A study of over 6000 patients shows how Alzheimer’s risk is shaped by sex and age of onset, offering clues that could change diagnosis and treatment options for millions.
Study: Sex differences in clinical risk factors for Alzheimer’s dementia patients with early-onset and late-onset. Image credit: Lucigerma/Shutterstock.com
A recent study published in Frontiers in Global Women’s Health explored sex-specific differences in the risk factors underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in men and women, focusing on the onset-dependent subtypes separately.
Introduction
AD is the most common neurodegenerative condition in the world, often leading to complete disability. It is number six among causes of death in the United States. Its correlation with aging and the global increase in life expectancy poses a grave public health challenge. It is estimated that AD prevalence could triple over the next few decades.
AD risk is higher in females, making up 66% of all cases. This could perhaps be explained by the reduced ability of the female brain to cope with damage and maintain cognitive function (cognitive reserve) with age. Differences in sex hormones, especially in the postmenopausal period, a longer lifespan, and sex-linked genetic susceptibility are other potential mechanisms. In the future, AD risk among women is projected at 21.2%, vs 11.6% among men.
Pathologically, AD has long been linked to increased levels of plaque-forming amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein outside the neurons, and intracellular hyperphosphorylated tau proteins that form neurofibrillary tangles.
AD presentation varies largely, sometimes beginning with language deterioration or abnormalities with vision. Memory loss and behavioral changes often follow later, with impaired cognition, until patients can no longer complete the routines of daily living on their own.
Only about 10% or less of patients develop early-onset AD (EOAD), before 65 years, in contrast to late-onset AD (LOAD). People who snore because of obstructive sleep apnea, have heart disease, obesity, or diabetes are more likely to develop LOAD.
EOAD is more likely to occur between 45 and 65 years old, but the symptoms are unpredictable. These patients may find it hard to remember something they just learned, easily forget dates, keep asking the same questions, or struggle to find the right word. Acts of poor judgment, abnormal mood swings, or personality changes accompany this. Eventually, EOAD patients may find swallowing, speaking, or walking difficult.
Given that females have multiple sex-specific risk factors for AD, the current study sought to identify the differences in their risk profiles compared to men.
About the study
The study included a cohort of 6,212 AD patients diagnosed between February 2016 and August 2020. The majority (~89%) had LOAD, vs EOAD in 11%. In either subtype, women comprised 60% to 65% of the cases, vs 30% to 35% of men.
LOAD vs EOAD
As expected, LOAD patients were older on average, at 86 years, vs 75 years in the EOAD group.
EOAD patients were twice as likely to drink (27%) as LOAD patients, and more likely to have cancer or to be anxious. Down syndrome occurred in 3%, 30 times higher than for LOAD patients, while lung adenocarcinoma risk was 23-fold higher. Drugs prescribed to EOAD patients were more often cholinesterase inhibitors, second-generation antipsychotics, and memantine compared to LOAD patients.
LOAD patients had a much higher risk of arteriosclerosis and congestive heart failure. Other cardiovascular risk factors were also more common, such as atrial fibrillation, insomnia, and hypertension. Osteoporosis and urinary infections were also significantly more common.
Males vs females with AD
Males with AD (early- or late-onset) presented more often with high blood lipids, abnormal gait, peripheral vascular disease, or obstructive sleep apnea. Down syndrome, alcohol, and memantine were other associated risk factors.
Females with AD more often presented with osteoporosis, urinary infection, mild cognitive impairment, or congestive heart failure. In some onset subtypes and primarily in unadjusted analyses, higher odds of anxiety and hallucinations were observed. Hypertension was associated with males rather than females in adjusted LOAD analyses. Traumatic head injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and rheumatoid arthritis were also more likely in specific subtypes.
Males vs females – LOAD
Corroborating earlier research, the findings show that males with LOAD were more likely to have metabolic or vascular disease (including high blood cholesterol, peripheral vascular disease, and obstructive sleep apnea) and pneumonia. Alcohol and tobacco use were more common, as was treatment with memantine and valproate.
The picture among females was different. These patients were older, on average, and less likely to be hypertensive and to have congestive heart failure. Osteoporosis, urinary infections, and rheumatoid arthritis were also more likely. However, in adjusted analyses, hypertension was significantly less likely in females than in males.
Males vs females – EOAD
For EOAD males, gait abnormalities were much more likely, as were peripheral vascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Alcohol use was also more common. Treatment was more often with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. Prior research also suggests that EOAD presents with gait slowing and difficulties with turning, preceding cognitive impairment.
In EOAD females, the mean age was higher. These patients had a higher risk of osteoporosis and anxiety, and in unadjusted analyses, more often had strokes, with males showing higher adjusted odds, along with more infections. These conditions enhance the risk of disability and cognitive decline with AD. They are more likely to receive second-generation antipsychotics and valproate.
Conclusions
The study suggests that men and women have different risk markers for AD overall, as well as its subtypes. Vascular and lung conditions occur more often in males with AD, but osteoporosis is strongly linked to females. However, different risk factors are more prominent in either sex with EOAD or LOAD.
Peripheral vascular disease and alcohol use are common to both forms of AD in males, suggesting the prime role of vascular dysfunction in this neurodegenerative disease. Alcohol is the most significant modifiable risk factor in dementia prevention and confers independent increases in risk for multiple other conditions. For women, osteoporosis and, in some cases, stroke-related damage may be a significant risk factor.
“These patterns highlight the importance of sex-specific considerations in the clinical management of EOAD and LOAD patients.” This understanding is essential in developing accurate diagnostics and appropriate interventions, helping improve these patients’ health outcomes.
TAG Heuer has announced its role as Official Timekeeper of the TCS New York City Marathon, returning as sponsor for one of the world’s most iconic sporting events. The Swiss luxury watchmaker will bring its signature elegance, precision and innovation to the upcoming edition of this unique race.
Since the very first race in 1970, the New York Marathon has embodied much more than a sports challenge, becoming a celebration of resilience and human diversity. As official sponsor, TAG Heuer connects with its new brand campaign, Designed to Win, revealed at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025. The campaign is a tribute to the defining moments when preparation meets performance.
With a high-profile presence throughout the event – including official race clocks along the route, a countdown clock display at the Marathon Expo, plus race clocks on lead vehicles and at the finish line –TAG Heuer will recognize the excellence that leads to victory. Winners of the professional athlete field will be presented with a TAG Heuer Connected, a smartwatch that merges high-performance tracking with luxury design and the latest tech.
TAG Heuer’s partnership includes two other notable races organized by New York Road Runners: the United Airlines NYC Half and the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K. This return begins an exciting new chapter for a watchmaker committed to performance and to all those who push themselves to break boundaries.
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An Amazon customer who complained to the online retailer about a delivery driver coming into her home and masturbating in her bedroom is demanding to know how the man was allowed to return to her house two days later.
Spanish police have taken a suspected semen sample allegedly left by the courier as part of a continuing investigation into the incident.
The customer, a 72-year-old retired British social worker who lives in Spain and New Zealand, had ordered a mosquito repellant on Amazon Marketplace. Jane* said: “I will not be using Amazon again. I want people to know that it’s unsafe.”
Amazon said the courier was not one of its employees but a contractor for one of its local sellers.
The courier, a tall man in his 20s, arrived with the package at Jane’s home in a village on the Costa Brava, north-east Spain, at around 5pm on 15 July. She buzzed him in through a gate to her home via a video doorbell and asked him to wait.
After a trip to the bathroom Jane said she then found the man in her bedroom with his hand in his shorts. He had entered Jane’s house and walked through her kitchen and up her stairs into her bedroom, she said. “I was stunned,” she told the Guardian. “He was masturbating vigorously. He turned his back and it was apparent that he ejaculated. He shook his hand and when he turned to me his shorts were wet.”
She added: “I can think a lot of things I should have said to him now, but I was so shocked I just told him to get out immediately and I followed him out.”
Once outside, the courier asked for Jane’s ID number to register the package on an electronic device. He struggled to input the data correctly, which prompted his older colleague, who had been waiting in a van, to come to the door to ask about the delay.
Jane, who was awarded New Zealand’s order of merit for a charity work, said: “I told him: ‘Your colleague has done something very bad.’ My Spanish did not extend to the word masturbate.” The older driver said there was a problem registering the package before snatching it from Jane’s hands. Both men then left the property. She managed to photograph the van and its number plate before it drove away.
Jane reported the incident to the police and to an Amazon helpline. The call handler apologised to her for the “inconvenience”. She said: “I told her: ‘This is a police matter, it’s not an inconvenience. This is threatening behaviour by one of your couriers.’”
Jane’s anger at the company increased when two days later the same two couriers turned up at her door to deliver another Amazon package. “I felt very vulnerable, especially when he came back another time,” she said.
Jane said she addressed the older man by saying: “‘Your colleague masturbated in my house.’ – I knew the word by then – ‘and I’ve reported it to the police. He denied it. He said his shorts were wet after spilling a drink.” Before leaving, the older man threatened to denounce her to the police for making the accusation against his colleague.
On the second visit, her video doorbell captured an image of the suspected intruder, which she passed to the police.
Doorbell image of the driver alleged to have masturbated in Jane’s home.
A report into the incident by Spanish police, seen by the Guardian, confirmed that an investigation has been launched into Jane’s “report of a person entering her home without her consent and masturbating in front of her”.
Jane has been in correspondence with Amazon since the incident. In an initial message to its customer email Jeff@amazon.com – a reference to its chief executive, Jeff Bezos – she wrote: “Amazon should take immediate steps to safeguard their customers in a case such as this. Your helpline people were in not way equipped to deal such a situation of sexual abuse.”
Jane said: “I can’t imagine Jeff [Bezos] reading through complaints on his honeymoon. There doesn’t seem to be an adequate complaints system. There seems to have been no attempt to address what was a serious home invasion and sexual violence against me.”
“As they are making squillions out of this, they absolutely should be spending a good bunch of it making sure customers are safe in their homes.”
In another message to Amazon she wrote: “I cannot risk using Amazon again when the same courier may make the delivery and when they show such disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the customers.
In one of Amazon Spain’s replies sent to Jane on 18 July, it conceded that the incident was “extremely concerning” but it pointed out that the delivery service and personnel were not Amazon employees or contracted by Amazon directly.
It urged Jane to contact the seller and said it supported her decision to report the incident to the police.
In a statement Amazon said: “At Amazon, we take the security and protection of our customers and the communities we serve very seriously. This service was provided by a commercial carrier. We will keep investigating and clarifying the facts and we will cooperate with the parties that need our collaboration.”
A major fund for biodiversity remains starved of resources more than five months after its launch – with no money yet put forward by the large companies who could contribute.
The “landmark” Cali Fund – which could generate billions of pounds each year – was created under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the COP16 nature negotiations in Cali, Colombia last autumn.
Countries agreed that certain companies “should” pay into the fund, but this is not legally binding and donations are, ultimately, voluntary.
The fund is designed to be a way for companies who rely on nature’s genetic resources to share some of their earnings with the developing, biodiverse countries where many of the original resources are found.
Companies use genetic data from these materials to develop products, such as vaccines and skin cream.
Emails released to Carbon Brief under the UK Freedom of Information (FOI) Act show that companies were contacted with opportunities to be involved in the Cali Fund before its launch in February 2025.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca did not take up an offer from a UK government department to be a “frontrunner” in committing to donate to the fund, the emails show.
GSK, another major company in the sector, also did not confirm its position.
These are the UK’s two largest pharmaceutical companies and they could each potentially contribute tens of millions of pounds to the fund, based on current guidelines.
Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the CBD said that the first contributions to the Cali Fund could be announced in spring.
One US biotechnology company has pledged to contribute to the fund in the future, but, for now, the fund remains empty.
Company hesitancy could be “driven by industry bodies” who “don’t want unhappy precedents to be set” on the level of funding, a researcher who was involved in the fund negotiations tells Carbon Brief.
Lack of funds
Companies all around the world use genetic materials from plants, animals, bacteria and fungi to develop their products.
There are existing rules in place to secure consent and compensation, if companies or researchers physically travel to a country to gather these materials.
But, currently, much of this information is available in online databases – with few rules in place around the requirements needed for access. This genetic data is known as digital sequence information (DSI).
Launch of the Cali Fund at the resumed COP16 negotiations in Rome, Italy in February 2025. Credit: IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
In an effort to close the loophole, almost every country in the world agreed in 2024 to set up the Cali Fund.
The agreement outlines that large companies in sectors including pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biotechnology, agribusiness and technology “should” contribute to the fund to share back a cut of the money they earn from the use of these materials. (See: Carbon Brief’s infographic on DSI.)
However, these contributions are voluntary. Many African and Latin American countries sought a legally binding mechanism around this issue at COP16, but this did not happen.
The fund officially opened at the resumed COP16 negotiations in Rome in February 2025.
With the fund still empty more than five months later, a spokesperson for the CBD secretariat tells Carbon Brief that a US-based biotechnology firm, Ginkgo Bioworks, is the first to “indicat[e] its intention to contribute”.
The CBD, also acting as the interim secretariat for the new fund, “continue[s] to engage with business associations to raise awareness and secure funding”, the spokesperson says.
They add that a decision-making body and a steering committee have been set up.
The contribution page on the Cali Fund website, at the time of publication. Source: Multi-partner Trust Fund Office
The CBD received “positive feedback and engagement” from companies about the fund, the UN biodiversity chief Astrid Schomaker said in a February press conference. She added that donations were expected “very soon”, but not in “massive numbers”.
Carbon Brief contacted Ginkgo Bioworks for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
‘Frontrunner’ contributors
Through an FOI request, Carbon Brief received email correspondence between the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), major pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GSK, and trade group the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) between August 2024 and April 2025. (Carbon Brief has uploaded the FOI documents it received to a Google Drive folder.)
A representative from Defra told AstraZeneca in December 2024 that they were contacting a “select number of companies that will likely be frontrunners with the Cali Fund and make contributions – leading the way for others to follow suit”.
The Defra employee said that they had received “some positive signals from these companies” and asked if AstraZeneca was interested in “demonstrating commitment in this start-up phase of the fund”. This email said:
“I hope this finds you well – and thanks for joining various calls over the last few weeks on DSI, it’s great to have you involved. I know that AZ have been really forward leaning on ABS issues in the past (including under your leadership) and now that we have the Cali Fund for benefit sharing from the use of DSI, I wondered if we might pick up the conversation on any role AZ might be able to take as an early mover in the ABS world?
“We are beginning to have conversations with a select number of companies that will likely be frontrunners with the Cali Fund, and make contributions – leading the way for others to follow suit – and we have had some positive signals. Do you think there might be any interest from AZ in demonstrating commitment in this start-up phase of the Fund? If it would be helpful to have a conversation to chat through, please do let me know and I’d be super happy to set something up.”
The AstraZeneca representative responded to say the company was “in the process of conducting an assessment to define our position” on the fund and that they would “welcome a conversation” when this concluded.
A Defra official contacted the company again in early January to say the government was preparing meetings between a member of the CBD secretariat and several businesses “that have shown some interest in leading others by making the first contributions to the fund”.
They asked if AstraZeneca was interested in attending this meeting. The company declined, but said it would be interested in future discussions.
An AstraZeneca spokesperson declined to respond to Carbon Brief’s questions, but Carbon Brief understands that the company is still reviewing its position on the fund.
Animals in extinction display at the green zone of COP16 biodiversity negotiations in Cali, Colombia on 19 October 2024. Credit: Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Similar exchanges took place between representatives from Defra and GSK ahead of the Cali Fund launch.
GSK was invited to the same January meetings, but the company said nobody was available to attend. A Defra official contacted GSK in February to update on progress with the fund, outlining that it would be launched in Rome, “accompanied by a platform for announcements and press coverage”.
The Defra official asked GSK to let them know “if you think there might be any opportunities for GSK – we would obviously love to add your voice to the positive coverage”. The email read:
“As a broader update, we are still expecting the Fund to formally launch in Rome at COP16.2, and that will be accompanied by a platform for announcements and press coverage. We are also working with another CBD Party to explore the option of putting on some kind of reception for those businesses that are leading the way together.
“Please do let me know if you think there might be any opportunities for GSK – we would obviously love to add your voice to the positive coverage!”
They also asked if GSK would like to see a draft version of a press release from the CBD about the launch of the Cali Fund, along with other businesses “that are interested in being part of the launch”.
(The Cali Fund launch press release did not contain any quotes or donation announcements from companies.)
GSK said that it was “awaiting further clarification on a number of key elements” before making a decision on the Cali Fund and would respond “in due course”.
The company “support[s] the intent” behind the fund, a spokesperson tells Carbon Brief, adding:
“We’ll make a decision regarding voluntary contributions when more information becomes available about how the Cali Fund sits alongside other multilateral mechanisms.
“GSK was one of the first companies to publish a nature strategy and we continue to work on delivering our plan to address our nature impacts and invest in nature protection and restoration.”
A Defra spokesperson tells Carbon Brief:
“Nature underpins everything and those who profit from the use of genetic data should pay nature back. The Cali Fund provides the route for companies to do that.
“The government is committed to continuing to engage constructively with industry to drive contributions and champion the fund to protect nature and sustain innovation.”
The UK and Chile recently launched the “friends of the Cali Fund” group, which “brings together” governments and businesses to “champion” benefits sharing, a UK government statement said. Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Colombia have also joined this group.
UK companies could contribute £64m
Contributions to the Cali Fund are voluntary. They will depend on whether companies that rely on the use of genetic data will then admit to using genetic materials and decide to pay into the fund.
The agreement behind the fund, which is not legally binding, outlined that companies “should” contribute 1% of their profits, or 0.1% of their revenue. These are an “indicative rate”.
Words that are more binding, such as “will” and “shall”, were included in non-paper negotiation texts during the talks. But the final agreement referred to a fund that companies “should” pay into, which was criticised by some experts at the time.
At least half of the money raised will go towards meeting the “self-identified” needs of Indigenous communities in developing countries, particularly women and young people.
The overall fund could generate between $1bn and $10bn each year, according to a 2024 analysis requested by the CBD.
People celebrate after the establishment of a subsidiary body for Indigenous peoples at the COP16 negotiations in Cali, Colombia on 2 November 2024. Credit: IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
The cache of information released under FOI to Carbon Brief also includes a report on the impacts of a mandatory payment for using digital sequence information, which was prepared for Defra by consultancy company ICF in July 2024.
It estimated that a mandatory 1% levy on the profits of large UK companies “who are considered DSI-dependent” could generate nearly £64m ($85m) for the fund.
The report compared three different benefit-sharing mechanisms around genetic data: a mandatory levy on UK profits/revenues; a flat fee; or a subscription fee.
All options would negatively impact on “innovation” to varying degrees, the report said, but a mandatory levy on profits was found to have the “least negative impact on competition and innovation”.
Analysis from a report on digital sequence information, prepared for Defra by ICF.
During the Cali Fund negotiations last October, the Guardian reported that AstraZeneca “said it may cut jobs” in the UK, if such a levy was introduced. An AstraZeneca spokesperson denied the comments, the newspaper said.
Based on the “indicative” contribution rates of 1% of profits or 0.1% of revenue, Carbon Brief estimates that AstraZeneca could potentially contribute as much as £41-66m ($54-88m) and GSK £31-35m ($41-46m) each year to the fund.
AstraZeneca reported revenue of £41bn ($54bn) and £6.6bn ($8.7bn) in profit before tax in 2024. GSK’s revenue that year was around £31bn ($40bn) and its pre-tax profit was £3.5bn ($4.6bn).
Lobbying concerns
At COP16, many observers were concerned about industry lobbying around digital sequence information.
DeSmog analysis of COP16 attendees highlighted the presence of big pharmaceutical companies, powerful industry groups and agribusiness at the talks.
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), a global pharmaceutical trade group, said it had “serious concerns” about proposals around the fund at the start of COP16. The group said it would result in “regulatory and financial barriers that would stifle innovation, delay R&D [research and development] and complicate compliance”.
The emails obtained by Carbon Brief show that, in August 2024, a GSK representative told Defra that the company believed proposals for a “simplistic payment mechanism based on revenues would be disproportionate and could hinder the development of new medicines and vaccines”. This email said:
“You were asking for views on the call, so I also wanted to take the opportunity to share GSK’s perspective at this time. We are supportive of a practical and fair multilateral mechanism for benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources. The criteria for this mechanism listed in decision 15/9 are particularly important, specifically the fact that it must not hinder research and innovation.
“We are concerned that the current proposals for a simplistic payment mechanism based on revenues would be disproportionate and could hinder the development of new medicines and vaccines. We would support the consideration of other models, for example a subscription model whereby organisations that access open source DSI databases make a contribution to the global fund.
“This would have the benefit of broadening the base of contributors. Tiers could be established based on size of organisation, so that the contributions were proportionate and fair.”
The FOI release also shows that ABPI chief executive, Dr Richard Torbett, wrote a letter to UK nature minister Mary Creagh on 17 October 2024, a few days before the COP16 summit began.
He “urge[d]” the government to not agree on the details of a fund “until more work has been conducted to understand the implications of proposals”.
Torbett said that, if this was not possible, the ABPI wanted the government to support an option put forward by Japan and South Korea to introduce a voluntary funding mechanism.
Hesitancy potentially ‘driven by industry bodies’
In a statement after COP16, the IFPMA’s director general, Dr David Reddy, said the decision creating the Cali Fund “does not get the balance right between the intended benefits of such a mechanism and the significant costs to society and science that it has the potential to create”.
The FOI release obtained by Carbon Brief includes a 20 March 2025 document from the ABPI discussing possible future changes to the fund.
The group said the fund “contains and omits several features which make it unlikely to attract significant contributors”. The ABPI “cannot over-emphasise the importance” of the fund being voluntary, the document said, with companies “free to decide” if and how much they want to contribute.
The ABPI urged the UK to discourage any country-level implementation of the COP16 digital sequence information agreement, arguing that “conflicting” action on a national, rather than global, level would “reduce the (already weak) incentives to contribute to the Cali Fund”.
The ABPI also criticised the agreed 0.1% and 1% contribution rates for companies, saying they are “regarded by industries generally as being unrealistic and likely to impact innovation”.
The opening plenary of the resumed COP16 negotiations at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on 25 February 2025. Credit: IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
The ABPI declined to respond to Carbon Brief’s questions and referred Carbon Brief to the global trade group, the IFPMA. A spokesperson for the IFPMA also declined to respond to questions and pointed towards the company’s public statements on the issue.
Dr Siva Thambisetty, an associate professor of law at the London School of Economics and Political Science and project lead on an ocean biodiversity research group, believes the first contribution to the fund is a “prize that’s just waiting to be won”. She tells Carbon Brief:
“It would be an absolute coup for a responsible DSI company to be the first to make a contribution to the Cali Fund. Investors should be very interested in that company, for instance.
“We’ve got to move to a biodiversity market where investors are asking whether companies they invest in are contributing to remedy and repair at a global level through appropriate monetary benefit sharing.”
Thambisetty believes that this is “low-hanging fruit”, but acknowledges that companies have varying opinions on the fund and that the “majority might be unsure how to deal with this”. She adds:
“I think the hesitancy is mostly being driven by industry bodies because they don’t want unhappy precedents to be set. There is a collective action problem and the first company to break cover will be sending a signal that will be received differently by different people.”
Karachi Police have registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi president and seven other senior leaders, along with over 500 other unidentified workers, on charges of rioting, vandalism and disrupting public order during a rally on University Road in Karachi.
The case was lodged at the PIB Colony Police Station on behalf of the state, following violent incidents during a rally held on August 5 near Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
The rally was led by PTI leaders Raja Azhar, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Arsalan Khalid, Awab Alvi, Saifur Rehman, and Alamgir Khan, and attended by an estimated 500 to 600 participants.
According to the FIR, rally participants blocked oncoming traffic and ignored police directives to disperse.
Despite repeated warnings, several attendees, allegedly armed with sticks, began pelting stones at law enforcement personnel, prompting police to respond with tear gas under self-defence measures.
During the clash, Head Constable Ejaz from Aziz Bhatti Police Station sustained head injuries after being struck by a stone. Protesters fled through nearby streets as police regained control of the situation.
Station House Officer (SHO) PIB Inspector Muhammad Ashfaq confirmed that the FIR was registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 186, and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code, among others.
He stated that 12 PTI workers had been arrested, while 500 to 550 unidentified suspects named in the FIR remain at large. Investigations are ongoing.
Separately, Islamabad police have registered a case against 16 workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including both men and women, for participating in a protest on the Islamabad Expressway.
The protest took place on August 5, during which female PTI workers were seen chanting slogans and waving party flags.
Police arrested the demonstrators on the spot and later transferred them to Lohi Bher police station.
According to officials, the FIR includes a total of 16 legal sections, including provisions under the PAPA Act and 11 other offences. Legal proceedings are currently underway.
WELLINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — New Zealand has pledged support to Samoa amid a severe dengue outbreak that has so far claimed the lives of five Samoan children.
Acknowledging the close ties between the two nations, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Wednesday that the New Zealand government will dispatch a small team to Apia, the Samoan capital, to provide clinical assistance and work with Samoan authorities on further medical support requirements.
Additionally, New Zealand will provide 300,000 NZ dollars (177,978 U.S. dollars) worth of medical supplies to aid the response efforts, Peters said.
Senior New Zealand public health officials are also engaging with their Samoan counterparts to coordinate assistance.
Travelers to Samoa are advised to take precautions against mosquito bites and follow dengue prevention guidelines provided by New Zealand’s SafeTravel advisory. ■
Apollo’s Long-Term Capital to Accelerate Stream’s 4+ GW Development Pipeline and Enable Deployment of Billions Into Critical U.S. Infrastructure
NEW YORK and DALLAS, Aug. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that Apollo-managed funds (the “Apollo Funds”) have agreed to acquire a majority interest in Stream Data Centers (“SDC” or the “Company”) from Stream Realty Partners (“SRP”). With Apollo’s backing, SDC is positioned to execute on a multi-gigawatt pipeline while enabling Apollo Funds and affiliates to potentially deploy billions of dollars into next-generation digital infrastructure. SDC’s management team will retain a minority stake and continue leading the business.
SDC builds, leases, manages and operates hyperscale data center campuses and has delivered more than 20 campuses to date. The Company controls over 4 gigawatts of long-term powered land and has a robust near-term pipeline. With Apollo Funds’ capital and strategic support, SDC plans to scale platform-wide development to meet accelerating demand from hyperscale cloud and AI providers across key Tier 1 and Tier 2 U.S. markets.
“Stream Data Centers represents a landmark digital infrastructure transaction for Apollo,” Apollo Partners Joseph Jackson and Trevor Mills said. “With deep development expertise and a valuable long-term land fund in key growth markets, we believe SDC is uniquely positioned to serve the infrastructure needs of the world’s most sophisticated technology customers. Apollo will bring scaled capital and structuring capabilities to help drive recurring origination across our ecosystem. We look forward to partnering with SDC as a key operating platform to deliver next-gen capacity at scale.”
Michael Lahoud and Paul Moser, Co-Managing Partners of Stream Data Centers, stated, “We are excited to partner with Apollo on the next phase of SDC’s growth amid robust demand for data center solutions. After more than two decades of delivering exceptional data center experiences, SDC has created a building and operating model with very strong fundamentals based on collaborative, enduring customer relationships. This symbiotic relationship with Apollo amplifies that existing strength, offering access to the capital required to significantly scale our developments at the rate hyperscale customers demand. We look forward to working with the Apollo team to execute on our pipeline — and we extend our sincere gratitude to SRP for providing the firm foundations that have helped SDC become the organization it is today.”
Apollo estimates that data centers will require several trillion dollars of global investment over the next decade, driven by a secular global industrial renaissance, with substantial investments required in power, facilities and semiconductor chips. Since 2022, Apollo-managed funds have deployed approximately $38 billion into next-generation infrastructure investments, including renewable energy, digital platforms and compute capacity. The firm plans to significantly scale its investment in these areas in the coming years, both through Stream and as a capital partner to other market participants.
As part of the transaction, Apollo Funds and SRP will commit new capital to Stream’s existing data center land fund to accelerate site development for 650 MW of near-term power capacity across campuses in metro Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas. A newly formed subsidiary of the Apollo Funds will assume the role of investment manager of the land fund.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in 2025.
Goldman Sachs & Co. acted as sole financial advisor to Stream Data Centers, while Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP served as legal counsel. Moelis & Company acted as financial advisor to the Apollo Funds on the transaction, while Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel.
About Apollo Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2025, Apollo had approximately $840 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.
About Stream Data Centers Since 1999, Stream Data Centers has set new standards for innovation, operational excellence and sustainability in the data center industry. With over 90% of its inventory leased to Fortune 100 customers, the company has acquired, developed and managed complex data center projects for the world’s most demanding users.
From location strategy and site selection to data center construction and operations, Stream develops wholesale colocation capacity and build-to-suit facilities for hyperscale and enterprise users in major markets across the United States. As the company’s site development affiliate, Headwaters employs a team of hyperscale experts dedicated to building a land bank for the data center industry, helping Stream Data Centers and others uncover low-risk land sites for optimum data center development. Additionally, Stream Data Centers provides energy procurement services with a focus on reducing market risk and providing low-cost renewable energy options. To learn more, please visit www.streamdatacenters.com. Stream Data Centers is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
About Stream Realty Partners Stream Realty Partners is a national commercial real estate firm offering an integrated platform of leasing, investment and development services. This includes tenant and landlord representation, Legendary CX property management, capital markets, investment management and sales, construction, construction management, national program management, workplace strategies, strategic marketing, and dedicated research. The company is headquartered in Dallas with operations in core markets coast to coast. Since 1996, Stream has grown to more than 1700 professionals and now completes annual transactions valued at more than $10 billion in office, industrial, retail, healthcare, land, and data center properties. For information, visit www.streamrealty.com and follow Stream on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook.
Contacts For Apollo:
Noah Gunn Global Head of Investor Relations Apollo Global Management, Inc. (212) 822-0540 IR@apollo.com
Joanna Rose Global Head of Corporate Communications Apollo Global Management, Inc. (212) 822-0491 Communications@apollo.com
For Stream Data Centers:
Mary Morgan Vice President of Marketing & Communications info@stream-dc.com
For Stream Realty Partners: Molly McMurtry Stream Realty Partners press@streamrealty.com
In 2016, the sea ice in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea developed an enormous hole twice the size of Wales – the country, not a pod of giant mammals. The following year it returned, but the reasons remained unknown. Now they have been explained as a result of previously understood factors and a rare form of salt transportation.
It’s common for areas of open water to appear within sea ice, to the extent that the phenomenon has a name: a polynya. However, the 2016 Maud Rise Polynya was the largest for 40 years. Global heating was thought to have stopped such events, might it now be bringing them back?
In an effort to explain the mystery, scientists recruited elephant seals as research assistants, strapping scientific equipment to their heads. The initial interpretation of that data led meteorologists to attribute the polynya to a mix of unusual ocean conditions and an epic storm.
Years later, another team has added some new elements to the explanation.
One important question to explain is why such a large polynya has now been seen five times in the same place – three times in the 1970s before these two events – but nothing so big has turned up elsewhere. The more recent polynyas occurred near the peak of the sea ice extent in late winter or early spring, so this was not a case of thaw coming a little earlier there.
Part of the answer lies in a large circular current known as the Weddell Gyre, which was unusually strong from 2015-2018. This brought a deep layer of warm salty water to the surface.
“This upwelling helps to explain how the sea ice might melt. But as sea ice melts this leads to a freshening of the surface water, which should in turn put a stop to the mixing. So, another process must be happening for the polynya to persist. There must be an additional input of salt from somewhere,” said Professor Fabien Roquet of the University of Gothenburg in a statement.
The evidence from the trusty seals, in collaboration with autonomous floats, is that salt rose in turbulent eddies as the current flowed over the Maud Rise, the undersea ridge from which the polynya gets its name.
The polynya did not form directly over the peak of the rise; instead, it was centered on its northern flank. Roquet and co-authors attribute this to Ekman transport, where water moves at right angles to the direction of the wind, rather than running before it.
“Ekman transport was the essential missing ingredient that was necessary to increase the balance of salt and sustain the mixing of salt and heat towards the surface water,” said co-author Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato of the University of Southampton. It’s not something that has been considered in previous efforts to explain polynya formation.
Climate change may not have been the cause of the Maud Rise Polynya, but that doesn’t mean they are unrelated. Ice is an insulator, blocking the transfer of energy between ocean and the atmosphere. Its absence increases that exchange, and the same goes for carbon dioxide. Deep in the Antarctic winter there is little sunlight for the open sea to absorb, but that changes come spring, when the polynya can lead to additional warming. In this way the polynya can be a microcosm of the decline of southern sea ice that began in 2016 and accelerated drastically last year.
“The imprint of polynyas can remain in the water for multiple years after they’ve formed. They can change how water moves around and how currents carry heat towards the continent. The dense waters that form here can spread across the global ocean,” said Professor Sarah Gille of the University of California San Diego. In 2018 some, but not all, of the conditions necessary to form polynyas were still present, and no large opening appeared.
The study was published open access in Science Advances.
An earlier version of this story was published in 2024.
In the current environment of shifting tariff rates and ongoing trade deal negotiations between the United States and other countries, businesses continue to struggle to figure out how to preserve their profit margins in the near term and how to create budget and sourcing plans for next year and beyond. Over the last six months, we have worked with a number of firms that have developed a planning approach that can help deal with this massive uncertainty. It entails dynamic stress testing.
