Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Today, Friday 25 October 2024, the episcopal ordination of the Reverend Matthew Zhen Zuebin, appointed by the Holy Father as coadjutor bishop of Beijing (Municipality of Beijing, China) on 28 August 2024, took place, the candidature having been approved in the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of ChinaThe Reverend Matteo Xuebin was born in Changzhi, Shanxi, on 10 May 1970. From 1988 to 1993 he carried out his studies in the Philosophical and Theological Seminary of Beijing; from 1993 to 1997 he continued his studies at Saint John’s University, United States of America, obtaining a licentiate in liturgy. On 25 June 1998 he received priestly ordination, and was incardinated in the diocese of Beijing. From 1998 to 2007 he held the office of vice-rector of the Seminary of Beijing. He then exercised his ministry in various parishes of the city. He has served as diocesan chancellor since 2007. (Agenzia Fides, 25/10/2024)
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New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – With over 450 million internal migrants (out of a population of 1.4 billion inhabitants), India is the scene of a phenomenon that has no equal in the world. Migrants, who move to other Indian states mainly for reasons related to the search for work and education, for family needs or for emergency events such as natural disasters, often face challenges related to displacement, exploitation, access to basic services. And also to faith.Among the migrants there are Catholic and Christian Indian citizens and for this reason Christian Churches in India have become aware of the phenomenon and have studied interventions and solutions to accompany these people on the path of social reintegration and in their spiritual and pastoral needs. The spirit is to “give migrants in India a second chance”, accompanying them in the process of development, job search and training, assisting them, especially in the early stages of their new life, with social and food security programs and educational opportunities for children whose families have moved to a context different from their home. To achieve these goals, the Catholic Church in India has inaugurated a digital portal that supports migrants in the country, in various areas. Presented by Cardinal Philip Neri Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and President of the Conference Catholic Bishops of Latin Rite of India (CCBI), the new web portal, integrated into the “Catholic Connect” platform, is inspired by and seeks to put into practice the indications of Pope Francis who, with regard to migrants, has repeatedly cited four verbs: welcome, protect, promote, integrate. The action of the Catholic Church, at all levels, also aims to ensure that, thanks to the aid received, migrants and internally displaced persons and especially unaccompanied minors, do not fall victim to human trafficking.As explained by Father Jaison Vadassery, Executive Secretary of the CCBI Commission for Migrants, the online portal allows migrants to register and access church services (parishes, Caritas, schools, hospitals, etc.) regardless of their location: the aim is to ensure that migrants can find and feel the warmth of a community, even if they are far from their home or country of origin: “It is important that they integrate harmoniously into the host communities, while remaining tied to their cultural and religious roots”, explained Father Vadassery. The platform also helps migrants on a legal and bureaucratic level, for enrolling in government assistance programs or for receiving humanitarian aid in the event of emergencies and natural disasters, which cause displacement.Monsignor Alwyn D’Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Mumbai, referring to Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”, recalled the importance of pastoral care for migrants, especially for the most vulnerable and poor, who have low-skilled jobs, who face exploitation and are without legal protection. The Church, he said, has the task of accompanying them not only in moving from one place to another and on the path of social reintegration, but also on the path of faith. For this reason, the Commission for Migrants has presented a pastoral plan that involves parishes across the country in meeting the spiritual and social needs of migrants. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/10/2024)
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Awali (Agenzia Fides) – “We celebrate Saint Aretha and Companions, we celebrate the conclusion of this jubilee year but above all we celebrate Jesus, the Risen One who opens the doors of Paradise revealing to us the love of God the Father and infuses us with the Holy Spirit to live now as children of God”. With these words Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, addressed the thousands of faithful gathered today, October 25, for the closing of the jubilee year of Saint Aretha and companions at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, Awali.After the emotional closing of the Holy Door, the long procession poured into the Cathedral of Awali for the mass celebrated by the Apostolic Vicar.The conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Saint Aretha and Companions, inaugurated in October last year (see Fides, 24/10/2023), marks another significant milestone for the Church in the Arabian Peninsula. It was one of the most important celebrations of the Vicariate to commemorate the presence of the Christian in the 5th century in the Arabian Peninsula. This important occasion marked the conclusion of a year-long celebration dedicated to the life and legacy of Saint Aretha, venerated for his profound commitment to faith, celebrating his life, virtues and teachings.“This Jubilee period was a blessing for the Vicariate, a true moment of grace that saw the succession of numerous pilgrimages, thousands of people passed through the two holy doors of the Vicariate, asking for graces, indulgences, blessings. They have made a true pilgrimage in the depths of their hearts with the desire to convert, to change, to follow Jesus more and more, who is Himself the Door,” said Berardi. There is a veil of sadness for the closing of the Holy Door, but Jesus is the Door because He is life.”The Church in the Arabian Peninsula expressed deep gratitude to the Holy Father for having designated this extraordinary Jubilee, which has reinvigorated the missionary spirit of the Church and provided an opportunity to reconnect with its ancient Christian roots.“This Jubilee has been a blessing to understand that in our land, here in the Arabian Peninsula, we are part of the history of this community and we are walking in the footsteps of the first Christians, always respecting its traditions and beliefs,” said Bishop Berardi. “It has been an opportunity for us to discover our special vocation to bear witness to the truth of our faith. Often we cannot express ourselves but we can live, act according to our faith. It is essential for us to live our faith every day. Every day I must choose good, love, honesty. I am always a child of God and I must demonstrate daily that I am a believer.”In conclusion, the Apostolic Vicar added: “we have discovered that being martyrs means being witnesses, just like the martyrs of Najran who did not deny Jesus, who is much more than a saint, a prophet, the son of God. We received this revelation from his Resurrection. The fact that we are gathered here today shows that we can do it with the love of God that changes our hearts. We are the people of God thanks to his sacrifice on the Cross and his resurrection.” Berardi urged the faithful to be witnesses of God and his beauty in their families, in their workplaces, in everyday life. He also remembered the many martyrs of today, the many populations who live in suffering.(AP) (Agenzia Fides, 25/10/2024)
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
Russian universities are noticeably differentiated in their training in the field of AI. More than half of all students in the AI profile are concentrated in 18 organizations that implement specialized programs and offer the most widespread and at the same time selective programs (about 4% of the surveyed organizations).
In general, the selectivity of programs in the AI profile is higher than that of programs containing a module on AI, programs in the field of information technology (IT), and bachelor’s and specialist programs in general, and this applies to most large groups of specialties and areas of training. Programs in the field of AI in mathematical and technical sciences are distinguished by increased selectivity in the selection of applicants.
A number of regions entered the leading groups (with indicator values above the Russian average) both in terms of student coverage by AI-focused programs and programs with an AI module. These include Moscow and St. Petersburg, Rostov, Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Penza, and Moscow regions. The situation with AI technology training in the regions is directly affected by the degree of AI penetration into their economies. The inequality of opportunities for providing AI technology training is partly explained by the uneven territorial distribution of IT organizations engaged in the development of AI products. However, in a number of cases, the development of AI education significantly lags behind the level of AI implementation in the regional economy. This is due, in particular, to the use of ready-made solutions created by specialists from other constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which indicates that there is a demand for AI developments in such regions and a need to increase the training of their own personnel in the field of AI.
The provision of teachers in the field of AI in the absolute majority of the universities under consideration exceeds 90%. At the same time, the gap in the values of the indicator between the universities that train specialized specialists is not so large as to conclude that the shortage of personnel plays a key role in their differentiation by the level of development of training in the field of AI. However, attention is drawn to the significantly higher level of shortage of personnel of the appropriate qualifications in universities that do not implement specialized programs, but have included AI modules in other programs. Thus, it can be assumed that organizations with experience in implementing specialized programs have formed teams of teachers of AI disciplines, while other universities have not yet fully succeeded in solving this problem.
A specialized digital infrastructure — digital equipment and content — plays an important role in training highly qualified specialists in the field of AI. In all clusters of universities considered in the report, formed depending on the volume of training in AI-related programs, there is a shortage of digital resources, primarily in terms of computing power based on graphics accelerators, which are key for tasks related to AI. Universities with experience in training specialists in specialized programs are better provided with content than with equipment. Organizations that provide training only within the AI module are equipped with both approximately equally and, unfortunately, insufficiently.
Universities that are just beginning to master the AI field have such a pronounced deficit of the digital resources necessary for this that it practically does not allow them to develop programs in the relevant profile and significantly complicates practice-oriented training within the AI modules. The lack of specialized digital infrastructure, therefore, can be the main obstacle to the development of training of specialists in the field of AI in universities.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Darren Rhodes, Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology and Environmental Temporal Cognition Lab Director, Keele University, Keele University
When the clocks go back and we gain an extra hour, it might seem like a welcome bonus. But not for everyone. Night owls, those who naturally prefer staying up late and waking up late, often find this time of year particularly difficult.
The explanation lies in the the science of our internal clocks.
Chronotypes are our natural preference for waking and sleeping at certain times, whether you’re an early bird who springs out of bed with the dawn or a night owl who comes alive in the evening.
This variation is partly genetic, and it also influences our body’s natural rhythms, like hormone release and body temperature fluctuations. During the day, the hormone cortisol increases to help us feel alert and energised, while another hormone, melatonin, which induces sleepiness, is produced more in the evening. Similarly, our body temperature fluctuates, generally reaching its peak in the late afternoon and dropping during the night to facilitate sleep.
When the clocks go back, night owls often face a double burden. Their biological rhythm is already shifted later compared to others, and the sudden change in daylight makes it harder to align with the social clock that dictates work and school schedules.
For night owls, the sudden shift means losing evening daylight when they might
naturally be more alert and active. This change can exacerbate feelings of social jet lag, a state where their internal body clock is out of sync with societal demands. Research shows that social jet lag is associated with increased stress, lower mood, and even health effects such as poorer cardiovascular health.
If that wasn’t enough, those with an evening chronotype tend to have a harder time adapting to abrupt changes in sleep patterns. Their melatonin (the hormone that signals it’s time for sleep) is released later in the evening. When daylight saving ends, this delay can lead to even greater misalignment between their internal clock and the environment.
Research from people living in polar regions, where there is very little daylight for several months of the year, reveals how sensitive our sense of time is to light exposure. A 2020 study on crew at the Belgrano II Argentine Antarctic station measured their estimation of time in the seconds to minutes range at five different points in the year. It found that people’s time perception in winter, due to the lack of daylight and the social isolation and confinement that came with living at the station.
Research in polar regions is providing insights into how different chronotypes adapt to extreme daylight conditions. For example, some studies have shown that people with morning chronotypes tend to adapt better to the prolonged daylight of polar summers, maintaining more stable sleep patterns and mental health. Those with evening chronotypes often struggle with the long periods of darkness in polar winters, leading to greater sleep disruptions and mood disturbances.
These insights not only have the potential to improve the quality of life for people in such settings but could also be instrumental in future space exploration, where adapting to unique time cues will be essential.
Dark moods and light deprivation
This struggle isn’t just about feeling tired. It affects productivity, mental health and life satisfaction. Studies suggest that people with later chronotypes are more vulnerable to seasonal affective symptoms when the days get shorter. This may be because night owls are more likely to be deprived of the morning light that helps regulate circadian rhythms.
Morning light is particularly important for regulating circadian rhythms because it contains a higher amount of blue light, which is the most effective wavelength for stimulating the body’s production of cortisol and suppressing melatonin. Exposure to natural morning light helps reset the internal clock too.
Night owls often face practical challenges that early birds may not fully appreciate. The misalignment between their natural sleep patterns and the demands of traditional work or school schedules can lead to chronic sleep deprivation. This struggle to adapt to an early schedule can harm cognitive performance, decision making and productivity. Studies have found that night owls are more likely to experience difficulties with metabolic health (processing food like fat and sugar), which may be linked to irregular sleep-wake patterns.
Owls of the night may also find it harder to reap the benefits of morning activities that can help improve mood and wellbeing. Activities like outdoor exercise in natural light are particularly effective in regulating circadian rhythms. That’s why night owls who miss morning light might not get the same benefits from evening activities. This lack of alignment with societal norms can lead to feelings of isolation or being misunderstood. By recognising and validating these differences, we can begin to create environments that support the needs of different chronotypes.
The challenges that night owls face when the clocks go back highlight how our
society’s rigid schedules don’t always accommodate the diversity of human biology.
Recognising these differences can be a first step toward supporting people
whose internal clocks don’t align with the norm – whether through flexible work hours, light therapy or simply greater awareness of chronotype differences.
Darren Rhodes 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.
When you think of a ghost, what comes to mind? A ghastly, mouldy winding-sheet? A malevolent pile of supernatural armour? Or a sinister gentleman in a stiff Victorian suit?
In 1863 George Cruikshank, the caricaturist and illustrator of Dickens’s novels, announced a “discovery” concerning the varied appearance of ghosts. It does not seem, he wrote:
That any one has ever thought of the gross absurdity and impossibility of there being such things as ghosts of wearing apparel … Ghosts cannot, must not, dare not, for decency’s sake, appear without clothes; and as there can be no such thing as ghosts or spirits of clothes, why then, it appears that ghosts never did appear and never can appear.
Why aren’t ghosts naked? This was a key philosophical question for Cruikshank and many others in Victorian Britain. Indeed, stories of naked or clothesless ghosts, especially outside folklore, are exceedingly rare. Sceptics and ghost-seers alike have delighted in thinking about how exactly ghosts could have form and force in the material world. Just what kind of stuff could they be made of that allows them to share our plane of existence, in all its mundanity?
The image of the ghost as a figure in a white winding-sheet or burial shroud has retained its iconic status for hundreds of years because it suggests a continuity between the corpse and the spirit.
The main social role of the ghost before the modern period was to carry a message to the living from beyond the grave, so the link to burial clothing makes sense. This can be seen in the medieval trope of the Three Living and the Three Dead, whereby some hunters encounter their future skeletal corpses, wrapped in linen, admonishing them to remember death.
Yet by the mid-19th century, with spiritualism and early forms of psychical research spreading across the western world, people began to report seeing ghosts dressed in everyday and contemporaneous clothing.
This raised problems for those interested in investigating the reality of ghosts. If the ghost was an objective reality, why should it be wearing clothes? If the tenets of spiritualism were true, should the soul which has returned to visit the earth not be formed of light or some other form of ethereal substance? Were the clothes of spirits also spiritual, and if so, did they share in their essence or were they the ghosts of clothes in their own right?
You could adopt an idealist position and say that the clothes were metaphysical ideas bound up with the immortal identity of the wearer – the identity of the ghost meaning something more than simply the apparition of a soul-force.
Another explanation was that ghost-seers dress the ghost, automatically, through unconscious processes. And so we see a ghost in its usual dress because that is the mental picture we have of the person, and this choice of garment is most likely to inspire recognition.
The Lady Ghost by Adelaide Claxton (1876). Sotheby’s
The critic and anthropologist Andrew Lang drew comparisons between dreaming and ghost-seeing in 1897 when he stated that:
We do not see people naked, as a rule, in our dreams; and hallucinations, being waking dreams, conform to the same rule. If a ghost opens a door or lifts a curtain in our sight, that, too, is only part of the illusion. The door did not open; the curtain was not lifted … It was produced in the same way as when a hypnotised patient is told that “his hand is burned”, his fancy then begets real blisters.
For Lang, the clothes of ghosts were the stuff that dreams are made of. The implication of this, that ghost-seers are dressers, but not undressers, seems to reflect a pervading morality of ghosts, whereby most 19th-century spirits were sanitised and chaste. Lang’s odd assumption that there was no nakedness in dreams echoes this.
The matter of spirits
Fashion and clothing were central to the identification of class, gender and occupation in the Victorian period. The ghosts of the servant class seemed to be especially tied to their clothes, rather than their faces or voices – a theme that comes out in some ghost reports submitted to The Strand magazine in 1908.
Here, a ghost-seer reported seeing “a figure, which had nothing supernatural about it, being simply that of a servant in a light cotton dress … and with a white cap on … The whole figure had the general appearance of the housemaid, so that she had been the one I had thought of. It was not in the least like the cook, who dressed in much darker cottons”.
Clothes identify people and make them capable of representation – nakedness disrupts this means of instantly categorising someone.
The ghost of a woman with a burial shroud confronts her murderer on a stormy night. Wellcome Collection, CC BY
The issue of ghost clothes is interesting for historians of the supernatural because, like a loose thread, pulling at it starts to unravel some of the assumptions about matter in spiritualism. Do ghosts retain the injuries or disabilities that befell them in life? And what about the erotic fleshiness of spirits – the touching and kissing between the living and the dead in the séance room and the “ectoplasm” (a gauze-like spiritual substance) photographed emerging from the orifices of mediums? Could the living even have sexual intercourse with ghosts?
These kinds of knotty debates have not disappeared in the 21st century. Indeed, “spectrophilia” – or the love of ghosts – is a fetish that is a lively topic of debate on the internet today. Another turn of the screw in the long history of how spirits matter in the world of the living.
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Shane McCorristine 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.
Being exposed to a diverse array of microbes in childhood helps ‘train’ the immune system.MNStudio/ Shutterstock
With the popularity of CleanTok on social media, we’re constantly being reminded about how dirty everything around us is. But while you might feel you should disinfect every surface in your home or send your child off to school with antibacterial gels so their hands stay clean, science actually shows us that being exposed to a bit of dirt can be good for kids’ health.
Evidence suggests that exposure to the microbes in dirt might actually help children develop stronger immune systems – and may even decrease their risk of developing allergies and autoimmune diseases.
The diverse array of bacteria, fungi and other microbes present in mud and soil play a crucial role in our health and is key to what immunologists call “immune training”. This is the process by which the immune system learns to distinguish between harmful pathogens and benign environmental substances.
During childhood, the immune system is especially adaptable. When exposed to a wide variety of microbes, it learns to strike a balance – responding aggressively to harmful invaders while leaving harmless substances, such as pollen or food particles, alone.
But a lack of such training could leave immune systems worse off.
According to the “hygiene hypothesis”, as societies become more urbanised and sanitised, our immune systems are deprived of the microbial challenges they need to develop properly. This may cause the immune system to become hypersensitive, mistaking innocuous substances – such as pollen or dust – for dangerous invaders. This hypersensitivity can manifest as allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema or hay fever.
Lack of microbial exposure, particularly in early childhood, may also increase the likelihood of developing common colds and other childhood illnesses due to the immune system not being properly trained to handle everyday pathogens.
The lack of such immune training could potentially explain why children growing up in sanitised environments (such as cities with limited exposure to animals or nature) are up to 50% more likely to develop conditions such as asthma and food allergies. Their immune systems, unchallenged by natural microbial exposure, may overreact to harmless triggers.
Immune training appears to be important for lowering risk of many conditions and childhood illnesses. MorphoBio/ Shutterstock
And, without regular microbial interactions, the immune system may turn on the body itself – potentially contributing to the development of autoimmune conditions such as type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. Research even shows that children raised in environments with high levels of microbial exposure – such as farms or homes with pets – are less likely to develop allergies or autoimmune diseases.
There are many reasons why microbial exposure is so good for children’s developing immune systems. For instance, Bacteroides fragilies, which is commonly found in soil, helps produce a key molecule that’s important to immune function.
Microbial exposure also helps children develop regulatory T cells – white blood cells that control how the immune system responds to foreign invaders. T cells also prevent autoimmune reactions. This may explains why a lack of microbial exposure may increase a person’s likelihood of developing an autoimmune condition (though this is just one of many contributing factors).
Immune development
Mud play is more than just a messy outdoor activity. It provides essential sensory experiences – such as touching, smelling and manipulating different textures – which stimulate brain development and enhance emotional resilience.
Sensory activities (such as playing in mud) can reduce stress in children, which is another crucial element in maintaining a well-functioning immune system.
Research also shows Mycobacterium vaccae, a type of bacteria commonly found in soil, is shown to reduce inflammation and even improve mood. It does this by influencing the release of serotonin, a key neurotransmitter. In animal studies, exposure to M vaccae has led to reduced symptoms of stress and anxiety. There’s emerging evidence that similar effects could occur in humans.
In addition, playing outdoors is a form of physical activity, which further supports immune health by promoting better circulation and stimulating the production of immune cells.
While some parents may worry about the hygiene risks of playing in mud, there are many things you can do to ensure your kids play outdoors safely:
Pick clean play areas: Ensure your child plays in areas unlikely to be contaminated by animal waste or harmful chemicals. Home gardens or parks are great options. If you’re unsure how clean an area may be, you can use a soil testing kit to check for harmful substances before play.
Dress for the mess: Waterproof clothing such as boots and jackets makes clean-up easier while still allowing children to experience the benefits of outdoor play.
Hand hygiene: Washing hands after playing in the mud helps prevent harmful bacteria from entering the body. This reduces the risk of infections while maintaining healthy exposure to microbes.
Repeat often:Repeated exposure to beneficial microbes is necessary in order to build a stronger immune system.
Letting children get dirty by playing in mud could offer more than just fun – it may be an essential part of building a strong immune system. In a world that’s increasingly sanitised, embracing nature – dirt and all – might be exactly what our children’s immune systems need to thrive.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
We’re now in the home straight of the US election race, and the economy looks set to play a key role in deciding who will be sat in the White House come January 2025. Despite enjoying strong economic and employment growth since the pandemic, US voters have been telling pollsters that the high cost of living is what bothers them most about life in America right now.
Both candidates are seeking to address voter’s concerns. The Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, and her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, agree on virtually nothing. But what they do agree on is that the federal government should be playing a bigger role in making things more affordable for American consumers.
That said, there are significant differences in how the candidates propose to bring down prices across the economy. Trump wants to force companies into creating jobs on US soil. And Harris wishes to break down the power that some companies have amassed in the marketplace.
What has Trump pledged?
At a campaign rally on September 19, Trump said: “Together, we will deliver low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates and low inflation so that everyone can afford groceries, a car and a home”.
Trump is promising to reduce regulation, as well as launching another big round of tax cuts for individual people and businesses. He has also pledged to make income from tips, overtime and social security payments exempt from tax altogether.
But, somewhat ironically, Trump’s overall economic approach is somewhat un-Republican. We traditionally tend to think of Republicans as the “take your hands off my economy” party. However, many of Trump’s economic policy pledges are very hands on.
He has promised tariffs of up to 20% on goods imported into the US, and 60% on all goods from China. His rationale is that by making imported goods more expensive, US companies will be encouraged to make more goods domestically, so American workers will benefit in terms of millions more well-paid manufacturing jobs at home.
Trump has also said that, if elected, he will direct his cabinet to reduce energy prices and auto insurance by at least 50%. “Prices will come down. You just watch. They’ll come down and they’ll come down fast”, he claimed during a speech in August.
He plans to intervene in the housing market, too. Trump’s strategy for lowering housing costs focuses on stopping “the unsustainable invasion of illegal aliens”, and he has pledged to deport up to 11 million immigrants who currently live in the US. This, he says, will result in a dramatic reduction in demand and bring down the cost of housing.
Perhaps Trump’s most striking policy is in relation to the Federal Reserve. He wants the elected president to have a greater say over the interest rate policy for the US economy. Lower interest rates would mean lower borrowing costs, which should subsequently reduce mortgage prices.
But a lot of economists, including former US treasury secretary Larry Summers, warn that this approach could backfire. When executives start to intervene in independent central banking, you risk setting off a spiral of rapid inflation.
What has Harris pledged?
A lot of Americans believe that grocery chains and food companies are ripping them off. Food prices are up by about 25% compared to before the pandemic, and a recent poll suggests that American consumers’ view of the grocery industry has sunk to a two-decade low.
Harris has promised to address this. At a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina, in August, she said: “As president, I will take on the high costs that matter most to most Americans, like the cost of food”.
She believes the food industry is too concentrated, where just a few firms have a lot of power. She wants the food industry to become more competitive, which would mean lower prices for US consumers.
Harris has proposed giving government money to start-up meatpacking companies to help them challenge the dominant players. And she also wants the Federal Trade Commission to look at mergers and other forms of consolidation in the food industry more aggressively.
This may include giving the commission additional regulatory and enforcement powers to actively look for and stop anti-competitive behaviour. For example, Harris has proposed the first federal ban on price gouging to stop companies exploiting crises to charge people more for essentials.
Harris, like Trump, has also promised to address housing costs. She wants to use federal dollars to encourage developers to build, and has set an ambitious target of building 3 million new housing units over her four-year term.
Her idea is that one way to bring down housing costs is to build a lot more housing. She also wants to give US$25,000 (£19,200) to every first-time home buyer in the country to help them with a down payment.
To help reduce child poverty, Harris says she will restore Biden’s generous tax credit for parents. And, on top of that, she wants to introduce a US$6,000 tax credit for parents of newborns, as well as planning to cap childcare costs at 7% of household income.
Both candidates have clearly listened to voters’ concerns about the cost of living, but there is little detail on how they will fund the giveaways set out in their economic policy pledges.
Harris says there will be no tax increases for anybody who makes less than US$400,000 a year. However, she has in mind a whole bunch of taxes on millionaires and big companies – the sort that Democrats are fond of targeting. Trump, on the other hand, has not set out how he will pay for any of his policies.
More than 20 US recipients of the Nobel prize for economics signed a letter on October 23 that called Harris’ economic agenda “vastly superior” to Trump’s.
But we don’t have long to wait to see which candidate’s economic pledges have resonated most with US voters.
Conor O’Kane 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.
Science says you may not actually get that full hour’s extra sleep you were looking forward to. kattyart/Shutterstock
A lot of people dread the clocks going back an hour in winter – but reassure themselves that at least they’ll get an extra hour’s sleep. However, in my new study my colleagues and I found most people do not (or can not) take advantage of the full extra hour of sleep in autumn.
Daylight saving time is the practice of moving the clocks one hour forward in spring and one hour back in autumn. It was introduced during the first world war as a way to cut energy costs. It is in operation in around 70 countries and affects a quarter of the world’s population.
This “springing forward” and “falling back” is widely thought of a loss of one hour of sleep in spring and a gain of one hour of sleep in autumn. However, research suggests we may lose sleep for about a week after both clock changes as we struggle to adapt to the new time.
Previous studies have relied on people reporting their own sleep patterns in diaries or surveys. However, this may not be accurate because people sometimes forget or lie about how long they slept for. Recent research has overcome this problem by using activity monitors to record people’s sleep over the clock changes. But until now researchers have only been able to do this in a small number of people.
Our new study explored the effects of the clock changes on objectively-measured sleep duration in a large number of people who are signed up to the UK Biobank. This is a research database with lifestyle and health information from half a million UK participants. We analysed sleep data from 11,800 people who wore activity monitors for one or more days during the two weeks surrounding the spring and autumn clock changes in 2013-2015.
We found that people slept for just over half an hour more on the Sunday of the autumn clock change than the surrounding Sundays. But people slept for around an hour less of the Sunday of the spring clock change.
Previous research suggests people sleep for less on the weekdays immediately after the clock changes than the weekdays before. In contrast, this study found that, overall, people were catching up on sleep on the Monday to Friday after both clock changes. This trend was stronger in spring after people had lost an hour of sleep. On average people slept seven minutes more per weeknight after the spring clock change and three minutes more per weeknight after the autumn clock change than the previous week.
This suggests that effects of the clock changes on sleep duration are more short lived than earlier studies reported. However, when we broke the data down, we found that this pattern of catching up on sleep was not seen in women. In fact, women often slept for less on the weekdays after the clock changes than before. This could be because women experience higher levels of insomnia and sleep difficulties and that these problems are exacerbated by the clock changes. Women are thought to struggle more with insomnia than men due to a number of reasons, including hormonal fluctuations, societal factors and higher rates of depression and anxiety.
We also found that, in autumn, older people and the retired slept less on the weekdays after the transition than before. It may be that older people are particularly vulnerable to their sleep being disrupted by the clock changes because sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented as we age.
Why does this matter?
Although short lived, the sleep loss seen over the spring clock change in our study has consequences for health, as just one night of bad sleep has been associated with a decline in mental and physical health.
Research has found that the clock changes themselves are associated with an increase in heart attacks, strokes, traffic accidents and depression. Sleep plays a vital role keeping your heart healthy, as well as maintaining emotional regulation. The amount of sleep you get also affects your reaction times and how likely you are to take risks.
Concern over the harmful effects of the clock changes on health has prompted sleep scientists to call for the clock changes to be abolished. Indeed, a growing number of countries – including the US, Jordan, Mexico, Ukraine and those in the EU – have made plans to do just that.
But stopping the clock changes is not straightforward. Plans in both the US and EU have stalled, with disagreements over what time to adopt permanently. Sleep experts argue that staying on winter (standard) time is best for health as this prioritises morning light which helps wake you up, resets your biological rhythm each day and makes it easier for you to fall asleep in the evening. Meanwhile, politicians are campaigning for permanent summer time due to the economic benefits they think it has.
The UK finds itself in an interesting position. No longer part of the EU, it is not duty bound to stop the clock changes at the same time as the EU. But being out of sync with the rest of Europe (including the Republic of Ireland) could have economic and logistical implications.
The UK government will probably review its daylight saving time policy as and when the EU finally ends the clock changes. It is crucial that they take the effects on sleep and health into account when this happens.
Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland
Statement by TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell:
“The DUP MLA Stephen Dunne has, in today’s News Letter, correctly highlighted the fact that there are “serious questions” about where Minister O’Dowd’s priorities lie after Mr Dunne revealed that the cost of the Irish language road signs in parts of Belfast is going to be £50,000.
“Speaking during an Infrastructure Committee meeting Mr Dunne observed:
“Questions must be asked about whether spending £50,000 to replace perfectly functional traffic signs is a wise use of public money. Changes to street signage in Belfast are already controversial due to their cost. The minister should carefully consider his priorities before committing any additional taxpayer money to further rolling out this scheme.”
“I agree but there is now a question for Mr Dunne and his DUP colleagues – what are they going to do about it?
“There is a petition in the Assembly Business Office calling for Minister O’Dowd’s decision to be referred to the Executive where Unionists could block it. Are the “serious questions” serious enough for the DUP to block this decision? If so, Mr Dunne and his colleagues will sign the petition and in so doing begin the process which will permit Unionists to overturn Minister O’Dowd’s plan for Irish language road signs in Belfast.”
The Task Force on Promoting the Development of Asset & Wealth Management, chaired by Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui, was established and convened its first meeting today.
The 2024 Policy Address has set out the need to further enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international asset and wealth management (WAM) centre. The Government will consult the industry on the proposal to add qualifying transactions eligible for tax concessions for funds, single-family offices, etc. At its first meeting, the task force had a focused discussion on the proposed enhancements.
As of end-2023, assets under management in Hong Kong reached over HK$31 trillion, and net fund inflows of close to HK$390 billion were registered, representing a year-on-year increase of over 3.4 times.
Mr Hui pointed out that funding sourced from non-Hong Kong investors has consistently accounted for a high percentage, reflecting the confidence of international investors in Hong Kong’s WAM industry.
Market research also estimates that Hong Kong is home to about 2,700 single-family offices, with over half of them set up by ultra-high-net-worth-individuals with a wealth of US$50 million or above.
In view of the development trends in global finance, Hong Kong will continue to consolidate and enhance its competitive advantages and pursue continuous reforms.
With the task force bringing together industry leaders and professionals, Mr Hui added that he believed their valuable advice would help propel the long-term development of the WAM industry.
Washington Village in Bloom volunteers are celebrating after the village was named the overall winner in the Village category at the Britain in Bloom Awards 2024.
The village won Northumbria in Bloom earlier this year and was then chosen to go into the national competition, before being announced as the overall winner during the awards ceremony in Manchester this week.
This year, the volunteers also won the Exceptional Public Engagement Award for their work with the community. The Washington Village in Bloom volunteers work year-round alongside Sunderland City Council, local businesses, volunteers completing Duke of Edinburgh awards and extra volunteers from Barclay’s Bank on the floral displays and colourful flower beds that impressed the visiting judges.
In August this year, Washington in Bloom volunteers welcomed the Britain in Bloom judges as it celebrated Washington’s 60th anniversary and the competition’s 60th anniversary with a 1960’s ‘Flower Power’ themed celebration.
Joan Atkinson, Chair of Washington in Bloom, also won the Community Champion Award for her continued hard work on the village while she was undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer. She said: “You can’t enter the best village category – you have to be nominated by Northumbria in Bloom, so even being invited to the competition is a fantastic achievement for Washington Village. We are completely self-funded and rely on donations and the hard work and dedication of the Washington in Bloom volunteers.
“The volunteers deserve all the credit for the award. Whether its planting or removing leaves they are out working on the village every week in every season and their hard work has really paid off.”
Councillor Beth Jones, Washington Central ward councillor and Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism, said: “I’d like to say a big congratulations to Joan on her award win and well done to the team of Washington in Bloom volunteers who have all worked hard towards Washington Village’s national award.
“The village looks absolutely stunning and it’s down to the hard work of all the brilliant volunteers and the collaborative efforts of council staff, local businesses, volunteers, local schools and residents. Everyone has done a fantastic job, and I’m delighted to see it recognised with this well-deserved award.”
Moscow has installed the first high-power 150 kW fast charging stations as part of the Energy of Moscow project. Charging an electric vehicle at these stations takes an average of 30 minutes.
According to Moscow’s Deputy Mayor for Transport and Industry, Maksim Liksutov, there are almost 250 charging stations operating in the capital as part of the Energy of Moscow project. The two new 150 kW stations are located at: Denezhny Pereulok, 8-10 and Vozdvizhenka Street, 10.
We have installed the first 150 kW charging stations, with a charging time of around 30 minutes. By 2030, the number of charging stations in Moscow will increase to 30,000. We will also install hubs for taxis and carsharing with the ability to charge 10-15 cars simultaneously. We thank all our operators for their work, which allows us to develop the charging station network in the city. We strive to make the capital one of the world’s leaders in the use of electric transport. This task was set by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin,-added Maksim Liksutov.
The new stations feature the ability to charge 2 cars simultaneously and have GB/T and CCS Combo 2 connectors for the most popular electric vehicle models.
The Moscow Transport app can be used to find an available station, plan a route to the charging station, and book a charging session.
As part of the Energy of Moscow project, approximately 250 free electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) have been installed in the capital. Electric vehicle owners are exempt from paying transportation tax and can park for free throughout the city.
Since the launch of the first Energy of Moscow charging station in March 2021, electric vehicle owners have completed over 640,000 charging sessions. All stations are located in places where citizens spend most of their time, such as near shopping and business centers, parks, residential buildings, cafes, and stores.
According to plans, by 2030, there will be 30,000 EVCS in the capital, and the number of electric vehicles in Moscow will increase to 320,000 – 7% of the total number of cars. Additionally, hubs will be installed for taxis and carsharing, with the ability to charge 10–15 cars simultaneously.
More than 100 Allied experts and representatives met at the NATO Hybrid Symposium in Prague, Czechia on 24-25 October to address the challenges posed by adversarial use of hybrid tactics. Participants discussed the worsening threat environment and how to strengthen NATO`s approach to countering hybrid threats and deter these threats more effectively.
Opening the conference alongside the Czech hosts, James Appathurai, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, said: “This meeting comes at an important time. Russia in particular is stepping up hybrid attacks against NATO Allies. Our partners are also experience increased hostile grey zone activities by various actors. This meeting will help us improve our assessment of the threats, and step up our resilience, defence and deterrence against hybrid threats’’.
The Symposium also had sessions with representatives from private sector and academia as well as from NATO partners such as the European Union, Ukraine and Japan to explore their experience in countering hybrid interference. The annual event offers an opportunity for the Allied hybrid community to foster cooperation among experts and exchange views and best practices. The event was co-organised with the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
(From left) Olumide Lala, Executive Director, Climate Transition Limited with Natenin Coulibaly, General Manager Corporate Services, MTN; Armande Laetitia Ohouo-Lath, Director of Sustainable Development, SIFCA; Rachael Antwi, Group Sustainability and Environmental Risk, ECOBANK and Azeez Alayande, ESG Manager, ENGIE Nigeria during a session on Challenges and Opportunities in ESG Reporting in Africa at the Africa ESG Forum
Two days of intensive discussions on building a sustainable finance ecosystem for Africa ended in Abidjan on Tuesday with stakeholders from government and the private sector expressing strong support for an Africa-focused Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Data Hub.
The inaugural Africa ESG Forum, held at the Sofitel Hotel in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, was organised by the African Development Bank, the Multilateral Cooperation Centre for Development Finance, and Making Finance Work for Africa. It featured discussions on ESG reporting challenges and investor expectations, and concluded with the inaugural meeting of the ESG working group.
Ahlem Kefi, Impact & Sustainability Officer at AfricInvest, outlined the firm’s comprehensive approach to sustainability assessments. “We start looking at the ESG risks and the ESG data from the first screening phase,” she said. “We don’t call this ESG due diligence, we call it impact and sustainability due diligence.”
Mostafa Hawas of the Egyptian Stock Exchange offered practical insights into implementing ESG reporting requirements. He outlined how they began with “a very, very simple survey” distributed to listed companies, and emphasized the importance of gradual implementation to build awareness, before introducing more detailed requirements.
Kuhle Sojola, ESG Engagement Specialist at Sanlam Investments, addressed the critical issue of greenwashing – the misleading use of advertising and marketing to falsely portray an organization’s products, goals, or policies as being environmentally friendly – in corporate reporting. “We use engagement as a tool to mitigate or reduce the risk of greenwashing,” she said, adding that, when a company’s reported metrics differ significantly from those of their peer group, “that is usually an indication that there could be a level of greenwashing there.”
Participants at the Forum envisioned the proposed African ESG Hub as a unifying vehicle for sustainability issues in Africa, enhancing awareness among local entities and international investors. In preparation for its establishment, they acknowledged that with 80 percent of African companies being SMEs, engaging the sector would be critical in advancing ESG reporting and sustainable finance across the continent. In addition, they outlined plans for the proposed Hub, including ensuring that it provides a credible platform for training and technical assistance, and for sharing best practices and case studies.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the 32nd meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — The Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) will convene its 12th session from Nov. 4 to 8 in Beijing.
The decision was made on Friday at a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee, which was presided over by Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.
According to the proposed session agenda, lawmakers will review a draft preschool education law, a draft revision to the Law on Protection of Cultural Relics, a draft revision to the Mineral Resources Law, a draft energy law, and a draft revision to the Anti-Money Laundering Law, among others.
Lawmakers will hear a report on financial work, a report on the management of state-owned assets, a report on building world-class universities with Chinese characteristics, a report on the prevention and control of desertification, and more.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Finnish president to visit China from Oct. 28 to 31
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Finnish President Alexander Stubb will pay a state visit to China from Oct. 28 to 31, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Friday.
President Xi will hold talks with President Stubb during the visit. Li Qiang, Chinese premier, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, will meet with Stubb respectively to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common interest, Lin Jian, another foreign ministry spokesperson, told a daily press briefing.
“Finland was among the first Western countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China,” Lin said, adding that China-Finland relations are experiencing sound development and that the day of President Stubb’s arrival in Beijing will be the 74th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Finland, continue the traditional friendship, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in economy, trade, investment, green transformation and other fields, jointly meet global challenges, and promote the further development of bilateral relations, Lin said.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
Dear students, we sincerely congratulate you on Russian Students’ Day! This is a holiday for everyone who has chosen the path of knowledge and development.
The history of this day is connected with Moscow State University. On January 25, 1755, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, at the request of the first Minister of Education of Russia and a prominent philanthropist Ivan Shuvalov, signed a decree on its establishment. This event was marked by the birthday of the university, and then by a common holiday for all students.
It is worth noting that there is another version of the origin of Russian Students’ Day. The opening of Moscow State University coincided with the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Tatiana of Rome. Perhaps the choice of date was also connected with the fact that Ivan Shuvalov’s mother was also called Tatiana. In 1791, a church named after the saint was opened at the university, who is still considered the patroness of all students.
The holiday received its official status under Tsarist Russia. Nicholas I made January 25 the official Student’s Day. After the revolution, the name of the celebration was changed, but in 2005, by decree of President Vladimir Putin, Tatyana’s Day again became the Day of Russian Students.
The traditions of celebrating Tatyana’s Day are very diverse. In the old days, this day was marked by lavish balls, festive services, concerts and student festivities. According to the recollections of contemporaries, the celebration was truly large-scale, with songs, dances and, of course, merry feasts.
Students celebrate this day by organizing celebrations at universities and beyond. These include concerts, parties, sports competitions, theater performances, and meetings with interesting people. And the atmosphere of joy, friendship, and mutual understanding is always maintained.
Dear students! We wish you success in your studies and scientific discoveries, lots of energy and optimism, and that your student years will be bright and memorable. Let Tatyana’s Day remind you of hope, self-confidence and that you can achieve any goals! Believe in yourself, and everything will work out!
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 01/25/2025
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — China’s Ministry of Education has announced a new initiative to promote further the teaching of standard Chinese handwriting in primary and secondary schools.
The move is part of broader efforts to promote standard spoken and written Chinese while preserving and developing fine traditional Chinese culture.
The ministry released an online notice on Friday outlining key objectives for handwriting education. These include teaching students proper writing and pen-holding postures and helping them understand the cultural and historical significance of Chinese characters.
The notice sets out eight specific tasks and measures, such as encouraging good writing habits to help prevent spinal curvature and poor vision among students.
It emphasizes improving students’ handwriting skills by teaching them to write in regular script and semi-cursive regular script and enhancing both the quality and speed of their writing.
The notice suggests a more integrated approach using both in-class and extracurricular activities to reinforce handwriting education.
One notable aspect of the initiative is incorporating digital technology, with the ministry calling for exploring new, tech-driven methods to support handwriting education.
The initiative responds to growing concerns over handwriting standards among students. Common issues include improper writing posture, incorrect stroke order, and a general weakening of handwriting abilities due to the increasing reliance on digital devices.
To address these challenges, local education authorities are being asked to create long-term strategies and offer support through policy, funding and projects.
This renewed focus on handwriting echoes China’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage while ensuring that students maintain essential skills in an increasingly digital world.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TIANJIN, Oct. 25 — Industrial coordination of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has yielded rich results with the rise of a number of world-class manufacturing clusters, 10 years after China designated it as a national strategy to foster the regional coordinated development.
This is underlined in a report on the region’s coordinated development released on Friday at the 2024 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Industrial Chain and Supply Chain Conference held in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.
The industrial added value of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region increased from 1.7 trillion yuan (about 238 billion U.S. dollars) in 2013 to 2.43 trillion yuan in 2023, with a cumulative growth of 43 percent, according to the report.
The industrial coordination has become a key support for the collaborative development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, said Yang Dongmei, deputy director of the Tianjin Industrial and Information Technology Bureau.
In the first half of this year, the total profit of major industrial enterprises in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region reached a record high of 231 billion yuan, up 10.2 percent year on year.
The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with a number of first-rate colleges and universities and abundant high-end research talent, has a solid foundation for developing China’s strategic emerging industries such as integrated circuits, cybersecurity, biomedicine, power equipment, and emergency response equipment.
According to the report, the output value of two manufacturing clusters in the region — life and health, and power and new energy high-end equipment — have accounted for more than 20 percent of the national total in the respective sectors. The industrial scale of the new generation of information technology application innovation and network security in the region has exceeded half of the national total.
To further optimize regional industrial division and productivity distribution, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has laid out six key industrial chains, namely hydrogen energy, new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, biomedicine, cybersecurity and industrial Internet, robots and high-end industrial mother-machines, which refer to machine tools for manufacturing machines.
“The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region boasts strong international influence, which gives it an advantage to be more closely integrated into the global economic network,” said Yin Jihui, director of the Tianjin Industrial and Information Technology Bureau.
The gross domestic product of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, one of the country’s most economically vibrant regions, reached 10.4 trillion yuan in 2023, almost doubling that of 2013, with an average annual growth rate of 5.8 percent.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China hopes to promote sustainable urban development with UN-Habitat: vice premier
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — China hopes to work with UN-Habitat to advance sustainable urban development, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said Friday.
He made the remarks when meeting with Anacláudia Rossbach, executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in Beijing.
China is advancing a people-centered new-type urbanization, and deepening reforms in urban construction, operations and governance systems, said He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
He expressed the hope for a stronger partnership between China and UN-Habitat to meet people’s housing needs, promote urban renewal and develop smart cities for sustainable urban development.
Rossbach said UN-Habitat is willing to deepen practical cooperation with China to continuously improve people’s living environment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The UK has assumed the Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.
Credit: ESA/ATG Medialab
UK Space Agency Chief Executive Dr Paul Bate has assumed the Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the international body responsible for coordinating observations of the Earth from space.
The UK’s priority will be to unlock the power of Earth observation from space to benefit society, from improving public services to inspiring the next generation with a Youth Summit in Bath in November 2025.
As CEOS celebrates its 40th anniversary at the annual CEOS Plenary in Montreal, the CEOS Community of space and meteorological agencies and other groups has also renewed its collective commitment to CEOS’ mission and efforts in responding to global challenges for the good of humanity, with the agreement of the Montreal Statement.
Satellite Earth observation data can deliver significant public benefits in areas ranging from climate and biodiversity monitoring, disaster management, clean energy and urban planning.
The UK is involved in a range of Earth observation missions that contribute to global capabilities. These include leadership of the European Space Agency’s TRUTHS mission, which will improve confidence in climate forecasts; Biomass, which will monitor the world’s forests; Microcarb, a ground-breaking French-UK satellite mission for carbon monitoring; and the various Sentinel missions of the European Copernicus programme with its associated user-facing Services. As well as these missions, the UK are experts in the use of the data for applications ranging from cutting edge science, operational services, new commercial and public sector services.
Handover of CEOS Chair with (L) Eric Laliberté, Director General, Space Utilization, Canadian Space Agency and outgoing CEOS Chair, and (R) UK Space Agency CEO Dr Paul Bate.
The UK Space Agency’s role as CEOS Chair will be to oversee the activities of CEOS and ensure it is achieving the objectives of its work plan. The UK Space Agency has proposed four priorities to champion data-driven solutions for major global challenges over the 12-month period as Chair, within the theme of ‘Unlocking Earth Observation for Society’:
Using Earth observation to improve public services.
Increasing use of space data in the Global Stocktakes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Supporting development of Methane emissions measurement best-practices.
Inspiring the next generation through a new ‘CEOS in Schools’ initiative.
As Chair, an early task will be to represent CEOS on the global stage and promote its goals and objectives, starting at next month’s COP-29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and continuing throughout 2025.
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said:
For 40 years, CEOS has been uniting the global community to champion the transformative potential of satellites and Earth Observation.
I’m proud to be chairing this globally-valued committee and will use the next year to demonstrate how, by working together across borders, we can harness space technology for the benefit of our societies, our shared environment, and our economies.
Unlocking EO for Public Service
The UK will create opportunities for CEOS’ agencies to share their national perspectives and explore how to bridge the gap between data and public sector services, including hosting a workshop in September 2025 ahead of the UK’s CEOS Plenary 2025, in Bath, Somerset in November. This supports work to get Earth observation tools and information embedded it on UK public sector policies at the national and local scale.
Éric Laliberté, CEOS Chair 2024 on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency said:
We congratulate the UK Space Agency on assuming the chairmanship role and are committed to ensuring that data-driven decisions pave the way for increasingly sustainable practices.
Together, we are advancing the role of satellite Earth observation in creating sustainable solutions for the future of our societies and natural environments.
Unlocking EO for the Global Stocktake
The Global Stocktake of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a process for evaluating progress on climate action at a global level and identifying gaps. Over the next 12 months, the UK will work closely with Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, and the CEOS working group on Climate to study lessons learned from the previous Global Stocktake. The aim is to refine CEOS strategies to enhance the use of Earth observation data in the next Global stock-take for global climate action.
Professor John Remedios, NCEO Director, said:
The National Centre for Earth Observation is very pleased to see the UK taking on leadership on the world stage. The UK is able to contribute world-leading capability and methods in Earth Observation to the global community.
Through this role in CEOS, the UK will be able to support the important collaborative efforts that agencies need to achieve to meet the challenges of climate and of resilience with commitment, rigour and Earth intelligence. We are delighted to be supporting the UK Space Agency in its delegation with scientific advice and connectivity to the leading research in environmental science.
Methane Best-Practices
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a warming potential approximately ~80 times higher than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Reducing methane emissions is the quickest way to mitigate acute climate risks and is crucial for maintaining the 1.5-degree target. At COP26 in Glasgow, 158 countries committed to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
The CEOS Greenhouse Gas Task Team is developing best practices for space-based methane measurements, which are crucial for addressing climate change.
This work, which is co-led by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is developing a set of agreed accurate, transparent and trusted best practices for reporting Methane emissions at the facility scale. The UK Space Agency will promote the uptake of these best practices on a global scale, focusing on the Global Methane Pledge to unlock the potential of space-based solutions and support the UK’s commitment to reduce methane emissions.
Ally Barker, Vice-chair of the UKspace Trade Association’s EO Committee said:
This is an opportune time for the UK to demonstrate its leadership in Earth observation on the global stage. UK industry looks forward to working closely with the UK Space Agency as it takes on the Chair of CEOS to maximise the societal and economic benefits of EO for the UK and the world.
CEOS in Schools
The UK Space Agency is set to pilot a CEOS mechanism aimed at inspiring the next generation. This initiative will demonstrate to students, aged 14-16, how satellite Earth Observation is used to address global issues such as climate change, environmental protection, and disaster management, while also allowing those students to experience the power of international collaboration.
The programme will put experts into schools to bring the topics of climate and space to life and then bring students together from across the world for online workshops to discuss the topics with their peers. The programme will culminate in the first CEOS Youth Summit where students will have the opportunity to present and discuss their work with senior Earth observation experts, giving young people a voice in CEOS.
Met Office Services Director Simon Brown said:
It’s an exciting time for the UK to take up this prestigious role in CEOS. Earth observations are at the heart of us delivering world leading weather and climate services and we are proud of the observations we get through the collaboration of European member states at EUMETSAT and underpinned by national and ESA Missions.
Access to Earth observations is changing and I look forward to working closely with UK Space Agency team to grow, influence and be part of the changing space endeavour to advance Earth observations to protect us from weather extremes.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Ms Susannah Goshko CMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United Mexican States
Ms Susannah Goshko
Ms Susannah Goshko CMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United Mexican States. Ms Goshko will take up her appointment during November 2024.
Curriculum vitae
Full name: Susannah Clare Goshko
2021 to present
Ottawa, British High Commissioner
2019 to 2021
FCDO, Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State
2018 to 2019
FCO, Deputy Director, National Security Directorate
2017 to 2018
DEXEU, Deputy Director for Withdrawal Issues
2013 to 2017
Washington, First Secretary (Political) later Political Counsellor
2010 to 2013
Nairobi, First Secretary (Economic) and Permanent Representative to United Nations Environment Programme
As part of the Energy of Moscow project, the first powerful 150 kW fast charging stations have been installed in Moscow. Charging an electric car at these stations takes an average of 30 minutes.
According to Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry Maxim Liksutov, almost 250 charging stations operate in the capital as part of the Energy of Moscow project. Two new stations with a capacity of 150 kW are located at the following addresses: Denezhny Pereulok, 8-10 and Vozdvizhenka Street, 10.
We have installed the first 150 kW charging stations, the charging time of which is about 30 minutes. By 2030, the number of charging stations in Moscow will increase to 30,000. We will also install taxi and car sharing hubs with the ability to simultaneously charge 10-15 cars. We thank all our operators for their work, which allows us to develop a network of charging stations in the city. We strive to make the capital one of the world leaders in the use of electric transport. This task was set by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, – added Maxim Liksutov.
The new stations have the ability to charge 2 cars simultaneously and are equipped with GB/T and CCS Combo 2 connectors for the most popular models of electric cars.
Using the Moscow Transport app, you can find a free station, plot a route to it, and book a charging session.
As part of the Energy of Moscow project, about 250 free electric vehicle charging stations (FEVCS) have been installed in the capital. Electric vehicle owners are exempt from paying transport tax and can park for free throughout the city.
Since the launch of the first Energy of Moscow charging station in March 2021, electric vehicle owners have completed more than 640,000 charging sessions. All stations are located in places where city residents spend the most time – near shopping and business centers, parks, residential buildings, cafes and shops.
According to plans, by 2030, 30,000 EVS will appear in the capital, and the number of electric vehicles in Moscow will increase to 320,000 – 7% of the total number of cars. In addition, hubs for taxis and car sharing will be installed with the ability to simultaneously charge 10-15 cars.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 24) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 4 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million.
A 29-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Penang, Malaysia, yesterday. During Customs clearance, the batch of suspected methamphetamine was found concealed in the false compartment of her check-in suitcase. The female was subsequently arrested.
An investigation is ongoing.
Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Some 85 innovative net-zero projects around Europe are to receive €4.8 billion in grants from the EU’s Innovation Fund. The projects will be up and running before 2030 and are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 476 million tonnes within the first 10 years of operation.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services
The Health Insurance Marketplace®[1] Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov runs from November 1 to January 15. Consumers who select a plan by midnight December 15 (5 a.m. EST on December 16) can get full-year coverage that starts January 1, 2025. Consumers who select a plan after December 15, 2024, but before the deadline in January 2025, can have coverage that starts February 1, 2025.
The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.
Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
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Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, deputy commanding general of I Corps, gives a speech during the 80th anniversary of the Leyte Landing celebration in Palo, Leyte, Philippines, on Oct. 20, 2024. The event commemorated the historic Leyte Landing on Oct. 20, 1944, which liberated the Philippines during World War II.
About the U.S. Army:
The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.
Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L
Connect with the U.S. Army online:
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Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The latest weekly flu surveillance data published by UKHSA today shows flu case numbers are twice as high among school children, aged 5 to 14 years.
As of 22 October (week 42), influenza positivity – the rate of laboratory confirmed flu cases – among school children aged 5 to 14 years is higher than any other age group, at a weekly average positivity rate of 5.7% compared with a whole population weekly average of 2.5%.
All school-aged children, up to and including year 11, are eligible for a free nasal spray flu vaccine. The spray, delivered through local NHS School Immunisation Teams, is quick and painless. The vaccine usually produces a better immune response in children and evidence from last year’s flu season shows strong effectiveness for children in England with a 54% reduction in hospitalisation for those between 2 and 17 years of age.
Delivery of the flu vaccine in schools started in early September and the local Immunisation Teams will move from school to school across their region throughout October and November, with school vaccination sessions completed by mid-December. It’s important that parents do sign and return the consent forms on time. In some areas this will now be sent digitally to make consent easier.
Last year saw a sudden increase in the number of people having to be hospitalised, due to a flu peak in the week leading up to Christmas and then again at the end of January. So even getting a vaccination in November will protect children for the usual peak flu season in December and January, and also importantly help stop them spreading the virus to others who are more vulnerable, such as grandparents or baby brothers and sisters.
If your child has missed out on getting their flu vaccine at school, there will be further opportunities to get vaccinated, potentially at NHS community clinics. The school immunisation team will be able to provide further details. For children in a clinical risk group who have missed out, it is possible to make an appointment for the vaccine at your GP surgery.
Younger children, aged 2 years (before the flu vaccination seasons starts on 1 September) and all 3 year olds, are also able to receive a flu vaccine from their GP surgery.
To help reduce the impact of winter viruses on those most at risk, as well as ease NHS winter pressures, UKHSA – with Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England – has launched a scaled-up Get Winter Strong campaign. The campaign is currently running on broadcast TV, on demand and community TV, as well as radio channels, outdoor poster sites across England and on social media channels.
The campaign will urge those eligible to get their flu and COVID-19 vaccination when invited, ahead of winter, targeting those at greatest risk.
Flu can be very serious for some younger children and puts many thousands in hospital every year. Maryam Sheiakh, a mother from Manchester, recounts the fear and anxiety she went through 2 years ago, when her then 4 year-old daughter, Saffy, spent more than a week at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after being admitted with flu, suffering with a severe cough and high temperature. She was transferred to a High Dependency Unit as she was struggling to breathe and needed oxygen. Maryam said:
I was seriously concerned we might lose Saffy. I honestly thought she might die from this. I was so distraught watching her struggling to breathe day after day, worried about her breathing difficulties and getting oxygen to the brain – would she be the same little girl before she got ill?
Thanks to the NHS staff, Saffy made a full recovery and, now aged 6, is thriving. Maryam, a nursery teacher, is now urging all parents to vaccinate their children to ensure they have the best protection against flu:
Just go and get it, don’t take the risk. No parent wants to watch their child suffer like we did with Saffy.
Dr Suzanna McDonald, Flu Vaccination Programme Lead at the UKHSA, said:
This week’s data shows that while flu remains at low levels, it is highest among school children. Children’s immune systems respond well to flu vaccines, which for most children is given as a quick and painless nasal spray in school, helping to give them good protection as winter approaches. Flu season can often peak around late December, so getting your children vaccinated now will help ensure flu doesn’t ruin their and your family’s Christmas – as the vaccine will also help stop them spreading the virus.
Parents should ensure they sign and return their vaccination consent forms so your children don’t miss out. But if they have missed the opportunity at school, you should still be able get them vaccinated at a community clinic. Flu can be a very nasty illness for anyone and every year thousands of children do end up in hospital. Nobody wants this for their child, so please ensure they get their flu vaccine on time.
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening said:
Today’s data is a stark reminder of how easily viruses can spread in schools – especially during the colder months when students are more likely to gather indoors – but vaccination is one of the best ways to stop the spread and help prevent yourself and others from getting sick this winter.
Despite delivering almost 10 million flu vaccines to all eligible groups since kicking off this year’s Autumn campaign, it’s still as important as ever to ensure your child is protected as winter approaches.
NHS staff continue to ensure getting vaccinated is as quick and convenient as possible – by visiting schools across the country to deliver jabs or providing the painless flu nasal spray in ‘Bluey’ themed children’s vaccine clinics – all to help avoid the growing risk of a tripledemic this winter as pressures on NHS services are increased.
Latest NHS data published this week shows there has been 9,641,272 flu vaccinations delivered so far this Autumn – with 1,337,530 given to school aged children and 321,678 to children aged 2 and 3.
