John Iveson, ARU’s new Director of Estates and Facilities
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has appointed John Iveson as its new Director of Estates and Facilities to take responsibility for buildings and infrastructure across its campuses.
John joins ARU from Queen Mary University of London, where he led the engineering, operations and commercial teams as Director of Campus & Commercial Services, overseeing significant investment in the areas of residential and infrastructure.
After graduating from the University of Central Lancashire in 1993, John had a successful early career at the De Vere hotels group and Jockey Club Racecourses, leading to a role in strategic operational planning for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
John then joined the estates team at King’s College London, where he successfully transformed commercial and operational performance through the ‘Fit for King’s’ programme, as Director of Customer & Commercial Services up until 2019.
John will take responsibility for the operation and upkeep of buildings and facilities at ARU’s campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford, as well as ARU Writtle and ARU Peterborough.
“I am delighted to be joining ARU as the new Director of Estates and Facilities. We are lucky to have diverse and welcoming campuses and I look forward to working with colleagues across the university, ensuring our buildings and infrastructure provide the best possible environment for our students and staff to achieve their goals.”
John Iveson, ARU’s Director of Estates and Facilities
“John has an extensive and varied background and joins us with a track record of delivering successful projects.
“With campuses across the East of England, this is a key role in the university and I am delighted to welcome John to ARU.”
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Pope Leo XIV knows Africa well, having visited several African countries in recent years in his capacity as Cardinal Prefect of the Diacstery of Bishops and, before that, primarily as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA). His last visit to Kenya was in 2024. On that occasion, he presided over the dedication of the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel at the Augustinian Monastery in Karen (Nairobi County) on December 10, 2024. In his address, the then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost emphasized the importance of the Word of God and the need for the faithful to remain in His presence: “Christ is the door through which we all pass to find salvation; the door of the Church is open so that everyone can find a place, be welcome, and become part of this great community. We must learn to open the doors of our hearts in love.” “I hope that you are all deeply aware of the great expectations placed on the Church and the Order, and that the Spirit of the Lord continues to fill everyone with fidelity to continue on this great path we have all embarked on,” he affirmed.The future Pope Leo XIV also used this opportunity to recall that he had been to Kenya several times, most recently visiting the country in 2011. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the faithful remember the 2009 visit of the then Prior General of the Augustinian Order to the Bas-Uele Province and the capital, Kinshasa, where he inaugurated the Augustinian University. The appeal for peace that the newly elected Pope made in his address to the faithful from the Loggia delle Benedizioni was welcomed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “It is a joy to hear the Pope’s first words, which reflect the need for peace in the world. And for us Congolese, this message should comfort us” said the Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference of Congo, Msgr. Donatien Nshole, in his message of congratulations on the election of Pope Leo XIV. “We expect him to continue speaking the language of Pope Francis and to pay special attention to building lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” The President of the Bishops’ Conference of Madagascar and Bishop of Morondava, Marie Fabien Raharilamboniaina, also emphasized that Pope Leo XIV’s first words were “Peace be with you.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/5/2025)
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Rome (Agenzia Fides) – “I am a son of Saint Augustine,” said Pope Leo XVI in his first address from the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, to the people gathered in St. Peter’s Square following his election as the 267th Bishop of Rome. In other passages, he recalled that “together we seek how to be a missionary Church, always anxious to work fearlessly, proclaiming the Gospel and evangelizing as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ.” “We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs His light,” said the new Pope.In the few personal references, the new successor of Peter, in his first brief public address, hinted at two essential characteristics that have marked his path: his belonging to the spiritual family of Saint Augustine, his belonging to the “Church in a state of mission,” which is also expressed in the greeting he delivered in Spanish to his “querida diocesis” of Chiclayo, “where a faithful people accompanied their bishop.” Two characteristics that have become interwoven in the life story of Pope Leo and that the entire Church of Rome can gradually recognize on the path begun with its new Bishop.A missionary son of Saint Augustine Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel in St. Louis at the age of 22. He made his solemn profession on August 29, 1981. He studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and graduated in Theology. At the age of 27, the Order sent him to Rome to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, of the Dominican Fathers. He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, in Rome by Belgian Archbishop Jean Jadot (1909-2009), then Vice President of the Secretariat for Non-Christians. He earned his Licentiate in 1984 and was then sent to the mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru.In 1987, he received his Doctorate with a thesis on the role of the local prior of the Augustinian Order. That same year, he was elected Director of Vocations and Missions for the Augustinian Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olympia Fields, Illinois.In 1988, he was sent to the Trujillo Mission, where he was responsible for the joint formation project for Augustinian aspirants of the Vicariates of Chulucanas, Iquitos, and Apurmac. In his missionary work, he held various offices at the service of his Order and the local Church: Prior of the Community (1988-1992), Director of Formation (1988-1998), and Teacher of the Professed (1992-1998). In the Archdiocese of Trujillo, he also served as Judicial Vicar (1989-1998) and Professor of Canon Law, Patristics, and Morals at the Major Seminary of San Carlos and San Marcelo. In 1999, he was elected Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel (Chicago). After two and a half years, the Ordinary General Chapter elected him Prior General, a position the Order entrusted to him again in the 2007 Ordinary General Chapter. In October 2013, he returned to his Order’s province in Chicago to become Teacher of the Professed and Provincial Vicar. On November 3, 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru and elevated him to Titular Bishop of the Diocese of Sufar. He received episcopal ordination on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the Cathedral of his diocese. On January 30, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, assigning him the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano. At the consistory of September 30, 2023, Pope Francis created him a Cardinal and conferred on him the titular church of Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 9/5/2025)
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Source: The Conversation – UK – By Parveen Akhtar, Senior Lecturer: Politics, History and International Relations, Aston University
Reform’s success at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives in recent local elections has triggered speculation that it is on course for significantly more representation in parliament at the next general election.
This is a remarkable position for such a young party to be in. And perhaps just as remarkable is the fact that the chairman of a party defined by identity politics and opposition to immigration is a Muslim son of Sri Lankan immigrants.
Zia Yusuf is credited with professionalising Reform. Under his watch a number of constitutional changes have been made, including granting the party chair the authority to revoke membership, take disciplinary measures against and suspend candidates, as well as growing and building a national level party infrastructure.
Given the constant battles of the past – the candidates accused of racist comments at the 11th hour, for example – these election results suggest this professionalisation drive has paid off. The numbers are impressive, Reform has surpassed 230,000 members, leads ten councils, has 799 councillors, five MPs and two regional mayors.
Ben Habib, former co-deputy leader of Reform, has called for Yusuf to be removed over a dispute that erupted earlier this year that resulted in the suspension of Rupert Lowe, one of the Reform MPs elected in July 2024.
Senior-level party in-fighting persists, albeit increasingly behind closed doors (like the traditional parties). The Lowe row initially looked like it could end the way so many other such incidents have, but was quickly neutralised. Lessons have been learned.
Yusuf’s rise
Now a millionaire businessman, Yusuf was born in Scotland, to parents who migrated to the UK in the 1980s. He calls himself a “British Muslim patriot” and has been one of Reform’s biggest donors. Introducing himself at the Reform rally in Birmingham in June 2024, (a speech he described as a love letter to Great Britain), Yusuf said he became a Reform donor because “I love Britain, I love my country.”
Reform took 4 million votes in the last general election but came away with just five parliamentary seats. Lessons, again, were learned. In these local elections, Reform was on almost every ballot paper, the focus was on getting out the activists, running local campaigns that could deliver every vote in the first-past-the-post system.
Luke Campbell, a former professional boxer and now Reform’s mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire’s Facebook campaign exemplifies the blending of local issues (a long-broken water fountain in Hull city centre) with incumbent party performance and national accountability: “If the Lib Dems can’t fix a water fountain, how can they fix a region?”
Momentum is clearly behind Reform. It has become the de facto home of many disaffected, defecting Conservative councillors and has attracted some big names from the Conservative party. These include former government minister Andrea Jenkyns (now a Reform mayor), and Tim Montgomerie, a Conservative party member for over 30 years and one-time adviser to Boris Johnson.
And in a major coup for Yusuf, Reform now has former Conservative party donor and billionaire Nick Candy as its treasurer. Candy, for the moment appears happy with a backstage role, raising funds. Yusuf however, has been public facing, on the campaign trail, at the counts, doing the media circuit.
A delicate path
Yusuf’s appointment as Reform’s chairman did not go uncontested and he has faced racist and Islamophobic abuse, including from Reform supporters. A sample of the kind of rhetoric swirling around opposition to Yusuf could be found on X. As one user reportedly said: “I voted Reform to get Britain back for the British, not for it to be led by a Muslim. I will be resigning my membership tomorrow.”
We of course don’t know if they saw through on that threat, and judging by Reform’s current membership numbers, few people voted against Yusuf with their feet. However, as another X user’s view suggests, he occupies a difficult position in a rightwing party: “I personally don’t buy the ‘good Muslim’ line. If he believes in the Qur’an, and is still chairman at the next election, I won’t be voting Reform again.”
Laurence Fox, the actor turned political activist, stated on his X account: “There cannot be a valid opposition party in the UK with @ZiaYusufUK anywhere near it. A Britain focused party cannot have a Mohammedan as the chair. Islam is not your friend if you believe in free speech, family and British culture. You cannot buy us.”
Meanwhile conspiracy theories have emerged claiming Yusuf is a plant trying to damage the party from the inside.
No doubt Yusuf’s position is at times an uncomfortable one. Yet he insists the response to his appointment has been “overwhelmingly positive”.
Given some of the comments on social media by Reform supporters, it’s clear that not everyone is convinced that it’s possible to be a British Muslim patriot. Yusuf himself remains steadfast in the face of personal abuse. He continues to stand behind the party leader who has never publicly called out the racism and Islamophobia he faces.
Yusuf has ploughed his money and his time into Reform because, he insists, of his love for Britain and his belief that the country gave his immigrant parents the chance to start a new life when they needed it – a country that he now thinks needs him to stand up and defend it against what he sees as open borders and uncontrolled immigration.
On this, Yusuf mirrors the sentiments in my forthcoming research with colleagues on British Muslims and Brexit. We’re finding that Muslim Leave voters were similar to mainstream Leave voters in wanting to reduce immigration, which they believed threatened the British way of life.
Yusuf, it seems, is on a personal mission to show that being the son of immigrants doesn’t exclude him from his beloved country. Perhaps he feels he has to be more vocal about his love of country, more attuned to British values and more anti-immigration to prove that love.
So far, he has proven valuable in mainstreaming the Reform party. Now that the party is on the up, he may be more valuable than ever.
Parveen Akhtar has previously received funds from the ESRC and the British Academy.
Saunas have long been spaces for rest, recovery, and even the occasional business deal. Personally, though, they’re not my cup of tea: too claustrophobic, too stifling and always with that distinct sensation that my nasal hairs have been singed away by the heat.
Watching that episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets trapped in a sauna and emerges looking like a steamed clam – miraculously alive – was the final nail in the coffin. I haven’t stepped into one since.
Despite my reservations, sauna culture is rich and diverse, transcending borders and histories. While they’re an integral part of Scandinavian life, especially in Finland, saunas also appear in the traditions of Japanese, Mexican and Native American cultures. There are many variations to experience – from yoga and life drawing sessions, to being gently flogged with birch branches. To each their own.
In recent years, the concept of refreshment in sauna culture has taken on altogether different dimensions. In the UK, more are now hot-footing their way to the sauna instead of the pub than ever before.
As a new social and wellbeing hub, fusing elements of bar and sauna cultures, it makes sense. But what of going the whole hog and drinking alcohol – before, during and after sauna sessions?
Why mix booze with 80°C heat in the first place? Perhaps it’s the natural fusion of two social rituals: relaxing in a sauna and enjoying a drink with friends. Or maybe it appeals to the hedonist seeking novel pleasures and euphoria.
Still, the question remains: what are the effects – and risks – of drinking alcohol in the sauna?
Numerous studies have explored the potential health benefits of sauna use. For instance, Japanese researchers have studied Waon therapy, literally, soothing warm therapy, (a lower-temperature sauna treatment) in patients with ischaemic heart disease, where narrowed arteries increase the risk of heart attacks.
Sauna use may also help manage high blood pressure and certain lung diseases. Some research also suggests benefits such as improved wound healing and even lower risks of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The heat is on
But it’s not all steam and serenity. To understand the risks, especially when alcohol is involved, we need to look at how the body responds to heat – and to booze.
The hypothalamus, a region deep in the brain, regulates our core temperature. In response to heat, it boosts blood flow to the skin and ramps up sweating, helping us cool down. But this also increases the risk of dehydration. Combine that with alcohol, a diuretic that further depletes fluids, and the risk rises significantly.
Both alcohol and high temperatures can affect cardiovascular function, often lowering blood pressure and increasing heart rate. This can lead to dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias).
Then there’s the impact on the brain. Alcohol of course impairs judgement and coordination – two things you’d definitely want intact in a room full of heat, slippery surfaces and scalding water.
Put all this together and what do you get? A dehydrated, overheated, intoxicated subject with a racing heart and plummeting blood pressure. Dizziness, fainting and confusion may follow, raising the risk of falls, burns, or even drowning.
Collapsing or falling unconscious in the sauna can prove dangerous. One sobering example comes from a case reported in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, where a person sustained severe injuries, including burns, in just seven minutes of sauna exposure – tragically resulting in death. Another study from Finland found a growing link between accidental sauna deaths and alcohol intoxication.
The key takeaway here? If you’re going to drink, do it after your sauna session – not before or during. Those who are intoxicated should avoid saunas altogether, or at the very least, be closely supervised.
Basic safety advice still applies: limit sauna sessions to short durations, cool down afterwards (via swimming or showering) and rehydrate with non-alcoholic beverages.
While the science behind saunas is still evolving, their millennia-long appeal speaks for itself. They offer real benefits – but mixing heat with alcohol could be a cocktail that burns more than it soothes.
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.
The 2026 Nasa budget proposal would slash around US$6 billion (£4.4 billion) in funding. This is a huge reduction, amounting to around 25% of recent Nasa budgets. The savings would mainly come from Nasa science programmes, potentially devastating high profile missions and international collaborations.
However, the budget proposal also represents an intentional redirection of Nasa’s focus by government through resource allocation. The state has long supported the development of a robust commercial space sector, and this budget is a further step in that direction.
Congress will have the final say and the cost to science could be high if the budget goes through without major amendments. One casualty could be Mars Sample Return (MSR), a joint endeavour with the European Space Agency that is intended to retrieve Martian soil and rock collected by the Perseverance rover and deliver it to laboratories on Earth.
An audit of MSR released in February 2024, suggested that the mission’s overall cost could exceed US$7.5 billion (£5.6 billion). The timescale for the mission was also slipping into the 2040s.
Nasa agreed to look at quicker and cheaper ways of carrying out the mission, a process which is ongoing. But as a big ticket item under the agency’s Science Directorate, MSR could nevertheless be cancelled if the proposed budget were to be passed.
Other projects likely to be affected include the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which aims to investigate dark energy and exoplanets, and the DaVinci mission to Venus, which seeks to study the planet’s dense atmosphere and surface composition. Since the James Webb Space Telescope is already constructed and operating, it is expected to continue doing so.
However broader funding reductions for Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate, from US$7.3 billion (£5.4 billion) to US$3.9 billion (£2.9 billion), may limit the scope of future projects and the pipeline of early innovations.
The Nancy Grace Roman telescope could be one casualty of the budget proposal. Nasa
The proposed budget could also lead to an accelerated retirement for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule. These are the vehicles designed to carry US astronauts to the Moon under a Nasa programme called Artemis.
This programme aims to establish a permanent US base on the Moon, allowing astronauts to carry out science and to learn how to make use of lunar resources –such as the abundant water ice sitting in craters at the poles.
This ice could be turned into water for life support and chemically split to provide propellant for spacecraft. This could bring down the cost of space exploration because it would avoid having to transport supplies from Earth.
The retirement of the SLS and Orion would happen after the Artemis III mission, which is planned to be the first to land astronauts on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. This decision suggests that the administration has heeded those who warn that if China gets to the Moon’s surface before the US, it could damage American space leadership.
But it also implies that White House officials are in no hurry to build up a sustained presence on the lunar surface, as laid out under the Artemis plan, since finding replacements for Orion and the SLS will take time.
With each SLS launch costing upwards of US$4 billion, the rocket’s longer term financial sustainability has been repeatedly called into question. Cancelling the SLS and Orion could also lead to thousands of job losses. These concerns are valid. However, in a robust industry, there is opportunity for people.
Globally, the space industry is growing fast, with a value of US$570 billion (£427 billion) in 2023, having grown 7.4% from the previous year. A flexible and vibrant industrial sector could offer ample opportunity for displaced workers.
Other commercial players such as Blue Origin, Rocket Lab and Sierra Space are developing their own launch systems, crewed vehicles, and – in some cases – space stations. This competitive ecosystem accelerates innovation and reduces costs, which ultimately benefits the broader economy and the country.
Having said all that, critics say an extended hiatus in crewed lunar exploration while commercial companies develop these spacecraft may hand China the advantage when it comes to establishing a dominant presence on the Moon.
Past precedent
The White House budget proposals are a request and not law. Congress has the final say in whether these programs are retired and when. There are precedents: in 2010 the Obama administration proposed the wholesale cancellation of the second Bush administration’s Constellation program to return to the Moon. However, Congress intervened to rescue the Orion spacecraft.
While Constellation’s two rockets – the Ares I and Ares V – were technically cancelled, the SLS (which in many ways resembles the Ares V) was conceived as a compromise.
If approved, the proposed budget cuts would usher Nasa more strongly towards an orchestrator or “systems integrator” role. This would see the agency convening and coordinating a complex web of commercial, academic, and international participants. Nasa would therefore shift towards focusing on oversight, seeding innovation, and ensuring mission coherence.
The agency already has experience of public-private partnerships such as the programs that resupply the International Space Station with cargo and crew. The Artemis programme also aims to involve private companies as partners rather than simply contractors.
The proposed cuts would indeed disrupt the agency, but they are also emblematic of a shift in national priorities toward support for the development of space capabilities by private companies. Many Nasa programmes carry high symbolic or scientific value – sometimes both.
But in some cases, their costs are difficult to defend when commercial alternatives could be developed for either the full mission or parts of the mission at a fraction of the cost.
As Nasa shifts toward an orchestrator role and the commercial space sector matures, these changes, though painful in the short term, may serve the interests of US leadership in space over the long term.
Loizos Heracleous 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.
A sprinkle of cinnamon on your porridge, a pinch of turmeric in your curry, or a dash of ginger in your biscuits – these popular spices are kitchen staples around the world. For centuries, spices haven’t just been used to flavour food but also valued in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for their healing properties. But could something as innocent as a spoonful of spice interfere with your medication?
Take cinnamon, for example. Sourced from the bark of Cinnamomum trees, it contains active compounds like cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and coumarin. Cinnamon oil, derived from the bark or leaves, is often used in food flavouring, fragrances and herbal remedies.
Cinnamon has been linked to a range of potential health benefits: it’s rich in antioxidants, it may reduce inflammation, it helps regulate blood sugar levels, it lowers the risk of heart disease, and even improves brain function. Traditionally, it’s also been used to ease digestion and ward off infections.
But a recent study from the University of Mississippi has raised concerns that cinnamon could reduce the effectiveness of certain medications. In lab tests, cinnamaldehyde was found to activate receptors that speed up how drugs are cleared from the body – potentially making them less effective. While this research is still in the early stages and hasn’t yet been tested in humans, it raises important questions about how cinnamon interacts with modern medicines.
The type of cinnamon matters too. The cinnamon commonly found in supermarkets – cassia cinnamon – is cheaper, widely available and comes from parts of Asia. Ceylon cinnamon, often labelled as “true cinnamon,” originates from Sri Lanka and is generally more expensive. Cassia cinnamon contains higher levels of coumarin, a natural compound that can harm the liver in high doses, according to studies. Coumarin is also a known anticoagulant, meaning it helps prevent blood clots, which is useful in medicine but risky when combined with blood-thinning drugs like warfarin.
There have been a few case reports suggesting that cinnamon supplements could increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulants. This is probably due to coumarin affecting liver enzymes responsible for breaking down drugs like warfarin. Some research also suggests cinnamon could potentially interact with other medications, including painkillers, antidepressants, anti-cancer drugs and diabetes medications.
But before you throw out your spice rack, it’s important to remember: the risks come from high doses, particularly in supplement form. A light sprinkle of cinnamon on your porridge is unlikely to cause problems.
Small doses
Another spice with medicinal promise – and potential risks – is turmeric. Known for its vivid yellow colour and use in both cooking and traditional medicine, turmeric contains curcumin, a compound praised for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
However, information on turmeric’s interactions with medications is still limited. Most of what we know comes from lab and animal studies, which don’t always translate directly to humans. Still, there’s evidence that curcumin can affect how some drugs are metabolised, particularly by interfering with liver enzymes. This means it could potentially interact with antidepressants, blood pressure medications, chemotherapy drugs and certain antibiotics.
Turmeric also has natural blood thinning properties, which could amplify the effects of medications like warfarin or aspirin. Animal studies suggest turmeric may also lower blood sugar, meaning it could increase the effects of anti-diabetic drugs or insulin. Additionally, turmeric has been shown to reduce blood pressure, which, when combined with blood pressure medications, could cause an excessive drop.
As with cinnamon, these effects are most often linked to high dose supplements, not the small amounts used in food.
Ginger is another spice celebrated for its health benefits, particularly its anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory effects. But its active compounds, including gingerol, may also influence how your body handles medications.
Ginger can act as a mild blood thinner, which means combining it with anticoagulants could raise the risk of bleeding. The evidence is mixed when it comes to ginger and diabetes: while some studies suggest it may lower blood sugar, more research is needed to fully understand the effect it may have when taken alongside anti-diabetic medications.
High doses
While lab studies suggest these spices may affect how the body processes certain medications, the vast majority of these effects have been observed in high doses –usually from supplements, not everyday cooking.
If you’re taking medications, especially blood thinners, diabetes medicines, or chemotherapy drugs, it’s worth having a quick chat with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new herbal supplements. But for most people, using spices in typical culinary amounts is safe – and a delicious way to add both flavour and potential health benefits to your meals.
So go ahead: sprinkle, pinch, or dash – just be mindful of what’s in your medicine cabinet – and be wary of taking any herbal supplement in high does.
Dipa Kamdar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gabriele Abels, Jean Monnet Professor for Comparative Politics & European Integration, University of Tübingen
When the CDU/CSU and the SPD sealed their coalition agreement to form the next German government, the would-be chancellor Friedrich Merz proudly announced: “Germany is back on track”. Against a backdrop of considerable geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges, the partners wanted to send clear signal not only to the German public, but also to the European and international partners. After three years of intense government infighting, a new, stable administration was in charge in Germany.
However, a very different message was ultimately sent when a routine vote to confirm Merz as chancellor became an unprecedented fiasco.
Merz failed to gain enough support to be confirmed as chancellor, having lost votes from his own coalition. Merz did manage to secure the parliament’s nomination in a second round of voting, but there is now plenty of gossiping about who was responsible for this disaster. Who in his coalition was taking “revenge” by voting against him in this secret ballot – and on what grounds?
Merz will have to work to move beyond this early blow to his authority and implications in the domestic and international arena. His first action was to embark on a multi-capital tour to meet his fellow European leaders. This is a strong sign of his intentions as chancellor – to look outward, emphasising foreign policy.
Prioritising defence and consolidating power
For a long time, continuity has prevailed when it comes to Germany’s policy towards Europe. However, relations with neighbours are currently undergoing a period of transition due to a changing international environment. A big step came under former social democratic chancellor Olaf Scholz, who overturned post-war policy by announcing a €100 million investment in the military in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Merz now wants Germany to become a “leading medium-size power”. The coalition agreement signed between Merz’s CDU/CSU and the social democratic SPD, grants the chancellor a stronger role in order to achieve this aim.
The 144-page document, entitled “Responsibility for Germany” (Verantwortung für Deutschland), prioritises defence, deterrence and strengthening resilience — in military, economic, political and social terms.
EU partners expect leadership from the new German government and a stronger commitment from Merz in particular, because of his first-hand experience as a member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1994. Merz is certainly committed to European integration and to the EU, which is mentioned in the coalition agreement as “a guarantor of freedom, peace, security and prosperity”.
The coalition agreement emphasises closing ranks with the European partners. Merz cemented this commitment by visiting Paris and Warsaw the day after taking office to announce a reboot of the “Weimar triangle” – a regional allegiance between France, Germany and Poland created in 1991 – as a commitment to what he sees as Germany’s two most important European partners.
There are strong elements of continuity between this government’s approach to Europe and that of its predecessor. There remains an unwavering commitment to the EU and NATO and comprehensive support for Ukraine. What is, however, new, is the strong emphasis on defence in the coalition agreement.
“We want to be able to defend ourselves, so that we don’t have to defend ourselves,” the document states.
With this in mind, a long-held conservative ambition is being realised — the creation of a national security council (Bundessicherheitsrat) within the federal chancellery. This gives the chancellor a stronger role in foreign policy.
In addition, the new minister for foreign affairs, Johann Wadephul, is a Merz loyalist from the CDU. Traditionally, this was a role held by the junior coalition partner. This new situation, in which the chancellor and minister for foreign affairs are from the same party, plus the new national security council, means that power is concentrated in the chancellery.
Further afield
Beyond the immediate neighbourhood, positioning Germany towards the US, China and Israel are high on the agenda. In line with the German “Staatsräson” – an element of foreign policy that recognises Israel’s right to exist and sees Israeli security as a German national interest.
Merz announced in February 2025 that he is willing to find “means and ways” to welcome the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Berlin. This despite the the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him. Such a visit would be a breach with the strong German tradition of rule of law and the respect for multilateral institutions.
Merz is also known to be a transatlanticist and his camp had already reached out to the US administration before taking office. Tariff wars are detrimental to the German economy given the strong dependence on exports to the US. It is similar for China, another important trading partner, but also a “systemic rival” which requires a sound “de-risking” strategy.
Yet, given the destructive Trump presidency and the insecurity when it comes to the US commitment to European security, a policy towards the US will be paramount. Strengthening relations with the UK in cooperation with the EU partners is meant to go some way to balancing the lack of US support, especially in relation to Ukraine.
Merz appears willing to take up these challenges and to focus his chancellorship on EU and foreign policy. It helps that the conservative European People’s Party (of which the CDU/CSU is a member) currently dominates the European Parliament and that the powerful position of European Commission president is currently held by a German, in the form of Ursula von der Leyen.
Yet the ballot fiasco in the national parliament shows that Merz is more vulnerable at home than he would like to be. This may end up frustrating his ambition to lead change in Europe.
Merz also still needs to win the trust of ordinary Germans, too. He is not a popular chancellor. Less than 40% Germans have trust in him and women especially dislike his style. In addition to efficient policymaking, he will need to improve on his pointed and polarising communicative style if he is to reach out to the people.
Gabriele Abels is a member of the Europa-Union Deutschland which belongs to the Union of European Federalists.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Beverland, Professor of Brand Management, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex
Whatever you think of his personality or politics, it’s impossible to deny the success of Donald Trump as a brand. Supporters and detractors across the world are transfixed by his second term as US president.
And so far, many corporate brands appear keen to get alongside him. The leaders of Tesla, Amazon and Meta were all prominent guests at Trump’s inauguration in January 2025.
By then, Mark Zuckerberg had already shifted company policy on fact checking to be more aligned with the political wind. Weeks later, retail giants Walmart and Target had rolled back diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Even the NFL, which had so infuriated Trump in his first term with its support for diversity, has come to heel.
So now that Trump is back in town, is the only option available to big US organisations to swing to the right? Well, not necessarily.
Our research suggests that the rise of populism actually represents an opportunity for brands to rebuild a sense of shared national identity.
And the most well-known brands are the best placed to do this. Their familiar place in people’s everyday lives gives them huge power as non-political agents of collective identity which can cross divides of race, class, geography and age.
A great example of this was during the presidential election campaign when Trump’s team wanted to organise a publicity stunt involving the Republican candidate “working” at a branch of McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Trump’s love of the golden arches is well known, but McDonald’s is a strongly non-political brand. So what should it do? Refuse and risk a backlash, or accept and be accused of taking sides?
In the end, the company’s response was a masterclass in neutrality.
McDonald’s told its employees that the company was neither red (Republican) nor blue (Democrat), but golden. Referring to both presidential candidates’ love of McDonald’s, the company made it clear that the permission granted to Trump illustrated one of their core values, stating: “We open our doors for everyone”.
The plan worked. And this was partly down to McDonald’s being widely thought of as an authentic brand which connects people.
Research has shown that people really value a company’s place in local communities. And McDonald’s is a place which hosts children’s birthday parties, where you can catch up with friends, where you might even have had your first ever job.
This kind of power to unify is something other brands can do too. As something our earlier research shows, brands can benefit from bringing people together, by creating a sense of shared identity.
Brand new
In New Zealand for example, ANZ Bank was widely applauded for a campaign featuring Indian immigrants. The advert tells the story of a father and son and their mixed cricketing loyalties (the parent to India, the child to New Zealand).
It is a tale of immigrants achieving their version of the national dream, through hard work and trademark Kiwi humour. This kind of narrative-driven campaign does not pitch one side against another, but instead highlights the things that bind people together.
Similarly in the UK, the department store John Lewis has become a seasonal advertising staple as it reminds customers of their shared rituals over Christmas. And Kraft’s “How do you love your Vegemite” campaign allowed new immigrants to participate in local snacking rituals, helping them feel Australian.
In the US, a 1971 Coca Cola commercial (one of the most lauded adverts ever) presented a united multi-cultural collection of young people as a response to the anti-Vietnam war counter-culture.
So far, American brands have struggled to navigate the ever-shifting pronouncements coming from the White House in Trump’s second term. Amazon for example, quickly went back on its decision to list the cost of tariffs on products after it was branded a “hostile move”.
But one brand does stand out. And that’s Ford.
Perhaps it was inevitable that the car maker which came to symbolise successful 20th century American manufacturing would get this right. And the company’s decision to extend employee discounts to all consumers in what it describes as “unprecedented times” is a clever move.
Some might call it a cynical tactic to embrace Trump’s tariffs and encourage Americans to buy American. But the firm (which will likely take a huge hit from more expensive imported parts and materials) is doing much more than that.
Its new campaign (with the slogan “From America for America”) reminds US citizens that the brand is part of their lives, regardless of their political home. Supportive full-page print ads go further, setting out the firm’s long history spent backing the people of America.
One Ford executive says that the campaign is about “authenticity” and Ford being a brand “that all consumers can rely on, especially in these uncertain times”.
Authenticity is much prized when the political landscape is so polarised. And while divisions cannot be healed solely by brands, they can help to remind us of shared values and a sense of community. And in doing so, dial down those political tensions.
The authors 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.
Reform UK’s surge in recent local elections is not an isolated incident but a culmination of long-term economic and social shifts that have reshaped British society. It is the latest chapter in a narrative that includes the 2016 Brexit referendum and reflects a broader disillusionment with mainstream politics.
To respond to their losses in these elections and the wider trend, Labour and the Conservatives must not treat the Reform vote as a transient protest but as a symptom of systemic challenges.
Structural forces, digital disruption, demographic shifts and austerity have all eroded trust in institutions and fuelled demands for radical change. Reform UK’s success lies in its ability to channel these grievances, often thanks to the crafty use of social media, into a political platform. It’s imperative for mainstream parties to address the root causes of discontent if they wish to fend off Reform as an electoral threat.
The structural roots of discontent
Reform’s rise is deeply tied to a series of interconnected crises that have left communities feeling abandoned. Digital disruption has transformed the economy, with e-commerce and automation eliminating jobs in local retail and manufacturing. This has led to the decline of high streets, which have become symbols of economic marginalisation.
At the same time, demographic shifts have seen younger, more skilled workers move to major cities, leaving behind ageing populations in rural and smaller towns. This exodus has created a sense of neglect.
The 2008–2009 financial crisis further exacerbated these trends, as economic downturns hit already vulnerable regions hard. Unemployment spiked, and austerity measures introduced in the aftermath of the crisis deepened the divide. Public services such as libraries, youth clubs and adult education centres faced severe budget cuts. The notable worsening of public service delivery made it very tempting for politicians to attribute blame for faltering services on pressures arising from immigration.
Reform taps into this “geography of loss” and offers a political platform that promises to address the pain of marginalisation, albeit, never from a position of actual political responsibility.
The daily experience of decline
The erosion of community infrastructure has become a visceral experience for many. Closed community centres have reduced opportunities for social interaction, leading to increased isolation and, in some cases, rising gang activity. Shuttered shops and the decline of local businesses have weakened the sense of place in towns and cities, removing vital “third spaces” where people gather, connect, and build relationships. These spaces, once the heart of local life, have given way to empty storefronts and underused public areas.
At the same time, shrinking council budgets have left local governments struggling to maintain basic services. Public spaces that once served as hubs for civic engagement are now in disrepair, becoming visible signs of institutional failure. This physical decay has become a metaphor for systemic neglect, reinforcing the perception that mainstream parties have abandoned these communities. The result is a deepening sense of disillusionment, as residents feel that their needs are not being met and their voices are not being heard.
Possible healing shocks on the horizon
Emerging trends may offer opportunities to reverse some of the damage caused by structural forces. Remote work, which gained momentum during the pandemic, has the potential to reshape regional economies. It enables skilled workers to relocate to smaller towns and rural areas, bringing with them spending power and civic capacity. If sustained, this shift could help revitalise peripheral communities by reducing the concentration of economic activity in major cities.
The adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) also presents both challenges and opportunities. While AI threatens some high-status cognitive and licensed roles, it may also compress the wage premiums that have favoured big-city professionals. This could slightly ease the sharpest edges of inequality, as the benefits of AI-driven productivity are more evenly distributed. However, the transition must be managed carefully to avoid exacerbating existing divides.
Digitally enabled public services, such as chatbots for benefits and predictive maintenance for infrastructure, could improve service quality even under fiscal constraints. These tools could improve the performative state capacity, increase the state’s presence in areas where it has felt absent, rebuilding trust in institutions. Yet, it may also require a renegotiating of the informational boundaries of the state as AI thrives on interconnected data. By leveraging these shocks, mainstream parties could begin to address the spatial and skill gaps that populists exploit.
To reclaim legitimacy and counter populist momentum, mainstream parties must adopt targeted, evidence-based policies. Protecting communities that have been left behind during economic transitions is critical.
Workers displaced by retail automation need support to retrain, and funding is needed to repurpose high streets for new uses such as community workshops, health hubs and community centres. These initiatives would not only create new opportunities but also restore a sense of agency for those who have felt excluded from the economy.
Planning reforms to convert empty retail spaces into co-working hubs and housing would further support this transition, creating vibrant, inclusive communities.
Rebuilding social infrastructure is equally vital. Restoring per-capita funding for youth clubs, libraries and adult education centres would revive community spaces and foster social cohesion. Making grants conditional on measurable outcomes such as reducing crime rates and increasing volunteering participation would add an extra layer of benefit for local populations.
Populism in Britain is not a cultural accident, but the political expression of decades of skill-biased, place-biased, and age-biased shocks, culminating in an austerity programme that localised pain. Reform UK surfs this wave, but the tide can turn. By cushioning ongoing transitions (remote work, AI), visibly reviving public spaces, and sharing new sources of economic value with smaller towns and younger generations, mainstream parties can reclaim legitimacy.
The challenge is not only to respond to populist demands but to reimagine the role of the state in fostering social cohesion and economic opportunity. The path forward lies in proactive, inclusive policies that address the tangible, everyday experiences of decline and restore faith in the political system.
Thiemo Fetzer has benefited from research funding from ESRC, CAGE, UKRI, and the European Research Council.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
WUHAN, May 9 (Xinhua) — “The Soviet volunteer pilots not only fought for China’s liberation, but also for peace and justice for all mankind,” Xu Ziyue, a graduate student at Jianghan University, said at a commemorative event for fallen Soviet volunteer pilots held in Jiefang Park (Liberation Park) in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, in early April.
According to park administration employee Wang Bin, during the three-day weekend of the traditional Chinese holiday Qingming (All Souls’ Day), which lasted from April 4 to 6 this year, about 40,000 people came to the park to honor the memory of fallen Soviet volunteer pilots.
“People regularly and voluntarily come to the monument to Soviet martyrs in our park. Many of them lay flowers there,” he noted.
In Jiefang Park stands an 8-meter-tall marble obelisk with ten gilded Chinese characters carved into the front of its base: “Tomb of the Fallen Soviet Volunteer Pilots.” The inscription, engraved in Chinese and Russian on the back of the monument, reads: “Eternal glory to the Soviet volunteer pilots who died in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.” The front of the granite monument lists the names of the fallen heroes, the oldest of whom was 33 years old at the time of his death, and the youngest only 24.
In 1938-1939, major air battles broke out over the city of Wuhan, during which Chinese and Soviet pilots fought shoulder to shoulder against the Japanese invaders. Many Soviet pilots died during these battles. Some of the fallen were buried in the local park “Wanguo” /”Ten Thousand States”/. In 1956, their remains were reburied in a new cemetery for fallen Soviet heroes, which was built according to the Soviet model. A marble slab with the names of 15 fallen Soviet aces was erected there.
In 2015, 14 more Soviet volunteer pilots were confirmed to have lost their lives in the air battles over Wuhan. Their names also appeared on the tombstone, bringing the total number of fallen Soviet volunteer pilots buried there to 29.
Wang Bin said the park administration is constantly working on the protection and restoration of the monument and organizing educational services for group visitors.
Next to the obelisk there is also a permanent exhibition dedicated to Soviet volunteer pilots. Local military fan Yan Heng actively participated in the formation of the exhibit.
According to him, as a child he often went to Jiefang Park, where he learned about the heroism of Soviet volunteer pilots in the fight against the Japanese invaders. “I was told that heroes from the USSR who died defending our city are buried here. Their lives were cut short at a very young age. This touched me very much,” he emphasized.
He noted that in 2017, the local newspaper Changjiang Ribao published an article about collecting items from around the world for the exhibition collection. He decided to come to the rescue so that more people could learn about the stories of Soviet volunteer pilots.
In 2018, Yang Heng visited Moscow and received a huge amount of information and historical materials. After returning to Wuhan, he began organizing the exhibition.
To make the exhibition more rich, Yang Heng’s team decided to recreate the real life of Soviet volunteer pilots during those war years using a multimedia installation and decorations.
“I hope that more people today will learn about this history and cherish peace,” Yang Heng explained.
In addition to the efforts of ordinary people to preserve the memory of Soviet volunteer pilots, work in this direction in China is also being carried out at the legislative and governmental levels.
In 2013, China issued the Regulations on the Protection and Management of War Memorial Sites. The document states that war memorial sites of national importance may include monuments to famous foreign citizens who died in the name of China’s revolutionary struggle. The document stipulates the need to protect and manage historical monuments within the war memorial sites.
One such site is the grave of the commander of a squadron of Soviet bombers, Grigory Kulishenko, which is located in the Wanzhou district of the city of central subordination of Chongqing /Southwest China/. Grigory Kulishenko died on October 14, 1939, in a battle over Wuhan at the age of 36.
According to the administration of the Wanzhou Martyrs’ Memorial Park, more than 100 memorial events are held here every year, and the grave of the fallen Soviet hero is visited by an average of 300,000 people a year.
Chen Anmin, associate professor at the Institute of History and Culture at Southwest University, stressed that the Chinese people and government always appreciate the Soviet Union’s just assistance in resisting the Japanese invaders and remember the great deeds of Soviet heroes.
“The restoration and careful protection of memorial structures to Soviet fallen heroes testify to the fact that the Chinese people correctly and soberly assess history and value justice and friendship. Such actions help educate people and cultivate in them a love for peace and respect for true history,” he concluded. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) — China’s foreign trade has shown resilience and steady growth since the beginning of the year despite challenges from the external environment, official data showed on Friday.
According to the General Administration of Customs (GAC) of China, in April 2025, China’s total import and export volume of goods increased by 5.6 percent year-on-year.
China’s exports rose 9.3 percent year-on-year to 2.27 trillion yuan (about $314 billion) in April 2025, while imports rose 0.8 percent to 1.57 trillion yuan.
“Thanks to the concerted efforts of various regions and departments, China’s foreign trade has maintained steady growth since the beginning of the year in the face of external shocks,” said Lu Daliang, director of the Statistics and Analysis Department of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China.
In the first four months of this year, China’s total foreign trade in goods in yuan terms increased by 2.4 percent year-on-year to 14.14 trillion yuan.
According to the data from the State Customs Administration of China, during the reporting period, China’s exports grew by 7.5 percent year-on-year to 8.39 trillion yuan, while imports fell by 4.2 percent to 5.75 trillion yuan.
As noted by Wan Zhe, an expert from Beijing Normal University, the stable growth of China’s foreign trade in January-April fully reflects the stability of the country’s economy.
The particularly impressive growth in foreign trade in April this year highlights China’s ability to quickly adapt to trade disputes and supply chain shocks, she added.
According to the data from the General Customs Office of China, the growth rate of China’s trade turnover in April accelerated by 4.3 percentage points compared with the first quarter.
As Wan Zhe emphasized, China’s recent foreign trade performance, exceeding market expectations, has confirmed the indispensability of China’s manufacturing sector in global supply chains.
Data from the National Customs Office of China also shows that the structural improvement of foreign trade continues. In January-April 2025, China’s exports of electromechanical equipment increased by 9.5 percent year-on-year to 5.04 trillion yuan, accounting for 60.1 percent of the country’s total merchandise exports during the period.
According to Lyu Daliang, high-tech products showed outstanding results, with their total trading volume in the four months amounting to 1.52 trillion yuan, up 7.4 percent year on year.
ASEAN retained its status as China’s largest trading partner in January-April this year. During this period, trade turnover between China and ASEAN countries reached 2.38 trillion yuan, up 9.2 percent year-on-year.
During the same period, China’s trade turnover with the EU grew by 1.1 percent to 1.78 trillion yuan, and with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative by 3.9 percent to 7.25 trillion yuan.
According to the data, China’s trade turnover with the United States fell by 2.1 percent year-on-year to 1.44 trillion yuan during the reporting period. -0-
DHSC appoints business leaders to manage strategic suppliers
Four experienced executive business leaders have been appointed to strengthen partnerships with strategic suppliers to health.
Four experienced executive business leaders have been appointed to strengthen partnerships with strategic suppliers to health.
The four Health Crown Representatives will support the implementation of a new National Strategic Supplier Relationship Management (SSRM) programme, with 15 strategic suppliers.
The National SSRM programme is a joint undertaking between DHSC, NHS England and Cabinet Office and aims to use the NHS’s significant scale and influence to strengthen partnerships with the most strategic suppliers to deliver additional value and unlock opportunities.
This programme represents a shift in the collaboration with suppliers across health organisations and supports the government’s mission objectives in healthcare and economic growth.
Health Minister Karin Smyth said:
“Our healthcare system can’t function without its suppliers. They play critical role in driving innovation, ensuring better value for taxpayers and putting more money in people’s pockets through long-term growth. The new Health Crown Representatives bring a wealth of experience from the private sector to the table, and they will help us work with our strategic suppliers in the best way.
“As we bring forward our 10-year health plan, aligning the government’s objectives with our suppliers’ capabilities and innovations will be crucial to deliver the NHS fit for the future that we all want to see.”
Building on the success of Crown Representatives across government, four part-time dedicated Health Crown Representatives have been recruited to work directly with the health strategic suppliers. Crown Representatives act as a conduit between government and the most strategic suppliers, supporting with challenges, opportunities and risks.
The four new Health Crown Representatives are:
Deb Steane
Deb is an accomplished executive with 27 years of leadership experience in the MedTech sector at Johnson & Johnson, where she held a range of executive, statutory director, and board-level roles. She has led a global drug-device business, driving commercial growth across international markets while spearheading global supply chain strategies to support business expansion and ensure operational resilience. Deb has also worked closely with healthcare systems and suppliers to foster innovation, developing new services and solutions that add value across the healthcare ecosystem.
A passionate advocate for the UK Life Sciences sector, Deb has led government-backed initiatives focused on skills development and apprenticeships and played a key role in securing investments in UK manufacturing and R&D. She also served for seven years as a trustee director of a major UK pension fund. Before her corporate career, Deb spent 10 years in the NHS as a medical microbiologist, working as part of the Pathology team at Bradford Royal Infirmary.
Keith Nurcombe
Keith has had a 30-year executive career in healthcare. He has played a key role in supporting and delivering NHS services, including founding Doctorlink in 2016 to enhance primary care. Specialising in digital transformation, Keith has led initiatives such as the roll-out of Shared Care Record systems and, more recently, Electronic Patient Record (EPR) programs within the NHS.
He serves as a non-executive director for Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust, Humber Teaching Hospital NHS, and WM5G, part of the Combined Authority in the West Midlands. He is also the chair of The Avalon Group, which supports individuals with learning disabilities across Yorkshire and the North. More recently, he was appointed chair of Derbyshire Health United, a Community Interest Company (CIC) that delivers 111 and urgent and emergency care (UEC) services across the Midlands and Home Counties on behalf of the NHS.
Oliver Cofler
With an engineering background, Oliver began his career in manufacturing before moving into consultancy with PwC, where he worked across manufacturing, IT, and supply chain. In 2003, he joined Cadbury Schweppes, taking on various supply chain leadership roles across Europe before becoming Supply Chain Director for the UK, Ireland, and Nordics.
He later held senior operational leadership positions at Alliance Healthcare and Millbrook Healthcare and has served in non-executive roles, including at the British Healthcare Trade Association and as Chair of the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Schools Trust. Oliver is currently a non-executive director at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
Paul Richards
Paul has built a successful career in international healthcare, bringing extensive experience in global board leadership, strategic partnerships, and commercial initiatives with both suppliers and customers. He has led businesses across healthcare, life sciences, health technology, and digital transformation, driving innovation and sustainable growth. Skilled in product and service development, Paul has played a key role in fostering international adoption and forging long term partnerships across industries, sectors, and geographies.
He serves as a non-executive director and senior independent director at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, providing strategic guidance to improve outcomes. He also chairs the One Devon NHS EPR Implementation Board, leading collaboration across three NHS Trusts to advance digital transformation. Beyond healthcare, Paul is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for a charity dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse.
15 strategic suppliers
Following a comprehensive process to identify the most strategic suppliers to health, the NHS, DHSC and wider Health Family will work collaboratively with the 15 strategic suppliers to develop joint strategies that will deliver additional value, unlock opportunities and manage risks.
The 15 strategic suppliers included in the programme are:
Abbott
AstraZeneca
Circle Health Group
GSK
ISS*
Johnson & Johnson
Olympus Keymed
Optum (formerly EMIS)
Medtronic
Pfizer
Roche
Sandoz
Sodexo*
Spire Healthcare
Teva
*ISS and Sodexo will retain their Cabinet Office Crown Representatives but are also strategic to health
Background on Cabinet Office Crown Representatives programme
The Cabinet Office introduced the ‘Crown Representative’ network to act as a focal point for particular groups of providers looking to supply to the public sector.
Crown Representatives help the government to act as a single customer. They work across departments to:
· ensure a single and strategic view of the government’s needs is communicated to the market.
· identify areas for cost savings.
· act as a point of focus for cross-cutting supplier-related issues.
Harvard President Alan Garber says this would be “highly illegal.” Several U.S. senators, all Democrats, have urged the IRS inspector general to see whether the IRS has begun auditing Harvard or any nonprofits in response to his administration’s requests or whether Trump has violated any laws with his pressure campaign.
The Conversation U.S. asked Philip Hackney, a nonprofit law professor who previously worked in the office of the chief counsel of the IRS, and Brian Mittendorf, an expert on nonprofit accounting, to explain what it would take for the federal government to revoke a university’s tax-exempt status.
Can Trump order the IRS to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status?
No.
First, the IRS rarely revokes an organization’s charitable tax-exempt status for failure to operate for a charitable purpose.
Before the IRS can do that, tax law requires that it first audit that charity. And it’s illegal for U.S. presidents or other officials to force the IRS to conduct an audit or stop one that’s already begun. Even doing either of those things indirectly is a crime. The punishment can include fines and imprisonment.
Worried that future presidents or officials might abuse the IRS, a Republican-led Congress later passed Section 7217 of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.
That provision prohibits presidents and vice presidents, as well as other officials and their staff, from instructing, “directly or indirectly, any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.”
President Richard M. Nixon holds a tax bill he signed into law in 1970, four years before he resigned. Part of his legacy is that it’s now more clearly illegal for presidents to use the IRS as a political weapon. Bettmann/Getty Images
What does it take for a nonprofit’s tax-exempt status to be revoked?
This can’t happen on a whim. The IRS first has to audit the nonprofit. If it obtains evidence of wrongdoing – and a court upholds that finding – the IRS can proceed.
The government has to find that the nonprofit’s operations have a “substantial nonexempt purpose.” That’s because these tax exemptions are provided only to organizations that are organized and operated primarily for charitable purposes, such as education, religion or scientific research.
Any audit of Harvard would involve a large team of IRS agents familiar with higher education, which would work on this probe for months. The process could take years.
If, after completing that audit, that team were to determine that Harvard violated the rules, the IRS would have to send Harvard a proposed revocation letter. Harvard then would have 30 days to file an appeal with the IRS. Were the IRS to propose such a revocation, we would be shocked if Harvard didn’t take that step.
If the IRS Office of Appeals were to uphold the revocation, the IRS would send a revocation letter to Harvard. But Harvard would have the right to challenge that official revocation in court under Section 7428 of the tax code.
How often does this happen?
Very rarely. Almost never for private schools. The only legal precedent the Trump administration could perhaps invoke is Bob Jones University v. United States.
That policy put the small Christian university on the spot because it barred the admission of Black students until 1971. At that point, it began to accept Black students but only if they were married to another Black person. The school justified this restriction by voicing its belief that the Bible forbids interracial marriage and dating. In 1970, the IRS had notified the university that it intended to cancel Bob Jones’ tax-exempt status.
The IRS issued a final revocation in 1976 after determining that Bob Jones University continued to discriminate with the ban on interracial dating and marriage. And in 1983, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the IRS’ action in an 8-1 decision.
The court’s majority wrote that an institution should be denied charitable status “only where there can be no doubt that the activity involved is contrary to a fundamental public policy.”
Harvard President Alan Garber responds to Trump’s threats in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
What’s the Trump administration’s rationale?
Many signs indicate the Trump administration would try to use the fundamental policy limitation to revoke Harvard’s status. We’re unaware, though, of what alleged violation of a “fundamental public policy” the IRS might invoke if it were to carry through on Trump’s threat to strip Harvard of its charitable status. The Trump administration has signaled that it might rest its case on Harvard’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Harvard subsequently enrolled fewer new Black students, indicating that it had changed its admissions policies. Regardless, there are many precedents finding elements of diversity, equity and inclusion to be activities that do further a charitable purpose.
We believe the Trump administration would be unlikely to prevail in the courts with an anti-DEI argument should it try to use one to justify stripping Harvard of its tax-exempt status.
What happens if a big nonprofit loses its charity status?
Because many state and municipal tax breaks are tied to federal tax status, losing tax-exempt status can also lead to local tax penalties. One compelling local tax break afforded to many charities is an exemption from property tax. Universities with large amounts of buildings and land – as Harvard has – would especially feel the pain.
Without charity status, organizations that rely on grants from local, state and federal government sources, as well as private sources such as other charities, will find many of those sources of funding largely cut off. This is because many grant providers require all recipients to have tax-exempt status.
The Internal Revenue Manual, which guides IRS agents in carrying out their work, indicates a number of other problems that would arise after revocation. For instance, an agent is required to consider the impact on the organization’s deferred compensation plans and tax-exempt bonds.
Does the government appear to have a strong case against Harvard?
There’s been little concrete information about the basis for Harvard losing its status. Most of what we know comes from social media posts and media interviews.
The Trump administration has attacked Harvard for its efforts to increase its diversity and its response to antisemitism on its campus. In response to concerns about these issues, Harvard has retooled its DEI office and begun to roll out reforms to combat both antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias.
But it is hard to argue that these issues would be central to Harvard and its educational mission, let alone warrant it losing its tax-exempt status.
What’s the impact then?
Given the steep climb it would be to prove that the organization has strayed from its educational mission, and not just taken some actions the White House dislikes, we find it hard to imagine a viable path toward the IRS revoking Harvard’s charitable status.
That doesn’t mean there will not be any consequences from the administration’s campaign against Harvard.
The daily onslaught of public attacks coupled with the ongoing legal battles are a drain on Harvard officials’ time and energy.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
As the Class of 2025 graduates into an uncertain and fast-changing working world, they face a crucial question: What does it mean to be successful?
Is it better to take a job that pays more, or one that’s more prestigious? Should you prioritize advancement, relationship building, community impact or even the opportunity to live somewhere new? Sorting through these questions can feel overwhelming.
I am a business school professor who spends a lot of time mentoring students and alumni in Generation Z – those born between 1997 and 2012. As part of this effort, I’ve surveyed about 300 former undergraduate students and spoken at length with about 50 of them.
Through these conversations, I’ve watched them wrestle with the classic conflicts of young adulthood – such as having to balance external rewards like money against internal motivations like wanting to be of service.
I recently revisited their stories and reflections, and I compiled the most enduring insights to offer to the next generation of graduates.
Here’s their collective advice to the Class of 2025:
1. Define what matters most to you
Success starts with self-reflection. It means setting aside society’s noise and defining your own values.
When people are driven by internal rewards like curiosity, purpose or pleasure in an activity itself – rather than outside benefits such as money – psychologists say they have “intrinsic motivation.”
Research shows that people driven by intrinsic motivation tend to display higher levels of performance, persistence and satisfaction. Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile’s componential theory further suggests that creativity flourishes when people’s skills align with their strongest intrinsic interests.
The alternative is to “get caught up in society’s expectations of success,” as one consulting alum put it. She described struggling to choose between a job offer at a Fortune 500 company or one at a lesser-known independent firm. In the end, she chose to go with the smaller business. It was, she stressed, “the right choice for me.” This is crucial advice: Make yourself proud, not others.
One related principle I share with students is the “Tell your story” rule. If a job doesn’t allow you to tell your story – in other words, if it doesn’t mirror your vision, values, talents and goals – keep looking for a new role.
2. Strive for balance, not burnout
A fulfilling life includes time for relationships, health and rest. While many young professionals feel endless pressure to hustle, the most fulfilled alumni I spoke with learned to take steps to protect their personal well-being.
For example, a banking alum told me that business once dominated his thoughts “24/7.” He continued, “I’m happier now that I make more time for a social life and paying attention to all my relationships – professional, personal, community, and let’s not forget myself.”
And remember that balance and motivations can change throughout your life. As one alum explained: “Your goals change and therefore your definition of success changes. I think some of the most successful people are always adapting what success means to them – chasing success even if they are already successful.”
3. Be kind, serve others and maximize your ‘happy circle’
“Some people believe to have a positive change in the world you must be a CEO or have a ton of money,” another alum told me. “But spreading happiness or joy can happen at any moment, has no cost, and the results are priceless.”
Many alumni told me that success isn’t just a matter of personal achievement – it’s about giving back to society. That could be through acts of kindness, creativity, innovation, or other ways of improving people’s lives. A retail alum shared advice from her father: “When your circle is happy, you are going to be happy,” she said. “It’s sort of an upward spiral.”
Your “happy circle” doesn’t need to consist of people you know. An alum who went into the pharmaceutical industry said his work’s true reward was measured in “tens of thousands if not millions of people” in better health thanks to his efforts.
In fact, your happy circle doesn’t even need to be exclusively human. An alum who works in ranching said he valued the well-being of animals – and their riders – more than money or praise.
4. Be a good long-term steward of your values
Success isn’t just about today – it’s what you stand for.
Several alumni spoke passionately about stewardship: the act of preserving and passing on values, relationships and traditions. This mindset extended beyond family to employees, customers and communities. As one alum who majored in economics put it, success is “leaving a mark on the world and creating a legacy that extends beyond one’s quest for monetary gain.”
One alum defined success as creating happiness and stability not just for herself, but for her loved ones. Another, who works in hospitality, said he had a duty to further his employees’ ambitions and help them grow and develop – creating a legacy that will outlast any title or paycheck.
In an analysis by the organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, Gen Z employees were found to be more prone to burnout when their employers lacked clear values. These findings reinforce what my students already know: Alignment between your values and your work is key to success.
Final words for the Class of 2025
To the latest crop of grads, I offer this advice: Wherever life takes you next — a family business or corporate office, Wall Street or Silicon Valley, or somewhere you can’t even imagine now — remember that your career will be long and full of ups and downs.
You’ll make tough choices. You’ll face pressures. But if you stay grounded, invest in your well-being, celebrate your happy circle and honor your values, you’ll look back one day and see not just a job well done, but a life well lived.
Bon voyage!
Patrick Abouchalache 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.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning Americans about the ever-increasing and potentially deadly recreational use of nitrous oxide products, particularly among young people.
Marketed with names like “Galaxy Gas” and “Miami Magic,” and often sold in steel cartridges known as “whippets,” these products are cheap and readily available at gas stations, convenience stores, smoke shops and major retail outlets, including Walmart. They’re also sold online.
Recreational and continued use of nitrous oxide can cause a wide range of serious health problems, and in some cases, death.
A long list of potential harms
The list of serious side effects from frequent use is long. It includes: cognitive impairment, memory problems, hallucinations, headaches, lightheadedness, mood disturbances, blood clots, limb weakness, trouble walking, peripheral neuropathy, impaired bowel or bladder function, spinal cord degeneration and irreversible brain damage. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is common and can lead to nerve and brain damage.
Deaths in the U.S. attributed to abuse of nitrous oxide jumped more than 100% between 2019 and 2023; over a five-year period, emergency department visits rose 32%.
All told, more than 13 million Americans have misused nitrous oxide at least once during their lifetimes. This includes children: In 2024, just over 4% of eighth graders and about 2% of 12th graders said they’ve tried inhalants. Nitrous oxide is among the most abused of these inhalants due to its low cost, easy availability and commercial appeal – one flavor of the gas is named “pink bubble gum.”
Pure nitrous, inhaled for a quick high, can be lethal.
The few studies on the use of nitrous oxide are limited mainly to case reports – that is, a report on a single patient. Although limited in scope, they’re alarming.
Physicians began using it in the U.S. around the mid-19th century after Horace Wells, a dentist, attended a stage show – called “Laughing Gas Entertainment” – and saw the numbing effect that nitrous oxide had on audience volunteers. By coincidence, Wells was having a wisdom tooth removed the next day, so he tried the gas during his procedure. The nitrous oxide worked; Wells said he felt no pain. Thereafter, medicinal use of the gas was gradually accepted.
As of May 2025, four U.S. states – Louisiana, Michigan, Alabama and California – have banned the recreational use of nitrous oxide, and more than 30 states are working on legislation to ban or at least restrict sale of the products. In addition, numerous lawsuits filed against the manufacturers are in court.
Through appropriate legislation, regulation, education and intervention, nitrous oxide abuse can be slowed or stopped. Otherwise, these products – with their sleek packaging and attractive social media campaigns that obscure their dangers – remain a growing threat to our children.
Andrew Yockey 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.
There are two individuals intrinsic to any presidential effort to restructure government: the president himself and the person he entrusts with the task.
In 2025, Musk has been the person designated to carry out the president’s aims.
But while Taft worked with Congress to launch his effort, Trump hasn’t followed that route. And the men each president asked to lead their efforts were vastly different in the responsibility given to them, and different in values as well as temperament.
Power on Pennsylvania Avenue
Among the many historic attempts by presidents to streamline federal government, Taft’s administration provides a distinct parallel to an administration attempting to make government more efficient.
The Taft administration’s early 20th-century equivalent to the Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was called the Commission on Economy and Efficiency.
Taft also delegated the work of this reorganization to trusted Cabinet subordinates, rather than an outsider who was not confirmed by Congress. Other presidents of Taft’s generation would have found it unthinkable to delegate such consequential work to someone outside of the bureaucracy to the extent that Trump has empowered Musk.
The work of Taft’s commission took place during a time of turmoil for the role and power of the president, as the country itself became more powerful and its governance more complex, calling for increased efficiency through streamlining.
Studying and streamlining government
Taft organized his commission in 1910, a year into his presidency. It lasted until his divided party led to his election defeat in 1912.
The commission’s aims were tied to economy and efficiency – as the commission itself was named. Indeed, Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer, one of Taft’s trusted Cabinet members, concisely explained how the “main object was the establishment of a system which would enable the Secretary to administer his office efficiently and economically, with the advice of responsible expert advisers, ensuring continuity of policy for the future.”
Taft came to the presidency in 1909 with clear concepts of how the nation’s top office needed to become more powerful to meet the growing country’s burgeoning needs.
Taft was critically aware of existing inefficiency, with bureaucratic work overlapping at expense to the government, without any clear mandate, job description or hierarchy. The vision of the commission is clear in a diagram for the War Department that sought to streamline the bureaucracy, conglomerating the existing 18 divisions into eight.
A chart of the Taft commission’s proposed streamlining of what was then called the ‘War Department.’ archive.org
The Commission on Economy and Efficiency focused on providing solutions for this clearly defined problem of government inefficiency. At the time of Taft’s final message to Congress in 1913, the commission had submitted 85 reports to Taft encouraging the reorganization of executive departments, including new and specifically defined roles for government employees.
One of the reports from Taft’s commission, which he delivered to Congress. Google Books
Long-term, targeted changes
Unlike the radical unilateral actions taken by DOGE, the Taft commission recommended action to Congress for the long term, while making more targeted changes to the executive bureaucracy behind the scenes.
Despite Taft’s pleas stressing the need to sustain these changes beyond his tenure, Congress was tired of the empowerment of the executive by Republican presidents Theodore Roosevelt, followed by Taft, and had no incentive to support reorganization.
This is in direct contrast to Trump and Musk’s less substantiated concerns over “fraud and abuse” or ongoing vague concerns over the size and cost of the federal government. That phrasing may inspire more consensus over the problem, but not necessarily the solution.
Taft’s choice to head his commission, Frederick Cleveland, was a kindred spirit who believed in a strengthened presidency. Cleveland was an academic with past affiliations with the University of Pennsylvania and New York University. Congress accepted Cleveland’s nomination, seeing him as a pioneer in the realm of public administration.
Cleveland reflected the Taft administration’s approach of wanting to remold the government without animosity toward federal workers specifically or the government more broadly. He embraced the Progressive Era ethos in seeking to rectify inefficiency.
Streamlining did not equate to big cuts. The priority remained ensuring the American government could meet the increased demands of the new century.
Similar to DOGE, the White House was the command center for the Commission on Economy and Efficiency. That enabled Taft to manage reorganization of the executive branch from the Oval Office.
Not all of the modernizing and streamlining of the federal government would come at the behest of Taft’s commission.
Impatient to implement change while awaiting the commission’s reports, and with the commission hampered by a decrease in congressional funding in 1912, Taft had immediately sought improvement within his own administration.
But when the commission’s reports were finally available, Taft was in the unfortunate position of being a lame duck and could do little besides emphasize the need for further action.
While limited in the short term, the commission’s reports were later credited for major changes: “Although the report fell on deaf ears in Congress, it would become an essential roadmap for the budget reforms of 1921. The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 addressed and mirrored the concerns and proposals of the Commission’s Report,” as described by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.
Unlike DOGE, the approach of Taft and his commission focused on streamlining rather than gutting federal bureaucracy.
That approach was reflective of an era when experts were revered and sought after rather than maligned. As an experienced bureaucrat, Taft characteristically directed that the problem of government inefficiency be studied. This secured his legacy, as his agenda was eventually put into practice and embraced, proving his reflective approach to be ahead of its time.
Laura Ellyn Smith 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.
Brain organoids, pictured here, raise both many medical possibilities and ethical questions.NIAID/Flickr, CC BY-SA
As the Trump administration continues to make significant cutsto NIH budgetsand personnel and to freeze billions of dollars of funding to major research universities – citing ideological concerns – there’s more being threatened than just progress in science and medicine. Something valuable but often overlooked is also being hit hard: preventing research abuse.
The Trump administration has deeply culled U.S. science across agencies and institutions.
It is clear to us, as legal andbioethics scholars whose research often focuses on the ethical, legal and social implications of emerging biotechnologies, that these directives will have profoundly negative consequences for medical research and human health, with ripple effects that will last decades. Our scholarship demonstrates that in order to contribute to knowledge and, ultimately, to biomedical treatments, medical research at every stage depends on significant infrastructure support and ethical oversight.
Our recent focus on brain organoid research – 3D lab models grown from human stem cells that simulate brain structure and function – shows how federal support for research is key to not only promote innovation, but to protect participants and future patients.
History of NIH and research ethics
The National Institutes of Health began as a one-room laboratory within the Marine Hospital Service in 1887. After World War I, chemists involved in the war effort sought to apply their knowledge to medicine. They partnered with Louisiana Sen. Joseph E. Ransdell who, motivated by the devastation of malaria, yellow fever and the 1928 influenza pandemic, introduced federal legislation to support basic research and fund fellowships focusing on solving medical problems.
As science advanced, so did the need for guardrails. After World War II, among the top Nazi leaders prosecuted for war crimes were physicians who conducted experiments on people without consent, such as exposure to hypothermia and infectious disease. The verdicts of these Doctors’ Trials included 10 points about ethical human research that became the Nuremberg Code, emphasizing voluntary consent to participation, societal benefit as the goal of human research, and significant limitations on permissible risks of harm. The World Medical Association established complementary international guidelines for physician-researchers in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.
At least 100 participants died in the Tuskegee Untreated Syphilis Study. National Archives
In the 1970s, information about the Tuskegee study – a deceptive and unethical 40-year study of untreated syphilis in Black men – came to light. The researchers told study participants they would be given treatment but did not give them medication. They also prevented participants from accessing a cure when it became available in order to study the disease as it progressed. The men enrolled in the study experienced significant health problems, including blindness, mental impairment and death.
The public outrage that followed starkly demonstrated that the U.S. couldn’t simply rely on international guidelines but needed federal standards on research ethics. As a result, the National Research Act of 1974 led to the Belmont Report, which identified ethical principles essential to human research: respect for persons, beneficence and justice.
Federal regulations reinforced these principles by requiring all federally funded research to comply with rigorous ethical standards for human research. By prohibiting financial conflicts of interest and by implementing an independent ethics review process, new policies helped ensure that federally supported research has scientific and social value, is scientifically valid, fairly selects and adequately protects participants.
These standards and recommendations guide both federally and nonfederally funded research today. The breadth of NIH’s mandate and budget has provided not only the essential structure for research oversight, but also key resources for ethics consultation and advice.
Brain organoids and the need for ethical inquiry
Biomedical research on cell andanimal models requires extensive ethics oversight systems that complement those for human research. Our research on the ethical and policy issues of human brain organoid research provides a good example of the complexities of biomedical research and the infrastructure and oversight mechanisms necessary to support it.
Brain organoids are built on knowledge about the fundamentals of biology that was developed primarily in universities receiving federal funding. Organoid technology began in 1907 with research on sponge cells, and continued in the 1980s with advances instem cell research. Since researchers generated the first human organoid in 2009, the field has rapidly expanded.
Brain organoids have come a long way since their beginnings over a century ago. Madeline Andrews, Arnold Kriegstein’s lab, UCSF, CC BY-ND
These advances were only possible through federally supported research infrastructure, which helps ensure the quality of all biomedical research. Indirect costs cover operational expenses necessary to maintain research safety and ethics, including utilities, administrative support, biohazard handling and regulatory compliance. In these ways, federally supported research infrastructure protects and promotes the scientific and ethical value of biotechnologies like brain organoids.
Brain organoid research requires significant scientific and ethical inquiry to safely reach its future potential. It raises potential moral and legal questions about donor consent, the extent to which organoids should be grown and how they should be disposed, and consciousness and personhood. As science progresses, infrastructure for oversight can help ensure these ethical and societal issues are addressed.
New frontiers in scientific research
Since World War II, there has been bipartisan support for scientific innovation, in part because it is an economic and national security imperative. As Harvard University President Alan Garber recently wrote, “[n]ew frontiers beckon us with the prospect of life-changing advances. … For the government to retreat from these partnerships now risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals but also the economic security and vitality of our nation.”
Cuts to research overhead may seem like easy savings, but it fails to account for the infrastructure that provides essential support for scientific innovation. The investment the NIH has put into academic research is significantly paid forward, adding nearly US$95 billion to local economies in fiscal year 2024, or $2.46 for every $1 of grant funding. NIH funding had also supported over 407,700 jobs that year.
Organoid research is just one of the essential components in the process of learning about the brain and using that knowledge to find better treatment for diseases affecting the brain.
Science benefits society only if it is rigorous, ethically conducted and fairly funded. Current NIH policy directives and steep cuts to the agency’s size and budget, along with attacks on universities, undermine globally shared goals of increasing understanding and improving human health.
The federal system of overseeing and funding biomedical science may need a scalpel, but to defund efforts based on “efficiency” is to wield a chainsaw.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The UConn Equestrian Team achieved the status of being the regional high point team at the close of this year’s Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) competition season.
“It’s awesome,” says team captain Elinor Addonizio ‘25 (CAHNR). “I think it gives everybody a lot of hope for the future to continue doing so well.”
This year, UConn’s point total was 276. The second-place team, Boston University, had 225 points.
“It really was an incredible season,” coach Marilyn Bennett says. “I’m really proud of all of them. They put in a lot of hard work, and it really is a testament to that…It’s a great way to represent the school.”
For each show, teams choose individual riders in each event and class to be their point riders. This means those riders’ points, based on where they place in the event, count toward the team’s total.
“Essentially it comes down to the point riders who won the most and did the best,” Addonizio says.
At their home show in October, UConn’s team earned a perfect score.
“Every single point rider won their class – which is pretty much unheard of,” Addonizio says. “So, that was a really big accomplishment.”
One member of the UConn Team, Cara Bailey ‘27 (CAHNR), qualified for nationals, which will take place in May.
Currently, there are 24 showing members on the UConn Equestrian Team, and 30 members total. Riders are placed into jumping and flat event classes based on their experience and skill level.
What is unique to the IHSA competitions is that, unlike elsewhere in the equestrian world, riders do not bring horses to competitions. Instead, they are randomly assigned a horse from the hosting institution’s barn.
“You have no idea until the day of what horse you’re going to ride,” Bennett says. “So that adds a whole other element to showing…It makes it unique and really cool.”
To prepare for this challenge, the UConn team changes which horse they ride for each of their weekly practices.
This was the first year UConn competed in Region 4 with Massachusetts schools after their previous region was dissolved.
“We were pretty nervous heading into this new region because we’d never competed against these teams, and they’re all very accomplished teams,” Addonizio says. “So, it’s really, really exciting, and honestly we didn’t expect it, which made it all the more special.”
Addonizio has been a member of the team since her freshman year and was captain for the past two years.
After graduating this spring with a degree in animal science with a focus on equine breeding, Addonizio is going to New Zealand to help deliver foals for the horse racing industry. She was the 2024 recipient of the Samantha Calzone scholarship.
“I found my people and a true home, and I’m just lucky to get to ride horses every week and be with such a great group of people,” Addonizio says. “And the leadership experience that I’ve gained from it as captain has been pretty life changing.”
UConn recently announced a new Equine Science and Management major, launching in the fall of 2026.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken, following the announcement of a UK-US trade deal.
Beef
Prof Chris Elliott, Chair of Food Safety, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), said:
“There are a number of hormones, mainly anabolic steroids that are classified as growth promoters. They were banned in the EU back in the 1980’s on the grounds they were a food safety risk. This has been hotly disputed by the US and other countries that use the hormones in livestock production.
“The bulk of the scientific evidence suggests they are safe if used correctly. However incorrect use (as can happen accidently or deliberately) could pose health issues.
“The big issue is that use of such hormones is not ‘natural’ – but again this is widely disputed as livestock have many things added to their diets to enhance growth rates.
“Testing for the presence of the hormones can be done but it’s extremely difficult and requires very expensive equipment and the cost per test would runs into many hundreds of pounds. There has previously been evidence that meat claimed as ‘hormone free’ was in fact treated with anabolic steroids.”
Chicken
Prof Paul Wigley, Professor in Animal Microbial Ecosystems, University of Bristol, said:
“The use of high-concentration chlorine washes applied in the USA and other countries is adopted as a relatively simple and low-cost method to reduce foodborne bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella from chicken carcasses. Its efficacy is questionable. Rates of human Salmonella infection in the USA are around double the European average and around five times greater than in the UK.
“The UK approach is to control on the farm with the use of vaccines, good biosecurity and hygiene together with regular testing for Salmonella, accompanied by far greater levels of animal welfare that were set down by EU legislation and still adopted in the UK. Salmonella is in effect eradicated in UK Lion Mark eggs and is uncommon in UK-produced poultry meat.
“An analogy is going out for a walk as seeing a pile of dog muck. The UK/EU approach is to avoid getting it on your shoes. The American approach is wiping it off when you get home but we all know that some will remain trapped in the tread.
“The ban on US produced chicken on public health grounds is justified when simply looking at the figures of public health impact. Human Salmonella infection often leads to hospitalisation and most recent figures indicate there were 33 deaths resulting from Salmonella in the UK in 2013. We cannot ban on welfare grounds but there is a clear public health reason to do so.”
Beef and chicken
Prof Guy Poppy, PVC Research and Innovation, University of Bristol, said:
On chlorine-washed chicken:
“The use of chlorine washes to ensure chickens are safe to eat is a difference between how the USA and the EU/UK regulate food. The USA uses product-based approach while the EU and UK use a process-based one – i.e. consideration of the process we use to ensure safety rather than the end outcome. If done correctly the end product, chicken, is equally safe, but the system we currently use involves several steps in how chickens are produced throughout the rearing and preparation of the chicken for sale – as opposed to the USA system which uses chlorine to ‘disinfect’ the chicken prior to retail. Both systems are used to reduce/eliminate the number of microorganisms in the chicken which can make us ill.
“Many of the biosecurity processes used in the UK can also enhance welfare, such as practices to reduce the levels of pathogens in chickens – as opposed to being reliant on a system of using chlorine to reduce the pathogens after slaughter.”
On hormone-treated beef:
“There are significant disagreements between the EU and the US on the health issues of hormone treated beef. Whilst the EU claim that one of the regularly used hormones is carcinogenic, the US and Canada claim to the WTO that the EU risk assessment is flawed. And several of the hormones used do not have any health claims against them. However, the rearing practice which is involved in accelerating growth can be seen as an animal welfare issue as weight gain and the feedlots and other practices to reduce feed requirements and accelerate growth result in much lower animal welfare than rearing systems not involving hormones or feedlots.
“Both of these types of animal food production illustrate different rearing systems and methods to control risk. If done correctly and with checks in place, they both result in a safe product but there are differences in the animal welfare outcomes of the production systems used in the US compared to the UK/EU. The US style production systems can lead to reduced costs and increased profits and thus I can see why UK farmers are concerned about the effects this may have on the current UK meat system. It is clear that the current UK food system needs transforming to improve human and environmental health, but I am not sure this is a direction of travel which will help that.”
Declared interests
Paul Wigley: I have and continue to receive funding from UKRI around this area but no current or recent work with industry in these areas
Chris Elliott: No interests to declare
Guy Poppy: CSA at the FSA 2014-2020, Exec Chair at BBSRC 2023-2024
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
A group of prize-winning illustrators from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) will be sharing their expertise during a special event in Cambridge on Monday, 19 May.
The event is being held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the prestigious Klaus Flugge Prize, which is awarded annually to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s book illustration.
The panel will feature three recent winners of this national award – Flavia Drago, Mariajo Ilustrajo and Kate Winter – all alumni of ARU’s world-leading Children’s Book Illustration MA course in Cambridge.
Taking place at Waterstones bookshop on Sidney Street, the event is aimed at anyone interested in illustration and the art of visual storytelling. The talented trio will discuss the elements of a successful picture book and provide valuable tips for aspiring illustrators.
Originally from Madrid, Mariajo Ilustrajo is now based in the UK and won the award in 2023 for Flooded, which she started on the MA course at ARU. The story, which features animals teaming up to tackle the impacts of climate change, also earned her the Best New Talent prize at the World Illustration Awards.
Kate Winter received the award last year for The Fossil Hunter, marking the first time a non-fiction book has won the £5,000 prize. After completing her MA in Children’s Book Illustration, Kate now lectures on ARU’s BA (Hons) Illustration course, balancing her teaching with her work as a professional illustrator and writer.
“I feel very fortunate to be able to bring ideas and stories alive for children through the universal language of illustration. I am really looking forward to talking to Mariajo and Flavia about our different approaches to making picture books, how we develop ideas and what role the images play in our storytelling.”
Kate Winter
The event will be chaired by Dr Elys Dolan, a Senior Lecturer in Children’s Books Illustration at ARU. Elys, an award-winning author and illustrator of books such as Weasels and Steven Seagull Action Hero, also studied on the MA Children’s Book Illustration course at ARU’s Cambridge School of Art.
Meanwhile Polly Noakes, who graduated from the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at ARU in 2015, has just been announced as the winner of the 2025 Oscar’s Book Prize. Polly received the £10,000 award for her picture book Just The Two Of Us.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko congratulated Russians on Victory Day and recalled the important role of Soviet teachers, lecturers, scientists and athletes during the Great Patriotic War.
“In the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland, declared by President Vladimir Putin, it is especially important to treat the memory of the exploits of our heroes with care. Soviet teachers during the war, despite all the difficulties, remained true to their high mission. They taught in the most difficult conditions, shared knowledge and warmth, and created new methods. All this testifies to the resilience of the Soviet education system and the heroism of teachers,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
He added that modern teachers also remain true to their work: they continue to pass on knowledge to students and form a strong value foundation in them. And the national project “Youth and Children” contributes to the development of the education sector.
On Victory Day, a new project about the exploits of teachers during the war is launched in Russia – “The Feat of a Teacher”, created by the Mashuk Knowledge Center together with participants of the All-Russian historical and educational program of the Victory Museum “School Museum of Victory”. Within the framework of it, everyone will be able to learn the real stories of heroic teachers who fought at the front. The project’s videos will tell about teachers who built bridges under fire, were on the battlefields near Stalingrad, repeated the feat of Alexander Matrosov, saved hundreds of pupils of an orphanage for the disabled, and ensured the crossing of children and teenagers on foot to the Soviet rear across the front line.
In addition, Dmitry Chernyshenko recalled the achievements of Soviet scientists, inventors, university professors and students during the Great Patriotic War. They created applied developments, conducted fundamental research, and trained personnel needed by the country. For example, Leningrad scientists ensured the creation and operation of the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga. The most important developments were carried out in the field of military affairs and defense, medicine. Universities and scientific organizations continued to defend candidate and doctoral dissertations, new specialties were opened and laboratories appeared to conduct priority research.
“Our President Vladimir Putin called the Victory in the Great Patriotic War a triumph of the Soviet and Russian people. The achievements of scientists and athletes also confirm these words. And the example of modern heroes of the SVO shows that even now in our country there are selfless people – true patriots,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
Students of physical education institutes enlisted in the army in whole courses. For example, in 1941, combat units and subdivisions were formed at the Moscow Institute of Physical Education, which later heroically fought near Moscow and contributed to the salvation of the capital. Seven students and teachers of the institute were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Almost all of the students of the Leningrad Institute of Physical Education named after P.F. Lesgaft, led by the rector, stood up to defend their city, and later fought behind enemy lines and on other fronts. In 1942, this university was the only civilian university in the country to be awarded the military Order of the Red Banner.
In addition, in the first months of the war, a unique unit was created – the Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade for Special Purposes. It included more than 800 athletes, including honored masters of sports, champions and record holders of the country. Among them were track and field athletes brothers Seraphim and Georgy Znamensky, speed skater Anatoly Kapchinsky, boxer Nikolay Korolev and others.
Sport also played an important humanitarian role, reminding people that peacetime would definitely come. Since 1941, Moscow hosted the Football Championship and Cup. In 1942, Feodosiy Vanin set a world record for the 20,000 m distance at the Dynamo stadium, and over 8,000 people took part in the cross-country race in Sokolniki. The track and field relay race along the Garden Ring was held in 1942, 1943 and 1944. In 1943, Gorky hosted the USSR Track and Field Championship. In 1944, cross-country races became a symbol of the liberation of the territories.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, a series of books entitled “Memory” was published by order of the Ministry of Sports and the Russian Olympic Committee – a four-volume work dedicated to the heroic contribution of Russian athletes to the Victory.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE helps to institutionalize cyber hygiene training programs in Ukraine’s law enforcement universities
Four cyber hygiene training facilities were officially opened in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine on 6 and 7 May 2025 with the support of the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU). The rooms will serve to educate the future law enforcers – cadets of the Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Lviv State University of Life Safety, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, and Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs – about the safe and responsive use of digital tools. The new in-person cyber hygiene training course designed for cadets and students includes practical assignments, case studies, and hands-on training.
The four training facilities complement a broader educational package developed by the SPU in co-operation with the Ministry. In addition to the in-person and online cyber hygiene training programmes for cadets and students, the SPU also trained 50 trainers (ToT), namely educators and the Ministry’s staff. It is complemented by an instructor manual and learning tools, including the educational board game CyberAlias.
“The human factor is the weakest link in any cyber-attack (e.g., email phishing, malware distribution) and good practices such as strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and regular software updates can dramatically reduce cyber risks,” said Pierre Baussand, Chief of Operations of the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme. “In today’s digital war, investing in cyber hygiene education is not only about defending networks — it is about safeguarding the integrity of strategic rule of law institutions, and Ukraine’s democratic future.”
The initiative comes at a time of mounting urgency. According to the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, in 2024, Ukraine experienced a nearly 70% increase in cyber incidents, with 4,315 cases recorded, up from 2,541 the previous year. Hackers are increasingly targeting critical sectors, including energy, government services, law enforcement, and telecommunications. This upward trend continues into 2025, exacerbating threats to civilian infrastructure posed by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
These efforts are part of a project implemented by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and with financial support from Organisation’s participating States and partners, full list of the Programme’s donors is available here.
On 6 and 7 May, Sciences Po joined a prominent European event on social sciences in higher education, organised through our European university alliance, CIVICA. The CIVICA Global Forum 2025 was hosted by one of the 10 members of the alliance, IE University (Madrid, Spain).
The theme of this two-day event, “Leveraging Social Sciences in Higher Education: Navigating Global Challenges and Complexities”, draw high-level speakers, including prominent figures in academia but also representatives from industry and politics. This European debate on the future of higher education included the important topics of European competitiveness and the role of AI in enriching the academic ecosystem.
Sciences Po took its part in those pressing discussions through6 speakers that made the journey to Madrid:
Pakistan’s government has pledged to respond “at a time, place and manner of its choosing” following an air attack from India that killed 31 people in Pakistan on May 6, 2025.
The missile strike comes at a time of increased tension between the two South Asian neighbors following a terror attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22 that resulted in the deaths of 26 Indian tourists.
India blamed the assault on its neighbor although has yet to provide any solid proof of a link between the assailants and the Pakistani state.
To understand more about how Pakistan’s powerful military is viewing the incident, and weighing a response, The Conversation U.S. turned to Ayesha Jalal, an expert on South Asian history and politics who is the Mary Ricardson Professor of History at Tufts University.
Who will makes the decisions over how Pakistan responds?
This is clearly a defense issue, so the Pakistani military is going to take the lead. Any decision over how to respond to the Indian airstrikes will have to be done in consultation with the civilian government. But ultimately it will be the powerful Pakistani generals that will be making the decisions.
In Pakistan, this is the usual way of doing things. The military has dominated politics in Pakistan for decades. Partly, this is due to the very dynamic we are seeing now. From the creation of Pakistan onward, there has been tension with India, including over Kashmir. Indeed the two countries went to war over Kashmir within a year of the partition of India soon after the creation of Pakistan. So the military has always been seen as central to Pakistan’s view of itself as an independent nation.
Then in 1958, the Pakistani army toppled the civilian government in the country’s first of several military coup attempts, three of which have been successful.
What do we know about Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Syed Asim Munir?
Despite the Pakistani Army’s position of power, Gen. Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff, is someone who has tried to keep out of the spotlight. He is known as a very religious character – he is a Hafiz, meaning he has memorized the Quran. And he is seen as a tough, fairly inaccessible soldier.
He is also a hawk when it comes to relations with India. Speaking after the Kashmir attack and before India’s airstrikes, Munir warned, “Let there be no ambiguity: Any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and notch-up response.”
Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir on July 16, 2023. Iranian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
This approach is somewhat of a departure from that of the man he replaced in 2022, former Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. Bajwa was more inclined to look for a peaceful resolution with India over Kashmir and other issues.
Munir, by contrast, presents a a more belligerent front in the face of what many in Pakistan see as Indian aggression, while framing the rivalry between the two nations in religious terms.
What role has he and the Pakistani army played so far in the crisis?
A lot has been made, especially in India, of comments that Munir made a few days before the attack in Pahalgam.
Munir described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and framed the long-running animosity between Pakistan and India in religious terms, invoking the “two-nation” theory that states that India is a homeland for Hindus; Pakistan is one for Muslims. The theory, conveyed by much of India’s media, is that Munir’s was an inflammatory statement that encouraged the Pahalgam attack.
But there is nothing in what he said that was entirely original or new: This has been the narrative of the Pakistani military for several decades. It is simply how they talk.
Is there evidence that Pakistan’s military played a role in the attack?
None that India has presented as yet.
India has blamed Pakistan for supporting the Kashmiri militants responsible – but hasn’t articulated what the actual relationship is between Pakistan and the militant group, The Resistance Front.
Certainly, Pakistan has in the past had ties to some of the many militant groups in Kashmir. For some groups, that has meant crossing over from Indian-controlled Kashmir to Pakistan for training.
But the argument that “Pakistan used to do it, so they must be doing it now” seems unsupported – certainly, Indian hasn’t presented solid evidence to any international body.
What has the reaction of the international community been?
India is not on as strong of ground as it was in 2019, when a suicide bomber in Pulwama, Indian-administerd Kashmir, killed 40 members of the Central Reserve Police Force. On that occasion, the international community swung behind India, with the U.S. offering counterterrorism support while calling on Pakistan to stop sheltering terrorists.
Without firm evidence of a link between the attack and Pakistan this time around, the international community has found it difficult to go with India’s narrative of the attack. The U.S. has called on both sides to find a “peaceful resolution.”
Meanwhile China has indicated that it is standing by Pakistan in a statement in which it expressed “regret over India’s military actions” while also calling on both India and Pakistan to “avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation.”
What pressures will the Pakistani army be under to respond?
In Pakistan, the view is this is India attempting to assert its dominance and create what analysts have called a “new normal” in relationships between the two countries – one in which India will retaliate to any perceived Pakistani-linked terror attack with missile strikes on Pakistan’s territory.
The theory here is that India doesn’t mind escalation, in fact it is seen as serving the Hindu nationalist aims of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
But I wouldn’t describe it as public pressure on Pakistan’s military to respond, it is more strategic pressure. Pakistan will need to prevent this “new normal” happening, and so will, in my view, very likely respond in kind to the Indian airstrikes.
What can Pakistan do in response?
Well, for starters it has, in theory, the capacity to hit over 200 Indian cities with its arsenal of missiles. But Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has already said that strikes would only target Indian military targets and not civilians. Pakistan also has to weigh how India may respond to any retaliatory strikes.
But India has expanded the usual terms of engagement when it comes to Kashmir. Typically in recent years, fighting has been contained along the “line of control” – the border between Indian- and Pakistani-controled Kashmir.
But the Indian airstrike was deep within Pakistan. India says that the targets were all terrorist, but civilians were killed in the process – and Pakistan’s military will not be able to just leave it at that. A response is very much expected, especially now that India has upped the ante by using Israeli made Harop drones in an attempt to target the Pakistani air defense system. Pakistan claims it has shot down 25 of these drones.
What are the risks of escalation for Pakistan?
Obviously the most pressing risk is that Pakistan and India are both nuclear states. If Pakistan retaliates in an escalatory way, and then India responds in a similar fashion, this gets to a point where the use of nuclear weapons is a very real risk.
War would also hit Pakistan’s economy at a time when it is seen to be improving after years of crisis. But that will likely be of secondary importance in the decision-making process for Pakistan’s military if it believes that the country’s integrity is being threatened.
In addition, Pakistan’s generals will likely be of the view that India, in attacking Pakistan, is trying to thwart any economic recovery in Pakistan – with the belief being that India’s government fears a powerful, more economically stable rival.
Ayesha Jalal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Massimo D’Angelo, Research Associate in the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, Loughborough University
Pope Leo XIV has been elected as the 267th pontiff, leader of the Catholic church and spiritual guide to more than 1.4 billion Catholics. He is the first pope in history to come from the United States.
Since the 19th century, the influence of the United States within the Catholic Church has steadily increased, mirroring the country’s global geopolitical rise. US bishops, institutions and donors have played a growing role in shaping church policy, appointments and international engagement, signalling a shift away from traditional European dominance.
This growing influence had long been accompanied by unease over the idea of entrusting the leadership of the global Catholic community to a figure from the world’s most powerful nation. In this sense, the election of Leo XIV is an unexpected and significant choice.
Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955, has spent much of his ecclesiastical life to date in Peru, where he became a respected figure within the local church. He had been sent to Peru on a missions after taking his solemn vows as an Augustinian and studying in Rome.
Once there, he served for many years as judicial vicar and professor of canon, patristic (early Christian), and moral theology in Trujillo. In 2014, he was appointed apostolic administrator of Chiclayo and became its bishop in 2015, a post he held until 2023.
Prevost gained Peruvian citizenship and was widely regarded as a stabilising, pastoral presence in a church often divided between liberation theology and ultra-traditionalism. Known for his humility and approachability, he was respected for his ability to foster dialogue among Peru’s diverse episcopate.
His longstanding commitment to Latin America helped shape his international reputation and proved key to his eventual election as the church’s first North American pope.
Continuity or rupture with Francis?
It is difficult to determine at this early stage whether the election of Leo XIV will mark a continuation of Pope Francis’s pontificate or a clear departure from it. More likely, it will represent something of a middle path.
The first image of the newly elected pope – appearing on the balcony in traditional white and red papal garments, adorned with a gold cross – was striking. It echoed the appearance of Benedict XVI in 2005, in contrast to Francis’s more austere choice of a plain white cassock and silver cross, which reflected a deliberate gesture of humility.
Yet, Leo XIV’s strong focus on the poor – rooted in his years as a missionary in Peru – and his warm greeting to the Peruvian community, one of the Church’s global peripheries, suggest a clear line of continuity with Francis’s pastoral priorities.
Even his choice of name evokes Leo XIII, pope from 1878 to 1903 and author of Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical on social justice and the rights of the poor. Leo XIV may, therefore, embody a papacy that maintains a firm commitment to the marginalised, while adopting a less confrontational, more measured style than that of his reformist predecessor, who sometimes adopted openly anti-curial stances.
A Counterweight to Trump?
Prior to becoming pope, Prevost has, on several occasions, openly criticised the current US administration – particularly on matters of migration policy. As a cardinal, he voiced concern over statements made by US vice president J.D Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019.
He shared an article challenging Vance’s interpretation of Christian love in relation to immigration. Prevost also shared posts critical of both Donald Trump and Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland.
In this light, the election of an American pope – once a prospect viewed with suspicion – could now represent one of the strongest moral voices against the hardline migration policies of his own country’s government and a counterbalance to Donald Trump’s influence.
The choice of the name Leo is also potentially significant here. Pope Leo XIII strongly opposed extreme nationalism, viewing it as a threat to the Church’s universal mission and moral authority.
While acknowledging the value of legitimate patriotism, he maintained that loyalty to God and the church must always take precedence over allegiance to the nation-state. In encyclicals such as Immortale Dei and Sapientiae Christianae, he defended the church’s supranational character and cautioned against subordinating faith to national interests.
For Leo XIII, true civic virtue could never conflict with divine law, and any form of nationalism that did so risked becoming a kind of idolatry. In an era of rising nationalism across the globe – particularly in the United States – connecting to this message would be a clear and powerful statement.
While the prospect of an American pope once caused concern, the choice of Leo XIV shows sensitivity to the world’s margins. Yet, in a Church where Catholic growth is most pronounced in Africa and Asia – while numbers continue to decline in Europe and the Americas – the election of another western pontiff is not without its challenges. Some regions may still feel overlooked or underrepresented.
A promising gesture was the decision to deliver a brief message in Spanish from the balcony of St Peter’s – the first time in papal history. At the same time, it is striking that the most globally diverse conclave ever convened has placed the church’s leadership in the hands of a cardinal from the world’s most powerful nation. The new pope will need to unify a church that is increasingly global and moving beyond its eurocentric past.
Massimo D’Angelo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
New reports examine impact of nuclear decommissioning in Scotland
Research offers a positive outlook for communities impacted by the decommissioning process.
A new study has revealed that Scotland’s £25 billion nuclear decommissioning programme could deliver significant long-term economic and social benefits at both national and local levels over the next 90 years and beyond.
The research – led by the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC), in collaboration with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) – has highlighted potential economy-wide gains in employment, skills development, household income and consumption offering a positive outlook for communities impacted by the decommissioning process.
The study has helped inform politicians and key policy makers on the opportunities and has contributed to the formation of a cross-party committee on nuclear decommissioning in the Scottish Parliament.
As one of the UK’s key nuclear decommissioning sites, Dounreay plays a crucial role in the NDA’s long-term efforts to safely decommission early nuclear facilities. It has been a stable employer since it was established in the 1950s but the decommissioning process brings uncertainty for the surrounding communities about the future.
Interviews were carried out with residents and stakeholders in Caithness and North Sutherland directly impacted by decommissioning at Dounreay. The responses were that the issues are compounded by underinvestment in essential infrastructure, rural depopulation, and remoteness. At the same time, the presence of the skilled workforce as well as the increased interest in the region’s renewable energy resources means that decommissioning can be a driver for building future skills and capacities for economic diversification and local resilience.
Heather Barton, Cross Industry Learning Manager at the NDA, said:
It has been great to engage with another area of the University of Aberdeen, the Just Transition Lab, through our partnership with the NDC.
A real strength of working with the NDC is that there are numerous areas where we can collaborate to achieve our goals of decommissioning the UK’s nuclear sites safely, securely, sustainably and cost effectively.
This study will help inform politicians and policy makers on key economic development opportunities and enable discussions around support for communities including skills and training.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Case study
Perseverance pays off for fast streamer Folashade
Meet the civil servant who secured a coveted spot on the Civil Service Fast Stream accelerated development programme at the fourth attempt.
Folashade Atiko
If you’d told Folashade Atiko five years ago she’d be working right at the heart of government and beginning to help shape policies that could impact on all our lives, she simply wouldn’t have believed you.
But it’s the 28-year-old civil servant’s own tenacity, talent and resilience that secured her a spot on the coveted Fast Stream accelerated development programme at the fourth attempt – and she’s already seizing the opportunities that it brings.
Since joining the programme’s policy scheme, the strategy adviser at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has met senior ministers, provided support in a House of Lords debate and is helping to deliver a UK-wide strategy on social cohesion.
Best of all, she is helping to bring the changes she could only dream about whilst studying for a Masters degree in International Development and Public Health at the University of Sheffield.
“If you’d have told the ‘university me’ who was writing about these things, that one day I might be advising the government on it, I wouldn’t have believed it – but I actually am,” she said.
Fast Stream
The Fast Stream is regarded as one of the UK’s top employers for graduates, blending workplace learning with formal training and, depending on the scheme, the chance to work towards professional qualifications. One in nine of those who gained a coveted place in 2024 were existing civil servants and they have the chance to become a Grade 7 within three years.
Folashade, who lists two-plus years’ supermarket work and a role as a car parking attendant on her pre Civil Service CV, first applied for the programme back in 2020. Whilst two attempts for the Fast Stream were unsuccessful, Folashade did secure a Summer Internship which was extended before joining the Civil Service at the DWP as a policy graduate It was from this role that she applied to the Fast Stream another two times, finally winning a coveted place on her fourth go.
“I did it with a lot of perseverance,” she said. “I kept trying until they realised I was the sort of person who should be on the Fast Stream.“
And actually gaining that hands-on experience has proved invaluable to Folashade.
“I knew I wanted to be a fast streamer, but I didn’t know what they wanted from me to be able to help me get there,” she explained.
“But having been in the Civil Service for a bit longer and gaining institutional knowledge, I was more able to put it into practice. It gave me a great foundation. I really would recommend it to existing civil servants.”
Broadening horizons
Folashade is driven to make a difference to the lives of others and believes the Fast Stream is helping achieve that goal.
So whilst being involved in meetings that include the highest ministers of state and taking up new opportunities (Folashade even developed a debating pack for minister Lord Khan of Burnley and sat in on his debate at the House of Lords) might add a touch of glamour to her role, she remains firmly grounded.
“As exciting as that really was, I still love the day to day of coming into work, working on really important issues and finding ways to tackle loneliness and loss of community,” she said.
A bright future
As well as completing her Masters degree (she joined the Civil Service during that period), Folashade is open to the many varied opportunities open to fast streamers.
“I would definitely like to be in the sort of space where I am now, where the policies I’m helping to design,develop and deliver are almost immediate,” she said.
“I definitely want a role where I’m going to work every day to make where I live or where other people live better.”
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Massimo D’Angelo, Research Associate in the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, Loughborough University
Pope Leo XIV has been elected as the 267th pontiff, leader of the Catholic church and spiritual guide to more than 1.4 billion Catholics. He is the first pope in history to come from the United States.
Since the 19th century, the influence of the United States within the Catholic Church has steadily increased, mirroring the country’s global geopolitical rise. American bishops, institutions and donors have played a growing role in shaping church policy, appointments and international engagement, signalling a shift away from traditional European dominance.
This growing influence had long been accompanied by unease over the idea of entrusting the leadership of the global Catholic community to a figure from the world’s most powerful nation. In this sense, the election of Leo XIV is an unexpected and significant choice.
Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955, has spent much of his ecclesiastical life to date in Peru, where he became a respected figure within the local church. He had been sent to Peru on a missions after taking his solemn vows as an Augustinian and studying in Rome.
Once there, he served for many years as judicial vicar and professor of canon, patristic (early Christian), and moral theology in Trujillo. In 2014, he was appointed apostolic administrator of Chiclayo and became its bishop in 2015, a post he held until 2023.
Prevost gained Peruvian citizenship and was widely regarded as a stabilising, pastoral presence in a church often divided between liberation theology and ultra-traditionalism. Known for his humility and approachability, he was respected for his ability to foster dialogue among Peru’s diverse episcopate.
His longstanding commitment to Latin America helped shape his international reputation and proved key to his eventual election as the church’s first North American pope.
Continuity or rupture with Francis?
It is difficult to determine at this early stage whether the election of Leo XIV will mark a continuation of Pope Francis’s pontificate or a clear departure from it. More likely, it will represent something of a middle path.
The first image of the newly elected pope – appearing on the balcony in traditional white and red papal garments, adorned with a gold cross – was striking. It echoed the appearance of Benedict XVI in 2005, in contrast to Francis’s more austere choice of a plain white cassock and silver cross, which reflected a deliberate gesture of humility.
Yet, Leo XIV’s strong focus on the poor – rooted in his years as a missionary in Peru – and his warm greeting to the Peruvian community, one of the Church’s global peripheries, suggest a clear line of continuity with Francis’s pastoral priorities.
Even his choice of name evokes Leo XIII, pope from 1878 to 1903 and author of Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical on social justice and the rights of the poor. Leo XIV may, therefore, embody a papacy that maintains a firm commitment to the marginalised, while adopting a less confrontational, more measured style than that of his reformist predecessor, who sometimes adopted openly anti-curial stances.
A Counterweight to Trump?
Prior to becoming pope, Prevost has, on several occasions, openly criticised the current US administration – particularly on matters of migration policy. As a cardinal, he voiced concern over statements made by US vice president J.D Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019.
He shared an article challenging Vance’s interpretation of Christian love in relation to immigration. Prevost also shared posts critical of both Donald Trump and Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland.
In this light, the election of an American pope – once a prospect viewed with suspicion – could now represent one of the strongest moral voices against the hardline migration policies of his own country’s government and a counterbalance to Donald Trump’s influence.
The choice of the name Leo is also potentially significant here. Pope Leo XIII strongly opposed extreme nationalism, viewing it as a threat to the Church’s universal mission and moral authority.
While acknowledging the value of legitimate patriotism, he maintained that loyalty to God and the church must always take precedence over allegiance to the nation-state. In encyclicals such as Immortale Dei and Sapientiae Christianae, he defended the church’s supranational character and cautioned against subordinating faith to national interests.
For Leo XIII, true civic virtue could never conflict with divine law, and any form of nationalism that did so risked becoming a kind of idolatry. In an era of rising nationalism across the globe – particularly in the United States – connecting to this message would be a clear and powerful statement.
While the prospect of an American pope once caused concern, the choice of Leo XIV shows sensitivity to the world’s margins. Yet, in a Church where Catholic growth is most pronounced in Africa and Asia – while numbers continue to decline in Europe and the Americas – the election of another western pontiff is not without its challenges. Some regions may still feel overlooked or underrepresented.
A promising gesture was the decision to deliver a brief message in Spanish from the balcony of St Peter’s – the first time in papal history. At the same time, it is striking that the most globally diverse conclave ever convened has placed the church’s leadership in the hands of a cardinal from the world’s most powerful nation. The new pope will need to unify a church that is increasingly global and moving beyond its eurocentric past.
Massimo D’Angelo 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: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Experience the “atmosphere of old Shanghai” in Shanghai’s hutongs, study Huangmei opera dressed in hanfu in Anhui Province, and get to know the pottery culture in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province… Sasha (Alexandra Antonenko), a Russian zoomer, studies Chinese customs and traditions and posts her impressions through the lens of her camera on her social media account, “Doctor of Sciences Alexandra.”
Having appeared on social media two years ago, the doctoral student of Shanghai Jiaotong University has become a “super popular blogger”, and her “hits”: “Everyday Life of a Chinese-Russian Family”, “How Much Do You Know About Russia?”, “Sasha Learns Chinese” and other videos have won numerous awards. In 2023, her work won first place in the short video competition “Generation Z Sings About China – The History of Shanghai”; and in 2024, she was recognized as one of the best in the 6th International Short Video Competition “A Look at China from the Outside”.
“Social networks create our world in “real time”, many of my foreign friends are interested in how I live in China, so I came up with the idea to show my daily life, culture and local cuisine through video. So I hope to build a cultural bridge between China, Russia and the whole world through the camera,” Sasha told the ChinaNews internet portal in an exclusive interview why she decided to make short videos.
The fact that Sasha became a “star blogger” is largely due to the “behind-the-scenes” support of her husband Zhao Yiwei. In 2022, Sasha, who at that time had only lived in China for a month, met Zhao Yiwei in a coffee shop, gradually, thanks to many common interests, they discover each other’s spiritual world – this is how a love story begins that knows no boundaries. Over three years, they visited more than 20 cities in China, tried dishes from different regions, visited great mountains, saw great rivers … The videos that Sasha filmed during her trips made her family in Russia and fans from all over the world exclaim: “It turns out that China is not only skyscrapers!”
Her video “How to be safe in China” has gone viral abroad in particular. In this video, Sasha walks alone along the night streets of Shanghai and has friendly conversations with passersby who give her the warmth and ease of this city. “Many people are getting to know China again through many real stories like ours, this is the main purpose of why we make such videos and their value, and this motivates us to continue this work,” said Zhao Yiwei.
In February 2025, Sasha and Zhao Yiwei registered their marriage in China.
Like many multinational couples, they have encountered cultural contradictions during their life together, but their openness and willingness to learn from each other always allow them to find quick solutions to problems. In the future, Sasha dreams of combining scientific work and filming videos. She is diligently studying Chinese and plans to conduct research on China’s foreign policy in order to create a more professional platform for cultural communication that will help those who are interested. And Zhao Yiwei emphasized that it is important not only to read a lot of books, but also to travel ten thousand li, he does not want to engage in superficial propaganda, but hopes to build a “cultural bridge” for communication step by step, brick by brick.
In February 2025, the “cross-border love story” ended happily: Sasha and Zhao Yiwei registered their marriage in China, and in May they plan to hold a wedding with elements of Chinese and Russian styles. On their social media accounts, they received many comments from fans wishing them “eternal love”, which prompted them to continue filming videos.
“Cultural differences are not a barrier, but a key that opens a new world, I am sure that our story is just beginning,” says Sasha.
