Nuns contribute 30 years of critical insight into dementia disorders, UT Health San Antonio study reveals

Landmark ‘Nun Study’ initiative now housed at Biggs Institute

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

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SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 26, 2025 – Catholic nuns don’t make a habit of participating in long-term studies on aging and dementia, but one notable exception has yielded critical insights into cognitive resilience, neuropathology and aging-related disorders.

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) published a study analyzing more than 30 years of aging and dementia patterns of 678 nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame enrolled in the aptly named Nun Study, conceived by epidemiologist and neurology professor David A. Snowdon, PhD, in 1986.

It now is housed at UT Health San Antonio’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, under the direction of Margaret Flanagan, MD, tenured associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Among takeaways from this latest analysis: Some individuals showed resilience to cognitive decline despite an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, indicating unknown protective mechanisms at work, and that early-life linguistic ability and grammatical complexity correlated with a lower risk of impairment in later life.

Also, advanced digital pathology techniques and artificial intelligence are reshaping the study of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. It all portends advancement for preventive intervention in cognitive decline.

“By leveraging this unique cohort of Catholic nuns with homogeneous lifestyles and rigorous longitudinal assessments, the study has clarified key factors influencing dementia risk and protection,” Flanagan said. “The work underscores the need for multilayered comprehensive approaches that account for multiple pathologies in dementia research and highlights the promise of AI-driven neuropathology.”

Flanagan is senior author of the study titled, “The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research,” published Feb. 26 by Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Other authors also are with the Biggs Institute and the departments of pathology or neurology at UT Health San Antonio. First author of the study is MD/PhD student Kyra Clarke.

One of the most significant

The new Nun Study analysis describes “one of the most significant longitudinal aging and dementia studies.”

Snowdon founded the initiative while at the University of Minnesota and then later took it with him to the University of Kentucky. With his retirement in 2008, the study returned to the University of Minnesota. The study briefly moved again to Northwestern University in 2021 when Flanagan was there, and then to UT Health San Antonio.

Cloistered and homogenous, the cohort of American nuns 75 years of age or older at the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a worldwide institute of Roman Catholic sisters, proved ideal for study, minimizing variables like smoking or differences in access to health care that may have confounded similar research.

While all 678 participants now have passed away, the study remains alive and vibrant at the Biggs Institute, with research currently being performed on donated brain autopsy material and the extensive data collected during the nuns’ lives, Flanagan said.

The participants consented to undergoing annual neuropsychological assessments, allowing researchers access to convent archives and medical records, plus the post-mortem brain donation. The new study investigated the associations between epidemiological factors, cognitive function and brain pathology.

Among the findings:

• Cognitive resilience and neuropathology: The study identifies factors contributing to cognitive resilience despite the presence of Alzheimer’s pathology. Some individuals exhibited high neuropathological burden but remained cognitively intact, indicating unknown protective mechanisms.
   
• APOE genotypes and dementia risk: The article discusses the role of APOE e4 and e2 in Alzheimer’s risk and cognitive preservation. The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene plays a role in the metabolism of fats in the brain. APOE e4 is a risk gene that increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. APOE e2 is a protective gene that may reduce the risk.
   
• Early-life predictors of cognitive health: The relationship between early-life linguistic ability and later-life cognitive function is a major finding. High idea density and grammatical complexity in young adulthood correlated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in later life.
   
• Comorbid neuropathologies and dementia risk: The study emphasizes that most cases of dementia involve mixed pathologies, including LATE, HS-A and vascular pathology, rather than pure Alzheimer’s disease. LATE refers to Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a type of dementia that affects people as they age. It is often caused by abnormal clumps of a protein called TDP-43 in the brain. HS-A, or hippocampal sclerosis of aging, is damage in the hippocampus that happens with age, affecting memory. LATE and HS-A are underrecognized but impactful. LATE is distinct from Alzheimer’s disease but frequently co-exists with it. HS-A is a major contributor to dementia in the oldest-old. The presence of these multiple brain pathologies suggest that multi-targeted therapeutic strategies may be necessary.
   
• Advancements in digital pathology: The study highlights how digital spatial profiling and machine learning are revolutionizing neuropathological assessments today. Digital pathology and AI are reshaping neuropathology research. Whole slide imaging, spatial transcriptomics and machine-learning models are providing novel insights into brain pathology and paving the way for precision diagnostics.

“The findings from the Nun Study have significantly advanced our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorder neuropathologies,” Flanagan said. “As all the studies comprehensively described in this review have indicated, there is still a need for ongoing investigation into the multifactorial nature of cognitive decline, particularly in aging populations.

“However, we also highlight promising opportunities for biomarker development and providing us with the opportunity to identify and delineate potential targets for preventive intervention in cognitive decline,” she said.

Separately, Flanagan, a native of Ireland who completed her medical training at Trinity College Dublin, recently was highlighted by the Women in Medicine in Ireland Network. Each Sunday, it chooses “another great female medic, past or present,” and acknowledges “their contribution to medicine in Ireland,” according to its website. The initiative posted an article highlighting her roles at UT Health San Antonio.

Last year, she received a $100,000 Rising STARs award from the University of Texas Board of Regents to advance research relating to Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

UT Health San Antonio is a world-class research university, ranking at the top 5% among institutions globally for clinical medicine according to U.S. News & World Report. It is No. 12 in the world among universities for the impact of its discoveries – in normalized citation impact, which compares the number of citations its research receives per paper to the average for similar published work, a recognized core measure of research impact.


The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research

Kyra M. Clarke, Shahroo Etemadmoghadam, Benjamin Danner, Cole Corbett, Ali Ghaseminejad-Bandpey, Matthew Dopler, Julie Parker-Garza, Mohammad Alhneif, Sahana Babu, Oluwaseun B. Ogunbona, Angelique D. Gonzalez, Arash Salardini, Margaret E. Flanagan

First published: Feb. 26, 2025, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association

Link to full study: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.14626

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), a primary driver of San Antonio’s $44.1 billion health care and biosciences sector, is the largest academic research institution in South Texas with an annual research portfolio of more than $436 million. Driving substantial economic impact with its six professional schools, a diverse workforce of more than 9,400, an annual expense budget of $1.67 billion and clinical practices that provide 2.5 million patient visits each year, UT Health San Antonio plans continued growth over the next five years and anticipates adding more than 1,500 higher-wage jobs to serve San Antonio, Bexar County and the South Texas region. To learn about the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit UTHealthSA.org.

The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases is dedicated to providing comprehensive dementia care while advancing treatment through clinical trials and research. The Biggs Institute is a National Institute on Aging (NIA)-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). In addition to patient care and research, the Biggs Institute partners with the School of Nursing at UT Health Science Center San Antonio to offer the Caring for the Caregiver program. 

Stay connected with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

 

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Journal

Alzheimer s & Dementia

DOI

10.1002/alz.14626 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research

Article Publication Date

26-Feb-2025

Cracking the Burmese python code: New data zeroes in on game-changing strategies

University of Florida

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image: 

Anthony Flanagan is one of several python contractors hired by the South Florida Water Management District for the Python Elimination Program. Here is holding a Burmese python he captured along with the nest of eggs he located nearby.

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Credit: Photo courtesy SFWMD

In a groundbreaking study, University of Florida scientists statistically analyzed large amounts of data collected by Burmese python contractors, revealing critical insights about how to most efficiently remove the reptiles.

Researchers correlated survey outcomes, including python removals, with survey conditions, using statistical modeling. For example, the researchers examined if factors like time or temperature impacted the chance of removing a python. They also analyzed whether the most surveyed areas aligned with the highest python removals. This allowed the researchers to identify regions where few contractors are catching a lot of pythons, indicating more contractors working in these locations could result in more pythons removed.

“This collaboration among the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and the contractors increases our ability to detect and remove pythons by providing guidelines for when and where to survey to optimize your chances of finding a python,” said Melissa Miller, an invasion ecologist at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. “Targeted surveys, guided by these data, can allow us to be more efficient and successful in our efforts to control Burmese pythons.” These data were collected as part of the SFWMD Python Elimination Program between May 2020 and April 2022. The researchers from UF/IFAS analyzed 4,092 surveys from python contractors totaling over 16,000 hours of effort.

Researchers identified two regions where python removals could likely be increased with more surveys. These regions occurred toward the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve along the Tamiami Trail and a stormwater treatment area in Palm Beach County. Additionally, researchers identified optimal conditions that improve survey outcomes, providing specific guidelines for contractors.

Based on their findings, researchers developed key recommendations to enhance python removal efforts:

· Surveys are most successful and efficient during the wet season from May to October.

· A drop in barometric pressure from the previous day, increases the likelihood of successful surveys.

· The most efficient survey period is between 8 pm to 2 am.

· Aquatic vehicles, including motorboats, canoes, kayaks, and airboats, enhance survey effectiveness.

· Nighttime surveys generally yield better results than daytime surveys, except during extreme cold events, such as mean daily air temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

Scientists see this as a pivotal point in research that now provides guidelines supported by data for successful detection and removal efforts from this point forward and all thanks to citizen science, researchers said.

“Pythons disrupt food webs, altering predator-prey dynamics and reducing populations of key native species. By refining removal strategies, we’re working to give native wildlife a chance to adapt and persist," said Alex Romer, a quantitative ecologist at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and corresponding author on the paper.

Published in Scientific Reports, the study highlights effective python management strategies and demonstrates how researchers, natural resource managers and residents can collaborate to improve wildlife conservation.

"Managing pythons is an enormous effort, undertaken by Floridians deeply invested in restoring the intricate ecological processes that define the Everglades,” said Romer. "This work is about safeguarding one of the world’s most unique ecosystems—not just for today, but for generations to come."

Anthony Flanagan displays a next of eggs he located while searching for Burmese pythons.

Credit

Photo courtesy SFWMD

Megan De Angelis and Kyles Findley show two of the Burmese pythons captured during the Python Elimination Program led by SFWMD.

Credit

Photo courtesy Kevin Pavlidis

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-84641-4 

Article Title

Optimizing survey conditions for Burmese python detection and removal using community science data

Slovakia's peaceful anti-government protests grow nationwide

Sona Macor Otajovicova 

in Bratislava

DW

01/25/2025

After Prime Minister Robert Fico alleged there were plans to escalate anti-government protests into an attempted coup, Slovaks took the streets in over 20 cities to peacefully protest the government's pro-Russia policy.

Slovak media outlets and protest organizers have said about 60,000 attended Friday's demonstration in Bratislava alone

Image: Denes Erdos/AP/dpa/picture alliance


Late on Friday afternoon, people slowly gather at Freedom Square in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, to protest against the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The atmosphere is calm. People are streaming into the square from all directions, carrying banners and the flags of Slovakia, the EU and even NATO. Their message is clear: Slovakia belongs in Europe.

This isn't the first rally of its kind being held in Bratislava. The latest series of protests began on December 23, a day after the prime minister's surprise trip to Russia, and have been held at regular intervals ever since.

The protesters here agree on one thing: Slovakia does not belong to Russia. And many feel that Fico's pre-Christmas meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow was an act of treason.

The message at Friday's demonstration in Bratislava was crystal clear: Slovakia belongs in Europe

Image: Sona Macor Otajovicova/DW

Slovakia has been a member of NATO since 2002, and joined the EU in 2004.

The people taking part in the protests in over 20 cities across the country are peacefully demanding that Slovakia remains in these international organizations and that the government stop undermining Slovakia's international position.
Fighting for democracy — again

"I feel really disappointed by our government," says a 47-year-old protester named Richard who has tied an EU flag around his shoulders. "When I was 12 years old, I took to the streets with my father, protesting against communism in November 1989, and here I am, fighting for democracy, once again," he tells DW.

The crowd in the square is getting bigger by the minute. People of all ages have come and are joining in the chants of "Enough of Fico," "We are Europe," "Shame" and "Treason." Some are calling for Fico to step down as prime minister.

'When I was 12 years old, I took to the streets with my father, protesting against communism in November 1989, and here I am, fighting for democracy, once again,' one protester tells DW

Image: Sona Macor Otajovicova/DW

"I feel unhappy about what is happening in this country and the people who rule it, and I want to voice my opinion," says 26-year-old Alexandra. She says she was not put off by the prime minister's talk of increased danger and unrest the previous day. "I have feared for my safety ever since Fico won the election," she says.
Talk of an alleged coup

On Thursday, the day before demonstrations, President Peter Pellegrini convened a meeting of the state's Security Council, claiming he had been given serious information about a threat to the state's security.

"The establishment of our constitution is being threatened; there are groups of people who want to escalate tension within the country and attack the institutions of government," said Pellegrini, adding that these groups are being coordinated from abroad.

Fico made very similar claims, saying that some groups were allegedly planning a coup. "It is an attempt to organize a typical coup in Slovakia so that the government falls and those who cannot get into power through democratic parliamentary elections come to power," he said.

Coup claim roundly rejected by protesters

"It's very difficult to react to such delusions," said Lucia Stasselova, one of the organizers of the protest in Bratislava, ahead of Friday's protest. "Nothing of what the prime minister or the president are saying is true."

"It's what all of them say," added Marian Kulich, another of the protest's organizers. "Listen to Erdogan in Turkey, Orban in Hungary, Irakli Kobakhidze in Georgia, Serbia, they all use the same narrative. In my opinion, Slovakia is just one of the countries that are submitting to the Moscow regime — thanks to our prime minister," he told DW.

'Nothing of what the prime minister or the president are saying is true,' says Lucia Stasselova of the organization Peace to Ukraine

Image: Sona Macor Otajovicova/DW

Both Stasselova and Kulich are members of the civic group Peace to Ukraine, which was set up shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is now also campaigning in support of democracy in Slovakia.

"We started to organize the rallies in Bratislava, and slowly, other cities began to coordinate with us. More than 20 cities and towns are currently involved. The protests in each town are organized by different people," said Stasselova.

60,000 take part in Bratislava alone

Apart from a brief interruption due to a power outage on stage, the rally goes off smoothly and peacefully — without rioting, and certainly no attempted coup.

DW spoke with the organizers just a few hours before the protest, who said they were expecting around 30,000 to take part. Most media outlets have estimated that some 60,000 joined the protest in Bratislava — four times as many as took part in the last protest two weeks ago.

In sharp contrast to the prime minister's claims that protests could escalate into a coup attempt, Friday's protests remained entirely peacefu

lImage: Jaroslav Novák/TASR/dpa/picture alliance

But demonstrations were not just restricted to the capital; the numbers taking part in other cities also increased. In Banska Bystrica, for example, attendance on Friday was up to 10,000 from 6,000 two weeks ago.

Indeed, several media outlets estimated that a total of 100,000 people took to the streets of Slovakia's cities in protest on Friday.

On Tuesday, Fico faced a no-confidence vote in the Slovak parliament. However, when the prime minister unexpectedly called for the session to be held in secret on the grounds that he would be sharing confidential information with the parliament, the opposition withdrew its no-confidence motion in protest.

It has said it will call a new no-confidence vote in the near future, and is now demanding another parliamentary session next week.

'There is no threat of a coup ... and all know it,' Michal Simecka (right) said on Tuesday, speaking next to Fico (left)

Image: Radovan Stoklasa/REUTERS

Speaking to the media after Tuesday's session, members of the opposition said Fico read a report from the intelligence agency SIS (Slovak Information Service), raising concerns about an uprising similar to the Maidan Revolution in Ukraine in 2014 that resulted in the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych.
A 'paranoid' prime minister

Opposition leader Michal Simecka, head of the Progressive Slovakia party, called the prime minister's speech "paranoid."

"I'm afraid that the prime minister is suffering from delusions," he said. "He sees things that don't exist. There's no other explanation I can think of. So, this is my takeaway from his speech."

Fico's critics have said there was no genuinely secret information in the report, and some claim the SIS is being instrumentalized for political purposes.

"The SIS is being abused. It serves a political purpose of this government, it spreads hatred and fear of the critics of the government," said lawmaker Maria Kolikova of the center-right liberal Freedom and Solidarity party.

Another protest is already planned for February 6. "The protest will continue as long as the people want to protest," said Stasselova of Peace for Ukraine. "It will depend on the actions of Fico's cabinet, their statements, their politics."

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan

Sona Macor Otajovicova Bratislava-based Slovakia correspondent

Auschwitz: 

Poland divided on pledge not to arrest Netanyahu

Michal Gostkiewicz

DW

January 23, 2025

Earlier this month, the Polish government pledged not to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he attended the Auschwitz ceremony on January 27. DW looks back at the heated debate in Poland triggered by the decision.


There were protests in Warsaw on the day after the Polish government passed a resolution guaranteeing safe conduct for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Image: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/IMAGO


There are places on Polish soil that hold a deep significance not only for Poles, but also for Jews and many people in Israel. These places are the concentration and extermination camps where German Nazis murdered millions of Jews during World War II.

This goes some way to explaining a recent heated debate about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), should be given safe passage to attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27.

The ICC is the international court tasked with prosecuting individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Last October, it issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

Polish President Andrzej Duda asked the Polish government to grant safe passage to Netanyahu should he decide to attend the Auschwitz commemoration event

Image: Marian Zubrzycki/PAP/dpa/picture alliance

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 47,000 people have been killed in Israel's military incursion into the enclave, a response to the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people.

Israel is not a member of the ICC, but Poland is a founding member and legally bound to execute the warrant.
Safe conduct for Israeli PM

Citing "absolutely extraordinary circumstances," Polish President Andrzej Duda on January 9 asked Donald Tusk and his government to guarantee safe conduct for Netanyahu should he decide to participate in the event.

In a rare display of unanimity between the government and the president, Tusk's government passed a resolution supporting Duda's request the same day.

However, the resolution did not mention Netanyahu by name, which was understandable given that the Israeli prime minister did not actually plan to attend in person — as The Times of Israel confirmed on January 9.

Nevertheless, the decision was met with opposition and protest in Poland.

So, if Netanyahu was not planning to come, why did the Polish government pass the resolution in the first place?
'Tribute to the Jewish people'

The resolution stated that the guarantee of safety for Israeli representatives was "part of paying tribute to the Jewish people, millions of whose daughters and sons were victims of the Holocaust perpetrated by the Third Reich."

Tusk himself said the case was "very delicate."

"On the one hand," he said, "we have the verdict of an international tribunal, but on the other, it is absolutely clear to me that any representative of the Israeli authorities should have every right to and sense of security when visiting the Auschwitz camp, especially on the anniversary [of its liberation]."

Critical reactions in Poland

One of the first prominent critics of the government's decision was a respected Polish judge, Piotr Hofmanski, a former ICC president.

Hofmanski underlined Poland's unconditional obligation under international law to execute the warrant. However, he stressed that Polish authorities have not so far broken the law and would only do so if Netanyahu set foot on Polish soil but was not arrested.

The resolution pledging not to arrest Netanyahu was also met with widespread opposition across the Polish political spectrum. Journalists, experts, bloggers, political commentators, judicial authorities and the opposition — from the far left to the far right — condemned the decision, albeit for different reasons.

The resolution caused uproar among left-wing activists and politicians, as well as supporters of the Palestinian cause.

"Not in my name," posted Adrian Zandberg, leader of the Polish left-wing Razem (Together) party, on X (formerly Twitter).

This attitude was also reflected in opinion polls.

An opinion poll commissioned by Polish media outlet Wirtualna Polska and conducted by United Surveys showed that almost 60% of respondents felt Poland should arrest the Israeli leader if he attended the Auschwitz commemoration ceremony. Only 24.2% favored guaranteeing Netanyahu safe conduct, and 16.6% were undecided.

Pro-Palestinian activists organized a protest in Warsaw, during which several hundred people chanted "Arrest Netanyahu!" and "The Polish government's got blood on its hands."

A group of NGOs, including the initiative East, a Gen-Z organization fighting for social justice and against climate change, Action for Democracy and All-Poland Women's Strike also wrote an open letter asking Tusk to withdraw the resolution.

The Polish Supreme Bar Council appealed to the president and the government to adhere unconditionally to the rule of law and implement it in word and deed.



In an open letter, the council stressed that the rulings of courts and international tribunals must not be viewed as a matter of choice and that the non-execution of the ICC warrant would undermine "the trust of the citizens in the rule of law in Poland" and is dangerous — even if the external security of the country dictates it.

What's the role of the US?

The reference to Poland's external security could have been a response to media reports about another alleged motivation behind the resolution.

The arrest of the head of the Israeli government at the most notorious and symbolic site of the Holocaust would undoubtedly spark an international outcry and trigger a fierce response from the recently inaugurated Trump administration, a strong ally of both Poland and Israel.

Polish media quoted anonymous sources close to the government who claimed that the resolution was mainly aimed at averting the very real risk of a crisis in US-Polish relations right at the start of the second Trump administration.

Moreover, on January 9, the US House of Representatives passed a bill threatening to impose sanctions against anyone who helps the ICC prosecute US citizens or US allies, which includes Israel.
Did the president set a trap for Tusk?

Whether it was his intention or not, President Duda, due to leave office at the end of his second term in August, created a difficult situation for the government four months ahead of country's presidential election.

This election could determine whether Prime Minister Tusk will have an ally in the presidential palace and, therefore, a potentially easier path to implementing his campaign promises or face the prospect of working with a second president linked to the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The resolution passed by Tusk and his government might not only cost his ally and preferred presidential candidate, Rafal Trzaskowski, votes, but may have dented Poland's credibility on the global stage — with the notable exception of its relations with the Trump White House.

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan

Michal Gostkiewicz DW journalist specializing in European affairs

IRELAND

Hairdresser receives over €100,000 in compensation over her treatment while pregnant

/ 24th January 2025 /Subeditor

A hairdresser who was effectively demoted to cleaning and making tea after she said she was pregnant has won £90,000 (€106,000) in compensation, writes Elizabeth Haigh.

Kayleigh Flanagan sued for discrimination after noticing an "immediate change of attitude" from her employer, Amy Jury, after her baby news.

The mother-to-be was removed from the online booking system and could only take 'walk-in' customers, meaning she had "nothing else to do but clean the salon and make tea".

After a "severe deterioration" in work relationships, Ms Flanagan resigned and sued Ms Jury for "unfavourable treatment" due to her pregnancy and constructive unfair dismissal.

She has been awarded £89,849 after some of her claims were upheld by an employment judge who said bosses "sought to find fault with her work" and "were no longer invested in her" as a result of her pregnancy.


The Cambridge hearing was told Ms Flanagan started working at Envy hairdressers in Thatcham, West Berkshire as a senior stylist in June 2019.

On December 5 of that year, the stylist told her boss via text message that she was pregnant.

Ms Jury - who insisted she was happy for her employee - was on annual leave at the time but on her return Ms Flanagan noted there were "changes to her role".

Employment Judge Louise Brown told the hearing: "Most duties she carried out were those of an apprentice."Judge Louise Brown told the hearing: "Most duties she carried out were those of an apprentice."

The following month Ms Jury began disciplinary proceedings against Ms Flanagan, alleging "under-performance", although no evidence was presented at the hearing.

This was followed by a final warning before Ms Flanagan resigned.

Photo: Kayleigh Flanagan. Facebook

Music industry girds for looming US TikTok ban


By AFP
January 16, 2025


For years TikTok has been an integral tool for most musicians, a jump-off point for artists looking to break out and an essential promotional platform for already-established musicians - Copyright AFP STR

Maggy DONALDSON

TikTok has dramatically changed music discovery and marketing — a reliance the looming US ban on the popular app has underscored as the music world braces for an unknown future.

That the short-form video-sharing app might shut down in the United States starting Sunday has fostered a sense of “marketing apocalypse” across the industry, says Tatiana Cirisano, a music industry analyst at MIDiA Research.

For years TikTok has been an integral tool for most musicians, a jump-off point for artists looking to break out and an essential promotional platform for established musicians.

In an increasingly fragmented musical landscape, Cirisano says “Tik Tok served as sort of the one lightning rod where popularity could actually coalesce into a hit, and there actually could be these more mainstream cultural moments.”

Now, digital marketing companies say artists are scrambling to download and archive their TikTok content before the app goes dark — the “worst-case scenario,” said Cassie Petrey, founder of the digital marketing company Crowd Surf.

“We’ve helped a lot of talent build great audiences” on TikTok, Petrey said. “It is unfortunate.”

– Life post-TikTok –

What platform could fill a potential void is a question front of industry minds; obvious near-parallels include YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Both features were created in TikTok’s image — but neither have enjoyed comparable prominence.

“It’s one thing to measure the user base or the weekly active users of those platforms,” said Cirisano, numbers she said are on par with TikTok.

But in terms of “cultural heft,” she said, “they haven’t really had the same impact.”

Jahan Karimaghayi, co-founder of marketing firm Benchmob, has urged clients to consider “changing their approach specifically to Instagram.”

“Instagram is a little bit more of an art gallery — it’s about showing content to your followers — where Tiktok it’s almost like you make content for people who don’t follow you,” he said.

Sarah Flanagan, an influencer marketing expert in the music industry, echoed that view, saying that on TikTok “discovery is coming from a viral sound point of view” versus image.

“That’s huge in terms of why Tiktok has worked so well for music,” she said.

It’s one advantage YouTube — which Karimaghayi pointed out many people already use “as a jukebox”– could have.

“If people migrate to Shorts, there’s a real opportunity for artists to connect even more music,” Flanagan said.

And Americans are already trying new alternatives, like China’s popular viral video app RedNote.

It’s surged to top Apple’s free app downloads, though experts say that could be a short-term trend.

– ‘Pressure to go viral’ –

As earth-shaking as a TikTok ban stateside could be for music, “I think there’s definitely artists who will breathe a sigh of relief for their mental state if Tiktok goes away, because of just the pressure to create content, the pressure to go viral,” Cirisano said.

In contrast to putting out a high-production music video, the explosion of short-form video has meant “suddenly artists were burdened with having to create their own format” rather than work with a full team, Flanagan said.

“Nobody was telling them what to do and how to look cool.”

But experts agree any respite could be brief: losing US TikTok won’t spell the end of content creation beyond the music.

“There’s very few artists these days that can put up music and do very little,” Karimaghayi said.

For Cirisano, fear of a TikTok ban is a stark reminder that “social is what is driving music and culture, and that trickles down to streaming — when it used to be the opposite.”

– Global impact –

Of course, TikTok will remain core to music marketing strategies outside US borders — most stars already have teams working on global promotion, and that won’t stop even if American or US-based artists can’t use their accounts domestically.

The change might even benefit already-huge markets in places like Latin America and Africa, which could grow increasingly dominant.

But it could also negatively impact those seeking to break through in the US, which remains the largest recorded music market in the world, where many career-makers are based.

“TikTok was sort of that crucial bridge between global regions,” Cirisano said.

For at least an interim period, taking away TikTok would give “power and sway back to the traditional power players in music,” Flanagan said.

But, “sometime change is good,” she added: “it was limiting in terms of how creative you could be when everybody always wanted to just push songs on Tiktok.”

And ultimately, the music industry is no stranger to evolving consumption habits or new media: “we’ve always kind of been at the forefront of technology,” Karimaghayi said.

“There will be a little bit of a bumpy road — but people are still going to use the internet.”

Chinese apps including TikTok hit by privacy complaints in Europe


By AFP
January 16, 2025


TikTok and several other prominent Chinese apps face complaints they don't respect EU data protection rules - Copyright AFP STR

Online privacy campaigners said Thursday they had filed complaints in several European countries against six Chinese companies including TikTok, accusing them of “unlawfully” sending Europeans’ personal data to China.

Prominent Austria-based privacy campaign group NOYB (None of Your Business) said it has lodged six complaints against TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi — in its first such action against Chinese companies.

The complaints were filed in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands.

Noyb has launched several legal cases against US technology giants such as Meta and Google, often prompting action from regulatory authorities over violations of the EU’s landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The GDPR aims to make it easier for people to control how companies use their personal information.

“Given that China is an authoritarian surveillance state, it is crystal clear that China doesn’t offer the same level of data protection as the EU,” said NOYB data protection lawyer Kleanthi Sardeli.

“Transferring Europeans’ personal data is clearly unlawful –- and must be terminated immediately,” Sardeli said according to a statement.

According to the privacy group, AliExpress, SHEIN, TikTok and Xiaomi “transfer data to China”, while Temu and WeChat mention transfers to “third countries”.

“As none of the companies responded adequately to the complainants’ access requests, we have to assume that this includes China,” the statement added.

Noyb believes that “the rise of Chinese apps opens (up) a new front” for EU data protection law.

TikTok declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

Noyb said it is seeking administrative fines of up to four percent of the companies’ global sales, which could amount to 1.35 billion euros ($1.39 billion) for Temu.

The group began working in 2018 with the advent of the GDPR.

MAGNUS NUNTIUS

Pope Francis enshrines synod's final report as church teaching

(RNS) — Bishops will be asked to report to the pope about how they are implementing synodality in their churches every five years.

Cardinals attend a Mass presided by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Nov. 24, 2024.

 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Claire Giangravé
November 26, 2024


VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a note released Monday (Nov. 25), Pope Francis reinforced that the final report issued by delegates to the recently ended Synod on Synodality constitutes church teaching.

“Acknowledging the value of the synodal journey that we have made,” the pontiff wrote, “I now hand over the instructions contained in the Final Document to the entire Church, as a restitution of everything that has matured over these years through listening and discernment, and as an authoritative indication for its life and mission.”

“The Final Document participates in the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter and thus I ask that it be accepted as such,” he added, using the church’s term for its teaching authority.

The synod was a three-year consultation with Catholics from the parish level to continental assemblies of bishops, and twice brought together bishops and a diverse group of other church leaders in Rome, including male and female religious and lay Catholics, once in October 2023 and again this past October. Working from ideas submitted by Catholic churchgoers, clergy and institutions around the world, the group was asked to discern “a new way of being church,” focused on inclusivity, transparency and welcoming.
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Participants in the summit voted on a final document on Oct. 26, and Francis quickly ratified it. It contained a series of suggestions aimed at promoting a more horizontal structure for church leaders, more accountability for bishops and increased lay involvement, which Francis’ note makes clear is official church doctrine.

“The final document is official, magisterial teaching, and so no one can say that following the synodal path is optional,” said Brian Flanagan, an ecclesiologist and senior fellow at the Catholic LGBTQ outreach organization New Ways Ministry, commenting Tuesday on the pope’s note. Flanagan said that local churches are given freedom to implement the synod within their “different ecclesial, cultural, and local contexts.”

Participants attend a session of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

But controversial issues raised by many Catholics during the synodal process, particularly the role of women and LGBTQ Catholics, were relegated to 10 study groups formed by theologians, canon lawyers and experts, charged with submitting their findings in 2025. Many, particularly those hoping that the synod would open the diaconate, a form of holy orders, to women were disappointed that the synod did not go further toward approving some reforms.

Commenting the final document, the pope said its teaching needed to be adapted to the realities of ministering to 1.3 billion Catholics. “Local churches and groups of churches are now called to enact, within the various contexts, the authoritative indications contained in the document,” the pope said on Monday, stressing that the synodal process did not end with the Vatican synod in October.

“Pope Francis is trying to foster greater freedom of further discernment in a global ‘church of churches’ that is too diverse and complex for a heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all approach,”said Flanagan, who is also a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.

Francis said the document offers instruction on enacting its proposals, adding that many of its reforms will be a matter of implementing existing canon law, not rewriting it. When necessary, local churches can “creatively enact new ministries and missionary roles” and submit their experiences to the Vatican.

When the representatives of national bishops conferences meet the pope and Vatican officials at their required “ad limina” visits every five years, the pope said, “each bishop will make sure to report which choices were made at his local church regarding what is contained in the final document, which challenges they faced, and what were the fruits.”

Francis added that the General Secretariat of the Synod, along with other Vatican departments, will ensure that the individual national churches join the synodal journey.