Packed off to hell hole prison for Christian tattoos: Gay makeup artist is deported to El Salvador by Trump administration after border agents said his ink looked like a Venezuelan gang symbol

2024 Election

By DAVID AVERRE Published: 05:21 EDT, 2 April 2025 | Updated: 07:05 EDT, 2 April 2025 A gay Venezuelan makeup artist who fled his home nation to escape persecution for his sexual orientation and political beliefs was detained and shipped off to a ‘hellhole’ prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration. Andry Jose Hernandez…

3,000 businesses back Better Business Act in push for UK corporate reform

Business News

A major business-led campaign calling for a shift in UK company law has reached a significant milestone, with 3,000 businesses now backing the Better Business Act, signalling growing momentum behind a drive to reform corporate governance in the UK.

The campaign, led by B Lab UK, seeks to amend Section 172 of the Companies Act, compelling all UK businesses to align the interests of shareholders with those of employees, customers, communities and the environment. The aim is to move away from shareholder primacy — the current legal framework — towards a multi-stakeholder model that supports long-term, sustainable growth.
Since its launch in 2021, support for the campaign has increased tenfold, reflecting increasing demand from business leaders for a system that prioritises people, planet and profit equally.
The announcement comes as the government prepares to update the Audit Reform & Corporate Governance Bill, with business governance reforms now a key priority for the Business & Trade Committee.
“The Better Business Act presents an opportunity for the UK’s future,” said Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK and campaign director for the initiative.
“The growth of the coalition from 300 to 3,000 businesses in just three years is testament to a mindset shift. ‘Business as usual’ isn’t working — we must challenge the status quo.”
The coalition is made up of businesses across more than 15 sectors, from local SMEs to household names including Virgin Group, Iceland, Tony’s Chocolonely, Danone, Bloom & Wild, Olio, and The Guardian, alongside trade bodies and nonprofits such as ShareAction, RSPB, and the Institute of Directors.
Research cited by the campaign shows overwhelming public support, with 76% of people saying the law should be changed to require companies to consider social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.
“Putting purpose at the heart of business unleashes growth,” said Tessa Clarke, Co-Founder and CEO of Olio.
“We’ve seen it ourselves — purpose has helped us win customers, retain top talent, and raise over $50 million from impact-focused investors. This is not a moral luxury — it’s a commercial imperative.”
The UK is now home to the largest B Corp community in the world, with certified businesses outperforming the market. UK B Corp SMEs saw revenue growth of 23.2%, compared to the national average of 16.8%, underlining the case for expanding stakeholder governance across the wider business landscape.
As corporate scandals and growing inequality continue to erode public trust in business, the coalition argues that now is the time for government action.
“B Corps continue to raise the ceiling,” said Turner. “Now government must raise the floor.”
With 3,000 businesses now on board and cross-sector support growing, pressure is mounting on policymakers to deliver a future-fit framework for UK business — one that sees purpose and profit as partners, not opposites.
Jamie Young Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.

When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

OSU receives $2M gift from BOKF Foundation to the Spears School of Business

Business News

Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Media Contact:
Jennifer Kinnard | OSU Foundation | 405-334-1022 | jkinnard@osugiving.com

Oklahoma State University announced a generous $2 million gift from BOKF Foundation
to the Spears School of Business at a presentation on Monday. Company officials attended
the presentation, which celebrated the gift by renaming the business school’s lobby
the BOK Financial Lobby.

“This remarkable gift underscores the enduring relationship between BOK Financial
and OSU, highlighting our shared values and mutual dedication to fostering educational
excellence, career readiness and engaged citizenship,” Interim President Jim Hess
said.

The BOK Financial Lobby is a favorite spot among students and is a prominent feature
of the business building, which opened its doors in 2018. The gift will help support
the facility’s long-term operations.

“The newly named space will serve as a lasting testament to this partnership and the
positive impact it has on the Spears Business community,” said Dr. James Payne, dean
of the Spears School of Business. “This gift will undoubtedly enhance the educational
experiences and opportunities for Spears Business students, empowering them to achieve
their full potential and make meaningful contributions to their fields.”

BOK Financial has been a loyal partner to OSU, consistently supporting the university
through various initiatives, including sponsorships of the Women for OSU Symposium
and the Hargis Leadership Institute’s LEAD Week. BOKF Foundation has made significant
gifts to OSU Athletics, Spears Business, OSU Center for Health Sciences and more.
BOK Financial recruits strongly from OSU’s business programs and its executives sit
on the Eastin Center advisory board.

“The nearly 500 OSU graduates we’ve hired over the years are quick to sing the praises
of their alma mater. They speak highly of the quality education, lasting personal
relationships, and valuable connections they made at OSU. I wholeheartedly echo their
sentiments,” said Stacy Kymes, president and CEO of BOK Financial. “I’ve seen firsthand
the value these graduates bring to our organization and their communities. It’s always
an honor to support OSU’s mission whenever we can.”

Blaire Atkinson, president of the OSU Foundation, commended BOK Financial’s commitment
to training future leaders for the state of Oklahoma and beyond.

“We take pride in the fact that BOK Financial and many other organizations seek out
our graduates knowing that OSU produces hard-working, intelligent, career-ready professionals,”
she said. “We are so honored to partner with them in meaningful ways that truly make
a difference in the lives of our students.”

Powered by its motto, “the Power of Personal,” Spears Business began the academic
year with 6,458 students, making it the largest college at OSU. In January, U.S. News
& World Report ranked Spears No. 8 nationally on its list of Best Online Bachelor’s
in Business Programs. Not to be outdone, OSU’s online MBA program earned the No. 11
spot in the U.S. News & World Report online MBA rankings. Both positions represent
Spears Business’ best placements in the history of the rankings.

For information on how you can give to the Spears School of Business at OSU, contact
Tyler Hewitt at thewitt@osugiving.com or 405-385-3414.

The best new science fiction books of April 2025

Science and Health

April sees the release of a new space opera trilogy from Neal AsherAlamy Stock Photo
When the sun is out, it’s just about warm enough here in north-east London to read outside – which means it’s time to crack out the best new science fiction and find a sheltered spot. I love the way the genre continues to tackle the biggest issues of our day, whether that’s ageing or artificial intelligence. Top of my pile is Lucy Lapinska’s look at how a robot might deal with being freed from human governance, but I’m also looking forward to Nick Harkaway’s latest, set in a world where a drug can (for a huge price) stop you from ageing, but it will also make you grow very large. And I’m keen to try out Sayaka Murata’s strange and disturbing vision of the future, Vanishing World.

Our science fiction hub is where you can read all of our round-ups, reviews and interviews with leading sci-fi authors.

An intriguing-sounding new novel from the author of the bestselling Convenience Store Woman. Amane lives in a society where children are conceived by artificial insemination and raised by parents in “clean”, sexless marriages. When she and her husband hear about an experimental town where residents are selected at random to be artificially inseminated en masse and children are raised collectively and anonymously, they decide to try living there.

We loved the first Titanium Noir novel from Nick Harkaway here at New Scientist, set in a world where the megarich can take a drug that stops them from ageing, but grows them to huge – titanic – proportions. In this latest from Harkaway, who’s fresh from continuing his father John Le Carré’s legacy in Karla’s Choice, he tells the story of detective and Titan Cal, who is investigating the murder of a young woman in a rundown holiday town.Advertisement

This is the first in a new space opera trilogy from Asher, following the story of Captain Blite, whom somebody keeps trying to kill. A mysterious black diamond, left to him by a “dark AI”, is keeping him alive, but each failed attempt on his life generates temporal anomalies. Blite sets out to uncover the dark diamond’s true nature…

For Jamie Pike, Fairharbour is a city stuck in perpetual winter. For Esther Pike, it is stuck in constant summer. In both versions, oppressive powers have taken control after a cataclysm, forcing a city that was once united to fall apart. Jamie and Esther find a way to communicate across their fractured worlds, but can they solve the mystery of what split Fairharbour?

Highly rated by our sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson, this is set during humanity’s final days and follows the story of Abigail, a robot built in the image of David’s late wife. The law is about to change, however, and soon Abigail will be free to go where she likes and do what she wants. There have been a number of interesting fictional takes on robot ethics and freedoms lately, and I’m keen to read this “robot emancipation” tale.
Abigail is a robot that is about to be emancipated in Lucy Lapinska’s novelGetty Images/iStockphoto

Time travel counts as sci-fi, for me, so I am planning to chill out with this time-travelling romance, in which student Joe is dreaming of a future where he’ll be a renowned writer. Meanwhile Esi (who is from the future) sets out on a time-travelling tour to witness history’s greatest moments – which includes Joe falling for Diana, the subject of his famous love poems. But (of course!) destiny is sent awry by Esi’s arrival, and she and Joe start falling for each other instead…

In this speculative thriller, an injection has been invented that delays ageing. Of course, the super-rich are spoiling things, taking an upgrade that extends human life still further. The population is skyrocketing when a dangerous side-effect of the vaccine emerges, and the planet is under threat…

This sounds like a fun thought experiment: humanity has been reduced to the height of a handspan, making the world into a place full of peril, but also of abundance. Giles wakes in his new body on a remote coastal path and sets out on a quest to find his loved ones.

New Scientist book club

Love reading? Come and join our friendly group of fellow book lovers. Every six weeks, we delve into an exciting new title, with members given free access to extracts from our books, articles from our authors and video interviews.

Ray Nayler is a fabulous writer – I loved his previous novel, The Mountain in the Sea, and he wrote me a great comment piece for New Scientist arguing that governments should use speculative fiction to predict the future. In this terrifying-sounding latest, the president of the authoritarian Federation maintains his grip on power by downloading his mind into a succession of new bodies, while western Europe has plumped for AI-powered prime ministers rather than human governance. However, an artificial mind is malfunctioning, and disaster is looming.

Set against the East London marshes, this story moves from 100 years in the future, when outsiders are living off-grid away from a corrupt government and a city wracked by climate change, back across three centuries, as Ess journeys into the past to save her present.

The art and science of writing science fiction course: England

Explore the world of science fiction and learn how to craft your own captivating sci-fi tales on this immersive weekend break. Hosted by New Scientist comment and culture editor Alison Flood, along with author and former New Scientist editor Emily H. Wilson.

Find out more

Topics:Science fiction

Scientists discover “Half-Ice, Half-Fire” – A new exotic phase of matter

Science and Health

Discovering and controlling exotic physical states is key in condensed matter physics and materials science. It has the potential to drive advancements in quantum computing and spintronics.- Advertisement –

While studying a ferrimagnet model, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory uncovered a new phase of matter called “half-ice, half-fire.” This state is a twin to the “half-fire, half-ice” phase discovered in 2016.

This newly discovered phase, called “half ice, half fire,” features a unique arrangement of electron spins—some highly ordered (“cold”) and others highly disordered (“hot”). This distinctive pattern allows for extremely sharp phase transitions at moderate temperatures, showing promise for applications in energy and information technology.

In 2016, while examining the magnetic compound Sr3CuIrO6, researchers uncovered the “half-fire, half-ice” phase. This state emerged under a specific external magnetic field.

It revealed a striking spin pattern: the “hot” spins at copper sites were fully disordered with smaller magnetic moments. In contrast, the “cold” spins at iridium sites were fully ordered, carrying larger magnetic moments. It showcased a unique interplay of magnetic properties across the atomic lattice.- Advertisement –

Despite extensive research, the practical application of the “half-fire, half-ice” state remained unclear, as the one-dimensional Ising model—responsible for producing this state—does not allow a finite-temperature phase transition.

Exotic matter-wave states revealed in condensed matter physics

Researchers recently reported a breakthrough in two publications, suggesting that this “forbidden” phase transition could be accessed through ultranarrow phase crossovers at fixed finite temperatures in systems with and without external magnetic fields.

Researchers found that “half fire, half ice” has a hidden twin state, “half ice, half fire,” where hot and cold spins switch roles. Phase transitions occur over an ultranarrow temperature range, opening possibilities for future technologies.

These include refrigeration systems using ultrasharp phase switching with giant magnetic entropy changes and quantum information storage, where the phases act as data bits.

Researchers’ next aim is to explore the fire-ice phenomenon in systems with quantum spins and additional lattice, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom.

Journal References:

Weiguo Yin and A. M. Tsvelik. Phase Switch Driven by the Hidden Half-Ice, Half-Fire State in a Ferrimagnet. Physical Review Letters. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.266701

Weiguo Yin, Christopher R. Roth, and Alexei M. Tsvelik. Spin frustration and an exotic critical point in ferromagnets from nonuniform opposite 𝑔 factors. Physical Review B. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.109.054427

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Zeiss Medical Technology Receives NMPA Approval for ILM-Blue in China

Technology

Zeiss Medical Technology has announced that ILM-Blue, an internal limiting membrane (ILM) dye developed by Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center (DORC), has received approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). The regulatory milestone marks the first availability of a DORC posterior segment dye product in the Chinese market.A Globally Trusted Solution for Vitreoretinal Surgery

ILM-Blue, marketed in the United States as Tissue Blue, has been available in Europe since 2010 and remains the only ILM dye approved by the U.S. FDA. The product is designed to enhance visualization of the ILM during vitreoretinal (VR) surgery, clearly distinguishing it from underlying retinal layers and thereby reducing the risk of retinal trauma.

To date, ILM-Blue has been used in over 900,000 surgical procedures worldwide, reinforcing its reputation as a clinically proven, high-performance dye solution in retinal surgery.

Expanding Access to Innovative Retina Solutions in China

“We are delighted to bring ILM-Blue to the Chinese market, where it will provide retina surgeons with a proven, high-quality staining solution to enhance visualisation,” said Jessie Jiang Bo, General Manager of DORC in China.“This approval reinforces our dedication to expanding access to innovative ophthalmic solutions that help surgeons improve patient outcomes.”

Strategic Integration into the Zeiss Surgical Portfolio

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG completed the acquisition of DORC in April 2024, following the agreement announced in late 2023. As a result, DORC’s Eva Nexus VR surgery platform is now integrated into Zeiss Medical Technology’s surgical offerings.

“ZEISS and DORC are committed to supporting surgeons in the China market with the latest innovation and tools that create a higher standard of care and better patient experience,” said Pierre Billardon, Head of Business Sectors Surgery Posterior Segment at Zeiss Medical Technology and CEO of DORC International.“The global success of ILM-Blue underscores the company’s commitment to providing high-quality and effective solutions to the ophthalmic community.”

With this approval, Zeiss Medical Technology and DORC further strengthen their position in the Chinese ophthalmic surgery market, supporting retina surgeons with advanced tools for safer and more effective VR procedures.