The Buick Envista Sport Touring is an Affordable Luxury Ride
The Buick Envista Sport Touring is an Affordable Luxury Ride
Buick
The 2025 Buick Envista Sport Touring is a sleek, subcompact SUV that combines sporty aesthetics with practicality at an accessible price point. The Envista is Buick’s entry-level model, replacing the Encore, and is designed to challenge competitors like the Chevrolet Trax, Mazda CX-30, and Volkswagen Taos while offering a more premium look without the hefty price tag.
Exterior Design
The Envista’s sharp design is one of its standout features. The sloping roofline gives it a sportier, coupe-like silhouette with a sleek rear end and an aggressive front end with a stylish mesh grille. Standard 19-inch wheels and a pretty Aquamarine Blue Metallic paint option (new for 2025) provide a fresh, modern look.
Buick
Interior Design
Inside, the Envista has a very spacious cabin that comfortably seats four adults, offering ample rear-seat headroom despite its sporty roofline. The cabin materials are above average for its class, providing a nice blend of affordability and refinement. The dashboard features two large digital displays, an 8-inch gauge cluster, and an 11-inch touchscreen infotainment system housed under a sleek glass panel. The Avenir trim elevates the interior with upscale materials and finishes, offering a near-luxury feel at a much more affordable price.
Tech and Connectivity
The Envista offers a tech-savvy, user-friendly experience with Buick’s latest infotainment system. Standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto keep drivers connected without the clutter of cables. An onboard Wi-Fi hotspot is also included, making it easy to stay connected on the go. The dual-display setup not only looks modern but also enhances ease of use, ensuring drivers and passengers enjoy both functionality and style. Advanced safety features like lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and available adaptive cruise control add to the appeal, making the Envista both a tech-forward and safe choice.
Engine and Performance
Under the hood, the Buick Envista is powered by a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that delivers 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. The engine is efficient for urban driving, providing adequate acceleration for everyday use. On the road, the Envista’s performance is defined more by comfort than speed. It offers a comfy controlled ride with responsive steering and confident handling, but its 0-60 mph time of 9.3 seconds does not make it built for quick bursts of speed. Fuel economy is impressive, with an EPA estimate of 28 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.
Cargo Space
Practicality is a key feature of the Envista, with 20 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. With the rear seats folded down, this expands to 42 cubic feet, offering ample room for luggage and groceries. I didn’t have any trouble carrying a bunch of extra shopping and full gift bags in addition to a large suitcase and duffel bag.
Safety
The Buick Envista comes equipped with a suite of standard driver-assistance features, including automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. These features are great for safety-conscious drivers. For those looking for additional safety tech, there are optional upgrades like adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert, further enhancing the Envista’s safety credentials.
Pricing and Trims
The 2025 Buick Envista starts at a competitive price of $23,995, making it an excellent value in the subcompact SUV segment. The top-tier Avenir trim, priced at $29,695, offers more premium touches, including advanced safety features, a panoramic moonroof, and nickel-finished wheels.
Despite the lack of all-wheel drive and a more powerful engine option, the Envista’s design, tech, and practicality make it a great affordable, stylish subcompact SUV and the perfect ride for a weekend trip from LA to Vegas.
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‘US rift with Ukraine grows’ and ‘*** hunts new allies’
‘US rift with Ukraine grows’ and ‘*** hunts new allies’
The latest comments from world leaders over the war in Ukraine dominate the front pages. The Daily Telegraph carries comments from US President Donald Trump, who has criticised Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for saying a deal between Ukraine and Russia was “very, very far away”. Trump is quoted by the paper as saying Zelensky “won’t be around very long” if he does not end the war soon, and that a peace deal “should not be that hard a deal to make”. “Your time’s almost up,” its headline reads.
The rift between the US and Ukraine has deepened as “Europe seeks ceasefire”, the Guardian reports, also carrying Trump’s response to the Ukrainian president’s comments. The paper says the comments follow a French proposal for a partial one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine. The paper also carries a photograph of several winners from Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, smiling as they hold their golden awards.
The Daily Mail says hopes for a peace deal were “on the brink” on Monday night, describing Trump’s hint that he could pull aid for Ukraine as a “fresh salvo”. It references *** Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s comments to MPs that he would not send British troops to keep the peace in Ukraine unless the US provides security guarantees.
“Trump lambasts Europe for showing weakness”, is the headline on the front page of the Times. *** PM Sir Keir and other European leaders have said they won’t send peacekeeping troops into Ukraine without a security guarantee from America, it says. The paper also says there are “growing fears” Trump could halt Ukraine aid after he threatened to “pull the plug”.
The *** “hunts new allies to keep Putin at bay”, proclaims the I paper. With US support “unclear”, Sir Keir is trying to produce “a viable peace plan in weeks”, it says. It also refers to the Pope’s health after he experienced two episodes of respiratory failure.
Comments from Sir Keir make the front of the Daily Express. He is quoted as saying the *** must “lead from the front” in protecting Ukraine from the Russian “menace”, with the future of the country “vital for our national security”.
The Mirror says MPs from all sides have backed Sir Keir in his support for Ukraine, calling this a “rare show of unity”. It cites Conservative MP James Cleverly as saying the Labour PM has “not put a foot wrong” in talks with European leaders over the conflict.
Europe’s biggest powers are moving towards seizing more than €200bn (£165bn) in frozen Russian assets, the Financial Times reports. It says France and Germany, “long-opposed to a full-blown seizure” of the assets held in the EU, are now discussing with the *** and other countries how they could be used. Across the pond, Donald Trump’s return to power for his second term has helped drive an upsurge in Americans applying to be *** citizens, the paper reports. It says the number rose to its highest on record last year, adding that British tax changes also contributed.
The Metro carries the story of TikTok being investigated over its use of children’s data. It also refers to a separate investigation in which the BBC was told the social media platform was profiting from ******* livestreams performed by teens as young as 15. TikTok has told the BBC its recommender systems operated under “strict and comprehensive measures that protect the privacy and safety of teens”. It also told the BBC it had “zero tolerance for exploitation”. Elsewhere on the front, beaming celebrities clutch their Oscars trophies as the paper declares: “All smiles.”
And the Daily Star warns of a “Rise of the robo lackeys”, saying people will soon “have to be paid to do nothing” while chatbots do their jobs.
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RBA interest rates: February rate cut doesn’t guarantee two in a row, says Reserve Bank board minutes
RBA interest rates: February rate cut doesn’t guarantee two in a row, says Reserve Bank board minutes
The Reserve Bank’s board expressed caution about future policy easing after cutting interest rates for the first time in four years, minutes of its February meeting showed, worrying that rapid moves could jeopardise inflation’s return to the 2.5 per cent midpoint of its target.
The board discussed scenarios in which policy would be eased to boost economic growth or stay at current restrictive levels, according to minutes of the February 17-18 meeting released Tuesday.
The board concluded that the case to lower rates by 25 basis points to 4.1 per cent was the “stronger one” as upside risks to inflation had abated enough that it no longer needed the insurance that it had taken out in November 2023.
“Members agreed that their decision at this meeting did not commit them to further reductions in the cash rate target at subsequent meetings,” the minutes showed.
“While economic outcomes had given members more confidence that they could return inflation to target at the same time as preserving most of the gains in the labour market with a lower cash rate, they agreed that this was not yet assured.”
As a result, future decisions will be guided by incoming data, the minutes showed. Financial market pricing implies the RBA will cut at least two more times to bring the cash rate to 3.6 per cent by year-end.
The minutes shine a spotlight on why governor Michele Bullock sounded cautious last month after the board met market expectations to deliver a rate cut. While consumer prices have eased back from the very high rates reached in the immediate post-pandemic *******, core inflation remains above the top of the RBA’s 2-3 per cent target and it’s unlikely to hit the mid-point through the bank’s forecast horizon.
In expressing caution, members also noted that Australia has been a global outlier in the post-pandemic cycle by not raising rates as far as other developed world economies did while its labour market remains in a much stronger position than most peers.
The board “tended to place more weight on the downside risks to the economy”, the minutes showed. “Members were particularly mindful of the risk of keeping monetary policy tight for too long.”
Another reason for treading carefully was the implication of leaving rates at 4.35 per cent. Ms Bullock’s deputy Andrew Hauser had foreshadowed last month that the rate-setting board looked at an alternate scenario in which policy was unchanged this year and that resulted in core inflation undershooting the 2.5 per cent target midpoint. The minutes also mentioned this, though no further details were provided.
The minutes also signalled that the RBA is still sensitive to the possibility that consumption and the jobs market remain strong enough to frustrate efforts to bring core inflation down to target.
Underlining the mixed economic outcomes lately, data out after the RBA’s meeting showed Australia’s labour market remains strong with unemployment at a still low 4.1 per cent.
Ms Bullock has suggested that labour market tightness will be a key area to watch, with additional job strength having the potential to rekindle price pressures.
The RBA’s next meeting is on April 1.
Bloomberg
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Senate Democrats block bill to ban transgender students in girls’ sports
Senate Democrats block bill to ban transgender students in girls’ sports
Details on Trump’s transgender athletes order
Details on Trump executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports
03:13
Washington — Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a measure that sought to ban transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity.
The 51-45 vote fell short of the 60 required to advance the bill. Republicans, who control 53 seats in the upper chamber, needed at least seven Democrats to join them if all members were present and voting.
“This is the third time that I’ve had a vote on this bill. The other two times have failed because we have had almost zero Democrats help to support women and girls in sports,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who co-sponsored the legislation, said ahead of the procedural vote.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Feb. 19, 2025.
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
The bill, known as the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” would prevent schools from receiving federal funding if they allow transgender girls and women to participate in female athletic programs. It adds that a person’s sex “shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
The House passed a similar Republican-led measure in January, with two Democrats joining the Republican majority.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams. Schools not in compliance jeopardize any federal funding they receive. The order also affects U.S. visa policies for athletes who travel to the country to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events.
Those in favor of the bans contend that transgender athletes have biological advantages that are unfair and unsafe for other girls and women. Opponents of such policies have argued that a ban opens the door to intrusive ******** examinations of girls, particularly those who do not fit stereotypical feminine appearances.
Polling in recent years has found a lack of support for transgender athletes participating on sports teams that match their gender identity. About half of states limit transgender athlete participation.
Caitlin Yilek
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
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This country just warned its citizens about travel to the U.S.
This country just warned its citizens about travel to the U.S.
While Mexico has long been the most popular international vacation destination for American travelers, many Mexicans also regularly come to the U.S. for everything from visiting family to tourism.
According to statistics from the U.S. and ******** governments, more than 14 million ******** tourists entered the U.S. in 2024 while more than 40 million Americans vacationed south of the border during the same *******.
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But with a measles outbreak in Texas quickly spreading to both neighboring and distant states, the ******** government has issued an advisory for citizens who may be traveling there.
Background on measles vaccine and outbreak
The vaccine against the highly contagious respiratory disease was introduced in 1963 and rolled out by schools over the following decades, and the disease was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000.
The new outbreak has been caused by cases being brought in from other countries and spread in communities that refuse vaccination.
The telltale measles symptom is a blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body three to five days after the onset of other symptoms such as fever, cough and runny nose.
Related: This is why airlines are betting big on U.S.-Mexico travel
According to the latest update from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, now 146 cases have been reported, primarily in the South Plains region. Cases have also been identified in states like California, Alaska, Georgia and New Mexico as well as in the northwestern ******** state of Chihuahua.
“Before traveling, make sure you have your complete vaccination schedule,” the ******** government advisory reads. “[The] risk level of contracting measles is medium for people who go to Texas.”
‘If you present signs or symptoms, avoid traveling’: Mexico government
The ******** government told citizens to avoid travel if they have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, which in most countries is given to all children during their early years of life if their parents don’t object.
Statistics on existing cases show that 95% of them were people who had not been vaccinated or did not know their vaccination status against measles.
More on travel:
On Feb. 26 a school-aged child unvaccinated against measles succumbed to the disease in Lubbock, Texas, becoming the first recorded measles death in the U.S. since 2015. The outbreak has also caused alarm among Texas parents.
The misinformation around vaccination has become a political battle as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic who was recently confirmed as secretary of health and human services, incorrectly stated that such outbreaks were “not unusual.” Experts say that oubreaks like this one are rare since the vaccine was introduced. This was the first in a decade.
The most recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that one in every four measles cases requires hospitalization while one in every 1,000 can result in death. The incidence and risk of complications is highest in infants and children under age three.
“Make sure you have your vaccination schedule up to date, including measles vaccines according to the national vaccination schedule,” the ******** advisory to travelers reads further. “[If] you are sick or present signs or symptoms, avoid traveling or postpone your trip.”
Related: Veteran fund manager issues dire S&P 500 warning for 2025
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Carl Dean, Dolly Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 – Yahoo
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 – Yahoo
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 YahooDolly Parton’s Ultra-Private Husband of Nearly 60 Years, Carl Thomas Dean, Dies at 82 PEOPLECarl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of over 60 years and a man of mystery, dies at age 82 Knoxville News SentinelDolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, dead at 82 Fox NewsCarl Thomas Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, dies at 82 USA TODAY
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Jeep Grand Cherokee axed: Former Toyota Prado nemesis dead in Australia
Jeep Grand Cherokee axed: Former Toyota Prado nemesis dead in Australia
It was once Australia’s best-selling large SUV, but now the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been axed in our market.
“As we look to right-size the Jeep product portfolio to match local market dynamics and customer preferences, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause availability of the current model Jeep Grand Cherokee in Australia,” said a spokesperson for Stellantis Australia, the factory distributor for the Jeep brand.
“While the Jeep Grand Cherokee will continue to be sold in many countries around the world, this decision allows us to focus our efforts on placing the right products in the right segments that can have the greatest relevance for our customers.
“The Jeep brand remains fully committed to the *********** market and Stellantis continues to invest heavily in its global product portfolio.”
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert
The axing leaves Jeep with just the Avenger, Compass, Wrangler and Gladiator, though it has confirmed the electric Recon and Wagoneer S are planned for a 2026 launch.
The Grand Cherokee’s future in Australia was already looking murky, following Jeep’s confirmation earlier this year the new electric Wagoneer S would replace the Grand Cherokee in Europe.
Jeep has subsequently revealed a final edition of the Grand Cherokee in Japan with unique badging, as it phases the large SUV out in right-hand drive markets.
It’s been a long, long fall for the Grand Cherokee, which outsold the Toyota Prado in 2014 to become Australia’s best-selling large SUV.
Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert
That year, Jeep delivered 16,582 Grand Cherokees in Australia, accounting for more than half of total brand deliveries and beating out the Prado by 470 deliveries.
Last year, Jeep delivered just 645 Grand Cherokees, a slump of 48.3 per cent on the previous year. That means Grand Cherokee sales have fallen by 96 per cent since 2014.
The current WL generation launched here in 2022, initially only in long-wheelbase, three-row L guise – the first Grand Cherokee to offer seven seats.
But while it offered greater practicality, the WL did without the turbo-diesel V6 of its WK2 predecessor which had accounted for around 57 per cent of Grand Cherokee sales in Australia.
Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert
Indeed, there was no diesel available in the Grand Cherokee in any market.
Not only that, but the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 wasn’t offered in local-market models, though it was sold in markets like the US. That left just a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre petrol V6.
This meant the Grand Cherokee no longer boasted braked towing capacity of 3500kg to match popular body-on-frame SUVs, with the flagship Summit Reserve initially offering a capacity of just 2268kg.
In 2023, Jeep bumped up the claim to 2813kg across the range, and also launched a shorter, two-row version.
Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert
Despite criticism from Jeep enthusiasts, then-Jeep Australia managing director Kevin Flynn said in May 2022, “Without doubt, we will have some diesel customers which are going to have to reconsider and work out what actually do they need.”
“And it’s quite possible that actually the vehicle still with 2800[kg braked towing capacity] is still going to be enough for them to adequately pull what they need to pull.”
Jeep executives appeared to hint more powerful engines were possible, but these never eventuated despite the Hemi V8 being phased out overseas.
The WL therefore failed to arrest the protracted sales decline of the Grand Cherokee in Australia, despite the introduction of not only a three-row configuration but also a plug-in hybrid.
Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert
The plug-in hybrid joined the local lineup in 2023, though this was exclusive to the two-row Grand Cherokee and offered only in flagship Summit Reserve trim and priced at a lofty $128,950 before on-roads.
Jeep took an axe to Grand Cherokee prices in May 2024, with reductions of up to $28,000 on model year 2023 (MY23) vehicles.
This also saw the base price slashed by $12,500 to $65,450 before on-roads. Jeep is now advertising Grand Cherokees from under $60,000 drive-away, with some demo examples on their stock locator tool priced from as little as $54,990 drive-away.
Jeep never ended up bringing any MY24 Grand Cherokees to Australia.
Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert
As the Grand Cherokee’s fortunes have faded in Australia, so too have the Jeep brand’s.
The Grand Cherokee’s high watermark was also the Jeep brand’s in Australia, with the brand recording 30,408 deliveries in 2014.
Sales subsequently fell every year thereafter, apart from a slight increase in 2021.
Last year, Jeep delivered just 2456 vehicles here, down almost 50 per cent on the previous year. Every model apart from the newly launched Avenger posted double-digit declines.
Camera IconLeapmotor C10 Credit: CarExpert
Jeep’s dealership network has shrunk from 65 locations in 2021 to 44, though 12 of these recently picked up Leapmotor franchises.
The ******** brand and Stellantis have entered into a joint-venture to distribute electric and extended-range electric vehicles (EVs and EREVs) in various global markets, and Leapmotor’s first model here – the C10 – undercuts many other mid-sized electric SUVs.
The brand could therefore give struggling Jeep dealers a shot in the arm.
Camera IconJeep Wagoneer S Limited Credit: CarExpert
It’s unclear how the Wagoneer S will be priced in Australia. It’s slightly shorter and narrower than the two-row Grand Cherokee, and also has just two rows of seating.
It rides the STLA Large platform which supports combustion, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains, though thus far it has only been confirmed to offer electric power.
In the US, it starts at US$66,995 (~A$108,000), or still around US$6000 more than the most affordable Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid even after the reveal of a more affordable Limited trim.
MORE: Everything Jeep Grand Cherokee
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Elon Musk calls Social Security ‘the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time’ as calls mount to remove contribution caps for billionaires
Elon Musk calls Social Security ‘the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time’ as calls mount to remove contribution caps for billionaires
DOGE cost-cutter-in-chief Elon Musk likened the U.S. retirement system to a pyramid scheme during a podcast with Joe Rogan, arguing something needed to be done to stave off any threat of potential insolvency.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, fears America’s state-backed pensions are no longer safe as fewer working-age Americans can pay for retirees who live a longer life.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan podcast for the first time since his appearance just prior to the November election, he likened Social Security to an ******** pyramid scheme where returns are generated not through prudent capital allocation, but an influx of money from new investors.
“Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” Musk said.
The national press office for the Social Security Administration could not be reached by Fortune for comment.
When Americans retire, they collect their basic pension, the costs of which are financed through payroll taxes. Employees contribute 6.2% of their wages up to a maximum of $176,100, while U.S. employers have to match that sum as part of their non-wage labor costs.
This is known as a “pay as you go” system. It is typical of most wealthy countries, which all copied the same approach based on the assumption that a country’s birth-death rate would continue to favor a growing population. With over 75 million baby boomers set to retire by 2030, this prediction is no longer valid.
With Social Security comprising one-fifth of all federal spending, the system is coming under stress now that there are fewer working-age Americans paying in to fund their pensions—something that will only get worse as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration. At the same time, retirees are living longer, exacerbating these stress factors.
“We better fix what we’ve got right now, because if it’s bad now, it’s going to be much worse in the future,” Musk continued.
As a result of concerns over Social Security, a political feud is brewing over whether or not painful structural reforms are needed to ensure its fiscal viability, such as hiking the retirement age substantially or even cutting benefits.
John Larson, the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means subcommittee for Social Security, blasted the attack as evidence of a plan to gut the costly entitlement program.
“We will stand together to resist these cuts in every way possible,” he said in a Sunday statement.
In response, some are advocating for an end to the cap that means wealthier Americans can cover their contribution within weeks or even days of the new year—presumably without a proportionate increase to their benefits.
Story Continues
Advocates believe this could provide a large enough cash infusion to prolong the solvency of Social Security as is.
Musk’s preferred approach, at least for now, is eliminating government fraud and waste by removing benefits from those committing fraud, such as failing to report the death of a family member.
If his efforts as cost-cutter-in-chief prove successful, he fears retribution, for example, from families desperate to continue collecting their benefits.
“I actually have to be careful that I don’t push too hard on the corruption stuff, because it’s going to get me killed,” he said. “If I fully destroy the corruption and the graft, they will kill me.”
In addition, he argued the current hostility to his role as Trump’s closest political ally has put him in the same firing line as the president, who survived two assassination attempts during the campaign.
“They’re making it sound like, if you kill me, you’re a hero,” Musk said.
The December slaying of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson furthermore revealed the unpleasant truth that many Americans are celebrating his vigilante killer as a kind of avenging angel for blue-collar workers who believe they’ve been victimized by an unfair system.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 – The Associated Press
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 – The Associated Press
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 The Associated PressCarl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82 YahooDolly Parton’s Ultra-Private Husband of Nearly 60 Years, Carl Thomas Dean, Dies at 82 PEOPLECarl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of over 60 years and a man of mystery, dies at age 82 Knoxville News SentinelDolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, dies at 82 after nearly 60 years of marriage FOX 5 Atlanta
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Trbojevic hasn’t considered any move out of No.1 jersey
Trbojevic hasn’t considered any move out of No.1 jersey
Tom Trbojevic says he has not considered a move away from fullback, with Manly coach Anthony Seibold also putting any transition on the backburner.
Trbojevic will start the season as the Sea Eagles’ No.1, with rising star Lehi Hopoate the first-choice winger for Saturday’s clash with North Queensland.
One of the NRL’s most lethal fullbacks, Trbojevic’s long-term position has constantly been under the spotlight amid a string of injuries.
That debate intensified last season, when Hopoate emerged as a genuine future option for Manly at the back in a superb rookie year.
Seibold briefly toyed with playing Trbojevic at centre on return from a hamstring injury last July, a role the 28-year-old has starred in for NSW.
A future move to five-eighth has also been floated when Daly Cherry-Evans retires, as part of a switch that would see Hopoate wear No.1.
But after finishing fourth in the Dally M race last year and playing his most games since 2018, Trbojevic said he had not even contemplated a future position.
“It’s not really something I have even thought about,” Trbojevic said.
“I have obviously played centre before so I know what that is like, I have never played five-eighth in however long I have been playing footy.
“I feel like the way I finished last year at fullback is some of the best footy I have played.
“I get a lot of confidence from that, and I really enjoyed the back end of that and hopefully I can start the year in same way.”
Trbojevic also admitted at times he found the constant debate around his decision frustrating, insistent any decision on a future position need not be rushed.
Manly have won 36 of 55 games Trbojevic has started at fullback since the start of his 2021 Dally M year, scoring 57 tries and setting up 59 in that time.
Their record without him during that ******* is 15 wins from 46 matches.
Hopoate played No.1 as a junior, but the newly re-signed 20-year-old has also made clear he is happy to play on the wing while learning from Trbojevic.
“I’ve got a long-term plan for Lehi, but if you look at all the really elite fullbacks … it’s not an unusual journey Lehi is undertaking,” Seibold said.
“Turbo came through when Brett Stewart was fullback, played on the wing and played centre.
“Roger Tuivasa-Sheck came through when (Anthony) Minichiello was fullback, played on the wing.
“Minichiello came through when Luke Phillips was fullback at the Roosters, played wing.
“If Turbo isn’t the best fullback in the comp then he is definitely in the best two. He’s probably in the top three players overall. He’s a great person to mentor people.
“Lehi is only 20, he is right at the very beginning. He will eventually play fullback, but he is earning his stripes and will develop. What better person to do that under.”
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Trump administration pauses U.S. military aid to Ukraine
Trump administration pauses U.S. military aid to Ukraine
The turning tide of U.S. support for Ukraine
The turning tide of U.S. support for Ukraine
06:42
The Trump administration has paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the White House confirmed to CBS News on Monday. It’s the latest fallout days after a contentious meeting between President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House that erupted into an open dispute in front of TV cameras.
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace,” a White House official told CBS News. “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
The U.S. has been a key supplier of weapons for Ukraine as it continues to fend off the invasion launched by Russia three years ago.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Sara Cook
contributed to this report.
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Woman arrested after allegedly pulling horse tail in Daly City, 5-year-old thrown off
Woman arrested after allegedly pulling horse tail in Daly City, 5-year-old thrown off
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DALY CITY, Calif. – Daly City police have arrested a 29-year-old woman after they said she pulled a horse’s tail earlier this month, causing the animal to buck and throw a 5-year-old to the ground.
Police on Monday identified the woman as Tomasa Panjojleon of San Francisco in connection to what happened Feb. 23 at the Thorton Beach Recreation Area.
Police said she came up to the horse from behind and pulled its tail, causing the child to be thrown off.
Panjojleon was arrested by Daly City police on Saturday for felony child endangerment. She was booked into San Mateo County Jail, police said.
Mother Meri Fuerte said it was her son who went flying off the horse, after a woman and man, captured in a video, laughed about what happened and then disappeared from Ocean View Stables.
The team at Ocean View Stables said they did all they could to support the mother and child through the traumatic situation.
The barn manager also told KTVU that it appeared as though the 5-year-old was OK as he continued to stay at the stables for a while after being thrown off the horse.
Fuerte says her son didn’t show signs of an injury for some time after he was bucked.
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A new carbon form with potential for electronics
A new carbon form with potential for electronics
Orthogonal to sheet plane views of AA, AB1, AB2, and ABC stacking arrangements for graphyne. Only the AA and AB1 packing modes are consistent with the interplanar reaction of triple bonds to form polyacetylene chains in reacted graphyne. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2413194122
Graphyne is a crystalline form of carbon that is distinct from both diamond and graphite. Unlike diamond, where each atom possesses four immediate neighbors, or graphite, where each atom has three, graphyne’s structure combines two-coordinate and three-coordinate carbons.
Computational models suggest that graphyne has highly compelling electronic, mechanical and optical properties. It is predicted to be a semiconductor with a band gap appropriate for electronic devices, ultra-high charge carrier mobility far surpassing that of silicon, and ultimate strength comparable to that of graphene.
Applications of graphyne in carbon electronics, energy harvesting and storage, gas separations and catalysis have been proposed. While graphyne was first theoretically predicted more than three decades ago, its synthesis remained elusive.
The Rodionov group at CWRU developed the first practical synthesis of graphyne in 2022, and their work was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Now, in a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Rodionov group and an international team of collaborators from the University of Texas at Dallas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Deakin University (Australia), and Campinas University (Brazil) describe a transformation of graphyne in an entirely different form of carbon.
This transformation completely eliminates all the two-coordinate acetylenic carbons from graphyne, yet it preserves the layered structure. The transformation also modifies the band gap of the material. This finding may enable future techniques for fabricating all-carbon electronic chips with performance unattainable by the current silicon technology.
More information:
Ali E. Aliev et al, A planar-sheet nongraphitic zero-bandgap sp2 carbon phase made by the low-temperature reaction of γ-graphyne, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2413194122
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A new study reveals the structure of violent winds 1,300 light years away
A new study reveals the structure of violent winds 1,300 light years away
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
The planet WASP-121b is extreme. It’s a gas giant almost twice as big as Jupiter orbiting extremely close to its star–50 times closer than the Earth does around the sun. WASP-121b is so close to its star that tidal forces have locked its rotation in a “resonance”: the planet always shows the same face to its star, like the moon to the Earth. Therefore, one side of WASP-121b constantly bakes in light whereas the other is in perpetual night. This difference causes huge variations in temperature across the planet. It can be more than 3,000°C on one side and drop 1,500°C on the other.
This huge temperature contrast is the source of violent winds, blowing several kilometers per second, which try to redistribute the energy from day to night. Until now, we had to guess the strength and direction of the winds with indirect measurements, such as measurements of the planet’s temperature. In recent years, with the arrival of new instruments on giant telescopes, we’ve been able to directly measure the wind speed of certain exoplanets, including WASP-121b.
In our study published in the journal Nature that was conducted by my colleague, Julia Seidel, we not only looked at wind speed on an exoplanet, but also at how these winds vary with altitude. We were able to measure for the first time that winds in the deepest layers of the atmosphere are very different from those at higher altitudes. Put it this way: on Earth, winds blowing a few dozen kilometers per hour already make it hard to ride a bike; on WASP-121b, pedaling would be impossible, because the winds are a hundred times faster.
Our measurements reveal the behavior of a pivotal zone of the atmosphere that forms the link between the deep atmosphere–usually surveyed by telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope–and the outer zones where the atmosphere escapes into space, blown by the wind coming from its star.
How did we measure the atmosphere of a planet millions of billions of kilometers away?
To make our measurements, we used one of the most precise spectrographs on Earth, mounted on the largest telescope available to us: ESPRESSO at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), located in the Atacama desert in Chile. To collect as much light as possible, we combined the light from the VLT’s four 8-meter diameter telescopes. Thanks to this combination, which is still being tested, we collected as much light as would a 16-meter diameter telescope–which would be larger than any optical telescope on Earth.
The ultra-precise ESPRESSO spectrograph then enabled us to separate the light from the planet into 1.3 million wavelengths. This allows us to observe as many colors in the visible spectrum. This precision is necessary to detect different types of atoms in the planet’s atmosphere. This time, we studied how three different types of atoms–absorb light from the star: hydrogen, sodium and iron (all in a gaseous state, given the very high temperatures).
By measuring the position of these spectral lines very precisely, we were able to directly measure the speed of these atoms. The Doppler effect tells us that an atom coming toward us will absorb more blue light, while an atom moving away from us will absorb more red light. By measuring the absorption wavelength of each of these atoms, we have as many different measurements of the wind speed on this planet.
We found that the lines of the different atoms tell different stories. Iron moves at 5 kilometers per second from the substellar point (the region of the planet closest to its host star) to the anti-stellar point (the most distant) in a very symmetrical way. Sodium, on the other hand, splits in two: some of the atoms move like iron, while the others move at the equator directly from east to west four times faster, at the staggering speed of 20 kilometers per second. Finally, hydrogen seems to move with the east-west current of sodium but, also, vertically, no doubt allowing it to escape from the planet.
To reconcile all this, we calculated that these three different atoms are, in fact, in different parts of the atmosphere. While iron atoms lie at the deeper layers, where symmetrical circulation is expected, sodium and hydrogen let us probe much higher layers, where the planet’s atmosphere is blown by the wind coming from its host star. This stellar wind, combined with the rotation of the planet, probably carries the material asymmetrically, with a preferential direction given by the rotation of the planet.
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Why study the atmospheres of exoplanets?
WASP-121b is one of those giant gaseous planets with temperatures of over 1,000°C that are known as “hot Jupiters.” The first observation of these planets by Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz (which later earned them a Nobel Prize in Physics) came as a surprise in 1995, particularly because planetary formation models predicted that these giant planets could not form so close to their star. Mayor and Queloz’s observation made us realize that planets do not necessarily form where they are currently located. Instead, they can migrate, i.e., move around in their youth.
How far from their star do “hot Jupiters” form? Over what distances do these objects migrate in their infancy? Why did Jupiter in our solar system not migrate toward the sun? (We’re lucky it didn’t, because it would have sent Earth into our star at the same time.)
Some answers to these questions may lie in the atmosphere of exoplanets, which exhibit traces of the conditions of their formation. However, variations in temperature or chemical composition within each atmosphere can radically skew the abundance of measurements that we are trying to take with large telescopes such as the James Webb. In order to exploit our measurements, we first need to grasp how complex these atmospheres are.
To do this, we need to understand the fundamental mechanisms that govern the atmosphere of these planets. In the solar system, winds can be measured directly by, for example, looking at how fast clouds move. On exoplanets, we cannot see any details directly.
In particular, “hot Jupiters” orbit so close to their stars that we cannot separate them spatially and take photos of the exoplanets. Instead, from among the thousands of known exoplanets, we select those that have the good taste to periodically pass between their star and us. During this “transit,” light from the star is filtered by the planet’s atmosphere, which allows us to measure the signs of absorption by different atoms or molecules. In general, the data we obtain are not good enough to separate the light that passes on one side of the planet from the other, and we end up with an average of what the atmosphere has absorbed. As conditions along the atmospheric limb (i.e., the slice of atmosphere surrounding a planet as observed from space) can vary drastically, interpreting the final average is often a headache.
This time, by using a telescope that, in effect, is larger than any other optical telescope on Earth, and combining it with an extremely precise spectrograph, we were able to separate the signal absorbed by the eastern side of the planet’s limb from the signal absorbed by the western side. This allowed us to measure the spatial variation of the winds in the planet.
The future of atmospheric study of exoplanets
Europe is currently building the next generation of telescopes, led by the ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, which is scheduled for 2030. The ELT will have a mirror 30 meters in diameter, twice the size of the telescope we obtained by combining the light from the four 8-meter telescopes of the VLT.
This giant telescope will gather even more precise details about the atmospheres of exoplanets. In particular, it will measure the winds in exoplanets both smaller and colder than “hot Jupiters.”
But what we are all really waiting for is the ELT’s ability to measure the presence of molecules in the atmosphere of rocky planets orbiting in the habitable zone of their star, where water may be present in a liquid state.
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Senate Democrats block GOP-led bill to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports – CNN
Senate Democrats block GOP-led bill to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports – CNN
Senate Democrats block GOP-led bill to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports CNNSenate bid to prevent boys from playing girls’ sports gets stuck on filibuster Fox NewsDemocrats Block Bill to Bar Transgender Girls From Female Sports Teams The New York TimesSenate blocks ban on transgender athletes, as Trump pushes forward The Washington Post
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How many languages can babies learn? Study shows how Ghanaian babies grow up speaking two to six languages
How many languages can babies learn? Study shows how Ghanaian babies grow up speaking two to six languages
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Africa is a multilingual continent and many adults speak several languages fluently. An empirical study by a research team led by the Potsdam psycholinguists Prof. Dr. Natalie Boll-Avetisyan and Paul O. Omane now shows that the roots of this multilingualism can be found in infancy: In Ghana, most babies grow up multilingually, with most of them coming into contact with two to six languages and just as many regular speakers of each language.
The researchers also showed that the babies heard some languages primarily indirectly—i.e. via radio, television or background conversations—while other languages were used by their caregivers to directly communicate with them. The results of the study have now been published in the journal Cognitive Development.
The study, which examined 121 babies aged three to twelve months in Accra, the capital of Ghana, demonstrates a remarkable variety of language input in the early months of life. The children are regularly exposed to two to six languages.
Strikingly, the number of caregivers the children have also ranges between two and six, and babies who have more adults in their daily lives who regularly take care of them also hear more different languages. In Ghana, families often live in so-called “compound buildings,” where many everyday interactions take place in the courtyard, where family, neighbors and other relatives play an important role in the lives of children.
“The idea that a child learns only one particular language from a single caregiver, as is often assumed in Western cultures, does not apply to these communities. Rather, children are surrounded by a rich spectrum of linguistic inputs from the very beginning,” says O. Omane, the first author of the study.
“The majority of studies on children’s language acquisition have been conducted in Western industrialized nations, which is why they often focus on a rather narrow conception of multilingualism. Our research shows that other societies show a much more vibrant multilingual environment,” adds the study’s lead researcher, Prof. Dr. Boll-Avetisyan adds.
A key finding of the study is the distinction between direct and indirect language input. While English is primarily acquired through indirect channels such as television and official communication, children receive most of the local languages (such as Akan, Ga and ****) through direct contact with their caregivers. Accordingly, the proportion of direct input is higher in the local languages than in English, which is predominantly present as indirect input.
“It is often emphasized how important direct language contact is for language acquisition,” Boll-Avetisyan says. “However, our results suggest that indirect input—especially through media and official communication—also plays an essential role in the children’s daily lives, particularly in urban contexts.”
As a result of their empirical study, the researchers call for a broader view in language research. The common assumptions do not reflect the diversity and complexity found in other cultural contexts such as Ghana. The study makes it clear that it is not only the number of languages a child hears, but also the diversity of people and the different forms of input that have a decisive influence on language acquisition.
“Our research shows that for many children, a multilingual environment is a dynamic, vibrant reality from the very beginning. Multilingualism is not just a bonus, but a fundamental part of children’s identity and social structure,” the researcher says.
More information:
Paul Okyere Omane et al, Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana), Cognitive Development (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101558
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GWS sweating on star recruit's fitness for Magpie clash
GWS sweating on star recruit's fitness for Magpie clash
The GWS Giants are yet to make a call on star recruit Jake *********’s availability for their AFL Opening Round clash with Collingwood.
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Practical expertise drives salary premiums in the AI sector, finds new study
Practical expertise drives salary premiums in the AI sector, finds new study
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
A new analysis by researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change, examines how businesses in the *** are responding to the hiring gaps in AI-related recruitment, and whether skills proficiency commands a higher salary than a higher education degree.
In their paper titled “Skills or degree? The rise of skill-based hiring for AI and green jobs,” the team analyzed over 10 million online job vacancies in the *** between 2018 and 2024, and applied statistical analysis and a regression model to examine the association between higher education degrees, skills requirements and financial remuneration.
The researchers note several significant findings.
Specific skills now outweigh traditional qualifications in many AI jobs
Between 2018 and 2024, job postings requiring at least one AI skill increased by nearly 21%.
For AI-related roles, such as developing a chatbot like ChatGPT, job advertisements were three times more likely to mention explicit skills compared to job openings in other sectors.
AI-related occupations typically still require a higher level of education and a larger number of skills, reflecting the complex nature of these roles.
Fewer AI employers require formal higher education qualifications
Between 2018 and 2014, the number of AI job advertisements requiring formal higher education qualifications fell by 15%.
The demand for formal education requirements for AI roles has fallen over time, from 36% of AI roles in 2018 to 31% of AI roles in 2023, suggesting a slight shift towards employers valuing skills and experience over formal education in AI roles.
Shifts in demand for specialist skills lead to higher salaries in AI-related fields
Science, engineering, and technology jobs such as data science roles, requiring AI capabilities and skill-based qualifications, can lead to salaries that are three times higher than general roles stipulating higher education qualifications, like bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
AI skills and expertise are highly valued by employers, offering a 23% wage premium, compared to a 13% wage premium for masters’ degrees and a 33% premium for Ph.D.s.
In science, engineering, and tech jobs, the AI skills premium is 36%, higher than the wage premium for formal degrees.
Commenting on the findings, Dr. Fabian Stephany, Departmental Research Lecturer in AI & Work, Oxford Internet Institute, and co-author of the study, said, “Our research suggests that the ***’s labor market is undergoing a fundamental shift. The traditional path of university education leading to higher pay is no longer the default for AI professionals, who are now being rewarded for practical skills and industry-specific know-how.
“Education and training providers should embrace flexible programs informed by industry requirements and provide micro-certificates and credentials for skills acquired outside of formal education. By valuing a candidate’s proven abilities as much as their academic background, employers can gain access to a far wider talent pool—one better suited to handle the rapid evolution defining the future of work.”
More information:
Matthew Bone et al, Skills or degree? The rise of skill-based hiring for AI and green jobs, Technological Forecasting and Social Change (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124042
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Bride and Groom’s Home Exploded When They Said ‘I Do.’ A Wedding Guest Was the Culprit, Say Police
Bride and Groom’s Home Exploded When They Said ‘I Do.’ A Wedding Guest Was the Culprit, Say Police
A wedding guest who disappeared halfway through the festivities had snuck out to the happy couple’s Illinois home and blew it up, killing himself in the process, police say.
Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos were in the middle of their ceremony when their home in Cicero, Ill., exploded on Feb. 19, per ABC 7 Chicago, NBC 5 Chicago and The Chicago Tribune.
A guest who was missing from the wedding was found in the rubble, a Cicero town spokesperson said at the time, per the outlets. The deceased man was identified as 31-year-old Anthony Avila-Puebla, the outlets reported.
Cicero authorities say Avila-Puebla was the one who carried out the explosion, per ABC 7 Chicago, NBC 5 Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.
On the day of the incident, Avila-Puebla was caught on video parking his vehicle near the residence and carrying a 5-gallon jug inside, a Cicero town spokesperson said, according to NBC Chicago and ABC Chicago.
He was then seen leaving the residence with the jug, now empty, and returning to his vehicle.
On two more instances, video shows him entering the building carrying multiple *****.
An investigation revealed the ***** had flammable liquid, per the outlets.
The residence exploded soon after he was seen carrying the ***** in on one final occasion; Avila-Puebla was not seen exiting the home after that.
GoFundMe
Eleni Vrettos and Tom Davis’ home after the explosion
Related: Wedding Guest Missing After Bride and Groom’s Home Exploded as They Got Married: ‘A Lot to Grieve’
Avila-Puebla was reportedly in a relationship with someone who lives in the house, Cicero authorities said, per ABC 7 Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Further information surrounding the circumstances was not immediately available and Cicero authorities did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for further clarification.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Meanwhile, the couple are reeling from the loss.
“I ran here in my wedding dress, like down the alley, and was watching from a neighbor’s yard,” Vrettos said after the explosion, according to WGN-TV. “Everything was just smoke at that point.”
A GoFundMe set up for the couple, who said they lost their six cats.
“This home was more than just a house — it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years,” read part of the fundraiser.
“Now, they have lost everything — their belongings, their keepsakes, and the place they called home.”
Read the original article on People
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International research team decodes how to safely incinerate ‘forever chemicals’
International research team decodes how to safely incinerate ‘forever chemicals’
Structure of the synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometer of this study. Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt3363
An ***********-led team of international scientists have shown how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can be safely destroyed by burning them.
Theirs is the first study to trace the entire chain of chemical reactions as PFAS break down during incineration. The research paper, “Direct Measurement of Fluorocarbon Radicals in Thermal Destruction of Perfluorohexanoic Acid Using Photoionization Mass Spectrometry,” is published in the journal Science Advances.
Global concern around PFAS contamination is mounting because these “forever chemicals” persist and accumulate in the environment, causing significant harm to human and animal health.
There is currently a moratorium on burning PFAS in the United States, and regulatory uncertainty elsewhere.
This is because improper incineration does not completely destroy them, and risks spreading them further through the air. It also creates harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Now, researchers from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, the University of Newcastle, Colorado State University and the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory in Hefei, China, have defined a pathway for PFAS to be destroyed safely and completely, inside a hazardous waste incinerator.
CSIRO Environmental Chemist and study co-author, Dr. Wenchao Lu, explained how the interdisciplinary team studied a common type of PFAS called perfluorohexanoic acid.
“There are over 15,000 types of PFAS, but all of them share a strong fluorocarbon chain which doesn’t break down naturally,” Dr. Lu said.
“This is what makes them so persistent in our environments.”
Some of the chemicals formed during PFAS incineration exist for just 1 millisecond: shorter than a housefly’s wing flap. But identifying these intermediary molecules is crucial to determining what harmful products are formed throughout the process.
Researchers ionized then detected the different molecules created as the PFAS was burned. Using specialized equipment at the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, the researchers detected the short-lived molecules created as the PFAS burned.
“By taking ‘snapshots’ of the chemical reactions as they occur, we can see what intermediaries or harmful free radicals form inside the incinerator,” Dr. Lu said.
“These chemicals had been hypothesized, but never actually detected.”
Co-author from the University of Newcastle, Professor Eric Kennedy, said their results shed light on how PFAS can be safely destroyed at high temperatures.
“This study has identified intermediary molecules that are critical for us to ensure the PFAS molecule is completely destroyed, and to ensure no harmful byproducts are formed,” he said.
Co-author from Colorado State University, Professor Anthony Rappé, said, “This international team effort is illustrative of the collaborative environmental work that CSIRO leads.”
The ultimate goal of incinerating PFAS is a process called “mineralization.” This converts the strong fluorocarbon chains into inorganic compounds like calcium fluoride, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water.
These byproducts can, in turn, be captured at the source and transformed into reusable materials such as industrial chemicals, concrete, fertilizers and fuels.
While further research is needed, these insights offer a promising option for destroying PFAS safely, and for good.
PFAS occur in a range of consumer, industrial, and commercial products, such as non-stick food packaging and cookware, and legacy firefighting foams.
The chemicals can leach into soils and groundwater, travel long distances, and do not fully break down naturally, giving them their moniker of “forever chemicals.”
More information:
Ming-Gao Xu et al, Direct measurement of fluorocarbon radicals in the thermal destruction of perfluorohexanoic acid using photoionization mass spectrometry, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt3363
Citation:
International research team decodes how to safely incinerate ‘forever chemicals’ (2025, March 3)
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Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office spat with Zelensky, White House official says – CNN
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office spat with Zelensky, White House official says – CNN
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office spat with Zelensky, White House official says CNNTrump Pauses Military Aid to Ukraine After Clash With Zelenskiy BloombergTrump pauses U.S. aid to Ukraine after Oval Office dustup with Zelenskyy, official says Anchorage Daily NewsTrump pauses aid to Ukraine after fiery meeting with Zelenskyy Fox News
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Exmouth ******: Toyota Prado station wagon rolls, killing 27-year-old woman
Exmouth ******: Toyota Prado station wagon rolls, killing 27-year-old woman
A 27-year-old woman has died in a car rollover in Exmouth.
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Researcher uncovers hidden copy of Shakespeare sonnet
Researcher uncovers hidden copy of Shakespeare sonnet
Credit: University of Oxford
Dr. Leah Veronese from Oxford University’s English Faculty has unearthed a rare manuscript copy of Shakespeare’s famous Sonnet 116 tucked away in a 17th-century poetry collection. This treasure was found among the papers of Elias Ashmole (1617–1692), founder of the Ashmolean Museum and a strong supporter of the monarchy during the English Civil War. This is only the second known manuscript copy of the sonnet ever discovered.
Dr. Veronese came across this remarkable find while researching her DPhil (Oxford University’s version of the Ph.D.) in the Bodleian Library. The manuscript is part of a “miscellany,” a type of manuscript (a document written by hand rather than typed or printed) which contains a selection of texts from different authors on various subjects. Early modern poetry was often circulated in miscellanies; this manuscript even contains some of Elias Ashmole’s own original poetry.
Dr. Veronese explained, “As I was leafing through the manuscript, the poem struck me as an odd version of Sonnet 116. When I looked in the catalogue (originally compiled in the nineteenth century) the poem was described, not inaccurately, as ‘on constancy in love’—but it doesn’t mention Shakespeare. I think the combination of the additional first line ‘Self-blinding error seize those minds’ and absence of Shakespeare from the original catalogue description may be the reason why this poem has passed unnoticed as a copy of Sonnet 116 all these years.”
What makes this version particularly fascinating is how the poem has been adapted. The sonnet sits among politically charged works, for example banned Christmas carols and satirical poems on the tumultuous events of the early 1640s.
In this copy the sonnet has been adapted as a song set to music by the composer Henry Lawes. This copy only includes the text, but the music itself can be found in a book of songs in New York Public Library. The song-setting includes seven additional lines, and changes to the Shakespeare’s original opening and final couplet. The opening is changed from:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments; love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds
…to:
Self blinding error seize all those minds Who with false appellations call that love Which alters when it alterations finds
A likely practical reason for these added lines is to create more verses to be sung. However, in the context of the English Civil War, the additional lines could also be read as an appeal towards religious and political loyalty.
Although the additional lines are quite ambiguous in meaning, they read more politically when read in the collection of a Royalist, surrounded by Royalist poetry. The added lines potentially transform the sonnet from a meditation on romantic love into a powerful political statement. It is worth noting that the public performance of songs was outlawed during the Republican regime.
Many musicians, like Henry Lawes himself, survived by secret private performances in the home. Not only does this text provide us with a new example of how Shakespeare was being read during the civil war, but also how his texts were being politically repurposed to suit the issues of the day.
Professor Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford, said, “This exciting discovery shows that centuries of searching for evidence about Shakespeare and his early reception hasn’t exhausted the archives. ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ is now one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets, but it doesn’t seem to have been very popular in his own time.
“Whereas other sonnets were widely circulated and quoted, only one previous reference to this one was known. And what Dr. Veronese shows in her investigation of this new version is that the sonnet being understood in the context of Royalist politics—a long way from its role in modern weddings.”
Dr. Veronese’s discovery sheds new light on how Shakespeare’s words resonated, and were reshaped, during one of the most tumultuous periods in English history.
The paper is published in the journal Review of English Studies.
More information:
Leah S Veronese, A New Copy of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116: A Cavalier Cover Version, Review of English Studies (2025). DOI: 10.1093/res/hgaf002
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Researcher uncovers hidden copy of Shakespeare sonnet (2025, March 3)
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********* worked in schools despite ban
********* worked in schools despite ban
Louise Fewster & Sabbiyah Pervez
BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Investigations
St Giles Trust
Rashid Zaman starting working with children in 2021, and carried on doing so despite being added to the barred list in 2023
A convicted ********* spent almost two years working with children after he was barred from doing so, the BBC has learned.
Rashid Zaman, 44, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, served 15 years in prison for killing a man who tried to stop him and two others stealing a car in Halifax in 2001.
After his release, he began volunteering with the national charity, St Giles Trust, in 2021, and later became a paid employee who visited schools and young people’s homes.
The charity said Zaman, who has not responded to the BBC’s attempts to contact him, did not tell them he had been barred from working with children and that he was dismissed as soon as senior management found out.
The BBC has seen both of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates that St Giles asked Zaman to provide. The first, from 2021, did not say he was barred from working with children. But the most recent one, issued in March 2023, did say he was barred.
St Giles said its senior management was not aware of the outcome of the most recent DBS check until December 2024, which meant Zaman continued in his role – and had contact with 28 children – after being barred.
The charity said it “deeply regret the oversight”.
Zaman and two other men from Bradford were convicted of stabbing father-of-two Kevin Jackson in the head with a screwdriver, and beating him with a piece of wood near his home after he tried to stop the group from stealing his father-in-law’s car.
At the time the judge called the ******* “a cowardly and horrific act”.
Zaman was given a life sentence and was released from prison in 2017.
Four years later he started work at St Giles, which is one of nearly 1,500 registered charities in England and Wales working with ex-offenders across the country to help rebuild their lives.
West Yorkshire Police – Wakefield West
Rashid Zaman was pictured working for St Giles Trust alongside with West Yorkshire Police at Ossett bus station in August 2023
An enhanced DBS check would show up any previous convictions and whether or not someone has been barred from working with children.
It is seen as a vital part of safeguarding for organisations, and is required when anyone applies for a job with access to vulnerable people such as in teaching, social work and health services.
A former staff member, who wants to remain anonymous, told the BBC that St Giles’s safeguarding in this case was “appalling”, adding: “Clearly something is going wrong.”
They said Zaman went into “about three” schools, sometimes alone, as part of the charity’s SOS project in Yorkshire.
‘Young people at risk’
The early intervention programme prevents young people falling into criminal activity, and is delivered by ex-offenders as part of their reintegration back into society.
The source said Zaman “was doing outreach work, supporting young people in school and would liaise with families and carry out home visits”.
The source called for the charity to put stricter measures in place.
“I feel really upset and annoyed because they are not just putting the young people at risk, they are putting staff at risk too,” the ex-employee said.
Zaman’s DBS certificate from March 2023 showed he was barred from working with children
The DBS did not tell the BBC why he was allowed to work with children in 2021 and then barred in 2023, as it does not comment on individual cases.
It said serious offences committed after 2006 may lead to someone being automatically barred from working with children, but that offences committed before that time would lead to a discretionary barring investigation.
Not all murderers are necessarily barred from working with children – some will be able to appeal and persuade the DBS that they should not be on the barred list.
But it is an offence for someone on a barred list to undertake “regulated activity” with a group from which they are barred. They may face a fine or a jail sentence of up to five years.
People on barred lists can still do up to three days of teaching or training with children in any 30-day *******, in certain circumstances. It is not clear whether Zaman exceeded these limits.
West Yorkshire Police said it had launched a criminal investigation. The BBC understands Zaman was recently arrested.
‘This should never have happened’
DBS checks are issued directly to individuals, not the organisation requesting them, but a DBS spokesperson said it was the responsibility of employers to review employees’ certificates.
St Giles refused to answer when the BBC asked which schools Zaman had visited, how often, and whether parents had been informed.
A spokesperson said Zaman did not tell the charity about being barred, which meant he continued to work with children.
“This should never have happened,” they added.
“As soon as we became aware, we launched an internal investigation and re-checked all Yorkshire staff working with children, with no further concerns found. We have since strengthened our internal processes to ensure this cannot happen again and deeply regret the oversight.”
The spokesperson said the charity had an “unwavering commitment to safeguarding” and had “immediately” reported itself to both the Local Authority Designated Officer and to the Charity Commission.
They said after the incident, it reviewed the DBS checks of all of its employees working with children in Yorkshire and “no further issues” were identified.
They added: “Every person we employ undergoes rigorous risk assessments and criminal background checks, and each one is deeply committed to using their own experiences to help others.
“Evidence shows that lived-experience programmes like ours reduce offending by 21%, while also providing meaningful employment that allows people to give back to their communities.”
Employer involvement ‘critical’
The national charity’s income increased from £18.4m in 2022-23 to £21m in 2023-24 – with millions of pounds of funding coming from government grants and contracts.
It has received almost £400,000 from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority since 2020, for local projects.
Alison Lowe, the region’s deputy mayor for policing and crime, said she would not comment specifically on St Giles. But she said suspending funding was one step the council might take against an organisation being investigated for an alleged DBS breach.
She said safeguarding was “the number one most important issue” for any public authority.
Asked if it was an individual’s responsibility to inform an employer if their DBS said they were barred, she said: “I think it’s absolutely critical that the employer gets a copy of that document so that together they can make the right decision and keep our communities safe, and particularly keep our children and young people safe.”
The Charity Commission said it was investigating after St Giles reported a serious incident.
A spokesperson said it had opened a regulatory compliance case and it was “assessing the information to determine our next steps”.
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