Source: Government of Italy (English)
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22 Dicembre 2024
The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, delivered a festive message to the Italian military contingent serving at the airbase in Šiauliai, Lithuania, today, as well as to all the Italian contingents present in operational theatres around the world, who joined via video link.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has opened applications for its 2025 Trainee Investigators Programme.
Launched in 2018, the programme has run successfully for over six years, equipping trainees with the core skills necessary for a career investigating major crime.
Trainees receive hands-on investigation training and gain valuable, first-hand experience working alongside the SFO’s operational teams to tackle the largest and most complex economic crime cases in the UK. Successful applicants will work with and be offered guidance from some of the country’s most experienced investigators and lawyers.
The programme is open to anyone with an interest in the law, with applications accepted from 20 December 2024 to 12 January 2025. Since its creation, the scheme has welcomed over 100 trainees from all walks of life, including university graduates, career changers and individuals with a long-held interest in the law and criminal justice.
Serious Fraud Office Chief Investigator Mick Gallagher said: “Our Trainee Investigator Programme offers applicants the chance to work on the largest and most high-profile economic crime cases here in the UK.
“It allows people from all walks of life the opportunity to immerse themselves in fraud investigation training, equipping them with the core operational skills needed as they’re guided through the stages of an investigation.
“The feedback we receive from those who have completed the Programme in previous years has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re very proud of our training investigators.”
Applicants will be notified this Spring if they have been successful applying to the Programme. Graduates who successfully complete the 15-month Programme will be promoted to the role of Investigator.
Published 23 December 2024
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Kieron Minto-St.Aimie received a director’s disqualification for claiming a £25,000 Covid loan his company was not entitled to.
A former professional footballer has been banned from being a company director for eight years.
Kieron Minto-St.Aimie claimed a £25,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan for the St Aimie’s Sports Academy Community Interest Company in Brent, when it was entitled to much less.
Elizabeth Pigney, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Kieron Minto-St.Aimie successfully applied for a Covid Bounce Back loan by overstating his company’s turnover.
His eight-year disqualification should serve as a warning to others that the justice system will not allow business owners to make false declarations to obtain funds that were so crucially needed by other small and medium-sized businesses during the pandemic.
The former footballer, aged 35, of Pound Lane in London, began his career at Queens Park Rangers before spells at clubs including Oxford United and Barnet.
He opened St.Aimie’s Sports Academy, on Harlesden Road in Brent, as its sole director in 2016.
Before its closure in January 2023, the academy was known in the local community for providing football coaching and mentoring to children and young people.
In May 2020, Minto-St.Aimie applied for a Covid Bounce Back loan of £25,000.
However, in order to obtain the £25,000 he overstated the company’s turnover by £60,000 as it should have only been entitled to around £10,000 under the scheme based on its actual turnover.
On 6 December 2024, the judge at London’s Royal Courts of Justice disqualified Minto-St.Aimie as a company director for eight years.
Published 23 December 2024
Source: Mayor of London
In its wide-ranging review of the 2024 Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections, the London Assembly Elections Review Working Group wants Transport for London (TfL) to provide the Greater London Authority (GLA) with details of how many people hold each of its photo ID cards. As government reviews the list of eligible photo ID, the Working Group has also asked how secure TfL considers the application processes for these cards to be, and the GLA should use this information to advocate for Londoners.
The Working Group found that while photo ID requirements introduced before the elections did not create a “London-wide problem”:
The Group welcomed the Government’s review of the list of eligible photo ID and recommends that this should include consideration of groups particularly impacted – including young people, ethnic minority groups and disabled people – and how this policy will interact with government manifesto commitments, such as lowering the voting age to 16.
In its report, the Group also noted that the Government’s Devolution White Paper did not give any detail on plans for the future of the Mayoral voting system. The report urges the government to provide clarity on its position before May 2025 to help election planning for 2028, and to ensure that any changes are lasting and take into account the views of Londoners.
The GLA elections in May 2024 were the first to take place in London since the Elections Act 2022 brought in several changes, including the requirement for voters to bring photo ID to polling stations, the move to a manual count, and introduction of a first past the post system in the Mayoral vote.
Further recommendations include:
Chair of the Elections Review Working Group, Len Duvall OBE AM, said:
“The GLA elections are of a different magnitude to all other regional elections in the UK in their size and complexity: nearly 7.5 million ballots were counted in the May 2024 elections, with two different voting systems for administrators to manage across all 32 London Boroughs.
“Considering the extent of the changes made before these elections, it is a huge achievement that they were run as smoothly and as effectively for Londoners as we have found.
“There remain some issues that must be addressed before the next elections are held. The Working Group is concerned by the evidence that Voter ID requirements are having a disproportionate impact on certain groups, and we urge the government to address this in its upcoming review of acceptable forms of ID.
“Londoners also need clarity on the voting system to be used for the next Mayoral elections. The government should swiftly set out its intentions and – crucially – ensure that the public’s views on the proposals are taken into account.”
Source: City of Liverpool
One year ago, Liverpool City Council launched a Private Sector Housing Intelligence and Enforcement Task Force, and the results have made a real difference in our city. Tom Mullan from the team reflects on the last year...
This anniversary gives us a chance to celebrate the team’s achievements in disrupting rogue landlords, improving housing conditions and creating safer communities. Through multi-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing and enforcement, the Task Force has delivered significant outcomes that benefit our city and its residents.
The Task Force, established with funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Pathfinders Programme, was tasked with establishing new and innovative ways to combat landlords who:
Cllr Sam East, Cabinet Member for Housing, emphasised the importance of the initiative: “This Task Force was established to proactively target and disrupt rogue and criminal landlords and managing agents operating in the private sector in Liverpool and the threats they pose to our city’s vulnerable residents, safe neighbourhoods and community cohesion. The team’s collaborative, intelligence-led, multi-agency approach is a real success.”
Some of our achievements so far…
Improved housing safety
Over 129 serious hazards were identified in private rental properties, with 139 enforcement notices issued, including 21 Housing Act Improvement Notices and a further 8 Emergency Prohibition Orders.
Disrupting criminal activity
Joint operations with Merseyside Police and the Home Office resulting in the seizure of £13 million (street value) of cannabis and the emergency closure of eight properties.
Creating trusting relationships
Established service level data sharing agreements with the other local authorities in the Liverpool City Region and our external partners to foster joint working in tackling rogue and criminal landlords.
Safeguarding vulnerable residents
Investigated over 20 properties linked to human trafficking and sexual exploitation, working with our third sector partner, Changing Lives, to provide support for victims.
Investigating Trading Standards
Proactively investigated and enforced trading standards compliance on over 40 managing and letting agents operating in Liverpool.
Making an impact across the country
Submitted 586 intelligence reports to a national database, helping disrupt criminal operations locally and nationwide, and partnered with Shelter to develop e-learning modules for agents on tenant rights, deposit security and consumer protections.
Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Communities & Streetscene, said: “The targeted work across the city has had a real impact, improving housing conditions and creating safer neighbourhoods for our residents. Their proactive partnership working with Merseyside Police, housing providers and local voluntary organisations is helping to restore pride in our communities and make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Making a difference in our communities
Beyond the numbers, the Task Force’s work is creating safer, more stable communities:
In Norris Green, operations reduced drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour by targeting rogue landlords and unsafe properties.
Cllr Kevin Pilnick reflects on the work in his ward: “The team’s targeted operations in the Norris Green area have made a real difference. Their work with the Council’s community co-ordinators and neighbourhood managers, alongside other stakeholder agencies, is helping to reduce anti-social behaviour and drug-related crime.”
Working together to make an impact
This progress is the result of teamwork across the council and partnerships with external agencies. Here’s what some of our partners had to say:
Sarah Clarke, from Changing Lives, said: “The collaborative working that we undertake with the Task Force in Liverpool provides us with critical opportunities to offer safeguarding to victims of adult sexual exploitation and human trafficking who face significant harm from organised crime groups. We cannot safeguard in silo and the joint working has evidenced this.”
Peter Yoh, Head of Liverpool City Region Housing at Riverside: “The partnership working and intelligence sharing is proving vital to the success in making a real difference to customers of the private rented sector living within our communities. Our collaborative approach with the Council’s Task Force is resulting in enforcement action being taken against irresponsible landlords, which is stabilising communities and sustaining tenancies.”
Merseyside Police said: “Merseyside Police works in close partnership with the Task Force and other partner agencies from the voluntary and community sector, establishing a multi-agency approach to engaging the local community and gathering intelligence for detecting and disrupting sexual exploitation and supporting victims.”
Looking Ahead
With three months left in its current phase, the Task Force is already embedding its strategies into Liverpool City Council’s long-term private sector housing operations. The aim is to make our proactive, intelligence-led approach a standard for how we handle housing enforcement.
If you have any concerns about rogue and criminal landlords, please contact privatesectorhousing.intel@liverpool.gov.uk or use our freephone number 0800 707 6245.
Source: City of Liverpool
High-end clothing deals have turned out to be too good to be true at St John’s Precinct, as bags of counterfeit products are seized by Liverpool City Council.
The Council’s Trading Standards team, working in partnership with Merseyside Police, has removed hundreds of fake goods after receiving a report from a member of the public.
An inspection of five stores in St Johns resulted in 280 counterfeit items of clothing being seized, including fake versions of White Fox, Prada and Diesel. Although the items were being sold at bargain prices, the haul would be worth approximately £25,000 if they were real.
In a previous operation earlier this year, the team seized over 1,500 fake products, believed to be worth roughly £15,000 in total. Items included a haul of fake Apple, Samsung and Sony items, which could have posed a serious safety risk to potential buyers.
As well as counterfeit goods, the Council has recently cracked down on the selling of illegal vapes. Since January 2024, over 18,000 vapes have been seized, estimated to be worth around £220,000. The vapes were found to have exceeded the legal limit of nicotine and could be harmful to people using them.
To help remove any health and safety risk to the public, all reported counterfeit or illegal goods are investigated and seized. Where possible, any branding will be taken off the items before they are recycled or donated. In cases where items are unsafe, they will be destroyed.
Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene said: “Everyone loves a good bargain, especially in the lead up to Christmas, but we want everyone to be vigilant about counterfeit goods.
“Thanks to keen-eyed shoppers, we were alerted to a number of shops selling fake items to the public. Our Trading Standards team, along with Merseyside Police, acted quickly to inspect these items and take them off the shelves for good.
“While they might look like the real thing, counterfeit clothing is usually made from poor quality materials and may be easily flammable or otherwise unsafe. It might seem like a good deal now, but it could cost you dearly in the long run.”
Anyone concerned about fake goods can report them on the Council website or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Import of poultry meat and products from areas in US and UK suspended
Import of poultry meat and products from areas in US and UK suspended
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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 23) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in areas in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the relevant areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong. The relevant areas are as follows:UK—-Norfolk County(1) King’s Lynn & West Norfolk DistrictUS—-State of California(2) Marin County(3) San Joaquin CountyState of South Dakota(4) Beadle County(5) Charles Mix County(6) Faulk County(7) Hutchinson County(8) McPherson County(9) Moody County(10) Spink CountyState of Iowa(11) Sioux County(12) Palo Alto CountyState of North Dakota(13) Bottineau County(14) McHenry County(15) Ransom CountyState of Tennessee(16) Gibson CountyState of Utah(17) Piute County(18) Sanpete County A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 63 470 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 17.2 million poultry eggs from the US, and about 900 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 990 000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first nine months of this year. “The CFS has contacted the American and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.
Ends/Monday, December 23, 2024Issued at HKT 17:47
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Source: Mayor of London
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has today declared that London is set to be the undisputed global capital for women’s sport in 2025, with some of the world’s biggest sporting events to be hosted in the capital next year.
The final in London is set to have a world-record attendance for a one-day women’s rugby event, with demand outstripping the supply of tickets for the Twickenham showpiece. Attendance is expected to top both the 58,498 who watched England beat France at the same venue in 2023 and the 66,000 at the Stade de France for the women’s Olympic sevens at Paris 2024. In total, more than 220,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament, ensuring it will be the best attended in history.
Ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Twickenham will host one of the biggest matches in the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations Rugby as England face France on 26 April, in a clash of the two highest ranked teams in the tournament.
Another major milestone for women’s sport next year will be the return of a women’s tennis tournament to the iconic Queen’s Club for the first time in more than 50 years. The new Women’s WTA 500 event begins on 9 June, with former British No.1 and Olympic Silver medallist Laura Robson appointed as Tournament Director. The tournament will be held shortly ahead of the prestigious 2025 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, where the world’s best women’s and men’s tennis players will compete for the for the biggest prize in the sport.
In cricket, England Women face India in a highly anticipated clash between two of the world’s best sides. They will compete in a T20 International at The Kia Oval on 4 July, ahead of a One Day International (ODI) on 19 July at Lord’s, the Home of Cricket. The first ever Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day will take place at The Kia Oval on 27 July while The Hundred competition is scheduled to take place across August, where London has two women’s teams – the Oval Invincibles (based at The Kia Oval) and London Spirit (based at Lord’s).
The summer will also see the return of world class athletics to London Stadium as the 2025 London Athletics Meet is staged on 19 July as part of the Wanda Diamond League series. The 2024 event was a sell out for a second year in a row and featured international superstars including Dina Asher-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Bol, with a world class line up expected again this year.
London remains the world’s top destination for women’s football. On 26 February the England Lionesses, the current European Champions, will host reigning World Champions Spain at Wembley Stadium in a repeat of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. The Adobe Women’s FA Cup final will take place at the same venue on 18 May.
London teams also make up almost half of the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL). Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are all currently competing in the 24/25 WSL, with the season running until May 2025. After a summer break, the 25/26 WSL season will begin in September.
The capital is also the best city to watch netball, with the Copper Box on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the home of Netball Super League (NSL) team London Pulse. The new NSL season will run from March to July 2025, with the NSL Grand Final taking place at the O2 Arena on 6 July.
In basketball, the Playoff Finals will also return to the O2 Arena on May 18, where the top teams from the Women’s and Men’s Super League’s will compete for the coveted title.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I’m so excited that London is set to be the undisputed global capital for women’s sport in 2025, with some of the world’s biggest events coming to our city next year.
“I am delighted that we will be playing host to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, while we will also see the historic return of women’s tennis to the Queen’s Club. This is in addition to world class women’s cricket, football, netball, hockey, basketball and athletics in the capital.
“I would urge Londoners to take up the opportunity to attend some of these amazing events, cheering on our top athletes and sports women. Ensuring London hosts many of the world’s leading sporting events is an important part of our work building a better London for everyone.”
An estimated six million people attended sporting events across the capital this summer, including the UEFA Champions League Final and European Professional Club Rugby Finals, cementing London’s position as the undisputed sporting capital of the world.*
Polling from YouGov found that 62 per cent of Londoners feel proud of living in London when major sporting events are hosted, with 72 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds feeling proud. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Londoners think that hosting major sporting events impacts positively on London’s economy.**
The capital was also crowned the world’s leading sporting events host in the 2024 Global Cities Report as well as the best cultural experience destination.***
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director, Sarah Massey said: “With the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 set to capture hearts and headlines globally, the anticipation for the tournament is reaching new heights.
“We’ve seen unprecedented demand for tickets across the tournament and with the iconic Twickenham Stadium hosting the final, fans can expect an unmissable experience and an incredible celebration of women’s rugby on its biggest stage.”
The FA’s Women’s Technical Director, Kay Cossington said: “2025 is shaping up to be another momentous year for the women’s game and the Lionesses as we look forward to an unmissable EURO in the summer. Before then, the European champions will take on the world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium in February with another bumper crowd expected through the turnstiles.
“The Lionesses’ fixtures at Wembley are always so special and reminiscent of that memorable July day in 2022 when the team made history by lifting our first major trophy. Away from England, Wembley Stadium will once again play host to the landmark event in the domestic women’s calendar – the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final. With the final selling out Wembley for the last two seasons in a row, we’re expecting the May 2025 final to be another unmissable showpiece.”
The FA’s Women’s Technical Director, Kay Cossington said: “2025 is shaping up to be another momentous year for the women’s game and the Lionesses as we look forward to an unmissable EURO in the summer. Before then, the European champions will take on the world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium in February with another bumper crowd expected through the turnstiles.
“The Lionesses’ fixtures at Wembley are always so special and reminiscent of that memorable July day in 2022 when the team made history by lifting our first major trophy. Away from England, Wembley Stadium will once again play host to the landmark event in the domestic women’s calendar – the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final. With the final selling out Wembley for the last two seasons in a row, we’re expecting the May 2025 final to be another unmissable showpiece.”
The All England Lawn Tennis Club Chief Executive, Sally Bolton said: “There is no doubt that London is a sporting powerhouse and 2025 is set to be a year of fantastic women’s sport for the capital. We look forward to playing our part as we welcome the world to Wimbledon for the 138th staging of The Championship with the world’s best tennis players going head to head on the lawns of SW19.”
The ECB Director of Women’s Professional Game, Beth Barrett-Wild said: “Off the back of another year of extraordinary growth in 2024, we are set for an unmissable summer of women’s cricket in London in 2025.
“In June, England Women take on India with two huge games here in the capital; in July, the first ever Vitality T20 Blast Women’s Finals Day is coming to the Kia Oval; and across August, The Hundred will be front and centre with The Final at Lord’s.
“Last year The Hundred once again broke the global record for total attendance at a women’s cricket competition, with 320,000 fans in attendance, we’ll be hoping to see even more fans this year.
“All this sets the scene for a huge 2026 when we host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup here in England, with women’s cricket here in London at the centre of a global competition.”
Netball Super League Managing Director, Claire Nelson said: “We are incredibly excited to bring the Netball Super League Grand Final to The O2 for the very first time in 2025.
“The O2 is one of the most prestigious arenas in the world and will provide the perfect backdrop to a world class event and an unforgettable experience for fans, players and everyone involved. As we enter a new professional era for League, this event will be a major moment for our sport that will see us continue to push the boundaries to make our events bigger and better than ever before.”
UK Sport CEO, Sally Munday said: “2025 is going to be a spectacular year for women’s sport in the UK. In particular, we are incredibly excited about the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which is set to be a big celebration of Women’s sport with huge potential to unite and inspire people right across the UK. The final at Twickenham Stadium promises to be one of the iconic sporting moments of next year.
“We know that live sport has a unique place in the hearts of the British public. As our nation’s capital, London is a crucial partner in making live sport matter and maintaining the UK’s world-leading reputation for hosting major sporting events.
“We look forward to working together with the Mayor and his team to bring more of the biggest and best sporting events in the world to our shores in 2025 and beyond.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Chief Veterinary Officer shares advice on helping pets stay safe over Christmas
The Chief Veterinary Officer has reminded families of some of the ways to exercise caution with their pets around Christmas to ensure a safe festive period for the whole family.
It is particularly important to remain vigilant about what your pet is consuming as harmful foods can often be more accessible around the house during this time of year.
It is best to check with your vet regarding any specific diets, but here are some general reminders which can help:
Pets should also be supervised around Christmas decorations: keep tinsel and decorations such as Christmas lights at a safe distance to avoid animals eating or chewing them, and regularly hoover to avoid pets eating fallen pine needles. Be mindful of other festive hazards including poinsettias, holly berries and mistletoe which can also be harmful if eaten.
Keep your pets safe in the cold weather by making sure their bedding is kept away from cold draughts and keep dogs away from frozen ponds and lakes when out on a walk.
Whilst Christmas is not the best time to introduce a new pet to your household, there are precautions you can take over the festive period to make sure you are taking steps to keep them safe and happy.
There are some increased risks around this time – from potential hazards such as toxic foods to making sure your animals are kept warm – and being aware of these will help you and your pets have a safe and enjoyable Christmas.
If you are buying a new dog for Christmas, make sure you check the animal is microchipped and that the keeper’s details are registered to a compliant database. Deceitful pet sellers use a range of tactics to ‘Petfish’ unsuspecting buyers. These unscrupulous sellers pretend that the puppy or kitten they’re selling you comes from a happy home. In reality, the animal may have been bred or kept in poor conditions.
Bringing pets to the UK from overseas has increased animal health and welfare risks. If rescuing a pet from abroad, families should check who the rescue organisation is, that the pet will be transported by an authorised transporter and that the animal has received a vet check before travel. Prospective owners should also check that the pet has been tested for any relevant disease before moving them to the UK.
It’s important to do your research so you know your new pet has come from a responsible seller.
If you have any concerns or queries regarding your pets over Christmas, it is best to get in touch with your vet. Further information on our Petfished campaign is available on GOV.UK.
Published 23 December 2024
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
RAIB has today released its report into a collision between a passenger train and a fallen tree at Broughty Ferry, Dundee, 27 December 2023.
Damage to the driving cab sustained in the collision (images courtesy of ScotRail).
At around 13:09 on 27 December 2023, the 10:46 Perth to Aberdeen passenger service collided with a fallen tree approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The train was travelling at around 84 mph (135 km/h) when the collision occurred. The train suffered significant damage to the leading driving cab. There were no physical injuries to the 37 passengers and three staff members on board the train.
The tree had fallen from Barnhill Rock Gardens, a public park owned by Dundee City Council, and was brought down by winds during Storm Gerrit. This storm had been subjecting the area to high winds and heavy rain for several hours preceding the accident. RAIB’s investigation found that the soil in which the tree was rooted had characteristics which limited the tree’s ability to resist the wind forces acting on it. In addition, three other trees at this location had been felled before May 2023, increasing the exposure of the tree which fell to winds from the Firth of Tay.
Around 12 minutes before the collision, a member of the public became aware that a tree had fallen across the railway and contacted Network Rail using the public helpline. The helpline call handler attempted to pass this information on to Network Rail’s Scotland route control on a number of occasions, but the call from the helpline call handler was not answered until after the accident. This meant that a warning about the fallen tree did not reach the driver of the train in time to prevent the accident.
The risk of trees in Barnhill Rock Gardens falling onto the railway not being effectively controlled was the factor underlying the accident. Network Rail is reliant on neighbouring landowners controlling the risk associated with visually healthy trees falling onto the railway lines from outside of the railway boundary. However, Dundee City Council did not effectively manage the risk of trees falling from its land onto the adjacent railway lines.
As a consequence of the accident, the survival space in the cab was considerably reduced. The driver only escaped serious injury by crouching behind the driving seat once they had made an emergency brake application on realising the collision was inevitable. RAIB also observed that the telephone equipment used at Scotland integrated control centre did not display missed call information.
Since this accident, Network Rail has provided helpline staff with an additional contact telephone number for use in emergencies.
RAIB has made three recommendations as a result of its investigation. The first of these is to Network Rail to consider how technology could assist in the detection of trees subject to altered exposure, including those trees on third-party land. The second recommendation is that Dundee City Council should review its management of the trees for which it is responsible to ensure that it is effectively controlling the risk of them falling onto the railway.
RAIB has also recommended that the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s Carmont recommendations steering group should review its response to recommendation 19 made within RAIB report 02/2022, following the investigation into the derailment of a passenger train at Carmont, Aberdeenshire on 12 August 2020.
The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.
Published 23 December 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
For Immediate Release: 23-Dec-24
WisdomTree Issuer ICAV
Re: Dividend Payment
The Directors of WisdomTree Issuer ICAV (the “Fund”) wish to announce the following dividend(s)
paid by the Fund for the quarter to December 2024.
Announcement Date: 23-Dec-24
Ex-Date: 03-Jan-25
Record Date: 06-Jan-25
Payment Date: 17-Jan-25
| Sub-Fund/Share Class | ISIN | Currency | Amount per Share |
| WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income UCITS ETF | IE00BQQ3Q067 | USD | 0.0686 |
| WisdomTree Emerging Markets Small Cap Dividend UCITS ETF | IE00BQZJBM26 | USD | 0.0695 |
| WisdomTree US Equity Income UCITS ETF | IE00BQZJBQ63 | USD | 0.1799 |
| WisdomTree Europe Equity Income UCITS ETF | IE00BQZJBX31 | EUR | 0.1255 |
| WisdomTree Europe Equity UCITS ETF – USD Hedged | IE00BVXBH163 | USD | 0.1116 |
| WisdomTree Europe Equity UCITS ETF – GBP Hedged | IE00BYQCZQ89 | GBP | 0.0807* |
| WisdomTree Europe Small Cap Dividend UCITS ETF | IE00BQZJC527 | EUR | 0.1629 |
| WisdomTree Japan Equity UCITS ETF – USD Hedged | IE00BVXC4854 | USD | 0.3179 |
| WisdomTree Japan Equity UCITS ETF – GBP Hedged | IE00BYQCZF74 | GBP | 0.2058* |
| WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity UCITS ETF – USD | IE00BZ1GHD37 | USD | 0.6187 |
| WisdomTree Eurozone Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – EUR | IE00BZ56SY76 | EUR | 0.0893 |
| WisdomTree US Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – USD | IE00BZ56RD98 | USD | 0.1338 |
| WisdomTree US Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – GBP Hedged | IE000IGMB3E1 | GBP | 0.0594* |
| WisdomTree Global Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – USD | IE00BZ56RN96 | USD | 0.0856 |
| WisdomTree Global Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – GBP Hedged | IE000LRRPK60 | GBP | 0.0463* |
| WisdomTree Global Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – USD (Inst) | IE00030Y2P41 | USD | 26.8226 |
| WisdomTree AT1 CoCo Bond UCITS ETF – USD | IE00BZ0XVF52 | USD | 1.2227 |
| WisdomTree AT1 CoCo Bond UCITS ETF – USD Hedged | IE00BFNNN012 | USD | 1.3689 |
| WisdomTree AT1 CoCo Bond UCITS ETF – EUR Hedged | IE00BFNNN236 | EUR | 1.2808* |
| WisdomTree AT1 CoCo Bond UCITS ETF – GBP Hedged | IE00BFNNN459 | GBP | 1.3311* |
| WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF – USD | IE00BJFN5P63 | USD | 0.5603 |
| WisdomTree New Economy Real Estate UCITS ETF – USD | IE000X9TLGN8 | USD | 0.1963 |
| WisdomTree UK Quality Dividend Growth UCITS ETF – GBP | IE0003UH9270 | GBP | 0.1654 |
| * Amount has been converted to share class currency using the WMR 4pm rate on 20 December. | |||
Enquiries to:
State Street Fund Services (Ireland) Limited Karen Campion +353 1 776 0406
IQ EQ Fund Management (Ireland) Limited Paul Boland +353 1 697 1684
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
TAINAN, Taiwan, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Himax Technologies, Inc. (“Himax” or “Company”) (Nasdaq: HIMX), an industry leader in fabless display driver ICs and other semiconductors, today announced that the Company and its AI ecosystem partners will unveil a suite of innovative, production-ready AIoT applications at CES 2025, powered by Himax’s groundbreaking ultralow power WiseEye Module solutions. These designs will showcase intuitive, user-friendly AI capabilities set to transform multiple industries by improving productivity, scalability, automation, and efficiency, all while delivering better performance and lower power consumption. Himax’s ultralow power WiseEye Module solutions are leading the AIoT revolution with their advanced, efficient, and scalable AI-driven technologies.
The Himax WiseEye Module seamlessly integrates ultralow power WiseEye AI processors and proprietary always-on CMOS sensors, designed with compact form factors, high integration, and plug-and-play functionality. Characterized by remarkably low power consumption at just single-digit milliwatts, it is ideal for battery-powered endpoint devices that cater to everyday life. The WiseEye Module incorporates versatile AI models from in-house or third-party partners, enabling no-code/low-code AI development for use cases like people counting, gesture recognition, human detection, face recognition, and audio command classification. This simplifies the AI development process, reducing cost and time, allowing AI developers, even those with limited AI expertise, to easily integrate advanced AI features into their systems and applications. Given their versatility, WiseEye Modules are poised to become foundational technology for a wide range of IoT applications.
At the event, a visionary and innovative lineup of ultralow power WiseEye Module solutions will be on display, showcasing their potential to revolutionize AI-powered applications across industries.
More compelling joint demonstrations with ecosystem partners will also be showcased at the event, including the world-first AI agent SenseCAP Watcher developed with Seeed Studio, mixed reality eye-tracking solutions with Ganzin, and AI-enabled thermal sensing modules in collaboration with leading thermal sensor partners, among others.
“Our WiseEye™ Modules are designed to drive innovation and enhance lives through advanced, seamless AI integration, all while consuming ultralow power,” said Mark Chen, Vice President of Smart Sensing Business at Himax. “At Himax, we are dedicated to advancing the future of AI vision with innovative, ultralow power, easy-to-adopt AI solutions, enabling seamless integration of advanced vision AI into diverse IoT applications that power the next generation of intelligent, connected devices, enhancing everyday life,” concluded Mark.
Himax invites all interested parties to stop by our exhibition booth at The Venetian Las Vegas Hotel (3355 Las Vegas Boulevard S, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.) Venetian Tower Suite 34-208 to experience the Company and partners’ cutting-edge WiseEye Module solutions. To schedule a meeting or booth tour, please contact Himax at: Himax_CES2025@himax.com.tw.
About Himax Technologies, Inc.
Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) is a leading global fabless semiconductor solution provider dedicated to display imaging processing technologies. The Company’s display driver ICs and timing controllers have been adopted at scale across multiple industries worldwide including TVs, PC monitors, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, automotive, ePaper devices, industrial displays, among others. As the global market share leader in automotive display technology, the Company offers innovative and comprehensive automotive IC solutions, including traditional driver ICs, advanced in-cell Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI), local dimming timing controllers (Local Dimming Tcon), Large Touch and Display Driver Integration (LTDI) and OLED display technologies. Himax is also a pioneer in tinyML visual-AI and optical technology related fields. The Company’s industry-leading WiseEyeTM Ultralow Power AI Sensing technology which incorporates Himax proprietary ultralow power AI processor, always-on CMOS image sensor, and CNN-based AI algorithm has been widely deployed in consumer electronics and AIoT related applications. Himax optics technologies, such as diffractive wafer level optics, LCoS microdisplays and 3D sensing solutions, are critical for facilitating emerging AR/VR/metaverse technologies. Additionally, Himax designs and provides touch controllers, OLED ICs, LED ICs, EPD ICs, power management ICs, and CMOS image sensors for diverse display application coverage. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan, Himax currently employs around 2,200 people from three Taiwan-based offices in Tainan, Hsinchu and Taipei and country offices in China, Korea, Japan, Germany, and the US. Himax has 2,683 patents granted and 390 patents pending approval worldwide as of September 30, 2024.
Forward Looking Statements
Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in this conference call include, but are not limited to, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s business; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; market acceptance and competitiveness of the driver and non-driver products developed by the Company; demand for end-use applications products; reliance on a small group of principal customers; the uncertainty of continued success in technological innovations; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; pricing pressures including declines in average selling prices; changes in customer order patterns; changes in estimated full-year effective tax rate; shortage in supply of key components; changes in environmental laws and regulations; changes in export license regulated by Export Administration Regulations (EAR); exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; our ability to collect accounts receivable and manage inventory and other risks described from time to time in the Company’s SEC filings, including those risks identified in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, as may be amended.
Company Contacts:
Eric Li, Chief IR/PR Officer
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-6-505-0880
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw
Karen Tiao, Investor Relations
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-2-2370-3999
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw
Mark Schwalenberg, Director
Investor Relations – US Representative
MZ North America
Tel: +1-312-261-6430
Email: HIMX@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Oscar Berglund, Senior Lecturer in International Public and Social Policy, University of Bristol
Climate and environmental protest is being criminalised and repressed around the world. The criminalisation of such protest has received a lot of attention in certain countries, including the UK and Australia. But there have not been any attempts to capture the global trend – until now.
We recently published a report, with three University of Bristol colleagues, which shows this repression is indeed a global trend – and that it is becoming more difficult around the world to stand up for climate justice.
This criminalisation and repression spans the global north and south, and includes more and less democratic countries. It does, however, take different forms.
Our report distinguishes between climate and environmental protest. The latter are campaigns against specific environmentally destructive projects – most commonly oil and gas extraction and pipelines, deforestation, dam building and mining. They take place all around the world.
Climate protests are aimed at mitigating climate change by decreasing carbon emissions, and tend to make bigger policy or political demands (“cut global emissions now” rather than “don’t build this power plant”). They often take place in urban areas and are more common in the global north.
The intensifying criminalisation and repression is taking four main forms.
1. Anti-protest laws are introduced
Anti-protest laws may give the police more powers to stop protest, introduce new criminal offences, increase sentence lengths for existing offences, or give policy impunity when harming protesters. In the 14 countries we looked at, we found 22 such pieces of legislation introduced since 2019.
2. Protest is criminalised through prosecution and courts
This can mean using laws against climate and environmental activists that were designed to be used against terrorism or organised crime. In Germany, members of Letzte Generation (Last Generation), a direct action group in the mould of Just Stop Oil, were charged in May 2024 with “forming a criminal organisation”. This section of the law is typically used against mafia organisations and had never been applied to a non-violent group.
In the Philippines, anti-terrorism laws have been used against environmentalists who have found themselves unable to return to their home islands.
Criminalising protest can also mean lowering the threshold for prosecution, preventing climate activists from mentioning climate change in court, and changing other court processes to make guilty verdicts more likely. Another example is injunctions that can be taken out by corporations against activists who protest against them.
3. Harsher policing
This stretches from stopping and searching to surveillance, arrests, violence, infiltration and threatening activists. The policing of activists is carried out not just by state actors like police and armed forces, but also private actors including private security, organised crime and corporations.
In Germany, regional police have been accused of collaborating with an energy giant (and its private fire brigade) to evict coal mine protesters, while private security was used extensively in policing anti-mining activists in Peru.
4. Killings and disappearances
Lastly, in the most extreme cases, environmental activists are murdered. This is an extension of the trend for harsher policing, as it typically follows threats by the same range of actors. We used data from the NGO Global Witness to show this is increasingly common in countries including Brazil, Philippines, Peru and India. In Brazil, most murders are carried out by organised crime groups while in Peru, it is the police force.
To look more closely at the global picture of climate and environmental protest – and the repression of it – we used the Armed Conflicts Location Event database. This showed us that climate protests increased dramatically in 2018-2019 and have not declined since. They make up on average about 4% of all protest in the 81 countries that had more than 1,000 protests recorded in the 2012-2023 period:
This second graph shows that environmental protest has increased more gradually:
We used this data to see what kind of repression activists face. By looking for keywords in the reporting of protest events, we found that on average 3% of climate and environmental protests face police violence, and 6.3% involve arrests. But behind these averages are large differences in the nature of protest and its policing.
A combination of the presence of protest groups like Extinction Rebellion, who often actively seek arrests, and police forces that are more likely to make arrests, mean countries such as Australia and the UK have very high levels of arrest. Some 20% of Australian climate and environmental protests involve arrests, against 17% in the UK – with the highest in the world being Canada on 27%.
Meanwhile, police violence is high in countries such as Peru (6.5%) and Uganda (4.4%). France stands out as a European country with relatively high levels of police violence (3.2%) and low levels of arrests (also 3.2%).
In summary, while criminalisation and repression does not look the same across the world, there are remarkable similarities. It is increasing in a lot of countries, it involves both state and corporate actors, and it takes many forms.
This repression is taking place in a context where states are not taking adequate action on climate change. By criminalising activists, states depoliticise them. This conceals the fact these activists are ultimately right about the state of the climate and environment – and the lack of positive government action in these areas.
Oscar Berglund is a member of the Green Party. The report this article is based on was written with Christina Pantazis, Chris Rossdale and Roxana Pessoa Cavalcanti.
Tie Franco Brotto does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Repression of climate and environmental protest is intensifying across the world – https://theconversation.com/repression-of-climate-and-environmental-protest-is-intensifying-across-the-world-246379
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elisa Bertolini, Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law, Bocconi University
Continental Europe is home to four microstates with populations of between 30,000 and 80,000 people: Andorra, on the border between France and Spain; Liechtenstein, nestled between Switzerland and Austria; Monaco, which sits on the French Riviera; and San Marino, which is surrounded by northern Italy.
These states have existed since the medieval period and their tiny size has enabled them to develop and maintain singular constitutional arrangements. They have all developed original solutions to the problems of state architecture, many of which survive today.
All four of these microstates participate in the Council of Europe (Europe’s human rights organisation) and have therefore had to modernise to meet international standards of governance. This includes the independence of the judiciary.
However, all four have also implemented these reforms without altering their institutional identity. Their commitment to preserving their distinctiveness from other countries prevents wider reform to their institutions. For them, the protection of national tradition and identity is a form of self-preservation rather than a mere expression of ideology.
The distinctiveness of the four microstates lies in the survival of institutional arrangements that can no longer to be found practically anywhere else in the world. In the principalities of Liechtenstein and Monaco, for example, the monarchy still has a central role in the constitution.
Unlike in most European states with a monarchy, in Liechtenstein and Monaco, the royal head of state continues to exercise meaningful power. Andorra and San Marino, meanwhile, operate under a dual head of state arrangement. They effectively have two monarchs.
Institutional arrangements in these principalities has been shaped by their diminutive size, both in terms of territory and population, and their geographical location. And these arrangements have survived since the middle ages because they have become their identity. While national tradition is an ideological debate in other nations, in these, preserving the past is a survival mechanism.
Liechtenstein and Monaco are constitutional monarchies of the kind that offer substantial power to the royal family. Everything is organised around a prince, who exercises the executive power. Contemporary monarchies in the western legal tradition generally have a ceremonial king or queen but the executive power is held by an elected government. Liechtenstein and Monaco have maintained their historical organisation of government, centred on a very powerful monarch.
Although his powers are not unlimited, in Monaco, the prince is not even accountable to the parliament for the powers he does hold. Liechtenstein’s prince enjoys even more powers, including the right to appoint half of the members of the constitutional court.
However, the prince of Liechtenstein’s sovereign power is held in partnership with the people of Liechtenstein. The institutional architecture is built as to allow a system of checks and balances between the prince and the people.
Since a 2003 constitutional amendment, for example, the people can table a motion of no-confidence in the prince if more than 1,500 citizens are in agreement to do so, which triggers a referendum on confidence in him. The same number of citizens can mount an initiative to abolish the monarchy entirely, should they choose to do so.
The principality of Andorra should more properly be called co-principality, because of its co-princes arrangement. One of the princes is the bishop of Urgell – from Catalonia – and the other is the president of the French Republic (and previously the French king or emperor). So another Andorran peculiarity is that neither of the princes are Andorran nationals.
Following a 1993 reform that established a fully fledged constitution, neither prince holds sovereign power. Their present constitutional role is almost entirely ceremonial. However, concerns remain over the fact that they are not nationals of the state and that the heads of state are selected neither by the Andorran people nor by their representatives. The historical reason for a foreign head of state is the geographical location of Andorra – wedged between Catalonia and France. Allowing itself to be put under this double sovereignty was a guarantee of survival.
San Marino also has a two-headed state but both leaders, called the Captains Regent, are Sammarinese nationals. They are elected by the Grand and General Council (the Sammarinese legislative body) and their distinctive trait is that they serve only a six-month term of office.
The reason for such a short tenure is that San Marino has a population of just under 34,000 people. Everyone knows everyone else, which is a situation that can be detrimental to the independence of elective offices.
Captains Regent can’t shore up enough power in their short time in office to be able to overthrow the republic. The Captains Regent were first established in 1243, shortly before a number of Italian republics were overthrown by wealthy families. One of the reasons why San Marino has been able to survive is because it has prevented one family from being more powerful than the others for centuries.
Microstates are, therefore, not like Europe’s regular-sized states. They have distinctive institutional architectures – and often for understandable reasons.
Elisa Bertolini does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Europe’s microstates: the medieval monarchies that survive in our midst – https://theconversation.com/europes-microstates-the-medieval-monarchies-that-survive-in-our-midst-245328
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
The Met is renewing its reward of up to £20,000 for help finding the remains of a murdered woman, as her family face their second Christmas without her.
The reward is on offer for information leading to the recovery of the remains of 48-year-old Fiona Holm.
Fiona was last seen alive leaving a residential address in Verdant Lane, Catford, on 20 June, 2023. She was reported missing nine days later.
Her partner, Carl Cooper, was jailed for life in July for her murder which took place in the living room of his flat in Broadfield Road, Catford. Cooper lied to Fiona’s family and police, and took extensive steps to cover up the killing. Fiona’s body has never been recovered.
Cooper was also convicted of murdering another girlfriend, 41-year-old Naomi Hunte, who was found dead at her home in Woolwich in 2022.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, who leads the investigation, said: “My team has carried out a huge amount of work to try to find Fiona, using specialist teams to search areas she was known to frequent, open spaces, bodies of water, houses, cars and lockups. Thousands of hours of CCTV has been seized and viewed, substantial mobile phone enquiries have been reviewed and hundreds of witness statements have been taken, including interviews with Fiona’s family and friends. Those efforts have continued since Cooper’s conviction.
“This Christmas, our thoughts are with Fiona’s family, who are still waiting for answers almost two years after her tragic murder. Our thoughts are also with Naomi’s family at this difficult time.
“I am appealing to anybody who may be able to assist the ongoing search for Fiona’s remains to come forward, no matter how insignificant you think your information could be. Perhaps now Cooper has been convicted, you feel able to come forward and tell us what you know or have heard.”
Fiona’s family have described her as a kind and loving person, and say they are tormented by the lack of closure.
Fiona’s daughter Savannah said: “This year is the second Christmas without my beloved mother. As the heartache still continues, the restless nights go on knowing that she has been out there this long, and no-one has come forward with any information, which I find disturbing.
“The thought of us finding her remains is sickening to think about, but this would also bring my whole family peace.
“My Nan has not been the same since. The only thing she worries about is where her daughter is, as she wants her to be found. Nan misses her daughter’s big heart and kind ways the most.”
If you have any information, please contact the incident room on 020 8721 4005, or 999 if you need urgent police attendance. If you want to give your information anonymously, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – In English
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the company Sante Limited and the services it is offering. BaFin has information that the company is offering banking business and/or financial services on its website sante-Itd.com.co without the required authorisation. The company is not supervised by BaFin.
Banking business and financial services may only be offered in Germany with authorisation from BaFin. However, some companies offer these services without the required authorisation. Information on whether particular companies have been authorised by BaFin can be found in BaFin’s database of companies.
The information provided by BaFin is based on section 37 (4) of the German Banking Act (Kreditwesengesetz – KWG).
BaFin, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt – BKA) and the German state criminal police offices (Landeskriminalämter) recommend that consumers seeking to invest money online should exercise the utmost caution and do the necessary research beforehand in order to identify fraud attempts at an early stage.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dorothy Yen, Professor in Marketing and Lead on the Happy to Chat project, Brunel University of London
For some people, loneliness can feel overwhelming, especially during winter, but small steps toward connection can make a significant difference. Research shows that micro conversations with strangers can help improve wellbeing and reduce feelings of loneliness.
This explains why in the UK, the new charity Happy to Chat is trying to encourage people to talk to each other when out and about. In Sweden, a similar scheme – the Say Hi campaign – was also launched in winter 2023 to promote small talks among people in their neighbourhoods.
Most studies on the benefits of talking to strangers have focused on younger people, leaving a big question mark over how older adults experience these everyday interactions. Yet, this is a group that could stand to benefit the most. The World Health Organization estimates that one in four older adults face social isolation, which can seriously affect their health, happiness, and even how long they live.
Our research shows that most older people in the UK have a positive attitude towards the idea of small talk when out and about. They see it as being neighbourly, an act of kindness, a way to brighten someone else’s day. Popular spots for these chats include bright, public spaces, like shopping centres, garden centres, libraries, community events, university campuses, or even while waiting for public transport.
Feeling confident is important; it’s not just about starting a conversation or keeping it going. It’s also about feeling safe and in control. That confidence isn’t the same for everyone, though. Older women, in particular, were more concerned about potential challenges such as personal safety or dealing with an awkward or uncomfortable chat.
A safe and secure environment can make all the difference in their choice of whether to engage in small talk when out and about. So, it is important that we all make an effort in creating a friendly environment, combating loneliness together through small and meaningful conversations. With that in mind, here are five ways to beat loneliness this winter and build those much needed connections.
A simple conversation can go a long way in making both you and others feel more connected. The “happy to chat” initiative in the UK encourages people to sit at designated benches or wear ‘happy to chat’ badges that signal their openness to friendly talks with those passing by. Our research shows that these badges work wonders as ice breakers, making it easier to strike up a conversation. Whether you’re at a park, garden centre, café, or on public transport, a little small talk can brighten your day and build a sense of community.
Giving back not only benefits others but can also create a sense of purpose and connection. Many organisations seek extra hands during the winter, especially for holiday drives, food banks or programmes supporting older people. Volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded people while spreading warmth and joy.
From Christmas carol singing to craft workshops and winter walks, your local area is probably buzzing with events this season. Joining in these activities is a natural way to socialise and meet new people. Have a look at your community centre or local general practitioners notice boards. Neighbourhood gatherings or shared hobbies make connecting with others feel effortless and fun.
Exercise has proven mental health benefits, including reducing feelings of loneliness. Bundle up and take a brisk walk in the park, or join a local fitness class or walking group, where you can enjoy the fresh air while having small talks with others. Outdoor winter activities like ice skating may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but having a visit to seasonal markets can also provide opportunities to interact with others.
The holiday season is a perfect time to reach out to loved ones or people you may have lost in touch with. But don’t forget that loneliness can be all year around. Drop a postcard to say hello, schedule a call or meet-ups, even if it’s just for a quick coffee. If you can’t meet in person, virtual gatherings can still help you feel connected and cared for.
Although pets can provide companionship, they require long-term commitment, time and care. Getting a pet solely to combat loneliness during the winter isn’t a good idea.
Pets are for life, not just for the holiday season, and taking on this responsibility without careful thought can lead to challenges for both you and the animal. Instead, consider alternative ways to connect, like volunteering at an animal shelter or spending time with friends who have pets.
Loneliness can feel overwhelming, especially during winter, but small steps toward connection can make a significant difference. By reaching out to others and engaging in your community, you can transform this season into one of warmth, companionship and joy. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple smile or a friendly conversation to turn someone’s day around – including your own.
Christina Victor receives funding from ESRC, Dunhill Medical Trust, Wellcome Trust, Alzheimer’s Society, NIHR
Dorothy Yen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Five ways to beat loneliness this winter – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-beat-loneliness-this-winter-245630
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Samuel Forbes, Associate Professor in Psychology, Durham University
For parents, carers and teachers, it’s often tempting to base our thinking on a child’s development around what we understand as “normal”. Much of the time we do this without thinking, describing a child as “doing well” in one subject and “behind” in another.
Whenever we make this sort of comparison, we have some sort of mental benchmark or yardstick in our head: for example, a toddler should be able to climb on furniture by age two. Increasingly, child development researchers are arguing that the same thing happens in child development research — the study of how behaviours and abilities such as language develop.
Many of the studies that claim to research child development either implicitly, or explicitly, claim that their findings are universal.
There could be many reasons for this. Sometimes there’s a temptation to oversell conclusions, sometimes it might be the way findings are interpreted by readers or the media. The upshot is that what’s been found in one group of children is then taken as the standard — the yardstick against which future research is compared.
Most of the research into how children develop comes from wealthier, western countries, in particular the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and France. Chances are, if you’ve heard of milestones in child development, they were developed in one of these countries.
This is so much so that it can be challenging to do basic research on child development in developing countries, as peers and reviewers will ask for or demand comparisons to western populations to put findings from these regions in context. Of course without realising it, these peers and reviewers have set up western children as a norm.
But is it fair to make these comparisons? One of the tricky things about researching child development is that it occurs within a cultural and social context it can’t be removed from. But this context is often messy. Differences in physical environment, parenting styles, location, climate and so on all interact to shape how children grow.
Besides these differences, there is individual variation as well. These could be, for instance, curiosity, shyness and neurodiversity, which can all frame how a child shapes their own learning environment.
Take for example the field of motor development in infancy – the study of
how children learn to move. Many parents in particular might be familiar with charts showing when they can expect their child to sit, crawl, stand and run. The existence of these charts make it seem pretty universal, and often a child’s motor development is judged accordingly.
This makes sense. Early research was preoccupied with finding out what was normal, and it makes sense to try to support children who might be at risk of falling behind. The timing and order investigated back then led to the norms and scales we still use today.
Is something like motor development timing universal? It’s easy to imagine that it might be. When there are no physical or cognitive barriers we all learn to sit and stand, so on the surface it seems fair to say this could be.
But it turns out that the context that children develop in plays a huge role even
in something as seemingly universal as this. In countries and
cultures where babies routinely receive firm massages from caregivers, such as in Jamaica, motor development is accelerated. It’s clear that a norm developed in one culture might not translate well to another.
It’s clear to see that the problems highlighted above are not unique to motor development. In areas like language development or social development the cultural component is even more compelling.
There is simply no way of understanding these elements of child development without also understanding the context in which they take place. Every child is developing within a context and however normal our own culture feels to us, there is no objective context-free norm that we can compare other children to. That is, to say, we should embrace the mess.
If we think of normal child development as being something that just happens, researchers miss out on understanding the dynamics of development itself. But worse, educators and caregivers might not realise development is something we can act upon, and miss an opportunity to enact change.
An important part of seeing child development as being intertwined with culture is that it doesn’t just mean collecting data from other cultures, but involving local communities and research perspectives. Understanding communities means listening to them, empowering them and making space for them to have a voice.
Moving beyond a western-centric understanding of child development won’t just benefit researchers and lead to more accurate science, but hopefully benefit everyone working with children around the world.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Why there’s no such thing as normal in child development – https://theconversation.com/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-normal-in-child-development-244681
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
VILNIUS, Lithuania, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTCC, one of the longest-standing cryptocurrency exchanges, recently hosted an engaging AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on X Spaces featuring FLOKI, one of the original meme coins in crypto.
The AMA was part of BTCC’s “OG Week” campaign, where iconic long-term meme coins are spotlighted and celebrated. Pedro Vidal, Community Relations Officer for Floki and TokenFi Blockchain, joined the session to discuss FLOKI’s vision for 2024 and beyond.
The AMA was a resounding success, with over 1,500 crypto enthusiasts tuning in to explore FLOKI’s journey, and check out some big developments landing this coming year. Anyone interested in listening back can check out the AMA here
Highlights of the Discussion
The AMA covered many points, and gave a deep insight into FLOKI’s history, position in the crypto market, and some exciting points for 2025:
Topic 1 – FLOKI’s Inception
Topic 1 covered FLOKI’s inception, and discussed how FLOKI was born from a tweet from Elon Musk in 2021. Though the coin initially suffered rug pulls from the team who initially launched the project, it has now become a community-led project.
FLOKI is now governed by a DAO, leaving the ownership and direction of the token in the hands of the community. The DAO is important as it aligns closely with the current team’s focus on community feedback, utility and transparency, and dedication to the success of the project – and also to avoid the pitfalls from the initial launch of the coin.
Topic 2 – FLOKIs Blockchain Gaming Platform
Topic 2 focused on the big ticket success on FLOKI – Valhalla. The crypto household name game took the market by storm and features all the hallmarks of a global superstar – from an easy-to access, browser-based design, and global accessibility, everyone inside the FLOKI community is excited about the future of Valhalla.
“The idea is to continue to improve and leave blockchain forever changed.”
– Pedro Vidal, on Floki’s Valhalla Metaverse game
Topic 3 – FLOKI Debit Card and Trading Bot
Another hot topic on the agenda was the FLOKI debit card, which now offers crypto enthusiasts a way to spend their crypto across 8 different chains, with 0% transaction fees. The cards are available in both physical and virtual forms, which is another step toward FLOKI’s vision of a more financially enabled world, powered by memecoins.
FLOKI have also released their Telegram trading bot, aiming to streamline the trading experience, all from inside users’ telegram accounts. The bot supports multiple chains and is live now!
Topic 4 – 2025 and Beyond
For 2025, Pedro emphasized the importance of staying true to the project’s values of transparency and utility, and managing and promoting growth were emphasized – however 2025 shapes up for FLOKI, the ecosystem looks set for a rapid expansion.
FLOKI is available on BTCC for spot and futures trading. Up to 50x leverage is supported, and as one of the hottest meme coins on the platform, interest looks set to build for the coming season.
BTCC OG Week
To celebrate the OG meme coins that laid the foundations for the current cycle’s top gainers like DOGE, FLOKI, and PEPE, BTCC Exchange has announced the BTCC OG Week campaign, where meme fanatics can undertake social and trading tasks to win USDT rewards, with a prize pool of 300 USDT and 300 USDT in withdrawable rewards each week.
Week 1, which saw BTC in the limelight has already concluded, and winners of the trading competition have already been announced on BTCC’s X page.
BTCC continues its OG Week campaign with the featuring DOGE, and there’s plenty more amazing content to come.
Going forward, BTCC have scheduled more AMAs and special features on other long-term meme coins. To stay updated on future campaigns and win exclusive rewards, follow BTCC’s X account.
For additional information, visit BTCC’s website or follow BTCC and Floki on X.
Media Contact Details
Contact Name: Aaryn Ling
Contact Email: press@btcc.com
About BTCC
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/634ab0fe-7ecb-48c0-bc9d-f8c188a3fb50
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Around 3,800 offenders either released from prison or serving a community sentence will wear an alcohol tag over Christmas and New Year.
A record number of offenders will be forced to stay sober this Christmas as part of the government’s Plan for Change, keeping streets safe and cutting alcohol-fuelled crime.
Statistics published today (23 December) show around 3,800 offenders either released from prison or serving a community sentence will wear an alcohol tag over Christmas and New Year.
The tags work around the clock and quickly detect if an offender has been drinking by analysing their sweat, meaning festive favourites such as mulled wine and prosecco will be strictly off the menu.
If an offender dares to have a drink, an alert is sent to their probation officer who can take action to punish them, such as an order to return to court or even prison.
Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, James Timpson, said:
The sad reality is alcohol-fuelled crime such as domestic abuse and public disorder spikes at Christmas and has a devastating impact in our homes and town centres.
Technology like this is playing a key role in the government’s mission to take back our streets by monitoring offenders and cutting crime.
The tags are accurate enough to distinguish between foods that contain low-levels of alcohol – such as mince pies or Christmas pudding – and boozier drinks that could lead to offenders getting drunk.
The technology is playing a significant role in the government’s mission to take back our streets from alcohol-fuelled harm, which costs the taxpayer billions of pounds each year.
Offenders who are banned from consuming alcohol by the courts have remained sober for 97% of the days they have been tagged since the technology was first rolled out in 2020.
They monitor alcohol bans for offenders on community sentences handed down by judges or magistrates and can also be used as a licence condition for prison leavers. Roughly 20% of those supervised by probation are classified as having a drinking problem.
These statistics come as the government is conducting a landmark review of sentencing, which will further explore the range of tougher punishments that can be served outside of prison. This will explore the technology we can use to limit the liberties of offenders in the community and support the administration of sentences outside of prison.
Published 23 December 2024
Source: US Geological Survey
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Michael Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
The Yellowstone region today is Wonderland. It is full of spectacular geysers and colorful hot springs, home to lakes and meadows and mountains and valleys, and covered by both forests and grasslands. What we see today is a result of volcanic activity that has shaped the landscape over the past 2 million years.
But what did Yellowstone look like before volcanic activity blew several large holes in the region and covered huge swaths of land with thick lava and ash flows? What was Yellowstone like before it became Wonderland?
To understand the answer to this question, geologists have looked at the characteristics of the areas bordering the Yellowstone region—at the mountain ranges, rock types, and faults that make up areas like the Tetons and Jackson Hole, and like the Gallatins and Paradise Valley.
During about 4–7 million years ago, the Yellowstone hotspot was located under southeastern Idaho, feeding eruptions occurring from the Heise volcanic field. That sequence included multiple large calderas that formed via major explosions, spreading ash across the landscape—including Jackson Hole and the area that is now Yellowstone.
The pre-volcanic Yellowstone landscape was mostly made of high-elevation areas—there was no basin present like there is today. Instead, mountain ranges that ran mostly north-northwest to south-southeast extended across the region. Today’s Gallatin and Madison ranges in the north were probably connected to the Tetons and other mountains to the south, forming sets of continuous ranges that were all bounded by large faults. Fault-bounded ranges like these are common throughout the western USA today—part of the Basin and Range province, which extends from eastern California to western Wyoming and Montana.
We can see the evidence for these formerly continuous mountain ranges in patterns of earthquakes and eruptive vents. Seismicity maps show several north-northwest to south-southeast bands of earthquakes beneath Yellowstone Caldera, possibly delineating the still-existing faults that controlled the mountain ranges that were blown apart when large explosive eruptions began in the Yellowstone region. There are also several roughly north-northwest to south-southeast alignments of vents for rhyolite lava flows that erupted after Yellowstone Caldera formed, especially during about 160,000 to 70,000 years ago. Just like patterns of earthquakes, the vent alignments might also have been controlled by the preexisting faults associated with the destroyed mountain ranges.
And because there were mountains throughout the Yellowstone region before the big explosions, erosion was an important process. The high mountain ranges were gradually being ground down, and sediments eroded from these peaks accumulated in valleys at the bases of the ranges. Some of these sediments still exist today, capped by thick blankets of ash from caldera-forming eruptions of the Yellowstone system.
The first volcanic eruptions from the Yellowstone region began at least 2.2 million years ago, and the first of three great caldera-forming eruptions—that which deposited the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff—occurred 2.08 million years ago, spreading thick ash over an area larger than the state of Connecticut and dramatically altering the landscape.
Today, many visitors to Yellowstone National Park approach the area from the north, south, or west. In driving through the mountains and valleys that lead to Wonderland, take a moment to appreciate the landscape you are traversing. Those areas today exemplify what Yellowstone used to look like a few million years ago.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Delivering high-efficiency power, high-performance analog, and high-density digital in a single power management platform for mobile, AI, and data center applications
MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel, December 23, 2024 – Tower Semiconductor (NASDAQ/TASE: TSEM), a leading foundry of high-value analog semiconductor solutions, today announced its new 300mm 65nm 3.3V-based BCD Power management platform, PML, in addition to its successful 5V-based offering already in high-volume production in Japan and that which is being qualified in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, manufacturing site. This new, cutting-edge platform addresses the stringent low-voltage requirements of mobile devices and meets the growing demands for high power efficiency and power density in AI and data center applications.
The advanced 300mm BCD PML offering comprises LDMOS devices with ultra-low on-resistance and best-in-class figure-of-merit, achieving highest power conversion efficiency for fast switching converters. In addition, it features power devices with wide voltage range and a nominal 3.3V gate voltage that can be substantially overdriven and underdriven addressing products such as PMIC, Audio IC, and high-power voltage regulators for GPU and CPU. These advantages enable users to achieve outstanding performance in power consumption and extend battery life in battery operated applications.
“Our new PML platform exemplifies Tower Semiconductor’s continuous success in providing cutting-edge power management technology solutions,” said Shimon Greenberg, General Manager of Power Management Business Unit. “Specifically designed for advanced power management applications, this innovation empowers our customers to develop industry-leading products with a competitive edge that address the evolving demands of the strategic mobile, AI, and data center markets”.
For additional information on Tower’s PM technology platform, please visit here.
About Tower Semiconductor
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: TSEM), the leading foundry of high-value analog semiconductor solutions, provides technology, development, and process platforms for its customers in growing markets such as consumer, industrial, automotive, mobile, infrastructure, medical and aerospace and defense. Tower Semiconductor focuses on creating a positive and sustainable impact on the world through long-term partnerships and its advanced and innovative analog technology offering, comprised of a broad range of customizable process platforms such as SiGe, BiCMOS, mixed-signal/CMOS, RF CMOS, CMOS image sensor, non-imaging sensors, displays, integrated power management (BCD and 700V), photonics, and MEMS. Tower Semiconductor also provides world-class design enablement for a quick and accurate design cycle as well as process transfer services including development, transfer, and optimization, to IDMs and fabless companies. To provide multi-fab sourcing and extended capacity for its customers, Tower Semiconductor owns two facilities in Israel (150mm and 200mm), two in the U.S. (200mm), two in Japan (200mm and 300mm) which it owns through its 51% holdings in TPSCo, shares a 300mm facility in Agrate, Italy, with ST as well as has access to a 300mm capacity corridor in Intel’s New Mexico factory. For more information, please visit: www.towersemi.com.
Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary from those projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. A complete discussion of risks and uncertainties that may affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements included in this press release or which may otherwise affect Tower’s business is included under the heading “Risk Factors” in Tower’s most recent filings on Forms 20-F and 6-K, as were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the Israel Securities Authority. Tower does not intend to update, and expressly disclaim any obligation to update, the information contained in this release.
Tower Semiconductor Investor Relations Contact: Noit Levy | +972-4-604-7066 | noitle@towersemi.com
Tower Semiconductor Company Contact: Orit Shahar | +972-74-7377440 | oritsha@towersemi.com
Attachment
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A team of inspectors has been sent to investigate an accident which occurred on 22 December 2024
An investigation has begun into an accident involving a fixed-wing aircraft which occurred at Belfast City Airport on 22 December 2024. AAIB inspectors have commenced the on-site investigation to gather evidence and make enquiries.
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Published 23 December 2024
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Lord Stuart Peach visited Bosnia and Herzegovina from 18 to 20 December 2024.
Lord Stuart Peach
Lord Stuart Peach’s visit was part of the UK’s ongoing commitment to the security, stability and prosperity of the country, and support for BiH aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration.
Over the course of his visit, Lord Peach met BiH Presidency members Zeljko Komsic and Denis Becirovic, Chairwoman of the BiH Council of Minister Borjana Kristo, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konakovic to discuss economic, political and security issues. Lord Peach reiterated the UK’s continuous strong support for BiH’s reform agenda and the UK’s readiness to support the delivery of sustainable reforms that deliver real change for the people of BiH.
He also met Chief of BiH Armed Forces Joint Staff General Gojko Knezevic and Deputies Major General Mirsad Ahmic and Major General Tomo Kolenda to whom he reaffirmed UK commitment to Western Balkans security and support to the Armed Forces of BiH. Lord Peach praised BiH for hosting an important Women Peace and Security Chiefs of Defence Network Conference, organised in cooperation with the UK, emphasised mutual benefits of recent joint training of BiH and UK Armed Forces, and highlighted importance of Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence BiH embracing reform and modernisation in pursuit of Euro-Atlantic integration.
In the light of ongoing pressures on cultural institutions of importance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lord Peach hosted a dinner with representatives of these institutions which are a vital part of the shared history and values of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was keen to hear from them about the challenges they are facing and potential solutions for ensuring a sustainable future for these institutions, including through proper and timely funding.
Lord Peach’s latest visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina follows visits to North Macedonia and Serbia earlier this week.
Published 23 December 2024
Source: City of Wolverhampton
It is part of City of Wolverhampton Council’s citywide strategy to identify solutions for 4,100 out-dated homes built by old, non-traditional construction methods.
Keon Homes has, through the council’s housing framework, been appointed as the construction partner for the new homes on the Lincoln Green Estate and are expected to start on site in late spring.
The first wave of demolition of the ageing bungalows continues across the estate on Alleston Road, Grosvenor Road, Lincoln Green and School Lane – and in the Wood End and Portobello areas of the city. Work on planning applications for new homes in the other two locations are ongoing.
All of the old bungalows have been declared defective under the 1985 Housing Act – and suffer from a number of issues including failing structural elements, leaking and poorly insulated roofs, very poor thermal efficiency, and wet rot in the floor.
The council has therefore taken the decision to replace the properties before they have an adverse effect on tenants’ health and wellbeing.
The new, modern housing will also provide a greater ability to adapt properties to meet tenants’ needs, something which has been difficult to achieve in the out-dated properties due to their structural limitations.
The overall non-traditional housing stock replacement programme is being managed on behalf of the council by Wolverhampton Homes and follows extensive and ongoing consultation with residents.
City of Wolverhampton Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing, Councillor Steve Evans, said: “The non-traditional built properties are in such poor structural condition that they can no longer be economically and satisfactorily maintained.
“For the safety and comfort of our residents, we are delivering better homes in the long term that they can make their own in the same location.
“We will continue talking with all those affected and have engaged with all tenants, who are relishing the prospect of moving into brand new homes. They understand the absolute necessity to remove these out-dated bungalows and replace them with new modern homes.
“It is a key priority of our council plan to ensure we provide good homes in well-connected neighbourhoods for all our residents.”
Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent
A flagship regeneration project in Stoke-on-Trent is already having a major impact on the local economy with job opportunities secured for almost 200 people.
Social impact developers Capital&Centric are working in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to develop Goods Yard.
The former train station site, which was neglected for many years, is being transformed into a vibrant canalside neighbourhood boasting 174 brand new homes for rent and 30,000 sq ft of commercial space which will be used for leisure, retail and workspace.
Already, the development – which is on track for completion in spring 2025 – has added £63 million to the local economy and created job opportunities for 190 workers from the area – 107 of which are local to Stoke-on-Trent.
Down the line there will be even more opportunities created at Goods Yard with approximately 237 local jobs set to be created in leisure and hospitality and an estimated annual employment impact of £5.4 million.
It is all part of a joint mission by Capital&Centric and the council to deliver positive social value from the regeneration project.
Since starting on site contractors Bowmer + Kirkland have engaged with nearly 3,000 students from schools and colleges across Stoke-on-Trent, highlighting a range of careers in the construction industry.
Ajmal Muhammed from Stoke-on-Trent College successfully completed a placement with B+K and has since been accepted onto a degree apprenticeship programme as a trainee quantity surveyor.
Ajmal was given the opportunity to work at Goods Yard after attending Capital&Centric’s Regeneration Brainery event, a pioneering initiative which aims to get more diverse young people into property careers.
Ajmal, who lives in Tunstall, said: “I was offered an apprenticeship with B+K after smashing my interview and getting the results I needed from college, I got a distinction star and two distinctions.
“I’ve been here a few months now and my favourite part of the site is The Vaults, I’ve just never seen anything like it before it’s really interesting.
“I will be helping to finish the Goods Yard which is really exciting, then once it’s complete I’ll be moving onto another B+K project. I have just started at Salford University too where I am working towards becoming a Chartered Surveyor.”
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Ajmal is really enthusiastic about being able to work on this landmark development, and it is great that he has been given the opportunity to hone his skills on a major regeneration project in his home city.
“Goods Yard is a first-of-its-kind scheme for Stoke-on-Trent but it’s far greater than bricks and mortar. It’s great to see the social benefits coming to fruition with a number of successful apprenticeships and local people employed during construction.
“We’re very pleased to be working with Capital&Centric and B+K who both prioritise local impact. We’ll also see many more jobs and opportunities once Goods Yard is complete next year, making a real difference to people and the local economy.”
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director at Capital&Centric, said: “Regeneration is not just about creating new spaces for people to live, work and hang out. Making sure the benefits are felt locally is just as important and takes time and effort.
“From the apprentices on site to the work we’ve done with young people through Regeneration Brainery we’ve made sure social value sits at the heart of the development.”
Mona Baig, social value co-ordinator at Bowmer + Kirkland said: “We are pleased to have achieved our social value targets on the Goods Yard project. Engaging positively within the community is of utmost importance to us.
“Stoke-on-Trent offers a wide range of diverse talents for which we have been happy to provide and facilitate opportunities for on this major local project.
“We hope our continued engagement with job seekers, young people and local charities within the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire area will create a long-term positive impact to the local community. With thanks to our supply chain partners, we look forward to continuing our support within the local area.”
Source: City of Manchester
With the festive season upon us, noticeable changes to our neighbourhoods are in full sleigh and are not just about the twinkle of lights or wuthering wreaths.
There will be important changes to bin and recycling collection schedules over the Christmas and New Year period. Every year, Manchester City Council have aim to make this time as easy as possible for residents with limited disruption.
Christmas and New Year Bin Collection Schedule:
Regular collection days will resume from Monday 6 January 2025 onwards.
Residents can find these changes on their printed bin calendars (delivered in summer 2024) and online, where they can sign up for reminders through our email service, BINFO. This service will send tailored reminders on collection days, ensuring you don’t miss a pick-up.
The Council has also informed apartment building managers and social landlords, who often coordinate bin collections for residents in flats and apartment blocks.
To help spread the message, a banner has been at the top of the council’s waste and recycling homepage since 1 December, linking to a dedicated page that provides full details on the changes and additional guidance on waste disposal and recycling.
An e-bulletin sent to over 28,000 people, social media posts, and a community toolkit emailed to partners has also been used to ensure neighbourhoods across Manchester are aware of the changes.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods, said: “With the festive season bringing joyful celebrations, we understand that many residents may be adjusting their routines. The changes to our bin and recycling collections are designed to minimise disruption during this busy time and ensure services run smoothly.
“By providing clear information, tailored reminders through our BINFO service, and accessible details online, we’re making it easier for Manchester residents to stay on top of their waste and recycling, while helping to a maintain clean, festive neighbourhoods so everyone can enjoy Christmas and New Year.”
Source: City of Leicester
MORE than 20 artists from across the East Midlands are celebrating their success at Leicester’s Open exhibition.
The annual exhibition recognises the talent of local artists of all ages, with prizes awarded to the paintings, sculptures, textiles, prints and photographs that have been selected by a panel of judges, with the awards generously supported by local sponsors.
Amongst the winners was Susan Isaac (pictured), who wins this year’s Attenborough Prize.
Landscape artist Susan won the prestigious prize for her work Balance and Counterbalance (mixed media on canvas).
It’s the second time that Newark-based Susan has won The Attenborough Prize, having previously won it in 2022.
“I was astonished and absolutely delighted to be presented with the Attenborough Prize,” she said.
“I am so grateful to the selectors and judges and everyone involved in putting on this wonderful annual exhibition – one that I’ve been pleased to be involved with since first applying in 2015.
“Balance and Counterbalance emerged from a recent visit to Blaenavon Ironworks, now part of a World Heritage Site and close to my late father’s coal-mining family home in nearby Llanbradach.
“The painting depicts a tower for a water balanced lift, used to convey raw materials and pig iron between the different levels of the site. I am always mindful, when visiting such sites, of a strong sense of the wounds inflicted on the land as well as on the iron workers and the miners who inhabited the communities here, both above and below ground, and of the power of the natural world to restore some kind of equilibrium.”
Jewellery designer Christine Pearson – who’s based in Leicester – won the Leicester Museums & Galleries’ Development Trust Prize (adult category) for Shell Collection – a wooden box containing10 kiln-fired enamel on copper brooches.
Describing the work, Christine said it depicted “fantasmagorical (sic) creatures from the little-known oceans surrounding the ancient seaport of Leicester.”
Writing on Facebook, she added: “I’m so thrilled to have won the Leicester Museums and Galleries Trust Prize at the Leicester Open exhibition!
“My box of enamelled shells was inspired from years of looking at Victorian collections in museums and old houses, and childhood memories of my Grandad’s shell collection, which he kept in a home-made cardboard box.”
The other winners in the adult category were as follows:
Art House award: Carol Pairaudeau for Type/Write
CVAN East Midlands award: Sarah Mason for A Labradoodle’s Lazy Afternoon
LCB Depot awards: Moya Acton for Nocturn, Katie Richards for Bernadette, Emma Peers for What’s Your Thread Length?
Leicester Gallery (De Montfort University) award: Emma Peers for What’s Your Thread Length?
Leicester Print Workshop award: Katerina Luchkova for Reflections of the City
Phoenix award: Klara Simandi for Textile Flowers
In the young people’s category, the Attenborough awards were presented to Hattie Weller (aged 18) for The Brutality of Life – a collection of clay pieces; Mahi Ghait (aged 15) for Meadow (acrylic painted paper on canvas); Lewis Holmes (aged 9), for Look Closer (acrylic paint on canvas, which comes with its own magnifying glass).
Other winners in the young people’s category were:
Arch Creative award: Tom Hudson for Waiting
Art House award: Toby Cross for Phonebox
Curve award: Elina Roman for Plastic Island
De Montfort Hall award: Nada Rhimin for Dance Dance Dance
Leicester Lo-Fi Photography award: Anfisa Denysenko for Architectural Composition
Leicester Print Workshop award: Henry Dampney for Black and White
Phoenix awards: Oriel Birks for A Little Owl Looks; Ayah Riyaazi for Self Portrait
Soft Touch Arts award: Lina Rehab for Afternoon Repose
Leicester Museums & Galleries Development Trust awards: Tom Hudson for Waiting (16-18 category); Oriel Birks for A Little Owl Looks (11-15 category); Vincent Parker for Arc de Triomphe (5-10 category).
Open: The People’s Exhibition features works by more than 200 local artists and makers – from complete beginners to seasoned professionals.
All the paintings, sculptures, textiles, prints and photographs on display have been created by artists aged 19 and over who live or study in Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire or Northamptonshire.
Work by young artists aged five to 18 is also on display, with a number of schools in the region also participating.
The Open exhibition at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery runs until Friday 31 January 2025.
Admission is free of charge.
All the artworks on display are available to buy, with prices starting at £50, and purchased pieces can be collected from the museum from Saturday 1 February.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
EDINBURGH, United Kingdom, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Boralex Inc. (“Boralex” or the “Company”) (TSX: BLX) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a joint venture for the development, construction and operation of the proposed 145MW Clashindarroch Wind Farm Extension and adjacent 50MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), for a total capacity of 195MW. The project is located near Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. Boralex has been developing this project for a number of years on behalf of Clashindarroch Wind Farm Extension Ltd.
Esbjorn Wilmar, Country Director of Boralex in the United Kingdom said: “We are delighted to have become co-owners of this exciting project. We already have extensive experience in the area through the initial development of the 177MW Dorenell Wind Farm. We now look forward to taking Clashindarroch Wind Farm Extension through the remaining stages of development.”
Nicolas Wolff, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Boralex in Europe said: “This latest achievement by our UK team will enable us to accelerate the deployment of our Strategic Plan. Through this joint venture, we are adding to our already solid portfolio, supported by our organic developments and the recent acquisition of the 50MW Sallachy wind project.”
Today’s announcement comes at a pivotal moment in the UK. Earlier in the month, the UK government unveiled its Clean Power Action Plan, setting out how it wants to achieve its grid decarbonisation targets by 2030. This plan, seen as a landmark for the clean energy sector, aims to unlock £40 billion annually from the private sector for investments in infrastructure and renewable energy. It also states that onshore wind capacity should be almost doubled to meet the decarbonisation target, from 14GW installed today to 27GW by 2030.
The Company submitted a Section 36 application to the Scottish Government. The application is currently under consideration by the Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU). The Clashindarroch Wind Farm Extension application consists of up to 22 wind turbines each with an installed capacity of up to 6.6MW, as well as a battery storage facility of up to 50MW.
On this transaction, CMS acted as Boralex’s legal advisers.
About Boralex
At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and France’s largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has more than doubled to over 3.1 GW. We are developing a portfolio of more than 7.2 GW in wind, solar projects and storage projects, guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralex’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.
For more information, visit boralex.com or sedarplus.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
For more information
| MEDIA | INVESTOR RELATIONS |
| Camille Laventure Senior Advisor, Public Affairs and External Communications Boralex Inc. 438-883-8580 |
Stéphane Milot Vice President, Investor Relations Boralex Inc. 514-213-1045 |
Source: Boralex Inc.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
HONG KONG, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Bitcoin’s price recently surged past the $100,000 milestone only to dip below this critical level, market volatility has reached new highs. Analysts predict that Bitcoin may be entering a prolonged phase of high volatility. In such a dynamic environment, holding spot positions alone may no longer yield consistent short-term profits. To empower traders in seizing these market opportunities, BexBack Exchange has launched a suite of enticing offers:
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Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ff2bd9f-7765-448d-b96a-401885758143
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3e87d43e-f245-47bb-a008-1b08b56e0a6b
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/12135f1b-04cc-403c-a06a-57694a16c7fb
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84e6fc2d-66a7-4f13-9b88-b95baf95b6ad
