NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Christopher Cavoli and other senior officials during his first visit to the Alliance’s Supreme Headquarters (SHAPE) in the Belgian city of Mons on Monday (14 October 2024).
In the afternoon, the Secretary General travelled with General Cavoli to Wiesbaden, Germany to visit NATO’s new Security Assistance and Training Ukraine (NSATU) command at the Clay Barracks, where the Secretary General also met with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
In talking with the troops, Mr. Rutte noted how important their work was, preparing the way for 700 personnel who will be stationed in Wiesbaden and at logistical nodes on the Eastern flank of the Alliance. He said that the new command will make a real difference for Ukraine on the battlefield and “for our own security”.
NSATU will coordinate the provision of military training and equipment for Ukraine by NATO Allies and partners – including artillery, ammunition and air defences – and will help Ukrainian forces prepare for the future.
An extraordinary situation is compelling us to speak about what we have discovered in our multiple ongoing investigations into the involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activity in Canada. It is not our normal process to publicly disclose information about ongoing investigations, in an effort to preserve their integrity. However, we feel it is necessary to do so at this time due to the significant threat to public safety in our country.
Over the past few years, and more recently, law enforcement agencies in Canada, including the RCMP, have successfully investigated and charged a significant number of individuals for their direct involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal acts of violence.
In addition, there has been well over a dozen credible and imminent threats to life which have led to the conduct of Duty to Warn by law enforcement with members of the South Asian community, and specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement. As a result, in February 2024, the RCMP created a multidisciplinary team to investigate and coordinate efforts to combat this threat. The team has learned a significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada.
Despite law enforcement action, the harm has continued, posing a serious threat to our public safety. We reached a point where we felt it was imperative to confront the Government of India and inform the public about some very serious findings that have been uncovered through our investigations.
There is a violent extremism threat in Canada that Canada and India have been working on over the years. However, these threats are impacting Canada and India’s ability to collaborate.
Earlier this week, the Deputy Commissioner of Federal Policing, Mark Flynn, made attempts to meet with his Indian law enforcement counterparts to discuss violent extremism occurring in Canada and India, and present evidence pertaining to agents of the Government of India’s involvement in serious criminal activity in Canada. These attempts were unsuccessful, therefore Deputy Commissioner Flynn met with officials of the Government of India, along with the National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Nathalie Drouin, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison over the weekend.
Through our national taskforce and other investigative efforts, the RCMP has obtained evidence that demonstrates four very serious issues:
Violent extremism impacting both countries;
Links tying agents of the Government of India (GOI) to homicides and violent acts;
The use of organized crime to create a perception of an unsafe environment targeting the South Asian Community in Canada; and
Interference into democratic processes.
Investigations have revealed that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India, either directly or through their proxies; and other individuals who acted voluntarily or through coercion.
Evidence also shows that a wide variety of entities in Canada and abroad have been used by agents of the Government of India to collect information. Some of these individuals and businesses were coerced and threatened into working for the Government of India. The information collected for the Government of India is then used to target members of the South Asian community.
This evidence was presented directly to Government of India officials, urging their cooperation in stemming the violence and requesting our law enforcement agencies work together to address these issues.
The RCMP is hoping to address these threats through our relationship with the Government of India and the National Investigation Agency with the end goal of strengthening the safety and security of the Canadian public and South Asian community.
The safety and security of our citizens, regardless of their background or beliefs, remains a top priority for the RCMP and we will not tolerate any form of intimidation, harassment, or harmful targeting of communities or individuals in Canada.
We are seeking the public’s assistance in reporting incidents of foreign interference by the Government of India. Anyone who feels threatened online or in person, should report the incident to their local police. If someone is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Individuals can also report to the RCMP National Security Information Network by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or online at rcmp.ca/report-it.
We recognize the concern and fear people might be feeling when seeing this news and we recognize that South Asians are victims of the activities we’re investigating. We want to assure all Canadians that their safety and security is at the forefront of everything we do and we urge the public and South Asian communities to remain calm and give law enforcement and Canadian officials time to continue discussions.
While the RCMP does not generally comment on investigative matters to preserve operational integrity, we will keep the public updated as things develop.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP today met with a number of leading businesses at the International Investment Summit in the Guildhall in London, together with the First Minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Kieran Donoghue of Invest NI.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Invest NI CEO Kieran Donoghue.
Speaking ahead of the Chancellor’s speech, Mr Benn said:
Today’s International Investment Summit has been a great opportunity for the First Minister, deputy First Minister and I to promote Northern Ireland as an exciting and dynamic place for foreign direct investment.
This government and the Northern Ireland Executive know that to grow Northern Ireland’s economy, we need more high quality, long-term investment, and today’s event has brought together the world’s leading companies and investors to help support that.
Stability is the foundation for growth, and that is exactly why this government is working closely and collaboratively with the Executive to unlock more investment and improve the opportunities for everyone across Northern Ireland.
Head of Liverpool Film Office, Lynn Saunders, reacts to the news that the UK’s indie film sector finally has something to celebrate, following the announcement of the eagerly anticipated Independent Film Tax Credit.
The Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) has finally been confirmed by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Culture secretary Lisa Nandy.
The Tax Credit will encourage more production in the UK, as filmmakers will soon be able to claim back 53% of qualifying expenditure on items such as equipment, location costs and actor fees. Feature films costing up to £15m will be eligible for the tax relief, but must have a UK writer, or director, to certify as an official UK co-production.
Whilst it will provide a major boost to the UK creative economy and create jobs, more importantly it provides a lifeline to indie film producers and filmmakers who have increasingly struggled to finance films and get them into production in the UK.
UK indie production has been in crisis for some time: soaring costs, cuts in funding and market disruption have threatened its very survival. Ask any Liverpool based producer and filmmaker and they will tell you exactly that.
But why is it so important to safeguard the indie film sector? Independent films are driven by artistic vision and are more likely to tell stories about human experience. Their stories dig deep down inside of us and make you feel emotions that big-budget blockbusters just scratch the surface of.
They teach us, as well as entertain us. They make you take a second look at what’s going on in the world. They also attract all types of people to get involved in film making. It doesn’t matter what social class, race or gender you are. The indies nurture new writers, directors and producers to develop their craft so they can tell stories that we want to see and hear.
Together with my brilliant team at the Liverpool Film Office, we’ve been working tirelessly over the years to develop a world class production hub in our City and across the Liverpool City Region, with strategic capital initiatives such as the LCR Production Fund, The Depot and the rapidly developing Littlewoods Studio Campus, to drive economic growth and employment. More recently this has included BFI grant funding to develop skills and opportunities for new entrants.
However, the development of the film and TV sector in our region must be hand in glove with our indigenous filmmaking community with support available to a new generation of writers, directors and producers to tell their unique stories. With ever decreasing public finances, particularly the vacuum left to support indie filmmakers following the demise of the UK Film Council and the Regional Screen Agencies over a decade ago, this has been very difficult to do.
I sincerely hope that the new IFTC will spark a flurry of emails and meetings with local producers who have been lobbying for this important tax credit to be passed. Yup, I can hear my phone ringing now…
Learn more about Liverpool Film Office by heading to the official website.
The candidates standing in the forthcoming Colinton/Fairmilehead Council by-election have been confirmed.
Twelve candidates have been nominated to stand in the by-election, which is due to take place on 14 November.
The candidates standing for election are –
Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent
Mev Brown, Independent
Mairianna Clyde, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Neil Cuthbert, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Sheila Gilmore, Scottish Labour Party
David Ian Henry, Independent
Tam Laird, Scottish Libertarian Party
Grant Lidster, Reform UK
Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party
Daniel Aleksanteri Milligan, Scottish Greens
Louise Spence, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Marc Wilkinson, Independent
Returning Officer for Edinburgh Paul Lawrence, said:
With nominations now closed and a month remaining, residents of the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward can start considering who they will vote for in the upcoming by-election. It’s important to make sure you’re registered to vote by 29 October in order to participate.
Councillors play a vital role in our democratic system, making key decisions that impact our city. I encourage as many residents as possible to take part in this by-election.
The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference by assigning numbers rather than just marking a single cross. You can choose to vote for as many or as few candidates as you wish.
Poll cards will be delivered to registered voters in the area from tomorrow (Tuesday 15 October) including further information on when and where to vote.
If you live in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward you must register to vote by 29 October and anyone wishing to vote by post can sign up for a new postal vote up until 30 October.
You can also apply for someone to vote on your behalf via proxy voting, with the deadline for new proxy vote applications on 6 November (for registered voters).
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm and will be at:
Charwood
Fairmilehead Parish Church Hall
St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church Hall
Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre
Pentland Community Centre
The electronic election count will take place on Friday 15 November starting at 9:30am.
The by-election follows the resignation of Councillor and former Transport and Environment Convener Scott Arthur, following his election as the MP for Edinburgh South West on 4 July 2024.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin Lang, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Fine Art , University of Lincoln
The average art lover isn’t supposed to like art fairs because they’re so corporate. When you pay £9 for a sandwich and your wifi is sponsored by a big bank, you can understand the reservations. They’re also too big and crowded. Even the VIPs are left queuing to get in.
But the fair provides opportunities to see work from galleries from all over the world in London and there is plenty of good art on display. As Frieze describes itself “[it] is one of the world’s most influential contemporary art fairs, focusing only on contemporary art and living artists”. It is primarily for those in the art world, those who create, critique and those who collect, and a lot of money changes hands as the world’s galleries show the best they have. But it has also become a cultural day out.
Apart from loads of great painting and the occasional noncommercial showpiece, Frieze goes out of its way to balance the corporate with more thoughtful displays. There’s a chance to see big-name artists, international galleries and work by new artists. The “Artist-to-Artist” section returned this year, containing work by emerging talents (selected by established artists). With so much on show, Frieze can be daunting. You can easily spend a whole day at the fair, but with so much on display there is truly something for everybody.
At this year’s Frieze, international highlights included Proyectos Ultravioleta from Guatemala city, who showed miniature paintings by Rosa Elena Curruchich hung alongside larger works emblazoned with the text “me venden” (they’re selling me) by Edgar Calels. Calels also brought the smell of a forest into the booth by covering the floor with pine needles.
Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai, India) presented work by the Bangladeshi duo Kamruzzaman Shadhin and Gidree Bawlee. The piece Kaal (Pala) consists of seven delightful jute figures – among the most enchanting figurative sculptures I have seen recently. Joydeb Roaja’s pen drawings of people, tanks, and people with tanks on their heads are as enigmatic and disturbing as they are engaging.
Non-commercial art appeared in Jenkins Van Zyl’s Sweat Exchange at Edel Assanti (London). This video installation housed in what Van Zyl has called a sauna-cum-“sweat extraction brewery”, which features two doppelgangers, who alternate between self-care and abuse. Imagine the Pink Panther crossed with Jar Jar Binks as a drag queen and you’re nearly there.
Then there was Patrick Goddard’s silver cast bees on the floor of Seventeen Gallery, and Lawrence Lek (winner of the Frieze artist award) who has produced Guanyin: Confessions of a Former Carebot – an interactive videogame installation about an AI created to service self-driving cars.
Most of the works were are those hung on walls. Gallery booths have a small storage area in which they are able to keep paintings and prints, (but less able to store sculptural works). Collectors also favour paintings, prints and photographs to adorn their walls (or similarly put into storage) over artists’ films or video installations.
What’s to complain about though when there is so much good painting on display?
Highlights included Tom Anholt and Ryan Mosley at Josh Lilley Gallery (London); Carl Freedman Gallery (Margate), which showed great paintings by Ben Senior, Laura Footes and Vanessa Raw (as well as Lindsey Mendick’s ceramic sculptures) and Tanya Leighton Gallery (Berlin and LA), which had plenty of good painting on show, including works by Matthew Krishanu. Ingleby (Edinburgh) showed Andrew Cranston and Hayley Barker and Arcadia Missa (London) showed Lewis Hammond’s Schmetterling, an eerie blue interior with an unsettling blue-eyed figure, and Jesse Darling, whose Come on England (up the) takes a novel approach to wall-based work by leaning crowd-control barriers in the corner of the gallery booth.
Counter Editions (Margate) presented a Tracey Emin solo show. You’re not supposed to like Emin, since she outed herself as a Tory sympathiser. Opposite is a Billy Childish solo show at Lehmann Maupin (London, Seoul, New York), where the artist paints live while wearing a beret next to a dirty stepladder for reaching the tops of the large canvases. You’re not supposed to like Billy Childish either because he is a Stuckist (stuck in the age of Van Gogh and Edvard Munch – his only two art heroes). Funnily enough, Charles Thomson, co-founder of Stuckism, derived the name from an insult by Emin, who told Childish, her ex-lover, that his art was “stuck, stuck, stuck”. Don’t tell anybody, but the Emin and Childish works were quite good.
With an annual curated section, more solo shows and over 270 Galleries from more than 40 countries, if you love art in all its forms (and can afford it) you should experience Frieze London at least once. If you didn’t go this year, you really should spend a day there next. Despite what people say… you’re bound to find something you like.
Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.
Martin Lang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Green fields are opening around the world as researchers make inroads into improving efficiencies in more sustainable vehicles via a novel biofuel and power generation from the sea.
For example, Flinders University scientists have recently published results from three different studies – targeting potential methods and future technologies to capture ocean wave power efficiently, produce marine microalgae biofuel, as well as to improve catalytic conversion in engines.
Nanotechnology experts at Flinders University, including Professor Youhong Tang and PhD Steven Wang, with Chinese colleagues have developed a novel wave sensing device which is self-powered by harvestingenergy from ocean waves.
“The test results show that HSP-WS has the sufficient sensitivity to detect even 0.5 cm amplitude changing of ocean wave,” says PhD candidate Yunzhong (Steven) Wang, from Professor Tang’ research group, who is based at Flinders University’s Tonsley future energy hub.
Professor Tang says that “The data obtained from HSP-WS can be used to fill up the current gap in the wave spectrum which can improve ocean wave energy harvesting efficiency.”
Ocean wave amplitude is a key parameter in the wave spectrum. The current wave spectrum does not support detailed wave data for wave amplitudes below 0.5 m. Common radar-based ocean data sensors struggle to monitor low-amplitude waves because the measured wave amplitude is often concealed by environmental noise.
The researchers add that low-amplitude-wave energy harvesters lack proper guidance for optimal placement, which significantly affects their energy-harvesting efficiency.
Meanwhile, nanoscale material scientist, Matthew Flinders Professor Tang, has joined forces with aquaculture expert Professor Jianguang (Jian) Qin and other Flinders University researchers to experiment with a new method to boost production of fast-growing,sustainable microalgae for biofuelor other feedstock.
“Mass production of microalgae is a research focus owing to their promising aspects for sustainable food, biofunctional compounds, nutraceuticals, and biofuel feedstock,” says Professor Tang.
“For the first time, this study was able to enhance algal growth and lipid accumulation simultaneously, producing essential biomolecules for the third and fourth-generation feedstock for biofuel.”
The novel approach creates an effective light spectral shift for photosynthetic augmentation in a green microalga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, by using an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitiser.
Professor of Aquaculture Jian Qin says industry-scale microalgae culture for lipid and biomass production is still a challenge.
“However, microalgae-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) remain a promising alternative to stock-limited fossil fuels for the recent price hike and future demand and for minimising carbon emissions with 10 to 50 times higher efficiency than terrestrial plants. PUFA also have health-promoting functions for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications,” he says.
Another research group at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering has published a paper about a promising new nanotechnology technique for more efficient use of fuels.
“The need for sustainable energy solutions is steering research towards green fuels,” says Associate Professor in Chemistry Melanie MacGregor, from Flinders University. “One promising approach involveselectrocatalytic gas conversion, which requires efficient catalyst surfaces.”
“In this study, we developed and tested a plasma-deposited hydrophobic octadiene (OD) coating for potential to increase the yield of electrocatalytic reactions,” she says.
“Our findings indicate that these nano-films, combined with micro-texturing, could improve the availability of reactant gases at the catalyst surface while limiting water access.
“This approach holds promise to inform future development of catalyst materials for the electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen and carbon dioxide into green fuels.”
This research received funding from the Australian Research Council (FT200100301), Universities and State Government with support from Microscopy Australia at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, and the SA node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
Also see ‘Aggregation-induced emission photosensitiser boosting algal growth and lipid accumulation’ (2024) by Sharmin Rakhi, AHM Mohsinul Reza, Brynley Davies, Jianzhong Wang (Jilin Agricultural University), Youhong Tang and Jianguang Qin has been published in Nano-Micro Small journal (Wiley). The authors acknowledge support from colleagues at the South China University of Technology and La Trobe University. This research did not receive any external funding.
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed for Fox News detailing how the Biden-Harris administration has lied to the American people in the four years since Hunter Biden’s laptop first surfaced. Kennedy argued that the Biden-Harris administration’s continued effort to censor the American people is anti-democratic and immoral.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have a casual relationship with the truth. They told us that they aren’t trying to ban gas stoves, that our president’s abilities aren’t in decline, and that the border isn’t open. They called these conspiracy theories. It appears we are going to have to get some new conspiracy theories because all the old ones turned out to be true.
“Monday marks the fourth anniversary of the biggest lie the Biden-Harris administration told: that Mr. Hunter Biden’s laptop was not real.”
. . .
“It’s three weeks until the election. While some seem to have learned, the Biden-Harris administration has only doubled down.”
. . .
“Democracy only works when we can say what we believe. You are not free if you cannot say what you think. And no one can cast an informed vote when those in power censor relevant information. The American people know that the best way to correct misinformation is with more and better information, not censorship.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris argue that they are just trying to protect democracy. Yet they have done all they can to prevent citizens from hearing the truth about their administration. That itself is anti-democratic. And it is immoral.”
Underwater shenanigans with pumpkins, eerie frozen treats and sunken secrets await at Spooky Seas Saturday, Oct. 19 – Friday, Nov. 1 at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The ghoulish fun is included with an Aquarium admission during regular hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online tickets are required to visit the Aquarium.
Halloween-inspired enrichment for the animals from the otters to the alligators to Maverick, the bald eagle, will be a real treat for visitors. By engaging the community in a spirited way, the Aquarium team fulfills its mission to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. Visitors will see the passion that the animal care team has for conservation of the many species at the Aquarium, with all staff and volunteers sharing their story.
SCARY SPECIES STATISTICS
Here are some scary statistics that keep the Aquarium team focused on saving species:
Asian small-clawed otters are a vulnerable species in their native habitat of southeast Asia.
Green sea turtles, like Shelldon, are endangered or threatened in all or a large portion of their range.
The eastern box turtle is a vulnerable species.
The corn snake is a species of special concern.
The sand tiger shark is critically endangered in some areas and vulnerable globally.
GHOULS & GOBLINS SHOULD KEEP IT GREEN
Here are ways to avoid spooking the Aquarium team:
Do not bring any single-use plastic cups, bottles, bags and straws.
Bring a reusable water bottle and take advantage of our convenient refill stations in the Aquarium.
Carpool to the Aquarium when you have a group visiting together, if possible.
Reserve your ticket in advance and use your cell phone to show us your reservation confirmation. No need to print anything!
Don’t smoke, use tobacco or use an E-cigarette in the Aquarium or outdoor gardens. NCAFF is a smoke-free, tobacco-free environment. E-cigarettes are also not permitted.
Use the smoking receptacles in the designated smoking areas outside of the garden exit gate.
Pat yourself on the back for being a green goblin!
SUSTAINABILITY SUPERHEROES EVERYDAY
The Aquarium is committed to sustainability:
The North Carolina Aquarium leads by example offering water refill stations, compostable cups, plates and utensils at the food deck and only aluminum bottles in our vending machines. We also only percolate and pour Bird Friendly® coffee at the Aquarium for staff and events.
Take a look at the sustainability achievements and projects at the Aquarium at Green & Getting Greener.
Find out more about Bird Friendly® coffee at Raise a Cup for Otters.
About the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
TheNorth Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisheris just south of Kure Beach, a short drive from Wilmington, on U.S. 421. The site is less than a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $12.95 ages 13-61; $10.95 children ages 3-12; $11.95 seniors (62 and older) and military with valid identification; EBT card holders: $3. Free admission for children 2 and younger and N.C. Aquarium Society members and N.C. Zoo members.
Headline: Annual Jingle Bells are Rocking at Museum of the Albemarle Gingerbread Workshop
Annual Jingle Bells are Rocking at Museum of the Albemarle Gingerbread Workshop jejohnson6
ELIZABETH CITY
Join the Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle on Friday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. for a Gingerbread Workshop.
Join FOMOA in its tradition of decorating a gingerbread house. The houses will be freshly baked by a local baker. Design your house with a wide variety of candies, cookies, cereals, and more. We do the clean-up, and you go home with a marvelous gingerbread creation to enjoy through the season.
A completed registration form and payment are required for guaranteed reservations. Supply fee before November 18, 2024 is $25.00 (For FOMOA members $20.00). Supply fee after November 18, 2024 is $30.00 (For FOMOA members $25.00). Registration for this event is nonrefundable. Registration forms are available in the lobby of the Museum of the Albemarle, on the museum’s website at https://www.museumofthealbemarle.com, or on the museum’s Facebook page.
For more information concerning the event call 252-335-1453
About the Museum of the Albemarle
The Museum of the Albemarle is located at 501 S. Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC. (252) 335-1453.http://www.museumofthealbemarle.com. Find us on Facebook! Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and State Holidays. Serving Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties, the museum is the northeast regional history museum of the North Carolina Division of State History Museums within the N.C.
Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. Information is available 24/7 athttp://www.ncdcr.gov.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the N.C. Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visithttp://www.ncdcr.gov.
Headline: Celebrate Fall at Bentonville’s Fall Festival Oct. 26
Celebrate Fall at Bentonville’s Fall Festival Oct. 26 jejohnson6
Take a wagon ride around the historic Harper farm at Bentonville Battlefield’s annual fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 26. The program will include historic trades demonstrations, displays from community organizations, and an “old-timey” festival atmosphere featuring wagon rides, kid’s games, food trucks, live music, and more!
Bring the whole family for a unique view into daily life during the 1800s. Learn about 19th-century music, food preservation, woodworking, and blacksmithing, or enjoy a stroll through the historic Harper House. Learn about beekeeping with a display from the Johnston County Beekeepers Association. Historic interpreters will also demonstrate weaving, pill rolling, and open-hearth cooking. Live music also will be performed throughout the day by the Huckleberry Brothers Band and the Waterbound Dulcimers.
Admission for the event is $5 for adults, ages 8 and under get in free. Multiple food trucks and food vendors will be onsite! The program is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities are subject to change without notice. For more information about activities, check the site’s social media channels (@bentonvilleshs) or contact Colby Lipscomb at 910-594-0789.
About Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site interprets the battle and the Harper House, a farmhouse used as a field hospital where surgeons treated nearly 600 men wounded in the battle. The site is located at 5466 Harper House Road, Four Oaks, NC 27524, 3 miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008, about one hour from Raleigh and about 45 minutes from Fayetteville.
For more information, visit https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/bentonville-battlefield or call (910) 594-0789.
Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is part of the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
Headline: North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office Receives African American Civil Rights Grant from the National Park Service
North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office Receives African American Civil Rights Grant from the National Park Service jejohnson6
The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office has received an African American Civil Rights (AACR) Grant from the National Park Service to undertake an architectural survey of resources associated with the Civil Rights movement in northeastern North Carolina.
The $27,500 grant will support architectural survey documentation of up to 40 previously un-surveyed historic buildings and the update of records for 24 previously documented resources. The project will conclude with recommendations for buildings to be added to the state’s Study List, a prioritized list of resources that should be considered for the National Register of Historic Places, and recommendations for adding Civil Rights as an area of historic significance to the National Register nominations of six listed historic districts.
The project defines northeastern North Carolina as the region bounded by I-95, U.S. Highway 64, Virginia, and the Atlantic Ocean.
This project builds on an earlier project, also funded through the African American Civil Rights Grant program, that used oral histories and historic research to identify buildings now proposed for the architectural survey.
Across North Carolina between 1941 and 1976, thousands of Civil Rights protests and actions occurred in large and small communities. In many instances, white-owned newspapers did not cover these activities or relegated them to small notes on pages. As a result, oral history is often the best and, in some cases, only way to locate the sites and resources associated with this aspect of our history.
The northeast region was chosen because it is easily definable by highways and a state line, because its towns are relatively evenly spread across the region, and because the region includes Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black university.
Should this project document buildings eligible for the National Register of Historic Places for an association with Civil Rights, the State Historic Preservation Office will plan a third phase to nominate some or all of the eligible resources.
The project will begin in October 2024 and be completed by August 2026.
The AACR grant, funded by the Historic Preservation Fund, documents, interprets, and preserves sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens. The 2008 NPS report Civil Rights in America, A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites serves as the foundation reference document for the grant program and for grant applicants to use in determining the appropriateness of proposed projects and properties. The final report will not necessarily reflect views or policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior.
For more information about the project, please contact Sarah Woodard, branch supervisor for the National Register and Survey Branch of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office at sarah.woodard@dncr.nc.gov or 919-814-6573.
About the State Historic Preservation Office In North Carolina, the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is an agency of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Kevin Cherry, the department’s Deputy Secretary of Archives and History, is North Carolina’s State Historic Preservation Officer. The HPO carries out state and federal preservation programs that assist private citizens, non-profit institutions, local governments, and agencies of state and federal government in the identification, evaluation, protection, and enhancement of properties significant in North Carolina’s history and archaeology. The HPO oversees the statewide architectural survey; administers the National Register of Historic Places for North Carolina properties; conducts environmental review of state and federal actions affecting historic and archaeological properties; provides technical assistance to owners in the restoration of historic properties, including those owners seeking state and federal rehabilitation income tax credits; provides grant assistance for historic preservation projects; provides technical assistance to local preservation commissions; and provides historic preservation education https://www.hpo.nc.gov/.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
Headline: Mourning Etiquette, Rituals, and Jewelry in the Victorian Era Program at CSS Neuse Museum
Mourning Etiquette, Rituals, and Jewelry in the Victorian Era Program at CSS Neuse Museum jejohnson6
Step back in time with the CSS Neuse Museum to explore the captivating customs of Victorian-era mourning with the program “Mourning Etiquette, Rituals, and Jewelry in the Victorian Era,” highlighting the extensive collection of mourning items owned by reenactor and historian Thomas Bailey.
This one-of-a-kind event on Oct. 12, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. will showcase an array of relics from the 19th century, including intricately designed mourning jewelry, ornate funeral attire, and mementos made to honor the deceased. Guests will gain insights into the deep cultural meaning of grief and remembrance that shaped an era defined by elaborate mourning traditions, and how some of the mourning traditions from the past are still practiced today. In addition, volunteers can view the mourning items on display at the museum.
Bailey is the visitor experience director at the Visitor Center in Kinston, N.C. A retired Goldsboro police officer, he started a walking ghost tour in downtown Goldsboro at the Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield. He also helped set up and participated in the Kinston Ghost Walk for several years and has been a paranormal investigator for over 20 years. In 2001, he began collecting Victorian mourning items and has been learning more about bizarre customs ever since.
About the CSS Neuse The CSS Neuse is the only remaining commissioned Confederate ironclad above water. It was part of a new technology that the Confederacy used to combat the superior manpower and firepower of the Union Navy. Learn about this technological advance and warfare in eastern North Carolina at the CSS Neuse Museum. The Confederate Navy launched the CSS Neuse, attempting to gain control of the lower Neuse River and New Bern, but ultimately destroyed the vessel to keep it out of Union hands.
The CSS Neuse Museum (100 N. Queen St., Kinston, N.C.) is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $5/Adult: 13-64 years old, $4/Senior: 65 years old, $3/Child: 6-12 years old, and ages 5 and under are free. As a Blue Star Museum program member, all active-duty military personnel with ID and their families of up to five members get free admission.
Please contact Rachel Kennedy at rachel.kennedy@dncr.nc.gov or by phone at (252) 526-9600 x222 for more information. The CSS Neuse Museum is a part of the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
Headline: Lumber Company Selects Rutherford County for New Distribution Operations
Lumber Company Selects Rutherford County for New Distribution Operations mseets
Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that Cedar Direct, LLC, a lumber distributor, will create 20 new jobs in Rutherford County. The company will invest $925,000 to locate a distribution and warehousing facility in the Town of Spindale.
“Cedar Direct is setting up operations in Rutherford County at a time when the spirit of collaboration and resiliency is on full display,” said Governor Cooper. “This decision by Cedar Direct provides new economic opportunities for a skilled and hardworking people.”
Cedar Direct distributes cedar and specialty lumber to wholesalers and suppliers. The company supplies lumber yards, mills, supply houses, and contractors with high quality Western Red cedar and other specialty building products. This site will be a third location for the company offering boards, lumber, and timber in different sizes and edges and for various applications.
“We are happy to announce our 3rd location in Spindale, North Carolina. A big reason we chose this location is the collaborative efforts between Cedar Direct and The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina,” said Dale Hatfield, Manager of Cedar Direct. “The progressive business stance the State has taken, along with the growing market of cedar, is really what led us to choose North Carolina. Cedar Direct is extremely excited to be a part of Spindale and serving the community.”
“Rutherford County has a storied history with manufacturing and industrial operations that will be a great foundation for Cedar Direct’s next phase of growth,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “This history, combined with our convenient, East Coast location and commitment to being ‘First in Talent’ will support the company for years to come.”
Although salaries will vary by position, the average annual wage will be $61,800, exceeding the Rutherford County average of $45,030. These new jobs could potentially create an annual payroll impact of more than $1.2 million for the region.
A performance-based grant of $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate Cedar Direct’s expansion to North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
“This investment is a great signal that the Town of Spindale is open for new business,” said N.C. Senator Timothy D. Moffitt. “I appreciate all the diligent work of the state and local officials, as well as the economic developers that helped bring Cedar Direct to our community.”
“This announcement is great news for Rutherford County,” said N.C. Representative Jake Johnson. “In light of the devastation left by the storms, it is more important now than ever to expand economic opportunities in our region and these good paying jobs will help do just that.”
In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in this project include the North Carolina General Assembly, Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions, North Carolina Community College System, Isothermal Community College, Rutherford County, and the Town of Spindale.
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today that nearly $31.5 million will be awarded for 31 projects in communities across Kansas to create safer, more walkable and bike-friendly routes through the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Program.
“This investment is more than just improving infrastructure – it’s about strengthening the safety, accessibility, and mobility of our communities,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I’m pleased the state can offer the support needed to help advance these projects.”
The competitive grant program, administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and provided by the Federal Highway Administration, is currently the primary source of KDOT funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects statewide, including Safe Routes to School. The program also funds transportation projects of a historical nature and scenic and environmental projects, including Main Street beautification projects.
Since 2019, under the Kelly administration’s bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, also known as IKE, KDOT has awarded more than $95 million for 122 TA projects, benefiting both urban and rural communities.
Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed said this year’s announcement marks the largest grant funding the state has awarded since the launch of the federal program.
“By partnering with local communities, we can enhance our state’s transportation infrastructure while improving accessibility and fostering more connected neighborhoods,” Secretary Reed said.
The program requires a 20 percent local match of the project cost. The non-federal required share will consist of $2.79 million in local matching funds and $5.15 million in KDOT state funding.
The TA projects selected to receive an award are:
Community Sponsor
Project Title
Federal Award
District
City of Atchison
Unity Street Pedestrian Improvements – 2nd Street to 6th Street
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is making a schedule change to Connecticut’s two recently opened Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) that have been providing in-person support with applying for federal disaster assistance to those impacted by the August 18, 2024, severe storm and flooding.
Effective at the close of business on Monday, October 14, 2024, the DRC located at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Wilton is permanently closing.
The state’s other DRC, which is located at Southbury Town Hall (501 Main Street South, Southbury), remains open and is continuing to provide individuals with in-person assistance. Its operating hours are Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Anyone who lives in any town in Fairfield County, Litchfield County, or New Haven County and is seeking to apply for FEMA assistance due to damage from this storm can visit the Southbury location.
It is not required to visit a DRC to apply for FEMA assistance. To apply without visiting a DRC, visitDisasterAssistance.gov, download theFEMA mobile app, or call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362.
The deadline to apply for assistance for damage caused by this storm is November 19, 2024.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting dedicated to the development of a comprehensive state program “Development of physical culture and sports”
October 14, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting dedicated to the development of a comprehensive state program “Development of physical culture and sports”
October 14, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting dedicated to the development of a comprehensive state program “Development of physical culture and sports”
October 14, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko and Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev at a meeting dedicated to the development of a comprehensive state program “Development of Physical Culture and Sports”
October 14, 2024
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Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting dedicated to the development of a comprehensive state program “Development of physical culture and sports”
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting dedicated to the development of a comprehensive state program “Development of physical culture and sports.”
It was attended by the Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev, the Governor of the Tula Region, Chairman of the State Council Commission on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Milyaev, the Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Moscow Region Dmitry Abarenov, the General Director and Chairman of the Board of JSC Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov, the President of the All-Russian Federation of Dance Sport, Breaking and Acrobatic Rock ‘n’ Roll Nadezhda Erastova, as well as other representatives of federal and regional executive authorities, sports federations and the business community.
The participants discussed the formation of the program and its management system. During the meeting, Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to the development of the sports industry.
“On the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, the Government, together with the State Council commissions, is developing a comprehensive state program, “Development of Physical Culture and Sports,” taking into account federal, national and other state programs. In the changed conditions, Russian sports have become an area that requires the integration of a huge number of infrastructure development activities in the field of high-performance sports, mass and youth sports. When forming a state program, a comprehensive approach to the development of the sports industry is needed, taking into account the interests of all interested parties: government bodies, the sports community, and business,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
He thanked the Ministry of Sports for its prompt work in preparing the necessary documents, as well as for fulfilling the instructions of President Vladimir Putin.
Mikhail Degtyarev noted that the comprehensive state program will include measures aimed at developing physical culture and sports, implemented, among other things, through extra-budgetary sources.
“Seven state corporations and large companies with state participation have already agreed to provide such information – these are Rostec, VTB, Otkritie Bank, Russian Post, Rosatom, Rostelecom, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. 32 sports federations are ready to provide such information; in the future, their concealment of attracted extra-budgetary funds may become grounds for revoking accreditation. We have included this norm in Government Resolution No. 1661 on the approval of the state program. In order to promptly resolve issues at the interdepartmental level and improve coordination, we propose creating a Government Commission for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports. Its composition will be approved by a resolution of the Government of Russia, and the presidium may subsequently be transferred the functions of the governing council of the state program,” the minister said.
During the meeting, proposals from state commissions, the experience of the Tula region in assessing the level of citizen satisfaction with the conditions for physical education and sports were discussed, and proposals were made to include new events in the comprehensive program, such as “Sports in the countryside”, “Development of adaptive physical education and sports”, including rehabilitation of participants in a special military operation, and “Development of corporate sports”.
CEO and Chairman of the Board of JSC Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov spoke about the support of sports schools located on the Eastern Polygon of the railways, the renovation of sports halls and the acquisition of sports equipment for comprehensive schools in the Far East. He emphasized that all funds allocated by the company to support corporate physical education and sports, as well as to support other sports organizations, are extra-budgetary and Russian Railways is ready to provide the necessary information for the analytical accounting of these funds in the comprehensive state programs of the Russian Federation for the development of physical education and sports.
The President of the All-Russian Federation of Dance Sport, Breaking and Acrobatic Rock ‘n’ Roll Nadezhda Erastova noted that the main sources of funding for the federation are sponsorships and donations. These funds are used for athletes to participate in international competitions, conduct training events for national teams, support promising young athletes, as well as finance treatment, internships, monthly bonuses for coaches, assistance and support for regional sports organizations and the popularization of this sport.
Summing up, Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that the comprehensive program must take into account the activities of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to improve the level of the sports industry and Rosmolodezh to develop sports among young people.
Decisions were made to include in the program events for the development of the sports industry and sports among young people, as well as to form a Government Commission for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports. The Ministry of Sports was instructed to analyze the methodology for calculating the level of satisfaction of citizens with the conditions for sports activities proposed by the Governor of the Tula Region, and to take into account off-budget financing of events within the program.
In conclusion, the Deputy Prime Minister invited everyone involved in the topic of sports to attend the forum “Russia – a Sports Power”, which will be held in Ufa on October 17–19.
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.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On the occasion of Bitcoin’s 15th anniversary, renowned artist Frédéric Imbert unveils The Bitcoin Masterpiece, an innovative work that fuses art and technology. This limited edition collection consists of 99 pieces. The artwork pushes the boundaries of art while carving its place in the history of the crypto space.
The Bitcoin Masterpiece: An Artwork Reflecting the Bitcoin Revolution
An exceptional piece of art is set to leave its mark on the history of cryptocurrency. Frédéric Imbert, alongside his son Bastien Imbert, is preparing to launch The Bitcoin Masterpiece, a groundbreaking creation inspired by the Bitcoin logo, merging art with cutting-edge technology.
This work stands out with its sleek and sophisticated design. The carbon and aluminum frame, measuring 95 cm x 95 cm x 5 cm and weighing 12.8 kg, incorporates advanced electronic components. Using 146 glass displays and 217 low-pressure neon lamps, the piece lights up the Bitcoin logo second by second, through successive patterns, creating a stunning visual effect. Frédéric Imbert meticulously hand-assembles each piece in his Paris workshop, ensuring exceptional quality.
The artwork offers a dynamic and captivating representation of the Bitcoin universe. It incorporates several interactive elements, making it a living and evolving piece:
Progressive and random illuminations of the Bitcoin logo
Real-time display of Bitcoin’s market price, allowing for real-time tracking of its fluctuations
Presentation of essential Bitcoin-related data, providing an overview of the ecosystem
This fusion of art and technology transforms each piece into a gateway to the crypto world, while maintaining a refined aesthetic worthy of the most prestigious contemporary art pieces.
The Limited Edition for Enthusiasts and Collectors
The Bitcoin Masterpiece collection is available in 99 numbered pieces. Each piece, unique and customizable upon request, receives the artist’s meticulous attention. Its rarity, combined with artisanal quality and technological innovation, makes it a potential investment for art collectors and crypto enthusiasts alike.
Each piece is priced at 1 Bitcoin, reflecting the ambition of the project, its symbolism, and its deep connection to the leading cryptocurrency.
The Bitcoin Masterpiece will debut at an exclusive vernissage held at The Outpost, a private mansion in the heart of Paris’s 17th arrondissement. The event that will take place on October 23rd will mark the official launch of the collection.
The Visionary Artist Behind The Bitcoin Masterpiece
Frédéric Imbert, the creative mind behind The Bitcoin Masterpiece, is a renowned artist and engineer. Born in Monaco and based near Paris, he has distinguished himself for more than two decades by his ability to fuse art and science into unique contemporary creations.
His passion for electronics and intricate watchmaking is reflected in each of his works, which often incorporate rare and iconic electronic components. Imbert’s distinctive style is characterized by the use of vintage and modern parts, creating visual symphonies that celebrate the passage of time and pay homage to technological and architectural icons.
The Collection Backed by Esteemed Partners
The Bitcoin Masterpiece is already supported by several renowned partners in the crypto and digital art industries. These collaborations will help boost the artwork’s visibility and strengthen its position in the world of crypto art.
The Bitcoin Masterpiece represents the convergence of technological innovation and artistic expression. This creation by Frédéric Imbert offers collectors, cryptocurrency enthusiasts, and digital art lovers the chance to own a work that stands at the crossroads of these worlds. The Bitcoin Masterpiece is destined to become a symbol of the crypto era in the art world.
Alliance Witan PLC (“the Company”) announces that today the Company purchased 130,000 ordinary shares of 2.5p each at a price of 1,224.37810p per share, to be held in Treasury.
Following the transaction, the Company’s issued share capital comprises 405,193,982 ordinary shares of which 3,507,000 ordinary shares are held in Treasury. Therefore, the total voting rights in the Company is 401,686,982 ordinary shares.
For reporting purposes under the FCA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules the market should exclude any shares held in Treasury and should use the figure 401,686,982 when determining if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company.
In the last ten years, some 20,000 or so academic papers have been published on the neuroscience of sex and gender. Perhaps you have read the media coverage of such papers, suggesting there’s finally proof that stereotypical abilities such as men being good at reading maps or women excelling at nurturing can be pinpointed in the brain.
Given the sheer quantity of output in this area, how can you tell what is really groundbreaking research, and what is an overenthusiastic application of hype?
Misleading spin is often blamed on university PR teams, non-specialist science writers in mainstream newspapers, or social media. But the source of deceptive impressions may sometimes be the research papers themselves.
For example, researchers may hyper-focus on a limited set of findings. They may fail to report that many of the differences they were looking for didn’t make the statistical cut. Or they may be less than cautious in discussing the impact of their findings.
Just as much as researchers need to be meticulous about the best methodology and the most powerful statistics, they need to manage the impressions they make when communicating their research. And, if they don’t, then the interested but non-expert reader may need help to spot this.
Magic: spotting the spin
My colleagues and I recently published a set of guidelines which offer just such assistance, identifying five sources of potential misrepresentation to look out for. The initials helpfully form the acronym “Magic”, which is short for magnitude, accuracy, generalisability, inflation and credibility.
For magnitude, the question is: is the extent of any differences clearly and accurately described? Take this 2015 study on sex differences in the human brain. It reported on 34,716 different patterns of functional brain connectivity, and found statistical differences between females and males in 178 of them.
Yet given that less than 0.5% of all possible differences they were measuring actually turned out to be statistically significant, they wouldn’t really be justified in reporting sex differences as prominent. In this study, they weren’t.
The next question is to do with accuracy. Are techniques and variables clearly defined and carefully used in the interpretation of results? It should be really clear how the study was run, what measures were taken, and why.
For example, a recent paper suggesting that the Covid lockdown effects had a more pronounced effect on adolescent girls’ brain structure than boys’ fell at this hurdle. The abstract referred to “longitudinal measures” and much of the narrative was couched in longitudinal “pre- and post-Covid” terms. Longitudinal studies –– which follow the same group of people over time –– are great as they can discover crucial changes in them.
But if you peer closely at the paper, it emerges that the pre- and post-Covid lockdown comparisons appear to be between two different samples – admittedly selected from an ongoing longitudinal study. Nonetheless, it is not clear that like was compared with like.
Don’t believe everything you hear about male and female capabilities. CrispyPork/Shutterstock
The third question has to do with generalisability. Are authors cautious about how widely the results might be applied? Here we encounter the problem with many scientific studies being carried out on carefully selected and screened groups of participants – sometimes just their own students.
Care should be taken to ensure this is clear to the reader, who shouldn’t be left with the impression that one or more sets of participants can be taken to be fully representative of (say) all females or all males. If all study participants are selected from the same single community, then referring to “hundreds of millions of people” in interpreting the relevance of the results is something of an overstatement.
The fourth category, inflation, is to do with whether the authors avoid language that overstates the importance of their results. Terms such as “profound” and “fundamental” may be misplaced, for instance. Remember, James Watson and Francis Crick merely described their discovery of DNA’s double helix structure as of “considerable biological interest”.
Finally, we should consider credibility: are authors careful to acknowledge how their findings do or do not fit with existing research? Authors should be up front about alternative explanations for their findings, or suggest other factors that might need to be investigated in further studies.
Suppose, for example, they are looking at the allegedly robust sex differences in visuospatial skills, which include things like visual perception and spatial awareness. Have the authors acknowledged research suggesting that the amount of time people spend on practising this skill, such as when playing video games, has been shown to be more significant than biological sex in determining such differences?
If gamers are more likely to be boys, that doesn’t necessarily mean their brains are wired for them – it could equally well be reflecting gendered pressures that make such games a popular, culturally comfortable pastime among boys.
The focus of these guidelines is on sex/gender brain imaging studies, but they could well be applied to other areas of research.
Post-lockdown surveys have suggested that the public has greater trust in what scientists are saying than they did before the pandemic. Scientists need to be careful that they retain that trust by ensuring that what they report is unambiguous and free from hype.
Hopefully the Magic guidelines will help them and their editors achieve this; if they don’t, then eagle-eyed readers, Magic-ally armed, will be on their guard.
Gina Rippon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In May 2023, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, embarked on a whistle-stop tour of European capitals to shore up support from his western partners in the run-up to Ukraine’s summer offensive that year. His tour was a relative success – the subsequent offensive less so.
Fast forward 18 months, and Zelensky has once again been visiting London, Paris, Rome and Berlin in search for western support. This time, he sought backing for his victory plan. But the odds now are clearly stacked against Ukraine on the battlefield. And Zelensky also faces an uphill struggle on the diplomatic front.
The initial plan for Zelensky and his allies had been to convene at a meeting of the Ramstein group. This is the loose configuration of some 50 countries who have supported Ukraine’s defence efforts since the start of the full-scale Russian aggression in February 2022.
With the US president, Joe Biden, scheduled to attend after a state visit to Germany, the gathering at Ramstein Air Base in Germany had been pitched at the level of heads of state and government. It was expected that there were to be some big announcements of continuing support for Ukraine.
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But with hurricane Milton scheduled to hit Florida, Biden was forced to cancel his trip. While Biden’s visit to Germany has apparently been rescheduled for October 18, 2024, the Ramstein meeting remains postponed.
This has deprived the Ukrainian president of the chance to pitch his victory plan to his more important allies. So he has been unable to get them to commit to the support that will be necessary to implement it.
Zelensky wants an accelerated path to Nato membership. He is also asking for a Nato-enforced no-fly zone over western Ukraine and more air-defence systems for the country to better protect its own skies.
Other key elements of the plan involve permission to use western-supplied long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia, the delivery of long-range German Taurus ballistic missiles and significant investment into Ukraine’s defence industry.
Most of these demands are non-starters in western capitals. That much was already made clear during Zelensky’s recent trip to New York and Washington in mid-September.
The Ukrainian president managed to get his US counterpart to authorise US$8 billion (£6.12 billion) in further security assistance. But there has been no progress on lifting the restrictions that the US and other allies are placing on Ukraine’s use of western military aid against Russian territory.
The western alliance remains divided on this. And the US is particularly sceptical of its strategic value.
Similarly, the prospect of Ukraine joining Nato continues to be remote – not least as it would require the consent of all 32 current member states. The Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, has openly stated that he will veto Ukraine’s accession to the alliance. His Hungarian counterpart, Victor Orban, is also well known for his opposition to Kyiv joining the alliance.
More damaging to Ukraine’s Nato aspirations, however, is a similar reluctance in both Washington and Berlin. This has been key in ensuring that the two most recent Nato summits in Vilnius in 2023 and Washington in 2024 only re-affirmed that “Ukraine’s future is in Nato” but failed to attach a clear timeline to it.
Kyiv’s allies need to double down – now
At the end of his meeting with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on October 11, Zelensky secured another €1.4 billion (£1.17 billion) worth of air defences, tanks, drones and artillery, to be jointly delivered by Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Norway.
But Taurus ballistic missiles – top of Kyiv’s shopping list – are not included in this package. While predictable, this was a major disappointment for Zelensky. As was the fact that he essentially walked away empty-handed from his meetings in London, Paris and Rome.
There is no indication that any of these major allies are likely to withdraw their support. But it is equally clear that they are not prepared to increase it decisively.
This was also evident during the visit to Kyiv of the new Nato secretary-general, Mark Rutte, on October 3. Rutte travelled to Ukraine within days of assuming the role to reiterate the continuation of the alliance’s support. But as symbolically important as this was, he merely confirmed what had already been agreed rather than announcing anything new.
The EU did marginally better. On October 10 it was announced the bloc was set to extend the training programme for Ukrainian troops until the end of 2026. The mission was launched in November 2022 and has trained some 60,000 troops to date. That’s about half of all Ukrainian soldiers trained abroad – and three times the number who received training from the US.
The EU’s overall aid to Ukraine now stands at €162 billion since the beginning of the war in 2022, compared to €84 billion from the US. Two-thirds of US aid is military in nature, and with almost €57 billion to date, it dwarfs the contributions by Germany and the UK, the two next-largest donors with around €10 billion each.
These are impressive numbers and there can be no doubt that Ukraine would have lost this war long ago without support from its western allies. Yet, the fact is that what Ukraine’s western partners currently provide is barely enough to prevent a Ukrainian defeat, let alone enable Ukraine to implement its victory plan.
Vladimir Putin has consistently raised his country’s war effort to meet any challenges presented over the course of the conflict. Unless the west doubles down on its support to allow Kyiv to do the same, not only will Ukraine not win this war, it is in serious danger of losing it.
The high-level meeting planned for Ramstein would have been the opportunity for the west to change gear decisively. Ukraine can only hope that its postponement, rather than outright cancellation, means its allies may yet step up to the plate.
Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
A fire in Omdurman market near Khartoum following fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.Abd Almohimen Sayed / Shutterstock
Sudan’s war runs grimly on. The two main protagonists (though there are others involved) are each claiming local victories. The Sudanese army appears to be slowly regaining control of the ruined capital, Khartoum, and has recovered some ground it lost elsewhere in Sudan. And the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues its brutal siege of the western city of El Fasher.
But, while the army seems to have the upper hand at present, neither they nor the RSF looks likely to win outright. Instead, the two sides keep up a mutual battering with ill-aimed barrages of artillery fire and bombs that destroy markets, wreck hospitals, and each day add to the grim toll of civilian death and misery.
Abdel-Fattah al Burhan, the general who seized power and derailed what was supposed to be a transition to civilian rule after the revolution of 2019, still insists he is the head of Sudan’s legitimate government, and that the army will win the war.
The RSF’s leader, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who is referred to as Hemedti, had initially been willing to play deputy to Burhan, but is now his bitter enemy. He makes a show of being willing to negotiate, but relentlessly pursues a military victory.
It is tempting to point the finger at actors outside Sudan for their part in the spiralling violence. There are multiple credible allegations that the governments of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Russia have all helped arm or finance one side or other in pursuit of regional influence or economic gain. Libya’s eastern – but not internationally recognised – government has also been accused of complicity.
Some would say there are sins of omission as well as commission. The US, EU and others have all called for an end to this war. But they could be doing more to stop the flow of weapons and money that helps keep the fighting going, and to mobilise more concerted action to protect civilians.
The world stands accused of turning its back on Sudan, despite being its biggest hunger and displacement crisis. But external actors did not start the war, and they cannot simply end it.
Despite their common cause in a counter-revolutionary coup in 2021, the war started when Burhan and Hemedti fell out over who would have military and political primacy – and the associated economic benefits – in Sudan.
They’ve already decided the country isn’t big enough for the both of them, so it’s nigh-on impossible to negotiate the usual kind of deal that shares power between foes.
Burhan is intensely sensitive about the fragile sovereignty of his government, and views external mediation as foreign meddling. He has always insisted that the army can win an outright victory, and now he is encouraged by recent gains. Yet he is a long way from regaining control of the whole country.
Hemedti, who craves the status that would come from negotiations, makes grandiloquent offers of ceasefires, coupled with promises to respect human rights – all while the RSF continues to murder, rape and loot. Hubris and hypocrisy make poor bases for negotiation.
A precarious balancing act
This is also not a war simply being waged between two individuals. Neither the army nor the RSF are coherent or well disciplined – the RSF, in particular, is a messy constellation of armed men, mostly from western Sudan (and, allegedly, further afield). They share a distinctive style of camouflage dress and a sense of long-term exclusion, but are not under close or effective control.
The army has more formal structures – too many, perhaps – but these are also fragmented. Strong on generals and air firepower but weak on fighting forces, the army is adapting the government’s old playbook of mobilising local militias.
The war has become several wars, drawing in other armed groups whose alliances with either the army or the RSF are contingent or opportunistic.
Since independence in 1956, Sudan has mostly been a militarised state, where power was won by force. Those who ruled it feared their fellow soldiers and so created alternative forces, hoping these would back them against potential coups. Some of these groups had distinct social bases in particular regions or ethnic groups.
This fragmentation had been happening since the 1970s, but it became endemic during the long reign of Sudan’s former president, Omar al-Bashir. Bashir stayed in power for 30 years by dividing possible rivals within the ruling elite, and used the multiplying, competing arms of the “security forces” to fight rebels on the margins.
What seemed like a powerful, authoritarian system was, in fact, a brutal but precarious balancing act. After Bashir fell in 2019, the transitional government floundered. The soldiers seized power, then the complex rivalries and institutional fragmentation proved unsustainable. The core institutions that held Sudan together have shattered.
So who, if anyone, can put Sudan back together again? Burhan and Hemedti are in no mood, and may anyway lack the control of their followers needed for any deal to stick.
Civilian politicians were discredited by the bickering of the transition, and the most prominent of them seem confused between claiming to be a government-in-exile or trying to build a bigger anti-war coalition.
At present, Sudan faces either the long-term absence of central authority or, more dramatically, an effective division into two or more states, whether or not these are internationally recognised. Some might say we should not mourn this – Sudan was a colonial creation, made by violence and predation. But this is an outcome that may only increase misery and misrule.
However, there is still resistance amid the ruination. Sudan’s post-Bashir transition to democracy, as envisaged by the UN and others, is long dead. But in some vital ways, the popular revolution that toppled Bashir lives on.
Grassroots emergency response rooms organise whatever lifesaving support for desperate communities that they can. And women and youth – the revolution’s vanguard – continue to organise, agitate and debate Sudan’s future among themselves, as well as demand a role in making it. They deserve our solidarity.
Many, both Sudanese and non-Sudanese, refuse to let go of the idea of a better Sudan that has never yet been realised, but just might rise up from these ashes.
Sharath Srinivasan is a Fellow and Trustee of the Rift Valley Institute.
Justin Willis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
Thanks to President Biden, Governor Whitmer and the Democratic policies, union Boilermakers at Local 169 are being rewarded with work opportunities that would otherwise not exist. And because of policies championed by the Democratic party, such as the Davis-Bacon Act, employees on site must receive prevailing wages, which protects union workers and provides opportunities for union contractors.
Read more about the Palisades Nuclear project from CNBC.
When the Palisades Nuclear Plant in southern Michigan was mothballed in May 2022 after more than 40 years of commercial operation, it seemed the decommissioning was likely permanent.
Just two years later in an “about face,” nuclear is regaining favor as a clean, efficient energy producer, and the plant has attracted an infusion of government funding that puts Palisades on track for a restart as early as the end of next year.
Palisades owner, Holtec International, credits Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for taking the initial action to help the plant return to service, noting that Whitmer made it a priority and signed bipartisan legislation that provided state funding and supported Holtec’s application for federal financing. Whitmer pushed for and secured $150 million in state funding for the plant’s re-opening. Another $150 million was later invested.
According to the Holtec’s website, plans are in motion for repowering the facility, “Thanks to the groundswell of support from the State of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Energy… Getting Palisades back online gives Michigan a clean, reliable, safe source of continued energy. It provides hundreds of jobs to the community, as well as extended economic benefits for the region.”
The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provided an additional $1.5 billion to recommission the plant.
“Thanks to President Biden, Governor Whitmer and the Democratic policies, union Boilermakers at Local 169 (Detroit) are being rewarded with work opportunities that would otherwise not exist,” said L-169 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Bob Hutsell. “And because of policies championed by the Democratic party, such as the Davis-Bacon Act, employees on site must receive prevailing wages, which protects union workers and provides opportunities for union contractors.”
There are currently 22 Local 169 Boilermakers working at the Palisades site, and with the future work and proposed construction of two new modular units, Hutsell expects 60 Boilermakers will be on site.
Palisades is planning to install two modular nuclear units once the recommissioning is complete.
As of December 2023, Holtec had begun its program to build its first two SMR-300 reactor units at Palisades. The existing Palisades plant, refurbished with an array of enhancements, is on track to be restarted by the end of 2025 and is designed to provide decades of safe and reliable service. The addition of two SMRs near the existing 800-MW plant will nearly double the Michigan site’s total carbon-free generation capacity.
On their website, Holtec stated: “A restart of Palisades could mark a turning point for the nuclear industry after a decade in which a dozen reactors have shut down across the country.”
Palisades is being credited as the catalyst for the recent announcement from Constellation on restarting Pennylvania’s Three Mile Island Unit 1, which provides Boilermaker work for Local 13 (Philadelphia).
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University
This year’s Nobel memorial prize in economics has gone to Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and James Robinson of the University of Chicago for their work on why there are such vast differences in prosperity between nations.
While announcing the award, Jakob Svensson, the chairman of the economics prize committee, said: “Reducing the huge differences in income between countries is one of our times’ greatest challenges”. The economists’ “groundbreaking research” has given us a “much deeper understanding of the root causes of why countries fail or succeed.”
The award, which was established several decades after the original Nobel prizes in the 1960s, is technically known as the Sveriges Riksbank prize in economic sciences. The academics will share the award and its 11 million kroner (£810,000) cash prize.
To explain their work and why it matters, we talked to Renaud Foucart, a senior lecturer in economics at Lancaster University in the UK.
What did Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson win for?
The three academics won the prize mostly for providing causal evidence of the influence of the quality of a country’s institutions on its economic prosperity.
At first glance, this may seem like reinventing the wheel. Most people would agree that a country that enforces property rights, limits corruption, and protects both the rule of law and the balance of power, will also be more successful at encouraging its citizens to create wealth, and be better at redistributing it.
But anyone following the news in Turkey, Hungary, the US or even the UK, will be aware that not everyone agrees. In Hungary for instance, cases of corruption, nepotism, a lack of media pluralism, and threats to the independence of the judiciary have led to a fierce battle with the European Union.
Rich countries typically have strong institutions. But several (wannabe) leaders are perfectly comfortable with weakening the rule of law. They do not seem to see institutions as the cause of their prosperity, just as something that happens to be correlated.
In their view, why does the quality of institutions vary across countries?
Their work starts with something that has clearly not had a direct effect on today’s economic prosperity: living conditions at the start of European colonialism in the 14th century. Their hypothesis is that, the richer and the more inhospitable to outsiders a place was, the more colonial powers were interested in brutally stealing the country’s riches.
In that case, they built institutions without any regard for the people living there. This led to low quality institutions during the colonial period, that continued through independence and led to bad economic conditions today.
All of this is because – and this is another domain to which this year’s laureates contributed – institutions create the conditions of their own persistence.
In contrast, in more hospitable and less developed places, colonialists did not take resources. They instead settled and tried to create wealth. So, it was in their (selfish) interest to build democratic institutions that benefited people living there.
The researchers then tested their hypothesis by looking at historical data. First, they found a “great reversal” of fortune. Places that were the most urbanised and densely populated in 1500 became the poorest by 1995. Second, they found that places where settlers died quickly from disease and could therefore not stay – while local populations were mostly immune – are also poorer today.
Looking at the colonial roots of institutions is an attempt to disentangle causes and consequences. It is also perhaps the main reason why the committee would say that even if this year’s laureates did not invent the idea that institutions matter, their contribution is worthy of the highest distinction.
Some have suggested the work simply argues ‘democracy means economic growth’. Is this true?
Not in a vacuum. For instance, their work does not tell us that imposing democracy from scratch on a country with otherwise malfunctioning institutions will work. There is no reason for a democratic leader not to become corrupt.
Institutions are a package. And this is why it is so important to preserve their different aspects today. Weakening even a little bit of the protections the state offers to citizens, workers, entrepreneurs and investors may then lead to a vicious circle where people do not feel safe that they will be defended against corruption or expropriation. And this leads to lower prosperity and more calls for authoritarian rules.
There may also be outliers. China is clearly trying to push the idea that capitalism without a liberal democracy can be compatible with economic success.
The growth of China since Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in the 1980s coincides with the introduction of stronger property rights for entrepreneurs and businesses. And, in that sense, it is a textbook version of the power of institutions.
But it is also true that Deng Xiaoping ordered the crushing by the military of the Tiananmen Square protests for democracy in 1989. China today also has a clearly more authoritarian system than western democracies.
And China is still much poorer than its democratic counterparts, despite being the world’s second-largest economy. China’s GDP per capita is not even a fifth of that of the US, and it is facing major economic challenges of its own.
Actually, according to Acemoglu, Xi Jinping’s increasingly authoritarian regime is the reason why China’s economy is “rotting from the head”.
What trajectory are democratic institutions throughout the world currently on?
Acemoglu has expressed concern that democratic institutions in the US and Europe are losing support from the population. And, indeed, many democracies do seem to be doubting the importance of protecting their institutions.
They flirt with giving more power to demagogues who claim it is possible to be successful without a strong set of rules that bind the hands of the rulers. I doubt today’s prize will have the slightest influence on them.
But if there is one message to take home from the work of this year’s laureates, it is that voters should be cautious not to throw the baby of economic prosperity with the bathwater of the sometimes frustrating rules that sustain it.
Renaud Foucart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Just as calculators took over the tedious number-crunching in maths a few decades ago, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming coding. Take Kyo, an eight-year-old boy in Singapore who developed a simple platform game in just two hours, attracting over 500,000 players.
Using nothing but simple instructions in English, Kyo brought his vision to life leveraging the coding app Cursor and also Claude, a general purpose AI. Although his dad is a coder, Kyo didn’t get any help from him to design the game and has no formal coding education himself. He went on to build another game, an animation app, a drawing app and a chatbot, taking about two hours for each.
This shows how AI is dramatically lowering the barrier to software development, bridging the gap between creativity and technical skill. Among the range of apps and platforms dedicated to this purpose, others include Google’s AlphaCode 2 and Replit’s Ghostwriter.
In another example of the power of these apps, an eight-year-old American girl called Fay built a chatbot that purported to be Harry Potter. She had it up and running in just 45 minutes, at which point it asked if she had heard the rumours about the Deathly Hallows and suggested they discuss it over a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.
For those that already know how to code, numerous AI apps have become incredibly helpful too. At the other extreme from the natural language coding apps described above, tools like Tabnine and GitHub Copilot act as intelligent assistants, predicting and autocompleting code as you type.
Alternatives such as Sourcery and DeepCode go a step further, offering real-time code cleanup, suggesting improvements and fixing vulnerabilities. New tools are emerging weekly, such as OpenAI’s GPT Canvas, a new GPT version designed to help with sophisticated coding. Many of these tools can also translate code from one programming language to another, say from JavaScript to Python.
The productivity gains that these tools offer are revolutionising the software industry. As many as 70% of companies have already adopted the likes of GitHub Copilot, with coders reporting that AI is enabling them to write software that is more reliable and bug free.
By removing the need to spend so many hours ironing out human errors, coders are able to spend more time focusing on higher value tasks such as designing system architecture and collaborating with colleagues.
It is also changing the game for university educators like myself as we race to keep up. We’ve been having to rethink teaching materials and also assessment methods, wrestling with how exactly to grade a student’s coding in situations where AI tools are doing much of the work.
Today’s limitations
As exciting as all this is, AI coding is still in its infancy. At this stage it can only help non-coders to build simple applications or games. It can’t yet oversee big complex IT projects by understanding the big picture in a way that a human coder would.
It can’t yet invent new ways to solve problems either, and is still more likely to lag in areas like, say, spacecraft navigation that require highly specialised knowledge.
Many tools also don’t write perfect code: a program will often work but won’t be efficient or secure enough for use in the real world. Similarly, AI tools don’t inherently understand the context of the data they process, so may mishandle sensitive information or perpetuate biases present in the data on which they were trained.
For all these reasons, in professional situations there’s still a need for a coder to make sure that everything is meeting the necessary standards. No doubt in future we may see AI coding tools designed to handle everything from security issues to highly specialised subject matter. Their ability to help non-coders to build apps will also only improve. For now at least, however, AI coding is still amplifying the skills of coders rather than replacing them altogether.
How to build your own game
All the same, it’s incredible what you can do with these tools as a non-coder already. Here’s a quick guide to making a simple platform game:
Step 1: Sign up for an AI tool: Create an account with, say, Cursor or AlphaCode 2 and follow the setup instructions. Depending on which tool you choose, you may need to do a quick install. You may also need to install a programming language such as Python, as well as a source code editor such as VS Studio Code 2 – the coding platform will keep you right on this.
Step 2: Start your game: Open a new project in the tool. Into the prompt, type: “Create a simple platform game where the platforms are made of sweet treats”.
Step 3: See what it’s like: Click “run” or “preview” to see what you’ve created (depending on which system you are using, you may have to do this in the source code editor). You should see platforms made of candy or cakes.
Step 4: Make some changes: Let’s say we change the main character into a parrot. Simply type into the prompt: “Make the avatar a green parrot”.
Step 5: Add features: Now type into the prompt: “Let the parrot be controlled by the cursor arrows, insert some sweets for it to collect and add a score counter for how many it has collected”.
Step 6: Test and tweak: Click “run” or “preview” again to test the updated game. Make changes by typing things like, “Insert a black crow that will chase the parrot around the screen. If the crow touches the parrot, freeze the screen and display a message in the middle of the screen saying ‘Too Bad!!!’”. Keep repeating these steps until you’re happy with the results.
Step 7: Get it out there: You might now want to share your game with friends or online via an app store. It must be said that AI coders are not yet doing this well, so you may find this trickier without prior knowledge. One option is to deploy the game online via a free platform such as Zeabur, as explained here.
Daniel Zhou Hao does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The UK and north-western Europe have had a particularly wet 2024. Extreme weather patterns caused by climate change are nothing to celebrate, but there is one group of organisms that will have appreciated all the rain.
Numerous languages have a saying to the effect of “growing like mushrooms after the rain”. Indeed, rainfall across the year is a major factor in the prevalence of mushrooms. These are the short-lived structures we see poking above the soil that fungi use for reproduction. The rest of the fungus is actually there all the time, growing within the soil in a web of filaments known as mycelium.
Similar to the way plants spread their offspring via seeds, fungi produce mushrooms to release spores that can be carried on the wind or spread by animals. As with any organism’s reproduction, it costs the fungus a lot of energy to make mushrooms, so its decision to make this investment will be attuned to when it is likely to have the best chance of success.
Spores need moisture to germinate, and it generally helps if it’s not too cold. Autumn in the temperate climate found across much of Europe usually provides these conditions in abundance. Add in a mild, wet summer to get things started and that’s why we’re probably looking at a bumper autumn for wild mushrooms in 2024.
Do the seasons feel increasingly weird to you? You’re not alone. Climate change is distorting nature’s calendar, causing plants to flower early and animals to emerge at the wrong time.
This article is part of a series, Wild Seasons, on how the seasons are changing – and what they may eventually look like.
How to make the most of it
Some of the most prized gourmet mushrooms can be foraged in autumn, like chanterelles or porcini. When done responsibly, it’s a great hobby. But foragers beware: there has been an influx of mushroom identification books written by generative-AI and riddled with (potentially deadly) errors, so always get information about edible mushrooms from a safe and reliable source.
Chanterelle mushrooms are edible (and delicious). lzf/Shutterstock
If you ever feel tempted to pick something without being certain what it is, remember the adage: “there are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters”. Never munch on a hunch.
Autumn is the most productive season for mushrooms in temperate regions, though spring is fruitful too; St George’s mushroom was named for its tendency to appear around April 23. It’s also not only mushroom-forming fungi that have these seasonal and weather-driven patterns. Cases of a nasty lung infection called valley fever in the south-western US are caused by the microscopic Coccidioides soil fungi. They peak in the autumn, with particular surges in years following wet winters.
Considering fungi are so dependent on weather and temperature, it’s not surprising that the timing and overall length of mushroom production is being affected by climate change. This mirrors the shifts in seasonal patterns for plants and animals.
While an extended mushroom season could sound like good news to foragers, unfortunately, changing conditions may make fungal diseases like valley fever a bigger problem. And as extreme floods become more common, exposure to mould fungi will probably become a more pressing health issue in homes.
Fungi aren’t just rain-lovers, though, they’re actually also rain-makers. Spores released into the atmosphere from fungi can act as a surface on which moisture in the air can form water droplets, and when this happens on a large scale it can contribute to the formation of clouds.
This is just one example of the many underappreciated ways that fungi support our environment. Come rain or shine, I hope that you have the opportunity to get out into nature this autumn and enjoy the fungi.
Rowena Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Duncan Large, Professor of European Literature and Translation; Executive Director, British Centre for Literary Translation, University of East Anglia
Han Kang, the South Korean winner of the 2024 Nobel prize in literature, made her breakthrough in the English-speaking world with her first translated novel (her third in Korean), The Vegetarian. Published in English in 2015, it was an immediate success, making the Evening Standard bestseller list. It went on to win the Man Booker international prize the following year for Han and her young English translator, Deborah Smith.
In the summer of 2015, Han spent a week at the University of East Anglia (UEA) where she was the resident author for the Korean-English literary translation workshop at the annual summer school of the British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT). She was already a prize-winning writer in Korea and had recently published the controversial novel that Smith would go on to translate as Human Acts.
As part of the summer school in July 2015, Deborah Smith led a workshop with Han for six emerging translators of Korean, sponsored by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. Han later commented that the event as a whole was “on a larger scale and more intensive than any other translation program I had previously heard about or experienced”.
It was already clear that Han was a major figure, and the power of her writing was reinforced by the quiet authority of her presence. For workshop participant Roxanne Edmunds: “The great thing about the workshops was that we were able to work on the translation with the author. It was a little intimidating at first, but Han put us at ease with her enthusiasm.”
I remember that in the workshop we spent an hour or so moving around a comma, adding it to the sentence, taking it out. And spent a long time discussing the colour and feel and look of a cardigan one of the characters wore and how it signified. I was quite amazed at how we could do this in all seriousness – labouring over such details (not even there on the page), when I had been working until then on tight deadlines and weekly translation quotas. But Han’s work stood up to that scrutiny and expansive kind of reading.
Victoria Caudle, another of the workshop participants and now a doctoral candidate at UCLA, added:
Working with Han, I experienced a writer who respected translation as its own process of writing. She was fascinated by how we would agonise over how to express the slightest movement or smallest image in the text. Overall, I remember how generous she was, how softly she spoke and how strong her words were.
After a week of intensive discussion, the group produced a translated extract from Han’s short story Europa that was barely a page in length, but the value of such activities always lies at least as much in the process as in the product.
The workshop culminated in a joint reading of the translated text as part of the Summer School’s finale at Dragon Hall in Norwich, the beautiful medieval home of BCLT’s partner the National Centre for Writing.
Bowman and Caudle went on to found the Smoking Tigers, a Korean-English literary translator collective, together with several other alumni. Buoyed by the success of her translation of The Vegetarian, Smith founded Tilted Axis Press, which in turn won the International Booker prize in 2022 for Tomb of Sand, written by Geetanjali Shree and translated from the Hindi by Daisy Rockwell.
In response to Han’s Nobel win, the president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, Sooyoung Chon, remarked: “Han Kang’s Nobel prize in literature is a pivotal moment that highlights LTI Korea’s efforts to introduce Korean literature to the world.” BCLT has continued to collaborate closely with LTI Korea on several other summer school workshops, but the inaugural 2015 edition has proved particularly consequential.
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Duncan Large works for the British Centre for Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia, which received funding from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea for its 2015 Summer School.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to “rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment” in the UK. He was speaking at his government’s first international investment summit, an attempt to encourage the finance and business worlds to put more money into the country.
But the government will need much more investment – by both the private and public sectors – than can be drummed up with one summit and an intent to slash red tape if it is to meet its economic goals. So Labour’s upcoming first budget on October 30 presents a vital opportunity to lay the foundations for an investment boost over the coming years.
A major, long-term aim is to get the UK’s annual growth back to its pre-2008 banking crisis rate, when it was around 2% a year. The UK has been growing at about half that rate since then.
This slower economic growth has damaged people’s living standards as well as the tax receipts the government needs to fund public services, particularly since the pressures of the COVID pandemic.
Slow growth could be turned around by increasing investment in things like infrastructure. The UK has lagged behind comparable economies in this regard – it has had the lowest rate of investment in the G7 group of major economies for 24 of the last 30 years.
Last year, the UK’s GDP per capita (a measure of the average income) was nearly £11,000 lower than it would have been had the economy continued to grow at its pre-2008 rate.
Rather unusually, despite the UK’s debt recently reaching 100% of GDP – the highest amount in more than half a century – the usually fiscally conservative International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the UK should consider focusing on investment. This, it says, could potentially boost GDP growth and thus stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio.
And the UK’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), believes it is possible to raise economic growth through more investment. The OBR estimates that a sustained 1% of GDP increase in public investment could increase the level of potential national output by just under 0.5% after five years, and around 2.5% in 50 years.
So, there will undoubtedly be a number of investment measures in the Budget. But how many depends, in part, on whether the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, revises some restrictions on borrowing, known as the fiscal rules. There could be adjustments such as offsetting government debt with its assets, including student loans. Reeves is reportedly looking at this possibility – which could create as much as £50 billion of additional fiscal headroom.
She could also re-institute the previous Labour government’s golden rule: only borrow to invest. This could separate out capital investment (spending on things like roads and other infrastructure), which is needed to support long-term growth, from day-to-day spending on public services. It would also increase the transparency of what the borrowing is for, and whether it can deliver growth that can help stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio.
These changes would prevent public investment from being cut in order to meet one of the current fiscal rules Reeves is adhering to. That is, that debt must be falling as a percentage of GDP over a rolling five-year period. As it stands, this rule restricts how much Reeves can borrow – even if that is what the country needs to grow economically.
A change to this rule could help the government fund its two new initiatives to promote public investment: the National Wealth Fund, which requires just over £7 billion over the parliament, and GB Energy, which needs about £8 billion.
Convincing investors
Investments in the National Wealth Fund and GB Energy could further raise economic growth by “crowding in” private investment. For example, investing in infrastructure like a road entices private firms to invest too, perhaps in new premises or more staff, because a better transport link will make these firms’ investments more profitable.
The government’s aim is to bring in three times the public investment in the National Wealth Fund to invest in infrastructure and key sectors. GB Energy likewise intends to bring in private investors to support the green transition that can generate new output and jobs.
But targeting growth will take more than just finding the money. It also requires a regulatory approach and planning system that generates confidence among private investors to put their money in alongside the government.
The impending Budget won’t set out all of the details that investors are looking for, but they will expect to see the growth strategy and assess whether it is credible. For instance, successive governments have struggled with planning reform, so investors will be justified in wondering what will be different this time.
Rachel Reeves could potentially give herself an extra £50 billion to spend if she changes the fiscal rules. Fred Duval/Shutterstock
Investors will also be on the lookout for a more certain regulatory regime over several years. The main impediments to investment tend to be uncertainty, including over regulation and planning, as well as being able to find workers with the right skills. This Budget is an opportunity to set out what the government plans to do in both areas over its five-year parliament.
One positive signal to investors would be if the Budget sets out a broad definition of “capital”. For physical capital like a factory to be properly used, it requires people (human capital). And we hear a lot about green assets and digital assets, which essentially means that capital can be physical, human or green, as well as digital.
By outlining its policies around infrastructure and skills, as well as its environmental and digital policies, any proposed growth strategy would be more holistic and likelier to have a positive impact on growth.
But the difference between a strategy and a great strategy is in its execution. The Budget will almost certainly set out various fiscal policies to support growth. But the ability to deliver this strategy will determine whether it is truly a budget for growth.
Linda Yueh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The desire to have our own biological children is hard-wired into many of us. And the desire is often felt more keenly in those struggling with infertility. So the promise of a simple solution is hard to ignore – which may be why “the Mucinex method” is trending on social media.
Many women on TikTok are attributing successful conception to their use of the widely available cough and cold medicine Mucinex – or similar over-the-counter decongestant medicines containing the active ingredient guaifenesin.
Why would a medicine designed to relieve cough and cold symptoms help women get pregnant? During unprotected sexual intercourse, sperm are deposited at the top of the vagina. To reach and fertilise the egg, the sperm must first traverse the cervix, a small canal that connects the vagina and the womb.
The cervix plays a critical role in regulating the passage of sperm through its production of cervical mucus. During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the quantity and consistency of the cervical mucus changes, becoming optimal around the time of ovulation.
If there is too much mucus, or it is too thick, it can stop the sperm from reaching the egg. So, the idea goes that by taking Mucinex, a woman would thin her cervical mucus and make it easier for the sperm to reach the egg.
The rising popularity of fertility tracking apps has increased awareness of signs of the fertile window among users, including through monitoring of cervical mucus quantity and consistency. Once familiar with their individual signs, it follows that women who are trying or, indeed, struggling to conceive might start considering how to optimise their chances of conception in any given cycle.
A simple over-the-counter product such as Mucinex could well seem like a quick and simple solution with potentially more rapid results than dieting or a change in other lifestyle factors.
Not surprisingly, questions are being asked over the validity of taking Mucinex, or other guaifenesin-containing medicines, as fertility aids.
The fact is, there is scant scientific evidence proving that Mucinex can help with fertility. The most cited scientific study is from 1982 and was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. Here, scientists studied 40 couples whose infertility was defined as being a “cervical issue”.
The women in the study were given 200mg of guaifenesin, three times a day starting on the fifth day of their menstrual cycle. By the end of the study, 15 out of the 40 couples had become pregnant, which some may see as supporting the use of guaifenesin.
However, as there was no group that didn’t take guaifenesin (a control group), it is not possible to attribute these pregnancies solely to guaifenesin.
In a separate case study, a man took 600mg of guaifenesin, twice a day, for two months. The study reported a dramatic increase in sperm production and motility. However, as this study was conducted on a single 32-year-old man, the researchers could not confirm that guaifenesin was the cause of the change.
It should be noted that Reckitt, the makers of Mucinex, said in a statement that Mucinex should “only be used as intended in line with label directions”. And that taking Mucinex for infertility “constitutes off-label use”.
Is there any harm in taking guaifenesin to conceive?
While no associations between guaifenesin and birth defects have been identified, there is still no solid data on how guaifenesin might affect embryo development.
For those seeking to become parents, the idea of boosting your chances with a widely available medication is understandably enticing. However, there is not enough evidence to support taking guaifenesin to improve fertility.
There are a range of other simple, lifestyle changes that have been shown to help with getting pregnant. These include maintaining a healthy weight and diet, reducing alcohol intake, giving up smoking and lowering stress. For those experiencing difficulties in becoming pregnant, the best, and possibly simplest advice is to talk to your doctor.
Adam Watkins receives funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council under grant BB/V006711/1.
Emma Lucas is a council member of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility.
Commenting on news that the former First Minister and SNP Leader Alex Salmond has died, First Minister John Swinney said:
“I am deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death of the former First Minister Alex Salmond, and I extend my deepest condolences to Alex’s wife Moira and to his family.
“Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life – not just within Scotland, but across the UK and beyond.
“Alex worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country that he loved and for her Independence. He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into Government and led Scotland so close to becoming an Independent country.
“There will be much more opportunity to reflect in the coming days, but today all of our thoughts are with Alex’s family and his many friends right across the political spectrum.”
