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  • Tesla’s UK sales rise in June as EV market gains traction despite year-to-date dip

    Tesla’s UK sales rise in June as EV market gains traction despite year-to-date dip

    Tesla’s new vehicle registrations in the UK rose in June compared to the same period last year, driven by the rollout of its updated Model Y and a broader recovery in the electric vehicle (EV) market, data showed Friday.

    Overall, new car registrations in Britain grew 6.7% year-on-year to 191,316 units in June, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This marked the strongest June performance since 2019, though sales remained below pre-pandemic levels.

    Battery electric vehicle (BEV) demand climbed 39% to 47,354 units last month, accounting for one in four new car buyers, SMMT reported.

    “That EV growth, however, is still being driven by substantial industry support with manufacturers using every channel and unsustainable discounting to drive activity, yet it remains below mandated levels,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive.

    Tesla recorded 7,719 sales in June — up 14% from a year earlier — according to SMMT data. A separate estimate by research group New AutoMotive placed Tesla’s June figure slightly higher at 7,891 units, a 12% increase. The variation stems from differing data sources and calculation methods.

    Despite the strong June performance, Tesla’s overall UK sales are down nearly 2% in 2025 so far. Meanwhile, Chinese EV manufacturer BYD has seen its UK sales soar nearly fourfold to 2,498 units this year, New AutoMotive reported.

    Among legacy automakers, Ford led EV growth in Britain during the first half of 2025, with sales rising more than fourfold year-on-year, according to New AutoMotive.

    Analysts noted that sustaining momentum in EV sales will require significant improvements to charging infrastructure.

    “Further growth in sales, and the sector, will rely on increased and improved charging facilities to boost mainstream electric vehicle adoption,” said Jamie Hamilton, automotive partner and head of EVs at Deloitte.

    Adding to the momentum, a new US-UK trade deal took effect this week, lowering tariffs on British exports, including cars. British automakers can now export to the U.S. under a reduced 10% tariff quota, down from the earlier 27.5%.


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  • F1 at Downing Street with the UK Prime Minister

    F1 at Downing Street with the UK Prime Minister

    To celebrate 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer invited drivers, Team Principals and others from the sport to 10 Downing Street – the heart of government in the UK.

    In a special episode of F1 Beyond The Grid, the Prime Minister tells host Tom Clarkson why he’s “proud” of F1’s success and its £12 billion annual contribution to the UK economy.

    It is also one year since Oliver Bearman was announced as a full-time F1 driver for Haas. Sitting in the Downing Street garden, he describes the “surreal” feeling of stepping through Number 10’s famous black front door, and looks forward to racing in front of his home fans at Silverstone.

    Cadillac Team Principal Graeme Lowden also stops by to talk about the squad’s dual bases in the US and UK, and gives a peek at preparations for their first Grand Prix in 2026.

    Meanwhile, Williams Team Principal James Vowles explains how teams find the very best young engineers through various programmes.

    Plus, Mercedes graduate aerodynamicist Daniel McCulla talks about how he got his start in F1, what he studied at university, and the importance of never giving up on a career in the sport.

    Formula 1 and the UK government support aspiring engineers with scholarships, apprenticeships and work placements at F1 teams.

    To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

    You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here.

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  • Supergiant’s latest Hades II patch is likely its last before launch

    Supergiant’s latest Hades II patch is likely its last before launch

    Despite it having upward of 61,000 reviews on Steam, Hades II isn’t actually out yet. The sequel to Supergiant Games’ hugely successful roguelite dungeon crawler has been in early access on PC for over a year, and even the early builds were extremely polished and content-rich for what is still a work-in-progress game. But we (and Switch owners) have been waiting patiently for that 1.0 release date, and it looks like it might be just around the corner, with Supergiant confirming that the latest Unseen Update is likely to be the final one ahead of the full launch.

    The third major early access arrived on June 17, and was focused primarily on combat tweaks, as well as adding a new Vow of Rivals that not only made Guardian encounters tougher, but forced players to switch up their strategies for each bout. The latest patch is mainly a host of minor adjustments to existing items and abilities, as well as some balancing on the aforementioned Vow of Rivals Encounters. No more new story content or areas are due to be added ahead of the v.10 launch, with Supergiant back in June that the game’s true ending is being held back for the full release. If you’re a console player or just wanted to hold out until the game is finished, it’s probably safe to start getting excited.

    That said, PlayStation and Xbox owners are going to have to wait a little longer, because while we still don’t know Hades II’s release date, we do know that the game is on PC and both the Switch and Switch 2 initially, mirroring the release roadmap of its predecessor. The developer has already assured fans that both Nintendo consoles can run the game at a smooth 60 fps, with the Switch 2 version benefiting from the console’s larger 1080p display in handheld mode.

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  • Real-World Analysis Sheds Light on Fruquintinib Use in Later-Line Metastatic CRC

    Real-World Analysis Sheds Light on Fruquintinib Use in Later-Line Metastatic CRC

    Real-World Fruquintinib Use in mCRC |
    Image Credit: © Ashling Wahner & MJH
    Life Sciences Using AI

    Findings from a real-world, prospective, non-interventional cohort study conducted in Portugal showed that fruquintinib (Fruzaqla) had a manageable safety profile and produced an efficacy trend in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).1

    Data presented in a poster at the 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress demonstrated that evaluable patients treated with fruquintinib (n = 23) experienced a median overall survival (OS) of 4.0 months (95% CI, 0.47-7.53) and a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 3.0 months (95% CI, 0.96-5.04).

    In contrast, data from the phase 3 FRESCO-2 trial (NCT04322539) showed that patients with refractory mCRC treated with fruquintinib (n = 461) experienced a median OS of 7.4 months (95% CI, 6.7-8.2) compared with 4.8 months (95% CI, 4.0-5.8) for those given placebo (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.55-0.80; P < .0001).2 The median PFS was 3.7 months vs 1.8 months, respectively (HR, 0.32; 95% CI 0.27-0.39; P < .001).3

    Lead study author, Dr Filipa R. Verdasca, and colleagues noted in the poster that the shorter OS and comparable PFS data between the real-world cohort and those given fruquintinib in FRESCO-2 could reflect broader comorbidities of a real-world population and differences in clinical practice. Verdasca is a member of the Department of Medical Oncology at Unidada Local de Saúde de São José in Lisbon, Portugal.

    “To our knowledge, this is one of the first non-Asian, real-world datasets and one of the first analyzing sequencing results from trifluridine/tipiracil [TAS-102; Lonsurf] and bevacizumab [Avastin] followed by fruquintinib,” Verdasca and colleagues wrote in the poster. “Despite the small sample size and very short follow-up, we observed a manageable safety profile and an efficacy trend, despite modest outcomes, picturing a highly refractory disease setting and a possible role of previous treatments on VEGFR targeting.”

    In November 2023, the FDA approved fruquintinib for the treatment of adult patients with mCRC who have been previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF therapy, and, if RAS wild-type and medically appropriate, an anti-EGFR therapy.4

    In June 2024, the European Commission approved the agent for adult patients with mCRC who have been previously treated with available standard therapies, including fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, anti-VEGF agents, and anti-EGFR agents, and who have progressed on or are intolerant to treatment with either TAS-102 or regorafenib (Stivarga).5

    Both of these approvals were supported by data from FRESCO-2.

    Diving into the Real-World Cohort Study

    To evaluate real-world outcomes for fruquintinib in a European population, investigators of the multicenter, prospective, non-interventional cohort study enrolled patients with mCRC treated with fruquintinib between January 2024 and March 2025 at 1 of 5 Portuguese centers.1

    Medical records were used to pull clinical and demographic data, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate time-to-event outcomes.

    The median age of the real-world population was 61 years (range, 55-68). The majority of patients were male (70%), had left-sided tumors (57%), and underwent primary tumor resection (87%). Patients had an ECOG performance status of 0 (30%), 1 (57%), or 2 (13%). Forty-three percent of patients had RAS, BRAF, and HER2 wild-type disease, and 48% harbored NRAS or KRAS mutations. BRAF mutations and HER2 mutations were reported in 1 patient each (4%). Notably, no patients had mismatch repair–deficient disease.

    At baseline, patients had 1 metastatic site (35%), 2 metastases (13%), 3 metastases (30%), or at least 4 metastases (22%). Metastatic sites included liver (57%), lung (61%), lymph node (48%), peritoneal (26%), bone (17%), and central nervous system (22%). One patient (4%) received 2 lines of therapy prior to fruquintinib; the remainder of the population received 3 prior lines of therapy (61%), or at least 4 prior lines (35%).

    Real-World Safety Findings

    Any-grade treatment-related adverse effects (TRAEs) were reported in 73.9% of patients (n including 17.4% who experienced grade 3/4 TRAEs. In the safety evaluable population (n = 17), the most common grade 1/2 TRAEs included fatigue (n = 11), hypertension (n = 6), anemia (n = 4), diarrhea (n = 4), nausea/vomiting (n = 2), hemorrhage (n = 2), and mucositis (n = 1). Grade 3/4 TRAEs comprised hypertension (n = 3), mucositis (n = 1), and fatigue (n = 1).

    Toxicity or intercurrent events led to treatment discontinuation in 39% of patients, and 30% of patients required dose reductions. The minimum dose received across the full population (n = 23) was 3 mg/m2 (13%), 4 mg/mg2 (26%), or 5 mg/mg2 (61%).

    Study authors noted that the rate of grade 3 or higher AEs occurred in 63% of patients treated with fruquintinib during FRESCO-2; however, the rates of treatment discontinuations (real-world, 39%; FRESCO-2, 20%) and dose reductions (30%; 24%) were higher in the cohort study, suggesting that greater clinical frailty and tolerability challenges in clinical practice may have influenced the increased rates.

    “We intend to broaden our accrual and increase follow-up time to evaluate safety and more mature outcomes,” study authors concluded.

    References

    1. Verdasca FR, Martins AP, Fernandes ACB, et al. Real-world data from fruquintinib in later line metastatic colorectal cancer. Presented at: 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress; July 2-5, 2025; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract 66P.
    2. Dasari A, Lonardi S, Garcia-Carbonero R, et al. Fruquintinib versus placebo in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (FRESCO-2): an international, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3 study. Lancet. 2023;402(10395):41-53. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00772-9
    3. HUTCHMED highlights phase III FRESCO-2 MRCT data summary of fruquintinib in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer from the upcoming ESMO 2022 presentation. News release. HUTCHMED. September 8, 2022. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.hutch-med.com/fruquintinib-fresco-2-data-summary-esmo-2022/
    4. FDA approves fruquintinib in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. FDA. November 8, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-fruquintinib-refractory-metastatic-colorectal-cancer
    5. HUTCHMED announces European Commission approval for Fruzaqla (fruquintinib) received by Takeda. News release. HUTCHMED. June 21, 2024. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.hutch-med.com/european-commission-approval-for-fruzaqla-fruquintinib/

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  • Second-Round Pick Taelon Peter Brings Shooting, Athleticism – NBA

    Second-Round Pick Taelon Peter Brings Shooting, Athleticism – NBA

    1. Second-Round Pick Taelon Peter Brings Shooting, Athleticism  NBA
    2. Kam Jones Selected 38th Overall In NBA Draft  Marquette University Athletics
    3. Flame drafted to Indiana Pacers  Liberty University
    4. NBA legend Dwyane Wade delivers powerful shout-out to Kam Jones after No. 38 NBA draft pick by Indiana Pa  Times of India
    5. Former Coaches Give Insight On The Newest Pacers  93.5 / 107.5 The Fan

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  • Subgroup Analysis Supports Encorafenib Plus Cetuximab/mFOLFOX6 as New SOC for BRAF V600E+ mCRC

    Subgroup Analysis Supports Encorafenib Plus Cetuximab/mFOLFOX6 as New SOC for BRAF V600E+ mCRC

    BRAF V600E+ mCRC | Image
    Credit: © Anatomy Insider
    – stock.adobe.com

    Objective response rate (ORR), median duration of response (DOR), median progression-free survival (PFS), and median overall survival (OS) were numerically higher or extended with the combination of encorafenib (Braftovi), cetuximab (Erbitux; EC), and mFOLFOX6 (modified fluorouracil plus leucovorin and oxaliplatin), irrespective of control arm regimen, in patients with BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to data from a subgroup analysis of the phase 3 BREAKWATER study (NCT04607421).1

    Findings presented during the 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancer Congress showed the confirmed ORR by blinded independent central review (BICR) was 65.7% (95% CI, 59.4%-71.4%) with EC plus mFOLFOX6 (n = 236) vs 55.9% (95% CI, 43.3%-67.8%) with FOLFOXIRI (fluorouracil plus leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) plus bevacizumab (Avastin; n = 59), 50.0% (95% CI, 21.5%-78.5%) with FOLFOXIRI (n = 8), 38.1% (95% CI, 29.1%-48.1%) with mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab (n = 97), 22.2% (95% CI, 9.0%-45.2%) with mFOLFOX6 (n = 18), 29.3% (95% CI, 17.6%-44.5%) with CAPOX (capecitabine plus oxaliplatin) plus bevacizumab (n = 41), and 16.7% (95% CI, 3.0%-56.4%) with CAPOX (n = 6).

    The median DORs were 13.9 months (95% CI, 10.9-18.5) with EC plus mFOLFOX6, 9.8 months (95% CI, 7.9-not evaluable [NE]) with FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab, 10.8 months (95% CI, 6.0-NE) with mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab, 9.7 months (95% CI, NE-NE) with mFOLFOX6, and 11.1 months (95% CI, 2.9-13.4) with CAPOX plus bevacizumab. In the EC plus mFOLFOX6 arm, 71.0% of patients experienced a DOR of at least 6 months, and 34.8% experienced a DOR of at least 12 months.

    The median PFS with EC plus mFOLFOX6, FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab, mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab, mFOLFOX6, and CAPOX plus bevacizumab was 12.8 months (95% CI, 11.2-15.9), 10.1 months (95% CI, 8.3-13.7), 6.8 months (95% CI, 5.7-8.5), 4.3 months (95% CI, 2.7-11.0), and 5.9 months (95% CI, 4.5-9.9), respectively. The median OS in the respective groups was 30.3 months (95% CI, 2.17-NE), 17.4 months (95% CI, 14.3-23.4), 14.7 months (95% CI, 12.7-17.6), 11.6 months (95% CI, 7.5-19.6), and 14.5 months (95% CI, 11.2-22.2).

    “These results are consistent with previous analyses of chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab in the first-line for the treatment of BRAF V600E mCRC,” Takayuki Yoshino, MD, PhD, of National Cancer Center Hospital East in Kashiwa, Japan, and coauthors, wrote in a poster of the data, which “[support] EC plus mFOLFOX6 as a practice-changing, new standard of care for BRAF V600E–mutant mCRC, including the first-line setting.”

    Breaking Down BREAKWATER

    The open-label, multicenter, phase 3 study enrolled patients with BRAF V600E–mutant mCRC who were at least 16 years of age—or at least 18 years of age based on country—with measurable disease by RECIST 1.1 criteria, an ECOG performance status of 0 or 1, and acceptable bone marrow, hepatic, and renal function. Patients could not have previously received systemic treatment for metastatic disease. Those with prior exposure to BRAF or EGFR inhibitors, symptomatic brain metastases, microsatellite instability–high/mismatch repair–deficient tumors, or RAS-mutated disease were excluded.

    Patients (n = 637) were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to EC (n = 158), EC plus mFOLFOX6 (n = 236), or the control arm (n = 243) of mFOLFOX6/FOLFOXIRI/CAPOX with or without bevacizumab. Notably, the trial protocol was subsequently amended to limit randomization to the EC plus mFOLFOX6 arm and the control arm.2

    Patients were stratified by region (US or Canada vs Europe vs rest of world) and ECOG performance status (0 vs 1).1 The dual primary end points were PFS by BICR and ORR by BICR, and a key secondary end point was OS.

    Both of the primary end points were met. The ORR—based on the first 110 patients enrolled to both groups—was 61% (95% CI, 52%-70%) in patients given EC plus mFOLFOX6 compared with 40% (95% CI, 31%-49%) for patients treated with chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab (Avastin; P = .0008).2 The data supported the FDA’s decision to grant accelerated approval to EC plus mFOLFOX6 for use in patients with mCRC harboring a BRAF V600E mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test, in December 2024. The median PFS with EC plus mFOLFOX6 was 12.8 months vs 7.1 months with standard care (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.41-0.68; P < .001).3 In an interim analysis, OS was significantly longer with EC and mFOLFOX6 vs standard care, at a median of 30.3 months vs 15.1 months (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.38-0.63; P < .001).

    Examining the Current Subgroup Analysis

    Of the total patients randomly assigned to the control arm (n = 243), 24.3% received FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab, 3.3% received FOLFOXIRI, 39.9% received mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab, 7.4% received mFOLFOX6, 16.9% received CAPOX plus bevacizumab, 2.5% received CAPOX, and 5.8% were not treated.

    “Patients who received FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab were younger, and more patients were male, had ECOG performance status of 0, had 3 or more organs involved at baseline, and had left-sided tumors vs patients in the EC plus mFOLFOX6 and patients who received the other control regimens,” the study authors wrote.

    The median follow-up for PFS in the EC plus mFOLFOX6 arm was 16.8 months (95% CI, 15.1-18.4) vs 9.8 months (95% CI, 8.5-13.0) in the control arm. The median follow-up for PFS in the respective arms was 21.8 months (95% CI, 20.4-23.4) and 22.2 months (95% CI, 18.9-23.5).

    “The EC plus mFOLFOX6 arm had fewer patients discontinue study treatment compared with all control regimens,” the study authors wrote. The percentages of patients who discontinued study treatment in the EC plus mFOLFOX6, FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab, FOLFOXIRI, mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab, mFOLFOX6, CAPOX plus bevacizumab, and CAPOX were 71.6%, 86.4%, 87.5%, 94.8%, 100%, 95.1%, and 100%, respectively; the respective percentages of patients who received any subsequent systemic anticancer treatment were 45.8%, 59.3%, 75.0%, 58.8%, 55.6%, 63.4%, and 50.0%.

    In the EC plus mFOLFOX6 arm, subsequent therapies included a BRAF inhibitor with or without combination (8.1%), CAPIRI with or without combination (4.7%), CAPOX with or without combination (0.8%), FOLFIRI with or without combination (24.2%), FOLFOX with or without combination (4.2%), FOLFOXIRI with or without combination (1.3%), fruquintinib (Fruzaqla; 0.4%), immunotherapy (0.4%), other (3.4%), regorafenib (Stivarga; 1.3%), single-agent chemotherapy with or without combination (7.2%), and trifluridine/tipiracil (Lonsurf) with or without VEGF inhibition (4.2%).

    “Safety profiles were consistent with that known for each agent,” the study authors concluded.

    Disclosures: Yoshino reported honoraria from Bayer Yakuhin, Chugai Pharma, Merck KGaA, MSD, Ono Pharmaceutical, Sumitomo Corp, and Takeda. Research funding was provided by Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Eisai, FALCO Biosystems, Genomedia, Molecular Health, MSD, Nippin Boehringer Ingelheim, Ono Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Roche Diagnostics, Sanofi, Sumitomo Dainippon, Sysmex, and Taiho Pharmaceutical.

    References

    1. Yoshino T, Kopetz S, Van Cutsem E, et al. BREAKWATER: Post-hoc subgroup analyses by chemotherapy ± bevacizumab regimens vs encorafenib plus cetuximab + mFOLFOX6. Presented at: 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress; July 2-5, 2025; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract 36P.
    2. FDA grants accelerated approval to encorafenib with cetuximab and mFOLFOX6 for metastatic colorectal cancer with a BRAF V600E mutation. FDA. December 20, 2024. Accessed July 4, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-encorafenib-cetuximab-and-mfolfox6-metastatic-colorectal-cancer-braf
    3. Elez E, Yoshino T, Shen L, et al. Encorafenib, cetuximab, and mFOLFOX6 in BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2025;392(24):2425-2437. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2501912

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  • Crowds mourn Liverpool star Jota in his Portuguese hometown

    Crowds mourn Liverpool star Jota in his Portuguese hometown

    James Waterhouse

    BBC News

    Reporting fromGondamar, Portugal
    PA Media Andre Silva, football player at RB Leipzig and the Portuguese national team, and partner Maria Rodrigues attend a public wake held for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva at the Capela da Ressurreicao. PA Media

    Portugese national team player Andre Silva was among footballers and politicians to attend the public wake in Gondomar

    Crowds mourned Diogo Jota in his hometown to pay their respects to the Liverpool forward and his brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash on Thursday.

    Portugal’s president, stars from the national team and fans from across the country gathered in the small town of Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, where the pair grew up.

    Their parents, grandfather and other family members held a private vigil at a chapel in the town before it was opened to the public for a wake. The funeral will be held on Saturday.

    The pair – both footballers, with Andre playing in Portugal’s second division – were killed after the Lamborghini they were travelling in crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora.

    Fans carrying Portugal flags, flowers and other memorabilia were seen weeping as they queued to pay their respects.

    Those in attendance included President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, national team stars Joao Moutinho, Diogo Dalot and Ricardo Horta, and Jota’s agent Jorge Mendes.

    For years as a young boy, Jota played for local club Gondomar SC, which named its academy after him in 2022.

    Emblazoned on its sign is a quote from Jota: “It’s not about where we come from but where we’re going to.”

    Outside the club, shirts and scarves were laid inside a ring of candles.

    Getty Images A man stands in front of a memorial for Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, set up at the Gondomar Sport Clube's stadiumGetty Images

    The 28-year-old father-of-three – who this year won the Nations League with Portugal and Premier League with Liverpool – married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days before the fatal crash.

    He had been travelling back to Liverpool for pre-season training, making the trip by car and ferry because he had undergone minor surgery and had been advised against flying.

    Liverpool said his death was a “tragedy that transcends” the club.

    Fans also grieved outside the club’s Anfield stadium.

    Former captain Jordan Henderson was seen in tears as he laid a wreath, with a card that read: “Rest in peace my friend, along with your brother Andre. We will all miss you.”

    Former Liverpool councillor Peter Millea – a home and away regular who had come to pay his respects – told the BBC: “There was something about him as a player when he first came to us that he became an instant hit.

    PA Media Tributes at Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool, in memory of Diogo Jota who has died at the age of 28.PA Media

    “He was one of those players you can easily take to, because of the manner in which he conducted himself on and off the pitch and the important goals he scored.”

    Mr Millea said some fans at Anfield had broken into impromptu renditions of the chant while paying their respects.

    “I’m sure we’ll hear it loud and clear at Wembley for the Community Shield and we’ll hear it at Preston for the first pre-season away game, you know it’ll be sung around the field against Athletic Bilbao and then during the course of the rest of the season and probably forever-more,” he said.

    Elsewhere, fans left flowers, scarves and shirts outside Wolves’ Molineux Stadium, where Jota played prior to his move to Anfield.

    At Wimbledon, Portuguese tennis player Francisco Cabral wore a black ribbon to mark the passing of his countrymen.

    A minute’s silence was held in the Euro 2025 game between Denmark and Sweden.

    Liverpool has cancelled pre-season fitness tests that were due to take place today for some players as a result of yesterday’s news. A phased return of training will now begin on Monday.

    The funeral service will be held at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Sao Cosme in Gondomar at 10:00 on Saturday.

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  • Wimbledon 2025 results: Carlos Alcaraz beats Jan-Lennard Struff to reach round four

    Wimbledon 2025 results: Carlos Alcaraz beats Jan-Lennard Struff to reach round four

    Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz kept himself on course for a third Wimbledon title in a row by overcoming Jan-Lennard Struff in an enthralling encounter to reach the fourth round.

    The world number two has yet to really hit his stride at the tournament but came through some big pressure situations and produced moments of quality in this match to seal a 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 win.

    Alcaraz will next face 14th seed Andrey Rublev – who beat Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-2 6-3 – for a place in the quarter-finals.

    “I knew it was going to be difficult,” the 22-year-old Spaniard said.

    “He has big serves, approaches the net and I am really pleased with everything I had done today.

    “I am proud to get the win in four sets. It was stressful as well. I was suffering in every set that I did today.”

    Alcaraz had to battle through five sets and almost five hours on court to see off Fabio Fognini in the opening round and, although he did then beat British wildcard Ollie Tarvet in straight sets, he had to fend off a number of chances the Wimbledon debutant had to break him.

    Initially, it looked like he would sail past world number 125 Struff in front of an expectant Centre Court crowd on Friday as he wrapped up the opening set in under 30 minutes, dropping just one game to the German.

    But the second set was a different story as Struff found his power and accuracy on his serve. Having not managed a single ace in the first set, he hit four in the second to help him break Alcaraz twice and level up matters.

    But that accuracy deserted the German number three early in the third. Three double faults gifted Alcaraz a break to go 2-0 up and he stayed in control to take the set.

    The pressure ramped up in the fourth but Alcaraz showed the quality that has allowed him to go 21 matches unbeaten.

    He fended off a couple of potential break opportunities before a wonderful backhand volley at the net helped him on the way to a crucial break at 4-4.

    That had the Centre Court crowd up on their feet before Alcaraz wrapped up the set and the match with a dominant hold to love to cement his place in the next round.

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  • Alcaraz survives Struff test – Wimbledon

    1. Alcaraz survives Struff test  Wimbledon
    2. Alcaraz drops a set in Struff Wimbledon R3 win  ATP Tour
    3. Carlos Alcaraz comes through ‘stressful’ Jan-Lennard Struff test  Ardrossan Herald
    4. Wimbledon: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz extends winning streak to reach 4th round  Ottumwa Courier
    5. Alcaraz vs Struff: What time is it and where to watch Wimbledon 2023 on TV?  MARCA

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  • First report of Aedes albopictus in Saint Barthélemy (French West Indies) confirmed by morphological, molecular and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry approaches | Parasites & Vectors

    First report of Aedes albopictus in Saint Barthélemy (French West Indies) confirmed by morphological, molecular and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry approaches | Parasites & Vectors

    The French Territories of the Americas are regions frequently impacted by arthropod-borne viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses [1]. However, the presence of Aedes albopictus, another important mosquito vector for arboviruses [2], had never been reported in any of these territories, despite the impressive spread of this mosquito in mainland France since 2004 [3]. In the Caribbean, Ae. albopictus was first reported in the Dominican Republic in 1993 [4].

    On 30 September 2024, two vector control agents collected mosquito larvae from a floor siphon (17°54′20″N, 62°49′28″W) near the Lorient post office on the island of Saint Barthélemy, as part of their routine entomological surveillance activities that include weekly larval prospections and ovitrapping. The larvae were brought to the Vector Control Agency office (Agence Régionale de Santé [ARS]) in Saint Barthélemy and reared until adulthood. After emergence, the agents noted the presence of adult mosquitoes that did not match morphological criteria for Ae. aegypti and photographed the mosquitoes. Entomologists from ARS Guadeloupe, ARS Martinique and from local research institutions examined the photographs and confirmed the agents’ suspicion that the mosquitoes were Ae. albopictus.

    Two weeks later, an exploration mission was organized, during which agents from ARS Guadeloupe, ARS Saint Barthélémy, and the Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe (IPG) traveled to Saint Barthélémy to confirm the species’ identity and to inform about its distribution area on the island. Larval prospections conducted from 14 to 16 October identified five breeding sites within a 400-m radius of the initial detection site, all containing mosquitoes morphologically identified as Ae. albopictus (Table 1).

    Table 1 Aedes albopictus breeding sites identified in Saint Barthélemy (French West Indies) between 14 and 16 October 2024

    Morphological criteria described by Darsie [5] were initially used during the missions to identify Ae. albopictus at both the larval and adult stages (Fig. 1a–c). However, since Ae. albopictus shares morphological similarities with other members of the Scutellaris group, further identification steps were performed on two collected specimens using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization—time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1) gene barcoding to confirm the species. Briefly, the two specimens were individually dissected to separate the head and thorax from the rest of the body, and then homogenized 3 × 1 min at 30 Hz in a tissue lyzer (Retsch GmbH, Haan Germany). Legs and/or thoraxes were separately treated for identification by MALDI-TOF MS as previously described [6]. Protein mass profiles were acquired using a Maldi Biotyper Sirius Mass Spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany), operating in linear positive-ion mode, with detection at a laser frequency of 50 Hz within a mass range of 2–20 kDa. MALDI-TOF spectra databases shared between entomologists from the Institut Pasteur of New Caledonia and the IHU Méditerranée enabled almost instantaneously confirmation of the samples as Ae. albopictus species, with the relevant score for the two specimens (log-score identification value = 2.05, matching spectra of Ae. albopictus from Cameroon [using mosquito legs from specimen 1] and from Marseille [using mosquito thorax from specimen 2]). To evaluate spectral similarity between specimen 1, which was collected in Saint-Barthélemy, and those from other Ae. albopictus, we generated a clustering analysis via the MSP (main spectra library) dendrogram function in MALDI-Biotyper v3.0 software. (Bruker Daltonics) using MS spectra from Ae. albopictus and five other Aedes species from the Scutellaris group (Aedes scutellaris, Aedes pseudoscutellaris, Aedes futunae, Aedes malayensis and Aedes polynesiensis). The resulting MSP dendrogram showed that the spectrum of the Saint-Barthélemy specimen clustered together with those of other Ae. albopictus, ruling out the possibility of other species from the Scutellaris group (Fig. 1d). These results highlighted the high reproducibility and the specificity of protein profiles among Aedes species, allowing a rapid and relevant identification of the specimen.

    Fig. 1

    Identification of adult Aedes albopictus specimens found in Saint Barthélémy (French West Indies) according to morphological criteria (A, B, C), MALDI-TOF MS analysis (D) and cox1 gene barcoding (E). A Abdomen view: abdominal terga with complete basal white bands (red arrow), B thorax view: scutum with a medial-longitudinal white stripe (red arrow), C thorax view: mesepimeron with non-separated white scales, forming a V-shaped white spot (red arrow). D Main spectrum profile (MSP) dendrogram of Aedes Scutellaris Group. Spectrum from the mosquito specimen collected in Saint Barthélémy was obtained with a Maldi Biotyper Sirius mass spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics), and the dendrogram was generated by MALDI Biotyper Compas Explorer software. Distance units correspond to the relative similarity between spectra of Ae. albopictus from Saint Barthélémy and those from IHU Méditérranée and Institut Pasteur New Caledonia databases. E Molecular phylogenetic tree generated by the maximum likelihood method. The percentage bootstrap values shown at the nodes were calculated with 1000 replicates, and only bootstrap values > 70 are shown. Scale bar indicates nucleotide substitutions per site. Aedes albopictus sequences or spectra from Saint Barthelemy specimens are indicated in red and bold. cox1, Cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene; IHU, Institut hospitalo-universitaire; MALDI-TOF MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization—time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Mosquito pictures were taken by Fabrice Sonor

    We subsequently used the remaining body parts from the two specimens to conduct cox1 barcoding. Total DNA was extracted using the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide technique as previously described [7] and sequenced by Eurofins Genomics Europe (Sanger sequencing) using the primers HCO2198 and LCO1490 [6]. Sequences were analyzed, and multiple sequence alignment (Clustal W) was conducted using BioEdit version 7.0.5.3 software (BioEdit, Manchester, UK) [8, 9]. A molecular phylogenetic tree was generated by the maximum likelihood method based on the Timura 3-parameter model (best-fit nucleotide substitution pattern determined according to the corrected Akaike Information Criterion) using MEGA (http://www.megasoftware.net) with a bootstrap of 1000 replications [10]. Barcoding results indicated that the sequences from the mosquitoes collected in Saint Barthélemy (GenBank accession no. PQ644904 and PQ644905) shared 100% homology with sequences from Ae. albopictus collected in Europe and the Americas (Fig. 1e).

    In the following weeks, weekly entomological surveillance continued, and the number of Ae. albopictus-positive breeding sites on Lorient increased to 18 in a 665-m2 area. The species’ presence was also detected in five breeding sites within a 150-m2 area in Saint Jean (17°53′50″N, 62°50′14″W). The discovery of this second hotspot, located 1.6 km from Lorient and near the airport, suggests a broader distribution of the species on the island. The presence of this invasive mosquito species in Saint Barthélémy, an island with daily aerial or maritime connections to the French Departments of the Americas [11], raises concerns about the risk of its introduction into these territories, as well as into other Caribbean countries. After the first detection of Ae. albopictus in the Dominican Republic in 1993 [4], the species has been reported in an increasing number of Caribbean territories, including Cuba in 1995 [12], Cayman Islands in 1997 [13, 14], Trinidad in 2002 [15], Haiti in 2010 [16], and Jamaica in 2018 [17] (Fig. 2).

    Fig. 2
    figure 2

    Aedes albopictus distribution in the Caribbean. Countries or territories reporting the species have been marked with red location pins. Date of first detection is given in parentheses. Asterisks indicate the first detection in Saint Barthélemy. cox1, Cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene; IHU, Institut hospitalo-universitaire; MALDI-TOF MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization—time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Created with BioRender.com

    It is noteworthy that in Cuba, from 1995 to 1999, Ae. albopictus was mainly distributed in peripheral municipalities with abundant vegetation rather that in more urbanized areas (i.e. city center). However, an increase in the species’ distribution in more urbanized areas, in association with Ae. aegypti, was observed from 2010 to 2018, highlighting the competitiveness of Ae. albopictus in the Caribbean context and an invasion process that can take several years [18]. In Saint Barthélemy, a 25-km2 island, Ae. albopictus is already present in artificial breeding sites from urban settings. In addition, half of these breeding sites contained the species in association with Ae. aegypti individuals (Table 1). In this context, the ecological plasticity of Ae. albopictus [19, 20] will likely facilitate its rapid invasion of Saint Barthélémy, emphasizing the urgent need to locally reinforce vector surveillance and control measures to prevent the further spread of this mosquito.

    This work also highlights the efficiency of MALDI-TOF MS for rapidly identifying mosquito specimens in a real-life surveillance situation. The value of this approach for entomological surveillance has been repeatedly shown [21, 22]. Although MALDI-TOF MS-based identification requires reference spectra databases to identify specimens, as well as standardized protocols for spectrum acquisition [23], the exchange of databases between regions and institutes with access to different mosquito species represents a key development perspective. This is particularly relevant in our increasingly globalized world, where the potential for transcontinental movements of viruses and vectors continues to grow.

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