individuals/100km² across surveyed sites. In Queen Elizabeth, their numbers could be rising as lion populations decline, likely due to reduced competition and ongoing poaching pressure targeting lions.
These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted conservation interventions, particularly for lions in Uganda’s struggling populations.
Value beyond numbers
Our approach shared the load of data collection, and gave people an opportunity and skills to engage in wildlife science. For many emerging conservationists in the country, this was their first chance to be authors on a scientific paper (an increasingly important component of postgraduate degree applications). Even if many of the people we worked with disagree on how to save large carnivores in Uganda, they could at least agree on how many there are as they had a hand in collecting the data and scrutinising it. Since we have embraced a fully science-based approach, we recognise that our surveys too should improve over time.
Aggrey Rwetsiba, senior manager, research and monitoring at Uganda Wildlife Authority, contributed to the research on which this article is based.
Duan Biggs receives funding from Northern Arizona University and is a member of the IUCN (World Conservation Union).
Alexander Richard Braczkowski and Arjun M. Gopalaswamy do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Hanya Yanagihara’s second novel A Little Life, released ten years ago, has become a contemporary classic – with notoriety and acclaim boosting its profile in equal measure.
The novel begins by following four friends – Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm – as they navigate careers, relationships and friendship in New York. However, it quickly comes to focus on the story of Jude, gradually revealing his deeply traumatic childhood and the ways it is affecting his adult life.
In 2022, UK publisher Picador re-released the novel as part of its new Picador Collection – a range of “era-defining modern classics”. But how has a novel with such harrowing content become one of the most popular books of the last decade?
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This is one of the clearest examples of the “trauma plot”, which literary critic Parul Sehgal has identified as a defining feature of our contemporary cultural landscape. The trauma plot refers to stories fixated on the traumatic events experienced by their characters, perhaps neglecting other aspects of characterisation or plotting in favour of detailed explorations of trauma.
American essayist Daniel Mendelsohn’s early critique in the New York Review of Books countered the novel’s extensive praise elsewhere. He claimed the relentless trauma and abuse suffered by Jude turns it into “a machine designed to produce negative emotions for the reader to wallow in”.
This matches Sehgal’s criticism of the way the trauma plot flattens characters and narratives into explorations of the backstory, “evacuating personality” and reducing “character to symptom”. Sehgal asks: “In a world infatuated with victimhood, has trauma emerged as a passport to status – our red badge of courage?”
This question could well be aimed at A Little Life. The trauma plot, and its exploration of the depths of victimhood and suffering, has been the novel’s passport to notoriety.
The power of fomo
It’s not only critics that take issue with the novel’s depiction of trauma. Readers have also commented on the seemingly gratuitous nature of the novel’s content and the extreme emotions and reactions it produces. Search “A Little Life” on any social media platform and you will find countless reader reviews ranging from delight to disgust.
Much of this discourse is rooted in the novel’s notoriety and graphic content, or how much readers cried when reading it. It exists in the cultural consciousness more as an experience than a literary work – a challenge to undertake rather than a story to read.
As a result, there is a culture of fomo (fear of missing out) around the novel, as readers fear they haven’t taken part in one of the big literary experiences of the last decade. This has seen its popularity become self-propagating: more readers, more extreme reactions, more exposure, more fomo.
The content they produce is often highly emotional, with creators blending reviews with outpourings of feelings and presenting polarised opinions. Social media platforms and their algorithms reward such extremes by encouraging interaction with and sharing of posts, pushing them – and therefore the novel – out to wider audiences.
The novel also has its own social media presence. The Instagram account @alittlelifebook has 65.2k followers at the time of writing and still makes multiple posts a week, ten years after the novel’s release. The account frequently reposts fans’ novel-related artwork, photography, playlists and tattoos. This has established a norm of how people interact with the novel – in highly personal ways that foreground emotion and intimacy with the story.
This enables a connection and community among readers through their reaction to the depiction of extreme suffering. Just as the play was a sell-out success despite its mixed reviews, there is this desire for the connecting and cathartic experience of reading and enduring suffering.
This controversy has not stopped the actor Matt Bomer, who is gay, from narrating a 10th-anniversary audio book. The actor has also voiced audiobook versions of Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956) and Little and Often by Trent Preszler (2021) – both of which explore the alienation of queer people.
The West End theatre production starred James Norton as Jude.
A Little Life is continually placed within a queer canon, as academics and journalists frequently discuss and praise its representation. Readers often place it on lists of the best LGBTQ+ fiction despite its controversial handling of this material – again suggesting the controversy is fuelling readers’ curiosity rather than quelling it.
In a 2020 study of the novel’s reception on social media platform Goodreads, researcher Joseph Worthen suggested it is somewhat unique in producing a “reluctant five-star phenomenon” – where readers do not want to rate the book so highly but feel compelled to, because of the strong emotional impact it had on them.
The way emotions trump aesthetics and enjoyment in readers’ judgment of the novel, acting as “a passport to status”, demonstrates why A Little Life remains so popular. It offers a seemingly endless supply of emotion, and possibilities for connection, at a cultural moment when virality rules.
Natalie Wall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In an era where screens dominate our daily lives, a silent epidemic is sweeping the globe. Digital eye strain, a condition once relegated to the fringes of occupational health concerns, has emerged as a significant public health issue affecting millions worldwide. As our reliance on digital devices for work, education and social interaction intensifies, so too does the risk to our ocular health.
Recent studies paint a stark picture. Up to 50% of computer users could develop digital eye strain. This condition, characterised by a range of ocular and visual symptoms, including dryness, watering, itching, burning and blurred or even double vision, is not merely a matter of discomfort; it can indicate potentially chronic issues that can significantly affect a person’s quality of life and productivity.
The COVID pandemic has exacerbated this trend, with lockdowns and social distancing measures driving screen time to unprecedented levels.
A marked increase in digital device usage during the pandemic correlates with a surge in ocular surface diseases, visual disturbances and digital eye strain.
The unseen toll of digital dependence
But what exactly happens to our eyes when we stare at screens for long periods? The answer lies in the intricate biology of our visual system. When focusing on digital displays, our blink rate falls, and our eyes strain to maintain focus on near objects for extended periods. Reduced blinking and sustained near focus triggers a cascade of ocular issues, from mild irritation to chronic dryness.
The symptoms of digital eye strain are diverse and often insidious. They range from the immediately noticeable, such as eye fatigue, dryness, and blurred vision, to more subtle signs like headaches and neck pain. While often transient, these symptoms can become persistent and debilitating if left unchecked.
So, how can we protect our vision in this screen-centric world? The solution lies in a multifaceted approach that combines behavioural changes, environmental adjustments, and, when necessary, medical interventions.
Protective measures
The 20-20-20 rule is a simple but effective strategy for protecting your eyes against digital strain.
Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to focus on something 20 feet away. This brief respite allows your eye muscles to relax, reducing the strain associated with constant near focus work. While widely recommended, it’s worth noting that the efficacy of this specific rule hasn’t been rigorously studied, but the principle of taking frequent breaks is sound.
Environmental factors play a fundamental role in maintaining ocular comfort during screen use. Proper lighting, adequate humidity and good air quality can significantly affect eye health. Use adjustable lamps to direct light away from your eyes, use a humidifier to maintain moisture levels and consider an air purifier to remove irritating airborne particles.
Ergonomic adjustments are equally important. Position your screen at arm’s length and slightly below eye level to reduce neck strain. Increase font sizes to minimise squinting and ensure your chair provides proper back support for good posture.
For those experiencing persistent symptoms, professional help is key. Eye care practitioners can provide comprehensive exams to identify underlying issues such as refractive errors – common eye conditions where the eye’s shape prevents light from focusing correctly on the retina, causing blurry vision – or dry eye disease. Ocular specialists can prescribe targeted treatments, from specialised eye-wear to medications that address specific eye health concerns.
Emerging therapies offer hope for more effective management of digital eye strain. Drugs called novel TRPM8 agonists show promise in relieving dry eye discomfort by activating cooling receptors on the eye’s surface. Meanwhile, wearable biosensors that fit as a patch under the eye or attached to contact lenses are being developed to monitor tear fluid biomarkers in real time. Tears can reflect the health of the ocular surface and potentially the whole body, so this technological development could transform the diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface diseases.
Irreplaceable assets
In this digital age, it’s important to take measures to protect our vision. By recognising the signs of digital eye strain, implementing protective strategies, and seeking timely professional care, we can reduce the risks associated with our screen-dependent lifestyles.
The challenge of digital eye strain is not insurmountable. With awareness, education and a commitment to ocular health, we can continue exploiting digital technology’s benefits without compromising our vision. As we look to the future, integrating eye-friendly technologies and ergonomic designs in our digital devices may offer additional layers of protection.
In the meantime, remember to take breaks, blink often and don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you experience persistent symptoms. In doing so, you’ll be taking crucial steps towards ensuring clear, comfortable vision.
Daniela Oehring receives funding from UKRI and Sight Research UK.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena, Assistant Professor in Marketing, University of Bradford
Whether it’s selling at a market or working in the home or in the field, south Asian women are contributing to their economies.Florian Augustin/Shutterstock
As a child, I lived with my grandmother in a rural village in Sri Lanka where women often played an active economic role – working in sectors like farming, technology, sewing, household work or some other area. These days across South Asia, businesses led by women are on the rise, with online platforms making it easier for entrepreneurs to start with minimal investment.
If more women could be encouraged into employment in the region, it would, of course, bring wider benefits. For instance, it’s estimated that if women’s participation in India’s workforce reached 50% from its current level of 31%, the country’s annual growth rate could increase by 1.5 percentage points.
Female entrepreneurs in South Asia have been described as “silent contributors”, as their input to the economy and society is still not properly understood. And when their contributions go unrecognised, women can be denied access to education and career development.
Not only that, but it can lead to women having fewer opportunities for leadership roles, financial security, and professional growth. It may discourage the participation of other women, or limit their progress in industries and societies that could benefit from greater female representation.
Research often points to factors such as a lack of education, technical expertise, gender discrimination and low self-esteem as reasons female entrepreneurs may be demotivated.
But after reviewing several studies, I realised there’s a deeper, more complex issue. I identified a three-pillar effect that discourages women from entrepreneurship.
These are socio-cultural barriers, which include traditional gender roles and societal expectations; economic and financial constraints such as limited access to funding; and regulatory and institutional challenges like legal obstacles and a lack of support systems.
These three pillars create significant hurdles for women who are trying to build their businesses.
A study looking at Mumbai, India, found that limited affordable transport can significantly reduce women’s chances of entering the workforce or starting a business.
For example, some Indian and Sri Lankan women are expected to stay close to home to take care of children or elderly relatives. This limits their ability to travel to markets or participate in other work. There is also the issue of poor access to education and technical skills that can hold women back in terms of development and building a business.
These barriers are starting to receive more recognition and were depicted in the award-winning film The Great Indian Kitchen. This 2021 film in the Malayalam language tells the story of a young woman who is expected to follow traditional gender roles after her marriage. The film highlights the social norms that often deter women from working or seeking education.
The Great Indian Kitchen trailer.
Most women entrepreneurs in South Asia work in the informal sector. This includes street vending, agriculture, retail and home-based industries like sewing. But these sectors and enterprises often remain unregistered and are not captured in official economic data.
For example, women in cities like Delhi in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka sell products like vegetables or handmade jewellery on the streets. Often, these women do not have legal businesses or commercial registration numbers. This limits their access to loans, social security and more formal markets. Across South Asia, only 25% of women have a bank account, compared with 41% of men – the biggest gender gap in the world.
Nepal, however, has made strides in financial inclusion, particularly in closing the gender gap. According to Nepal’s financial inclusion report in 2023, women’s access to formal financial services the previous year was at 89% while men’s stood at 90% – showing that change is possible.
The barriers for women
The lack of education and technical training often restricts women’s ability to develop skills and entrepreneurial nous. But it can also expose them to exploitation by officials who can prey on their lack of legal knowledge, forcing them to face bureaucratic hurdles and corruption.
Another thorny issue is that in some cultures it is unacceptable for women to hold seniority or authority over men. Often, government policies and programmes focus on male entrepreneurs, overlooking women’s issues. These include childcare needs or safety concerns.
In Sri Lanka, female-owned businesses face significant challenges in accessing key government incentives simply because of limited awareness. A big issue is that women in rural areas often do not hear about funding programmes, grants and financial schemes.
South Asian women’s economic contributions continue to be damaged by social, cultural and institutional limitations. It is vital to recognise these contributions and bring them into the formal economic system. This should ensure that female entrepreneurs get their rightful place in the broader economic arena.
Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Hundreds of animals, from tiny ants to mighty hippos, are shaping the Earth’s surface as powerfully as floods and storms. These animals effectively act as landscape engineers, reorganising soils and sediments. Yet their combined global impact has never been explored, until now.
Research that my colleagues and I conducted shows that animal engineers are much more diverse, widespread and globally significant than previously recognised. We estimated that the combined energy they devote to landscape-shaping processes is equivalent to the energy of hundreds of thousands of river floods.
Animals act as landscape architects as they feed, create shelter, reproduce and simply move around. Beavers build dams that form wetlands and change river channels. Spawning salmon move huge amounts of river sediments too, similar to the amounts moved by floods. Yet, beyond such charismatic and iconic examples, animal landscape engineers can be viewed as curiosities – interesting but uncommon, with healthy scepticism about their role in landscape change.
Most studies focus on a single species, so we collected evidence from hundreds of studies to understand the global significance of these animals. We focused on animals living on land or in rivers, lakes, wetlands and other inland water bodies. Oceans host important engineers too, but they were not included in our study.
Tiny ants can leave their mark on a landscape. Gemma Harvey, CC BY-NC-ND
My team was astounded by the diversity of landscape engineers we uncovered. The list we compiled included 500 wild animal species including insects, mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and crustaceans. More than a quarter of those 500 species are threatened or vulnerable in some way. This means their landscape-shaping effects – mixing, eroding or stabilising soils and sediments, building landforms – could disappear before they are fully understood.
Animal architects include some of the smallest creatures on Earth, such as ants, termites and aquatic insect larvae, as well as the largest, such as elephants, hippos and bison. As a group, they are globally widespread across land and in water, in all major ecosystem types. We showed that despite covering only 2.4% of the planet’s land surface, freshwater habitats host over a third of these fascinating animals.
Tamworth pigs roam free at Knepp estate, a rewilding project in the UK. Tony Skerl/Shutterstock
We searched thousands of published articles for mentions of animal engineers to compile a comprehensive list of species. We explored their global distributions using free online biodiversity data. We used recent estimates of the total biomass of ants, mammals and all living things to estimate the combined biomass of animal engineers. Then, we converted this information to calorie content and estimated how much of that energy is used to shape landforms and landscapes.
We inevitably missed some studied species in our searches. For instance, we know that the tropics and subtropics are biodiversity hotspots, but fewer animal agents of landscape change were reported there. This is because research and resources have been concentrated in places like Europe, the US and Australia. Countless more species remain unreported or even undiscovered, especially smaller, less visible animals such as insects.
Another consideration is that our energy estimates for livestock substantially exceeded wild animals due to their large body size and high abundance. Yet how livestock shapes the landscape depends on how the animals are farmed. Intensive farming of large livestock breeds can increase soil erosion and flood risk, while low-density regenerative farming can improve soil health.
Nature loss is intrinsically linked with the climate crisis. Natural habitats such as forests and wetlands capture and store carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate climate change. They also help us to adapt to the impacts of climate change, by altering how quickly water moves through landscapes for example, which reduces the severity of floods and droughts.
In rewilding projects around the world, free-roaming pigs, deer, ponies and cattle introduced as landscape engineers increase carbon storage by changing vegetation and soils and helping reduce flood risk downstream. Beavers create “emerald refuges” in wildfire-scorched landscapes by damming streams to create ponds and wetlands. Hippo trails lead to the creation of new river channels that direct water flow to different areas.
Finding ways to harness the enormous energy potential of landscape-shaping animals could help simultaneously mitigate and adapt to climate change and boost biodiversity.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Gemma Harvey receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust (Leverhulme Research Fellowship Grant number RF-2022-
2844) and UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NE/W007460/1 and NE/Y005163/1) and Defra/ Environment Agency (NEIRF2059)
Parliament and Council negotiators agreed new driving licence rules, introducing a mobile licence, a probation period for new drivers, and “accompanied” driving.
The agreement on an update of EU driving licence directive reached on early Tuesday morning is intended to improve road safety in Europe, with almost 20,000 lives lost on EU roads annually.
Training on phone usage and driving in dangerous conditions
MEPs managed to insert new requirements so that drivers are better prepared for real driving situations and develop sufficient risk awareness of pedestrians, children, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. To qualify for a licence, a driver will have to learn about safe phone usage while driving, blind spot risks, driver-assistance systems, the safe opening of doors, and driving in snow and slippery conditions.
Mobile driving licence
A digital driving licence, available on a smartphone with EU-wide digital wallet technology, will become the main format in the EU, under the new rules. Member states will have five years and six month following the entry into force of the new rules to implement this. However, MEPs made sure drivers will continue to have the right to request a physical driver’s licence.
Two-year probation for new drivers, alcohol limit
For the first time, EU rules will set a probationary period of at least two years for new drivers. Novice drivers will be subject to stricter rules and sanctions for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while not using safety belts or child-restraint systems. MEPs secured an encouragement in the text for EU countries to pursue a zero tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs, that would ban consumption for all drivers.
Lowering the eligibility age for professional licences, introduction of accompanying drivers
To mitigate a shortage of professional drivers, the minimum age whereby a driver can obtain a truck licence will be lowered from 21 to 18, and for a bus driving licence from 24 to 21, provided the applicant holds a certificate of professional competence. EU countries may allow 17-years-old to drive a truck or van on their territory only, if accompanied by an experienced driver. This system of accompanied drivers will apply more widely across the EU for car drivers.
Validity and health checks
Negotiators agreed that driving licences should be valid for 15 years for motorcycles and cars. EU countries may reduce this period to 10 years if the licence can be used as a national ID, while truck and bus licences will have to be renewed every five years. EU countries can shorten the validity of driving licences of older drivers (65 years and older).
Before they are issued with first licence, a driver should pass a medical check, including of their eyesight and cardiovascular condition. However, for car drivers or motorcycle riders EU countries may opt to substitute the medical check by self-assessment forms or, in case of driving licence renewal, other alternative measures. At the initiative of MEPs, national authorities will be encouraged to enhance the public awareness of minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving.
Quote
EP rapporteur Jutta Paulus (Greens, DE) said: “The new driving license directive makes people’s lives easier – more digital, more flexible, and with less bureaucracy. At the same time, we are sending a clear signal for greater road safety in line with Vision Zero: fewer accidents, fewer injuries, and fewer fatalities on our roads.
Additionally, we introduce uniform standards across Europe and make it easier for young people to enter the driving profession. On top, we strengthen our volunteer civil protection services and tackle the shortage of skilled workers in the transport sector. Finally, we ensure that no one’s right to drive is restricted due to long processing times.”
Next steps
The preliminary deal still needs to be approved by Council and Parliament. EU countries will have four years to transpose new provisions into national law and prepare for its implementation.
Background
Revised EU driving licence rules are part of a road safety package presented by the Commission in March 2023, which aims to improve safety for all road users and to move as close as possible to zero fatalities in EU road transport by 2050 (“Vision Zero“). The same package also contains driving disqualification rules on which Parliament and Council negotiators are working to find an agreement.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Davies Banda, Lecturer in Sport Policy and Management, University of Edinburgh
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has elected a woman as its president for the first time ever. Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry is also the youngest ever IOC president and the first from an African country, becoming a symbol of the IOC’s drive to diversify its leadership and image.
Sports management scholar Davies Banda was part of a global research team that compiled an IOC-commissioned report on the roles of women in the organisation. He traces Coventry’s journey as a swimming star, politician and sports administrator.
Who is Kirsty Coventry?
She is Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time. She won seven medals across the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games.
Born in Harare, she is not only Zimbabwe’s best known sports star but also the politically troubled country’s sports minister. The IOC presidency makes her one of the most powerful figures in world sports.
Coventry is driven. She set her sights on the Olympics at the age of nine. She achieved her dream through hard work and a profound understanding of what a results-oriented athletic career looks like. She believes true success lies in sharing knowledge and skills, extending her impact beyond athletics into social activism and a political career in Zimbabwe.
Her Olympic journey began at the 2000 Sydney Games, where she competed in two swimming events but failed to qualify for the finals. Her breakthrough happened at the 2004 Athens Games, where she won the first of her two gold medals in the 200-metre backstroke. She successfully defended this title at the 2008 Beijing Games.
President Robert Mugabe shows off Coventry’s Olympic medals in 2004.STR/AFP/Getty Images
She retired from swimming competitively after her final Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games, holding the joint record for the most individual women’s swimming medals in Olympic history. By then her sports administration dreams had begun to pay off.
In 2012 she was elected to the IOC’s powerful Athletes’ Commission. Thanks to her extensive experience of being an Olympic athlete, she became a significant voice within the body. She was elected chair of the commission in 2018 and held the post until 2023, when she was elected to the IOC’s executive committee under Thomas Bach, also a former athlete and the outgoing IOC president.
At the same time, Coventry transitioned into government service as an independent member of parliament in Zimbabwe. She was first appointed as the country’s Minister of Sport, Art and Recreation in 2018, and re-appointed in 2023.
She’s a member of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, previously serving as its vice president. She’s also a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.
Why has it taken so long to have a female president?
In 1997 the IOC set targets for National Olympic Committees to achieve at least 10% female representation in executive decision-making positions by the end of 2000. This was followed by a goal of at least 20% by 2005 and 30% by 2020.
The IOC reported that female representation on its commissions doubled between 2013 and 2023, reaching 50% by the latter year.
These deliberate measures can be seen as foundational to Coventry’s election. Globally, National Olympic Committees have seen a rise in female executive board members and leaders, increasing the pool of qualified candidates. An IOC report highlighted co-mentoring of female members on a governance leadership development initiative.
Policies promoting the recognition of women’s leadership in sport and communities have nurtured leaders capable of competing for the highest IOC roles.
However, considering that women were first allowed to participate in the 1900 Paris Games, it’s taken 124 years to see the election of a female IOC president.
Despite the extended time frame, the IOC’s progressive initiatives, particularly its gender equality targets, have yielded tangible results.
Some observers believe that Bach’s legacy, particularly in promoting gender equality, will be continued by Coventry, given their shared values and aspirations for the Olympic movement.
What would a female president bring to Olympic sports?
There is a drive for gender equality in Olympic sport. Coventry’s extensive experience as an athlete representative and her continued involvement with the Athletes’ Commission provide her with a deep understanding of athletes’ concerns. These include gender eligibility, a threat to the integrity of the Games due to doping, climate change, and athlete advocacy.
Her relatively young age, 41, further strengthens her connection with athletes, the Olympic Games’ most valuable stakeholders, who are much younger than the administrators. This unique perspective allows her to engage with athletes in ways that previous IOC leaders could not. Her predecessors were close to or past their 60th birthdays when elected.
So she is also likely to connect with younger generations more effectively than her predecessors, through modern technologies.
Coventry is poised to lead the Olympic movement’s focus on sport for social change, given her experience of life in the global south, where she has been a social activist for underprivileged youth.
The substantial growth of sport-for-change initiatives in the global south and beyond fuels the hope among scholars, including myself, that sport and athlete advocacy can achieve greater visibility. It can make an impact on global challenges, moving them from the sidelines to the heart of major sporting events.
Coventry’s political career, conducted in Zimbabwe’s challenging economic climate, suggests a potential for using sport as a catalyst for positive social transformation.
That said, while she may champion athlete advocacy on certain issues, her stated commitment to neutrality, particularly regarding the games, indicates a potential reluctance to engage with politically charged issues. The IOC’s status quo, the apolitical stance of the games, is likely to continue to limit the potential impact of athlete activism.
What will be closely watched will be her approach to the contentious issue of transgender athletes in women’s events. Her current position advocates for their exclusion from female categories. She’s emphasised the protection of women’s sport and the enforcement of gender eligibility standards.
It remains to be seen how closely her policies will align with, or diverge from, those of her predecessor. But for the IOC she no doubt represents a more diverse, gender equal movement.
– Who is Kirsty Coventry and how did she become the most powerful person in world sports? – https://theconversation.com/who-is-kirsty-coventry-and-how-did-she-become-the-most-powerful-person-in-world-sports-252938
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University
For nearly 15 years almost no information was available on the population status of Uganda’s large carnivores, including those in its largest national park, Murchison Falls. These species represent a critical part of Uganda’s growing tourism economy. The country is home to the famed tree-climbing lions, which are much sought after for this unique behaviour. Together, lions and leopards generate tens of thousands of dollars annually from safari viewing and allied activities.
Keeping an eye on the proverbial prize could not be more critical for the country. When wildlife isn’t monitored rigorously, populations can disappear within just a few years, as tigers did in India’s Sariska tiger reserve.
But many people working in conservation discourage monitoring. They argue that a “bean counter” approach to conservation overlooks the funds and actions that save animals. Others simply say that it is a hard thing to do at scale and particularly for animals that are naturally shy, have big home ranges (sometimes over multiple countries), and occur in very low numbers.
Even in a comparatively small African country – Uganda ranks 32nd in size out of 54 countries – how does one cover enough ground to see how populations of carnivores are faring? This has been the challenge of our work in Uganda for nearly a decade now, monitoring African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas.
Orin Cornille and Bosco Atukwatse, field coordinaotrs from the Volcanoes Kyambura Lion Project, set remote camera traps for leopards in Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda.Alex Braczkowski
Our two recent studies in Murchison Falls and six protected areas across the country sought to address the problem by drawing on a wide range of local and international experts who live and work in Uganda. Working with the Ugandan government’s Uganda Wildlife Authority research and monitoring team, we set out to identify and bring together independent scientists, government rangers, university students, lodge owners and conservation managers in the country’s major savanna parks.
We hoped to cover more ground with people and organisations that wouldn’t traditionally work together. Doing so exposed many of these individuals for the first time to the science and field skills needed to build robust, long term monitoring programmes for threatened wildlife.
The result is the largest, most comprehensive count of African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. We found spotted hyenas to be doing far better than we expected. But lions are in worrying decline, indicating where conservation efforts need to be focused. Beyond that, our count proved the value of collaborating when it comes to generating data that could help save animals.
Our unique approach
Inspired by Kenya’s first nationwide, science-based survey of lions and other carnivores in key reserves, the first important step of this study was to secure the collaboration of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s office of research and monitoring. Together, we identified the critical conservation stakeholders in and around six protected areas. These are Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kidepo Valley, Toro Semliki, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Leopards and hyenas occur in some other parks (such as Mount Elgon and Rwenzori National Park) but resource constraints prevented us from surveying these sites.
We had no predisposed notions of who could or would participate in our carnivore surveys, only that we wanted people living closest to these species in the room.
We shortlisted lodge owners, government rangers, independent scientists, university students from Kampala, NGO staff and even trophy hunters. All came together for a few days to learn about how to find carnivores in each landscape, build detection histories and analyse data. We delivered five technical workshops showing participants how to search for African lions in the landscapes together with mapping exactly where they drove.
Makerere University students and Karamoja Overland Safari staff set solar powered trail cameras with the lead author in Lake Mburo (left) and Pian Upe (right) as part of the national carnivore survey.
how to identify lions by their whisker spots in high-definition photographs – these are the small spots where a cat’s whiskers originate on their cheeks
how to determine identity in camera trap images of leopard and spotted hyena body flanks
post data collection analysis techniques
a technique to estimate population densities and abundance.
More than 100 Ugandan and international collaborators joined in the “all hands on deck” survey, driving over 26,000km and recording 7,516 camera trap nights from 232 locations spanning a year from January 2022 to January 2023.
Our scientific approach focused on how to achieve the best possible counts of carnivores. In the process we identified some of the biggest shortcomings of previous surveys. These included double counting individual animals and failing to incorporate detection probability. Even worse was simply adding all individual sighted animals and not generating any local-level estimates.
What our results tell us
As expected, our results painted a grim picture in some areas, but marked hope for others.
In the majestic Murchison Falls national park, through which the River Nile runs east-west, we estimated that approximately 240 lions still remained across some 3,200km² of sampled area. This is the highest number in Uganda and at least five to 10 times higher than in the Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth parks.
In Queen Elizabeth national park, home to the tree-climbing lions, we found a marked decline of over 40% (just 39 individuals left in 2,400km²) since our last survey in 2018.
In the country’s north, Kidepo Valley, the best estimate is just 12 individual lions across 1,430km², in stark contrast with the previous estimate of 132 lions implemented nearly 15 years ago.
In contrast, leopards appeared to continue to occur at high densities in select areas, with Lake Mburo and Murchison Falls exhibiting strong populations. Pian Upe and Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector recorded the lowest densities.
Spotted hyenas have proven far more resilient. They occur at densities ranging from 6.15 to 45.31 individuals/100km² across surveyed sites. In Queen Elizabeth, their numbers could be rising as lion populations decline, likely due to reduced competition and ongoing poaching pressure targeting lions.
These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted conservation interventions, particularly for lions in Uganda’s struggling populations.
Value beyond numbers
Our approach shared the load of data collection, and gave people an opportunity and skills to engage in wildlife science. For many emerging conservationists in the country, this was their first chance to be authors on a scientific paper (an increasingly important component of postgraduate degree applications). Even if many of the people we worked with disagree on how to save large carnivores in Uganda, they could at least agree on how many there are as they had a hand in collecting the data and scrutinising it. Since we have embraced a fully science-based approach, we recognise that our surveys too should improve over time.
Aggrey Rwetsiba, senior manager, research and monitoring at Uganda Wildlife Authority, contributed to the research on which this article is based.
– Uganda’s lions in decline, hyenas thriving – new findings from country’s biggest ever carnivore count – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-lions-in-decline-hyenas-thriving-new-findings-from-countrys-biggest-ever-carnivore-count-249724
Headline: Airbus lance une étude sur les émissions non-CO2 des avions avec des partenaires canadiens de l’aérospatiale
Airbus et d’importants organismes universitaires et de recherche canadiens du secteur aérospatial ont lancé un projet visant à mesurer les émissions non-CO2 produites par différents carburants d’aviation, y compris le carburant d’aviation durable (CAD ou SAF) 100 % .
In Yemen, a decade of conflict has proved catastrophic for the country’s children living under the threat of airstrikes and staggeringly high malnutrition rates, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)saidon Tuesday.
“We need to move fast,” said UNICEF representative in the country Peter Hawkins. “I was in Hudaydah over the past three days…I went through the western lowlands, where there are people on the streets, on the side of the roads, begging and looking for assistance. They have given up. We cannot give up.”
Speaking from Yemen’s capital Sana’a, Mr. Hawkins told reporters that the “manmade” disaster has decimated Yemen’s economy, healthcare system and infrastructure.
“Even during periods of reduced violence, the structural consequences of the conflict, especially for girls and boys, have remained severe,” he said, underscoring that more than half of the country’s population of close to 40 million people relies on humanitarian assistance.
Aid lifeline under threat
UNICEF supports life-saving health facilities and malnutrition treatment across the country, but its activities are only 25 per cent funded this year. The agency will not be able to sustain even minimal services without urgent action from donors, Mr. Hawkins warned.
Houthi rebels – formally known as Ansar Allah – have been battling Government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade and overthrew the country’s President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in March 2015.
While a resumption of large-scale ground military operations in Yemen has not occurred since the UN-mediated truce of April 2022, military activity continues. The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned on 6 March in a briefing to the Security Council that the cessation of hostilities is increasingly at risk. Earlier this month the United States launched multiple strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in the country, reportedly in retaliation for the Houthis’ targeting of merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Mr. Hawkins spoke of the damage he witnessed first-hand in the port city of Hudaydah and stressed that eight children died in the most recent airstrikes across northern Yemen.
Food, medicines blocked
“Critical ports and roads, lifelines for food and medicine, are damaged and blockaded,” Mr. Hawkins said. Food prices have soared over 300 per cent in the past decade, driving hunger and malnutrition.
The UNICEF official said that one in two children under the age of five is malnourished in Yemen, “a statistic that is almost unparalleled across the world”.
“Among them are over 540,000 girls and boys who are severely and acutely malnourished, a condition that is agonizing, life-threatening and entirely preventable,” he added.
‘Thousands will die’
Mr. Hawkins highlighted the dangers facing children who cannot access treatment, as they are “away from service delivery in the most remote areas up on the mountains, and deep down in the in the valleys of northern Yemen…Malnutrition weakens immune systems, stunts growth and robs children of their potential.”
Furthermore, some 1.4 million pregnant and lactating women are malnourished in Yemen – “a vicious circle of intergenerational suffering”, Mr. Hawkins said.
In certain areas including the west of the country, severe and acute malnutrition rates of 33 per cent have been recorded.
“It’s not a humanitarian crisis. It’s not an emergency. It is a catastrophe where thousands will die,” Mr. Hawkins insisted.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By James T. Stroud, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology
After gathering data on the captured anole, the team releases it back to the wild.Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.
Every morning in Miami, our fieldwork begins the same way. Fresh Cuban coffee and pastelitos – delicious Latin American pastries – fuel our team for another day of evolutionary detective work. Here we’re tracking evolution in real time, measuring natural selection as it happens in a community of Caribbean lizards.
As an assistant professor of ecology and evolution at Georgia Tech, my journey with these remarkable reptiles has taken me far from my London roots. The warm, humid air of Miami feels natural now, a far cry from the gray, drizzly and lizard-free streets of my British upbringing.
Our research takes place on a South Florida island roughly the size of an American football field – assuming we’re successful in sidestepping the American crocodiles that bask in the surrounding lake. We call it Lizard Island, and it’s a special place.
Here, since 2015, we’ve been conducting evolutionary research on five species of remarkable lizards called anoles. By studying the anoles, our team is working to understand one of biology’s most fundamental questions: How does natural selection drive evolution in real time?
Each May, coinciding with the start of the breeding season, we visit Lizard Island to capture, study and release all adult anoles – a population that fluctuates between 600 to 1,000. For the entire summer, female anoles lay a single egg every seven to 10 days. By October, a whole new generation has emerged.
The anoles of Lizard Island, clockwise from top left: Cuban knight anole, Hispaniolan bark anole, American green anole, Cuban brown anole, Puerto Rican crested anole. Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.
The secret lives of lizards
Anoles aren’t early risers, so we don’t expect much activity until the Sun strengthens around 9:30 a.m.; this gives us time to prepare our equipment. Our team catches anoles with telescopic fishing poles fitted with little lassos, which we use to gently pluck the lizards off branches and tree trunks. Ask any lizard biologist about their preferred lasso material and you’ll spark the age-old debate: fishing line or dental floss? For what it’s worth, we recently converted – we’re now on Team Fishing Line.
Picture yourself as an anole on Lizard Island. Your life is short – typically just one year – and filled with daily challenges. You need to warm up in the Sun, find enough food to survive, search for a mate, guard your favorite branch from other lizards and avoid being eaten by a predator.
Like human beings, each lizard is unique. Some have longer legs, others stronger jaws, and all behave slightly differently. These differences could determine who survives and who doesn’t; who has the most babies and who doesn’t.
These outcomes drive evolution by natural selection, the process where organisms with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more. These advantageous traits are then passed on to future generations, gradually changing the species over time. However, scientists still have an incomplete understanding of exactly how each of these features predicts life’s winners and losers in the wild.
To understand how species evolve, researchers need to crack open this black box of evolution and investigate natural selection in wild populations. My colleagues and I are doing this by studying the anoles in exquisite detail. Last year was especially exciting: We ran what we called the Lizard Olympics.
Catching an anole with a lizard lasso. Look closely – the anole blends in quite well with the tree. Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.
Tiny fishing poles
As the morning heat builds, we spot our first lizards: Cuban brown anoles near to the ground, and the mottled scales of Hispaniolan bark anoles just above them. Further up, in the leafy tree canopies, are American green anoles, and the largest species, the Cuban knight anole, about the size of a newborn kitten.
In 2018, a new challenger entered the arena – the Puerto Rican crested anole, a species already present in Miami but one that hadn’t yet made it to Lizard Island. Its arrival provided us with an unexpected opportunity to study how species may evolve in real time in response to a new neighbor.
Catching these agile athletes requires patience and precision. With our modified fishing poles, we carefully loop the dental floss over their heads. Each capture site is marked with bright pink tape and a unique ID number; all lizards are then transported to our field laboratory just a short walk away.
Here, the real Olympic trials begin. Every athlete goes through a comprehensive evaluation. Our portable X-ray machine reveals their skeletal structure, and high-resolution scans capture the intricate details of their feet. This is particularly critical: Like their gecko cousins, anoles possess remarkable sticky toes that allow them to cling to smooth surfaces such as leaves and maybe even survive hurricanes.
We also measure the shape and sharpness of their claws, as both features are crucial for these tree climbers. DNA samples provide a genetic fingerprint for each individual, allowing us to map family relationships across the island and see which is the most reproductively successful.
A portable X-ray machine takes detailed measurements of a lizard’s skeleton. James Stroud
The performance trials are where things get interesting. Imagine a tiny track meet for lizards. Using high-speed video cameras, we precisely test how fast each lizard runs, and using specialist equipment we measure how hard it bites and how strong it grips rough branches and smooth leaves.
These aren’t arbitrary measurements – each represents a potential evolutionary advantage. Fast lizards might better escape predators. Strong bites might determine winners in territorial disputes. Excellent grip is crucial for tree canopy acrobatics.
Each measurement helps us answer fundamental questions about evolution: Do faster lizards live longer? Do stronger biters produce more offspring? These are the essential metrics of evolution by natural selection.
As afternoon approaches, the team relocates each piece of bright pink tape and returns the corresponding lizard to the exact branch it was caught on. The anoles now sport two tiny 3-millimeter tags with a unique code that lets us identify it when we recapture it in future research trips, along with a small dot of white nail polish so we know not to catch it immediately after we let it go.
At 8:30 p.m., with the Lizard Olympics done for the day, we return to the island donning headlamps. Night brings a different perspective. Some of the most wily lizards are difficult to catch when fully charged by the midday Sun, so our nocturnal jaunts allow us to find them while they sleep. However, it’s often a race against time. Hungry lizard-eating corn snakes are also out hunting, trying to find the anoles before we do. As we wrap up another 16-hour day around 11:30 p.m., the team shares stories of the night.
Should a snake climb along a branch where a baby anole sleeps, the lizard will wake up and drop to the ground to escape. James Stroud
Evolution on the island
Now spanning 10 years, 10 generations and five species, our Lizard Island dataset represents one of the longest-running active studies of its kind in evolutionary biology. By tracking which individuals survive and reproduce, and linking their success to specific physical traits and performance abilities, we’re documenting natural selection with unprecedented detail.
So far we have uncovered two fascinating patterns. Initially, it didn’t pay to be different on Lizard Island. Anoles with very average shapes and sizes lived longer compared with those that are slightly different. But when the crested anoles arrived, everything changed: Suddenly, brown anoles with longer legs had a survival advantage.
Anoles communicate with their dewlap, an expandable throat fan that signals other lizards. Jon Suh
The Lizard Olympics is helping us understand why. The larger, more aggressive crested anoles are forcing brown anoles to spend more time on the ground, where those with longer legs might run faster to escape predators – allowing them to better survive and pass on their long-leg genes, while shorter-legged anoles might be eaten before they can reproduce.
By watching natural selection unfold in response to environmental changes, rather than inferring it from fossil records, we’re providing cutting-edge evidence for evolutionary processes that Charles Darwin could only theorize about.
These long days of observation are slowly revealing one of biology’s most fundamental processes. Every lizard we catch, every measurement we take adds another piece to our understanding of how species adapt and evolve in an ever-changing world.
James T. Stroud does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
UKHSA publishes first annual report summarising latest infectious disease trends
The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) first annual report summarising the latest infectious disease trends, bringing together all the key data from 2023 to early 2025 and outlining steps the organisation is taking to tackle these threats.
The Infectious diseases impacting England: 2025 report shows a rise in both endemic disease and vaccine-preventable infections. Infectious diseases were the primary reason for over 20% of hospital bed usage, at an annual cost of almost £6bn in 2023 to 2024. Developing scientific capability and effective interventions are having positive impacts, but more action is needed.
The report shows the re-emergence, re-establishment and an unrelenting rise in a number of infectious diseases since 2022 to 2023, with particular increases in endemic diseases and vaccine-preventable infections. The agency acknowledges that the return of social mixing, international travel and migration following the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to these patterns.
The report also shows some really positive impact in some areas due to the introduction of new public health interventions.
An intense influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) season was seen in 2024 to 2025, for the second consecutive year after the pandemic, with activity and hospital admissions at similar levels seen post-pandemic in 2022 to 2023. The introduction of the new RSV vaccine programmes for the elderly, and pregnant women are already helping to reduce winter pressures. Interim findings published today confirm a 30% reduction in the rate of RSV hospital admissions in the winter of 2024 to 2025 in 75 to 79 year olds; this cohort are eligible for vaccination under the new programme.
COVID-19 transmission has declined, with the virus circulating at baseline levels of activity for much of the current winter season. Incremental vaccine effectiveness was around 45% against hospitalisation, with vaccine uptake in older age groups at 60% to 70%. Vaccination of priority groups, in particular the elderly, remained an important intervention to protect against severe disease.
Tuberculosis (TB) cases have increased by 11% in 2023 compared to 2022, with provisional data for 2024 showing a further increase of 13%, which amounted to more than 600 additional notifications of people being diagnosed in 2024 compared to 2023. This trajectory would see the UK lose its World Health Organization (WHO) low incidence status if not reversed. UKHSA continues to work with NHSE and other partners on the TB action plan, which sets out steps to improve the prevention and detection of TB.
Continued progress in eliminating viral Hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health problem by 2030 has been made, with the number of people living with chronic HCV infection falling dramatically by 57% from 2015 to the end of 2023. England is also meeting and exceeding the WHO’s absolute targets on Hepatitis B virus (HBV) related mortality, incidence, mother-to-child transmission and vaccine coverage.
There has been surge in cases of measles in children under the age of 10 and an outbreak of whooping cough (pertussis) in 2024, with 433 cases in infants under 3 months of age, of whom 10 died. Both outbreaks highlight the critical importance of vaccination in eligible groups.
UKHSA analysis found that over 20% of secondary care bed days in 2023 to 2024 in NHS hospitals (admitted care) were primarily attributable to infectious disease, at a cost of £5.9bn. These infections are also distributed unevenly; in England, from 2023 to 2024, hospital admission rates due to infectious
Diseases and infections were nearly twice as high for people in the 20% most deprived areas compared to the least deprived. UKHSA is undertaking further work to better understand these disparities.
UKHSA continues to be at the forefront of the work being done to tackle the spread of TB, working closely with the NHS and local systems to ensure optimal prevention and control measures are implemented, for example. Also crucial is developing the evidence base for new interventions to support further policy development to help reduce transmission of the disease.
There are also novel interventions on the horizon for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), based on UKHSA evidence. A routine gonorrhoea programme using the 4CMenB vaccine for GBMSM (gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men) at high risk has been advised. UKHSA has also worked with the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV to develop their evidence-based clinical guideline for the use of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of syphilis, which is currently out for public consultation.
Richard Pebody, Director of Epidemic and Emerging infections at UKHSA, said:
It is clear that a number of factors altered the rates and impact of endemic and epidemic infectious diseases in England over recent years, and the reductions in transmission related to the COVID-19 pandemic have been followed by a rise in a range of infections since 2022 to 2023 due to the return of social mixing, international travel and migration.
We have also seen vaccine uptake decrease for a number of infectious diseases, including measles, whooping cough and in certain groups eligible for the flu vaccine, such as under 65 at risk, pregnant women and health care workers.
This winter has demonstrated that rises in rates of infectious diseases can cause significant strain, not only on the individuals directly affected, but also on the NHS. It is vital that we are not complacent about infections where we can reduce the burden of disease via interventions such as our world-class vaccination programmes.
Dame Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said:
Our scientific capability and the introduction of new interventions are all helping to keep people safe and well, but our report also highlights that we have plenty of work and opportunities ahead.
Along with our partners across the healthcare sector, we need to be bolder. Behind this data there are real people, people who are sick or at risk of becoming sick, and in some cases dying. This brings with it a cost to our economy too. Yet much of this harm and distress is preventable.
Our rich data sources provide us with a huge amount of knowledge, and we will continue to use it, carefully and confidentially, to reduce the burden of infectious disease across the country, ensuring our interventions reach the people who need them most.’
Samsung launches the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo to the South African Market. This washing machine is redefining laundry with AI Technology. The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo features advanced technology that learns and adapts to users’ laundry habits, providing personalised washing and drying cycles for optimal results. With its intuitive interface and smart connectivity, users can easily control and monitor their laundry from anywhere using the SmartThings app.
Elevating the Laundry Experience at Home With AI
The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo is designed to increase space without compromising functionality. This all-in-one combo seamlessly integrates a washer and dryer into a single unit, providing a space-saving and efficient laundry solution with broad functionality. It performs as effectively as two separate machines while conserving valuable space, and more importantly eliminates the need to transfer laundry between a washing machine and a dryer after the wash cycle finishes.
For users, this means they don’t have to keep checking the wash cycle’s progress in the attempt to prevent unpleasant odours and can use their time more flexibly. A key feature of the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo is the AI Wash & Dry,[1] which sets a new standard for laundry efficiency. This advanced system uses a range of sensors to optimise both washing and drying for each load, freeing users from having to determine the optimal settings for each cycle.
Upon sensing the weight of the laundry, it dispenses the right amount of water and detergent. It also detects the fabric and monitors the level of soiling during the cycle, adjusting wash time and detergent use accordingly. After the wash cycle, the technology optimises the drying process based on the weight and fabric [2] – ensuring excellent cleaning and drying results. With AI Wash & Dry, users benefit from a thorough, more efficient[3] and personalised laundry experience.
Seamless, Efficient User Experiences
The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo offers an enhanced user experience with the AI Home,[10] an intuitive 7” wide LCD display that serves as a central control hub for laundry, and moreover the entire home. The wide display delivers substantial information about the laundry including cycle details, remaining amount of detergent and energy consumption. When showing cycles, the combo uses machine learning to remember user habits and recommend cycles[11] based on periodic and seasonal needs.[12]
When the cycle is finished, it provides an energy and water consumption report that can be viewed on the 7-inch LCD display or the SmartThings App.[13] Additionally, users have clear view of the 3D Map View, which shows all connected appliances within the home and enables users to seamlessly monitor and control them.
With Bespoke AI Laundry Combo you can now enjoy the updated Bixby[14] which comes with better understanding capabilities allowing for more responsive interaction than before. Through AI, Bixby can understand complicated and casual conversations – allowing users to give multi-intended, complex commands.[15]
Upon using the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo , users can ask “What’s the weather like?” and then say: “Start the wash cycle and lower the living room temperature,” and have their requests finished in one sequence. Bixby provides support for Device Q&A as well, assisting users when they have questions about certain features on their appliances. When an error is displayed on the LCD display, users can ask directly what this means – instead of having to look through the user manual or search on their phones.
Lastly, an exclusive offer for customers who purchase the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo in South Africa. For a limited time, customers can redeem a Galaxy Watch Ultra worth R9 999 when they buy the innovative all-in-one laundry solution. The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo offers seamless ease of use between the appliance and other Samsung devices. With the Samsung SmartThings app, users can control and monitor their laundry from anywhere, and now, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra, they can take their laundry experience to the next level. Users can naturally say: ‘Open the washing machine door’ to the watch and then get a prompt response and see the action carried out.
Availability
The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo is available here: https://www.samsung.com/za/washers-and-dryers/washer-dryer-combo/wd8000dk-combo-all-in-one-combo-super-speed-18kg-gray-wd18db8995bzfa/. For more information on Samsung refrigerators and other home appliances, please visit www.samsung.com/za.
[1]Detection and sensing capabilities are based on our deep learning models trained using predefined set of data and may yield inaccurate or incorrect results. New datasets may be introduced to our learning models from time to time to enhance its accuracy.[2]To prevent wear, wash like fabrics together.[3] Based on AI-based algorithm and internal testing using the AI Wash & Dry cycle on an IEC 8lb load. A turbidity sensor operates for all weights, while fabric sensing operates for 8lbs and under. Actual results may vary depending on individual use.[10] Does not mean all services available on the AI Home are AI or generate information or outcome using AI. AI Smart Dial, AI Wash & Dry, Voice enabled with Bixby accessible through the AI Home utilise AI-based algorithms, which be updated periodically to improve accuracy. AI-based algorithms may generate incomplete or incorrect information.[11] Messages with cycle suggestions are displayed on the control panel or a smartphone with the SmartThings App. Detection and sensing capabilities are based on our deep learning models trained using predefined set of data and may yield inaccurate or incorrect results. New datasets may be introduced to our learning models from time to time to enhance its accuracy.[12] Messages with cycle suggestions are displayed on the control panel or a smartphone with the SmartThings App.[13] The SmartThings App is available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required.[14]Bixby is Samsung’s brand of Internet of Things (IoT) voice assistant. Bixby service availability may vary depending on country. Bixby recognises selected languages and certain accents/dialects. The user interface may change and differ by device. The availability of Bixby features and content providers may vary depending on the country/carrier/language/device model/OS version. A Samsung account log-in and data network connection (Wi-Fi or data network) are required. Users must agree to the update to use this function.[15] This function may produce inaccurate results and will be updated periodically to improve accuracy.
Ende (Agenzia Fides) – The Carmelite charism continues to expand in eastern Indonesia and will strengthen its service to the population on the island of Flores.Today, March 25, 2025, when the universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation, the Carmelite Order of the Province of Indonesia announced the creation of a new province on the island of Flores, within the East Nusa Tenggara region. The new province has chosen Saint Titus Brandsma as its patron.The first Carmelite religious arrived in Flores in 1969 to begin their mission. Over time, their presence was consolidated through the establishment of formation houses for candidates for religious life. Today, that presence has reached a new level of institutionalization with the creation of the new province. The General Council of the Carmelite Order in Rome has appointed Friar Marselinus Barus OCarm as its first Prior. “With this new province, we hope that the Carmelite mission in eastern Indonesia will continue to grow. My wish is that the Carmelites here, anchored in Christ, will continue to build fraternity and cooperation,” the Prior declared. The impact of the Carmelite presence in Indonesia is evident in three key areas: education, pastoral care, and spiritual accompaniment. In the field of education, the Carmelites seek not only intellectual formation (ratio), but also the formation of the heart and spiritual growth. Therefore, Carmelite schools are deeply marked by the spirituality of the Order. Currently, the Carmelites run two schools in Java, two in Flores, and one in Sumba, in addition to seven dormitory schools distributed throughout these regions. In the pastoral sphere, the religious are present in numerous parishes and dioceses, where their contemplative charism enriches the work of evangelization. In addition to preaching the Word of God, the Carmelites foster fraternal life and promote a concrete commitment to justice. Their presence is valued in dioceses such as Medan, Padang, Palembang, Jakarta, Bandung, Malang, Surabaya, Denpasar, Maumere, Ende, Ruteng, Weetebula, Pontianak, Palangkaraya, Banjarmasin, Makassar, and Sorong Manokwari.In the spiritual sphere, the Carmelites are recognized as masters of prayer and guides in the spiritual accompaniment of the faithful. They organize retreats, formation courses, study days, and seminars on Christian and Carmelite spirituality, often in collaboration with the Indonesian Carmelite Institute (IKI) and utilizing various retreat houses. The Carmelites have also extended their work to the fields of culture and communication.Through their publishing house, “Karmelindo,” they publish books, magazines, bulletins, biblical reflections, and theological texts, with the aim of strengthening catechesis and spiritual formation. More recently, they have promoted multimedia projects, with the creation of “Carmel Vision” and “Radio Carmel,” platforms through which they produce audiovisual and informative content to evangelize and spread Carmelite spirituality.Finally, in its commitment to the most vulnerable, the Carmelite Province in Indonesia founded the NGO “Darma Laksana,” which promotes assistance and cooperation projects for the poor and destitute, bringing a message of hope and salvation to those most in need. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/3/2025)
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Vientiane (Agenzia Fides) – The small but vibrant Catholic community of Laos has joyfully welcomed its new bishop. Msgr. Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, a priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse, received episcopal ordination at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Vientiane, during a solemn Eucharist celebrated on March 25, 2025. His appointment as Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane was announced by Pope Francis in December 2024. The ceremony was attended by the prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Laos and Cambodia (CELAC), gathered in the Laotian capital for their annual assembly.Msgr. Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, 61, succeeds Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, who turned 80 in April 2024. Fr. Hongsaphong was a professor at the National Major Seminary of Thakeh and responsible for pastoral care in the 11 mission stations of the Apostolic Vicariate of Paksé, his hometown. Ordained a priest in 1994, he completed his studies at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and the Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome. He carried out pastoral service in Thailand and then in 2005, he began contributing to the Laotian Catholic community (a total of 51,000 people) by dedicating himself to the formation of young people at the Pastor Bonus preparatory seminary in Paksé.Among the prelates from Cambodia, Jesuit Father Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzález, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, highlights “the great hope of the Church in Laos,” highlighting “the vitality of a small but vibrant ecclesial community.” Despite the government ban on the presence of foreign missionaries, the local Church shows signs of growth. Laos has 20 priests in total, but there is a flourishing vocational program that inspires confidence for the future: some 50 Laotian boys and young men are on their way to the priesthood (about 20 in the minor seminary, 10 in the preparatory year, and 20 in the major seminary).The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a socialist state with 7.5 million inhabitants, a Buddhist majority. The Catholic Church in Laos originated within the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Siam and is currently organized into four apostolic vicariates: Vientiane, Pakse, Luang Prabang, and Savannakhet. Since the official recognition of the Church by the Lao Front for National Development in 1979, relations with the government have improved, particularly in terms of religious freedom, recognized in the 1991 Constitution, which allows four religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha’i Faith. However, in some provinces, Christianity is still viewed as a “foreign faith.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/3/2025)
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Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Inspection report published: An inspection of the Border Force operation to deter and detect clandestine entrants to the UK August 2024 – November 2024
This inspection examined the Border Force operation to deter and detect clandestine entrants at the juxtaposed controls in northern France (Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkerque), focusing on how efficiently and effectively staff resources and detection techniques are used and on Border Force’s engagement with security contractors, port and transport operators, and the French authorities.
Over the course of the last decade, the UK government has contributed hundreds of millions of pounds towards the strengthening of security measures in northern France with the aim of preventing migrants from entering the UK illegally. Since 2020, spending has been focused on combating ‘small boat’ crossings. Prior to that, the emphasis had been on improving the physical security measures at the juxtaposed ports, including through the installation of many miles of fencing on the approach roads. This has made incursions into the ports and clandestine entry by concealment in vehicles much more difficult, which many argue is the reason why the small boat crossings began.
It is clear that the numbers of clandestine entrants detected at Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkerque have fallen substantially. In 2016, there were over 56,000. In 2024, there were around 5,000. However, the relationship between small boats and clandestine entry through the juxtaposed ports is not well understood. This needs more attention, not least to get ahead of any displacement effect if new measures to reduce small boat crossings begin to work.
Meanwhile, this inspection has shown that the threat of clandestine entry at the juxtaposed ports remains high and is unrelenting, both from organised facilitations and from opportunistic ‘jump-ups’. Border Force resources and capabilities are stretched, and its operations and those of its security contractors are closely monitored by migrants and by smuggling gangs to identify and be ready to exploit any weaknesses. It is therefore vital that Border Force continues to invest in staff, detection equipment and IT systems at the juxtaposed ports. To do so with confidence that it is investing in the right places, it needs to record and analyse what is working and where the gaps are much more systematically than is currently the case.
One of the measures employed to deter clandestine entry is a penalty scheme that enables Border Force to levy fines on anyone found to have a clandestine entrant in their vehicle. When I looked at this scheme in 2018, I found that no penalties had been imposed since July 2016. My report described the system as “broken” and in need of urgent attention. I recommended that the Home Office should fix the scheme so that penalties were issued wherever appropriate, and payment was pursued promptly. This recommendation was accepted. In 2019, I found that significant headway had been made with the backlog of referrals, but some cases had been waiting almost three years for a penalty notice to be imposed, calling into question the deterrent value of any eventual penalty. There was a problem with the resourcing of the team managing the scheme, and it did not have the IT it needed. At the time, Border Force indicated that it was aware of these issues and was already taking action to address them.
Given this history, it was all the more disappointing to find in this latest inspection that the team is still not staffed appropriately and does not have the systems required to run the scheme efficiently and effectively. This is despite the fact that the scope of the scheme was extended in 2023 to take in hauliers and lorry drivers who are found not to have secured their vehicles. At the same time, the penalties were substantially increased.
Even if income-generation is not its primary purpose, and the monies recovered are not wholly retained by the Home Office, it is hard to excuse the perennial under-investment in this area when the scheme has recovered over £10 million since the beginning of 2022, with another £26 million still to be recovered, albeit that some of this is uncollectible. If the Home Office is unwilling or unable to resource the scheme so that it works efficiently and effectively, ensuring that penalties are demonstrably consistent and fair, it should give serious consideration to reforming the scheme in line with the resources it is prepared to invest in it.
My report contains seven recommendations, covering: ‘ownership’ of clandestine entry and responsibility for ensuring that recommended improvements are implemented and embedded; an improved range of analyses, assessments and intelligence products to support decision-making about resources, investments and operational deployments; the provision of training to frontline Border Force officers to enable them to be used more flexibly; the installation of an integrated Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system linking the juxtaposed controls at Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkerque; a ‘root and branch’ review of the working practices and processes of the civil penalties team; production and publication of an ‘engagement plan’ for industry stakeholders; and publication of an annual report on how the scheme is working.
In its formal response, the Home Office has accepted two recommendations and partially accepted four. While I had hoped that the department might have shown more ambition in some areas, including in its timescales for implementing improvements, it has set out its thinking and what it intends to deliver in a way that will enable the ICIBI and others to measure its progress. Meanwhile, it has rejected my recommendation regarding an integrated ANPR system on grounds of cost versus likely benefits, which I understand, but which reinforces my view that it needs to become better at analysing what is working in order to inform investment decisions.
My report was sent to the Home Secretary on 4 February 2025, so its publication today is well within the target of eight weeks, which is encouraging. The published report contains a number of redacted passages. These redactions were made by the Home Secretary in line with the UK Borders Act 2007 which empowers her to omit material if she thinks its publication is undesirable for reasons of national security. In my view, the redactions do not affect understanding of the key findings and recommendations.
My principal concern going forward is that whatever improvements Border Force makes to its processes and practices as a result of this inspection these are banked and become ‘business as usual’, so that when the ICIBI comes to look at this area again it is not having to repeat the same points.
David Bolt, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
