World Vape Day 2026: One Switch – Everyone Wins

WVA Celebrates the World Vape Day

#WorldVapeDay2026

BRUSSELS, May 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, vapers, former smokers, and harm reduction advocates mark World Vape Day 2026. The theme this year is One Switch – Everyone Wins. It is not a slogan. It is what the data shows.

World Vape Day falls one day before the WHO’s World No Tobacco Day, and the contrast could not be starker. While the WHO spends tomorrow calling vapes and nicotine pouches industry tricks designed to hook a new generation, consumers in Germany, South Africa, Argentina, and many more countries took to the streets and Social Media this week to demand access to the less harmful alternatives that have already helped millions quit smoking.

“The WHO has been running the same playbook for years. Nicotine is the enemy, alternatives are industry tactics, and anyone who disagrees is compromised. Meanwhile, 8 million people a year die from smoking. That is not a public health record to be proud of,” said Michael Landl, Director, World Vapers’ Alliance.

The science is not in dispute among serious researchers. Vaping, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products all dramatically reduce exposure to the chemicals that kill smokers. Nicotine is addictive, but it is not the cause of smoking-related disease. Combustion is. When a smoker switches completely, the benefits extend to everyone around them. Secondhand smoke raises children’s risk of asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Children of smokers are up to four times more likely to become smokers themselves. One switch removes almost all of that from the home.

The countries that understood this are now reaping the results. Sweden is smoke-free. The UK halved its smoking rate. New Zealand cut smoking among under-25s to around 3 percent and has the first smoke-free generation.

“Every country that has cut smoking fast did it by giving smokers real alternatives. World Vape Day exists to remind policymakers that the evidence is there. That we consumers are not anecdotes, we are the evidence. The tools are there. The only thing missing is the political will in too many countries,” Landl added.

For media enquiries: [email protected] www.worldvapersalliance.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/01526a12-daff-4be4-aa21-2454f91a5e71

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12B SPORTS Named Main Sponsor of VR46 Racing Team for the 2026 MotoGP Season

12B SPORTS Named Main Sponsor of VR46 Racing Team for the 2026 MotoGP Season

12B SPORTS announces its appointment as Main Sponsor of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team for the 2026 MotoGP World Championship season

LONDON, May 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 12B SPORTS, a next-generation sports media platform, today announced its appointment as Main Sponsor of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team for the 2026 MotoGP World Championship season. The 12B SPORTS brand will appear prominently on both the team’s bikes and race suits, marking the platform’s most significant motorsport partnership to date.

Founded by nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, VR46 Racing Team is one of the most celebrated and passionately supported outfits in the MotoGP paddock. With riders Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli competing at the pinnacle of the sport, the team commands a dedicated global following that spans generations and continents. It is precisely this community that 12B SPORTS is committed to serving, connecting, and inspiring.

“12B SPORTS brings a fresh and dynamic energy to our partnership portfolio. Together, we look forward to reaching new audiences and giving fans around the world a deeper connection to VR46 and the world of MotoGP,” said Alessio Salucci, Team Director VR46 Racing Team.

“We are very happy to welcome 12B SPORTS as main Sponsor of our MotoGP Team. The brand represents passion for sports information and it’s a hub for many fans all over the world. We cannot wait to start working together and reach a global audience,” said Gianluca Falcioni, CEO of VR46 Agency, managing sponsorship and partnership for VR46 Companies.

“VR46 is more than a racing team. It is a symbol of passion, authenticity, and the spirit of MotoGP,” said Rory Anderson, spokesperson for 12B SPORTS. “As Main Sponsor, we are proud to stand alongside one of the sport’s most iconic teams and bring fans even closer to the moments that define it.”

When sport moves people, it moves the world. 12B SPORTS and VR46 Racing Team share that belief, and this partnership marks the beginning of a journey to bring fans everywhere closer to the stories, rivalries, and moments that make MotoGP extraordinary.

About 12B SPORTS

12B SPORTS is a next-generation sports media platform built on the belief that sport has the power to unite, inspire, and connect. By bringing fans together through shared passion and immersive content, 12B SPORTS is creating a global community that celebrates the moments, stories, and personalities that make sport extraordinary.

About Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team

VR46 Racing Team is a MotoGP team founded by Valentino Rossi, nine-time World Champion. The project was created with the mission of developing young racing talent and guiding them from Moto3 to MotoGP. Based in Tavullia, Italy, the team represents one of the most dynamic and recognizable organizations in the MotoGP paddock, combining sporting performance, innovation, and a strong brand identity. The VR46 Racing Team has competed in the MotoGP junior categories since 2014 and made its debut in the premier class in 2022. Since entering the MotoGP class, the team has partnered with Ducati and, in just four seasons, has achieved third place in both the Riders’ and Teams’ World Championship standings. In 2026, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team competes with a rider line-up featuring Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7c83d9ca-abfe-42f2-a56c-8a68ea1d2abb

Contacts

Jeffery Tan
Marketing Manager
[email protected]

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1001184920

 

Two Babylonian Kings, an Egyptian Customs Official and a Corsican Hoard Lead TimeLine’s 2 June Antiquities & Ancient Art Auction

Day One is the flagship sale with a dedicated printed catalogue; 3-8 June sessions are online-only; Coins, Weights, Tokens & Medals follow on 9-10 June.

Corsican Bronze Age Hoard from the Ajaccio Area, Discovered c. 1880–1890

A rare Bronze Age Corsican hoard comprising a varied group of bronze objects, including a dagger or short sword, dagger pommel, crescent-shaped axe, harness fitting, several fibulae, and a group of rings. The collection gives a strong impression of Bronze Age metalworking, personal adornment, weaponry, and ritual or practical objects from the Ajaccio area.

HARWICH, United Kingdom, May 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TimeLine Auctions, the British saleroom known for museum-level antiquities, will hold its Antiquities & Ancient Art Auction on 2 June 2026. Day One has headline pieces from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and the western Mediterranean, within a wider sale spanning the Palaeolithic to the medieval period.
Large Egyptian Bronze Figure of Osiris with Lapis Lazuli Inlays

A large bronze mummiform figure of Osiris, shown wearing the central element of the Atef crown, with traces of lapis lazuli inlay still visible in the eyebrows and divine beard. The god is depicted in traditional form, with crossed arms holding the crook and flail, and fine details including a uraeus to the crown and recesses for further inlays. Mounted on a wooden base and supplied with a custom-fitted case, it is an impressive and highly decorative representation of Osiris.

Two named Mesopotamian kings sit at the top of the catalogue. A hemispherical bronze bowl carries the five-sign cuneiform name of Manishtushu of Akkad (c. 2270–2255 B.C., lot 249), one of the earliest named royal inscriptions to come to market in recent years. From the Kassite period come an agate eye-bead bearing the name of Kurigalzu II (lot 250), and a banded agate cylinder seal with a Sumerian prayer to the storm god Adad (lot 216).

The Egyptian section is headed by a forty-centimetre basalt figure of the Saite customs official Wahibre, kneeling to support a wide offering basin. Separated in the nineteenth century, the two parts moved through different collections and salerooms before coming together here for the first time at auction (lot 61). Other Egyptian highlights include a seventy-centimetre hollow-cast bronze Osiris of the 26th Dynasty (lot 81), and a painted wooden stele linking Amun at Luxor to Osiris at Abydos (lot 65).

Two Attic vessels lead the Greek section. A 6th-century B.C. black-figure pyxis shows the chariot procession of an Athenian bride, with the reception at her new house around the lid (lot 96). A fifth-century red-figure column krater pairs Europa with a Dionysiac triad, two scenes of divine power on one vessel (lot 88).

From the western Mediterranean come the Gravona bronzes, ten objects recovered from a railway cutting in Corsica in the 1880s and published by Robert Forrer in 1924.

Following Day One, the auction continues online-only from 3 June, with ancient art across multiple collecting categories. The programme concludes with an Ancient Coins sale on 9-10 June, alongside weights, tokens, medals and books.

Auction start time: 8am US Eastern / 1pm BST.

Bidding: Absentee, by telephone, or live online via TimeLine’s bidding platform, LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable or The Saleroom.

Payments: GBP accepted. Worldwide shipping available.

Questions: +44 (0) 1277 815121 or [email protected].
Online: https://timelineauctions.com

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The Heartbeat That Never Dies: How Neutrinovoltaic Technology Could End the Era of Battery-Dependent Medical Implants

As the global medical device industry confronts a structural dependency on finite power sources, researchers at the Neutrino® Energy Group are advancing a continuous ambient energy conversion framework with direct implications for cardiac pacemakers, hearing aids, and implantable devices worldwide.

BERLIN, DE / ACCESS Newswire / May 29, 2026 / Millions of people depend on tiny electronic devices inside their bodies. Every one of those devices runs on a battery that will eventually fail. Neutrinovoltaic research now suggests that the power source need not deplete at all, because it would draw not from a finite chemical reservoir, but from the continuous particle flux that permeates all matter, at all times.

Somewhere in the world right now, a patient is being prepped for an operation that has nothing to do with illness. Their heart is fine. Their pacemaker is not. The lithium-iodide cell that has kept it firing for the past seven years is approaching depletion, and so a surgeon must open the chest, extract the pulse generator, replace it, and send the patient home to start the cycle again.

More than one million pacemakers are implanted worldwide each year, and virtually every one will require at least one battery replacement surgery over the patient’s lifetime. Each procedure carries risks of infection, lead displacement, and anaesthetic complications. The same dependency plays out in miniature, millions of times daily, in the hearing aid. An estimated 430 million people globally suffer from disabling hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. Those who wear aids know the ritual: replacing button-cell batteries every few days, often at the worst possible moment. Both devices are marvels of 21st-century biomedical engineering still tethered to 20th-century power sources.

Energy That Walks Through You

Holger Thorsten Schubart, the mathematician and Architect of the Invisible who leads the Neutrino® Energy Group, has spent nearly two decades asking a question that most of the scientific establishment was not yet ready to hear: what if the energy required to power a device was already passing through the person wearing it? “The problem is not a lack of energy,” he has said, “but the way we think about it.” Nowhere is that reframing more arresting than in the context of medical implants, where the energy has literally been present inside the patient’s body all along.

The Neutrino® Energy Group has spent nearly two decades developing technology that harvests a continuous spectrum of ambient, non-equilibrium energy inputs, including neutrino momentum transfer, cosmic muon flux, and electromagnetic fluctuations, converting these into stable electrical current through multilayer metamaterials of graphene and doped silicon.

The governing mathematical framework, known as the Schubart Master Formula, is expressed as:

P(t) = η · ∫V Φ_eff(r,t) · σ_eff(E) dV

The formula captures composite ambient input through an effective flux term that integrates multiple particle and field contributions into a single measurable framework. The system does not rely on any single energy source, but on continuous coupling to a multi-channel, non-equilibrium environment. The physical foundations underpinning each variable in the formula are anchored to peer-reviewed measurements from institutions including the COHERENT collaboration at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the JUNO experiment, and the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, as well as the Nobel Prize-winning confirmation of neutrino mass by Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald in 2015.

The underlying physics is scale-agnostic. The same graphene-based nanostructures that form the basis of larger generation units can, in principle, be adapted to the dimensions of a medical implant without any change to the fundamental conversion mechanism. Critically, not a single one of the ambient flux sources that neutrinovoltaic systems interact with is blocked by biological tissue. Neutrinos pass through the human body by the tens of billions per second. Cosmic muons penetrate skin, muscle, and bone. Electromagnetic fluctuations and thermal gradients permeate every living cell. A neutrinovoltaic module inside a pacemaker housing would be continuously coupled to harvestable ambient flux at every moment of its existence, drawing from the full, uninterrupted spectrum of non-visible radiation that surrounds and penetrates all matter, at all times.

A Pacemaker That Could Outlast Its Battery

Research into neutrinovoltaic miniaturisation suggests that a cardiac pacemaker incorporating such a module would not draw down a finite chemical reservoir in the way current lithium-iodide cells do. Instead, it would in principle harvest electricity continuously from the multi-channel ambient flux permeating the patient’s chest, around the clock, in every environment, at every altitude. With no moving parts and no cyclic chemical degradation, researchers propose that operational life under this model could extend significantly beyond current battery replacement cycles.

The safety case extends further. Lithium batteries carry inherent constraints around temperature sensitivity and, in rare cases, electrolyte management concerns. A solid-state neutrinovoltaic module contains no liquid electrolyte and no components subject to cyclic chemical degradation. For patients in remote regions where access to a cardiac surgeon may require travelling hundreds of kilometres, this distinction is not incremental. It represents the potential difference between a technology that demands infrastructure and one that operates independently of it.

The Hearing Aid That Could Forget About Batteries

Research directions within the neutrinovoltaic framework suggest that a hearing aid incorporating a miniaturised ambient conversion module could harvest continuous flux, converting the faint mechanical excitations induced in its graphene nanolayers into the microwatts required for amplification and signal processing. For elderly users with reduced manual dexterity, replacing a component smaller than a fingernail is a genuine ordeal. For users in developing nations, recurring battery costs push many to abandon their devices altogether, a dynamic documented in accessibility research across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. A self-sustaining hearing aid architecture would lower the long-term cost of hearing restoration and remove one of the most persistent barriers to consistent device use.

From Abstract Physics to Human Dignity

The Neutrino® Energy Group’s research programme, grounded in the 2015 Nobel Prize confirmation of neutrino mass, the 2017 COHERENT detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering, and precision measurements from more than twenty global research laboratories, is not theoretical physics for its own sake. Its most profound potential applications may be measured not in kilowatts but in surgeries avoided, in independence preserved, and in the quiet dignity of a device that works without asking anything of the person who depends on it.

Schubart captures the stakes of this research direction in a single sentence: “The deepest promise of the Master Formula isn’t merely that it can power a building; it’s that it can power a heartbeat.”

Media Contact

Office of Global Communications
Neutrino® Energy Group
International Media & Strategic Affairs
Attn: Adrian Vale
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://neutrino-energy.com/

SOURCE: Neutrino Energy Group

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Stoneshield Capital Closes Oversubscribed Opportunity Fund IV at €1.5 Billion Hard Cap

Stoneshield Capital Fund IV first invesments
Fund IV release

Stoneshield Capital Fund IV first invesments, Meliá Hotels International, Exolum and Neinor Homes

LUXEMBOURG, May 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stoneshield Capital, a leading European investment firm focused on building and scaling platforms across real assets, announced today the final close of Stoneshield Opportunity Fund IV at its hard cap of €1.5 billion in total capital commitments, excluding co-investments, surpassing its original €1.0 billion target. The Fund closed within six months at twice the size of its predecessor fund, underscoring the strength of Stoneshield’s differentiated investment strategy, institutional platform and track record of execution. The pace of the fundraise was particularly notable in the current environment, where, according to Preqin, real estate funds globally have averaged 17 months to close.

The Fund was significantly oversubscribed, with aggregate interest surpassing €2.0 billion. The fundraise was anchored by strong support from Stoneshield’s existing global limited partners, with a 100% re-up rate, and was expanded through commitments from a select group of new global investors, including leading sovereign wealth funds, global consultants, pensions, insurance companies, endowments, family offices, and foundations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Fund IV will pursue control-oriented investments across European real assets and related corporate platforms, using ownership of the underlying asset base as the foundation to build and scale operating businesses. The Fund will focus on sectors supported by structural tailwinds, supply constraints and operational complexity, including energy infrastructure, living, student housing, hospitality, and critical infrastructure. To date, Fund IV has completed its initial investments, these include a €150 million joint venture with Neinor Homes to develop the largest premium residential project launched in Marbella in recent years; a 9.5% stake in Meliá Hotels International, making Stoneshield the company’s second-largest shareholder and giving the firm board representation at one of Europe’s leading hospitality platforms; and a 15% stake acquisition in Exolum, one of Europe’s leading energy logistics and critical biofuels infrastructure platforms.

Felipe Morenes Botin and Juan Pepa

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Stoneshield’s Managing Partners, Felipe Morenés Botín and Juan Pepa, said, We are grateful for the strong support from our existing and new investors, whose conviction reflects confidence in Stoneshield’s differentiated approach to European real assets. Our strategy is to bring a US private equity playbook to Europe, investing where hard asset ownership, operating capability and corporate complexity converge, and where disciplined underwriting and hands-on execution can unlock outsized value. Fund IV gives us the scale to continue executing that strategy: sourcing proprietary opportunities, scaling platforms around high-quality asset bases, and actively partnering with management teams to unlock growth through operational improvement and strategic repositioning. Europe remains a highly attractive market for investors who can pair local access with institutional execution and a control-oriented ownership mindset.”

PJT Park Hill and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisors and placement agents to Stoneshield.

About Stoneshield Capital
Stoneshield Capital is a leading European investment firm with over €8 billion in AUM. Based in Luxembourg, it has a dedicated team of 30+ investment professionals working across European cities including Madrid, Lisbon and Dublin and over 30,000 professionals across portfolio companies.

Stoneshield was founded in 2018 by Juan Pepa and Felipe Morenés Botín (the “Managing Partners”) to capitalize on long-term real assets and private equity opportunities in Europe through a platform-led investment approach. Stoneshield was recently ranked among PERE’s Top 100 global fundraising franchises.

Notes to editor:

  1. Stoneshield Capital joins Meliá Hotel International’s Board of Directors (https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/07/3290322/0/en/stoneshield-capital-joins-meli%C3%A1-hotel-international-s-board-of-directors.html)
  2. Stoneshield Capital to acquire 15% stake in Exolum from OMERS (https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/22/3300241/0/en/stoneshield-capital-to-acquire-15-stake-in-exolum-from-omers.html)
  3. Neinor Homes and Stoneshield Capital Launch €150mn Partnership to Develop Premium Residential Project in Marbella  (https://www.neinorhomes.com/en/news/neinor-homes-and-stoneshield-capital-launch-150mn-partnership/)

Media contacts
Claudia Suárez
E: [email protected]
T: +353 (0) 87 465 4410

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

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Framery announces new Gradus™ product line designed for the U.S. and Canadian markets

Framery Gradus line
Framery Gradus famiily landscape

Framery today unveils Gradus, a new line of smart office pods purpose-built for the U.S. and Canada

TAMPERE, Finland, May 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Framery today unveils Gradus, a new line of smart office pods purpose-built for the U.S. and Canada. The line will officially launch at NeoCon on June 8th. Featuring three new models, the Gradus line will be sold in the U.S. and Canada and assembled in the USA.

Positioned as the definitive market-fit for the region, the Gradus line is set to capture growing demand as office utilization rates climb. Gradus offers clients an integrated, “built-in” design language, prioritizing architectural harmony and expanding choice alongside Framery’s aesthetically bold signature line.

“Gradus is purpose-built to meet the high volume and unique demands of the American and Canadian workplace,” says Samu Hällfors, CEO of Framery.

Products in the Gradus™ line will be assembled at Framery’s new factory in the United States. The new manufacturing facility is a key part of the company’s growth strategy and its goal to meet regional demand locally.

The Gradus line is defined by a “plug-and-play” interior designed for instant user integration. The portfolio consists of three new models designed to maximize interior volume within a minimal footprint:

  • Gradus Focus™: A smart, soundproof phone booth for one person, designed for calls and focus work.
  • Gradus Work™: A smart and soundproof workstation for one person, featuring a full-size adjustable desk and a spacious interior designed for uninterrupted flow.
  • Gradus Huddle™: A smart and soundproof meeting pod for 1–4 people, optimally sized for spontaneous collaboration and confidential discussions.

The pods feature a modular build with replaceable components, allowing units to be repaired, refurbished, and updated over time. This design also features a snap-on system for exterior wall panels, including wood veneers, fabrics, or custom acoustic panels, allowing the pods to either blend into the surrounding architecture or stand out as a focal point.

“Designers and customers in the U.S. and Canada want spaces that feel like their own, and this flexibility makes Gradus a perfect fit for any office,” says Hällfors.

Gradus offers a lower cost per square foot than fixed construction and meets local standards like IBC, IFC, and UL 962 for seamless regional adoption. The line also includes third-party verified EPDs to support corporate carbon accounting.

The product line features automated ventilation, automated lighting, and Class A soundproofing. Equipped with occupancy sensors, Gradus collects anonymized usage data. This allows the pods to integrate with Framery’s smart office solutions to optimize floor plans and help organizations eliminate the real estate waste of underutilized space.

“Gradus combines data-driven workspace optimization with a smooth user experience. It is a strategic tool for right-sizing office space needs,” says Hällfors.

The Tampere factory remains the hub for specialized expertise, providing the smart technology and sub-assemblies for the new line, and its existing products will remain in the U.S. and Canadian offering.

FRAMERY IN BRIEF

Framery enables people to focus on what truly matters and to get things done. With its soundproof smart pods and smart office solution, Framery turns ordinary offices into places people love. This is why Framery is an essential part of a successful workday for millions of workers in over a hundred countries and within many of the world’s leading companies.

For further information and interview requests please contact: [email protected][email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f6747901-e812-41d4-a5b7-64ae55eaf953

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9727482