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  • Palihapitiya returns to SPAC market with American Exceptionalism’s IPO filing

    Palihapitiya returns to SPAC market with American Exceptionalism’s IPO filing

    (Reuters) -Venture investor Chamath Palihapitiya, dubbed Wall Street’s “SPAC king” for his high-profile blank-check deals, is set to take his latest special purpose acquisition vehicle public, marking his return to the market after several years.

    American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp, chaired by Palihapitiya, will list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ‘AEXA’, a filing showed late on Monday. The SPAC plans to raise $250 million to target companies in artificial intelligence, energy, decentralized finance and defense sectors.

    A SPAC is a shell firm that raises money through an IPO to merge with a private business and take it public, offering companies an alternative route to the market that bypasses the longer and more costly traditional IPO process.

    SPAC deals hit record levels in 2020 and 2021, before activity slowed sharply in the following years as regulatory scrutiny increased and investors soured on the once-popular vehicle.

    During the peak, several Wall Street heavyweights, including billionaire investors Bill Ackman and Michael Klein, joined Palihapitiya in betting on SPACs as the next big trend in the listings market.

    Despite backing from big-name investors, many SPACs failed to secure merger targets, while others completed deals with heavy redemptions or saw their shares plunge after debut.

    But Palihapitiya strongly believes in the vehicle. “When I raised my first SPAC in 2017, I wanted to help correct an increasingly unstable balance between the private and public markets,” he said in a letter to investors.

    “While SPACs are not the solution for every issue in the IPO process, I continue to believe that they have an important piece to play in capital formation – and especially now.”

    SoFi Technologies is among Palihapitiya’s most successful bets, with the consumer lender now valued at nearly $29 billion. In January 2021, it had agreed to go public in a blank-check deal valued at around $8.65 billion.

    (Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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  • Air Canada flight attendants reach ‘tentative’ deal with airline to end strike | Canada

    Air Canada flight attendants reach ‘tentative’ deal with airline to end strike | Canada

    Air Canada flight attendants say they have reached a “tentative” deal with the airline to end a strike over wages and ground work that has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide.

    Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight Saturday, insisting Air Canada had failed to address their demands for higher pay and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding.

    The attendants’ union defied two orders from a regulatory tribunal to return to work, forcing Air Canada to roll back plans to partially restore service.

    But after resuming talks on Monday evening, the union said it had reached a potential deal with the airline that it would put to its members for consideration.

    “The strike has ended. We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ (Cupe) Air Canada branch said in a statement.

    “We are required to advise our membership that we must fully cooperate with resumption of operations,” the statement said.

    Air Canada said in a statement that it would “gradually restart its operations” after reaching an agreement with Cupe through a mediator, William Kaplan.

    It said the first flights were scheduled for Tuesday evening but warned that full service may not return for seven to 10 days.

    “Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more,” Air Canada president Michael Rousseau said.

    Neither the union nor the airline immediately provided details of the proposed agreement.

    But Cupe said the deal achieves “transformational change for our industry after a historic fight”.

    “Unpaid work is over,” it added, a reference to a key demand throughout the talks that flight attendants also be compensated for time not spent in the air.

    “When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back – and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on,” Cupe further said.

    Air Canada said it would not comment on the terms of the deal “until the ratification process is complete”.

    It was not immediately clear when Cupe would schedule a vote.

    More travel disruption

    Air Canada – the national carrier which flies directly to 180 cities domestically and abroad – has said the strike forced cancellations impacting 500,000 people.

    Over the weekend, federal labor minister Patty Hajdu invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration.

    Following that intervention, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), a regulatory tribunal, ordered the flight attendants back to work in two separate orders – on Sunday and Monday.

    But the union said it would not comply with the orders, forcing Air Canada to walk back service resumption plans.

    Air Canada told customers on Tuesday to expect continued disruption “as aircraft and crew are out of position”.

    It urged passengers to only travel to the airport if their flight was shown as operating.

    “The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption,” Rousseau said.

    Prime minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday it was “disappointing” that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union had not produced an agreement.

    He said it was “important” that flight attendants were “compensated equitably”, but voiced unease that hundreds of thousands of people were facing travel uncertainty.

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  • Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Bushra Ansari is a legendary Pakistani television and film artist who has been working in the media industry for around fifty years. She began acting in childhood and has appeared in numerous hit TV projects. Bushra Ansari also loves traveling and creating content. Recently, stage actor Ruby Anum called out Bushra Ansari for her frequent travels and vlogging. She also made hateful remarks about her appearance during Sabih Sumair’s podcast.

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Ruby Anum said that Bushra Ansari is now old and should rest at home instead of updating fans about her travels on social media. She also targeted both Bushra Ansari and Asma Abbas for their looks. Here is the link to the video:


    Ruby Anum’s derogatory comments have been widely condemned by many celebrities, including Zhalay Sarhadi, Mamya Shahjafar, Ghana Ali, and Mishi Khan.

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Mishi Khan said, “I have just seen the video of Ruby Anum criticizing Bushra Ansari for her TV and public appearances. It is shameful to hear such comments about her. What’s wrong with Bushra Ansari’s age? Why can’t she be active on social media at this age, it’s her choice? What’s your problem if she has maintained herself so gracefully? And you said that Asma Abbas gives you so much respect — but what have you done? You started calling her out. Whatever your opinion, using derogatory language is condemnable.”

    Zhalay Sarhadi wrote, “Incredibly out of line, intrusive, rude, and disrespectful. Why must such people spew needless opinions to get viral? Is that it? Such a disgrace.” She further said, “why can’t people keep their opinions private”

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Mamya Shahjafar wrote, “Breaks my heart how women always bring other women down.”
    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Ghana Ali also expressed her opinion, saying, “I found her extremely rude, period!”

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Director Nadeem Baig also urged fellow celebrities to respect their legends:

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    @hinanaz347 #foryou #foryoupage #foryoupage❤️❤️ #viralvideo #pleaseunfrezzemyaccount ♬ original sound – hinanaz❤️

    Social media users are agreeing with Mishi Khan and other celebrities and are supporting Bushra Ansari. Many said that Ruby Anum looks mentally unstable and jealous. Read comments:

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari

    Celebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra AnsariCelebrities Condemn Ruby Anum’s Hateful Remarks for Bushra Ansari


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  • David Arquette says ‘Scream’ cast and Courteney Cox were worried sick about him

    David Arquette says ‘Scream’ cast and Courteney Cox were worried sick about him

    David Arquette recalls ‘Scream’ cast worrying he would ‘hurt himself’

    David Arquette once left his then-girlfriend, Courteney Cox and the rest of the Scream 2 cast afraid that he’d hurt himself.

    While filming the Scream sequel, the actor’s mother was sick and dying, and he was struggling with work and grief. David detailed the experience in Ashley Cullins‘ tell-all book, Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror.

    “Scream 2 was really hard for me,” Arquette shared. “My mom was really sick and about to die.”

    He revealed that the director talked to him about his struggles and shared some words of wisdom.

    He continued, “When we had gotten back to L.A., [director Wes Craven] just sat me down and gave me this really sweet man-to-man, fatherly conversation that had a huge impact on my life.”

    He added, “It was just about ‘I know you’re going through a hard time, but I really want to see you do great things and get your life together.’”

    “At the time, I was dating Courteney, we were on-and-off. And he said, ‘I think she really likes you, but she’s scared like a lot of people are that you’re gonna hurt yourself,’” Arquette continued recalling what the director said. “It was something that not a lot of people do in Hollywood.”

    David met the Friends star while filming the first Scream film in 1996 and they tied the knot in 1999. The couple welcomed daughter Coco and got divorced in 2013.

    David Arquette is now married to Christina McLarty, with whom he shares kids Charlie, 8, and Augustus, 5. He’s returning as Deputy Dewey in Scream 7 alongside Courteney Cox.


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  • Apple Might Break Traditional Launch Cycle with iPhone 18 Series

    Apple Might Break Traditional Launch Cycle with iPhone 18 Series

    iPhone 18 rumors are already gaining attention ahead of the iPhone 17 launch. Reports suggest Apple is planning a major shift. According to ET News, the company may change its traditional launch cycle starting with the iPhone 18 lineup.

    Two Launch Events Planned

    The report suggests Apple will host two separate events for the iPhone 18 series. The first keynote is expected in September 2026. At this event, Apple may unveil the iPhone 18 Air, 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable iPhone.

    The standard iPhone 18 will arrive later. Apple is expected to launch it in early 2027, alongside the budget-friendly iPhone 18e. This marks a major change from Apple’s usual simultaneous launches.

    If the new schedule continues, the iPhone 19 lineup will follow a similar pattern. The iPhone 19 Air, Pro, and Fold could launch in September 2027. Meanwhile, the vanilla iPhone 19 and the more affordable iPhone 19e may debut in the first half of 2028.

    This possible shift could reshape Apple’s iPhone strategy, giving premium models more spotlight while spacing out releases for entry-level devices.

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  • Tenofovir amibufenamide shows efficacy in chronic hepatitis B patients with normal ALT

    Tenofovir amibufenamide shows efficacy in chronic hepatitis B patients with normal ALT

    Background and aims

    Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients may exhibit liver fibrosis and other pathological changes despite normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT). This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of tenofovir amibufenamide (TMF) in chronic HBV-infected patients with normal ALT levels.

    Methods

    The ongoing PROMOTE study (NCT05797714) is the first prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label, blank-controlled clinical trial involving chronic HBV-infected patients with normal ALT levels. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either TMF (TMF group) or no treatment (blank control group). The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of participants achieving HBV DNA levels <20 IU/mL at 48 weeks.

    Results

    A total of 197 participants were enrolled, with 95 in the TMF group and 102 in the blank control group. At 48 weeks, a significantly greater proportion of participants in the TMF group achieved HBV DNA levels <20 IU/mL compared with the control group (74.2% vs. 9.0%, P < 0.001). The TMF group demonstrated more pronounced reductions in HBV DNA (−2.63 vs. −0.22 log10 IU/mL, P < 0.001), HBsAg (−0.07 vs. −0.04 log10 IU/mL, P = 0.02), and ALT levels (−14.09% vs. 0%, P = 0.003) compared with the blank control. In the TMF group, the proportion of participants with high-normal ALT levels (20–40 IU/L) was reduced. No significant differences were observed between the groups in creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, bone turnover biomarkers, lipid profiles, or phosphorus levels.

    Conclusions

    TMF treatment demonstrates significant efficacy in chronic HBV-infected patients with normal ALT levels and shows a favorable safety profile regarding bone, renal, and lipid parameters. The PROMOTE study is ongoing, and further results at 96 and 144 weeks are expected to provide additional insights.

    Source:

    Journal reference:

    Gui, H., et al. (2025). Interim Analysis of 48-week Tenofovir Amibufenamide Treatment in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Normal Alanine Aminotransferase Levels: The PROMOTE Study. Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology. doi.org/10.14218/jcth.2025.00162.

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  • Investigation of bacterial microbiota variability in two allopatric populations of Nyssomyia umbratilis, susceptible and nonsusceptible to Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis infection in the Amazon region | Parasites & Vectors

    Investigation of bacterial microbiota variability in two allopatric populations of Nyssomyia umbratilis, susceptible and nonsusceptible to Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis infection in the Amazon region | Parasites & Vectors

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  • Water in Comet 12P/Pons Brooks is very similar to Earth’s oceans

    Water in Comet 12P/Pons Brooks is very similar to Earth’s oceans

    New observations of comet 12P/Pons Brooks have pinned down a D/H ratio in its water that matches Earth’s oceans within acceptable uncertainties. This unexpected discovery tightens the link between cometary ice and the water at our taps.

    For the first time, researchers mapped ordinary water and deuterium bearing water in a comet’s coma using ALMA, giving spatial detail that nailed the source and sharpened the measurement.

    Who led the study


    Martin Cordiner of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center led the international team that combined ALMA and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF).

    “Our new results provide the strongest evidence yet that at least some Halley type comets carried water with the same isotopic signature as that found on Earth, supporting the idea that comets could have helped make our planet habitable,” said Cordiner.

    “By mapping both H2O and HDO in the comet’s coma, we can tell if these gases are coming from the frozen ices within the solid body of the nucleus, rather than forming from chemistry or other processes in the gas coma,” said Stefanie Milam from NASA’s Goddard and co-author of the study.

    Isotopes explain Earth’s water

    Water is H2O, but the hydrogen can be the heavy isotope deuterium, so scientists track the D/H ratio to compare water across the solar system and test shared origins or separate histories.

    Different comets have shown different D/H values in the past, which complicated the idea that comets filled Earth’s oceans.

    A warm inner solar system comet, 103P/Hartley 2, carried water with a D/H close to Earth’s, measured with the Herschel telescope in 2011 and often cited as evidence for icy deliveries from small bodies.

    Other targets pulled in the opposite direction. Rosetta sampled 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko and found a much higher D/H, pointing to diverse water reservoirs among comets.

    Meteorites have long weighed in too. Many carbonaceous chondrites (a rare type of primitive stony meteorite characterized by their high carbon content and other volatile elements) show ocean-like water, which led many researchers to favor asteroids over comets as the main source of Earth’s water supply. 

    What comet 12P reveals

    12P/Pons Brooks belongs to Halley-type comets, objects with orbits between 20 and 200 years that sweep through the inner solar system only now and then.

    Its orbital period is about 71 years according to NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s (JPL’s) Small-Body Database (SBD) database, so it gives us rare chances to study an icy body that likely formed far from the Sun.

    Many members of this class are thought to originate in the Oort cloud, a distant reservoir of small icy bodies nudged inward over time, which means their ice can preserve early solar system conditions.

    Measuring comet 12P water

    ALMA’s interferometry links many antennas to create high resolution images at millimeter wavelengths, letting scientists map where molecules arise within the coma rather than just tallying totals along a line of sight.

    The group paired ALMA’s maps with near infrared measurements from the NASA IRTF, using its iSHELL spectrograph to track water and companion gases that inform composition and context.

    That one-two approach narrowed uncertainties enough to report a D/H with a precision that separates it from many past comet results.

    Earth-like water in 12P is important

    If some Halley-type comets carry ocean-like water, then the roster of plausible couriers expands beyond certain asteroids and a few Jupiter family comets.

    A mixed delivery, timed during heavy bombardment in early Earth history, remains a coherent picture that many geochemists and dynamicists can test with new targets.

    Comets also carry carbon based molecules. ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) mass spectrometer identified the amino acid glycine and phosphorus at 67P, a reminder that icy bodies can ship both water and life’s raw materials together to rocky worlds.

    Why comets show different water

    Different formation zones, thermal histories, and processing by sunlight and cosmic rays can tweak isotope ratios in ices.

    That leads to the mix of D/H values seen so far, including the high number at 67P and Earth-like water at Hartley 2 and now 12P.

    Sampling a broader set of Oort cloud and Halley-type objects will show whether 12P sits at one end of a spectrum or marks a common pattern for this family.

    Comet 12p and future space missions

    Future campaigns can repeat the ALMA plus IRTF playbook on other periodic comets as they approach the Sun.

    Missions on the horizon, such as Comet Interceptor, aim to visit a dynamically pristine object and could take isotope studies off Earth entirely with in situ measurements.

    Each target with a precise D/H moves the debate from broad strokes to fine lines, where models of solar system dynamics and geochemistry either hold water or spring leaks.

    12P passed perihelion in April 2024, which brought its activity within reach of powerful facilities that did not exist during many earlier apparitions.

    Timing, instrumentation, and careful cross calibration combined to give the field a clean measurement that others can challenge or confirm with comparable methods.

    Precision like this offers a stepping stone toward a full inventory of small-body water sources across different dynamical classes and origins. This is a leap forward, even by today’s technological standards.

    What we still need to learn

    Isotope ratios in other molecules, such as nitrogen and oxygen species, will further test shared heritage between cometary ices and Earth’s reservoirs.

    Linking those chemical fingerprints with dynamical simulations of how material moved around the young solar system will sharpen which bodies delivered what, and when.

    A handful of well measured comets can anchor those models, but the goal is a population view that explains the widespread seen so far without special pleading.

    The study is published in Nature Astronomy.

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  • NOAA/British Geological Survey Release 2025 World Magnetic Model Report | NESDIS

    NOAA/British Geological Survey Release 2025 World Magnetic Model Report | NESDIS

    NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the British Geological Survey have released their joint Technical Report for the 2025 World Magnetic Model (WMM 2025), the standard navigation model for the U.S. Department of Defense and the global public which provides critical global data for navigation systems on ships, aircraft, satellites, antennas and even your handheld smartphones and GPS devices.

    Updated last December, the WMM provides accurate declination, which is the difference between true north and Earth’s magnetic north. The WMM is revised every five years to ensure that navigational instruments continue to provide correct readings as Earth’s magnetic field shifts over time.

    “The WMM provides critical information about the Earth’s magnetic field, which is the foundation for safe and reliable navigation for military and civilian applications,” said Deke Arndt, Director of NOAA NCEI. “This model reflects NCEI’s commitment to transforming Earth system observations into scientific understanding and providing tools for the public good.”

    For 2025, two versions of the model have been updated and released. In addition to the WMM 2025 version, the release includes the first-ever WMM 2025 High Resolution model, which provides greater directional accuracy for heading systems that are able to support this higher-resolution version. 

    “Both the standard and high-resolution models provide crucial magnetic field data that enhance global positioning systems,” said Arnaud Chulliat, CIRES senior research scientist for NOAA NCEI. “Satellite GPS is an important tool for determining your location, but knowing your orientation– the direction you are facing–relies on Earth’s magnetic field.”

    Learn more about the WMM and geomagnetic models from NOAA NCEI.
     

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  • Netflix crime drama to return for second series

    Netflix crime drama to return for second series

    Netflix has confirmed hit crime drama Department Q, which was set and filmed in Edinburgh, will return for a second series.

    The streaming giant said Matthew Goode will again play DCI Carl Morck, a damaged and shambolic detective who heads up the department of misfits in the basement of a police station.

    The show follows the team as they are charged with solving cases which were previously deemed unsolvable.

    The new season will see Morck reunited with team members Alexej Manvelov as Akram, Leah Byrne as Rose and Jamie Sives as Hardy.

    Department Q is based on a book series by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen.

    But Scandi noir became Tartan noir after the show’s director set foot on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh while scouting locations.

    A Danish language version of the programme was previously shown on the BBC, but Netflix brought the first big budget English language version to screens worldwide in May.

    Department Q spent six weeks in Netflix’s top ten shows following its release.

    Scott Frank, the show’s writer and director, previously told BBC Scotland News how the Scottish setting also allowed him to focus on the humour of the original novels.

    Frank, who also directed The Queen’s Gambit, said: “I’m grateful to the folks at Netflix, as well as our shining cast and crew, for once more risking their careers to enable my folly.”

    Netflix executives Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin said: “We are raring to return to Carl Morck and his band of glorious misfits at Department Q.

    “Scott Frank brought us best-in-class storytelling and thrilled Netflix audiences worldwide.

    “We can’t wait to see what Morck and the gang uncover in season two… Edinburgh, we’re back.”

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