Author: admin

  • What the Sea Spider Genome Reveals About Their Bizarre Anatomy

    What the Sea Spider Genome Reveals About Their Bizarre Anatomy

    Newswise — An international collaboration featuring the University of Vienna and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) has led to the first-ever chromosome-level genome assembly of a sea spider (Pycnogonum litorale). The genome informs about the development of the characteristic sea spider body plan and constitutes a landmark for revealing the evolutionary history of chelicerates in general. The study was recently published in BMC Biology.

    Sea spiders (Pycnogonida) are marine arthropods with highly unusual anatomy: their trunk is very narrow and short, many of their internal organ systems extend into their long legs, and their abdomen is extremely reduced, to the point of being almost unrecognisable. Together with much better known animals such as spiders, scorpions, mites, or horseshoe crabs, sea spiders belong to the group called chelicerates, named after their claw-like mouthparts, the chelicerae. The bizarre body plan of these “no-bodies” raises fascinating questions: what genetic factors underlie its formation? And what can this tell us about the evolutionary history of chelicerates? The answers lie in their genome.

    A high-resolution genome

    To produce the genome assembly, researchers combined complementary sequencing technologies. First, the genetic material of a single P. litorale individual was obtained using so-called “long-read sequencing”, a technology that is able to capture very long stretches of DNA. This facilitates the correct assembly of otherwise challenging repeated or complex genomic regions. Then, the spatial organisation of the genome was assayed in a second P. litorale individual, revealing which DNA pieces lie close to each other in the cell nucleus. By leveraging the distance information, the correct order of the sequenced DNA stretches can be ascertained. This combination of data sources led to the assembly of 57 pseudochromosomes, representing almost the entirety of the sea spider genome in unprecedented resolution. This was additionally supplemented by novel datasets of gene activity in various developmental stages of P. litorale. “The genomes of many non-canonical laboratory organisms are challenging to assemble, and Pycnogonum is no exception. Only the combination of modern high-throughput data sources made a high-quality genome possible”, says the study’s first author Nikolaos Papadopoulos from the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna. “This can now serve as a stepping stone for further research.”

    Lost genes, visible effects

    The research team paid special attention to the so-called Hox cluster – a gene family that is evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom. “In arthropods, Hox genes play a central role in the correct specification of the different body segments; but also in many other animal groups they are essential ‘master controllers’ during body plan development”, explains Andreas Wanninger, one of the project leads at the Department for Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna. The exciting secret of Pycnogonum litorale: a part of the Hox cluster is missing completely from the genome, namely abdominal-A (Abd-A), a gene typically involved in specification and development of the posterior part of the body. Its absence could be linked to the extreme reduction of the pycnogonid abdomen. Similar conditions have been observed in other arthropods with reduced posteriors, such as certain mites and barnacles. Thus, sea spiders offer another example for the well-documented evolutionary relationship between Hox gene loss and body part reduction.

    The genome also offers insights into broader evolutionary patterns. Unlike spiders and scorpions, whose genomes show clear signs of ancient whole-genome duplications, no such traces can be found in the genome of P. litorale. As pycnogonids are considered the sister taxon to all chelicerates, this suggests that the genome of the chelicerate ancestor did not already have these duplications; rather, they must have happened much later in evolution, for certain chelicerate sub-groups.

    A new reference genome

    This newly assembled high-quality genome paves the way for further comparative studies. P. litorale thus becomes a novel valuable reference species in regards to questions about the interrelationships between chelicerates and the evolution of their body plans, as well as the genetic mechanisms that underlie the diversity of arthropods. “From an evolutionary developmental perspective, sea spiders are very interesting: their mode of development may be ancestral for arthropods, but at the same time they boast multiple body plan innovations unique to themselves. Beyond this, they also possess remarkable regenerative abilities”, explains last author Georg Brenneis of the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna. He adds: “Now that we have the genome and comprehensive datasets on gene activities during development, we can systematically study all of these aspects on the molecular level.”

    The researchers will use the novel reference genome for further studies on gene regulation, development, and regeneration in chelicerates, aiming to better understand the processes underlying the evolutionary success of this group.


    Continue Reading

  • WHO donates medical supplies and equipment to boost mpox response | WHO

    Freetown, Sierra Leone – As part of its continued support to Sierra Leone’s health sector, the World Health Organization (WHO) has donated essential medical supplies, mpox test kits, and laboratory equipment, including five medical-grade refrigerators valued at over USD 126,000 to the Ministry of Health.

    The handover ceremony took place at the Hastings Treatment Centre, with WHO Country Representative Dr George Ameh officially handing over the supplies to Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Mustapha Kabba.

    The donation comes at a critical time as the country continues to respond to the ongoing mpox outbreak, with over 4,000 confirmed cases to date. The supplies will strengthen diagnostic and case management capacity at key treatment and testing sites: Lakka Hospital, Benguema Reference Laboratory, and Hastings Treatment Centre.

    “Our support today reflects WHO’s commitment to ensuring that frontline health workers have the tools they need to manage cases effectively and reduce transmission,” said Dr George Ameh, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone. “These supplies will help improve the quality of care and expand diagnostic capabilities at a time when rapid response remains crucial.”

    Receiving the supplies, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Mustapha Kabba expressed deep appreciation for WHO’s ongoing support and used the occasion to commend frontline healthcare workers at Hastings.

    “We are sincerely grateful to WHO for their continued and timely support throughout this mpox response,” said Dr Kabba. “I want to encourage the hardworking team at Hastings Treatment Centre to continue the work. Your dedication is making a real difference, and we thank you for your tireless efforts in protecting the health of our communities.”

    The Hastings Treatment Centre, one of the designated facilities for mpox case management, is expected to receive a share of the supplies and equipment, which will be used to bolster patient care and improve cold chain storage for samples and medicines.

    “With these additional resources, we can ensure better storage of lab reagents, enhance patient care, and maintain the quality of our services,” said Dr Darlinda Jiba, the facility In-charge at Hastings Treatment Centre. “WHO’s continued support is a true morale booster for our clinical teams.”

    The support is part of WHO’s continued commitment to strengthening Sierra Leone’s health system and response capacity.

    Continue Reading

  • Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

    The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

    **Programming Note

    A programming note, as a reminder which you don’t need to be reminded of.  Tomorrow, the UN Headquarters will be closed, given that it’s an official holiday in our host country.  It is their Independence Day, and we wish them a happy Independence Day.  We will be back here on Monday.

    And as usual, during the holidays and weekends, we will unfortunately remain available to you if you have any questions.

    Also, just on the technical side, over the weekend a number of web platforms, including WebTV, UN News all the UN Photo and Video will be undergoing scheduled maintenances there moving from one hosting platform to another on the back end.  There should not be any problems, but if there are, I just ask you to be a little bit patient.

    **Secretary-General’s Travel

    A travel announcement regarding the Secretary-General: On Saturday, 5 July, the Secretary-General will be arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the seventeenth Summit of the BRICS countries.

    The Secretary-General has been invited to speak at an outreach session on “Strengthening multilateralism, economic-financial affairs and artificial intelligence”, that will take place on Sunday, 6 July.  On Monday, 7 July, he will address a second outreach session, on “Environment, COP30 and global health.”

    During his visit, the Secretary-General will also be having meetings with various leaders who are attending the BRICS Summit, and we will share those readouts with you.

    **Deputy Secretary-General

    Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, returned to Seville today for the closing of the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4).

    At the closing with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain, she underscored the consensus around the Seville Agreement as a demonstration of multilateralism in action — with actions to close the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) financing gap, address the debt crisis, and reform the international financial architecture.  She recognized the more than 100 initiatives launched on the Sevilla Platform for Action, including solidarity levies on private jets and first-class travel to generate new resources for sustainable development.

    She said that the UN will be operationalizing a Seville Forum on Debt to help countries learn from one another and coordinate their approaches in debt management and restructuring; and that forum will be supported by the Government of Spain, and we thank them.

    She called for the Conference to be remembered not only as a conference that responded to crisis, but as the moment the world chose cooperation over fragmentation, unity over division, and action over inertia.

    Tomorrow, she will travel to Praia, Cabo Verde, to take part in celebrations marking the fiftieth anniversary of the country’s independence.

    **Gaza

    And I have a statement to share with you on the humanitarian situation in Gaza: I can tell you that the Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  Multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians.  The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life.

    In just one day this week, Israeli orders to relocate forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, yet again, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, of food, of medicine and of water.

    International humanitarian law is unambiguous: civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population need to be met.

    With no fuel having entered Gaza in more than 17 weeks, the Secretary-General is gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off.  Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and the sick, and water will not be able to be purified. The delivery by the United Nations and our partners of what little of our life-saving humanitarian aid is left in Gaza will grind to a halt.

    The Secretary-General once again calls for full, safe and sustained humanitarian access so aid can reach people who have been deprived of the basics of life for way too long.  The UN has a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians — to do that safely and at scale, wherever those people are.

    The Secretary-General reiterates that all parties must uphold their obligations under international law.  He renews his call for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, held by Hamas and other groups.  That statement is now been shared with you.

    **Occupied Palestinian Territory

    And just to give you a bit more details of what’s actually going on, on the ground:  I can tell you that the space left for civilians to stay is shrinking by the day. Just yesterday, the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order — this time for parts of Gaza City — citing Palestinian rocket fire.  Our colleagues estimate that about 40,000 people were in these areas, which included one displacement site, one medical point, and a neighbourhood that had been spared from any displacement orders since before the ceasefire.  As of earlier today, about 900 families are estimated to have fled.

    OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) notes that since mid-March, when the ceasefire ended, over 50 such orders have been issued.  Together, they now cover about 78 per cent of Gaza.  Add the Israeli-militarized zones and that percentage jumps to 85 — leaving just 15 per cent where civilians can actually stay.

    Those areas are of course overcrowded; they also severely lack any services or proper infrastructure.  Imagine having just over 2 million people in Manhattan — which is actually slightly bigger — but instead of buildings, the area is strewn with the rubble of demolished and bombed-out structures, without infrastructure or basic support.  And in Gaza, these remaining areas are also fragmented and unsafe.

    Yesterday, our colleagues from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said that menstruation has become a nightmare for an estimated 700,000 women and girls in Gaza.  They remind us that, alongside food, people need water, soap, menstrual pads and privacy. UNFPA notes it has supplies ready — almost 170 truckloads’ worth — but they are not being let into the Strip.

    In a report issued yesterday, OCHA notes that since last Thursday, nine more aid workers have been killed — from five different organizations.

    That brings together the total number of aid workers killed to 107 so far this year, and 479 since October 2023.  Among them are 326 of our UN colleagues.

    Looking back at the month of June, out of nearly 400 coordination attempts, 44 per cent were outright denied by Israeli authorities. Another 10 per cent were initially accepted but faced impediments.  Only a third were fully facilitated.  And the rest, which is about 12 per cent — had to be cancelled by the organizers for logistical, operational or security reasons. [Yesterday], we had four denials out of 16 coordination attempts, hindering our teams’ efforts to relocate medical supplies or remove debris, among other critical operations.

    **Lebanon

    Moving north, to Lebanon:  This week, the newly appointed Head of our UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeeping mission and Force Commander, Major General Diodato Abagnara, met with Lebanese leaders, including the President, Joseph Aoun; the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri; the Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam; as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, and the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

    General Abagnara underscored in his meetings the mission’s support to the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), including the strengthened deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in the southern part of their country.

    On the ground, UNIFIL peacekeepers report Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military presence and activities north of the Blue Line, including air violations and mortar fire impacting several locations in Sector East this week.

    Meanwhile, the peacekeepers have also continued to discover unauthorized weapons caches, including one containing mortars in Sector East.

    This week also, UNIFIL supported the important work of humanitarian agencies by facilitating missions of OCHA, UNICEF, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in the UNIFIL area of operations.

    In support of the capacity-building of the Lebanese Armed Forces, UNIFIL Maritime Task Force this week carried out training exercises for the Lebanese Navy and the Lebanese Air Force.

    **Cyprus

    And a note on Cyprus:  In addition to what we said yesterday, in preparation for the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, to be held on 16-17 July, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, is travelling to the island this weekend for meetings with the two sides. Earlier this week, she met with senior representatives of the United Kingdom in London, as well as of the European Union in Brussels.  She will visit Paris on Friday for meetings with Frenchofficials.

    **Ukraine

    Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that air strikes in the past three days have killed and injured civilians.

    According to authorities, at least 10 civilians were killed and nearly 60 injured, including children.

    The strikes also damaged homes, hospitals, schools and agricultural supplies in front-line regions, according to the local authorities and aid workers.  In the Donetsk region alone, authorities reported damage to over 80 homes, schools and other civilian facilities across the region.

    Health facilities have not been spared.  On 1 July, shelling damaged a hospital in Kherson, injuring at least three health workers and five patients.

    Today, drone strikes in the same city damaged several ambulances, civilian vehicles and windows of another hospital building.

    Between January and June of this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded at least 255 attacks on health care in Ukraine — accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all such attacks verified globally. In 2025, these attacks caused at least six deaths and 55 injuries among medical personnel and patients; that’s what the World Health Organization is telling us.

    Humanitarians continue to respond, providing construction materials and emergency shelter kits, blankets, hygiene items and mental health and psychosocial support.

    **Russia

    And Alex, I think you had had a question a number of times on the Memorandum of Understanding.  I can tell you that the final consultation meeting on the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Russian Federation will take place on 11 July in Geneva.  It will be led by Rebeca Grynspan, as it always is; she is of course, as you know, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD (United Nations Tade and Development).

    The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 22 July 2022 with an implementation period of three years as part of the Istanbul agreement and the efforts of Secretary-General on global food security and in the context of the war in Ukraine.  In parallel, the Secretary-General has also continued to advocate for continued exports from Ukraine and the Russian Federation, including through the proposal on safe navigation in the Black Sea, which continues to inform discussions.  And we will share that with you in writing.

    **Senior Personnel Appointment

    Also, I want to read into the record an announcement that went out yesterday evening about the newly-appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Haiti.

    And that new Special Representative is Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu of Mexico; he will be the SRSG and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.

    He succeeds María Isabel Salvador of Ecuador, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication and service.

    Mr. Massieu, as you know, is currently the head of the Verification Mission in Colombia since 2019 and he has over 30 years of experience in public service and in diplomacy, both in bilateral and multilateral contexts.

    An important note, though, Mr. Ruiz Massieu will assume his new functions as the SRSG for Haiti in August.  He will be here in two weeks’ time to brief the Security Council on Colombia.

    **Yemen

    Also on Yemen.  Some good news coming out of Yemen.  Our UN team on the ground is telling us that the two local water authorities in Taiz governorate, the Local Water and Sanitation Corporations in Taiz and Al-Hawban, reached a technical agreement to jointly manage the water supply systems, restoring essential services that have been disrupted for nearly a decade due to conflict and institutional fragmentation.

    This milestone was made possible through the sustained engagement of the United Nations team in Yemen, working alongside key partners.

    To accelerate water access, the Yemen Humanitarian Fund is allocating $2 million to connect 90,000 people, to functioning water networks.

    We commend the local leadership behind this breakthrough and urge donors to scale up support so that over 600,000 people living in Taiz can finally access safe, and reliable, water and sanitation.

    **Global Risk Report

    If you are looking for some interestingreading material this weekend, if I can recommend the inaugural UN Global Risk Report.

    It is being launched today at 1 pm, both online and at an event hosted at the Mission of Singapore.  The key insight of this report is a set of 12 Global Vulnerabilities, which are risks that are perceived as both important and for which the international community is underprepared.  Many risk reports can provide a list of the most important risks, but this report focuses our attention on perceived gaps in the multilateral space.  It identifies Mis- and Disinformation as a singularly critical vulnerability and identifies three other clusters of risks that are technological, environmental, and societal.  Specifically, the report highlights that these global vulnerabilities can be best addressed through coordinated joint action between Member States and across stakeholder groups.  It can be found on the web at unglobalriskreport.org.

    **International Days

    Since we won’t see each other tomorrow, I don’t want to leave you without mentioning two international days.

    Saturday is International Day of Cooperatives.  Cooperatives have a local community focus, and they aspire to bring the benefits of this economic and social model to all people in the world.

    Sunday is World Rural Development Day.  This Day aims at elevating rural voices and renewing the world’s collective promise, which is to leave no one behind, not even in the most remote and forgotten places of the world.

    **Financial Contribution

    We have a quiz for you today.  How many people do deep sea diving here?  Below the water.  You scuba? I am trying to make it more exciting for Gabriel.

    This country’s most famous dive site is the SS President Coolidge, a shipwrecked luxury liner that was serving as a troop ship in World War II.  The ship sank in 1942 after making contact with mines off Espiritu Santo Island, the largest island of this archipelago nation.  No.  Okay, I will give you another hint.  The capital of this country is Port Vila.  [response from the crowd:  “Vanuatu.”]

    Yes.  Who said Vanuatu?  You see, that’s the second one you won, Chris.  Claim your prize.

    **Questions and Answers

    Spokesman:  All right, let’s go back to New York from Vanuatu.  Dezhi?

    Question:  Yes.  Let’s talk about the hostages that kept by Hamas in Gaza.  You said there are 17 weeks that no field entered, and there’s rarely humanitarian deliveries.  Does the UN have any information of the whereabouts or conditions of the still remaining hostages?

    Spokesman:  The information that we have and we’ve been getting is through the regular meetings the Secretary-General has had with the families of Israeli hostages and former hostages, but we do not have any direct information.

    Question:  Does the Secretary-General worry if the condition continues in Gaza without food, without fuel, with more evacuation orders, there will be less and less chance for those hostages to survive…?

    Spokesman:  Well, I mean, I think the longer this goes on, the more people will suffer, whether they are the Palestinian civilians or whether they’re the hostages being held by Hamas.

    Question:  So, another thing is, yesterday, I believe you saw the report from AP about the Gaza Humanitarian Fund [GHF].  Two American contractors said they are very disturbed and feel irresponsible that there’s live ammunition fired at the site, which got rejected by the Fund.  Does the UN have any comments on this?

    Spokesman:  Well, I mean, the comment is what we’ve been telling you about the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since the beginning, that they do not meet the most basic standards that anyone should want to meet, which is when you’re trying to help people, you’re not putting them at greater risk. Yes, Jordan?

    Question:  Steph, there is a big perception in Middle East, actually, in the world that the United Nations has failed to protect the Palestinian people. And, also, as you just mentioned, 326 UN staff also, the United Nations, that you unable to protect even your own staff. How can you reply to that?

    Spokesman:  Well, I mean, which United Nations are you speaking about?  Are you speaking about the inability of the Security Council to come together?  Are you speaking…?

    Correspondent:  The United Nations system.

    Spokesman:  But that’s… you know, I think people have to understand the complexity of the UN system, and we rely on you as journalists to explain that.  I think the Secretary-General and all of the UN humanitarian staff and other staff who remain in Gaza are doing their best to protect civilians, to help civilians stay alive by at least providing them with the limited amount of means that we have.  What is clear is that in this conflict and in others, as the Secretary-General said last week, if I’m not mistaken, international law, the Charter itself is being repeatedly violated and too many countries are choosing to see the Charter and international law as an a la carte menu, as opposed to standing up and believing and implementing other commitments they themselves have signed on to.  Yes, ma’am?

    Question:  Thank you, Steph.  This is Min Lu from China Daily.  The US and Vietnam has reportedly reached a trade agreement that removes tariffs on US goods to Vietnam, while the Vietnam goods exporting to the US are facing higher tariffs.  Does the UN have any comments on how this treatment will influence developing countries and global trade awareness?

    Spokesman:  I mean, we don’t have any comment on this specific agreement, or we’re not even sure there’s an agreement.  What we do believe is that the Secretary-General believes in a global trade system that needs to be fair and especially fair to those countries that are most vulnerable.  Alex?

    Question:  Thanks, Steph.  Firstly, a quick follow-up on UN WebTV and other sources.  Is it somehow connected with UN80 initiative?

    Spokesman:  No, no, not at all.  Not everything is connected to UN80 Initiative.

    Correspondent:  I had to follow-up.

    Spokesman:  I mean, I saw the Mets win yesterday.  I don’t think that was connected to the UN80 Initiative.

    Question:  Secondly, follow-up on this UN Russian Memorandum.  So what will happen after this Memorandum expires?

    Spokesman:  Well, the Memorandum of Understanding will not be extended.  It had a shelf life of three years.  However, the issues around it remain, right?  And that, for us, includes the developing and the protection of safe trade routes through the Black Sea.  So a lot of the issues that the memo address will continue to live on and will continue to be discussed between the United Nations, the Russian Federation, and others.

    Question:  And last one.  President [Vladimir] Putin and President [Donald] Trump held a phone conversation. Have any comments on that?

    Spokesman:  I mean, we’ve just seen that they spoke.  As I’ve said in other cases, we welcome high-level dialogue between leaders of these United Nations.  Okay.  Yes, ma’am?

    Question:  Hi.  My name is Rachel from [Inaudible], Guangdong, China.  So I just recently saw a new report from the United Nations Economic and Social Committee for Asia and the Pacific mentions a USD $2.5 to $4 trillion in annual financing gap for developing countries.  So I’m wondering, as China is now one of the largest creditors to developing countries, how does the UN view China’s potential role in advancing global financial collaboration?

    Spokesman:  To be honest, I have not seen that report.  I will put you in touch with its authors, so you can ask them. But I try not to speak about things I don’t know.  Doesn’t always work, but that’s what I try to do.  Go ahead, Dezhi.

    Question:  Yesterday, WHO urged countries to increase health tax on tobaccos, alcohols, and sugar-contained beverages to at least 50 per cent of its price.  Do you worry that would affect your champagne drinking in your bottle?

    Spokesman:  Have a great weekend.

    Continue Reading

  • Automated Insulin Delivery Shows Promise in Young Children

    Automated Insulin Delivery Shows Promise in Young Children

    TOPLINE:

    In children aged 2-6 years with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who required at least six units of insulin daily, using the auto mode of the MiniMed 780G hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system improved glycemic control compared to the system’s manual mode — without increasing insulin requirements — and maintained an acceptable safety profile.

    METHODOLOGY:

    • Poor glycemic control during childhood can adversely affect both brain development and plasticity. Automated insulin delivery systems have shown promising results in children younger than 15 years.
    • Researchers conducted a prospective, multinational trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of automated insulin delivery with the MiniMed 780G system, recruiting 98 children aged 2-6 years with T1D (mean hemoglobin A1c level, 7.53%; 49% girls) between March and September 2023, all of whom required at least six units of insulin daily.
    • The trial began with a 2-week run-in phase, in which the MiniMed 780G system was used in manual mode along with the suspend-before-low (SBL) feature, with the low glucose threshold set at 65 mg/dL. This was followed by a 26-week randomly assigned crossover phase, where patients received either 12 weeks of the auto mode, a 2-week washout, and 12 weeks of the manual + SBL mode or the reverse sequence (manual + SBL mode, washout, and then auto mode).
    • The primary endpoint was the adjusted difference in the percentage of time in range (70-180 mg/dL) between the auto and manual + SBL modes, with noninferiority defined as an absolute margin of 7.5 percentage points.
    • Secondary endpoints included the adjusted difference in mean hemoglobin A1c levels at the end of each 12-week period, tested for noninferiority against an absolute margin of 0.4 percentage points; safety outcomes were also evaluated.

    TAKEAWAY:

    • The mean time in range of the patients was 58.1% during the run-in phase and 68.3% and 58.3% when using the auto and manual + SBL modes, respectively; the adjusted difference in the time in range between the auto and manual + SBL modes was 9.9 percentage points (95% CI, 8.0-11.7).
    • The adjusted difference in mean hemoglobin A1c levels between the auto and manual + SBL modes was −0.61 percentage points (95% CI, −0.76 to −0.46).
    • The mean total daily insulin dose requirement was similar between the two modes.
    • No severe hypoglycemia events or serious adverse events related to the device or procedure were reported.

    IN PRACTICE:

    “These important findings add to the existing evidence on the safety and efficacy of hybrid closed-loop systems in this vulnerable population and, pending regulatory approval, will increase the options for young children and caregivers to choose their preferred hybrid closed-loop system,” Charlotte K. Boughton, MD, PhD, from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, wrote in a related comment.

    SOURCE:

    This study was led by Tadej Battelino, MD, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was published online in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

    LIMITATIONS:

    Each center managed its own hemoglobin A1c testing, potentially introducing variations. Excluding children who required fewer than six units of insulin per day may have limited the generalizability of the findings. This study did not capture data on food intake or physical activity, and its sample size was insufficient to assess safety events that occurred infrequently.

    DISCLOSURES:

    This study was funded by Medtronic. Four authors reported being employees of Medtronic. Several other authors reported receiving consultant or speaker fees, advisory board fees, research grants, and travel grants from Medtronic and various other pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

    This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

    Continue Reading

  • AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26: East Bengal’s preliminary round draw out

    AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26: East Bengal’s preliminary round draw out

    India’s East Bengal FC have been drawn in Group E alongside Hong Kong China’s Kitchee SC and Cambodian football club Phnom Penh Crown FC for the preliminary stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26.

    The official draw was held at the AFC House, headquarters of the Asian Football Confederation, in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday

    East Bengal earned a spot in the AWCL – the premier women’s club football competition in Asia – for the upcoming season by winning the 2024-25 Indian Women’s League (IWL) title.

    The IWL is the top-tier domestic league for women’s football in India.

    A total of 19 clubs from across Asia will compete in the preliminary phase of the women’s AFC Champions League, split into five groups – four groups of four teams each and one comprising three.

    After single-headed round robin matches, the five group winners will advance to the group stage of the main draw of the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League, where they will join seven automatic qualifiers from the top-ranked AFC Member Associations.

    Melbourne City FC (Australia), Suwon FC Women (Republic of Korea), Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan), defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC (People’s Republic of China), Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (Vietnam), Bam Khatoon FC (Islamic Republic of Iran) and one club from the United Arab Emirates, which is still to be confirmed, have already qualified for the main draw.

    Continue Reading

  • Jeff Bezos-backed $88m methane satellite missing in space

    Jeff Bezos-backed $88m methane satellite missing in space

    Esme Stallard

    Climate and science reporter, BBC News

    MethaneSat The methane satellite is shown in space. It has two arms of solar panels that extend outwards from a central body that is white with gold covering. MethaneSat

    An $88m (£65m) satellite designed to detect releases of the planet-warming gas methane from oil and gas production, has been lost in space in a major setback for climate efforts.

    The MethaneSat satellite which had backing from Google and billionaire Jeff Bezos, was launched only last year aboard an Elon Musk SpaceX rocket.

    It was meant to collect data for five years on sources of the powerful greenhouse gas, which is responsible for nearly a third of human-induced warming, to help curtail the worst offenders.

    The Environment Defense Fund, the NGO which oversees the satellite, said that communication was lost ten days ago and is currently undertaking an investigation into what happened.

    Methane is the most potent of the greenhouse gases, and although it does not hang around in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, it is 28 times stronger over a 100-year period.

    Despite an international commitment to reduce methane levels by 30% by 2030, year-on-year it continues to rise with the target unlikely to be met, according to the European Space Agency.

    The main sources of methane are from oil and gas production, farming and food decomposition in landfill.

    But many of the current satellites that monitor it are operated privately, reducing transparency of who the worst offenders for methane release are.

    MethaneSat came after years of development by the NGO Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and once launched made much of its data publicly available, allowing scrutiny by governments and scientists.

    It was backed by a consortium of tech giants including Google and billionaire Jeff Bezos, which together contributed $88m to the project.

    The instruments used by the satellite are some of the most sensitive in the world, able to pick up much smaller sources of methane as well as “super-emitters”.

    Improving the sensitivity is important for detecting releases from agriculture which are often much more diffuse than from oil and gas production.

    ‘Likely not recoverable’

    Google said when it was launched it hoped its project would “fill gaps between existing tools”.

    The company was using its artificial intelligence tools to process the data and generate a global methane map.

    But after just a year in orbit, in what was meant to be a five-year programme, communication was lost with MethaneSat.

    The team at EDF suspect that the satellite has lost power and said in a statement “that it is likely not recoverable.”

    It went on to say that some of the software could be re-used but said it was too early to comment on whether a new satellite would be launched.

    “To solve the climate challenge requires bold action and risk-taking and this satellite was at the leading edge of science, technology and advocacy,” it added.

    One of the other major publicly-available sources of methane data is hosted by CarbonMapper. One of its sources of data is the TROPOMI instrument aboard the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite. Although it continues to send back data its seven-year programme was meant to finish in October.

    It is unclear how much longer it can continue to collect information, further limiting global efforts to track the greenhouse gas.

    Thin, green banner promoting the Future Earth newsletter with text saying, “The world’s biggest climate news in your inbox every week”. There is also a graphic of an iceberg overlaid with a green circular pattern.

    Continue Reading

  • US politics live: House debates Trump’s tax-and-spending bill after overnight advancement | US Congress

    US politics live: House debates Trump’s tax-and-spending bill after overnight advancement | US Congress

    House debates Trump’s tax-and-spending bill after overnight advancement

    Good morning and welcome to our blog covering US politics.

    The House has moved toward a final vote on Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-and-spending bill after hours of wrangling. The procedural vote had been initially delayed by the blocking of a rule that allows the debate to begin. But eventually, the House voted 219-213 to move forward at about 3.30AM ET.

    The debate lasted much longer than expected also, mainly due to a marathon session by Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who labelled the legislation a “one big ugly bill” and read out many letters from Americans saying what Medicaid means to them.

    Jeffries is still speaking on the House floor, saying in the early hours of Thursday morning that he would take his “sweet time” telling the stories of Americans whose lives will be upended by the legislation if it passes.

    Meanwhile, House speaker Mike Johnson was optimistic Wednesday night and said lawmakers had a “long, productive day” discussing the issues, Reuters reported. He also praised Trump for making phone calls to the holdouts through the early hours of Thursday morning.

    “There couldn’t be a more engaged and involved president,” the speaker told reporters.

    Stick with us today as we break down the events of the day.

    Share

    Key events

    Hakeem Jeffries, now passing four hours on the House floor, said the tax and spending bill takes a “chainsaw” to Medicare, Medicaid, nutritional assistance for hungry children, and vulnerable Americans. But, he said, Democrats are “here to make clear, Mr. Speaker, we’re determined to take a chainsaw to Project 2025.”

    Share

    Continue Reading

  • I’m human. Are you? The battle for our online identity

    I’m human. Are you? The battle for our online identity

    Stay informed with free updates

    It’s every manager’s worst nightmare: hiring a remote employee who turns out to be a North Korean hacker intent on loading malware on to your network. But that’s what happened to the US cyber security company KnowBe4 last year, as the company’s founder, Stu Sjouwerman, described in a candid blog post. 

    KnowBe4 had posted a job ad for an AI software engineer, interviewed candidates by video, conducted background checks, verified references and made an offer. But soon after the company sent a Mac workstation to the remote employee’s notional address, he went rogue. The company quickly discovered he was a fake North Korean IT worker, who had used a valid, but stolen, US-based identity to land the job. He then accessed the workstation remotely from Asia via an “IT mule laptop farm”.

    Thankfully, no data was compromised but the company said it sure was a “learning moment”. “If it can happen to us, it can happen to almost anyone. Don’t let it happen to you,” Sjouwerman wrote.

    This scary incident highlights the difficulties of authenticating someone’s identity online — even by specialist security experts. But that challenge is about to become immeasurably harder as we outsource more responsibilities to AI chatbots and agents, getting them to perform many administrative functions online, and we generate lifelike video avatars. 

    Up to now, the internet has mostly involved machines communicating with machines and humans interacting with humans. But increasingly those lines are blurring. We’re close to the point where chatbots and avatars are all but indistinguishable from humans online. How can you be sure that you’re not interacting with a synthetic human?

    As is the way with Silicon Valley, some tech executives have come up with a proposed solution to the problem they have created, profiting from both sides of the transaction. Prominent among them is Sam Altman, who triggered the generative AI investment frenzy after his company OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022.

    Altman has also co-founded Tools for Humanity, which has developed an iris-verification device, a white globe about the size of a football, called the Orb. “We needed some way for identifying, authenticating humans in the age of AGI,” he told an event in San Francisco this year. “We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and central.”

    Once a user’s eye is scanned, the company sends them a World ID, a global digital passport, and $42 in Worldcoin cryptocurrency as a reward for joining the network. As of April, some 13.5mn people in 23 countries had used the Orb to generate a World ID. The service was launched in the UK last month.

    The Orb is undoubtedly trying to address a real user need. But, quite apart from the scary Black Mirror vibes, it is questionable how effective the iris-scanning service will be. The need for a special machine to identify and authenticate any user (there are currently more than 1,500 Orbs in operation) makes the system clunky and expensive. The insistence on one centralised digital identity deprives a user of the freedom to have multiple, disconnected identities, raising privacy concerns. The World ID passport also risks becoming a walled garden that may not interoperate with other ID networks, such as the EU Digital Identity Wallet, which will become operational across the bloc by 2026.

    Nevertheless, some security experts suggest that we are rapidly entering a world where our default assumption must be that all online counterparties are synthetic unless they can prove otherwise. That creates a need to demonstrate genuine presence online, or “liveness”, as Andrew Bud, founder of the biometric authentication company iProov, calls it.  

    iProov’s premium service has been used more than 100mn times by customers, including governments and financial services companies, through a smartphone-based facial recognition system. This shoots multicoloured lights at a user’s face and analyses the reflections, verifying their identity in about 2.5 seconds.

    “Digital identity is a set of facts. But trust does not reside in facts. It resides in people,” Bud tells me. That means linking those facts to a human being who controls those facts. “And for that you’re going to have to use biometrics.”

    The identification and authentication of users is one of the hardest challenges we face on the internet because technology is evolving so fast, but it is critical that we meet it. The likely next threat? Masses of synthetic hackers.

    john.thornhill@ft.com

    Continue Reading

  • PM urges swift rollout of digital payments to boost transparency

    PM urges swift rollout of digital payments to boost transparency

    Listen to article

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the rapid implementation of a nationwide digital transaction system and said that it is essential to ensure transparency and modernise Pakistan’s economy.

    Chairing a weekly meeting on the development of a cashless and digital economy at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday, Shehbaz emphasised on the need to facilitate digital payments between citizens and businesses, and to promote public awareness of digital platforms.

    “The digital system is vital to improve transparency and must be implemented countrywide,” he said.

    He directed the three newly formed committees the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee and the Government Payments Committee to collaborate closely with stakeholders and submit actionable recommendations.

    The digital system is vital to improve transparency and must be implemented countrywide

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

    The prime minister was briefed that the State Bank of Pakistan is preparing a simplified digital payment strategy to onboard more merchants and expand mobile adoption.

    Read: Cashless economy a necessity for fiscal resilience: FinMin

    Targets include increasing mobile app users from 95 million to 120m, and the number of merchants using QR codes from 0.9m to 2m. The total volume of digital payments is projected to grow from Rs7.5 billion to Rs12b.

    Shehbaz instructed that these targets should be doubled to accelerate progress.

    Officials informed the meeting that the “Digital National Pakistan” initiative is underway, and the Islamabad City mobile app has already recorded 1.3m downloads. Through the app, Rs15.5b has been collected under the ICT excise and taxation department.

    The government is also advancing the Digital Pakistan ID project and e-stamping services will soon launch in Islamabad.

    Plans are in place to extend free Wi-Fi services across Islamabad in hospitals, schools, offices, parks and metro stations.

    Shehbaz directed that these digital services be extended to federal areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The meeting was attended by Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Advisor Dr Tauqir Shah and Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, along with other senior officials.

    Continue Reading

  • First Thing: Trump’s bill of tax and welfare cuts passes step in House | Trump administration

    First Thing: Trump’s bill of tax and welfare cuts passes step in House | Trump administration

    Good morning.

    Donald Trump’s signature tax-and-spending bill passed a procedural step in the House of Representatives at close to 4am local time, paving the way for the possible passage of the legislation later today as lawmakers continue to debate.

    The House speaker, Mike Johnson, is determined to pass the bill as soon as possible but has been frustrated by lawmakers – Democrats but also a handful of Republicans – who object to its provisions and overall cost. Overnight, they had blocked the House from approving a rule that was necessary to begin debate on the measure and set the stage for the proposed legislation’s passage.

    But the procedural passage appeared to suggest that the Republican holdouts had been brought into line, and that Trump’s bill – which he has made the centerpiece of his legislative agenda – would soon pass.

    The bill would add $3.3tn to the US budget deficit from 2025 to 2034, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates.

    • What would it mean for deportation policy? Thousands of new immigration enforcement officers; tens of thousands of extra detention beds; fees on asylum applications; and further construction on the border wall. Here’s how Trump’s bill will supercharge mass deportations by funneling $170bn to Ice.

    • And social security? According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the welfare cuts will result in about 10.6 million people losing their Medicaid healthcare and 8 million people losing their Snap food stamp benefits.

    • Follow our live coverage here.

    Exclusive: Israeli military used US-made 500lb bomb in strike on Gaza cafe

    Experts in international law say the use of such a munition despite the known presence of many unprotected civilians may constitute a war crime. Photograph: Enas Tantesh/The Guardian

    The Israeli military used a 500lb (230kg) bomb – a powerful and indiscriminate weapon that generates a massive blast wave and scatters shrapnel over a wide area – in an attack on a target in a crowded beachfront cafe in Gaza on Monday, evidence seen by the Guardian has revealed.

    Experts in international law said the use of such a munition despite the known presence of many unprotected civilians including children and elderly people was almost certainly unlawful and may constitute a war crime.

    Fragments of the weapon from the ruins of al-Baqa cafe photographed by the Guardian have been identified by ordnance experts as parts of an MK-82 general purpose 230kg bomb, a US-made staple of many bombing campaigns in recent decades.

    • What was the civilian death toll from Monday’s bombing? Medical and other officials said between 24 and 36 Palestinians were killed in the attack and dozens more were injured. The dead included the film-maker Ismail Abu Hatab, the artist Amna al-Salmi, and a four-year-old child. Among the injured were a 14-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Read the report on the strike here.

    Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs found guilty on two of five counts but acquitted of more serious charges

    Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s seven-week trial was marked by emotional and graphic testimony. Photograph: Elizabeth Williams/AP

    A jury in New York has found Sean “Diddy” Combs guilty of two counts and not guilty on three counts after a closely watched seven-week federal trial marked by emotional and graphic testimony.

    In a mixed verdict, Combs was found not guilty of the biggest charge, racketeering conspiracy, as well as not guilty of the sex trafficking of Casandra Ventura or of “Jane”. He was found guilty on two counts of the transportation to engage in prostitution in relation to the two women.

    • What happens next? The judge proposed a sentencing date of October 3, but said he was willing to move up the date at the defense’s request. Combs’s bail request was denied, with the judge saying he had demonstrated a “disregard for the rule of law and a propensity of violence”.

    In other news …

    People protest over the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García. Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

    • Kilmar Ábrego García was physically and psychologically tortured in Salvadorian custody, according to court documents of the man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador.

    • The Dalai Lama said the centuries-old spiritual institution bearing his name would continue after his death, and that only his inner circle, not Beijing, would have the authority to identify his successor.

    • Thailand’s constitutional court has suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while it investigates a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.

    Stat of the day: Paramount settles with Trump for $16m over 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris

    The settlement over the Kamala Harris interview is likely to be seen as a further media capitulation to Donald Trump. Photograph: Federal Communications Commission

    Donald Trump has reached a $16m settlement with Paramount, the parent of CBS News, over what he claimed was false editing of an interview with Kamala Harris, in what is likely to be seen as further media capitulation to Trump. Paramount is preparing for a $8.4bn merger that requires FCC approval.

    Don’t miss this: the rise and fall of the world’s first ayahuasca multinational

    Traditional ayahuasca practitioners accused Alberto Varela of bringing their practice into disrepute. Composite: Guardian Design/Getty/Crónica/El Mundo

    Alberto Varela claimed he wanted to use sacred plant medicine to free people’s minds. But as the organisation grew, his followers discovered a darker reality. Traditional ayahuasca practitioners protested he was bringing their practice into disrepute. Accidents would happen, they said.

    Climate check: droughts pushing tens of millions towards starvation

    A quarter of Somalia’s population are edging towards starvation. Photograph: Jérôme Delay/AP

    Drought is pushing tens of millions of people to the edge of starvation around the world, according to a report published by the US National Drought Mitigation Center, UN Convention to Combat Desertification and International Drought Resilience Alliance. In Somalia, a quarter of the population is edging towards starvation.

    Last Thing: Colombia’s enchanted parking lot – how a ruined multistorey became a garden paradise

    A parking lot in Medellín, Colombia, has been reborn as a green haven for all Photograph: Isaac Ramirez

    Once a hangout for drug users, a parking lot in Medellín, Colombia, has been reborn as a green haven for all. “You dig up the concrete, water gets into the ground, vegetation grows up, and the people come back,” said one of the social urbanists credited with reducing crime and temperatures.

    Sign up

    Sign up for the US morning briefing

    First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.

    Get in touch

    If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com

    Continue Reading