Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is in Washington D.C. for her first IMF Annual Meetings, where she will say that the Budget is about investing in future growth.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves at the IMF Annual Meetings in Washington D.C.
Reeves will set out how public investment will drive innovation in science and technology, the transition to clean energy, and upgraded infrastructure.
Chancellor to represent British interests in G7, G20 and IMF discussions on the global economy, international financial system and ongoing support for Ukraine.
Rachel Reeves will tell her global counterparts that the Government’s first Budget will “invest in the foundations of future growth,” as she attends her first annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C as Chancellor.
The Chancellor will pledge that the Budget next week will be “built on the rock of economic stability” to fix the foundations and deliver change. She will set out how public investment will help fuel mission-led government, from boosting investment in science and technology, transitioning to clean energy and upgrading infrastructure.
The Chancellor will attend G7, G20 and IMF meetings to represent Britain’s interests on issues including the global economy, the international financial system and ongoing support for Ukraine. This follows the UK’s announcement of its £2.26bn contribution to the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans for Ukraine scheme, backed by the profits from sanctioned Russian sovereign assets. She will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with her international counterparts.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:
A Britain built on the rock of economic stability is a Britain that is a strong and credible international partner. I’ll be in Washington to tell the world that our upcoming Budget will be a reset for our economy as we invest in the foundations of future growth.
It’s from this solid base that we will be able to best represent British interests and show leadership on the major issues like the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
At the Annual Meetings, Chancellor Reeves will support proposals to expand financing for development, needed for countries to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and tackle unsustainable debt. She will also press for all G20 countries to meet G20 best practice on debt transparency and move swiftly to implement support for countries facing pressing liquidity problems. The Chancellor will welcome the agreement of a new G20 roadmap to scale up financing to developing countries through Multilateral Development Banks.
It is the 80th anniversary year of the founding of the IMF and the World Bank, established at a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in 1944 to promote international cooperation on economic and monetary policies. At this years’ gathering the Chancellor will also call for change to the global financial system to deliver a fairer deal for vulnerable countries.
The IMF released its latest survey of the global economy on Tuesday, in which the UK’s growth forecast was upgraded to 1.1% in 2024. Whilst this is welcome, the Chancellor will make clear to her counterparts that there will be more long-term decisions required to reinforce stability and deliver on the promise of change at her first Budget on 30 October.
The Chancellor’s trip to Washington D.C. follows the International Investment Summit earlier this month, at which it was announced that nearly 38,000 jobs are set to be created across the UK thanks to a total of £63 billion in investment commitments from businesses around the world. The vote of confidence in the UK is a clear sign Britain is open for business and ready to drive sustainable growth across the country.
Watch them, and you’ll likely notice that as the decades pass, the directors, writers and studio executives of these films seem to produce more and more on-screen blood, violence and gore. But why?
As a professor of horror studies, I explore the depths of the genre with my students – and for us to understand the evolution of blood in horror cinema, we first consider how films reflect their times.
Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell created proto-slashers with “Psycho” and “Peeping Tom,” respectively. Both films were released in 1960 about four months apart, both feature serial killers, and both operate on a “tell, don’t show” visual aesthetic. Rather than show the blood to the audience, the films provide narrative cues to only suggest the blood.
Janet Leigh’s shower scene in ‘Psycho’ is one of the most memorable moments in movie history. Bettmann via Getty Images
Guts, gore and so much more
In “Psycho,” Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, is stabbed to death in the famous shower scene. But the quick-cut editing gives only the illusion of her nude body being slashed as a small amount of blood washes down the drain in black-and-white tones. By not shooting “Psycho” in color, and avoiding the image of bright red blood in the bathtub – Hitchcock’s choice – the film doesn’t seem as violent.
In “Night of the Living Dead,” George A. Romero’s 1968 seminal zombie flick, the walking dead consume the flesh of the living. Even though the movie is in black and white, the monochromatic presentation does not dull the display of the undead gobbling guts and licking up blood.
The film’s release came six months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and a clear connection between Romero’s film and the Civil Rights Movement then taking place is apparent. The movie’s heightened gore correlates to the movement’s all-too-bloody violent struggle, as Ben, played by Duane Jones, the sole person of color among the living, hides from the ghouls in an abandoned farmhouse with a group of six white people.
Ben works to keep the group safe but faces ongoing pushback from the white male characters. At the end of the film, a group of vigilantes, believing Ben is a zombie, guns him down before tossing his body into a fire.
The symbolism as a reflection of the times is hard to miss. Romero and John Russo, who co-wrote the screenplay, didn’t initially intend to make a statement on civil rights; but later, during postproduction, Romero realized the assassination of King turned his movie into a “Black film.”
Once again, blood is a common denominator. Sally’s body is covered in it after escaping Leatherface; Regan’s body, along with the blood, spews green vomit; and Ripley sees an alien burst out of a crew member’s chest. But the films weren’t just gory – they were metaphors for the uphill battle for women’s rights in the 1970s.
The original “Halloween” (1978) also fits here, but with a twist. The character of Laurie Strode, perhaps an early prototype of women protagonists in horror films, connects back to a “tell, don’t show” sensibility while simultaneously embracing changing times. While the first kill shows Michael Myers stabbing his older sister, the audience views the death from the partially veiled perspective of Myers behind his Halloween mask. You see little until her body hits the floor to reveal the blood.
‘Halloween’ was a huge hit and has thus far spawned six direct sequels, one offshoot, a two-part remake and one reboot trilogy over 46 years. Universal History Archive via Getty Images
Nightmares and reality
In the 1980s, the slasher subgenre dominated horror – and the bloodier, the better: These movies focus on the number of kills and the creative ways the victims are dispatched.
Each sequel in these horror franchises needed to up the kills, if for no other reason than to outdo its predecessors and competitors. Audiences began rooting for villains like Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, all of whom had their own theme music, and in Freddy’s case, trademark one-liners. Many of the villains had more character development than their victims, who seemed interchangeable and little more than fodder for the slasher machine.
The 1990s had bigger-budgeted, more innovative films, such as Wes Craven’s “New Nightmare” (1994) and “Scream” (1996). Here the attacks are more personal; the stabbings are close-up. CGI, or computer-generated imagery, used in abundance in the “Nightmare” series, allowed for more creative and bloody kills.
Scarier times mean bloodier movies
Since 9/11, horror films have existed in a place where there’s no apparent motive other than violence and bloodshed. In “The Strangers” (2008), the villains tie up, torment and savagely maim their victims. In the 2009 remake of “The Last House on the Left,” it’s the villains who meet a bloody end. Contemporary horror understands how senseless killings on screen are effective, because the removal of emotion from the violence parallels real-world incidents.
By the late 2010s, horror films link to the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, most notably in the “Halloween” reboot trilogy, as Laurie Strode once again confronts Michael Myers and the trauma he inflicted 40 years prior.
The kills in the new “Halloween” trilogy are extremely bloody and violent. They also mirror the sexual and societal exploitation of women and their bodies. Ultimately, the series allows the protagonist, and the traumatized town of Haddonfield, to acknowledge the evil, confront it and try to finally put an end to it, once and for all.
The evolution in the horror genre’s presentation of blood and gore doesn’t necessarily make for scarier movies, but they often point to the scarier times in which we live. Earlier horror films, comparatively tamer and with less blood, were often box-office successes. But today’s audiences probably appreciate them more for their artistic merits than the fear they induce.
The preferences of horror audiences change over time, much like the ebb and flow of the blood depicted in these movies. The original “Halloween” has hardly a drop; the recent reboots are over the top – but still nowhere close to the mayhem depicted in the just-released “Terrifier 3.”
What the future holds is anyone’s guess. But check out the world around you, and you’ll certainly get a bloody good hint of what’s to come.
James Francis, Jr. does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Nearly a million Florida condo owners face an important deadline at the end of the year. That’s when a law passed in 2022 requires most Florida condo associations to submit inspection reports for their buildings and to collect money from owners to pay for any needed repairs.
Condo owners are reporting that new condominium rules are driving up fees and inducing outrageous assessments.
As the research director at the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Real Estate Center, I suggest it is important to set emotions aside and see what these laws attempt to accomplish.
Safety inspections
The 2022 state condo law, known as SB-4D, and its 2023 follow-up, SB-154, establish three primary requirements: licensed inspections, reporting and disclosures, and reserve funds.
Importantly, these laws are not tax legislation that directly increases housing costs on condo owners.
But by requiring more inspections, transparency and funding to cover repairs, many owners will face costs much greater than the amounts paid in the past. These new expenses simply reflect more of the true cost of living in a condo near the ocean.
Under the laws, all buildings occupied before 1992 must complete a milestone inspection by Dec. 31, 2024. This is an examination of the building’s structural integrity by an architect or engineer.
The requirement also applies to buildings at least 25 years old that are within 3 miles of the coast.
If the milestone inspection finds a potential structural problem, testing is required to determine if structural repairs are needed. If they are, owners must fund these repairs without an option to waive by vote.
If no damage is identified, then the association must report and post the results, and that concludes the requirement.
Prior to SB-4D, milestone inspections were not required outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Now, they are required statewide and must be reported to local authorities, all unit owners and the public for buyer information.
Adequate savings for repairs
The new regulations also require building associations to budget and collect sufficient reserves to cover the cost of maintaining and replacing parts of their buildings subject to regular wear and tear, such as roofs, elevators and balconies.
History suggests that most homeowners associations struggle to adequately save for repairs and maintenance to keep their properties safe and in top condition.
“Florida has … more associations that are considered weak [in terms of funded reserves] than any other state,” Will Simons, the head of Florida and Southeast Operations at Association Reserves, which conducts reserve studies for condo and community associations, told a colleague as part of a research article.
The Champlain Towers South condominium that collapsed in the Miami suburb of Surfside in June 2021, killing 98 people, is just one example. Simons’ company completed a reserve study of the condo just months prior to the collapse and found its association was significantly underfunded.
The association held approximately US$706,000 in reserves as of January 2021. Association Reserves recommended the association stockpile nearly $10.3 million to account for necessary repairs. That means the Surfside condo’s homeowners association had just 6.9% of the money it needed on hand.
True costs of living by the ocean
More than 16,000 condominium associations representing over 900,000 of Florida’s 1.5 million condominium units are currently affected by the new laws because these units are already more than 30 years old.
Properties that have been sufficiently maintained and hold adequate reserves for future structural repairs will face nothing but an increased disclosure of inspection reports and continued reserve funding.
Many residents, especially retired seniors, are struggling to adapt to the funding requirement. In response, Gov. Ron DeSantis is indicating some form of relief for owners facing financial hardship over these regulations.
Frustration is understandable, as current residents are asked to simultaneously fund 30 years of past deterioration and also set aside savings for the next 30 years. However, policymakers are simply setting guidelines that condo owners should have established for themselves. Properties that face significant financial shocks from SB-4D are, by definition, undermaintained or underfunded.
It is important to separate the intent of these laws from possible overreaction or fraud from condo associations, which is an existing concern. House Bill 1021, signed into law in June 2024, focuses on association governance to manage oversight of this type.
Oceanside concrete structures, roofs, windows and elevators have limited lifespans. These items need to be repaired or replaced to protect residents’ safety. The new regulations are making the true condo costs transparent to unit owners and buyers.
Bill Hughes is affiliated with National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF), Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), Counselors of Real Estate (CRE), and CFA Institute.
Ever since the NCAA permitted college athletes to get paid by companies that use their names, images and likenesses, athletes have tested the limits of their increasing power.
One of the latest examples is Matthew Sluka, the starting quarterback for UNLV’s first three games of the 2024 season. After helping lead UNLV to three wins and potential contention for a prestigious College Football Playoff bid, Sluka announced on Sept. 24, 2024, he would sit out the rest of the season. His decision is the result of a dispute over compensation for use of his name, image and likeness, commonly referred to as NIL.
While the decision sent shock waves through college athletics, it also shines light on the changing balance of power that favors athletes over their coaches and universities.
As a former lawyer and college athletics compliance administrator – and also as a current university faculty member who has authored several law review articles on legal issues related to NIL – I suggest that Sluka’s situation exemplifies how collegiate athletes can use recent NCAA rules changes to improve their financial situation in the NIL era of college athletics.
Promises and denials
Sluka’s NIL agent claims a UNLV assistant coach failed to fulfill a promise he made Sluka during the recruiting process. That promise, according to Sluka’s agent, was that Sluka would receive US$100,000 of NIL compensation from an NIL collective should he attend UNLV. NIL collectives are generally formed to pool individuals’ and businesses’ funds to provide NIL opportunities and compensation for athletes.
Any such promise by a UNLV assistant coach would violate current NCAA policy. That’s because NCAA policy prohibits coaches from making NIL compensation offers contingent on whether a student enrolls. NIL collectives, on the other hand, may negotiate with athletes during the recruiting process as the result of a U.S. District Court ruling. That ruling prohibits the NCAA from penalizing collectives that negotiate NIL compensation with athletes during the recruiting process.
In a forthcoming BYU Law Review article, however, I suggest that a university whose star athlete transfers because another school’s collective recruited the athlete possesses a viable legal claim against the collective. That claim would be for inducing the athlete to transfer and violate their athletics scholarship agreement.
UNLV denies Sluka’s version of events. The university asserts that Sluka’s representative demanded more compensation from UNLV and its NIL collective in order for Sluka to continue playing. UNLV says it then refused, as such a “pay-for-play” agreement violates NCAA policy, which states that athletes may not accept NIL compensation based on “play” or on-field results.
Perceptions and ‘pay-to-play’
In Sluka’s case, further complicating things is the issue of whether Sluka’s NIL representative is properly registered with the state as an agent, as required by Nevada law. The state may be interested in pursuing enforcement, given the Nevada secretary of state’s relationship with UNLV’s NIL collective. More specifically, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco V. Aguilar co-founded Blueprint Sports, which operates the collective.
NCAA rules allow a football player to retain a year of eligibility if they play in four or fewer games in a season. Sluka exercised this ability by leaving his team. There is little that UNLV can do about it beyond taking away Sluka’s athletic scholarship for leaving the team.
Universities, however, must be increasingly sensitive to providing the necessary procedures, such as hearings and appeal opportunities, before disciplining athletes in the NIL era. As I explain in a forthcoming SMU Law Review article, a recent U.S. District Court decision involving then-University of Illinois men’s basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. precluded the university from enforcing its suspension of Shannon without providing appropriate processes, lest he lose out on NIL compensation, which the court classified as a constitutionally protected interest.
Before it granted college athletes the ability to get paid through NIL deals, the NCAA faced long-standing criticism that its policies were unfair to athletes. The argument was that athletes benefited relatively little compared with the NCAA, conferences and universities, even though it was the athletes who provided the product. Along those lines, former college football stars Terrelle Pryor, Reggie Bush and Denard Robinson all recently filed separate lawsuits against the NCAA over denied NIL compensation opportunities.
Some college football luminaries are now questioning whether the pendulum of power has swung too far in favor of athletes in the NIL era. Examples include former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and former Ohio State quarterback and longtime ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit. Saban has openly wondered whether the current college football model is sustainable. Herbstreit has lamented “the players having all the control” without any accountability to their coaches and universities.
High-profile college football players, such as quarterbacks Kelly Bryant and D’Eriq King and receiver Gary Bryant Jr., previously exploited NCAA rules permitting them to play in four games and then transfer to another university without sacrificing a season of competition eligibility.
At least publicly, their decisions were due to on-field considerations such as playing time. Sluka’s decision to forgo playing the rest of the season and transfer was different. It is the first time – but likely not the last – a college athlete has publicly based their decision to leave their team mid-season on an NIL dispute.
Sluka’s departure from UNLV makes clear that collegiate athletes’ power to move freely between universities in pursuit of their best financial situation has greatly increased. Meanwhile, their coaches’ and universities’ power to keep them on the team and participating has significantly decreased.
While my full-time employment is as a faculty member at the University of Iowa, I provide consulting services on a contractual basis on the side for universities and athletics conferences. However, I have never performed consulting services for UNLV or any of the individuals mentioned in this piece and do not believe my consulting conflicts in any way with publishing this piece.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Devin Naar, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies and Chair of the Sephardic Studies Program, University of Washington
In connection to Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day, media from the BBCand Foxto Reutersand Haaretz reported on new DNA evidence about the holiday’s original namesake. According to research revealed in a recent Spanish documentary, Christopher Columbus was not Italian, as widely assumed, but Sephardic: of Spanish Jewish lineage.
About 1 in 5 people in Spain and Portugal today may indeed be of “converso” origin: descendants of Jews or Muslims who converted to Catholicism, often under threat of death or expulsion. Regardless of whether Columbus was genealogically Jewish, though, there is scant evidence that he considered himself to be Jewish in any meaningful way. After all, he wrote approvingly of the Spanish king and queen’s decision to expel Jews from Spain in 1492.
The claim that Columbus may have been of Spanish Jewish descent is by no means certain; the “new” research has not yet been published in any academic journals. What’s more, it’s far from new.
The debate over the origins of the New World’s “discoverer” stretch back more than a century, to a time when Columbus was more routinely hailed as a hero – whereas today, he is remembered as the man who initiated European settler colonialism in the Americas and the genocide of Indigenous peoples. For decades, some Spanish and American Jewish activists claimed that Columbus was a Sephardic Jew.
One of their own
At the turn of the 20th century, new immigrant groups in the U.S. were seeking acceptance as part of dominant white American society. Spaniards, Jews, Italians and Greeks seized claims that Columbus was one of their own, hoping to combat prejudice that they faced. By linking themselves to the progenitor of white “civilization” in the Americas, they sought to secure their own position on the white side of the color line, with the privileges and protections that status bestowed.
A poster for the Italian-American Exposition of 1892 in Genoa, Italy – often thought to be Columbus’ birthplace. Twice25 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
U.S. President Benjamin Harrison instituted Columbus Day in 1892, initially as a one-time holiday. The event was meant to celebrate Italian American contributions to society – partly as an apology, following the lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans. Decades later, in 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt rendered Columbus Day a federal holiday, even as the U.S. government continued to impose a quota on Italian immigration.
Early claims about Columbus or members of his entourage being Sephardic Jews also emerged in 1892 – the 400th anniversary of the conquerer’s arrival. Oscar Straus, a Jewish American diplomat, commissioned Meyer Kayserling, a rabbi and scholar, to research Jews’ role in the age of conquest. While Kayserling’s book did not say Columbus himself was of Jewish origin, it claimed that many people connected to his voyages were, including an interpreter named Luis de Torres and funder Luis de Santagel. Straus hoped that highlighting Jewish contributions to American society would curtail rising antisemitism in the United States.
Spanish strategy
In contrast, Spanish claims about Columbus as a Sephardic Jew sought to elevate Spain’s own international image. After its 1898 defeat in the Spanish-American War, Spain lost its possessions in the Western Hemisphere and ceased to be a major European colonial power. A cohort of Spanish writers and artists, known loosely as the Generation of ’98, produced an outpouring of cultural creativity grappling with Spain’s new position.
Some politicians and intellectuals drew on economic and cultural arguments to court descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, whom they viewed as having preserved the Spanish language, and thus providing a new source of influence in the Mediterranean region. Ultimately, the Spanish government issued a decree in 1924 that rendered these descendants eligible for citizenship – an offer it renewed from 2015-2021.
Raquel Venitura and Moise Cohen were wed in Madrid in 1930, the first Hebrew marriage ceremony in Spain since the Inquisition. Bettmann via Getty Images
Spanish intellectuals became the first to claim that Columbus was a Sephardic Jew, hoping to further elevate Spain’s status, in the wake of the losses of 1898, as the trailblazer of European civilization in the Americas. By World War I, scholar Celso Garcia de la Riega published a theory that not only some of Columbus’ crew had Spanish Jewish origins, but Columbus himself. Nobel Prize nominee Salvador de Madariaga endorsed the theory of Columbus’ Jewish origins in his 1940 book on Don Cristobal Colón.
Crucial moment
The rise of Nazism heightened discussion among American Jews about Columbus and brought Sephardic Jews themselves into the debate – hoping that a connection to the explorer would temper rising antisemitism.
Sephardic Jews also hoped that if Columbus were recognized as one of their own, Ashkenazi Jews, the dominant Jewish group in the United States, would be more likely to treat them with respect. Sephardic Jews coming from the Ottoman Empire – one of the primary places their ancestors sought refuge after Spain – were often maligned as “uncivilized” and “uncultured” due to their associations with the Muslim world.
As Spanish and Portuguese Jews were the first practicing Jews to come to the Americas, Sephardic Jews arriving from the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th century hoped to hitch their story to the grandeur of the country’s first Jewish communities.
In 1933, American Jewish writer Maurice David purported to offer Spanish archival evidence to demonstrate Columbus’ Spanish Jewish bona fides. While David was not Sephardic himself, the Sephardic Jewish community in New York advertised his book’s “sensational” claims in La Vara, a newspaper written in Ladino, the main Sephardic language, also called Judeo-Spanish.
The most prominent Sephardic exponent of the theory was the former editor of La Amerika, the first Ladino newspaper published in the U.S. During the Second World War, Moise Gadol published a booklet in English called “Christopher Columbus was a Spanish-Jew.”
Gadol sought to elevate the status of his own community of Jews from the Ottoman Empire. By demonstrating links to Columbus, he hoped that all Sephardic Jews – not only those early Spanish and Portuguese Jews who came to the Americas during the colonial period – would be associated with Europe rather than the “Orient,” and with being “white” rather than “brown.”
Gadol also sought to exert pressure on the American public and government to loosen the quotas preventing Jews fleeing Nazi persecution from entering the United States. Two years before, in 1939, the government had rejected all 900 passengers aboard the SS St. Louis, who were forced to return to Europe – an infamous manifestation of the policy.
Gadol’s dubious claims about Columbus, however, did not produce the desired results. Sephardic Jews continued to be marginalized within the broader American Jewish community. Meanwhile, immigration quotas based on nationality – in effect until 1965 – continued to prevent Jewish refugees from finding safe haven in the U.S.
Then … and now
A century ago, embracing Columbus – and the sweeping colonization he represents – was a way for marginalized immigrant groups to claim a sense of belonging as part of the dominant white caste in American society.
Today, it provokes uncomfortable questions. especially claims about Columbus as a Jew. Fixating on his ancestry reinforces the racial blood logic of the Spanish Inquisition, according to which a person was considered Jewish or Muslim based on descent alone – to say nothing of the racial logic of Nazi Germany or the Jim Crow South.
What’s more, the emphasis on Columbus’ personal genealogy distracts from the actual geopolitical forces at play, such as empire building and resource extraction, that propelled Europe’s conquest and mass violence.
As discussions about antisemitism intensify in the U.S. and across the world, perhaps the idea that Columbus was “Jewish” – a conquistador who initiated the destruction of Indigenous peoples – only aggravates the problem.
Devin Naar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Medical providers practicing in states that implemented abortion bans in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Supreme Court decision are forced to balance the needs of their pregnant patients against the risk that the providers could be prosecuted for treating these patients. This dilemma has serious and far-reaching consequences.
We interviewed 22 medical providers working in reproductive health care across Tennessee in the six months following the implementation of the state’s total abortion ban in 2022.
Providers spoke with our team about the need to protect themselves from criminal liability and told us that they were increasingly hesitant to provide care that their patients needed.
Why it matters
A 2024 ProPublica investigation found that at least two women have died in Georgia as a result of being denied medical care stemming from the implementation of these abortion bans. Nearly all of our interviewees spoke about their fear that these kinds of deaths would happen.
Providers told us that patients often believe that these bans include exceptions when the health of the pregnant person is at risk, but that is not always true in practice.
In states with abortion bans, providers grapple with ensuring the health and autonomy of their patients while facing the looming threat of medical malpractice lawsuits and criminal liability.
The Tennessee abortion ban allows for an “exception for situations where the abortion is necessary to prevent the death of a pregnant woman or prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function.”
The problem is that such cases are rarely clear-cut. And the stakes for health care providers are very high. In certain states, including Tennessee, if they are found to have provided an abortion in a case where the mother’s life or health was not imminently at risk, they can face felony charges, which could include multiple years in prison.
In interviews, providers described many cases where terminating a pregnancy is medically necessary for the pregnant person. Take cases of preterm premature membrane rupture, a condition where a pregnant person’s water breaks before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Serious complications can follow a premature membrane rupture, particularly in cases that do not result in the beginning of labor.
The standard treatment for this condition is to induce labor in an effort to prevent such potential medical complications. However, if it is early on in a pregnancy and the fetus would likely not survive outside the womb, this treatment is now discouraged, as the law does not sufficiently clarify what interventions are allowed to protect the pregnant person.
In many cases, the physical harm the pregnant person is experiencing correlates with the level of legal protection a medical provider receives.
Although doctors are trained to follow best practices around health care treatment, fear of malpractice accusations leads to the widely documented practice of defensive medicine, cases where providers either over-administer testing or avoid risks in an effort to prevent malpractice lawsuits.
Abortion bans make this dynamic far worse because they often involve the threat of criminal prosecution, which is not covered by malpractice insurance. This exposes providers to a new form of risk, one that is shaping how providers interact with patients and provide care.
Our team calls this new form of defensive medicine “hesitant medicine.” Providers are forced to prioritize their own criminal legal protection over the well-being of their patients, so they hesitate to provide treatment that patients need. Hesitancy is exacerbated by bans that are ambiguous about when a provider can intervene during a pregnancy complication.
What’s next
It will take years before researchers have data showing the full picture of how abortion bans are affecting women’s reproductive health. However, our interviews show that these bans are already shaping how providers are treating pregnant people.
A majority of our interviewees had considered moving to a state without an abortion ban to practice medicine with far less stress around the threat of criminal prosecution, a trend that is already occurring. Over time, this exodus of providers could exacerbate the problem of health care deserts in the United States.
To mitigate some of this harm, more effort is needed from medical associations, employers and legislatures to clarify or revise the Tennessee “Human Life Protection Act” in a way that better protects women’s health.
Sophie Bjork-James receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
Anna-Grace Lilly and Isabelle Perry Newman do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
It’s not every day that the name of a mountain is restored to the one used by Indigenous peoples for centuries.
But after nearly two years of trying, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians finally convinced the U.S. Board on Geographic Names on Sept. 18, 2024, to formally agree to rename the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee to Kuwohi (koo-whoa-hee).
The mountain, known as “Clingmans Dome” since 1859, has been a sacred place for the Cherokee people, serving as a place of prayer, reflection and gathering of mulberries for medicine. In fact, the name Kuwohi translates to “the mulberry place” in Tsalagi, the Cherokee language.
Though known as Kuwohi by the Cherokee people for hundreds of years, explorer Arnold Guyot effectively ignored that history after he surveyed the mountain range in 1859. Guyot named the peak “Clingmans Dome” after his friend Thomas Lanier Clingman, a North Carolina U.S. senator and a Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War. Clingman never set foot on this mountain, but his name remained there for 165 years until now.
What is place name repatriation?
The government’s renaming of the mountain to Kuwohi is a significant example of place name repatriation, or the return of an original, Indigenous name to a particular place or landscape.
Sometimes the primary motivation for place renaming is to remove an offensive or irrelevant place name from the landscape, such as the renaming of Squaw Peak in Arizona to Piostewa Peak in 2008.
In other cases, such as the renaming of Mount McKinley in Alaska to Denali in 2016, the motivation was to create a more authentic and historically accurate name for a particular place.
In the case of Kuwohi, the return to its original name was a mixture of both. The government’s decision recognized the original Indigenous name and removed the name of a white man who defended the enslavement of African people. It is also about restoring a larger sense of respect and recognition of Indigenous identity across the landscape.
Just as important is the fact that it was individuals from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who put forward this proposal and remained the lead throughout the process.
Place naming is only truly reparative if these processes truly reflect the agency and intent of these historically oppressed groups. Otherwise, it contributes to the long history of dismissing Indigenous claims to land and culture by not involving them.
View of observation tower on Kuwohi in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Joshua Moore/Getty Images
Why does place naming matter?
A name is one of the most fundamental ways to identify and give meaning to places. In other words, the name of the place makes a big difference in how people perceive it.
There is growing public recognition that place names can transmit harmful messages that misrepresent the history and identity of minority communities. Place names also can demonstrate how those in power have used them to disrespect and misrepresent ethnic and racial groups that have been historically discriminated against.
For those groups, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names found in 2022 that derogatory place names are a source of recurring trauma.
If place naming did not matter, disputes over name changes would not occur. Some critics find place renaming to be an example of unnecessary political correctness, while others see it as a meaningful solution that will leave a lasting positive impact.
The elimination of names of Confederate generals from some U.S. military bases provides another example. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to restore the name “Fort Bragg” to the North Carolina Army base that’s known today as Fort Liberty if reelected. Originally named after Braxton Bragg, a slave-owning Confederate general, the fort was one of nine U.S. installations that the Defense Department ordered in 2023 to have their names changed to among 3,700 recommendations.
Trump’s stance exemplifies the wave of backlash that has occurred against local and state school officials across the country that have removed the names of Confederate generals and others from public buildings.
Despite such backlash, efforts by Indigenous people and civil rights advocates slowly move forward and are seen across the U.S. in places like streets, neighborhoods, college campuses and beyond.
For Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe, the two members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who took the lead on submitting the proposal, the renaming of Kuwohi was a moment of success. Their campaign was heavily inspired by the renaming of Mount Doane to First Peoples Mountain in Yellowstone National Park in 2022.
Crowe told reporters that she saw friends and relatives shed tears when they learned of the name change. “It was humbling,” she said. “It was beautiful.”
What comes next?
The success of the effort to restore the name Kuwohi may help other communities in their ongoing place renaming efforts.
One such proposal involves a 100-year-old fight to rename Mount Rainier in Washington state to “Tacoma,” the original name given to it by the Salish people of the Pacific Northwest.
This movement began in 1924 among the Salish and other groups because its namesake, Peter Rainier, was a British naval officer who was known as being “anti-American.”
Another example is a push by 20 different Indigenous tribes, including the Lakota Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, to rename Devils Tower in Wyoming to Bear Lodge. The current name of this butte resulted from a poor English translation of the original Indigenous name of “bear lodge” to “bad god’s tower.” Over time, the name was simplified to “Devils Tower.”
As geographers who have studied the significance of place renaming, we have learned that it is important to engage the folks that these movements will benefit most in all conversations and decisions.
What is at stake is not just removing insulting names, but also ensuring that the process of changing place names is collaborative of all Americans, especially historically oppressed communities, to truly be restorative and meaningful for society.
Seth T. Kannarr is affiliated with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as an Education Branch VIP (Volunteer-In-Parks) part-time.
Derek H. Alderman once served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names, U.S. Department of Interior.
Governments, even democratic ones, are willing to aid autocracies in silencing exiled dissidents if the host nation thinks it’s in its economic interest.
That is what we found when looking into cases of transnational repression – the act of governments reaching across their national border to repress diasporas and exiles – from 2014 to 2020.
Since 2014, international watchdog Freedom House recorded 1,034 cases of governments reaching across borders to illegally deport, abduct, intimidate or assassinate their citizens.
The most frequent offenders were autocratic countries such as China (213 cases), Turkey (111), Egypt (42), Tajikistan (38), Russia (32) and Uzbekistan (29).
These governments have extended their reach into over 100 foreign countries to silence critics abroad. While autocracies sometimes act alone or collaborate with nongovernment actors, the most common form of transnational repression involves the governments of countries to which targeted people have fled. This includes democracies working closely with autocratic regimes to arrest, detain and deport people who face the risk of persecution and repression in the home country.
Our analysis of Freedom House data found that cooperation in transnational repression is most common among trade partners and when foreign countries wish to maintain or improve their economic relationship with autocratic governments.
Meanwhile, autocratic countries were most successful in securing cooperation among foreign countries with a weak rule of law.
For example, Turkey has successfully secured cooperation from multiple countries with a weak rule of law, such as Lebanon, in its efforts to silence Turkish journalists and overseas citizens linked to the opposition Gülen movement. Meanwhile, China has used its economic leverage to compel foreign governments to cooperate, with Cambodia deporting 20 Uyghur asylum-seekers to China after signing 14 trade deals with the country. Similarly, Thailand forcibly returned numerous dissident journalists to China, its largest trade partner.
Our analysis looked specifically at countries hosting refugees and asylum-seekers, since having diaspora populations is necessary for transnational repression to occur. For example, we included Poland, which hosts many Russian refugees, but excluded Belize, which has none.
Using Freedom House’s database, we tracked 608 cases of direct government cooperation in transnational repression. We focused specifically on detentions, renditions without legal representation, and unlawful deportations, but we excluded cases such as assassinations where host countries weren’t directly involved.
Then, using statistical models, we analyzed IMF data on annual trade flows and World Bank assessments of a country’s rule of law.
We found strong quantitative evidence that international cooperation on transnational repression relies on a country’s economic ties to the origin country and the quality of the country’s rule of law.
Why it matters
Our findings suggest that many countries are willing to sacrifice the civil liberties of foreign dissidents for economic opportunities with authoritarian governments. Autocracies also appear to be strategically targeting vulnerable states with weak rule of law institutions, such as the police, courts or immigration authorities.
Foreign countries that are less concerned about the consequences of breaking the rule of law are easier to co-opt and coerce, especially when they’re more financially dependent on the autocratic partner.
This provides autocracies with both the opportunity to repress and the leverage to elicit cooperation in violation of the “non-refoulement” rule – which, under international law, protects migrants from being returned to a country where they are at risk of torture.
What still isn’t known
It is difficult to know the full scale of transnational repression. Data measuring transnational repression is able to capture only the “tip of the iceberg,” as Freedom House has put it.
Many instances likely go unobserved due to the secret nature of human rights violations and governmental attempts to cover up, censor and deny abuses. We also know less about what causes autocracies to carry out transnational repression through collaborations with nonstate actors – including political parties, educational and religious groups, businesses and criminal gangs – rather than governments.
More research is needed to establish what prompts autocracies to engage in different types of tactics, from nonphysical instances of transnational repression – harassment, intimidation and threats – to physical forms, such as detention, abduction and physical violence.
The decision to engage in one tactic over another may be driven by different strategic benefits and costs.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Members of the Utah National Guard were deployed to Washington in June 2020 in response to public protests and demonstrations.AP Photo/Alex Brandon
On the campaign trail, former President Donald Trump has declared there are serious threats to the United States. First, he said, there is “the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within, and the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous,” as he told Fox News in an Oct. 13, 2024, interview.
He went on to say that “the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think. And it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military.”
Donald Trump discusses ‘the enemy within’ the United States.
When asked on CNN about Trump’s remarks about using the military on U.S. soil, Mark Esper, one of five people who led the Defense Department during Trump’s presidency, said Americans “should take those words seriously,” most especially because Trump had already tried to do so when he was president.
As professors of military ethics, we worry that Trump’s actionswhile president, and his comments about his plans for a potential second term, may put the military in a tough position. The July 1, 2024, Supreme Court ruling giving the president immunity for official acts – potentially including as commander in chief of the military – would make that tough position even more difficult.
Donald Trump says armed forces should take on ‘the enemy from within’ the U.S.
At the time, the two of us considered the possibility of dissent within the military hierarchy, saying that resistance would be most effective “if it were to come from those at the top.”
Though Trump reportedly wanted to bring as many as 10,000 soldiers to Washington, fewer troops were deployed in the nation’s capital. No federal military personnel were used against public demonstrations in the U.S. that summer. Some National Guard troops were called up by state governors, not federal orders.
Questions about dissent and disobedience will therefore likely fall on those at more junior levels of military service in a second Trump administration than they did in the first.
The U.S. military has long been dedicated to the principle of civilian control. To minimize the chance of the kind of military occupation they suffered during the Revolutionary War, the country’s founders wrote the Constitution requiring that the president, an elected civilian, would be the commander in chief of the military. In the wake of World War II, Congress went even further, restructuring the military and requiring that the secretary of defense be a civilian as well.
As the Joint Chiefs of Staff reminded the military after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and just before the inauguration of Joe Biden as president, military personnel serve the nation’s interests, not those of a politician or a political party.
Nonpartisanship could become partisan
When faced with a potential order to deploy the U.S. military within the nation’s borders, however, service members may find themselves in a situation where upholding the military’s tradition of staying out of politics could itself appear partisan.
Military members have a duty to obey orders from superior officers. But as military ethicists, we recognize that the content of an order is not the only factor that determines whether it is a moral one.
The political motivation for an order may be equally important. That’s because the military’s obligation to stay out of politics is deeply intertwined with the mutual obligation of civilian officials not to use the military for partisan reasons.
If an elected official were to attempt to use the military for obviously partisan ends, the decisions of military personnel to either follow the order or resist it would open them up to accusations of partisanship – even if their actions were attempts to protect the military’s strict partisan neutrality.
It’s not clear that military members could follow those kinds of orders and remain nonpartisan. By refusing to follow orders about military deployment to U.S. cities for political ends, members of the armed forces could actually be respecting, rather than undermining, the principle of civilian control. After all, the framers always intended it to be the people’s military – not the president’s.
That particular example may be useful to consider in the weeks and months ahead, given the significant effort at the time to argue that some of those immoral orders could nonetheless be legal.
Regardless of who wins the 2024 presidential election, there will likely be significant protests over policy – perhaps even over the results themselves. If the military is ever called in because of those actions, military members would have to consider whether they could ethically follow the orders to do so. To be ready to answer these important questions, they have to consider them now.
We often ask our students to imagine themselves in numerous different ethical situations, both real and hypothetical. In the present circumstance, we believe one set of ethical questions could quickly become very concrete for those serving:
“Would you obey an order from a president – a particular president giving an order for a particular reason – to deploy to a U.S. city? What might it mean for the nation if you did? And what might it mean for American democracy if, in some circumstances, you were brave enough not to?”
Many Americans claim to venerate military men and women, thanking them for their service and standing to celebrate them at sporting events. They may need much more support than that from the American people, and soon.
The academic views expressed in this article are the views of the authors alone and should not be read as endorsing any candidate for office. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense or any other entity within the U.S. government; the authors are not authorized to provide any official position of these entities.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Despite years of line management experience, HMRC’s Nikki Fisher says the Line manager Induction was an important way of preparing for the new Standards.
Nikki Fisher, HMRC
During the course of a 35-year career in the civil service, senior IT delivery manager Nikki Fisher has had extensive experience as a line manager and currently looks after a team of two.
Yet despite this, she was among the first civil servants to do the Line Manager Induction Programme – and saw it as an ideal way of refreshing her skills and learning more about the new Civil Service Line Management Standards.
“I had already looked at the standards, but I thought the induction would provide a more engaging way to apply them in practice,” said Nikki.
“I didn’t approach it as a new manager but as a way to refresh and refine my skills.”
Key takeaways
“It encouraged me to focus more on performance and development conversations with my team, especially now that I manage a smaller team of two. It reminded me of things I already knew but had overlooked, like giving more attention to individual development.
“The course offered practical tips and brought the standards to life in a way that simply reading them didn’t. It was a great reminder that, even as experienced managers, there are always opportunities to tweak our approach.”
Practical insights and flexibility
The two-hour Line manager Induction Programme can be completed in 20 minute chunks and participants can log out and return to complete it later.
“The mix of video content and reading made it easier to stay engaged and I also found that it wasn’t overly prescriptive. It gave me practical pointers that I could apply in my day to day work without feeling like I had to drastically change my management style” she explained.
“For me, the Line manager Induction Programme provided useful, manageable insights into the standards expected of civil service managers. It’s a great tool for both new and experienced managers to revisit and refine their skills. I found it valuable and believe others will too.”
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Details
Decision letter and Inspector’s Report for a recovered appeal for an application for reserved matters approval for layout, appearance, landscaping, and scale for Phase 3DEFG of the Kilnwood Vale development, comprising 280 dwellings with associated landscaping, access and parking.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Ms Susannah Goshko CMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United Mexican States.
Ms Susannah Goshko
Ms Susannah Goshko CMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United Mexican States. Ms Goshko will take up her appointment during November 2024.
Curriculum vitae
Full name: Susannah Clare Goshko
2021 to present
Ottawa, British High Commissioner
2019 to 2021
FCDO, Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State
2018 to 2019
FCO, Deputy Director, National Security Directorate
2017 to 2018
DEXEU, Deputy Director for Withdrawal Issues
2013 to 2017
Washington, First Secretary (Political) later Political Counsellor
2010 to 2013
Nairobi, First Secretary (Economic) and Permanent Representative to United Nations Environment Programme
A new Lancet Commission report highlights the urgent need for regulatory reform to address the health impacts resulting from the rapid expansion of commercial gambling. The report reveals that gambling harms are far more substantial than previously understood, exacerbated by the increased visibility of the gambling industry through digital and online platforms.
The harms associated with gambling extend beyond financial losses and include physical and mental health problems, relationship breakdown, heightened risk of suicide and domestic violence, increased crime, and loss of employment. According to the report, an estimated 80 million adults worldwide experience gambling disorder or problematic gambling.
Dr. Angela Rintoul, Principal Research Fellow at Federation University and a member of the Lancet Commission, expressed concern over the Australian government’s failure to respond to urgent cross-party recommendations from the Murphy Inquiry.
The Murphy Inquiry ‘you win some, you lose more’ was released in June 2023, detailing 31 recommendations, with the aim of reducing and ending gambling advertising and addressing the serious risk of suicide linked to gambling and a comprehensive national strategy on online gambling harm.
Dr. Rintoul stated, “We know that gambling causes enormous harm not only to those who gamble, but their family members, friends, and colleagues. High levels of gambling contribute significantly to suicide, domestic violence and other health and wellbeing issues. Constant promotion of gambling is exposing young people to gambling advertising as never before, with devastating consequences for many.”
The Lancet Commission report emphasises that the harms of gambling are not evenly distributed, with adolescents, children, and those from disadvantaged socio-economic groups being more at risk.
The Lancet Commission report calls for effective and well-resourced regulatory controls and international leadership to urgently reduce the impact of commercial gambling on public health.
The Lancet Commission is an independent international body of experts that provides evidence-based recommendations to address pressing global health challenges. The Commission brings together leading researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to develop strategies for improving public health and achieving sustainable development.
Quotes attributable to Federation University Australia Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Duncan Bentley
“At Federation University, our mission is to transform lives and enhance communities and the recommendations in the Lancet Commission Report clearly outline urgent recommendations that will help keep our communities safe.”
“Gambling advertising has catastrophic impacts on lives far beyond financial stress and it is our responsibility to protect young people who are especially vulnerable to the risks.”
Quotes attributable to Federation University Australia Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Executive Deal, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Professor Remco Polman
“The Lancet Commission Report is timely considering the Murphy inquiry in Australia and the government must heed the report’s recommendations. I am proud that Federation University is globally at the forefront of this issue.”
“Gambling does significant harm to the individual as well as their environment. It will be key to develop effective strategies to reduce the harms of excessive gambling and protect our children from the harmful effects and the predatory strategies of gambling companies.”
ACHESON, Alberta, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — North American Construction Group Ltd. (“NACG” or “the Company”) (TSX:NOA.TO/NYSE:NOA) today announced it has finalized an extension and amendment of its senior secured credit facility (the “Credit Facility”). The maturity date has been extended by one year to October 3, 2027. In addition to the extension, the capacity has been increased to provide greater flexibility in operating the Company’s Australian and Canadian businesses.
“We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank National Bank Financial and our syndicate partners for their ongoing support,” Jason Veenstra, Chief Financial Officer stated. “It is encouraging to have all existing members extend. This low-cost facility is the foundation of our debt financing and provides the liquidity and term needed for our business.”
The Credit Facility provides lending capacity of $525 million (from $475 million) through Canadian and Australia dollar tranches and allows for an additional $400 million of secured equipment financing from third party providers (from $350 million). The facility is comprised of a revolver with no scheduled repayments and is not governed by a borrowing base that limits available borrowings. Financial covenants are tested quarterly on a trailing four quarter basis and are generally consistent with the previous agreement except for the fixed charge ratio being replaced with an interest coverage ratio.
About NACG NACG is one of Canada and Australia’s largest providers of heavy construction and mining services. For over 70 years, NACG has provided services to mining, resource, and infrastructure construction markets.
Jason Veenstra, CPA, CA Chief Financial Officer P: 780.960.7171 E: ir@nacg.ca
The information provided in this release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “expected”, “estimated” or similar expressions, including the anticipated revenues and backlog to be generated by the contract. The material factors or assumptions used to develop the above forward-looking statements and the risks and uncertainties to which such forward-looking statements are subject are highlighted in the Company’s MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2023 and quarter ending June 30, 2024. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements because of any number of factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond NACG’s control. For more complete information about NACG, please read our disclosure documents filed with the SEC and the CSA. These free documents can be obtained by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website atwww.sec.gov or on the CSA website atwww.sedar.com.
BOSTON, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — QuEra Computing, the leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, today announced that on September 6th, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to strengthen their collaboration towards the advancement and industrialization of quantum technology. This agreement builds on an April 2024 contract, under which QuEra will deliver a state-of-the-art quantum computer to Japan, installed on-premises alongside AIST’s NVIDIA-powered ABCI-Q supercomputer.
As part of this new collaboration, QuEra will establish and operate a cloud-based platform, providing remote access to the quantum computer for researchers, collaborators, and external users. This platform will seamlessly integrate with AIST’s high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, including the ABCI-Q supercomputer.
The collaboration will promote the development of a hybrid environment between ABCI-Q, a function of Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT) and QuEra Computing’s neutral atom quantum computer. Additionally, the applicability of optical materials and components necessary for the hardware development of next generation neutral atom quantum computers will be tested. This effort aims not only to scale up and enhance the performance of quantum computers but also to standardize processes to strengthen future supply chains.
As the demand for the industrialization of quantum technology continues to grow, the enhanced cooperation between the two institutions is expected to lead to new technological advancements and market creation.
About QuEra QuEra Computing is the leader in developing and productizing quantum computers using neutral atoms, widely recognized as a highly promising quantum computing modality. Based in Boston and built on pioneering research from Harvard University and MIT, QuEra operates the world’s largest publicly accessible quantum computer, available over a major public cloud and for on-premises delivery. QuEra is developing useful, scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computers to tackle classically intractable problems, becoming the partner of choice in the quantum field. Simply put, QuEra is the best way to quantum. For more information, visit us at quera.com and follow us on X or LinkedIn.
About AIST The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the country’s largest public research organizations. AIST dedicates itself to bridging innovative technological seeds with commercial applications, enhancing industry and societal welfare.
Media Contact Merrill Freund press@quera.com +1-415-577-8637
NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recently, Siterwell is proud to announce the launch of its new A8612B Combo Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector. This alarm achieves smoke detection 15 seconds faster than the latest standard UL217 9th Edition requirements (*Based on the testing from Siterwell’s laboratory, and actual data may slightly vary under real-world conditions). This advancement is driven by Siterwell’s cutting-edge photoelectric sensor, innovative 360° smoke capturing technology, and advanced labyrinth technology, collectively enabling superior smoke detection capabilities.
Research shows that fifty years ago, it took 20 to 30 minutes for a house to be fully engulfed in flames in the event of a fire. Today, that time has been reduced to just 5 to 10 minutes due to changes in building materials and the widespread use of electrical appliances. According to the US Fire Administration, residents may have less than 2 minutes to escape once the smoke alarm sounds during a home fire. In preventing disaster and saving lives, every second counts. But what if residents had 15 seconds more?
Indeed, it is this continuous drive for innovative technology that has enabled Siterwell, since its founding in 2010, to emerge as a leader in the alarm security industry, specializing in a comprehensive range of products including smoke, carbon monoxide, gas, heat, and water level alarms, alongside fog machines for theft prevention and advanced IoT intelligent security systems. Focusing on international development, this company collaborates with leading global brands and standards laboratories to ensure superior product performance and consistency, exporting its products to around 66 countries. Drawing on the diverse experiences gained from its global operations, Siterwell continually innovates to meet the evolving safety needs of homes worldwide.
“Advancing home safety with innovative and efficient solutions is always Siterwell’s commitment. On one hand, dangers in modern homes are constantly evolving, while on the other, the ability to detect these threats quickly and accurately has always been proven essential to ensuring the safety of individuals and homes,” said Aixia, CMO of Siterwell. “The advancement of 15 second faster detection strongly reflects our commitment. By providing household members with 15 seconds more to respond before a fire breaks out, it will significantly enhance personal safety and property protection.”
“We also understand the frustrations users face with frequent false alarms, especially when triggered by everyday activities like cooking smoke that poses no real danger. That’s why we are proud to introduce our detector, equipped with advanced dual-lightwave technology that accurately differentiates between regular cooking smoke and real threats. This feature ensures users can cook with confidence without unwanted alerts.” She added.
Beyond faster smoke detection and fewer nuisance alarms, the new detector exemplifies Siterwell’s dedication to delivering genuine assurance and confidence in safety for its users in each feature:
15-Second Faster, Feel Safer
Every second counts in a fire, as the risk intensifies rapidly. With advanced Photoelectric smoke sensor, this alarm detects smoke 15 seconds faster than the UL9 standard requirements. This crucial head start can make all the difference in an emergency, significantly enhancing the safety of individuals and homes.
Reduced Nuisance Alarms from Cooking
With the advanced dual-lightwave technology, the device accurately differentiates between regular cooking smoke and actual fire smoke. Consequently, the family can enjoy a more peaceful cooking experience, free from unnecessary disturbances.
Accurate CO Level Monitoring
Frequent alarms for low, harmless CO levels can undermine users’ confidence in a CO alarm. The intelligent CO detection system in this alarm tailors its responses to varying CO levels by continuously monitoring low levels, and issuing timely alerts for high levels.
10-Year Battery, Reduced Changes
Alarms with limited battery life need frequent battery changes, increasing the cost of maintenance. In contrast, this 10-year battery alarm will offer long-lasting and worry-free protection for your home, and minimize battery waste for the environment. (*Only A8612B-4R has a built-in 10-year battery. A8612B-6AR is hardwired and comes with 2 replaceable AA batteries.)
One-Click Silence, No Disturbing
A simple press of a button silences low battery alerts for up to 10 hours. This convenient feature enables uninterrupted daily routines while still keeping safety awareness.
Soft Nightlight for Better Sleep
Given that conventional lighting can interrupt sleep due to excessive brightness, this device incorporates a specially designed light carrier. It ensures soft lighting to maintain sleep continuity and activates a potent red alert in response to danger.
Dual-Language Voice Alerts
In bilingual households, it is crucial that every member can quickly understand alerts in an emergency. The smoke detector supports English and French bilingual announcements, ensuring that individuals receive immediate and clear warnings.
With advanced smoke and carbon monoxide detection, this alarm provides unparalleled safety for modern homes. For a limited time, customers can enjoy the safety from these top-tier features at an exclusive price starting from $42.39, now available with a 20% discount. Purchases can be made directly from Siterwell official store or through Siterwell’s Amazon store. By choosing Siterwell’s latest innovations, protect your home and family with more than just dual coverage—but with a vital 15-second head start for greater security!
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Chinese premier chairs meeting to discuss economic situation, implementation of incremental policies
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday presided over a State Council executive meeting, during which attendees discussed the current economic situation and the implementation of a raft of incremental policies.
The meeting also mulled measures to promote the ice and snow sports industry’s high-quality development, and deliberated and approved a draft revision to the national natural science fund regulation.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with representatives of the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) in Beijing on Friday.
Noting that China’s economic operation is stable overall and making progress, Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the country is speeding up the implementation of a package of incremental policies, as it strives to achieve its annual economic and social development targets.
He highlighted the ever-growing development momentum driven by reform and innovation, which serves to promote China’s steady and long-term economic development.
China always firmly supports economic globalization and will open its door only wider to the world, according to Ding, who also said that the country is willing to share the fruits of development with the world.
Ding expressed hope that the advisors would continue to actively provide suggestions and support the development of China’s economy and education system.
Citing the country’s abundant development opportunities, Apple CEO Tim Cook, chair of the advisory board, said that Apple is willing to expand investment in China — to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.
The advisory board of the Tsinghua SEM was founded in October 2000. Comprised of global business executives, business school deans and renowned scholars, the board aims to help make Tsinghua SEM a world-class school in terms of economics and management, by improving its teaching and research capabilities.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
QINGDAO, Oct. 25 — More than 600 dignitaries, experts and scholars from 41 countries and regions shared ideas on deepening cooperation on ocean-related areas — including the economy, technology and ecology — at the 2024 Global Ocean Development Forum, which concluded on Friday in Qingdao City, east China’s Shandong Province.
Peter Thomson, the United Nations secretary-general’s special envoy for the ocean, emphasized the urgency of ocean protection, noting that it is only through global cooperation that sustainable development goals can be achieved.
Sun Shuxian, China’s vice minister of natural resources and head of the State Oceanic Administration, highlighted the steady growth of China’s marine industry and the continuous improvements in the country’s marine ecological environment.
The two-day event saw the release of the 2024 China Ocean Development Index Report, which revealed that China’s marine development index grew at an average annual rate of 2.9 percent from 2016 to 2023.
Zhang Zhanhai, chairman of the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association, noted that with expertise in deep-sea equipment and technology, China is well-positioned to support the sustainable development and utilization of global seabed resources.
Iceland’s Ambassador to China Thorir Ibsen highlighted China’s vital role in advancing the global marine economy. He also noted the long-standing cooperative relationship between Iceland and China in marine-related fields, as well as the growing marine trade between the two countries.
The forum was hosted by Shandong’s provincial government and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
CHENGDU, Oct. 25 — China will support capable private enterprises in leading national initiatives to make breakthroughs in major technologies and provide private enterprises with greater access to major national scientific research infrastructure, according to the country’s top economic planner.
The country will also support basic research in diversified fields and guide eligible private enterprises to conduct high-risk, high-reward basic research, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Thursday at a meeting on promoting high-quality development of the private sector held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
This is the latest effort by Chinese authorities to boost the private sector, which is vital to stabilizing economic growth, promoting innovation and boosting employment.
Zheng Bei, deputy head of the NDRC, called for more concrete efforts to promote the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation to further promote high-quality development in the private sector.
Zheng said China supports private companies’ active participation in implementing major national strategies and building security capacity in key areas, as well as in large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-ins of consumer goods.
China will also improve policy support and market services to promote the application and upgrading of domestically developed products, Zheng said.
Meanwhile, the country will further improve support policies for long-term capital investment in early-stage, small-scale and high-tech projects to unleash more innovation potential on the part of private enterprises, the official added.
The private economy plays an important role in China’s economic development as it contributes over 50 percent of the country’s tax revenue, more than 60 percent of gross domestic product, in excess of 70 percent of technological innovation, and creates over 80 percent of urban jobs.
Earlier this month, China’s Ministry of Justice and the NDRC published a draft of private sector promotion law to solicit public opinion.
The draft, with 77 articles in nine chapters, features equal treatment and protection of private sector businesses. If passed, it will be China’s first foundational law specifically focused on the development of the private economy.
The AEV program provides financial assistance to selected senior enlisted personnel to complete post-secondary, Navy-relevant degrees through off-duty education.
“The AEV program supports the continued educational development of senior enlisted leaders as part of the Navy’s seasoned team of naval warriors,” said Albert Sharlow, NETC AEV program manager. “The program provides the Navy’s chief, senior chief and master chief petty officers a platform to pursue higher education that makes them more effective leaders with varied sets of knowledge, skills and experiences to operate, sustain and maintain an edge in today’s rapidly changing security environment.”
Who is eligible?
Applicants must be top performing active-duty senior enlisted personnel (E-7 to E-9) who are transferring to or currently on shore duty with sufficient time ashore to complete a master’s degree program. Applicants on sea duty may apply provided they submit an education plan that shows the ability to complete the degree program as specified above.
For FY24, applicants must have already earned a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher learning accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education.
How many quotas are available?
The AEV program has seven quotas for master’s degrees available for FY26.
What Navy-relevant degrees are included in the AEV program?
Degrees considered for the master’s program include, but not limited to the below examples: • Emergency and Disaster Management • Human Resources • Project Management • Engineering and Technology • Systems Analysis • Information Technology • Homeland Defense and Security • Leadership and Management • Business Administration • Education and Training Management
The NETC AEV program manager must validate degree programs other than those listed above as a Navy-relevant degree.
How much funding does the Navy provide? For FY26, AEV Program participants will receive funds for tuition, books, and related fees for completion of their master’s degree with funding limits set at a maximum of $20,000 per fiscal year for up to 24 months from the date of signing a letter of acceptance, not to exceed $40,000 total program cost.
When does the program begin?
Applicants should be available to commence their studies in the 2025 fall term (after Oct. 1, 2025).
Is there a service obligation?
Participants shall agree to remain on active duty for a period equal to three times the number of months of education completed or three years, whichever is less.
What is the submission deadline?
Applications should be e-mailed to the program manager by May 5, 2025.
Where can I get additional information on the program?
• Visit the AEV information page on the Navy College Program’s website at https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/sailors/additional-funding-and-programs • Contact Albert Sharlow, NETC N525, (850) 452-7271 or DSN 459-7271 albert.r.sharlow.civ@us.navy.mil
NETC recruits, trains and delivers those who serve our nation, taking them from “street to fleet,” by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat-ready warfighters.
For more information about NETC, visit the command’s website at https://www.netc.navy.mil/ and follow the command’s social media: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NETCHQ, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/netc_hq, X at https://twitter.com/NETC_HQ and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/netchq/.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont; U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (2nd-CT); Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment Meredith Berger; and, Commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Rear Admiral Carl Lahti, participated in the event near the base’s Power Plant on the SUBASE waterfront.
“For the Navy, and all military services, October is Energy Action Month, and SUBASE could not be prouder of our ‘energy actions’ today,” said Captain Kenneth M. Curtin Jr., 53rd Commanding Officer of Naval Submarine Base New London, who served as Master of Ceremonies. “Our micro-grid at SUBASE is the first of its kind in the entire Navy to support such a complex electrical infrastructure. And in the parlance of the fall sports season, it’s a ‘game-changer.’” Curtin noted that while the base’s award winning Galley fuels the Sailors at the base, energy fuels everything else, from the high-tech trainers and their associated computer systems at the Naval Submarine School on the base, to the Submarines moored at the base’s waterfront, dependent on shore power when in port. The SUBASE Micro-grid enhances the base’s power diversification and transforms its electrical infrastructure into a more intelligent, flexible, and robust system. SUBASE benefits not only from automated data gathering and precise peak demand control, but also from the ability to seamlessly disconnect from the public utility grid during an interruption or loss in power, and efficiently dispatch on-site power generation to mission critical loads. The State of Connecticut; the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC); FuelCell Energy Incorporated, headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut; NORESCO, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts; Groton Utilities; and, a number of area and local contractors and subcontractors have been crucial contributors ensuring SUBASE reached this milestone. “We are playing a small role in making this base a little more resilient,” said Lamont. “This is what it’s all about. Whether it is a weather event or a bad actor, the lights will stay on at our Navy base.” Assistant Secretary of the Navy Berger thanked the State and partners, who through community and commercial partnerships, brought SUBASE’s energy resiliency to fruition. “What we are charged with under Secretary [of the Navy] Del Toro’s leadership is to strengthen our maritime dominance, strengthen our people, and to strengthen our partnerships; and what we do here today does all three,” said Berger. The completion of the comprehensive Micro-grid project reflects more than $235M invested in assuring the energy reliability, security, and resiliency of SUBASE. Lahti, as the then 50th Commanding Officer of SUBASE, was “the architect moving the initiative from the kernel of an idea, to the growth of the foundational concept, and the development of long range plans and milestones,” said Curtin. Pulling them from a folder, Lahti showed the audience the nearly decade old, proof of concept and long range plans. He noted that he had carried those initial documents about the “dream” of a micro-grid at SUBASE to each of his successive commands, and he was proud that the dream had finally become reality. “We invest in the base to create the most combat ready Submarines that we can and to train the Submarine Force,” said Lahti, outlining that utilities are part of the foundation that supports combat forces. Energy expenses are the single largest cost for Navy installations. Utilities costs are some 38 percent of the Navy’s shore budget. Cost savings created ashore free up dollars that can be used in the Fleet to support operations and improve the tactical performance of forces. Energy Reduction and Resiliency Projects under Lahti and his successors at the base, not only resulted in annual operating cost savings of nearly $1.2 million a year, but also laid the foundation for the ultimate micro-grid completion and success. CMEEC’s and FuelCell Energy’s Fuel Cell Park, on leased land at the base, provides energy to the public grid in normal operations, but provides SUBASE with the first right to its 7.4MW of on-site power generation during an interruption or loss in power at the base. The State and NORESCO’s efforts established 10.75MW of power generation in the base’s Power Plant thru a Combined Heat & Power system supported by two new generators and high efficiency boilers. All these elements, connected thru NORESCO’s installation of cyber secure controls, fast load shedding, and ‘islanding’ capabilities within the base Power Plant, assure SUBASE’s micro-grid energy resiliency. “The First and Finest Submarine Base will not rest on its laurels. We are excited by a grant from the DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation in the amount of $939K in Installation Resilience funding. These funds should allow for our partners to design updated power, water and gas feeds for SUBASE. So, SUBASE’s energy future looks very bright indeed!” concluded Curtin.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
As is customary with new CSAs and Science Ministers, the SMC invited the new Chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee to come and meet with Science and Health reporters. Chi Onwurah spoke about her plans for the Science & Technology committee, her views on the proposed budget cuts to science and her hopes for science under a Labour administration. She answered journalists questions and took soundings about what the committee Committee doing in coming years.
Speakers included:
Chi Onwurah MP,Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
New research led by ARU finds barriers prevent everyone enjoying nature equally
New research indicates that UK adults experience less of a connection with nature than adults from most other countries, ranking 59th out of 65 national groups surveyed.
The study, which includes data from 56,968 adults aged between 18 and 99, also found that levels of connection with nature are associated with several socioeconomic and demographic factors across countries.
Led by Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the study involved over 250 academics from over 60 countries and is published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
The UK was ranked 59th out of 65 on the Connectedness to Nature Scale, which asks participants to rate statements, such as “I often feel a sense of oneness with the natural world around me”, “I have a deep understanding of how my actions affect the natural world”, and “I often feel part of the web of life”.
Data for some countries was separated into different languages – for example English and French responses from Canada – providing 65 national groups. Nepal, Iran, and South Africa were the top three nations, while Israel (63rd), Japan (64th), and Spain (65th) were at the bottom of the rankings.
The UK scored better on the Nature Exposure Scale, which measures people’s contact with nature around their home and work, their recreational visits, and their nature awareness.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Lithuania were the leading three countries, with the top 10 nations on the Nature Exposure Scale all European, with the exception of French-speaking Canadians. The UK was 31st out of 65, and the bottom three nations were Lebanon, South Korea and, finally, Brazil.
Across all nations, the study found that women reported both higher nature connectedness and greater nature exposure than men, consistent with previous research showing that women overall tend to have greater environmental concern and empathy with nature. Both connectedness to nature and nature exposure scores also increased with age, which is possibly linked to older adults having more time and opportunities to engage with nature.
Taking results from the two measures together, greater nature exposure and connectedness to nature scores were both linked to socioeconomic factors. Higher scores were significantly associated with greater financial security, living in a rural location, a higher level of education, being in a committed relationship, and being in a racial majority in that particular country.
Lead author Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“Spending time in a natural environment can provide a number of really important benefits.
“My previous research has shown how being in green spaces, ‘blue’ environments, such as by rivers or the coast, and even snowy landscapes can improve different facets of psychological well-being and mental health, and of course there are physical health benefits from spending time outdoors in nature.
“The evidence that being in nature is good for you is undeniable, but crucially this new study shows that exposure to nature and levels of connectedness to nature are not enjoyed equally by different nations or across different social groups.
“The significant associations with financial wealth, being better educated, and being part of the racial majority within a particular country reflects known socioeconomic inequities in terms of lack of access to natural environments. Racial minorities may also experience natural environments differently, for example in terms of a sense of belonging, and this can impact on people’s attitude to nature and their desire to access it.
“Unfortunately, barriers to accessing nature exist in countries across the world and it is important these barriers are broken down to allow people from all backgrounds to access and enjoy the benefits of natural spaces.”
Home » Latest News » QR codes on parking machines “highly likely” to be a scam
QR codes have been stuck onto some of our parking machines today, such as this one pictured in North Lane.
Payment for parking by QR code is not something we offer at any of our car parks, or for on-street parking.
Please do not scan any QR code you see on a parking machine.
We have checked these stickers and they go to what appears to be quite a professional website, but it is NOT legit and is highly likely to be a scam where you will lose your money.
Machines across the district are being checked and any QR codes will be removed.
If you are paying for parking using your mobile phone, either call the number on the machine or download the Ringo app from your Apple or Android device.
London Assembly Member Bassam Mahfouz has joined worshipers and community leaders to call upon transport chiefs to end the decades long wait for a bus service for deserted corner of Southall.
Bassam Mahfouz, London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon held a community meeting in Johnson Street, Southall, with local MP Deirdre Costigan, former MP Virendra Sharma and worshipers of the Asamai Cultural Trust, Southall to press the case for a local bus service to serve their community.
Earlier this week Assembly Member Mahfouz held initial talks with transport chiefs from Transport for London (TfL) to discuss potential options for re-routing one of Southall’s many buses to serve this currently bus-free zone.
The transport provider aims for local people within the capital to live within 400 meters of a bus stop, however at twice the distance residents, worshipers and local businesses are forced to walk around 800m to the nearest bus stops on Western Road.
Around 500 people attend the Asamai Cultural Trust each week, around 800 households plus dozens of local businesses would benefit from a bus re-route through Johnson Street in Southall. As well as a site for worship, the Asamai Cultural Centre provides numerous health and wellbeing activities, including music and language schools.
Ashok Bhasin, General Secretary of the Asami Cultural Trust said: “Many of our worshipers attend regularly during the week to avoid social isolation, by connecting through our social groups, to eat together or attend one of our classes. The lack of a local bus service means that for many of our older members simply cannot access these key services without getting a lift, or an expensive taxi journey.
“As we approach Divali we hope and pray that even more elderly and disabled members of our community will be able to enjoy the important lifeline that our temple and community centre provides.”
Bassam Mahfouz, London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon, said:
“For far too long this corner of Southall has been barren of a bus service. I have long fought to make our borough a more accessible place and a simple re-routing of one of the many local buses would make a huge impact locally.
“Around 800 households, 500 worshipers and dozens of businesses would benefit from the change we are calling for. I am delighted that as a direct result of the meeting that I have organised, TfL have agreed to investigate the possibility of re-routing one of the local buses to end this decades long wait for a bus service.”
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 24, the State University of Management held the first training in entrepreneurial competencies as part of a large-scale project of the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.
The opening was given by the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroev, who spoke about the importance of entrepreneurial skills in the modern world.
“The State University of Management closely cooperates with the Ministry of Economic Development in the field of entrepreneurship development. In particular, it is the operator of the “My Good Business” competition, within the framework of which it works with all “My Business” centers in the country. Also this year we are holding entrepreneurial shifts in children’s recreation centers. One was already in “Okean”, there will be one in “Artek” and “Orlyonok”.
The entrepreneurial competencies that you will receive today at the training will not only help in your studies and project activities, but will also increase your competitiveness in the labor market,” Vladimir Vitalievich noted.
More than 80 students of the State University of Management came to the Information Technology Center for a business intensive. The training was conducted by an accredited trainer of the Russian Venture Company, Liliana Banis, and the CEO of VR Concept, Denis Zakharkin.
The meeting participants learned how ideas for innovative products are formed, got acquainted with the principles of project management, discussed real market cases, learned how to form a business plan and determine the role of technology in a project. The theoretical block was devoted to studying the algorithm for creating a startup with practical tasks after each stage.
In addition, in just a few hours, students learned to identify market trends and resources needed for business development, identify client segments, target audiences and their needs.
The training ended with a final pitch, where future entrepreneurs learned to present their startups to potential investors in two minutes. The projects prepared under the guidance of the trainers turned out to be completely different – from software for optimizing traffic to a dating service based on musical preferences.
All participants were given certificates of completion of the training, which will give them a starting point when applying for the Student Startup competition, and the most active students received memorable gifts and prizes from the organizers.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/25/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Dmitry Chernyshenko visited Ulyanovsk State University – a participant of the Priority-2030 program
October 25, 2024
Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov during an inspection of the youth laboratory of Ulyanovsk State University – a participant in the Priority-2030 program
October 25, 2024
Visit to Ulyanovsk State University – participant of the Priority-2030 program
October 25, 2024
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Dmitry Chernyshenko visited Ulyanovsk State University – a participant of the Priority-2030 program
Universities participating in the Priority 2030 program have concluded more than 6,000 contracts worth 62 billion rubles with industrial partners. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, commenting on the implementation of the largest program for the development of Russian universities.
“Universities participating in the Priority 2030 program have actively joined in solving problems aimed at ensuring our country’s technological leadership, one of the national goals outlined by President Vladimir Putin. Thus, they are building and strengthening partnerships with enterprises in the real sector. Over two and a half years, more than 420 consortiums have been created within the program, uniting universities, research organizations, and businesses. More than 6,000 agreements have been concluded with industrial partners for a total of more than 62 billion rubles. This joint work is aimed at conducting research, creating new technologies and products, and improving production processes,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Examples of the consortium’s successful work include a joint project of MSTU Stankin, the A.A. Blagonravov Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Professor N.E. Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, SPbGMTU, Roscosmos State Corporation, Rosneft Oil Company, Shvabe, Mil and Kamov Scientific and Production Center, Technological Center, and USC. Together, the university, research institutes, and businesses are working to create and implement technologies in mechanical engineering.
The most important task of Priority 2030 is to train highly qualified personnel to meet economic demands, noted the head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov.
“Within the framework of Priority 2030, network programs are actively developing, which imply the organization of training using the resources of several universities, with the participation of representatives of the real sector of the economy. This is an effective tool for improving the quality of training specialists in the regions. Since 2021, more than 380 network educational programs have been operating,” he said.
As an example of such work, the Minister cited the program of the Transbaikal State University and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which jointly train personnel for the mining industry. Students undergo practical training at the facilities of one of the country’s leading gold mining companies, Highland Gold, which was the initiator and partner of the track.
Another successful example is the first program for artificial intelligence researchers in Russia, which was launched this year, combining the expertise of four of the strongest universities and the experience of high-tech companies. We are talking about the course prepared by ITMO, MIPT, HSE and Innopolis University together with Yandex and Sber. Its main difference is its focus on developing new fundamental models, architecture and machine learning algorithms. In the future, these guys will be at the forefront of new technologies.
Also, within the framework of the Priority-2030 program, over 500 laboratories equipped with modern full-cycle equipment have been created to train strong specialists. For example, the St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation has an aerospace micromechanics laboratory, which trains students in the field of design and testing of micromechanical devices that solve aerospace navigation problems. The equipment can be used to carry out research and development work at the request of industrial partners.
Universities participating in Priority 2030 are talking about some of their developments at the PriorityFest2024 festival, which is taking place on October 24–25 at MGIMO.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Ahead of winter travel, Minister Beech advises travellers to check their passport validity and apply early
October 25, 2024Gatineau, QuebecEmployment and Social Development Canada
With winter just around the corner, many Canadians are starting to look for international getaways for their vacations. Whether it is for the holidays or spring break, Service Canada encourages travellers to check their passport validity based on the destination’s entry and exit requirements, which may include a minimum validity period. The passport must meet those requirements.
Planning ahead is always the best approach, so today, Minister of Citizens’ Services, Terry Beech, encouraged any Canadian who needs their first adult passport, or a passport for their child, to apply as soon as possible, at least six months prior to their travel date. For those who already have an adult passport, Service Canada recommends starting the renewal process at least six months before expiry. Getting an early start on the process will give travellers plenty of time to gather the required documents and materials for renewal. It could also avoid situations where they cannot enter or leave their country of choice despite having a valid passport because of entry and exit requirements.
Canadians can visit eServiceCanada to book an appointment at their nearest Service Canada location. All forms must be completed before the appointment. Canadians can also obtain passport services without an appointment.
Depending on when the passport is needed, many options are available to submit passport applications:
No immediate travel plans: Canadians who do not have immediate travel plans can submit their application by mail or in person at any Service Canada Centre, passport office or scheduled outreach site.
Travel in the coming weeks: Canadians who will travel in the coming weeks can visit a Service Canada Centre or a passport office that processes applications within 10 business days. This does not include the mailing time for the passport. Clients can also choose to pick up their passport once it is ready.
Travel in less than two weeks: If a passport is needed in less than two weeks, Canadians must visit a passport office that offers urgent or express pick-up services. Proof of travel is required. For more information, visit Get urgent, express or emergency weekend passport services.
Visit Find a passport service location in Canada for all the details about passport offices, including the estimated wait times for offices offering 10-business-day passport service.
Canadians should include their travel date, if they have one, in their passport application.
PHAC’s Infectious Disease and Climate Change Fund solicitation is now open and will run until November 28, 2024.
October 25, 2024 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada
Climate change has ongoing impacts on our environment and the health of people in Canada.
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Infectious Disease and Climate Change (IDCC) Program focuses on preparing and protecting people in Canada against climate-sensitive zoonotic, food-borne and water-borne infectious diseases. The Infectious Disease and Climate Change Fund (IDCCF) provides funding for projects that advance the monitoring and surveillance of these diseases, increase awareness among health professionals and share information and tools to prevent and reduce risk to people in Canada, especially among vulnerable populations.
The IDCCF solicitation is now open and will run until November 28, 2024. Applicant projects must align with one of the following streams on climate-sensitive infectious diseases:
Stream 1 – Building capacity and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples on climate-sensitive infectious diseases and health with projects developed by and with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples
Stream 2 – Mobilizing evidence and raising awareness to take action on climate sensitive diseases
Projects supported through the IDCCF will help raise awareness among people in Canada and partner organizations on actions to take to reduce infectious disease risk, adapt to our changing climate, become more resilient and ultimately improve our health and well-being.
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