Monday, August 18, 2025

An alternative to LASIK — without the lasers

American Chemical Society

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2025 — Millions of Americans have altered vision, ranging from blurriness to blindness. But not everyone wants to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses. Accordingly, hundreds of thousands of people undergo corrective eye surgery each year, including LASIK — a laser-assisted surgery that reshapes the cornea and corrects vision. The procedure can result in negative side effects, prompting researchers to take the laser out of LASIK by remodeling the cornea, rather than cutting it, in initial animal tissue tests.

Michael Hill, a professor of chemistry at Occidental College, will present his team’s results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2025 is being held Aug. 17-21; it features about 9,000 presentations on a range of science topics.

Human corneas are dome-shaped, clear structures that sit at the front of the eye, bending light from surroundings and focusing it onto the retina, where it’s sent to the brain and interpreted as an image. But if the cornea is misshapen, it doesn’t focus light properly, resulting in a blurry image. With LASIK, specialized lasers reshape the cornea by removing precise sections of the tissue. This common procedure is considered safe, but it has some limitations and risks, and cutting the cornea compromises the structural integrity of the eye. Hill explains that “LASIK is just a fancy way of doing traditional surgery. It’s still carving tissue — it’s just carving with a laser.”

But what if the cornea could be reshaped without the need for any incisions?

This is what Hill and collaborator Brian Wong are exploring through a process known as electromechanical reshaping (EMR). “The whole effect was discovered by accident,” explains Wong, a professor and surgeon at the University of California, Irvine. “I was looking at living tissues as moldable materials and discovered this whole process of chemical modification.”

In the body, the shapes of many collagen-containing tissues, including corneas, are held in place by attractions of oppositely charged components. These tissues contain a lot of water, so applying an electric potential to them lowers the tissue’s pH, making it more acidic. By altering the pH, the rigid attractions within the tissue are loosened and make the shape malleable. When the original pH is restored, the tissue is locked into the new shape.

Previously, the researchers used EMR to reshape cartilage-rich rabbit ears, as well as alter scars and skin in pigs. But one collagen-rich tissue that they were eager to explore was the cornea.

In this work, the team constructed specialized, platinum “contact lenses” that provided a template for the corrected shape of the cornea, then placed each over a rabbit eyeball in a saline solution meant to mimic natural tears. The platinum lens acted as an electrode to generate a precise pH change when the researchers applied a small electric potential to the lens. After about a minute, the cornea’s curvature conformed to the shape of the lens — about the same amount of time LASIK takes, but with fewer steps, less expensive equipment and no incisions.

They repeated this setup on 12 separate rabbit eyeballs, 10 of which were treated as if they had myopia, or nearsightedness. In all the “myopic” eyeballs, the treatment dialed in the targeted focusing power of the eye, which would correspond to improved vision. The cells in the eyeball survived the treatment, because the researchers carefully controlled the pH gradient. Additionally, in other experiments, the team demonstrated that their technique might be able to reverse some chemical-caused cloudiness to the cornea — a condition that is currently only treatable through a complete corneal transplant.

Though this initial work is promising, the researchers emphasize that it is in its very early stages. Next up is what Wong describes as, “the long march through animal studies that are detailed and precise,” including tests on a living rabbit rather than just its eyeball. They also plan to determine the types of vision correction possible with EMR, such as near- and far-sightedness and astigmatism. Though the next steps are planned, uncertainties in the team’s scientific funding have put them on hold. “There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic. But, if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper and potentially even reversible,” concludes Hill.

This research was funded by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health and the John Stauffer Charitable Trust.

A Headline Science YouTube Short about this topic will be posted on Monday, Aug. 18. Reporters can access the video during the embargo period, and once the embargo is lifted the same URL will allow the public to access the content. Visit the ACS Fall 2025 program to learn more about these presentations, “Electrochemical corneal refraction;” “Electromechanical corneal reshaping for refractive vision correction;” “Optical coherence elastography-guided evaluation of corneal biomechanical properties following pulsed potentiometric electromechanical reshaping;” and other science presentations.

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Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Title
Electrochemical corneal refraction

Abstract
The cornea is a transparent, highly organized anatomical structure that is responsible for ~2/3 of the refractive power of the eye. The corneal stroma consists of orthogonally stacked collagen- fibril lamellae whose molecular composition and precise macromolecular geometry eliminate backscattered light and maintain the shape of the cornea. Anatomical variation, birth defects, trauma, and various pathologies can alter the shape, structural stability, and transparency of the cornea, thus affecting vision. Surgical interventions to treat myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism include laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Despite their popularity, these procedures are expensive and permanently lower the biomechanical strength of the cornea. Here we report our efforts to apply electromechanical reshaping (EMR) as a molecular- based, non-ablative/non-incisional alternative to laser vision refraction, using ex vivo rabbit globes. EMR relies on short electrochemical pulses to electrolyze interstitial water, with subsequent diffusion of protons into the extracellular matrix of collagenous tissues; protonation of immobilized anions within this matrix disrupts the ionic-bonding network that provides structural integrity. This leaves the tissue transiently responsive to mechanical remodeling; subsequent re-equilibration to physiological pH restores the ionic matrix, resulting in persistent shape change of the tissue. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), second-harmonic generation (SHG), and confocal microscopy suggest that EMR enables control over corneal contouring while maintaining the underlying macromolecular collagen structure and stromal cellular viability.

"Every Brilliant Thing”, the interactive one-person play with a suicidality theme now making its West End debut, reduced suicide-associated stigma among university students who attended, even up to 30 days later

PLOS

Article URL: https://plos.io/411ECQu

Article Title: A performing arts intervention to decrease suicide stigma on campus: A three time point assessment of “Every Brilliant Thing”

Author Countries: United States

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Journal

PLOS Mental Health

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmen.0000404

Article Publication Date

14-Aug-2025

Russia is facing 2 major — and seemingly contradictory — labor problems at the same time

Huileng Tan
Fri, August 15, 2025

Russia's jobless rate is at a historic low, but "hidden unemployment" has risen as firms cut hours.

The number of workers put on "downtime" — when they remain on payroll but are not working — has been on the rise.

Putin has acknowledged the rise and says the government must act to address it.

Russia's jobless rate is at a record low due to a labor crunch — but that's only part of the story.

A wave of "hidden unemployment" is building as companies slash hours and quietly cut staff. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the trend on Tuesday.

"Hidden unemployment is growing, meaning that some workers are in the so-called downtime, employed part-time, or are at risk of being laid off," Putin said at a meeting on economic issues. The term "downtime" refers to periods when employees remain on payroll but are not working, often due to a slowdown in production.

Official figures show the trend accelerating: 98,000 people were classified as falling into the three categories at the start of 2025. That number climbed to 153,000 by late June, and hit 199,000 as of August 8 — roughly double the number at the start of the year.

Last month, Avtovaz, the maker of Russia's best-selling car brand, said it may move to a four-day workweek after sales slumped this year. The automaker employs over 30,000 people.

Other companies in transportation and heavy industry have made similar cuts, according to Russian media reports.

In July, officials in the Sverdlovsk region acknowledged "changes in the economy" that are prompting some enterprises to reduce head count or move workers to part-time schedules.

Retail is also under strain. A July report from Russia's central bank said the number of people employed in the wholesale and retail sector has fallen over the year, largely due to the mass closures of car dealerships. The same report found that the share of companies planning to cut staff jumped from 6.9% in January to 11.5% in June.

While demand for workers is weakening in some sectors, Russia is also facing a long-term demographic crisis that threatens to shrink its labor force even further. In 2024, births fell to their lowest level since 1999.

The war in Ukraine is further straining the labor force, as battlefield losses and a brain drain sap the country's supply of young, skilled workers.
Beyond jobs, other warning signs emerge

The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting, a think tank aligned with the Russian government, has warned of "not the most favorable structural shift" in investment, with investments moving away from Russia's civilian private sector.

That's fueling growth in some state-backed industries while problems mount elsewhere.

Even as the jobless rate stays low at 2.2%, the number of registered unemployed has risen from 274,000 in January to 300,000 in early August.

Putin said the government needs to "sense ongoing trends and respond" to prevent "excessive cooling of the economy."

Putin's comments came ahead of a meeting with President Donald Trump in Alaska to discuss the Ukraine war, with Russia's sanctions-hit economy grappling with mounting pressure. This will be the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders in years.

Russia's GDP grew just 1.1% in the second quarter, slowing from 1.4% in the first quarter and sharply down from 4% a year earlier. Oil and gas revenues — a crucial source of the Kremlin's war funding — have fallen amid weak crude prices.

Meanwhile, frequent internet outages tied to security measures against Ukrainian drone strikes are disrupting the digital economy, making it harder for people to make electronic payments and use apps.

Business Insider

PATHETIQUE ROFLMAO

Trump ‘cold-called Norwegian government to ask about Nobel Peace Prize’

Cameron Henderson
Fri, August 15, 2025

Donald Trump reportedly called Jens Stoltenberg (left), the former Nato secretary general, last month to discuss tariffs - Ron Sachs/© 2019 Bloomberg Finance LP

Donald Trump cold-called Norway’s finance minister to ask him about a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to reports.

The US president called Jens Stoltenberg, the former Nato secretary general, last month to discuss tariffs, and also brought up the subject of the Nobel Prize, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv reported.

The president has long-coveted the award and has in recent months received endorsements from several world leaders.

“Out of the blue, while finance minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called,” sources told the news outlet.

“He wanted the Nobel Prize – and to discuss tariffs.”

It was claimed that it was not the first time Mr Trump had called to enquire about the prize.
Trump looking to broker peace in Ukraine

Mr Trump will be looking to broker another peace deal in the near future, as he sits down with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in Alaska for talks that could lead to the end of the Ukraine war.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner is decided by the Norwegian Nobel committee, a five-member body appointed by the Norwegian parliament

Each year, the committee sifts through hundreds of nominations before announcing the winner in October.

Four previous presidents have won the award, in Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and, perhaps most gallingly for Mr Trump, Barack Obama.

The president has repeatedly criticised his predecessor for being decorated only eight months into his first term, and claimed during the 2024 election campaign that he would have won the award “in 10 seconds” if he had been Mr Obama.

In June, he wrote on Truth Social: “No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!”
‘President of peace’

In honouring Mr Obama, the Norwegian Nobel committee cited his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”, which seemed to be more about Mr Obama’s promise as an international leader than his actual accomplishments.

Mr Trump is the self-styled “president of peace”.

“As president, he has brokered peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan, Egypt and Ethiopia, Serbia and Kosovo, and with the Abraham Accords,” the White House said.

On Friday, he will look to add Russia and Ukraine to that list.

Praising the president for his efforts, a number of world leaders have nominated him for the award including Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, and the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr Stoltenberg did not deny claims the president had brought up the prize, but said the conversation focused on discussion of tariffs and economic cooperation ahead of Mr Trump’s call with Jonas Stoere, the Norwegian prime minister.

“I will not go into further detail about the content of the conversation,” he said.

Several of Mr Trump’s cabinet officials including Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, and Jamieson Greer, his trade representative, were also on the call, according to Mr Stoltenberg.

The award, named after 19th-century Swedish Industrialist Alfred Nobel, was originally intended to be bestowed upon the person who has done “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

Federal judge guts major portion of Florida’s book ban, in a blow to DeSantis

Ja'han Jones
Fri, August 15, 2025

A federal judge has closed the chapter on key parts of Florida’s censorious ban on school library books that conservatives deem “pornographic” and harmful to children.

Amid a broader assault on diversity in the state, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law in 2023, known as House Bill 1069, that set up a process for parents to challenge books for removal from school libraries that they feel are unsuitable for young readers. The repressive law requires that schools remove books within five days of a parents’ complaint and make them unavailable while they’re reviewed. The process, broadly targeting books with “pornographic” content or that “describe sexual conduct,” has ensnared many titles by nonwhite and LGBTQ authors over purported obscenity.

Last year, multiple publishing companies, Florida parents and authors filed a lawsuit seeking to thwart the bill, naming as defendants various members of the state education board and school boards in Orange and Volusia counties. And the suit appears to have succeeded, in large part.

“By enacting HB 1069, the Florida legislature sought to prohibit material from entering or remaining in school libraries that is not obscene for minors,” District Court Judge Carlos Mendoza said in his ruling on Wednesday, which found the section that targets descriptions of sexual conduct to be unconstitutional.

He listed several examples:

The following books, among others, have been removed: The Color Purple, Half of a Yellow Sun, Cloud Atlas, The Splendid and the Vile, I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them, On the Road, Nineteen Minutes, Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, The Kite Runner, Slaughterhouse-Five, Shout, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, The Handmaid’s Tale, Native Son, Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa, Water for Elephants, Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, and Homegoing. None of these books are obscene.

The judge said the law’s focus on books that “describe sexual content” is “overbroad” and “unconstitutional,” and he said the law “mandates the removal of books that contain even a single reference to the prohibited subject matter, regardless of the holistic value of the book individually or as part of a larger collection.”

Mendoza also rejected conservatives’ argument that libraries — and the books in them — are forums for “government speech.” He wrote that “many removals at issue here are the objecting parents’ speech, not the government’s,” and that “slapping the label of government speech on book removals only serves to stifle the disfavored viewpoints.” Citing Supreme Court precedent, the judge said, “To be sure, parents have the right to ‘direct the upbringing and education of children,’ but the government cannot repackage their speech and pass it off as its own.”

Mendoza declined to strike down the law completely, writing that the law’s reference to “pornographic” content can be read as synonymous with content considered “harmful to minors” under Florida law, which means some books could still be banned but only if they meet a rigorous standard for obscenity known as the “Miller Test.”

The Authors’ Guild, which was a plaintiff in the suit and claims to represent more than 16,000 members, called the ruling “a sweeping victory for readers and authors.”

State officials said they plan to appeal the ruling.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

PARASITE

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Is Boasting It’s Found a Way to Pay No Tax Ever

Josh Fiallo
Fri, August 15, 2025

Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

SpaceX officials have privately boasted to investors that a tax benefit signed into law by President Donald Trump means it may never have to pay federal income taxes, The New York Times reports.

Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, allowing corporations to roll over their heavy losses, known as a carryback, indefinitely to skirt paying some federal taxes on their newer profits.

The law allows for SpaceX to legally skirt paying taxes on much of its profits. The lack of an expiration date means it can roll over substantial losses from yesteryear, the Times reports. That’s a massive benefit for SpaceX and its partial owner, Elon Musk, who is the world’s richest man.

SpaceX has benefited from an influx of government contracts in the past few years. / Joe Skipper / Reuters

SpaceX was bleeding cash for its first two decades in existence—much like other start-up tech firms of the 21st century, including Uber and Tesla.

The company had reportedly racked up $5 billion in losses by late 2021. However, with the help of its successful satellite-based internet offering, Starlink, and a litany of government contracts, the Times reports SpaceX has profited billions since 2022.

SpaceX’s profits are expected to eclipse $15.5 billion this year, Musk said in June. However, how much of that revenue will be directed back to the federal government, if any, is not clear. SpaceX is a private company, so its yearly net losses, profits, and tax documents are not required to be made public.

The Times reports that “SpaceX has most likely paid little to no federal income taxes since its founding in 2002.” The company did not respond to questions emailed by the Daily Beast about its tax situation and plans for the future. Neither did a rep for Musk, who Forbes estimates was worth $412 billion as of Friday afternoon.

A tax expert interviewed by the Times said that SpaceX was abusing a federal law that is meant to keep struggling companies in business.

Danielle Brian, the executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, a group tasked with investigating corruption and government waste, told the paper that the tax benefit “was clearly not intended for a company doing so well.”

Senegal's ‘schools for husbands’ aim to shift gender roles and keep mothers from dying

MARK BANCHEREAU
Sat, August 16, 2025

Worshippers listen to Imam Ibrahima Diane, advocate for an end to gender-based violence and practices like female genital mutilation, deliver his sermon at the Great Mosque of Nietty Mbar in Thiaroye, a suburb of Dakar, Senegal, Friday, July 4, 2025.(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)ASSOCIATED PRESS

A woman prays in the designated women's section at the Great Mosque of Nietty Mbar in Thiaroye, a suburb of Dakar, Senegal, Friday, July 4, 2025.(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Imam Ibrahima Diane, left, advocate for an end to gender-based violence and practices like female genital mutilation, discusses with El Hadj Malick, coordinator of the "École des Maris" program at the Great Mosque of Nietty Mbar in Thiaroye, a suburb of Dakar, Senegal, Friday, July 4, 2025.(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Merchants ride past the Great Mosque of Nietty Mbar in Thiaroye, a suburb of Dakar, Senegal, Friday, July 4, 2025.

(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — On a recent evening in Senegal 's capital of Dakar, an imam named Ibrahima Diane explained to a group of men why they should be more involved in household chores.

“The Prophet himself says a man who does not help support his wife and children is not a good Muslim,” the 53-year-old said, as he described bathing his baby and helping his wife with other duties.

Some of the 14 men chuckled, not quite sold. Others applauded.

Diane was taking part in a “school for husbands,” a United Nations-backed initiative where respected male community members learn about “positive masculinity” in health and social issues and promote them in their communities.

In Senegal, as in many other West African countries with large rural or conservative populations, men often have the final say in major household decisions, including ones related to health.

Women may need their permission for life-changing decisions on accessing family planning or other reproductive health services, along with hospital deliveries or prenatal care.

Following his sessions at the school for husbands, Diane regularly holds sermons during Friday prayers where he discusses issues around gender and reproductive health, from gender-based violence to fighting stigma around HIV.

“Many women appreciate my sermons," he said. “They say their husbands' behavior changed since they attended them." He said some men have told him the sermons inspired them to become more caring husbands and fathers.

Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former army commando, said attending the sermons and discussions with the imam taught him about the risks of home births.

“When my son’s wife was pregnant, I encouraged him to take her to the hospital for the delivery,” Diallo said. “At first, he was hesitant. He worried about the cost and didn’t trust the hospital. But when I explained how much safer it would be for both his wife and the baby, he agreed.”

No more barking orders

The program launched in Senegal in 2011 but in recent years has caught the attention of the Ministry of Women, Family, Gender and Child Protection, which sees it an effective strategy to combat maternal and infant mortality.

“Without men’s involvement, attitudes around maternal health won’t change," said 54-year-old Aida Diouf, a female health worker who collaborates with the program. Many husbands prefer their wives not be treated by male health workers, she said.

The classes for husbands follow similar efforts in other African countries, particularly Niger, Togo, and Burkina Faso, where the United Nations Population Fund says it improved women’s access to reproductive health services by increasing male involvement, growing the use of contraceptives by both men and women and expanding access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendants.

Discussions for men also have focused on girls’ rights, equality and the harmful effects of female genital mutilation.

The program now operates over 20 schools in Senegal, and over 300 men have been trained.

In some communities, men who once enforced patriarchal norms now promote gender equality, which has led to a reduction in the number of forced marriages and more acceptance of family planning, according to Senegal’s ministry of gender.

Men join the groups after being recruited based on trust, leadership and commitment. Candidates must be married, respected locally and supportive of women’s health and rights.

After training, the men act as peer educators, visiting homes and hosting informal talks.

“My husband used to not do much around the house, just bark orders. Now he actually cooks and helps out with daily tasks,” said Khary Ndeye, 52.

Still too many dying in childbirth

While maternal and infant deaths in Senegal have declined over the past decade, experts say it still has a long way to go. It recorded 237 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2023, while 21 newborns out of every 1,000 died within their first month. The U.N. globally wants to reduce maternal deaths to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births and newborn deaths to under 12 per 1,000 by 2030.

One key problem was that many women have been giving birth at home, said El Hadj Malick, one of the Senegal program’s coordinators.

“By educating men about the importance of supporting their wives during pregnancy, taking them to the hospital and helping with domestic work at home, you’re protecting people’s health,” Malick said.

He said he still experiences difficulty changing mindsets on some issues.

“When we just talk to them about gender, there is sometimes tension because it’s seen as something abstract or even foreign,” Malick said. Some men mistakenly believe such talk will promote LGBTQ+ issues, which remain largely taboo in much of West Africa.

"But when we focus on women’s right to be healthy, it puts a human face on the concept and its becomes universal,” Malick said.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Australia grants asylum to former Hong Kong lawmaker and pro-democracy activist

Jessie Pang and Lewis Jackson
Sat, August 16, 2025

Former lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung speaks to members of the media in Hong Kong

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) -Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Ted Hui has been granted asylum in Australia, the former lawmaker said on Saturday, more than four years after he left Hong Kong, where he faces criminal charges over the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

Hui said he received written notice from the Australian Department of Home Affairs on Friday approving his claim and that his wife, children and parents were also granted visas.

"When people around me say 'congratulations' to me, although I politely thank them, I can't help but feel sad in my heart. How to congratulate a political refugee who misses his hometown?" posted on Facebook.

"If it weren't for political persecution, I would never have thought of living in a foreign land. Immigrants can always return to their home towns to visit relatives at any time; Exiles have no home."

The Home Affairs Department did not immediately respond to emailed questions sent after business hours.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement it was "against the harbouring of criminals in any form by any country". China's foreign ministry did not respond to questions about the decision.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Beijing last month as part of his administration's years-long push to improve ties with China.

A former Democratic Party lawmaker, Hui left Hong Kong in late 2020 after facing criminal charges over the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

In 2023 Hong Kong accused him and seven others of national security offences, including incitement to secession, and put HK$1 million ($130,000) bounties on their heads.

Fellow Hong Kong activist Tony Chung said on Sunday he had been granted asylum by Britain, in a post on his X account. He was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison in late 2021 after being convicted of secession and money laundering.

Pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai is on trial in Hong Kong on charges related to a national security law imposed by Beijing and alleged sedition.

($1 = 7.8258 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson in Beijing and Jessie Pang in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Jane Merriman and Kim Coghill)

Hong Kong court hears closing arguments in tycoon Jimmy Lai's trial

Holmes CHAN
Mon, August 18, 2025

AFP

The 77-year-old founder of the Apple Daily newspaper has pleaded not guilty to two counts of foreign collusion (ISAAC LAWRENCE)ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/AFPMore

Hong Kong prosecutors on Monday began closing arguments in the trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, saying the septuagenarian was fit to attend hearings after an adjournment last week to equip him with a heart monitor.

The 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has pleaded not guilty to two counts of foreign collusion, with authorities accusing him of using various platforms to lobby Western nations to sanction China and Hong Kong.

The charges are brought under the city's national security law, which Beijing imposed after the finance hub saw huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The trial was scheduled to begin its final stages last Thursday but was postponed twice: first due to bad weather and then to address Lai's medical needs.

The defence had said on Friday that Lai was experiencing heart "palpitations" and had an episode where he felt like he was "collapsing".

Prosecutor Anthony Chau said on Monday that Lai had been prescribed medication and was wearing a heart rate monitoring device, which was given to him on Friday.

"(Lai) has made no complaint on his heart condition or general health condition and is fit to attend court," Chau said.

Judge Esther Toh also read out a memo by a senior medical officer saying that Lai was "physically and mentally fit for court".

Concerns have been raised previously over Lai's health by his family and rights groups.

The media tycoon has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, and has lost weight during that time.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement on Friday that the "medical care received by Lai Chee-ying in custody is adequate and comprehensive".

"In view of (Lai's) claims of heart palpitations, after a visiting specialist from the Hospital Authority conducted a detailed examination on him on August 7, no abnormality was found," the statement read.

- Legal issues debated -

Dressed in a white shirt and pale windbreaker, Lai appeared in court on Monday without any medical equipment visible on his body.

He smiled and waved to supporters and family members in the public gallery when he entered.

He listened to Monday's court proceedings via a set of headphones and closed his eyes for a few minutes during the morning session.

The longrunning trial, which began in December 2023, is entering its final stages as Western nations and rights groups continue to call for Lai's release.

Aside from the collusion offence -- which could land him in prison for life -- Lai is also charged with "seditious publication" related to 161 op-eds carrying his byline.

Prosecutors are expected to take two days to make closing arguments, Chau said.

He spent Monday morning addressing legal issues, such as the interpretation of "collusion" under Hong Kong's national security law.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said last week that Hong Kong should "drop the baseless charges" against Lai, adding that holding him in "prolonged solitary detention while his health fails has been outrageously cruel".

US President Donald Trump told a Fox News radio programme last week that he brought up the tycoon's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"I'm going to do everything I can to save him," the outlet quoted Trump as saying.

The Hong Kong government last week said it "strongly disapproved and rejected the slanderous remarks made by external forces" regarding Lai's case.

Hong Kong court begins hearing final arguments in Jimmy Lai's national security trial

KANIS LEUNG
Sun, August 17, 2025

FILE - Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai pauses during an interview in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

People wait to enter the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the closing statements for Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial in Hong Kong, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court heard final arguments Monday in the landmark national security trial of former pro-democracy newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, who could be sentenced to up to life in prison if he is convicted.

Lai, 77, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by Beijing following anti-government protests in 2019. He is being tried on charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications.

Lai founded Apple Daily, one of the local media outlets that was most critical of Hong Kong's government. His high-profile case that has stretched nearly 150 days, far beyond the original estimate of 80 days, is widely seen as a trial of press freedom and a test for judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.

It is unclear when a verdict will be delivered.

Arguments focus on alleged sanction calls

Prosecutor Anthony Chau on Monday discussed the security law concerning the collusion charges, arguing the request to impose sanctions must also include officials and not only states. He planned to lay out other principle issues in the afternoon and make his closing statement Tuesday.

Earlier, prosecutors alleged Lai asked foreign countries, especially the United States, to take actions against Beijing “under the guise of fighting for freedom and democracy.”

On the first day of his testimony, Lai denied he had asked then-Vice President Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take action against Hong Kong and China during the 2019 protests.

When Lai's lawyer questioned him about an Apple Daily report saying he had asked the U.S. government to sanction Beijing and Hong Kong leaders, he said he must have discussed it with Pompeo, as he had no reason to doubt the accuracy of the report by the now-defunct newspaper he founded.

But Lai said he would not have encouraged foreign sanctions after the national security law was enacted on June 30, 2020.

Lai's health causes delay

Closing arguments have been delayed twice, first due to weather then to concerns over Lai's health. On Friday, his lawyer, Robert Pang, said Lai had experienced heart palpitations while in prison. The judges wanted him to secure a heart monitor and medication first.

After Friday’s hearing, the Hong Kong government alleged foreign media outlets had attempted to mislead the public about Lai's medical care. It said a medical examination of Lai found no abnormalities and that the medical care he received in custody was adequate.

When Lai entered the courtroom, he waved and smiled to those sitting in the public gallery and briefly instructed his legal team in a voice audible to public attendees. He closed his eyes at times when the prosecution laid out its legal arguments.

The heart monitor was delivered to Lai and he had no complaints about his health, Chau said.

Case draws attention from foreign governments

Lai's years long detention in solidarity confinement has drawn concerns from foreign governments and rights groups. U.S. President Donald Trump, before being elected to his second term in November, said he would talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seek Lai's release: “I will get him out.”

In a Fox News radio interview released Aug. 14, Trump denied saying he would save Lai, but rather that he would bring the issue up.

“I’ve already brought it up, and I’m going to do everything I can to save him,” he said.

China has accused Lai of stirring a rise in anti-China sentiments in Hong Kong and said it firmly opposes the interference of other countries in its internal affairs.

Dozens of people waited in the rain Monday for a seat in the main courtroom to see Lai. Former Apple Daily reader Susan Li said she worried about Lai's health as he looked visibly thinner and she would continue to pray for him.

“I wanted to let him know we are still here,” she said.

When Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to China in 1997, Beijing promised to retain the city’s civil liberties for 50 years. But critics say the promise has become threadbare after the introduction of the security law, which Chinese and Hong Kong authorities insist was necessary for the city’s stability.

Is America a Christian nation?

Mariya Manzhos
Sat, August 16, 2025

Deseret News

Pastor Douglas Wilson speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., Tuesday, July 9, 2024. | DOMINIC GWINN

Pastor Doug Wilson wants America to become a Christian theocracy. And, eventually, a world fully converted to Christianity. He plans to get there “by peaceful means” such as preaching the gospel, he told CNN in a recent report.

Wilson, who leads Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, does not shy away from the label Christian nationalist, he said. And his profile is getting bigger: his network of over a hundred churches now stretches from the Pacific Northwest to Washington, D.C., where he recently opened a new congregation. Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of Defense, attends a Tennessee church that belongs to Wilson’s ministry.

As previous State of Faith newsletter writer Kelsey Dallas wrote, Christian nationalism “is a catch-all term for a complex web of intertwined beliefs. It refers to a worldview held by those who believe, among other things, that the U.S. is meant to be a Christian nation and that being Christian is part of being truly American.”

The rise of Wilson’s reach and influence is an example of how Christian nationalism has moved from the fringes of the discourse into a mainstream orientation in Republican politics. It’s a response to a widespread feeling that our culture lacks clear moral direction and is overly influenced by materialistic, overly sexualized and secular values.

The movement is complex and is often misunderstood. “To be a Christian who loves your country is not to be a Christian nationalist,” Bradley Onishi, a religion scholar, told NPR. “To be a Christian nationalist is to be somebody who thinks that because you’re Christian, you get more of the country than anyone else.”

In general, the idea of a nation rooted in Christian values resonates with many Americans. A 2022 Pew Research poll showed that 45% of Americans believe that the U.S. should be a Christian nation, meaning that the country broadly should be guided by Christian values.

This sentiment is reflected in a broader moment of Christian ideas becoming more visible in public life. Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas passed laws requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms (they all faced lawsuits as a result). Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have used Christian language in their speeches, and Hegseth hosted a Christian prayer service at the Pentagon that’s to become a monthly event. Supporters like Wilson see this as a return to the nation’s roots. Opponents, however, view the shift as a distortion of the First Amendment’s promise of religious liberty.

Whether America’s founders, many of whom were Christian, intended to create a Christian nation is an old and ongoing debate. The United States was not founded as a Christian nation in any official sense, Catherine Brekus, a professor of history of religion at Harvard University told NPR. The Constitution bars religious tests for office and the First Amendment prohibits a national church. Early America included states with official churches, but the federal government avoided endorsing a single faith.

Still, she noted, most early Americans assumed the country would remain largely Protestant and few at the time predicted the waves of Catholic, Jewish and other immigrants who would significantly change the nation’s faith landscape.

For many Americans, faith, politics and patriotism are deeply intertwined — they inform each other and the way that we live and vote. Yet the growing debate around Christian nationalism raises a timely and challenging question of when tolerant public expression and exercise of personal faith crosses the line into shaping laws and institutions that elevate one religion above others.

Fresh off the press

How Gen Z is navigating life’s big milestones amid economic uncertainty. For some, faith offers a sense of stability.

The FAIR Latter-day Saint Conference took place in Utah this past week and my colleagues reported on some of the highlights:

Latter-day Saint abuse help line and clergy privilege protect children best, church attorney says.

Meagan Kohler: ‘We need a broader vision of gender equality’

‘This is a woman’s church’: Panel discusses lived experience of Latter-day Saint women.

Term of the week: Rationalists

The Rationalists are a community that prioritizes logical thinking and is heavily influenced by mathematics, philosophy and science, according to the New York Times. One of their main areas of focus is mitigating the risks of AI, believing that it poses existential dangers if not carefully controlled. The group is centered in a complex called Lighthaven in downtown Berkeley, California.

The Rationalists are also creating a culture of communal living, conferences, and rituals according to the story. Experts say it has all the hallmarks of an emerging religion. “Religion is text and story and ritual,” Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and professor of theology at Villanova University, told NYT. “All of that applies here.”

What I’m reading

There are new developments in the convergence of religion and AI. Magisterium AI is a new chatbot that some Catholics are using to explore their faith in the church’s teachings. The language model is based on 27,000 church-related documents and is designed to help faithful Catholics understand the church’s teachings. — A Catholic AI app promises answers for the faithful. Can it succeed? The Washington Post.

In his book, “Democracy Needs Religion,” German sociologist Hartmut Rosa makes a case that religion equips society with tools that can help restore democracy and help it thrive. In an ever increasing race for progress and efficiency, we need religion, but not a “dogmatic religion that closes us off from one another, but the kind of religion that facilitates listening, interpersonal connection, transformation and humility.” — Democracy Needs Religion — but Which? First Things

Odds and ends

Visiting Deseret Industries in Utah is always a bit like embarking on a treasure hunt, and the book section often proves to be especially thrilling. My latest trip while visiting my in-laws in Southern Utah didn’t disappoint. I picked up a 2017 edition of “Letters of C.S. Lewis,” which contains letters the writer and theologian wrote to his family, friends and fans and that span from his youth up until right before his death.

It’s especially fascinating to see how his thoughts on faith have evolved as his atheistic view eroded over the years. In 1916 he wrote to Arthur Greeves, one of his lifelong friends from Belfast: “You ask me my religious views: you know, I think, that I believe in no religion. There is absolutely no proof for any of them, and from a philosophical standpoint Christianity is not even the best. All religions, that is, all mythologies to give them their proper name, are merely man’s own invention — Christ as much as Loki.”

In 1931, we encounter Lewis, who has converted to Christianity. He wrote to Greeves after a long night of conversation with his friends J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson: “Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content to accept it in the same way, remembering the Pagan stories are God expressing Himself through what we call ‘real things.’” These two reflections offer a glimpse into an evolution of his faith. This letter addressed to Professor L. Anderson Orr offers a glimpse into the nature of Lewis’ thoughtful correspondence.

The Very Real Possibility That Trump Could Try To Destroy Women’s Voting Rights

Nathalie Baptiste
Fri, August 15, 2025
This article is part of HuffPost’s biweekly politics newsletter

“In my ideal society, we would vote as households,” Doug Wilson, an extreme right-wing pastor said in a video clip posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “And I would ordinarily be the one that would cast the vote, but I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household.”

It was part of last Thursday’s CNN segment on Wilson, who believes in Christian reconstruction, an extreme version of Christianity that does not support the right of women to vote. But if that wasn’t disturbing enough on its own, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reposted the video last week, simply commenting “All of Christ for All of Life.” When Slate magazine reached out to the Pentagon earlier this week seeking clarification on whether or not Hegseth believed women should vote, an agency spokesperson responded with a statement that notably did not say Hegseth believed in women’s right to vote.

When asked for comment, the Pentagon pointed HuffPost to a transcript of a Thursday press briefing in which a spokesperson responds to a reporter by saying, “On your second question about the 19th Amendment, of course the secretary thinks that women should have the right to vote,” said Kingsley Wilson, the Department of Defense press secretary. “That’s a stupid question.”

She does not explain why Hegseth reposted the video.

Julie Ingersoll, a University of North Florida religious studies professor who focuses on Christian reconstructionism, warnsthe belief isn’t as fringe as you might think.

“They are explicit about the fact that women should submit. The model for women shouldn’t have a vote is already there,” she told HuffPost.

Take a quick glance at comments about the video Hegseth reshared: “You see a lot of people [on social media] saying, ‘I see nothing wrong with this,’” Ingersoll said. “It’s a shocking number of people.”

Opposition to women voting is hardly new — after the 19th Amendment granted women voting rights in 1920, there were plenty of detractors — but in Trump’s second term, the proponents of these beliefs are certainly sensing an opportunity to do some real damage.

A few years ago, the idea that women shouldn’t have the vote would be seen as an absurd stance, close to conspiracy theory. But in recent years, as far-right stances become more mainstream and so called “traditional” gender roles reemerge as a cultural talking point, it feels much more dangerous. When a member of the president’s cabinet has to be asked about whether he stands behind the 19th Amendment, what does that mean for where the political winds are blowing?

Experts don’t believe that women’s right to vote is in imminent danger, but brushing it off as right-wing nonsense isn’t necessarily the right way to approach this movement either.

“The characterization of [Wilson] as ‘extremism’ can be problematic,” Ingersoll said. “You think you don’t have to pay attention to it, but they’ve been building on this for years.”

There is a long relationship between evangelical Christians and the GOP, like when controversial pastors like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were leading the movement to push more Christianity into public life. But Ingersoll says the second Trump term is in new terrain. “The religious right has always been in the room, but not in the way the Christian nationalists are today.”

Related: Newsom's Press Office Slams 'DISGUSTING' Use Of U.S. Soldiers To Roll Out Red Carpet For Putin

Opponents of women’s rights have been emboldened by Trump, who has been willing to implement a Christian nationalist agenda in exchange for votes. (He also has a bad track record when it comes to respecting women.)

“Trump can be president as long as he’s doing God’s will,” Ingersoll summed up the thinking.

Though Trump denied being involved with it on the campaign trail, he has been using Project 2025, the ultraconservative policy guide, as a playbook for his second term. One of the architects of it, Russell Vought, is nowthe head of the Office of Personnel Management, the powerful agency which oversees the federal government’s civil servant workforce.

Related: Trump Floats Alternative After Failing To Secure Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Deal: ‘Lives Will Be Saved’

“Project 2025 was written by Christian nationalists,” Ingersoll said. “And that’s who the administration has hired.” The administration has implemented policies that allow federal workers to proselytize at work, launched anti-Christian bias task forces based on false claims of discrimination, and allowed tax-exempt churches to engage in political activity, a significant weakening of the separation of church and state.

It’d probably be difficult for the Trump administration to lead an effort to repeal a constitutional amendment, which is what would be required to strip women’s right to vote on paper. But that doesn’t mean they can’t deal a serious blow to women’s rights.

“They’ll stop women from voting the same way they stopped Black people from voting,” Ingersoll said.

The conservative right has spent decades rolling back the Voting Rights Act, the landmark civil rights legislation which protected Black people’s right to vote. But the strategy has never been to outright overturn it, which would likely cause public outcry and hard-to-deny accusations of racism. Nor has the right directly attacked the universal male suffrage encoded in the 14th Amendment, which would be even harder for the same reasons. Instead, the plan has been simply to chip away at the ability to access those rights.

There are myriad laws throughout the country that make it harder for marginalized people to vote, many of which disproportionately affect Black voters. Voter ID laws that require drivers licenses, birth certificates or passports in order to cast a ballot put onerous restrictions on citizens without those documents, which often cost money and time to obtain. Government officials have altered the times and locations of where people can vote, like by eliminating early voting days, closing down polling locations or reducing access to mail-in ballots. These restrictions can make it difficult for people who don’t work traditional hours or who live in rural areas to cast a ballot.

They also put women at risk: Women are more likely to have low-paying or multiple jobs without those traditional hours or be busy with being the primary caregiver of their children and other relatives.

“Different policies to make it harder for people to vote will impact women of all different backgrounds,” Kelly Marino, an associate professor of history at Sacred Heart University who specializes in women’s suffrage and other gender issues, told HuffPost.

Indeed, we are already seeing it — in April, the House passed the SAVE Act, legislation that would effectively strip married women of their voting rights. The bill would have required registering to vote using the name on one’s birth certificate or passport, which often does not match married women’s IDs, since many women take their spouse’s last name. According to Politico, an estimated 69 million women have a birth certificate that doesn’t match their legal name. If it becomes law, millions of people will have had to either pay to get their birth certificates altered or pay to get a new passport. It has so far not been taken up in the Senate.

And the strategy of chipping away at rather than eliminating rights has already been used against women, albeit in another arena. For years, conservatives pursued an anti-abortion strategy of constructing road block after road block to accessing reproductive care, even as pregnant people still had the right to abortion on paper.

Related: Tim Walz's Response To Trump's Depressing Smithsonian Audit Plans Is Going Viral

When the movement culminated in the overturn of national abortion rights in 2022’s Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson, the conservative majority framed the decision not as the eliminating a constitutional right,but as granting permission for states to regulate — including by banning — what had once been a national right.“[T]he people of the various States may evaluate those interests differently,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion.

In a concurrence, Justice Brett Kavanaugh glibly added, “may a State bar a resident of that State from traveling to another State to obtain an abortion? In my view, the answer is no based on the constitutional right to interstate travel.”

But besides a cultural and religious objection to women’s independence, there is a very real political factor as well behind the push to deny women the ballot: When women gained the right to vote, it changed the political landscape.

In the last few decades, the number of female voters has steadily increased. In every presidential election since 1984, women have turned out in higher numbers than men. There is also a large gender gap between the two parties, with women tilting heavily for Democrats compared to men.

The gap is even wider for young women, who have become increasingly liberal. A Gallup poll analysis found that between 2017 and 2024, an average of 40% of women aged 18-29 identified as liberal, a 12-point increase from the years 2001 to 2007. This increase has also coincided with a record number of women elected to public office.

Related: Donald Trump Is Trying To Soften His Image With Women Voters. It’s Going To Be Tough.

Barring any drastic changes, the number of women identifying as liberal or Democratic is likely to continue to increase. Which is perhaps why conservatives suggest big changes: In 2016, after a FiveThirtyEight poll suggested that Democrat Hillary Clinton would easily win the presidential election if only women voted, and Trump if only men voted, the hashtag #repealthe19th went viral on social media.

Eight years on, the political landscape is very different. But experts think that women voters will continue to push back on GOP policies — and officials.

“I don’t think we’re doomed, these policies are hitting people on a day-to-day level,” Marino said. “I don’t think it’s a death sentence for women’s rights. People are going to wake up.”

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Monday, August 18, 2025

An alternative to LASIK — without the lasers

"Every Brilliant Thing”, the interactive one-person play with a suicidality theme now making its West End debut, reduced suicide-associated stigma among university students who attended, even up to 30 days later

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