Tamron has announced the 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 zoom lens for both Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount, completing its second generation trinity — the “Daisangen” as Tamron calls it — as the new lens joins the 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 and 70-180mm f/2.8 G2 telephoto zooms.
Daisangen is a term that originated from the game of mahjong, Tamron explains, and refers to a winning hand made by collecting three sets of dragon tiles.
“Drawing from this concept, the photography industry uses the term “daisangen lenses” in Japan to describe a set of three zoom lenses—a wide-angle, a standard, and a telephoto—all featuring a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout their zoom range,” Tamron says.
This third lens in its trifecta of G2 optics builds upon what Tamron calls the success of the “highly acclaimed” 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A046). The 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 expands the zoom range but maintains a compact form factor and lightweight design along with maintaining the company’s promise of exceptional image quality. Tamron also says that the lens features improved autofocus performance which contributes to overall better operability.
Tamron also says that from a design perspective, it improved the ergonomic design of the body and made the lens with an “enhanced” exterior surface. The lens also comes with the promise of exceptional optical performance along with beautiful bokeh.
The Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 features a construction of 16 elements arranged into 12 groups, although the company does not note the inclusion or number of any special glass elements or coatings in that formula. It has an aperture range of f/2.8 through f/16 — an unusually tight aperture range, especially for a zoom lens — via a nine-bladed diaphragm. The lens has a minimum object distance of 7.5 inches at the wide end and 11.8 inches at the telephoto end. It measures four inches long on Sony E-mount and is a slightly longer 4.1 inches on Nikon Z-mount. Similarly, the lens weighs 440 grams for Sony cameras and is slightly heavier 450 grams for Nikon cameras.
Tamron says the lens has a moisture-resistant construction, a fluorine coating on the front element, and the 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 also has a common 67mm front filter thread. It is also, of course, compatible with Tamron’s Lens Utility software.
Below are a few sample photos taken with the new lens, courtesy of Tamron:
The 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 zoom lens will be available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts for $929. The Sony E-mount version will be available on July 31 and the Nikon Z mount on August 22.
Amphibious seals are less susceptible to hearing loss from airborne noises than their relatives and some can learn to close their ears for protection.
Seals are exposed to a variety of human noises in coastal environments, from underwater noises due to shipping, dredging, and sonars, to airborne noises like cars and planes. It is important to study the impact of these sounds on the animals’ hearing.
Reichmuth et al. analyzed a historical dataset from the University of California Santa Cruz to determine the onset of temporary threshold shift (TTS) in seals, which is the temporary decrease in hearing from loud noises.
“Our team worked together over several years to complete and publish this study, the results of which are still very relevant today,” said author Colleen Reichmuth.
To perform the experiments, the team trained a northern elephant seal and a harbor seal to voluntarily leave their pools and enter a hearing chamber to perform listening experiments. They first determined the hearing sensitivity of the two seals in a controlled, quiet environment, and then after exposure to noise of fixed bandwidth, level, and duration, they retested the seals so the researchers could measure any hearing changes.
They found that compared to related species — sea lions and fur seals — seals appear to be less susceptible to hearing loss from airborne noise. By providing missing data for amphibious seals, “these results can be used to refine noise exposure criteria for marine mammals,” Reichmuth said.
They also found that the duration of the noise was more impactful to changes in TTS than noise level.
Surprisingly, the team observed that one harbor seal experienced a change in noise sensitivity over the course of the experiment, as it learned to close its ears to protect itself from the noise, “an intriguing possibility that merits further study,” Reichmuth said.
Source: “Temporary threshold shifts from mid-frequency airborne noise exposures in seals,” by Colleen Reichmuth, Jillian M. Sills, Jason Mulsow, Marla M. Holt, and Brandon L. Southall, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0036849.
People walk in heatwave in Paris, France. — AFP/File
PARIS: Paris was on red alert for high temperatures on Tuesday, with the top of the Eiffel Tower shut, polluting traffic banned and speed restrictions in place as a searing heatwave gripped Europe.
Mediterranean countries from the Iberian peninsula through France and Italy to the Balkans and Greece have been sweltering in a heatwave for several days, prompting health warnings and alerts about increased risk of wildfires.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is making such heatwave events more intense, frequent and widespread.
Temperatures in France were expected to hit a peak on Tuesday, according to the Meteo France weather agency, with the highest extreme heat warning in place in 16 departments across the country.
A total of 68 others were on the second-highest level.
Meteo France forecast very high minimums ranging from 20-24 degrees Celsius “or slightly higher in some localised areas, and maximums reaching 36 to 40C with some peaks at 41C”.
Operators of the Eiffel Tower shut the summit of the 330 metre (1,083-feet) high landmark at 1100GMT on Monday and said it would remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday “due to the current heatwave”.
Access to the first and second floors remained open but operators still urged caution.
“Remember to protect yourself from the sun and stay hydrated. Water fountains are available in the walkways leading to the esplanade,” they said.
Across the Ile-de-France region which includes Paris, police said all but the least polluting vehicles would be banned from the roads from 0330GMT to 2200GMT because of high ozone pollution levels.
Speed limits of 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) per hour would also remain in some places.
Across the country, the government said it expected nearly 1,350 schools to be partially or completely shut — nearly double the number on Monday — with teachers complaining of overheated and unventilated classrooms making students unwell.
Warnings were issued for young children, older people and those with chronic illnesses.
“Heatwaves are deadly,” said Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, west of London.
“We need to treat extreme heat with the same seriousness we give to dangerous storms.”
Roll cloud
Portugal will see some respite on Tuesday after two days on red alert in several regions, including Lisbon, and warnings will be downgraded to orange alert in all but eight areas inland.
But temperatures were still expected to reach 40C in the central city of Castel Branco, Beja and Evora in the south, and 34C in the capital.
The national meteorological agency IPMA said those on the beaches in northern and central Portugal would have seen a rare “roll cloud” blown towards the coast on Monday.
Images shared on social networks showed a huge horizontal cloud heading from the horizon towards the shore, accompanied by a violent gust of wind when it reached land.
“The most frightening thing was the wind and everything becoming dark,” one swimmer told online media outlet ZAP. “It was very strange. We all started packing up our things and running.
“It looked like a tsunami.”
Similar temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s were forecast in Spain after they soared to 46C in the south — a new record for June, according to the national weather agency.
Red alerts have been issued for 18 Italian cities in the coming days, including Rome, Milan, Verona, Perugia and Palermo, as well as across the Adriatic on the Croatian coast and Montenegro.
Italy also experienced another type of extreme weather event on Monday when a flash flood in the northern region of Piedmont caused by heavy rains killed a 70-year-old man.
“We are increasingly faced with emergency situations due to weather events that we used to call exceptional but are now more and more frequent,” said the president of the region, Alberto Cirio, on social media.
The Mediterranean Sea itself recorded a new June high of 26.01C on Sunday, according to French weather service scientist Thibault Guinaldo, citing data from EU monitor Copernicus.
The risk of forest fires remains high in a number of Portuguese regions. On Monday night, some 250 firefighters were tackling a blaze in the southern Aljustrel area.
In Turkey, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people threatened by a string of wildfires, most from the western province of Izmir, where winds of 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour fanned the blazes.
LONDON — The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia’s largest and oldest public art gallery, plans to take a look at two groundbreaking female designers, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo, whose careers evolved in parallel, and who both had a taste for provocation.
The show, “Westwood | Kawakubo,” will run from Dec. 7 until April 19 and marks the first time the designers’ fashion has been shown side by side, despite all they had in common.
“They were born within a year of each other, on different sides of the world, and were both self-taught. Both had groundbreaking moments in 1981, with Westwood showing in London, and Kawakubo in Paris,” said Katie Somerville, senior curator, fashion and textiles at the NGV, in an interview.
The similarities don’t end there. Westwood’s 1981 show, which she did with her then-husband and collaborator Malcolm McLaren, was called Pirate, while Kawakubo’s outing for her fledgling label Comme des Garçons was titled Pirates.
Although the women’s aesthetics were different, their mindset was often similar. Both pushed the limits of convention, examined the complex relationship between clothes and the body, and brought historical dress into their work.
“Their work has never been about going quietly — or presenting what’s expected,” Somerville said.
Comme des Garçons spring 2024
YANNIS VLAMOS
The show will feature more than 140 designs, most of them from the museum’s own collection, with the rest from private collections and institutions including London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, Palais Galliera in Paris and the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Somerville said that while they were organizing the show, the NGV received a “transformative” donation of more than 40 recent works from Comme des Garçons. They will also feature in the show.
The exhibition has been organized by theme, and looks at the designers’ embrace of provocation; menswear and tailoring; historical costume, and the female body. It also looks at both women’s ability to make statements about politics and the environment through their designs.
Exhibition highlights include Westwood’s punk ensembles from the late 1970s, popularized by London bands such as The Sex Pistols and Siousie Sioux; a romantic tartan gown from Westwood’s Anglomania collection worn by Kate Moss on the runway in the early 1990s, and the original version of the corseted wedding dress worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in “Sex and The City: The Movie.”
Kawakubo’s works include a sculptural petal ensemble worn by Rihanna on the red carpet and dramatic abstract works that challenge the relationship between the body and clothing. They include gingham sculptural designs from the Body Meets Dress — Dress Meets Body collection from spring 1997.
Looks from Vivienne Westwood‘s 1981 Pirate collection.
While the museum has a strong tradition of showcasing fashion, this is the first time it has put two designers side by side.
“At the NGV, we’ve carved out an innovative model of presenting shows where we pair artists,” said Somerville, adding that recent — and successful — shows have looked at Andy Warhol alongside Ai Wei Wei, and Keith Haring in tandem with Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“We’ve never done one focusing on fashion — or women — and we thought it was a brilliant way” to do both, she said.
“We’ve learned from doing those projects that if you pick two really significant, impactful [artists] and put them together, a whole other layer of things is revealed, other points of connection — and absolute divergence,” she added.
The NGV plans to mark the opening of the exhibition — its annual summer blockbuster show — with a gala on Dec. 6 at NGV International.
“No, no, no!” exclaims an affronted Monica Venturi at the idea that anybody might attempt to pass off spaghetti bolognese as an authentically Italian dish.
Her face is stricken at the thought of adding ragù (meat sauce) to spaghetti and then misnaming it, when, as everybody in her hometown of Bologna knows instinctively, “spaghetti alla bolognese does not exist”.
Monica, as a decades-long veteran pasta-maker along with her sister Daniela Venturi, does not invite argument on her specialist subject.
In fact, the sisters explain, the real spaghetti alla bolognese is made with tuna, tomato and onion, topped off with fresh parsley. And although tuna is a fish, and Italians generally shy away from cheese on seafood, they like to add parmesan. This is because, says Monica, “for Bolognesi people, tuna is not a fish”.
The pasta-making duo are in Dublin as part of a partnership with Birra Moretti which will see them host a two-night pop-up Nonna’s Kitchen at the end of July. At home in Bologna, they run a classic pasta shop, Le Sfogline, where they handmake as much as 60kg of fresh pasta on their busiest week. In the pasta business for almost 30 years and both having nonna (grandmother) status, the sisters know everything about how it should be cooked, eaten and enjoyed.
For the record, the authentic version of the food Irish people like to call spaghetti bolognese is tagliatelle al ragù, ribbon-shaped pasta with slow-cooked meat sauce. The sisters warn that even if you know this, it’s dangerously easy to fall down with the ingredients by using too much of the base mix of celery, carrots and onions.
“You must be aware of this because if you put in too much, it becomes very heavy. And you only taste the three vegetables. This is a mistake I’ve noticed,” says Monica.
Warming to the theme of non-expert pasta gaffes, Monica says the other area where we often tip ourselves into absolute failure is overcooking pasta.
Obeying the “al dente” (literally, to the tooth) rule, where pasta is cooked just to the point of firmness before veering into sogginess, is crucial, the sisters agree. This is especially true for their fresh pasta with eggs, says Daniela. “It cooks very fast.”
Monica (right) and Daniela Venturi in Drury Buildings, Dublin 1. The sisters, who run one of Bologna’s most successful pasta shops, have strong feelings on how it should be made and eaten. Photograph: Dan Dennison
And then we get to lasagne, or lasagna – the lasagna is a single layer of sheet pasta, while lasagne is the plural. There is disapproval on the sisters’ faces when they acknowledge that people in France sometimes eat the dish with a mixed salad, but sheer disbelief when they’re told it is generally served with chips in Ireland. News of garlic bread often being heaped on the side as well prompts such uncomfortable laughter that it seems wise to avoid talk of coleslaw.
Daily lasagne-maker Daniela, who says she still can’t resist sampling her wares after all these years, isn’t giving up on us though. She has a key tip on how to handle béchamel, the white sauce used between lasagna layers.
“You don’t see béchamel when lasagne is ready to eat,” she says, with Monica adding that the sauce is there “for keeping lasagne just a little bit softer”. In other words, a little white sauce goes a long way.
The bread and butter of their business though is tortellini, the small ring-shaped pasta filled with meat that was historically served by Bolognesi at Christmas but is now sold and eaten all year round. The main rule here is to avoid smothering the golden circles of deliciousness in heavy sauces. In fact, you should probably avoid the sauce altogether, and serve it simply “in brodo”, or broth.
This makes sense when you hear of the richness that goes into making the sisters’ top-end tortellini: “Pork loin cooked in butter, mortadella, Parma ham, Parmigiano 36 months old, eggs – it’s that rich that you cannot hide with a sauce,” says Monica.
However, she does admit to occasionally succumbing to a light sauce involving some grated parmesan, two or three spoons of the traditional broth that accompanies the tortellini and fresh cream, but says “just a little” is plenty. “Personally, I don’t like to cover something with sauce even if it’s good.”
She also likes to mop up sauces with bread, believing politeness has no place in such matters.
Despite being Bologna’s queens of home-made pasta, the Venturi sisters do not scoff at dried pasta, especially with fish, which they say does not combine well with the eggs in fresh pasta. Unsurprisingly though, not every dried pasta passes muster. Both recommend Pasta di Gragnano, which is made by mixing durum wheat grown at the Monti Lattari in southern Italy with the local waters. Where this isn’t available, a good rule of thumb, according to Monica, is to go with dried pasta with longer cooking times.
In general, she says she is fairly “straight” when it comes to Italian recipes, believing there’s no reason to mess around with them when they are already proven. She shudders at “terrible” innovations such as adding pineapple to pizza, while Daniela is ashen at the idea of “pizza with chips”.
So, after all these years of making pasta for the people of their native city, do the sisters still eat it every day?
“Oh, yeah,” they reply instantly, with the small qualification that they limit portion sizes to about 200g and avoid “a huge amount” of sauce. They like to try other foods when travelling however, singling out Ireland’s “wonderful meat” for praise but expressing dismay at paying €4 or more for a coffee in Dublin, when a good cup can still be found for … wait for it … €1.30 in Bologna.
Birra Moretti’s Nonna’s Kitchen will take place at Fumbally Stables, Dublin 8, on July 23rd and 24th. Tickets at €30 will be sold on Eventbrite from July 3rd
Teledyne Gas & Flame Detection (Teledyne GFD) is unveiling its PS DUO, a portable dual-gas detector set to enhance personal safety in gas monitoring applications.
This innovative handheld device features real-time monitoring with audible, visual (bright LED) and vibrating alarms, providing immediate alerts when gas levels exceed safety thresholds.
The new PS DUO uses passive diffusion sensing for the continuous detection of harmful gases in potentially hazardous environments, enhancing safety for personnel. It can monitor two gases simultaneously from a wide selection that includes carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulphide (H?S), sulphur dioxide (SO?), ammonia (NH?), oxygen (O?), hydrogen (H?), nitrogen dioxide (NO?) and ozone (O?).
Users of the ATEX/IECEx-rated PS DUO can select flexible gas pairings according to their specific application. The result? Enhanced safety, flexibility and peace of mind in the field, backed by a 2-year warranty.
For applications in regions such as the Middle East, H?S/ SO? capability will prove especially useful. The PS DUO offers a measuring range for H?S of 0~100 ppm with 0.1 ppm resolution, while 10 ppm and 15 ppm represent the low alarm and high alarm respectively. For SO?, users can take advantage of 0~20 ppm measuring range, 0.1 ppm resolution, 2 ppm low alarm and 5 ppm high alarm.
The LCD display provides continuous real-time gas concentration information, while the internal memory supports up to 30 alarm logs. Wireless connectivity allows seamless data retrieval and safety system integration.
Of particular note is the instrument’s rugged, IP67-rated rubberised enclosure, which combines with an ergonomic, compact (56 x 89 x 21mm) and lightweight (200g) design for optimal user comfort, convenience and safety. The PS DUO will operate for up to 2 years on a single replaceable battery under normal use.
“With its reliable performance, flexible gas pairings and wireless integration, our PS DUO offers a powerful new option for industrial safety programmes – backed by Teledyne’s global service and support,” states Pawel KULIK, Product Manager-Portables, Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection. “It adds to an existing and highly successful range of personal safety and gas monitoring solutions that includes our portable Protégé ZM and PS200.”
Available in O2, CO, H2S and SO2 models, the easy-to-use Protégé ZM (Zero Maintenance) single-gas monitor delivers high performance in a small, ergonomically designed package. Offering proven reliability in the field, industrial workers and first responders gain the confidence to focus on the task at hand, not on their equipment.
Teledyne GFD’s PS200 four-gas compliance monitor is compact, lightweight, water resistant and extremely robust. This user-friendly device is a proven performer in hazardous locations with its ability to measure any combination of LEL (Lower Explosive Limit), O?, CO and H?S. The PS200 pumped gas detector features an internal sampling pump for optimal use in confined space applications.
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Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 25, 2025.
NYSE
U.S. equity futures were little changed early Tuesday after the S&P 500 notched another record to close out a stunning quarter.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 37 points, or less than 0.1%. The S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each lost 0.1%.
In regular trading, the broad market S&P 500 advanced 0.52%, posting another record close, while the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite also rose to fresh all-time highs, gaining 0.47%. The blue-chip Dow climbed 275.50 points, or 0.63%.
Monday’s moves came after Canada walked back its digital services tax in an attempt to facilitate trade negotiations with the U.S. Ottawa’s move to rescind the new levy comes after President Donald Trump said on Friday he would be “terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada.”
Traders are hoping for deals between the U.S. and its trading partners, as Trump’s 90-day reprieve on his steepest tariffs is set to expire next week.
Stocks have made an impressive comeback after suffering steep declines in April, after Trump’s sweeping tariff policy pushed the S&P 500 near bear market territory. The major averages have since made a sharp turnaround, with the broad market index closing the second quarter with a 10.6% gain and the Nasdaq up nearly 18% in the period.
Though traders now head into the second half of the year with stocks at record highs, some remain optimistic the market could surge even higher in the months ahead.
“We think this is going to be a broader recovery,” Mike Wilson, chief U.S. equity strategist and chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley, said Monday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.”
“I think with the Fed cutting in the second half of this year or next year, we can see a rolling recovery – because now there’s quite a bit of pent-up demand, particularly in those interest rate sensitive parts of the market,” he added. Those corners of the market include manufacturing and housing, the strategist said.
Traders are looking ahead to the S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index at 9:45 a.m. ET, which will give investors a read on the activity in the manufacturing sector, as well as the ISM manufacturing report at 10 a.m. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) will also be released Tuesday morning.
Looking for a hint for today’s Connections puzzle? Below, we have clues to help you unlock whichever category has you stumped for the puzzle on July 1, 2025.
Connections first launched on the New York Times in June 2023. The premise is deceptively simple: Players have to find the thematic connection of four groups of four words … without making more than four mistakes.
Today’s Connections has categories about getting ready, staying chic and more.
Below are the hints, categories and answers for today’s Connections game, puzzle #751, on July 1.
A hint for each Connections category today, July 1
Yellow group hint: What thieves do
Green group hint: What commuters do
Blue group hint: What “suave” means
Purple group hint: What “Papa Was a Rollin’ —” is missing
