Daily News Podcast 2025-08-01

Tajikistan is on track to achieve near-universal electrification in its remote, mountainous province of Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon (VMKB) by the end of 2025. This is due to three major energy initiatives led by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED). These initiatives include the 11-megawatt Sebzor Hydropower Plant (HPP), new grid infrastructure, and decentralized renewable energy systems under the Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project (TREP). Sustained investments by Pamir Energy since 2002 have increased access to affordable, reliable, and clean electricity in VMKB from 13% to nearly the entire population of about 220,000 people. --- ARTICLE TEXT --- Topic: World Title: VMKB in Tajikistan set for near-universal electrification Source: Aga Khan Development Network Full_article: In a historic milestone for sustainable energy development in Central Asia, Tajikistan is set to achieve near-universal electrification of one of the region’s most remote and mountainous provinces by the end of 2025, following the launch of three major energy initiatives. Led by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the initiatives in Tajikistan’s Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon (VMKB) include the 11-megawatt Sebzor Hydropower Plant (HPP), new critical grid infrastructure and the deployment of decentralised renewable energy systems under the Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project (TREP). Together with sustained investments made by Pamir Energy since 2002, access to affordable, reliable, and clean electricity in VMKB has increased from just 13 percent in 2002 to covering virtually the entire population by 2025, reaching approximately 220,000 people. --- END ARTICLE TEXT --- Source: Global Trade Review (GTR) Mizuho banker Tsutomu Yamamoto has been appointed as the Managing Director of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (Miga) by the World Bank. Yamamoto, who currently serves as a senior managing executive officer at Mizuho, will assume his new role in early December, succeeding Hiroshi Matano. With over 30 years of experience in banking and finance, Yamamoto's expertise is expected to be invaluable in expanding Miga's guarantee business. Miga provides guarantees for trade finance products and investments in emerging markets and the World Bank aims to issue at least $20 billion in guarantees by the end of the decade. --- ARTICLE TEXT --- Topic: Business Title: World Bank picks Mizuho banker to lead Miga Source: Global Trade Review (GTR) Full_article: The World Bank has appointed Mizuho banker Tsutomu Yamamoto as managing director of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (Miga). Yamamoto will take up the role in early December, succeeding Hiroshi Matano, the organisation says in a statement. He currently serves as a senior managing executive officer at Mizuho and head of the Japanese lender’s global transaction banking unit. He has been at the bank, including a predecessor bank, since 1991 and has held executive roles across the Americas, Asia and Europe, according to a Miga statement. “Tsutomu Yamamoto has more than 30 years of experience in banking and finance at Mizuho,” says World Bank Group president Ajay Banga. “Given the crucial role guarantees have to play in mobilising the private sector to create jobs, his expertise will be invaluable for growing our guarantee business.” Miga provides guarantees for trade finance products such as loans and letters of credit issued by commercial banks, as well as for projects and other investments in emerging markets. Last year, the World Bank revamped its guarantee services by bringing them all under Miga, and said it was aiming to issue at least US$20bn in guarantees by the end of this decade. The World Bank’s guarantee platform issued US$12.3bn in guarantees in the most recent financial year, Miga says. --- END ARTICLE TEXT --- Source: Game Developer Guillaume Provost, founder of Compulsion Games, believes Brazil is a leading emerging market in the game industry. He advises Brazilian developers to prioritize discoverability to maintain growth. Drawing from his experience with games like "We Happy Few," Provost suggests focusing on what makes a game stand out and crafting a compelling, easily digestible story. He emphasizes understanding the target audience early in pre-production and integrating marketing into the game's development process, such as building trailers internally. By understanding how to market the game during development, studios can create targeted assets and strategies, enhancing their visibility and success. --- ARTICLE TEXT --- Topic: Technology Title: Compulsion Games boss tells Brazilian devs to bake discoverability into the bedrock of their games Source: Game Developer Full_article: Compulsion Games founder Guillaume Provost says Brazil is a frontrunner among the emerging markets in the game industry, but feels developers in the region must focus on discoverability in order to continue building momentum. Provost has overseen We Happy Few and South of Midnight developer Compulsion since it started out as an indie studio in 2009. A lot has changed since then, with the Montreal-based studio joining the Xbox Game Studios roster in 2018 after being acquired by Microsoft. The industry veteran—who also had a stint as an advisor at global content fund Kowloon Nights—has plenty of experience in charting the high seas of the video game industry, and speaking to Game Developer at Gamescom Latam had some wise words for his peers in Brazil. Provost said Brazil reminds him of Montreal two decades ago because there's a litany of independent studios that are learning from each other and collaborating to push the entire region forward. He also claimed the country is still "yearning" for an anchor in the form of a large employer that can help spread expertise through the area. The challenges facing devs in the region, however, are slightly different from the ones encountered by Provost when he was kickstarting Compulsion in Canada. Related:How Balatro publisher Playstack delivered a marketing masterclass "When I started in 2009 the biggest problem was getting on shelves in Walmart. Steam was not a thing. Today, the largest issue we have in the independent and smaller market is discoverability on all the storefronts," he says. "The biggest feedback I'd have for anyone who is in the sub $10 million budget with a team of fewer than 40 employees is really honing in on what makes your game stand apart and how it's going to punch through the noise barrier." He said companies of that scale generally have the means to attend events like PAX and Gamescom, where they might cross paths with journalists, but feels those meetings generally aren't enough to "garner sufficient attention unless you have a story you can tell that's easily digested." As for how smaller studios in Brazil can become more visible, Provost explained it's crucial to understand the kind of audience you want to attract and cater to them from the outset. "We concentrate internally on creating really great assets," he added, explaining how Compulsion tackles that challenge. "We build all of our trailers internally, for example. We make that part of our pre-production pipeline. Understanding when we start a project what's going to make the game special, how we're going to build it, why do we think it's different, and how we're going to sell it [is vital]." Related:PlayStation platformer Astro Bot dominates 2025 BAFTA Games Awards "To give you a concrete example, for some of our [South of Midnight] trailers we built the narrative of a cutscene knowing it was going to be a part of the trailer as a result of our understanding of how we were going to market the game as we were building it. We weren't trying to figure it out at the end." By answering the 'audience' question during pre-production, Compulsion is able to embed marketing into the very fabric of the game. How other devs approach the same task will vary, but the point remains: understand your audience and be intentional from the outset about how you're going to find them. Game Developer was invited to Gamescom Latam by event partner Abragames, which covered flights and accommodation. --- END ARTICLE TEXT --- Source: The Age During an AFL match at Adelaide Oval, Jordan Dawson made a long, accurate pass to Riley Thilthorpe, who scored his fourth goal. Adelaide has made a substitution, replacing Brayden Cook with Chayce Jones. Jones, usually a wingman, will play as an inside midfielder, a role he has been performing in the SANFL season. He will focus on guarding Will Day in the middle of the field, using his speed and fresh energy. --- ARTICLE TEXT --- Topic: Sports Title: Follow AFL round 21 scores, results, odds, squads and start time from Adelaide Oval in Adelaide Source: The Age Full_article: The best way to end a long dry spell? Go long, down the guts, and to your most unstoppable contested mark. Jordan Dawson – Adelaide’s best user of the footy by foot – launched a searing entry, which was swallowed by Riley Thilthorpe (the Crows’ best forward), who booted his fourth. Meanwhile, Adelaide have activated their sub, with Brayden Cook coming off for Chayce Jones. Jones is better known as an outside wingman, but he was originally drafted by Adelaide as an inside midfielder and has been playing most of the SANFL season in that role. Jones subbed in for the unsighted Cook and went immediately to Will Day in the middle. Jones will have his work cut out for him in minding the brilliant Day, but his fresh legs and renowned pace will be a watch. --- END ARTICLE TEXT --- Source: ScienceDaily Rutgers physicists have discovered a new quantum state of matter called quantum liquid crystal at the interface of a Weyl semimetal and spin ice, under high magnetic fields. This state exhibits unique electronic anisotropy, conducting electricity differently in different directions and potentially paving the way for advanced quantum sensors. The material's conductivity is lowest at six specific directions, but when the magnetic field increases, electrons flow in two opposite directions. This rotational symmetry breaking indicates a novel quantum phase. Scientists aim to control material properties and design highly sensitive magnetic field sensors, working best in extreme conditions, through further understanding of this phenomenon. --- ARTICLE TEXT --- Topic: Science Title: Rutgers physicists just discovered a strange new state of matter Source: ScienceDaily Full_article: Scientists have discovered a new way that matter can exist - one that is different from the usual states of solid, liquid, gas or plasma - at the interface of two exotic, materials made into a sandwich. The new quantum state, called quantum liquid crystal, appears to follow its own rules and offers characteristics that could pave the way for advanced technological applications, the scientists said. Reporting in the journal Science Advances, a Rutgers-led team of researchers described an experiment that focused on the interaction between a conducting material called the Weyl semimetal and an insulating magnetic material known as spin ice when both are subjected to an extremely high magnetic field. Both materials individually are known for their unique and complex properties. "Although each material has been extensively studied, their interaction at this boundary has remained entirely unexplored," said Tsung-Chi Wu, who earned his doctoral degree in June from the Rutgers graduate program in physics and astronomy and is the first author of the study. "We observed new quantum phases that emerge only when these two materials interact. This creates a new quantum topological state of matter at high magnetic fields, which was previously unknown." The team discovered that at the interface of these two materials, the electronic properties of the Weyl semimetal are influenced by the magnetic properties of the spin ice. This interaction leads to a very rare phenomenon called "electronic anisotropy" where the material conducts electricity differently in different directions. Within a circle of 360 degrees, the conductivity is lowest at six specific directions, they found. Surprisingly, when the magnetic field is increased, the electrons suddenly start flowing in two opposite directions. This discovery is consistent with a characteristic seen in the quantum phenomenon known as rotational symmetry breaking and indicates the occurrence of a new quantum phase at high magnetic fields. The findings are significant because they reveal new ways in which the properties of materials can be controlled and manipulated, Wu said. By understanding how electrons move in these special materials, scientists could potentially design new generations of ultra-sensitive quantum sensors of magnetic fields that work best in extreme conditions - such as in space or inside powerful machines. Weyl semimetals are materials that allow electricity to flow in unusual ways with very high speed and zero energy loss because of special relativistic quasi-particles called Weyl fermions. Spin ice, on the other hand, are magnetic materials where the magnetic moments (tiny magnetic fields within the material) are arranged in a way that resembles the positions of hydrogen atoms in ice. When these two materials are combined, they create a heterostructure, composed of atomic layers of dissimilar materials. Scientists have found that new states of matter appear under extreme conditions, including very low temperatures, high pressures or high magnetic fields, and behave in strange and fascinating ways. Experiments such as the Rutgers-led one may lead to new, fundamental understanding of matter beyond the naturally occurring four states of matter, according to Wu. "This is just the beginning," Wu said. "There are multiple possibilities for exploring new quantum materials and their interactions when combined into a heterostructure. We hope our work will also inspire the physics community to explore these exciting new frontiers." The research was conducted using a combination of experimental techniques, led by the principal investigator for the project, Jak Chakhalian, the Claud Lovelace Endowed Professor of Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and a co-author of the study. The work was theoretically supported by Jedediah Pixley, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, also a co-author of the study. "The experiment-theory collaboration is what really makes the work possible," Wu said. "It took us more than two years to understand the experimental results. The credit goes to the state-of-the-art theoretical modeling and calculations done by the Pixley group, particularly Jed Pixley and Yueqing Chang, a postdoctoral researcher. We are continuing our collaboration to push the frontier of the field as a Rutgers team." Most of the experiments were conducted at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) in Tallahassee, Fla., which provided the unique conditions to study these materials at ultra-low temperatures and high magnetic fields. "We had to initiate the collaboration and travel to the MagLab multiple times to perform these experiments, each time refining ideas and methods," Wu said. "The ultra-low temperatures and high magnetic fields were crucial for observing these new phenomena." The research builds on previous Rutgers-led research published earlier this year by Chakhalian, Mikhail Kareev, Wu and other physicists. The report described how four years of continuous experimentation led to a novel method to design and build a unique, tiny, atoms-thick structure composed of a Weyl semimetal and spin ice. The quantum heterostructure was so difficult to create, the scientists developed a machine to make it: the Q-DiP, short for quantum phenomena discovery platform. "In that paper, we described how we made the heterostructure," said Chakhalian. "The new Science Advances paper is about what it can do." In addition to Chakhalian, Wu, Chang and Pixley, Rutgers researchers on the study included Ang-Kun Wu, Michael Terilli, Fangdi Wen and Mikhail Kareev. --- END ARTICLE TEXT --- Source: Medscape Researchers at the GRAPPA 2025 Annual Meeting presented findings on the role of body composition in psoriatic disease. A study by Letarouilly found that psoriasis patients had lower muscle volume, higher liver fat, visceral fat, muscle fat infiltration, and total abdominal fat compared to controls, while PsA patients had higher liver fat, muscle fat infiltration, and abdominal fat. Ferguson's study showed that patients with psoriasis and PsA had more visceral fat, liver fat, and muscle fat compared to controls, associating these profiles with a greater propensity for type 2 diabetes. Adverse muscle composition was linked to increased risks of coronary heart disease and diabetes. --- ARTICLE TEXT --- Topic: Health Title: Body Composition, Not Just BMI, Matters in Psoriatic Disease Source: Medscape Full_article: BOGOTÁ, Colombia — While obesity has been studied extensively in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), little is known about the role of body composition, or the specific location of fat deposition in and around organs and muscle, in these diseases. At the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2025 Annual Meeting and Trainee Symposium, two groups of researchers working with MRI and clinical data from the UK Biobank presented detailed findings that shed light on how different body composition profiles might influence or be influenced by psoriatic disease. Visceral, Liver, and Muscle Fat Predict Disease In a poster, Rheumatologist Jean-Guillaume Letarouilly, MD, PhD, of Lille University, Lille, France, and Oxford University, Oxford, England, showed results from a cross-sectional study of 841 patients with psoriasis, 125 patients with PsA, and about 34,000 nonpsoriatic control individuals. Patients across groups had a mean age of 64 years, were nearly all White, approximately half were women, and only a minority (17%-22% across groups) had a BMI ≥ 30. All patients underwent abdominal MRI scan, and participants with psoriasis or PsA were identified by self-report and primary care and hospital records. In multivariate models, Letarouilly and his colleagues found that patients diagnosed with psoriasis tended to have significantly lower muscle volume, higher liver fat, higher visceral fat, higher muscle fat infiltration, and higher total abdominal fat than control individuals without psoriasis. Patients diagnosed with PsA, meanwhile, tended to have significantly elevated liver fat, higher muscle fat infiltration, and higher abdominal fat (but not visceral fat) than control individuals without PsA. The results were suggestive of “a potential impact of the inflammatory burden of the psoriatic disease on the body composition,” the investigators concluded. In an interview at the meeting, Letarouilly cautioned that his findings “are for the moment just descriptive. What we need to do now is determine in a longitudinal way whether these body composition changes appear before the disease itself and what role these different types of body fat play in the [pathologic] process.” Body Composition Profiles Predict Comorbidities At the same meeting, Lyn Ferguson, MBChB, PhD, of the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, presented results from a different body composition study using UK Biobank data. Ferguson compared results for 236 patients with psoriasis and 1180 control individuals matched for age (mean of about 66 years), sex (about 51% women), and BMI (about 27) — all variables that can affect body fat distribution. She also identified 61 patients with PsA and 305 matched control individuals, both of whom had a mean age of about 63 years, 49% were women, and BMI of about 27. None of the control individuals had metabolic or cardiovascular disease at the time of their baseline scans. Ferguson aimed to determine not only whether people with psoriasis and PsA are more likely to have certain body composition profiles but also whether the same measures of body composition — liver fat, visceral fat, and muscle quality — could also predict diabetes and coronary heart disease in these patients. Ferguson found that people with psoriasis had significantly more fat around the organs (visceral), in the liver, and in muscle, whereas people with PsA had significantly more fat in the liver and muscle than age-, sex-, and BMI-matched control individuals. These body composition profiles were significantly associated with greater propensity to type 2 diabetes. “We know from the clinic that patients with psoriatic disease have a greater prevalence of diabetes,” Ferguson said in an interview at the meeting. “This could be in part related to the fat distribution pattern in psoriasis and PsA.” The Surprising Importance of Muscle Ferguson noted that about half of people with psoriasis or PsA had either low muscle volume, high muscle fat, or both — a state known as adverse muscle composition. In individuals with psoriatic disease, adverse muscle composition was associated with over double the propensity to coronary heart disease and three times the propensity to type 2 diabetes compared with a normal muscle composition. Ferguson said a provocative finding from her study was that poor muscle quality was also associated with more than double the risk for new-onset psoriasis (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.29-3.50). “Having more fat stored in the muscle and lower muscle volume appears to be associated with greater risk of developing psoriasis. Whether this may relate to muscle fat being potentially more pro-inflammatory, or whether immune-metabolic dysregulation is already present and contributing to more fat in the muscle and muscle loss, is unknown and warrants further study.” At a meeting intensely focused on the potential benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) in psoriatic disease, both Ferguson and Letarouilly said the muscle-quality findings were of special concern to them as physicians. “It’s really important that people stay physically active to maintain muscle quality, especially if you’re losing a lot of weight” because of using GLP-1 RAs, Ferguson said. With the profound weight loss from this drug class, “a significant amount of weight loss could be muscle. And we’ve identified a group that has lower thigh muscle volume. That’s something we have to watch.” Letarouilly added that stopping GLP-1 drugs has been reported to result in sarcopenic obesity, or concurrent muscle loss and fat gain. “That’s why it is important to advise people to do more exercise,” he said, adding that maintaining bone health is another, related concern. “We already see this with obesity surgery. With GLP-1s, we would need to monitor patients in the same way.” Letarouilly had no disclosures. Ferguson disclosed receiving speaker fees from UCB and Janssen for talks on the role of obesity in psoriatic disease, and consultancy fees and conference travel from Sanofi unrelated to the current study. --- END ARTICLE TEXT ---