Latest news with #DON
Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Donald Trump to visit Scotland ‘later this month' as cops prepare for visit
DON HIS WAY Donald Trump to visit Scotland 'later this month' as cops prepare for visit Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump could visit Scotland later this month. Cops are preparing for the US President to potentially come to his golf courses north of the border later in July. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Police Scotland say planning is being carried out but nothing official has been confirmed. The President could come to Scotland to visit his golf courses. The Donald will open a new course at his Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and he is expected to visit for the occasion. Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said: "Planning is under way for a potential visit to Scotland later this month by the President of the United States. "While official confirmation has not yet been made, it is important that we prepare in advance for what would be a significant policing operation." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Scottish Sun. is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheScottishSun.
Scottish Sun
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Trump ‘saddened' to watch Musk ‘go off the rails' after he vowed to launch political party prez says will cause ‘chaos'
DON FIRES BACK Trump 'saddened' to watch Musk 'go off the rails' after he vowed to launch political party prez says will cause 'chaos' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump says he is "saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails'" after the Tesla CEO announced he would launch a new political party on Friday. The US president slammed Musk's new 'America Party', arguing third political parties never succeed in the US and only create "complete and total disruption and chaos". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 2 It comes after Musk cited a poll in which he asked whether respondents 'want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system' that has dominated US politics for two centuries. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF (DON) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Looking for broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF (DON), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 06/16/2006. The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $3.61 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market. Mid cap companies have market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. They usually have higher growth prospects than large cap companies and are less volatile than small cap companies. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential. While value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, they also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Looking at their long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets. They are however likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets. Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same. Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.38%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space. It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.46%. ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis. This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 23.90% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three. Looking at individual holdings, Westar Energy Inc (WR) accounts for about 1.54% of total assets, followed by Cna Financial Corp (CNA) and Gaming & Leisure Porperties Inc (GLPI). The top 10 holdings account for about 10.74% of total assets under management. DON seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the mid-capitalization segment of the US dividend-paying market. The ETF has lost about -2.68% so far this year and was up about 7.46% in the last one year (as of 06/19/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $43.28 and $55.55. The ETF has a beta of 0.93 and standard deviation of 18.19% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 332 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, DON is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space. The iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS) and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE) track a similar index. While iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $12.99 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $17.57 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%. An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors. To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF (DON): ETF Research Reports CNA Financial Corporation (CNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE): ETF Research Reports iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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India.com
05-06-2025
- Health
- India.com
Biohazard Hidden In A Tissue, Stashed In A Backpack: How Two Scientists Tried Sneaking The Crop-Killing Fungus Into US
New Delhi: Two Chinese researchers, Yunqing Jian (33) and Zunyong Liu (34), stand accused of bringing into the United States a deadly agricultural pathogen tucked away inside tissue paper. The fungus, Fusarium graminearum, is a crop-killer that can silently devastate wheat, barley, maize and rice – which are staples of global food security. The mold also carries the terrifying potential to cause vomiting, reproductive defects, liver damage and more in humans and animals. According to an FBI affidavit, when agents tested the smuggled material, they discovered DNA sequences that would allow anyone with biological knowledge to propagate the fungus in a lab. In other words, it was a ticking agroterrorism time bomb. Though the two researchers, believed to be romantically involved, are not charged with trying to weaponise the pathogen, Liu allegedly smuggled it into the United States knowingly and hid it in his backpack. They never even applied for the USDA permit required for importing such biohazards. Now, they are facing a mountain of federal charges – conspiracy, smuggling, false statements and visa fraud. A Silent Killer, a Growing Global Threat Fusarium graminearum is no ordinary fungus. Once it takes hold, it causes Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), also called 'scab'. To the untrained eye, it looks like discolored lesions. But for farmers, it is a nightmare. 'In just a few weeks before harvest, it can destroy an entire field of what once promised a record yield,' CNN has quoted plant pathology expert Gary Bergstrom from Cornell University as saying. The FHB has already inflicted billions of dollars in damage - $2.7 billion to be precise, across the central United States and Northern Plains between 1998 and 2000 alone. And it has not stopped. The fungus survives winters on infected wheat straw and corn stalks, waiting for warm and wet weather to unleash a new wave of spores. Those spores do not only ruin crops, they poison them as well. Grains infected with FHB contain vomitoxin (DON), a powerful mycotoxin linked to gastrointestinal disorders, neuroendocrine damage and even immune suppression in both humans and animals. In livestock, it leads to diarrhea, hemorrhaging and skin issues. And though food processing reduces levels, the United States FDA has strict guidelines to keep DON out of the food chain. How Dangerous Could This Be? Why would someone smuggle a known agricultural biohazard into the United States? Investigators have not found proof of malicious intent, but Liu – despite knowing the USDA restrictions – allegedly brought the fungus anyway. Experts are warning that even unintentional import of a foreign fungal strain could be catastrophic. 'If a new trait enters our environment, like resistance to current fungicides or increased toxin output, it could cripple our defenses,' Bergstrom told CNN. Adding to the fear is the fungus's growing resistance to existing fungicides. Recent studies from Poland confirm that Fusarium graminearum is mutating fast. Traditional methods are faltering, and researchers are scrambling to develop new fungicides and resistant crop strains. As the USDA and federal prosecutors investigate, the world watches closely. Not because two scientists crossed a dangerous line but because the invisible threat they allegedly carried with them could, under the right conditions, ripple through the world's food supply. And it all started with a fungus. Hidden in a tissue. Stashed in a backpack.
Mint
05-06-2025
- Health
- Mint
Fusarium graminearum: How this crop fungus can impact your health
The recent arrest of Chinese researchers for illegally smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous crop-killing fungus, into the United States has brought renewed focus on the risks this pathogen poses—not only to agriculture but also to human and animal health. The case highlights fears that unauthorised import and research on such fungi could be part of a larger threat to America's food security and public safety, raising alarms amid tense US-China relations. Fusarium graminearum is a fungal pathogen responsible for Fusarium head blight, a devastating disease affecting major cereal crops like wheat, barley, maize, and rice. While its direct impact on crops results in massive agricultural losses—estimated at over $1 billion annually in the US alone—the fungus also produces harmful toxins, primarily vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol), that contaminate grains. The unauthorised import of Fusarium graminearum strains raises the danger of introducing more aggressive or pesticide-resistant variants, which could exacerbate outbreaks and make control measures less effective. This not only threatens the agricultural economy but also increases the likelihood of toxin contamination entering the food chain, heightening public health risks. This case highlights concerns over agro-terrorism—the deliberate use of pathogens like Fusarium graminearum to undermine a nation's food supply, causing economic damage and potential health crises. The fungus itself doesn't typically infect humans directly. However, its global significance lies in the potent mycotoxins it produces — primarily deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin. These toxins can survive food processing and enter the human food chain, creating potential health hazards when consumed in contaminated grains or grain-based products. Humans are exposed to Fusarium graminearum toxins mainly through: Ingestion of contaminated food (bread, cereal, pasta, beer), inhalation of dust from contaminated grain during farming or processing, and skin contact. The main toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), affects the gastrointestinal and immune systems. Nausea and vomiting are the first and most common symptom. There could be diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and headache in some cases. Also, immunotoxicity suppresses the body's ability to fight infections. There is growth retardation especially in children exposed to contaminated diets. Infants and children, people with weakened immune systems, farmers and grain handlers exposed to dust from infected crops, and populations in food-insecure regions with limited food safety enforcement.
