diff --git a/projects/website-angular/src/app/home-page/home-stats/home-stats.component.ts b/projects/website-angular/src/app/home-page/home-stats/home-stats.component.ts
index 43ca84d..29c7468 100644
--- a/projects/website-angular/src/app/home-page/home-stats/home-stats.component.ts
+++ b/projects/website-angular/src/app/home-page/home-stats/home-stats.component.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { MatIcon } from "@angular/material/icon";
 import { CarouselComponent } from "../../reactome-components/carousel/carousel.component";
 import { StatsService } from '../../../services/stats.service';
 import { APP_CONFIG } from '../../../config/config'; // NEW import
+import { GeneralService } from 'projects/pathway-browser/src/app/services/general.service';
 
 interface Stats {
     human_pathways: number;
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ interface Stats {
 })
 export class HomeStatsComponent {
   private statsService = inject(StatsService);
+  private generalService = inject(GeneralService);
 
   version: string = '';
   releaseDate: Date = new Date();
@@ -40,8 +42,7 @@ export class HomeStatsComponent {
   }
 
   getVersionAndDate () {
-    // Use APP_CONFIG instead of dynamic JSON import
-    this.version = APP_CONFIG.version.releaseNumber;
+    this.version = 'V' + (this.generalService.version.value() ?? APP_CONFIG.version.releaseNumber).toString();
     this.releaseDate = new Date(APP_CONFIG.version.releaseDate);
     this.fetchStats();
   }
diff --git a/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.json b/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.json
deleted file mode 100644
index b2cd08c..0000000
--- a/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-{
-    "version": {
-        "label": "V95",
-        "releaseNumber": "95",
-        "releaseDate": "2025-12-09"
-    },
-    "baseUrl": "https://reactome.org",
-    "downloadurl": "https://download.reactome.org"
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.ts b/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.ts
index 0a8b651..cd12b5c 100644
--- a/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.ts
+++ b/projects/website-angular/src/config/config.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 export const APP_CONFIG = {
   // app-level version info
   version: {
-    label: 'V95',
-    releaseNumber: '95',
-    releaseDate: '2025-12-09'
+    releaseNumber: '96',
+    releaseDate: '2026-04-01'
   },
 
   // canonical site base / download base (choose prod by default)
diff --git a/projects/website-angular/src/config/external-links.json b/projects/website-angular/src/config/external-links.json
deleted file mode 100644
index a9fbb8e..0000000
--- a/projects/website-angular/src/config/external-links.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,62 +0,0 @@
-{
-    "twitter": {
-        "label": "Twitter",
-        "link": "https://twitter.com/Reactome"
-    },
-    "facebook": {
-        "label": "Facebook",
-        "link": "https://www.facebook.com/reactome"
-    },
-    "youtube": {
-        "label": "Youtube",
-        "link": "https://www.youtube.com/@Reactome"
-    },
-    "github": {
-        "label": "GitHub",
-        "link": "https://github.com/reactome"
-    },
-    "bluesky": {
-        "label": "Bluesky",
-        "link": "https://bsky.app/profile/reactome.org"
-    },
-    "linkedin": {
-        "label": "LinkedIn",
-        "link": "https://ca.linkedin.com/company/reactome-group"
-    },
-    "elixir": {
-        "label": "elixir",
-        "link": "https://elixir-europe.org/platforms/data/core-data-resources"
-    },
-    "gcdr": {
-        "label": "GCDR",
-        "link": "https://globalbiodata.org/scientific-activities/global-core-biodata-resources/"
-    },
-    "coretrustseal": {
-        "label": "CoreTrustSeal",
-        "link": "https://www.coretrustseal.org/"
-    },
-    "ebi": {
-        "label": "EBI",
-        "link": "http://www.ebi.ac.uk/"
-    },
-    "nyu": {
-        "label": "NYU",
-        "link": "https://med.nyu.edu/"
-    },
-    "ohsu": {
-        "label": "OHSU",
-        "link": "http://www.ohsu.edu/"
-    },
-    "oicr": {
-        "label": "OICR",
-        "link": "https://oicr.on.ca/"
-    },
-    "releaseNotes": {
-        "label": "Release Notes",
-        "link": "http://localhost:8080/about/news/280-reactome-pathway-browser-new-beta-release#TODO: Fix"
-    },
-    "feedback": {
-        "label": "Feedback",
-        "link": "https://forms.gle/TPBxaWnnVLLZj66p8"
-    }
-}
diff --git a/projects/website-angular/src/services/stats.service.ts b/projects/website-angular/src/services/stats.service.ts
index 704e402..f0bc217 100644
--- a/projects/website-angular/src/services/stats.service.ts
+++ b/projects/website-angular/src/services/stats.service.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { isPlatformBrowser } from '@angular/common';
 import { HttpClient } from '@angular/common/http';
 import { Observable, map, catchError, of, timeout } from 'rxjs';
 import { APP_CONFIG } from '../config/config'; // NEW import
+import { GeneralService } from 'projects/pathway-browser/src/app/services/general.service';
 
 export interface ReactomeStats {
   pathways: number;
@@ -24,13 +25,14 @@ interface RawStatItem {
 export class StatsService {
   private http = inject(HttpClient);
   private platformId = inject(PLATFORM_ID);
+  private generalService = inject(GeneralService);
   private isBrowser = isPlatformBrowser(this.platformId);
 
   /**
    * Get the current Reactome version from APP_CONFIG
    */
   async getVersion(): Promise<string> {
-    return APP_CONFIG.version.releaseNumber;
+    return (this.generalService.version.value() ?? APP_CONFIG.version.releaseNumber).toString();
   }
 
   /**