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Starting 5, July 10: Cooper Flagg’s NBA 2K26 Summer League debut marks big day of games
Vegas lights. Flagg flights. And all 30 NBA teams ready to roll.

The NBA 2K26 Summer League is officially here.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

July 10, 2025

Desert Guide: Your all-in-one map to NBA 2K26 Summer League in Vegas

Watch List: Cooper Flagg headlines a slew of can’t-miss rookie debuts over the next two days

First Frames: Summer League pics of No. 1 picks through the years in Vegas

Emirates NBA Cup: Dive into 3 key storylines for each of this year’s 6 groups

PlayStation Creator Cup: Team T Jass gets the win as the top creators put on a show

1. NBA 2K26 SUMMER LEAGUE GUIDE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The 21st year of NBA summer ball in Las Vegas brings all 30 teams together for the NBA 2K26 Summer League, which tips off today and culminates on July 20 with a winner-take-all final.

Acclimate to the desert circuit with everything you need to know below:

What’s the format of the NBA 2K26 Summer League?
- The Slate: A total of 76 games will be played in the 11-day tournament, with all 30 teams playing at least five times
- The Playoffs: After each club plays four games, the top four teams advance to a single-elimination semifinals, capped by the championship on Sunday, July 20 (10 ET, ESPN)
- The Seeding: The four playoff teams will be determined by winning percentage, with head-to-head matchups and point differential serving as the first two tiebreakers
- More Action: The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team playoff will play a fifth consolation game
El Pics/NBAE via Getty Images

Which players are participating in the 2K26 Summer League, and why is it important?
- Why It Matters: Since its inception in 2004, the Summer League in Las Vegas has established itself as a main stage for emerging talent, showcasing future NBA stars year after year
- Why It’s Special: That includes seven active Kia NBA MVPs, the last five Finals MVPs and 14 Kia Rookie of the Year winners – including the last four: Scottie Barnes (2021), Paolo Banchero (2022), Victor Wembanyama (2023) and Stephon Castle (2024)
- Who’s Hitting The Floor: The 2K26 Summer League is stacked with talent – from highly-touted rookies and sophomore standouts to young vets aiming for a breakout, plus unsigned hopefuls looking to make a splash
- Who To Watch: See all 30 official rosters here, along with 15 key players to watch
How can I watch each game, and where are they played?
- Game Locations: The games will be split between the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV
- How To Watch: All 76 games will air on ESPN platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ and ESPN3) or NBA TV
- Full Schedule: Check out the entire 11-day slate
2. WATCH LIST: FLAGG FRONTS SUMMER LEAGUE DEBUTS

Two summers ago, he was lighting up New York City’s iconic Rucker Park in the 2023 SLAM Summer Classic.

Last July, he was turning heads in Vegas at Team USA Olympic training camp, going toe-to-toe with NBA stars before logging a single college minute.

One year later, Cooper Flagg is back in the desert for his first official NBA action – slated to make his Summer League debut tonight against the Lakers (8 ET, ESPN).
- Duke Dominance: A versatile two-way wing, Flagg guided Duke to the 2025 Final Four in his lone collegiate season, leading the Blue Devils in points (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), blocks (1.4) and steals (1.4) per game
- No. 1 Mentality: 15 days after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s Draft, he’s already showing he’s hungry for more – according to Mavs assistant Josh Broghamer, who is coaching Dallas’ Summer League squad
- “He’s one of the first guys in the gym,” said Broghamer on Flagg this week. “We had to make him sit down on the Fourth of July just because he wanted to be here working already…
- “I think that’s something you see with him first, and then the talent.”
More First Looks: While eight teams got an early taste of summer hoops in the California Classic (GSW, LAL, MIA, SAS) and Salt Lake City Summer League (MEM, OKC, PHI, UTA), Vegas will mark the NBA Summer League debut for rookies on the 22 other teams.

That includes two more top 10 picks who will see their first NBA action today – beginning with the tournament’s opening game.
- Jeremiah Fears (No. 7, NOP): An electrifying guard out of Oklahoma, Fears will look to lead New Orleans alongside 13th overall pick Derik Queen – a smooth-operating big – as the Pels tip things off in Vegas against the Wolves (3:30 ET, ESPN2)
- Egor Demin (No. 8, BKN): A crafty forward who set the freshman single-season assist record at BYU, Demin and the Nets face the Thunder – including 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topić, who flashed in Salt Lake City (5:30 ET, ESPN2)
On Friday, six more lottery picks are expected to take the floor, highlighted by a showdown between two sharpshooters as Kon Knueppel (No. 4 overall) makes his Summer League debut against Ace Bailey (No. 5) and the Jazz (7 ET, ESPN).
- Tre Johnson (No. 6, WAS) & Khaman Maluach (No. 10, PHX): A pure three-level scorer in college, Johnson will look to get his first buckets with the Wizards, while Maluach will patrol the paint for the Suns as the two sides square off (9 ET, ESPN)
- Collin Murray-Boyles (No. 9, TOR) & Noa Essengue (No. 12, CHI): An hour prior, Murray-Boyles – known for his defensive motor – faces off against the versatile French forward Noa Essengue as the Raptors battle the Bulls (8 ET, NBA TV)
3. FIRST FRAMES: SUMMER LEAGUE PICS OF NO. 1 PICKS

Before Cooper Flagg makes his much anticipated Summer League debut, let’s take a look back at some other No. 1 overall picks who suited up for summer ball in Vegas – from its inaugural circuit 21 years ago to last July.

Dwight Howard (2004) & Derrick Rose (2008) | Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images

Blake Griffin (2009) & John Wall (2010) | Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Karl-Anthony Towns (2015) & Zion Williamson (2019) | David Dow + Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Cade Cunningham (2021) & Paolo Banchero (2022) | Ethan Miller + Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

Victor Wembanyama (2023) & Zaccharie Risacher (2024) | Ethan Miller + Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images

4. EMIRATES NBA CUP GROUP DRAW RESULTS

The six groups for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup were revealed on Wednesday, setting the stage for the third installment of the NBA’s annual in-season competition.

Group Play begins on Oct. 31 with each team playing one game against the other four teams in their group.

The Group Play schedule will be released at a later date, but knowing the groups, we can dive into the potential storylines now.

East Group A: Cleveland, Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington
- Playoff Rematch: The Pacers defeated the top-seeded Cavs in the East Semis on their way to reaching the NBA Finals
- New-Look Hawks: Last year, Atlanta made the Cup Semis behind All-Tournament selection Trae Young. This year, the Hawks have a deeper cast with offseason additions Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kennard
- We Meet Again: East Finals MVP Pascal Siakam and Indy will face Toronto, where Siakam spent eight seasons, including the franchise’s first NBA title
East Group B: Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
- Gearing Up: Detroit is coming off one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NBA history – a 30-win leap that included a 3-1 record in Group Play in 2024
- Sparking Magic: Orlando looks to build off its quarterfinal appearance in last year’s NBA Cup, adding Desmond Bane to join the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs
- A Storied Rivalry: Boston vs. Philly has seen 470 regular season games and 114 Playoff games. But this will be the first time they meet in the NBA Cup
East Group C: New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Miami, Charlotte
- The Champ Is Here: Led by Emirates NBA Cup 2024 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee will look to defend its NBA Cup championship
- Another Classic Rivalry: Last year, NY went unbeaten in Group Play to reach the Cup quarterfinals. To do so again, the Knicks will need to beat longtime rival Miami
- Tournament Foes: The Bulls and Heat have met in the NBA Play-In Tournament in each of the past three seasons – with Miami eliminating Chicago each time – now they’ll meet in a different tournament
West Group A: Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah
- Another Shot At Gold: The reigning NBA champion Thunder look to add the Emirates NBA Cup title after losing to the Bucks in last year’s Cup Championship
- West Finals Rematch: The last time we saw OKC and Minnesota clash was in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals as the Thunder advanced to the Finals
- Scorching Scorers: This group features three of last season’s top 10 scorers – scoring champ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards (No. 4) and Devin Booker (No. 9)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans
- Familiar Foes: Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis will face their former teams when the Lakers – who won the inaugural in-season competition – face the Mavs
- Five No. 1s: This cohort will feature five No. 1 overall draft picks: LeBron James (2003), Davis (2012), Deandre Ayton (2018), Zion Williamson (2019) and Cooper Flagg (2025). It would be six, but Kyrie Irving (2011) will be unable to play (ACL)
- Four Top 75s: This group features four members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team: AD, LeBron and the Clippers’ duo of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard
West Group C: Houston, Denver, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio
- First Round Rematch: After reaching the NBA Cup Semis and earning the 2-seed in the West, the Rockets were eliminated by the Warriors in a seven-game series. They’ll run it back in Group Play, now with 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant in H-Town
- Hardware Galore: This group features three Kia MVPs and three Finals MVPs in Durant, Steph Curry & Nikola Jokić, along with 2024 Kia ROY Victor Wembanyama
- On The Rise: The Spurs and Blazers – both featuring young, up-and-coming players – look to take the next step in the competitive West
5. TEAM T JASS WINS PLAYSTATION NBA CREATOR CUP

Before the next generation of NBA stars take the court at Las Vegas Summer League today, the top creators in the game hit the hardwood last night for the fourth NBA Creator Cup.

Let’s look back at some of the top moments from the night, both on and off the court.
- All About The Fans: The Pavilion was packed with fans ready to meet their favorite creators before the game tipped off
- Player ➡️ Coach: After showing out in the first three Creator Cups, T Jass made the move to coach this time out – and he had his suit ready for the occasion
- Warming Up Right: Jenna Bandy didn’t even need to see the rim to knock down the backward 20-footer on the first try
Once the game tipped off, the squads wasted no time racking up viral moments.
- First Play, First Highlight: Team Mark started things off with a bang with Duke Skywalka throwing down the alley-oop off the dime from Marcelas Howard
- CC Doing Work: The 6-foot-7 creator showed off his touch on the fadeaway jumper and his power with the double-clutch dunk as he took over the 1st half
- Baron In The Building: NBA legend Baron Davis sat courtside to take in the action, rooting for Trey Phills – the son of Baron’s former teammate, Bobby Phills. And on cue, Trey delivered a 360 slam to ignite the crowd ⬆️
Team T Jass led 46-33 at the half – which featured a shooting showdown between commentators Jesser and FaZe Rug with PlayStations on the line for a pair of young fans.

Despite trailing at the break, Team Mark made a run in the 3rd quarter, cutting the deficit to a single possession with plays like this fastbreak slam that had their coach hyped.
- Team T Jass regained control in the 4th, helping them charge toward the target score of 73
- Sitting on 70 points, Bandy found an open Bjorn Broman sitting behind the 3-point line. With no hesitation, he launched the game-winning triple to bring to Creator Cup championship to Team T Jass
- “I told you we were coming away with the dub!” – Bjorn breaks down the game-winning bucket
- CC = MVP: With a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win, CC earned MVP honors in the fourth NBA Creator Cup
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July 10, 2025
Is Drug Working? Still Needed?

A new allergy medication is prompting clinicians to adjust their approach to oral food challenges — medically supervised tests in which clinicians give increasing doses of an allergen like peanut or milk to see how a patient reacts.

The FDA in 2024 approved omalizumab (Xolair) to help reduce allergic reactions in adults and children aged 1 year or older with immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy. Patients receiving the injections are supposed to avoid foods to which they are allergic. In the event of an accidental exposure, the medication can afford protection against a serious reaction.

The approval opened a new frontier in allergy therapy but also raised questions without clear answers, like: How can patients be sure the medication is working? And how will they know if they “outgrow” an allergy, as some people do?

After the approval, clinicians wrote to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology seeking advice.

Earlier this year, a committee for the academy published a report with “consensus-based guidance” on using omalizumab for food allergy and acknowledged that clinical guidance will likely evolve as groups monitor and report real-world outcomes.

In the meantime, the committee suggested that various approaches to treatment, including the use of oral food challenges to assess treatment response, could be used.

“Clinicians should consider assessing treatment success against individualized goals that the patient and prescribing clinician have set for therapy,” they wrote.

Any food challenges “to assess treatment response should be offered no earlier than 16-20 weeks after initiating omalizumab therapy,” the duration of treatment in a randomized trial that supported the drug’s approval for food allergy, they wrote. “In nonresponding patients, the clinician should strongly consider discontinuation of omalizumab given lack of benefit.”

Although its use for food allergy is relatively new, omalizumab is not a new medication. The drug first was approved for asthma in 2003. The drug also is approved to treat chronic spontaneous urticaria and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

‘Bite Safe’ Testing?

Scott Sicherer, MD, director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, fielded the inquiry when a clinician wrote to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology’s “Ask the Expert” column last year wondering: “With recent approval of Xolair for management of food allergies, how do we approach food challenges?”

In some cases, additional food challenges make sense before starting omalizumab to confirm or rule out possible allergies, so patients are not avoiding certain foods unnecessarily while on therapy, responded Sicherer, who coauthored a 2024 paper in The New England Journal of Medicine about omalizumab for the treatment of multiple food allergies.

After starting therapy, a scaled back food challenge to determine whether treatment has rendered an allergen “bite safe” might be reasonable, added Sicherer, meaning a patient could accidentally have a bite of the food in question without a severe reaction.

“Given that the commitment to treatment includes time and expense and there are no good biomarkers yet, and a small percentage of people do not respond, I think many patients would like an [oral food challenge] to some agreed upon amount of the food, perhaps something they would view as ‘bite safe,’” Sicherer wrote in his response. “If the treatment is not protecting them to small amounts, why continue?”

The exact parameters of such a test could depend on the patient’s goals, Sicherer told Medscape Medical News.

Some patients might simply look for reassurance that they could eat half a peanut without a problem.

If that is the case, “maybe that is what we would aim for,” Sicherer said. “It’s not like there is a rule written down about this.”

Introducing Egg

Sicherer’s reply also discussed ways to handle a scenario where a patient on omalizumab had egg, cashew, and peanut allergies — with the egg allergy expected to resolve.

One approach could involve discontinuing omalizumab for at least 4-5 months before performing an oral food challenge with egg, he wrote.

Alternatively, clinicians might conduct a food challenge with egg while the patient remains on omalizumab.

If they tolerate the full amount of egg on therapy, they could be encouraged to eat that food regularly, Sicherer said.

Then if the patient eventually stops omalizumab and has symptoms after eating egg, then perhaps the allergy never resolved, he added.

Shared Decisions

Understanding a family’s goals and preferences is crucial, said Jennifer Dantzer, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Decisions about food challenges for patients on omalizumab is “something that we are talking through with every family,” said Dantzer, who has studied the medication and coauthored the article in The New England Journal of Medicine with Sicherer.

The definition of treatment success can vary. In some cases, a child might be able to consume a full serving of an allergen. Or a patient might react to a relatively small amount but have a reaction that is far less severe than before.

Either instance could be deemed a success. Results from food challenges can provide reassurance that certain activities like dining out are now lower risk, Dantzer said.

For now, clinicians have no firm guidelines about when to reassess therapy or consider adjusting the dose. “I think the allergy community would like there to be a bit more guidance,” Dantzer said. “Hopefully with time that will become available.”

Sicherer’s institution received funding for participating in a trial of omalizumab for food allergy. Dantzer’s research on patient-centered outcomes is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and Food Allergy Research & Education.

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July 10, 2025
PML-N leaders divided on possible political entry of Imran Khan's sons amid legal concerns – ANI News
1. PML-N leaders divided on possible political entry of Imran Khan’s sons amid legal concerns ANI News
2. PML-N leaders issue conflicting statements on allowing Imran’s sons to enter Pakistan Dawn
3. Jemima Goldsmith accuses Islamabad of harbouring ‘personal vendetta’ against her children The Express Tribune
4. Imran Khan’s sons to lobby US, march in Pakistan in new protest movement — sister Arab News
5. PTI protest plan: govt has no intention to make arrests, says Irfan Siddiqui Dunya News
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July 10, 2025
Reshaping Treatment-Naive CLL: Emerging BTKi-Based Combination Strategies

Video content above is prompted by the following:

All-oral combination regimens represent a transformative advancement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment, offering patients fixed-duration therapy options without requiring intravenous infusions. These combinations, particularly BTK inhibitors paired with venetoclax, are revolutionizing the treatment landscape by providing convenient, effective therapy that significantly improves patient quality of life. The elimination of intravenous requirements reduces clinic visit frequency and allows greater treatment flexibility, making therapy more accessible and manageable for patients with CLL.

The most significant advancement with oral combination therapies is their efficacy in high-risk CLL populations, particularly patients with TP53 mutations or 17p deletions. While the CAPTIVATE study showed limitations for ibrutinib-venetoclax combinations in high-risk patients, newer trials like AMPLIFY with acalabrutinib-venetoclax and SEQUOIA with zanubrutinib-venetoclax demonstrate improved outcomes in these challenging cases. These regimens appear to address the critical unmet need for effective treatments in high-risk CLL, offering hope for previously difficult-to-treat patient populations.

Selecting from available oral combination regimens requires consideration of patient-specific factors, including genetic risk profiles, comorbidities, and individual tolerance concerns. For patients with TP53/17p abnormalities, zanubrutinib-venetoclax may be preferred based on SEQUOIA data, while other factors like hypertension management might influence Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor selection. The availability of multiple effective oral combinations allows for truly personalized CLL treatment approaches, matching regimen characteristics to individual patient needs and disease characteristics for optimal outcomes.

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July 10, 2025
Two new AI web browsers hope to challenge Google’s dominance in search – Euronews.com
1. Two new AI web browsers hope to challenge Google’s dominance in search Euronews.com
2. Exclusive: OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome Reuters
3. Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-powered web browser TechCrunch
4. OpenAI and Perplexity to challenge Google Chrome with AI web browsers Music Ally
5. New OpenAI browser vs Chrome vs Safari vs Opera: Get ready for the next browser war Gulf News
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July 10, 2025
Video game actors’ strike officially ends after AI deal

Tom Richardson

BBC Newsbeat

Getty Images

Union members had staged protests outside studios such as Warner Brothers

Video game actors have voted to end a year-long strike over artificial intelligence (AI) protections.

About 2,500 members of US union SAG-Aftra were involved in the action against 10 of the biggest companies in the industry, including Activision and Electronic Arts.

Both sides had spent months hashing out a deal over the use of AI to replicate an actor’s performance – and “guardrails” to prevent this from happening.

The union said 95% of those who voted had backed the agreement, which also included changes to pay and health and safety protections.

Both sides had already been locked in negotiations for about 18 months when the strike began last July.

At the time, SAG-Aftra said they had agreed on 24 out of 25 disputed areas but the sticking point was using AI to replicate human performances.

The big barrier was a disagreement over motion capture actors whose work was treated as “data” rather than as a performance.

In a statement released after the vote to end the strike, the union said a new contract secured “consent and disclosure requirements for AI digital replica use”.

Performers can also withdraw consent in the event of future strikes, it said.

Audrey Cooling, spokesperson for the video game companies negotiating with SAG-Aftra, said they were “pleased” members had approved a new Interactive Media Agreement.

She said it included “historic wage increases, industry-leading AI protections, and enhanced health and safety measures for performers”.

Getty Images

Ashly Burch has been a vocal supporter of the video game actors’ strike

Ashly Burch is a video game actor known for her performances as Tiny Tina in the Borderlands Series and Chloe in adventure game Life is Strange.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat after the strike was suspended so members could vote, Ashly said performers didn’t want a total ban on AI in game development.

“We just don’t want to be replaced by it,” she said.

She said AI was “arguably a bigger threat to voice and movement performers” than actors in film and TV, and the strike’s main goal was guarantees around “consent, transparency, and compensation”.

“Basically you have to get our consent to make a digital replica of us,” she said.

“You have to tell us how you’re going to use it, and then you have to compensate us fairly.”

One of Ashly’s best-known characters – Aloy from Sony’s Horizon series – became a talking point during the strike when an AI-powered prototype of the character leaked.

She said the response from fans to the model – which showed the character responding to prompts from a player – was reassuring.

“To a person, everyone was like, ‘I don’t want AI performances in my games,,” she added.

Ashly has also worked on live-action projects such as Apple TV show Mythic Quest and her recent web series I’m Happy You’re Here, focused on mental health.

She said both reminded her of what human beings can bring to a role.

“And that, to me, as a person that loves games and loves art, is the big risk of AI, that we’re going to lose out on really interesting, evocative performances.”

Sassy Chap/Team 17

Some games could still be worked on during the strike, like Date Everything!

The video game actors’ strike did not affect the entire industry and mostly applied to workers and projects based in the US.

And unlike the all-out 2023 Hollywood strike, video game performers were still able to work with companies that signed an interim addressing concerns over AI.

Veteran voice actors Robbie Daymond and Ray Chase, who set up their own games studio, tell BBC Newsbeat the arrangement allowed them to continue work on their debut release, Date Everything!

The game features a cast of roughly 70 well-known performers who were able to work on the project thanks to the interim deal.

But Robbie, who’s appeared in Final Fantasy 15 and various anime series, says it has been a tough year for performers in the US.

“This was a long strike, and it has been heavily impactful for everybody involved,” he says.

Robbie says he is aware of people whose income took a hit in an industry where many performers do short stints on multiple projects.

“I just hope people understand that when a strike goes on this long and people are talking about how serious it is for them, that it has a real human impact,” he says.

Ray points out that voice actors had the option of taking work outside of video games, but the strike was especially hard for actors who specialise in motion capture.

“If you came out to Los Angeles to be a motion capture actor, then your entire existence is being threatened by AI,” he says.

“Those guys are heroes for sticking out this long.”

Ray also points out that the strike will have affected video game developers if they weren’t able to hire actors as easily.

“Strikes are never easy on on workers. They’re never easy on anybody,” he says.

“We’re just so happy that we’ve found a peaceful resolution, for sure.”

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.

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July 10, 2025
Japan show no mercy for bottom-stuck Korea

Opposite Yukiko Wada fueled Japan with a match-high 18 points, including two aces. She registered a 57% success rate in attack. Outside hitters Yoshino Sato and 18-year-old Miku Akimoto added 17 and 11 points, respectively. Outside and captain Sohwi Kang was Korea’s most prolific scorer with 14 points, all in swings. Her cross-court teammate Seoyoung Yuk finished with 10.

“We tried to maintain a good rhythm and a good atmosphere on the court, we were focused on the game and in the end we could get another win today that was really helpful for us,” Wada told VBTV. “Everybody was focused on what we need to do and also on how we need to do it during the game on the court.”

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July 10, 2025
M-Matisse mission set to analyse Martian space weather

The M-Matisse mission marks a groundbreaking step in space exploration, as it is the first dedicated to studying Martian space weather and assessing the planet’s potential to support human life.

Dr Beatriz Sanchez-Cano of the University of Leicester is leading the operation to revolutionise our knowledge of Mars’ climate, alongside Principal Investigators for the Mars Ensemble of Particle Instruments (M-EPI) and the Science Data Centre for mission coordination, planning, and science exploitation.

The project is expected to receive approval from the European Space Agency (ESA) within the next year and will enable essential scientific research on the dynamics of the Martian System, aiding studies into the potential hazards astronauts may face on future journeys to the Red Planet.

What is M-Matisse?

Currently in Phase A study, the M-Matisse (Mars Magnetosphere ATmosphere Ionosphere and Space-weather SciencE) mission is one of ESA’s three candidates for its next ‘medium’ mission. Previous flying medium-class missions include Solar Orbiter and Euclid.

The mission sets out to use two identical spacecraft with focused and high-technological payloads that have the ability to observe the space weather of Mars through observational perspective, using in-situ measurements and radio cross-talks to combine findings.

A model of the M-MATISSE spacecraft.Credit: Dr Beatriz Sánchez-Cano/European Space Agency

These robot orbiters have been named after French Artist Henry Matisse, an influential figure in the early 20th century due to his works in expressive colour and the Fauvist style, as well as his daughter Marguerite.

Each capsule will work in separate areas; one will be confined to the plasma system and the other to the unexplored region of Mars’ far tail.

Surveying space weather

The mission will unravel Martian space weather through analysis of the different layers surrounding the planet; the magnetic-field region known as the Magnetosphere, the ionosphere (layer of the atmosphere that is ionised by solar wind) and the thermosphere (the thickest layer in the atmosphere) will be orbited predominantly, as well as investigating the lower atmosphere and the radiation build-up around Mars.

By analysing the Martian system dynamics, researchers will also gain insight into the processes of energy dissipation through solar wind and how space activity affects surface reactions, which will ultimately lead to precise space weather forecasting and improved safety measures for upcoming projects.

Sánchez-Cano is optimistic regarding the mission’s success as it “will provide the first global characterisation of the dynamics of the Martian system at all altitudes.”

Towards lift-off

The successful mission is set to be chosen by ESA by mid-2026. If approved, M-Matisse will launch a new era of Martian exploration – one where robotic missions not only gather data but also shape the safety and feasibility of future human expeditions.

By offering a detailed picture of how solar activity interacts with the Martian environment, the mission will provide critical insights into the planet’s capacity to host life and the challenges astronauts may face.

As space agencies across the world look beyond Earth orbit, understanding the space weather around Mars is no longer a theoretical exercise – it’s a vital necessity.

With M-Matisse, Europe positions itself at the forefront of this frontier, leveraging cutting-edge instrumentation and international collaboration to decode one of the most complex systems in our solar system.

Whether it’s protecting future astronauts from radiation or determining how Mars has evolved over billions of years, M-Matisse’s findings could shape the next chapter of human spaceflight.

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July 10, 2025

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Black Bolt and Scarlet & Violet—White Flare Battle Pass Deck Strategies

Get more from Pokémon TCG Live when you use the in-game Battle Pass. With the Battle Pass, you can complete quests to earn experience and unlock new tiers by playing Ranked or Casual matches! Each Battle Pass is accessible only until the next expansion releases.

Begin your path along the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Black Bolt and Scarlet & Violet—White Flare Battle Pass with two new decks featuring Reshiram ex or Zekrom ex. Advance through the Battle Pass to unlock booster packs, Collector Crates, Trainer Points, Trade Credits, a full suite of deck cosmetics, and 16 additional cards that can be swapped into one of these decks! You can also earn 16 more cards that can be used to bling out your other deck by the end of the Battle Pass, so try to collect them all!

Learn how to play and upgrade these powerful decks in Pokémon TCG Live.

Reshiram ex’s Blazing Burst gets stronger for each Prize card your opponent has taken, but this attack requires Fire Fire Colorless to attack. Thankfully, Emboar’s Inferno Fandango Ability can attach any number of Basic Fire Energy cards from your hand to your Pokémon in any way you like, so firing off Blazing Burst won’t be a problem.

Pokémon: 16

2 Reshiram ex WHT 020

2 Emboar WHT 013

1 Pignite WHT 012

3 Tepig WHT 011

2 Gouging Fire ex TEF 038

2 Revavroom SVI 142

2 Varoom SFA 043

1 Iron Hands ex PAR 070

1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 038

Trainers: 34

4 Arven

4 Iono

2 Boss’s Orders

2 Levincia

4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin

4 Rare Candy

3 Ultra Ball

2 Earthen Vessel

2 Superior Energy Retrieval

1 Max Rod

1 Nest Ball

1 Night Stretcher

1 Switch

1 Air Balloon

1 Big Air Balloon

1 Technical Machine: Evolution

Energy: 10

8 Basic Fire Energy

2 Basic Lightning Energy

While Reshiram ex is great in the mid- to late game, its damage output before your opponent has taken any Prize cards leaves much to be desired. Gouging Fire ex can act as your early—or late!—game attacker, dishing out a massive 260 damage with Blaze Blitz. Note that it won’t be able to use Blaze Blitz until it leaves the Active Spot, so try attaching Air Balloon to give it free Retreat Cost or use a Switch to reset its attack.

Both Revavroom and Fezandipiti ex have card-drawing Abilities that can help you find more Basic Energy—either by drawing into it directly, or by drawing cards that can search for it. For example, Earthen Vessel can search your deck for 2 Basic Energy at the cost of discarding a card. Try discarding one that’s stuck in your hand, then use one of the Energy cards you got from Earthen Vessel to discard to Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine Ability. You can also use Superior Energy Retrieval to grab Energy from your discard pile, or Max Rod, which can get back both Energy and Pokémon. Levincia is a Stadium card that can return Basic Lightning Energy to your hand each turn it’s in play, helping to fulfill any Colorless attack costs your Pokémon may have or serving as discard fodder for Revavroom’s Rumbling Engine.

If you make it halfway through the Battle Pass, you’ll receive a variety of blisteringly cool cards, including three special illustration rare Reshiram ex. Feel free to add these into your deck if you want to heat things up even more. Don’t white out yet—you won’t want to miss the next deck, as it might leave your opponent black and blue.

Zekrom ex’s Voltage Burst attack is nearly identical to Reshiram ex’s Blazing Burst, doing more damage as your opponent takes Prize cards. You have a number of ways to power up Zekrom ex in your deck, but your primary means of charging its attacks will be with Eelektrik, as each one you have in play can use its Dynamotor Ability to attach a Basic Lightning Energy card from your discard pile to one of your Benched Pokémon once per turn.

Pokémon: 18

2 Zekrom ex BLK 034

4 Eelektrik BLK 031

4 Tynamo BLK 030

2 Iono’s Kilowattrel JTG 055

2 Iono’s Wattrel JTG 054

2 Miraidon ex SVI 081

1 Iron Hands ex PAR 070

1 Zeraora DRI 078

Trainers: 28

4 Professor’s Research

3 Arven

2 Boss’s Orders

2 Iono

4 Electric Generator

4 Ultra Ball

3 Nest Ball

1 Prime Catcher

1 Super Rod

1 Switch

2 Air Balloon

1 Technical Machine: Evolution

Energy: 14

14 Basic Lightning Energy

One of the first Pokémon you should put into play is Miraidon ex, as its Tandem Unit Ability lets you search your deck for 2 Basic Lightning Pokémon and put them directly onto your Bench. This can find your Tynamo to evolve into Eelektrik, your attackers, or even another copy of Miraidon ex to use another Tandem Unit in the same turn!

Another good Pokémon to consider finding with Miraidon ex’s Tandem Unit is v, as its evolved form, Iono’s Kilowattrel, can use its Flashing Draw Ability to discard a Basic Lightning Energy from itself to draw cards until you have 6 in your hand. In combination with Eelektrik’s Dynamotor Ability, Iono’s Kilowattrel will make sure your hand is stocked full of cards, even after an opponent plays a disruptive card like Iono or Unfair Stamp.

Like Eelektrik’s Dynamotor, Electric Generator is an Item card that can energize your Benched Lightning Pokémon by looking at the top 5 cards of your deck and attaching up to 2 Basic Energy. Things can get electrifying as soon as your first turn since you can play this Item immediately, letting your deck make aggressive plays early in the game. Try to use this to power up Iron Hands ex’s Amp You Very Much to Knock Out a weak Pokémon for an additional Prize card or Zeraora’s Thunder Raid to take out a Benched Pokémon ex (like Mew ex or Fezandipiti ex).

At the end of the Battle Pass, you’ll be granted a selection of shockingly cool and rare Lightning-type Pokémon, including Zekrom ex.

You can swap these special cards with the ones in your deck or use these extra copies to make the deck your own.

Finally, in the home stretch, you’ll unlock a plethora of booster packs, Trainer Points, Trade Credits, cosmetics, and Collector Crates.

Enjoy your new decks, cards, and Battle Pass, Trainers!

P.S. Keep a lookout during the 2025 Pokémon World Championships for a special prom-ocean-al deck.

For more information on Pokémon TCG Live, and to download and play at no cost, visit tcg.pokemon.com/en-gb/tcgl.

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July 10, 2025

Gregg Wallace faces backlash over autism defence

Noor Nanji & Felicity Baker

Culture reporters

BBC/ShineTV

Former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is facing criticism from charities and groups working with disabled people after he appeared to link claims of misconduct he is facing to his autism diagnosis.

Several dozen people have come forward to BBC News with allegations about Wallace, including inappropriate sexual comments, touching and groping, which he denies.

In a statement this week, the presenter defended himself and also said he had recently been diagnosed with autism, but that TV bosses had failed to “investigate my disability” or “protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment”.

One charity told BBC News that autism is “not a free pass for bad behaviour”, while others warned that such remarks risked stigmatising the autistic community.

Wallace has been sacked as MasterChef host, and a report into the accusations is expected to be published shortly. He has said it has cleared him of “the most serious and sensational allegations”.

On Tuesday, Wallace wrote on Instagram: “My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.

“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.”

The Telegraph reported on Thursday that he plans to sue the BBC and the makers of MasterChef for discrimination on the grounds of his autism following his sacking.

And the Times reported friends of Wallace as saying his autism means he can’t wear underwear, and that his condition was partly to blame for his alleged inappropriate behaviour.

Speaking to BBC News, Seema Flower, founder of disabilities consultancy Blind Ambition, said there was “no excuse” for being inappropriate to people in society.

“Where does it leave us if we use autism as excuse to behave in whatever way we like?” she asked.

Her comments were echoed by Emily Banks, founder of neurodiversity training body Enna.

“To be clear: being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct. It doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong.”

Dan Harris, who runs the charity Neurodiversity in Business and is himself autistic, said people like him “may miss social cues sometimes”.

“But autism is not a free pass for bad behaviour,” he added.

“Comments like this stigmatise us and add an unfortunate negative focus on our community.”

Last year, the charity Ambitious About Autism dropped Wallace as an ambassador in the wake of the original claims against him.

BBC/Shine TV

The comments have also sparked debate online and on radio phone-ins.

On BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show, Jessie Hewitson, Director of NeuroUniverse, said people with autism “have been stereotyped since the dawn of time”.

She said she worried that remarks like this risk “forming a connection in peoples’ minds – either that autistic people behave inappropriately in the workplace or that we cannot take personal responsibility”.

But on social media, many people responded positively to Wallace’s post and sent him supportive messages.

And on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nicky Campbell Show, which dedicated an hour to the topic on Thursday, some callers were sympathetic.

One called Danielle, who is autistic, said people with the condition “can misread situations quite often”.

“I think growing up undiagnosed, you grow up thinking everything you’re doing is wrong because you’re different and you then internalise a lot of that so you’re very oversensitive as well,” she said.

Another caller, Jake, said he thought Wallace should have had support a long time ago.

“You’ve got a man here who’s clearly out of touch, he’s been out of touch for a long time, he’s had nobody putting him back in line, whether that’s an employer, whether that’s a friend, whether that’s anybody, and at the moment that’s what he needs.

“He needs some compassion to get him back where he needs to be and I feel for his mental health.”

Report expected

As the face of BBC One cooking show MasterChef, Wallace, 60, was one of the most high-profile presenters on British television for 20 years.

He stepped aside from the show in November after an initial BBC News investigation, when 13 people accused him of making inappropriate sexual comments.

This week, new claims have come from 50 more people who say they encountered him across a range of shows and settings.

The majority say he made inappropriate sexual comments, while 11 women accuse him of inappropriate sexual behaviour, such as groping and touching.

The inquiry into allegations of misconduct against Wallace has been conducted by an independent law firm on behalf of MasterChef’s production company Banijay.

BBC News has not seen that report, but Wallace said it had found the “most damaging” allegations to be “baseless”.

He also accused the BBC of “peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories”.

A spokesperson for Wallace has said he denies engaging in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

Banijay UK said: “While the external investigation is ongoing, we won’t be commenting on individual allegations. We encourage anyone wishing to raise issues or concerns to contact us in confidence.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace.

“We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.

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July 10, 2025

Author: admin

‘Bite Safe’ Testing?

Introducing Egg

Shared Decisions

The M-Matisse mission marks a groundbreaking step in space exploration, as it is the first dedicated to studying Martian space weather and assessing the planet’s potential to support human life.

What is M-Matisse?

Surveying space weather

Towards lift-off

Report expected