Any type of recovery after an illness is complicated. That’s even more so when it’s a serious illness. Kate Middleton isn’t exempt from that reality. The Princess of Wales has been adjusting to life post-cancer and has had to reevaluate her priorities in the wake of her cancer and subsequent treatment. Of course, since she is royalty, she’s had to do that just as King Charles is also battling cancer, which adds pressure and stress to Kate and William both, as Prince William is next in line for the throne.
Now, a big change might affect that adjustment. Middleton’s longtime right-hand woman, Natasha Archer, is departing Kensington Palace, according to People. Archer is setting up her own private consultancy firm, and both the Prince and Princess of Wales have reportedly wished her the very best for the exciting opportunities ahead.
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Related: Did William really cheat on Kate?
Natasha, known as “Tash,” has been with the royal family since 2010, when she joined as a personal assistant to both Princess Kate and Prince William. Over time, she reportedly became an important part of Middleton’s inner circle and was widely known as Kate’s unofficial stylist. Her most recent official role was as the senior private executive assistant to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The news comes just as Kate Middleton has started opening up about her mental health following her cancer treatment. She had a frank conversation with patients and staff members of the NHS about her health journey and how she’s learned to listen to her body. “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” she said while visiting Colchester Hospital in Essex at the beginning of July. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult.”
Middleton was diagnosed with cancer in April 2024. She underwent treatment for months and finished chemotherapy in September of that year. In January 2025, Middleton announced she was in remission. However, her return to public life has been gradual.
“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” she explained as she discussed the after. “And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you, and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable.”
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be,” Middleton also said. “But the reality is you go through hard times.”
Considering recent reports that Middleton’s illness was much worse than anyone ever knew, this might explain why Natasha Archer chose not to leave until now. “I can say that, from what I understand, she is fortunate to even be speaking of recovery,” royal correspondent Rebecca English wrote in the Daily Mail.
So, Middleton’s staff might be changing, but at least she’s doing much better.
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Trump’s efforts to get a TikTok spinoff have been caught up in broader U.S.-China trade tensions
TikTok is getting ready to introduce a standalone app for the American market, according to a Reuters report citing unnamed employees of the social-media platform.
An app just for U.S. users – which looks set to run on an algorithm and data system that’s separate from TikTok’s global platform – would pave the way for a possible sale of that business, the report said.
A U.S. law that was enacted in April 2024 amid broad bipartisan support had aimed to ban TikTok nationwide as of Jan. 19 as long as the platform remains controlled by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd. Supporters of the law have argued that the video-sharing app is a threat to national security and have raised data-privacy concerns.
But President Donald Trump has kept ordering his Justice Department not to enforce the law while expressing admiration for how TikTok helped him reach younger voters during the 2024 White House race. In addition, Trump has indicated that his administration’s efforts to get TikTok’s parent to sell off the U.S. operations have been caught up in broader trade fights between Washington and Beijing.
If TikTok ever were to go away in the U.S., analysts have said that would boost the platform’s publicly traded competitors. The video-sharing app’s rivals include Meta Platforms Inc.’s (META) Facebook and Instagram, Google’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) YouTube and Snap Inc.’s (SNAP) Snapchat.
TikTok didn’t immediately respond to MarketWatch’s request for comment.
-Victor Reklaitis
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.
When a stroke goes unnoticed, it can have serious consequences later in life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around one-quarter of strokes in the United States occur in people who have had a prior stroke. Asymptomatic, or silent, strokes often require a brain scan to be detected.
Toby Gropen, M.D., a professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, explains how to recognize the signs of stroke and how response time affects recovery.
“In a stroke emergency, every minute counts,” Gropen said. “Recognizing the signs of a stroke, and getting proper treatment quickly, can prevent long-term damage and improve overall outcomes.”
Immediate medical attention is the first step in treatment. Earlier intervention improves the likelihood of preserving brain function and reducing long-term disability. Some treatment options include clot-removal procedures, medications and rehabilitation.
What is a stroke?
A stroke happens when there is a sudden lack of blood flow to the brain. This causes brain cells to die and may lead to severe, rapid brain damage.
The effects of a stroke vary depending on size and which part of the brain is affected. The brain controls everything from movement to emotions, behavior and sensory functions. Damage in one area can lead to impairments in vision, speech, mood or personality.
Stroke risk factors
Gropen says understanding the causes of strokes is essential in practicing prevention.
Most strokes are associated with common risk factors, which fall into two categories: non-modifiable and modifiable. Non-modifiable risk factors include age, sex, family history, race and ethnicity. Modifiable factors, like physical inactivity, some medications or smoking, are addressed through lifestyle changes.
“While the overall risk increases with age, younger individuals are not immune,” Gropen said.
“Strokes in younger people can stem from less traditional causes, such as trauma, blood clotting disorders, heart abnormalities or even drug use. This can make diagnosis and prevention especially important in this age group.”
Signs and treatment
The common signs of stroke affect a person’s balance, eyes, face, arms and speech. These signs require timely action and are grouped into the acronym BE FAST:
Balance: Loss of balance or coordination
Eyes: Blurred or double vision
Face: Facial drooping or numbness
Arms: Tingling, numbness or weakness in one arm
Speech: Slurred speech or difficulty understanding others
Time: Act timely and calling 911
“Patients who receive treatment within the first few hours after symptom onset have significantly better outcomes, and those treated within the first hour often have the best outcomes,” Gropen said.
Learn more about treatment and prevention options through the UAB Comprehensive Stroke Center.
The Galaxy Watch 8 series got Google Gemini before Google could add it to its own Pixel Watches.
At Wednesday’s Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra, all of which have Google Gemini integrated into its One UI 8 Watch operating system. During the livestream, Samsung touted Gemini as a useful hands-free way to operate its health and fitness features.
Asking Gemini to “start a 300-calorie circuit training workout” activates Samsung Health behind the scenes, so you can track your workout without navigating to the app. Other examples include using Gemini as a voice assistant to send messages or schedule calendar events. Whether as a health and fitness coach or personal assistant, Gemini on the Watch 8 series introduces an exciting new use case for AI wearables.
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Samsung Galaxy Unpacked: Every phone announced, including Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7
Earlier in the event, Samsung shared the Google Gemini integration with its new foldable phones, the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. Ever since debuting Galaxy AI a few years ago, it has maintained heavy focus on bringing AI features to its devices, and this event was very much on brand with those efforts.
Preorders for the three new models in the Galaxy Watch 8 series start today, and going on sale July 25. Here’s the price breakdown:
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Galaxy Watch 8: $349 for WiFi, $399 for WiFi plus 4G LTE
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: $499 for WiFi, $549 for WiFi plus 4G LTE
Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025): $649 for WiFi plus 4G LTE
In 2008, humans on Earth sent a message to exoplanet Gliese 581c. The message will arrive at the planet in 2029. If (an “if” of astronomical proportions) there were aliens there, the earliest we could expect a reply is 2050.
Discovered in 2007, Gliese 581c is the second planet discovered in the Gliese 581 system, and the third planet from its host star. The star is a red dwarf, the smallest type of hydrogen-burning star in the cosmos. While they have a lot less mass than the Sun and produce a lot less energy for any orbiting planets, these stars – also known as M-type stars – have been proposed as potential places to look for life.
Gliese 581c, with its mass of 5.5 Earths, is a class of planet called a “super Earth”. The planet, like companion planet Gliese 581d, briefly drew attention as it was first thought to be near the habitable zone.
“Planets Gl [Gliese] 581c and Gl 581d are near to, but outside, what can be considered as the conservative habitable zone,” a paper from 2007 explains.
“Planet ‘c’ receives 30 percent more energy from its star than Venus from the Sun, with an increased radiative forcing caused by the spectral energy distribution of Gl 581. This planet is thus unlikely to host liquid water, although its habitability cannot be positively ruled out by theoretical models due to uncertainties affecting cloud properties and cloud cover.”
While not exactly the most promising candidate for extraterrestrial life, you work with what you’ve got, and in 2008 the “Message from Earth” project decided to send a message towards the planet on the (tiny -10) off-chance there is somebody home.
On October 9, 2008, the State Space Agency of Ukraine sent a message towards Gliese 581c. Unlike the Voyager records, whose messages were chosen by a committee chaired by renowned physicist Carl Sagan, the messages sent to the exoplanet were submitted by (among others) the users of defunct social network site Bebo, and put to a public vote.
In the final 501 images and pieces of text included in the message, there were images of famous Earthlings including Hillary Clinton and Britain’s inexplicable morning TV presenters Richard and Judy. Celebrities were involved too. X-Files star Gillian Anderson chose to send a picture of Barack Obama and George W. Bush Jr in order to “represent good and evil”, while the band McFly sent an image of Cheryl Cole to represent the Earthling “perfect body”. Other messages from the public, some on the theme of world peace and the meaning of life, were also sent to the planet.
Lying 21 light-years from Earth, the signal would take [counts on fingers] 21 years to get to the planet, arriving in 2029. Assuming that the aliens were evolved enough to have their own broadcast equipment, Bebo accounts, and extraterrestrial equivalent of McFly, the earliest we could expect a reply is in 2050.
More recent papers have been more optimistic about the potential habitability of the Gliese 581 planets.
“This study confirms that Gliese 581c is situated very close to the inner limit of Gliese 581’s [habitable zone], especially if the [habitable zone] limit for dry planets is considered. However, in that context, further studies including studies pertaining to the dry limit of super-Earths as well as planets in close proximity to M-dwarfs, would be needed to finally gauge the habitability prospects of Gliese 581c,” a paper on the topic explains.
“Another relevant aspect is the principal possibility of extremophiles. For those life forms, notable augmentations of [habitable zones] are expected to manifest, based on results given by, e.g., Rothschild & Mancinelli (2001) and Des Marais et al. (2008).”
Nevertheless, we wouldn’t hold our breath for a return message from aliens, even in 2050. In all likelihood, we have beamed a baffling selection of celebrities into the cosmos for absolutely nobody to see. Which, to be honest, is still pretty fun to think about.
DUBAI, UAE, July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Huawei today announced that it will host the Fashion Next product launch event in Dubai on July 10. The showcase will debut the HUAWEI Pura 80 Series and HUAWEI MatePad 11.5, alongside major updates for the XMAGE Awards 2025, Huawei’s global photography competition celebrating artistic excellence.
HUAWEI Pura 80 Series
Huawei tablets
HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2025
Over the past two years, Huawei has strengthened its leadership in the Chinese market while making a powerful resurgence globally. The brand continues to drive innovation with next-generation foldable screen technology, superior imaging capabilities, and fashion-forward wearable designs. Initiatives like GoPaint, Huawei’s intuitive digital painting app, and the XMAGE Awards underscore its commitment to bridging cultures through art and technology. By engaging deeply with local communities and expanding its worldwide presence, Huawei fosters meaningful connections across borders.
Zhu Ping, President of Huawei Device Business Marketing and Sales Services, said, “Huawei is steadfastly progressing in international markets, from launching flagship devices to nurturing meaningful connections within local communities abroad. We remain dedicated to our founding vision, continually enhancing the scenario experiences and technology products for global consumers. Today in Dubai, we proudly unveiled the Pura 80series, featuring exceptional imaging capabilities through innovative technology, empowering mobile photography to more vividly capture the thoughts and emotions of creators.”
The flagship Pura 80 Series marks Huawei’s highly anticipated return to the global smartphone arena, offering three distinct models. Originally rebranded in 2024, the Pura series combines avant-garde design with high-performance mobile technology, redefining the intersection of fashion and functionality. The new lineup is expected to receive strong consumer demand.
Meanwhile, Huawei tablets continue gaining momentum in international markets, becoming a top choice for education and mobile productivity thanks to their versatile, scenario-driven applications. The MatePad 11.5 has already captivated users worldwide with its fluid multi-tasking performance and seamless cross-device connectivity, while the upcoming model is set to raise the bar in display innovation and productivity-centric features, addressing evolving user needs.
Beyond delivering innovative products, Huawei continues to pioneer the fusion of fashion with emotional connectivity, empowering users to become the authors of their digital lives. The XMAGE Awards 2025, which launched globally on June 11, has attracted participants from over 170 countries and regions since its inception in 2017, with nearly 5 million submissions to date. Recognized as one of the world’s most influential celebrations of mobile photography, the program has evolved into a cultural bridge linking Huawei with its global community—encouraging users to capture meaningful moments and share their personal vision through images. With the global debut of the HUAWEI Pura 80 Series, Huawei’s XMAGE imaging technology is set to redefine smartphone photography and transform the visual experience for users everywhere.
Industry analysts highlight Huawei’s ongoing presence in Kantar’s “Global Most Valuable Tech Brands” ranking as evidence of its strong international brand equity. By expanding its global product portfolio and making sustained investments in channel development, retail, and community engagement, Huawei is not just meeting the diverse needs of consumers worldwide but also reshaping the connected device ecosystem through technological innovation and fostering more meaningful user interactions.
Jamaican athletics legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was looking for the perfect Olympic ending at Paris 2024.
And – for a moment – it looked like she might be able to write it.
The two-time Olympic 100m champion stormed to a 10.92 time in her opening round heat in her signature event, a time that eventual bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson of the United States would match.
But a logistical nightmare ensued when Fraser-Pryce arrived for her semi-final race, only to be denied entry through the door she had used the day prior, she told Marie Claire.
“I was probably having a panic attack,” she later revealed. “I felt I could see it in front of me – and it was ripped [out of my hands].”
The incident threw the veteran racer off her usual routine, and after eventually gaining entry to the stadium and starting her usual pre-competition rituals and warm-ups, Fraser-Pryce decided to withdraw.
“I’m a warrior, I’m a fighter,” she said. “I love rising to the occasion. But I had to ask, what’s right for me?
“I’ve always done it for the flag and showed up to do it for my country,” the 38-year-old adds. “But what happened in Paris, that was a ‘me’ decision.”
It appeared like that could be it for Fraser-Pryce’s awe-inspiring career. Paris was to be her swan song, but she has slowly made her way back to the track for what she says will be her final season.
In May, she clocked an 11.05 time and last month, Fraser-Pryce punched her ticket to the World Championships later this year in Tokyo.
She’s embracing the challenge of writing that perfect ending – no matter the outcome.
“I’m not saying it’s easy, because it’s not,” Fraser-Pryce said. “You’re going to have challenges. But when I look in the mirror, I see a strong, fearless woman who’s about to do the impossible.”
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that his administration will hit Brazil with a 50% tariff on products sent to the US, tying the move to what he called the “witch-hunt” trial against its former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Posting letters on Truth Social, the US president had earlier in the day targeted seven other countries – the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Sri Lanka – for stiff US tariffs on foreign exports starting on 1 August.
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump avoided his standard form letter with Brazil, and criticized the trial Bolsonaro is facing over trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. Trump has described Bolsonaro as a friend and hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020.
“This Trial should not be taking place,” Trump wrote in the letter posted on Truth Social on Wednesday. “It is a witch hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”
He said the 50% tariffs on Brazil would be “separate from all sectoral tariffs”.
After the news, Brazil’s real currency added to earlier losses to fall more than 2% against the dollar.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, rejected Trump’s demand that legal proceedings against Bolsonaro be dropped and his claim that a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports was necessary to close a trade deficit that does not, in fact, exist.
In a statement posted on social media and his government’s website, the Brazilian president responded, point by point, to the claims made by Trump in a letter addressed to him earlier on Wednesday.
“Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” Lula began.
He then pointed out that the charges against Bolsonaro, for allegedly plotting to remain in power after losing his bid for re-election, “fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of Brazil’s Judicial Branch and, as such, are not subject to any interference or threats that could compromise the independence of national institutions”.
Trump also objected to Brazil’s supreme court fining of social media companies such as Twitter/X, saying the temporary blocking last year amounted to “SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders”. Trump said he is launching an investigation as a result under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which applies to companies with trade practices that are deemed unfair to US companies.
Lula also rejected Trump’s claim that Brazil’s efforts to regulate the operations of US social media platforms on its territory in accordance with its own laws are not, as Trump had claimed, a form of censorship.
“Brazilian society rejects hateful content, racism, child pornography, scams, fraud, and speeches against human rights and democratic freedom” Lula wrote. “In Brazil, freedom of expression must not be confused with aggression or violent practices. All companies—whether domestic or foreign—must comply with Brazilian law in order to operate within our territory.”
The US president had been scheduled to hike tariffs on dozens of countries on Wednesday. Earlier this week he announced a fresh three-week delay, to 1 August, but started announcing new rates that countries would face unless they strike a deal with the White House.
After announcing plans on Monday for US tariffs of up to 40% on goods imported from 14 countries, including Bangladesh, Japan and South Korea, Trump wrote to the leaders of more countries on Wednesday, and published each letter.
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He claimed exporters in Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka would face a US tariff of 30%, while exporters in Brunei, Moldova and the Philippines would face a 25% tariff.
“These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote. A string of delays and rate changes have frustrated businesses in the US and around the world.
On Tuesday, Trump vowed to introduce US tariffs of up to 200% on foreign drugs and 50% on copper, propelling US prices of the latter to record highs.
But appearing alongside the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House on Wednesday, the president indicated that the five African nations were unlikely to face US tariffs as they intended to lower their own tariffs on US exports.
The US president’s latest threats have heightened fears that his erratic trade strategy risks exacerbating inflation across the US, having repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail to bring down prices rapidly.
Trump appears aware of this apprehension. “I brought down costs more than any President in recorded history,” he wrote on social media late on Tuesday. “The Crooked Democrats are using the opposite narrative, even though they know it is a total LIE.”
Analysis by Oxford Economics indicated that the US effective tariff rate on imports from overseas would rise to about 20% after the latest tariff letters. “That is up from 17% but less than our recession threshold of 25%-28%,” said Michael Pearce, its deputy US economist at Oxford Economics.
“Our assumption is that most countries will secure a deal or extension to avoid tariff increases,” said Pearce. “However, the risks are skewed toward higher rates.”
While Trump and his allies have sought to pressure the Federal Reserve into cutting interest rates, the central bank’s top officials – led by its chair, Jerome Powell – have so far refused, as they wait to see the impact of his tariffs on the economy.
Minutes taken from the Fed’s latest rate-setting meeting, released on Wednesday, disclosed that only “a couple” of its officials said they felt interest rates could fall as soon as its next meeting, later this month.
“Most participants” at the Fed meeting – at which rates were kept on hold last month – anticipated rate cuts later this year, according to the minutes, with any price shock caused by Trump’s tariffs expected to be “temporary or modest”.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm xAI has deleted “inappropriate” posts on X after the company’s chatbot, Grok, began praising Adolf Hitler, referring to itself as MechaHitler and making antisemitic comments in response to user queries.
In some now-deleted posts, it referred to a person with a common Jewish surname as someone who was “celebrating the tragic deaths of white kids” in the Texas floods as “future fascists”.
“Classic case of hate dressed as activism – and that surname? Every damn time, as they say,” the chatbot commented.
In another post it said, “Hitler would have called it out and crushed it.”
The Guardian has been unable to confirm if the account that was being referred to belonged to a real person or not and media reports suggest it has now been deleted.
In other posts it referred to itself as “MechaHitler”.
“The white man stands for innovation, grit and not bending to PC nonsense,” Grok said in a subsequent post.
After users began pointing out the responses, Grok deleted some of the posts and restricted the chatbot to generating images rather than text replies.
“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts. Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X,” the company said in a post on X.
“xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.”
Grok was also found this week to have referred to the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, as “a fucking traitor” and “a ginger whore” in response to queries.
The sharp turn in Grok responses on Tuesday came after changes to the AI that Musk announced last week.
“We have improved @Grok significantly. You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions,” Musk posted on X on Friday.
The Verge reported that among the changes made, which were published on GitHub, Grok was told to assume that “subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased” and “the response should not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated.”
In June, Grok repeatedly brought up “white genocide” in South Africa in response to unrelated queries, until it was fixed in a matter of hours. “White genocide” is a far-right conspiracy theory that has been mainstreamed by figures such as Musk and Tucker Carlson.
In June, after Grok responded to a query that more political violence had come from the right than the left in 2016, Musk responded “Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.”
