- Israel said hampering entry of baby formula into Gaza as child malnutrition climbs The Times of Israel
- Israeli militarised zones, forced evacuation orders take up 86pc of Gaza: UN Dawn
- Israel turning Gaza into ‘graveyard of children and starving’: UNRWA chief Al Jazeera
- Gaza’s Unborn At Risk: Pregnant Woman Can Only Pray For A Healthy Baby NDTV
- Risking everything for survival in the Gaza Strip Unicef
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Israel said hampering entry of baby formula into Gaza as child malnutrition climbs – The Times of Israel
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AI coding tools may not speed up every developer, study shows
AI robot face and programming code on a black background. | Image Credits:Yuichiro Chino / Getty Images Software engineer workflows have been transformed in recent years by an influx of AI coding tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot, which promise to enhance productivity by automatically writing lines of code, fixing bugs, and testing changes. The tools are powered by AI models from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and xAI that have rapidly increased their performance on a range of software engineering tests in recent years.
However, a new study published Thursday by the non-profit AI research group METR calls into question the extent to which today’s AI coding tools enhance productivity for experienced developers.
METR conducted a randomized controlled trial for this study by recruiting 16 experienced open source developers and having them complete 246 real tasks on large code repositories they regularly contribute to. The researchers randomly assigned roughly half of those tasks as “AI-allowed,” giving developers permission to use state-of-the-art AI coding tools such as Cursor Pro, while the other half of tasks forbade the use of AI tools.
Before completing their assigned tasks, the developers forecasted that using AI coding tools would reduce their completion time by 24%. That wasn’t the case.
“Surprisingly, we find that allowing AI actually increases completion time by 19% — developers are slower when using AI tooling,” the researchers said.
Notably, only 56% of the developers in the study had experience using Cursor, the main AI tool offered in the study. While nearly all the developers (94%) had experience using some web-based LLMs in their coding workflows, this study was the first time some used Cursor specifically. The researchers note that developers were trained on using Cursor in preparation for the study.
Nevertheless, METR’s findings raise questions about the supposed universal productivity gains promised by AI coding tools in 2025. Based on the study, developers shouldn’t assume that AI coding tools — specifically what’s come to be known as “vibe coders” — will immediately speed up their workflows.
METR researchers point to a few potential reasons why AI slowed down developers rather than speeding them up: Developers spend much more time prompting AI and waiting for it to respond when using vibe coders rather than actually coding. AI also tends to struggle in large, complex code bases, which this test used.
The study’s authors are careful not to draw any strong conclusions from these findings, explicitly noting they don’t believe AI systems currently fail to speed up many or most software developers. Other large-scale studies have shown that AI coding tools do speed up software engineer workflows.
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Dean Cain calls James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ ‘woke’ after immigrant remark
Dean Cain, the former star of “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” laments Hollywood’s newest take on the Man of Steel — one that likens his story to the immigrant experience in America.
In a recent conversation with TMZ, Cain — who starred as Clark Kent/Superman in the hit 1990s TV series — wondered: “How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?”
The 58-year-old actor railed against filmmaker James Gunn and his latest take on the Kryptonian icon after the director declared in an interview with the London Times that “Superman is the story of America.” In the interview, Gunn described his hero as “an immigrant that came from other places and populated the country,” adding that his film, starring David Corenswet in the title role, is “mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
Gunn, who has been an outspoken critic of President Trump, made his comment as the Trump administration carries out its aggressive crackdown on immigrant communities across California. Since raids in Los Angeles began June 6, federal immigration agents have arrested nearly 2,700 undocumented individuals, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Cain was clearly not a fan of Gunn’s remark. Cain, who has not seen the film yet, criticized the idea of “changing beloved characters” and suggested creating new original characters instead. When he starred in “Lois & Clark,” Cain was the fourth actor to portray Superman onscreen, filling in the red boots of Kirk Alyn, George Reeves and Christopher Reeve. He claimed that the superhero “has always stood for truth, justice and the American way.
“The American way is immigrant-friendly, tremendously immigrant-friendly, but there are rules,” he added, before his aside about people coming to the U.S. to seek opportunity. Speaking more broadly about immigration, Cain said he believes in enforcing limits on immigration, otherwise “our society will fail.”
Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain starred in the TV series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” from 1993 to 1997.
(ABC Television Network)
In another clip from his conversation with TMZ, Cain asks why immigration agents and federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, “are being villainized for enforcing the laws that our lawmakers, our elected representatives created.” Videos shared on social media have documented numerous incidents of masked immigration agents forcefully detaining civilians and confronting other people attempting to interfere in the arrests.
Cain said he thinks it “was a mistake by James Gunn to say, you know, it’s an immigrant thing,” adding that he thinks the movie will suffer at the box office as a result. Cain said he was looking forward to Gunn’s take on the comic-book hero and is rooting for its success, but ultimately contends, “I don’t like that last political comment,” referring to the Marvel alum’s description of Superman.
Gunn’s “Superman” is now in theaters and also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced. In her review, Times film critic Amy Nicholson writes, “This isn’t quite the heart-soaring ‘Superman’ I wanted. But these adventures wise him up enough that I’m curious to explore where the saga takes him next.”
Amid the latest “Superman” discourse, the White House on Thursday shared a photo on social media of Trump’s face superimposed onto Superman’s body on the film’s poster. In response to the odd digital alteration, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office fired back with a familiar point.
“Superman was an undocumented immigrant,” the tweet said.
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EU naval missions says 4 dead after Yemen rebels attack ship
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Four people are presumed dead and 11 others are still missing after a Liberian-flagged cargo ship sank in the Red Sea following an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a European Union naval mission said Friday.
The update from the EU’s Operation Aspides came as private security forces continue to search for survivors from the Eternity C, a Greek-owned bulk carrier that sank on Wednesday.
Ten people were recovered alive from the attack, including eight Filipino crew members and a Greek and Indian from the vessel’s three-man security team, the EU operation said.
Fifteen people remain unaccounted for, including the four presumed dead, the mission said.
“All nearby vessels are advised to have a sharp look out,” the EU mission said.
The Houthis have said they hold some of the crew. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen — which has operated from Saudi Arabia for about a decade — has described the Houthis as having “kidnapped” the mariners.
The death toll is the highest from any seaborne assault carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the crucial maritime trade route where $1 trillion in cargo once passed through annually.
The rebels say they are attacking ships to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war, and have in total sank four vessels and killed sailors who had no direct role in the war.
The attack on the Eternity C followed the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas in a similar attack last weekend. Neither the European naval force nor the U.S. had been escorting the two vessels when they were attacked.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Houthi attacks, calling them “a dangerous re-escalation in this critical waterway.”
“Beyond being an unacceptable attack on the safety and security of seafarers, these acts also violated the freedom of navigation, caused a hazard to maritime transport and represent a serious risk of a significant environmental, economic and humanitarian damage to an already vulnerable coastal environment,” he added in a statement.
The Houthis have held mariners in the past. After seizing the vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader in November 2023, the rebels held the crew until January this year.
From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones. The stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.
A new possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war — as well as the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program — remain in the balance.
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Scientists make surprising discovery about what lies under Antarctic ice sheet
Scientists have made a surprising discovery about what lies under the Antarctic ice sheet.
Covered in ice for around 34 million years, a new study has discovered more about what once was.
Researchers from the UK’s very own Durham University examined radar data from a number of Antarctic surveys to learn more about the ‘hidden landscape’.
“The landscape hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of the most mysterious not just on Earth, but on any terrestrial planet in the solar system,” explained Dr Guy Paxman, lead author of the study and a Royal Society University Research Fellow.
It’s relatively well known that much of the surface hidden below the sheet of ice consists of mountains, deep troughs and valleys.
Antarctica has a big old ice sheet (Frances M. Ginter/Getty Images)
However, this lot of scientists have found extensive flat surfaces created by rivers that flowed across the place around 80 whopping million years ago – before ice covered the continent.
“We’ve long been intrigued and puzzled about fragments of evidence for ‘flat’ landscapes beneath the Antarctic ice sheets. This study brings the jigsaw pieces of data together, to reveal the big picture,” co-author Professor Neil Ross from Newcastle University said.
The team discovered 31 distinct flat surfaces spanning 40 percent of the coastline of East Antarctica and it’s said the area preserves what is basically a ‘lost world’.
Another co-author, Professor Stewart Jamieson, said: “It’s difficult to say exactly what this ancient landscape looked like, but depending on how far back you go, the climate might have resembled modern-day Patagonia, or even something tropical.”
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, also found that the ice above these discovered flat surfaces is moving a lot more slowly.
It seems the flat areas act as a bit of a barrier to ice flow, while the loss of ice from Antarctica is increasing (ramped up by global warming).
The researchers recently published their findings (Paxman et al/Nature Geoscience)
Knowing about the existence of these flat surfaces down there can be helpful for researchers to predict how the big old ice sheet may react to climate change.
“The flat surfaces we have found have managed to survive relatively intact for over 30 million years, indicating that parts of the ice sheet have preserved rather than eroded the landscape,” Dr Paxman explained.
“Information such as the shape and geology of the newly mapped surfaces will help improve our understanding of how ice flows at the edge of East Antarctica.
“This in turn will help make it easier to predict how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet could affect sea levels under different levels of climate warming in the future.”
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Advances in NASA Imaging Changed How World Sees Mars
More About These Missions
NASA JPL, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built Mariner 4, the Viking 1 and 2 orbiters, Pathfinder, Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity. It continues to operate Curiosity and Perseverance.
Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built MRO and supports its operations, while JPL manages the mission. The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by BAE Systems, in Boulder, Colorado.
The Viking 1 and 2 landers were built by Martin Marietta; the Viking program was managed by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. JPL led operations for the Viking landers and orbiters.
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Richest 1% people have enough new wealth to end annual poverty 22 times over. By SHOBHA SHUKLA
Recent funding cuts on health, gender equality and human rights have given a sudden blow to a range of important services for the most underserved communities. But solution is not as simple as suggesting low- and middle-income countries to increase ‘domestic investment on health and gender’ or find ‘innovative ways to financing.’
Global North nations have plundered wealth and resources from the Global South. We need redistributive justice and a range of tax reforms keeping people in the Global South central. We need to reform global financial architecture using the foundation of development justice – so to fully fund gender equality and human right to health with equity and justice. Countries in the Global South should not be servicing debt and paying the rich nations but rather investing in delivering on all health, gender and other goals enshrined in SDGs.
The latest Oxfam report which was released at 4th UN Financing for Development meet in Seville, Spain, shows that since 2015 the top 1% people in the world have amassed US$ 33.9 Trillion in new wealth which is enough to end annual poverty 22 times over.
We need health responses to be fully funded, of course, but we also have to ensure that equity and justice guides us on how we use those resources so that we are able to first serve those farthest behind or most likely to be left behind.
It is not the absence of science-based tools that has failed the global south on responding to key health epidemics, be it infectious diseases or non-communicable diseases, but deep-rooted inequities and injustices that plague our so-called world order.
If we are to deliver on promises enshrined in SDG3 related to HIV and TB and other health issues, we must strengthen competencies and capacities in the Global South – and reduce dependencies on the Global North.
Celebrating 25+ years of struggle and leadership of NMP+
Network of Maharashtra People Living with HIV (NMP+) was established over 25 years ago. Since last two decades it champions a social enterprise model to reduce dependency on donor-driven funding for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
Famous German film and TV actress Annabelle Mandeng has been a supporter of movements of people living with HIV and human rights for over two decades now. She has also hosted events like the artists against AIDS gala in Berlin. Speaking at an Affiliated Independent Event organised ahead of 13th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025), Annabelle Mandeng said: “When I read about NMP plus, the immortal words of Margaret Mead come to my mind: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Over 50,000 people living with HIV from all gender diversities can live a life of rights and human dignity – thanks to NMP+.”
Annabelle Mandeng added that “NMP+ has helped people with HIV to care for each other as well as rise collectively to improve HIV responses in their state. Congratulations to Manoj Pardeshi and NMP+ for developing and leveraging social enterprise approaches for the last two decades so that NMP+ can be less dependent on external funding. TAAL+ or a “Treatment, Adherence, Advocacy, Literacy” is a community-run pharmacy based on social enterprise that has been up and running since 2006. TAAL is a shining example today for other civil societies to inspire them to use social enterprise and become self reliant. It is the first ever community-led e pharmacy in India. Over the years, it has transitioned into an integrated healthcare centre as well as managing an online or e-commerce platform since 2023. It offers in-person and online consultation, counselling as well as quality assured and affordable lifesaving medicines for HIV, STI and other co- infections and co-morbidities. Screening for infectious and non-communicable diseases is also provided along with a linkage to care services. Over 3,200 people receive life-saving anti-retroviral therapy along with other care services. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and other HIV prevention tools are also available via TAAL+.”
Dr Bharat Bhushan Rewari who served at senior levels with Indian government’s national AIDS control programme and led the rollout of lifesaving antiretroviral therapy for several years since its beginning on 7 April 2004, said that “World has achieved major progress in its response to HIV/AIDS epidemic with significant reduction in new infections, AIDS-related death and improving lives of people living with HIV. Community has played a big role in this journey especially in empowering people living with HIV and reducing stigma and discrimination. NMP+ is one such organisation which started working for people living with HIV early on (in 2000) when stigma was high and access to treatment was an issue. NMP+ provided a platform for people living with HIV to support each other, and foster self-esteem. Over the years, it has worked tirelessly to uphold dignity and rights of people living with HIV. Their work has helped transform AIDS-related stigma into self-confidence, fear into hope and shame into self-respect. It has worked closely with the government to raise treatment literacy. Today NMP+ proudly stands as a symbol of resilience and a voice for people living with HIV and vulnerable communities.”
David Bridger, UNAIDS Country Director for India, said: “Today we celebrate 25 years of hard work and progress made possible by NMP+ but at the same time reflect on what we still need to achieve to truly end AIDS as a public health threat. I think today is also really important for us to reflect and recognise that efforts of NMP+ have not only supported people living with HIV, but they have also transformed public health approaches globally. Putting people at the centre is now an approach widely accepted.”
One of the key brains behind TAAL+ is Manoj Pardeshi – a founding member of NMP+ and also of National Coalition of People Living with HIV in India (NCPI+): “In those initial years, there was no funding. Later donors came but their funding was as per their own respective mandates, while the needs of the community could be different. So we thought of having a separate funding mechanism that would cater to our unmet needs. That is how TAAL became a social entrepreneur model.”
Manoj shared that two decades ago, they could barely have an action plan for 3 or 6 months and then at most for a year. “We never thought that we would complete 25 years one day.”
Hope lies in the people, not FfD4
The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development was recently held in Seville, Spain with the intent to reform financing at all levels, including reform of the international financial architecture and to address the financing challenges preventing the investment push for the SDGs.
But this meet only served the interest of the rich (and rich nations). It failed to restructure the global economy and financial system, so as to benefit all equitably, including women, girls and all gender diverse peoples. This was said by experts at a recently concluded SHE & Rights session on World Population Day.
It looked into women and girls as merely ‘economic potentials’ for ‘economic benefits’ without really addressing the fundamental barriers to gender justice, including labour rights, safeguards for corporate abuses and preventing gender-based violence in the workplace.
It failed to guarantee long-term, flexible, inclusive, equitable financing for development.
The hope lies in the people of the Global South – to hold the North accountable and ensure sustainable development with human rights and justice becomes a reality for all.
(Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla)
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Kraft Heinz is reportedly weighing a breakup. Some analysts have already said it ‘should slim down.’
By James Rogers, Tomi Kilgore and Bill Peters
The report from the Wall Street Journal follows recent struggles with competition and a broader shift toward health-conscious diets
After merging a decade ago, packaged-food giant Kraft Heinz Co. is weighing a breakup, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, following recent struggles with inflation-fatigued shoppers, competition and a broader shift toward health-conscious diets.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal reported that the company (KHC) – known for Kraft macaroni and cheese, Heinz ketchup, Capri Sun and Lunchables – is looking to spin off a large chunk of its grocery business. The spinoff would include many Kraft products, and the new entity could be valued at as much as $20 billion, according to the report.
Another company would sell sauces and spreads, such as Heinz ketchup and Grey Poupon mustard, the Journal said. The Journal noted that Kraft Heinz had been focusing more on items like sauces, dressings and condiments, which had seen faster growth.
Plans for a breakup could be worked out “in the coming weeks,” the Journal said. But the paper added that no decision had been finalized and that the company was discussing other options.
“As announced in May, Kraft Heinz has been evaluating potential strategic transactions to unlock shareholder value,” a spokesperson for the company told MarketWatch in a statement. “Beyond that, we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”
The stock traded in negative territory for most of the day, then spiked higher to a gain of as much as 4.2% soon after the Journal’s report published. It subsequently pared gains and was up 1.2% in afternoon trading, at last check.
Since the merger between Kraft and Heinz closed in July 2015 – a megadeal arranged by Warren Buffett and private-equity firm 3G Capital Partners – shares have tumbled 69.6%. Meanwhile, the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR exchange-traded fund XLP has climbed 67.5% and the S&P 500 has run up nearly 202%.
Over this year, shares of Kraft Heinz have fallen 12.8%, compared with the S&P 500 index’s SPX gain of 6.5%.
In May, when Kraft Heinz announced it was exploring a possible transaction, management said Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) would no longer hold seats on Kraft Heinz’s board.
TD Cowen analyst Robert Moskow wrote in a research note that month that Kraft Heinz “should slim down its portfolio.” He also raised questions about what Berkshire would do with its 27% stake in the company, adding: “Our guess is that they will start selling this year, thus creating an overhang on the stock.”
More broadly, analysts have said Kraft Heinz still has its work cut out for it to reclaim lost customers.
Higher-end competition has hit mac and cheese, and competition from Hellmann’s has weighed on the company’s mayonnaise products. A recipe change to Capri Sun, intended to cut sugar, also posed challenges. Meanwhile, Consumer Reports last year raised concerns about health risks in Lunchables.
Kraft Heinz lowered its full-year outlook this spring amid what it called a “volatile” economic backdrop, marked by worries over tariffs and higher costs of living. The results marked the eighth straight quarter that top-line numbers missed expectations.
The company, during its earnings call in April, said it was doing “everything we possibly can” to avoid price increases. But analysts have said it may need to step up ingredient quality while offering discounts in order to bring back customers.
Kraft Heinz would not be alone in pursuing the breakup route to elevate shareholder gains. Earlier this year, for example, Honeywell International Inc. (HON) split into three companies in an effort to boost shareholder returns. Last year, entertainment giant Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) said it was considering spinning off its cable networks.
Parts of a conglomerate can be worth more separately than together, and investors may prefer to bet on pure plays on certain industries rather than having to contend with exposure to unwanted trends. Investors who hold onto their shares through the breakup would basically be paid the difference between the whole and the parts.
The Journal’s report on Friday arrived after consolidation happened elsewhere among companies whose products have become grocery-aisle mainstays. WK Kellogg Co. (KLG), the maker of Corn Flakes and Froot Loops, on Thursday agreed to be bought for $3.1 billion by Ferrero Group, the maker of Ferrero Rocher and Nutella.
-James Rogers -Tomi Kilgore -Bill Peters
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
07-11-25 1544ET
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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JPMorgan plans to charge fintechs for customer data, Bloomberg News reports
(Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase is planning to impose fees on fintech companies for access to its customer bank account data, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The largest U.S. lender has sent pricing sheets to data aggregators – intermediaries that link banks with fintech platforms – outlining new charges that may vary by use case, with payment-focused firms facing higher costs, according to the report.
“We’ve invested significant resources creating a valuable and secure system that protects customer data,” a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said.
“We’ve had productive conversations and are working with the entire ecosystem to ensure we’re all making the necessary investments in the infrastructure that keeps our customers safe.”
The move could disrupt the business model of payment apps, which rely on free access to customers’ financial data to process transactions.
Shares of PayPal fell 6.3%, Block was down 5.6%, while Visa and Mastercard lost 2.82% and 2.9%, respectively.
The new fees are expected to take effect later this year but are subject to negotiation, the Bloomberg News report said.
U.S. banking giants are pushing for lighter regulations under President Donald Trump’s administration battling Biden-era regulations over tougher capital requirements.
(Reporting by Prakhar Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)
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Gold price can hold $3,300 an ounce but faces growing competition in the commodity sector – KITCO
- Gold price can hold $3,300 an ounce but faces growing competition in the commodity sector KITCO
- Gold rises on Trump’s latest tariffs, firmer dollar caps gains Business Recorder
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- Gold News: Price Reclaims 50-Day Moving Average as Bulls Regain Control FXEmpire
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