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Gandapur orders probe into Swat river tragedy

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has announced that a high-level committee has been formed to investigate the recent Swat tragedy, in which 14 people drowned in the Swat River. Speaking to the media after a court appearance at the Peshawar High Court, the chief minister said that anyone found negligent in the incident will not be spared.

“The tragedy in the Swat River is extremely unfortunate. A committee has been constituted to probe the incident and is actively working. Those responsible for negligence or carelessness will be held accountable once the committee presents its report,” Gandapur stated.

He added that an indiscriminate anti-encroachment operation is underway across the province, particularly along the banks of the Swat River. “No one is above the lawillegal structures, no matter who they belong to, will be demolished,” he asserted.

Referring to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, the chief minister launched a scathing attack, saying, “He can’t even win a councillor’s seat … how can he overthrow our government?”

The chief minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to removing encroachments without any discrimination and said that similar operations would be launched wherever illegal constructions are found in the province.

Meanwhile, a high-level delegation of the Polio Oversight Board (POB), led by Dr Christopher Elias, called on Chief Minister Gandapur in Islamabad to review and reinforce anti-polio efforts in the province.

The delegation included representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Rotary International, and other global partner organizations. Also present were Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Farooq, and senior officials from the National and Provincial Emergency Operation Centers.

During the meeting, the participants reviewed the province’s ongoing polio eradication efforts and agreed on further streamlining and strengthening strategies to eliminate the poliovirus from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Chief Minister expressed gratitude for the continued support of international partners and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to eradicating polio. “The fight against polio is not just a provincial issue but a national and global responsibility,” he said.

He noted that the provincial government is taking special measures to bolster the immunization program and has begun customizing anti-polio campaigns to fit the unique needs of each district. “Our strategy now involves local solutions to local challenges,” he said.

To enhance the outreach and acceptance of polio campaigns, Gandapur said elected representatives and religious scholars are being actively involved. He urged local leaders and clerics to help dispel misconceptions and boost public trust in vaccination efforts.

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July 3, 2025
Record-Shattering Molecule Stores Data at “Dark Side of the Moon” Temperatures – SciTechDaily
1. Record-Shattering Molecule Stores Data at “Dark Side of the Moon” Temperatures SciTechDaily
2. Soft magnetic hysteresis in a dysprosium amide–alkene complex up to 100 kelvin Nature
3. New discovery paves the way for stamp-sized hard drives with 100x more storage The Brighter Side of News
4. Linear structure gives dysprosium complex record-breaking magnetic properties Chemistry World
5. Stamp-Sized Drive Could Hold Three Years’ Worth of Music Newsweek
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July 3, 2025
XPR1 Found Key in Ovarian Cancer Growth Regulation

A recent study published in Genes & Diseases reveals a novel role of XPR1 in promoting ovarian cancer growth by regulating autophagy and MHC-I expression. The research, conducted by scientists from Chongqing Medical University, identifies XPR1 as a critical factor influencing the aggressiveness of ovarian cancer through its interaction with LAMP1 and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings shed light on new therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer, a malignancy known for its poor prognosis and resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The study highlights that XPR1 expression is significantly increased in ovarian cancer tissues compared to normal ovarian tissues. This heightened expression correlates with advanced cancer stages, reduced overall survival, and lower progression-free survival. Through CRISPR-Cas9 screening, researchers identified XPR1 as a potential regulator of autophagy. Subsequent experiments confirmed that silencing XPR1 decreased ovarian cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, while overexpression led to the opposite effect, indicating its role in promoting cancer growth.

Further analysis revealed that XPR1 interacts with LAMP1, a key lysosomal-associated membrane protein, and regulates its expression. This interaction modulates autophagy flux, particularly during the early phase of autophagy and to some extent during the lysosomal phase. Silencing XPR1 led to increased lysosome formation and autophagy, while its overexpression suppressed these processes. The study demonstrated that XPR1 regulates autophagy through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, inhibiting autophagy flux and thereby promoting ovarian cancer cell survival.

In addition to autophagy regulation, the study identified a critical role of XPR1 in immune evasion. MHC-I molecules, crucial for CD8+ T cell recognition and tumor cell killing, were found to be regulated by XPR1 through autophagy. Silencing XPR1, combined with the use of chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, significantly enhanced the presence of MHC-I molecules on ovarian cancer cells. This combination treatment reduced tumor growth in mouse models, suggesting that targeting XPR1 alongside autophagy inhibition could improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in ovarian cancer.

These findings suggest that XPR1 serves as a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer, especially in cases resistant to PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors. Targeting XPR1, either through direct silencing or by using autophagy inhibitors, may offer a novel approach to enhance the immune response against ovarian cancer. The study provides a foundation for future research into the use of autophagy modulators in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors to improve treatment outcomes.

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.

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July 3, 2025
TTFields Plus Chemo Improves QOL, Delays Time to Pain Deterioration in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
TTFields Plus Chemo in Pancreatic
Adenocarcinoma | Image Credit: ©
Ashling Wahner & MJH Life Sciences Using AI

Tumor-treating fields (TTFields) administered in conjunction with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) led to an improvement in global health status (GHS) and significantly delayed time to pain deterioration and opioid use compared with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel alone in patients with locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to data from an analysis of the phase 3 PANOVA-3 trial (NCT03377491) presented at the 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress.¹

Findings showed that based on responses to the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire, patients treated with TTFields plus chemotherapy (n = 285) experienced a median time to deterioration of GHS of 7.1 months (95% CI, 5.7-9.4) compared with 5.7 months (95% CI, 4.1-7.4) for those given gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel alone (n = 286; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61-0.97; P = .023).

Per responses to the EORTC QLQ-C30 and PAN26 questionnaires, time to deterioration was significantly longer in the TTFields arm for most symptoms, including nausea/vomiting (P = .021), appetite loss (P = .017), constipation (P = .004), diarrhea (P = .023), bloating (P = .034), digestive symptoms (P = .005), taste loss (P = .047), flatulence (P = .015), and weight (P = .002). Statistical significance was not reached for indigestion (P = .155) and altered bowel habit (P = .085); however, both trended in favor of the TTFields regimen.

Notably, no significant difference in general symptoms was observed between the 2 arms, per responses to EORTC PAN26.

Patients treated in the TTFields arm experienced a median time to deterioration of pain of 10.1 months (95% CI, 8.0-11.6) per the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire vs 7.4 months (95% CI, 5.9-9.0) in the control arm (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.54-0.89; P = .003). The median time to deterioration of pancreatic pain per the EORTC PAN26 questionnaire was 14.7 months (95% CI, 12.0-16.5) vs 10.2 months (95% CI, 8.8-12.2), respectively (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.52-0.90; P = .006).

“These QOL data, together with the overall survival [OS] benefit and lack of exacerbation of systemic toxicity related with chemotherapy, [position] TTFields as a new potential standard for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer,” lead study author Teresa Macarulla, MD, PhD, an attending physician in the Gastrointestinal Tumors Unit at Vall d’Hebron Hospital and a clinical researcher in the Gastrointestinal Tumor Program at Vall d’Hebron Oncology Institute in Barcelona, Spain, said during a presentation of the data.

PANOVA-3 Efficacy Findings

Findings from the phase 3 study shared the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting showed that the addition of TTFields to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel improved overall survival (OS) vs chemotherapy alone, meeting the primary end point (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68-0.99; P = .039).² Patients in the TTFields group achieved a median OS of 16.2 months (95% CI, 15.0-18.0) compared with 14.2 months (95% CI, 12.8-15.4) for those given chemotherapy alone.

The median pain-free survival was 15.2 months (95% CI, 10.3-22.8) in the TTFields arm vs 9.1 months (95% CI, 7.4-12.7) in the control arm (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.56-0.97; P = .027).

Trial Background and QOL Objectives

Investigators of PAVOVA-3 enrolled patients at least 18 years of age with previously untreated locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma confirmed via biopsy.¹ Patients needed to have a life expectancy of at least 3 months and an ECOG performance status of 0 to 2. Key exclusion criteria comprised prior palliative treatment to the tumor, the presence of an implanted medical device in the torso, and known allergies to medical adhesives, hydrogel, or chemotherapies.

Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive TTFields at 150 kHz for 18 hours per day in combination with 1000 mg/m² of gemcitabine and 125 mg/m² of nab-paclitaxel, with both chemotherapies given on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle; or the same chemotherapy regimen without TTFields. Patients were stratified by region and ECOG performance status.

Follow-up visits occurred every 4 weeks, and CT scans were given once every 8 weeks. Along with the primary end point of OS, secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), local PFS, overall response rate, 1-year OS rate, QOL, pain-free survival, resectability rate, and safety.

The median age was 67 years (range, 31-90) in the TTFields arm vs 67.5 years (range, 40-88) in the chemotherapy arm. Additionally, 51.6% of patients in the TTFields arm were male vs 43.7% of patients in the control arm. Most patients were White (TTFields arm, 70.9%; control arm, 71.3%), had an ECOG performance status of 1 (58.2%; 57.0%), had a body mass index below 25 kg/m² (58.2%; 60.8%), and had a target lesion site at the head of the pancreas (50.2%; 51.7%). Macarulla noted that the majority of patients had moderate CA19-9 levels between 38 and 1000 U/mL (49.1%; 53.1%) or high CA19-9 levels above 1000 U/mL (30.9%; 27.6%).

Predefined QOL end points included assessments using the EORTC QLQ C-30 and PAN26 questionnaires, along with HRQOL deterioration-free survival. Time to first opioid use was a post hoc secondary end point.

Data on Opioid Use

Findings from the post hoc analysis demonstrated that the median time to opioid use in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population was 7.1 months (95% CI, 6.2-9.3) in the TTFields arm vs 5.4 months (95% CI, 4.1-6.9) in the chemotherapy arm (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65-1.00; P = .046).

In the modified ITT population, which patients who received at least 1 full cycle of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (both arms) and at least 28 days of TTFields (for the experimental arm), TTFields plus chemotherapy (n = 198) produced a median time to opioid use of 9.3 months (95% CI, 7.1-11.0) vs 6.7 months (95% CI, 5.1-8.2) for chemotherapy alone (n = 207; HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56-0.94; P = .014).

In the ITT population, 50% of patients in the TTFields arm and 49% of patients in the control arm received any opioids at least once. Within these populations, strong opioids were given to 80% and 82% of patients, respectively. Weak opioid use was recorded in 33% of patients who used opioids in the experimental arm vs 28% in the control arm.

In the modified ITT population, any opioid use was reported in 52% of patients in the TTFields arm and 53% of patients in the control arm. For those in the TTFields group, strong and weak opioids were given to 75% and 38% of patients, respectively. These respective rates were 81% and 33% in the control arm.

Disclosures: Macarulla reported serving in a consulting or advisory role for Sanofi/Aventis, Celgene, Roche, QED Therapeutics, Baxter, Incyte, Servier, Lilly, Ipsen, AstraZeneca, MSD, Eisai, Prime Oncology, Ability Pharma, Advance Medical, BioLineRX, Zymeworks, Aptitude Health, Basilea, Medscape, Novocure, Paraxel, Ellipses Pharma, Janssen, MFAR, Marketing Farmacéutico & Investigación Clínica, Amgen, Esteve, Arcus Biosciences, Boehringer Ingelheim, Taiho/Keylates, Alligator Bioscience, PEGASCY, Astellas Pharma, and Revolution Medicines; receiving institutional research funding from Celgene, Agios, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, Roche, Genentech, AstraZeneca, Immunomedics, Lilly, Merrimack, Millennium, Novocure, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, AbbVie, Ability Pharma, Amc Medical Research, Amgen, Armo Biosciences, Basilea Pharmaceutica International, Beigene, Keralty Group, BiolineRx, Blueprint Medicines, Boston Biomedical, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Cantargia AB, Eisai, Erytech Pharma, Fibrogen, Halozyme, Incyte, Ipsen, Loxo, Medimmune, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Nelum Corp, Novartis, OncoMed, VCN Biosciences, and Zymeworks; and receiving coverage of travel, accommodations, and expenses from Merck, H3 Biomedicine, Sanofi, Celgene, Servier, Prime Oncology, Incyte, and AstraZeneca.

References
1. Macarulla T, Picozzi V, Chandana S, et al. PANOVA-3: pain and quality of life outcomes with tumor treating gields (TTFields) therapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (LA-PAC). Presented at: 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress; July 2-5, 2025; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract LBA3.
2. Picozzi V, Babiker HM, Chandana SR, et al. PANOVA-3: Phase 3 study of tumor treating fields (TTFields) with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel for locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LA-PAC). J Clin Oncol. 2025;43(suppl 17): LBA4005. doi:10.1200/JCO.2025.43.17_suppl.LBA4005
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July 3, 2025
Ridding cells of mitochondria sheds light on their function

DALLAS – July 03, 2025 – By using a genetic technique developed at UT Southwestern Medical Center that forces cells to rid themselves of mitochondria, researchers are gaining new insights into the function of these critical organelles. Their findings, published in Cell, add to fundamental knowledge about the role of mitochondria in cells and evolution and could eventually lead to new treatments for patients with mitochondrial diseases such as Leigh syndrome and Kearns-Sayre syndrome, which can affect numerous organ systems.

“Our new tool allows us to study how changes in mitochondrial abundance and the mitochondrial genome affect cells and organisms,” said Jun Wu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern. Dr. Wu co-led the study with Daniel Schmitz, Ph.D., a former graduate student in the Wu Lab who is now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.

Mitochondria are organelles found in the cells of most eukaryotic organisms, including animals, plants, and fungi, whose cells contain a membrane-bound nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. They have their own genetic material, passed down exclusively through females of a species. Mitochondria are thought to have originated as prokaryotic cells – which lack membrane-bound organelles – and to have invaded ancestral eukaryotic cells and formed a symbiotic relationship with them.

Researchers have long known that these organelles serve as cells’ powerhouses, generating the energetic molecule adenosine triphosphate that fuels all cellular operations. However, recent studies have shown mitochondria play direct roles in regulating cell death, differentiating stem cells into other cell types, transmitting molecular signals, aging, and developmental timing.

Although mitochondria appear to perform many of these roles through “crosstalk” with the DNA in a cell’s nucleus, how they perform this function – and what happens if this crosstalk ceases – has been unknown.

To help answer these questions, Dr. Wu, Dr. Schmitz, and their colleagues took advantage of a pathway called mitophagy that cells normally use to dispose of old or damaged mitochondria. Using genetic engineering, the researchers forced cells to degrade all their mitochondria – a process known as “enforced mitophagy.”

The researchers used this process on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), a type of cell typically formed early in development that can differentiate into other cell types. Although this alteration caused the cells to stop dividing, the researchers unexpectedly found that the mitochondria-depleted cells could survive in petri dishes up to five days. They had similar results with different types of mouse stem cells and hPSCs harboring a pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutation, suggesting enforced mitophagy can be a viable tool for depleting mitochondria across species and cell types.

To determine how removing mitochondria affected the hPSCs, the researchers assessed nuclear gene expression. They found that 788 genes became less active and 1,696 became more active. An analysis of the affected genes showed the hPSCs appeared to retain their ability to form other cell types and that they could partially compensate for the lack of mitochondria, with proteins encoded by nuclear genes taking over energy production and certain other functions typically performed by the missing organelles.

Then the researchers, in an attempt to better understand crosstalk between mitochondria and the cell nucleus, fused hPSCs with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from humans’ closest primate relatives – including chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan. This formed “composite” cells with two nuclear genomes and two sets of mitochondria, one from each species. These composite cells selectively removed all non-human primate mitochondria, leaving behind only human mitochondria.

Next, using enforced mitophagy, the scientists created hPSCs devoid of human mitochondria and fused them to non-human primate PSCs, again creating cells carrying nuclear genomes from both species, but this time only non-human mitochondria. An analysis of composite cells containing either human or non-human mitochondria showed that the mitochondria were largely interchangeable despite millions of years of evolutionary separation, causing only subtle differences in gene expression within the composite nucleus.

Interestingly, the genes that differed in activity among cells harboring human and non-human mitochondria were mostly linked to brain development or neurological diseases. This raises the possibility that mitochondria may play a role in the brain differences between humans and our closest primate relatives. However, Dr. Wu said, more research – especially studies comparing neurons made from these composite PSCs – will be needed to better understand these differences.

Finally, the researchers studied how depleting mitochondria might affect development in whole organisms. They used a genetically encoded version of enforced mitophagy to reduce the amount of mitochondria in mouse embryos, then implanted them into surrogate mothers to develop. Embryos missing more than 65% of their mitochondria failed to implant in their surrogate’s uterus. However, those missing about a third of their mitochondria experienced delayed development, catching up to normal mitochondrial numbers and a typical developmental timeline by 12.5 days after fertilization.

Together, the researchers say, these results serve as starting points for new lines of research into the different roles mitochondria play in cellular function, tissues and organ development, aging, and species evolution. They plan to use enforced mitophagy to continue studying these organelles in a variety of capacities.

Other UTSW researchers who contributed to this study are Peter Ly, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology; Daiji Okamura, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology; Seiya Oura, Ph.D., and Leijie Li, Ph.D., postdoctoral researchers; Yi Ding, Ph.D., Research Associate; Rashmi Dahiya, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate; Emily Ballard, B.S., graduate student researcher; and Masahiro Sakurai, Ph.D., Research Scientist.

Dr. Wu is a Virginia Murchison Linthicum Scholar in Medical Research. Drs. Wu and Ly are members of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center 

UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year.

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July 3, 2025
Dan Evans toyed with by efficient, effortless Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon – The Times
1. Dan Evans toyed with by efficient, effortless Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon The Times
2. Wimbledon 2025 results: Novak Djokovic outclasses Dan Evans, Jack Pinnington Jones beaten by Flavio Cobolli BBC
3. Ageless Djokovic routs Evans at Wimbledon The Express Tribune
4. Djokovic wary of Evans threat, Krejcikova worships at ‘temple of tennis’ Dunya News
5. Djokovic easing into old routine as seeds hit back at Wimbledon Reuters
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July 3, 2025
Huntsman to Discuss Second Quarter 2025 Results on August 1, 2025 :: Huntsman Corporation (HUN)

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, July 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) will hold a conference call on Friday, August 1, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss its second quarter 2025 financial results. Following some opening remarks, the call will move into a question and answer session.

The earnings press release, including financial statements and segment information, will be distributed after the market closes on Thursday, July 31, 2025. The earnings slide presentation and prepared remarks will be available at www.huntsman.com/investors after the market closes on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

Webcast link:
https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=5R7ztW5k

Participant dial-in numbers:
Domestic callers: (877) 402-8037
International callers: (201) 378-4913

The conference call will be accessible via the webcast link and Huntsman’s investor relations website, www.huntsman.com/investors. Upon conclusion of the call, the webcast replay will be accessible via Huntsman’s website.

About Huntsman:
Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2024 revenues of approximately $6 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 60 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 25 countries and employ approximately 6,300 associates within our continuing operations. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company’s website at www.huntsman.com.

Social Media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Huntsman_Corp
Facebook: www.facebook.com/huntsmancorp
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/huntsman

Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain information in this release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based on management’s current beliefs and expectations. The forward-looking statements in this release are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company’s operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Huntsman companies’ filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, volatile global economic conditions, cyclical and volatile product markets, disruptions in production at manufacturing facilities, reorganization or restructuring of Huntsman’s operations, including any delay of, or other negative developments affecting the ability to implement cost reductions, timing of proposed transactions, and manufacturing optimization improvements in Huntsman businesses and realize anticipated cost savings, and other financial, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. The company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by applicable laws.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huntsman-to-discuss-second-quarter-2025-results-on-august-1-2025-302497851.html

SOURCE Huntsman Corporation

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July 3, 2025
Who do the odds favour as F1 arrives at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix?

Formula 1 moves on from Spielberg to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, with title challenger Lando Norris one of several home drivers targeting success. But what do the odds tell us about the weekend ahead? Read on to find out…

Odds are provided by F1’s Official Betting Data Supplier ALT Sports Data, are subject to change and are presented in decimal form: for every $1 wagered you would win the figure represented by the odds; so, if Verstappen is favourite at 1.50, you would win $1.50 for every dollar bet.

The odds for the win

The McLaren drivers are back on top of the podium in this category. Norris redeemed himself after his mishap in Montreal to take the chequered flag at the Red Bull Ring and close the gap on his team mate in the championship.

Norris is yet to stand on top of the podium at his home Grand Prix, but he has come close in the last two editions, with a runner-up and top-three return.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri finished fourth on his last visit to Silverstone, but has matured significantly over the past 12 months, registering nine podiums this campaign, including five victories.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen suffered his first DNF of the season in Austria, after being taken out by Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap, and is back at a venue where he has only taken the spoils on two occasions.

Mercedes’ drivers are always worth considering at Silverstone, considering their impressive record of nine victories in the last 13 races in England. However, their top dog George Russell has faced some struggles at this venue, producing a best return of fifth, despite growing up only two hours from the track.

The odds for a podium finish

The top three drivers in the standings are heavily favoured to snatch a podium this weekend. These individuals have accumulated 23 podiums between them this campaign, but Verstappen lines up after registering his maiden DNF of 2025.

Charles Leclerc is spraying champagne regularly at the moment, entering the top three in three of his previous four starts. The Monegasque’s recent consistency results in an average finish of 3.8, highlighting his threat to the rostrum.

Lewis Hamilton returns home with an astounding record of 12 consecutive podiums at this track. The seven-time World Champion is the defending champion in the United Kingdom, and despite his wobbly form this year, remains a contender.

Hamilton is still hunting his maiden Sunday podium with Ferrari, and he has a great chance to do it here.

The odds for a top-six finish

The papaya duo boast the most top sixes in the championship, with 10 apiece. Piastri has been inside that threshold in every start since Shanghai, while a DNF in Montreal is Norris’ only blemish.

Rookie Antonelli is a six-time top-six finisher this term, including a maiden F1 top three in Canada. However, he’s proven erratic in recent rounds, failing to finish three of his last five starts on Sunday and ending 18th in Monaco.

Alex Albon blasted into 2025 with three top-six outings in his first seven starts, before his campaign was doused and brought back to reality. The Thai-British driver has earned a DNF next to his name in the previous three races, but he was only culpable in Spain, when he collided with Liam Lawson.

Albon’s vehicle let him down in Montreal and Austria, and brought about a bigger discussion about what’s going on at Williams. His team mate Carlos Sainz couldn’t even start the showdown at Spielberg after his brakes overheated and burst into flames after the formation lap.

The odds for a top-10 finish

Besides the aforementioned event winner, podium, and top six favourites, we turn our focus to two veterans to lead the charge for a top 10.

Fernando Alonso is starting to develop consistency in his Aston Martin, with three consecutive top 10s, including back-to-back seventh places in Canada and Austria. The other seasoned campaigner is Nico Hulkenberg, who is also on a run of three races inside the top 10.

Haas’ senior driver, Esteban Ocon, continues to compete for a spot in the first 10. The Frenchman has registered the feat five times in 2025, three in his previous four races.

Racing Bulls pilot Lawson appears to have set aside the drama from earlier in the season, claiming top 10s in 50% of his last four races. The New Zealander starts after a career-best sixth place at the Red Bull Ring.

Credit must also go to another rookie, Gabriel Bortoleto, who fought hard for his maiden F1 top 10 in the last round.

The odds for who will be fastest in Qualifying

The MCL39 continues to outclass its rivals over one lap this season. Norris recorded the team’s seventh pole position in the previous round, taking his tally to three.

Norris has started at the front of the grid in two of his past four races, while his Aussie team mate has qualified fastest in four rounds this year.
Meanwhile, Verstappen is a three-time fastest qualifier after 11 rounds, but enters after lining up in seventh in the Styrian Alps.

The Dutchman’s fierce rival, Russell, is the only other driver to start on pole this season, proving consistent by qualifying among the fastest three in five rounds. The Briton’s starting grid average sits at 4.45 this year, slightly below Verstappen’s at 3.18.

Leclerc started in second in Austria, the third such grid position for the Monegasque this season. The previous round also marked the best Qualifying for Ferrari this year, with both drivers ending inside the top five for the first time.

The odds for the winning team

German drivers and cars have won nine of the last 13 British Grands Prix.

Hamilton was the latest victor for Mercedes, but will now defend his title in a red Italian car. Verstappen, Sainz, and Sebastian Vettel are the only non-Mercedes drivers to prevail in England since 2013. That leaves Red Bull and Ferrari with two triumphs apiece in the last 12 years.

McLaren last won the Silverstone showcase in 2008, when a young Hamilton was on their payroll. The Woking-based outfit may have struggled on home soil for 16 years, but they are the team to beat this time around. After 11 rounds, the papayas have won 72.73% of the Teams’ trophies on offer, including three in their last four outings.

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July 3, 2025
Sidley Advises Athora on £5.7 Billion Acquisition of Pension Insurance Corporation Group Limited | News

Sidley is acting as counsel for Athora Holding Ltd. (Athora), a leading European savings and retirement services provider, in its approximately £5.7 billion acquisition of Pension Insurance Corporation Group Limited (PICG), a specialist insurer of UK defined benefit pension schemes.

Athora, which is supported by Apollo Global Management and Athene Holdings, has approximately €76 billion in assets under management and administration (on behalf of 2.8 million policyholders) and when combined with PICG will have approximately €137 billion in assets under management and administration. Following completion, which is expected in early 2026, PICG will become Athora’s first UK subsidiary and serve as its UK insurance platform, complementing its presence in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.

The cross-practice, cross-jurisdictional Sidley team was led by partners Perry Shwachman, Ramy Wahbeh, and Sean Carney and counsel Florian Kamp, with support from associates Stanley Amoah, Andrew Lecky, Silvia Maglio, and JD Heinz. Also serving on the Athora team were partners Paige Levitt, James Phythian-Adams, Jason Menzies, Matthew Shankland, Alastair Hopwood, James Wood, and Patrick Harrison, counsel Ed Perry, and associate Jacqueline Noel.

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July 3, 2025
NASA Mission Monitoring Air Quality from Space Extended

Since launching in 2023, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution mission, or TEMPO, has been measuring the quality of the air we breathe from 22,000 miles above the ground. June 19 marked the successful completion of TEMPO’s 20-month-long initial prime mission, and based on the quality of measurements to date, the mission has been extended through at least September 2026. The TEMPO mission is NASA’s first to use a spectrometer to gather hourly air quality data continuously over North America during daytime hours. It can see details down to just a few square miles, a significant advancement over previous satellites.

“NASA satellites have a long history of missions lasting well beyond the primary mission timeline. While TEMPO has completed its primary mission, the life for TEMPO is far from over,” said Laura Judd, research physical scientist and TEMPO science team member at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “It is a big jump going from once-daily images prior to this mission to hourly data. We are continually learning how to use this data to interpret how emissions change over time and how to track anomalous events, such as smoggy days in cities or the transport of wildfire smoke.”

When air quality is altered by smog, wildfire smoke, dust, or emissions from vehicle traffic and power plants, TEMPO detects the trace gases that come with those effects. These include nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and formaldehyde in the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere.

“A major breakthrough during the primary mission has been the successful test of data delivery in under three hours with the help of NASA’s Satellite Needs Working Group. This information empowers decision-makers and first responders to issue timely air quality warnings and help the public reduce outdoor exposure during times of higher pollution,” said Hazem Mahmoud, lead data scientist at NASA’s Atmospheric Science Data Center located at Langley Research Center.

hazem mahmoud

NASA Data Scientist

TEMPO data is archived and distributed freely through the Atmospheric Science Data Center. “The TEMPO mission has set a groundbreaking record as the first mission to surpass two petabytes, or 2 million gigabytes, of data downloads within a single year,” said Mahmoud. “With over 800 unique users, the substantial demand for TEMPO’s data underscores its critical role and the immense value it provides to the scientific community and beyond.” Air quality forecasters, atmospheric scientists, and health researchers make up the bulk of the data users so far.

The TEMPO mission is a collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, whose Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian oversees daily operations of the TEMPO instrument and produces data products through its Instrument Operations Center.

Datasets from TEMPO will be expanded through collaborations with partner agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is deriving aerosol products that can distinguish between smoke and dust particles and offer insights into their altitude and concentration.

“These datasets are being used to inform the public of rush-hour pollution, air quality alerts, and the movement of smoke from forest fires,” said Xiong Liu, TEMPO’s principal investigator at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. “The library will soon grow with the important addition of aerosol products. Users will be able to use these expanded TEMPO products for air quality monitoring, improving forecast models, deriving pollutant amounts in emissions and many other science applications.”

“The TEMPO data validation has truly been a community effort with over 20 agencies at the federal and international level, as well as a community of over 200 scientists at research and academic institutions,” Judd added. “I look forward to seeing how TEMPO data will help close knowledge gaps about the timing, sources, and evolution of air pollution from this unprecedented space-based view.”

An agency review will take place in the fall to assess TEMPO’s achievements and extended mission goals and identify lessons learned that can be applied to future missions.

The TEMPO mission is part of NASA’s Earth Venture Instrument program, which includes small, targeted science investigations designed to complement NASA’s larger research missions. The instrument also forms part of a virtual constellation of air quality monitors for the Northern Hemisphere which includes South Korea’s Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer and ESA’s (European Space Agency) Sentinel-4 satellite. TEMPO was built by BAE Systems Inc., Space & Mission Systems (formerly Ball Aerospace). It flies onboard the Intelsat 40e satellite built by Maxar Technologies. The TEMPO Instrument Operations Center and the Science Data Processing Center are operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge.

For more information about the TEMPO instrument and mission, visit:

TEMPO

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July 3, 2025