BOSTON, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — QuEra Computing, the leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, today announced that on September 6th, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to strengthen their collaboration towards the advancement and industrialization of quantum technology. This agreement builds on an April 2024 contract, under which QuEra will deliver a state-of-the-art quantum computer to Japan, installed on-premises alongside AIST’s NVIDIA-powered ABCI-Q supercomputer.
As part of this new collaboration, QuEra will establish and operate a cloud-based platform, providing remote access to the quantum computer for researchers, collaborators, and external users. This platform will seamlessly integrate with AIST’s high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, including the ABCI-Q supercomputer.
The collaboration will promote the development of a hybrid environment between ABCI-Q, a function of Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT) and QuEra Computing’s neutral atom quantum computer. Additionally, the applicability of optical materials and components necessary for the hardware development of next generation neutral atom quantum computers will be tested. This effort aims not only to scale up and enhance the performance of quantum computers but also to standardize processes to strengthen future supply chains.
As the demand for the industrialization of quantum technology continues to grow, the enhanced cooperation between the two institutions is expected to lead to new technological advancements and market creation.
About QuEra QuEra Computing is the leader in developing and productizing quantum computers using neutral atoms, widely recognized as a highly promising quantum computing modality. Based in Boston and built on pioneering research from Harvard University and MIT, QuEra operates the world’s largest publicly accessible quantum computer, available over a major public cloud and for on-premises delivery. QuEra is developing useful, scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computers to tackle classically intractable problems, becoming the partner of choice in the quantum field. Simply put, QuEra is the best way to quantum. For more information, visit us at quera.com and follow us on X or LinkedIn.
About AIST The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the country’s largest public research organizations. AIST dedicates itself to bridging innovative technological seeds with commercial applications, enhancing industry and societal welfare.
Media Contact Merrill Freund press@quera.com +1-415-577-8637
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 25 — Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with representatives of the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) in Beijing on Friday.
Noting that China’s economic operation is stable overall and making progress, Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the country is speeding up the implementation of a package of incremental policies, as it strives to achieve its annual economic and social development targets.
He highlighted the ever-growing development momentum driven by reform and innovation, which serves to promote China’s steady and long-term economic development.
China always firmly supports economic globalization and will open its door only wider to the world, according to Ding, who also said that the country is willing to share the fruits of development with the world.
Ding expressed hope that the advisors would continue to actively provide suggestions and support the development of China’s economy and education system.
Citing the country’s abundant development opportunities, Apple CEO Tim Cook, chair of the advisory board, said that Apple is willing to expand investment in China — to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.
The advisory board of the Tsinghua SEM was founded in October 2000. Comprised of global business executives, business school deans and renowned scholars, the board aims to help make Tsinghua SEM a world-class school in terms of economics and management, by improving its teaching and research capabilities.
The AEV program provides financial assistance to selected senior enlisted personnel to complete post-secondary, Navy-relevant degrees through off-duty education.
“The AEV program supports the continued educational development of senior enlisted leaders as part of the Navy’s seasoned team of naval warriors,” said Albert Sharlow, NETC AEV program manager. “The program provides the Navy’s chief, senior chief and master chief petty officers a platform to pursue higher education that makes them more effective leaders with varied sets of knowledge, skills and experiences to operate, sustain and maintain an edge in today’s rapidly changing security environment.”
Who is eligible?
Applicants must be top performing active-duty senior enlisted personnel (E-7 to E-9) who are transferring to or currently on shore duty with sufficient time ashore to complete a master’s degree program. Applicants on sea duty may apply provided they submit an education plan that shows the ability to complete the degree program as specified above.
For FY24, applicants must have already earned a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher learning accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education.
How many quotas are available?
The AEV program has seven quotas for master’s degrees available for FY26.
What Navy-relevant degrees are included in the AEV program?
Degrees considered for the master’s program include, but not limited to the below examples: • Emergency and Disaster Management • Human Resources • Project Management • Engineering and Technology • Systems Analysis • Information Technology • Homeland Defense and Security • Leadership and Management • Business Administration • Education and Training Management
The NETC AEV program manager must validate degree programs other than those listed above as a Navy-relevant degree.
How much funding does the Navy provide? For FY26, AEV Program participants will receive funds for tuition, books, and related fees for completion of their master’s degree with funding limits set at a maximum of $20,000 per fiscal year for up to 24 months from the date of signing a letter of acceptance, not to exceed $40,000 total program cost.
When does the program begin?
Applicants should be available to commence their studies in the 2025 fall term (after Oct. 1, 2025).
Is there a service obligation?
Participants shall agree to remain on active duty for a period equal to three times the number of months of education completed or three years, whichever is less.
What is the submission deadline?
Applications should be e-mailed to the program manager by May 5, 2025.
Where can I get additional information on the program?
• Visit the AEV information page on the Navy College Program’s website at https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/sailors/additional-funding-and-programs • Contact Albert Sharlow, NETC N525, (850) 452-7271 or DSN 459-7271 albert.r.sharlow.civ@us.navy.mil
NETC recruits, trains and delivers those who serve our nation, taking them from “street to fleet,” by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat-ready warfighters.
For more information about NETC, visit the command’s website at https://www.netc.navy.mil/ and follow the command’s social media: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NETCHQ, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/netc_hq, X at https://twitter.com/NETC_HQ and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/netchq/.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont; U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (2nd-CT); Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment Meredith Berger; and, Commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Rear Admiral Carl Lahti, participated in the event near the base’s Power Plant on the SUBASE waterfront.
“For the Navy, and all military services, October is Energy Action Month, and SUBASE could not be prouder of our ‘energy actions’ today,” said Captain Kenneth M. Curtin Jr., 53rd Commanding Officer of Naval Submarine Base New London, who served as Master of Ceremonies. “Our micro-grid at SUBASE is the first of its kind in the entire Navy to support such a complex electrical infrastructure. And in the parlance of the fall sports season, it’s a ‘game-changer.’” Curtin noted that while the base’s award winning Galley fuels the Sailors at the base, energy fuels everything else, from the high-tech trainers and their associated computer systems at the Naval Submarine School on the base, to the Submarines moored at the base’s waterfront, dependent on shore power when in port. The SUBASE Micro-grid enhances the base’s power diversification and transforms its electrical infrastructure into a more intelligent, flexible, and robust system. SUBASE benefits not only from automated data gathering and precise peak demand control, but also from the ability to seamlessly disconnect from the public utility grid during an interruption or loss in power, and efficiently dispatch on-site power generation to mission critical loads. The State of Connecticut; the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC); FuelCell Energy Incorporated, headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut; NORESCO, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts; Groton Utilities; and, a number of area and local contractors and subcontractors have been crucial contributors ensuring SUBASE reached this milestone. “We are playing a small role in making this base a little more resilient,” said Lamont. “This is what it’s all about. Whether it is a weather event or a bad actor, the lights will stay on at our Navy base.” Assistant Secretary of the Navy Berger thanked the State and partners, who through community and commercial partnerships, brought SUBASE’s energy resiliency to fruition. “What we are charged with under Secretary [of the Navy] Del Toro’s leadership is to strengthen our maritime dominance, strengthen our people, and to strengthen our partnerships; and what we do here today does all three,” said Berger. The completion of the comprehensive Micro-grid project reflects more than $235M invested in assuring the energy reliability, security, and resiliency of SUBASE. Lahti, as the then 50th Commanding Officer of SUBASE, was “the architect moving the initiative from the kernel of an idea, to the growth of the foundational concept, and the development of long range plans and milestones,” said Curtin. Pulling them from a folder, Lahti showed the audience the nearly decade old, proof of concept and long range plans. He noted that he had carried those initial documents about the “dream” of a micro-grid at SUBASE to each of his successive commands, and he was proud that the dream had finally become reality. “We invest in the base to create the most combat ready Submarines that we can and to train the Submarine Force,” said Lahti, outlining that utilities are part of the foundation that supports combat forces. Energy expenses are the single largest cost for Navy installations. Utilities costs are some 38 percent of the Navy’s shore budget. Cost savings created ashore free up dollars that can be used in the Fleet to support operations and improve the tactical performance of forces. Energy Reduction and Resiliency Projects under Lahti and his successors at the base, not only resulted in annual operating cost savings of nearly $1.2 million a year, but also laid the foundation for the ultimate micro-grid completion and success. CMEEC’s and FuelCell Energy’s Fuel Cell Park, on leased land at the base, provides energy to the public grid in normal operations, but provides SUBASE with the first right to its 7.4MW of on-site power generation during an interruption or loss in power at the base. The State and NORESCO’s efforts established 10.75MW of power generation in the base’s Power Plant thru a Combined Heat & Power system supported by two new generators and high efficiency boilers. All these elements, connected thru NORESCO’s installation of cyber secure controls, fast load shedding, and ‘islanding’ capabilities within the base Power Plant, assure SUBASE’s micro-grid energy resiliency. “The First and Finest Submarine Base will not rest on its laurels. We are excited by a grant from the DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation in the amount of $939K in Installation Resilience funding. These funds should allow for our partners to design updated power, water and gas feeds for SUBASE. So, SUBASE’s energy future looks very bright indeed!” concluded Curtin.
New research led by ARU finds barriers prevent everyone enjoying nature equally
New research indicates that UK adults experience less of a connection with nature than adults from most other countries, ranking 59th out of 65 national groups surveyed.
The study, which includes data from 56,968 adults aged between 18 and 99, also found that levels of connection with nature are associated with several socioeconomic and demographic factors across countries.
Led by Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the study involved over 250 academics from over 60 countries and is published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
The UK was ranked 59th out of 65 on the Connectedness to Nature Scale, which asks participants to rate statements, such as “I often feel a sense of oneness with the natural world around me”, “I have a deep understanding of how my actions affect the natural world”, and “I often feel part of the web of life”.
Data for some countries was separated into different languages – for example English and French responses from Canada – providing 65 national groups. Nepal, Iran, and South Africa were the top three nations, while Israel (63rd), Japan (64th), and Spain (65th) were at the bottom of the rankings.
The UK scored better on the Nature Exposure Scale, which measures people’s contact with nature around their home and work, their recreational visits, and their nature awareness.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Lithuania were the leading three countries, with the top 10 nations on the Nature Exposure Scale all European, with the exception of French-speaking Canadians. The UK was 31st out of 65, and the bottom three nations were Lebanon, South Korea and, finally, Brazil.
Across all nations, the study found that women reported both higher nature connectedness and greater nature exposure than men, consistent with previous research showing that women overall tend to have greater environmental concern and empathy with nature. Both connectedness to nature and nature exposure scores also increased with age, which is possibly linked to older adults having more time and opportunities to engage with nature.
Taking results from the two measures together, greater nature exposure and connectedness to nature scores were both linked to socioeconomic factors. Higher scores were significantly associated with greater financial security, living in a rural location, a higher level of education, being in a committed relationship, and being in a racial majority in that particular country.
Lead author Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“Spending time in a natural environment can provide a number of really important benefits.
“My previous research has shown how being in green spaces, ‘blue’ environments, such as by rivers or the coast, and even snowy landscapes can improve different facets of psychological well-being and mental health, and of course there are physical health benefits from spending time outdoors in nature.
“The evidence that being in nature is good for you is undeniable, but crucially this new study shows that exposure to nature and levels of connectedness to nature are not enjoyed equally by different nations or across different social groups.
“The significant associations with financial wealth, being better educated, and being part of the racial majority within a particular country reflects known socioeconomic inequities in terms of lack of access to natural environments. Racial minorities may also experience natural environments differently, for example in terms of a sense of belonging, and this can impact on people’s attitude to nature and their desire to access it.
“Unfortunately, barriers to accessing nature exist in countries across the world and it is important these barriers are broken down to allow people from all backgrounds to access and enjoy the benefits of natural spaces.”
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 24, the State University of Management held the first training in entrepreneurial competencies as part of a large-scale project of the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.
The opening was given by the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroev, who spoke about the importance of entrepreneurial skills in the modern world.
“The State University of Management closely cooperates with the Ministry of Economic Development in the field of entrepreneurship development. In particular, it is the operator of the “My Good Business” competition, within the framework of which it works with all “My Business” centers in the country. Also this year we are holding entrepreneurial shifts in children’s recreation centers. One was already in “Okean”, there will be one in “Artek” and “Orlyonok”.
The entrepreneurial competencies that you will receive today at the training will not only help in your studies and project activities, but will also increase your competitiveness in the labor market,” Vladimir Vitalievich noted.
More than 80 students of the State University of Management came to the Information Technology Center for a business intensive. The training was conducted by an accredited trainer of the Russian Venture Company, Liliana Banis, and the CEO of VR Concept, Denis Zakharkin.
The meeting participants learned how ideas for innovative products are formed, got acquainted with the principles of project management, discussed real market cases, learned how to form a business plan and determine the role of technology in a project. The theoretical block was devoted to studying the algorithm for creating a startup with practical tasks after each stage.
In addition, in just a few hours, students learned to identify market trends and resources needed for business development, identify client segments, target audiences and their needs.
The training ended with a final pitch, where future entrepreneurs learned to present their startups to potential investors in two minutes. The projects prepared under the guidance of the trainers turned out to be completely different – from software for optimizing traffic to a dating service based on musical preferences.
All participants were given certificates of completion of the training, which will give them a starting point when applying for the Student Startup competition, and the most active students received memorable gifts and prizes from the organizers.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/25/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Dmitry Chernyshenko visited Ulyanovsk State University – a participant of the Priority-2030 program
October 25, 2024
Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov during an inspection of the youth laboratory of Ulyanovsk State University – a participant in the Priority-2030 program
October 25, 2024
Visit to Ulyanovsk State University – participant of the Priority-2030 program
October 25, 2024
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Dmitry Chernyshenko visited Ulyanovsk State University – a participant of the Priority-2030 program
Universities participating in the Priority 2030 program have concluded more than 6,000 contracts worth 62 billion rubles with industrial partners. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, commenting on the implementation of the largest program for the development of Russian universities.
“Universities participating in the Priority 2030 program have actively joined in solving problems aimed at ensuring our country’s technological leadership, one of the national goals outlined by President Vladimir Putin. Thus, they are building and strengthening partnerships with enterprises in the real sector. Over two and a half years, more than 420 consortiums have been created within the program, uniting universities, research organizations, and businesses. More than 6,000 agreements have been concluded with industrial partners for a total of more than 62 billion rubles. This joint work is aimed at conducting research, creating new technologies and products, and improving production processes,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Examples of the consortium’s successful work include a joint project of MSTU Stankin, the A.A. Blagonravov Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Professor N.E. Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, SPbGMTU, Roscosmos State Corporation, Rosneft Oil Company, Shvabe, Mil and Kamov Scientific and Production Center, Technological Center, and USC. Together, the university, research institutes, and businesses are working to create and implement technologies in mechanical engineering.
The most important task of Priority 2030 is to train highly qualified personnel to meet economic demands, noted the head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov.
“Within the framework of Priority 2030, network programs are actively developing, which imply the organization of training using the resources of several universities, with the participation of representatives of the real sector of the economy. This is an effective tool for improving the quality of training specialists in the regions. Since 2021, more than 380 network educational programs have been operating,” he said.
As an example of such work, the Minister cited the program of the Transbaikal State University and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which jointly train personnel for the mining industry. Students undergo practical training at the facilities of one of the country’s leading gold mining companies, Highland Gold, which was the initiator and partner of the track.
Another successful example is the first program for artificial intelligence researchers in Russia, which was launched this year, combining the expertise of four of the strongest universities and the experience of high-tech companies. We are talking about the course prepared by ITMO, MIPT, HSE and Innopolis University together with Yandex and Sber. Its main difference is its focus on developing new fundamental models, architecture and machine learning algorithms. In the future, these guys will be at the forefront of new technologies.
Also, within the framework of the Priority-2030 program, over 500 laboratories equipped with modern full-cycle equipment have been created to train strong specialists. For example, the St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation has an aerospace micromechanics laboratory, which trains students in the field of design and testing of micromechanical devices that solve aerospace navigation problems. The equipment can be used to carry out research and development work at the request of industrial partners.
Universities participating in Priority 2030 are talking about some of their developments at the PriorityFest2024 festival, which is taking place on October 24–25 at MGIMO.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Christina Lynn Morris (46, Plant City) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Morris has also agreed to forfeit $293,202, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to court documents, Morris worked as a Fiscal and Business Analyst for a public research university (University) with multiple campuses in the Middle District of Florida. She also served as President for a charitable organization (Association) based in the Middle District of Florida. From July 2021 through July 2023, Morris used her positions with the University and the Association to embezzle more than $290,000. Specifically, Morris used her University credit card as well as credit cards issued to other University employees, and the Association’s business bank accounts to conduct unapproved, non-business transactions at various companies, including for the repeated bulk purchase of gift cards.
Further, Morris used the Association’s tax-exempt status to avoid paying sales tax for items purchased with the gift cards and embezzled funds. To make the unapproved, non-business transactions appear legitimate and to prevent her fraud scheme from being discovered, Morris created and submitted falsified documents and made false attestations to the University, and withheld material information from the Association. During the scheme, Morris conducted hundreds of transactions in the manner described above, causing losses of $261,632.17 to the University and $31,569.87 to the Association.
This investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the use of official languages in Canada and to ensuring that Canadians have access to information in the language of their choice. Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, announced a new partnership agreement between the Translation Bureau and Laval University to create a microprogram in interpretation. The goal of this partnership is to help bolster the number of accredited interpreters in Canada, many of whom provide services to Parliament and to Government of Canada departments and agencies.
October 25, 2024 – Québec, Quebec – Public Services and Procurement Canada
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the use of official languages in Canada and to ensuring that Canadians have access to information in the language of their choice.
Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, announced a new partnership agreement between the Translation Bureau and Laval University to create a graduate microprogram in interpretation. The goal of this partnership is to help bolster the number of accredited interpreters in Canada, many of whom provide services to Parliament and to Government of Canada departments and agencies.
The Translation Bureau is looking for ways to address the shortage of interpreters in Canada. The new program announced today will be launched in September 2025 and consist of 12 credits in interpretation.
This partnership will allow the Translation Bureau and Laval University to collaborate closely on training students and recruiting interpreters, as well as carrying out research and activities focused on the future of the profession.
The Translation Bureau will support Laval University by:
offering the services of at least 2 interpreters who will assist with 2 of the program courses
offering students opportunities for learning in the workplace
inviting students who complete the program to take part in the Translation Bureau’s accreditation exam
making graduating students aware of job openings with the Translation Bureau
Quotes
“This partnership between the Translation Bureau and Laval University is an important part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting the use of official languages and addressing the shortage of interpreters in Canada. This program will help grow the number of accredited interpreters across the country and allow the Translation Bureau to continue offering high-quality services to Parliament, the Government of Canada and all Canadians.”
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant
“Canadians from coast to coast to coast deserve access to reliable information in the official language of their choice. That’s why today we’re partnering with the Translation Bureau and Laval University to create a new microprogram to train interpreters. This will create new well-paying jobs across Canada and ensure that our official languages are spoken, shared and translated for everyone to enjoy.”
The Honourable Randy Boissonnault Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages
“The creation of this innovative microprogram responds to a societal need: the training of high-level interpreters, ready to evolve in a booming field. I am delighted with this promising partnership between Université Laval and the Government of Canada’s Translation Bureau.”
Caroline Senécal Associate Vice-Rector, Academic and Student Affairs at Université Laval
“Interpretation in Canada is of prime importance, both for the proper functioning of institutions and for good understanding between communities. Students are always looking for more profound training to meet the challenges of the working world. I’m convinced that this graduate microprogram will meet contemporary needs as well as the aspirations of the student community.”
Louis Jolicoeur Full professor and director of graduate programs in translation, Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines, Université Laval.
Quick facts
The Translation Bureau is a federal institution within the Public Services and Procurement Canada portfolio. It supports the Government of Canada in serving and communicating with Canadians in both official languages, and in Indigenous, foreign and sign languages.
There are 2 other universities in Canada that offer degree programs in interpretation: the University of Ottawa and Glendon College at York University.
The Translation Bureau has 64 full-time equivalent employees providing official language interpretation services.
The Translation Bureau also uses the services of freelance interpreters to provide interpretation services to Parliament and to federal government departments and agencies.
Twice a year, the Translation Bureau holds an accreditation exam for interpreters, usually in the spring and fall.
Associated links
Contacts
Mathis Denis Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos 343-573-1846 mathis.denis@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
On October 3rd, Sciences Po hosted a major event celebrating Africa’s rich heritage and vibrant innovations. On the occasion of the Francophonie Summit and in partnership with the French-African Foundation, AFRICA Day gathered 600 participants to imagine a future where African excellence shines on the global stage.
The day began at the Élysée Palace, where the next generation of African leaders engaged in a discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron. Following this, Arancha Gonzalez, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), and founding partner Nachouat Meghouar, Director General of the French-African Foundation, welcomed participants at Sciences Po and officially launched the first edition of the AFRICA Day which was supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, UM6P-Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Jeune Afrique magazine, Concerto, OCP Group, and Boston Consulting Group.
Throughout the day and in over 15 sessions, participants had the privilege to directly engage with more than 40 speakers and influential leaders from the continent on topics related to economics and finance, technology, development, climate change, security, entrepreneurship and creative industries. Further program details can be found at theafricaday.com.
For the final plenary session, Mohamed Ould El Ghazouani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union, stressed how stability was necessary to Africa’s development and prosperity.
The day concluded with a memorable concert by Congolese artist Fally Ipupa, bringing together students and partners in celebration of the diverse voices and vibrant culture of the African continent.
This successful event was made possible by the dedication and enthusiasm of our many student volunteers who made sure the day went smoothly.
AFRICA Day was also a demonstration of Sciences Po’s strong commitment to Africa. We are proud to be one of Europe’s universities with the most active network of partner institutions in Africa. We also offer many academic programs and research dedicated to the continent. PSIA notably offers targeted courses through the African Studies concentration.
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee today released the agenda for its meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The meeting will include a discussion of how venture capital fund managers are raising capital, including the limits of arm’s length fundraising and challenges facing emerging fund managers. Members of the public can watch the live meeting via webcast on www.sec.gov.
The committee, which provides advice and recommendations to the Commission on rules, regulations, and policy matters relating to small businesses, will continue its exploration of ways to expand early-stage capital raising by focusing on how certain fund managers, including emerging fund managers and diverse fund managers, are accessing capital. Committee members will hear from Professor Sabrina Howell, from the New York University Stern School of Business, who will present her upcoming academic paper that examines venture capital fund manager use of relationship-based versus arm’s length public advertising approaches to fund-raising. Professor Howell will discuss the advantages and challenges of public advertising for traditionally underrepresented managers.
Staff members from the SEC’s Division of Investment Management will provide a brief overview of the registration framework applicable to private fund advisers and their funds, including those exemptions from the registration requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, which may be relied upon by emerging fund managers.
The committee will discuss the challenges that emerging fund managers report facing when seeking to raise investment funds and will hear from Karen Kerr, PhD, Board Member and Charter Class, Kauffman Fellows and Managing Director, Exposition Ventures, about how new fund managers can be supported and promoted through fellowship programs. As part of this discussion, the committee will explore ways to address some of the challenges facing emerging fund managers and consider whether regulatory or other solutions could be undertaken to further support these fund managers and the early-stage companies in which these managers invest.
The full agenda, meeting materials, and information on how to watch the meeting are available on the committee webpage.
Every year, five hours west of Mexico City on Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, residents flock to the island of Janitzio to visit the graves of their departed relatives.
On the evening of Nov. 1, the Noche de animas, or Night of the Souls in Purgatory, families will bring a meal to share with their ancestors. They will also use the time to clean the graves and decorate them with elaborate displays of candles and marigolds. Some will spend the night sleeping among the tombstones.
In Mexico City, parades will feature people in colorful customs with large skull masks while skull-shaped floats move through the streets to the rhythm of Aztec drums. Marigolds, skull-painted faces and swishing skirts will fill the downtown from the main square of the Zócalo to Bellas Artes, the Palace of Fine Arts.
This vibrant scene reflects the blending of Indigenous, European and specifically Mexican customs that define Day of the Dead celebrations today.
As a scholar of colonial Mexico, I study how Indigenous people have maintained their traditions despite the Spanish invasion. Whereas scholars once thought that these cultures simply blended – a phenomenon called syncretism – researchers today understand more about how Indigenous people intentionally deliberated about which of their own traditions to continue, and how.
Celebrations for the dead had an important place in Indigenous cultures before the Spanish came. But, as historian James Lockhart explained, the Spanish, in their attempts to impose their religion and customs, often did not recognize what was most important to local cultures. As long as Indigenous celebrations for the dead did not contradict Spanish preaching, they could go unnoticed.
Indigenous choices
The immediate effects of the Spanish invasion brought hard choices for Indigenous people. Most of the Indigenous deaths of the conquest came not by the sword, but by epidemic diseases such as smallpox and salmonella, for which the native population had no natural immunity. In the 16th century, whole towns depopulated, and people needed to decide where they would go to find the best opportunities.
After the Spanish came, around Lake Pátzcuaro, displaced families suffering the effects of European illnesses and the deaths of family members moved to cities and towns. On the shores of the lake and on the island of Janitzio, they continued their customs of sharing harvest produce with the dead.
Setting aside time to care for the tombs of the dead became a yearly observance during the colonial period. After independence from Spain in 1821, a series of state decrees in Michoacán even encouraged residents to honor the war heroes buried on Janitzio.
Since the island had already been sacred for hundreds of years, it was a logical site for the veneration of the new heroes of Mexican independence. So, patriotism strengthened the Indigenous tradition of honoring the dead, which was already underway.
How Indigenous practices survived
In Mexico City, colonial policies also ironically allowed Indigenous practices to survive. Before the Spanish came, the Aztecs displayed thousands of skulls of sacrificial victims on a skull rack, called the tzompantli.
The Aztecs honored many of their sacrificial victims before these rituals with days of feasting, fine clothes, luxury lodging and other pleasures. Each year, during the festival of Miccailhuitontli, the “little feast of the dead” in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, children were ritually killed. In the tenth month, it was the adults who were sacrificed during the festival of Huey Miccailhuitl, “great feast of the dead.”
Although Spanish military invaders suppressed these celebrations, they also unintentionally gave the newly colonized Aztecs ways to combine their beliefs with Christian celebrations.
Franciscans and other religious orders who followed brought the medieval rituals of religious theater and processions as part of their efforts to convert the local people. Both of these highly public medieval practices gathered large numbers of spectators, as Aztec rituals had done before the invasion.
The Indigenous actors in these plays, themselves recent converts, portrayed pageants during Christmas, Holy Week and other observances.
While the friars did not plan to draw on Indigenous beliefs, these religious plays had parallels with the preconquest Aztec practice of deity impersonation. For example, before the Spanish came, in the festival of Toxcatl the Aztecs would dress up a specially chosen prisoner as their deity of divination Tezcatlipoca. The impersonator danced and paraded through the city on his way to be sacrificed atop the main temple.
When Catholic religious theater came to the city, local actors continued to take on the persona they represented to such a degree that one local actor even hanged himself after portraying Judas in a Passion play.
Over time, taking cues from the “mascaradas” – the large, papier-mâché heads of Spanish processions and festivals – Day of the Dead began featuring enormous, colorful skulls parading through the streets, just feet away from where the Aztecs once displayed human skulls.
Beyond graves
Besides the usually cited All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and 2, more covert European elements have influenced Day of the Dead practices. One of these is the belief in the soul and an afterlife. Historian Jill McKeever Furst explains that in the Aztec view, only death in battle or during childbirth earned immortality.
Most people went to Mictlan, the Land of the Dead, releasing their vital energy into the universe and ceasing to exist as individuals. Today, depictions of the living interacting with the dead, singing to or talking with them, such as in the movie “Coco,” likely reflect adapted ideas about the afterlife from Christianity, as cultural critic Anise Strong has noted.
European influences have also shaped home altars with their seven or nine levels, representing layers of underworld, Earth and paradise. Research has revealed that many Indigenous communities in what is now Mexico viewed the universe as flat and placed Mictlan far away from the living, rather than below the Earth.
Historians Jesper Nielsen and Toke Reunert have noted that it is likely that Indigenous images of the universe as made of three realms, with a reward in the sky, Earth in the middle, and the world of the dead below, come from Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. Dante’s literature depicts the universe in a vertical fashion – from the heights of heaven, through purgatory, Earth and with abysmal hell at the bottom.
As local people converted, they left horizontal views of the universe and moved toward a positive up and a negative down. The vertical cosmos contrasts with ancestral Indigenous views of the universe as a plane where humans and supernatural beings interacted.
People gather on the island of Janitzio, Mexico, to clean the graves of their deceased loved ones, decorate them with marigolds and bring baskets with offerings for the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Celebrations continue
The island of Janitzio on Lake Pátzcuaro and Mexico City show how Indigenous choices helped their traditions survive despite Spanish influence. In the city of Pátzcuaro, sharing food with the dead during harvests continued alongside All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Meanwhile, in Mexico City, the history of public ritual sacrifice gave way to the religious pageantry of Spain’s Renaissance.
Today, individuals and groups continue to decide how to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Whether it’s about communicating with the dead, letting go, or believing they remain among the living, the holiday’s strength lies in its ability to hold many meanings.
As long as Indigenous, Spanish and modern Mexican customs continue in home rituals and public celebrations of past lives, current lives and cultural heritage, the Day of the Dead will be alive and well.
Ezekiel Stear does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The federal government is investing $348,938 through the Active Transportation Fund to support nine infrastructure projects in the Outaouais region. These projects will increase the safety and accessibility of active transportation in the region, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
The federal government is investing $348,938 through the Active Transportation Fund to support nine infrastructure projects in the Outaouais region. These projects will increase the safety and accessibility of active transportation in the region, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
Project Information:
Recipient
Location
Project Name
Project Details
Funding Stream
Federal Funding
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
City of Gatineau
Awareness campaign to promote active transportation by bicycle in Gatineau
This project aims to encourage recreational cyclists to use bicycles as a means of transportation and educate non-cyclists about the benefits of cycling.
Active Transportation
$50,000
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
City of Gatineau
Plan for bicycle parking areas and “bicibornes” for the City of Gatineau
This project aims to identify locations within the City of Gatineau territory where bicycle parking areas and bicibornes can be installed in order to provide cycling facilities that meet the needs of users and increase the use of bicycles for travel purpose.
Active Transportation
$49,910
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
City of Gatineau
Development of a school transportation plan and methodology for a high school in the City of Gatineau
This project aims to develop a methodology and a school travel plan for the Polyvalente Nicolas-Gatineau in order to make walking and cycling home-to-school safer and more attractive.
Active Transportation
$43,183
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Cœur-des-Vallées School Service Centre
School travel plans for two elementary schools of the Coeur-des-Vallées School Service Centre
This project aims to develop school travel plans for Saint-Michel (Montebello) and Adrien-Guillaume (Chénéville) elementary schools in order to make walking and cycling home-to-school safer and more attractive.
Active Transportation
$15,318
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Hauts-Bois-de-l’Outaouais School Service Centre
Deployment of the “Going to school on foot or by bike, I can do it!” active transportation promotion campaign for the schools of the Centre de services scolaire des Hauts-Bois-de-l’Outaouais
This campaign promotes active transportation for elementary school students aged 5 to 12.
Active Transportation
$49,809
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Hauts-Bois-de-l’Outaouais School Service Centre
School travel plans for five elementary schools and one high school of the Hauts-Bois-de-l’Outaouais School Service Centre
This project aims to develop school travel plans for Poupore (Fort-Coulonge), L’Envolée (Campbell’s Bay),Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur (Isles-aux-Allumettes), Sainte-Anne (Île-du-Grand-Calumet) and Sainte-Marie (Otter Lake) elementary schools as well as for Sieur-de-Coulonge (Mansfield-et-Pontefract) high school in order to make walking and cycling home-to-school safer and more attractive.
Active Transportation
$38,895
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Municipality of Cantley
Development of a local transportation plan for the residents and schools of the Municipality of Cantley
This project aims to develop active transportation in Cantley by improving, modifying or adding infrastructure and facilities for safety, accessibility and the promotion of active transportation.
Active Transportation
$47,495
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Municipality of Chelsea
Development of a local transportation plan for the Municipality of Chelsea
This project aims to develop a local transportation plan for the area around Scott Street in order to develop active transportation in Chelsea.
Active Transportation
$40,365
Centre de gestion des déplacements de l’Outaouais et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Municipality of La Pêche
Deployment of the “Going to school on foot or by bike, I can do it!” active transportation promotion campaign for the schools in La Pêche
This campaign promotes active transportation for elementary school students aged 5 to 12.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a new real-time weather data tool to help inform New Yorkers when there is an increased risk of wildfires. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Mesonet at the University at Albany researchers are utilizing data from the University at Albany’s statewide weather network to generate daily Fire Danger Ratings to offer more reliable wildfire information and improve public safety.
“We’re seeing the effects of climate change in real time, with dangerous wildfire seasons across the continent year after year,” Governor Hochul said. “We want to make sure the state has the latest tools and information to prepare for and respond to wildfires to ensure our communities and resources are protected.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “Even before wildland fires ignite, accurate data is crucial to deploy resources and advise communities of potential dangers. DEC’s partnership with New York State Mesonet will offer enhanced and reliable wildfire information to help keep communities safe by harnessing the power of the Mesonet to increase the number of stations recording observations in each of the state’s Fire Danger Rating Areas. This data will help inform a new, easier to read map that will benefit New Yorkers when wildfire dangers arise.”
New York State Mesonet Director June Wang said, “As the climate is getting warmer, the frequency and severity of fire weather is increasing across the U.S. This new collaboration will respond by taking full advantage of NYS Mesonet weather data and expertise, providing a more detailed and accurate fire danger rating scale.”
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Wildfires are a threat to people, animals, nature and communities. This new data tool will help get critical information to the public and firefighters faster and more accurately so that the danger created by these wildfires can be minimized.”
UAlbany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center Director and Executive Director of the NYS Mesonet Chris Thorncroft said, “Localized weather data has a critical role to play in how we adapt to the most severe impacts of climate change. We are proud to continue working with our public and private partners across the state on projects like this one that improve the resilience of New Yorkers to weather-related extremes.”
Localized Fire Weather Information
The New York State Mesonet is the nation’s most advanced and largest early-warning weather detection system. It features 127 standard weather observation stations that cover the entire state, including at least one in every county and borough. Each site measures temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, pressure, precipitation, solar radiation, snow depth, soil information and offers camera images. The data is collected in real-time every five minutes, feeding weather prediction models and decision-support tools for users across New York.
DEC’s Wildfire Predictive Services issues and updates a fire danger map that divides New York into multiple Fire Danger Rating Areas and then rates each on a wildfire risk scale from low to extreme.
The enhanced data collection helps identify the local variability of fire danger across the state, allowing community leaders, emergency managers and everyday New Yorkers to adapt their activities to prevent fires and reduce damage. It will be publicly available, offering year-round fire danger ratings and, in conjunction with DEC’s weather forecasts, other fire weather environmental and meteorological variables for all Fire Danger Rating Areas in New York.
Improving Wildfire Preparedness
Fire Danger maps are published simultaneously on both the DEC website and the New York State Mesonet Fire Danger Products web page.
Similar to the current RAWS system, the New York State Mesonet will provide the national Weather Information Management System, which serves as the host for the National Fire Danger Rating System, with the data necessary to publish regional fire danger rating products.
The public website available through the New York State Mesonet offers current and historic fire weather information, updated daily. The project is funded by DEC through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant.
View the New York State Mesonet Fire Danger Products page here.
The DEC Fire Danger Map will continue to host the fire danger map in addition to specific information about fire danger ratings and the fire danger rating areas.
Fire Danger is ‘High’ in Entire State
Recent dry conditions across the state are resulting in a “High” fire danger. A high fire danger means all fine, dead fuels ignite readily and fires start easily from most causes, including unattended brush and campfires. Fires may become serious and controlling them difficult unless attacked successfully while still small. The remainder of New York State is at a moderate level of fire danger. An updated fire danger map is available on the DEC website. While the statewide burn ban is no longer in effect, brush burning should only be done when absolutely necessary. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited year-round in New York State.
Open burning is prohibited in New York, with these exceptions:
Campfires or any other outdoor fires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width or diameter are allowed.
Small cooking fires are allowed.
Ceremonial or celebratory bonfires are allowed. Disposal of flags or religious items in a small-sized fire is allowed, if it is not otherwise prohibited by law or regulation.
Only charcoal or dry, clean, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned.
Fires cannot be left unattended and must be fully extinguished.
For more information about fire safety and prevention, go to DEC’s FIREWISE New York webpage.
Mayor urges public to stay safe at Derry Halloween celebrations
25 October 2024
As the city’s world renound Halloween celebrations begin in earnest this Monday October 28th, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr, has appealed to the public to make safe choices to ensure a safe and happy celebration for everyone.
The Awakening the Walled City Trail in the city centre will run nightly from 6pm to 9pm from Monday October 28th to Wednesday October 30th
It is set to draw crowds of up to 25,000 people each night before the climactic carnival parade and fireworks on Thursday 31st October which traditionally attracts over 30,000 people.
Other attractions include ghastly ghost tours, creepy arts and crafts, spooky story-telling and horrific haunted houses.
With such large crowds expected, Mayor Barr appealed to everyone to follow the Carnival Care guidance and plan ahead to ensure they get to and from the event safely.
“All the necessary preparations have been made for record crowds over the coming days but we still need the cooperation of the public to ensure that this is an enjoyable festive experience for everyone,” she said.
“To cope with the huge influx of people expected in and around our city centre, a number of measures have been introduced to manage the numbers.
“I would ask people to access the trail maps and to follow all signage.
“For those travelling to and from the event by car, please familiarise yourself with the traffic and travel advice and consider public transport or active travel to help reduce congestion in and around our city centre.
“Also please co-operate fully with stewards and the PSNI who will be there to ensure your safety.
“We all have a responsibility to safeguard those around us and to make sure our behaviour doesn’t put others at risk.”
Parents are being advised to be extra vigilant when it comes to keeping an eye on children and young people throughout the festival. Festival and Events Manager at Council, Jacqueline Whoriskey, issued some further advice to those attending.
“With such large crowds expected it is a good idea to plan ahead and arrange meeting points if you are out in a group,” she stressed. “Please ensure teenagers have transport home if out with friends, and that mobile phones are charged.
“Translink will have additional services operating over the weekend and especially on Halloween night to help reduce traffic and parking in the city centre and ensure people get home safely.
“We can’t wait to have everyone with us, so access all the information on the event website and plan an unforgettable Derry Halloween.”
Derry Halloween is funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council, Tourism Northern Ireland and The Executive Office, with support from Ulster University and Air Coach. Follow all the latest news at derryhalloween.com which includes traffic and travel, carnival care and accessibility advice.
A new community garden has opened in Sunderland’s historic Mowbray Park.
Funded with the support of £180,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the project has transformed an underused corner of Mowbray Park into a creative, active and vibrant growing space for the whole community to share and enjoy.
The Mowbray Park Community Garden was set up with the aim of creating a space where the whole community can come together to learn new skills, spend time in nature and make connections.
Since work got underway in June, a number of edible crops, including strawberries, have already been harvested after being grown from seed with the help of community volunteers and local schoolchildren.
The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Allison Chisnall, who cut the ribbon officially opening the garden, said: “It was wonderful to hear all about this amazing community project and how it’s flourishing, and a real treat to have the children from Hudson Road Primary School there singing their harvest festival songs.
“They played their own special role in creating the garden by donating wild flower seeds at the very beginning of the project.”
Councillor Beth Jones said: “This is all about bringing local people together at the same time as increasing pride in the city centre and a space that can support people’s health and wellbeing.
“Local people have been involved in the community garden right from the start, from helping to shape its design to having a say in the plants they wanted to see growing there.
“So it’s very much a garden which has been created for the community by the community, with the help of skilled community development workers who have worked on similar projects in the past.
There are lots of ways for people to get involved with the garden whether or not they enjoy gardening or have any experience. Regular drop-in sessions are held every Tuesday 10am to 12pm for people of all ages and abilities.
There are also activities during the school holidays and an upcoming community art programme which will create art that will be installed and displayed in the garden.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 25, 2024, the State University of Management held a ceremonial opening of the student expeditionary corps.
The official ceremony took place in the lobby of the Information Technology Center. All those present were able to see unique footage of the expeditions conducted by the students of the State University of Management at a photo exhibition, and also watched a video about the first trip.
The opening ceremony was attended by the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev, the acting vice-rector of the State University of Management Nikolay Mikhailov, the vice-rector of the Russian Technical University MIREA Igor Tarasov and the deputy general director of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives Evgeny Murakhveri. The event was moderated by the head of the expeditionary corps of our university Vladimir Linnik.
Vladimir Stroyev admitted that the path to opening the corps was long and difficult. The first step in this direction was the project “Beacons of Friendship. Towers of the Caucasus”, which is still being successfully implemented, but has a relatively narrow localization. The expeditionary corps will significantly expand the geography of trips and diversify the areas of activity with environmental, patriotic and charity trips. As an example, the rector cited search expeditions to Sebezh.
“These works not only contribute to personal development, but also help preserve historical knowledge, are useful for society, especially in today’s situation. On behalf of the university management, I promise the corps comprehensive support and from this moment I propose to consider it open,” said Vladimir Vitalievich.
Vice-Rector of MIREA Igor Tarasov said that the volunteer expedition movement at his university has been around for 10 years, but previously trips were organized only for its students. And six months ago, the “Arctic Team” was created – a unique in its scale and subject inter-university project based on RTU MIREA. In a relatively short period of its work, 77 expeditions have already been conducted for 1,000 people from 45 universities in Russia. Their participants have visited many regions of Russia, the North Pole and Antarctica, as well as Armenia, Hungary and Kazakhstan. Right now, the ship “Mikhail Somov” is carrying another student expedition along the Northern Sea Route. At the end of his speech, Igor Aleksandrovich thanked several students of the State University of Management by name for their active participation in the activities of the “Arctic Team”.
Acting Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Nikolay Mikhailov, as a candidate of geographical sciences, has spent more than 10 years of his life on expeditions. At the opening ceremony, he admitted that he loves the mountains most of all and noted that students make a great contribution to the work of scientists, and their participation in the search for the remains of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War is extremely important for the whole society. Nikolay Nikolaevich wished those who have already started going on expeditions to preserve their love for them for the rest of their lives. He admitted that soon the current students will become qualified specialists, managers, will start families and will have less and less time for travel, but at least occasionally it is always nice to go on trips.
At the level of vice-rectors, Igor Tarasov and Nikolai Mikhailov signed an agreement on cooperation between the student expeditionary corps of GUU and RTU MIREA.
Deputy Director General of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives Evgeny Murakhveri noted that any expedition is a combination of business with pleasure, it is teamwork, which also reveals forgotten history and lost elements of culture to society, which is fully consistent with modern state policy, the tasks set by Vladimir Putin, and the direction of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. The guest said that in his youth he loved hiking, studied to be a geophysicist and spent an interesting scientific youth on expeditions. On hikes he made friends for life, became interested in rock music, acquired survival skills and worked with various tools, so he highly recommends enrolling in the student corps of the State University of Management – it will be interesting.
The head of the expedition corps Vladimir Linnik reported that before the opening, our students had managed to participate in 10 expeditions. The plans for 2025 include an archaeological expedition to the village of Khotylyovo in the Bryansk region to the sites of primitive people of the Paleolithic era, as well as to the Valdai Reserve to clean up the eco-trail. If the topic of future expeditions corresponds to the student’s field of study, then participation can be counted as practice. Nikolay Mikhailov, taking advantage of the occasion, presented Vladimir Linnik with a membership card of the Russian Geographical Society, of which he himself has been a member for 52 years.
Awarded with the Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation for her search activities, third-year student of the Institute of Search and Rescue Sciences Daria Monul briefly spoke about her four years of experience in expeditions and wished everyone to receive high awards for their favorite work.
At the end of the ceremony, the expedition participants showed a second video about the expeditions of the GUU students, after which, together with their friends from MIREA, they personally shared their emotions from the trips, talked about their travels and thanked the leadership of the two universities for the opportunities provided.
Anyone can join the GUU expeditionary corps.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/25/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Deputy Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at Save the Children Hong Kong’s 15th Anniversary Dinner tonight (October 25):Paul (Chairman, Save the Children Hong Kong, Mr Paul Kennedy), Donnie (the Ambassador of Save the Children Hong Kong, Mr Donnie Yen), Cissy (spouse of Mr Donnie Yen, Ms Cissy Wang), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good evening. It is my great pleasure to join you all to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Save the Children Hong Kong. First, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Save the Children for its sustained efforts and unwavering dedication in working with children, schools, families and different stakeholders to deliver lasting change for children in Hong Kong and around the world. I am truly impressed that, just last year alone, programmes of Save the Children have benefited over 26 000 Hong Kong children and adults. Save the Children’s vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. This meaningful and noble cause deserves the wholehearted support of all. The Government attaches great importance to protecting the best interests of children and firmly believes that every child has a right to protection against harm and abuse. In this regard, the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance was passed in July this year, requiring professionals in the social welfare, education and healthcare sectors to report serious child abuse case starting from January 20, 2026. During the 18-month transitional period, the Government will focus on preparing for its implementation, ensuring that the various support measures are properly put in place. The new legislation is an important milestone in child protection, as it would create a wide protection web for children and send a strong deterrent to potential perpetrators that their abuse will be easily exposed. One way to prevent child abuse is to strengthen positive parenting. I am glad to see that Save the Children has been organising the Heart-to-Heart Parent-Child Programme which promotes positive parenting and strengthens parent-child relationships, with 500 children and parents benefitting from the Programme. On the part of the Government, the 2024 Policy Address has just announced that a pilot scheme will be launched to set up four Community Parents and Children Centres, which will commence service from 2026, to promote parent-child interaction and pass on positive parenting skills to parents through play-based services. The Centres will also support the cognitive, language, social and emotional developmental needs of children and refer families or children in need to various government and community services as appropriate. To promote children’s mental health, the Government has implemented various measures, including extending and enhancing the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism in all secondary schools; launching the “Mental Health Literacy” resource packages for senior secondary and lower primary students; strengthening teachers’ capacity to early identify and support students with mental health needs; and helping parents acquire the knowledge and skills to better safeguard their children’s mental health. I am pleased that Save the Children shares the same vision with the Government, in providing various mental wellness programmes, such as the “Play to Thrive Programme” and the Integrating Social and Emotional Learning into Schools project. I trust Save the Children will continue to work hand in hand with the Government and different sectors of society to strive for children’s healthy growth and development. I sincerely hope that everyone in this room will continue to lend their support to children’s issues by actively building cross-sector partnerships. These collaborations are essential for creating a more impactful and sustainable approach to address the challenges faced by children in our community. Together, we can “nurture hearts and strengthen minds” of our children, providing an environment where they feel supported and empowered. Once again, my congratulations and gratitude to Save the Children for its 15 years of commitment and achievements. I wish Save the Children continuous success and every one of you a wonderful evening.
SINGAPORE, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EduEdge is proud to announce its Formula-Style method, designed to transform the way struggling students master English. Despite English being Singapore’s first language, many students struggle with deeper aspects of the language, such as comprehension, written expression and critical thinking. This proficiency gap affects not only their English grades but also their performance in other subjects. Research highlights a strong link between English language proficiency and academic achievement in areas like Maths and Science, underscoring the importance of mastering English for well-rounded academic success.
From left to right: Angela’s mum, brother, EduEdge Founders: Edwin Edangelus Cheng and Rowena May Yue, Angela Ray Oh
Traditional teaching methods often fall short of helping students achieve true language mastery. As English is the most widely spoken language globally, this lack of holistic proficiency concerns parents who want their children to excel, not just in exams but in life. EduEdge addresses this challenge through a revolutionary approach to English education.
Pioneered by founder Edwin Edangelus Cheng, EduEdge developed the groundbreaking Formula-Style method, designed to take the guesswork out of English learning. Backed by years of educational research, this structured approach goes beyond exam preparation by equipping students with the critical language skills and deep understanding necessary for lifelong success. By breaking down complex language concepts into easy-to-apply formulas, EduEdge empowers students to excel academically while mastering the communication skills essential for future professional achievements.
Edwin Edangelus Cheng’s personal journey resonates with many parents and students. “I once was like your child,” Edwin shares, recalling his struggles with English as a student from a Chinese-speaking family. His experience and years as a public school teacher, where he taught both English and Physics, inspired him to find structured methods for language learning.
“I saw how students approached learning English,” Edwin explains. “They often rely on intuition without the structure or proper articulation needed for true mastery. In Physics, we see results quickly because of its formula and steps. I wondered, could the same formula-style approach work for English?” This question led to the development of EduEdge’s Formula-Style method, offering a more structured and methodical way to teach and learn English.
What makes the Formula-Style method different is its ability to break down English learning into easy-to-apply and easy-to-remember formulas, similar to Maths and Science. This system, known as the Total English Mastery System (TEMS), helps students learn English in a faster, smarter and more effective way. Over the past 10 years, TEMS has helped more than 3,500 students from over 150 schools across Singapore improve by at least two grades, with many achieving high Bs and As in English and General Paper (GP) exams. Students who started with borderline or failing grades found success by mastering six core language skills—Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
The impact of the Formula-Style method is shown in the stories of students who have experienced notable success. One such example is Angela Ray Oh, who, like many others, struggled with English during secondary school and was stuck at a C6 grade despite her determination. Her breakthrough came in Sec 4 when her mum enrolled her in EduEdge. After learning structured techniques, Angela’s approach to English transformed, leading her to score an A2 for her O-Levels.
The benefits of these techniques extended beyond secondary school. While studying at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Angela was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) STEP Award, a highly competitive scholarship. The application process required writing two essays within 48 hours. Drawing on the writing techniques and critical thinking skills she gained at EduEdge, Angela crafted her submissions with confidence and aced both essays and the interview, demonstrating how EduEdge’s method equips students for real-world success.
This success is no coincidence. EduEdge’s Formula-Style method is powerful, but its true impact is realised through the exceptional educators who bring it to life. The highly qualified and passionate teachers at EduEdge are rigorously selected, ensuring that the method is delivered to its full potential. This combination of structured techniques and top-tier teaching creates a transformative learning experience that drives students’ success.
Every journey at EduEdge begins with a Diagnostic Consultation Assessment (DCA) involving both parents and students. This personalised session provides a clear and quantifiable understanding of the child’s current abilities and identifies specific areas that need improvement. Many parents believe misconceptions like, “My child speaks English, but their test results aren’t great,” or “My child reads a lot, but the results aren’t improving.” The DCA dispels these misconceptions by pinpointing underlying issues in comprehension, writing or critical thinking. This tailored approach allows EduEdge to develop a plan for effective improvement, ensuring more conducive learning.
Parental involvement is a key aspect of the EduEdge approach. Regular feedback is provided via email, based on detailed marking of the child’s submitted work. This ensures parents stay up to date on their child’s progress. Post-lesson consultations are also available to address any specific concerns.
Committed to continuous innovation, EduEdge keeps refining its methods to ensure students receive quality education not just for exams but for lifelong success. As part of its forward-thinking approach, EduEdge is exploring the use of AI and cutting-edge technology to personalise learning for every student further and extend educational support beyond the classroom. These tools will help create a more adaptive learning environment that tracks progress, identifies areas for improvement in real time and provides tailored resources.
Additionally, EduEdge is expanding its reach with care, ensuring that high teaching quality is never diluted while maintaining accessibility for students and parents. With existing branches in Serangoon and Bukit Timah, EduEdge is set to open a new branch in Marine Parade, further increasing accessibility across Singapore while upholding the high standards that has made it one of the country’s leading English tuition specialists.
Experience the EduEdge difference today. Book a complimentary 60-minute DCA using the coupon code ELSUCCESS. Give your child, aged 10 to 18 (or Primary 4 to Junior College 2), the personalised support they need to improve their English skills and excel academically.
Home » Latest News » Cost of hundreds of parking spaces could fall, says council
The cost of parking in more than 4,000 car park spaces across the district is set to be frozen.
And the cost of parking in 220 spaces in one Canterbury city centre car park is proposed to fall by a huge 37%.
In a report to Canterbury City Council’s Cabinet asking for permission to consult on the coming year’s parking charges, tariffs at the following car parks are set to stay the same:
all three Park and Ride sites – New Dover Road, Wincheap and Sturry Road
at most Band 2 car parks including St Radigunds, Northgate, Longport, Millers Field in Canterbury; Beach Walk, Oyster and Middle Wall in Whitstable; Neptune in Herne Bay; Reculver Towers and Reculver Country Park in Reculver
Band 3 car parks including Castle Street Multi-Storey, Holmans Meadow, Station Road West Multi-Storey, Toddlers Cove, Victoria Rec Ground in Canterbury; Cow Lane and Maynard Road in Wincheap; Gladstone Road, Shaftesbury Road and Victoria Street,in Whitstable; William Street, Market Street and Memorial Park in Herne Bay
Band 5 car parks including Ocean View, Swalecliffe Avenue and Bishopstone Lane in Herne Bay, Tankerton Road in Tankerton, Reculver Drive in Reculver, Hampton in Hampton, Faversham Road in Seasalter and the Gorrell Valley Nature Reserve
A space at the Riverside complex will fall from £2.70 an hour to £1.70 with the resident rate or £1.90 without.
And, after concerns were raised about the increase in the cost of parking in School Lane, Herne, which was imposed last year, the report says the cost of an all-day space should fall from £15 per day to £1.60 on weekdays and £3.20 during the weekend and bank holidays.
Motorists could also benefit from:
the introduction of an annual Park and Ride permit for £50 per month or £600 per year saving motorists money
the introduction of a Park and Ride corporate account allowing businesses to encourage their staff to park for just £2.50 per day including free parking at the weekend
applying the resident rate to the daily capped charge in Band 3 car parks controlled by ANPR cameras so it will cost a maximum of £13.50 per day. Non residents will pay £15
applying the resident rate to the daily capped charge in Band 2 car parks so it will cost a maximum of £18 per day. Non residents will pay a maximum of £20 per day
Cllr Alex Ricketts, Cabinet Member for Tourism, Transport and Rural Champion, said: “Parking charges are never popular but the income they generate helps to pay for vital frontline services like waste collections or providing temporary accommodation for families that find themselves without a roof over their heads.
“Feedback from the public has been instrumental in the formation of this set of proposals and, if Cabinet gives its permission to consult, we’re keen to hear everyone’s views before any final decisions are taken early next year.
“I’d urge people to take a moment to feed into the process. We do listen and adjust charges where we can.
“I hope our proposal for School Lane is evidence of that.
“And it is worth noting, we’re still waiting to hear from the new Chancellor how much money she can find for local government so some our assumptions may have to change.”
The draft Off Street Parking Places Order (OSPPO), which sets council car park tariffs, also proposes:
to add 10p an hour to the cost of parking in the council’s Band 1 car parks
to move North Lane and Castle Row car parks in Canterbury from Band 2 to Band 1
to increase the cost of off-street parking permits by 3%
Cllr Ricketts said: “Everyone who lives, works and studies in Canterbury knows it is impossible to drive around the city at certain times of the day and how difficult it is to find a space in our most popular car parks.
“We have to cut the queues and change people’s habits. Park and Ride is key.
“These proposals are designed to reduce the demand for city centre car parking spaces and persuade people and businesses to use low-cost and convenient alternatives like the Park and Ride scheme.
“They align with our emerging bus-led transport strategy which is aimed at making alternatives to the car far more attractive to cut congestion, boost air quality and combat climate change.
“We really do want to hear what people think especially if they have alternative ideas.”
The banding of the council’s car parks and the resident rate was introduced last year.
Car parks have been placed in bands with the most popular and convenient in Band 1 and the far less well used in Band 5.
If you’re a resident of Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable or the rural villages and you have a parking permit account, you can sign up for a resident rate permit in certain car parks.
You pay 10% less in all ANPR-camera controlled car parks in bands 2 and 3 and 20% less at all Park and Ride sites.
The Cabinet will decide whether to give permission to consult on the OSPPO at its meeting on Monday 4 November at 7pm in the Guildhall, St Peter’s Place, Canterbury.
If approved, the consultation will run from Monday 11 November 2024 to Monday 6 January 2025.
Home » Latest News » Draft budget hopes to tackle council’s financial challenges head on
Coping with ever-rocketing external costs and increasing demands for council services are at the heart of Canterbury City Council’s budget proposals for 2025/2026.
If nothing else changed, rising prices alone would account for an increase in spending of just over £1m.
To counter this, the draft budget says it has identified £701,000 in efficiency savings and can shave a further £393,000 because of proposed changes to some service levels.
Cllr Mike Sole, Canterbury City Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “It is no secret that councils across the country of all political persuasions are facing a really difficult financial situation. We are no different.
“And drafting this budget is a touch more challenging than it usually is as we’re waiting to find out how much money the new Chancellor will be able to find for councils which are facing a plethora of challenges.
“Some of our assumptions could well change for the better.
“As an administration that is determined to be prudent and careful with council taxpayers’ money, we know we are not able to significantly expand the services that are important to us right now.
“But we are determined to use advances in technology to help us to work smarter, achieve more and generate extra cash especially when it comes to our property portfolio.
“Finally, the draft budget promises we will put aside the extra money needed to ensure we cement and build on the legacy of the Levelling Up Fund projects.”
The draft budget also proposes:
the introduction of a cultural grant pot of £30,000 per year to support more events and festivals
freezing parking charges for more than 4,000 parking spaces in council-owned car parks including Park and Ride, reducing the cost of parking at the Riverside complex by 37% and reversing last year’s increase in School Lane, Herne
the introduction of an annual Park and Ride permit for £50 per month or £600 per year saving motorists money
the introduction of a Park and Ride corporate account allowing businesses to encourage their staff to park for just £2.50 per day including free parking at the weekend
to convert 20 of Canenco’s larger diesel refuse collection vehicles to run on hydrogenated vegetable oil to help cut emissions and help the environment, at a cost of approximately £20,000 a year
a 3% increase in council tax meaning people living in an average Band D property will pay an extra 14p per week
saving £58,000 by reducing the number of times the grass is cut in amenity sites, such as parks and playing fields, from 18 times a year to 10 times a year
If accepted, the draft budget suggests most of the council’s fees and charges should only go up by 3%. The exceptions are:
a 20% increase for developers seeking what is known as pre-app advice before putting in a press release
a 5% increase for beach hut owners except for those at East Cliff which will be reduced by 14%
a 5% increase for people using the council’s slipways for launching jet skis etc
Leader of the Council, Cllr Alan Baldock, said: “Finding more than £1 million in cost savings after years and years of finding ways to be more efficient is no mean feat and is a real testament to officers and we are incredibly grateful for their hard work.
“We’re determined to do all we can to spot opportunities to invest in improvements to our services so that we can save money in the future and spend it on the key priorities we were elected to deliver.
“This really is a listening exercise and we want to hear the views of everyone that lives, works and studies in the district.
“People have become jaded when it comes to consultations around key but difficult issues.
“I hope our proposed changes to tariffs in School Lane in Herne show we are more than prepared to listen.”
The Cabinet will decide whether to give permission to consult on the draft budget at its meeting on Monday 4 November at 7pm in the Guildhall, St Peter’s Place, Canterbury.
If approved, the consultation will run from Monday 11 November 2024 to Monday 6 January 2025.
In this week’s look around the Air Force, three A-29 Super Tucanos join the Air Force Test Pilot School fleet, allies and partners prepare for next summer’s Mobility Guardian 25, and the new Global Household Goods Contract program rolls out.
It’s not every day that the name of a mountain is restored to the one used by Indigenous peoples for centuries.
But after nearly two years of trying, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians finally convinced the U.S. Board on Geographic Names on Sept. 18, 2024, to formally agree to rename the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee to Kuwohi (koo-whoa-hee).
The mountain, known as “Clingmans Dome” since 1859, has been a sacred place for the Cherokee people, serving as a place of prayer, reflection and gathering of mulberries for medicine. In fact, the name Kuwohi translates to “the mulberry place” in Tsalagi, the Cherokee language.
Though known as Kuwohi by the Cherokee people for hundreds of years, explorer Arnold Guyot effectively ignored that history after he surveyed the mountain range in 1859. Guyot named the peak “Clingmans Dome” after his friend Thomas Lanier Clingman, a North Carolina U.S. senator and a Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War. Clingman never set foot on this mountain, but his name remained there for 165 years until now.
What is place name repatriation?
The government’s renaming of the mountain to Kuwohi is a significant example of place name repatriation, or the return of an original, Indigenous name to a particular place or landscape.
Sometimes the primary motivation for place renaming is to remove an offensive or irrelevant place name from the landscape, such as the renaming of Squaw Peak in Arizona to Piostewa Peak in 2008.
In other cases, such as the renaming of Mount McKinley in Alaska to Denali in 2016, the motivation was to create a more authentic and historically accurate name for a particular place.
In the case of Kuwohi, the return to its original name was a mixture of both. The government’s decision recognized the original Indigenous name and removed the name of a white man who defended the enslavement of African people. It is also about restoring a larger sense of respect and recognition of Indigenous identity across the landscape.
Just as important is the fact that it was individuals from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who put forward this proposal and remained the lead throughout the process.
Place naming is only truly reparative if these processes truly reflect the agency and intent of these historically oppressed groups. Otherwise, it contributes to the long history of dismissing Indigenous claims to land and culture by not involving them.
View of observation tower on Kuwohi in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Joshua Moore/Getty Images
Why does place naming matter?
A name is one of the most fundamental ways to identify and give meaning to places. In other words, the name of the place makes a big difference in how people perceive it.
There is growing public recognition that place names can transmit harmful messages that misrepresent the history and identity of minority communities. Place names also can demonstrate how those in power have used them to disrespect and misrepresent ethnic and racial groups that have been historically discriminated against.
For those groups, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names found in 2022 that derogatory place names are a source of recurring trauma.
If place naming did not matter, disputes over name changes would not occur. Some critics find place renaming to be an example of unnecessary political correctness, while others see it as a meaningful solution that will leave a lasting positive impact.
The elimination of names of Confederate generals from some U.S. military bases provides another example. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to restore the name “Fort Bragg” to the North Carolina Army base that’s known today as Fort Liberty if reelected. Originally named after Braxton Bragg, a slave-owning Confederate general, the fort was one of nine U.S. installations that the Defense Department ordered in 2023 to have their names changed to among 3,700 recommendations.
Trump’s stance exemplifies the wave of backlash that has occurred against local and state school officials across the country that have removed the names of Confederate generals and others from public buildings.
Despite such backlash, efforts by Indigenous people and civil rights advocates slowly move forward and are seen across the U.S. in places like streets, neighborhoods, college campuses and beyond.
For Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe, the two members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who took the lead on submitting the proposal, the renaming of Kuwohi was a moment of success. Their campaign was heavily inspired by the renaming of Mount Doane to First Peoples Mountain in Yellowstone National Park in 2022.
Crowe told reporters that she saw friends and relatives shed tears when they learned of the name change. “It was humbling,” she said. “It was beautiful.”
What comes next?
The success of the effort to restore the name Kuwohi may help other communities in their ongoing place renaming efforts.
One such proposal involves a 100-year-old fight to rename Mount Rainier in Washington state to “Tacoma,” the original name given to it by the Salish people of the Pacific Northwest.
This movement began in 1924 among the Salish and other groups because its namesake, Peter Rainier, was a British naval officer who was known as being “anti-American.”
Another example is a push by 20 different Indigenous tribes, including the Lakota Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, to rename Devils Tower in Wyoming to Bear Lodge. The current name of this butte resulted from a poor English translation of the original Indigenous name of “bear lodge” to “bad god’s tower.” Over time, the name was simplified to “Devils Tower.”
As geographers who have studied the significance of place renaming, we have learned that it is important to engage the folks that these movements will benefit most in all conversations and decisions.
What is at stake is not just removing insulting names, but also ensuring that the process of changing place names is collaborative of all Americans, especially historically oppressed communities, to truly be restorative and meaningful for society.
Seth T. Kannarr is affiliated with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as an Education Branch VIP (Volunteer-In-Parks) part-time.
Derek H. Alderman once served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names, U.S. Department of Interior.
SANDY, Utah, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mountain America Credit Union recently wrapped up its sixth annual Month of Caring, held annually in September. An inspirational initiative, Month of Caring epitomizes the core philosophy of “people helping people,” a value deeply embedded in the credit union. Throughout the month, Mountain America team members across Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah were granted paid time off to engage in various charitable endeavors.
Month of Caring provides an opportunity for Mountain America employees to connect with their local communities and make a meaningful impact. Since its inception in 2019, the initiative has grown significantly, with team members contributing more than 20,400 service hours to various charitable organizations. In 2024, team members dedicated 3,800 volunteer hours, the equivalent of 475 workdays, and counting.
“Month of Caring is a testament to our commitment to community service,” said Sterling Nielsen, president and chief executive officer at Mountain America. “Our employees’ dedication to making a positive impact is truly inspiring, and we are proud to support their efforts year-round.”
Mountain America team members actively engaged in a wide variety of service projects during the Month of Caring. Highlights from this year’s activities include:
Hygiene kits for kids: Team members assembled 2,500 hygiene kits for the Young Caring for Our Young Foundation. which will be given to homeless children or kids living in poverty.
Animal shelters: Volunteers supported various animal shelters, including the Humane Society of Utah’s Barktoberfest celebration.
USANA Kids Eat: Team members packed nearly 800 backpacks to food-insecure kids have access to meals and snacks outside of school.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo: Volunteers supported a variety of tasks to help keep the zoo functioning at a high level, benefiting both the animals and the families who visit. Service included prepping and freezing food for animals, weeding and planting, painting animal care areas and the zoo boardwalk, and replacing soil, grave and mulch in animal areas.
Supporting veterans: Through Project Sanctuary and Hope for the Warriors, team members helped at a veteran family retreat and made thank you cards for service members.
Courage Reins: Team members helped this equine-assisted therapy charity by cleaning pastures and an arena, and prepping toys and educational materials for upcoming clients.
September 11 commemoration: Team members assisted with events to honor this day.
Teaching golf: Volunteers taught golf to children through the Fremont County Junior Golf Association.
“Month of Caring highlights our ongoing commitment to community involvement,” said Trent Savage, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Mountain America. “It’s rewarding to see our employees actively contributing to the well-being of the communities where we live and work.”
The total hours served across the organization will continue to increase through the year’s end. While serving the community is encouraged during Month of Caring, team members aren’t limited to using their hours only in the month of September. This gives teams flexibility and control over when and where they utilize their service hours as well as maintaining adequate staff within branches.
To learn more about Mountain America’s community involvement, visit macu.com/newsroom.
About Mountain America Credit Union With more than 1 million members and $20 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 100 branches across six states, and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—guiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.
It was a heady week for the Paris-based global media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) — celebration of seven years of its Taipei office, presenting a raft of proposals to the Taiwan government, and hosting its Asia-Pacific network of correspondents.
Director general Thibaut Bruttin and the Taipei bureau chief Cedric Alviani primed the Taipei media scene before last week’s RSF initiatives with an op-ed in the Taiwan Times by acknowledging the country’s media freedom advances in the face of Chinese propaganda.
But the co-authors also warned over the credibility damage caused by media “too often neglect[ing] journalistic ethics for political or commercial reasons”.
As a result, only three in 10 Taiwanese said they trusted the news media, according to a Reuters Institute survey conducted in 2022, one of the lowest percentages among democracies.
“This climate of distrust gives disproportionate influence to platforms, in particular Facebook and Line, despite them being a major vector of false or biased information,” Bruttin and Alviani wrote.
“This credibility deficit for traditional media, a real Achilles heel of Taiwanese democracy, puts it at risk of being exploited for malicious purposes, with potentially dramatic consequences.”
RSF director-general Thibaut Bruttin speaking at the reception celebrating seven years of Taipei’s Asia Pacific office. Image: Pacific Media Watch
The week also highlighted concerns over the export of the China’s “New World Media Order”, which is making inroads in some parts of the Asia-Pacific region, including the Pacific.
At the opening session of the Asia-Pacific correspondents’ seminar, delegates referenced the Chinese disinformation and assaults on media freedom strategies that have been characterised as the “great leap backwards for journalism” in China.
“Disinformation — the deliberate spreading of false or biased news to manipulate minds — is gaining ground around the world,” Bruttin and Alviani warned in their article.
“As China and Russia sink into authoritarianism and export their methods of censorship and media control, democracies find themselves overwhelmed by an incessant flow of propaganda that threatens the integrity of their institutions.”
Both Bruttin and Alviani spoke of these issues too at the celebration of the seventh anniversary of the Asia-Pacific office in Taipei.
Why Taipei? Hongkong had been an “likely choice, but not safe legally”, admitted Bruttin when they were choosing their location, so the RSF team are happy with the choice of Taiwan.
Hub for human rights activists “I think we were among the first NGOs to have established a presence here. We kind of made a bet that Taipei would be a hub for human rights activists, and we were right.”
About 200 journalists, media workers and press freedom and human rights advocates attended the birthday bash in the iconic Grand Hotel’s Yuanshan Club. So it wasn’t surprising that there was a lot of media coverage raising the issues.
RSF director-general Thibaut Bruttin (centre) with correspondents Dr David Robie and Dr Joseph Fernandez in Taipei. Image: Pacific Media Watch
In an interview with Voice of America’s Joyce Huang, Bruttin was more specific about the “insane” political propaganda threats from China faced by Taiwan.
However, Taiwan “has demonstrated resilience and has rich experience in resisting cyber information attacks, which can be used as a reference for the world”.
Referencing China as the world’s “biggest jailer of journalists”, Bruttin said: “We’re very worried, obviously.” He added about some specific cases: “We’ve had very troublesome reports about the situation of Zhang Zhan, for example, who was the laureate of the RSF’s [2021 press freedom] awards [in the courage category] and had been just released from jail, now is sent back to jail.
“We know the lack of treatment if you have a medical condition in the Chinese prisons.
“Another example is Jimmy Lai, the Hongkong press freedom mogul, he’s very likely to die in jail if nothing happens. He’s over 70.
“And there is very little reason to believe that, despite his dual citizenship, the British government will be able to get him a safe passage to Europe.”
Problem for Chinese public Bruttin also expressed concern about the problem for the general public, especially in China where he said a lot of people had been deprived of the right to information “worthy of that name”.
“And we’re talking about hundreds of millions of people. And it’s totally scandalous to see how bad information is treated in the People’s Republic of China.”
Seventeen countries in the Asia-Pacific region were represented in the network seminar.
Representatives of Australia, Cambodia, Hongkog, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Tibet, Thailand and Vietnam were present. However, three correspondents (Malaysia, Singapore and Timor-Leste) were unable to be personally present.
Discussion and workshop topics included the RSF Global Strategy; the Asia-Pacific network and the challenges being faced; best practice as correspondents; “innovative solutions” against disinformation; public advocacy (for authoritarian regimes; emerging democracies, and “leading” democracies); “psychological support” – one of the best sessions; and the RSF Crisis Response.
RSF Oceania colleagues Dr David Robie (left) and Dr Joseph Fernandez . . . mounting challenges. Image: Pacific Media Watch
What about Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) and its issues? Fortunately, the countries being represented have correspondents who can speak our publicly, unlike some in the region facing authoritarian responses.
“While this puts Australia in the top one quarter globally, it does not reflect well on a country that supposedly espouses democratic values. It ranks behind New Zealand, Taiwan, Timor-Leste and Bhutan,” he says.
“Australia’s press freedom challenges are manifold and include deep-seated factors, including the influence of oligarchs whose own interests often collide with that of citizens.
“While in opposition the current Australian federal government promised reforms that would have improved the conditions for press freedom, but it has failed to deliver while in government.
“Much needs to be done in clawing back the over-reach of national security laws, and in freeing up information flow, for example, through improved whistleblower law, FOI law, source protection law, and defamation law.”
Dr Fernandez criticises the government’s continuing culture of secrecy and says there has been little progress towards improving transparency and accountability.
“The media’s attacks upon itself are not helping either given the constant moves by some media and their backers to undermine the efforts of some journalists and some media organisations, directly or indirectly.”
A proposal for a “journalist register” has also stirred controversy.
Dr Fernandez also says the war on Gaza has “highlighted the near paralysis” of many governments of the so-called established democracies in “bringing the full weight of their influence to end the loss of lives and human suffering”.
“They have also failed to demonstrate strong support for journalists’ ability to tell important stories.”
An English-language version of this tribute to the late RSF director-general Christophe Deloire, who died from cancer on 8 June 2024, was screened at the RSF Taipei reception. He was 53. Video: RSF
Aotearoa New Zealand In New Zealand (19th in the RSF Index), although journalists work in an environment free from violence and intimidation, they have increasingly faced online harassment. Working conditions became tougher in early 2022 when, during protests against covid-19 vaccinations and restrictions and a month-long “siege” of Parliament, journalists were subjected to violence, insults and death threats, which are otherwise extremely rare in the country.
Research published in December 2023 revealed that high rates of abuse and threats directed at journalists put the country at risk of “mob censorship” – citizen vigilantism seeking to “discipline” journalism. Women journalists bore the brunt of the online abuse with one respondent describing her inbox as a “festering heap of toxicity”.
While New Zealand society is wholeheartedly multicultural, with mutual recognition between the Māori and European populations enshrined in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, this balance is under threat from a draft Treaty Principles Bill.
The nation’s bicultural dimension is not entirely reflected in the media, still dominated by the English-language press. A rebalancing is taking place, as seen in the success of the Māori Television network and many Māori-language programmes in mass media, such as Te Karere, The Hui and Te Ao Māori News.
New Zealand media also play an important role as a regional communications centre for other South Pacific nations, via Tagata Pasifika, Pacific Media Network and others.
Papua New Guinea’s Belinda Kora (left) with RSF colleagues . . . “collaborating in our Pacific efforts in seeking the truth”. Image: Belinda Kora
Papua New Guinea The Papua New Guinea correspondent, Belinda Kora, who is secretary of the revised PNG Media Council and an ABC correspondent in Port Moresby, succeeded former South Pacific Post Ltd chief executive Bob Howarth, the indefatigable media freedom defender of both PNG and Timor-Leste.
“I am excited about what RSF is able and willing to bring to a young Pacific region — full of challenges against the press,” she says.
“But more importantly, I guess, is that the biggest threat in PNG would be itself, if it continues to go down the path of not being able to adhere to simple media ethics and guidelines.
“It must hold itself accountable before it is able to hold others in the same way.
“We have a small number of media houses in PNG but if we are able to stand together as one and speak with one voice against the threats of ownership and influence, we can achieve better things in future for this industry.
“We need to protect our reporters if they are to speak for themselves and their experiences as well. We need to better provide for their everyday needs before we can write the stories that need to be told.
“And this lies with each media house.
The biggest threat for the Pacific as a whole? “I guess the most obvious one would be being able to remain self-regulated BUT not being accountable for breaching our individual code of ethics.
“Building public trust remains vital if we are to move forward. The lack of media awareness also contributes to the lack of ensuring media is given the attention it deserves in performing its role — no matter how big or small our islands are,” Kora says.
“The press should remain free from government influence, which is a huge challenge for many island industries, despite state ownership.
Kora believes that although Pacific countries are “scattered in the region”, they are able to help each other more, to better enhance capacity building and learning from their mistakes with collaboration.
“By collaborating in our efforts in seeking the truth behind many of our big stories that is affecting our people. This I believe will enable us to improve our performance and accountability.”
Example to the region Meanwhile, back in Taiwan on the day that RSF’s Thibaut Bruttin flew out, he gave a final breakfast interview to China News Agency (CNA) reporter Teng Pei-ju who wrote about the country building up its free press model as an example to the region.
“Taiwan really is one of the test cases for the robustness of journalism in the world,” added Bruttin, reflecting on the country’s transformation from an authoritarian regime that censored information into a vibrant democracy that fights disinformation.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China
October 25, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China
October 25, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China
October 25, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China
October 25, 2024
Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China
October 25, 2024
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Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko sent greetings to the participants of the Nauka 0 festival, which opened in the city of Shenzhen in China. The event is being held as part of the foreign program of the Decade of Science and Technology, announced by the President of Russia.
“This year, the Open Week is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. 10 years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping made a historic decision to establish a joint university, MSU-PPI. During this time, it has become the flagship of bilateral cooperation in higher education, science and innovation. Today, more than 3.4 thousand undergraduate and graduate students study at 14 faculties at MSU-PPI, and large advanced research centers have been created. The landmark initiative of MSU and its rector Viktor Antonovich Sadovnichy – the Open Week Nauka 0 in China – is another bridge of friendship between our countries, their university and academic communities,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Dmitry Chernyshenko added that the main theme of the week – “Science Around Us” – will unite more than 500 different events. Leading Russian and Chinese scientists, popularizers of science and representatives of science-intensive companies will share their knowledge and practices in the field of research and development.
Rector of Moscow University, Academician Viktor Sadovnichy, speaking about the Nauka 0 Open Week in Shenzhen, noted the importance of the event for the development of science and education.
“This is the second time that we are holding the Nauka 0 Open Week at the joint Russian-Chinese university MSU-PPI. This is a gift from the university community of Russia and China to all those who share our conviction that science and education are the key areas of civilization development and the basis for cooperation between peoples in the modern world. As part of the Nauka 0 Open Week, our students and teachers, as well as leading scientists from academic institutes, will take part in hundreds of popular science and educational events. Their goal is to once again remind society of the results and significance of the researcher’s work. It is important to demonstrate, using outstanding scientific achievements as an example, how scientists’ discoveries affect our present and future,” Viktor Sadovnichy emphasized.
On the Russian side, the festival is organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia with the support of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific and educational organizations and corporations. On the Chinese side, the organizers are the joint Russian-Chinese university MSU-PPI in Shenzhen, and the government of Shenzhen.
Leading Russian scientists will give popular science lectures from October 25 to 27. During master classes, festival visitors will also learn what liquid wires are, create a magnet, feed a single-celled hydra, and extract DNA from a banana. They will see a unique FNIRS device designed to read brain parameters in several people at the same time. Visitors will also try to determine the age of a fish by its scales, print their own DNA on a 3D printer, and learn Chinese calligraphy. And during a “bio tour,” participants will learn about the flora of the MSU-PPI campus.
The festival aims to tell the general public in a clear and accessible language what science is, what scientists do, how scientific research improves the quality of life and what prospects it opens up for modern man.
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.
Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced research grants for four organizations through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Transmission Dynamics of Respiratory Infectious Diseases Research Funding Opportunity.
October 25, 2024 | Ottawa, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada
Understanding how different respiratory infectious diseases, like COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), spread in our environment is important to help prevent serious negative health outcomes. Further research into how these diseases are transmitted and prevented can help inform public health measures that are timely and effective in reducing the impacts of respiratory illness on individuals and the health system.
Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced research grants for four organizations through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Transmission Dynamics of Respiratory Infectious Diseases Research Funding Opportunity. Queen’s University, Carleton University, the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, and the University of Waterloo will receive funding to work on individual projects investigating the transmission dynamics of respiratory infectious diseases.
These projects will help expand our understanding of respiratory infectious diseases and inform advice for people in Canada on effective measures to prevent their spread. This information will also help prepare for future pandemic planning and response, helping people in Canada prepare for respiratory outbreaks and take the steps needed to keep themselves and others healthy.
Matthew Kronberg Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Mark Holland Minister of Health 343-552-5654
Headline: Around the Air Force: Test Pilot School Gets Super Tucano, Planning for Mobility Guardian 25, Global Household Goods Contract Program
In this week’s look around the Air Force, three A-29 Super Tucanos join the Air Force Test Pilot School fleet, allies and partners prepare for next summer’s Mobility Guardian 25, and the new Global Household Goods Contract program rolls out.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Royal Navy mark milestones in major project at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose.
Representatives of RNAS Culdrose, Royal Navy Infrastructure, Kier Construction, Mott MacDonald and Defence Infrastucture Organisation inspect plans to demolish and replace the Engineering Training School. Credit: Crown Copyright
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and the Royal Navy have concluded a contract-signing and groundbreaking ceremony for a major construction project at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose in Cornwall.
This marks the beginning of work on a £99.5 million project to replace and refurbish the 820 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) hangars, associated office buildings, and the full replacement of the Engineering Training School (ETS). The contract was awarded to Keir Construction with Mott MacDonald as the designated Technical Services Provider.
DIO and its contractors will deliver the project on behalf of the Royal Navy, with the first phase seeing the construction of a new air Engineering Training School, a new hangar and refurbishment of existing buildings for 820 Naval Air Squadron, the helicopter unit dedicated to protecting the Navy’s aircraft carrier strike groups. The project covers a combination of demolition, a new build within the same site footprint, and the refurbishment of existing infrastructure.
Sustainability will be a key feature of the project which will include integrated water-saving measures, Net Zero carbon emissions, solar photovoltaic panels, energy efficient lighting, and air source heat pumps to improve energy efficiency and contribute to carbon reduction.
RNAS Culdrose is integral to the UK’s defence posture and is home to the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine warfare helicopter fleet. RNAS Culdrose also houses the Engineering Training School responsible for Air Engineering (AE) specialist training, delivering fully trained engineers to support Merlin helicopter operations.
L to R: Andy Roberts of Mott MacDonald; Stu Johnson, Head of Navy Infrastructure; Cpt Stuart Irwin, Culdrose CO; Doug Lloyd of Kier Construction; and Dan Ross of DIO. Credit: Crown Copyright
Daniel Ross, DIO Programme Director, Major Programmes and Projects, said:
“I am delighted that we can celebrate this significant milestone at RNAS Culdrose, marking the next phase of collaboration with our suppliers and the Royal Navy. Building on the sustainable designs already delivered, the project will continue to contribute towards defence’s Net Zero targets and ultimately enhance our military capability.”
Captain Stuart Irwin, Commanding Officer, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose said:
“This project marks the start of an exciting regeneration and investment in RNAS Culdrose with new, modern facilities. The Engineering Training School is at the heart of our operations to maintain the Merlin helicopter fleet. Our young people, many of whom are just at the start of their naval careers, will learn how to maintain aircraft in a high-tech and modern teaching environment.
The refurbishment of aircraft hangars and buildings at 820 Naval Air Squadron is another significant investment. It will provide us with more suitable and sustainable places to operate Merlin Helicopter Force now, and into the future.”
Stu Johnston, Deputy Head, Navy Infrastructure and Projects, Senior Responsible Officer, said:
“The DIO and Navy infrastructure teams have worked closely to develop what will be hangar and training facilities fit for the 21st Century Royal Navy. The project will reflect our wider sustainability and energy efficiency ambitions. The team has embraced a collaborative and agile approach built on years of hard work by stakeholders.”
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the Royal Navy to deliver these new facilities. We have a wealth of experience in delivering buildings of the highest quality across the defence estate and are proud to be creating this important enabler to the UK’s future defence capability.”
Chris Ackerman, DIO Account Lead for Mott MacDonald, said:
“We are really pleased to be working for DIO as their Technical Service Provider and alongside Kier, the Principal Contractor. This project will provide a suite of modern and sustainable infrastructure for the Royal Navy in accordance with the Defence Operational Energy Strategy.”
The project is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2028.
A proposed impression of the new Engineering Training School at RNAS Culdrose. Credit: Crown Copyright
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
New website and toolkit launched ahead of next annual celebration of skills and apprenticeships
Preparations are underway for the 18th annual celebration of apprenticeships and skills and the contributions they make to businesses and communities.
Individuals, employers, and partners from across England are gearing up for National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2025 following the launch of a new website and communications toolkit.
National Apprenticeship Week will take place 10-16 February 2025, with people from across the country being asked to get involved by sharing the good work apprentices do. NAW will highlight how apprenticeships are an excellent option to consider for young people wishing to start a career, for employees looking to progress in their current role or retrain for a new career, or for employers needing to fill skills gaps to help grow their business.
The NAW website and toolkit contain support and guidance on how to get involved. This includes social media graphics, key apprenticeship messages, facts and figures, graduation toolkits, and advice so that individuals and businesses can explore the full range of benefits that apprenticeships offer.
We are focused on apprenticeships all year round, and I am looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the thousands who take on apprenticeships every year this coming National Apprenticeship Week.
They wouldn’t have these opportunities without the support of employers who train these talented individuals in the skills we need for the future.
With our new Growth and Skills Levy, we are giving these businesses greater flexibility over their training, and through Skills England we will boost opportunities across the country so even more people can get on in life and drive our economic recovery.
From November, an events map will be available online for organisers to register their own celebrations so that local communities can also get involved, followed by the announcement of the National Apprenticeship Week 2025 Supporters Club – a list of leading employers sharing how apprenticeships are benefiting their organisation and how they’re lending their support to NAW 2025.
The week itself will also shine a spotlight on other government skills and training programmes, such as Higher Technical Qualifications and Skills Bootcamps. T Level Thursday will return, with a focus on the experiences of T Level students and the contributions they are making during their industry placements. A dedicated toolkit to support T Level Thursday will also be available.
National Apprenticeship Week 2025 is part of the Department for Education’s ongoing Skills for Life campaign which is engaging young people, adult learners, and employers with government skills and training programmes and the opportunities they bring.
