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Life changes after 18 months without ultra-processed food

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Steffan Rhys has eaten no ultra-processed food for 18 months (Image: Steffan Rhys)

Among the numerous strategies I’ve employed to enhance my health and manage my weight, I never anticipated this one to have the most profound effect. Eighteen months ago, in January 2024, I made the decision to completely eliminate ultra-processed foods from my diet.

This journey began with the all-too-familiar feeling of starting a new year feeling lethargic, fatigued and bloated after the festive indulgence of December. However, it has evolved into something far more significant – it’s no overstatement to say the impact has been utterly transformative, altering my dietary habits, my physical form and my understanding of food. What’s truly astounding is how effortless the transition has been.

Unhealthy products. food bad for figure, skin, heart and teeth.

Ultra processed food consist of food you would expect, and a few surprises (Image: Getty)

I haven’t reduced my food intake, counted calories or fretted over fats or carbs.

This means the changes are far more likely to become lifelong habits, enhancing my prospects for a healthier future.

Here are the four major ways my life has transformed:

  • I lost weight
  • I enjoy so many more foods than I used to
  • I perform far better when exercising
  • I know a lot more about what goes into our food and how manufacturers get us to over-eat.

I’ll delve into each of these points individually, but first, let’s briefly define what constitutes ultra-processed food and how I eliminated it from my diet.

What exactly is ultra-processed food?

A lunchbox containing crisps, a doughnut, cookies and sausage rolls, with a bottle of cola beside it

Ultra-processed food is everywhere (Image: -)

In essence, ultra-processed food (also referred to as UPF) is food that contains ingredients not typically used in home cooking, or that has undergone industrial processing. It’s often a combination of both.

Dr Chris Van Tulleken, an infectious diseases expert at University College London and BBC science broadcaster, gave a succinct definition of ultra-processed food: “If it’s wrapped in plastic and it contains at least one ingredient that you don’t typically find in a domestic kitchen, then it’s ultra-processed food.”

Some commonplace items on the list of these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) include:

  • packaged bread
  • breakfast cereals and granola
  • flavoured yoghurts
  • chocolate, biscuits, and crisps
  • energy and granola bars
  • fizzy drinks
  • ready meals

Should you spot any of the following ingredients on the back of a product, chances are it falls under the UPF category:

  • emulsifiers
  • stabilisers
  • dyes
  • flavour enhancers
  • lecithin
  • xantham or guar gum

Are all processed foods bad?

Young woman picking up a slice of cheese from the dairy aisle refrigerated section of supermarket

Cheese is a processed food – but that doesn’t mean it’s bad for you (Image: -)

The short answer is no. Humans have been processing food for millennia.

Staples like bread, butter, cheese, and yoghurt count among processed foods – and don’t forget tinned foods. Truth be told, most foods gracing our plate today have undergone some degree of processing.

However, ultra-processed food takes it a step further. Zoe co-founder and epidemiologist Professor Tim Spector explains: “Plain yoghurt, nothing added, nothing changed, is processed because you are mixing a basic ingredient, milk, with microbes…

“It is when you take it to the next stage… [adding] various starches, emulsifiers, concentrates, artificial sweeteners and flavourings… that same yoghurt becomes ultra-processed. It is that extra step that is the main problem.”

Yet, not all technically ultra-processed foods are detrimental. High-quality dark chocolate, for instance, is considered ultra-processed but typically contains only cocoa and a smidgen of sugar.

Even Prof Spector, a leading proponent of reducing UPF consumption, asserts that items like Heinz tomato ketchup and Weetabix, while technically ultra-processed, pose no threat to our health.

Naturally, even heavily ultra-processed foods such as sweets, fizzy drinks and Pringles won’t wreak havoc if consumed sparingly rather than regularly.

How did I eliminate UPF from my diet?

Breakfast table served with healthy bowls containing nuts, yoghurt, fruits and seeds

I swapped granola and flavoured yoghurts at breakfast time for nuts and Greek yoghurt (Image: -)

Dodging ultra-processed food can seem like an insurmountable task. Supermarket aisles are brimming with them, and they often offer convenience and affordability.

Here’s a brief rundown of my approach:

  • I replaced granola and milk with nuts and Greek yoghurt, as well as some fruit, for breakfast
  • I swapped milk chocolate for dark chocolate boasting a high cocoa content (80 per cent or more)
  • I eliminated supermarket bread, crisps, biscuits, ice cream, and pre-packaged meals.
  • I stopped eating processed meat
  • I ate a lot more legumes, such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans, as well as nuts
  • I aimed to eat at least 30 different plants per week
  • Followed advice from trusted sources like the Zoe Science and Nutrition podcast.

Prior to 2024, my go-to breakfast consisted of granola with fruit and flavoured – a routine I believed was healthy. In reality, this breakfast choice was overabundant in added sugar and ultra-processed ingredients.

Weight loss

Steffan Rhys on the left in 2023 and on the right, looking much slimmer in 2024

Steffan Rhys on the left in 2023 and on the right, in 2024 (Image: Steffan Rhys)

The most evident impact of these dietary adjustments was my weight loss, shaving off roughly 1.5 stone in the past 18 months (a drop from 11.5 stone to just shy of 10 stone). Ultra-processed foods tend to be high in calories, but their nutritional value is inversely low.

These foods often over-deliver on sugar, salt, and detrimental fats. An experimental study involving a diet dense in ultra-processed items found that participants ingested an average of 500 additional calories daily, in contrast to those on a diet composed chiefly of unprocessed food sources.

The ultra-processed test group experienced an average weight increase of two pounds after two weeks. One particular trial had Dr Chris Van Tulleken alter his diet drastically by making ultra-processed food account for 80 per cent of it – not an unusual proportion in the UK or USA.

Reflecting on the aftermath, Dr Van Tulleken shared: “I gained a huge amount of weight in one month. I gained so much weight that if I’d continued for the whole year, I would’ve doubled my body weight.”

Exercise benefits

I discovered that adhering to a workout routine was more manageable. Over the past 18 months, I’ve haven’t increased my exercise routine – I manage to fit in a run once or twice a week, participate in one or two 45-minute circuit classes and, if I’m fortunate, squeeze in a bike ride.

Despite not increasing my workout frequency, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my performance.

For instance, I’ve achieved three personal bests in half marathons and two in 10K runs over the past year, shaving approximately 25 minutes off my half-marathon time – an accomplishment I’m immensely proud of.

Exploring new culinary delights

A variety of dips and foods including avocado, seeds, yoghurt, tahini and more

It’s been amazing to learn so much about the taste potential and health benefits of so many different foods like avocado, seeds, Greek yoghurt, tahini and others (Image: -)

In addition to the aforementioned UPF foods, many ready-made sauces and salad dressings are ultra-processed. Therefore, if I craved unique flavours in my meals, I had to create them from scratch using spices, herbs, fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables.

Far from being a chore, this has been the most enjoyable aspect of my new dietary approach. I’ve stumbled upon a plethora of new flavour pairings and now rely on foods that were previously seldom included in my diet, such as chickpeas, butter beans, lentils, nuts, and Greek yoghurt.

My go-to salad dressing is now a blend of Greek yoghurt and tahini, enhanced with lemon juice, olive oil or even a splash of maple syrup.

And don’t fret over fat – I regularly consume around 150g of fat daily, sometimes even more. The key point is that these are healthy fats, which are beneficial for you and plentiful in foods such as nuts and avocados.

They won’t lead to weight gain. It’s the unhealthy fats present in processed meats and foods with added sugar that pose a problem. I also aim to consume 30g of fibre each day.

My typical meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Breakfast: Almost always the same thing: Greek yoghurt with a variety of nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts or cashews), seeds (such as chia, pumpkin or linseed) and a medley of fruit (usually raspberries, strawberries, bananas and blueberries). If not this, I might opt for some avocado on a slice of wholemeal sourdough from a local bakery.

Lunch: Typically lentils accompanied by an assortment of vegetables and hummus, often homemade with chickpeas or butter beans. Another alternative would be an omelette with onions and peppers.

Dinner: Usually a white fish like hake, cod, or basa (which is considerably cheaper than other white fish), or salmon, served with butter beans or chickpeas seasoned with onions, mint, and lemon juice.

Other nutritious meals include this walnut, mushroom and cauliflower ragu, this vegan chilli made with a variety of beans, this homemade hummus and this homemade pesto.

Understanding what goes into our food

Dr Chris van Tulleken sits at a table with lots of ultra processed foods in front of him

In an experiment, Dr Chris Van Tulleken altered his diet so that 80% of it was made up of ultra-processed food — he said he ‘gained a huge amount of weight in one month… so much weight that if I’d continued for the whole year, I would’ve doubled my body weight’ (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)

When I initially gave up ultra-processed food, my primary goal was to enhance my health and maintain a healthy weight. However, as I delved deeper into the practices of many major food corporations, I found an additional incentive in withholding my financial support.

The creation of ultra-processed foods involves staggering amounts of marketing and manipulation, including bold health assertions on vibrant, attention-grabbing packaging. Food companies have poured vast resources into understanding the science that triggers our appetites, from the sound of a packet being opened to the texture of food in our mouths and the irresistible flavours that leave us craving more.

Essentially, we are being duped into overeating. For further insight, I recommend Chris van Tulleken’s book, Ultra-Processed People. His 2024 BBC documentary Irresistible is also worth a watch.

How to incorporate 30 different plants into your weekly diet

The notion of consuming 30 different plants a week may seem daunting. But why 30?

It’s all about enhancing the health and diversity of your gut microbiome, a microbial community that experts increasingly recognise as a crucial pillar of overall health, potentially adding more healthy years to your life. As a member of Zoe, my gut microbiome score after adhering to this diet for 12 months was an impressive 93 out of 100.

A 2018 study conducted in the USA, UK and Australia found that individuals who consumed 30 or more distinct plants per week were more likely to harbour certain “beneficial” gut bacteria than those who ate just 10. Achieving the target of 30 isn’t as challenging as it might appear, given that fruits and vegetables aren’t the only foods that count.

The tally also includes a wide variety of beans (such as butter, cannellini, black, kidney, pinto), grains (like oats, quinoa or bulgar wheat), nuts (including almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts and pistachios) and seeds (such as chia, pumpkin or sesame). Additionally, herbs and spices are included, and plants like coffee and cocoa, which contain beneficial chemicals that support your gut microbiome, also count towards the total.

Sweet treats can still be enjoyed

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar for Dessert

These homemade chocolate peanut butter bars have no added sugar or UPF and taste amazing (Image: -)

Sweet treats are a delight for most, and I’m certainly no exception. Thankfully, you can whip up a sumptuous, healthy dessert using natural ingredients.

Take this simple recipe: a luscious chocolate mousse made with just dark chocolate, olive oil, maple syrup and aquafaba. Likewise, you can create delicious granola or a delectable chocolate and peanut butter bar that rivals a Snickers – and they’re all wholesome.

Just one more thing:

Whilst I’ve been quite diligent about avoiding ultra-processed foods (UPFs), it’s not mandatory to be as strict. Even Zoe, staunch proponents of reducing UPF consumption, merely recommend keeping it below 15 per cent of your total diet.

Co-founder Professor Tim Spector admitted to me he indulges in crisps occasionally despite warning against UPFs – noting my diet seemed “restrictive”.

Of course, the odd UPF has sneaked into my meals this year, like during a meal out or when options were limited. And I haven’t forsaken alcohol – we all deserve our vices.

So take heart – as long as you’re moving towards a healthier you, there’s no need to fret.



This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk

Trump applying ‘heavy pressure’ on Netanyahu to end war in Gaza | US News

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US President Donald Trump is putting “heavy” pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, two sources close to the ceasefire negotiations have told Sky News.

One US source said: “The US pressure on Israel has begun, and tonight it will be heavy.”

The source, who is not authorised to speak publicly, was referring to the White House dinner on Monday night between Trump and Netanyahu.

A second Middle Eastern diplomatic source agreed that the American pressure on Israel would be intense.

Image:
Benjamin Netanyahu gave Donald Trump a letter saying he had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Pic: AP

Netanyahu arrived in Washington DC in the early hours of Monday morning and held meetings on Monday with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser.

The Israeli prime minister plans to be in Washington until Thursday with meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Trump has made clear his desire to bring the Gaza conflict to an end.

However, he has never articulated how a lasting peace, which would satisfy both the Israelis and Palestinians, could be achieved.

His varying comments about ownership of Gaza, moving Palestinians out of the territory and permanent resettlement, have presented a confusing policy.

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‘Israel has shifted towards economy of genocide’

Situation for Palestinians worse than ever

Over the coming days, we will see the extent to which Trump demands that Netanyahu accepts the current Gaza ceasefire deal, even if it falls short of Israel’s war aims – the elimination of Hamas.

The strategic objective to permanently remove Hamas seems always to have been impossible. Hamas as an entity was the extreme consequence of the Israeli occupation.

The Palestinians’ challenge has not gone away, and the situation for Palestinians now is worse than it has ever been in Gaza and also the West Bank. It is not clear how Trump plans to square that circle.

Read more:
Explainer – What is the possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal?
Israeli soldier describes arbitrary killing of civilians in Gaza

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‘Some Israeli commanders can decide to do war crimes’

Trump’s oft-repeated desire to “stop the killing” is sincere. Those close to him often emphasise this. He is also looking to cement his legacy as a peacemaker. He genuinely craves the Nobel Peace Prize.

In this context, the complexities of conflicts – in Ukraine or Gaza – are often of secondary importance to the president.

If Netanyahu can be persuaded to end the war, what would he need?

The hostages back – for sure. That would require agreement from Hamas. They would only agree to this if they have guarantees on Gaza’s future and their own future. More circles to square.

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Trump 100: We answer your questions

Was White House dinner a key moment?

The Monday night dinner could have been a key moment for the Middle East. Two powerful men in the Blue Room of the White House, deciding the direction of the region.

Will it be seen as the moment the region was remoulded? But to whose benefit?

Trump is a dealmaker with an eye on the prize. But Netanyahu is a political master; they don’t call him “the magician” for nothing.

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Trump makes decisions instinctively. He can shift position quickly and often listens to the last person in the room. Right now – that person is Netanyahu.

Gaza is one part of a jigsaw of challenges, which could become opportunities.

Diplomatic normalisation between Israel and the Arab world is a prize for Trump and could genuinely secure him the Nobel Peace Prize.

But without the Gaza piece, the jigsaw is incomplete.



This story originally appeared on Skynews

Immortalised in Graham Greene’s novel The Comedians, destroyed by gang violence : NPR

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Main entry to the Hotel Oloffson, built as a private residence by Simon Sam in about 1886. American Marines leased it and turned it into a military hospital from 1915–34. In 1936 Walter Oloffson converted it to a hotel. In the 50’s through 70’s it was a Hollywood jet–set destination.

Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times/Getty


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Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times/Getty

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —One of Haiti’s most storied landmarks — a 19th-century gingerbread mansion that once hosted cultural luminaries and political intrigue — has been reduced to ashes in the latest wave of gang violence gripping the capital.

The Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, long a haven for artists, writers, musicians and foreign dignitaries, had weathered dictatorships, coups, and natural disasters. But this weekend, it could not survive Haiti’s spiraling security crisis.

“It’s where I spent my last 40 years. It’s where I met my wife. It’s where my kids grew up. It’s where we played, where we had parties, where we danced,” said Richard Morse, the Haitian-American long term tenant and manager of the hotel, speaking by phone from his home in Maine.

Morse didn’t just manage the property — he fronted the Haitian roots band RAM, which played legendary Thursday night sets from the hotel’s wraparound balcony. The Oloffson was more than a business. “It was a heartbeat,” he said.

The swimming pool at the Grand Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 1981.

The swimming pool at the Grand Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 1981.

Slim Aarons/Hulton archive/Getty Images


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Slim Aarons/Hulton archive/Getty Images

The hotel’s history is as rich as its architecture. Built in the late 1800s, it once served as a presidential residence and later as a U.S. Marine Corps hospital. As a hotel, it became a gathering place for cultural royalty — from Mick Jagger and Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Haitian painters and poets.

The Oloffson also lives on in literature. British novelist Graham Greene, who stayed there in the 1960s, immortalized it in The Comedians, a dark satire set during the brutal regime of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his feared Tontons Macoute. The novel was later adapted into a film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor — herself a guest at the hotel.

In recent months, the Oloffson stood on the frontlines of a turf war. The Viv Ansanm gang coalition, which has taken over much of Port-au-Prince, had been targeting once-gentrified neighborhoods like the one surrounding the hotel. Morse said he hadn’t been able to access the building since April.

“I’ve been trying to get there for months,” he said. “And no one would let me go.”

The fire that destroyed the hotel broke out amid clashes between gangs and Haitian police in the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood. It was one of several historic buildings torched in recent days.

Richard Morse, right, sings with his group, Ram, at the famous Hotel Oloffson on Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 20, 2000. Morse, the son of an American scholar and a Haitian dancer who grew up in Woodbridge, Connecticut, is the latest in the Oloffson's long line of operators.

Richard Morse, right, sings with his group, Ram, at the famous Hotel Oloffson on Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 20, 2000. Morse, the son of an American scholar and a Haitian dancer who grew up in Woodbridge, Connecticut, is the latest in the Oloffson’s long line of operators.

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DANIEL MOREL/AP

Morse admits he’s uneasy about the attention the hotel’s destruction has drawn, considering the broader suffering across the country.

“The most difficult part for me is attracting all this attention to a hotel,” he said, “when there are so many people out there being killed and raped. The way I can justify it is, if the hotel is bringing attention to the killings and injustices, then maybe it serves a purpose.”

Nearly 90% of Port-au-Prince is under gang control. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been displaced by the violence. Still, Morse insists neither the spirit of the Oloffson — nor Haiti itself — is lost.

“I don’t think we’re going to see places the way we saw them,” he said. “But I believe the spirit is not gone. Haitians are such a powerful entity, people can’t get rid of it — as much as they try.”




This story originally appeared on NPR

The One Trait That Separates Great Leaders From Everyone Else

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

One trait consistently separates those who thrive from those who stall: a growth mindset. At its core, this mindset is less about raw intelligence or flawless execution and more about adaptability, resilience and the ability to transform setbacks into strategic stepping stones.

Growth-oriented leaders don’t see failure as defeat — they see it as data. They understand that success isn’t about having all the answers, but about asking better questions, staying curious and acting with courage even before they feel fully ready.

Related: 5 Entrepreneurial Mindsets That Drive Success

Growth requires discomfort

In my experience, meaningful growth begins the moment you step outside your comfort zone. It’s not about waiting for perfect conditions — it’s about being willing to step into the fire, learn, adapt and evolve. The leaders who rise aren’t the ones who avoid risk, but those who are willing to fail forward, turning missteps into momentum.

Strategic thinking, resilience and problem-solving are forged in uncertainty. The ability to spot opportunity in foggy conditions — and act on it — is a hallmark of growth-minded leadership. When done right, each failure becomes a rehearsal for future success.

Growth mindset in leadership

The most successful leaders don’t start with all the answers. They lead with better questions: How can we improve this? What haven’t we considered? Where is the opportunity hidden within this obstacle? This intellectual humility drives both personal and organizational evolution.

A growth mindset equips leaders to adapt in volatile markets — not just by being clever, but by being willing to evolve. In a world that demands reinvention, standing still is riskier than failure.

Growth mindset in the workplace

This mindset doesn’t just benefit top executives — it transforms entire organizations. When companies promote growth thinking across all levels, they build cultures that value curiosity over perfection, learning over blame and potential over fixed roles.

Employees with a growth mindset don’t view problems as roadblocks — they see them as invitations to innovate. They’re more receptive to feedback, more collaborative and more likely to take initiative. This leads to higher performance, deeper engagement and a more resilient organization.

When setbacks occur, these teams ask:

  • What can we learn?
  • How can we do better next time?
  • What does this make possible?

The answers fuel continuous improvement and stronger collaboration.

Growth is the new competitive advantage

In industries where talent and technology are often evenly matched, mindset becomes the ultimate differentiator. Organizations that embrace change, foster adaptability and invest in growth thinking outperform those that cling to legacy thinking or ego-driven leadership.

Importantly, a growth mindset doesn’t discard strategy or planning. Instead, it sharpens them. It helps leaders balance ambition with discipline, grounding their decisions in both vision and reality.

Willingness over readiness

Every great career pivot, business turnaround or entrepreneurial success story has a common denominator: someone chose to grow. They didn’t wait to be ready — they moved forward anyway.

Readiness is often an illusion. The people who succeed are those who are willing to take the first step, challenge their assumptions, and keep going even when the outcome is uncertain. That’s real growth — progress through discomfort.

The danger isn’t in failure — it’s in staying stuck. When you believe you can grow and take action accordingly, you position yourself to succeed in ways you never imagined.

Small shifts, big results

You don’t need a radical overhaul to start thinking with a growth mindset. It begins with small internal shifts:

  • Replace “What’s wrong?” with “What’s possible?”
  • Use feedback as fuel — not a threat
  • Choose curiosity over criticism
  • Trade perfection for progress

These micro-adjustments unlock major results over time. One new perspective. One brave question. One action taken before you’re “ready.” That’s how transformation begins.

Mindset as a strategic asset

The right mindset isn’t a soft skill — it’s a strategic advantage. Leaders and teams who embrace growth thinking don’t just adapt to change — they create it. They turn feedback into fuel, pressure into performance and uncertainty into innovation.

In a business environment that rewards agility and continuous learning, the most valuable asset you can develop isn’t just a product, process or pitch. It’s a mindset committed to learning, evolving and leading through change.

Related: What Separates a Great Leader From a Good One?

Final word: choose growth

Every challenge holds within it the potential for transformation — but only if you’re willing to lean in. Growth isn’t comfortable. It’s not always convenient. But it is always worth it.

Don’t wait for the conditions to be perfect. Choose to grow — especially when it’s hard. That’s when the real breakthroughs happen.

Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.

One trait consistently separates those who thrive from those who stall: a growth mindset. At its core, this mindset is less about raw intelligence or flawless execution and more about adaptability, resilience and the ability to transform setbacks into strategic stepping stones.

Growth-oriented leaders don’t see failure as defeat — they see it as data. They understand that success isn’t about having all the answers, but about asking better questions, staying curious and acting with courage even before they feel fully ready.

Related: 5 Entrepreneurial Mindsets That Drive Success

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This story originally appeared on Entrepreneur

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta pays ‘tens of millions of dollars’ to poach top Apple AI exec — adding to murderers’ row of new hires

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has reportedly forked over “tens of millions of dollars” to poach one of Apple’s top artificial intelligence researchers as the tech giant continued to add to a murderers’ row of high-paid talent.

Ruoming Pang, who led the team responsible for developing Apple’s AI models, will become the latest member to join Meta’s new “Superintelligence Lab,” Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

Meta reportedly lured Pang, who had worked at Apple since 2021, with a compensation package “worth tens of millions of dollars per year,” the sources said.

The company also recently hired away researchers Yuanzhi Li from OpenAI and Anton Bakhtin from Anthropic.

Meta has hired one of Apple’s top AI researchers. REUTERS

In all, Meta has poached more than a dozen top AI researchers since last week, purportedly offering compensation packages worth $100 million or more to win the AI arms race – meaning the company’s total spending on hires could soon surpass $1 billion, if it hasn’t already. 

At least nine of the hires jumped ship from Sam Altman’s OpenAI, with the others coming from Google DeepMind and Amazon-backed Anthropic.

The new hires will be part of the the newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs, headed by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang. Late last month, Zuckerberg announced that Wang came aboard after Meta invested nearly $15 billion for a 49% stake in the startup.

Rouming Pang was in charge of a roughly 100-person team at Apple. LinkedIn / Ruoming Pang

Other key hires include former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, ex-Safe Superintelligence CEO Daniel Gross and former OpenAI researcher Trapit Bansal, who played a key role in developing the ChatGPT maker’s AI reasoning models.

“As the pace of AI progress accelerates, developing superintelligence is coming into sight,” Zuckerberg said in an internal message to employees on June 30. The announcement helped push Meta’s stock to an all-time high.

Meta confirmed the hire but declined further comment. Apple did not immediately respond.

Meta’s tactics have miffed Altman, who has publicly grumbled about his billionaire rival targeting OpenAI’s employees with exorbitant packages.

Daniel Gross also joined Meta’s team. Getty Images
Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman will work closely with Alexandr Wang at Meta. GitHub

Top Meta executive Andrew Bosworth reportedly pushed back during a recent all-hands meeting, telling employees that Altman was being “dishonest” about the extent of the offers.

At the same time, Meta denied a report from the tech news site Wired that it had offered up to $300 million to some AI talent – numbers that, if true, would dwarf the annual pay of some of the world’s top tech executives.

“Some people have chosen to greatly exaggerate what’s happening for their own purposes,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said at the time.

Trapit Bansal played a key role in developing OpenAI’s reasoning models. LinkedIn / Trapit Bansal

Meanwhile, the loss of Pang was another setback for Apple, which has struggled to integrate new AI features for its iPhones and other hardware. Pang oversaw roughly 100 employees at Apple.

During Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last month, the company confirmed that its long-teased AI overhaul of the Siri voice assistant still needed more work before it could be released to the public.



This story originally appeared on NYPost

‘America Party’ proves Elon Musk needs a political time-out

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Uncharacteristically, Elon Musk is doing a dumb thing. 

His threat this weekend to launch a third national party, based on his disappointment at President Donald Trump’s failure to eliminate the deficit, is likely to be a disaster — for him, and for America.

To be sure, it’s risky to bet against Elon. 

He’s a once-in-a-millennium human talent, combining genius-level performance in engineering, in business and even in politics. (Leonardo da Vinci was a similarly all-around talent, but how many of his inventions actually got built?)

Musk was politically savvy enough to see that a Democratic Party win in 2024 would have doomed his business, his plans for humanity and possibly the United States. 

He went all-in with his money and his fame to help prevent that calamity, for which he deserves our gratitude.

But.

Musk’s disappointment that Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act doesn’t cut enough spending has him flirting with the idea of creating the independent “America Party.” 

And that’s pure foolishness.

Third parties in America have pretty much always been failures, and ruinous for those looking to rein in government. 

Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party handed the White House to Democrat Woodrow Wilson, with disastrous results. Ross Perot’s on-again-off-again campaign — like Musk’s, focused on the national debt — ushered in Bill Clinton.

Musk’s effort is likely to do the same, splitting the votes of Americans who want reform in Washington. 

And it runs the risk of losing the midterms to the Democrats, which will guarantee no action on spending cuts, likely followed by a White House loss for the GOP in 2028.

Elon and his fans are right that the debt is an existential threat.

But we can’t attack it without first taking apart the coalitions that created the problem. That’s what Trump is doing.

The old establishment GOP of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan is gone. The new MAGA party has only a slim majority in Congress — but it was enough to pass Trump’s budget bill last week.

And while the OBBBA doesn’t directly slash the debt, it contains several provisions making it easier to do so.

Capping federal student loans will force university tuitions down, which will both cut federal spending and throttle the cash that higher education — a money laundry and employment farm for Democrats — has to play politics with. 

Massive deportations will decrease the illegal population in time for the 2030 census, costing Democratic states seats in the House and helping to cement a GOP majority, while improving the lives of working-class Americans and boosting tax receipts. 

Even Trump’s much-maligned tariffs are returning more revenue than predicted, further reducing future deficits. His policies are already spurring faster economic growth, which (see: Argentina) will help, too.

Musk wanted more cuts, and I too would have been happy to get them. 

But as a technology guy, he must know that major advances require first developing the tools needed to do what you want to do.

Politics isn’t all that different, really.

A bigger majority in the House and Senate will free the GOP to go after spending more aggressively. 

With the Republicans’ current razor-thin majorities, passing the OBBBA at all was something of a miracle

And yes, it required them to buy crucial votes with provisions that are basically pork. That’s how Congress works, especially with a narrow majority. 

Add 20 or 30 seats in the House, and even as few as two or three in the Senate, and serious change will be much, much easier.

There’s another cost to Musk’s involvement in politics, given his stature as a once-in-a-millennium talent. 

As someone who’s long backed his space-exploration goals — I was policy chair for the National Space Society when many of the legal changes that made companies like SpaceX feasible were put into place — I believe his support for human settlement of the solar system should be his primary focus. 

That’s the place where Musk is literally irreplaceable.

Putting down your tools to pick up a hose when the house is on fire makes sense, even if you’re Leonardo da Vinci. 

But once the fire’s out, it’s best to let someone else rebuild the house while you focus on your true calling. 

Others can hammer a roof together.  No one else can paint the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper.

I think Musk has enjoyed his political work, which brought him unaccustomed adulation and a break from his grueling routine. 

But when you have a vocation that matches your unique talents, it’s best to focus on that. (Look at Elvis Presley, who wasted many years on acting — at which he was not uniquely talented).  

Take a vacation from politics, Elon. We desperately need you elsewhere.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a professor of law at the University of Tennessee and founder of the InstaPundit.com blog.



This story originally appeared on NYPost

Here’s how long it’s taken £1k of Nvidia stock to turn into £10k today!


Image source: Getty Images

One of the big stock market tech stories of recent years has been the incredible growth of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). Over the past five years alone, Nvidia stock has soared by 1,410%.

So, how long has it taken to turn a £1,000 investment into a holding worth £10,000?

Stunning share price rise

The answer is around two and a half years.

Nvidia stock ended 2022 selling for less than a tenth of its current price. So, £1k invested in Nvidia stock then would be worth over £10k now.

That is even before taking dividends into account. That said, the current yield of 0.03% is not exactly the stuff of passive income dreams! Buying the shares at the end of 2022 would mean a yield today 10 times higher than 0.03% — but still well below 1%.

In this example, I have ignored the impact of exchange rate movements to keep things simple. In reality, though, such shifts are a risk of buying American shares as a UK investor. Sometimes they can reduce the overall return on an investment. But the opposite can also happen: it depends on which way (if any) the currency exchange rate moves during the lifetime of the shareholding.

Nvidia looks like a great business but may get even better

Even after that strong performance, Nvidia stock now sells for around 51 times earnings.

That is too high for my taste, which is why I have no plans to add the company to my portfolio for now. Still, it is quite striking that the price-to-earnings ratio is not even higher, given how brilliantly Nvidia stock has performed in recent years.

That reflects the fact that, while the share price has surged, so too have earnings.

Last year, for example, Nvidia reported basic earnings per share of $2.97. For 2022, the equivalent figure was $0.18.

So, while the share price has soared, it actually grew less quickly in that timeframe than earnings, meaning that Nvidia stock is arguably cheaper today than it was in 2022.

Can this sort of success continue?

Nvidia has a proven and massively profitable business model. It has a lot of proprietary chip designs as well as a sizeable existing client base. In the context of booming chip demand led by AI needs, that could mean that the business continues to grow at speed. This month Nvidia stock has hit an all-time high – but if the business keeps performing well, I reckon it may go even higher.

Why I’m waiting

However, while I see reasons to feel bullish about the outlook, the current stock price does not offer me the sort of margin of safety I look for when investing.

After all, the recent strong AI-fuelled chip demand could be the start of bigger things to come – but it may turn out to be a one-off blip before demand falls back to lower levels again.

Nvidia has a lot of proprietary knowledge but rivals are working very hard to steal their own march on selling chips. International trade disputes could also make it harder for Nvidia to keep growing in some markets.



This story originally appeared on Motley Fool

After nearly 20 years of shoeless tyranny, TSA takes steps to change security screenings

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For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports.

The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media reports.

If implemented, it would put an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.

The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change is coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week that states the new policy allows travelers to keep their shoes on during standard screenings at many U.S. airports, beginning Sunday. That would expand to all airports shortly.

The plan is for the change to occur at all U.S. airports soon, the memo said.

Travelers have previously been able to skirt the extra security requirement if they participate in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs around $80 for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets.

Travelers who are 75 years old or older and those 12 or younger do not have to remove shoes at security checkpoints.

The TSA has not officially confirmed the reported security screening change yet.

“TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance passenger experience and our strong security posture,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. “Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.”

The TSA began in 2001 when President George W. Bush signed legislation for its creation two months after the 9/11 attacks. The agency included federal airport screeners that replaced the private companies airlines had used to handle security.

Over the years the TSA has continued to look for ways to enhance its security measures, including testing facial recognition technology and implementing Real ID requirements.

One of the most prominent friction points for travelers is the TSA at screening checkpoints. Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked the public in an April social media post what would make travel more seamless.

The following day, Duffy posted on X that, “It’s very clear that TSA is the #1 travel complaint. That falls under the Department of Homeland Security. I’ll discuss this with @Sec_Noem.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will host a press conference Tuesday evening at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to announce a new TSA policy “that will make screening easier for passengers, improve traveler satisfaction, and reduce wait times,” her agency said.

Trump fired TSA Administrator David Pekoske in January in the middle of a second five-year term, though he was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House. Pekoske was reappointed by President Joe Biden.

No reason was given for Pekoske’s departure. The administrator position remains vacant, according to the TSA website.



This story originally appeared on Fortune

For Apple, it’s been a long week — and it’s only Tuesday – Computerworld



What makes this worse is the changing goal posts in play. Apple has evidently listened to calls to diversify manufacturing outside China; it set up its first Apple Watch manufacturing facility in Thailand in 2022 and has been engaged in — and spent billions on doing — a switch to India for iPhone.

The US government now appears to have changed the target somewhat and insists not only on moving outside of China, but of moving production to the US. That’s an ambition likely to be only partially possible at best, given lack of key skills, raw materials, components, and infrastructure. Apple management will know this, and will no doubt be saddened at the lack of pragmatism.

Apple’s hardware business will suffer as a result. It looks like its software and services arm will feel the pinch, as well. The company’s long-term problems with Apple Intelligence just won’t go away, and as we hear speculation that some of the company’s key AI developers are unhappy that Apple may move to adopt third-party services; the leader of its Foundation Models group, Ruoming Pang, is leaving, poached by big money from Meta. He will join Meta’s own AI development efforts. 



This story originally appeared on Computerworld

Is the New ‘Superman’ Actor Married? – Hollywood Life





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Image Credit: Warner Bros. via Getty Images

David Corenswet may be the world’s next heartthrob thanks to his upcoming summer movie Superman, but the actor playing Clark Kent is actually a simple man at heart. David keeps his personal life as far away from the spotlight as possible, and he has a wife and child at home.

Rabbi and friend to the Corenswet family Edward Cohn described David to the Times of Israel in August 2023, saying, “For a guy who is an actor, he’s not looking to be on stage all the time. He can laugh at himself. He’s got a great sense of humor, which I think will be really important in this role that he’s going to play.”

So, who is the woman who stole David’s heart and married him? Hollywood Life has the details on David’s wife below.

Is David Corenswet Married?

Yes, David has been married to his wife, Julia Best Warner, since March 2023. According to Times of Israel, the couple got married in an interfaith ceremony, as his family is Jewish and hers is Catholic. Wedding coordinator Julie Vanderbrook told the outlet that David and Julia “were just so determined to intersperse the Jewish traditions with the Catholic traditions, which to me, just enhanced the beauty and the strength of both faiths. I felt I got to know [the Corenswet family] pretty well, because they were delightful people.”

Who Is David Corenswet’s Wife?

Like David, Julia is an actor as well as a director and producer, according to her IMDb. The 34-year-old is best known for her work on the TV series Ratched, the short film Dot and the film Back for Good.

Previously, Julia directed the short film Fairytale Remix and the series The Baby Sitters Pub. She also worked as a writer on the short Tick Tock, and Julia has two upcoming projects: The Cutting Room Floor and Real Live Girl.

Does Julia Best Warner Have Instagram?

Yes, it appears that Julia has her own Instagram page, though it’s currently unverified.

How Did Julia Warner & David Corenswet Meet?

David and Julia met when they were just teenagers at a summer theatre program in Pennsylvania, according to People.

Has David Corenswet Ever Been Linked to Any Co-Stars?

David managed to keep his dating history under wraps. Not much is known about his romantic history before he married Julia.

Does David Corenswet Have Kids?

Yes, David and Julia share one child together, a daughter, whom they’ve kept away from the public eye. Per David’s April 2025 interview with TIME, he and Julia are raising their daughter in Pennsylvania.




This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife