Good morning, distinguished guests, colleagues, and friends,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the 4th Workshop on Data Science in Central Banking organized by the BIS Irving Fisher Committee on Central Bank Statistics (IFC) and hosted by the Bank of Italy.
As we gather today, we are reminded of the rapid advancements in data science and its profound impact on central banking. Indeed, the sheer volume and complexity of financial data now available call for more sophisticated techniques for data management and analysis. This trend is reinforced by the new opportunities opened up by artificial intelligence and machine learning. This workshop is a testimony to our collective commitment to harnessing innovation to enhance central bank’ operations, policy-making, and overall effectiveness.
As emphasized in the last 2024 IFC’s Annual Report just endorsed by the BIS All Governors a few weeks ago, the current focus on data science and AI supports the broader objective of improving statistical methods and fostering innovation in central banks. This IFC report underscores that leveraging new technologies can be instrumental to enhance data quality, improve analytical capabilities, and support evidence-based policymaking. The Report also calls for reviewing the related ongoing initiatives pursued by central banks and for providing a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices.
Let me recall that the three previous IFC data science workshops have been dealing with, respectively, (1) machine learning applications; (2) applications and tools in data science; and (3) data access and sharing. This time we will over the next three days delve into the various aspects related to the use of generative AI in central bank activities. We will hear from esteemed experts and practitioners who will share their insights and experiences, providing us with valuable knowledge and practical tools to navigate the evolving landscape of data science.
I would like first to extend a special welcome to our keynote speaker, Julien Simon, Chief Evangelist at Arcee.ai, who will be discussing the tailoring of small language models for enterprise use cases. His expertise and vision will undoubtedly set the tone for our discussions.
Then the sessions of the workshop will cover various critical areas, such as natural language processing tools, AI for summarization and information extraction, supervisory technology, text analysis for market monitoring and monetary policy purposes, and data privacy and anonymization.
Let me share with you a few thoughts on these issues:
First, the new techniques we will discuss are not only very timely, but they are also essential to leverage data science to address the complex challenges we face in modern central banking. In particular, the integration of generative AI and advanced data analytics into central banks’ operations can significantly enhance their ability to make informed decisions, assess economic trends, and work to promote monetary and financial stability. More generally, IT innovation provides brand new perspectives. For instance, open-source software offer numerous benefits supporting official statistics and data analysis, including cost savings, flexibility, and the ability to customize solutions to meet specific needs. Another example is that modern data management approaches such as data lakes and data meshes architectures allow for new ways to store, organize, and access data. This calls for careful planning and for not blindly following the crowd and fashionable buzz words. The main goal is to concretely help central banks to more effectively leverage their information assets, improve the integration and quality of their data, and support more sophisticated analytical techniques.
Second, your presence here today, coming from various jurisdictions all over the world and representing central banks, other public authorities, international organizations, academia and the private sector, underlines the importance of the goal of this workshop, which is to showcase concrete projects, share experiences, develop in-house knowledge and also reduce reliance on external service providers.
Third, central banks, as producers of official data, have a key role to play to promote the access and dissemination of credible information to various external stakeholders, including other domestic authorities, international institutions, academia, and the general public. But better data is also key for supporting real-time, evidence-based policymaking in central banks, which increasingly rely on trustworthy data and sophisticated analytical and forecasting capacities to support their decisions.
Fourth, the relevance of artificial intelligence for central banks cannot be overstated, as it offers immense opportunities to enhance productivity, improve decision-making, and foster innovation. In particular, Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize data analysis and interpretation, offering deeper insights and more accurate predictions. For instance, the use of large language models can significantly enhance our ability to process and understand vast amounts of unstructured data, ranging from economic reports to news articles, thereby enabling us to make more informed policy decisions especially in the areas of monetary policy, financial stability, and regulatory oversight.
However, and this is my fifth point, GenAI also presents significant challenges and risks. Central banks must navigate issues such as data privacy, security, and ethical considerations. The potential for systemic risks, such as homogenization of information and procyclicality, requires careful management. As central banks increasingly rely on data-driven approaches, it is essential to ensure that sensitive information is protected, and that data is used ethically and responsibly.
And my last point is that addressing these challenges calls for developing robust governance frameworks. This is key so that we can harness the power of AI while mitigating its risks, ensuring that our financial systems remain stable and resilient. At the same time investing in advanced IT infrastructure and fostering collaboration and coordination as we do today can help to stay abreast of emerging threats and implement best practices.
To conclude, this workshop aims to gather a diverse audience of practitioners, specialists, and interested stakeholders from central banks, international organizations, national statistical offices, and beyond. Our primary objective is to highlight ongoing projects and exchange experiences that can help foster in-house expertise and lessen reliance on external service providers. For instance, a number of projects that will be presented in the next few days have replicable codes developed with open-source software and can be usefully shared among all interested stakeholders. Moreover, the presentations will enhance our understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with new Generative AI technologies. This is key for central banks willing to navigate the evolving financial landscape and ensure that they are well-positioned to meet future challenges.
I therefore encourage you all to actively participate in the sessions, engage with the speakers, and share your own experiences and perspectives. It is through this collaborative spirit that we can truly advance our understanding and application of data science in our field. Before closing, I would like to thank the organizers, speakers, and all participants for your dedication and contributions to this workshop. I am confident that our time together will be both enlightening and inspiring, and I look forward to the fruitful discussions and innovative ideas that will emerge.
Thank you, and welcome once again to the 4th Workshop on Data Science in Central Banking.
Headline: Thales reports its 2024 full-year results
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Order intake: €25.3 billion, up 9% (+6% on an organic basis1)
Sales: €20.6 billion, up 11.7% (+8.3% on an organic basis)
Adjusted EBIT2: €2,419 million, up 13.4% (+5.7% on an organic basis)
Adjusted net income, Group share2: €1,900 million, up 7%
Consolidated net income, Group share: €1,420 million, up sharply by 39%
Free operating cash flow from continuing operations2,3: €2,142 million, up 9%
Free operating cash flow2: €2,027 million, stable against 2023
Dividend4of €3.70 per share, representing 40% of Adjusted net income, Group share
Non-financial performance: steady progress towards medium to long-term targets
2025 objectives:
Book-to-bill5above 1
Organic sales growth of between +5% and +6%, corresponding to sales between €21.7 billion and €21.9 billion
Adjusted EBIT margin between 12.2% and 12.4%
Thales’s Board of Directors (Euronext Paris: HO) met on March 3, 2025 to review the 2024 financial statements6.
“2024 was once again a year of strong profitable growth for Thales. Thales, a world leader in advanced technologies in Defence, Aerospace, Cybersecurity and Digital, maintained excellent sales momentum throughout the year, achieving a record order intake of more than €25 billion. The record order book provides unprecedented visibility for all our activities. Sales exceeded the €20 billion mark with organic growth of 8.3%, above expectations. Defence activities, underpinned by an ongoing increase in the Group’s production capacity, the technological excellence of our products and the commitment from all our colleagues, contributed in particular to this performance. Thales also demonstrated once again its ability to generate profitable growth, with an increase in EBIT in absolute terms and as a percentage, reflecting the strength of its operating leverage. Thanks to its unique business model based on world-class products, systems and services, Thales generated free operating cash flow of more than €2 billion. Non-financial performance was also remarkable in 2024. The validity of our CSR strategy was acknowledged as Thales joined the CAC 40 ESG index in 2024. This historic performance is the result of the unfailing commitment of our 83,000 employees, and I would like to thank them sincerely for their dedication to our clients. We are starting 2025 with confidence and determination and a positive outlook for the vast majority of our activities. Thales presented its new strategic roadmap in November 2024. By drawing on its unique leadership positions serving growing markets and its ability to innovate and anticipate technological breakthroughs, the Group affirms its ambition to deliver accelerated, profitable and sustainable growth over the coming years, starting in 2025.” Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Key figures
Order intake for the 2024 financial year increased by 9% compared with 2023 at €25,289 million and by +6% on an organic basis (i.e. at constant scope and exchange rates). Commercial performance was once again supported by strong demand in the Defence segment and by continued sustained momentum in the Aerospace segment. As at 31 December 2024, the consolidated order book amounted to nearly €51 billion, a record level, up by nearly €5.4 billion compared with the end of 2023.
Sales totaled €20,577 million, up 11.7% from 2023 (+8.3% in organic growth). This robust growth reflects in particular the solid performance of the Defence business throughout the year.
Adjusted EBIT7 stood at €2,419 million in 2024 (11.8% of sales), compared with €2,132 million (11.6% of sales) in 2023, an increase of 13.4% (+5.7% organic change).
At €1,900 million, Adjusted net income,Group share7 was up +7% compared to 2023.
Consolidated net income, Group share, stood at €1,420 million, up sharply by +39% from 2023. This increase can be explained notably by the recognition in 2023 of a non-current and non-recurring expense linked to the implementation of insurance coverage for the Group’s commitments under the Thales UK Pension Scheme. These commitments were transferred to Rothesay at the end of 2023.
Free operating cash flow from continuing operations7,9 amounted to €2,142 million, compared with €1,968 million in 2023. Including the contribution of discontinued operations, free operating cash flow7 amounted to €2,027 million, compared with €2,026 million in 2023. Calculated on the basis of the scope of continuing operations, the cash conversion ratio of Adjusted net income, Group share, into operating free cash flow was 114%. This once again exceptional performance, which saw the cash conversion ratio exceed 100% for the fifth consecutive year, reflects the excellent momentum of new orders, the phasing effects on cash inflows related to contracts’ execution and the continued Group’s mobilization of its CA$H! plan aimed at optimizing this conversion ratio.
In this context, the Board of Directors decided to propose the payment of a dividend of €3.70 per share, corresponding to a payout ratio of 40% of the Adjusted net income, Group share. An interim dividend of €0.85 per share was paid on December 5, 2024. The balance of €2.85 will be paid on May 22, 2025.
Order intake
Order intake for the 2024 financial year totaled €25,289 million, up 9% from 2023 in total change and up +6% at constant scope and exchange rates11. For the fourth consecutive year, the order intake was more than 20% higher than sales (book-to-bill). Thebook-to-bill ratio was 1.23, flat against 2023, and 1.28 excluding the Cyber & Digital business, where the order intake is structurally very close to sales.
In 2024, Thales signed 35 large orders with a unit value of over €100 million, representing a total of €8,674 million:
Four large orders booked in Q1 2024:
The entry into force of the third phase of the order placed by Indonesia in 2022 for the purchase of 42 Rafale aircraft (18 aircraft and support services);
Phased contract with the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) to develop the next generation of sonars to equip French nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN);
Order of an aerial surveillance system for a military customer in the Middle East;
Second tranche of the contract signed in 2023 between France and Italy for the production of 400 ASTER B1NT ground-to-air missiles.
Eight large orders booked in Q2 2024:
Order for a next generation cloud native “FLYTEDGE” InFlight Entertainment System for a major worldwide airline;
Order by SKY Perfect JSAT to Thales Alenia Space of JSAT-31, a new generation of satellite reconfigurable in orbit using Space INSPIRE technology;
Exomars 2028, a contract signed between industrial prime contractor Thales Alenia Space and the European Space Agency (ESA) to relaunch the European space mission dedicated to the exploration of the Red Planet;
Order of two new F126 frigates by the German Navy. This additional contract brings the number of F126 frigates acquired by the German Navy to six in the past four years;
Order by the Dutch Ministry of Defence of seven additional Ground Master 200 multi-mission compact radars;
Service contract for the maintenance of the Royal Australian Navy fleet;
Order by an Asian customer of latest-generation Ground Master 400 Alpha long-range air surveillance radars;
Order by France’s Joint Munitions Command (SiMu) of tens of thousands of 120mm rifled ammunition.
Seven major orders recorded in Q3 2024:
Notification by the DGA of the second tranche of the development of the future RBE2 XG radar for the Rafale F5;
Order for the supply of anti-submarine warfare systems for the first phase of the construction of six HUNTER-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy;
Order for the renovation of an air traffic management system;
Order from the UK Ministry of Defence for the supply of Lightweight Multi-role Missiles (LMM) to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence capabilities;
Order of LMM for the British armed forces;
Order for the supply of Ground Fire multifunction radar and engagement modules following France’s acquisition of seven SAMP/T NG air defence systems;
Order for the supply of communications, vetronics, navigation and optronics equipment for vehicles in the French Army’s SCORPION program.
Sixteen large orders booked in Q4 2024:
Order for the supply of a satellite for the European Space Agency’s EnVision scientific mission to understand the planet Venus;
Contract amendment signed with OHB System for the payload of the third satellite of the European CO2M mission focused on CO2 emissions generated by human activity;
Amendment to the contract with the European Space Agency for the development of the ESPRIT communications and refueling module for the future lunar space station, Gateway;
Order for the development of the world’s first quantum key distribution (QKD) system from geostationary orbit, in collaboration with Hispasat;
Contract with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre to develop the Emirates Airlock Module on board the future lunar space station Gateway;
Entry into force of the contract for the supply of 12 Rafale to Serbia;
Order from Naval Group for the supply of equipment for the submarine delivery contract in the Netherlands;
Order under the AJISS contract to provide In-Service Support to Royal Canadian Navy ships;
Order for the development and production of 430 new-generation MICA-NG interception, combat and self-defence missile seekers;
Order from the UK Ministry of Defence for the development and preparation of large-scale production of STARStreak HVMs (High Velocity Missiles) for the armed forces;
Order from the French Air Navigation Services Directorate (DSNA) aimed at improving the 4-Flight air traffic management system;
Amendment to the CONTACT contract with the DGA providing the armed forces with a range of software-defined radios designed for collaborative combat;
Order from the UK Ministry of Defence to ensure the permanence and maneuverability of the Royal Navy’s operational communications;
Order from the DGA as part of the SYRACUSE IV program to equip the French army’s SCORPION vehicles with Thales’ secure satellite communications solution;
Order from the DGA for the design, delivery and maintenance of a resilient communication system;
Order from the DGA to produce an encryption key management and distribution system and key injector for the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
With a total amount of €16,615 million, order intake with a unit value of less than €100 million continued to record favorable momentum.
Geographically12, order intake in mature markets amounted to €19,010 million, very close to that recorded in 2023, which though included the £1.8 billion MSET contract in the United Kingdom. Sales momentum elsewhere was also solid, particularly in the rest of Europe (up by 16% on an organic basis) and in Australia and New Zealand (up by 13% on an organic basis). Order intake in emerging markets was up sharply in 2024, amounting to €6,279 million (+39% at constant scope and exchange rates) thanks to continued strong momentum in the Near and Middle East (with an organic increase of 80%).
Order intake in the Aerospace segment totaled €6,434 million compared to €5,606 million in 2023 (+14% at constant scope and exchange rates). This solid growth reflects several trends.
The different segments of the Avionics market continued to record sustained demand in 2024;
The Space business posted sustained growth in order intake, including five orders with a unit value of more than €100 million recorded in the fourth quarter, four of which in OEN (Observation, Exploration & Science and Navigation) activities.
At December 31, 2024, the segment’s order book stood at €10.5 billion, up 13% from 2023.
At €14,723 million compared to €13,944 million in 2023, order intake in the Defence segment set a new record (+5% at constant scope and exchange rates). The book-to-bill ratio was 1.34, above 1.2 for the sixth consecutive year. This high level is explained by continued strong demand in all activities, with twenty-seven contracts with a unit value of more than €100 million recorded in 2024. The segment’s order book reached a new record at €39.2 billion (up 12%), corresponding to 3.6 years of sales, offering strong visibility for the years ahead.
At 4,032 million, order intake in the Cyber & Digital segment was structurally very close to sales as most business lines in this segment operate on short sales cycles. The order book is therefore not significant.
Sales
Note: full-year 2023 figures have been restated to reflect the transfer of cyber civil activities from the Defence segment to the Cyber & Digital segment.
Sales for the 2024 financial year totaled €20,577 million, compared to €18,428 million in 2023, up 11.7% in total change and 8.3% in organic terms (at constant scope and exchange rates14), driven in particular by the robust performance of the Defence segment.
Geographically15, sales recorded solid growth in both mature markets (+7.9% in organic terms) and emerging markets (+9.6% in organic terms), driven by double-digit growth in Asia.
Sales in the Aerospace segment totaled €5,471 million, up 4.8% from 2023 (+2.9% at constant scope and exchange rates). Momentum in this segment reflects contrasting trends:
The Avionics business posted mid-single digit organic growth in 2024, notably driven by strong momentum in both original equipment activities and aftermarket services, with a return to pre-Covid levels in air traffic. However, as expected, the fourth quarter was impacted by delays in aircraft deliveries to airlines, which postponed in-flight entertainment (IFE) sales;
As expected, sales were almost flat in the Space business. The telecommunications segment continued to be impacted by structurally lower demand in the geostationary satellite market. Conversely, trends remain positive for OEN activities.
Sales in the Defence segment totaled €10,969 million, up 13.9% from 2023 (+13.3% at constant scope and exchange rates). This strong growth came against a backdrop of steady growth in the Group’s production capacity, enabling it to meet high demand in all product lines. Growth was notably driven by land and air systems, such as tactical vehicles and systems or surface radars. The fourth quarter of 2024 also benefited from favorable cut-off effects.
At €4,024 million, sales in the Cyber & Digital segment increased by 1.4% at constant scope and exchange rates (and +14.8% in total change including the positive scope effect of the acquisitions of Imperva and Tesserent). This moderate organic sales growth reflects different trends depending on the activities:
Strong momentum continued for cyber businesses, including a strong performance from Imperva;
Against a high comparison basis in 2023, payment services sales were impacted by destocking by our customers in North America;
Lastly, the digitalization of secure connectivity solutions maintained its strong growth. Sales generated in fully digital connectivity solutions (including eSIMs and on-demand connectivity platforms) recorded double-digit organic growth and accounted for more than half of sales of this secure connectivity solutions business in 2024.
Results
For 2024, the Group posted Adjusted EBIT16 of €2,419 million, or 11.8% of sales, compared to €2,132 million (11.6% of sales) in 2023.
The Aerospace segment recorded Adjusted EBIT of €391 million (7.2% of sales), compared with €369 million (7.1% of sales) in 2023. The segment’s Adjusted EBIT margin is driven by the Avionics business, which posted a double-digit margin and improving, including the contribution of Cobham AeroComms. However, Space activities weighed on the segment’s margin, recording as expected a negative Adjusted EBIT margin in 2024 resulting from several factors: an expected increase in R&D spending, restructuring costs linked to the adaptation plan announced in March 2024 and the impact of inflation not reflected on past contracts.
Adjusted EBIT for the Defence segment amounted to €1,432 million, compared with €1,270 million in 2023 (an increase of +13.0% at constant scope and exchange rates). The margin for this segment was stable at 13.1%, compared to 13.2% in 2023.
At €585 million (14.5% of sales), Adjusted EBIT in the Cyber & Digital segment recorded solid growth in both value and margin. The improvement in profitability was notably due to the successful integration of Imperva and the robust margin on payment services and secure connectivity solutions for mobile networks in highly competitive markets.
Naval Group’s contribution to the Group’s Adjusted EBIT amounted to €93 million in 2024, compared with €91 million in 2023.
At -€166 million, compared with €2 million in 2023, net financial interest increased sharply, as expected. This increase was mainly linked to the substantial rise in debt following the acquisitions made in 2023. Other adjusted financial income16 stood at €35 million in 2024 versus -€37 million in 2023, reflecting the exceptional positive impact of dividends on non-consolidated affiliates and foreign exchange gains. The adjusted financial expense on pensions and other long-term employee benefits16 improved significantly (-€49 million compared with -€76 million in 2023), reflecting the removal of the interest expense following the transfer of UK pension obligations in December 2023.
At €21 million, compared with €105 million in 2023, the Adjusted net income, Group share, from discontinued operations16 was in line with trends in the Transport business, which was sold on May 31, 2024.
As a result, Adjusted net income, Group share16 was €1,900 million, compared to €1,768 million in 2023, after an adjusted income tax charge16 of -€427 million, compared to -€370 million in 2023. At 20.4% in 2024 compared to 20.1% in 2023, the effective tax rate was stable.
The Adjusted net income, Group share, per share16 amounted to €9.24, up 9% from 2023 (€8.48).
Consolidated net income, Group share, stood at €1,420 million, up 39% from 2023. This increase can be explained notably by the recognition in 2023 of a non-current and non-recurring expense linked to the implementation of insurance coverage for the Group’s commitments under the Thales UK Pension Scheme.
Financial position at December 31, 2024
Free operating cash flow17 amounted to €2,027 million compared to €2,026 million in 2023. It included a contribution of €2,142 million from continuing operations and -€116 million from discontinued operations. For continuing operations, the cash conversion ratio of Adjusted net income, Group share, into free operating cash flow was 114%.
The net balance of acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries and affiliates amounted to €359 million. Under its acquisition strategy, the Group completed two major operations in 2024:
The acquisition (on April 2, 2024) of Cobham Aerospace Communications, a leading supplier of cutting-edge technologies enabling flexible, integrated and more-autonomous avionics systems, based primarily in the United States and generating sales of approximately $200 million in 2023 (see press releases dated July 12, 2023 and April 2, 2024);
The sale (on 31 May 2024) to Hitachi Rail of the Transport business, a global leader in rail signaling and train control systems, telecommunications and supervision systems, and fare collection solutions (see press releases dated August 4, 2021 and May 31, 2024). This business generated sales of €1,822 million in 2023.
As part of the share buyback program covering a maximum of 3.5% of the capital announced in March 2022 and completed in March 2024, 1,245,757 shares were repurchased during 2024, representing 0.6% of the share capital, for €176 million. The Group repurchased a total of 7,469,396 shares under this program, 3.5% of the share capital.
At December 31, 2024, net debt amounted to €3,044 million compared with €4,190 million at December 31, 2023. This decrease reflects the impact of free operating cash flow generation, acquisitions and disposals for -€359 million (€3,464 million in 2023), the payment of €708 million in dividends (€634 million in 2023), new lease liabilities for €143 million (€166 million in 2023) and the share buyback program.
Equity, Group share amounted to €7,515 million, compared with €6,830 million at December 31, 2023. This increase reflects the positive contribution of consolidated net income, Group share (€1,420 million) less the dividend payout (-€708 million) and share buybacks (-€176 million).
Non-financial performance
In line with its corporate purpose of “Building a future we can all trust”, Thales has set itself the ambition in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): to contribute to a safer, greener and more inclusive world. First, the Group will seek to maximize the contribution of its portfolio of solutions to the planet and society. Secondly, Thales has set itself ambitious targets on three main priorities:
The fight against global warming;
Strengthening gender diversity at all levels;
The implementation of the best standards in terms of ethics and compliance.
In terms of the fight against global warming, scope 1 & 2 CO2 emissions fell by 56.8% in 2024 compared to 2018 and scope 3 emissions fell by 24.7% compared to 2018. The Group has thus achieved its 2030 targets ahead of schedule for the second consecutive year. The absolute value reduction targets for carbon footprint remain relevant for 2030 given the Group’s growth prospects. To raise employee awareness to climate change and its impacts on society and on the Group, a voluntary training named “Thales Climate Passport” was deployed in 2024 with the aim of training 50% of managers. Over 67.4% of managers, representing around 35,000 employees, completed this training course in 2024, demonstrating the great success of this training.
With regard to strengthening diversity, Thales has set itself an ambitious target for 2026 to have 75% of management committees with at least 4 women. Thus, at the end of 2024, 61.5% of the Group’s management committees had at least 4 women, compared to 52.6% at the end of 2023. The highest levels of responsibility comprised 21.1% women at the end of 2024[1]; a performance in line with the Group’s trajectory to reach the set goal of 22.5% by 2026 (compared to 20.4% at the end of 2023 and 16.6% at the end of 2018).
In the area of ethics and compliance, 100% of employees concerned by the 2024 anti-corruption training campaign have been trained, demonstrating the Group’s continuous commitment to train all employees potentially exposed to risk situations. In 2024, the ISO 37001 certification “Anti-bribery management systems” was renewed for 3 years and extended to Germany, Australia, and New Zealand after Canada and the United States in 2023, and the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in 2022. Thus, in 2024, the revenue generated by certified entities represents 64% of the Group’s revenue (vs. 58% in 2023).
[1] Percentage of women in the total workforce: 27.4%.
Proposed dividend
The Board of Directors decided to propose to the shareholders, who will convene at the Annual General Meeting on May 16, 2025, the payment of a dividend of €3.70 per share. This corresponds to a payout ratio of 40% of the Adjusted net income, Group share, per share.
If approved, the ex-dividend date will be May 20, 2025, and the payment date will be May 22 2025. This dividend will be paid fully in cash and will amount to €2.85 per share, after deducting the interim dividend of €0.85 per share paid in December 2024.
Outlook
Thales is embarking on 2025 with confidence, bolstered by good visibility in the vast majority of its activities.
In 2025, the Avionics business will be driven by both the original equipment and aftermarket services activities, the continued growth of the Cobham AeroComms business, and the gradual recovery of the IFE business. In the Space business, the outlook remains positive, particularly in the Observation, Exploration & Science, Navigation and military telecommunications activities. However, the structural weakness of demand in the geostationary satellite market will dampen the growth of this activity. Thales will continue to implement its cost adaptation plan, with the objective of an Adjusted EBIT margin of 7%+ in the Space business in 2028.
The Defence segment, which enjoys a record order book, will be further supported by strong demand in 2025, against a backdrop of increasing military spending, particularly in the geographical areas where the Group operates. With the increase in its production capacity over the past several years and a portfolio of premium solutions incorporating differentiating leading technologies, Thales is ideally positioned to meet its customers’ needs.
Lastly, the Cyber and Digital segment will benefit from positive momentum in 2025, supported by Thales’ unique positioning and leadership. The continued development of Imperva will strengthen the differentiating value proposition in cybersecurity activities in order to take advantage of the buoyant environment. The payment services business is also expected to gradually return to growth.
The Group expects net investment expenses to slightly exceed €700 million in 2025 (after €617 million in 2024) to meet the need to increase production capacity, particularly in the Defence business.
As a result, Thales sets the following targets for 2025:
A book-to-bill ratio above 1;
Organic sales growth of between +5% and +6%, corresponding to sales in the range of €21.7 billion to €21.9 billion;
An Adjusted EBIT18 margin between 12.2% and 12.4%, up 40 to 60 basis points from 2024.
The Group also expects to maintain a high cash conversion ratio of between 95% and 100% in 2025.
Note: assuming no new major disruptions of macroeconomic and geopolitical context; including tariff increase.
Impact of new tax measures in France
Following the adoption of the 2025 budget, which introduces various tax changes, the impacts for the Thales Group are as follows:
An additional tax expense of ~€80 million related to the temporary additional corporate tax charge, giving rise to an additional tax of 41.2% in 2025, resulting in an overall tax rate of 36.13% (instead of the current rate of 25.83%);
~€8 million in taxes payable on share cancellations made in October 2024 as part of the share buyback program.
The temporary additional contribution to corporate tax for Naval Group could have a negative impact of around €8 million on Thales’ Adjusted EBIT in 2025.
These different impacts will represent an equivalent cash outflow in 2025.
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This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Although Thales believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, actual results may differ significantly from the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties, as described in the Company’s Universal Registration Document, which has been filed with the French financial markets authority (Autorité des marchés financiers – AMF).
1 In this press release, “organic” means “at constant scope and exchange rates”. See note on methodology on page 18 and calculation on page 23.
2 Non-GAAP financial indicators, see definitions in the appendices, page 18. The title “EBIT” has been amended to “Adjusted EBIT”, in accordance with ESMA’s recommendation.The definition remains unchanged.
3 Operating free cash flow from continuing operations, excluding the Transport activity sold on May 31, 2024.
4 Proposed to the Annual General Meeting on May 16, 2025.
5 Ratio of order intake to sales.
6 As at the date of this press release, the verification process on the sustainability information is ongoing. With the exception of the possible impact of the conclusions of this process, the audit procedures have been carried out. The audit report will be issued following the Board of Directors’ meeting on April 2, after the finalization of the procedures related to sustainability information.
7 Non-GAAP financial indicators, see definitions in the appendices, page 18.
8 Proposed to the Annual General Meeting on May 16, 2025.
9 Free operating cash flow from continuing operations, excluding the Transport activity sold on May 31, 2024.
10 Mature markets: Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand; emerging markets: all other countries. See table on page 22.
11 Taking into account a currency effect of €49 million and a net scope effect of €625 million.
12 See table on page 22.
13 Mature markets: Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand; emerging markets: all other countries. See table on page 22.
14 The calculation of the organic change in sales is shown on page 23.
15 See table on page 22.
16 Non-GAAP financial indicator, see definition in the appendices, page 18 and calculation, pages 20 and 21.
17 Non-GAAP financial indicator, see definition in the appendices, page 18.
18 The title “EBIT” has been amended to “Adjusted EBIT”, in accordance with ESMA’s recommendation.The definition remains unchanged.
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Singapore, 4 March 2025 – Public hygiene forms the foundation of our well-being. The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) designated 2024 as the Year of Public Hygiene to strengthen our sense of collective responsibility to one another, and for everyone to play a part in upkeeping good public hygiene practices. Accordingly, the National Environment Agency (NEA) stepped up efforts to improve public health outcomes in five key areas, namely:
a) Tackling cleanliness hotspots;
b) Tackling unhygienic public toilets;
c) Enhancing vector control;
d) Enhancing industry capability and leveraging technology; and
e) Rallying the community.
2 The year-long effort included adopting greater use of technology such as CCTVs to improve our surveillance and enforcement capabilities for littering and rat-related issues, expanding Project Wolbachia to reduce risk of dengue transmission, and adopting technologies to enhance cleaning operations. Enforcement for littering, rat-related lapses and public toilet offences were also intensified. The Public Toilets Taskforce also studied and recommended solutions to bring about cleaner public toilets.
3 More public hygiene activities were organised, and more residents stepped up to take ownership of their estates’ cleanliness. We will build on this momentum and work with the community to keep Singapore clean for SG60 and beyond.
Tackling cleanliness hotspots: 36 per cent reduction of litter count at hotspots
4 While the community is generally civic-minded, littering remains a concern due to the inconsiderate actions of some. In 2024, NEA conducted about 130 enforcement blitzes at littering and smoking hotspots compared to 21 blitzes in 2023. NEA also strengthened its camera surveillance capabilities and scaled capacity to conduct up to 1,000 CCTV deployments a year, compared to 250 in 2023. At hotspots, NEA strengthened enforcement presence to increase deterrence with visible patrols, standees and CCTVs [1] . NEA also partnered community stakeholders to seek their assistance in identifying egregious offenders captured by the CCTV footage.
5 A 36 per cent reduction in litter count has been observed at hotspots between May and December 2024 [2]. Four hotspots – Causeway Point, Chinatown Complex, Jurong Point and Vista Point – are on track to exit from the littering hotspot list. A total of about 1,900 fines were issued at hotspots islandwide between May and December 2024. Of these, more than 700 were for littering offences[3]. 30 Corrective Work Sessions were also conducted at these hotspots.
6 NEA will continue to address the littering situation through public education and enforcement. Residents can complement NEA’s efforts by providing feedback, including information on the identities of egregious offenders.
Enhancing vector control: Over 1,000 enforcement actions for rat-related lapses in 2024
7 Reducing the incidence of vector-borne diseases remains a priority. In 2024, NEA focused on upstream rat preventive measures such as promoting and enforcing proper refuse management practices and rectifying structural defects that may allow rats to access food easily.
8 Over 1,000 enforcement actions were jointly taken by NEA and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) against errant premises owners or occupiers, including operators of trade premises, shopping malls, and food establishments. This is almost double the 670 enforcement actions taken in 2023. Nearly half of the enforcements last year were for poor refuse management [4].
9 NEA also successfully trialled the use of thermal cameras for rat surveillance. This complements technological solutions such as passive infrared cameras and borescopes to enhance the monitoring and management of rat activities in Singapore’s urban environment. NEA will continue to work closely with stakeholders to keep the rat situation under control. [5]
Enhancing vector control: Project Wolbachia to benefit 800,000 households by 2026
10 On dengue, community vigilance and innovations like ProjectWolbachiahave helped us to avoid major surges in dengue cases in 2023 and 2024. TheAedes aegyptipopulation at ProjectWolbachiastudy sites has reduced by 80 to 90 per cent, and the risk of acquiring dengue has lowered by 75 per cent.
11 To reduce the risk of a major dengue outbreak further, NEA will expand ProjectWolbachiato benefit more residents. By 2026, the project will reach 800,000 households, or about 50 per cent of all households. NEA expanded ProjectWolbachiato Jurong East in February 2025, and Jurong West will soon see releases ofWolbachia-Aedesmosquitoes from April 2025. This year, NEA will trial the use ofWolbachia-Aedesmosquitoes at dengue clusters to supplement traditional control operations [6].
12 The production ofWolbachia-Aedesmosquitoes is currently met by two separate facilities managed by NEA, and Debug by Google [7]. Besides increasing production capacity at existing facilities, we will work with the industry to develop a third facility to supplement the overall capacity.
Enhancing industry capability and leveraging technology: Adoption of technology to enhance cleaning operations
13 NEA is adopting more technology to enhance cleaning operations. For example, NEA is working with service providers to trial and progressively deploy drain sensors, which can send alerts when the drains are filled with leaves, or when the water level is high [8]. Beyond drain sensors, NEA will also deploy four autonomous waterway cleaning machines across Singapore.
14 NEA has also collaborated with the National Parks Board (NParks) to trial the use of artificial intelligence that can help improve operational efficiency, such as by detecting overflowing litter bins and littered public areas. In addition, NEA will commence trials in 2025 on the deployment of autonomous pavement sweepers in selected parks.
Enhancing industry capability and leveraging technology: $90 million boost for Environmental Services Industry
15 In terms of enhancing industry capability and the use of technology, a $90 million boost for the Environmental Services Industry has been made available– the Environmental Services Productivity Solutions Grant. The grant application period is open till 31 March 2027 [9].
Tackling unhygienic public toilets: About 1,300 enforcement actions taken for public toilet offences
16 The Public Toilets Taskforce was formed last year to study and recommend solutions to make our public toilets cleaner [10]. In 2024, NEA and SFA stepped up inspections on public toilet cleanliness. Close to 19,000 inspections were carried out, with about 1,300 enforcement actions taken against premises owners/managers. We will continue to work with our partners and support ground-up efforts to achieve our goal of cleaner public toilets.
Rallying the community: More residents stepped up to take ownership of their estate cleanliness
17 Community ownership is vital to keeping public spaces clean. Under the Community Auditor Programme, residents at private residential estates are recruited to conduct audits on the performance of our cleaning service providers. The pool of resident volunteers has increased from 20 in 2020 to 169 in 2024, covering 99 private estates [11].
18 NEA is also on track to roll out the Alternate Roadside Parking Programme to 45 private estates by 2026, with 33 private estates on board so far. The programme, which facilitates the deployment of mechanical road sweepers, has resulted in 50 to 80 per cent of time savings compared to manual cleaning with brooms and trash bags [12].
Rallying the community: Over 1,750 community activities with 127,000 participants in the Year of Public Hygiene
19 Over 1,750 community activities involving 127,000 participants were conducted last year by NEA and the Public Hygiene Council. NEA expanded community activities with various corporate parties, NGOs and volunteer partners to inculcate a greater sense of common ownership of public spaces [13].
20 NEA further rolled out a series of “Behind-The-Scenes” learning journeys as part of Go Green SG and the Clean & Green Singapore Experiences programme, offering the public a closer look at the work of NEA officers conducting ground operations in littering enforcement, refuse management for effective vector control, and public cleaning performance audits. NEA will continue to partner our stakeholders and the community to keep Singapore clean.
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[1] CCTVs were strategically deployed at 13 hotspots that required sustained monitoring for extended periods of up to six months. This approach allowed NEA to gather data and detect offences.
[2] The total litter count at the hotspots was about 950 and 600 in May and December 2024, respectively.
[3] Other offences included smoking, urinating and defecation.
[4] In 2023, about 670 enforcement actions were taken against premises owners/occupiers for rat-related lapses, of which 80 were for poor refuse management practices.
[5] Visit link for more details on the thermal camera trial for rat surveillance and tightened enforcement from 1 Apr 2025.
[6] Visit link for more details on the expansion of Project Wolbachia.
[7] Verily’s contract with NEA was novated from Verily Life Sciences to Google Asia Pacific Pte Ltd w.e.f. 13 Dec 2024. Debug is the business function in both Verily and Google that fulfil the contract obligations to NEA.
[8] 20 units of the latest version with improved functions such as in-built camera for enhanced situational awareness have been deployed for operational testing as of 9 Jan 2025.
[9] Details on Environmental Services Productivity Solutions Grant are available in Annex A and here.
[10] Refer to MSE’s media release for more details.
[11] The Community Auditor management programme commenced in September 2020, as NEA recognised the effectiveness of residents who are willing to step forward as ‘local cleanliness auditors’ of their estates.
[12] Details on Alternate Roadside Parking Programme are available in Annex B.
[13] Details on Rallying the Community are available in Annex C.
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Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
The National University of Management and the Europe and Asia Broadcasting Center of the People’s Republic of China Foreign Language Publication and Distribution Administration (Renmin Huabao Publishing House) organized a round table on “High-quality Development of China’s Economy” and the presentation of the 4th volume of the book “Xi Jinping on Public Administration” in Russian.
The event is timed to coincide with the opening of the 3rd session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on March 5, 2025 in Beijing.
The event was moderated by Hu Zhentao, head of the representative office of Renmin Huabao Publishing House in Moscow.
The speakers were: – Fanis Sharipov, Director of the Center for Socio-Economic and Political Research of China at the National University of Management; – Anastasia Pavlova, partner of the Russian-Chinese Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development; – Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, leading research fellow at the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis, member of the Council of Young Scientists at the Institute of Strategic Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences; – Yulia Manuilova, senior lecturer at the Department of Global Studies at the Faculty of Global Processes at Moscow State University.
The work was also attended by 2nd year students of the State University of Management, studying in the program “International Manufacturing Business”: Yulia Levchenko, Farida Alakaeva, Egor Gavrilyuk, Irina Afanasova, Yulia Kolontsova.
Fanis Sharipov began his speech by assessing the 4th volume of the book “Xi Jinping on Public Administration” in Russian. This volume includes the most important works of Xi Jinping for the period from February 3, 2020 to May 10, 2022, a total of 109 reports, talks, speeches, congratulatory letters and other works. It should be noted that during this period, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, and enormous efforts were spent on organizing the fight against this terrible epidemic. “Development of the digital economy is a strategic choice that allows us to seize the opportunities of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation,” Xi Jinping emphasized.
Next, moving on to the topic of “High-quality development of the Chinese economy”, Fanis Sharipov noted that on January 27, a Chinese startup triggered a collapse in the value of shares of American IT companies; by the end of the week, the NASDAQ high-tech company index had lost 3.5%, which in monetary terms amounts to almost a trillion US dollars. For experts, the success of Chinese research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is the result of China’s systematic, long-term efforts in this area, which has been repeatedly noted in scientific articles and conference abstracts. The State Council of the PRC formulated a detailed plan for the modern development of new-generation AI in July 2017. It directly stated the intention to turn AI into the main driving force of industrial modernization and economic transformation, strengthening national defense, internal and external security, education, and medicine by 2025. It also stated the intention to turn China into a world leader in AI by 2030. It was planned to produce products and services using AI by the end of 2020 in the amount of 150 billion yuan, by 2025 – 400 billion yuan, by 2030 – about 1 trillion yuan. And China’s expenditure on scientific research in 2025 will reach 3.76 trillion yuan (over 580 billion dollars).
In conclusion, the Round Table participants discussed a very diverse agenda for Russian-Chinese cooperation in 2025.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/04/2025
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Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Over a quarter of pupils missing out on HPV vaccine
On HPV Awareness Day, parents are reminded HPV vaccine gives protection against cervical cancer and protects both girls and boys from several other types of cancer.
The NHS HPV vaccination programme in England, delivered in schools, has dramatically lowered HPV infections and rates of cervical cancer in vaccine-eligible women, with the strongest effects seen in those offered vaccination at younger ages.
However, with over a quarter of eligible pupils missing out on this vital life-saving protection each year, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is today reminding young people and parents that HPV vaccination is for both girls and boys – as it protects all young adults, men and women, against genital warts and some cancers of the genital areas and anus, as well as some mouth and throat (head and neck) cancers.
The HPV vaccine has been offered to all girls in school year 8 since September 2008. From September 2019, the vaccine has also been offered to year 8 boys. This is because the evidence is clear that the HPV vaccine helps protect both boys and girls from HPV-related cancers. This protection is now provided with just one dose of HPV vaccine.
The UKHSA is urging all young people to take up the HPV vaccine in schools when offered – with parents ensuring they sign the consent forms to enable their children to be vaccinated. Latest figures overall indicate that uptake is stabilising, with encouraging signs of increases when people are first offered the vaccine in year 8.
However, HPV vaccine uptake among school pupils is still well below pre-pandemic levels of around 90%, with over a quarter still not protected.
The most recent coverage data include HPV vaccine uptake rates for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, following the move from 2 doses to 1 dose through the routine adolescent HPV programme in September 2023.
They show that:
uptake among year 8 females was 72.9% (1.6% higher than the previous year) and 67.7% for year 8 males (2.5% higher than the previous year)
uptake among year 9 females was 74.1% (1.6% lower than the previous year) and 68.5% for year 9 males (1.2% lower than previous year)
uptake among year 10 females was 76.7% (6.5% lower than the previous year) and 71.2% for year 10 males (7.4% lower than the previous year)
Data also show the impact of catch-up efforts for HPV vaccination since the COVID-19 pandemic. HPV coverage for female year 9 pupils was 2.8% higher than the previous academic year when the same cohort was in year 8. Similarly for male year 9 pupils uptake was 3.3% higher than in 2022 to 2023.
Dr Sharif Ismail, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said:
The HPV vaccine is one of the most successful in the world, now given as just a single dose helping to prevent HPV related cancers from developing in both boys and girls.
Some parents may still think that HPV is just for girls to protect against cervical cancer, but since 2019 the vaccine is also offered to all boys in Year 8 – protecting both boys and girls from several cancers caused by the HPV virus.
Although we have seen some increases in the number of young people being vaccinated, uptake is still well below pre-pandemic levels, with over a quarter missing out on this vital protection.
We urge young people and their parents to ensure consent forms are returned so both boys and girls take up this potentially life-saving vaccine when offered. Look out for the invitation from your school and if you missed your HPV vaccine, you can contact your GP practice to arrange an appointment – you remain eligible to receive the vaccine until your 25th birthday.
Cancer Research UK’s Chief Executive, Michelle Mitchell, said:
Every year, around 3,300 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the UK. Thanks to the power of research and efforts of NHS staff, we can eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in our lifetime – the HPV vaccine combined with cervical screening can help to bring about a future virtually free from the disease.
The science is clear, HPV vaccination is safe and effective. It’s vital that access to HPV vaccination and cervical screening is improved to ensure more lives aren’t lost to cervical cancer. I encourage all eligible people to take up these life-saving offers.
Steve Russell, National Director for Vaccinations and Screening for NHS England, said:
The NHS HPV vaccination already helps save thousands of lives, but we know there is more to do to ensure young people are getting protected.
We’re urging parents of boys and girls eligible for a vaccine to consent to their children getting their HPV vaccines from nurses when they visit schools, as it helps protect against a virus causing cancers, including head and neck, and nearly all cases of cervical cancer.
Hundreds of women die of cervical cancer in England each year and 99.8% of cases of cervical cancer are preventable through HPV vaccination and cervical screening, so this vaccine is crucial in our drive to eliminate the disease by 2040.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
There are kids in Moscow who have been conducting scientific research, creating smart technology and speaking at conferences since they were 13. They go to regular schools, but study from the seventh to the ninth grade under a special program of the city project “Educational verticals”It has been implemented since 2018 and helps to choose the direction of future activities in advance, to enter a specialized or pre-professional class.
The project has already been joined more than 87 thousand children from 465 schoolsThere are currently three verticals in the capital: mathematics, information technology (IT), and natural sciences.
About enrollment in the project and how it helps find your life’s work – in the mos.ru article.
“Mathematical vertical”: for any profession
The first in the project was “Mathematical vertical”: schools began implementing it in 2018. In 2025, more than 51 thousand children in 460 educational institutions are studying under this program.
“The mathematical direction, perhaps the most popular, opens up the broadest prospects for teenagers. After the ninth grade, they can go to almost any pre-professional classes: engineering, IT, entrepreneurship. Knowledge of practical mathematics is necessary for athletes, art historians, and musicians,” says the curator of the “Mathematical Vertical” School No. 1502 “Energy” Galina Bezrukova.
The main condition for admission to the vertical is to study well. At the end of the sixth grade, children undergo testing (diagnostics) by the Moscow Center for Education Quality (MCEQ) in mathematics and functional literacy – the ability to navigate a large amount of information, deeply analyze text and apply mathematical knowledge in practice. For example, one of the tasks may be: “Determine which theater has cheaper tickets and how to get there faster.” Annual diagnostics are mandatory for all schoolchildren, but to become a vertical student, sixth-graders need to pass all tests with a good or excellent grade.
Even before the MCCO, teachers pre-select those who will be suitable for the vertical program. They pay attention to children who not only study well, but also attend math or IT clubs and participate in Olympiads from elementary school. Parents of these children are advised to think about enrolling in the project. In the first year of the vertical, the student finally decides whether he has chosen the right direction Natalya Vorobyeva, curator of the Mathematical Vertical and IT Vertical projects at the Institute for the Development of Profile Education at the Moscow City Pedagogical University (MCPU)
Schools that have educational verticals form one or more classes for project participants. Those who chose the “Mathematical Vertical” have four to five hours of algebra, two to three hours of geometry, one to two hours of probability and statistics, and two hours of additional classes after school.
The teaching aids used in the project are distinguished not only by their scientific nature, that is, respect for the subject, but also by their accessibility, that is, respect for the student. Complex things are explained in the simplest possible way. Each section contains practical, life-related tasks. Therefore, learning is exciting, and when a child is interested, he does not notice the increased workload Galina Bezrukova, curator of the “Mathematical Vertical” of school No. 1502 “Energy”
Nine universities participate in the “Mathematical Vertical”. Among others are the Lomonosov Moscow State University, the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. University teachers conduct master classes for children, teach them how to write project papers, and suggest research topics.
“IT-vertical”: for those who want to become a programmer and inventor
“IT-vertical” has existed since 2022. 194 schools and about 12 thousand teenagers participate in this project.
Those who entered the IT-vertical class at our school study eight hours of mathematics and two hours a week of computer science, programming, and technology. In technology classes, children study modeling and prototyping, and from the eighth grade, electronics and microprocessor technology are added. In addition, project participants are required to attend at least two clubs, for example, robotics, project activities, or the basics of creating devices for a smart home Roman Koltunov, curator of the IT-vertical, school No. 444
The project is cooperating with 12 Moscow universities, including the National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”, MIREA – Russian Technological University, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, and N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University. Teachers from these educational institutions guide the students and suggest ideas for development.
“Two ninth-grade students from School No. 444, Kamila Sabirova and Taisiya Yablonovskaya, for example, created a device for brewing tea: boiling water is poured into a glass, a robotic hand dips a tea bag into it, and a person, meanwhile, sets the parameters for the strength of the drink in the program,” a mos.ru source shared.
And ninth-graders from the same school, Nikolai Valchuk and Daniil Devyaterikov, invented a home flight simulator for future pilots. The engine control levers, made similar to those used in airplane cockpits, are connected to a computer, and a novice specialist can train without leaving his room.
“Since early childhood, I have loved programming and assembling things with my own hands, and I am interested in the aviation industry. My dream is to make an ion engine that can be used in space satellites. It works from a cylinder with inert gas, and is wear-resistant. In the near future, I hope to complete this development and test it on a small boat,” explains Nikolai Valchuk, a ninth-grader at School No. 444.
“Natural Science Vertical”: Future Doctors and Ecologists
“Natural Science Vertical” appeared in schools in 2022. More than 17 thousand students in 253 schools study under this program. The knowledge will be useful in medicine, pharmaceuticals, psychology, energy industry, genetics, ecology. The project partners are 10 universities, in particular the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov, the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Moscow State Pedagogical Univ.
In the natural science vertical classes, schoolchildren have more hours of physics, chemistry and biology than in a regular class. Moreover, chemistry starts not in the eighth grade, but in the seventh. In addition, teenagers have additional courses in natural science, which are allocated at least an hour a week. The guys devote the same amount of time to project-research activities. Since the age of 13, they have been speaking at city scientific and practical conferences Elena Semyashova, curator of the Natural Science Vertical project at the Institute for the Development of Specialized Education at Moscow State Pedagogical University
This year, the project participants prepared 28 scientific papers on human anatomy and physiology. For example, they found out that in-ear headphones contribute to the development of ear infections. It turned out that almost none of the respondents treat the device with an antiseptic. Based on the results of the testing, the children wrote a memo on the use of headphones and placed it in the hallway Olesya Lukinskaya, curator of the Natural Science Vertical at School No. 2070
One of the students in the Natural Science Vertical class at this school, eighth-grader Victoria Fedyanova, conducted a study: she interviewed 50 teenagers, then measured their blood pressure before classes and during tests. It turned out that those who sleep less than seven hours and often experience stress are prone to a 20 percent increase in blood pressure. “I’m thinking of studying to become a doctor, perhaps an endocrinologist. I’m sure that the knowledge I gained through the vertical program will help me enter a university,” Victoria sums up.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Expansion of enhanced Climate Friendly Household Programme
To encourage more households to take climate action, NEA and PUB will further enhance the Climate Friendly Households Programme.
From 15 Apr 2025, eligible HDB households will receive an additional $100 in Climate Vouchers, on top of the existing $300 offered in 2024. The programme will also be expanded to include Singapore Citizen households living in private residential properties. This means that eligible HDB and private households can claim a total of $400 worth of Climate Vouchers, which are valid until 31 Dec 2027.
By switching to more resource efficient appliances and fittings, households can reduce their energy and/or water consumption, lower their utility bills, and help to tackle climate change.
$25 million Weather Science Research Programme to enhance Singapore’s weather prediction capabilities
A new Weather Science Research Programme (WSRP) has been launched to enhance Singapore’s ability to understand and predict our tropical urban weather, including extreme weather arising from climate change.
The new programme aims to build weather science capability in the national research ecosystem. The Centre for Climate Research Singapore will collaborate with local research institutions to incorporate the latest scientific and technological developments such as Artificial Intelligence. A key initiative under the WSRP is to create a detailed historical weather re-analysis over recent decades for Southeast Asia – the first of its kind in the region.
Funded under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan, the WSRP is now open for research proposals from local research institutions.
The Alliance for Action on Packaging Waste Reduction for the E-commerce Sector has published a set of Guidelines on Sustainable E-commerce Packaging.
Apart from a list of 3R solutions tailored to various types of e-commerce packaging, the Guidelines also provide operating models for e-commerce marketplaces to promote sustainable packaging to consumers, and drive awareness and responsibilities among suppliers.
Also included in the Guidelines is a scorecard that company leaders can use to assess the maturity of their management practices in relation to sustainable packaging, and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Up to $1 billion to upgrade hawker centres and build 5 new hawker centres
Over the next 20 to 30 years, MSE and NEA will invest up to $1 billion to upgrade existing hawker centres and build another 5 new hawker centres.
Through the Hawker Centre Upgrading Programme 2.0, hawker centre infrastructure will be upgraded to be more vibrant, accessible, with climate-resilient community spaces. Hawkers can also look forward to a more conducive work environment.
To better serve residents, 5 additional new hawker centres will be built. 2 new hawker centres will also open at Bukit Batok West and Punggol Coast.
To celebrate SG60 and the 5th anniversary of the inscription of Singapore’s Hawker Culture on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, cooked food and market stallholders across all hawker centres and markets managed by the Government or Government-appointed operators will receive a one-off rental support of $600 per stall.
Singapore, 4 March 2025 – The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), under the National Environment Agency (NEA), has launched a $25 million Weather Science Research Programme (WSRP). The new programme aims to enhance Singapore’s ability to understand and predict our tropical urban weather, including extreme weather arising from climate change. The WSRP, funded under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan, is now open for research proposals from local research institutions.
2 Climate change poses significant challenges for Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian region. Singapore’s Third National Climate Change Study, led by the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) [1] under MSS, projects higher temperatures, more extreme wet and dry periods, and rising mean sea levels by the end of the century. Singapore is located in the deep-tropics where weather prediction is particularly challenging, due to the complexity of dominant local weather processes like thunderstorms and fine-scale interactions with local features such as coasts and the urban landscape. Recent advancements in weather research and technology, such as high-resolution modelling, artificial intelligence and enhanced remote-sensing observational networks, present opportunities to tackle the challenges of tropical local weather prediction.
3 Through the new programme, MSS aims to build weather science capability in the national research ecosystem. CCRS will work with Institutes of Higher Learning and Research Institutes to improve weather prediction for Singapore and the region by incorporating the latest scientific and technological developments in this area.
4 For example, researchers will use artificial intelligence (AI) to combine data from various sources, potentially enhancing predictions of heavy rainfall and strong winds. The programme will also develop advanced weather prediction systems that consider how local weather is affected by ocean and land conditions, which could improve our ability to forecast phenomena like Sumatra squalls. Scientists will also investigate new ways of incorporating weather observations, such as those from polar-orbiting environmental satellites and ground-based radars, for more accurate and timely weather forecasts.
5 A key initiative under the new programme is to create a detailed historical weather re-analysis over recent decades for Southeast Asia – the first of its kind in the region. This comprehensive dataset will offer valuable insights into past weather patterns and provide a valuable dataset to leverage AI for local weather prediction. WSRP projects are expected to be awarded in the second half of 2025.
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[1] CCRS is a research centre under MSS and part of NEA. It was officially launched in March 2013, with the vision to be a world leading centre in tropical climate and weather research focusing on the Southeast Asia region.
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SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Asimily, a leading innovator in IoT, OT, and IoMT risk management, today announced the launch of its comprehensive IoT Patching solution, enabling customers to automate, standardize, and streamline firmware updates across their connected device ecosystems. The new capability significantly reduces security risks by simplifying the otherwise complex process of keeping heterogeneous IoT device fleets continually updated with the latest security patches.
Asimily’s IoT Patching directly solves a critical and persistent challenge in IoT device management: the time-consuming and resource-intensive process of updating firmware across multiple device types and manufacturers. Cyberattacks are increasingly targeting IoT devices, with some of the world’s largest IoT botnets launching attacks measured in terabits per second. Asimily’s research shows that IoT devices receive firmware updates every five months on average, creating an extended window of vulnerability.
“The exponential growth of IoT devices—which we’re seeing across industries—has put tremendous pressure on security and IT teams to keep pace,” said Shankar Somasundaram, CEO, Asimily. “They have to sort through myriad firmware versions, understand different mechanisms to update devices, and go through as many vendor portals as they have device models—all while racing against attackers who are looking to exploit vulnerabilities. We’ve seen organizations taking weeks or months to deploy critical patches (or, in fact, never deploy patches) across their IoT fleets. Our new IoT Patching solution changes the game. What once required multiple teams, many hours, and complex coordination can now be accomplished with a couple of clicks.”
The solution’s automated capabilities enable customers to significantly reduce vulnerability windows and avoid complex technical hurdles. Through streamlined firmware updates, organizations can protect their IoT devices more efficiently without compromising operational continuity. This is particularly crucial for healthcare, manufacturing, and other industries where IoT devices and internet-connected equipment play mission-critical roles.
Key features of Asimily’s IoT Patching solution include:
Patchdeploymentautomation: Regularly checking manufacturer repositories for new firmware releases, with immediate notification to customers whenever new updates become available.
Status monitoring dashboard: Detailed tracking and real-time reporting is available through the dedicated IoT Patching audit interface.
Deployment flexibility: Support for on-demand updates of individual devices, bulk updates, and scheduled automated patching are designed to minimize or eliminate operational disruption.
Broad device coverage: Compatibility across a wide range of connected devices from major manufacturers including Axis Communications, Cisco, HP Enterprise, Zebra and others, covering IP cameras, printers, network applications, and more. Additional manufacturers and devices are being added regularly.
The IoT Patching solution standardizes the update process across different manufacturers while handling complex requirements like cluster failover states. It fully integrates with Asimily’s risk management platform, which provides end-to-end IoT device security through inventory management, vulnerability detection, and threat response capabilities. Learn more about IoT Patching here: https://asimily.com/product/iot-patching/
About Asimily
Asimily has built an industry-leading risk management platform that secures IoT devices for organizations in healthcare, manufacturing, higher education, government, life sciences, retail, and finance. With the most extensive knowledge base of IoT and security protocols, Asimily inventories and classifies every device across organizations, both connected and standalone. Because risk assessment—and threats—are not a static target, Asimily monitors organizations’ devices, detects anomalous behavior, and alerts operators to remediate any identified anomalies. With secure IoT devices and equipment, Asimily customers know their business-critical devices and data are safe. For more information on Asimily, visit https://www.asimily.com
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
Young scientists from the State University of Management, headed by Vice-Rector Maria Karelina, visited the Vladimir State University named after A.G. and N.G. Stoletov.
The meeting was attended by the Rector of the University Anzor Saralidze, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities Alexey Panfilov, Head of the Department of Building Structures Svetlana Roshchina and Leading Researcher Evgeny Prusov from VlSU.
The parties discussed the organization of joint conferences on the basis of GUU and VlSU and participation in scientific events. Thus, GUU will take part in the work of the VI international scientific and technical conference “Physics of Materials, Structures and Technologies in Construction and Industrial Engineering”, which will be held on the basis of VlSU.
During the meeting, an agreement was reached to hold a round table with the participation of representatives of youth science at universities, aimed at exchanging experience and current practices in the development of science in the university environment.
Separately, representatives of the State University of Management and Vladimir State University discussed the prospects of opening a joint dissertation council for the specialization “Economics of Innovations”.
The delegation of the State University of Management thanks the VlSU team and the rector Anzor Mikhailovich Saralidze for their hospitality and meaningful cooperation.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/04/2025
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Renewable Energy Generation & Demand in 2023 (expressed as a percentage change from the 1991-2020 baseline)
Figure: Global annual deviations for the four energy indicators – wind, solar, hydropower and energy demand – as presented in the report. Deviations are expressed as percentages for 2023 relative to the 1991-2020 reference period average and are aggregated by region. Hatching is used to highlight negative values for easier identification.
Note: The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by WMO, the United Nations, IRENA or the European Union.
Key energy indicators – wind, solar, hydropower and energy demand – exhibited significant geographic variability in 2023 compared to the long-term climate average (1991-2020). Driven by drier and warmer El Niño conditions, South America experienced a 3.9% increase in solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity factor (CF), leading to an estimated 3.5 TWh/year of additional generation from the region’s 50 GW installed capacity. Similarly, East Asia saw a 4.1% positive anomaly in wind power, generating an estimated 45 TWh from its 420 GW of installed onshore capacity, with 95% of this in China.
Climate informed energy planning: The report illustrates the potential applications of seasonal forecasts as a valuable tool for energy planning and management. Seasonal climate forecasts empower stakeholders to anticipate supply–demand fluctuations, optimize grid operations and enhance energy system resilience. They also enable better preparation for extreme weather events, ensuring energy security and minimizing disruptions.
Policy implications for achieving 2030 targets: Diversified energy portfolios, combining wind, solar and hydropower with emerging technologies such as geothermal and storage, are essential to mitigate the impact of climate variability and change on renewable power generation and management.
Regional collaboration and localized solutions will also play a key role in balancing supply–demand dynamics, optimizing cross-border energy flows and building resilient energy infrastructures.
Comprehensive energy data collection and sharing are vital for advancing the understanding of climate variability’s impacts on energy supply and demand.
Adopting a climate-informed, collaborative approach will accelerate progress toward a sustainable, net-zero future, says the report.
It also recommends the creation of new market structures to account for the flexibility of new and clean power systems.
Despite abundant renewable energy resources, Africa accounts for only 2% of global installed capacity. By integrating resource potential with climate information, countries can effectively develop renewable energy infrastructure to support industrialization and economic growth, accelerating sustainable development across the continent.
Achieving the 1.5 °C climate target necessitates substantial increases in renewable energy capacities by 2030 and 2050.
Wind power installed capacity surpassed 1 000 GW in 2023, a 13% increase compared with 2022). Solar power has been growing considerably faster than wind power, with an installed capacity reaching 1 420 GW in 2023, a 32% increase compared with 2022. Hydropower has grown slightly, with an installed capacity of about 1 410 GW in 2023, an increase of 1% compared with 2022.
Wind power capacity is projected to reach approximately 3 000 GW by 2030 and 8 000 GW by 2050, solar power capacity is expected to expand to about 5 400 GW by 2030 and 18 000 GW by 2050, and hydropower capacity is anticipated to grow to 1 500 GW by 2030 and 2 500 GW by 2050.
These figures are consistent with the targets established in the UAE Consensus during COP28 in 2023, which emphasized the need to triple RE capacity by 2030.
Additionally, IRENA reported significant cost reductions in Renewable Energy technologies between 2010 and 2023, with solar energy costs decreasing by approximately 90% and wind energy costs by about 68%.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation in atmospheric science and meteorology.
WMO monitors weather, climate, and water resources and provides support to its Members in forecasting and disaster mitigation. The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and improving public safety and well-being through its work.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
Today, environmental group the Wilderness Society launched a case in the Federal Court against Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, arguing she and successive environment ministers have failed to meet their legal obligations to create threatened species recovery plans.
Other species forming the basis of the case are Baudin’s cockatoo, the Australian grayling, Carnaby’s black cockatoo, red goshawk, forest red-tailed black cockatoo and the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle.
Many other species and ecological communities also don’t have recovery plans. If successful, the case would set a precedent compelling future environment ministers to meet their legal obligations and improve Australia’s dire conservation record. This is a significant moment for conservation in Australia – testing how accountable environment ministers are in preventing species extinctions.
Why do recovery plans matter?
Threatened species recovery plans lay out very clearly why species or ecological communities are in trouble and the actions necessary to save them. Once a plan is in place, it can directly benefit the species by tackling threats and safeguarding habitat.
Proposals such as a new farm, suburb or mining project can be assessed by the environment minister and rejected if they are inconsistent with recovery plans and place threatened species at increased risk of extinction. Recovery plans have helped dozens of species come back from the brink.
Under Australia’s national environmental laws, the environment minister must decide whether a recovery plan is required for a species or ecological community listed as threatened.
If a plan is ordered, it must typically be created within three years. But a 2022 Auditor-General’s report found just 2% of plans met this timeframe.
Recovery is possible, but plans are vital
Successive governments have failed to keep up with creating and implementing recovery plans in a timely manner. The perennial and chronic lack of funding for conservation means there’s little capacity to do the vital but time-consuming work of planning and recovery.
As a result, the federal government has increasingly shifted to offering conservation advices in place of recovery plans. Conservation advices can be produced and updated faster than recovery plans. This is useful if, say, a new threat emerges and needs a rapid response.
But there’s a key legal difference. When the environment minister is considering a project such as land clearing for new farmland or a mine, they need only consider any conservation advice in place. When a recovery plan is in place, the minister is legally obliged not to approve actions which are contrary to its objectives and would make the plight of a species or ecological community worse.
A conservation advice can be thought of more like a fact sheet without the same legal weight or accountability that recovery plans have.
In March 2022, the Morrison government scrapped recovery plans for 176 threatened species and habitats, despite thousands of submissions arguing against this.
After the Albanese government took power in May 2022, it pledged to end “wilful neglect” of the environment and to introduce stronger environmental laws. Sadly, this commitment has not been honoured.
Australia’s species protection record is unenviable. Since European colonisation, more than 100 species have been driven to extinction and more than 2,000 species and ecological communities are listed at risk of suffering the same fate.
For a species to be considered threatened, its population has to have shrunk. The severity of the decline and hence its extinction risk will determine how it’s categorised, from vulnerable through to critically endangered. Recovery plans lay out the research required to actually recover these species, meaning helping their populations to grow out of the danger zone.
A key role for these plans is to coordinate planning and action between relevant interest groups and agencies. This is especially important for species found across state and territory borders, such as the southern greater glider and the migratory swift parrot. The greater glider should have had a recovery plan in place since 2016, but does not.
Are individual plans still worthwhile?
Faced with so many species in need of protection and limited funding, prominent figures including former Environment Minister Peter Garrett have argued we should focus our efforts on protecting ecosystems rather than single species to make the best use of scarce funds.
But there is a deeper issue. Australia is one of the wealthiest nations in the world. It has the capacity to greatly increase conservation spending without impoverishing humans, and should do so for the benefit of the economy, culture and our health and wellbeing.
That’s not to say ecosystem protection isn’t worthwhile. After all, ecosystems are made up of species and their interactions with each other and their environment. You cannot have healthy species without healthy ecosystems and vice versa.
But if we focus only on protecting large expanses of wetland, forest and grasslands, we risk overlooking a key issue. Two species in the same ecosystem can be very differently affected by a specific threat (predation by foxes, for instance). Some species can even have conflicting management needs. For some species, invasive species are the biggest threat, while climate change and intensified fire regimes threaten others the most.
As Australia’s natural world continues to deteriorate, climate change deepens and worsening wildlife woes abound, these issues will no doubt be front of mind for many in the upcoming federal election.
It can be easy to see these trends as inevitable. But they are not – the collapse of nature is a choice. We have what we need for success, including traditional, ecological and conservation knowledge. What’s sorely needed is political will.
There were once fewer than 50 northern hairy-nosed wombats alive. Today, that number exceeds 400. When supported, conservation can succeed.
Almost all Australians want their government to do more to save our species. Let us hope whoever forms the next government takes up that challenge – even if it takes court cases to prompt action.
Euan Ritchie receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action. Euan is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australian Mammal Society, and President of the Australian Mammal Society.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toby Murray, Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne
In July last year, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, directed tech companies to develop codes of practice to keep children safe from online porn and harmful content. Now, after seven months, the industry has submitted draft codes to eSafety for approval.
eSafety is currently assessing the draft codes.
Assuming Grant approves the new codes, what can we expect the future to look like for children and teens online? And how effective will the proposed codes be at protecting children?
They cover social media platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat. But they also cover internet service providers, search engines such as Google, online messaging services such as WhatsApp, online gaming platforms, as well as the manufacturers of the computers, mobile phones and software we use to access online services.
The codes will also cover online app stores such as those operated by Apple and Google. However, app store codes aren’t expected to be released until late March.
As well as covering a range of companies, the codes also cover a range of harms. They aim to protect kids not only from online pornography but also content that promotes self-harm, eating disorders, suicide and violence.
Given the difficulty of protecting kids from this kind of content, this coordinated approach is absolutely essential.
If the draft codes are approved, companies will have six months to implement the proposed safety measures. They will face fines of up to A$50 million for non-compliance.
What’s in store?
The draft codes are broken up across different parts of the tech ecosystem. The requirements they place on individual tech platforms depend on the danger harmful content on each platform poses to children.
Large social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are likely to be categorised among the most dangerous. That’s because it’s possible for users to access extremely harmful content such as child sexual abuse or terrorist material on these platforms. Plus, these platforms serve millions of people and also allow users to create public profiles, maintain “friend” lists, and share content widely.
According to the draft codes, these platforms will need to implement the most stringent safety measures. These include using age-assurance measures to prevent children under the minimum age allowed to access the service from doing so, having an appropriately resourced trust and safety team, and using automated systems to detect and remove child abuse and pro-terror material.
On the other hand, less risky platforms won’t be subject to any requirements under the draft codes. These include online platforms that allow only limited communication within a specific group of people and without social media features such as friends lists and public profiles. Platforms for communication within a primary school such as Compass would be among the least risky.
Online search engines such as Google and Bing – which provide access to adult and self-harm content, but are legitimately used by children – will be required to implement appropriate measures to prevent children accessing that content.
This may include enabling safe-search features and establishing child-user accounts. These accounts would include features that automatically blur harmful content and filter such content from search results and recommendation algorithms
The codes also cover emerging harmful technology, such as deepfake porn apps powered by generative artificial intelligence. Like traditional porn sites, these will be required to implement age-assurance technology to prevent children using these services.
What about age assurance?
The codes specifically define what age-assurance measures are considered “appropriate”.
Importantly, just because an age-checking system can be bypassed doesn’t disqualify it. Instead, age assurance measures must include “reasonable steps” to ensure someone is of age, while balancing privacy concerns.
Requiring users to self-declare their age is not appropriate. So expect to see porn sites do away with click-through dialogs asking visitors to declare they are really adults.
Instead, sites will have a range of options for assuring their users’ ages, including photo ID, estimating age based on facial images or video, having a parent attest to a child’s age, leveraging credit card checks, or AI-based methods for age inference.
Different measures are likely to be used by different companies and systems.
For example, Apple has already announced a range of new child safety measures that appear to align with many parts of the draft codes. These include making it easier for parents to set up child safety features on kids’ iPads and iPhones, using a parent’s payment information to ensure they can safely attest to their child’s age, as well as app store integration of child safety features to enable app developers to make their apps safer for children.
On the other hand, adult sites and apps are likely to adopt age-assurance mechanisms that users perceive to be more private. For paying subscribers, they are likely to leverage the credit information already stored to assure the users’ age.
Non-subscribers may instead be required to submit to a facial scan or other AI-based methods to estimate their age.
Publicly available data on state-of-the-art systems for age estimation from facial images suggests the best systems have an average error of 3.7 years.
Whether eSafety will agree such technology is “appropriate” remains to be seen. However, if it is adopted, there is a real risk many teens will remain able to access online porn and harmful deepfake apps despite these new codes.
Toby Murray receives funding from Google. He is director of the Defence Science Institute, which receives funding from Victorian and Tasmanian state governments, and from the Commonwealth Department of Defence.
Government announcements positive, says University of Auckland dean
The government’s announcement today to fund more locally trained doctors and more places for graduate doctors in general practice is welcomed by the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences dean Professor Warwick Bagg.
Health Minister Hon Simeon Brown today announced an increase of 25 training places for doctors in the two existing medical schools and training opportunities in primary health for up to 50 New Zealand-trained graduate doctors. Yesterday, the Minister announced 100 clinical places for overseas-trained doctors to work in primary care
Professor Bagg says the announcements recognise the urgent workforce needs of the health system.
“Every New Zealander knows our health system is under strain, and we need a range of solutions to meet those needs. The announcements are excellent news. The University of Auckland looks forward to offering more places for students to study medicine.”
The additional 25 places will raise the cap on second-year medical school enrolments at the universities of Auckland and Otago to 639 in 2026. The University has previously advised the government that the two universities can educate a further 120 doctors.
Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after voting against confirming Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education:
“As a proud product of the Nevada public school system, from kindergarten through my four years at UNR, I cannot in good conscience vote to confirm Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. Since her nomination, including during her confirmation hearing, Ms. McMahon has made it clear that she will follow President Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education. This would have a devastating impact on Nevada’s students and throw our public education system into chaos.”
Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee has issued the following statement:
“March is Nutrition Month, an important time to highlight the many ways food nourishes us physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. This year’s theme, Nourish to Flourish, reminds us that food is more than just fuel; it is a cornerstone of community, culture and overall wellbeing. The choices we make about food impact our health, but they also shape our relationships, traditions and sense of belonging.
“This year, we celebrate the role of food in strengthening social connections and empowering communities to thrive. Food literacy plays a crucial role in helping individuals make informed choices that support not just their physical health, but also their mental and emotional wellbeing. In the Yukon, we are committed to ensuring that all residents have access to the knowledge, skills and resources they need to develop a positive relationship with food and to create nourishing environments for themselves and their families.
“In pursuit of our commitment to a healthier Yukon, the government, through the Health Promotion Unit, is actively working with Yukon communities and partners to support equitable access to food literacy initiatives. Through the Yukon Northern Wellness Project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Government of Yukon, we have supported local food literacy efforts across the territory. This fiscal year alone, 17 projects have been funded through food literacy grants, building on the 22 projects funded in 2023–24, which reached over 300 Yukoners, including 200 individuals from rural areas. We also continue to invest in school food programs, providing $208,000 during the 2024–25 fiscal year to support the Yukon Food for Learning Association.
“Yukoners can access a variety of resources through Canada’s Food Guide and Health Canada’s nutrition recommendations, which offer practical advice on healthy eating. The Dietitians of Canada provide reliable, science-based guidance and tools like Cookspiration help with meal planning and healthy recipe ideas.
“Traditional foods also play an important role in nutrition and wellbeing. Harvesting and consuming traditional foods not only supports physical health but also strengthens cultural connections. Families can engage children in learning about traditional foods through fun activities like the Traditional Foods Colouring Book.
“This Nutrition Month, I encourage all Yukoners to explore the available resources and embrace food as a tool for nourishment, connection and wellbeing. When we make informed, mindful choices about food, we empower ourselves, strengthen our communities and create a healthier future for all.”
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Letter Text (PDF)
Washington (March 3, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today wrote to Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) urging them to hold a hearing to investigate Elon Musk’s recent statements regarding the safety of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Control System. Last week, Elon Musk posted on X suggesting that the FAA’s Air Traffic Control communications system “is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk.”
In the letter, Senator Markey wrote, “Given Musk’s far-reaching role within the U.S. government and his recent involvement with the FAA’s information technology systems, Musk’s comments could understandably cause panic among air travelers. This Committee has worked diligently over the past few years to improve aviation safety, including in last year’s FAA Reauthorization Act, but the traveling public is understandably experiencing heightened anxiety about air travel after several recent and tragic plane crashes. Although the FAA’s information technology systems need modernization, Musk’s alarmist rhetoric appears extreme. If he has discovered new vulnerabilities in the FAA’s Air Traffic Control system, the Committee should know about such information immediately. If Musk cannot provide evidence of his claims, it raises serious questions about whether he is using his role as a senior government official to enrich his company SpaceX, currently competing for FAA contracts. In either case, the Commerce Committee has a responsibility to immediately hold a public hearing to investigate Musk’s claims on behalf of the American public.”
On February 26, Senator Markey wrote to Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator of the FAA with questions about the FAA’s recent decision to deploy three Starlink terminals, which provide broadband internet connectivity through a satellite network, from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Given Musk’s dual positions as CEO of SpaceX and wide-spread role in the Trump administration, this decision creates at least an appearance of a conflict-of-interest.
A new low-altitude economy research institute has been launched in Mianyang in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, marking a strategic move to drive the development of low-altitude industries in the country’s vast western region, according to China Low Altitude Economic Alliance.
The China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City Low-Altitude Economy Research Institute was inaugurated on Sunday. It is jointly established by 14 entities, including Sichuan Jiuzhou Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., Southwest University of Science and Technology, and leading commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) company JOUAV. The institute aims to foster technological innovation and industry integration in this rapidly emerging sector.
It brings together the strengths of government, industry, academia, research and application in Mianyang, a city known for its strong scientific and technological foundation.
With its solid technological base, comprehensive industrial support and diverse application scenarios, Mianyang is poised to become a leading “city of low altitude” in western China, noted Luo Jun, executive director of the alliance.
Speaking at the institute’s launch ceremony, Luo said that Mianyang will join the national low-altitude transportation network pilot program, which aims to integrate drones and air mobility systems into a unified traffic management framework.
The institute’s establishment aligns with China’s broader strategy to advance the low-altitude economy, encompassing UAVs, urban air mobility, and other emerging sectors.
In his keynote speech, Xiang Jinwu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, described the low-altitude economy as an important engine for economic transformation and upgrading in the new era.
Mianyang should leverage the institute as a platform to drive innovation, foster industrial clustering, and serve as a demonstration site for low-altitude economy applications.
Moving forward, the institute will focus on key technological breakthroughs and the transformation of research outcomes while striving to become a leading hub for low-altitude economy innovation in western China and beyond.
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
03.03.25
Pioneering UW Medical Researcher Known For Lifesaving Cancer Breakthroughs to Join Cantwell for SOTU Tomorrow
Dr. Paul Lange led prostate cancer research collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine: Cantwell has been sounding the alarm on Trump admin’s proposed funding cuts for Medicaid and lifesaving biomed research
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, will be joined by Dr. Paul Lange at the annual State of the Union Address that President Donald Trump will deliver to a joint session of Congress tomorrow evening.
Dr. Lange is a medical research pioneer, cancer surgeon and founding director of Seattle’s world-leading Institute for Prostate Cancer Research (IPCR). Early prostate cancer detection tests that Dr. Lange helped develop – with support from federal funding — are a major reason why the U.S. prostate cancer death rate declined significantly from 1993 to 2022.
“I’ve worked for more than 40 years to develop a cure for prostate cancer, and I’m proud to say that a cure is within reach. But cuts to federal support for medical research would delay lifesaving advancements for all medical diseases including all forms of cancer. Specifically, If President Trump’s administration cuts research funding for prostate cancer, the world’s dream of a cure will be impeded. There are men currently in their 20s and 30s – men who could be saved by this cure — who will die instead,” Dr. Lange said. “America is home to some of the best biomedical research facilities in the world. To keep our global leadership, we must invest in the people and institutions that keep us moving forward.”
“People are afraid that their life’s work will be gone,” Sen. Cantwell said in a speech on the Senate floor. “They tell me they have to stop admitting new patients to clinical trials, that they’ll have to scale back. And we can’t just start and stop medical research like a faucet. Once these people leave, the programs are stopped. It takes a long time to get them started. Once halted, the research data, the clinical trial, the patients, the laboratory, the equipment that led to those innovations — will be lost. [If you] ask me, that is throwing taxpayer dollars away. When you have an opportunity to cure a disease that affects millions of people and can save taxpayers billions, but somebody is arbitrarily going to cut these NIH funds, thinking they’re saving the American people? They’re not saving them. They’re causing harm.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Lange provided lifesaving care to patients of all backgrounds, including many Medicaid recipients. Last week, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on Washington state’s health care system
Approximately 35,000 men die from prostate cancer in the U.S. every year, so the research by Dr. Lange and his UW Medicine and Fred Hutch medical associates, has helped save many lives by dramatically reducing the annual death rate and, very critically, has elevated the prospects of developing a complete cure.
One of those men is well-known Edmonds-based travel writer Rick Steves, whose prostate cancer was caught by an early detection test. Steves has spoken publicly about his battle with prostate cancer to raise awareness and encourage men to talk to their doctors early about screening – and to express gratitude that he has “access to the brilliant UW Medicine team at the IPCR now headed by Dr. Dan Lin and the leading technology at Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center.”
Over the past month, Sen. Cantwell has been sounding the alarm on the Trump administration’s threats to cut funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In early February, NIH announced it would set the maximum rate for indirect costs to 15% —creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move would dismantle the biomedical research system and stifle the development of new cures for disease.
On Feb. 12, Sen. Cantwell delivered a speech on the Senate floor explaining her opposition to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination to head the Health and Human Services Administration and laying out the repercussions of the proposed NIH cuts. On Feb. 13, she joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to Kennedy expressing serious concern over the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine America’s lifesaving biomedical research infrastructure, in violation of federal law.
“The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the Senators wrote.
Last week, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on Washington state’s health care system, especially in Central and Eastern Washington. Based on interviews and statements from more than a dozen health organizations statewide, the report details how Medicaid cuts — and the subsequent service cuts by providers — would likely affect all Washingtonians.
Research entities in Washington state received $1.29 billion in NIH funding in Fiscal Year 2023, which supports nearly 12,000 jobs and nearly $3 billion in economic activity. A state by state analysis of total NIH funding, jobs supported, and economic activity supported through NIH research is available HERE.
For decades, Sen. Cantwell has remained a staunch supporter of medical innovation and evidence-based science, including treatments for fentanyl addiction, abortion, vaccinations, stem cell research, and more.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By John W. Daily, Research Professor in Thermo Fluid Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
The wind and terrain can quickly change how a fire, like this one near Los Angeles in January 2025, behaves.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
When wildfires break out, fire crews count on fire-spotting technology and computer models to help them understand the rapidly changing environment.
That technology has evolved over the years, yet some techniques are very similar to those used over 100 years ago.
I have spent several decades studying combustion, including wildfire behavior and the technology used to track fires and predict where wildfires might turn. Here’s a quick tour of the key technologies used today.
Spotting fires faster
First, the fire must be discovered.
Often wildfires are reported by people seeing smoke. That hasn’t changed, but other ways fires are spotted have evolved.
In the early part of the 20th century, the newly established U.S. Forest Service built fire lookout towers around the country. The towers were topped by cabins with windows on all four walls and provided living space for the fire lookouts. The system was motivated by the Great Fire of 1910 that burned 3 million acres in Washington, Idaho and Montana and killed 87 people.
Before satellites, fire crews watched for smoke from fire towers across the national forests. K. D. Swan, U.S. Forest Service
Today, cameras watch over many high-risk areas. California has more than 1,100 cameras watching for signs of smoke. Artificial intelligence systems continuously analyze the images to provide data for firefighters to quickly respond. AI is a way to train a computer program to recognize repetitive patterns: smoke plumes in the case of fire.
Once a fire is spotted, one immediate task for firefighting teams is to estimate how the fire is going to behave so they can deploy their limited firefighting resources most effectively.
Fire managers have seen many fires and have a sense of the risks their regions face. Today, they also have computer simulations that combine data about the terrain, the materials burning and the weather to help predict how a fire is likely to spread.
Fuel models
Fuel models are based on the ecosystem involved, using fire history and laboratory testing. In Southern California, for example, much of the wildland fuel is chaparral, a type of shrubland with dense, rocky soil and highly flammable plants in a Mediterranean climate. Chaparral is one of the fastest-burning fuel types, and fires can spread quickly in that terrain.
For human-made structures, things are a bit more complex. The materials a house is made of – if it has wood siding, for example – and the environment around it, such as how close it is to trees or wooden fences, play an important role in how likely it is to burn and how it burns.
How scientists study fire behavior in a lab.
Weather and terrain
Terrain is also important because it influences local winds and because fire tends to run faster uphill than down. Terrain data is well known thanks to satellite imagery and can easily be incorporated into computer codes.
Weather plays another critical role in fire behavior. Fires need oxygen to burn, and the windier it is, the more oxygen is available to the fire. High winds also tend to generate embers from burning vegetation that can be blown up to 5 miles in the highest winds, starting spot fires that can quickly spread.
Today, large computer simulations can forecast the weather. There are global models that cover the entire Earth and local models that cover smaller areas but with better resolution that provides greater detail.
Both provide real-time data on the weather for creating fire behavior simulations.
Modeling how flames spread
Flame-spread models can then estimate the likely movement of a fire.
Scientists build these models by studying past fires and conducting laboratory experiments, combined with mathematical models that incorporate the physics of fire. With local terrain, fuel and real-time weather information, these simulations can help fire managers predict a fire’s likely behavior.
Examples of how computer modeling can forecast a fire’s spread. American Physical Society.
Advanced modeling can account for fuel details such as ground-level plant growth and tree canopies, including amount of cover, tree height and tree density. These models can estimate when a fire will reach the tree canopy and how that will affect the fire’s spread.
Forecasting helps, but wind can change fast
All these tools are made available to firefighters in computer applications and can help fire crews as they respond to wildfires.
However, wind can rapidly change speed or direction, and new fires can start in unexpected places, meaning fire managers know they have to be prepared for many possible scenarios – not just the likely outcomes they see on their computer screens.
Ultimately, during a fire, firefighting strategy is based on human judgment informed by experience, as well as science and technology.
John W. Daily receives funding from the Department of Defense for wildland fire research. He is affiliated with the Combustion Institute and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is a Fellow of both organizations.
The photosensitive surface-barrier structure consists of a silicon substrate with a tunnel-thin dielectric layer of silicon oxide and a transparent conducting electrode, and a dielectric layer of germanosilicate glass (GeSixOy) is placed between them. This design allows recording photocurrent in a wide spectrum, with radiation absorption occurring both in the near-surface region of the substrate and in the dielectric layer consisting of germanosilicate glass.
— The structure of the photosensitive structure is layered. The technology of layer application is quite simple — this process is carried out by physical evaporation and magnetron sputtering in a vacuum, which ensures optimal electrical and optical properties. In the future, we plan to increase the number of layers in order to delve deeper into the infrared radiation area. But in the patent for a utility model that we received, only two types of structures are mentioned so far. The first is the simplest. It is a layer of silicon with a natural oxide, which is always present on this chemical element, germanosilicate glass and a metal contact of ITO (indium tin oxide). This results in a substrate and two layers. The second structure that we patented is more complex and is aimed at subsequent advancement into the infrared region of light absorption. We additionally introduce a germanium nanolayer onto the germanosilicate glass layer, explained Vladimir Volodin, leading researcher at the Laboratory of Functional Diagnostics of Low-Dimensional Structures for Nanoelectronics of the ATIC Department of the Physics Faculty of NSU, professor at the Department of General Physics, and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
The use of germanosilicate glass as a dielectric between the substrate and the transparent electrode significantly expands the spectral range in which the structure is capable of effectively registering photocurrent, in contrast to analogues created from less efficient materials.
The utility model is designed to increase the efficiency of recording optical signals in a wide spectral range, including visible and infrared. It will be useful in eliminating the shortcomings of traditional photosensitive structures – such as low photocurrent and the need to use high voltages and temperatures.
It should also be noted that the photodiodes used based on MIS structures with a Schottky diode do not use pn junctions, which simplifies the production technology and can lead to a reduction in the cost of the final product.
The photosensitive structures developed at NSU will find wide application in the field of optoelectronics and can be used in optical information recording systems, photodetectors, and sensors for various radiation ranges.
In the next part of the series of publications, we will talk about the development of a memory element from a new memristor material.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) delivered a speech on the Senate floor last week opposing Linda McMahon’s nomination to serve as Secretary of Education. In his remarks, Peters underscored the importance of a strong public education system for the success of our country, and highlighted the need to protect the programs that ensure every student has the tools to succeed. Peters also voted against McMahon’s confirmation.
“Education is the cornerstone of academic achievement, career development, and lifelong learning in our society,” said Senator Peters. “A strong public education system is critical to not only our nation’s economy, but community safety, social mobility, and the health of our democracy.”
Peters continued, “Instead of working to protect funding for the programs that support our students, improve classrooms, and help recruit the hard-working teachers that we so desperately need today, Mrs. McMahon made it clear that she has, well, other priorities.”
To watch a video clip of Senator Peters’ remarks, click here.
Peters also shared his concerns with McMahon’s support of a private school voucher system, which would divert funding from public schools.
“During her committee hearing, she blatantly supported efforts to dismantle our education system, including taking funding away from our public schools and using it to make investments in private schools,” said Senator Peters. “Mrs. McMahon and others have tried to sell this as ‘school choice’ but we know that it is basically a voucher programs ultimately give private schools the ability to hand-pick students and close their doors to everyone else. Private schools have no requirement to serve students with disabilities, students with mental health needs, or homeless students.”
Peters continued, “If confirmed as Secretary of Education, the quality of American education will certainly decline, and our children will ultimately suffer the consequences.”
Senator Peters is the product of Michigan public schools. After graduating from Rochester High School, he attended Alma College, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. His father was a Michigan public school teacher and National Education Association union member for more than 30 years.
The risk of undersea landslides and their potential to cause tsunamis along New Zealand’s east coast is being investigated by scientists aboard the German research vessel RV Sonne as part of a month-long international collaboration.
Researchers from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and GNS Science are examining underwater canyons alongside colleagues from German institutions GEOMAR and Kiel University on the deep ocean research vessel.
By surveying, mapping and sampling two different areas off the Wairarapa and Canterbury coasts which have previously experienced huge landslides, they hope to better understand the hazard and risk potential of large underwater canyons, says NIWA marine geoscientist Dr Joshu Mountjoy.
“Future undersea landslides could trigger tsunamis as well as impact seafloor infrastructure. If these landslides happened again, we know they could cause devastating tsunamis. What we are trying to understand is where and when they might occur in the future.”
To better understand what lies beneath the ocean, they are mapping the seafloor using RV Sonne’s multi-beam sonar to create contour maps and using seismic surveying, as well as collecting core samples from the seafloor to reveal the age and when landslides previously occurred.
Surveying and mapping will provide insights into the structure and geological formations below the seabed says GNS Science Computational Geophysicist Christof Mueller. “It is like a CAT scan of the Earth, with seismic surveying penetrating deep into the crust to map geological structures, while acoustic mapping maps shallower features like the seafloor depth and topography with greater detail. Sediment cores and geophysical data will be analysed to reveal the layers, because we are interested in the mechanical strength of the sediments and rocks and how they respond to earthquake motions.”
While the ocean floor covers more than 70 per cent of the planet’s surface, it isn’t flat or unchanging as some people assume, he says. “Like dry land, the seafloor has rugged mountains, long valleys, flat plains, steep-sided canyons and exposed rock. Covered in layers of marine sediments, it is a dynamic place continually changing. The ocean is roughly four times deeper than land is high.”
The distance from the sea surface to the seafloor makes deep canyons difficult to explore, along with the lack of light, cold temperatures, and high pressure, says Mountjoy. “From these extensive surveys, and analysis of the sediment cores, we hope to uncover the secrets of underwater landslides – how and where they form, when they last occurred and their frequency and magnitude, and their potential to trigger tsunamis. While we are studying two canyons less than 200km apart, they have contrasting geology, so we’ll be able to directly compare underwater canyons on active and passive continental slopes. In the Palliser Canyon study area, south of Cape Palliser in Wairarapa, the Pacific Plate moves beneath the Australian Plate, the geology is dominated by rock and earthquakes occur regularly. In the Pegasus Canyon study area, north-east of Banks Peninsula, the geology is dominated by softer sediments and earthquakes are less frequent. These factors should have a big influence on how and where landslides occur.”
He says the research aims to look at the past to understand future possibilities. “We often don’t know what causes individual undersea landslides, but we do know that some of these are vast, greater than 5 cubic kilometres in size, and can potentially generate tsunami waves up to 5 m high. What we don’t know is how often and what controls these landslides. So the outstanding science challenge is to identify what causes the big ones. This improved understanding will better position New Zealand to be one step ahead, as data will allow for better community resilience and protection of our national infrastructure and assets which keep New Zealand moving.”
The current 2025 voyage of the RV Sonne highlights collaboration between New Zealand research organisations, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) and Kiel University, Germany, which spans more than 30 years. The 116m-long RV Sonne has worked for much of its life as a platform for scientific research around the Pacific Ocean.
Headline: Crystallography-Informed AI Achieves World-Leading Performance in Predicting Novel Crystal Structures
A research team from the Institute of Statistical Mathematics and Panasonic Holdings Corporation has developed a machine learning algorithm, ShotgunCSP, that enables fast and accurate prediction of crystal structures from material compositions. The algorithm achieved world-leading performance in crystal structure prediction benchmarks.
Crystal structure prediction seeks to identify the stable or metastable crystal structures for any given chemical compound adopt under specific conditions. Traditionally, this process relies on iterative energy evaluations using time-consuming first-principles calculations and solving energy minimization problems to find stable atomic configurations. This challenge has been a cornerstone of materials science since the early 20th century. Recently, advancements in computational technology and generative AI have enabled new approaches in this field. However, for large-scale or complex molecular systems, the exhaustive exploration of vast phase spaces demands enormous computational resources, making it an unresolved issue in materials science.
The team discovered that leveraging machine learning algorithms allows for highly accurate predictions of the symmetry patterns inherent in stable crystal structures. By employing these predictors to drastically reduce the search space, they eliminated the need for iterative first-principles calculations. This simplified approach demonstrated that even for large and complex systems, stable structures could be predicted with remarkably high accuracy and efficiency.
This groundbreaking achievement was published in npj Computational Materials on December 20, 2024.
Crystals are solids formed by atoms or molecules arranged periodically and are used in semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, batteries, and many other applications. The structure of a crystal has a significant impact on the material’s properties. In the process of material development, the synthesis of materials requires considerable time and effort, making techniques for predicting crystal structures in advance extremely important. Predicting energetically stable or metastable crystal structures from chemical compositions has been a longstanding challenge in materials science. In principle, crystal structures can be determined by solving energy minimization problems within the atomic configuration space, with energy evaluations typically performed using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory.
Crystal structure prediction (CSP) is typically addressed by combining first-principles calculations with optimization algorithms. For example, genetic algorithms are often employed to iteratively modify atomic configurations along energy gradients in the search for global or local minima on the energy landscape. However, these conventional approaches require iteratively relaxing a large number of candidate structures through first-principles calculations at each step, resulting in exceptionally high computational costs. This limitation becomes particularly severe for large-scale systems containing 30–40 or more atoms per unit cell, where existing methods face significant difficulties in accurately resolving crystal structures. Recent benchmark studies have revealed that current CSP algorithms can predict only less than 50% of all crystal systems 1, 2, highlighting significant limitations in their performance.
The research team focused on developing a non-iterative CSP algorithm that eliminates the need for repeated first-principles calculations (Figure 1). First, they constructed an energy predictor using machine learning to approximate the energy calculation of first-principles calculations. By applying transfer learning, they found that a highly accurate energy predictor could be built with only a small number of training data. Next, they used a newly developed crystal structure generator to create promising virtual crystal structures. The energy predictor was then used to narrow down the candidates most likely to lead to stable structures. Finally, they applied first-principles calculations to relax the energies of the selected candidates and predicted the stable structure based on the crystal structure that reached the lowest energy. This algorithm was named ShotgunCSP, inspired by the image of a shotgun spreading across a wide area and carefully analyzing only the hits.
A key component of ShotgunCSP is the crystal structure generator. Because the structural space of large-scale systems is vast, efficiently narrowing the search space is crucial. The team discovered that machine learning could be used to predict the symmetry of the stable structure for any given composition (such as space groups and Wyckoff positions) with exceptionally high accuracy. This breakthrough enabled the efficient reduction of the search space, significantly lowering computational costs while maintaining high-precision predictions.
Space groups are mathematical frameworks that characterize the symmetry of crystals, representing a set of geometric operations (such as translation, rotation, inversion, and reflection) that map the atomic arrangement in a crystal lattice to its original positions. All crystals are classified into 230 distinct space groups. The research team demonstrated that, by using a model trained on a crystal structure database, they could narrow down the possible space groups for stable structures to the top 30 or so, enabling nearly complete identification of the space group for any given composition.
Wyckoff positions describe the degree of freedom for atomic configurations that is allowed under the symmetry operations of a specific space group. Each atom is assigned a Wyckoff label, and the positions of atoms displaced according to the corresponding rules preserve the original symmetry. The team showed that by leveraging machine learning, they could efficiently narrow down the assignment of Wyckoff labels for each atom in any given composition.
By utilizing these symmetry predictors, the search space for crystal systems can be dramatically reduced, leading to a significant improvement in the accuracy of CSP. According to large-scale performance evaluations conducted in this study, ShotgunCSP is capable of accurately predicting approximately 80% of all crystal systems. Its performance far exceeds that of the elemental-substitution-based CSP algorithm, CSPML 2, which was previously developed by the team and held the top rank in recent benchmarks 1.
CSP algorithms are foundational technologies that accelerate the development of new materials and scientific discoveries. By identifying the stable structures of materials, significant advancements can be made in exploring high-temperature superconductors, battery materials, catalysts, thermoelectric materials, pharmaceutical molecules, and even material structures under extreme conditions such as high temperature and pressure. The research team succeeded in significantly improving the prediction performance of CSP algorithms by discovering a novel approach, distinct from traditional methods, in which machine learning is used to narrow down the crystal symmetry of stable phases. Additionally, ShotgunCSP, with its simple algorithmic design, possesses high compatibility with parallel computing, and further performance improvements are expected as the computations are scaled up.
This work was partially supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS: 19H05820, 19H01132, 23K16955) and the Japan Science and Technology agency (JST: JPMJCR19I3, JPMJCR22O3, JPMJCR2332).
What causes debris flows, sometimes called mudflows, and why are they so common and dangerous after a fire? I am a geologist whose research focuses on pyrogeomorphology, which is how fire affects the land. Here’s what we know.
How debris flows begin
When severe fires burn hillslopes, the high heat from the fires, sometimes exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius), completely destroys trees, shrubs, grass and structures, leaving behind a moonscape of gray ash. Not only that, the heat of the fire actually burns and damages the soil, creating a water-repellent, or hydrophobic, layer.
What once was a vegetated hillslope, with leaves and trees to intercept rain and spongy soils to absorb water, is transformed into a barren landscape covered with ash, and burned soil where water cannot soak in.
When rain does fall on a burned area like this, water mixes with the ash, rocks and sediment to form a slurry. This slurry of debris then pours downhill in small gullies called rills, which then converge to form bigger and bigger rills, creating a torrent of sediment, water and debris rushing downhill. All this debris and water can transform small streams and usually dry gullies into a danger zone.
Because the concentration of sediment is so high, especially when there is a large amount of ash and clay, debris flows behave more like a slurry of wet cement than a normal stream. This fluid can pick up and move large boulders, cars, trees and other debris rapidly downhill.
In January 2018, a few weeks after the Thomas fire burned through the hills above Montecito, a storm triggered debris flows that killed 23 people and damaged at least 400 homes.
Fire and debris flow scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey use these variables to create models to predict the likelihood and possible hazards from postfire debris flows. They are already developing maps to help residents, emergency managers and city officials prepare and predict postfire debris flows in 2025 burn areas in Los Angeles.
The U.S. Geological Survey modeled debris flow risks after the Palisades Fire near Los Angeles. The map shows some of the highest-risk areas if hit by 15 minutes of rain falling at just under 1 inch (24 millimeters) per hour. USGS
Some of the triggers of debris flows are literally part of the landscape.
For example, the slope angle in a watershed and the amount of clay in the soil are important. Watersheds with gentle slopes – generally less than about 23 degrees – and a lack of clay and silt-sized particles are unlikely to produce debris flows.
Other key factors that contribute to postfire debris flows relate to the proportion of the watershed that is severely burned and the intensity and duration of the rainstorm event.
Early important research in the field of pyrogeomorphology demonstrated that while large, intense storms are more likely to cause large, intense debris flows, even small rainstorms can produce debris flows in burned areas.
Debris flows are becoming more common
A whopping 21.8 million Americans live within 3 miles of where a fire burned during the past two decades, and that population more than doubled from 2000 to 2019. A recent study from central and northern California indicates that nearly all the observed increases in area burned by wildfires in recent decades are due to human-caused climate change.
The warming climate is also increasing the likelihood of more extreme downpours. The amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold increases by about 7% per degree Celsius of warming, leading to more intense downpours, particularly from ocean storms. In California, scientists project increases in rainfall intensity of 18% will result in an overall 110% increase in the probability of major debris flows.
Jon Frye, of Santa Barbara Public Works, shows what happened in the January 2018 Montecito debris flow and why the risks to downslope communities would continue for several years. Source: County of Santa Barbara, 2018.
Studies using models of fire, climate and erosion rates estimate that the amount of sediment flowing downhill after fires will increase by more than 10% in nine out of every 10 watersheds in the western U.S.
Even without rain, debris on fire-damaged slopes can be unstable. A small slide in Pacific Palisades shortly after a fire burned through the area split a home in two. A phenomenon called “dry ravel” is a dominant form of hillslope erosion following wildfires in chaparral environments in Southern California
Preparing for debris flow risks
Research on charcoal pieces from ancient debris flows has shown fires and erosion have shaped Earth’s landscape for at least thousands of years. However, the rising risk of wildfires near populated areas and the potential for increasingly intense downpours mean a greater risk of damaging and potentially deadly debris flows.
As their populations expand, community planners need to be aware of those risks and prepare.
This article, originally published Jan. 23, 2025, has been updated with a flash flood watch issued.
Jen Pierce receives funding from the National Science Foundation and is the chair of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology division of the Geological Society of America.
Following last week’s Trump-Zelensky White House clash, more than a dozen Western leaders gathered Sunday to revive efforts for a Ukraine peace deal and propose a settlement to Washington.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the summit as a “once-in-a-generation moment for the security of Europe.” Although the meeting could push the region toward greater self-reliance in security, many observers fear the measures may be too little and too late.
Wake-up call
Europe now finds itself at a moment of truth in its security strategy. Before Friday’s diplomatic debacle at the White House, Russia-U.S. talks on the Ukraine crisis took place in Riyadh on Feb. 18, with neither Europe nor Ukraine given a seat at the table.
This photo shows a scene during a defense summit in London, Britain, March 2, 2025. [Photo/Lauren Hurley/No. 10 Downing Street handout via Xinhua]
Just one week later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to impose a 25-percent tariff on all goods imported from the European Union (EU), and justified the move by claiming that the EU was formed to “screw” the United States.
Europe was in a “moment of real fragility,” Starmer told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
Asked about the White House clash involving the duo of Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told BBC before the summit that the breakdown was a “wake-up call” for European nations, stressing that they must adopt a cohesive strategy for the Ukraine crisis and post-conflict arrangements.
Stubb expressed frustration over shifting transatlantic ties, saying the U.S.-Europe relationship “is evolving,” and “we’re witnessing a more transactional United States, where the Trump administration — rightly or wrongly — is pursuing an ‘America First’ policy.”
This has led European leaders to explore their own security solutions. At the Munich Security Conference last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed for an emergency clause that would allow governments to increase defense spending without being constrained by the EU’s strict budget deficit rules. After Sunday’s summit, she reiterated that Europe must “step up massively” and forge a common security approach.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Sunday that European countries should boost their defense spending to between 3 and 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). His proposal came a few days after Starmer’s announcement that Britain would increase its defense spending to 2.5 percent of its GDP by 2027 and to 3 percent in the next parliamentary term, which would mean by 2034 at the latest.
Following a bilateral meeting with Ukraine on Saturday, Britain also agreed to loan Ukraine 2.26 billion pounds (2.84 billion U.S. dollars) to bolster its defense capabilities. Shortly after the summit, Britain further committed 1.6 billion pounds (2 billion dollars) in export finance, allowing Ukraine to purchase over 5,000 air defense missiles.
More than eight years after Britain voted to depart from the EU, it has positioned itself at the forefront of European security efforts, trying to play the role of a “bridge” between Europe and the United States to secure a peace deal for Ukraine.
Strengthened bond
After Sunday’s summit, Starmer outlined a four-step plan to strengthen Ukraine and support peace: to maintain military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues and increase economic pressure on Russia; to ensure that any lasting peace guarantees Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, with Ukraine at the table for any negotiations; to deter “any future invasion by Russia” in the event of a peace deal; and to establish a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and uphold peace in the country.
The summit’s outcome was welcomed by European leaders. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called it “a good meeting,” saying “European countries are stepping up to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to fight for as long as necessary.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the importance of NATO and said on social media on Sunday: “In recent years, we have strengthened our alliance with new members and increased defense spending. This is the path we will continue to follow.”
However, doubts remain over whether Europe can fully safeguard a peace deal on its own. When asked how Britain plans to persuade more countries to join the “coalition of the willing,” Starmer acknowledged that some countries may be reluctant to contribute militarily.
“I strongly feel that unless some countries move forward, we will stay in the position we’re in and not be able to move forward,” he said, while admitting the goal to “stay in lockstep with the United States.”
Transatlantic disagreements
The EU and the Trump administration have a range of disagreements on the settlement of the Ukraine crisis, while the U.S. provision of security guarantees for Ukraine is foremost among the discussions.
Within a week before the London summit, both Macron and Starmer visited Washington to seek U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine or Europe, but failed to persuade Trump in this regard.
U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd R) at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Trump sidestepped the question of security guarantees, expressing confidence that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, would “keep his word” if an agreement is reached. He also ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. Ukraine’s NATO membership has been a focal issue in the crisis.
Earlier on Sunday before the summit, Starmer announced that Britain, France and Ukraine will work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States. He named three essential points to achieve “lasting peace” — a strong Ukraine, a European element with security guarantees and a U.S. backstop, with the last one being the subject of “intense” discussion.
After the announcement of the four-step plan to guarantee peace in Ukraine at the summit, the participating leaders also agreed to meet again soon to sustain the momentum behind these efforts.
“Europe must do the heavy lifting,” Starmer said, emphasizing that the agreement needs U.S. backing.
Iain Begg, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Xinhua, “The real question is whether this will be enough to sway the White House. We’ve seen time and again that Washington can reverse its stance overnight.”
Also on Sunday, Macron told a French newspaper that he was “trying to make Washington understand that disengaging from Ukraine is not in America’s interest.”
While the summit has pushed Europe toward greater security commitments, the region still faces divisions over whether to deploy troops to Ukraine under a peacekeeping framework.
For now, some major European countries, including Germany, Spain and Poland, remain hesitant to commit troops to Ukraine, with Britain and France taking the lead in potentially sending military forces.
Meanwhile, the EU is still in the early stages of developing a defense budget plan. Some experts noted that Europe’s efforts to build its own defense capabilities may still have a long way to go.
David Galbreath, a professor of international security at the University of Bath, pointed to the U.S. military’s capabilities: “The U.S. provides far sharper military capabilities, such as long-range strikes, sophisticated anti-tank systems and advanced surface-to-air missiles, than anything coming from Europe.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Francis Thrush, Director of the Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
For New Zealand, a country with an underwater territory 14 times its landmass, marine ecosystems present a significant opportunity to investigate carbon storage options.
In its emissions reduction plan for 2026-2030, it highlights the potential to harness marine habitats as carbon sinks and to count this towards the country’s efforts to slow climate change.
Several blue-carbon studies report on stocks of carbon in sediments and mangrove, saltmarshes and kelp forests. This tells us how much carbon is stored in these ecosystems – but very little about how carbon flows through them and the factors that influence whether it is stored or emitted.
Research shows seagrass meadows, mangroves, saltmarshes and kelp forests are significant carbon stores. Shutterstock/Daniel Poloha
This is important. Marine ecosystems can be both sinks or sources of carbon. If we don’t understand how organic material is transformed or how carbon dioxide (CO₂) is either taken up by plants or emitted into the atmosphere, we will likely make poor decisions about nature-based solutions.
To address this, we have invited researchers from the Scandinavian research partnership CoastClim – an innovative project linking seafloor biodiversity and climate – to bring their unique set of instrumentation to New Zealand to explore patterns in greenhouse gas emissions from the seafloor.
The measurements we made this summer are tracking emissions of methane and CO₂ from seafloor sediments in the upper reaches of several harbours (Waitemata, Mahurangi and Whangateau) in the Auckland region.
We found CO₂ concentrations were up to eight times higher than atmospheric levels in more disturbed and polluted parts of these harbours. Methane concentrations were up to 30 times higher. This shows that degraded habitats are indeed transformed into net emitters of greenhouse gases.
Paying attention to land-coast connections
There has been concern about the health of the Firth of Thames, at the back of the Hauraki Gulf, because the area drains a large catchment with intensive agriculture.
We found this region is a significant source of greenhouse gases.
Our sampling on the open coast revealed high draw-down of CO₂ in healthy patches of kelp. But this effect was reversed in areas where New Zealand’s endemic sea urchin, kina, has grazed off the kelp. These regions are known as kina barrens and they dominate many non-protected reefs.
Kina, New Zealand’s endemic sea urchin, grazes on kelp and can turn the seafloor into a source of emissions. Wikimedia Commons/Shaun Lee, CC BY
We argue that we have to manage these ecosystems in an integrative fashion, considering the long-term stores of carbon and the time it takes to build them up, along with the many processes that move carbon from one part of the ecosystem to another.
Considering the dynamics of marine carbon and restoring or protecting coastal ecosystems are good options for addressing multiple challenges. We shouldn’t just be looking for good places to bank carbon but also those where good management can reduce seafloor disturbance and therefore limit the release of greenhouse gases.
Considering climate and biodiversity
This project highlights the importance of considering both biodiversity and climate together. If we manage one ignorant of the other, we risk failure because biodiversity matters to how we address climate change.
This holistic understanding of the stock and flows of carbon (long-term sequestration and carbon in living organisms) is necessary if we are to identify viable long-term carbon stores. It is also crucial to assessing how the stresses we put on the marine environment can turn an ecosystem from a carbon sink to a source.
Working with our Scandinavian colleagues also confirmed our earlier research. For a number of years, we have been studying how different stressors – including sediment disturbance, nutrient flows from land and microplastic pollution affect the way nitrogen, carbon and oxygen are processed in coastal sediments.
These processes have implications for the release of greenhouse gases. But until now, we have not been able to test some connections and close the loop on some of our ideas.
As with most interventions to natural ecosystems, we are better off accepting they are complex, and that any supposed “silver bullet” solutions can have unintended consequences.
Simon Francis Thrush receives funding from currently from MBIE and the Auckland Foundation.
This week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea issued an appeal to the international community. She expressed concern about the future of civil society work on North Korean human rights.
The cause for alarm is a sudden freeze on the funds of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)- a US nongovernmental organisation.
One major beneficiary of funds from the NED are groups documenting and helping to stop human rights abuses in North Korea.
The funding halt threatens to damage further the lives of people living under one of the world’s most egregious authoritarian regimes.
What is the NED?
The NED is a US institution with a long history in its foreign policy, described as a “bastion of Republican internationalism”. Established by an act of Congress, it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
With bipartisan support, the NED is squarely based on core Republican values of spreading democracy through the world. It supports the work of nongovernmental organisations in more than 100 countries every year.
While it is unclear why Elon Musk, in his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, has suddenly taken aim at this institution, the consequences of cutting off funding overnight are easy to see.
One result is the likely end of decades-long work on North Korean human rights.
How this affects North Korea
One of the groups hit hard by this funding freeze is the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. The original single-issue North Korean human rights organisation, it’s now planning to shut its doors.
Without NED funding, it says it cannot cover its running costs, such as paying the rent or staff salaries.
It also can’t continue its important work investigating and documenting human rights abuses suffered by North Korean people.
The Citizens’ Alliance is just one of many groups, most of which are based in South Korea, that rely on the NED for their work.
The political environment in South Korea is uncertain and precarious for North Korean human rights activists. Despite efforts to diversify funding sources over many decades, there are few other options.
I have studied this question in-depth and over two decades. It’s a problem that cannot be overcome overnight, or even in the medium term, as it’s so deeply embedded, both politically and socially.
In the absence of funding opportunities in South Korea, Seoul-based groups must look abroad.
Yet many of the international support schemes available exist to fund in-country democratisation and human rights efforts.
The authoritarian regime in North Korea is so complete that no active, open civil society efforts can safely take place. The movement relies entirely on transnational activism and so doesn’t neatly fit into existing funding schemes.
On top of this, the funding freeze comes at a particularly bad time, with South Korea in a state of political turmoil. In the wake of the President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment following his declaration of martial law, it is unclear what the future of the limited number of existing initiatives will be.
Putting North Korea in the spotlight
For a long time, the plight of those suffering human rights abuses inside the secretive country was not well known to the outside world.
For decades, civil society groups built coalitions, gathered information, wrote reports, compiled databases, held public awareness-raising events, and lobbied politicians at all different levels. They then succeeded in bringing about the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korean Human Rights.
This inquiry, chaired by Australia’s Michael Kirby, has been the definitive document on North Korean human rights for more than ten years.
Its findings of gross violations of human rights inside the country have formed the evidentiary basis for international action on North Korean human rights. Examples of the report’s findings include:
the use of political prison camps, torture, executions and other sorts of arbitrary detention to suppress real or perceived political dissent
an almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and association
the use of access to food as a means of control over the population.
Non-profit North Korean human rights groups remain at the centre of this work. Having succeeded in putting the issue squarely on the international agenda, they continue to press for greater attention on the human rights situation from the international community.
But now this work could all end more suddenly than anyone could have expected.
More power to a dictator
The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights has paused all but its most urgent programs and launched an appeal for donations. Executive Director Hannah Song has described the situation as a crisis of “a massive and sudden cut to funding that threatens the crucial work of those on the frontlines”.
Sokeel Park, the leader of another nongovernmental group working in this space, described it as “by far the biggest crisis facing NGOs working on this issue since the start of the movement in the 1990s”.
This is no exaggeration. The North Korean human rights movement has had an outsized effect on the international community’s awareness and understanding of how the North Korean government maintains order and represses dissent.
So who wins out of this? North Korea’s Supreme Leader and dictator, Kim Jong-un.
Back in 2018, US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address centred on the human rights violations suffered by the North Korean people at the hands of the authoritarian regime. Trump declared:
we need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose.
Now, by effectively silencing the government’s most vocal critics, the Trump administration appears to be giving breathing room to one of the world’s most atrocious authoritarian regimes.
Danielle Chubb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Tiffany Ramos, A Rome, NY Native & SUNY Morrisville Graduate, Worked At The USDA Since 2021, Helping Farms, Businesses & Residents Of Rural Communities Across Upstate, Until She Was Unfairly Fired As “Probationary” Amid Blind Rash Of DOGE Cuts
Senator Says Callously Firing Dutiful Public Servants Like Tiffany And Slashing USDA Programs That Farmers & Rural Areas Depend On Does Nothing To Stop Government Waste, And Shows Why Efficiency Demands A Scalpel, Not A Chainsaw
Schumer: We Should Not Be Firing The Upstate NY-er’s Who Help Our Farmers & Rural Businesses Grow
Amid mass firings and funding freezes at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) because of DOGE, hurting farms, businesses, and residents of rural communities in Upstate NY and across all corners of NY, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today announced he will bring former Syracuse USDA employee, Tiffany Ramos, as his personal guest to attend President Trump’s Joint Session of Congress. Tiffany was fired earlier this month from the USDA’s Rural Development (RD) office where she worked helping farmers, businesses, and rural communities across Upstate NY get the financial assistance they needed, despite her years of service and critical work helping rural New Yorkers.
“Our farms and rural businesses are the lifeblood of Upstate NY, and the backbone of America. For nearly half a decade, Tiffany Ramos brought passion and commitment to her work at the USDA’s offices in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley, helping rural communities across Upstate New York. Support for our farmers, support for rural businesses, and jobs like Tiffany’s that help rural areas thrive are not government waste,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer. “Tiffany embodies the devotion and determination that makes America’s public servants the best in the world. I am all for cutting out inefficiency, but you use a scalpel, not a chainsaw. You don’t rip resources away from our farmers and rural businesses that are already struggling. I am proud to bring Central New York’s own Tiffany Ramos as my guest to President Trump’s Joint Session of Congress and will be fighting to reverse cuts like these that hurt Upstate NY’s farms and rural businesses.”
“My colleagues and I at the USDA proudly serve the farmers and businesses in our rural communities, living alongside them, understanding their needs, and fighting for their interests. The mass terminations at USDA is not just about me losing my job, it’s the dangerous message we’re sending to rural America. We’re telling farmers, small business owners, healthcare providers and residents of rural communities that they don’t matter enough for our federal government to support the staff needed to help them succeed,” said former USDA employee Tiffany Ramos. “The extraordinary members of the federal civil service I have had the pleasure of working with are not the enemy and are not sitting behind computers doing nothing, rather we are hard at work out in our communities every single day.”
Tiffany Ramos is a former Farm Service Agency (FSA) Program Technician and RD Business Program Technician based at the USDA’s offices in Oneida and Onondaga Counties. Originally from Rome, NY Tiffany graduated from SUNY Morrisville with an Associate’s Degree in Equine Science & Farm Management in 2009 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Business Development in 2021.
Tiffany started her career at the USDA in 2021 as an FSA Programs Technician. Over her years of work at FSA, Tiffany served as Oneida County’s primary technical contact on Farm Storage Facility loans, Marketing Assistance loans, conservation programs, and more. In 2024, Tiffany voluntarily transferred to USDA RD’s office in Syracuse to fill a Business Program Technician position that had been open for years. During her time at RD, Tiffany took on a statewide portfolio overseeing various loan, loan guarantee, and grant programs to help provide financial support to farms and rural businesses.
Tiffany was not on the initial list of probationary employees provided to the USDA after President Trump took office, but after her recent transfer Tiffany specifically reached out to OPM to double check her status. On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, OPM informed Tiffany that her years of service at FSA would be counted towards her retirement and leave. Nonetheless, Tiffany was blindsided by an email the very next day with news of her immediate termination. Since then, Tiffany has not received any update on the termination procedure or next steps, leaving her unclear on the status of healthcare insurance and making it difficult to file for unemployment benefits.
Tiffany’s termination letter claimed that her continued employment was not “in the public interest” despite all of Tiffany’s performance evaluations rating her as “Fully Successful” and zero documentation of poor performance or unsatisfactory work. Schumer said this is a prime example of blind and misguided ‘DOGE’ layoffs hurting American farmers, businesses and residents in our rural communities while creating chaos in every corner of New York State and all across the country.
President Trump has fired federal workers across Upstate New York, including at the USDA’s Syracuse office where workers like Tiffany help farmers and rural businesses. In January, President Trump froze all federal payments including at the USDA, creating ongoing chaos for farmers and rural communities in Upstate New York. Farmers across the country are still reporting missing payments that they depend on to continue operations. Schumer explained that laying off workers like Tiffany is only hurting farmers, businesses, and rural communities more by cutting off resources they need and limiting staff who can help them.
President Trump’s layoffs have hurt programs across the USDA, which in tandem with chaos from executive orders, the funding freeze, and slashing of other critical programs like USAID that support farmers, are causing serious financial hardship and worry for agriculture across America. Experts say these massive layoffs at the USDA, which range from those who help rural businesses to top agricultural scientists, could have severe and long lasting impacts for farms and America’s food supply chain. Schumer said DOGE’s approach of fire first and ask questions later cannot continue. As one significant example, last month, DOGE carelessly fired approximately 25% of the employees working on combatting bird flu at the USDA, and now struggling to rehire them, and undermining a response to reduce the crushing prices of eggs Americans are facing.
Farmers in Upstate NY have reported missing or delayed payments from dozens of programs. One example are programs in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that Senator Schumer led to passage in the Senate, which boosted funding for the USDA RD’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which provides loans and grants to help farmers improve their infrastructure, expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. The USDA has made billions of dollars available through REAP, but due to Trump’s federal funding fiasco ‘DOGE’ is reviewing millions in REAP payments, and farmers are missing REAP payments they rely on. Schumer said we cannot continue cutting off resources for farms and rural America and is fighting to reverse these harmful cuts at the USDA.
