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RSE Research Awards Strengthen Scotland's Research Future With pound sterling661K Funding Boost
EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 25 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
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RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland's research future with pound sterling661K funding boost
We are pleased to announce that 61 exceptional research projects were selected at the spring 2026 Research Awards open call.
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Over pound sterling661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer
... Show Full Article
EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 25 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
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RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland's research future with pound sterling661K funding boost
We are pleased to announce that 61 exceptional research projects were selected at the spring 2026 Research Awards open call.
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Over pound sterling661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmerScotland, and mapping poverty and health inequalities in Scotland's communities and how we can address the knowledge-to-action gap.
In this round, lead investigators represent 14 of the Scottish universities and research institutes; however, the reach of these awards extends beyond Scotland, with collaborators representing 22 institutions in total, including international organisations in Spain, Nigeria, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and Canada.
The RSE's Research Awards Programme opens in spring and autumn each year and aims to support Scotland's research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration.
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, commented,
"The RSE's Research Awards continue to be a cornerstone of Scotland's thriving research community. I am confident that the recipients of these distinguished awards will push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful benefits for people across Scotland and beyond. On behalf of the Society, I extend warm congratulations to these exceptional researchers and their international collaborators, and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work."
The RSE is deeply grateful for the continued support of the Scottish Funding Council, as well as the valued contributions from the RSE Scotland Foundation and the Caledonian Research Fund.
Recipients of Spring 2026 RSE Research Awards:
Small Research Grants
* Dr Jessica Arnull, University of Edinburgh
Seabird-mediated nutrient connectivity across coral-seagrass systems in the Maldives
* Dr Abdelaziz Beqqali, University of Edinburgh
Establishing OOPS in thin murine heart tissue slices to enable direct analysis of cardiac RNA-binding proteins
* Dr Gianluca Destro, University of Edinburgh, with collaborator Professor Adriana Tavares, University of Edinburgh
Liposome enhanced SPECT imaging of PARP 1 in triple negative breast cancer using technetium 99m
* Professor Georgios Gerasimou, University of Glasgow
On the consistency between scoring and augmented ranking methods for eliciting preference intensities: An experimental study
* Dr Jake Greenfield, University of St Andrews
Photoswitchable imines: Now in water
* Dr Clare Hamilton, Moredun Research Institute, with collaborator Dr David Smith, Moredun Research Institute
Understanding intestinal invasion by toxoplasma gondii
* Dr Johannes Heim, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Professor Martina Wiltschko, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
SELFLings: Development of self-talk in children
* Dr Rebecca Hewer, University of Edinburgh, with collaborator Dr Ben Collier, University of Edinburgh
The feminist policy project
* Dr Davina Hill, University of Glasgow
Environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites
* Dr Kat Hunfeld, University of St Andrews
For land held in common: Sustainable futures through community land buyouts
* Dr Diarmaid Kelliher, University of Glasgow
An angry silence? Social ostracism, boycotts and unofficial discipline in the postwar British workplace
* Dr Neil Kirk, Abertay University
AI voices and the illusion of truth
* Dr Jung Woo Lee, University of Edinburgh
The politics of sport mega-events in a multipolar world
* Dr Siobhan Magee, University of Edinburgh
'UV citizenship': Understanding stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer and warmer Scotland
* Dr Rhiannon McGlade, University of Strathclyde
In visible ink: Visual print media and women in Spain (1968-1993)
* Dr Andrew McLean, University of Edinburgh
Competition law and the left
* Dr Katharine Mitchell, University of Strathclyde
Making before the credits: Feminist genealogies and the making of Italian women film pioneers, 1914-22
* Dr Ryan Morris, University of Edinburgh
Environmental drivers of spirochete aggregation
* Professor Miratul Muqit, University of Dundee, with collaborator Dr Odetta Antico, University of Dundee
Establishing pulsed SILAM to assess protein turnover dysregulation in a PINK1-deficient mouse model of Parkinson's disease
* Professor Gordon Noble, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Professor Kate Britton, University of Aberdeen
Tracing livestock mobility and provisioning networks in early medieval Dal Riata: A multi-isotope analysis
* Dr Constantina Papadopoulou, University of the West of Scotland
Supporting wellbeing after low-grade brain tumours: Understanding survivorship needs
* Professor Julia Prest, University of St Andrews
Dance and disability: Exclusion, imitation and inclusion in the early modern period and today
* Dr Michael Rapport, University of Glasgow
The spatial French Revolution: The transformation of buildings and spaces in revolutionary Paris
* Professor Patrizia Riganti, University of Glasgow
Heritage matters: Embedding cultural heritage value in Scotland's National Performance Framework
* Dr David Roxburgh, University of Strathclyde, with collaborators Dr Malika Pedley, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France and Lorna Anderson, Queen Margaret University
MultIPLE: Multilingual and multicultural Initial Professional Learning for Educators
* Dr Blair Saunders, University of Dundee
Is vaping rewriting the science of quitting? Goal structures in smoking and e-cigarette cessation
* Dr Christine Sylvester, University of Strathclyde, with collaborator Dr Heinz Brandenburg, University of Strathclyde
Adversarial politics after devolution: Computational analysis of parliamentary debate in Westminster and Holyrood
* Dr Karolina Watroba, University of Edinburgh
Afterlives of empires: Imagining alternative cultural genealogies in Germany, Poland, Japan, and Korea, 1920s-2020s
* Dr Catherine Wilson, University of Glasgow
Characterising the clinical, immunological and virological features of chronic infection in people with immunosuppression
* Dr Rhona Winnington, University of the West of Scotland, with collaborator Dr Sandra Lucas, University of the West of Scotland
Scoping the landscape of contemporary palliative care in Scotland: A modified VOICES survey
* Dr Philippa Woodcock, University of the Highlands and Islands
They wept together: Investigating miscarriage, taboo and support in early modern Scotland
* Dr Tao Zhang, University of Glasgow, with collaborator Dr Alexander Croke, University of Glasgow
Exploration of flight physics for aerial firefighting in urban environments
Research Collaboration Grants
* Dr Alessandro Boussalem, University of St Andrews, with collaborator Dr Alice Butler-Warke, University of Reading
"This is what community looks like": Building solidarities against the far right in Dundee
* Professor Daniel Clayton, University of St Andrews, with collaborator Professor Federico Ferretti, Universita di Bologna, Italy
Anticolonial geographical imaginations and networks: Rethinking the discipline through 'worldmaking'
* Dr Deval Desai, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Gail Lythgoe, University of Edinburgh and Professor Maria Fletcher, University of Glasgow
Scottish decolonising law network
* Dr Sarah Greenwood, University of Stirling, with collaborator Dr Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez, Universidad de O Higgins, Chile
Tree growth resilience to an extreme drought event in Chile-is a change of state approaching?
* Dr Laura Guy, Glasgow School of Art, with collaborators Dr Fiona Anderson, Newcastle University and Dr Cole Collins, Glasgow School of Art
Preserving queer photography: Making and maintaining community-led infrastructures of care
* Professor Moira Hulme, University of the West of Scotland, with collaborators Professor Gary Beauchamp, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Professor Catherine Furlong, Dublin City University
Sustaining teaching: A cross-national research collaboration on teacher wellbeing
* Professor Sarah Johnsen, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Olivia Swann, University of Edinburgh and Dr Carey Lunan, University of Edinburgh
Poverty and health inequalities in Scotland's communities: Closing the knowledge to action gap
* Professor Duncan MacLeod, Glasgow School of Art, with collaborator Dr Frances Wilkins, University of Aberdeen and Mrs Floraidh Forrest, Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches
The carrying stream: Activating Scotland's sound archives through creative transmission
* Dr John McCallum, University of Edinburgh
Centring emotions in Scottish history
* Dr Lisa McDonald, University of St Andrews, with collaborators Professor Sue Farran, Newcastle University and Professor Stuart Jeffrey, Glasgow School of Art
Connecting ancestral owners with dispersed material culture: Nemah itseh (decorated barkcloth) from Erromango, Vanuatu
* Dr Pedro Mendonca, Heriot-Watt University, with collaborator Dr Pille Strauss, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
The impact of algorithmic management on managers: A collaborative study between Scotland and Sweden (MANAGE-AI)
* Professor Fabio Nudelman, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Professor Claire Donnelly, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and Dr Johannes Ihli, Experiments Division, ALBA Synchrotron, Spain
In search of a unifying microstructural motive among brachiopod shells
* Dr Admire Nyamwanza, Queen Margaret University, with collaborator Dr Katelyn Johnson, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Bridging the implementation gap: A Scotland-South Africa partnership for health-centred governance of nature-based solutions
* Professor Alison Phipps, University of Glasgow, with collaborator Dr Aleksandra Glos, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
Co-creating hope with refugee children
* Dr Carolina Recart, University of Strathclyde, with collaborators Dr Samuele Colombo, University of Strathclyde and Professor Asa Wikberg-Nilsson, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden
Occupants in the loop: A biometric-informed system for real-time occupant-centred building performance
* Professor Dan Swanton, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Professor Lesley Batty, University of Birmingham and Professor Emeritus Derek France, University of Chester
Co-creating a manifesto for fieldwork: Building a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable future for fieldwork education
* Dr Sergiy Sylantyev, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Dr Olga Kopach, City St. George's University of London
Investigating the PIEZO1 channel function across brain neuronal types in health and in pathological models
* Dr J. Kelechi Ugwuanyi, University of Glasgow, with collaborators Dr George Agbo, University of Edinburgh and Professor Tochukwu Omenma, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
Decolonial heritage otherwise: Engaging Igbo cultural heritage in Scotland
* Dr Ellen Vanderhoven, University of Glasgow, with Dr Johannes Schmees, University of Derby
Youth voice and representation in Scottish apprenticeships
* Dr Victor H. Villar, University of St Andrews
Uncovering ISG15-driven metabolic reprogramming in synovial sarcoma and liposarcoma for therapeutic and biomarker development
Personal Research Fellowships
* Professor Stephen Bogle, University of Glasgow
Rights and reparation: The structure of Scots delict
* Dr Daniela Castro-Camilo, University of Glasgow
SEED: Spatial modelling of extreme counts for environmental and ecological data
* Dr Andreas Hackl, University of Edinburgh
Digital lifelines: The promise and peril of remote work for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
* Dr David Nelson, University of Strathclyde
Low valent nickel complexes as tools to explore catalytic reaction mechanisms
* Dr Michiel Poesen, University of Aberdeen
Artificial Intelligence and private international law in the EU and UK
* Dr Sally Tuckett, University of Glasgow
Climate and cloth in Scotland's historical and contemporary contexts
RSE International Bilateral Visits (Stream 1)
* Professor Andrew Baker, University of Edinburgh, visiting Professor Judith Sluimer, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Enhancer-mediated targeting of adventitial fibroblasts in vein graft atherosclerosis
* Professor Alison Brown, University of Aberdeen, visiting Dr Cara Krmpotich, University of Toronto, Canada
Family reunions: Digital engagement and diplomacy between Scotland and the Great Lakes of Turtle Island
* Dr Gwenne McIntosh, University of Stirling, visiting Mr Simon Githui, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT), Kenya
Developing anti-stigma strategies for young people in Kenya: A co-production initiative
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Original text here: https://rse.org.uk/rse-research-awards-strengthen-scotlands-research-future-with-661k-funding-boost/
Wellcome responds to the announcement of the new UK Science Minister
LONDON, England, July 24 -- Wellcome, a charitable foundation, posted the following news release:
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Wellcome responds to the announcement of the new UK Science Minister
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Beth Thompson, Executive Director for Policy & Partnerships at Wellcome, said:
"We look forward to working with Jonathan Reynolds as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Chris McDonald as Science Minister.
"Being serious about improving people's lives means being serious about science. Harnessing the full power of science is critical to achieving the aims of this - and any - government.
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, July 24 -- Wellcome, a charitable foundation, posted the following news release:
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Wellcome responds to the announcement of the new UK Science Minister
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Beth Thompson, Executive Director for Policy & Partnerships at Wellcome, said:
"We look forward to working with Jonathan Reynolds as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Chris McDonald as Science Minister.
"Being serious about improving people's lives means being serious about science. Harnessing the full power of science is critical to achieving the aims of this - and any - government.It is a sector in which the UK has enormous heritage and potential, providing the foundation for breakthroughs in health, technology and engineering. Research commissioned by Wellcome shows that, even in this challenging economic environment, science and innovation remain a strong source of hope amongst the British public.
"To make the most of this opportunity, the new Department for Business, Science and Innovation and Trade must build on DSIT's legacy. There are benefits to merging the departments, but science cannot be relegated to only serving the needs of business. DBIST must use the full strength of the UK's science sector so it serves all corners of society. The new Science Minister's joint role across DBIST and DHSC provides exactly this opportunity, ensuring cutting-edge science can drive the NHS to deliver the best outcomes for patients.
"While recognising difficult decisions to be made, it's clear that a focus on short-term growth must not compromise long-term investment in curiosity-driven research if we are to cement the UK's reputation as the global partner of choice for R&D."
Notes to Editors
Wellcome commissioned More in Common to explore the British public's attitude to science. Published in April 2026, the report found that science and innovation remain one of the strongest sources of hope for people across Britain.
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Original text here: https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/wellcome-responds-announcement-new-uk-science-minister
Trump Administration Is Right to Use Section 301 to Counter the EU's Discriminatory Tech Rules, Says ITIF
WASHINGTON, July 24 [Category: Computer Technology]-- The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation posted the following news release:
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Trump Administration Is Right to Use Section 301 to Counter the EU's Discriminatory Tech Rules, Says ITIF
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WASHINGTON-Following President Trump's announcement that the administration plans to initiate a Section 301 investigation to retaliate against the EU's discriminatory digital practices, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from
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WASHINGTON, July 24 [Category: Computer Technology]-- The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation posted the following news release:
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Trump Administration Is Right to Use Section 301 to Counter the EU's Discriminatory Tech Rules, Says ITIF
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WASHINGTON-Following President Trump's announcement that the administration plans to initiate a Section 301 investigation to retaliate against the EU's discriminatory digital practices, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement fromRodrigo Balbontin, associate director of trade, IP, and digital technology governance:
President Trump's announcement that the administration is initiating a Section 301 investigation puts Brussels on notice that discriminatory attacks against U.S. technology firms will not stand. This retaliatory measure follows a letter from 25 House members urging the White House to act. Yet it seems that EU policymakers either don't listen or don't care. The United States has long said that Europe must cease and desist from discriminatory policies such as the Digital Markets Act. But the EU has continued levying resource-extractive fines such as its recent decision targeting Alphabet, and its general approach to targeting U.S. companies has not changed-a clear sign the message has not gotten through.
Until now, the hope had been that a Section 301 investigation alone would serve as a deterrent and prompt the EU to eliminate discriminatory features of the DMA, such as its reverse-engineered gatekeeper thresholds, which overwhelmingly capture U.S. firms.
The more likely scenario from this point forward is that the administration will use its Section 301 authority to selectively retaliate rather than just imposing blanket tariffs that would ultimately backfire and harm American producers. Policymakers should carefully study options to avoid self-defeating and unintended effects. These measures could include a targeted tax policy on EU companies, tariffs in non-tech sectors such as luxury goods, and exploring interventions in other areas such as foreign investment or space policy.
Contact: Austin Slater, press@itif.org
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Original text here: https://itif.org/publications/publications/2026/07/24/trump-admin-is-right-to-use-section-301-to-counter-the-eu-discriminatory-tech-rules/
Labor Board to Prosecute UFCW Union for Illegal Strike Fine Against Oregon Fred Meyer Grocery Worker Who Resigned
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, July 24 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Labor Board to Prosecute UFCW Union for Illegal Strike Fine Against Oregon Fred Meyer Grocery Worker Who Resigned
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On appeal, NLRB General Counsel finds UFCW union bosses violated the law by fining worker nearly $1,000 for supposedly working one hour during strike
Portland, OR (July 24, 2026) - Portland-area Fred Meyer grocery store employee Coyesca Vasquez has been vindicated in her nearly two-year dispute with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555
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SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, July 24 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Labor Board to Prosecute UFCW Union for Illegal Strike Fine Against Oregon Fred Meyer Grocery Worker Who Resigned
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On appeal, NLRB General Counsel finds UFCW union bosses violated the law by fining worker nearly $1,000 for supposedly working one hour during strike
Portland, OR (July 24, 2026) - Portland-area Fred Meyer grocery store employee Coyesca Vasquez has been vindicated in her nearly two-year dispute with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555union bosses, as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel has just moved to prosecute the union for violating Vasquez's rights.
Vasquez filed federal charges against UFCW Local 555 after union bosses targeted her with a strike fine for exercising her right to continue working during a union boss-ordered strike action in 2024. The charges were originally filed with NLRB Region 19, with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a task that includes adjudicating disputes between employers, unions, and individual employees.
Vasquez exercised her legal right to resign UFCW union membership, in order to continue working, on August 28, 2024. However, UFCW officials claimed the resignation letter was not received until after she had returned to work for one hour.
UFCW bosses then apparently attempted to use this supposed one-hour delay as a technicality to justify a fine for $992, announced in a December 2024 letter, after finding her "guilty" of violating internal UFCW rules. Longstanding law says union bosses cannot impose "union discipline" against workers who are not voluntary union members. Such discipline frequently takes the form of four- or five-figure monetary fines payable to union boss-controlled funds.
Vasquez's charge was initially dismissed by the NLRB Regional Director on May 11, 2026, following an "investigation" that only took into account the union's timeline of events. Foundation staff attorneys appealed the decision to the NLRB General Counsel on May 26, detailing how Vasquez had validly resigned her union membership before returning to work and had significant evidence of her efforts to deliver her resignation to the union.
After examining the facts of the case, the General Counsel sustained Vasquez's appeal, finding that UFCW union officials violated the NLRA by refusing to recognize her resignation. The case has now been remanded to the Regional Director where UFCW union bosses will be prosecuted for violating Vasquez's rights under the NLRA unless they agree to settle the case, which would include rescinding the fine attempt and notifying other Fred Meyer employees of their legal rights in such situations.
Earlier this year, and with assistance from Foundation staff attorneys, fellow Oregon Fred Meyer grocery store employee Robert Wendelschafer-who was subjected to the same UFCW Local 555 illegal fining after he exercised his right to work during the 2024 strike by resigning his union membership-had his fine rescinded by the union.
"We welcome the General Counsel's decision to move forward in Ms. Vasquez's case against UFCW union bosses for ignoring her resignation and then attempting to claim a one hour delay justified a nearly $1,000 fine," stated National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. "Union officials have a long history of attempting to obstruct workers' union resignation requests, then using those obstruction tactics to attempt to justify punitive fines, and it is critical that the NLRB not look the other way when Big Labor deploys these anti-worker tactics."
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The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
Posted on Jul 24, 2026 in News Releases
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Original text here: https://www.nrtw.org/news/oregon-fred-meyer-ufcw-07242026/
Housing is a Human Right Calls on Mayor Bass and L.A. City Council to Stop Failed 'Inside Safe' Program as L.A. Homeless Count Rises
LOS ANGELES, California, July 24 -- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation posted the following news:
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Housing is a Human Right Calls on Mayor Bass and L.A. City Council to Stop Failed 'Inside Safe' Program as L.A. Homeless Count Rises
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LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2026) The 2026 Homeless Count released today by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority shows a 3.4 percent increase in homelessness, (compared to 1.2 percent in other areas of LA County), with unsheltered homelessness up 7.9 percent, documenting 45,194 people homeless in the City of Los Angeles.
Despite years of urging by Housing is
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LOS ANGELES, California, July 24 -- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation posted the following news:
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Housing is a Human Right Calls on Mayor Bass and L.A. City Council to Stop Failed 'Inside Safe' Program as L.A. Homeless Count Rises
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LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2026) The 2026 Homeless Count released today by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority shows a 3.4 percent increase in homelessness, (compared to 1.2 percent in other areas of LA County), with unsheltered homelessness up 7.9 percent, documenting 45,194 people homeless in the City of Los Angeles.
Despite years of urging by Housing isa Human Right (HHR), a division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), and other advocates to prioritize permanent housing, the City of Los Angeles has focused on temporary band-aid programs that have become a costly revolving door for the unhoused back onto the street.
"The 2026 Los Angeles Homeless Count has shown, once again, that the City's policies on homelessness are a complete failure. People moving from encampments to temporary shelters, bridge housing or transitional housing are still homeless. To continue with these status-quo policies, knowing that homelessness is increasing, is unconscionable. The mayor has no other choice but to change course and embrace Housing First policies that have proven to work in other cities and states," said Susie Shannon, Policy Director for Housing is a Human Right. "The only way to solve this crisis, as our organization has pointed out for years, is to provide a permanent home for those experiencing homelessness."
In addition, despite the LAHSA homeless count showing a slight drop in homelessness in 2025, a RAND study showed that the number of people sleeping in the rough (without a tent or make-shift shelter) increased from 2024 to 2025. Over half of those interviewed stated that their tent was taken away by a government entity, leaving them exposed to inclement weather - extreme heat, rain and low nighttime temperatures. The mayor's "Inside Safe" program along with CARE+ sweeps must stop this cruel practice of taking away tents. Stealing tents is cruel and sweeps homelessness under the rug.
While the root causes of homelessness are multi-factorial, high rents have the most direct impact on increases in homelessness. Los Angeles is one of the most unaffordable cities for renters in the country. More people are rent burdened in Los Angeles, paying more than 30% of their income on rent, than anywhere in the nation. A Pew Research analysis, reviewing Housing and Urban Development's data from 2017 to 2022 and apartment list rental data covering the same period, showed that in six metro areas highlighted where homelessness rose sharply, rents increased faster than the national average. The inverse was also true. Over the same period, four urban areas featured that experienced declines in homelessness saw low rent growth.
"You cannot address homelessness without addressing high rents. As part of an effective homelessness strategy, the City of Los Angeles must support rent control propositions and lobby the State of California to repeal a state law called Costa-Hawkins, which limits rent control to buildings constructed in 1978 or earlier," stated Shannon. "Only a few City elected officials have shown leadership in addressing Costa-Hawkins and its impact on increasing homelessness. The Mayor of Los Angeles and the City Council have the ability to utilize their resources to aggressively lobby the State of CA for the repeal of Costa Hawkins, allowing for an expansion of rent control to tenants in Los Angeles, they just have not done that."
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Original text here: https://www.aidshealth.org/2026/07/housing-is-a-human-right-calls-on-mayor-bass-and-l-a-city-council-to-stop-failed-inside-safe-program-as-l-a-homeless-count-rises/
Foundation for Economic Education Posts Commentary: In the Shadow of the Rock
DETROIT, Michigan, July 24 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by Mark Nayler, freelance journalist and critic based in Malaga, Spain:
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In the Shadow of the Rock
The Gibraltar-Spain fence is down--but what happens now?
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At midnight on July 15, just over a decade after the UK voted to leave the EU, the fence that has separated Spain from Gibraltar since 1908 was dismantled. The result of an agreement signed last June by Spain, the EU, Gibraltar, and the UK, its disappearance will create a fluid frontier, incorporating the Rock--as the largely self-governing
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, July 24 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by Mark Nayler, freelance journalist and critic based in Malaga, Spain:
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In the Shadow of the Rock
The Gibraltar-Spain fence is down--but what happens now?
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At midnight on July 15, just over a decade after the UK voted to leave the EU, the fence that has separated Spain from Gibraltar since 1908 was dismantled. The result of an agreement signed last June by Spain, the EU, Gibraltar, and the UK, its disappearance will create a fluid frontier, incorporating the Rock--as the largely self-governingBritish Overseas Territory is also known--into Europe's borderless Schengen Zone. Passport controls will be conducted at the airport by both Spanish and Gibraltarian guards, after which passengers will be free to travel between Gibraltar and Spain and into the rest of Europe.
Gibraltar's land border with Spain was located on a thin strip of land called the isthmus, where the territory's airport and military base are also located. It was the focal point of political tension after the Brexit referendum of June 2016, in which 51% of Britons voted to leave the EU (the 48% of Remainers included 96% of Gibraltarians). The outcome dreaded most by Gibraltarians and their Spanish neighbors was a hard border, similar to that imposed by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1969. Franco, incensed at Gibraltar's newly-approved constitution, thought that by closing the frontier he would ruin the Rock and benefit Spain--but his action had the opposite effect. The Andalucian frontier town of La Linea de la Concepcion was devastated while Gibraltar reinvented its economy, in part by forging stronger bonds with the UK and North Africa. The border wasn't fully reopened until 1985, ten years after Franco's death, in preparation for Spain's accession to the EU the following year.
Reacting to the fence removal, Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, said that "the frontier that has so often divided and constrained our region will now become a place of cooperation and shared opportunity." His words were echoed by Pedro Sanchez, Spain's Socialist prime minister, who hailed the beginning of a "new era of coexistence and shared prosperity" between the Rock and the Campo de Gibraltar, as the neighboring part of Andalucia is called. Sanchez claimed that residents of this region, one of the poorest in Spain, can now embrace their "true destiny."
The removal of the 118-year-old fence represents a triumph of compromise and practicality over historical partisanship (although the sovereignty dispute between the UK and Spain over the Rock, now in its third century, continues on the sidelines). It will make life much easier for the 15,000 workers who cross from Spain into Gibraltar every day, 11,000 of them residents of La Linea. But it won't be sufficient to rejuvenate the most forlorn areas of the Campo de Gibraltar, or to ensure that their residents share in the prosperity enjoyed by Gibraltarians. Greater investment (both public and private) will also be necessary, along with a continued crackdown on the region's smuggling gangs.
Approximately 280,000 Spaniards live in the Campo de Gibraltar. In addition to La Linea, the region incorporates the port city of Algeciras. Both cities are key hubs on the drug-running routes connecting Europe with North Africa and South and Central America. In Algeciras in late 2024, Spanish authorities seized 13 tons of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment from Ecuador. Equivalent in weight to two elephants, with an estimated street value of almost Euros800 million ($914 million), it was Spain's largest-ever drug haul at the time. Over recent years, neighboring La Linea has been the scene of violent confrontations between Spanish police and drug-runners, reinforcing this region's reputation (at least within Spain) as a lawless backwater, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the tourist hotspots of the Costa del Sol.
The economic disparities of this region are most striking when one compares Gibraltar with La Linea. The Rock has one of the highest GDP per capita rates in the world at around $133,000, putting it in the company of tax havens such as Monaco and Luxembourg and way above the UK as a whole ($61,000). Its unemployment rate stands at 1% and hasn't been above 3% since 2002. A 10% corporation tax rate enables businesses to thrive, especially in its two key industries: online gaming and financial services. Shipping is also big business, and VAT-free shopping makes the Rock an attractive tourist destination. Its marina is filled with yachts and speedboats, while its vibrant old town offers pubs, shops, hotels, and restaurants.
Just 50 meters from the border (or a half-hour walk from Gibraltar's Main Street), La Linea exists in the shadow of the Rock, both economically and literally. Large parts of the town are shabby and depressing. Its unemployment rate rarely dips below 30%. Youth unemployment in the poorest neighborhoods soars to 80%, putting young Spaniards at risk of recruitment into the 30-odd gangs that operate the smuggling routes from Morocco. It's estimated that around 3,000 of La Linea's 64,000 inhabitants are involved with these cartels, lured in by huge paychecks and a lack of opportunities elsewhere. According to Francisco Mena, the leader of an anti-drug association awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Civil Merit for a four-decade career battling narcos, even lookouts earn Euros1,000 ($1,142) a day. Speedboat drivers can pocket as much as Euros60,000 ($68,500) per trip. The return trip to Morocco, situated just 15 kilometers (nine miles) across the Strait of Gibraltar, takes under an hour, and around ten crossings are made every day.
When the border deal was announced last summer, Juan Franco, the mayor of La Linea, called for "differentiated treatment" from the rest of the Campo de Gibraltar. Though he welcomes a fluid frontier, Franco wants clarification on how it will affect environmental issues, taxation, and urban planning, and whether more investment will come from the Andalucian government. He has also stressed the importance of changing La Linea's reputation, improving prospects for its youngsters and combating the narcos--all different aspects of the same challenge. "The solution needs to have a dual focus," Franco told The Guardian in 2018: "First, a big police deployment... But you also need social measures--you need training and education and you need to have jobs for people. It's the only way to get rid of this scourge. What's the alternative?"
Last week's fence removal marked the conclusion of a decade of fraught negotiations between London, Madrid, Brussels, and Gibraltar. On a day-to-day basis, both Gibraltarians and Spaniards will benefit from the lack of a hard border. What's less clear is whether the disappearance of this physical barrier will transform the Campo de Gibraltar, a part of Andalucia that up until now has lived in the shadow of the Rock.
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Mark Nayler is a freelance journalist and critic based in Malaga, Spain. He writes regularly for The Spectator and Times Literary Supplement and is working on a biography of the philosopher Bryan Magee, due to be published by Bloomsbury (London) in 2028.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/in-the-shadow-of-the-rock/
As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk
OAKLAND, California, July 24 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
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As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk
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The proposed rescission of EEO-1 employment data and related reports would end the federal government's 60 year-long collection of standardized workforce data -despite research showing that the same data is important to predicting company financial performance.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, ryon@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA -July 24, 2026 - As You Sow, the
... Show Full Article
OAKLAND, California, July 24 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
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As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk
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The proposed rescission of EEO-1 employment data and related reports would end the federal government's 60 year-long collection of standardized workforce data -despite research showing that the same data is important to predicting company financial performance.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, ryon@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA -July 24, 2026 - As You Sow, thenation's leading shareholder representative, today raised deep concern about the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's vote to issue a notice of proposed rule-making rescinding the requirement that employers file annual EEO-1 and related reports summarizing workforce demographic data. The proposal would end a data collection practice that has successfully operated for more than half a century, and which investors depend on to evaluate human capital risk in companies.
EEO-1 data is one of the only standardized, comparable sources of workforce composition data available to investors. Because employers report the information to the federal government in a consistent format, investors can compare companies on an objective basis rather than relying on corporate marketing or voluntary diversity claims. Eliminating the requirement would remove that comparability at a moment when investors are increasingly focused on workforce stability, human capital management, and the operational risks of rapid workforce change.
"The EEOC is proposing to switch off one of the few objective windows investors have into how public companies manage their workforces," said Danielle Fugere, President and Chief Counsel of As You Sow. "This data is not a compliance nicety, it is decision-useful financial information. Removing it does not make workforce risk disappear; it simply blinds investors to existing risk and forces them to rely on whatever companies choose to say about themselves. That is diametrically opposite of the transparency efficient markets require."
Yesterday, As You Sow will released an updated edition of its Capturing the Diversity Benefit report which analyzed nine years of EEO-1 data from 1,482 companies. The analysis found that greater representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in management was significantly and positively associated with income after tax, five- and ten-year revenue growth, return on equity, return on invested capital, free cash flow per share, and five- and ten-year share price appreciation.
"By suppressing information, the EEOC deprives companies, investors, researchers, and the market of useful information that cannot be reconstructed once collection stops," said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. "You cannot go back in time to gather years of workforce data that was never recorded. It is a permanent loss dressed up as paperwork reduction."
This proposed recission is part of a broader pattern of federal action suppressing information of value to investors and the public. Voluntary EEO-1 disclosure among large companies has been declining over the past couple of years due to intense anti-DEI pressure on companies.
Based on EEO-1 data acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request, our report found that most companies choosing not to disclose voluntarily have measurably less diverse management. This makes the information most valuable precisely where it is least likely to be volunteered. If the federal mandate ends, that critical information disappears.
Investors and other interested parties will be able to comment on the proposed rescission of key human capital management data during the 30-day public comment period which opens upon publication in the Federal Register. The EEOC has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for August 11, 2026.
As You Sow will submit formal comments and continue to press companies to gather and voluntarily disclose workforce data, whatever the outcome of the federal requirement, to promote transparency about workplace diversity, a factor correlated with better financial outcomes.
As You Sow is the nation's leading shareholder representative, with a 30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility. As You Sow addresses a range of issues that affect shareholder value including climate change, ocean plastics, toxins in the food system, biodiversity, racial justice, and workplace diversity. See As You Sow 's shareholder resolution tracker.
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Original text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2026/7/23/as-you-sow-condemns-eeoc-proposal-to-eliminate-collection-of-workforce-composition-data-investors-need-to-assess-risk
