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  • It was a lovely goal

    It was a lovely goal

    Militão broke the deadlock in our team’s favour in the friendly against WSG Tirol, and he spoke to Realmadrid TV following the final whistle: “It was a lovely goal, I didn’t think it was going in, but in the end it was all good. The group looks strong. What the coach is asking of the team is starting to come off. We’ll get better and better as the season goes on.”

    Feelings on returning from injury 
    “I’m helping the team out by doing what I enjoy. It took a while, but now the time has come. It’s great to be back and available to the manager. I’ll always give it my best whenever I get the chance to play.”

    A week before LaLiga opener
    “The team will be ready, it’s been a really good pre-season, hard work. We’re all feeling confident. We know it’ll be a long season, but we’re ready to go.”

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  • Save 40% Off the Baseus 10-in-1 Charging Station with USB Ports and AC Outlets

    Save 40% Off the Baseus 10-in-1 Charging Station with USB Ports and AC Outlets

    If your workstation or gaming desk requires more USB ports and AC outlets for charging, here’s an inexpensive solution to your problem. Amazon is offering a Baseus 4-Port 6-Outlet Desktop Charging Station for just $29.99 after a 40% off instant discount. Even better, get a 3.3ft 100W PD USB Type-C cable for free simply by adding it to the same order and checking out (discount should be applied during checkout). This tabletop charger features both USB Type-A and Type-C ports as well as AC outlets for the ultimate versatility.

    Baseus 4-Port 6-Outlet Desktop Charger for $29.99

    Get a free 6ft 100W USB Type-C cable as well

    Baseus 10-in-1 (4-Port, 6-Outlet) USB Charging Station

    Baseus 3.3ft 100W PD USB Type-C Cable

    Baseus 3.3ft 100W PD USB Type-C Cable

    Add to your Baseus charging station order to get it for free

    The Baseus charging station is shaped like a cuboid with ports on all four sides. There are a total of ten ports: three USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A ports, and six AC outlets. The USB ports combine for a total of 67W of total power output. A single USB Type-C port can also deliver this much output. That’s enough output to fast charge the Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 (up to 20W), Steam Deck (39W), and Asus ROG Ally (65W). The Asus Rog Ally X and Legion Go support up to 100W, but it’s better for the battery to charge at a reduced 65W rate. In fact, they ship with a 65W charger. The Baseus can also fast charge the Apple iPhone 16 (30W) and Samsung Galaxy S25 (up to 45W).

    The six AC outlets are ideal for plugging in your printer, desk lamp, monitor, speakers, or anything else that uses a standard two or three prong plug. They’re widely spaced apart and positioned on different sides so bulky power bricks won’t block every outlet, and the charging station is rated for 1200J of surge protection.

    Other practical features include GaN technology (smaller footprint and increased energy efficiency), included sticky adhesive pads so that it won’t slide around on your desk, and multiple protection protocols.

    Looking for more options? Check out the best USB Type-C chargers so far in 2025.

    Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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  • Between politicisation and securitization – Middle East Monitor

    Between politicisation and securitization – Middle East Monitor

    During humanitarian crises and armed conflicts, children are the most vulnerable to the devastating consequences, such as the outbreak and resurgence of diseases like polio. Mainly children under the age of five are affected by polio, with prevention proving the only effective strategy to confront it, as there are no proven curative approaches yet. Some Arab countries are at great risk of witnessing a polio outbreak, with protracted crises and ongoing instability, and the subsequent paralysis in health systems, making the region more prone to such epidemics. For instance, over half of the attacks reported during armed conflicts in 2024 on health care took place in the Middle East, revealing the extreme vulnerability of public health—especially the health of children—in the region. 

    As a result, armed crises and humanitarian disasters led to declined national and subnational polio vaccination coverage, putting the lives of children at grave risk in the Arab world. With the recent conflicts, a wave of new polio cases has emerged in the Arab region, raising critical concerns about the effectiveness and applicability of standard strategies for enhancing immunisation against polio in complex and crisis-prone settings.

    Contextualizing polio in the Arab world 

    The ongoing securitisation and politicisation of polio immunisation in the Arab world undermined the health systems’ capacities to develop and implement prevention strategies. This further marginalised vulnerable populations and resulted in cycles of disease and health injustice. 

    Internationally, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has contributed significantly to decreasing polio cases by 99.9 per cent. However, certain factors lead to the repeated failure of GPEI in crisis-affected contexts in the Arab world. These obstacles include limited access to healthcare institutions, deliberate targeting of hospitals and ambulances, weaponising medical aid and lack of safety and security for health workers to operate. 

    READ: Gaza’s Health Ministry warns of ‘health disaster’ amid Israeli ban on polio vaccines

    In light of chronic conflicts, massive refugee crises and the collapse of health systems in the Arab world, new polio cases have been reported in the past decades. For instance, with the outbreak of the crisis in Gaza in 2023, a confirmed case of polio was detected in August, 2024, the first case in 25 years. However, the Israeli aid blockade and policies aimed at controlling what is going in Gaza played a critical role in undermining the effectiveness of response or prevention mechanisms to polio risks in Gaza. Syria is another prominent example of how political instability and security threats weaken health responses to polio crisis. The country experienced two polio outbreaks in 2013 and 2017, highlighting the fragility of Syria’s immunisation strategies, after which the outbreaks were controlled through intensive polio vaccination campaigns and surveillance. Other crisis-affected Arab countries, such as Yemen and Iraq, have also been affected by polio in the last decade. Thus, wars and humanitarian crises are the most significant drivers for the polio outbreaks and the inability of health systems to effectively face and contain such health crises.

    Severe implications for the future generations

    Ineffective polio immunisation poses a severe threat to future generations in the already deteriorated Arab world. Given the unprecedented cross-border displacement in the region and the cross-border poliovirus transmission, this underlines the urgency of the issue for the whole region. Millions of people are fleeing Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine, carrying the risk of transmitting poliovirus to refugee-hosting countries, such as Lebanon and Jordan, that already struggle with responding to the increasing health needs of refugees. This not only puts the lives of millions of children in the region and the wider Global South, with a long history of conflicts and health inequity, at severe risk, but also raises concerns about the potential of polio becoming a global pandemic.

    Recognising these and failing to act upon them forms an intentional killing of future generations, particularly children who are vulnerable among already marginalised populations, such as refugees and stateless children. The region has for decades been prone to intrastate and interstate conflicts. Thus, the absence of context-specific mechanisms to prevent the outbreak of diseases like polio is either a deliberate failure or an example of the ineffectiveness of global health governance. In the long run, overlooking the future of these children’s health damages trust in public health in conflict settings. Moreover, the hierarchical structure in the international order, where the Global North monopolises the essential health-related financial and technical resources, also plays a key role in depriving children of the right to polio immunisation.

    The power of context-sensitive immunisation action plans for healthier generations

    Due to the unique context of the Arab World, effective polio response and prevention necessitates strategies that are deeply attuned to local realities, driven by community-based health initiatives, and leverage diplomacy as a vital instrument.

    There needs to be a medical focus, led by local health workers and medical humanitarian institutions, on pre-crisis polio prevention. Given the unique context of the conflict-prone Arab world, it is important to start with raising awareness about polio resistance through prevention and strengthening the immunisation infrastructure. These strategies are central in both peacetime and wartime, urging local medical mobilisation to fight polio in the Arab region. Moreover, in contexts affected by complex crises, local actors are situated as the most decisive actors to take on the role and alleviate the polio risks caused by armed conflicts. Thus, community-level and mobile vaccination campaigns, using inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV), emerge as critical tools, leveraging the profound knowledge of local context and easier access to isolated areas. 

    In the face of politicisation and securitisation of polio vaccination efforts, a strong political and diplomatic commitment is essential to ensure effective and timely response and prevention mechanisms. Thus, the role of public health diplomacy must me highlighted, since it lies at the heart of effective immunisation strategies by engaging key stakeholders—including key states, World Health Organizations, and United Nations—towards one aim, that is protecting children from polio to build stronger generations in future. This is fundamental for both the response phase during or after crises and preparedness in crisis-prone settings to prevent any occurrence of polio case. More importantly, vaccine diplomacy—utilising polio vaccine development, distribution and safe access as a tool of diplomacy and foreign policy—emerges as a key policy and advocacy strategic approach not only to confront but also to put an end to polio.

    OPINION: Trump’s move to lift sanctions against Syria: A humanitarian move or carrot-and-stick politics?

    The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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  • ‘Rogue waves’ can be 65 feet tall, but they aren’t ‘freak occurrences,’ data from North Sea reveals

    ‘Rogue waves’ can be 65 feet tall, but they aren’t ‘freak occurrences,’ data from North Sea reveals

    Rogue waves have captivated the attention of both seafarers and scientists for decades. These are giant, isolated waves that appear suddenly in the open ocean.

    These puzzling giants are brief, typically lasting less than a minute before disappearing. They can reach heights of 65 feet (20 meters) or greater and often more than twice the height of surrounding waves. Once a nautical myth, rogue waves have now been observed around the world. Because they’re so tall and powerful, they can pose a danger to ships and offshore structures.

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  • I’m much better, I’m feeling strong

    I’m much better, I’m feeling strong

    Alaba spoke to Realmadrid TV following our team’s win over Austrian outfit WSG Tirol: “I’m really happy, of course. This is my country, I think the atmosphere was fantastic. I’m delighted. I’m much better, pretty much 100%. I’m feeling strong, and 100% ready to play.”

    His role in the centre of the park
    “It’s different, of course. It’s not my natural position, but I know it from having played there a bit in the past.”

    Assessment of the team ahead of the opening game
    “We’re in good shape, we’ve got a week before the first game, and we’re there or there abouts.”

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  • Cohort profile of the Heidelberg study on diabetes and complications HEIST-DiC

    Cohort profile of the Heidelberg study on diabetes and complications HEIST-DiC

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  • Trump tells Goldman Sachs CEO to replace economist over tariff predictions

    Trump tells Goldman Sachs CEO to replace economist over tariff predictions

    Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon participates in an Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining Room at the White House, in Washington, June 9, 2025.

    Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon should either replace the bank’s economist or “just focus on being a DJ,” days after Goldman’s chief economist warned that American consumers will pay for an increasing share of new tariffs.

    Trump’s broadside against Solomon — who moonlights as a DJ — came as the president touted what he called “massive” revenue being collected by the federal government due to his tariff policies.

    “Tariffs have not caused Inflation, or any other problems for America, other than massive amounts of CASH pouring into our Treasury’s coffers,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

    Tariff revenue has surged in recent months, rising to nearly $28 billion in July alone, according to the Treasury Department. Inflation, meanwhile, has continued to increase, though the latest data showed consumer prices have accelerated slightly less than expected.

    Trump then wrote, “It has been shown that, for the most part,” companies and foreign governments, rather than consumers, are paying for the tariffs.

    But many economists continue to warn that the full effects of Trump’s tariffs have yet to be felt, and numerous businesses have already said that they will have to raise prices in response to U.S. import duties.

    FILE PHOTO: DJ D-SOL performs during the ‘Safe & Sound’ Drive-In Concert Fundraiser Presented by JAJA Tequila and In The Know Experiences In Partnership with Bumble at Nova’s Ark Project on July 25, 2020 in Water Mill, New York.

    Kevin Mazur | Getty Images

    Solomon and Goldman “refuse to give credit where credit is due,” Trump wrote, claiming they “made a bad prediction a long time ago on both the Market repercussion and the Tariffs.”

    “I think that David should go out and get himself a new Economist or, maybe, he ought to just focus on being a DJ, and not bother running a major Financial Institution,” the president wrote.

    Trump did not name the economist he wants Solomon to replace.

    But Jan Hatzius, the bank’s chief economist since 2011, warned in a research note Sunday that U.S. consumers will end up absorbing an increasing share of the cost of Trump’s tariffs.

    Read more CNBC politics coverage

    “Our estimates imply that US consumers had absorbed 22% of tariff costs through June but that their share will likely rise to 67% by October if the later tariffs have the same impact over time as the earliest tariffs,” Hatzius and other Goldman researchers wrote.

    Trump has also repeatedly postponed many of his most severe tariffs, delaying when their possible economic impacts on U.S. consumers will be felt.

    His global “reciprocal” tariffs, unveiled in early April, were quickly put on pause and took effect in an altered state just last week. And Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods, which scraped as high as 145% at their peak, have been pared back to 30% since May.

    A Goldman spokesperson declined to comment on Trump’s social media post.

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  • FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Preview: Greece

    FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Preview: Greece

    The official EuroBasket app

    ATHENS (Greece) – Greece are one of just six countries with multiple FIBA EuroBasket crowns and the proud basketball nation will be fighting for title number three as they make their 18th straight appearance on the continental stage.

    Despite all those opportunities, reaching the podium has been an elusive endeavour for the Greeks. The last time Greece finished in the top three of a FIBA EuroBasket, current head coach Vassilis Spanoulis was averaging 14 points and 4 assists in 2009. And this summer is the 20th anniversary of Hellas last hoisting the trophy in 2005.

    Greece have already started another generational change with a number of youngsters brought into the training camp. But it will be up to the hungry and motivated group of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dinos Mitoglou and Kostas Sloukas to finally bring back some hardware.

    Schedule

    August 28: vs Italy (20:30 CET)
    August 30: vs Cyprus (17:15 CET)
    August 31: vs Georgia (14:00 CET)
    September 2: vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (14:00 CET)
    September 4: vs Spain (20:30 CET)

    📅

    Games

    The full FIBA EuroBasket 2025 schedule

    Star Player

    Giannis Antetokounmpo

    211 cm (6’11”) Power Forward

    Giannis Antetokounmpo is the face of the Greece national team as one of the biggest superstars in the NBA. The 30-year-old Antetokounmpo has already been playing for Hellas for 11 years – debuting in the senior national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014. This will be his third EuroBasket to go with two FIBA World Cups and the 2024 Olympics. But Greece have not finished on the podium of a major competition since the 2009 EuroBasket.

    Antetokounmpo has not slowed down at all from a quality standpoint – still one of the world’s most dynamic and dominant players. He still struggles shooting from long range but his playmaking skills have improved more and more over the past couple of years. And he is truly a dominant all-around player at both ends of the court.

    The Milwaukee Bucks star poured in 25.8 points at the 2024 Olympics while also picking up 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Greece reached the Quarter-Finals as one of the best third-placed teams before losing to Germany in the top eight stage. The Greeks lost to Germany in the Quarter-Finals of the 2022 EuroBasket where Antetokounmpo averaged 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Giannis will need to be at the top of his game to have success.

    History

    Greece’s qualification for FIBA EuroBasket 2025 marks their 29th overall appearance in the prestigious tournament, further cementing their legacy as one of Europe’s basketball stalwarts. They will be appearing in their 18th consecutive EuroBasket.

    And Hellas has been a force on the continent since missing the tournament for the last time in 1985. They hoisted the trophy in 1987 and 2005 while finishing second in 1989 and took third in 2009. Greece have registered eight top four results since 1987.

    Champions: 1987, 2005
    Runners-up: 1989
    Third Place: 1949, 2009

    EuroBasket Top Scorers

    Rank

    Player

    Games

    Points

    1

    Nikos Galis

    33

    1031

    2

    Panagiotis Giannakis

    58

    769

    3

    Giorgos Kolokithas

    25

    488

    4

    Panagiotis Fassoulas

    43

    473

    5

    Ioannis Bourousis

    53

    468

    6

    Nikos Zisis

    31

    449

    7

    Vassilis Spanoulis

    38

    429

    8

    Theofanis Christodoulou

    40

    379

    9

    Nick Calathes

    41

    365

    10

    Antonios Fotsis

    44

    353

    How they qualified

    Gameday 1: GRE 72-64 CZE
    Gameday 2: NED 72-74 GRE
    Gameday 3:     GBR 73-72 GRE
    Gameday 4: GRE 77-67 GBR
    Gameday 5: CZE 89-93 GRE
    Gameday 6: GRE 63-53 NED

    Poll: Where will they finish?

    Tickets

    FIBA

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  • US deficit grows to $291 billion in July despite tariff revenue surge – Reuters

    1. US deficit grows to $291 billion in July despite tariff revenue surge  Reuters
    2. US July Tariff Revenue Jump Fails to Halt Wider Budget Deficit  Bloomberg
    3. US July budget deficit up 20% year-over-year despite record Trump tariff income  The Washington Post
    4. U.S. Federal Budget Balance Swings to Deeper Deficit, Undermining USD  Investing.com
    5. US federal budget deficit $-291.0 billion versus -$215.0 billion expected  investingLive

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  • Long COVID linked to lasting financial hardship and work disruption

    Long COVID linked to lasting financial hardship and work disruption

    While the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be widely studied and debated, the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic for individual patients is less understood. To address this gap, Rush University Medical Center analyzed self-reported data from more than 3,600 participants in the INSPIRE (Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry) to assess return-to-work, work productivity, and financial toxicity.

    The INSPIRE study found that individuals with long COVID-19 experienced worse financial and employment outcomes – lasting up to three years after their initial infection. Notably, vaccination against COVID-19 was associated with strikingly improved work and financial outcomes. The study, “Work Impairment and Financial Impact among Adults With vs. Without Long COVID“, was published Aug. 12 in JAMA Network Open.

    INSPIRE is a CDC-funded multi-center collaboration including eight academic medical centers seeking to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19. 

    “While much of the focus in Long COVID research has been on the medical impact, we must also consider the sustained financial burden faced by those whose symptoms persist,” said lead author Michael Gottlieb, MD, an emergency medicine physician and vice chair of research at Rush University Medical Center Gottlieb and co-authors suggest that better understanding of the economic challenges millions of Americans face can lead to better workplace policies, disability support systems, and health care strategies. 

    Of the more than 777 million reported cases of COVID-19 worldwide, data compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality suggest that approximately 13% of patients experience persistent symptoms lasting three months or longer, a condition which is commonly referred to as long COVID.

    Gottlieb and colleagues working on the INSPIRE research already have contributed valuable scientific data about the medical nature of Long COVID, such as identifying that it is not a single condition but rather four distinct symptom patterns, called phenotypes, which can help guide treatments. INSPIRE’s unique, long-standing self-reported survey structure also helps researchers better understand and measure the financial burdens associated with the illness and, importantly, the beneficial effect of prior vaccination. Researchers used survey responses to track the degree of missed work and work impairment and a tool long used by cancer researchers to calculate “financial toxicity,” which estimates the negative consequences experienced by patients due to the cost of medical care. 

    Three years of study data revealed that those with Long COVID continue to experience significantly higher odds of missing more work per week than those who did not have Long COVID. Nearly half of participants currently experiencing Long COVID had not returned to full-time work within three years of their initial infection. 

    Financial toxicity scores also showed that those with Long COVID had more than three-times higher odds of moderate-to-high financial toxicity compared to those whose Long COVID symptoms had resolved, and more than five-times higher odds compared to those who never experienced Long COVID.

    Authors noted that this financial strain could be caused by medical expenses, job loss, reduced work-hours due to limited work capacity, or lower work productivity resulting in reduced bonuses or raises. 

    Gottlieb emphasized that vaccination status had a clear impact on rates of work impairment and financial toxicity scores with markedly better outcomes in the vaccinated patients compared with the unvaccinated patients. This is consistent with other recent research from their team which also identified improved physical and mental health outcomes among those who were vaccinated against COVID.

    “Throughout all or our research, whether someone was vaccinated was shown to be strongly associated with more symptom reduction and measurably better quality of life. The COVID-19 vaccine kept us healthier – both physically and financially.” 

    Source:

    Rush University Medical Center

    Journal reference:

    Gottlieb, M., et al. (2025). Work Impairment and Financial Outcomes Among Adults With vs Without Long COVID. JAMA Network Open. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.26310,

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