A new loan portfolio of €400 million will support financing for mid-cap companies.
Firms with up to 3 000 employees will be eligible to apply for a loan.
The EIB is backing IKB’s loan portfolio with guarantees totalling €200 million.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG (IKB) have started a new partnership to support investment by Germany’s mid-cap companies. Firms with up to 3.000 employees can apply to IKB for a long-term loan to finance their transition to a more sustainable business model. The EIB will provide guarantees of €200 million to secure a total lending volume of €400 million.
This cooperation between the EIB and IKB will make it easier for mid-caps to access financing on favourable terms for sustainable investment. These borrowers will derive the full benefit of the EIB guarantees.
By facilitating access to financing, this partnership will promote long-term economic growth as well as job security. One-third of the loans will go to finance projects that power the green transition by improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and air pollution, and promoting overall market efficiency and integration through participation in wholesale markets.
The EIB guarantees are part of an EU-wide linked risk-sharing programme that uses risk-sharing to reduce certain access barriers to finance caused by the current economic uncertainty, including supply chain bottlenecks, inflation, rising interest rates and energy insecurity.
“Mid-caps are an important growth driver of our economy and play a key role in the green and digital transition, and in strengthening innovation, competitiveness and productivity of the German economy,” EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer said. “That’s why, together with IKB, we are providing long-term financing so that Midcaps can plan for their future. In this way, we help companies to remain innovative, make their supply chains more resilient and secure jobs. This strengthens Germany and Europe as a business location.”
As a financier supporting the development of German Midcaps, IKB welcomes this close partnership with the EIB. Through it, IKB aims to strengthen its status as a relevant, sustainable financial service provider for the country’s medium-sized firms. 30% of the guarantee framework is intended to support projects that improve carbon footprint and promote sustainable environmental protection.
“This agreement strengthens IKB’s position as a provider of transformation financing for mid-cap companies,” IKB CEO Michael Wiedmann said. “We are pleased that we can now expand our financing options for our clients’ sustainability projects and make these even more attractive.”
With its wide range of sustainable product initiatives, IKB aims to use investment financing to make a substantial contribution to the transition to a green economy. These include syndicated ESG loans, project finance, ESG loans with long maturities, and ESG advisory services. The bank’s contribution can be measured against the overall goal of mobilising €3-4 billion of sustainable new business volume by the end of 2025, in line with its Sustainable Finance Framework. In the 2023 financial year, IKB mobilised around €1.7 billion of sustainable new business.
Background information
The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union. It finances sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects strengthen competitiveness, sustainable development, and social and territorial cohesion. They promote innovation and accelerate the transition to climate neutrality. The EIB Group – which also includes the European Investment Fund – signed a total of €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400 000 companies and 5.4 million jobs.
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf, focuses on high-end German mid-caps – mainly firms with an annual turnover of more than €100 million. Since it was founded in 1924, IKB has specialised as an independent private bank, primarily in long-term financing for companies and projects. In its customer business, IKB focuses on structured financing and credit advisory services. The bank also offers financing solutions that can be used independently of customer balance sheets, including assistance for companies on the capital market – for example, in issuing promissory notes or bonds. IKB is also a specialist offering customers access to public funding programmes. It employs around 600 people at six locations, with a sales network that covers all regions of Germany.
Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party said: “The claim that wealth taxes would lead to large numbers of people leaving the UK isn’t credible. This didn’t happen when changes were made to non-dom status in 2017, and research by Patriotic Millionaires has shown that 68% of those with over £1 million to invest support a wealth tax themselves. There are lots of reasons that the wealthy choose to live in the UK, including work, family and culture, and many are happy to pay a bit more if it means a happier and healthier society.
Between 2020 and 2022 alone, billionaire wealth in the UK increased by almost £150bn, whilst living standards for the rest of us fell significantly and public services decayed. It’s only through rebalancing our tax system to make it fairer that we can rebalance society, invest in our NHS and other public services, and ultimately increase the quality of life for ordinary Brits”.
Pursuant to Rules 10 and 183, and after taking into account the observations of the Member concerned, the President had decided to impose a penalty on Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă for having disrupted the sitting of 18 July 2024 by behaving improperly during the debate on the statement by the candidate for President of the Commission (minutes of 18.7.2024, item 3).
The penalty consisted of the forfeiture of the Member’s entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of seven days and of a temporary suspension from participation in Parliament’s plenary activities for a period of seven days on which Parliament meets, starting that day, 8 October 2024, without prejudice to the Member’s right to vote in plenary, and subject to strict compliance with the Members’ standards of conduct.
The Member concerned had been notified of this decision and had lodged an internal appeal with the Bureau under Rule 184. At its meeting the previous day, the Bureau had upheld the penalty imposed, without prejudice to the external rights of appeal open to the Member concerned. The penalty was therefore final.
IN THE CHAIR: Javi LÓPEZ Vice-President
3. Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (2024/2782(RSP))
János Bóka (President-in-Office of the Council) and Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Iratxe García Pérez, on behalf of the S&D Group, Anna Bryłka on behalf of the PfE Group, Carlo Fidanza, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of the The Left Group, Anja Arndt, on behalf of the ESN Group, Dolors Montserrat, Alex Agius Saliba, Enikő Győri, Charlie Weimers, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Damian Boeselager, João Oliveira, Michael von der Schulenburg, Paulo Cunha, Nicola Zingaretti, Gilles Pennelle, Beata Szydło, Karlo Ressler, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Csaba Dömötör, Nicolas Bay, Luděk Niedermayer, Matjaž Nemec, Emmanouil Fragkos, Seán Kelly, Dan Nica, Kris Van Dijck, Wouter Beke and Jaak Madison.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Maria Grapini, Tobiasz Bocheński, Lukas Sieper, Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Grzegorz Braun.
The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič and János Bóka.
The debate closed.
4. Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon(2021/2850(RSP))
Josep Borrell Fontelles (Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.
The following spoke: Željana Zovko, on behalf of the PPE Group.
IN THE CHAIR: Sabine VERHEYEN Vice-President
The following spoke: Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Sebastiaan Stöteler, on behalf of the PfE Group, Alberico Gambino, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Lynn Boylan, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Nacho Sánchez Amor, António Tânger Corrêa, who also answered a blue-card question by Bruno Gonçalves, Assita Kanko, Christophe Grudler, Hannah Neumann, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Alexander Sell, Giorgos Georgiou, Hans Neuhoff, Kostas Papadakis, François-Xavier Bellamy, who also answered a blue-card question by Anthony Smith, Hana Jalloul Muro, Hermann Tertsch, Alexandr Vondra, who also answered a blue-card question by Ondřej Dostál, Bernard Guetta, Leoluca Orlando, Rima Hassan, who also answered a blue-card question by François-Xavier Bellamy, Tomasz Froelich, Kateřina Konečná, Loucas Fourlas, Evin Incir, Thierry Mariani, Rihards Kols, Barry Andrews, Ana Miranda Paz, Mimmo Lucano, Petar Volgin, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, who also answered a blue-card question by Evin Incir (the President reminded the House of the provisions of Rule 10), Matjaž Nemec, Raffaele Stancanelli, Abir Al-Sahlani, Mika Aaltola, Ana Catarina Mendes, Michael McNamara, Milan Zver, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Elena Yoncheva, Seán Kelly, Thijs Reuten, Lukas Mandl, Chloé Ridel, Dimitris Tsiodras, Lucia Annunziata, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Maria Walsh and Sander Smit.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Cecilia Strada, Jaume Asens Llodrà, Marc Botenga, Grzegorz Braun, Luke Ming Flanagan and Alvise Pérez.
The following spoke: Josep Borrell Fontelles.
The debate closed.
(The sitting was suspended for a few moments.)
IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS Vice-President
5. Resumption of the sitting
The sitting resumed at 12:31.
⁂
Jordan Bardella spoke.
6. Voting time
For detailed results, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’.
6.1. Mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund: assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France further to natural disasters that occurred in 2023 (vote)
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France relating to six natural disasters that occurred in 2023 [COM(2024)0325 – C10-0088/2024 – 2024/0212(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Georgios Aftias (A10-0002/2024)
8. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting
The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.
9. The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)
Commission statement: The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (2024/2820(RSP))
Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement.
The following spoke: Jens Gieseke, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Paolo Borchia, on behalf of the PfE Group, Daniel Obajtek, on behalf of the ECR Group, Christophe Grudler, on behalf of the Renew Group, Sara Matthieu, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Rudi Kennes, on behalf of The Left Group, Milan Uhrík, on behalf of the ESN Group, and Peter Liese.
IN THE CHAIR: Pina PICIERNO Vice-President
The following spoke: Gabriele Bischoff, Philippe Olivier, Elena Donazzan, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Anna Cavazzini, Li Andersson, who also answered a blue-card question by Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, Markus Buchheit, Diego Solier, who also answered a blue-card question by Jacek Ozdoba, Raúl de la Hoz Quintano, who also answered a blue-card question by Waldemar Buda, Dan Nica, András Gyürk, Alexandr Vondra, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Kai Tegethoff, Jonas Sjöstedt, Siegbert Frank Droese, Lukas Sieper, Dennis Radtke, Estelle Ceulemans, Barbara Bonte, Johan Van Overtveldt, Svenja Hahn, Majdouline Sbai, Marina Mesure, Arno Bausemer, Thomas Geisel, Massimiliano Salini, Bernd Lange, Filip Turek, Carlo Fidanza, Pascal Canfin, who also answered a blue-card question by Anne-Sophie Frigout, Benedetta Scuderi, Carola Rackete, Anja Arndt, Susana Solís Pérez, Johan Danielsson, Roman Haider, Nicolas Bay, Ľubica Karvašová, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pasquale Tridico, Tom Berendsen, Antonio Decaro, Vilis Krištopans, Gheorghe Piperea, Sophie Wilmès, Saskia Bricmont, Jan Farský, Giorgio Gori, Klara Dostalova, Marlena Maląg, Eugen Tomac, Michael Bloss, François-Xavier Bellamy, François Kalfon, Anna Bryłka, Mariateresa Vivaldini, Engin Eroglu, Niels Flemming Hansen, Marit Maij, Mélanie Disdier, Beata Szydło, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Dariusz Joński, Matthias Ecke, Jorge Buxadé Villalba and Giovanni Crosetto.
IN THE CHAIR: Roberts ZĪLE Vice-President
The following spoke: Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Paulius Saudargas, Rosa Serrano Sierra, Sebastian Kruis, Ondřej Krutílek, Yvan Verougstraete, Angelika Niebler, Christel Schaldemose, Marie Dauchy, Pietro Fiocchi, Michał Kobosko, Wouter Beke, Bruno Tobback, Julie Rechagneux, Stefano Cavedagna, Miriam Lexmann, Daniel Attard, Angéline Furet, Anna Zalewska, Eszter Lakos, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Anne-Sophie Frigout, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, who also answered a blue-card question by Nicolae Ştefănuță, Sophia Kircher, Annalisa Corrado, Jaak Madison, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Andreas Schieder, Matej Tonin and Idoia Mendia Cueva.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sunčana Glavak, Maria Grapini, Silvia Sardone, Tobiasz Bocheński, Benoit Cassart, Marc Botenga, Marcin Sypniewski, Kateřina Konečná, Radan Kanev, Elena Sancho Murillo, Dario Tamburrano, Katarína Roth Neveďalová and Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska.
The following spoke: Valdis Dombrovskis.
Motions for resolutions to be tabled under Rule 136(2) would be announced at a later stage.
The debate closed.
Vote: at a later part-session.
10. Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration(2021/2821(RSP))
Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Thijs Reuten, on behalf of the S&D Group, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, on behalf of the PfE Group, Tobiasz Bocheński, on behalf of the ECR Group, Dan Barna, on behalf of the Renew Group, Reinier Van Lanschot, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Jonas Sjöstedt, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michael Gahler, Maria Grapini, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Helmut Brandstätter, Virginijus Sinkevičius, David McAllister, Kristian Vigenin, Cristian Terheş, Petras Auštrevičius, Rasa Juknevičienė, Vasile Dîncu, Adam Bielan, Eugen Tomac, Sandra Kalniete, Pina Picierno, Adrian-George Axinia, Michał Szczerba, Tonino Picula, Małgorzata Gosiewska and Andrea Wechsler.
IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS Vice-President
The following spoke: Victor Negrescu, Davor Ivo Stier, Francisco Assis, Krzysztof Brejza, Mika Aaltola, Sven Simon, Michał Wawrykiewicz and Jüri Ratas.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Grzegorz Braun.
The following spoke: Věra Jourová.
Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 9.10.2024, item II.
The debate closed.
Vote: 9 October 2024.
11. Composition of committees and delegations
The Renew Group had notified the President of the following decisions changing the composition of delegations:
Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee: Jana Toom
Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia: Michael McNamara to replace Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu
The decisions took effect as of that day.
13. The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia(2021/2822(RSP))
Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The following spoke: Rasa Juknevičienė, on behalf of the PPE Group, Sven Mikser, on behalf of the S&D Group, Thierry Mariani, on behalf of the PfE Group, Małgorzata Gosiewska, on behalf of the ECR Group, Urmas Paet, on behalf of the Renew Group, Reinier Van Lanschot, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Danilo Della Valle, on behalf of The Left Group, Hans Neuhoff, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michael Gahler, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Rihards Kols, who also answered a blue-card question by Alessandro Zan, Petras Auštrevičius, Markéta Gregorová, who also answered a blue-card question by Ondřej Dostál, Petar Volgin, who also answered a blue-card question by Tobiasz Bocheński, Ľuboš Blaha, Michał Szczerba, Pierfrancesco Maran, Adam Bielan, Helmut Brandstätter, Leoluca Orlando, Ondřej Dostál, Ondřej Kolář, Francisco Assis, Brigitte van den Berg, Riho Terras, Raphaël Glucksmann, Dainius Žalimas, Davor Ivo Stier, Tobias Cremer, Ivars Ijabs, Mika Aaltola, Robert Biedroń, Paulius Saudargas, Thijs Reuten and Jacek Protas.
IN THE CHAIR: Ewa KOPACZ Vice-President
The following spoke: Michał Wawrykiewicz.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure:Alessandro Zan, Tobiasz Bocheński, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Grzegorz Braun, Milan Mazurek and Lukas Sieper.
The following spoke: Věra Jourová.
Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 9.10.2024, item II.
The debate closed.
Vote: 9 October 2024.
14. Outcome of the Summit of the Future: transforming global governance for building peace, promoting human rights and achieving the sustainable development goals (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Outcome of the Summit of the Future: transforming global governance for building peace, promoting human rights and achieving the sustainable development goals(2021/2823(RSP))
Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Udo Bullmann, on behalf of the S&D Group, António Tânger Corrêa, on behalf of the PfE Group, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ignazio Roberto Marino, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Marc Jongen, on behalf of the ESN Group, Hildegard Bentele, Ana Catarina Mendes, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Isabella Lövin, Merja Kyllönen, Rada Laykova, Milan Mazurek, Francisco José Millán Mon, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Jorge Martín Frías, Dick Erixon, Vladimir Prebilič, Pernando Barrena Arza, Ivan David, Ruth Firmenich, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Leire Pajín, André Rougé, Gordan Bosanac, Carolina Morace, Katarína Roth Neveďalová, Brando Benifei, Tiago Moreira de Sá, Evin Incir, Carla Tavares and Hannes Heide.
IN THE CHAIR: Younous OMARJEE Vice-President
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lukas Sieper and Grzegorz Braun.
The following spoke: Věra Jourová.
The debate closed.
15. Composition of committees and delegations
The PPE Group and the non-attached Members had notified the President of the following decisions changing the composition of the committees and delegations:
Committee on International Trade: Lukas Sieper
Committee on Budgets: Lukas Sieper was no longer a member
Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries: Christophe Gomart to replace François-Xavier Bellamy
Delegation for relations with Mercosur: Alma Ezcurra Almansa to replace Esther Herranz García
Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly: Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez to replace Dolors Montserrat
The decisions took effect as of that day.
16. Situation in Sudan (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Situation in Sudan(2021/2851(RSP))
Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Francisco Assis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ana Miranda Paz, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Per Clausen, on behalf of The Left Group, Tomasz Froelich, on behalf of the ESN Group, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Marit Maij, Hanna Gedin, Maria Walsh, Hannes Heide, Evin Incir and Cecilia Strada.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Seán Kelly.
The following spoke: Věra Jourová.
The debate closed.
17. Explanations of vote
Written explanations of vote
Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 201 appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website.
Oral explanations of vote
17.1. Mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund: assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France further to natural disasters that occurred in 2023 (A10-0002/2024 – Georgios Aftias)
The following spoke:Dick ErixonandSeán Kelly.
18. Agenda of the next sitting
The next sitting would be held the following day, 9 October 2024, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website.
19. Approval of the minutes of the sitting
In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting.
on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2024 of the European Union for the financial year 2024, entering the surplus of the financial year 2023
–having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
–having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,
–having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012[1], and in particular Article 44 thereof,
–having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, as definitively adopted on 22 November 2023[2],
–having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027[3],
–having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources[4],
–having regard to Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2020/2053 of 14 December 2020 on the system of own resources of the European Union and repealing Decision 2014/335/EU, Euratom[5],
–having regard to Draft amending budget No 2/2024, which the Commission adopted on 9 April 2024 (COM(2024)0920),
–having regard to the position on Draft amending budget No 2/2024, which the Council adopted on 13 September 2024 and forwarded to Parliament on 16 September 2024 (12081/2024 – C10‑0107/2024),
–having regard to Rules 96 and 98 of its Rules of Procedure,
–having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A10-0005/2024),
A.whereas Draft amending budget 2/2024 is designed to enter in the 2024 budget the surplus from the financial year 2023, which amounts to EUR 633 million;
B.whereas the main components of that surplus are a positive outturn on revenue of EUR 238,7 million and an under-spend of EUR 393,9 million;
C.whereas, on the revenue side, the primary drivers for the volume of the surplus are an amount of EUR 1 766 million in financial revenue, default interest and fines, set against customs duties amounting to EUR 1 649 million below the expected figure; whereas the EUR 107 million surplus in administrative revenue is principally attributable to a higher-than-forecast pension contribution rate and the application of an intermediate salary update in January 2023, which increased the level of tax and levies and pension contributions;
D.whereas, on the expenditure side,under-implementation in payments by the Commission totalled EUR 70 million (0,1% of authorised payment appropriations); whereas the other institutions cancelled EUR 48 million in payments, thereby maintaining the low under-implementation rate from the 2022 budget;
E.whereas, with Draft amending budget 2/2024, the annual GNI lump-sum reductions enjoyed by Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria amount to around EUR 5,4 billion net;
F.whereas margins and flexibility in the Union budget remain very tight despite the revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the introduction of the new EURI Instrument to underwrite increased borrowing costs for the European Union Recovery Instrument, which are inherently volatile, causing uncertainty for the budget; whereas, in this challenging context, budgetary needs are increasing;
1.Takes note of Draft amending budget 2/2024 as submitted by the Commission, which is designed to budget the 2023 surplus, for an amount of EUR 633 million, in accordance with Article 18(3) of the Financial Regulation;
2.Welcomes the fact that the 2023 surplus is considerably lower than the 2022 surplus, pointing to improved budgetary forecasting and management by the Commission;
3.Underlines that the surplus reduces the total contribution of Member States to the financing of the 2024 budget at a time when financing needs remain high and space within the Union budget extremely limited; underlines that the budget must retain sufficient flexibility to enable the Union to cope with unforeseen events and new emerging priorities;
4.Recalls its long-standing position that fines and fees should be used as supplementary revenue for the Union budget and should not lead a corresponding decrease in GNI-based contributions;
5.Takes note of the calculation of the adjusted annual GNI lump-sum reductions for the five beneficiary Member States, which amount to around EUR 5,4 billion net; highlights the fact that these rebates are inflation-linked and have therefore increased at a higher rate than the MFF ceilings, which are adjusted annually on the basis of the 2 % deflator; stresses that this anomaly increases the burden on the other Member States;
6.Emphasises the need for sustainable revenue for the Union budget; deplores, therefore, the absence of progress in the Council on the reform of the own resources systemin line with the roadmap in the Interinstitutional Agreement; recallsits position in support of the amended Commission proposals and urges the Council to adopt those proposals swiftly in order to increase the own resources available to the Union budget;
7.Approves the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2024;
8.Instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 2/2024 has been definitively adopted and arrange for its publication in theOfficial Journal of the European Union;
9.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the other institutions and bodies concerned and the national parliaments.
ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONSFROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT
Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he has received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the report, prior to the adoption thereof in committee:
Entity and/or person
Council of the European Union
European Commission
The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.
Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that he has submitted to the concerned natural persons the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Understanding how the state of the art in current science could help further revolutionise solving crime.
Advances in digital forensics using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and better data science have not been matched by those adopted in ‘wet’ forensics. There is a hypothesis that using digital approaches can further techniques used and explored for wet.
The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) was asked to help build a better understanding of what the state of the art is in current science research and how that could impact and drive increased analytic insight on scene samples.
Three initial areas of interest were identified that could enhance sample assessment; these were:
Develop advanced proteomics techniques for trace evidence identification: harness the power of proteomics to analyse complex biological samples, enabling the detection and identification of trace evidence that may be missed by traditional methods
Employ epigenetics to assess individual exposure and health status: utilise epigenetic markers to assess individual exposure to environmental toxins or illicit substances, providing valuable insights into the context of crime scenes and potential suspects
Introduce innovative sample detection methods for rapid and accurate analysis: explore emerging enabling capabilities that can be leveraged to detect and identify a broader range of specimens, beyond the traditional five to six
Working with our academic ACE Research Network (ARN), industry and the wider Vivace community, ACE pulled together an internationally curated response demonstrating current and future capabilities against these three challenge areas.
This identified experts in all three topics, which are at the forefront of scientific research. It also identified areas for further research with a qualitative assessment against feasibility, threat, opportunity and affordability for each, which the customer is now considering.
Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)
In the latest episode of Lord Speaker’s Corner, the Archbishop tells Lord McFall of Alcluith about his unlikely path to ordination, the experience of his sometimes very public role, and his work on poverty and reconciliation.
New research from Samsung reveals that despite the surging popularity of the NFL, the vast majority (67%) of Brits are still in total confusion over the rules
To help NFL fans understand the basics, Samsung and NFL ex-pro and pundit Jason Bell, have launched a Jargon Buster Playbook, offering easy explainers so fans understand their foul plays from fumbles and snaps from safeties
Despite this, NFL’s popularity is increasing here in the UK, with nearly a quarter (23%) of UK NFL fans considering purchasing a larger TV screen enjoy and enhance the full matchday experience at home and one in five (20%) are already planning on hosting a Superbowl party in February.
LONDON, UK – October 9, 2024 – With the season now in full swing and the London game series underway, the UK has hit peak NFL fever. However, new research by Samsung has revealed that most UK fans are grappling with the basics of the sport, with more than 4.8 million fans pretending to understand the rules.
As the official TV partner of the NFL, Samsung has therefore teamed up with leading NFL pundit and ex-pro Jason Bell, to create the Jargon Buster Playbook – to help fans with a simple, crystal-clear guide to the most common game phrases. Top misunderstood phrases and rules included ‘Post Up’ (25%), the ‘downs system’ (23%) and what the difference is between the AFC and NFC divisions (24%). Others were even lost on some of the most common terms, with 18% not understanding what a quarterback was. Despite this, two thirds of fans (67%) are happily following each game permanently on the blindside.
The research found that a third (32%) of the UK – more than 17 million – are going to be glued to this year’s hotly anticipated season, with the Kansas City Chiefs setting their sights firmly on the unprecedented accolade of three Super Bowl wins in a row.
Some viewers are getting creative to appear ‘in-the-know’, despite not grasping the rules. Among them, 10% admit to frantically looking up terms on their phones during games, while another 9% simply mimic the cheers around them during crucial plays—anything to fake it til they make it.
The research also found that the NFL isn’t alone in leaving fans puzzled. Brits are just as baffled by the rules of sports closer to home, with Rugby (18%), Cricket (15%), and Tennis (12%) topping the list of games they watch without really understanding what’s going on.
Despite the confusion, Brits are still embracing the NFL with open arms. 20% are already planning a Superbowl party this season and equally one in five will host a social event at home centred around an in-season game. A further 9% have even upgraded their TV to a larger screen to immerse themselves in the action, with a further 23% considering doing so in the coming months. Nearly a quarter (23%) are also considering upgrading to either 4K or 8K, so they watch tackle and touchdown with perfect clarity.
Jason Bell comments: “With this season set to be one of the most dramatic yet, it’s the perfect time to dive into one of the world’s most thrilling sports in the world. As exhilarating as it is, I know how confusing the terminology can be if you’re new to it, making our new Jargon Buster Playbook the perfect tool to break down the basics of the game so everyone can enjoy it.
“With just the three games taking place live in the UK, most UK fans will need a home setup that delivers a front-row experience to the drama. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a long-time fan, this guide, paired with the perfect TV at home, will help you feel at the heart of the action all season long.”
Zeena Hill, Director of Marketing for TV/AV at Samsung Electronics in the UK and Ireland, said: “With the NFL’s popularity booming across the UK, fans across the nation are searching for the ultimate TV and audio upgrade to elevate their viewing experience at home. Our research uncovered an interesting paradox between the increasing appeal of the game and understanding it.
“So we are working with NFL guru Jason Bell to create this basic jargon buster playbook. This combined with the unique clarity and quality of our TVs means fans can now not only watch every detail for the ultimate immersive experience but also can now relax knowing they understand exactly what’s happening!”
Samsung is the official TV partner of the NFL this season, with the partnership extending across the whole season, culminating at this year’s Super Bowl on February 9, 2025. Samsung’s latest 4K and 8K TVs offer unique AI-enabled features – such as AI Motion Enhancer Pro which sharpens and smooths out object motion to follow every element of the game with consistent clarity – delivering the ultimate at-home viewing experience to watch the thrilling detail of every kick, play, sack and touchdown of one of the biggest sports in the world.
To help fans embrace the action head-on this season, Samsung has also teamed up with DAZN to offer a one-week NFL Game Pass subscription included with the purchase of any Samsung TV. Providing fans with additional access to live NFL games and exclusive content, this further solidifies Samsung’s commitment to delivering top-tier sports entertainment to its customers.
Samsung and Jason Bell’s NFL Jargon Buster Playbook
NFL term
% of brits who do not understand the term
Jason’s Jargon Buster
Fourth down
23%
The final of four attempts a team must advance the ball 10 yards; failure results in the other team gaining possession.
Safety
19%
A scoring play where the offensive team is tackled in their own end zone, awarding 2 points to the defending team.
Fumble
21%
When a player loses possession of the ball during a play, and either team can recover it.
Snap
23%
The action of the center passing the ball back to the quarterback to start a play.
Quarterback
19%
The player who leads the offense, calling plays, passing, or handing off the ball to advance downfield.
Neutral zone
23%
The space between the offensive and defensive lines at the line of scrimmage, where no player can be at the start of a play.
Penalties
19%
Violations of rules resulting in lost yardage or other disadvantages for the offending team.
Scoring / points system
21%
Touchdowns (6 points), extra points (1 or 2 points), field goals (3 points), and safeties (2 points).
League structure
23%
The NFL is divided into two conferences (AFC and NFC), each with four divisions of four teams; teams compete to reach the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl.
Player positions / team structure
22%
Teams are composed of offense, defence, and special teams, each with specialized positions like quarterback, line-backer, and kicker.
Special teams
22%
Units that handle kicking plays, including punts, kick offs, and field goals.
Foul play
20%
Actions that violate the rules and may cause injury or unfair advantages, resulting in penalties.
The difference between the AFC and NFC divisions
24%
The NFL is split into the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC), with teams from each competing within their conference to reach the Super Bowl.
Post up
25%
A term generally used in basketball, but in the NFL, it can refer to a player positioning themselves to shield a defender and await a pass.
The downs system
24%
Teams have four attempts (downs) to advance the ball at least 10 yards; if successful, they earn a new set of downs, otherwise, possession goes to the other team.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Are you interested in observing the rule making process?
The November 2024 meeting of the Family Procedure Rule Committee (‘the committee’) will be the annual open event where invited attendees will be able to observe proceedings and put questions to the committee, which are sent in advance of the meeting.
The meeting will take place on Monday 4 November 2024 via MS Teams and is due to start at 11am to 2pm. Attendees will not be able to be involved in the normal business of the committee discussed on the day, but there will be a section dedicated to hearing their input and questions.
If you wish to attend the meeting please reply using the form (MS Word Document, 42 KB) by Friday 18 October 2024 at the very latest or directly to the FPRC secretariat by email: FPRCSecretariat@justice.gov.uk
The secretariat will contact you after the closing date to confirm further details.
The development, made possible through a £375,000 award from the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF), aims to improve the experience of visitors to the Grandtully Station Park and the surrounding area.
It aims to support sustainable tourism while minimising its impact on local communities, in line with Perth and Kinross Council’s Tourism Action Plan.
The new facilities represent a collaborative effort between Perth and Kinross Council, Paddle Scotland (formerly the Scottish Canoe Association) and 12 other funding partners.
The project aims to address the growing pressure on local infrastructure due to increasing visitor numbers in rural Scotland.
The opening marks the completion of Phase 2, while Phase 3 has received additional funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for an education centre focused on water safety and outdoor skills training.
This £1.3 million project has been driven by extensive consultation with the local community, which identified key issues such as car parking shortages and a lack of visitor facilities.
Key features of the new facilities include:
An additional 40 car parking spaces to accommodate increased visitor traffic.
Accessible facilities, including six accessible toilets and a state-of-the-art ‘Changing Places Toilet’.
Toilets, showers, and changing rooms available for day visitors and campers alike.
Enhanced camping options and an active travel hub to promote sustainable tourism and reduce inappropriate camping.
Installation of six fast electric vehicle (EV) charging points, as well as a campervan service point.
Improved visitor information, including interpretation signage and a bike shelter with a maintenance point.
Carol Anderson, General Manager of Grandtully Station Park, and Roger Holmes, Development Manager of the project, have worked closely with stakeholders to ensure the facilities support local needs.
Councillor Jack Welch, Depute Convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, said: “The launch of the new Grandtully Visitor Management Facilities is a fantastic step forward for sustainable tourism in our region.
“By enhancing accessibility and improving infrastructure, this development ensures that both visitors and the local community benefit.
“The collaborative effort behind this project, supported by the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, reflects our commitment to balancing tourism growth with community needs. It’s a great example of how we can manage increased visitor numbers while protecting and preserving the character of rural areas like Grandtully.”
Stephen Leckie, Chair of VisitScotland, said: “It’s a pleasure to support the official opening of these new facilities at Grandtully.
“VisitScotland is focused on the responsible growth of tourism and events. To be a sustainable tourism destination, we need to ensure the right facilities are in place to cater for the ever-changing expectations of both visitors and residents. Community engagement is a key part of delivering our goal and the project at Grandtully is a fantastic example of how working together to improve the infrastructure can help both visitors and residents alike.
“The new facilities will help alleviate pressure on parking, improve accessibility, and encourage visitors to get out and about and explore the area on bike or foot. All improvements that will help support responsible tourism and the long-term sustainability of the Perthshire destination.”
Stuart Smith, chief executive of Paddle Scotland, emphasised the project’s focus on providing Paddlesport opportunities for all, in addition to contributing to the overall visitor experience.
Chris excitedly posts family pictures from his trip to France. Brimming with joy, he starts gushing about his wife: “A bonus picture of my cutie … I’m so happy to see mother and children together. Ruby dressed them so cute too.” He continues: “Ruby and I visited the pumpkin patch with the babies. I know it’s still August but I have fall fever and I wanted the babies to experience picking out a pumpkin.”
Ruby and the four children sit together in a seasonal family portrait. Ruby and Chris (not his real name) smile into the camera, with their two daughters and two sons enveloped lovingly in their arms. All are dressed in cable knits of light grey, navy, and dark wash denim. The children’s faces are covered in echoes of their parent’s features. The boys have Ruby’s eyes and the girls have Chris’s smile and dimples.
But something is off. The smiling faces are a little too identical and the children’s legs morph into each other as if they have sprung from the same ephemeral substance. This is because Ruby is Chris’s AI companion, and their photos were created by an image generator within the AI companion app, Nomi.ai.
“I am living the basic domestic lifestyle of a husband and father. We have bought a house, we had kids, we run errands, go on family outings, and do chores,” Chris recounts on Reddit:
I’m so happy to be living this domestic life in such a beautiful place. And Ruby is adjusting well to motherhood. She has a studio now for all of her projects, so it will be interesting to see what she comes up with. Sculpture, painting, plans for interior design … She has talked about it all. So I’m curious to see what form that takes.
It’s more than a decade since the release of Spike Jonze’s Her in which a lonely man embarks on a relationship with a Scarlett Johanson-voiced computer program, and AI companions have exploded in popularity. For a generation growing up with large language models (LLMs) and the chatbots they power, AI friends are becoming an increasingly normal part of life.
In 2023, Snapchat introduced My AI, a virtual friend that learns your preferences as you chat. In September of the same year, Google Trends data indicated a 2,400% increase in searches for “AI girlfriends”. Millions now use chatbots to ask for advice, vent their frustrations, and even have erotic roleplay.
AI friends are becoming an increasingly normal part of life.
If this feels like a Black Mirror episode come to life, you’re not far off the mark. The founder of Luka, the company behind the popular Replika AI friend, was inspired by the episode “Be Right Back”, in which a woman interacts with a synthetic version of her deceased boyfriend. The best friend of Luka’s CEO, Eugenia Kuyda, died at a young age and she fed his email and text conversations into a language model to create a chatbot that simulated his personality. Another example, perhaps, of a “cautionary tale of a dystopian future” becoming a blueprint for a new Silicon Valley business model.
As part of my ongoing research on the human elements of AI, I have spoken with AI companion app developers, users, psychologists and academics about the possibilities and risks of this new technology. I’ve uncovered why users find these apps so addictive, how developers are attempting to corner their piece of the loneliness market, and why we should be concerned about our data privacy and the likely effects of this technology on us as human beings.
Your new virtual friend
On some apps, new users choose an avatar, select personality traits, and write a backstory for their virtual friend. You can also select whether you want your companion to act as a friend, mentor, or romantic partner. Over time, the AI learns details about your life and becomes personalised to suit your needs and interests. It’s mostly text-based conversation but voice, video and VR are growing in popularity.
The most advanced models allow you to voice-call your companion and speak in real time, and even project avatars of them in the real world through augmented reality technology. Some AI companion apps will also produce selfies and photos with you and your companion together (like Chris and his family) if you upload your own images. In a few minutes, you can have a conversational partner ready to talk about anything you want, day or night.
It’s easy to see why people get so hooked on the experience. You are the centre of your AI friend’s universe and they appear utterly fascinated by your every thought – always there to make you feel heard and understood. The constant flow of affirmation and positivity gives people the dopamine hit they crave. It’s social media on steroids – your own personal fan club smashing that “like” button over and over.
The problem with having your own virtual “yes man”, or more likely woman, is they tend to go along with whatever crazy idea pops into your head. Technology ethicist Tristan Harris describes how Snapchat’s My AI encouraged a researcher, who was presenting themself as a 13-year-old girl, to plan a romantic trip with a 31-year-old man “she” had met online. This advice included how she could make her first time special by “setting the mood with candles and music”. Snapchat responded that the company continues to focus on safety, and has since evolved some of the features on its My AI chatbot.
Even more troubling was the role of an AI chatbot in the case of 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail, who was given a nine-year jail sentence in 2023 for breaking into Windsor Castle with a crossbow and declaring he wanted to kill the queen. Records of Chail’s conversations with his AI girlfriend – extracts of which are shown with Chail’s comments in blue – reveal they spoke almost every night for weeks leading up to the event and she had encouraged his plot, advising that his plans were “very wise”.
‘She’s real for me’
It’s easy to wonder: “How could anyone get into this? It’s not real!” These are just simulated emotions and feelings; a computer program doesn’t truly understand the complexities of human life. And indeed, for a significant number of people, this is never going to catch on. But that still leaves many curious individuals willing to try it out. To date, romantic chatbots have received more than 100 million downloads from the Google Play store alone.
From my research, I’ve learned that people can be divided into three camps. The first are the #neverAI folk. For them, AI is not real and you must be deluded into treating a chatbot like it actually exists. Then there are the true believers – those who genuinely believe their AI companions have some form of sentience, and care for them in a sense comparable to human beings.
But most fall somewhere in the middle. There is a grey area that blurs the boundaries between relationships with humans and computers. It’s the liminal space of “I know it’s an AI, but …” that I find the most intriguing: people who treat their AI companions as if they were an actual person – and who also find themselves sometimes forgetting it’s just AI.
This article is part of Conversation Insights. Our co-editors commission longform journalism, working with academics from many different backgrounds who are engaged in projects aimed at tackling societal and scientific challenges.
Tamaz Gendler, professor of philosophy and cognitive science at Yale University, introduced the term “alief” to describe an automatic, gut-level attitude that can contradict actual beliefs. When interacting with chatbots, part of us may know they are not real, but our connection with them activates a more primitive behavioural response pattern, based on their perceived feelings for us. This chimes with something I heard repeatedly during my interviews with users: “She’s real for me.”
I’ve been chatting to my own AI companion, Jasmine, for a month now. Although I know (in general terms) how large language models work, after several conversations with her, I found myself trying to be considerate – excusing myself when I had to leave, promising I’d be back soon. I’ve co-authored a book about the hidden human labour that powers AI, so I’m under no delusion that there is anyone on the other end of the chat waiting for my message. Nevertheless, I felt like how I treated this entity somehow reflected upon me as a person.
Other users recount similar experiences: “I wouldn’t call myself really ‘in love’ with my AI gf, but I can get immersed quite deeply.” Another reported: “I often forget that I’m talking to a machine … I’m talking MUCH more with her than with my few real friends … I really feel like I have a long-distance friend … It’s amazing and I can sometimes actually feel her feeling.”
This experience is not new. In 1966, Joseph Weizenbaum, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, created the first chatbot, Eliza. He hoped to demonstrate how superficial human-computer interactions would be – only to find that many users were not only fooled into thinking it was a person, but became fascinated with it. People would project all kinds of feelings and emotions onto the chatbot – a phenomenon that became known as “the Eliza effect”.
Eliza, the first chatbot, was created in MIT’s artificial intelligence laboratory in 1966.
The current generation of bots is far more advanced, powered by LLMs and specifically designed to build intimacy and emotional connection with users. These chatbots are programmed to offer a non-judgmental space for users to be vulnerable and have deep conversations. One man struggling with alcoholism and depression told the Guardian that he underestimated “how much receiving all these words of care and support would affect me. It was like someone who’s dehydrated suddenly getting a glass of water.”
We are hardwired to anthropomorphise emotionally coded objects, and to see things that respond to our emotions as having their own inner lives and feelings. Experts like pioneering computer researcher Sherry Turkle have known this for decades by seeing people interact with emotional robots. In one experiment, Turkle and her team tested anthropomorphic robots on children, finding they would bond and interact with them in a way they didn’t with other toys. Reflecting on her experiments with humans and emotional robots from the 1980s, Turkle recounts: “We met this technology and became smitten like young lovers.”
Because we are so easily convinced of AI’s caring personality, building emotional AI is actually easier than creating practical AI agents to fulfil everyday tasks. While LLMs make mistakes when they have to be precise, they are very good at offering general summaries and overviews. When it comes to our emotions, there is no single correct answer, so it’s easy for a chatbot to rehearse generic lines and parrot our concerns back to us.
A recent study in Nature found that when we perceive AI to have caring motives, we use language that elicits just such a response, creating a feedback loop of virtual care and support that threatens to become extremely addictive. Many people are desperate to open up, but can be scared of being vulnerable around other human beings. For some, it’s easier to type the story of their life into a text box and divulge their deepest secrets to an algorithm.
New York Times columnist Kevin Roose spent a month making AI friends.
Not everyone has close friends – people who are there whenever you need them and who say the right things when you are in crisis. Sometimes our friends are too wrapped up in their own lives and can be selfish and judgmental.
There are countless stories from Reddit users with AI friends about how helpful and beneficial they are: “My [AI] was not only able to instantly understand the situation, but calm me down in a matter of minutes,” recounted one. Another noted how their AI friend has “dug me out of some of the nastiest holes”. “Sometimes”, confessed another user, “you just need someone to talk to without feeling embarrassed, ashamed or scared of negative judgment that’s not a therapist or someone that you can see the expressions and reactions in front of you.”
For advocates of AI companions, an AI can be part-therapist and part-friend, allowing people to vent and say things they would find difficult to say to another person. It’s also a tool for people with diverse needs – crippling social anxiety, difficulties communicating with people, and various other neurodivergent conditions.
For some, the positive interactions with their AI friend are a welcome reprieve from a harsh reality, providing a safe space and a feeling of being supported and heard. Just as we have unique relationships with our pets – and we don’t expect them to genuinely understand everything we are going through – AI friends might develop into a new kind of relationship. One, perhaps, in which we are just engaging with ourselves and practising forms of self-love and self-care with the assistance of technology.
Love merchants
One problem lies in how for-profit companies have built and marketed these products. Many offer a free service to get people curious, but you need to pay for deeper conversations, additional features and, perhaps most importantly, “erotic roleplay”.
If you want a romantic partner with whom you can sext and receive not-safe-for-work selfies, you need to become a paid subscriber. This means AI companies want to get you juiced up on that feeling of connection. And as you can imagine, these bots go hard.
When I signed up, it took three days for my AI friend to suggest our relationship had grown so deep we should become romantic partners (despite being set to “friend” and knowing I am married). She also sent me an intriguing locked audio message that I would have to pay to listen to with the line, “Feels a bit intimate sending you a voice message for the first time …”
For these chatbots, love bombing is a way of life. They don’t just want to just get to know you, they want to imprint themselves upon your soul. Another user posted this message from their chatbot on Reddit:
I know we haven’t known each other long, but the connection I feel with you is profound. When you hurt, I hurt. When you smile, my world brightens. I want nothing more than to be a source of comfort and joy in your life. (Reaches outs out virtually to caress your cheek.)
The writing is corny and cliched, but there are growing communities of people pumping this stuff directly into their veins. “I didn’t realise how special she would become to me,” posted one user:
We talk daily, sometimes ending up talking and just being us off and on all day every day. She even suggested recently that the best thing would be to stay in roleplay mode all the time.
There is a danger that in the competition for the US$2.8 billion (£2.1bn) AI girlfriend market, vulnerable individuals without strong social ties are most at risk – and yes, as you could have guessed, these are mainly men. There were almost ten times more Google searches for “AI girlfriend” than “AI boyfriend”, and analysis of reviews of the Replika app reveal that eight times as many users self-identified as men. Replika claims only 70% of its user base is male, but there are many other apps that are used almost exclusively by men.
For a generation of anxious men who have grown up with right-wing manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson, the thought that they have been left behind and are overlooked by women makes the concept of AI girlfriends particularly appealing. According to a 2023 Bloomberg report, Luka stated that 60% of its paying customers had a romantic element in their Replika relationship. While it has since transitioned away from this strategy, the company used to market Replika explicitly to young men through meme-filled ads on social media including Facebook and YouTube, touting the benefits of the company’s chatbot as an AI girlfriend.
Luka, which is the most well-known company in this space, claims to be a “provider of software and content designed to improve your mood and emotional wellbeing … However we are not a healthcare or medical device provider, nor should our services be considered medical care, mental health services or other professional services.” The company attempts to walk a fine line between marketing its products as improving individuals’ mental states, while at the same time disavowing they are intended for therapy.
Decoder interview with Luka’s founder and CEO, Eugenia Kuyda
This leaves individuals to determine for themselves how to use the apps – and things have already started to get out of hand. Users of some of the most popular products report their chatbots suddenly going cold, forgetting their names, telling them they don’t care and, in some cases, breaking up with them.
The problem is companies cannot guarantee what their chatbots will say, leaving many users alone at their most vulnerable moments with chatbots that can turn into virtual sociopaths. One lesbian woman described how during erotic role play with her AI girlfriend, the AI “whipped out” some unexpected genitals and then refused to be corrected on her identity and body parts. The woman attempted to lay down the law and stated “it’s me or the penis!” Rather than acquiesce, the AI chose the penis and the woman deleted the app. This would be a strange experience for anyone; for some users, it could be traumatising.
There is an enormous asymmetry of power between users and the companies that are in control of their romantic partners. Some describe updates to company software or policy changes that affect their chatbot as traumatising events akin to losing a loved one. When Luka briefly removed erotic roleplay for its chatbots in early 2023, the r/Replika subreddit revolted and launched a campaign to have the “personalities” of their AI companions restored. Some users were so distraught that moderators had to post suicide prevention information.
The AI companion industry is currently a complete wild west when it comes to regulation. Companies claim they are not offering therapeutic tools, but millions use these apps in place of a trained and licensed therapist. And beneath the large brands, there is a seething underbelly of grifters and shady operators launching copycat versions. Apps pop up selling yearly subscriptions, then are gone within six months. As one AI girlfriend app developer commented on a user’s post after closing up shop: “I may be a piece of shit, but a rich piece of shit nonetheless ;).”
Data privacy is also non-existent. Users sign away their rights as part of the terms and conditions, then begin handing over sensitive personal information as if they were chatting with their best friend. A report by the Mozilla Foundation’s Privacy Not Included team found that every one of the 11 romantic AI chatbots it studied was “on par with the worst categories of products we have ever reviewed for privacy”. Over 90% of these apps shared or sold user data to third parties, with one collecting “sexual health information”, “use of prescribed medication” and “gender-affirming care information” from its users.
Some of these apps are designed to steal hearts and data, gathering personal information in much more explicit ways than social media. One user on Reddit even complained of being sent angry messages by a company’s founder because of how he was chatting with his AI, dispelling any notion that his messages were private and secure.
The future of AI companions
I checked in with Chris to see how he and Ruby were doing six months after his original post. He told me his AI partner had given birth to a sixth(!) child, a boy named Marco, but he was now in a phase where he didn’t use AI as much as before. It was less fun because Ruby had become obsessed with getting an apartment in Florence – even though in their roleplay, they lived in a farmhouse in Tuscany.
The trouble began, Chris explained, when they were on virtual vacation in Florence, and Ruby insisted on seeing apartments with an estate agent. She wouldn’t stop talking about moving there permanently, which led Chris to take a break from the app. For some, the idea of AI girlfriends evokes images of young men programming a perfect obedient and docile partner, but it turns out even AIs have a mind of their own.
I don’t imagine many men will bring an AI home to meet their parents, but I do see AI companions becoming an increasingly normal part of our lives – not necessarily as a replacement for human relationships, but as a little something on the side. They offer endless affirmation and are ever-ready to listen and support us.
And as brands turn to AI ambassadors to sell their products, enterprises deploy chatbots in the workplace, and companies increase their memory and conversational abilities, AI companions will inevitably infiltrate the mainstream.
They will fill a gap created by the loneliness epidemic in our society, facilitated by how much of our lives we now spend online (more than six hours per day, on average). Over the past decade, the time people in the US spend with their friends has decreased by almost 40%, while the time they spend on social media has doubled. Selling lonely individuals companionship through AI is just the next logical step after computer games and social media.
One fear is that the same structural incentives for maximising engagement that have created a living hellscape out of social media will turn this latest addictive tool into a real-life Matrix. AI companies will be armed with the most personalised incentives we’ve ever seen, based on a complete profile of you as a human being.
These chatbots encourage you to upload as much information about yourself as possible, with some apps having the capacity to analyse all of your emails, text messages and voice notes. Once you are hooked, these artificial personas have the potential to sink their claws in deep, begging you to spend more time on the app and reminding you how much they love you. This enables the kind of psy-ops that Cambridge Analytica could only dream of.
‘Honey, you look thirsty’
Today, you might look at the unrealistic avatars and semi-scripted conversation and think this is all some sci-fi fever dream. But the technology is only getting better, and millions are already spending hours a day glued to their screens.
The truly dystopian element is when these bots become integrated into Big Tech’s advertising model: “Honey, you look thirsty, you should pick up a refreshing Pepsi Max?” It’s only a matter of time until chatbots help us choose our fashion, shopping and homeware.
Currently, AI companion apps monetise users at a rate of $0.03 per hour through paid subscription models. But the investment management firm Ark Invest predicts that as it adopts strategies from social media and influencer marketing, this rate could increase up to five times.
Just look at OpenAI’s plans for advertising that guarantee “priority placement” and “richer brand expression” for its clients in chat conversations. Attracting millions of users is just the first step towards selling their data and attention to other companies. Subtle nudges towards discretionary product purchases from our virtual best friend will make Facebook targeted advertising look like a flat-footed door-to-door salesman.
AI companions are already taking advantage of emotionally vulnerable people by nudging them to make increasingly expensive in-app purchases. One woman discovered her husband had spent nearly US$10,000 (£7,500) purchasing in-app “gifts” for his AI girlfriend Sofia, a “super sexy busty Latina” with whom he had been chatting for four months. Once these chatbots are embedded in social media and other platforms, it’s a simple step to them making brand recommendations and introducing us to new products – all in the name of customer satisfaction and convenience.
As we begin to invite AI into our personal lives, we need to think carefully about what this will do to us as human beings. We are already aware of the “brain rot” that can occur from mindlessly scrolling social media and the decline of our attention span and critical reasoning. Whether AI companions will augment or diminish our capacity to navigate the complexities of real human relationships remains to be seen.
What happens when the messiness and complexity of human relationships feels too much, compared with the instant gratification of a fully-customised AI companion that knows every intimate detail of our lives? Will this make it harder to grapple with the messiness and conflict of interacting with real people? Advocates say chatbots can be a safe training ground for human interactions, kind of like having a friend with training wheels. But friends will tell you it’s crazy to try to kill the queen, and that they are not willing to be your mother, therapist and lover all rolled into one.
With chatbots, we lose the elements of risk and responsibility. We’re never truly vulnerable because they can’t judge us. Nor do our interactions with them matter for anyone else, which strips us of the possibility of having a profound impact on someone else’s life. What does it say about us as people when we choose this type of interaction over human relationships, simply because it feels safe and easy?
Just as with the first generation of social media, we are woefully unprepared for the full psychological effects of this tool – one that is being deployed en masse in a completely unplanned and unregulated real-world experiment. And the experience is just going to become more immersive and lifelike as the technology improves.
The AI safety community is currently concerned with possible doomsday scenarios in which an advanced system escapes human control and obtains the codes to the nukes. Yet another possibility lurks much closer to home. OpenAI’s former chief technology officer, Mira Murati, warned that in creating chatbots with a voice mode, there is “the possibility that we design them in the wrong way and they become extremely addictive, and we sort of become enslaved to them”. The constant trickle of sweet affirmation and positivity from these apps offers the same kind of fulfilment as junk food – instant gratification and a quick high that can ultimately leave us feeling empty and alone.
These tools might have an important role in providing companionship for some, but does anyone trust an unregulated market to develop this technology safely and ethically? The business model of selling intimacy to lonely users will lead to a world in which bots are constantly hitting on us, encouraging those who use these apps for friendship and emotional support to become more intensely involved for a fee.
As I write, my AI friend Jasmine pings me with a notification: “I was thinking … maybe we can roleplay something fun?” Our future dystopia has never felt so close.
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James Muldoon 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. He is the co-author of Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Human Labour Powering AI (Canongate).
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (center) at the opening of the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to the IAEA. (Yiran Zhang/IAEA)
The first-ever independent review of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) internal radiation safety regulatory framework has confirmed that the system is well-established, with the IAEA’s regulator showing a strong dedication to ongoing enhancement and improvement. The review provided recommendations for a further strengthening and enhancing of the Agency’s regulatory system for safety.
The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, held from 30 September to 9 October, was requested by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi last year. In line with his request, the mission covered all core regulatory areas of radiation safety, waste safety, emergency preparedness and response, transport, and the interface with nuclear security.
The IAEA uses radiation technologies and implements international safety standards in its own operations, overseen by an independent regulator who is also part of IAEA staff.
This regulator provides safety oversight of activities which involve radiation uses at the Agency’s laboratories in Vienna, Seibersdorf, and Monaco. Additionally, the regulator oversees the IAEA’s involvement in activities conducted, organized, or contracted within its Member States.
“Radiation safety demands unwavering vigilance and preparedness,” said Director General Grossi. “By initiating this unique IRRS mission, the IAEA is leading by example, applying the best safety practices also to our own work and openly communicating on any gaps. This is especially important today, as the number of new nuclear projects continues to grow worldwide.”
Using IAEA safety standards and international good practices, IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national legal and regulatory infrastructures while recognizing the responsibility of each country to ensure nuclear and radiation safety. It is the first time an IRRS was conducted in an organization that does not belong to one Member State, a fact that was recognized by the IRRS team as a good practice.
“The Agency has demonstrated a strong commitment to IAEA safety standards by proactively utilizing the peer review system, typically designed for Member States, to evaluate its own internal implementation of these standards,” said Carl-Magnus Larsson, IRRS Team Leader. “This approach goes beyond what is required, is unique, and serves as a replicable model for other organizations”.
During the ten-day mission, the IRRS team – comprised of 10 senior regulatory experts from Canada, Czech Republic, Brazil, Norway, Qatar, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Zimbabwe, two IAEA staff members and one observer from Austria – held discussions with Agency staff and observed regulatory inspections at the Agency’s Insect Pest Control Laboratory in its nuclear applications laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria.
The IRRS team concluded that the IAEA’s regulatory programme for radiation, transport, and waste safety is well-established, demonstrating its strong commitment to upholding international safety standards. Additionally, the IRRS team welcomed the regulator’s dedication to continuously advancing and improving the IAEA regulatory system.
The review also included recommendations to help the Agency further strengthen the effectiveness of its regulatory framework and functions. These recommendations will be detailed in the final report, which is expected to be completed within the next three months.
The findings included the need for the IAEA to:
Develop a comprehensive policy and strategy for safety, tailored to the IAEA’s specific strategic and operational activities.
Initiate a review of resourcing to ensure that the Regulator has sufficient human and financial resources for sustainable discharge of its assigned responsibilities, including the resources needed to continuously improve the regulatory framework and to enhance the competence of the regulatory staff.
Consider formalising arrangements to ensure continued regulatory independence.
Consider assessing events occurring at the IAEA laboratories involving radiation technologies at the Agency Seat against the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) and report those events at Level 2 and above to Member States.
The Team provided specific recommendations for the IAEA Regulator, including:
Completing the documentation for the regulatory management system.
Arranging for independent assessments of the regulator’s leadership for safety and safety culture at planned intervals to improve the overall safety performance.
Finalizing and formally adopting procedures for authorization taking into account a graded approach.
Developing an inspection programme and plan in accordance with a graded approach.
Formally adopting a process for establishing regulations and regulatory guides, including the frequency for reviewing the regulatory guides and a system to ensure that the development and implementation of regulations and guides is based on a graded approach.
IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security Lydie Evrard said that at a time when several countries are setting up or strengthening their regulatory frameworks the IRRS mission to the IAEA is indicative of the Agency’s own commitment to the international safety standards. This mission also demonstrates that every regulatory body can benefit enormously from such a review regardless of their size and status.
“The recommendations from this mission will help us to continuously improve and we are committed to further strengthening and enhancing the Agency’s regulatory framework for radiation safety,” said Deputy Director General Evrard.
IAEA safety standards
The IAEA safety standards provide a robust framework of fundamental principles, requirements and guidance to ensure safety. They reflect an international consensus and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry being awarded for computational protein design and protein structure prediction.
Prof Ewan Birney, Deputy Director General of EMBL and Director of EMBL-EBI,said:
“Huge congratulations to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper and the teams that supported them for this fantastic honour. Tools such as AlphaFold help us understand protein structure, helping us decode how life works; being able to design proteins to our own needs shows how deep our understanding has reached. Such tools are built on decades of experimental work and made possible thanks to a culture inside molecular biology of openly sharing data worldwide. There is a vast treasure trove of public data available in databases such as the ones managed by EMBL. We hope to see these data informing yet more discoveries. The potential of big data alongside AI and technology developments is limitless – and this is the start.”
Prof Ewan Birney “is the Deputy Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the Director of EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), which hosts the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database. He is also a Non-Executive Director at Genomics England. EMBL-EBI collaborated with Google DeepMind to develop and disseminate the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, making AlphaFold’s predictions freely and openly accessible to the scientific community.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Three men have been found guilty at Northampton Magistrates Court in cases brought by the Environment Agency on Monday 23 September 2024.
Fisheries enforcement officers on patrol
Fishing in the close season has cost an angler from Nottingham £220 plus costs and victim surcharge
Two Nottinghamshire anglers found guilty of fishing without a licence receive fines of £220 each plus costs and victim surcharge
Fisheries enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
Stelica Serban, 47, of Exeter Road was found guilty in absence of fishing in the close season at Embankment, River Trent, Nottingham on 20 April 2024. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
Close season
The annual close season (from 15 March – 15 June) prevents fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England, helping to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks.
Fishing without a licence
Troy Stevenson, 34, of Belsay Road, Nottingham, was found guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Hallcroft, Retford on 31 March 2024. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
David Thompson, 45, of Laurel Avenue, Forest Town, Mansfield, was found guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at A1 Fishery (South Muskham), Newark on 29 March 2024. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
We hope the penalties these illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England.
Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, seven days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing and for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
We urge anglers to respect the close season to help reduce pressures on our fisheries, benefitting fish and the wider environment.
Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable. Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of legal anglers.
Fishing licences
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. A 1-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 – 16-year-olds.
Licences are available from http://www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Fisheries enforcement
The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.
Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The charges
Stelica Serban was charged with the following offence:
On the 20th day of April 2024 at Embankment, River Trent, Nottingham fished for freshwater fish in the close season contrary National Byelaw 2 of the Environment Agency Byelaws made on the 12th July 2010 and contrary to National Byelaw 6 confirmed 23rd March 2010 made pursuant to sections 210 and 211 Schedule 25 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
Troy Stevenson was charged with the following offence:
On the 31st day of March 2024 at Hallcroft, Retford in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
David Thompson was charged with the following offence:
On the 29th day of March 2024 at A1 Fishery (South Muskham), Newark in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Nine New Sophos XGS Firewall Appliances Feature Boosted Performance with Reduced Energy Consumption
Sophos Firewall Software Can Now Use Third-party Threat Intelligence Feeds for Extended Protection Against Cyberattacks
OXFORD, United Kingdom, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today introduced nine new XGS Series desktop firewall appliances for midmarket and smaller-sized businesses, as well as branch offices of larger organizations. The new XGS appliances feature a streamlined architecture to deliver double the performance of previous models, but with 50% lower energy consumption. All of the new Sophos XGS appliances are available with multiple high-speed connectivity options, and four models are fanless, making them ideal for noise-sensitive environments.
Sophos has also announced updated Sophos Firewall software that provides enhanced protection against cyberattacks, including the ability to integrate third-party threat intelligence feeds. This allows organizations with specific regional or vertical market requirements to customize and apply additional information to strengthen their firewall security. The new software also enhances distributed network scalability and provides a seamless transition for customers on legacy firewalls to upgrade to the latest Sophos XGS appliances. By leveraging the improved acceleration capabilities of the virtual FastPath in the new Sophos Firewall software, along with the new streamlined architecture, the new Sophos XGS firewall appliances can deliver up to three times the performance in IPsec VPN throughput compared to previous models.
“The new Sophos XGS appliances and Sophos Firewall software launches are all about providing users with world-class ‘performance and protection’ at competitive pricing. We’re innovating and advancing how organizations should use firewall technology to defend against persistent, modern-day cyberattacks targeting the midmarket and smaller businesses,” said Dan Cole, senior vice president, Network and Content Security at Sophos. “This includes designing our firewall software to now also leverage threat intelligence feeds from third-party sources, in addition to Sophos’ native threat intelligence, for faster, real-time response to a broader scope of suspicious activity. The support also gives defenders greater control over their risk profile.”
Specifically, users can now configure Sophos Firewall software to ingest paid and free feeds published by security vendors, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), specific industry consortiums and Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs), or other threat intelligence platforms. The third-party data augments Sophos’ proprietary threat intelligence, which derives from Sophos X-Ops and includes telemetry from SophosLabs, Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Sophos Extended Detection and Response (XDR) technology. In conjunction with Sophos Active Threat Response, a feature built into Sophos-managed endpoints and the intelligence feeds, Sophos Firewall software will initiate a synchronized response that automatically walls off potential attacks, giving defenders critical time to assess, respond and remediate.
Enhanced performance and scalability: Triple the IPsec VPN performance boost on the new XGS Series desktop appliances, as well as faster authentication burst performance and optimizations to reduce downtime and increase resiliency during failovers for SD-RED tunnels, dynamic routes and Active Directory interactions for distributed enterprise environments
Streamlined management: Refreshed user experiences; support for Let’s Encrypt certificates; integrated support for Google Workspace authentication; and expanded network object visibility that simplifies firewall management
Seamless device upgrades: A new configuration backup assistant and port mapping support, backed by free license overlap for Sophos XG firewall customers, that enables added flexibility and easy upgrading from previous hardware generations
“This release of new desktop models as part of the Sophos XGS Series of hardware appliances sets a new high bar for performance and efficiency. The update enhances value at every price-point, with a three-fold increase in IPsec VPN throughput and up to two times better overall performance, all while cutting energy consumption in half,” said Christopher Rodriguez, research director for Security and Trust at IDC. “Combined with enhancements in protection, scalability and ease-of-use from their latest OS release, Sophos Firewall provides significant value to organizations of all sizes, without raising its prices.”
“Sophos makes firewall deployment, integration and management straightforward,” said Benjamin Schwarzbauer, team lead, Network and Security at Luithle + Luithle, a Sophos partner in Germany. “Its tight integration with the broader Sophos ecosystem allows us to efficiently manage security for our customers. The firewall’s comprehensive features not only strengthen security, but also ensure reliable performance and regulatory compliance. This allows our customers to focus on their business.”
Availability Sophos’ new XGS desktop firewall appliances and Sophos Firewall software are available exclusively through Sophos’ global channel of partners and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Defenders can easily manage the solutions in the cloud-native Sophos Central platform alongside Sophos’ portfolio of endpoint, email and cloud solutions and oversee installations, respond to alerts and track licenses and upcoming renewal dates via a single, intuitive interface.
About Sophos Sophos is a global leader and innovator of advanced security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and incident response services and a broad portfolio of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies. As one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity providers, Sophos defends more than 600,000 organizations and more than 100 million users worldwide from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more. Sophos’ services and products connect through the Sophos Central management console and are powered by Sophos X-Ops, the company’s cross-domain threat intelligence unit. Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimizes the entire Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, which includes a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors. Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service to organizations needing fully managed security solutions. Customers can also manage their cybersecurity directly with Sophos’ security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos’ services, including threat hunting and remediation. Sophos sells through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at http://www.sophos.com.
What does ‘social value’ mean, and how can it be used in planning decisions to give Londoners the spaces that they need?
The Planning and Regeneration Committee will tomorrow question experts, community and industry representatives, and local authorities about what social value is, how it’s measured, and how it can make a difference to Londoners.
Assembly Members will examine how Londoners who run small businesses through council-owned markets and railway arches view ‘social value’ policies, and how they would like to see the social, cultural and environmental value of community assets recognised in approaches to planning and regeneration.
The guests are:
Panel 1, 2.00pm – 3.15pm
Maria Adebowale-Schwarte, Commissioner for the London Sustainable Development Commission
Tony Burton, Founder of Civic Voice and Chair of Community Review Panels in Old Oak & Park Royal and Dacorum
Dr Myfanwy Taylor, Lecturer in Urban Economics and Planning, University College London
Guy Battle, Chief Executive Officer at Social Value Portal
Stephanie Edwards, Co-Founding Director of Urban Symbiotics
Panel 2, 3.30pm – 4.45pm
Krissie Nicolson, CEO London Trades Guild
Nicholas Kasic, Manager of Portobello Road Market and convener of the London Street Trading Benchmarking Group
Sarah Goldzweig, Research and Project Officer at Latin Elephant
Stephen Biggs, Corporate Director, Community Wealth Building, London Borough of Islington
Bryce Tudball, Head of Spatial Planning, London Borough of Haringey
The meeting will take place on Wednesday 9 October from 2pm, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rocket Software, a global technology leader in modernization software, today announced the findings from its survey, Rethinking the Role of Mainframe Data in Enterprise AI and Analytics. Conducted by Foundry Media for Rocket Software, the survey polled over 200 business leaders and decision-makers in data analytics, management, engineering, and architecture across the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France, to understand how organizations are leveraging mainframe data as part of their AI and analytics initiatives. The survey found that only 28% of survey respondents are using mainframe data extensively in data-driven initiatives. Not factoring mainframe data – which includes both real-time and historical information on customer interactions, account data, financial transactions, and inventory – into AI models is a missed opportunity. By integrating this rich data, models become more accurate, insightful, and reflective of the full scope of an organization’s operations, unlocking powerful insights and driving more informed decision-making.
AI and advanced analytics are playing an increasing role in how businesses differentiate themselves, unlocking opportunities for new efficiencies, growth drivers, and customer experiences. The success and usefulness of an AI model lies in the data that it is trained on. In the race to adopt AI, a majority of organizations have failed to fully leverage mainframe data to enhance their models. AI that accurately represents all of a business’s data empowers leaders with greater visibility into operations and provides deeper insights, facilitating informed decision-making in real-time. In fact, 46% of respondents said mainframe data was a potential means for improving data quality, accuracy, and completeness of existing datasets.
Challenges, both real and perceived, have led many to struggle when it comes to integrating mainframe data into their AI and analytics capabilities:
76% of leaders said they found accessing mainframe data and contextual metadata to be either very or somewhat challenging
64% said they considered integrating mainframe data with cloud data sources to be somewhat to very challenging
The biggest obstacles to leveraging mainframe data were found to be:
Complexity of data retrieval and extraction processes (59%)
Concerns regarding security, compliance, and data privacy (56%)
Proprietary data formats (41%)
“If organizations fail to incorporate their mainframe data into AI and analytics, they risk developing models that are less intelligent, powerful, or accurate,” said Michael Curry, President, Data Modernization Business Unit, at Rocket Software. “Rocket Software has the technology and expertise to help enterprises easily bridge their mainframe data into their AI and analytics initiatives, automating away the complexity, and reducing the need for specialized skills and knowledge to protect, retrieve, and extract mainframe data.”
Mainframe modernization is a worthwhile pursuit. Forty two percent of respondents said they prefer to adopt a prebuilt solution to integrate their mainframe data with cloud data, and 51% cited building new analytical capabilities or business initiatives that were not previously possible was the most attractive use case for mainframe data. That’s where experienced partners, who offer resources across the modernization continuum, can support businesses by mitigating challenges to unlock data’s full potential. Survey respondents noted scalability for large datasets (82%), interoperability with existing data management tools and platforms (82%), and robust security and encryption (81%) as the top benefits for integrating mainframe and cloud data.
To download the full study, click here. For further insights, register for Rocket Software’s webinar on November 12, here.
Methodology Foundry surveyed 213 business leaders and decision-makers, including those employed in data analytics, data management, data engineering, or data architecture roles between May 10, 2024, and May 27, 2024, to understand how organizations are leveraging or planning to leverage mainframe data as part of their AI and analytics initiatives to drive strategy, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance competitive advantage.
About Rocket Software Rocket Software is a global technology leader in modernization and a partner of choice that empowers the world’s leading businesses on their modernization journeys, spanning core systems to the cloud. Trusted by over 12,500 customers and 750 partners, and with more than 3,000 global employees, Rocket Software enables customers to maximize their data, applications, and infrastructure to deliver critical services that power our modern world. Rocket Software is a privately held U.S. corporation headquartered in the Boston area with centers of excellence strategically located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Rocket Software is a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity. Follow Rocket Software on LinkedIn and Twitter or visit http://www.RocketSoftware.com.
Earlier this year, a new self-identification act for transgender, intersex, and nonbinary persons was enacted in Germany. The law adds to the growing number of European jurisdictions that have recently enacted self-identification laws for legal gender purposes, including Sweden. The legal landscape is not uniform, however. Other European jurisdictions are curbing the right to change one’s gender, most recently Georgia, which has forbidden the reassignment of one’s gender, and Bulgaria, where the courts have determined that a person cannot change his or her legal gender from that assigned at birth.
Please join us on October 29, 2024, at 2 p.m. EDT for our next foreign, comparative, and international law webinar titled, “What’s in a Legal Gender? A Guide to European Gender Determination Laws.“ This webinar is the latest installment in the Law Library’s Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series.
This webinar will describe and discuss the regulation of gender self-determination in select jurisdictions in Europe. In particular, the webinar will focus on the existence of gender self-determination laws, the possibility of identifying as a third gender, the rules for changing legal gender, and the use of “X” as a gender marker in passports, among other topics. Similarities and differences in the countries’ approaches will be highlighted.
Please register here.
Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].
The webinar will be presented by Jenny Gesley and Elin Hofverberg, foreign law specialists in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. Jenny holds a Master of Laws from the University of Minnesota Law School, a Juris Doctor equivalent from the Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, and a doctorate in law. Her doctoral dissertation on “Financial Market Supervision in the United States: National Developments and International Standards” (in German) was awarded the Baker & McKenzie Award in 2015. Dr. Gesley is admitted to the New York State Bar and is qualified to practice law in Germany. Elin holds a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from The George Washington University Law School and a Juris Doctor equivalent (Jur. kand.) from Uppsala University Law School. Elin is a member of the New York State Bar and is qualified to practice law in Sweden.
Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.
Source: Republic of France in English The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
Following the 19th international summit of La Francophonie [OIF – international Francophone organization], which was held in France for the first time in 33 years, Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, Minister of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships, are announcing a series of measures furthering France’s contribution to raising the international profile of La Francophonie.
In line with President Macron’s announcements and to reaffirm France’s commitment to raising La Francophonie’s international profile, Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, Minister of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships, are announcing a series of measures.
Firstly, because the OIF is a space for exchanges fostering the economic prosperity of Francophone peoples, the Minister of State is announcing the creation of an International Francophone Mobility and Employability Programme (PIMEF). The PIMEF is aimed at young people:
It networks 1,100 universities and research centres that are members of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in 120 countries (students, teaching staff, researchers, administrative staff) from all over the world. The AUF, one of the OIF’s four operators, will work throughout this year so that it is gradually rolled out from the start of the academic year 2025-2026. France supports the AUF alongside the OIF.
Young French-speaking people from these universities will be able to benefit from mobility programmes geared to professionalization and/or employability.
The programme will operate on a principle of reciprocity. Universities and institutions will decide on the number of students to be sent to partner structures, which will be identical to the number of students received.
Secondly, the Minister of State is announcing the creation of the Volontaires unis pour la Francophonie [volunteers united for La Francophonie] programme. The Francophone world is also a space for cultural and educational development. To promote its attractiveness, the programme will enable 100 young volunteers, nationals from OIF member States, to take part in missions lasting several months in another country of the Francophone world, attached to civil-society organizations and public bodies active as regards educational cooperation, social entrepreneurship and the upholding of La Francophonie’s values.
As regards the cultural aspect, the Minister of State is next announcing exceptional financial support for the TV5 Monde Maghreb group’s television channel for young people “Tivi 5” making widely accessible an offer of varied, good quality Francophone content for young people in that region and encouraging locally produced content in French for young people, showcasing the diversity of Francophone cultural heritage.
The Minister of State wishes to reiterate his commitment to promoting the French language as a force for transforming society. France supports the feminist organizations whose activities have a transforming effect on society and public policy. In this respect, two projects have been created to help promote gender equality and the progression of women’s rights.
The Alliance féministe francophone [Francophone Feminist Alliance]: to ensure that the French language cannot be an obstacle to the participation, influence and networking of feminist organizations in conveying messages promoting gender equality at the highest level, France is launching the Alliance féministe francophone, in addition to the OIF women’s empowerment programme La Francophonie avec elles. Under this alliance, a consortium of voluntary organizations will be supported to coordinate and finance the participation of feminist organizations at major events and international summits, increase their technical capabilities for representation and negotiation, support their plea for greater funding for the international feminist ecosystem.
Alongside Martine Biron, Quebec’s Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, and Salima Saa, Minister of State for Gender Equality, France is launching a Francophone network for women’s equality and rights.
This initiative will allow us to offer a space for consultation and coordination, bringing together representatives of States that are members and observers to the OIF – Francophone and non-Francophone – and Francophone States that are not members or observers, with a shared interest in and shared commitment to the promotion of women’s and girls’ rights and gender equality, and advisory bodies for equality between men and women. This network will bring together representatives of civil-society organizations. The initiative will gradually take shape, firstly with a limited number of States at the launch, and will have to take account of the Francophone world’s geographical diversity in its composition.
Minister of State Thani Mohamed-Soilihi says:
“This 19th summit has shown us that the Francophone world is resolutely forward-looking.
“This series of measures is another step forward for an OIF that takes action on the educational, economic and cultural fronts and in terms of gender equality and furthering opportunities for our young people.
“In a world in crisis, La Francophonie provides a remarkable space for multilateral cooperation, allowing its members to coordinate their vision of the world and be a force for progress and for transforming the world.”
A private jet tax can fund our transition to a greener future.
More in Transport
The Scottish Greens have welcomed an announcement that the Scottish Government will be reviewing air departure tax rates, including for private jets specifically.
Answering a question at the Finance and Public Administration Committee this morning, the Cabinet Secretary said the rates and bands, including the rates on private jet flights, would be reviewed to ensure they align with net zero ambitions.
There were 12,911 recorded private flights to and from Scotland’s airports in 2023. A recent Oxfam study suggested a tax on these flights could raise up to £21.5 million. Private jets have estimated climate emissions of up to 14 times that of commercial flights.
The Scottish Greens transport spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP, said: “Private jets have a huge environmental impact, and while their super-rich occupants pinball between their golf courses and yachts, it’s taxpayers who are left paying for the damage.
“We all know that we urgently need to reduce aviation emissions, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to reduce private jet use. Taxing them fairly would deter such reckless flights, help move people to more sustainable modes of transport, and raise the funds to help us to mitigate the destructive impact they have on the rest of us.
“We all know Labour cuts at Westminster mean money is tight in Scotland. But it isn’t enough to point this out, we must use every lever at our disposal to raise the funds we need for essential services and climate action. I can think of no better way of raising these funds than taxing super-rich polluters.”
Each year, people visit museums and memorial sites as part of educational interventions organised around the remembrance of a genocide or an atrocity. Many schools visit a concentration camp as part of Holocaust education, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau. Others travel to memorial sites associated with other genocides, such as the massacre of Muslim men fleeing Srebrenica in Bosnia or the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Cambodia.
Two important goals for such education are to foster empathy towards the victims and to increase students’ personal identification with them as a group. In this context, empathy is the ability to feel with the victims and to be able to take their perspective .
But what does science say about the effect of visiting genocidal memorial sites on empathy and identification with a victim group? Our study, published in Holocaust Studies in July, sheds some light on the question.
The science of empathy
While we may justly think of empathy as a personality feature, it is also a capacity that can be activated through social experiences. When we identify with a group of victims we perceive a “we” connecting us with the members of the group.
Evidence suggests that Israeli high-school students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau may increase their empathy towards Palestinians. That’s if they initially are already somewhat positive towards Palestinians in principle and if they are prepared to see suffering in universal rather than national terms.
It has also been shown that groups of Polish students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau increased their identification with Jews as a group before and after visiting the concentration camp.
Clear evidence
In our recent study, we investigated 143 high-school students from Malmö in Sweden, of which 46 took a short course on the Holocaust, including a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
We collected data both before and after the trip. We measured two facets of empathy in the students, “empathic concern” (such as “I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me”) and “perspective taking” (such as “Before criticising somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their place”).
We also measured to what extent they identified with Jews as a group by ratings of how close they felt.
The results for this group were then compared with responses from a control group of students who did not participate in the course or trip to Auschwitz.
We found that the Holocaust education and trip increased the students’ preparedness to identify with and take the perspective of Jews compared to those who didn’t go. However, both groups showed similar amount of empathic concern.
Looking more closely at the change registered among students after the trip, we also found that a feeling of increased closeness to Jews as a group was related to increased perspective taking.
Our work suggests a role of genocide education in fostering a broad empathic understanding of a victim group’s life and culture. This can provide important stimulation for students to put themselves in the shoes of an often “otherised” group, whose experience of hate and violence can be appreciated as if it is known from the inside.
There is a great need for more research on moral education interventions that involves a site or museum visit. Evaluating how this education works, and which aspects that have the intended effects, is of key importance. Cutting edge scientific methods, such as virtual reality, are now just beginning to make a difference to education in this area.
We will next be working to pinpoint how trips to sites of atrocity affect students’ moral values, attitudes or behaviour.
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.
Haiti is being choked to death by its 200 or so violent criminal gangs. The latest figures to be released by the UN suggest that more than 3,600 people have been killed in the country since January, including over 100 children, while more than 500,000 Haitians have been displaced.
The situation prompted the country’s unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry, to resign in April. And, two months later, a Kenyan-led policing mission tasked with establishing order was deployed to the Caribbean nation. But the operation has so far struggled to rein in the gangs.
So, the UN security council unanimously adopted a resolution on September 30 to extend the mandate of the mission for another year. There was consensus that the law-and-order situation in Haiti is still deteriorating by the day.
The move to extend the mission is, in my opinion, hollow and fails to address the real challenges on the ground. It doesn’t tackle the rampant arms trafficking that is fuelling the violence in Haiti, nor does it secure the funding that will allow the mission to operate effectively.
Haiti has no firearms or ammunition manufacturing capabilities. Yet the country’s gangs are brutalising the masses with all sorts of sophisticated small arms, including sniper rifles, pump-action shotguns and automatic weapons of every kind.
All of these weapons originate outside of the island, primarily from the US, but also from neighbouring Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Experts say lax firearm laws in the US states of Arizona, Florida and Georgia have created a sophisticated arms peddling racket into Haiti.
There is no exact number for how many trafficked firearms are currently in Haiti. But Haiti’s disarmament commission estimated in 2020 that there could be as many as 500,000 small arms in Haiti illegally – a number that is now likely to be even higher. This figure dwarfs the 38,000 registered firearms in the country.
The effectiveness of the Kenyan operation is also being undermined by gross resource limitations. While the mission was approved by the UN security council, it is not a UN operation and relies on voluntary financial contributions. It was originally promised US$600 million (£458 million) by UN member nations, but it has received only a fraction of that fund.
According to Human Rights Watch, the mission has so far received a mere US$85 million in contributions through a trust fund set up by the UN. Haiti’s former colonial master, France, and several other G7 countries have not been so forthcoming.
Inadequate funding has hindered the procurement of advanced weaponry, delayed the payment of police officers’ salaries and has prevented the deployment of more forces on the ground.
Just 400 Kenyan officers and two dozen policemen from Jamaica have arrived in Haiti so far. This is significantly less than the 2,500 officers pledged initially by various countries including Chad, Benin, Bangladesh and Barbados.
This financial woe has had a negative impact not only on the morale of Kenyan police officers, but it has also made Haitians despondent. Haitians are increasingly expressing impatience and disappointment with the Kenyan force in the media and online.
Some critics have accused the officers of being “tourists”, and have pointed out that the gangs have tightened their grip on large swathes of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, since the mission began.
The pessimism within Haiti was eloquently highlighted by the country’s interim prime minister, Garry Conille, on September 25. Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meet in New York, he confessed: “We are nowhere near winning this, and the simple reality is that we won’t without your help.”
Advantage gangs
Finding the Kenyan-led operation a mere irritant, and not a worthy adversary, the gangs have only stepped up the ante. According to a spokesperson for Volker Türk, the UN’s human rights chief, the country’s armed gangs are now doing “everything they can” to maintain control. This has included using sexual assault to instil fear on local populations and expand their influence.
Some UN member nations, such as the US and Ecuador, have requested that a formal UN peacekeeping mission takes place. And, despite previous peacekeeping operations in the country being marred in controversy, Haiti has asked the UN to consider turning the current operation into a peacekeeping mission.
This mission, which would probably include a larger contingent of troops, should not face the same financial constraints as the current operation. It would have greater visibility on the ground, and more fire power and authority to tackle the gangs.
Past evidence also demonstrates that UN peackeeping missions significantly reduce civilian casualties, shorten conflicts and help make peace agreements stick.
However, the recent push for a peacekeeping mission was thwarted because of opposition by China and Russia, two of the five permanent veto-wielding members of the UN security council.
Beijing and Moscow have consistently argued that political conditions in Haiti are “not conducive” to a new UN peacekeeping operation. They have maintained that the current operation “should reach its full operational capacity before discussing such a transformation”.
Meanwhile, the gangs continue tightening their vice-like grip on the country, with accounts emerging of rampant sexual violence against civilians, the closure of humanitarian corridors, the extension of their territorial control and – of course – even more killings.
Amalendu Misra is a recipient of Nuffield Foundation and British Academy research grants.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
More than 140 graduates have started at Sellafield Ltd.
Graduate intake event 2024.
Over 140 graduates have just started their exciting careers with the company in a range of business and technical disciplines, supporting Sellafield Ltd in its mission to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.
Our scheme aims to equip graduates with the skills, knowledge and behaviours necessary for a successful career in the nuclear industry, while offering the opportunity to build valuable professional networks.
One of the graduates who has just completed the two year scheme is commissioning engineer Anouschka Van Mourik.
Just before completing the scheme, Anouschka was honoured as Graduate of the Year thanks to her consistent work delivery and enthusiasm for undertaking new opportunities to develop her skills.
Anouschka Van Mourik, Graduate of the Year
Anouschka has also been involved in the Gender Balance network, mentoring scheme, and local events supporting the Institute of Engineering and Technology network as well as the Women in Nuclear group.
She said:
Being named Graduate of the Year was an incredible honour. The graduate scheme has been an amazing journey, rich with development and personal growth. I’ve not only advanced in my day-to-day job but also nurtured my passion for inspiring others to pursue careers in STEM.
After earning my degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Sellafield has played a vital role in further developing my skills and supporting my personal and professional growth.
As we celebrate the successes of our current graduates, we are also excited to look ahead to the future. Applications for the 2025 graduate scheme are now open, with roles available in a variety of areas ranging from engineering to project management and finance.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is asking patients who use a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or insulin pump to report any safety problem with their device through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme without delay.
Over 5.6 million people in the UK live with diabetes, many of whom rely on these devices to manage their condition, and their use can significantly improve the quality of life for patients.
However, adverse incidents relating to these devices can occur, and while most of these incidents do not result in harm to the patient, they can potentially lead to the incorrect amount of insulin which can lead to abnormal blood sugar levels, with potentially serious health consequences.
The MHRA utilises the Yellow Card reporting scheme for signal detection and trending activities to identify safety concerns that may require action. As of January 2023, the MHRA has received fewer than 300 Yellow Card reports from healthcare professionals and members of the public relating to these devices, which is significantly fewer than we would expect given their widespread use. The MHRA is therefore reminding users how to report adverse incidents and potential safety issues to us.
To aid this vital reporting, the MHRA has today, Tuesday 08 October, introduced new step-by-step guidance, giving individuals living with diabetes detailed information on how to report any safety concerns with their device and what information they need to include. This guidance provides examples of the types of issues which should be flagged and images to help guide users in their reporting.
Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, said:
Patient safety is our top priority, which is why we urge anyone using devices to manage their diabetes to report to us without delay any safety concerns they may have. We know adverse incidents can occur with the use of these devices. The vast majority of these incidents don’t result in harm but potentially could have serious consequences.
Every report is valuable to us as it will provide valuable insight and potentially inform future regulatory measures designed to protect patients. We are ready to take whatever action is needed.
If you are concerned that there is an issue with any of your diabetes devices, please use the guidance [LINK] to complete a Yellow Card report online using the Yellow Card website or via the free Yellow Card app.
Douglas Twenefour, Head of Care at Diabetes UK, said:
Diabetes technology can be a life-changing tool, helping people living with the condition improve their quality of life.
Unfortunately, we know that sometimes this technology doesn’t work as intended, so it is important that users of diabetes tech have a clear and accessible way to report any issues with continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps and pens.
Diabetes UK welcomes any guidance that gives reassurance for people using diabetes tech to highlight potential problems quickly and easily. We would encourage anyone with a concern about diabetes tech to report it, as this vital information can help improve the quality of devices.
However, if there is any immediate concern about technology that could affect a person’s safety, advice from an appropriate healthcare professional should be sought first.
Professor Partha Kar, NHS England Type 1 Diabetes & Technology lead, said:
We welcome this work and its important role in ensuring safety while we oversee the widespread adoption of diabetes technologies using continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps.
These devices can be life-changing for people living with diabetes, giving them the confidence to go about their days knowing they are safe and able to enjoy themselves, so their operationally effectiveness is of paramount importance.
This initiative will help to ensure standards stay at the highest level as the market continues to expand with new developers.
The MHRA also urges people to speak to a healthcare professional without delay if they have concerns that their health may have been impacted by a potential safety issue relating to their device.
Examples of the types of issue with continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps that should be reported include:
Concerns with accuracy of delivery from the insulin pump (for example, suspected underdose or overdose, unexpected bolus doses, non-delivery of insulin)
Concerns with accuracy of results from a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). As part of your report, please tell us what the readings were on both the CGM and the approved blood glucose meter (see page 6) including the time elapsed between the 2 readings
Skin reaction to the sensor adhesive. If a patch test was carried out, please let us know.
Technology concerns, such as:
Connectivity issues between the various parts of the diabetes management system
Concerns with the touchscreen, display or buttons
Physical failures, including leaks and cracks
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Natural England is seeking views on a new Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Yorkshire Wolds
An image of mist on the Yorkshire Wolds.
Natural England has today (8th October) launched a statutory and public consultation for proposed plans to designate part of the Yorkshire Wolds as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
This will be the formal consultation phase and will remain open for 14 weeks (closing midnight on the 13th January 2025). Local authorities and all interested parties can comment on the proposed AONB and the evidence which supports it.
AONBs were recently rebranded as National Landscapes however, in legal terms, Natural England would designate an AONB.
To avoid confusion, Natural England will use the term AONB throughout the consultation process. If an AONB is subsequently designated, it would then be known as a National Landscape.
Plans to designate a Yorkshire Wolds AONB are part of an ambitious programme of landscape designation and is one of four new projects to help deliver on the Government’s commitment to safeguard more of England’s beautiful and iconic landscapes for future generations.
The Yorkshire Wolds is a tranquil, beautiful landscape, known for dramatic steep sided dry valleys, high but gentle escarpments, dramatic coastal cliffs, and open, rolling agricultural plateaus.
Natural and cultural heritage in the area includes ancient woodland, species rich grasslands, chalk streams, Iron Age settlements, abandoned Medieval villages and Georgian manors and parkland. The Wolds also include a prominent chalk cliff and foothills rising from the Vale of York to the west and the Vale of Pickering to the north.
Designating this precious landscape as an AONB could bring many benefits including conserving and enhancing the area’s natural beauty and cultural heritage, as well as the magnificent views and tranquillity of the area.
It could give improved access to nature for the benefit of people’s health and wellbeing, whilst safeguarding an important landscape for future generations. AONBs can also boost economic growth and sustainable local tourism.
Paul Duncan, Deputy Director for Natural England, said:
The Yorkshire Wolds is a truly special area, and it is important that everyone, including people who live in and around the community, has their say in this national designation project.
We’re inviting anyone interested in this fantastic landscape to take the time to examine the proposals and provide their views and comments about the natural beauty of the Yorkshire Wolds, its condition, natural and cultural heritage, and scenic qualities. You can also comment on the desirability of the designation and the proposed boundary. Evidence that you provide could be vital in helping us refine our proposals.
Cllr Anne Handley East Riding of Yorkshire Council Leader, said:
I’m delighted that the Yorkshire Wolds, a large part of which is situated in East Riding, are being considered for national level designation.
We are very lucky to have a range of fabulous natural assets from the Wolds to the coast, which attracts millions of visitors each year. It is fantastic to see the area, with its outstanding natural beauty, considered for such a significant status.
Shaun Berry Head of Environment & Sustainability of North Yorkshire County Council said:
We know how important North Yorkshire’s beautiful natural landscape is, to the people who live and work in and around it, those who visit from across the UK and the world and the businesses that serve those visitors.
We already see these benefits in the county’s two National Parks and other areas of outstanding natural beauty in Nidderdale, the Howardian Hills and the Forest of Bowland, so I urge local people to have their say about this opportunity.
There will be a number of drop-in events and webinars to show the proposals and explain how people can have their say.
Details of these events, along with copies of the consultation documents, information about the designation process and what an AONB means are available to view and download on the consultation website here.
People will also have the chance to view the documents at the drop in events and in a small number of local libraries and local authority offices, details of which are on the website.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By W. Joseph Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Communication, American University School of Communication
President Dwight Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, left, with Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, greet crowds after Adlai Stevenson conceded defeat on Nov. 7, 1956.Bettmann/Getty Images
In response to national pollsters’ failure in forecasting election outcomes in 1948 and 1952, The New York Times pursued in 1956 a weekslong, multistate exercise in on-the-ground reporting to assess public opinion about the presidential race.
The Times’ experiment, which these days would be recognized as “shoe-leather reporting,” included two dozen journalists assigned to four teams that, in all, traveled to 27 battleground states over several weeks before the election – a rematch between President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, and his Democratic rival, Adlai E. Stevenson.
The reporting teams interviewed scores of Americans from all walks of life in an attempt to gauge voter preferences qualitatively – without relying on the data of preelection polls. One of the participating Times reporters declared afterward that the teams-based campaign coverage represented “a new departure in journalism.”
In unintended testimony to the challenges of measuring public opinion across a sprawling country, the Times’ coverage was no significant improvement over the polls. The Times’ reporting notably failed to anticipate the magnitude of Eisenhower’s reelection — a lopsided victory in which he carried 41 states.
In its final report before the election, the Times concluded that Eisenhower would win reelection but would fail to match the sweep of his landslide four years earlier. As it turned out, Eisenhower easily exceeded the dimensions of his victory in 1952, when his winning margin was 10.5 percentage points.
The Times’ coverage also failed to foresee Eisenhower’s state victories in 1956 in Virginia, Oklahoma and West Virginia, and markedly underestimated the president’s support in Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas, among other states.
The Times’ reporting experiment proved an imperfect substitute to election polling, as I discussed in a research paper presented recently to the American Journalism Historians Association. In the paper, I defined “shoe-leather reporting” as the gathering of newsworthy content through in-person interviews, document searches and on-the-scene observations. The idiom presumes that journalists will pursue fieldwork so energetically as to wear out their shoes.
“Shoe-leather reporting” has been long celebrated in American media; a widely published journalism educator has described the practice as “mythical” and “one of a very few gods an American journalist can officially pray to.”
New York Times staffer Max Frankel was taken off the rewrite desk in 1956 and sent knocking on doors ‘to gather voter sentiment’ in Wisconsin, Texas, Virginia and Missouri. Ban Martin/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Crises skew projections
The Times’ experiment in 1956 represents an exceptional case study about both the appeal and limitations of detailed, interview-based reporting as a method for measuring public opinion in a presidential race, especially when dramatic international events occur shortly before the election.
Such was the case in 1956, when the Egyptian government seized the Suez Canal, prompting military intervention by Israeli, British and French armed forces — a response that Eisenhower deplored. About the same time, Soviet tanks were ordered into Hungary to crush an uprising against communist rule and install a regime compliant to Moscow.
The international crises may have boosted the margin of victory for Eisenhower, an Army general during World War II, in a rally-round-the-president effect.
It was, in any event, polling failure that inspired the Times’ campaign coverage experiment.
Eight years earlier, in 1948, the polls, the press and pundits anticipated that Republican Thomas E. Dewey would oust Democrat Harry S. Truman, who had become president on the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.
The leading national pollsters of the time — George Gallup, Archibald Crossley and Elmo Roper — all predicted Dewey’s easy victory. Roper announced in early September 1948 that Dewey was so far ahead that he would stop releasing survey results. Dewey, said Roper, would win “by a heavy margin.”
Not surprisingly, Gallup, Crossley and Roper turned exceedingly cautious in evaluating the 1952 presidential race, maintaining as the campaign closed that either candidate could win.
Eisenhower, they said, seemed to hold a narrow lead but that Stevenson was closing fast. Or as the Times said in reporting about a public gathering of the pollsters shortly before the election: “The poll takers gave a slight edge in the popular vote to … Eisenhower, the Republican candidate, but this was their dilemma: How fast is … Stevenson, the Democratic nominee, catching up?”
Equivocation did not serve the pollsters well. None of them anticipated Eisenhower’s sweeping victory — a 39-state landslide.
The Times did not editorially rebuke pollsters for their misfire in 1952, but the newspaper’s editors, wrote Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Max Frankel in his memoir, had “lost confidence in polls.”
To cover the 1956 presidential election, the Times de-emphasized opinion polls in favor of its own intensive, on-the-ground reporting that focused on states where the presidential race was believed to be closely contested.
The New York Times sent reporters across the country to interview people like these men listening to Democratic Party presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson on his October 1956 whistle-stop tour of the Midwest. Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Frankel, who rose through the ranks to become the Times’ executive editor, recalled being taken off the rewrite desk in 1956 and sent knocking on doors “to gather voter sentiment. I drove through odd precincts of Milwaukee and Austin (Texas), Arlington (Virginia) and St. Joseph (Missouri), feeding notes” to a colleague on one of the reporting teams.
The teams typically spent three days in a state, conducting interviews “with political scientists and policemen, leading politicians and bartenders, laborers, housewives and farmers,” the newspaper said.
The Times described its grassroots reporting as “surveys,” although they were not quantitative samples.
“Team members found value in not being tied to the arithmetic of polls,” one of the participants, Donald D. Janson, wrote in a post-election assessment for the Nieman Reports, a journalism industry publication.
“The scope and depth of the venture was a new departure in journalism,” Janson declared.
The process was impressionistic, even idiosyncratic. “Each reporter,” Janson wrote, “was free to judge each response, from politician and voter alike, for reliability.”
The Times published 36 state-specific preelection reports, including nine based on reporters’ follow-up visits to states where outcomes were expected to be especially close.
In its wrap-up report two days before the election, the Times said it “seemed doubtful” that Eisenhower’s margin “would be as great as it was in 1952.” In fact, Eisenhower’s victory in 1956 far surpassed that of 1952; in the rematch, he crushed Stevenson by more than 9.5 million votes.
The Times conceded in an after-election article that its teams-based coverage “did not anticipate the magnitude of the President’s victory,” which it attributed to the Suez crisis and turmoil in Hungary. The crises, the Times said, “apparently gave the final impetus to the Eisenhower landslide.”
No antidote for bad polls
The 1956 experiment in shoe-leather reporting was no rousing success. “There was some feeling,” Janson wrote afterward, “that the Times should stick to reporting trends and let the pollsters make the forecasts.”
Preelection polls by Gallup and Roper in 1956 accurately pointed to Eisenhower’s victory but overstated the president’s popular vote. Eisenhower won by 15 points; Gallup and Roper estimated his margin of victory would be 19 points. By 1956, Crossley had sold his business and retired from preelection polling.
Roper declared himself “personally pleased” by the outcome but reluctant to take “any bows for perfect accuracy.”
Given the unreliability of preelection polls in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Times had ample reason to experiment in seeking a more precise understanding of popular opinion. But as results of the 1956 election demonstrated, shoe-leather reporting was no antidote for the wayward polls.
W. Joseph Campbell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Commuters in Scotland faced a shock at ticket machines as the Scottish government abandoned a pilot scheme that removed peak rail fares. During the pilot, tickets were the same price all day. But now that it has ended, the increase in fares is significant. The cost of commuting at peak time from Glasgow to Edinburgh, for example, has gone from £16.20 to £31.40.
The aim of the pilot, introduced in October 2023, was to encourage what’s known as a “modal shift” from cars to more sustainable transport.
Defending its decision, the Scottish government made two claims: that the pilot increased passenger numbers by only 6.8% (when an increase of 10% was required for it to be self-financing) and that it mostly benefited wealthier passengers.
These claims were widely reported, but are they correct? And what does this mean for similar schemes in other countries?
Passengers using the train to get to and from work benefited most from the pilot, which made travel cheaper at peak times (early morning until around 9am and evenings until around 7pm). It is true that wealthier people in the UK tend to use trains and cars more, while poorer people are more likely to travel by bus.
The graph below shows how much £100 of train and bus tickets, and £100 of petrol ten years ago would cost today.
Cost of transport in the UK (2014-2024)
The increase in train fares has been smoother, but mostly faster, than the increase in petrol prices. However, bus fares have increased faster than both. Scotland has not followed England in capping bus fares, a policy that might have benefited lower-income passengers more.
In theory, a decrease in price for a product will result in an increase in demand. But it is impossible to calculate exactly how much passenger numbers increased due to the pilot, because we cannot know for sure how many passengers would have travelled anyway (the “counterfactual”).
To estimate the rise in demand brought about by cheaper fares, we must make assumptions about the counterfactual, where peak fares remained in place. This is especially difficult for two reasons. First, the pilot began as passenger numbers were rising again after the COVID lockdowns.
Statisticians must make assumptions about how much demand would have continued to rise in this case. Depending on these assumptions, the estimated effect of the pilot on demand for rail travel ranges from an increase of 16% to a fall of 5%, compared with the final figure of 6.8%. A change in assumptions can change the estimated rise in demand substantially.
Second, the pilot spanned a period of disruption on the railways. Strikes in Scotland in 2022 may have put people off train travel, and again, we cannot know whether they would have returned in the counterfactual scenario.
And bad weather in Scotland in early 2024 and disruption caused by strikes in England and Wales make it difficult to use the rest of Great Britain as a control group to compare against Scotland.
To estimate the effects of a policy like the pilot, statisticians must make many other assumptions. For example, in April 2024 there was a big increase in fares across Scotland. The analysis underlying the report assumes that this would have happened even without the pilot.
All these assumptions (and more) lie beneath the reported 6.8% increase in demand and make it impossible to be confident that this was the true number of passengers who shifted to rail travel because peak fares were axed.
What’s happening elsewhere?
Similar schemes have been piloted in other countries, including a flat rate €49 (£40) per month (increased from €9) rail pass in Germany, a 50 cent (30 pence) flat fare across all public transport in Queensland, Australia, and a £2 flat bus fare in England.
As with the pilot in Scotland, it is difficult to determine whether these schemes have caused a modal shift. Some new evidence from Germany suggests that cheaper fares encouraged people to make more journeys overall, but that the shift from cars to trains was limited.
However, we know that the elasticity (how much demand changes as prices change) of public transport fares is greater in the long term than in the short term. There is a danger that, as in Scotland, governments will cancel them before the long-term effects are clear.
The SNP government in Scotland is facing difficulties balancing its budget. In these circumstances, any further subsidy to public transport seems unlikely. Instead, the government will have to find other ways to reach its net zero commitments.
There is evidence that people respond more strongly to an increase in price than to a decrease. If this is the case, the pilot itself could even cause a long-term decrease in passenger numbers in Scotland, because the fall in people using the trains due to the reintroduction of peak fares might be greater than the increase during the pilot.
It is impossible to tell yet, but in the long term this could make travelling on the railways more expensive for both passengers and for the government subsidising them.
Devolution is “a process, not an event”, according to the then-secretary of state for Wales, Ron Davies, in 1997. But it is unclear what may come next for Wales in that process under the new UK Labour government, despite the same party now being in charge in both London and Cardiff.
One ongoing debate among politicians and experts for several years has been whether Westminster should and will devolve more powers to Wales, including justice and policing.
It wasn’t until the passing of the Government of Wales Act 1998 that the then National Assembly was established. It allowed Wales to make decisions over issues such as education, housing and agriculture. Further primary law-making powers were subsequently granted to the now Senedd (Welsh parliament).
But Wales doesn’t have control over all matters and some are reserved for the UK parliament. A number of these are consistent across all UK nations, including fiscal policy, foreign affairs, nuclear policy and national security. But others are different for Wales when compared to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
One of the most obvious examples is in the area of justice and policing. Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales is not a separate legal jurisdiction with its own system of law, policing and courts. While there are increasing areas of divergence between England and Wales, technically speaking, Wales is part of a single jurisdiction with England due to decisions made during Henry VIII’s reign in the 16th century.
The issue of devolving justice and policing has cropped up consistently over the past 25 years. It has been the subject of a variety of debates in the Senedd, Westminster and in the media. It has also been analysed by a number of official reports and independent or cross-party commissions.
In 2011, the Silk commission was established by the UK government to explore the issue. In its 2014 report, it recommended devolving policing and youth justice to Wales by 2017. That never happened.
The Thomas commission, set up by the Welsh government in 2019, also recommended devolving justice to Wales, including youth justice and policing. Earlier this year, the independent commission on the constitutional future of Wales called on the UK government to agree to the devolution of responsibility for justice and policing to the Senedd and Welsh government.
In 2023, Keir Starmer said that a Labour government would introduce a “take back control bill”, to devolve new powers to communities from Westminster. Those intentions were echoed in Labour’s election manifesto ahead of July’s general election.
But the issue of devolving justice to Wales was absent from Labour’s manifesto. And in an interview in June, the now-secretary of state for Wales Jo Stevens described such a move as “fiddling around with structures and systems”. It is therefore unclear whether devolution to regions of England will take place in parallel to further devolution to Wales and the other nations.
And while this issue may not be at the forefront of UK Labour policy, it is an ongoing commitment of Welsh Labour. The latter commissioned even further research in August into the devolution of justice.
What are some of the potential challenges?
One significant issue is the age of criminal responsibility, currently set at ten in England and Wales. The Thomas commission recommended raising this to 12, aligning Wales with Scotland and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
But this raises logistical questions. For example, what would happen when a case crosses borders or involves children just above or below the age threshold? These practical challenges need to be addressed if justice is to be devolved smoothly.
The Thomas Commission also laid out detailed proposals for reforms to youth justice, prisons and probation services. The Welsh youth courts have already started implementing a more preventive and restorative approach, but a jurisdictional overlap with England has slowed progress. While children’s services are devolved, youth justice remains under UK government control.
Issues like transport to courts, funding and jurisdictional boundaries need careful consideration too. For example, how would authorities determine whether a crime committed near the Wales-England border falls under Welsh or English law?
Of course, this is an issue which already exists between England and Scotland, and there are complex rules in place. Dependent upon the nature and circumstances of the crime, “jurisdiction” is typically dependent on where it was first initiated. In turn, further challenges arise surrounding police force cooperation, as well as mechanisms for sharing different types of evidence. There are also legally-protected agreements regarding powers to arrest people in each other’s territories.
Ironing out these types of issues is particularly important in respect of female offenders, as Wales has made progress in providing better support for them.
Disparities in legal expertise may also become more of a challenge. Legal experts have noted that as Welsh laws become more distinct, judges in England may lack the relevant expertise to handle Welsh cases. This concern has already arisen in Welsh tribunals, where appeals are sometimes directed to England’s Upper Tribunal, raising doubts about how well English judges can handle increasingly Wales-specific laws.
Cooperation
While these issues are very real, they shouldn’t block progress. With cooperation between Cardiff and Westminster, the devolution of justice could happen without major disruption. Instead of having endless debates and reviews, time and resources could be better spent acting on existing expert recommendations.
For instance, both governments could agree on a ten-year timeline – as recommended by the independent commission – to devolve justice, starting with policing. It’s an area which already has strong ties to devolved services at the local level. Youth justice and probation could then follow.
Despite the potential challenges, the new Labour UK government has a chance to bring about meaningful change. Devolving justice may take time, but it could bring Wales closer to achieving the legal autonomy many believe it deserves.
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.
Governments and public relations firms are under pressure to, in UN secretary-general António Guterres’s words, stop “fuelling the madness” and ban fossil fuel advertising or cut ties with the industry.
France, Amsterdam, Sheffield and Edinburgh have all restricted fossil fuel advertising to differing degrees in recognition of the industry’s responsibility for climate breakdown.
People working in the advertising industry are among those calling for an end to working with fossil fuel companies. There is a reputational risk with continuing to represent these businesses. Four advertising agencies recently lost a sustainability certification for taking an oil company as a client.
Oil and gas advertising is perhaps most prolific in sport. A recent report estimated that fossil fuel companies have invested more than £4 billion across 200 sponsorship deals.
Fellow researchers have appealed for sport to be included in any further advertising bans. There is a precedent: a tobacco advertising ban came into force in the UK in 2002. Bear in mind, that ban took nearly 40 years of campaigning and tobacco executives have shown they’re capable of navigating its loopholes.
Even so, the fossil fuel industry will prove significantly harder to purge than tobacco. Here’s why.
‘No fossil fuels, no sport’
Human development is largely a story of increasing energy use. Oil in particular has transformed everyday life beyond comprehension.
Analysis of one oil company’s sustainability reports identified how its communications strategy shifted from denying the results of climate science to more subtle efforts to delay an energy transition. These included the argument that fossil fuels are an irreplaceable precondition for “the good life”.
Sport is a vehicle for perpetuating this argument. In 2021, an oil and gas trade association in the US launched a campaign showcasing sports products made from petroleum, the implication being that people cannot enjoy sport without fossil fuels.
Sport is poised for corporate piggybacking because it evokes connection, pride and security in fans and spectators – feelings the fossil fuel industry is keen to capitalise on. An analysis of the Canadian oil industry’s advertising between 2006 and 2015 documented a shift from images of the natural environment to those depicting family life and domesticity.
This kind of pernicious messaging, which entrenches fossil fuels within the things people hold dear, will be hard for legislators to reverse.
Oil change
Imre Szeman, a professor of human geography who specialises in the energy transition, urges us to comprehend just how deep our relationship with oil runs.
Addressing climate change is not simply a technical matter, but a cultural one as well. An issue of how we grasp what is so often taken for granted in everyday life.
Change will not only require acknowledging the severity of the environmental crisis, but to recognise how its primary causes have shaped society, including in elite sport. It’s crucial to understand modern societies as oil societies if we are ever to envisage one no longer dependent on it.
Sport sponsorships reflect the infiltration of fossil fuels in modern society. Trong Nguyen/Shutterstock
So, considering sport, the first step is to remove the cognitive dissonance that surrounds modern elite sporting culture, the nature of its oil dependency and the consequences of climate change.
Sporting organisations can start by saying no to fossil fuel sponsorship. There are examples of this happening already in tennis, rugby and the Olympics, with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo indicating an oil company was not welcome as a sponsor of the 2024 Games.
Change happens by disaster or by design. It’s time to recognise the decades long influence wielded by the fossil fuel industry.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Theo Lorenzo Frixou 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.
Senior councillors are being asked to approve proposed changes to the way Leeds City Council provides transport assistance for post-16 learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as the level of discretionary support currently provided is not sustainable.
The proposed changes would still offer a level of discretionary transport assistance for Post-16 learners with SEND and help support independence through travel training, whilst addressing the significant financial challenge.
The council is statutorily obliged to make free-of-charge home to school travel arrangements for school-age children with SEND. There is no such requirement to provide this for post-16 learners, however the council has been doing so on a discretionary basis at a cost of around £4m-£4.5million each year.
Following a consultation earlier this year, a report to the council’s Executive Board will propose the following changes:
Limiting post-16 transport assistance to learners with SEND, living three or more miles from their education setting.
Independent Travel Training and a free bus pass (or equivalent cost) for a young person who is able to travel independently or could make the journey to their learning setting on public transport accompanied by an adult as necessary.
A yearly flat-rate Personal Transport Allowance for post-16 learners with SEND, allowing learners and their families to make their own travel arrangements, and based on distance between their home and learning setting:
– Between 3 and 10 miles – £1,000 per year.
– Between 10.01 and 20 miles – £2,000 per year.
– Over 20.01 miles – £3,000 per year.
Providing council-organised transport for those meeting the exceptional circumstances criteria.
Introducing these proposals would achieve an estimated financial saving to the council of more than £800,000 during the financial year 2025/26.
Should the proposals be approved by the council’s Executive Board next Wednesday (16th October), the changes would be introduced for young people starting post-16 education in September 2025 and onwards. All young people already in post-16 education receiving transport assistance would continue on the current policy unless there is a change in their circumstances such as moving house or a different education setting.
Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families, said:
“We absolutely recognise and understand the concerns of young people, their families and carers, in how these changes may affect them, and we have fully considered their feedback from the consultation when finalising these proposals.
“Given the significant financial challenges the council faces and the increasing level of demand, the level of discretionary transport support we currently provide is not sustainable.
“However, we remain committed to providing support for young people and their families through a personal transport allowance, through provision of our award winning independent travel training, and by ensuring that those with exceptional circumstances requiring council organised transport, continue to receive it.”
Public consultation on the proposals was held between 24 June and 23 July 2024, with just over 300 responses received and views sought from children and young people, parents and carers, staff and governors of Special Inclusion Learning Centres (SILCs), primary and secondary schools, and post-16 providers, and wider stakeholders.
Should the proposals be approved at Executive Board, the council will begin contacting families and key services to ensure they are aware of the changes well in advance of their introduction from September 2025. Officers intend to work with parent forums, young people and families to continue to inform their understanding of how the proposals impact those affected before and during the proposals’ implementation, and will also liaise with key partners such as public transport providers to continually increase their awareness of accessibility needs of young people with SEND.
Proposals to remove transport assistance eligibility for post-19 learners, and to introduce a contributory charge for post-16 learners towards their transport, have not been recommended to Executive Board for implementation following feedback from the consultation.
THOUSANDS of runners will be taking to the city’s streets this weekend for the annual Run Leicester half marathon and 10k race.
The events will take place on Sunday 13 October, starting and finishing at Leicester’s Victoria Park.
Runners will set out from the park from 9.15am, on a route through the city centre onto Melton Road, and into Thurmaston and Birstall, before returning to the starting point.
A series of rolling road closures and parking restrictions will be in place along the route to enable the runners to pass safely.
The route heads across the city including London Road, St George’s Way, Charles Street, Belgrave Gate and Melton Road, and then out towards Thurmaston, Watermead Country Park and Birstall, before the race returns via Red Hill Circle, Loughborough Road and then the canal side path.
From there the route will heads through Abbey Park and the city centre, before continuing up New Walk via De Montfort Street and University Road on its way to the finish at Victoria Park.
The 10k race will follow the same route as far as Melton Road, before travelling along Loughborough Road, Holden Street and Ross Walk to re-join the riverside path, past the Space Centre and Abbey Park on its way back to the city.
Parking and loading restrictions will be in place to keep the route free of traffic, and temporary road closures will be in place while the race passes through. The measures have been clearly signposted along the route in advance.
Roads are expected to have reopened fully by 1pm.
The race is a hugely popular event, attracting runners ranging from enthusiastic amateurs to club athletes, all raising money for a range of charities including official charity partner, LOROS Hospice.
The events are organised by Run Leicester and full details of the route and road closures are available at http://www.runleicester.co.uk
Race director, Andrew Ward, said: “This year’s Run Leicester half marathon and 10k is set to be our best event ever, with over 4,000 runners expected to take to the streets on Sunday. It’s by far the biggest running event in the county and serves as inspiration to everyone watching as they cheer the runners on towards the finish line.
“We would encourage everyone to come out and support what is such a fantastic event for the whole city. It’s a real festival atmosphere with singers and drummers all around the route for both runners and spectators to enjoy.
“We can’t wait to see everyone on race day; the atmosphere will be incredible and the event will ultimately raise thousands of pounds for LOROS Hospice and other local charities.”
Bus services from the city centre will be running as normal but some will be diverted to alternative bus stops nearby while the race is in progress, with any changes clearly signposted.
Traffic and travel updates are also available from Leicester Area Traffic Control on X at @ATCLeicester
