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  • Ratatan Has Announced Its Early Access Release Date

    Ratatan Has Announced Its Early Access Release Date

    Posted in: Games, Indie Games, Video Games | Tagged: Game Source Entertainment, Ratatan, Tokyo Virtual Theory

    Ratatan has been given a new Early Access Date for September, as the game still has a totally free demo for you to play on Steam

    Article Summary

    • Ratatan’s Early Access release date for Steam is officially set for September after a short delay.

    • The game blends rhythmic combat and roguelike elements from the minds behind Patapon and Tokyo Virtual Theory.

    • Players command Ratatan and their Cobun army using magical instruments to attack, defend, and explore.

    • New power-ups, multiplayer mini-games, and richer graphics deliver fresh experiences with each session.

    Indie game developer Tokyo Virtual Theory and publisher Game Source Entertainment confirmed the official Early Access release date for Ratatan. Originally, this was supposed to take place back in July, but it looks like the team decided to push that back and give themselves a couple of extra months to work on the title. Now we know the EA date for Steam will take place on September 19, 2025. Those of you who want to try the game out ahead of time can still play a free demo of the title on Steam right now, which will probably stay up until the new version arrives.

    Ratatan Announced For PC & Console Release in 2025
    Credit: Game Source Entertainment

    Ratatan

    Ratatan is a rhythmic roguelike action game developed in collaboration between Hiroyuki Kotani, the producer of the renowned series Patapon, released on PSP in 2007, and Tokyo Virtual Theory (TVT). Players act as the Ratatan, using magical instruments to deliver different commands to the armies of Cobun to attack the enemies. In addition to attack and defense rhythmic sequences, there are also actions that allow the Ratatan to move freely, with unique skills for each character, further deepening the musicality of the game. Players will enter “fever mode” when they accurately follow the rhythm sequences. In fever mode, the background music changes interactively, and characters perform various actions.

    Ratatan also incorporates the popular Roguelike system. In each adventure, Ratatan and its Cobun randomly receive different power-ups and rewards in every battle. Players will experience different adventures each time, with various power-ups bringing various diverse effects and increasing gameplay possibilities. With Nelnal as the game illustrator and character designer, Ratatan features richer game graphics and more characters than before. It has also added a lot of new content, including a brand-new system and mini-games for multiplayer. It will utilize TVT’s own “Theory Engine” to provide a fast and stable environment for online multiplayer.

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  • A2 Milk Targets Margin Growth, Buys Manufacturing Facility – The Wall Street Journal

    1. A2 Milk Targets Margin Growth, Buys Manufacturing Facility  The Wall Street Journal
    2. A2 Milk to Buy New Zealand Formula Plant to Target China Growth  Bloomberg.com
    3. a2 Milk Company Releases 2025 Annual Results and Supply Chain Update  TipRanks
    4. English label set to boost a2 Milk profit  NZ Herald
    5. A2 Milk’s Full-Year Profit Jumps, Company to Buy NZ Formula Plant for China Growth  US News Money

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  • Get Down-to-Earth in Pokémon Scarlet  and Pokémon Violet Mass Outbreaks

    Get Down-to-Earth in Pokémon Scarlet  and Pokémon Violet Mass Outbreaks

    Get ready to get your hands dirty in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet with a Ground-type mass outbreak event from Sunday, August 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. PDT to Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 4:59 p.m. PDT. During this time, mass outbreaks of Paldean Wooper, Mudbray, and Drilbur will be digging up trouble throughout various locations. Shiny Pokémon are more likely to appear in these special mass outbreaks, so stay grounded and stock up on Poké Balls!

    Look for the following Pokémon in these locations:

    Mass outbreaks are a phenomenon in which many of the same species of Pokémon appear in one location. To participate in mass outbreak events, you will need to download the latest Poké Portal News and install the latest update data for your game.

    Get ready to dig in for a great time, Trainers!

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  • Shiny Ting-Lu Appears in 5-Star Tera Raid Battles in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet

    Shiny Ting-Lu Appears in 5-Star Tera Raid Battles in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet

    Prepare to stand your ground against a powerful Legendary Pokémon, Trainers! Shiny Ting-Lu is appearing in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet 5-star Tera Raid Battles, the third in a series of Tera Raid Battle events featuring Shiny treasures of ruin. This Ruinous Pokémon has Ground as its Tera Type and will appear at Tera Raid crystals from Monday, 18 August 2025, at 00:00 UTC to Sunday, 31 August 2025, at 23:59 UTC.

    Unlike most Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Tera Raid Battles, Shiny Ting-Lu cannot be caught upon being defeated. Instead, participating players must collectively achieve one million total victories before the conclusion of Ting-Lu’s event period for the opportunity to receive it through the Mystery Gift feature.

    If the total number of player victories against Shiny Ting-Lu meets or exceeds one million by Sunday, 31 August 2025, at 23:59 UTC, Shiny Ting-Lu will subsequently be available to claim via Mystery Gift from Friday, 5 September 2025, at 00:00 UTC to Tuesday, 30 September 2025, at 23:59 UTC.

    The final total of player victories against this Pokémon is scheduled to be announced at approximately 00:00 UTC on the Friday following the conclusion of this Tera Raid Battle event.

    1. Launch your Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game.

    2. Select Poké Portal on the X menu.

    3. Select Mystery Gift, then select Get via Internet to connect to the internet.

    4. Choose the gift you want to receive.

    5. Watch as the gift arrives in your game.

    6. Be sure to save your game.

    For every one hundred thousand player victories collectively exceeding one million against this Pokémon, players can also receive a Tera Shard Set containing 40 Tera Shards alongside the Shiny Pokémon Mystery Gift distribution. Players can receive up to 10 sets total from this event.

    To challenge Shiny Ting-Lu, Trainers will need to either complete the main story or join 5-star Tera Raid Battles hosted by other Trainers in multiplayer. Whenever you see a sparkling pillar of light shining from a Tera Raid crystal, you can walk up to the crystal and interact with it to start a Tera Raid Battle with a Tera Pokémon.

    To find the featured Tera Pokémon, you’ll also need to have downloaded the latest Poké Portal News. To do so, follow these steps:

    1. Select Poké Portal in the X menu.

    2. Select Mystery Gift.

    3. Select Check Poké Portal News.

    Be warned: Shiny Ting-Lu is certain to put up a tough fight. If you’re looking for some tips on how to defeat this powerful Pokémon, as well as the methods to unlock Tera Raid Battles in your game, head on over to our Tera Raid Battle Tips article. Learn the ins and outs of Tera Raid Battles in the Paldea region so that you never miss a chance to catch a powerful Pokémon or earn handsome rewards.

    Work together with Trainers around the world to challenge Shiny Ting-Lu and welcome it as your ally!

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  • Australia’s gas market isn’t working – it needs flexible regulation mechanisms to fix its problems

    Australia’s gas market isn’t working – it needs flexible regulation mechanisms to fix its problems

    Since liquified natural gas (LNG) exports started in Queensland ten years ago, eastern Australia’s domestic gas consumption has fallen by about 32%, while prices tripled. The largest drops in consumption were observed in the electricity and industrial sectors, which are typically more price-sensitive. While many factors influenced those declines, high gas prices are often cited as a factor when heavy gas users have ceased operation. 

    Although its LNG exports are much larger than Queensland’s, Western Australia (WA) has been mostly sheltered from these trends thanks to a domestic reservation policy. However, the market is facing growing issues, with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) forecasting large shortfalls in WA from as early as 2028. Prices have also increased materially since 2021, with average contract prices reaching about $7 per gigajoule (GJ) in 2024, compared with historical levels of around $3-5/GJ.

    For eastern Australia, AEMO forecasts gas shortages from 2028, increasing sharply in the early 2030s as production from Victoria’s gas fields declines.

    These issues can be surprising for a country that is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters. A lot of the gas market issues can be associated with the dominance of LNG exports over domestic gas use: Australia exports about 80% of the gas it produces. This has led to a linkage between domestic and international prices. In addition, there is a lack of competition in the eastern market, where a small group of LNG exporters effectively control 90% of 2P [proven and probable] gas reserves. 

    Finally, exporters have strong incentives to maximise their exports, and there are currently no mechanisms to ensure this doesn’t hurt domestic users. IEEFA has found LNG export facilities have maintained high levels of utilisation even in periods of relatively low international prices, with high volumes of spot sales (discretionary sales beyond contracted volumes) complementing long-term contracts. Some projects, like Santos’s GLNG project in Queensland, have even siphoned gas from the domestic market to fulfill their export commitments.

    Redirecting gas from LNG exports could ease impending shortages

    IEEFA has found that one of the best ways to address gas market tightness would be to redirect gas from LNG exports towards the domestic market. In the short term, there are more than enough spot sales to meet expected shortfalls. Spot sales made up about 25% of total exports in 2024, which is of a similar order of magnitude as Australia’s total domestic gas use, and multiple times the shortfalls expected on both sides of the country.

    Expiring contracts present an opportunity to free up additional gas for larger longer-term forecast shortfalls, particularly in eastern Australia. The first contract to expire will be Santos’s GLNG contract with Kogas for nearly 200PJ (per annum) in 2031. This volume, combined with spot sales, would be more than enough to meet forecast shortfalls in the 2030s.

    Redirecting gas from exports is likely to be a much faster, and lower-cost solution than developing new gas fields. Queensland gas is relatively low-cost, especially compared to new gas fields such as the Beetaloo, which would require billions in investment to bring the gas to the east coast. 

    Constraining LNG exports is unlikely to damage the energy security of our Asian consumers. Indeed, an unprecedented increase in LNG capacity in the coming years is expected to create an enormous supply glut in the late 2020s, which would last until at least 2040 according to the International Energy Agency. In addition, Japanese companies resell vast volumes of Australian LNG to other countries and could reduce their LNG purchases from Australia by a third without impacting Japan’s energy security. 

    This article was first published by Energy News Bulletin.

    New mechanisms could ensure Australia’s energy security and reduce prices

    The Australian government is currently reviewing what instruments are needed for securing domestic gas supply. In IEEFA’s opinion, a combination of mechanisms addressing long-term contracts and spot sales could help secure Australia’s energy security, decouple domestic and international prices, and maintain the flexibility required to adapt to changing market conditions.

    We support the introduction of export licences for new long-term contracts and renewals. Licence decisions should be informed by the market outlook as well as producers’ past conduct and reserves availability to encourage good behaviour. This should for example deter producers from taking from the domestic market to meet export commitments. Queensland LNG exporter APLNG has come out in support of such a mechanism, to ensure “equitable domestic supply obligations” across all producers. 

    IEEFA’s view is that a licensing scheme for spot sales may not be sufficiently practical or flexible. It will be difficult to predict the exact volumes of gas the market will need in advance, given the influence of factors such as weather, power plant outages and many more. For spot sales, IEEFA believes an export tax, combined with the option of applying export caps when required, could help ensure sufficient supply. 

    An export tax would be simple to implement, incentivise domestic supply while maintaining investment incentives for gas producers, and have the additional benefit of decoupling domestic and international prices. Caps could be applied to spot sales to guarantee supply in exceptional circumstances, such as when an imminent shortage is forecast, when prices rise well above normal levels, or when exporters’ conduct creates unacceptable risks to domestic energy security.

    Now is the time to reform Australia’s gas market settings, before shortages materialise and further industrial facilities close due to high gas prices.

     

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  • Does GenAI provide the opportunity for creativity to take centre stage?

    Does GenAI provide the opportunity for creativity to take centre stage?

    Open a generative-AI tool, type “design a low-cost water filter for refugee camps” and, in seconds, you have concept drawings, a bill of materials and a rollout plan. Yesterday that required a term-long group project. Today, it’s the warm-up. The superpower now sitting on every student’s laptop is the ability to race from spark to prototype.

    Trust me, I tried this and it works. The last time I coded anything, it was in BASIC in 1992. Last week, while I sat at a cafe, I had ChatGPT propose, design and implement a WordPress plug-in for my website, which allows students to map the syllabus against the time they have available to prepare towards their exam. From morning-shower-idea to implemented solution, in the time it took me to drink a flat white.

    This changes every part of higher education, yet most curricula merely bolt a “How to prompt ChatGPT” slide on to last year’s lecture. Students, meanwhile, use the tech to vault over the skills we test them on. They no longer need weeks of coding workshops to build an app or statistics tutorials to run regressions – the machine does the legwork. Our value can no longer be the skills treadmill.

    From skills to sparks

    For centuries, universities have delivered scarce expertise. We stacked programmes like layer cakes: first theory, then practice, finally – if there was time – a sprinkle of creativity. Generative AI flips that order. Because routine skills are on tap, the bottleneck shifts upstream to ideation: spotting problems worth solving and framing them so the machine can help.

    That demands divergent thinking, curiosity and ethical judgement – qualities our assessment regimes often squeeze out. We  need to treat creativity as a core literacy, not a decorative extra. Don’t get me wrong, skills are not irrelevant – they just look different. Prompt craft, data stewardship and model critique replace manual citation and calculator drills. But they are means, not ends.

    Studios, not lecture theatres

    Ask three questions when redesigning a module: Where can AI shorten the distance from idea to outcome? How will students showcase originality, not output volume? When will they pause for ethical reflection? 

    When imagination is scarce, learning spaces must feel like design studios. Instead of teaching business law, droning on about director’s duties, I will get teams of students to build regulatory sandboxes for autonomous-vehicle start-ups. They will use legal-language models to draft compliance frameworks, then spend seminars debating what the bot missed and why it matters. Skills happen in the background – creativity sits centre stage.

    By doing this, we can finally breach the disciplinary boundaries we long pretended to dislike. Creativity flourishes at the edges of disciplines. Pair literature students with computer scientists to prototype narrative-driven virtual reality; mix chemists with economists to imagine circular-economy start-ups. Set a shared brief, equip them with AI tools and a two-week sprint, then step aside. 

    The revelation is not how quickly they build things, but how naturally they trade perspectives once the translation burden sits with the machine. That habit of fluent collaboration is exactly what employers in an AI-saturated economy will prize – and universities, not tech platforms, are ideally placed to choreograph it. We preach interdisciplinarity, now is the time to do it.

    Faculty as creative directors

    Worried you may be left without a job? The bot will not replace the lecturer – it will replace the lecturer who only delivers content. Our new role is creative director: curating resources, modelling intellectual risk and orchestrating messy discussion. 

    Start by using the tools yourself. When students see you experiment – whether with an AI avatar explaining case law or a model drafting a syllabus – they learn that scholarship is exploratory, not finished. In trying to solve the challenge of student disengagement, I became an AI avatar designer. Creativity offered a pathway to solve my problem.

    Traditional exams reward retention – coursework rewards hours invested. Both collapse when GenAI can write a passable essay in a minute. Instead, require an AI-assisted artefact plus a design log narrating the creative journey, missteps included. Mark the thinking, not the typing. To be honest with you, ChatGPT wrote most of this article, and it didn’t even take minutes.

    A creativity contract

    Here is my graduate attribute list for the AI era. My student will be a problem finder, who hunts for unmet needs; a prompt poet, who translates fuzzy ideas into machine-readable briefs; a critical friend, who interrogates model blind spots; a bridge builder, who links insights across disciplines. And finally, a moral navigator, who steers innovation toward the common good. Every attribute begins with a creative stance. That is the contract we must strike with applicants and employers: we will graduate people who can imagine what to do with limitless capability.

    Potential students are already wondering what is the point of a master’s degree, when a bootcamp plus AI can let them launch a venture in six months. If universities cling to a skills-first identity, they will watch this exodus accelerate. Creativity, by contrast, ages well. The capacity to conceive, critique and reinvent will remain valuable long after today’s models are museum pieces.

    Launch pads, not lecture notes

    Let’s retire the phrase “future-proof skills”. There is no such thing. What we can future-proof is the human imagination. GenAI has handed us a supersonic airplane – our job is to help students pick destinations worthy of the ride.

    So, ask your cohort next Monday: “What problem have you always wanted to solve?” Then build a classroom where turning that answer into a prototype is day-one homework. The creativity-first university starts there – before that aeroplane leaves without us.

    Ioannis Glinavos is a senior lecturer in law at the University of Westminster.

    If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

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  • Your Weekly Work Horoscope for The Week of August 18, 2025

    Your Weekly Work Horoscope for The Week of August 18, 2025

    Your Weekly Work Horoscope for The Week of August 18, 2025. Discover your Weekly Work Horoscope for each zodiac sign here.

    Aries

    When someone asks if anyone has any ideas, you are the first person to open your mouth. You are taking a lot of initiative at the beginning of the week. And your boss is taking notice. Tuesday and Wednesday, all of your mental energy is focused on succeeding at work. Just be careful that you don’t use anyone unnecessarily. You don’t have to rule the world; you just have to achieve the goals you set out to achieve. And on Thursday and Friday, you’ll be achieving them. This weekend, take a break. Be a creature of habit. Be as unambitious as possible.

    Taurus

    A financial opportunity will present itself to you on Monday, but it won’t be worth the risk. You have enough going on right now to be distracted by wild schemes. On Tuesday and Wednesday, several already underway plans are going to achieve momentum, and you want to be on your toes. Best to keep your options open and stay agile so you can respond to anything. A minor setback (a power struggle) figures on Thursday or Friday, but don’t let it rile you. It’s just a weird clash of energy. Share your recent work frustrations with a friend or two over the weekend. You’ll feel better.

    Gemini

    Your righthand person is at your side on Monday. The two of you are ready to take the professional world by storm. Your success these days has everything to do with the strength of the relationships you’ve built. Midweek, you may start to feel insecure about the direction you’re heading in, but that’s only because, with so many other people in the picture, there are a ton of unknown variables. Try to nail down some of those variables. And, at the end of the week, try looking at everything from someone else’s perspective. You’ll be amazed by what you discover.

    Cancer

    You’re exhausted on Monday. All you want to do is crawl under your desk and take a three-month-long nap. Actually, a nap isn’t a half bad idea. Sneak out of the office and do something relaxing or restorative for yourself. Tuesday and Wednesday are full of challenges at work, and, again, your energy level is not going to be as high as you wish it would be, but on Thursday you’ll find ways to connect with coworkers and get pumped up about what you’re working on these days. On Friday, flexibility is essential. You’ll go into the weekend with more vim and vigor than you’ve had all week.

    Leo

    Maybe you can convince someone to send you on a business trip. You have a yen to travel on Monday, and if you could channel your personal desires into your work, you’d be smoking. Your personal life is at an all-time high too. At work, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, coworkers will notice an increase in your confidence and your capacity for leadership. It’s all related. There’s a chance that someone will misinterpret your boldness as arrogance at the end of the week, but don’t cling too tightly to your notions of what other people think. Spend the weekend in listening mode.

    Prepare yourself to take on each month with your personalized Monthly Horoscope!

    Virgo

    Sometimes you just have to take a risk. On Monday, it’s risk-taking season. Rather than projecting possible outcomes into the future, focus instead on your own composure. You have no idea what may come your way, and you’ll be so much better off if you’re poised and prepared for any eventuality. This posture will already start to pay off on Wednesday (someone will mention how fun it is to work with you) and by Thursday you’re going to have opened yourself up entirely. You’ll learn a ton. An eye-opening conversation on Friday will give way to an expansive weekend.

    Libra

    Communicate what’s going on and you’ll be in the clear. No matter how much control you’d like to have over this project, it’s always a better idea to keep your superiors informed. That way, if you decide to call in sick on Tuesday or Wednesday (which you might) someone else at the office will have a clue about what’s up. On Thursday, some new inspiration will strike you and you’ll charge into work with some fairly significant refinements to the general strategy, but, in general, this week is about being in close touch with your colleagues and turning your camaraderie into something of value.

    Scorpio

    Feeling caught up in the moment, you may impulsively sign off on something on Monday. Sometimes being impulsive is smart, because impulsiveness depends upon intuition, and your intuition is pretty good this week. And anyway, with a little willpower and determination you can make anything work. A disagreement among coworkers midweek will give you the opportunity to show off your fairly developed skills at diplomacy. If only you could apply those same skills at home on Friday, when family life will completely consume you. This weekend, you’ll get to hone a couple more of your hidden talents.

    Sagittarius

    The week begins with an adventure of sorts. A trip out into the field. Maybe a lunch. Joviality and good will figure strongly. Spending time developing your work friendships is as valuable as anything else you could be doing. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you will find a professional outlet for your creativity (your powers of expression are unsurpassed these days). Keeping up the lines of communication (even with a casual email here or there) is essential on Thursday. And on Friday, keep an open mind. All weekend you’ll be thinking about ways to expand your horizons.

    Capricorn

    It’s time for you to impose some structure on all these freewheeling projects. As things stand, nothing seems possible because no one has any idea where to begin. Once you put everything in order, productivity will improve. Everyone’s working well together in the middle of the week thanks in no small part to your efforts, and your natural skills as a leader are going to impress someone higher up. Toward the end of the week, keep your eyes on the future rather on immediate priorities. Leave the immediacy to someone else. This weekend, ponder the big picture.

    Aquarius

    So many doors are opening for you on Monday. You thought you’d have to do a lot more convincing to get what you want. Instead, you have carte blanche, which means you’re going to have to be disciplined about how you proceed. Don’t shoot blanks into the dark. Spend the middle of the week being as precise and logical as possible. You’ll be amazed by how much you get done. Keep your head down and don’t expect any rewards until Thursday afternoon or Friday, when praise and happiness and bonus cash will likely fall upon you. A warning: don’t rush out and spend that cash right away.

    Pisces

    Hopefully you’re rested and alert on Monday. Work is going to require your full attention. A disagreement with the boss is going to set you on edge and finally give definition to the tension you’ve been sensing for a while. The truth is luck will be on your side. But all week long think before speaking and if you need assistance from someone, by all means, ask for it. (Later in the week, when things have calmed down, you can in turn be of assistance to them.) Friday afternoon you’re daydreaming about the future, and the weekend is rich with soul-searching and self-discovery.

    Discover why 2022 is the year you’ve been waiting for with your 2022 Premium Horoscope

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  • Study finds weight loss before IVF may boost pregnancy rates

    Study finds weight loss before IVF may boost pregnancy rates

    Study finds weight loss before IVF may boost pregnancy rates | Image Credit: © New Africa – © New Africa – stock.adobe.com.

    Reproductive outcomes may be improved by weight loss prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.1

    The results highlighted increased pregnancy success in women with pre-IVF weight loss, especially in unassisted conception. However, live birth outcomes were not available.1

    “Further high-quality clinical trials testing different weight loss interventions, particularly those known to achieve greatest weight losses (e.g. low-energy total diet replacement programs) are needed,” wrote investigators.1

    Assessing reproductive outcomes

    The study was conducted to assess reproductive outcomes following pre-IVF weight loss.2 Five electronic databases were search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including women with obesity who were offered weight loss prior to IVF. Those published through May 27, 2025, were eligible for inclusion.

    Low-energy diets, an exercise program alongside healthy eating advice, and pharmacotherapy alongside diet and physical activity device were considered as weight loss interventions. All participants were seeking IVF with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment for infertility.2

    RCTs underwent dual independent screening, with those included having relevant data extracted and undergoing assessment for risk of bias. Pregnancy and live birth rates were reported as the primary outcomes.2

    There were 1921 participants across 12 RCTs included in the final analysis. These patients were aged at least 18 years old and had a body mass index (BMI) of 27/kg2.1 They were often in their early 30s, and the median BMI was 33.6 kg/m2.

    Pregnancy and live birth outcomes

    Of RCTs, 7 had a high risk of bias.2 However, an association with moderate certainty between weight loss prior to IVF and total pregnancy rates was reported, with a risk ratio (RR) of 1.21 from 11 studies.

    Similarly, an RR of 1.47 across 10 studies was reported for pregnancy following unassisted conception. However, there was not certain evidence about the impact on pregnancies from IVF alone.2

    The RR for pregnancy loss with moderate certainty across 8 studies was 1.05 from weight loss interventions, indicating no significant impact. Similarly, an RR of 1.15 was reported for live birth rates across 9 studies, but the certainty of evidence was very low, making the impact of weight loss interventions on this outcome unclear.2

    Overall, the data indicated increased odds of pregnancy, especially without assisted conception, from weight loss interventions prior to IVF. However, investigators noted the study was limited by small study sizes, high risk of bias, and heterogeneity.2

    Public support for IVF

    The demand for adequate IVF care has been indicated by a 2024 survey showing increased public support for this method of conception.3 Of respondents, 67% expressed a belief that IVF coverage should be offered by health insurance plans, with only 7% expressing opposition.

    Investigators highlighted barriers to IVF coverage such as limited access among military service members and coverage only being provided to federal employees by a few available insurance plans. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommended patients with regular, unprotected intercourse and no known etiology for infertility undergo evaluation.3

    References

    1. Losing weight before IVF may increase chance of pregnancy. American College of Physicians. August 11, 2025. Accessed August 15, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1093687
    2. Michalopoulou M, Ann Jebb S, Hobson A, et al. The effect of weight loss before in vitro fertilization on reproductive outcomes in women with obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2025. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-01025
    3. Krewson C. Survey shows growing support for IVF coverage in US health care. Contemporary OB/GYN. April 25, 2025. Accessed August 15, 2025. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/survey-shows-growing-support-for-ivf-coverage-in-us-health-care.

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  • Scheffler victorious at the BMW Championship – Bhatia wins Hole-in-One Car BMW iX M70.

    Scheffler victorious at the BMW Championship – Bhatia wins Hole-in-One Car BMW iX M70.

    +++ Scottie Scheffler (USA) finishes on 265 strokes (15 under par) to
    win BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club (Owings Mills,
    Maryland) +++ World no. 1 celebrates fifth win of the season and 18th
    career title +++ After Aksay Bhatia (USA) holes out, BMW awards the
    third Hole-in-One Car and the seventh Evans Scholarship in the history
    of the tournament +++ All proceeds from the tournament benefit the
    Evans Scholars Foundation +++



    Owings Mills.     Robert MacIntyre (SCO) had topped the
    leaderboard for three days at the BMW Championship, but the final
    standings had a very familiar look as world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler
    celebrated his victory. The 29-year-old once more showed his class and
    performed consistently, reaching the clubhouse at the challenging
    Caves Valley Golf Club after posting four excellent rounds (66, 65,
    67, 67 strokes) on the par-70 course. Scotland’s MacIntyre (-13)
    finished second, ahead of Maverick McNealy (USA, -11). Tommy Fleetwood
    (ENG) and Sam Burns (USA, both -10) shared fourth place.

    “Each year, The BMW Championship only gets better,” said Sebastian
    Mackensen, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “On Saturday,
    Akshay Bhatia won a 100% electric BMW iX M70 and triggered our
    donation of the seventh BMW Championship Hole-in-One Scholarship
    thanks to his hole-in-one on 17. And on Sunday, we watched the
    conclusion of an incredible battle between Robert MacIntyre and
    Scottie Scheffler. A big congratulations to Scottie on his victory,
    and thank you to all our partners, the players, fans, volunteers, and
    community members who make this event possible.”

    MacIntyre had carded a course-record 62 on Thursday to move into the
    lead and started the final day four strokes ahead of Scheffler, but
    was unable to maintain that form on Sunday. The 29-year-old was only
    able to birdie the 16th hole, but recorded four bogeys as the day
    progressed. While Scheffler did not produced a perfect performance, he
    claimed birdies on a regular basis and captutred the outright lead at
    the 7th hole. The American golfer conjured up some brilliance at the
    17th hole (par 3), holing a magical 25-metre chip from the rough for a
    birdie that confirmed his victory.

    This win sees Scheffler retain the lead in the season’s rankings for
    the PGA TOUR. At next week’s Tour Championship, he could become the
    first player to mount a successful defence of the FedExCup. Rory
    McIlroy (NIR, -3, T12), J.J. Spaun (USA, +1, T23), Justin Rose (ENG,
    +4, T30) and Fleetwood round off the top 5 in these standings.

    There were two reasons to celebrate during the third round when
    American golfer Aksay Bhatia produced a hole-in-one at the 17th hole
    (par 3). The 23-year-old was rewarded with the keys to this year’s
    Hole-in-One Car, the new all-electric BMW iX M70. BMW also donates a
    full scholarship to the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF) of tournament
    organiser Western Golf Association for the first ace at the BMW
    Championship, a prize worth $125,000.

    “It warms my heart that I can give an opportunity to a kid who will
    have a full scholarship next year. That’s a blessing, and the impact
    of the Evans Scholars Foundation and the BMW Championship cannot be
    overstated,” said Bhatia after his sensational shot. This marks the
    seventh time in tournament history that BMW has donated an Evans
    Scholarship for the first ace at the BMW Championship. The Hole-in-One
    Car, however, had only been awarded twice before. Jason Day (AUS, BMW
    M760i) in 2017 and Hunter Mahan (USA, BMW i3) in 2013 both made their
    aces when it counted.

    The commitment to education plays a pivotal role at the BMW
    Championship, as all proceeds from the tournament benefit the ESF.
    Since the inaugural BMW Championship in 2007, the tournament has
    raised more than $60 million (not including this year’s event) and
    helped award more than 4,000 full tuition and housing college
    scholarships for caddies. At the start of the tournament week, Ilka
    Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, People and
    Places, visited the University of Maryland for the inauguration of the
    new “Caves Valley Golf Club Evans Scholarship House”, where 38 caddies
    will have the opportunity to study and live on campus free of charge.

    “The BMW Group believes that sports and education form the foundation
    for equal opportunities and social participation – and the Evans
    Scholars Foundation is a marvellous initiative working precisely in
    this direction,” said Ilka Horstmeier at the opening ceremony. The
    empowering force of education is the key to a self-determined future.
    We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the Western Golf Association”

    The BMW Championship 2025 was also the final tournament at which
    American players were able to score qualification points for the Ryder
    Cup team led by captain Keegan Bradley. Scheffler, J.J. Spaun and
    Xander Schauffele had already secured their spots ahead of the BMW
    Championship and they were joined on Sunday by Russell Henley, Harris
    English and Bryson DeChambeau. Bradley will name his six wild cards
    after the Tour Championship.

    The six players who qualify directly for the team representing
    defending champions Europe will be confirmed at the same time.
    European captain Luke Donald (ENG) will reveal his six Captain’s Picks
    one week later, allowing the final line-up for Team Europe to appear
    together at the BMW PGA Championship (9-14 September, Wentworth Club,
    London, ENG). BMW has been supporting the flagship tournament on the
    DP World Tour as title partner since 2005, and will be Worldwide
    Partner for the Ryder Cup (23rd-28th September 2025, Bethpage Black
    Course near New York, USA) for the third time. 

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  • PM pushes for cashless, digital economy

    PM pushes for cashless, digital economy


    ISLAMABAD:

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the government was prioritising efforts to digitise the economy and shift all transactions to a cashless system.

    He was chairing a review meeting on the cashless and digital economy in the federal capital.

    The prime minister expressed satisfaction with the progress toward a cashless economy and directed chief secretaries to fully support the federal government in expanding the Raast system to district governments.

    The meeting was briefed on the progress of measures to promote a cashless economy.

    The participants of the meeting were informed that digital IDs will be created under the Pakistan Digital Public Infrastructure, integrating citizens’ national identity cards, biometrics, and mobile numbers to enable digital payments.

    They were told that provincial governments had made significant progress in linking public-to-government and government-to-public payments with the Raast system.

    On digital infrastructure, the Capital Development Authority has granted right-of-way for fiber connectivity, while talks are ongoing with Pakistan Railways and the National Highway Authority.

    Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Tauqir Shah, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani and relevant senior government officials attended the meeting.

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