Blog

  • Aurora Mobile’s GPTBots.ai to Integrate Google DeepMind’s

    Aurora Mobile’s GPTBots.ai to Integrate Google DeepMind’s

    SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aurora Mobile Limited (NASDAQ: JG) (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”), a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China, today announced that its AI agent platform, GPTBots.ai, will integrate Genie 3, the latest general-purpose world model released by Google DeepMind. Through this collaboration, developers will be able to access Genie 3 directly via the GPTBots.ai platform, allowing them to create highly dynamic and physically consistent 3D training environments for AI agents. This will accelerate AI agents’ learning and decision-making capabilities for complex tasks.

    This integration is a significant milestone for GPTBots.ai in several key areas, including realistic physical simulation, dynamic scenario control, and cross-industry empowerment. It also signals a pivotal shift in AI agent training for GPTBots.ai, moving beyond traditional text-based interaction toward embodied simulation. Moving forward, GPTBots.ai will continue to partner with leading research labs to promote the adoption of AGI technologies across diverse industries.

    About Aurora Mobile Limited

    Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: JG) is a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China. Since its inception, Aurora Mobile has focused on providing stable and efficient messaging services to enterprises and has grown to be a leading mobile messaging service provider with its first-mover advantage. With the increasing demand for customer reach and marketing growth, Aurora Mobile has developed forward-looking solutions such as Cloud Messaging and Cloud Marketing to help enterprises achieve omnichannel customer reach and interaction, as well as artificial intelligence and big data-driven marketing technology solutions to help enterprises’ digital transformation.

    For more information, please visit https://ir.jiguang.cn/.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SAAS business model; its ability to maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    For more information, please contact:

    Aurora Mobile Limited
    E-mail: ir@jiguang.cn

    Christensen

    In China
    Ms. Xiaoyan Su
    Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
    E-mail: Xiaoyan.Su@christensencomms.com

    In US
    Ms. Linda Bergkamp
    Phone: +1-480-614-3004
    Email: linda.bergkamp@christensencomms.com

    Continue Reading

  • Apple just got a big win in Trump’s tariff war. It may have bigger concerns

    Apple just got a big win in Trump’s tariff war. It may have bigger concerns

    Apple CEO Tim Cook should be breathing a sigh of relief.

    The White House on Wednesday ratcheted tariffs on Indian imports up by an additional 25%, raising the total levies on one of the United States’ most crucial trading partners to 50% when they kick in later this month.

    But smartphones are exempt from President Donald Trump’s new levies on India, marking a crucial win for the tech giant as it approaches its most important time of the year: its annual September iPhone launch followed by the holiday season. Apple will also dodge incoming new tariffs on semiconductors, since it’s committed to building iPhone components in the United States, Trump said Wednesday.

    That’s not to say tariffs won’t hurt; CEO Tim Cook said tariffs will likely cost the company $1.1 billion this quarter. But analysts say Apple has bigger concerns, such as its future product strategy and approach to artificial intelligence, a burgeoning field that the tech behemoth is perceived to be behind in.

    Under different circumstances, such high tariffs could have spelled trouble for Apple. The iPhone is Apple’s most important product, making up the majority of its revenue. Most iPhones sold in America come from India. And the Americas, which includes the United States, is Apple’s largest market.

    “In terms of the longer-term issues, more than a year out, I would say tariffs are probably 20% of it,” said Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, who has covered Apple for decades. “I think what’s going on the regulatory environments (is) probably 25%, and 55 is related to how they’re going to capitalize on AI.”

    Tariffs are a challenge for Apple, but one that analysts seem confident the company can manage. A combination of Apple’s diversified supply chain – which it partially shifted to areas like India and Vietnam around five years ago to reduce reliance on China during COVID – along with its high margins and Cook’s operations expertise put the company in a strong position.

    Supply chain resilience is “supposed to allow you to adjust tactically to any major changes that comes unexpected,” said Runar Bjørhovde, a research analyst for market research firm Canalys.

    That held true even before Apple committed to investing an additional $100 billion in the United States to manufacture iPhone parts domestically on Wednesday.

    While moves like these don’t directly impact tariff policy, they do likely help Apple curry favor with the administration, especially as Trump has pressed Apple to build its iPhones domestically.

    “Look, he’s not making this kind of an investment anywhere in the world, not even close,” Trump said. “He’s coming back. I mean, Apple is coming back to America.”

    Some analysts already expected that the iPhone would be exempt from the upcoming levies on India ahead of Wednesday’s tariff announcement. But the back-and-forth tariff policies, which have changed multiple times throughout the year, make it challenging to predict what could happen in the future.

    “Because (smartphones are) such an important category, the relationship that Apple has with both administrations, and specifically, even the US administration, we do think that they will be able to maneuver against this threat,” said Nabila Popal, senior director with the International Data Corporation’s data and analytics team. “But it is important, of course. It does present a risk.”

    That said, analysts largely believe India and China are Apple’s only two options for producing US-bound iPhones at scale. And since iPhone models available in the United States don’t precisely match those sold elsewhere, Apple can’t just redirect iPhones intended for different markets. New iPhones sold in America, for example, don’t have physical SIM card slots anymore, and they support millimeter wave 5G, the kind of connection that provides faster, low-latency speeds but usually only at a short distance.

    “It’s a massive tactical nightmare to deal with,” said Bjørhovde. “Because you have to try and find a sweet spot and figure out what comes next.”

    Cook said iPhones will continue to be assembled outside of the United States for “a while” during an event at the Oval Office announcing the new $100 billion investment on Wednesday. But he pointed to the company’s strategy of instead producing iPhone components stateside.

    “Well, if you look at the bulk of it, we’re doing a lot of the semiconductors here, we’re doing the glass here, we’re doing the Face ID module here, and so there’s a ton of it, and we’re doing these for products sold elsewhere in the world,” Cook said. “And so there’s a lot of content in there from United States.”

    The narrative that Apple is behind in AI has been looming over the company all year – and some analysts see it as a more challenging issue to overcome than tariffs. Apple delayed a high-profile upgrade to its Siri assistant that would have enabled it to provide more personalized answers and act across apps, bringing it up to speed with the agent-like capabilities that Google and OpenAI are pursuing with their digital helpers.

    And the company’s rivals are still using that setback as ammunition to promote their own products over Apple’s. Just this week, Google posted an ad for its upcoming Pixel 10 phone that said: “If you buy a new phone because of a feature that’s coming soon, but it’s been coming soon for a full year, you could change your definition of soon.” Apple’s initial batch of AI features also didn’t launch in time for the iPhone 16’s arrival last September.

    At the same time, many of Apple’s peers are seeing booming returns from their AI investments. Nvidia (NVDA) and Microsoft (MSFT) both hit $4 trillion in market capitalization in July, a milestone Wall Street previously thought Apple (AAPL) might reach first.

    That’s partially because of their fundamentally different products and business models. Apple is a consumer hardware company. In contrast, Microsoft, Meta (META) and Nvidia also provide the tools that businesses rely on to support AI-powered services and features, like cloud computing, chips and AI models.

    Still, Apple saw stellar earnings results for the June quarter, surpassing expectations for iPhone sales – including in China – and overall revenue.

    But during Apple’s earnings call, analysts pressed Cook about his perspective on AI and what it means for the company’s products. Those questions ranged from whether AI services might be eating into search engine usage, whether the forthcoming Siri upgrade could drive future new products and whether Apple would consider acquiring AI companies to further its product roadmap.

    “Taking a step back, we see AI as one of the most profound technologies of our lifetime,” Cook said in his opening remarks during the earnings call. “We are embedding it across our devices and platforms and across the company. We are also significantly growing our investments.”

    But Apple can’t risk falling too far behind when it comes to the iPhone’s AI capabilities. By doing so, it could create an opportunity for Samsung, Google and Qualcomm – the three of which dominate the Android phone space – to pull ahead, says Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology sector strategist at financial services company Baird.

    “What’s more important with investors is, after the iPhone 17, what do they really do?” he said. “I mean, as far as generative AI and AI functionality, that that’s the real focus on Apple right now.”


    Continue Reading

  • Small, Shapeshifting Catalytic Nanoparticles Steer Carbon Dioxide Conversion

    Small, Shapeshifting Catalytic Nanoparticles Steer Carbon Dioxide Conversion

    Newswise — UPTON, N.Y. — Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that the size of catalytic nanoparticles determines how their shape and structure transform during chemical reactions. With insights into the nanoparticles’ atomic-scale behavior as they convert carbon dioxide into useful fuel — and a better understanding of how structural changes impact catalytic performance — researchers are newly positioned to design more effective catalysts for industrial applications.

    Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions. Though they may temporarily shapeshift to accelerate chemical transformations, they are not permanently altered, enabling them to facilitate subsequent reactions. In a new multimodal study, recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Brookhaven researchers leveraged several powerful techniques to characterize a catalyst made up of cobalt oxide nanoparticles that sit atop a cerium oxide base. In contrast to commonly used catalyst ingredients, like platinum or palladium, cobalt and cerium are significantly more abundant and less expensive.

    “We previously found that this cobalt-cerium oxide nanocatalyst system behaved differently when the cobalt-containing nanoparticles were smaller, but we didn’t know why,” said Kaixi Deng, first author on the paper who conducted this research at Brookhaven Lab while he was a graduate student at Stony Brook University. Deng is now a postdoctoral researcher at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory.

    In some cases, the nanoparticles catalyzed the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Other times, the reaction yielded methane — and sometimes the researchers observed a combination of both products.

    “It’s important to control the morphology of the catalyst so reactions can yield the desired products, or ratio of products,” explained Jose Rodriguez, leader of the Catalysis: Reactivity and Structure group in Brookhaven’s Chemistry Division and co-lead author on the paper. “That’s how we optimize catalysts and make them more efficient for different applications.”

    The research team expected the interface between cobalt and cerium oxide to play an important role in this behavior, and they used standard techniques in catalysis science, like in-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and infrared spectroscopy, to start exploring this hypothesis.

    “There was still an important part missing,” said Deng. “That’s why we wanted to take more direct measurements of this interface — ones that could show us what was happening during chemical reactions.”

    A multimodal study

    A typical electron microscope uses a beam of electrons to visualize nanoscale structures with much higher resolution than light-based microscopes. Electron microscopy experiments, however, are typically conducted in a vacuum because air molecules can interact with the electron beam and hinder the image quality.

    The researchers wanted to observe the atomic-scale structure of the catalytic nanoparticles in the presence of carbon dioxide, so they needed a special type of electron microscope that could accommodate gas in the sample area.

    “At the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), we use an environmental transmission electron microscope, or E-TEM, to study samples in gaseous environments and at high temperatures, similar to the working conditions catalysts experience during chemical reactions,” said Dmitri Zakharov, co-lead author on the paper and scientist at CFN, a DOE Office of Science user facility at Brookhaven Lab.

    “The E-TEM is not a mainstream tool,” Zakharov added. “It’s only available at a few facilities worldwide, and experiments are really challenging since the core microscope, gas delivery equipment, sample holder, image acquisition system, and sample all have to ‘perform’ at the same time. The effort, however, is well worth it!”

    The E-TEM studies revealed that when cobalt oxide nanoparticles smaller than 2 nanometers are exposed to carbon dioxide gas, they rearrange from a 3D, pyramidal shape into a 2D, single layer of particles attached to the cerium oxide base. Upon removal of the carbon dioxide gas, the nanoparticles returned to their pyramidal shape.

    “The beauty of this whole dynamic system is that the nanoparticles want to bind carbon dioxide, so they rearrange in such a way that creates more sites for carbon dioxide to bind, increasing catalytic activity,” said Rodriguez. “We never imagined we would find something like this.”

    If the particles were larger by even one nanometer — that’s just one billionth of a meter — they exhibited an entirely different behavior and maintained their 3D structure despite the introduction of carbon dioxide. This varying nanoparticle behavior explains, in part, why the conversion of carbon dioxide can yield different products or combinations of products: Carbon dioxide interacts with the catalytic nanoparticles in different ways, depending on the nanoparticle size and configuration.

    “The E-TEM really made it possible to directly visualize the physical changes during a chemical reaction,” said Deng. But to fully understand the catalytic nanoparticles — and be able to optimize future catalysts — the researchers also needed to unveil the chemical behavior of the nanoparticles as they catalyzed reactions. So, the team turned to colleagues at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), another DOE Office of Science user facility at Brookhaven Lab.

    At NSLS-II, the researchers leveraged the In situ and Operando Soft X-ray Spectroscopy (IOS) and the Inner-Shell Spectroscopy (ISS) beamlines, where they conducted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and XAS, respectively. The XPS and XAS studies provided information about the chemical composition of the catalyst when it was exposed to different temperatures or gas pressures.

    “It’s great that we have all these powerful characterization techniques right here at Brookhaven Lab,” said Zakharov. “I can see both NSLS-II and the chemistry building from CFN. Leveraging such a breadth of tools and expertise all at one lab is hugely beneficial for collaborative, multimodal studies like this one.”

    The Brookhaven researchers also collaborated with Wenqian Xu at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a DOE Office of Science user facility at Argonne, to conduct in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) at APS’s Rapid Acquisition Powder Diffraction beamline. The XRD studies offered insights into the catalyst’s overall crystalline structure, in contrast to the E-TEM experiments that were focused on local, microscopic structure.

    As this was the first multimodal study to characterize the cobalt-cerium oxide nanocatalyst system while it converted carbon dioxide, theorists are eager to use the findings to build better models of catalysts. Such theoretical models could help discern why nanoparticles spread out on the cerium surface — and why their size determines their behavior.

    Researchers who specialize in catalyst preparation plan to leverage the findings to guide the development of future catalysts. In some cases, they may desire increased methane production. So, they can modify catalyst synthesis techniques to ensure that the nanoparticles are small enough to flatten against the cerium base. For other industrial applications, they may prepare the catalyst differently to increase the likelihood of different reaction products, like carbon monoxide.

    “This is just one step in understanding the system, but it’s an essential step,” said Rodriguez. “These findings, especially the E-TEM images, will serve as the new guiding direction for researchers working to figure out how this type of catalyst works.”

    This work was supported by the DOE Office of Science. The samples used in this research were prepared by collaborators at the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry in Madrid, Spain.

    Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.

    Follow @BrookhavenLab on social media. Find us on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.          

     


    Continue Reading

  • Ultra-processed foods make up the majority of kids’ diet, CDC report finds

    Ultra-processed foods make up the majority of kids’ diet, CDC report finds

    Ultra-processed foods make up the bulk of what kids eat — and adults aren’t far behind, a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds.

    About 62% of kids’ and teens’ daily calories came from ultra-processed foods, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found, compared with 53% for adults.

    The report marks the first time CDC has provided estimates about how much ultra-processed foods make up Americans’ diets.

    Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in May cited ultra-processed foods among his list of top issues that need to be addressed to curb what he says is an epidemic of childhood chronic diseases.

    Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services took the first step to formally define “ultra-processed foods” — a move, experts say, that could open the door to regulation, including what types of food are eligible for food assistance programs. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked to a number of health problems, including depression, Type 2 diabetes and early death.

    Previous administrations have also tried to take action on ultra-processed foods, but those efforts have focused mostly on labeling and individual ingredients — such as added sugars and trans fats — rather than on regulating or classifying foods based on their level of processing. In January, during the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration proposed requiring a new label on the front of most packaged food and drinks that would alert consumers to how much saturated fat, salt and added sugar they contained.

    Thursday’s report was based on findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from August 2021 to August 2023.

    The report’s lead author, Anne Williams, a researcher with the National Center for Health Statistics, said the agency identified ultra-processed foods using the NOVA classification system — a framework developed by Brazilian researchers that’s the most commonly used tool to evaluate processed foods. NOVA defines ultra-processed products as “industrial creations” made with little — if any — whole foods.

    The top source of ultra-processed foods for both kids and adults was sandwiches, such as burgers, hot dogs and PB&Js, Williams said. That was followed by baked goods, salty snacks and sugary drinks.

    The report found that adults with higher incomes tended to eat fewer ultra-processed foods.

    It also found that intake of ultra-processed foods for both kids and adults dropped slightly from 2017-18 to August 2021–23. For adults, the decline started even earlier, going back to 2013–14. Williams cautioned that the decline so far has been small — a 56-calorie difference over roughly a decade.

    Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, said the CDC’s findings align with what outside researchers have found about Americans’ eating habits.

    Nestle said parents tend to gravitate toward ultra-processed foods for their kids because they’re easy to throw in a school lunch bag.

    But, she added, probably the biggest reason kids eat so many ultra-processed foods is that the food industry heavily markets it to them.

    “They’re the most profitable products in the supermarket, and the companies sell them, they market them directly to kids,” Nestle said. “They’re seen as cool and are iconic and you’re lucky to eat them, because that’s how they’re marketed.”

    The term “ultra-processed food” was created around 2009 and has primarily been used for research purposes, said Susan Mayne, who was director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in both the Biden and the first Trump administrations.

    Mayne said research has shown that eating ultra-processed foods in general is linked to increased caloric intake and weight gain and that it is associated with greater risk of chronic diseases.

    The problem with defining ultra-processed foods, she said, is that not all of them are linked to greater health risks. In fact, some — like certain yogurts, whole grain breads and cereals — are actually associated with reduced risks of chronic diseases like colon cancer. States like California have tried to address that by coming up with a definition of “particularly harmful” ultra-processed foods, she added.

    The NOVA classification system also has limitations, as it doesn’t directly measure processing, Mayne said. Rather, it uses additives and specific ingredients as a proxy for the level of processing.

    “FDA is engaging in a public process to attempt to define UPF, which is a good first step,” Mayne said in an email, referring to ultra-processed foods. “But it would be important to repeat studies to demonstrate that the new definition is as or more predictive of chronic disease risk than existing definitions before it could be used for policies.”

    HHS hasn’t said when it plans to formally define “ultra-processed.”

    Nestle said she hopes the Trump administration also targets marketing.

    “These are highly convenient products, and the kids will eat them because the kids have been trained to eat them,” she said.

    Continue Reading

  • Bank of England expected to cut interest rates – live updates

    Bank of England expected to cut interest rates – live updates

    What are interest rates?

    Michael Race
    Business and economics reporter

    Put simply, interest is the extra amount you get charged when you borrow money.

    Say someone lends you £10 at a 10% interest rate, you’ll pay them back £11 – the £10 you borrowed, plus an extra £1 in interest (10% of £10).

    The Bank of England’s base interest rate, which is being set today, dictates what rates most high street banks and lenders set for things – ranging from mortgages to credit cards and savings accounts.

    When the Bank puts up its rate, it gets more expensive to borrow money, but it also means that returns on savings accounts, which accrue interest, go up.

    When rates drop, as they are expected to today, borrowing becomes cheaper and saving rates typically go down.

    The Bank of England’s job is to keep inflation, which is the rate prices rise at for goods and services, at an annual rate of 2%. It uses interest rates to try to keep it at that level.

    When rates rise, people tend to spend less and save more. That slows the demand for goods and services, which can limit price rises and thus cool inflation.

    Continue Reading

  • A roadside bomb targeting police vehicle in northwest Pakistan kills 2 officers and wounds 14

    A roadside bomb targeting police vehicle in northwest Pakistan kills 2 officers and wounds 14


    LONDON: Pensioner Marji Mansfield never imagined she would end up suspected of terrorism for protesting against the banning of a pro-Palestinian group.

    But the British grandmother was arrested on July 5 for joining a demonstration in support of Palestine Action just days after it was added to the UK government’s list of proscribed organizations.

    “It’s a terrible shock to be accused of potentially being a terrorist,” said Mansfield, 68, who described herself as a “proud grandmother” of seven.

    She “was never politically interested,” the former banking consultant from the southern town of Chichester told AFP. “I just worked hard, raised my family, lived an ordinary life.”

    In early July, the UK government banned Palestine Action under the UK’s Terrorism Act, after activists broke into an air force base in England and damaged two aircraft.

    Since then, the campaign group Defend Our Juries has organized protests around the country to challenge the ban, described as “disproportionate” by the United Nations rights chief.

    More than 200 people have been arrested, according to Tim Crosland, a member of Defend Our Juries. They risk prison sentences of up to 14 years.

    A new demonstration in support of the group, which was founded in 2020, is planned on Saturday in London. Organizers expect at least 500 people to turn up, and police have warned all demonstrators could face arrest.

    People “don’t know what the nature of this group is,” interior minister Yvette Cooper has said, claiming that “this is not a non-violent group.”

    But Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has launched a court bid to overturn the ban and a hearing is set for November.

    Mansfield has long supported the Palestinian people, but the start of the current war, sparked by Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, galvanized her into action.

    “When it started happening again … it was the most horrible feeling, that children’s homes were being blown up, that their schools were being destroyed,” she said.

    Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

    Israel’s subsequent campaign to eradicate the Palestinian militant group in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which are deemed reliable by the United Nations.

    For Mansfield, the Palestine Action ban was the final straw, fueling her feelings that the government was silencing her political views.

    The night before attending the July demonstration, Mansfield said she was “terrified.” But she did not change her mind.

    Images on British media showed her being moved by several police officers after she refused to get up from the pavement. An 83-year-old woman was by her side.

    Mansfield spent 12 hours in custody, and is now banned from parts of London, meaning she cannot visit some museums with her grandchildren as she would like to do.

    “It was just ordinary people,” said Mansfield. “We came from all backgrounds … we’re not terrorists.”

    Alice Clark, a 49-year-old doctor, also does not regret attending the protest where she was arrested in London on July 19.

    “Nobody wants to be arrested. I just feel that there’s a responsibility,” said Clark, who also accused the government of undermining “our civil liberties.”

    Cooper said the ban on Palestine Action was “based on detailed security assessments and security advice.”

    The ban says the group’s “methods have become more aggressive” by encouraging members to carry out attacks which have already caused millions of pounds in damage.

    But Clark, a former volunteer for medical charity Doctors Without Borders, said she felt “growing disgust and horror” at the images of starving children in Gaza.

    The 12 hours in custody after her arrest were a shock. If convicted, she risks losing her license to practice medicine.

    “There were points where I was close to tears. But I think just remembering why I was doing it kind of helped me keep calm,” said Clark.

    History student Zahra Ali, 18, was also arrested on July 19, before being released under supervision. None of the three women has been charged.

    She is also appalled by the scenes from Gaza.

    “The starvation in Gaza, it’s disgusting. And our government isn’t doing anything about that,” she told AFP.

    Imagining herself in prison at 18 is “a big thing,” but “if people who are in their 80s can do it, then I can do it,” Ali said.

    She also does not describe herself as an activist, but as “a normal person … who decided that what our government is doing is wrong.”

    Continue Reading

  • Ban imposed on sale, use of horns ahead of August 14 – samaa tv

    1. Ban imposed on sale, use of horns ahead of August 14  samaa tv
    2. DC Islamabad imposes ban on horns ahead of Independence Day  The Express Tribune
    3. Islamabad to Take Legal Action Against Sale and Use of ‘Baaja’  ProPakistani
    4. Ban imposed on sale, use of vuvuzela ahead of August 14 Breaking  Independent News Pakistan
    5. Islamabad bans use, sale of toy horns ahead of Independence Day  Geo.tv

    Continue Reading

  • U.S. study reveals surprising sectors for non-fatal injuries

    U.S. study reveals surprising sectors for non-fatal injuries

    The second spot, however, is more unexpected. “The most interesting thing, I think, about the data, was that number two was the arts, entertainment and recreation… the reason that is so high is because it includes amusement parks,” says Schmid.

    Agriculture, including farming, hunting, and fishing, rounds out the top three. “No surprise with hunting and farming, obviously a very hands-on industry. You’re around a lot of machinery, the same as transportation and warehousing, just a lot of heavy-duty machinery being used,” she adds.

    Surprises and safety lessons

    Construction, often assumed to be among the most dangerous sectors, appears lower on the list. “To see construction lower is definitely surprising. It’s got almost half the incidence rate of transportation and warehousing in number one,” Schmid observes, speculating that stricter safety regulations may be making a difference.

    At the other end of the spectrum, office-based sectors like finance and insurance report the lowest rates of non-fatal injuries.

    Continue Reading

  • Pakistan finance adviser cites US tariff advantage, ‘keen investment interest’ in energy sector

    Pakistan finance adviser cites US tariff advantage, ‘keen investment interest’ in energy sector

    KARACHI: An adviser to the Pakistani finance ministry said this week the United States had shown “keen investment interest” in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector and noted that the country enjoyed one of the most competitive US tariff rates in the region.

    Last week, the US administration imposed a 19% reciprocal tariff on a wide range of Pakistani goods, significantly lower than the initially proposed 29%, under a sweeping new executive order signed by President Donald Trump. In long-drawn out trade talks, Islamabad had been aiming for a tariff less than regional trade rivals such as Vietnam, which had a 20% tariff imposed by Trump, and India, on whose goods an additional 25% tariff was imposed this week, with the US president citing New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil.

    “Pakistan stands at 19 % [US tariffs], the lowest in South & Southeast Asia,” Khurram Schehzad, Adviser to the Finance Minister of Pakistan, wrote in a post on social media platform X.

    “In addition, US showed its keen investment interest in Pakistan’s Oil & Gas sector to build massive reserves.”

    Schehzad also cited figures showing higher tariffs recently imposed on India and other countries by the United States, saying:

    “President Trump has imposed an additional 25% tariff on India, taking the total US tariff to 50 percent! With this penalty, India now faces the highest US tariff, matched only by Brazil.”

    He listed the top five countries facing the highest US tariffs globally as: India – 50%, Brazil – 50%, Syria – 41%, Laos – 40% and Myanmar – 40%.

    Last week, Trump had trumpeted a pact to help develop Pakistan’s oil reserves.

    “We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,” Trump wrote on social media. “We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership.”

    On August 1, the vice chairman of Pakistan’s largest refiner, Cnergyico, told Reuters the company would import one million barrels of oil from Vitol in October, the country’s first-ever purchase of US crude following a landmark trade deal. The West Texas Intermediate light crude cargo will be loaded from Houston this month and is expected to arrive in Karachi in the second half of October, Usama Qureshi said.

    Oil is Pakistan’s biggest import item, and its shipments were valued at $11.3 billion in the year ended June 30, 2025, accounting for nearly a fifth of the country’s total import bill. The US import deal will help Pakistan diversify its crude sourcing and reduce reliance on Middle Eastern suppliers, which account for nearly all of its oil imports.

    Cnergyico could consider buying at least 1 million barrels of US oil a month after it evaluates the first shipment, given its current monthly demand stands at 4.6 million barrels, the company’s vice chairman told Reuters.

    “It aligns well with domestic market requirements. Demand typically strengthens in the October–November period,” Qureshi said.

    Separately, Finance Adviser Schehzad said Pakistan had registered a record number of companies in July 2025.

    “Highest-ever number of company registrations in a single month with SECP [Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan] – over 4,000 companies registered in July 2025, with IT & e-Commerce leading the way!” he wrote, referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

    The adviser also cited broader positive macroeconomic indicators, saying the new fiscal year was “off to a solid start, from low inflation, to better-than-target tax collection, competitive tariff with US’s investment interest in Pakistan, double-digit exports growth, to equity market making new highs.”

    The comments come amid Pakistan’s push to attract foreign investment and improve its economic outlook following the approval of a $7 billion IMF program in late 2024.

    Continue Reading

  • Microbiome Changes May Affect Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk

    Microbiome Changes May Affect Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk

    Comparing metagenomic profiles of the skin microbiome in immunosuppressed patients and those at high and low risk for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) revealed distinct expansions in fungal and viral taxa in the first two groups, according to the authors of a recent research letter reporting the results. Such differences one day may help clinicians identify patients at high SCC risk, they added.

    Shadmehr Demehri, MD, PhD

    Currently, physicians identify patients at high SCC risk based on whether they have had several prior SCCs. Analyzing skin microbiome changes to identify patients at high SCC risk before they develop several SCCs could revolutionize dermatologic care, senior author and investigator, Shadmehr Demehri, MD, PhD, said in an interview. He is the Arthur and Sandra Irving Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunology and director of the High Risk Skin Cancer Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

    Although age, ultraviolet exposure, and immunosuppression are well-known SCC risk factors, Demehri said, the skin microbiome’s contribution to SCC risk remains unclear. To explore this issue, he and his coinvestigators conducted comparative metagenomic analyses of skin microbiomes from 30 patients: six with high SCC risk (> 2 prior SCCs), nine with low SCC risk (≤ 2 prior SCCs), and 15 solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs). The results were published online in July in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

    Using swabs from six bilateral anatomical sites per patient, with air swabs as negative controls, the investigators performed shotgun metagenomic sequencing and differential-abundance analyses to compare relative taxa populations across patient groups. After an analysis of 249 metagenomes, high-risk individuals had the highest mean SCC count (11.8), followed by SOTRs (8.73) and low-risk individuals (0.33).

    “Compared with low‐risk SCC subjects,” Demehri added, “both solid organ transplant recipients and high‐risk SCC subjects showed higher relative abundances of eukaryotes, such as Malassezia restricta and M globosa, and viruses such as Betapapillomavirus.” Moreover, these taxa showed robust differences and strong discriminatory power between patient groups, indicating their potential utility as signatures of elevated SCC risk, he told Medscape Medical News.

    Which Comes First?

    Currently, it remains unclear whether the relative expansion of certain skin microbiome components directly drives SCC pathogenesis or reflects underlying immune alterations that raise SCC risk indirectly. And despite the eukaryotic expansions observed in the high-risk and SOTR groups, researchers saw no between-group differences in Malassezia-related conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis. Yet subclinical expansions in Malassezia and viral taxa still may translate into increased SCC risk, Demehri said.

    Accordingly, he said, dermatologists must not assume that people who develop certain viral and fungal skin diseases are at higher risk for SCC. “It’s more subtle changes, probably in association with other microbiome changes, that seem to be associated with skin cancer risk.” Nonetheless, Demehri said, watching for skin conditions that signify an expanded skin microbiome — such as the appearance of warts in fair-skinned adults — may signal the need to monitor for SCC risk.

    Commensal Concern

    photo of Sancy A. Leachman, MD, PhD
    Sancy A. Leachman, MD, PhD

    Sancy A. Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and vice-chair of faculty development in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, said that although the study requires replication in larger, prospective cohorts, its findings are provocative for several reasons. She was not involved with the study but was asked to comment.

    Dermatologists are starting to embrace the skin microbiome concept but rarely beyond bacteria and yeasts, Leachman told Medscape Medical News. “I don’t believe most dermatologists are thinking about papillomaviruses being commensal: present on your skin as a normal part of your microbiome,’ she said. The observation that baseline papillomavirus populations can exist on normal-appearing skin without causing pathology is important information, she added. “What is their purpose there? What’s the evolutionary advantage?”

    A study published in Cancer Cell in January 2025 showed that commensal papillomaviruses can boost immune surveillance and clearing of UV-induced p53-mutant keratinocytes. “It appears that the commensal papillomavirus population may help to stimulate the immune system in a way that helps the immune response against skin cancer,” Leachman said.

    Papillomaviruses work primarily through p53. “So if you’ve developed an immune reaction against a p53 element of the papillomavirus,” Leachman said, “there’s a possibility that might cross-react with abnormalities of the p53 pathway in squamous cell carcinomas and act like a mini-vaccine against the tumor. And if that’s true, could you do that intentionally as a therapeutic or prevention strategy?”

    Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have proven highly effective in preventing cervical cancer. However, she said, based on the results of commensal HPVs protecting against SCC, it is unclear whether elimination of commensals by the vaccine could render some women more or less susceptible to SCC later in life.

    “If those papillomavirus vaccines cross-react, and you’re diminishing the commensal papillomaviruses that are helpful in recognizing squamous cell carcinoma,” she asked, “are you going to have people who experience an idiosyncratic increase in squamous carcinoma because the HPV vaccine prevents development of a robust commensal population of helpful papillomaviruses? I don’t believe anyone has even examined alterations of commensal HPV populations following vaccination.” 

    Functional Immunosuppression

    One of the study’s most tantalizing findings requiring further follow-up, Leachman said, is that the nonimmunosuppressed high-risk group (median age, 78.5 years) was much older than the low-risk group (63.0 years). “That says there’s probably some sort of functional immunosuppression occurring in those high-risk people.”

    As baby boomers age, Leachman added, the population with immune-system senescence will grow. “If you can use solid organ transplant recipients as a model for the aging population that is becoming functionally immunosuppressed, that would be very beneficial, to know how to tailor treatments, detection methods, and even potential risk evaluation methods for these people.”

    Anecdotally, Leachman has identified a group of patients with what she calls systemic “skin failure” — elderly patients at an extremely high SCC risk who routinely have multiple skin cancers and precancers excised. “Generally, those people are older and have an apparent functional immunosuppression; in my hands, they seem to respond better to topical imiquimod than topical 5-fluorouracil.”

    Based on years of clinical observation, she prescribes topical immunotherapy rather than topical chemotherapy depending on patient age and the number and (wart-like) appearance of their SCCs.

    Microbiome Manipulation?

    In the interview, Demehri said that although it might be tempting to try and alter the skin microbiome through supplements or topical agents, nothing in the study suggests a cause-and-effect relationship such that modifying the microbiome would directly affect SCC risk. Therefore, he said that along with SCC detection and monitoring, immunosuppression and its role in skin cancer development should receive more emphasis.

    Presently, Demehri’s lab is exploring ways to detect and monitor microbiome changes more feasibly than through costly shotgun sequencing. “It’s not something we can do for every patient all the time to monitor their skin. But there are ways we could extract that information more directly from the skin by swabs and then inform the physician that the patient might be at risk of cancer as well because their microbiome is being altered in ways that are associated with increased risk.” Broad adoption of such techniques, he estimated, is perhaps a few years away.

    This study was supported partly by the Intramural Research Programs of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) at the National Institutes of Health. Study coauthors were from the Center for Cancer Immunology and the Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and from the NHGRI and NIAMS. Demehri had filed a patent for the development of T cell-directed anticancer vaccines against commensal viruses. Other authors had no disclosures. Leachman is an investigator or advisor for several companies involved in screening and early diagnosis of melanoma but reported no relevant financial relationships.

    John Jesitus is a Denver-based freelance medical writer and editor.

    For more news, follow Medscape on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube.


    Continue Reading