MIAMI — Justus Kelley, representing Virginia, was crowned Miss USA 2026 on Thursday night at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, becoming the first mother in the pageant’s history to win the national title.

Kelley, 31, was named the winner of the 75th Miss USA competition after advancing through a field of 51 contestants representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. She was crowned by outgoing titleholder Audrey Eckert, Miss USA 2025, whose farewell moment on stage included two accidental tumbles moments before the winner was announced, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.

Kelley’s win carries multiple firsts for the organization. She is the first married woman to hold the Miss USA title, the first woman in her 30s to win, and the first mother, as she and her husband have served as licensed foster parents in Virginia for nearly two years. She is also Virginia’s first Miss USA winner since 1970.

The Miss USA organization only began allowing married women and mothers to compete in 2023, with 2024 marking the first year the competition was open to all eligible women 18 and older regardless of marital or parental status. Kelley’s victory is the first tangible result of that rule change at the national level.

“I look at this like a responsibility to know that I was trusted to be the first,” Kelley said of becoming the pageant’s first mother and married titleholder, adding that she “won’t be the last.”

In a video posted to the pageant’s official Instagram account shortly after her win, Kelley reflected on the significance of the moment. “I’m Justus Kelley and I just won Miss USA 2026. This opportunity means the world to me, and not only are we celebrating the 75th anniversary but we made history tonight,” she said. “I’m the first married woman, first mom, and first woman in her 30s. It’s a great night.”

Kelley, a foster mother of two, is also a nonprofit founder and children’s book author. Her hometown has previously honored her community work by declaring March 11 “Justus Kelley Day,” according to her official Miss USA biography. She has described meeting her husband in college and discovering early in their relationship that he shared her dream of fostering children. “I married my college sweetheart, who shared with me on one of our very first dates that he, too, dreamed of fostering someday,” she has said. “Thirteen years later, we have welcomed children ranging from 7 months to 10 years old into our home.”

Kelley also spoke about her approach to the pageant’s wardrobe requirements, saying she wore secondhand clothing throughout the competition weekend to make a point about affordability in pageantry. “I had gone into the competition weekend wearing an all-thrifted wardrobe for each phase,” she said. She recalled one moment from an earlier state-level pageant when judges complimented a suit she had found at Goodwill. “I loved one of my first USA state pageants, walking in with a really special suit that I found in Goodwill, and as soon as I walked in, the judges said, ‘Oh, you look stunning,’ and I said, ‘Thank you, $9.99 at Goodwill.’” She said the experience reinforced her belief that contestants “don’t have to spend a million dollars” to compete at a high level.

Miss Florida Aileen Cerchiara finished as first runner-up and will step in to represent the United States at Miss Universe if Kelley is unable to fulfill that role. Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth Voight placed second runner-up, followed by Iowa’s Madeline Erickson as third runner-up and Utah’s Alayzia Christopher as fourth runner-up.

As Miss USA, Kelley will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November. Her prize package is valued at more than $685,000 and includes a $150,000 salary, a Range Rover, a one-year lease in a luxury Miami apartment, a Westgate Vacation Home Club membership and a $30,000 wardrobe for the Miss Universe competition.

This year’s Miss USA marked the pageant’s 75th anniversary, presented under a “75 Years of Icons” theme, and was streamed on the Queen Beauty Network after The CW dropped both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA from its programming days before the events were set to air. The pageant also followed a leadership change within the organization, after pageant coach and judge Thom Brodeur announced last September that he would acquire the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA brands.

The competition came a year after 2024 winner Alma Cooper announced she would not attend the 2025 pageant in Reno, Nevada, citing personal values and integrity in explaining her decision to skip the crowning of her successor.

The Miss Teen USA title was also decided this week, with Miss Georgia Teen USA Kiran Reddy, 18, crowned the 44th Miss Teen USA on Wednesday, one night before Kelley’s win.

A Chinese startup is betting American consumers will pay nearly $1,000 for a laser-equipped device that hunts and kills mosquitoes in midair, as the pest-control gadget arrives on the market at the same time California is logging its worst West Nile virus activity in five years.

The company, Photon Matrix, is selling an indoor version of its laser mosquito air-defense system for $988, along with an outdoor blue laser model starting at $1,088. The devices use a combination of lidar, radar and AI-based vision to detect and confirm a mosquito before firing a targeted laser at the insect, according to the company.

The outdoor unit is marketed for use on patios, campsites and outdoor dinner settings. Company-released videos show the device firing bright blue flashes at flying targets as it tracks them through the air.

According to Photon Matrix, the outdoor version scans a 20-foot field extending 90 degrees in front of the device and is designed to detect insects as small as 2 millimeters moving at speeds up to 3.3 feet per second. A rotating base gives the system 360-degree coverage, and the company says a single charge from a power bank can keep the unit running for roughly four to five hours.

The system works by first scanning its surroundings and measuring the distance to background objects, the company says. When an insect crosses into the detection field, the device evaluates its size and shape and fires only if the target matches the profile of a mosquito. Photon Matrix says the laser is calibrated to disable a mosquito’s wings while distinguishing the pests from other flying insects, such as butterflies, and that the system automatically shuts off if it cannot identify a solid background within its range.

The indoor model relies on infrared detection paired with a laser invisible to the human eye, and is pitched for use in bedrooms, hotel rooms and other enclosed spaces. The outdoor model’s visible blue flash, by contrast, signals to nearby people each time the device fires.

Photon Matrix also advertises the system as chemical-free, with app-based controls, a 12-month warranty and a design the company says is safe around pets and children. Those performance and safety claims come from the company itself and have not been independently verified.

The device has already attracted attention on social media, where commentators have likened it to military-grade technology scaled down for backyard use. One commentator on X described the system as an “Iron Dome for mosquitoes,” while another characterized it as a personal air-defense system that “locks onto a mosquito in 3 milliseconds” before firing. A separate post claimed the device can eliminate up to 30 mosquitoes per second and operate in total darkness, comparing the underlying technology to Reagan-era missile defense research.

The product’s debut comes as California’s West Nile virus season has intensified. The state’s official West Nile virus dashboard, last updated Aug. 21, reported 46 human cases across 14 counties so far in 2026, along with four virus-related deaths. The same update logged 437 positive dead birds, 2,644 positive mosquito samples, 64 sentinel chickens and six horses that tested positive for the virus.

West Nile virus is the leading mosquito-borne disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people who become infected do not develop symptoms, but roughly one in five experience fever, headaches, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. Fewer than 1% of infected people develop a serious neurological illness affecting the brain or spinal cord, with older adults and people with weakened immune systems facing the greatest risk, the CDC says.

Public health officials across the country trap and test mosquitoes throughout the summer months to track West Nile activity. A positive mosquito sample does not guarantee that people in the surrounding area will become infected, officials say, but it can serve as an early signal that the virus is circulating locally.

Health officials continue to recommend more conventional prevention measures alongside any technological solutions, including eliminating standing water from bird baths, flowerpots, buckets, old tires and children’s toys, where mosquitoes commonly lay their eggs. Trimming overgrown vegetation around homes can also reduce mosquito activity, officials say.

Whether laser-based devices like the one from Photon Matrix will meaningfully reduce mosquito populations or disease transmission at the household level remains untested by independent researchers, and the company’s claims about detection accuracy and kill rates have not been verified outside of its own promotional materials.

The East Riding subsea technology specialist is set to move into the largest unit at Evolve @ Melton West, developed by Wykeland Group, as part of its expansion plans

A flourishing East Riding technology firm has announced ambitious expansion plans after securing a substantial unit at a business park.

Neptune Sonar was established in 1990 and has grown into a global leader in underwater technology, operating from its base near Driffield.

Its team of highly skilled technicians design and manufacture products for maritime technology clients, including bespoke sonar transducers – sensor devices that transmit pulses of sound through water to chart sea depth, underwater objects and fish movements. The company is now on the move after agreeing a deal for new premises at the rapidly expanding Melton West business park.

Neptune Sonar is set to occupy the largest unit at Evolve @ Melton West, which has been developed by commercial property developer Wykeland Group. The subsea specialist – which forms part of the OceanSight group of companies – is currently situated on the banks of Kelk Lake, near Driffield, and the relocation to Evolve will consolidate three of its existing sites under one roof, while also providing considerable room for further growth down the line.

Neptune Sonar intends to utilise the 38,000 sq ft unit at Evolve as a manufacturing facility, distribution centre and storage space, with operations expected to commence later this year.

David Bradley, managing director of Neptune Sonar, said: “This investment marks an exciting milestone for Neptune Sonar and reflects OceanSight’s confidence in our business, our people and our future. Since joining OceanSight, we’ve gained a partner that is accelerating our growth through strategic investment, commercial expertise, global market access, and enhanced operational expertise.

“This new facility at Evolve provides the foundation to expand our manufacturing capabilities, drive continued innovation, and better serve customers worldwide.”, reports Hull Live.

Neptune Sonar will join fellow Evolve occupant Medequip, a supplier of community equipment loan services, along with Revive Auto Repairs, which occupies one of the smaller units on the site. Demand for the remaining terrace units at Evolve is strong, with spaces available to let as four 5,000 sq ft units or in combinations to create a larger area.

Wykeland’s head of business space, Liam Knaggs, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Neptune Sonar to the growing community at Evolve, and to have secured another ambitious, innovative business at Melton West. We delivered Evolve speculatively, reflecting both our confidence that there was an unmet demand from growing businesses looking for modern, high-spec facilities, and our commitment to stimulating investment and growth in the region.

“This has been confirmed by the high levels of interest we’ve seen at the development. We look forward to seeing Neptune Sonar grow with us at Melton West.”

The Evolve development received grant funding from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, aimed at boosting economic growth across the region.

AUSTIN, MINN. — Hormel Foods Corp. continued to see volume drop in its Retail operating unit — the company’s largest — during its fiscal third quarter, extending a decline from the first and second quarters this year.

“In Retail, as I mentioned last quarter, we expected a noisier top line in the back half of the year,” said John Ghingo, president and chief executive officer-elect of Hormel. “The divestiture of our whole bird turkey business and the exit from certain private label snack nut products weighed on year-over-year net sales comparisons.

“These actions, along with pricing elasticities and a challenging consumer environment, also affected volume during the quarter. While many of these factors were anticipated, the impact on volume was somewhat greater than we originally expected.”

Ghingo added that the consumer environment overall right now is “not improving.”

“Consumers are still feeling quite strained with low sentiment, and that strain, a lot of it comes from those cumulative effects of inflation, which we’ve talked about before,” he said. “I would add that high fuel prices have contributed further to that strain as this year has unfolded.”

For the third quarter ended July 26, net earnings fell to $59.6 million, equal to 11¢ per share on the common stock, compared with $183.7 million, or 33¢ per share, a year ago. Hormel’s net sales fell 2% to $2.96 billion from $3.03 billion the prior third quarter.

Hormel Chili was one of the company’s priority brands that delivered dollar sales growth during the third quarter. 

| Photo: ©BILLTSTER – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Hormel’s overall volume declined 7% across its three operating units (Retail, Foodservice and International) compared with the third quarter last year.

Retail volume dropped 9% while Retail net sales declined to $1.77 billion, down 4.3% from $1.85 billion a year ago. Retail profit also fell, easing 3.7% to $118 million from $122 million the year prior.

Despite the decline in Retail volume, sales and profit, Ghingo said, “The work we are doing to strengthen our protein-centric offerings is translating into marketplace momentum for our priority brands, with several delivering net sales growth in the quarter and continuing to gain traction with consumers. Sales of Jennie-O ground turkey and the Applegate portfolio grew this quarter, benefiting from sustained demand for protein-rich offerings.

“Hormel chili and our refrigerated entrees also delivered dollar sales growth, reflecting consumers’ desire for convenient, versatile, and flavor-forward meal solutions. Planters also delivered a strong quarter, fueled by impactful in-store activations and continued investment behind the brand.”

Ghingo said other brands that saw growth for Hormel during the quarter included Herdez and Black Label bacon.

Foodservice volume fell slightly by 1.5%, while net sales rose 1.6% to $1 billion from $987 million last year. Foodservice profit increased 2.7% compared with the previous year’s third quarter, and the company saw a 12th consecutive quarter of organic net sales growth in the segment.

“Premium prepared proteins and branded pepperoni were particularly strong contributors (in Foodservice) during the quarter, reflecting our ability to align with operator demand for differentiated value-added solutions,” Ghingo said. “Importantly, our top-line results were achieved despite the impact of lower commodity-based pricing in portions of the business. Foodservice profit growth once again outpaced sales performance, driving another quarter of margin expansion.”

Hormel said its branded pepperoni was a “strong contributor” to the company’s positive results in its Foodservice segment during the quarter.  

| Photo: ©BILL – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

The International unit saw the biggest decrease in volume (11%) while net sales dropped 4.7%, and the segment lost $29 million compared with a profit of $19 million a year ago.

The company said the loss came from a combination of selling its operations in Brazil — which Ghingo said was a “subscale business in a challenging environment” — an impairment related to a minority investment in Indonesia, and certain Spam export sales adversely impacted due to a one-time legal entity transition.   

“We announced the definitive agreement to sell our operations in Brazil,” said Paul Kuehneman, interim chief financial officer and controller. “As a result, we recognized a loss during the quarter, which was recorded at the corporate level. The transaction closed early in the fourth quarter. As such, Brazil’s operating results will be excluded from our organic volume and net sales comparisons going forward.”

Based on its third-quarter results, Hormel adjusted its outlook slightly for the rest of fiscal 2026.

“We expect fiscal 2026 net sales to be in the range of $12.1 billion to $12.2 billion (previously $12.2 billion to $12.5 billion), which represents organic growth of 1% to 2%,” Kuehneman said. “We narrowed and raised our full-year adjusted operating income and adjusted earnings per share guidance ($1.45 to $1.51), which now represents growth of 6% to 10% year over year.”

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Overview

Thailand has been at the center of a wide range of global headlines recently, spanning energy policy, military diplomacy, economic indicators, security challenges, and cultural milestones. This summary highlights the most significant developments shaping the country’s trajectory across multiple sectors.

Energy Transition and Regional Cooperation

Thailand is accelerating its shift away from liquefied natural gas (LNG) toward renewable energy sources, a strategic pivot driven largely by geopolitical instability following the Iran conflict. According to Thailand to Shift From LNG Toward Renewables in Wake of Iran War, the country aims to reduce its vulnerability to volatile fossil fuel markets by diversifying its energy portfolio. This aligns with broader regional energy security efforts, including a landmark 35-year gas supply agreement between PTTEP and Petronas, which strengthens the Thailand-Malaysia energy partnership and ensures long-term supply stability for both nations.

Monetary Policy and Economic Indicators

The Bank of Thailand has held interest rates steady, reflecting a cautious approach amid mixed economic signals. Central Bank Governor commentary suggests officials are pushing back against market expectations for an extended pause in rate adjustments, signaling flexibility depending on incoming data. Meanwhile, Thailand’s exports surged 21.6% year-over-year in July, driven substantially by an AI-related electronics boom, according to Thailand July Exports Rise 21.6% Y/y on AI Electronics Boom. This export strength contrasts with slowing second-quarter GDP growth, which analysts attribute to weakening domestic consumption.

Foreign investment trends are mixed. While Thailand has secured over $30 billion in electronics investment commitments, demand for foreign-owned condominiums has dropped notably due to a pullback in Chinese buyers. The Economic and Environmental Cooperation Organization (EECO) has outlined four priorities to sustain investment momentum, emphasizing the need to derive greater value from capital inflows rather than simply attracting volume.

Military Diplomacy: USS Abraham Lincoln’s Port Call

A major diplomatic and military story involves the USS Abraham Lincoln docking in Thailand after an extraordinary 250-plus day deployment in the Middle East—one of the longest at-sea deployments in recent naval history. The port visit offers sailors their first extended rest-and-recreation opportunity in months before the carrier heads home, with the USS George Washington set to replace it in the region. This visit also carries symbolic weight for US-Thailand diplomatic relations, reinforced by cultural exchanges tied to the visit.

Security Concerns and Domestic Challenges

Thailand faces significant internal security pressures. The southern insurgency has reignited with renewed violence, including coordinated attacks that have wounded multiple people and left local villagers trapped in a persistent cycle of fear. Security forces have tightened measures in response, though the roots of the decades-long conflict remain unresolved.

Separately, the country continues to grapple with the aftermath of a tragic school shooting that claimed at least eight lives, including a 12-year-old victim who succumbed to injuries weeks after the initial attack. The incident, involving a teenage gunman who first killed his grandparents, has prompted national reflection on gun violence and school safety protocols.

In an unrelated but notable development, Thailand issued arrest warrants for 20 Israeli nationals amid a business crackdown on Koh Samui, following a zoo-related dispute that also resulted in a visa revocation—highlighting friction in an otherwise cooperative bilateral relationship.

Political Developments

On the political front, a new amnesty law took effect, though it notably excludes lese majeste offenses, reflecting the continued sensitivity around Thailand’s monarchy laws. Additionally, new deportation rules signed by Deputy PM Anutin are set to take effect August 28, signaling tightened immigration enforcement.

Sports and Regional Competition

Thailand’s football team fell short in the ASEAN Championship final, with Vietnam claiming the title 4-2 on aggregate despite a Thai comeback effort in the second leg. Coach Anthony Hudson maintained optimism about the team’s future prospects. In volleyball, Thailand delivered strong performances, defeating South Korea in the Asian Championship quarterfinals and advancing toward a semifinal clash with Japan.

Technology, Business, and Innovation

Thailand is positioning itself as a regional technology hub. The government has introduced a National AI Roadmap aimed at centering artificial intelligence in productivity gains across industries. Complementing this push, Siemens launched its Eigen Engineering Agent in Thailand, bringing purpose-built industrial AI tools to automation engineering, while ZTE and AIS unveiled “ZTE Day Thailand 2026” to advance intelligent network infrastructure.

China’s commercial space sector has also expanded its footprint through a new partnership deal, while workforce upskilling initiatives aim to prepare Thai talent for an increasingly tech-driven economy.

Culture and Tourism

On the cultural front, Thailand selected “9 Temples to Heaven” as its official Oscars submission for Best International Feature, drawing attention to the country’s growing film industry. Meanwhile, tourism industry observers note diverging travel preferences between Gen Z and Millennial travelers, and Thailand continues pursuing a larger share of the global $9.75 trillion wellness economy.

Source : Google News – Search

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Ideas Fest will again be staged in Hertfordshire next month

Over the years, I have attended more business conferences than I care to remember. Many follow the same formula, with a windowless hotel function room, a succession of PowerPoint presentations, a buffet lunch, and people wearing name badges, all while trying to work out who might be useful to them.

Good conferences can inform, challenge and connect, but entrepreneurship is not a conventional activity, and entrepreneurs rarely flourish in conventional environments. That is why, five years ago, we created Ideas Fest, which will take place in September at the iconic Champneys Resort in Tring, Hertfordshire.

OPINION

OPINION

Inspired by our love of festivals such as Green Man, we set out to move away from the usual conference style and create an event in a field where founders could hear honest stories, make unexpected connections, test ideas, and spend time with people who understand the exhilaration and occasional loneliness of building a business.

This year, six thousand people will gather for two days of talks, conversations, workshops and informal meetings, and more than 500 speakers will participate across stages and tents covering start-up, growth, investment, leadership, and exits.

To keep the festival spirit alive, there will be food traders, bars, a wellness area, and music from Rick Parfitt Junior and the iconic DJ Fat Tony.

Alongside established entrepreneurs, there will be people at the beginning of their journey, investors, advisers and others who support growing firms. Yet the numbers matter less than the purpose, and in my experience working with entrepreneurs over the last thirty years, entrepreneurship is often presented as a largely technical process: write a business plan, identify a market, secure finance, and assemble a team.

Of course, all those things matter, but anyone who has built a company knows the real journey is far messier, as founders often face decisions with no textbook answer. They experience self-doubt, setbacks and periods when they must persuade others to believe in something that may exist only as a possibility.

Business support can help, but it cannot always provide the confidence that comes from meeting someone who has faced the same problem and found a way through it. That is where entrepreneurial communities matter, and at Ideas Fest, the most valuable conversation may happen on a stage, over coffee or while two founders walk between sessions.

Someone may meet their next customer, investor, mentor, or collaborator queuing for the toilet (yes, that did happen last year!) while others may hear the one piece of advice that stops them from giving up. In other words, this is not networking in its most transactional sense but about creating the conditions in which relationships develop naturally and useful collisions can occur.

There is also an important role for honesty, as too much of the narrative around entrepreneurship focuses on success, such as the funding round, the rapid growth, or the eventual sale and what is often omitted is the uncertainty behind those achievements.

Entrepreneurs benefit from hearing not only what worked but also what failed; not only how much money was raised but also how close a business came to running out of funds; and not only the successful exit but also the personal sacrifices made along the way. Those candid conversations across the stages at Ideas Fest make entrepreneurship more human and help founders understand that difficulty is not evidence that they do not belong.

Indeed, Ideas Fest is deliberately designed to encourage what we call “real talk”, and speakers are asked to share lessons rather than deliver polished corporate presentations. As a result, the best contributions are often those in which an entrepreneur explains a mistake they would never repeat or admits they did not always have the confidence others assumed they had.

The event also provides a platform for ambition from across the UK. Through our Start Up Awards and the Fast Growth Index, we encounter thousands of remarkable businesses each year. Many create jobs, develop new products, and transform their communities without receiving the attention they deserve, and bringing founders together from every part of the nation matters because ambition is contagious.

When an entrepreneur from Wales meets someone growing a company in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Midlands, or the North of England, they often discover they share challenges and that their potential market is larger than they imagined.

This is particularly important for Wales, as we have no shortage of entrepreneurial talent, yet too many founders remain disconnected from the networks, finance and opportunities that could help them grow. If we want to build a more productive economy, we must help ambitious Welsh businesses build relationships beyond their immediate geography while maintaining strong roots in their communities.

Nor should events such as Ideas Fest be judged solely by what happens over two days, as their real value lies in what follows, such as the introduction that becomes an investment, the conversation that becomes a partnership, the idea that becomes a new product, or the renewed confidence that enables a founder to make one more attempt.

Economic development sometimes tends to assume that entrepreneurship can be manufactured through programmes and processes. Government has a crucial role in creating the right conditions, providing appropriate support, and removing barriers, but successful ecosystems are ultimately built around people, trust and relationships, and that is what Ideas Fest is trying to achieve.

It’s certainly a celebration of entrepreneurs, but it is also a practical two days designed to give founders access to knowledge, networks, inspiration, and, perhaps most importantly, one another.

Entrepreneurs build businesses, create employment, and bring new ideas into the economy, yet they also need somewhere to learn, connect, speak honestly, and feel part of something larger than the company they are building.

That is why we created Ideas Fest and why I believe its greatest contribution will not be measured by the size of its audience, but by the businesses, friendships and opportunities that emerge long after everyone has gone home.