Archive for October 2025

The term “covert action” is a peculiarly American invention; it does not appear in the lexicon of other intelligence services. Nor does the term appear in the National Security Act of 1947, which created the Central Intelligence Agency. Covert action refers to secret operations to influence governments, organizations, or persons in support of a foreign policy in a manner that is not attributable to the United States. Above: Counter-attack by Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces supported by T-34 tanks near Playa Giron during the Bay of Pigs invasion, 19 April 1961.

The child and family agency, Tusla, responded to less than 1pc of referrals it received about child welfare issues in parts of Wicklow in the first three months of 2025, new figures from the agency show. Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, Jennifer Whitmore, has expressed serious concern over the data, which is available on Tusla’s website, calling it a “crisis in the child protection system”.

Architects Witherford Watson and Mann won the prize, for the second time, for the Appleby Blue development. Run by the United St Saviours Charity in Bermondsey, South London, it provides 57 units of one and two bedroom apartments for residents aged over 65, with 11 units fully wheelchair accessible. It is explicitly a new take on urban almshouses, which date back to the Middle Ages. Throughout their history, almshouses have primarily provided accommodation for the elderly. Above: The rooftop garden is one of many spaces where the residents of Appleby Blue and members can interact.

Brain scans reveal that menopause reshapes the brain’s structure, affecting memory and cognition. New findings suggest these changes may not be entirely permanent — the brain shows signs of adapting and recovering over time.

Faculty members and professors attend a rally outside Columbia University in New York for academic freedom in September 2025.