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  • South Korea’s Biopharmaceutical Exports Set for Record First Half as Global Demand Grows

    Seoul, July 8: South Korea’s biopharmaceutical exports are on track to post a record performance in the first half of the year, driven by strong global demand for high-value medicines and contract manufacturing services.

    The country’s biopharmaceutical sector has continued its upward momentum, supported by increased exports of biologic drugs, biosimilars and contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services. Industry experts attribute the growth to South Korean companies expanding their global footprint and securing new overseas partnerships.

    The robust export performance highlights South Korea’s growing position as a key player in the global biopharmaceutical industry, with continued investments in advanced manufacturing capabilities and research helping the sector remain competitive.

    Analysts expect exports to maintain their positive trajectory in the coming months, backed by sustained international demand and a healthy pipeline of innovative products.

  • Gut Bacteria Boost Immune System, Help Send Vitamin A to T Cells

    DALLAS  July 08: Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that gut bacteria help regulate the development of the body’s immune system by directing the movement of vitamin A through a previously unrecognized cellular network. The preclinical findings, published in Cell Host & Microbe, could reshape how researchers view conditions in which immune development is disrupted, highlighting nutrient pathways as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

    “We’ve known for years that both gut microbes and vitamin A are important for building a healthy immune system,” said first author Tarun Srinivasan, Ph.D., a third-year medical student in UT Southwestern’s Perot Family Scholars Medical Scientist Training Program entering his third year of medical school. “What we didn’t understand was how those two were connected. This study identifies the pathway that links them.”

    The study’s co-corresponding authors are Lora Hooper, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Immunology and Professor in the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense and of Microbiology, and Andrew Koh, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, and Professor of Microbiology. Both are members of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

    The immune system relies on vitamin A-derived signals to guide the development of T cells, a class of immune cells that protects the body from infection. Researchers have long known both vitamin A and the gut microbiome are essential for immune development, but exactly how these factors work together has remained unclear.

    UTSW scientists found that gut bacteria in mice trigger a stepwise transfer of vitamin A between cells. The process begins in the intestinal lining, where microbes stimulate production of a vitamin A-binding protein called serum amyloid A (SAA). SAA delivers vitamin A to immune cells in the intestine, which then carry it to nearby lymph nodes and pass vitamin A-derived signals to developing T cells.

    When gut bacteria were removed, this vitamin A delivery system was largely shut down, leaving developing T cells unable to mature properly or migrate to the intestine. Because these steps are essential for building a functional immune defense, disruptions in this pathway could impair the body’s ability to respond to infections or maintain normal immune balance. Researchers further showed this pathway became increasingly active during early life – a critical window when the immune system is being programmed – suggesting interruptions during this period could have lasting consequences.

    Together, this work shows gut microbes are not just passive residents – they actively control how a key nutrient signal reaches the cells that build the immune system.

    Study authors said the findings may help explain how antibiotic exposure during early life influences immune development. Because the newly identified pathway depends on signals from gut microbes, disruptions in the microbiome could interfere with how vitamin A-derived signals are delivered to the developing immune cells. Understanding this process may help explain links between early-life microbiome disruption and increased risk of infections, inflammatory conditions, or poor immune regulation later in life.

    “One of the long-standing mysteries in the field has been how the gut microbiome communicates with the developing immune system,” Dr. Hooper said. “Our study shows vitamin A is a key part of that conversation. It’s exciting because it reveals how gut microbes and nutrients from the diet work together to help build a healthy immune system early in life.”

    The findings reveal gut microbes do more than simply stimulate immune cells. They also control how a key nutrient-derived developmental signal is distributed throughout the immune system.

    This research suggests immune development may depend not only on the availability of nutrients such as vitamin A, but also on the body’s ability to deliver those nutrients to the right immune cells at the right time.

    “These findings point to vitamin A signaling as a potentially actionable way to tune immune responses,” Dr. Koh said. “From a translational standpoint, that raises the possibility that carefully modulating this pathway could one day help improve the balance between efficacy and toxicity in cancer immunotherapy.”

    A complete list of authors from UTSW can be found in the study.

    This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01 DK070855, R01 CA231303, P01 AI179406, T32 AI007520) and The Welch Foundation (I-1874); the Walter M. and Helen D. Bader Center for Research on Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases; the UT Southwestern and Children’s Health Cellular and ImmunoTherapeutics Program (CITP); the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and the National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA142543).

    Dr. Hooper holds the Jonathan W. Uhr, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Immunology. Dr. Koh holds the Grant A. Dove Distinguished Chair for Research in Oncology.

  • Indian Stock Markets Start Lower as Global Uncertainty Weighs on Investor Sentiment

    Mumbai, July 8: Indian benchmark equity indices opened in the red on Wednesday as investors turned cautious amid renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and weak global market cues.

    The Sensex slipped 364.27 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 77,816.45 at the opening, while the Nifty fell 139.15 points, or 0.57 per cent, to 24,259.55.

    Selling pressure was visible across most sectors, with Oil & Gas stocks leading the decline. Media, PSU banks, realty, cement, metal, auto and FMCG stocks also traded lower. However, pharma and IT stocks bucked the broader market trend, registering modest gains.

    Among the Nifty 50 companies, Shriram Finance, InterGlobe Aviation, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Eicher Motors, Larsen & Toubro and JSW Steel were the biggest losers in early trade.

    Market participants remained cautious after a sharp decline in US technology stocks and mixed trends across Asian markets. Investor sentiment was further affected by escalating tensions in the Middle East, which pushed global crude oil prices higher. Brent crude rose above $76 a barrel, while WTI crude climbed past $72.

    Analysts said the Nifty is likely to face resistance around the 24,450 level, with immediate support at 24,200. A break below this level could open the door for a further decline towards the 24,000 mark.

    Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei traded lower, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng posted strong gains of more than 2 per cent, while South Korea’s KOSPI remained under pressure.

  • Wi-SUN FAN Becomes First Wireless Mesh Network Standard Adopted by ISO/IEC

    International recognition as ISO/IEC/IEEE 32857:2026 removes procurement barriers for utilities and smart cities, accelerating adoption of standards-based wireless mesh networking

    Wi-SUN FAN Becomes First Wireless Mesh Network Standard Adopted by ISO/IEC

     

    BEAVERTON, Ore. July 08: — The Wi-SUN Alliance, the global ecosystem promoting open, secure, and interoperable wireless mesh networking for utilities and smart cities, announced that the Wi-SUN Field Area Network (FAN) specification has been formally ratified as ISO/IEC/IEEE 32857:2026. The designation makes Wi-SUN FAN the first wireless mesh networking specification adopted as an ISO/IEC standard and provides utilities, municipalities and infrastructure operators with an internationally recognized framework for wireless mesh networking. This carries direct implications for utility operators, municipal governments, and infrastructure procurement agencies evaluating wireless networking technologies for critical field-area deployments.

    “When a specification carries ISO/IEC recognition, it signals to procurement officials, regulators and policymakers around the world that the technology has been vetted at the highest level,” said Phil Beecher, president and CEO of the Wi-SUN Alliance. “Wi-SUN technology already supports some of the world’s largest utility networks, including nationwide smart metering deployments in Japan and large-scale smart grid projects across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, demonstrating that the technology is already proven at scale. ISO/IEC/IEEE 32857:2026 gives utilities, municipalities and infrastructure providers an internationally recognized standard they can rely on and reference when planning the next generation of critical infrastructure.”

    Only 3% of IEEE-originated specifications achieve ISO/IEC joint recognition, a distinction that reflects both the technical maturity of the Wi-SUN FAN specification and the strength of the open, consensus-based process behind it. For utilities and municipalities, it removes a significant procurement barrier: procurement officers and regulators can now reference an internationally ratified specification when evaluating or mandating smart grid and smart city connectivity solutions, rather than relying on industry-driven documentation alone.

    “The Wi-SUN FAN specification was developed through exactly the kind of rigorous, consensus-driven technical process that ISO and IEC look for when evaluating IEEE work for joint adoption,” said Gary Stuebing, Past Chair Entity Collaborative Activities Governance Board, IEEE SA. “What ISO/IEC/IEEE 32857:2026 tells the market is that this specification was built to last — designed with the depth and precision that implementers need to build global interoperable, certifiable solutions at scale.”

    The Wi-SUN Alliance provides the definitive testing and certification program for this specification, helping ensure products are compliant and fully interoperable in multi-vendor deployments. 

  • Whatfix and PTC Partner to Improve PLM Adoption for Modern Manufacturers

    India, July 08: Whatfix, the AI-native platform for enterprise technology adoption, today announced a partnership with PTC Inc. (NASDAQ: PTC), a global industrial software company, to help manufacturers accelerate adoption across Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) environments.

    This partnership positions Whatfix as the only agentic digital adoption platform provider partnering with PTC in the PLM segment. Together, the companies will help manufacturers across automotive, industrial equipment, and medical device sectors accelerate operational excellence and maximize ROI from PLM investments by improving user proficiency, workflow execution, and operational adoption at scale.

    Manufacturing organizations operate highly complex enterprise environments where engineering precision, compliance, workforce readiness, and speed-to-market directly impact business performance. Yet many enterprises continue to struggle with realizing full value from software investments due to poor adoption and workflow inefficiencies. A commissioned Whatfix study with Forrester found that ineffective digital adoption costs mid-sized enterprises an average of $10.9 million annually through lost productivity, process inefficiencies, and underutilized technology investments.

    Through the partnership, Whatfix will support manufacturers using PTC Windchill with AI-native in-app guidance, workflow support, and adoption analytics embedded directly within workflows across enterprise applications. The partnership is designed to help engineering and operations teams improve process consistency, accelerate user training and cross-functional workflows, and drive faster adoption of PLM systems.

    “Manufacturers are focused on modernizing engineering operations while reducing complexity across global product ecosystems,” said Khadim Batti, CEO and Co-founder, Whatfix. “PLM systems are continuously evolving and have become mission-critical to this transformation, but realizing business value depends on how effectively users adopt and operationalize these platforms. Our partnership with PTC reinforces Whatfix’s strategic commitment to the PLM strategy and our vision for the userization of enterprise technology through AI-native experiences that drive operational excellence at scale.”

    Organizations using Whatfix across PLM environments can achieve up to:

    • 45% faster engineering task completion
    • 40% faster onboarding and adoption
    • 30% reduction in data errors and rework
    • 35% fewer support queries across workflows
    • 70% reduction in test environment maintenance effort
    • $300K in annual training infrastructure cost avoidance 

    These outcomes help manufacturers improve engineering productivity, strengthen compliance, accelerate time-to-market, and maximize ROI from enterprise PLM initiatives.

    “Manufacturers are under growing pressure to improve productivity, compliance, and speed-to-market across increasingly complex PLM environments. One of the most persistent barriers to enterprise software ROI is adoption at the point of work. As digital adoption platforms evolve, their role is expanding from user guidance to workflow enablement, analytics, and measurable business impact across mission-critical applications. Organizations that address this barrier will be well placed to accelerate PLM value realization, improve workforce productivity, and drive more consistent execution across engineering and manufacturing workflows.” said Sharath Hari N, Vice President, Everest Group.

    As manufacturers continue modernizing engineering and operational workflows, Whatfix and PTC will help enterprises improve adoption across increasingly complex PLM environments.

  • Odisha Vigilance Arrests Jeypore Deputy Director of Mines in INR 2 Lakh Bribery Case

    Jeypore, July 8 (UDN): The Odisha Vigilance Department on Tuesday arrested a senior mining official after allegedly catching him accepting a bribe of ₹2 lakh from a sand leaseholder in Koraput district.

    Odisha Vigilance Arrests Jeypore Deputy Director of Mines in ₹2 Lakh Bribery Case

    The accused, Satyajit Rout, Deputy Director (Geology)-cum-Deputy Director of Mines, Jeypore, allegedly demanded the money to facilitate the extension of a sand quarry lease and to provide favourable assistance in future spot auctions of sand sources.

    According to Vigilance officials, the leaseholder lodged a complaint after being asked to pay the bribe for the official favour. Following verification of the allegation, a trap was laid, and the accused was allegedly caught while accepting the illegal gratification.

    Officials recovered the entire ₹2 lakh bribe amount from Rout’s possession, and the tainted cash was seized as evidence.

    Subsequently, Vigilance teams carried out simultaneous searches at properties linked to the accused. During a search of his residence in Rayagada, officials recovered an additional ₹2.9 lakh in cash. The total cash seized during the operation now stands at ₹4.9 lakh. Authorities are verifying the source of the recovered money as part of the ongoing investigation.

    A case has been registered at the Koraput Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Investigators are continuing searches and examining documents to determine whether the accused was involved in similar instances of corruption.

    The Vigilance Department said further details will be disclosed as the investigation progresses.

  • At 75, Himachal’s Milkhi Ram Continues Academic Journey, Appears for 33rd Degree Examination

    Hamirpur, July 8 (UDN): While most people look forward to a quiet retirement, 75-year-old Milkhi Ram from Himachal Pradesh has chosen a different path—one driven by an unwavering passion for education. Already the holder of 32 academic degrees and qualifications, the lifelong learner has once again taken an examination, reinforcing the belief that learning has no age limit.

    At 75, Himachal's Milkhi Ram Continues Academic Journey, Appears for 33rd Degree Examination

    A resident of the Gandar area in Kangra district, Milkhi Ram recently appeared for the Master of Arts (Sanskrit) examination at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) study centre in Hamirpur. The programme is recognised as equivalent to the traditional Acharya degree. As the oldest candidate at the examination centre, his presence drew admiration from fellow students and invigilators alike.

    Milkhi Ram’s educational journey spans more than five decades. After joining the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department in 1972, he pursued higher education alongside his professional responsibilities. He completed his bachelor’s degree in 1976 and continued to enrol in academic programmes while balancing work and family life.

    By the time he retired as a Grade-I officer in 2010, he had already earned 26 degrees. Since then, his academic accomplishments have continued to grow. His qualifications include B.Ed., LL.B., MBA, M.Phil., a Ph.D. in Hindi, Journalism, and postgraduate degrees in Hindi, Political Science, Sociology, History, English and Economics, among other disciplines.

    Speaking about his lifelong pursuit of knowledge, Milkhi Ram said education is the greatest wealth a person can possess and that age should never become a barrier to learning. He encouraged young people to remain committed to their studies and to view education as a continuous process rather than a destination.

    He also acknowledged the unwavering support of his wife, Vidya Devi, and other family members, crediting them for helping him pursue his academic ambitions over the years.

    Officials at the IGNOU study centre lauded his dedication, describing him as a living example of lifelong learning. They said his remarkable journey demonstrates that determination, discipline and curiosity can inspire people across generations and prove that the pursuit of knowledge never truly ends.

  • Tech Alert: Leostream Checklist Helps Organizations Evaluate a Move Beyond Citrix

    Seven considerations for small and midsize enterprises planning the next generation of digital workspaces

    BOSTON – July 8, 2026 –Leostream Corporation today released a practical checklist to help small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) considering a migration from Citrix to a more flexible digital workspace platform.

    SMEs in particular are evaluating alternatives due to anticipated increases in Citrix renewal costs or because maintaining the environment has become more complex than their business requires. However, Leostream advises cost alone should not drive a potentially disruptive migration decision.

    “Organizations have a unique opportunity to modernize their digital workspace rather than simply replace one platform with another,” said Karen Gondoly, CEO of Leostream. “The right solution should prepare your organization for where IT is headed over the next decade and not just solve today’s licensing challenge.”

    Leostream recommends evaluating prospective platforms using the following checklist:

    1. Will the platform give you freedom to change infrastructure?

    The digital workspace should support the business, regardless of where workloads are physically located. A platform should allow you to move between on-premises infrastructure, private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid environments without replacing or impacting the connection management solution.

    2. Can you choose the hyperscaler that’s best for each workload?

    Along with the freedom to change is freedom to choose as cloud strategies evolve. With a platform that agnostically supports AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and other environments, future cloud decisions remain business decisions and not software limitations.

    3. Does the platform adapt to different user populations?

    Knowledge workers, engineers, developers, contact centers, healthcare providers, scientists, students, and creative professionals all have different workspace requirements. The ideal platform should allow IT administrators to tailor access policies, desktops, applications, display protocols, and authentication methods based on each user’s needs.

    4. Can you deploy only the software and tools you actually need?

    Maintaining numerous adjacent components to support capabilities they rarely use is inefficient, costly, and incurs added complexity. The digital workspace platform should deliver the core functionality organizations need without requiring unnecessary infrastructure or additional management overhead.

    5. Is the platform simple to deploy and operate?

    Operational simplicity reduces risk and lowers administrative costs. Determine how much infrastructure, ongoing maintenance, and specialized expertise are required to manage the environment over time. Automation of routine tasks such as on/offboarding users and provisioning resources helps reduce management.

    6. Is your investment protected as technology changes?

    Virtualization platforms, cloud providers, authentication systems, and remote display protocols continue to evolve. The digital workspace platform should allow organizations to adopt new technologies without requiring another major migration.

    7. What kind of partner will you be working with?

    Products are only part of the equation. Organizations should consider whether their vendor is responsive, collaborative, and easy to work with throughout deployment, support, and future scaling. Customers consistently tell Leostream they value direct access to experts, transparent licensing, and a customer-first approach that simplifies long-term success.

    “Rather than evaluating alternatives because of significant increases in Citrix renewal pricing, we encourage IT leaders to use this moment to consider the broader strategic opportunity,” said Gondoly. “Our goal isn’t to convince customers that there’s only one way to build a digital workspace, it’s to give them the flexibility to choose the infrastructure, cloud providers, protocols, and technologies that best serve them today and in the future.”

    The Leostream® Remote Desktop Access Platform for hosted desktops and workstations offers a comprehensive solution for remote access to maintain productivity, control costs, and ensure security with strict authentication and authorization built on zero-trust concepts. Its connection management system eliminates clunky corporate VPNs with an ultra-efficient gateway that gives users access to only the specific resources they have permission to use, automatically, regardless of their location or device. The Leostream Platform shines even in environments that rely on complex, specialty applications like energy and science; large files such as media and entertainment; real-time performance like financial services; and bulletproof network security like government and defense.

    About Leostream
    Leostream digital workspace management solutions embody over 20 years of Leostream research and development in supporting customers with hosted desktop environments, including VDI, hybrid cloud, and high-performance display protocols. The Leostream high performance Remote Desktop Access Platform provides the world’s most robust digital workspace connection management and remote access feature set, allowing today’s enterprises to choose the best-of-breed components to satisfy their complex security, cost, and flexibility needs while working with them as they evolve into tomorrow. The Leostream Privileged Remote Access service simplifies, secures, and monitors temporary access to corporate resources for vendors, service providers, and external contractors. Follow Leostream on LinkedIn and X.

    Leostream is a registered trademark of Leostream Corporation in the United States. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

  • AdClarity Expands CTV Ad Intelligence Across 20 Countries, Delivering the Industry’s Widest Cross-Market Coverage

    NEW YORK, NY, July 8, 2026.BIScience, the company behind AdClarity, the world’s leading AI-powered ad intelligence platform, today announced the expansion of its Connected TV (CTV) ad intelligence to 19 new countries, bringing total tracked CTV ad spend to $70 billion across 20 markets. The expansion gives brands competitor benchmarking across countries, agencies a single source of truth for global CTV, and publishers demand signals by market.

    CTV is becoming a central part of the TV ecosystem as linear viewing declines, evolving rapidly with more platforms, formats, and countries entering the space. It is growing faster than any other major channel and now represents 10 percent of all tracked ad spend globally. In the United States alone, CTV now represents a 16 percent share of all US ad spend tracked by AdClarity.

    To help organizations make more informed decisions with global media intelligence, BIScience has added CTV coverage in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Italy, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Spain, New Zealand, and Denmark. Each market includes local platform depth. For example, the United Kingdom features Channel 4 and ITV, Germany includes Joyn and Sky, and Australia covers 10 Play, 7plus, 9Now, and Stan.

    With this release, BIScience’s AdClarity now combines the industry’s widest cross-market CTV coverage with AI-powered ad intelligence. Built on one consistent methodology across markets and media, including CTV, AdClarity gives teams a unified way to compare activity, uncover competitive shifts, and move from data to decisions faster. Customers report generating insights in under 10 seconds, reducing manual analysis by 85% through AI-driven automation, and saving an average of 7,980 hours annually per customer.

    AdClarity’s panel of 30 million opt-in users spans 132 streaming platforms, 5 million smart TVs, and 52 countries, with 8 years of historical depth. AdClarity serves 27 percent of the Fortune 500, including Adidas, Amazon, Booking.com, Disney, Shell, Sony, and Wix. The platform is also used by four of the five top global advertising agencies and seven of the top ten global market research companies.

    “Global advertisers don’t work in silos, and their intelligence tools shouldn’t either. By expanding AdClarity’s CTV coverage to 20 markets and integrating built-in AI, we’ve unified the cross-media view and bridged the gap between seeing data and taking action. One methodology, one platform. Total visibility across every screen,” said Dorit Kaplan, VP Product and Strategy at BIScience.

    AdClarity CTV coverage is available now across all 20 markets as a premium add-on. Existing clients can extend immediately. To learn more, visit https://adclarity.com.

  • Odisha to Introduce Cashless Land Registration System Soon, Says Revenue Minister

    Bhubaneswar, July 7 (UDN): The Odisha government is preparing to introduce a fully cashless land registration system, a move aimed at making property transactions more transparent, efficient and corruption-free. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday said the new mechanism has been designed to simplify the registration process while reducing the need for citizens to visit government offices.

    Odisha to Introduce Cashless Land Registration System Soon, Says Revenue Minister

     Representational Image

    Announcing the initiative, the Minister said the government has finalised the framework for implementing the digital system, under which all financial transactions related to land registration will be carried out through cashless modes. The initiative is expected to eliminate cash handling and enhance transparency in property transactions across the state.

    Under the proposed system, buyers and sellers will no longer be required to visit sub-registrar offices to submit applications after finalising a land deal. Instead, the registration process will be carried out digitally, with both parties required to appear only at the final stage for identity verification and execution of the sale deed.

    Once the registration is completed, the digitally registered sale deed will be made available online, enabling applicants to access the document without waiting for a physical copy. The government believes the digital workflow will significantly reduce processing time and improve service delivery.

    Speaking on the initiative, Pujari said the reform is intended to remove the role of middlemen, streamline procedures and make sub-registrar offices free from corrupt practices. He added that the operational modalities for the new system have already been finalised and the government is gearing up to launch the initiative soon.

    The proposed cashless registration system forms part of the Odisha government’s broader push towards digital governance and citizen-centric public services. Officials expect the initiative to improve accountability, increase efficiency in land administration and provide a seamless, hassle-free experience for people buying or selling property in the state.