After two major cyclones hit southern Malawi in four months, rural communities faced devastating crop losses and infrastructure damage during the leanest season of the year. In the aftermath of events like these, local leaders, government agencies, and global aid organizations need to know what’s happening on the ground in real time. Where is the situation most dire? Where will relief efforts make the most difference? And how do communities build resilience to withstand the next crisis?
“Data can answer these questions and save lives,” said Joanna Upton PhD ’15, a senior research associate in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, part of the SC Johnson College of Business. “In fact, it already has.”
Since 2018, Upton has partnered with Catholic Relief Services and others to develop a rapid feedback monitoring system (RFMS), a platform that employs Malawi residents to collect information about food security from the same households every month. Through a large international network ranging from the World Bank to the Malawi University of Science and Technology, the program provides data and evidence that nonprofits, local leaders, and researchers use to respond to humanitarian emergencies, develop policies, and build resilience to future shocks. Following on early successes as a pilot program in Malawi, the platform has been adapted and launched in other countries, including Madagascar.
“These rural communities are highly vulnerable to climate shocks like droughts or floods, to annual lean seasons, to pests, and to macroeconomic disruptions that affect labor markets and food prices,” said Upton. “Understanding how these shocks affect well-being—and how to design policies and responses that build resilience—requires exactly the kind of high-frequency, grounded data collection and applied analysis that our project enables.”
But in January, federal funding for the project, which came through the U.S. Agency for International Development, ended. Now, the program’s future—and all the research based on it—is in jeopardy.
“All of the data collection systems for early warning and for food security assessment are disabled,” and ongoing research has been abruptly interrupted, Upton said.
Read more about food insecurity in Malawi on the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business website.
Alison Fromme is a writer for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
Pakistan Shaheens’ Abdul Samad celebrates scoring a century during their Top End T20 Series match against Melbourne Renegades at the TIO Stadium in Darwin on August 18, 2025. — PCB
DARWIN: Pakistan Shaheens’ top-order batter Abdul Samad on Monday, labelled his match-winning century against Melbourne Renegades in the Top End T20 Series as one of his best knocks in the shortest format.
Samad top-scored for Pakistan Shaheens with an unbeaten 110 off 63 deliveries, studded with six fours and as many sixes, helping the team to a formidable total despite a dismal start, which saw them slip to 2/2 in 1.5 overs.
Following his batting heroics, a collective effort from the bowlers helped the Shaheens to defend 178 runs as they booked the Renegades on a meagre 105 in 19.2 overs.
The right-handed batter was adjudged the Player of the Match for laying the foundation for a thumping victory, which marked Shaheens’ second in the 11-team spectacle.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Samad expressed satisfaction with lifting Pakistan Shaheens to a defendable total and rated his maiden T20 century as one of his best in the shortest format thus far.
“The team was in trouble at the start of the innings. Two down in the first two overs. I know the condition is not that good for batting, and I only tried to play 20 overs and stay in the middle. That’s why the total on the board [was there],” said Samad.
“It was one of my best innings at the highest level. I am very happy and thanks to Almighty Allah,” he added.
Samad also applauded in Shaheens’ bowling unit’s prowess, revealing that he was confident that it would defend a 150-plus total.
“Our team is very good. Balanced side, and we know the strengths. Our bowling is very good, and when I was batting there, I thought that if we score 150-plus runs, we will defend it easily,” Samad concluded.
Neil Young performed at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on Sunday night, and he kicked off the encore by mocking the venue’s corporate name with his 1988 screed “This Note’s For You.” It was the first time he played the song since 1997 in any concert setting.
Young wrote “This Note’s For You” at a time when everybody from Eric Clapton and Madonna to the Rolling Stones and Genesis were licensing their songs to commercials, appearing in the ads themselves, or allowing corporations to sponsor their tours. The title is a response to Budweiser’s “This Bud’s For You” slogan, and the song references Pepsi, Coke, Miller, Budweiser’s canine mascot Spuds MacKenzie, and Coca-Cola’s “The Real Thing” slogan.
He took the mockery to grandiose new heights by casting Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson impersonators for the “This Note’s For You” video, and spoofing recent ad campaigns by Michelob, Budweiser, and Calvin Klein.
MTV refused to air it. “I must admit I feel awkward defending our decision because I happen to think it’s a fantastic video,” MTV/VH1 General Manager Lee Masters told The Los Angeles Times. “Everyone in Programming loved it – it’s spectacular and it’s very funny. But we had two corporate problems: First, our attorneys advised us against playing it because its use of likenesses of Michael Jackson and Spuds MacKenzie could leave us open to trademark infringement charges. Since then, Warner Records’ legal department has offered to indemnify us against any claims, but our attorneys still felt that might not be enough protection.”
With all due respect to MTV, this was absolute bullshit. “Weird Al” Yankovic has been creating videos much like “This Note’s For You” for well over 40 years, since parodies enjoy strong constitutional protections. The Supreme Court has affirmed this many times. There’s no chance the MTV suits and their attorneys weren’t aware of this.
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Young’s longtime manager, Elliot Roberts, wrote the network a furious open letter in response to the ban. “MTV, you spineless twerps,” he wrote. “You refuse to play ‘This Note’s for You’ because you’re afraid to offend your sponsors. What does the ‘M’ in MTV stand for: music or money? Long live rock and roll.” They eventually relented and put the video into rotation, and even gave it Video of the Year at the 1989 VMAs.
“This Note’s For You” was a regular part of Young’s live show in the late Eighties and early Nineties, but he dropped it from his repertoire following the Bridge School Benefit on October 19, 1997.
He may have been tempted to break it back out when he performed at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, back in 2012, or last summer when he first played at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto. But he simply couldn’t restrain himself this time around.
“Thank you, folks,” he said right before playing “This Note’s For You.” “We come back to the Freshwater Amphitheater. It’s going to be great.” (The Budweiser Stage was formerly known as the Molson Ampitheater. Young played there in 2000 with the Friends and Relatives band.)
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The resurrection of “This Note’s For You” is the most notable recent setlist addition to Young’s summer tour. But he also debuted “Silver Eagle” Friday evening at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It’s the first song he’s played from his new LP, Talkin’ To The Trees. He also broke out “Mr. Soul,” “The Loner,” “Ohio,” and “Tumblweed” at the past few gigs.
The tour resumes Tuesday night with a second show at the Budweiser Stage. Future stops at the Huntington Bank Pavilion and the Hayden Homes Amphitheater give him plenty more chances to bring “This Note’s For You” back to life.
The Washington Post’s esteemed senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan announced Sunday that she has accepted a buyout offer.
The Princeton University graduate has worked for the media company on two occasios during her highly-regarded career. Her most recent go-round started in June of 2014, when she joined The Washington Post as fashion critic and then took on the role of senior critic-at-large in September of 2020.
Prior to that, Givhan had a two-year stint at Newsweek as special correspondent for style and culture. The journalist’s earlier run at The Washington Post started in 1995 and ran through 2009 as fashion editor. An insightful and analytical voice, Givhan elevated fashion coverage to new heights and broader audiences by winning a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2006. Not afraid to take to task designers or to call out shortcomings in the fashion industry, Givhan’s writing commands attention beyond its borders to the greater world at large.
She is among the 30-plus staffers, who have accepted buyouts from the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper and media company. Givhan, who could not be reached immediately for comment Sunday, announced her decision on social media, explaining that those, who had been with the company for more than 10 years, were recently offered buyouts. Having never been eligible “for such a thing,” Givhan said she considered it. “(It was for a fair amount of $$.) I agonized about it. I fretted. I procrastinated until the last possible moment. I considered my needs, my desires, my beliefs,” she posted. “A creature of deadline to the end. And I decided to take it.” Afterwards, she “needed to quietly sit with her decision. Because I love The Post. It’s where I grew up as a journalist,” she wrote.
Robin Givhan at her book party at Chez Nous in the Marlton Hotel.
Photo by Jimmy Pewter Fang/Courtesy
Her post continued, “I am a believer in the importance of institutions, of legacy media and mainstream media. There’s still a lot to be said and I’m just self-centered enough to believe I’m someone, who needs to be heard. So I’m not done.”
She noted, “Democracy definitely dies in darkness. It is greatly wounded by silence.”
Having released “Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh,” Givhan said she has book tour stops on her calendar in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, Milan and Chicago. There is also a guest bathroom renovation to tend to. “And then, yea…onward. More soon ❤️❤️“
Based in the Baltimore area, the bespectacled and in-depth writer earned a Master of Arts in journalism at University of Michigan.
Another style setter at The Washington Post, Ann Hornaday is also among its 2025 departures. As well as The Reliable Source’s Helena Andrews-Dyer and fact checked Glenn Kessler, according to a running tally that is being kept on “X” by Vincent Morris, a media observer. The exodus, he posted, leaves The Washington Post publisher Will Lewis with “a youthful, but drastically inexperienced paper.”
Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised massive street protests against his handling of the Gaza war, and failure to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages, suggesting demonstrators were giving comfort to Hamas’s position in negotiations.
The Israeli prime minister made his comments against the backdrop of the largest protests in almost two years of war, with estimates that upwards of 400,000 people joined marches across Israel on Sunday.
“The people who are calling today for the war’s end without Hamas’s defeat are not only toughening Hamas’s stance and distancing our hostages’ release, they are also ensuring that the atrocities of October 7 will recur time and again, and that our sons and daughters will have to fight time and again in an endless war.
“Therefore, in order to advance our hostages’ release and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, we have to finish the job and defeat Hamas,” said Netanyahu in a statement.
The Palestinian health ministry said on Monday that more than 62,000 Palestinians had been killed in the 22-month war in Gaza.
At least 60 people were killed in the past 24 hours, bringing to to 62,004 the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war that started on 7 October 2023. A further 156,230 had been wounded, the ministry said.
While the day of protest was called by supporters of Israeli hostage families, the scale of the demonstrations suggests increasingly sharp divisions in Israeli society over a conflict that has yet to deliver the return of hostages at a mounting economic, diplomatic and social cost for the country.
Israel protests erupt nationwide to demand end of Gaza war – video
With 50 hostages still held in Gaza – of whom about 20 are believed still to be alive – some of those attending the march carried signs referencing the death of the dual US-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed by his captors last October along with five other hostages as Israeli troops approached where they were being held.
Placards repeated a sentiment expressed by Goldberg-Polin’s father at his son’s funeral – “may your memory be a revolution” – adapting the familiar Jewish expression of condolence “may your memory be a blessing”.
Responding to Netanyahu’s remarks, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum lambasted the Israeli prime minister, saying: “They have been languishing in Gaza for 22 months, on your watch.”
Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court over allegations of war crimes in Gaza, was also fiercely criticised by the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Golan, as a man who “lies as he breathes”.
He said: “The man who time and again refused to eliminate Hamas’s leaders before October 7, who funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars from Qatar to finance the tunnels and weapons that threaten our hostages.
“This is the same Netanyahu who strengthened Hamas back then, and it is he who is strengthening Hamas now as well. Netanyahu doesn’t know how to win and doesn’t want to free the hostages. He needs an eternal war in order to cling to his seat and to escape a commission of inquiry [into the 7 October Hamas attack that triggered the war].
“Israel will be liberated from Hamas only once we are liberated from the government of Netanyahu, and [his far-right allies Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben-Gvir.”
Israeli police remove demonstrators blocking traffic in a tunnel in Jerusalem on Sunday. Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
The protests follow the decision by the Israeli cabinet earlier this month to launch a new military operation in Gaza City despite warnings by security officials it would put the lives of the remaining hostages in peril.
On Monday, Netanyahu appeared to receive the public support of the US president for his strategy. Donald Trump wrote on social media: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”
Amid the threat of an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians are leaving their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south of the shattered territory.
Israel’s plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages.
The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas militants in Cairo said could be “the last-ditch attempt”.
Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas’s last big urban bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75% of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said on Monday he wanted his team’s performance on the pitch to do the talking for him as he begins his first LaLiga campaign at home against Osasuna on Tuesday.
Former Bayer Leverkusen coach Alonso, loved by Real fans for his trophy-laden playing years at the Bernabeu and with Spain, has been charged with reviving a Madrid side that ended last season without a major trophy.
In the Club World Cup, which was Alonso’s first competition as Real coach, they were knocked out by Paris St Germain in a 4-0 semi-final loss last month.
Real, under Italian Carlo Ancelotti, finished four points behind LaLiga champions Barcelona and failed to retain their Champions League crown after a quarter-final exit. They also lost the Copa del Rey final to bitter rivals Barca.
“I’m more about doing than talking,” Alonso told reporters. “Making promises before you act doesn’t usually work in football. Just saying it is not going to make it happen. We want to start down that path tomorrow.
“We are really excited and want to bring that energy to the stadium and earn their (the fans’) support.”
Alonso has bolstered Real’s defence with England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold joining from Liverpool along with Bournemouth’s 20-year-old Spain centre-back Dean Huijsen and left back Alvaro Carrera from Benfica.
The reinforcements address last season’s defensive troubles that deflated Real’s title challenge. Defender Dani Carvajal, who is easing his way back after last season’s ACL injury, has been named in Real’s squad to face Osasuna.
“It’s great competition for the players, and I love that we have two who can play in each position,” said Alonso. “Sometimes I will have to rotate. Carvajal is getting closer and closer to his best, and that’s very good for the squad.”
However, Real will be without Antonio Ruediger (suspended) as well as injured left back Ferland Mendy, midfielders Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham plus forward Endrick.
Alonso also discussed Real’s decision to denounce plans for a Barcelona-Villarreal LaLiga match in Miami in December.
Real have warned that the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowed to petition soccer’s governing bodies to block the move.
The December 20 fixture, approved by the Spanish Football Federation last week, could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league game in the United States. It requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and FIFA.
“I very much agree with the club’s (Real’s) statement. If the rules are to be changed, it must be by unanimous agreement of all the participants (in the league). Otherwise, it cannot be done,” Alonso said.
An emotional Neymar said he was ashamed after his Santos side were on the end of a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama on Sunday, a humiliation that led to the sacking of their head coach, Cléber Xavier.
Philippe Coutinho was on the scoresheet twice as Vasco found the net five times in 16 second-half minutes as part of a rout that leaves Santos two points above the relegation places in Brazil’s Serie A. At full-time, home supporters turned their backs to the pitch in the latest protest against the club.
“I’m ashamed,” said Neymar, who was in tears as he left the pitch. “I’m totally disappointed with our performance. The fans have every right to protest, obviously without using violence. But if they want to curse and insult, they’re in their right. To sum up our attitude on the field, it was terrible.
“I’ve never experienced this in my life. The tears were from anger, from everything. Unfortunately, I can’t help in every way.”
Santos were relegated for the first time in their history in 2023 before returning to the top flight last season. They re-signed Neymar, who came through the ranks at the club before leaving for Barcelona in 2013, on a short-term contract in January.
“It’s a shame to play like that wearing the Santos jersey,” Neymar said. “Everyone needs to lay their head on their pillow and think about what they want to do. Because with today’s attitude, if we do what we did on the field, I don’t think we even need to show up on Wednesday.”
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It was the biggest loss of Neymar’s career and was enough for Santos to sack Xavier, who took over in April in his first job as a head coach. The 61-year-old leaves Santos with 21 points from 19 games in Brazil’s top flight, with fellow battlers for survival Vasco two points behind them.
As we continue to explore how each driver likes to go about their racing, we recently spoke with Victor Martins about his driving style.
The ART Grand Prix driver explains how he likes to setup his car, how he adapts his braking style depending on the circumstances, and what he has taken from his Formula 1 outings into his Formula 2 campaign.
“I think I would say the most important thing is to get good confidence in the car. For most of the drivers it’s the key part of their success, it’s just the confidence. When you get into the car, you complete your first lap and you are like ‘I am one with the car’.
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“In terms of setup, I would rather an oversteery car rather than an understeery car with good front end, because I will prefer to manage my rear tyres rather than being a passenger and waiting until the car rotates. That’s it for sure!
“It’s what is important. If you have a good front end, a good confidence in the car, and you get the tyres in the window, then in quali it’s really powerful. But then in the race, maybe the approach is a bit different because you need to manage the tyres.
“The goal of the team and I is to anticipate what we want and what we expect, but definitely if the car has a good front end, normally I will like it.
For Martins the most important thing is to gain confidence in the car
“I do think you need confidence to have that type of preference, because during my career in the lower categories, I came up with cars setup with good front end and I started to like it more and more.
“I think for my first year in F3, I started to really get this preference. But there are some track layouts that are better for this, some tracks where you better have a good rear end, and a lot of stability, and then some tracks where you need to have a really good front end, and the car is rotating by itself to bring some minimum speed and to have good performance.
“It depends, but I think from my first year in F3 I started to change, maybe as a driver, with my driving style.
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“In terms of braking, I am quite flexible. I tend to perform on all tracks, so in the end, when I look at the big picture, I am quite confident that I manage my driving style quite well, in terms of different corners.
“Maybe there is more of a tendency for me to not really be a late braker. I tend to like to bring some minimum speed into corners rather than braking late, stopping the car a lot, and then doing the V-Shape.
“But I’m quite flexible honestly. It also depends on what lap you are on, or the track layout, or the corners. So I just change it if I can see it’s not suiting me but I manage to do it well and then I adapt to it.
Martins tends to prefer a car with a lot of front end going back to F3
“For the weekend, we always start preparing in the simulator, trying to get the driving style correctly for each type of corners of the track that we are going too, and then we work on that.
“So, we get a good feel before the weekend, but we also have to stay open-minded for the step in Qualifying, with for example, going from Hards to Softs, it will make a huge difference.
“You will be able to get a better combine traction, a lot more overall grip, so the limit is probably further, and it’s not the same, so you have to have this in mind.
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“But then you have another situation in the race, where you need to adapt for tyre deg, for management, but it all starts in Practice. Once you get the rhythm, then you know how to build up your confidence, you can try things in FP, but then you know the step and limit for Qualifying.
“For Qualifying, it’s always in your imagination. It’s dreaming about something that you might get or not get, it’s trying to think about what you will get in terms of grip and the balance of the car to win time.
“In the end you need to deliver from Lap 1 and you don’t always know how the car is behaving. So the main thing is confidence, to be able to achieve that.
Martins explained the differences he found driving the F1 and the F2 cars
“When you jump into a Formula 1 car you feel like there is no limit, at least from the first laps that you do. It feels like you can just push, push, push 100%, and it will always stick to the ground and the track.
“I think an F1 car comes to you really nicely and you have a lot more confidence than in F2, because you bring the car to the limit quicker.
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“But for sure when you jump into an F1 car you think about what you are doing in F2. What is the driving style you need to have, and what you learned in the car because F2 is a great Championship to prepare drivers, and there is nothing better or closer to an F1 car.
“But then it’s another challenge, so you need to adapt well because things are harder to achieve, and the car, which is our tool, there is much more performance in it, so you need some extra help.
“It’s just a matter of confidence and driving style that you can take from F2 to F1, and F1 to F2.”
St Vincent’s surgeon Mr Ed Morrison with patient Jordan
Dual robotic surgery systems achieve a historic throat tumour removal, marking a leap in precision and patient care
In a world-first procedure, two advanced robotic surgery systems, da Vinci and Symani, worked together to remove a throat tumour, preserving the patient’s voice and ability to eat. This groundbreaking surgery marks a significant leap in robotic precision and surgical innovation.
St Vincent’s Hospital is Australia’s largest not-for-profit provider of health and aged care services, and is now home to a world-first procedure using two separate advanced robotic surgery systems.
Preserving the ability to speak using robotic surgery
Professor Ben Dixon, Director of ENT/Head and Neck Surgery, and Ed Morrison, Plastics and Reconstructive Surgeon, combined the da Vinci robot with the Symani robotic surgery system to successfully operate on a 27-year-old man named Jordan who had a sarcoma in his throat, just above his voice box.
Medical professionals initially recommended a laryngectomy, permanently removing Jordan’s voice box. However, using the two robotic surgery tools, the surgeons were able to keep Jordan’s larynx intact successfully. The tumour was removed entirely, and Jordan maintains his ability to speak and will require no further treatment.
Professor Dixon used the da Vinci robot to make precise internal throat incisions to remove the tumour, whilst limiting any disruption to the tongue, jaw, and larynx. Following the tumour removal, Dr Morrison used the Symani robot to meticulously repair vessels less than 1-1.5mm in diameter. He used transplanted tissues from the thigh, and a multi-layered closure of the hypopharynx was achieved, with resuspension of the larynx, ensuring near-normal speech and swallowing for Jordan.
Da Vinci Robot and the Symani Robotic system join forces to make history
The da Vinci surgical system is a revolutionary advancement in the field of minimally invasive surgery, allowing surgeons to perform complex procedures with enhanced precision and control. This robotic surgery system provides surgeons with a three-dimensional, high-definition view of the surgical site, significantly improving their visual field compared to traditional methods. The robotic arms are designed to mimic human hand movements, translating the surgeon’s hand motions into small, precise actions within the patient’s body.
By utilising the da Vinci robot, surgeons can navigate delicate anatomical structures with greater stability, which is crucial for minimising potential damage to surrounding tissues. The advantages of this approach include reduced scarring due to smaller incisions, as well as improved recovery outcomes; patients often experience less pain, quicker healing times, and reduced risk of infection.
The Symani robot, on the other hand, is designed for microsurgery. It enables surgeons to operate on microscopic structures, such as nerves and blood vessels, with superhuman precision. It is inspired by the natural motion of the human wrist and can mimic movements by surgeons operating the controllers on a smaller scale.
St Vincent’s Hospital is the first hospital in Australia to utilise the Symani and is employed in the newly created Clinical Microsurgery Robotic Unit based at the hospital. The Symani is currently being used for breast reconstruction, sarcoma, and head and neck cancer reconstruction surgery, but there is a promising potential for broader application in other surgical procedures. One of the standout features of the Symani is its ability to reduce surgeon fatigue. By optimising the surgical process and enhancing operational efficiency, surgeons can focus more on the intricacies of the procedure rather than the physical demands that often accompany traditional surgical methods.
