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  • Meghan Markle launches ‘thoughtful’ collection of wines | Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex

    Meghan Markle launches ‘thoughtful’ collection of wines | Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex

    Meghan Markle has announced her latest foray into lifestyle branding, with the Duchess of Sussex expanding As Ever product line now set to feature a “thoughtful” collection of wines.

    A press release on Tuesday described the first wine to become available as “a light, fresh, and effortlessly celebratory 2023 Napa Valley Rosé, thoughtfully curated by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex”.

    “This debut rosé marks the beginning of As Ever’s thoughtful expansion into wine, with a Méthode Champenoise Napa Valley sparkling wine planned for the near future and additional varietals to follow,” it said.

    Meghan’s team also set the stage for where the wine might be best consumed: “Designed for summer’s best moments – from lunches that turn into dinners and sun-drenched weekends where the only thing louder than the music is the laughter.”

    The manufacturer, Fairwinds Estate in Napa valley, located six hours drive from the Montecito home Markle shares with Prince Harry, also makes wine for Barry Manilow, the estate of John Wayne and the TV series Yellowstone.

    Other celebrities who have also put their names to wine in recent years include Cameron Diaz (Avaline), director Francis Ford Coppola, Post Malone ( Maison No 9) and the ever-entrepreneurial Snoop Dogg, with 19 Crimes Cali Red.

    Some celebrities have done well with alcohol ventures, including Brad Pitt, whose Miravel rosé brand is valued at around $200m, and George Clooney’s Casa Amigos tequila brand, established in 2103 and sold for $1bn four years later.

    The bespoke or craft wine business is rapidly growing. Estimated at $35bn globally in 2019, it is projected to reach almost $49bn by 2027.

    Meghan’s growing list of As Ever products includes a crepe mix, a shortbread mix with flower sprinkles, apricot spread in “keepsake packaging”, a limited edition orange blossom honey, and various teas. All products on As Ever’s website were sold out as of Tuesday morning, along with the reassuring message to consumers: “More coming soon.”

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  • AI and automated biology combine to improve enzymes – News Bureau

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — By combining artificial intelligence with automated robotics and synthetic biology, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have dramatically improved performance of two important industrial enzymes — and created a user-friendly, fast process to improve many more.

    Led by Huimin Zhao, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the U. of I., the team reported its findings in the journal Nature Communications.

     “Enzymes have been increasingly used in energy production, in therapeutics, even in consumer products like laundry detergent. But they are not as widely used as they could be, because they still have limitations. Our technology can help address those limitations efficiently,” said Zhao, who also is affiliated with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the U. of I.

    Enzymes are proteins that carry out specific catalytic functions that drive many biological processes. Those seeking to harness enzymes to advance medicine, technology, energy or sustainability often run into roadblocks involving an enzyme’s efficiency or its ability to single out a desired target amidst a complex chemical environment, Zhao said.

    “Improving protein function, particularly enzyme function, is challenging because we don’t know exactly what kinds of mutations we should introduce — and it’s usually not just a single mutation; it’s a lot of synergistic mutations,” Zhao said. “With our model of integrating AI and automated synthetic biology, we offer an efficient way to solve that problem.”

    Zhao’s group previously reported an AI model to predict an enzyme’s function based on its sequence. In the new paper, the researchers take their AI a step farther: predicting what changes to a known protein would improve its function.

    “In a typically sized enzyme, the possible number of variations is larger than the number of atoms in the universe,” said Nilmani Singh, the co-first author of the paper. “So we use the AI method to help us create a relatively small library of potentially useful variant combinations, instead of randomly searching the whole protein sequence.”

    However, training and improving an AI model is more than just code; it requires a lot of input, data and feedback. So the Illinois team coupled their AI models with the automated capabilities offered by the iBioFoundry, a center at the U. of I. dedicated to quick, user-friendly engineering and testing of biological systems ranging from enzymes to whole cells. Zhao directs the iBioFoundry, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.  

    In the new paper, the researchers lay out their process: First, they ask the AI tool how to improve a desired enzyme’s performance. The AI tool searches datasets of known enzyme structures and suggests sequence changes. The automated protein-building machines at the iBioFoundry produce the suggested enzymes, which are then rapidly tested to characterize their functions. The data from those tests are fed into another AI model, which uses the information to improve the next round of suggested protein designs.

    “It’s a step toward a self-driving lab: a lab that designs its own proteins, makes the proteins, tests them and makes the next one,” said Stephan Lane, the manager of the iBioFoundry and co-first author. “The designing and learning is done by an AI algorithm, and the building and testing is done by robotics.”

    Using this method, the team produced variants of two key industrial enzymes with substantially improved performance. One enzyme, added to animal feed to improve its nutritional content, increased its activity by 26 times. The other, a catalyst used in industrial chemical synthesis, had 16 times greater activity and 90 times greater substrate preference, meaning it was far less likely to grab molecules that were not its target.    

    “We described two enzymes in the paper, but it’s truly a generalized approach. We only need a protein sequence and an assay,” Zhao said. “We want to try to apply it to as many enzymes as possible.”

    Next, the researchers plan to continue improving their AI models and upgrade equipment for even faster, higher-throughput synthesis and testing. They also have developed a user interface, enabling the system to run with a simple typed query. Their aim is to offer their method as a service for other researchers seeking to improve enzymes and speed drug development and innovations in energy and technology.

    “For the user interface, the motivation is to allow people with different backgrounds to use the tool,” said graduate student Tianhao Yu, a coauthor of the paper. “If an experimental scientist doesn’t know how to run Python programs, then they can use our interface to help them run the program. They just need to use English to describe their needs, and it will automatically run.”

    The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported this work.

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  • Top 5 women’s health headlines you missed in June 2025

    Top 5 women’s health headlines you missed in June 2025

    Top 5 women’s health headlines you missed in June 2025 | Image Credit: © sebra – stock.adobe.com.

    June 2025 delivered pivotal updates across the field of women’s health, spanning clinical guidance, therapeutic innovation, policy statements, and new research insights.

    From ACOG’s condemnation of violence against reproductive health providers to promising trial data on managing vasomotor symptoms and recurrent bacterial vaginosis, this month’s developments reflect both the clinical and societal forces shaping OB/GYN practice today. Additional highlights include updated AAP recommendations on adolescent contraceptive care and new findings linking ADHD to increased risk of premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

    In this monthly roundup, Contemporary OB/GYN summarizes the most significant clinical findings, expert commentary, and policy developments from June 2025.

    Click on each headline below for full coverage and analysis.

    1. Elinzanetant found to reduce VMS from endocrine therapy for breast cancer

    A phase 3 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that elinzanetant significantly reduced moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms in women receiving endocrine therapy for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. Among the 474 participants, those receiving elinzanetant reported up to 3.5 fewer daily hot flash episodes by week 4 compared to placebo. Improvements in sleep and menopausal quality of life were also greater in the elinzanetant group. These findings address a critical need, as vasomotor symptoms often undermine adherence to endocrine therapy, potentially affecting long-term cancer outcomes.

    2. Secnidazole shows promise for recurrent BV treatment in new clinical trial

    New data presented at the 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting support the long-term use of secnidazole oral granules for recurrent bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition affecting nearly 1 in 3 reproductive-aged women in the U.S. In a small trial, once-weekly 2 g doses showed comparable or improved efficacy to CDC-recommended suppressive regimens. Lead investigator Chemen M. Neal, MD, emphasized the potential for simplified dosing to improve adherence and reduce recurrence. The findings also underscore the need for accurate diagnosis and sustained management of BV, which carries both physical and psychosocial burdens.

    3. ACOG condemns violence against reproductive health care providers

    In a joint statement, ACOG president Steven J. Fleischman, MD, and CEO Sandra E. Brooks, MD, condemned recent acts of violence targeting reproductive health care providers, including a bombing at a Minnesota fertility clinic and online harassment of clinicians. The statement, released following the 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting, underscored the escalating risks ob-gyns face for delivering comprehensive reproductive care. Citing long-standing patterns of ideologically motivated violence, ACOG called for strengthened protections under policies like the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and urged political leaders to oppose threats against providers.

    4. AAP issues updated guidance on contraception for adolescents

    The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidance on adolescent contraceptive care, urging pediatricians to provide developmentally appropriate, confidential counseling and access to the full spectrum of contraceptive methods. Published in the July 2025 issue of Pediatrics, the policy emphasizes equity, autonomy, and shared decision-making. The AAP highlights the need for proactive engagement given persistent gaps in contraceptive use among teens and calls for expanded access through telehealth and school-based care. Pediatricians are also encouraged to integrate contraception discussions with broader sexual health care, including STI screening and HPV vaccination.

    5. ADHD linked to higher risk of premenstrual dysphoric disorder

    Women with ADHD may face a significantly higher risk of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), according to new findings published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Using survey data from U.K. participants, researchers found PMDD symptoms were over three times more likely in women with ADHD, and risk was even higher when anxiety or depression was also present. PMDD was identified in 31.4% of those with ADHD versus 9.8% of those without. The study’s authors called for increased screening and a better understanding of how hormonal changes affect women with ADHD to address diagnostic disparities.

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  • H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Six-month report 2025

    H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Six-month report 2025

    Press release

    Second quarter (1 March 2025 – 31 May 2025)

    • Sales in local currencies increased by 1 percent in the second quarter, with 4 percent fewer stores at the end of the quarter compared with the same point in time last year. Excluding these closures, sales increased by 3 percent. Converted into SEK, net sales amounted to SEK 56,714 m (59,605). Net sales in SEK were negatively affected by a currency translation effect of around 6 percentage points due to the strengthened Swedish krona.
    • Gross profit amounted to SEK 31,425 m (33,569), which corresponds to a gross margin of 55.4 percent (56.3). The gross margin was negatively affected mainly by external factors such as a more expensive US dollar and high freight costs, which increased the cost of purchasing for the second quarter, but also by the company’s investments in the customer offering. The external factors that had a negative impact on purchasing in the first half of the year are turning positive for the second half of the year.
    • Selling and administrative expenses amounted to SEK 25,489 m (26,446). In local currencies these expenses increased by 2 percent.
    • Operating profit amounted to SEK 5,914 m (7,098), corresponding to an operating margin of 10.4 percent (11.9). The decrease in operating profit was mainly attributable to the lower gross margin and negative currency translation effects.
    • The result after tax amounted to SEK 3,962 m (5,0641), corresponding to SEK 2.48 (3.151) per share.
    • Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 8,528 m (12,600). Cash and cash equivalents plus undrawn credit facilities were SEK 35,828 m (42,572).
    • The composition of the stock-in-trade is good. During the quarter the stock-in-trade developed in a positive direction with a significantly lower growth rate of 1 percent compared to the first quarter’s increase of 11 percent in local currencies. At the end of the second quarter the volume of goods was lower than at the same point in time last year. Higher purchasing costs explain the increase in stock-in-trade compared with the previous year.

    First half-year (1 December 2024 – 31 May 2025)

    • In local currencies net sales increased by 1 percent in the first half of the year. Converted into SEK, the H&M group’s net sales amounted to SEK 112,047 m (113,274).
    • Gross profit amounted to SEK 58,594 m (61,224). This corresponds to a gross margin of 52.3 percent (54.0).
    • Selling and administrative expenses amounted to SEK 51,427 m (52,010). In local currencies these expenses increased by 1 percent compared with the previous year.
    • Operating profit amounted to SEK 7,117 m (9,175), corresponding to an operating margin of 6.4 percent (8.1). The decrease in operating profit was attributable in full to the lower gross margin, which was negatively affected by external factors such as a more expensive US dollar and higher freight costs, but also by markdowns and investments in the customer offering.
    • The result after tax amounted to SEK 4,541 m (6,2951), corresponding to SEK 2.85 (3.911) per share.
    • Cash flow from operating profit amounted to SEK 12,729 m (16,567).
       
    • The H&M group’s sales in the month of June 2025 are expected to increase by 3 percent in local currencies compared with the same month the previous year. The sales increase of 3 percent is impacted by a negative calendar effect of around one percentage point.
    • Environmental organisation Stand.earth rated the H&M group as the best company in the fashion industry for the group’s work to phase out fossil fuels. The H&M group gained the highest overall score among leading brands in the fashion industry for its climate efforts.
    • The annual general meeting on 7 May 2025 resolved to authorise the board to decide on buybacks of the company’s own class B shares in the period up to the 2026 annual general meeting for the purpose of adjusting the company’s capital structure and enabling purchases of shares for the company’s share-based incentive program. The board of directors has made the decision to buy back the company’s own class B shares to ensure the delivery of class B shares to the participants in the company’s long-term incentive program (LTIP). The cumulative number of shares that can be purchased is 1,100,000 shares, for a maximum cumulative amount of SEK 175 m.
    • H&M is opening its first stores and online in Brazil, a country with a population of more than 200 million, early in the second half of 2025.

    “Our plan, with its focus on the product offering, the shopping experience and brand, is again confirmed by the progress we see. The positive development in important areas such as online, H&M womenswear and H&M Move, as well as continued focus on good cost control, will contribute to a profitable sales development,” says Daniel Ervér, CEO.

    1. See note 5.

    Comments by Daniel Ervér, CEO
     
    Our plan, with its focus on the product offering, the shopping experience and brand, is again confirmed by the progress we see. The positive development in important areas such as online, H&M womens-wear and H&M Move, as well as continued focus on good cost control, will contribute to a profitable sales development.

    Sales in local currencies increased by 1 percent in the second quarter, with 4 percent fewer stores at the end of the quarter compared with the same point in time the previous year. Excluding these closures, sales increased by 3 percent. Moreover, the quarter is to be seen in light of the fact that the second quarter of 2024 was a strong quarter with a sales increase of 3 percent.

    The quarter’s result was negatively affected by higher purchasing prices as a result of a more expensive US dollar and higher freight costs, but also by the fact that we have continued to invest in the customer offering. Investments made to strengthen our customer offering and give customers even more value for money. The negative external factors that increased the costs of purchasing for the first half of the year are turning positive for the second half of the year.

    Our plan, with its focus on the product offering, the shopping experience and the H&M brand, is confirmed by the progress we see in key parts of the business. With the customer offering at the centre, we have further strengthened the organisation’s focus on product and customer experience. The improvements implemented in online, H&M womenswear and H&M Move, together with increased product availability and closer collaboration with our suppliers, have continued to bring positive results. Portfolio brands also grew in the quarter and COS has developed particularly well. Some measures have a faster impact than others, but the direction is clear and during the year we continue to implement improvements in other parts of the business.

    Our upgraded digital store is now rolled out and the response from customers is positive. In our omni-model we continue to integrate our physical and digital sales channels that complement and strengthen each other. We also continue to expand in growth markets. We look forward to opening both online and physical stores in Brazil in the second half of the year, and taking H&M’s business concept – fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way – to a country that has a population of more than 200 million and a great interest in fashion.

    The integration of sustainability into our daily operations continues to deliver results. The climate and environmental organisation Stand.earth ranks H&M as number one among 42 fashion companies in terms of reducing climate impact. 

    In uncertain times with cautious consumers we monitor macroeconomic and geopolitical developments closely and continuously adapt both the customer offering and the business to meet our customers’ needs in the best way. We continue to strengthen the product offering and the experience both online and in our stores. With a clear plan, a strong financial position, good cost control and committed employees, we see good opportunities for long-term, sustainable and profitable growth.
     

    Communication in conjunction with the six-month report
     
    The six-month report, i.e., 1 December 2024 – 31 May 2025, will be published at 08:00 CEST on 26 June 2025, followed by a combined press and telephone conference at 09:00 CEST for the financial market and media, hosted by CEO Daniel Ervér, CFO Adam Karlsson and Head of IR Joseph Ahlberg. A presentation of the report followed by a Q & A session will be held in English.

    Location: H&M’s head office in Stockholm, Mäster Samuelsgatan 49, 3rd floor, Ljusgården. The event will be broadcasted online and questions can also be asked by telephone. For log in details please register: https://app.webinar.net/vwELGVnGex6 
     
    To book interviews for media in conjunction with the full-year report on 26 June 2025, please contact: Anna Frosch Nordin, Head of Media Relations, telephone +46 73 432 93 14, anna.froschnordin@hm.com.

    Please note that the combined press and telephone conference starts at 09:00 CEST. Also note that there will not be a separate telephone conference in the afternoon CEST.

    Contact

    Joseph Ahlberg, Head of IR +46 73 465 93 92
    Daniel Ervér, CEO +46 8 796 55 00
    (switchboard)
    Adam Karlsson, CFO +46 8 796 55 00
    (switchboard)

    H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ)
    SE-106 38 Stockholm

    Phone: +46 8 796 55 00, e-mail: info@hm.com
    Registered office: Stockholm, Reg. No. 556042-7220

    For more information about the H&M group visit hmgroup.com.

    Information in this interim report is that which H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) is required to disclose under the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014. The information was submitted for publication by the abovementioned persons at 08:00 (CEST) on 26 June 2025. This interim report and other information about the H&M group are available at hmgroup.com.
     
    H & M HENNES & MAURITZ AB (PUBL) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. H&M’s business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. The group’s brands are H&M (including H&M HOME, H&M Move and H&M Beauty), COS, Weekday (including Cheap Monday and Monki), & Other Stories, ARKET, Singular Society and Sellpy. The group also includes several ventures. For further information, visit hmgroup.com.

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  • Exclusive, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina starts from scratch in breakthrough year

    Exclusive, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina starts from scratch in breakthrough year

    Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, back to basics for the 2025 season

    At the start of the year, Davidovich Fokina found himself languishing down in 68th in the ATP rankings, a world away from his career-high rank of 21.

    Among his radical changes were an overhaul of his backroom team. The Málaga man brought in David Sánchez, who he had been working with the previous year, and Félix Mantilla as his key coaches.

    “There are many aspects, but I think the main one has been the life change that I made, the recruitment of the team that I really want,” Davidovich Fokina explains. “I left my former coach, moved to Monaco and said, ‘I have to start my whole team from scratch’.

    “With my manager, Gianmarco [Amatiste], who is also my best friend, we started to make calls and build the team bit by bit. We have a very good team, we are now looking for another coach, a second coach, but for now we are all here.”

    Hailing from the coastal town of Rincón de la Victoria, the world no. 27 is the second-highest ranked Spanish ATP player, behind five-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.

    “There are quite a few Spaniards who are playing quite well nowadays,” he explains, “we also have a very good team for the Davis Cup, so I think that more young players will emerge to make us even stronger in the future.”

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  • Gilts rally as Andrew Bailey hints at reduction in BoE debt sales – Financial Times

    Gilts rally as Andrew Bailey hints at reduction in BoE debt sales – Financial Times

    1. Gilts rally as Andrew Bailey hints at reduction in BoE debt sales  Financial Times
    2. BoE urged to curb bond sales investors say could ‘reignite’ sell-off  Financial Times
    3. Bank of England’s Bailey defends bond programme after Reform UK criticism  Yahoo
    4. BoE echoes central banks’ long bond sensitivity  Reuters
    5. Andrew Bailey defends £150bn BoE losses after Reform UK warns it’s a ‘misuse of taxpayers’ money’  GB News

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  • Centralized Campaigns, AI Support and More for Businesses on WhatsApp

    Centralized Campaigns, AI Support and More for Businesses on WhatsApp

    Today, at our global Conversations conference in Miami, we’re introducing updates to help make WhatsApp the go-to place for doing business.  

    Streamlining Marketing Across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram

    We’re streamlining how businesses can create and manage their marketing strategy across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram – all in Ads Manager. Now, businesses of all sizes can use the same creative, setup flows and budgets in one central place. Once onboarded, businesses can upload their subscriber list and either manually select marketing messages as an additional placement or use Advantage+, and our AI systems will then optimize budgets across placements to maximize performance. Once available, businesses interested in creating ads in Status will be able to do that from Ads Manager too.

    Expanding AI Support

    Image that reads "Business AI" and shows a collage of AI functions on WhatsApp

    As businesses attract more customers, they need additional support responding to an influx of chats. This is where AI can help. We’re exploring a Business AI that can make personalized product recommendations and facilitate sales on any business’ website – and then follow up with customers to answer questions or provide updates right in a WhatsApp chat. And starting soon, we’ll expand Business AIs to more businesses in Mexico. 

    Adding Calling and Voice Options

    Image that reads "Adding calling and video options for larger businesses" and has to images WA calling UI

    There also might be times it’s helpful to provide additional support to customers beyond just a text. In the coming weeks, larger businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform will be able to receive a call from a customer when they want to talk to someone live, or call a customer directly once they’ve asked to hear from you. And starting soon, we’ll also make it possible to send and receive voice messages for additional support, or make a video call which can be helpful for things like a telehealth appointment. Bringing calling and voice updates to the WhatsApp Business Platform will help people communicate in a way that works best for them and paves the way for AI-enabled voice support in the future. Businesses interested in getting started with calling on the WhatsApp Business Platform can work with one of our partners.

    We look forward to hearing how these updates help businesses strengthen relationships with their customers and increase efficiency.


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  • BTS will return in spring 2026 with a new album and world tour

    BTS will return in spring 2026 with a new album and world tour

    NEW YORK — Their reunion? It’s smooth like butter. The K-pop septet BTS will return in spring 2026 with a new album and world tour.

    Members Jin, RM, V, Jimin, J-Hope, Jung Kook and Suga made the announcement Tuesday during a livestream on Weverse, an online fan platform owned by BTS management company Hybe. It was the first time all seven members have broadcast live together since September 2022.

    “We’ll be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year. Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music,” the band said in a statement. “Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas. We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.”

    They also announced a world tour, their first in nearly four years. The news arrives a few weeks after BTS superstars RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook were discharged from South Korea’s military after fulfilling their mandatory service.

    In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea. Six of the group’s seven members served in the army, while Suga, the last to return, fulfilled his duty as a social service agent, an alternative to military service.

    Jin, the oldest BTS member, was discharged in June 2024. J-Hope was discharged in October.

    South Korea’s law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren’t subject to such privileges. However, in 2020, BTS postponed their service after South Korea’s National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to delay their enlistment until age 30.

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  • Tennis, Wimbledon 2025: Barbora Krejčíková comes back to begin title defence with win over Alexandra Eala

    Tennis, Wimbledon 2025: Barbora Krejčíková comes back to begin title defence with win over Alexandra Eala

    From underdog in 2024 to reigning champion in 2025, Barbora Krejčíková emerged to a warm applause on a boiling day at Wimbledon.

    The Czech Olympic tennis champion was in for a tough opening round against rising Filipina star Alexandra Eala, but Krejčíková came through to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday, 1 July.

    Krejčíková will meet Caroline Dolehide or Arantxa Rus in the second round of the Championships 2025.

    More to follow.

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  • Accelerator Behind Scenes Of Essential Tech

    Accelerator Behind Scenes Of Essential Tech

    At the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the 88-Inch Cyclotron is a powerful machine built to accelerate ions and explore the atomic nucleus. For decades, it has helped scientists probe the building blocks of matter.

    There’s another side to this machine that is less well known but equally impactful: It’s an indispensable testbed for electronics, materials, and medical isotopes. By delivering beams of charged particles that can be tuned to different energies and compositions, the 88-Inch Cyclotron plays a surprising and wide-ranging role in science and technology advancing energy technologies, helping spacecraft survive radiation, and improving cancer treatments.

    In collaboration with companies, universities, and government partners, here are a few examples of how the 88-Inch Cyclotron has made modern technology more reliable, resilient, and revolutionary:

    Ensuring Sturdy Satellites for GPS

    Much of the 88-Inch Cyclotron’s work is in testing electronics components think microchips and circuit boards to make sure they can stand up to harsh environments. These efforts are concentrated at the Berkeley Accelerator Space Effects (BASE) Facility, which can emulate years of exposure to space radiation in just hours. Since pioneering this type of heavy ion testing in 1979, researchers have used the 88-Inch Cyclotron to test every generation of GPS the system behind smartphone directions, app-based location services, shipping logistics, emergency response, and many more everyday applications. By assessing how cosmic rays deposit energy and damage electronics on satellites, manufacturers can then design resilient components to keep this crucial tool running smoothly.

    Developing Tougher Materials for Fusion Energy

    Nuclear fusion could provide a huge supply of power, but building a fusion plant that can handle the intense process requires solving fundamental engineering problems. Using an intense beam of high-energy neutrons produced by the 88-Inch Cyclotron, researchers and companies can test materials under consideration for fusion energy machines; for example: optics that focus the laser, structural materials, and the superconducting wire for magnets.

    Previous tests at other facilities used X-rays, beams of charged particles, or low-energy neutrons, which don’t fully replicate the reactions from fusion. Berkeley Lab’s more realistic neutron beam helps teams know how their materials might respond with far greater accuracy, and, in turn, design more resilient equipment up to the challenge. “No one wants to use a poor surrogate for their tests if they can use what’s basically the real thing,” said Andrew Voyles, a UC Berkeley research engineer at the 88-Inch Cyclotron who leads that research program.

    Interior view of the National Ignition Facility, showing an intricate array of equipment and support structures converging toward the center where experiments take place.

    Getting Rockets Ready for Launch

    To prepare for extreme conditions, launch vehicles like the Atlas, Delta, and Falcon rockets have tested their electronics at the BASE Facility. Prototype components undergo rigorous trials that reveal design vulnerabilities and allow for crucial improvements before launch. The impact of even a single high-energy particle a “single event effect” can disrupt or disable an unprotected microchip. BASE Facility research coordinator Mike Johnson estimates that over 90% of the U.S. spacecraft that have ever gone to space have at least some of their electronics evaluated at the 88-Inch Cyclotron.

    A rocket fires up into scattered clouds, causing clouds of dust on the ground.

    Accelerating Access to Cancer Therapies

    Actinium-225 is a promising isotope for targeted cancer treatments, but it’s notoriously difficult to produce. It has been called “the rarest drug on Earth,” with a global supply of about 1,000 doses a year. Researchers used the 88-Inch Cyclotron’s neutron beam to pioneer a new method to make the isotope more efficiently. The team also designed and tested a piece of equipment that industry can license and pair with the technique to produce actinium-225 in far larger quantities potentially thousands of doses per week. In addition, experts at the facility research the optimal ways to make other medical isotopes used in PET scans, diagnostics, and potential treatments, and have shared that knowledge with industry and academic partners across the country.

    “We do these basic measurements to find the optimum recipes for making these rare isotopes, then hand it off to production facilities that can start making it in large quantities,” Voyles said. “We sit at this intersection of really interesting scientific challenges with massive societal benefits on a time scale faster than you usually see in physics. It’s the best of both possible worlds: We get to do impactful work while figuring out some cool science in the process.”

    Three black and white images of a person's body. The first is scattered with spots throughout the body. The second and third scans have almost no black spots.

    Powering Space Science to Explore Our Universe

    At the BASE Facility, researchers can tune the particle beam and adjust the “cocktail” of ions and energies to simulate different radiation conditions that you might find in low-Earth orbit, deep space, or on the surface of another planet. That adjustability helps space agencies like NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) assess their equipment as precisely as possible. The 88-Inch Cyclotron has tested electronics for dozens of high-profile missions, including multiple Mars rovers, the New Horizons mission to Pluto, and the James Webb Space Telescope. “We’ve tested parts for spacecraft that have gone to all the planets in the solar system,” Johnson said.

    NASA's Curiosity rover surrounded by rocks and dust under a hazy orange sky, capturing a panoramic view of the Martian landscape with its onboard camera.

    Keeping Astronauts and Missions Safe

    When astronauts venture into space, the stakes are even higher. The 88-Inch Cyclotron has supported human spaceflight efforts for decades, testing electronics for the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and spacesuits. Recently, it’s been used to evaluate the electronics in the latest generation of extravehicular mobility units, spacesuits designed for NASA’s Artemis program and future missions to the Moon and Mars. These tests help engineers identify how radiation might affect systems, allowing teams to troubleshoot and safeguard those technologies before astronauts rely on them in the field.

    Person in a white spacesuit with a reflective face shield moves along the exterior of a section of the ISS. Earth is visible in the background.

    Lowering Costs for Molten Salt Reactors

    Molten salt reactors are a next-generation nuclear energy design that use liquid salts (similar to sodium chloride, or table salt) to transfer heat and eventually create electricity. Designers had theorized that chlorine isotope impurities in the salt might absorb too many neutrons, limiting reactor performance and filtering out the impurities was expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. But the reaction had never been tested directly. Using a neutron beam at the 88-Inch Cyclotron, researchers measured the process and found that the impact was negligible. Filtering the chlorine wouldn’t be necessary, saving potential commercial developers money and making molten salt reactors more viable.

    Three people standing in a lab space. One adjusts a piece of equipment on a tripod.

    Supporting National Defense with Hardened Tech

    Electronics used in national defense systems must withstand extreme conditions. The Missile Defense Agency and Test Resource Management Center are among those who use the BASE Facility to test and strengthen critical components. By replicating challenging radiation environments, the cyclotron ensures that these systems remain reliable under stress. “Even on land, depending on what a computer is doing, you might have sensitive parts,” Johnson said. “It highlights the importance of this kind of testing. Whether damaging particles come from the sun or a nuclear incident, if you have these parts fail, you could lose crucial systems.”

    Two people work on electronics in a narrow enclosure.

    Making Travel Safer by Testing Parts for Cars and Planes

    While much of the 88-Inch Cyclotron’s testing focuses on electronics destined for space, its capabilities are also important for systems on Earth that require high reliability and safety. Modern commercial aircraft and vehicles rely on increasingly complex electronics, from autonomous navigation systems and flight control computers to advanced driver-assist features in cars. These systems must be able to withstand single event effects from cosmic rays that find their way to Earth. Companies working on aviation and automotive technologies use the BASE Facility to rapidly put their electronics through their paces.

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